Why did the machines agree to letting all the captive Humans go for Smith?

Anyway, I just want to say my piece - after thinking about it - I ended up liking the movie. It makes good sense and progression that Neo fulfilled his role as "saviour" by making (however unknowingly) Smith into a virus the machines cannot fix (by him jumping into him in the first movie) and in the end became the bargaining chip Neo need to make peace with the machines.

The only illogical part is that the machines created the matrix for the captive humans to give them the will to keep living. As long as there are captive humans they have electrical power. So why will they bargain with Neo to let all the captive humans go just to save the matrix? In both cases the machines lost since now they do not have a power source.

It would have made more sense if Neo had pointed out in the film that without the matrix - no humans - no power - everyone including the machines looses. If Neo fixes the matrix and the machines let the people go - at least the machines and humans have the choice to work together to solve the energy problem. It would have been great too if Neo knew that Smith was his bargaining chip after “meditating”, told the crew before separating, gives everyone a sense of purpose of knowing what his intention is. But that would not work in Hollywood I guess because that gives too much of the story away at the beginning.

Smith was the only program that was not under control. Therefore, he's a threat to the machines.

yes they called a truce, but the peace will eventually be broken and zion will be at risk of destruction so then the next "savior" or "the one" will come along and it will all happen again

I think the machines and humans in the real world made the peace arrangement. Like, the sentinels will stop attacking Zion and in the real world a peace will exist. That is a given. But as I understand it, the 1% that doesn't accept the matrix will be allowed to unplug from it.

Each recyle of the matrix probably caused more and more probs while fixing some others as the architect wanted and worked on over time. This time both neo and smith couldve been a serious danger to the machine world. Took a while for them to realize this at the of matrix 3 but they didnt kill neo and let him fight hoping he could help them delete smith whic he managed to do.

If the cycle was allowed to repeat and huamsn choosing to leav the matrxi were held back and started to create another anomaly the mahcine world might not be so lucky next time. I get the impression the anomaly was getting worse or more complex and powerful with each cycle of the matrix...

Why? Because that was what was negotiated between Neo and the machines. I believe there was more negotiating after the scene cut away. Why would the machines be willing to agree to such terms? Because their doom was at hand. Neo mentioned that during the conversation. Remember, Smith would take over the Matrix and then take over the machine world. The machines had no way of stopping him and they knew that. The only one who could was Neo. And thus gave his life for both Zion and the machines. That, I believe is why they honoured his death at the end of the movie and kept their agreement after he was dead. He saved both man and machine.

He made the connection. The programs and machines are proving that connections are important (via Rama Chandra explaining that he would give anything to keep that connection [love] with his daughter, even if it meant never seeing her again). Thus Neo realized that the machines are so advanced that even they feel needs and love in a sense. It may be different from human love, but it is the same. The machines need us and we need them in this futuristic scenario, so they probably realized that they did need Neo after he successfully latched onto the Smith code and made it possible for the machines to delete the Smith code. I'm sure they saw this as a sacrifice and in a way probably even appreciated it. But like the Architect said, "What do you think I am, human?" the machines have to keep their promises, that is the machines way, only logic, only connections.

Originally posted by Valasher
I think the machines and humans in the real world made the peace arrangement. Like, the sentinels will stop attacking Zion and in the real world a peace will exist. That is a given. But as I understand it, the 1% that doesn't accept the matrix will be allowed to unplug from it.


i think that more than 1% will be unplugged now wont they? i got the feeling at the end of the movie that they would be all be given the choice and either become a neo or a cypher, maybe i misinterpreted this

At the end of M3, this is the conversation:

Oracle: What about the others?
Architect: What others?
Oracle: The ones that want out.
Architect: Obviously, they will be freed.
Oracle: I have your word?
Architect: What do you think I am? Human?

So that would entail that the ones that want to be free, will have that choice. Not everyone wants to live in the Real World, thus the machines will still be able to generate power from those who choose to stay in the Matrix. Neo never bargained for all humans to be freed from the Matrix, he only bargained for peace; which is what they agreed upon.

Joi is correct. Balance is achieved at the end of Revolutions between the Human world, Machine world, and newly realized Program world. Mathematically, if EVERY human were freed, another imbalance would be created. The architect says they will be freed, because it is his job to balance the Matrix and keep it stable. Thus, the Machines retain an acceptable amount of power, humans wishing to remain in the Matrix are happy, the programs are "free", and Zion is spared. Balance....as long as it can last.

Well...it's not that illogical....basically, both sides of the war were only thinking about themselves and how to destroy the other side in order to find a resolution. Neo did the one thing that no one thought about, and that was compromise...and with Smith as a virus out of control, it was the bargaining chip that Neo could use to make it happen.

Now not all of the humans were released from the Matrix as the Architect and the Oracle conversation at the end verified that only those wanting to leave would be freed from the Matrix, and lord knows how many members of this materialistic human race of ours would rather choose the pretty reality with the sun and decent clothes as opposed to a war torn planet where everyone wears potato sacks.

In the end, the truce would allow a new beginning for both the Matrix and the real world and certainly the humans and robots would work together to create a new society, which would include finding a new source of power should the energy source of the Matrix be minimal with the larger absence of those jacked in.

Couldn't agree more Spyder.