"a cataclysmic system crash killing everyone connected to the Matrix"

[Trevor Smithson]

Was Smith the big crash? Was the idea just dropped?

[Gavin Smith]

Post by Trevor Smithson
Was Smith the big crash? Was the idea just dropped?

Smith wasn't a part of the Architect's reload project. The crash was
averted when Neo negotiated a peace treaty.

[JPM III]

Post by Trevor Smithson
Was Smith the big crash? Was the idea just dropped?

(Warning: this is just one interpretation.)

The crash would have occurred when the results of the emergence of the
anomaly ("The One", according to Zionians) began to seep their way through
the system. The anomaly represents a glaring flaw in the system, and it
needs to be returned to the Source. It's sort of like a worm or a virus in a
computer system; a patch or upgrade must be applied and the system reloaded
in order for it to operate smoothly and properly again.

Smith was part of it. Neo destroyed Smith in the first movie, but then as a
result of his contact with Neo, he began acting against the rules of the
system. He's a part of the system and had no freedom of choice before that
time; it was a result of interacting with Neo's "code" within the system.
So, in a sense, Smith doing his part to destroy the system in the third
movie was essentially just a result of Neo's presence.

The anomaly (Neo or whoever) would have emerged eventually, so some sort of
systemic disturbance would have emerged eventually anyway, and the Source
would need the anomaly to fix the system regardless of how it played out.

And now that the system is reloaded, it will happen again. Eventually,
another anomaly will emerge, and the system will need to address it before
its effects destroy the system.

[Gavin Smith]

Eventually, another anomaly will emerge, and the system will need to
address it before its effects destroy the system.

... Unless Sati is the genuine reincarnation of the being born inside
the Matrix who can remake it as he/she sees fit. The prophecy may still
be true - but Neo was a red herring of sorts. If that's true, the Matrix
may yet be destroyed, and the anomaly with it.

[Sandman]

Post by Gavin Smith

Eventually, another anomaly will emerge, and the system will need to
address it before its effects destroy the system.

... Unless Sati is the genuine reincarnation of the being born inside
the Matrix who can remake it as he/she sees fit. The prophecy may still
be true - but Neo was a red herring of sorts. If that's true, the Matrix
may yet be destroyed, and the anomaly with it.

Plus, Rama Kandra is the time program, so he can stop time any time he
chooses. Uhm, or something :)

[JPM III]

writes

Eventually, another anomaly will emerge, and the system will need to
address it before its effects destroy the system.

... Unless Sati is the genuine reincarnation of the being born inside the
Matrix who can remake it as he/she sees fit. The prophecy may still be
true - but Neo was a red herring of sorts. If that's true, the Matrix may
yet be destroyed, and the anomaly with it.

I think Sati is probably something else entirely. Maybe the machines'
version of "The One" who will swing the battle back in favor of the
machines. Maybe a new creator-type who will one day take place of the
Architect, or make her own different dreamworld for humans. Maybe someone
whose artistic input can help rebuild the real world and allow man and
machine to co-exist.

As long as it's science fiction, we can speculate endlessly!