MovieChat Forums > 12 Monkeys (1996) Discussion > Theory about the motives (spoiler)

Theory about the motives (spoiler)

posted 10 months ago by Boromir (9712)
5 replies | jump to latest

In my opinion, there is enough evidence in the movie that proves we can change the past. Still, James's only mission is to find the original virus to help scientists develop a cure for the people in 2035. The question is, WHY? Why not try to stop the virus completely and save billions of people?

My theory is that scientists have become the ruling elite in 2035 "thanks" to the plague. They have become the government, making decisions and setting policies. Society has become dependent on this narrow layer of surviving scientists. A form of scientific dictatorship.

They don't want to give up their power, so they settle for saving themselves and the people who are still alive.

[–] BeaSouth (2830) 10 months ago

Man that sounds remarkably plausible even for the 2020s era. The Wall Street Journal had an enlightening editorial two days ago re the financially and politically motivated dissembling by scientists at the journal Nature Medicine in their March 2020 published research article, “The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2.” In the midst of the pandemic, it dismissed “any type of laboratory based scenario” for the origin of COVID-19. The article became the bible for ridiculing and cancelling and censoring any contrary opinions. News media salivated over using it to destroy anyone who expressed suspicion about a deadly coronavirus emerging from the same town where there was a Chinese lab working on deadly coronaviruses financed by the U.S. NIH.

Now Congress has released the internal communications of the authors who, at the same time, were expressing to each other that Covid-19 was plausibly the result of a laboratory escape from the Wuhan lab, perhaps even of a genetically engineered virus. The lies and manipulation by our trusted scientific institutions and legacy media like WaPo and the NYTimes is really something you would never expect outside a science fiction movie

[–] Boromir (9712) 10 months ago

You 100% right, it's even fit 2020s era more. It's scary to know how much science and medicine are being politicized. In the World Health Organization there are a lot of interests that influence the policy and have nothing to do with pure scientific objective information. The desire for power does not stop with government and military personnel - it's everywhere. The movie 12 Monkeys describes a complete depoliticization process, in which professionals scientists replace the politicians - a Technocracy society. It may explain why they didn't wants to stop the virus completely.

[–] BeaSouth (2830) 10 months ago

I have to go back and watch this Boromir. I completely forgot this plot. Thanks for posting this. Many parallels to what we’re now finding out about the scientific community during COVID. I will never truly trust scientific literature and research again. In trying to control and extinguish any doubt during the pandemic they created permanent doubt and destroyed public trust

[–] Boromir (9712) 10 months ago

It is not directly implied in the movie, we don't really know for sure what kind of government they established in this post-apocalyptic world. Nevertheless, the power they achieved is prominent. They are the ones controlling the destiny of mankind, overseeing the citizens, and wielding control over the most powerful technology - the time machine. Their authority extends to determining how, when, and for what purposes the machine is utilized. Considering these factors, it strongly suggests a Technocracy society where they hold the reins of power.

[–] Lord Rake (3865) 10 months ago

We are only shown the prisons in the future so it might be the case that that is society and the scientists are the only ones living outside of them. There is talk of some other levels if someone is pardoned but who knows if that is true.

They did make an attempt to change the past at the end, but had a back up plan if it could not be done. Or maybe that shot with young Cole walking through the parking lot is supposed to give hope that it was successful because the scientists don't need to prevent the outbreak if they can go into the future and make a cure they could take it back to when everything started and stop it that way.