Question: Norstein Beckler

[Silencher]

Hey, this is less of a question or theory and more of an observation.

Norstein is rumoured to be from Zeal? Right.. and Queen Zeal, I think, becomes the giant mask and hands... does anyone else think that the sprite for Norstein and that boss look kind of similar? (In that both are faces and just hands) and is this some kind of a clue to show he is from Zeal or... something? I don't know what I'm asking really, it just seems odd that both look similar and both, supposedly(In Norstein's case), are from Zeal and I'm wondering if there is anymore to that?

[Kyronea]

Honestly, we don't have anywhere near enough information of any sort to determine what Norstein Bekkler really is. I do believe he is from Zeal in from fashion, as otherwise Balthasar would not know of him, but the question is: is he a citizen of Zeal who survived the ages?(Unlikely) Or is he something else?

Personally, I lean towards the idea that he's a member of the Dream Species like Masa, Mune, and Doreen and is Balthasar's dream. It would explain his oddities and why Balthasar knows him.

[AuraTwilight]

Which fits and gives everyone their Dream Counterpart(s) if you believe Spekkio is Gaspar's.

[L]

I'd like to add something to you theory/comparison between Bekkler and Zeal.  I just noticed earlier, that if you beat his copy game (the one where you follow a clone of your character) after saving Crono, you get to keep the clone you played against.  Basically, if you beat it with Ayla, instead of Bekkler saying "The clone will be at Crono's house" and putting the clone of Crono in his room, he says "The clone will be at Ayla's house" and he puts a clone of Ayla in her hut (which is in the prehistoric ages) . 

He can do that with all of your characters too.

How does he go through time and put the clone there, he has no gate key to go through the gates, and even if he did, the only gate in 12000BC is on an abandoned island (Magus' clone appears on the North Cape).  How does he even know where they live?

The thing is, when you go to fight Zeal in the Black Omen, the room you fight her in has clones of each of your characters, odd isn't it?

[AuraTwilight]

Like I said, Norstein is probably a transcendant being like Spekkio, explaining how he can do the crap he does.

[Radox Redux]

Like I said, Norstein is probably a transcendant being like Spekkio, explaining how he can do the crap he does.

I doubt it. Masa and Mune have to abide my the rules of time-travel. So too would Norstein Bekkler. You raise some good points about the similarities between zeal and the Bekkler. The clones was an especially good parallel that I'd never noticed before.

[Kyronea]

Err...given that Masa and Mune are able to travel through time, as seen by Chrono Cross, does it not make it possible that Norstein Bekkler, if also a member of the Dream Species, is able to as well?

[Chrono'99]

Masa and Mune can't really travel through time. They managed to only because Doreen and them focused their energy on Kid's (incomplete) Time Egg. It's probably something everybody can do provided they have a Time Egg, like Crono's party in CT and Serge indirectly in RD.

[Kyronea]

That leaves us with a problem then. Unless Norstein Bekkler is just a more powerful member of the species than Masa, Mune, or Doreen--which is unlikely--how DID he pass through time to deposit the various clones to where they are deposited to? Or can we not really consider this as anything other than a game contrivance rather than an actual plot element?

[Mystic Frog King]

I lean more towards the idea that he's a mysterious creature originating in Zeal. There's certainly evidecne supporting that, but not much at all supporting him being part of the dream species.

[AuraTwilight]

Well, the Dream Species seems to give each member their own unique talents. Maybe Norstein's involves time travel.