Any thoughts re: recuperation time after extraction?

11 posts · 2007-04-17 11:30:54 to 2007-04-21 07:12:50

#36300216253 04/17/2007 11:30:54 Any thoughts re: recuperation time after extraction?

In the films, the only person we see recovering after being freed is Neo.  The sequence is shot with Neo fading in and out of consciousness to suggest his disorientation and trauma, so it's impossible to tell how much time has elapsed before he is able to move on his own.  Meanwhile, the opening sequence of MxO - which takes a number of liberties with the story, imo - seems to suggest that you're able to return to the Matrix almost immediately after being unplugged.

So - how long should it take for a newly freed redpill to recuperate and be ready for duty?  We know that there's a period of intensive medical treatment to rebuild the atrophied musculature.  Also, wouldn't there need to be a least a day or so for a person to wrap their mind around what just happened?

I'm wondering because I'm thinking about a storyline involving brand new redpills, and wanted to get a sense of what happens immediately after rescue from the pods.  Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

#36300216335 04/17/2007 12:48:49 Re:Any thoughts re: recuperation time after extraction?

I would think there is weeks of recouperation involved, you haven't used any of your body bofore that so you would be too weak to do anything.  I think they just missed that part out of MxO as how would you explain that?  I think the animation of the machine freeing you at the pod and then the tutorial involves a long break in the middle.... how long that is up to your RP but I highly doubt it is awake and straight in to the training.

If you were to stop using your legs for a year or two, you will see that they would waste away, the muscle would deteriorate and you would need time to slowly build them back up before you could use them properly again, same goes for your mind.

Darkhawk's Gallery | Section 9's Past | Metal Gear?! It's already active?!
There can only be room for one Snake, and one Big Boss!
#36300216369 04/17/2007 13:27:36 Re:Any thoughts re: recuperation time after extraction?
With that said, I'm almost inclined to say months instead of weeks. We have to remember that everyone reacts differently to extraction. Some are in worse shape than others when picked up. Also some are older than others and are in a more sever state of atrophy to recover from. It would almost literally be like trying to get the body of an oversized infant to walk and gain motor skills, so I'd say a fairly lengthy amount of time, not to mention the surgery that needs to be done to the plugs to prevent/fight infection and other things.

Mentally, even though we may all want to find out the truth and/or not really fit in the system as blues, knowing the truth is a different story. Being able to accept the truth is almost a greater undertaking than the physical rehabilitation. Take that and add training and operations programs(of course we don't retain it as fast as Neo in the movie. SMILEY), and you've easily got yourself a few months, perhaps four or more for a standard case. As Solid said, it would really depend on your RP and your character, but I think that's pretty much the timeframe you're working with.
#36300216457 04/17/2007 15:21:54 Re:Any thoughts re: recuperation time after extraction?

Good points.  It would definitely be a massive undertaking to physically rehabilitate severely atrophied musculature, but what about all those futuristic acupuncture needles that were stuck into Neo in the film?  I'm pretty sure that Morpheus told Neo that they were there to re-grow the muscle.  I assume it's faster/more efficient than physical therapy would be, but you still think this would be a matter of months?

The rehabilitation of Neo suggests that it can all happen on board a hovercraft if necessary, but I'm further wondering whether, in light of the Truce, Zion hovercraft now simply perform the extraction, stabilize the new redpill, then shuttle them back to Zion to complete their rehabilitation.  The Truce allows for a much faster rate of extractions, so it would seem more efficient for the hovercraft to dedicate as much time as possible to the actual identification and extraction instead of just sitting around while a new redpill takes up space on the recovery/surgery table - particularly if the recovery time is months, as you suggest.

Just thinking outloud.  Thanks for your input!

#36300216906 04/18/2007 05:15:10 Re:Any thoughts re: recuperation time after extraction?
If you watch the first movie again.  The oracle says to NEO that he is to old to be the one and that they only remove people from PODS when they are young.  My guess is after so many years of not using your muscles and what not that they would not be able to function ever again.   So my guess is all the RedPills we seen in the movies were taken out of their PODs when they were young. Again my guess is 12 at the oldest.  But then again Trinity wasnt exactly a young lady in the movies.
#36300216912 04/18/2007 05:29:23 Re:Any thoughts re: recuperation time after extraction?
Acctually i think it was morpheus who said that line after neo nearly has a breakdown onboard the ship just after being freed.

the reason that they stop freeing minds after a certain age is because  the mind is unwilling to accept the truth, having become so dependant on the simulation, the younger a redpill is freed , the more readily their minds will addapt to life outside the matrix.
#36300216953 04/18/2007 07:02:19 Re:Any thoughts re: recuperation time after extraction?
20136098 wrote:

If you were to stop using your legs for a year or two, you will see that they would waste away, the muscle would deteriorate and you would need time to slowly build them back up before you could use them properly again, same goes for your mind.


Muscle Atrophy can occur within a month or two or non-use, it wouldnt even take a year.
#36300217382 04/18/2007 14:05:44 Re:Any thoughts re: recuperation time after extraction?
weeks of just sleeping and drinking OJ
#36300218651 04/19/2007 15:33:07 Re:Any thoughts re: recuperation time after extraction?
cov wrote:

Good points.  It would definitely be a massive undertaking to physically rehabilitate severely atrophied musculature, but what about all those futuristic acupuncture needles that were stuck into Neo in the film?  I'm pretty sure that Morpheus told Neo that they were there to re-grow the muscle.  I assume it's faster/more efficient than physical therapy would be, but you still think this would be a matter of months?

If I remember correctly, one of the original drafts of the script -- probably the early 1997 draft -- had a lot of expository stuff that was trimmed out in later drafts... and part of that expository stuff included a bit with Neo in recovery post-extraction asking Morpheus and (I think) one of the ship's medics about what they were doing.

The rehabilitation of Neo suggests that it can all happen on board a hovercraft if necessary, but I'm further wondering whether, in light of the Truce, Zion hovercraft now simply perform the extraction, stabilize the new redpill, then shuttle them back to Zion to complete their rehabilitation.  The Truce allows for a much faster rate of extractions, so it would seem more efficient for the hovercraft to dedicate as much time as possible to the actual identification and extraction instead of just sitting around while a new redpill takes up space on the recovery/surgery table - particularly if the recovery time is months, as you suggest.

Bolding mine: Extremely good point, and it was something I'd wondered about myself.


#36300219185 04/20/2007 07:59:59 Re:Any thoughts re: recuperation time after extraction?
and time being babied by females
#36300219916 04/21/2007 07:12:50 Re:Any thoughts re: recuperation time after extraction?
I'll get back to this thread when I'm being extracted, by whatever force or voluntary. No time to think about it right now >_>