What does re-encoding an Irken actually mean? Does the process simply change their ID or is it something deeper?
I’m sorry this sat in my askbox forever.
I wanted to wait until the Judgementia Arc in my Post-Florpus AU was concluded to talk about re-encoding.
I really do think Re-encoding is something deeper than just changing your profession or Student ID or Social security number.
Just from how Zim tends to react to re-encoding in general... and I always cite this day-dream sequence in ETF a good look into Zim’s psyche...
There’s just a lot going on here.
There’s the obvious fears that are really obvious to the audience first watch:
1. The Tallest thinking he’s “dumb” “also stupid” His Tallest looking down on him as “Lesser Than”
2. Being stripped of his Invader rank. (which has technically already happened in the show)
3. Being re-encoded as “Nothing” .... A world that does not remember Zim and he just vanishes off the face of collective consciousness. That was his NUMBER ONE major fear in the deleted episode “The Trial” and I think it’s an extremely integral part of Zim’s character and the most relatable aspect about him that the audience can immediately connect to. The fear of being forgotten or abandoned.
4. Oh yeah, and being eaten by a giant spaceworm.
Then there’s the more subtle ones that get more depressing on repeated watches:
1. All the Invaders (or at least a large crowd Where SKOODGE is present) to witness
(I know they used Control+C on this huge Irken crowd but if you look on closer inspection, there’s a lot of Invader designs recycled from the show... INCLUDING SKOODGE)
2. The act of Re-encoding itself.... because Zim violently twitching like this is something new that we don’t see in the show.
3. It’s unclear if being re-encoded as “nothing” is a thing that can actually happen, or if Zim is just letting his anxiety spiral out of control about this. I kinda like that it’s ambiguous, but I like to think that being re-encoded as “nothing” isn’t a thing that can happen. Otherwise I feel the Tallest or Control Brains would have done so already.
The way in which Zim reacts to Re-encoding in the show “The Frycook which came from all that space” ....
Zim is repressing the Memory as it’s happening, and he really looks like he isn’t having a fun time... His deflections during the process make that more obvious to me: “Zim needs no vacation”
Zim tries to deflect the need for a re-encoding.. with “I blew up more than any other Invader” but when that doesn’t work he just denys what he’s being re-encoded as. (but at this point, it’s Zim’s fourth and final re-encoding. It’s not his first rodeo and he doesn’t like them.)
Zim is just uncomfortable and he has a bit of a distant look in his eyes... His brain is just a thousand miles from here... he doesn’t wanta be here... and there is a noticeable flinch when he gets plugged in.
Not to mention that the memory of re-encoding and his banishment on foodcourtia are really buried... it took him so long to recognize who Sizz-lorr! even was, and then... Sizz-lorr was the trigger key to unlocking a lot of repressed shit, starting with the re-encoding...
Not to mention that his memory of re-encoding is different than how it appears in ETF....
ETF IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE.
“FRYCOOK” IS HOW IT HAPPENED.
I just don’t think Re-encoding is a job assignment ID... I really think it’s brain adjustment.
PAKs are technically the Irken Brain... just not the ORGANIC brain...
So think of a PAK as an extension of the mind. Basically a second brain.
I really think Re-encoding job assignments are changing your Class or Level in an RPG game to put it mildly.
Changing what your brain knows and what it’s skilled at. I also believe that there are different types of Re-encodings that can even rewrite personalities... or... Basically... What Irken therapy is in my AU:
(In my AU and for Irken society, this isn’t even a punishment... *well it kinda is... the Tallest know that it’ll hurt...* It’s a readjustment... trying to change/rewrite the parts of Zim’s brain that they think are... “bad” which is... all of it... Re-encoding an Irken as “nothing” I don’t think is a possibility... but..... adjusting them to be “docile” and “obediant” that is a possibility... *even if Zim is the most loyal irken out there... they essentially stuck an animal for doing what it was trained to do, but not doing it “THEIR WAY”.... But the animal is just doing what it was taught. It doesn’t understand.. .and it doesn’t get why this is happening... all it knows is that it’s Master’s are hurting it and Behavioral Adjustment therapy had the opposite effect on Zim then what the Control Brains and the Tallest technically intended...)
Anyways... enough about my AU stuff...
Like I really think what makes Zim defective is that he doesn’t adhere to those adjustments. (he still insists he’s an Invader when he’s essentially a Frycook.) And there’s a lot of carryover from other classes... He might not be a Military Scientist anymore, and Zim doesn’t talk about it often (due to trauma and repression) but being a Mad Scientist is a very integral part of Zim’s character... even though he was re-encoded to be an Invader and believes he’s an Invader... how he goes about things throughout the show is very scientific from the things he builds and the experiments he conducts all on his own.
Long story short: I really think Re-encoding is similar to Electro-shock therapy... (which brings a deeper parallel and connection to Dib.) and changing parts of bran chemistry to make someone naturally skilled at something...
Zim being re-encoded so many times actually worked to his disadvantage because a lot of data from previous re-encodings didn’t get deleted... So he’s just a mess of all these skills, which is why he can’t use them properly in a correct context.
AKA: Career Day: He got a Frycook assignment judged by a machine to judge careers and he actually did alright serving customers... And I actually have to say that the Machine in Career Day ACTUALLY WORKED because Dib was able to get his Dreamjob of Paranormal Investigator. (Gaz also was able to get paired with a Security Guard from Membrane Labs.. and a security guard is a good fit for Gaz judging her violent streak)
So yes... the Machine has spoken and the Machine knows.
Also: Take any plot where Zim overthinks thinks... I’m not talking “walk for your lives” ...Even if that’s an obvious example to choose from... I’m talking about the REAL SIMPLE early ones...
“NanoZim” is a good example.
Dib took a picture of Zim... what does Zim do?
How about shrink down into Dib’s body to take control of his arm control nerve so he can destroy the camera.
What he should have honestly done: Destroy the camera...
There were so many unnecessary steps involved and that is prevalent throughout the show.
It’s a good testament to how Zim’s mind works, and how I think his PAK believes that he needs to use ALL the skills he acquired throughout his re-encoding... He needs to build, create, invade, destroy... he’s a maxed out character with no direct class and instead of picking a single option on how to handle a problem, he wants to do all of them.
Zim’s brain was scrambled when he came out... and then the Re-encodings just made him WORSE...
Re-encoding = Electro-shock therapy and/or Brain/Behavior adjustment.
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