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“ | Zohar... It is what drives all of the Gears on this planet. It is the master generator that transmits its energy to the slave generators in our Gears. It is also the source of all the Ether power that the inhabitants of this planet utilize. By utilizing the energy displacements caused by actualizing potential future phenomenon... this 'Zohar Modifier' has the ability to produce infinite amounts of energy. | ” |
The Zohar (Zohar Modifier in the English localization), is an object tied to many key components of Xenogears' universe. It powers Deus, nearly all Gears, and enables the ether abilities of the people on the planet.
Functions[]
The Zohar's main ability is the Phenomenon Phase Shift, which allows it to 'realize' the most favorable available outcome of any phenomena for whatever or whoever is able to control it. During the process of making that outcome possible, energy is produced, making the Zohar a continual source of renewable energy.[1]
Since the Zohar has no will of its own, the biological supercomputer Kadomony was placed inside the blue gem inside the Zohar's "eye" in order interpret and relay commands to the Zohar. These two components were then connected to Deus as a source of energy, tying all three elements together.
History[]
In A.D. 2001, on Earth, a mysterious object was unearthed from a stratum dating back to 3.9 billion years ago. Despite this, the object had an artificial appearance, including the shape of an eye.[2]
Before the object's age could be established, a research institution put forth the hypothesis that the object may have been an "artificial" panspermia, making it the source of terrestrial life. The hypothesis became the seed of a wave of unfounded theories, interpretations, and arguments.
These theories would laid to rest when the object was carbon-dated as over 15 billion years old, meaning it had been present at the birth of the universe. This led to more questions on the object's origin, and if, supposing it was not made by humanity, whether a higher power was responsible.
Due to its magnetic properties, the object was given the name MAM out of convenience, which was short for "Magnetic Abnormal Matter".
While research on MAM was conducted on a national level for a time, due to funding, further research was eventually frozen. One group of voluntary researchers continued on, giving the object another name: the Zohar.[2]
Rediscovery[]
Thousands of years later in 4743, after Earth became known as Lost Jerusalem, the Zohar (still referred to as 'MAM') was rediscovered in the cargo room of an ancient ship once belonging to a religious group known as the Pilgrimage Fleet.
A year later, after analysis resulted in the discovery of the theory of Phenomenon Phase Shift, the research group in charge of the Zohar began work on 'Project Zohar'. However, in 4765, due to an accident related to the project, the planet it was being hosted on was completely destroyed. The Zohar was later found floating nearby and recovered.[3]
In 4766, the biological supercomputer Kadomony was attached to the Zohar, with its mysterious main element, 'Persona', being directly built in. At the same time, work was completed on a weapon, called Deus, that could be used to stop the interstellar war that had been intensifying in the region.[4]
Deus & Abel[]
In 4767, after work was completed on Deus, they made the Zohar its power source.
Three months later, on Miktam04β, a series of top-secret tests were conducted on the Zohar and Deus. During one of these tests, a hyper dimensional being, called the Wave Existence, became trapped within the Zohar.
Wanting to be freed from its prison, the Wave Existence made Contact with a young boy, named Abel. Through the Zohar, the energy of the Wave Existence flowed into Abel, who became the Contact.[5] Responding to him, the biological computer Kadomony created a woman, which the Wave Existence imbued with 'a mother's will': the original Elehayym.[6]
At some point after this, Deus went out of control and invaded the nearby colonies, resulting in innumerable causalities.[3] After the military intervened and managed to place Deus in suspended animation at the cost of many more lives, it was dismantled into several parts and sealed.
The Eldridge was requisitioned for the use of transporting Deus's separated cores, as well as the survivors, to another planet for investigation as to what caused the incident on Miktam04β.
The Eldridge Takeover[]
During the transfer, despite being in suspended animation, Deus activated and used the sealed Zohar to hack into the Eldridge's mainframe. Seeing this, Eldridge captain Shigeyoshi Inoue and a trio of system operators tried to use the Eldridge's systems to stop Deus.[7]
As Deus began to draw the Eldridge into space displacement mode while setting the coordinates for Lost Jerusalem, the captain made an emergency call to the engine room to start the emergency sealing system. As the call went unanswered, the screens filled with the words 'You shall be as gods.'
Captain Inoue immediately ordered his crew to begin evacuating the ship's passengers.
The crew's evacuation efforts failed as Deus used the Eldridge's weaponry to destroy the escape shuttles in mid-flight. Before Deus assumed complete control over the vessel, the captain initiated the ship's self-destruct system as a last effort, and the Eldridge exploded over an uncharted life-sustaining planet.
After the crash[]
The remnants of the starship fell to the planet, along with Deus and the Zohar Modifier.
Deus, having been heavily damaged, activated its regenerative program, which changed the original Elehayym into the first version of Myyah, who would serve as the mother of humanity. She set out to begin the process to create enough biological tissue to repair Deus by creating the first humans, as well as two managers: the first incarnations of Myyah and Elly, who mirrored the two 'halves' of her identity. Meanwhile, the Zohar itself was lost in the mantle of the planet at The Land of Bethlehem.
Abel was only one survivor of the Eldridge. He and Elly, as the Contact and Antitype, would to be reincarnated over and over until the both of them are able free the Wave Existence by destroying Deus.
Incomplete Contact[]
In 9501, Lacan, a reincarnation of Abel, traveled to the Land of Bethlehem with Myyah Hawwa and made contact with the Zohar. However, due to the Antitype not being present, as well as Lacan's own incomplete spiritual growth as the Contact, his contact was incomplete, giving rise to the destructive personality of Grahf.[8]
Xenogears[]
In 9999, Fei, the third known reincarnation, bands together with his allies to destroy Deus, freeing the Wave Existence to its higher dimension.
Trivia[]
- The Zohar is echoed in a number of objects and references that appear in the entirety of the Xenosaga and Xenoblade series, such as the Zohar and Zohar Emulators in Xenosaga. While each is similar, but none of them are the same object.
- While only mentioned in Perfect Works in the Xenogears timeline, the Zohar causing an entire planet to change, be destroyed, or disappear is a plot point further explored in the Xenosaga and Xenoblade universes.
- The Zohar is similar in appearance and usage to the Monolith from Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey, which it is likely inspired by. The "Magnetic Abormal Matter" may be a reference to "Tycho Magnetic Anomaly".