new scene from "Godsend" @ myspace

Pimpalicious316 · 01-19-2007, 09:29 AM

sorry if this has been posted already. I don't read the site often, but got excited over this video

major spoilers. it shows what the infamous "S" type symbol means and alludes to how Hiro gets the sword.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...oid=1761643732

Terrormaster · 01-19-2007, 03:13 PM

So the symbol is supposedly a combination of two Japanese characters "Great Talent" and "Godsend" (hence the episode title).

A member over at 9th Wonders quoted up some history on Takezo Kensai:

Quote:

A little background. Takezo Kensai seems to be a a reference to Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), supposedly the greatest Samurai warrior of all time. He was called Miyamoto Musashi Kensai, which loosely translates as "Sword Saint." He developed a two sword techinique called "Shinmen Takezo" named after himself. Kensai was a honorary title given to a warrior of legendary skill in swordsmanship. Takezo is the birth name of Miyamoto Musashi who was given the latter name when he became a Samurai. So if we take out the reference to his Samurai name we end up with Takezo Kensai.

The sword being sacred does not show up in anything I have read on Musashi. There is a game called "Brave Fencer Musashi" and he has a sword called "Lumina, the Sword of Luminescence" and I suppose there is a fictional story surrounding it but never having played the game, I can't tell. The Sacred Sword related to Musashi may just be a fictional element added to tie the sword to a real legend. If they are referring to the real Musashi then this would place the sword being found when he was alive but since it was frozen in the snow it might be from a much earlier period. We will just have to wait to see if they actually put an age to it, but it's nice to see they will be addressing the symbol or glyph as they are calling it, in upcoming episodes!

It would seem like they're creating a Japanese variation on Excalibur - or who knows, could even be one in the same tied in somehow.

Now if memory serves me correct, Jessica is the only one so far with the symbol actually tatoo'd on her. That being the case, perhaps she is a spirit and was sent from spirit world to help - another possible tie in to "Godsend", she was Niki's Godsend when her father would beat her, taking the blows. And the last being "who needs god when you have me" makes a bit more sense in a less arrogant manner.

-TM

Mathsorcerer · 01-19-2007, 03:52 PM

I concur. I've never heard anything "sacred" or "magical" in the story of Musashi, and he doesn't talk about anything like that in "Go Rin No Sho" (I think that is the original title), which we know as "The Book of Five Rings". Everyone should get a copy of that book, by the way.

If the symbol is a combination of two syllograms, then we definitely have some "magical" thinking going on. Even in Kabbalah, the symbols representing the name of something actually represented the spirit of that thing--writing down a person's name was an important part of blessing or cursing that person, as you invoked their spirit.

Discussions of Kabbalism, animism, and the such aside...if the blade is tied somehow to Musashi, then it would be more valuable even than an original Masamune blade.

Evidence points to Matt and Hana also having the symbol tattooed or scratched onto them, at least partially.

The_Heroic_Loser · 01-19-2007, 07:42 PM

The sword obviously is gonna have some sort of special power, but I can't think of any way that could be possible. The heroes all got their powers through genetic evolution, not anything supernatural, so I don't understand how a sword could possibly be anything more than.....well, just a sword.

Ikin · 01-19-2007, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Heroic_Loser

The sword obviously is gonna have some sort of special power, but I can't think of any way that could be possible. The heroes all got their powers through genetic evolution, not anything supernatural, so I don't understand how a sword could possibly be anything more than.....well, just a sword.

Perhaps it has some time and space manipulation thing going on, just like Hiro.

Terrormaster · 01-19-2007, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mathsorcerer

Evidence points to Matt and Hana also having the symbol tattooed or scratched onto them, at least partially.

Actually, I believe it was in the interview that Greg Grunberg did with Ausiello where he mentions that both the scars that he and Ted (and now apparently Hana) have and the symbol would be explained in the second half of the season. He alluded to them being two separate unrelated things.

The scar seems to be more of double hash and Greg hints that its from an incision to emplant a tracking mechanism.

On the other hand the tattoo on Jessica's should is unique and I don't recall any other character having that mark on them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Heroic_Loser

The heroes all got their powers through genetic evolution, not anything supernatural, so I don't understand how a sword could possibly be anything more than.....well, just a sword.

It's kinda been hinted that there are supernatural elements to their powers even though the naration seems to dictate otherwise. I think it's a combination of things. Scientifically speaking (and I'm sure Mathy will better clarify it), genetics just doesn't work the way it does in the show... Evolutionary changes of that magnitude take hundreds of years to manifest.

I think we've dicussed the whole topic of spiritual and supernatural influences in another topic last year and have been leaning in that direction of late in regards to their abilities...

-TM

Tadgie · 01-19-2007, 08:41 PM

Macro and micro evolution are described as two different entities, although there is much debate still, most of it political unfortunately. But the stuff we see all the time, like Darwin's finches is micro. Macro is T-rex to a chicken, full on species or genus shifts, things in fossil records and whatnot.
Honestly though, i don't even know where exactly Heroe's fits. I think Krin tries to describe it as macro, as the next big step, but if that's the case, then by definition the heroes could no longer procreate with anyone else, so I guess then it is a type of micro evolution.

The_Heroic_Loser · 01-19-2007, 09:16 PM

It could be macro or micro evolution, or it could be that Kring just thought of all this himself without using any specific type of evolution. I know he did his research before making the show, but it can't all be rooted in factual information.

Terrormaster · 01-20-2007, 10:59 AM

Actually I think that maybe the direction that Kring and company are trying to swing the show is a creative combination of Creation and Evolution. That yes we are all the creation of god. However we still evolve and that it is divinity that causes evolution not the natural order. And that because (in the context of Heroes) evolution is divine, large leaps such as those our Heroes exhibit, are not only possible but are also the will of god. I can hear Mohinder bringing in concepts such as the missing link to bring that point across.

Thinking about it, there's just been too many references to fate, destiny, and god in Heroes for their abilities to be strictly science based. Not to mention most of the names of characters with abilities are biblical or religious in origin (I believe Kring said in an interview somewhere that their names where choosen for a reason).

Well if the show turns out to be about "Divine Evolution" then you heard from me first

-TM

The_Heroic_Loser · 01-20-2007, 01:48 PM

"Divine Evolution"..... I kinda like that concept.