Plot Hole?

[V_Translanka]

If you're going to just throw away in-game evidence like that (not to mention all of the rest), why bother theorizing about the series at all? It's a bit ridiculous...

You've still given no real anti-Entity evidence.

[placidchap]

As I previously mentioned, Belthasar did it.

[Dark Serge]

If you're going to just throw away in-game evidence like that (not to mention all of the rest), why bother theorizing about the series at all? It's a bit ridiculous...

You've still given no real anti-Entity evidence.

In-game evidence? You mean Lucca's little speculation? As I recall, she was also the only one to talk about the Entity. Or Schala's little blabbering? You really can't take that serious, as in the intro she also talks about "How we ran like the wind under cerulean skies" blablabla. You should know by now almost everything she says is meant symbolically. Also she talks about stuff like spermazoids and whatever, same as in Chronopolis. Really, half of the words used by those Chronopolis workers didn't even exist, Square just made it up to sound interesting.

[Thought]

You gotta be kidding me. It was an accident because Marle couldn't control her anxiousness. In a way, you can say it's all thanks to Marle the world was saved. However, if she would've slightly felt different and not pressed that button, they'd have never known. If there was something like The Entity involved, I'd imagine he'd force them to learn about Lavos, instead of letting it depend on a small stroke of luck.

Right. Here, lets perform an experiment: hit random buttons on your computer and see what happens. Did you open up a video file? Did you open up ANY file? Yeah, that "small stroke of luck" wasn't so small. Assuming that the computer terminal was at all similar to a modern keyboard that would offer around 114 different single key strokes. Now running a video log wouldn't be that simple, at the very least requiring three (but probably more) keystrokes. Thus, if my calculations are correct, offering 1,481,544 different possible combinations. 4 Keystrokes? 168,896,016 possible combination. Yes, terribly likely that random happenstance is what caused Marle to happen to hit the proper combination of keys that then displayed the Day of Lavos.

So we have "spatio-temporal hyperlinks" (aka, magic doors) that just happen to connect 6 time periods that were important in the history of the earth and Laovs. On top of that, we have Marle who just happens to accidentally access a computer file that relates to Lavos and the destruction of the future. And, of course, let us not forget that the people who found these magic doors just happen to be both willing and capable of taking on Lavos.

[Dark Serge]

The creation of those portals was caused by Marle's pendant I believe. Why else didn't it work when Crono first entered the telepod?

And also, wouldn't you try to stop Lavos if you were Crono? And keep in mind they weren't so full of themselves of the beginning. Marle was just hoping and Lucca had her second thoughts, and for Crono we don't even know as he is not much more then their slave.

[Thought]

At best, Marle's pendant could be attributed to creating that first gate, but not all the others. But even that is debatable: the game made it rather clear that the pendant only activated the gate, not that it created it.

[Dark Serge]

Ok you got a point... But I still find it hard to believe that the planet created all those gates for their convenience. If the planet was able to do that much, it could have helped the team out more, like not letting Crono die, or not letting the portal in 12,000 BC be sealed.

[Thought]

Wait, you find it hard to believe that the Entity created all those gate, but you do not find it hard to believe that such gates could come into existance sans Entity?

Besides, if you will notice, Crono didn't stay dead. Somewhat convenient that the Time Egg took Marle and the others to the moment of Crono's death and froze time, wouldn't you say?

And it was actually a good thing that the gate in 12,000 BC was sealed, as it led Crono and Co to obtaining the Epoch, which is necessary for the assumed ending of the game (Black Omen in 12000)

All in all, the Entity seems to be a sort of "Prime Mover," setting everything in motion.

[Dark Serge]

Why let Crono die in the first place if the Entity would resurrect him again...

And yeah it led them to the Epoch but they would've probably found it anyway with the powered up pendant. And there's more stuff like why did the gate key get stolen. Shouldn't the Entity have prevented all their misfortunes?

[Thought]

Well that is just a theological argument now. "How can the Entity let bad things happen to good people?"

Read "The Problem of Pain" by C.S. Lewis and "The Gift of Pain" by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey. Just because bad things happen doesn't mean that there isn't a higher power.

But to be short, misfortunes aren't always a bad thing. They help make people stronger and more resolved.

[Dark Serge]

Yeah, I supposed you're right. Much like those same old "If God exists why doesn't he prevent crime etc." stories... However, if The Entity would exist, I'd find it much more believable that it was some kind of god then the planet itself.

[Thought]

See the Gaia Hypothesis.

It isn't like Chrono Trigger was the first to suggest that the planet is an entity in its own right.

[V_Translanka]

Not even the first RPG...it's a fairly common theme in Seiken Densetsu, another series from Square...

In-game evidence? You mean Lucca's little speculation? As I recall, she was also the only one to talk about the Entity. Or Schala...?

Yes, the 400 Year Reunion, the end of Chrono Trigger, the end of Chrono Cross, the various ending segment titles talking about the Planet's dream...All rather unimportant events, right? Whatever they say there must just be speculative nonsense that has nothing to do with the entire game that followed...No wrapping up things there. Just a random slew of words to fill up space. It's all perfectly explained away later in the game when...OHWAITAMINUTE!!!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

okay, this is the analysis section.  lets keep it on topic and away from the sarcastic banter.  there's no use for it here.

i think it's safe to say that OBVIOUSLY the ending of chrono cross (referring to the planet's dreams) is meaningful and insightful towards the entire universal schism of the chrono universe.  however, he must also be aware that the words are seemingly cryptic - like poetry - and can be interpreted a wide variety of ways.  this is ANALYSIS, not DEBATE.

i'm not going to delve into the thought process that involves "game oversight" or "convenient plot happenings", but the planet being alive is at this point a theory.  granted, it's recognized by many in the compendium forums, but it's still a theory.  we can argue all day back and forth over it, and we SHOULD be discussing it, but nothing should be set in stone.  not at this point in the game.

[Mauron]

They're just speculating about a possible godlike entity. Just because they argue about it doesn't mean it exists. And I don't know how that gate got there. Maybe it was because of Lucca's wish, or maybe because of the forest itself. The forest was planted from a Zealian seed, after all.

Wasn't that seed supposed to be just an ordinary seed? I thought that was the reason the queen thought it was worth destroying.