I just want to point out a thing that is very important to me & to my portrayal of
Altair: when he is doing Al Mualim’s tasks to regain his rank & honor he says,
‘a small sacrifice to save many, it is necessary’ which promotes the idea that, if
given the ultimatum, we will always choose to sacrifice the minority to protect
the majority. Vidic says the same thing to Desmond: ‘if the deaths of a few people,
evil people, no more, no less, could save the lives of thousands more, well. It
seems a small sacrifice.’ This is not an unfamiliar idea to Altair, as he has often
witnessed in his life that small sacrifices are necessary to maintain the bigger
picture, i.e. as in the death of his father, which saved one life, as well as the
lives of the Brotherhood & the people of Masyaf.
Later, when Altair meets King Richard he asks Altair if he is willing to give up his
life for his ideals & justice. To which Altair responds, ‘if I must sacrifice myself for
there to be peace, so be it.’ He is willing to die for his ideals, for justice, for the
Assassins. This is an unquestioned loyalty he has, & ends up maintaining the rest
of his life. This is ultimately the realization Umar had, which would become his
legacy: you will die to protect the things that are most important to you.
&, honestly, I don’t think that most of the assassins understood that: they died
because Al Mualim told them that it would protect the creed. They blindly followed
that ideal as it was what they had been taught, it was expected of them. Altair
realizes that if you are going to protect something, you must be willing to sacrifice for
it. Not because you were told to, but because you honestly want to. Thus, Altair will
never shy away from death for the sake of the assassins. Given the choice, I 110%
know that Altair would have died if it meant defeating the Templars. He wouldn’t
even hesitate; fuck, he would kill himself to gain that certainty. That no one else would
have to sacrifice for the creed.
Because Umar did not die for the brotherhood, he died for Altair, for his future. He died
for the people of Masyaf who were caught in-between. He died for the ideals he had
protected. He did not die because Al Mualim asked him to, he made the choice himself.
& that is the blood that runs in Altair’s veins. That is the lesson that ends up defining
who he is completely. Altair’s life & experiences are defined by sacrifice. & he is not
bitter about it, as he tells Niccolo Polo when he leaves Masyaf. That is the life he has
led, but he has no regrets, & given the chance he would do it the same way again.
I could continue writing about this for hours, supplying quotes & instances to prove my
points, but ultimately what I have already said is what I wanted to share. Altair made
the decision that he would do anything for the creed, even die. & it is only under his rule
as mentor that the assassins realize that they have a choice. That is why the assassins
grow, & evolve, & change. Because he opens their eyes, opens all the doors that had
been kept closed by Al Mualim’s greed & traditional sense of righteousness.
Altair would ask no one to stay with him, no one to take his place. Because he is content
with the cross he has chosen to carry. He knows exactly what hill he will die on. Most
can never claim that. Altair, completely & truly, believed in the creed & brotherhood. He
knew what was at stake & said yes, I will carry this weight. This is my weight to carry.
This is a sacrifice I have chosen to make, & I do not regret it. I chose this life, these ideals,
& everything else... & I will take responsibility for that. I will protect that, because I want to.
Thanks for coming to my TEDtalk.
