In The Matrix Reloaded we see Zion control folks jacked into the Matrix to use those Minority Report-type screens to let Link in.
Why did the control people need to be jacked in to allow the ship to enter Zion?
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2I've edited out the subsidiary question about whether they're still in the Matrix since it's a dupe; scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/11509/… – Valorum Jul 27 '16 at 17:36
This is the Zionese equivalent of air-traffic control. Using the Construct (e.g. the loading program that simulates the Matrix, but isn't part of the Matrix) as a blank space for them to work in means that they can manage and control far more systems with far less real world distraction than if they had to work on antiquated flatscreen monitors.
The controllers seem to have 3D holo-representations of multiple gates, guns, sensors, warning systems and realtime images of the tunnel entrances all arrayed in front of them, something that would be insanely hard to supervise if they were expected to do it 'old school'.
The film's script describes it thusly
INT. ZION - VIRTUAL CONTROL - DAY
A sleek, clean operations system; controllers sit in comfortable modern chairs effortlessly multi-tasking, interfacing with both the apparently real and the virtual. A hologram of the Nebuchadnezzar on its approach to gate three is surrounded by screens that seem like unframed, floating panes of glass with the colored light of data streaming across them.
VIRTUAL CONTROL: Nebuchadnezzar, this is Zion Control, maintain present velocity and stand by.
LINK: Roger that, Control.
The operator's hands glide across screens and keyboards like someone playing a musical instrument.
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thanks! :D I guess that explains some things, I also forgot the training programs too – Cake_Badger Jul 27 '16 at 17:43
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@Praxis - It has everything that a good film should have. And the sequels weren't dreadful. – Valorum Jul 27 '16 at 20:00
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@Valorum : Darren Aronofsky and Jared Leto had seen The Matrix together and Aronofsky remarked that he had just seen a new pinnacle of science fiction, and accurately predicted that the next decade would be dominated by Matrix copycats. He made The Fountain as a direct response to this, as a challenge to himself to make original science fiction in the years following The Matrix. – Praxis Jul 27 '16 at 21:53
I always thought of it as a virtual traffic control. It was probably much easier, and used way less resources to just write a traffic control program, and use the existing "jacking in" equipment. Also having to be jacked in was a sign of the times of when the movie was written. It was penned around 2000-2001 and wifi wasn't a thing yet.
