Overanalyzing - To The Ark: Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings (Episode 3)

[@joshuaburnett2634]

7:20 It's the missile's targeting system. It locks onto heat signatures, thus why it target the gun mech first, but then gets drawn away by the flak fire. Firing off projectiles like the gun mech does is a common defensive thing many military aircraft do as it confuses heat-seeking missiles.

[@MaiconDouglas-ik6qs]

Nailed it

[@michaelcarlton1484]

Chaos Control is essentially using Chaos Energy to warp space-time. Shadow was created with an innate connection to it, even being able to turn the energy into weapons like his Chaos Spears or explosions. (Knuckles has a similar connection to the Master Emerald but that likely grew just from being around it his whole life.) The Chaos Emeralds themselves emit powerful amounts of Chaos Energy, so instead of small jumps of teleportation like Shadow is shown to do, a Chaos Emerald would allow someone to bend space-time to teleport large distances or temporarily stop time. Sonic is actually shown to be a prodigy at using Chaos Energy as he was able to teleport with a fake Chaos Emerald that was releasing slightly weaker amounts of energy. Mind you, this is after the events of SA1 where we learn that the Chaos Emeralds turn thoughts and emotions into power. It's also important to note that Sonic was the first to use all of the emeralds together to become Super. (The seventh Chaos Emerald was just on West Island instead of South Island for whatever reason...) It's been hinted at and basically confirmed at this point that Gerald modeled Shadow after the ancient mural that predicted Super Sonic's fight against Eggman. Additionally, Sonic 06 showed that two people using Chaos Control at the same time using two emeralds can create a temporary rift in space-time.

[@clerkwithamouth]

One thing I keep saying is I love love LOVE that brief blink and you miss it shot of Gerald screaming in rage as he's about to be shot. I know the story hear is Shadow's grief but just imagine what this man went through. He used an unknown alien's DNA to creat a being he called the ultimate lifeform with the soul purpose to cure his sick granddaughters life threatening disease and then his experiments were shut down, his assets were seized, his aforementioned granddaughter was gunned down, and he was sentenced to be executed by fucking firing squad. In short, he made a deal with the devil to do some genuine good and his life was ruined right before being ended. Bro I would've tried to destroy the human race too.

[@Idkkprincess]

I feel that was the single part we were missing from the shorts that we have never actually gotten anything with Gerald. What was the relationship between them. Shadow clearly cared for him to some degree and Gerald did call him son during StH but what was their relationship like....

[@clerkwithamouth]

@@Idkkprincess since we'll get to interact with Gerald in the game maybe we'll finally get to see what they were like together.

[@MaxusFox23]

Slight correction: They're not fighting Heavy Dog, but its more advanced model called Blue Falcon. Blue Falcon has full flight capability, unlike Heavy Dog which could only slightly float above ground for movement. A lot of people get them mixed up since they have the same 3D model with just different main color (Heavy Dog is military green while Blue Falcon is... well, blue).

[@Idkkprincess]

….the ships aren’t my strong suit 🤣🤣🤣 but thanks for clarifying 👍👍👍

[@MaxusFox23]

@@Idkkprincess No problem, the comment section is here to help! And all I gotta say is this pilot is lucky Shadow decided to assist him in the ejection, unlike the pilot from ShTH05's Blue Falcon because... well, that guy is gone.

[@endosaurus1404]

7:00 I think this camera shot is actually the missile Shadow Directed back, since it then went after the flares the heavy dog shot out before Shadow grabbed it again.

[@Idkkprincess]

Ahhh, thank you! I kept looking at it and i just...could not put two and two together!

[@Sonic-q6i]

​@@Idkkprincessshadow has 2 chaos teleportation abilities one is chaos control and the other is chaos snap which he has in the gameplay showcases but it originated from shadow 2005👍

[@a_creatorsstuff17]

​@@Sonic-q6ithat reminds me, would Shadow's dash in sonic battle be chaos snap then? Cuz of the afterimages? And the starting teleport of air chaos blast and others be chaos control?

[@AdrianGuerreroMontes]

I just remembered something tragic about Shadow and Maria: Even if Maria survived, she still would die growing as an old lady while Shadow still young. So i imagined Shadow mourning the death of her beloved "sister" because Shadow doesnt age a bit. So, even if he sees her in another dimension or form, that tragic destiny would still arrive.

[@Aasoko]

As far as who Rouge is talking about, I don't think she's meaning anyone other than Maria. Sure, she never met Maria, but she clearly does her research. In SA2 it's shown that she's at least read over the files for Biolizard and is a bit confused about it, but she probably would have researched more at some point. She is usually working as a spy, so she has to have a lot of intel to do the job. She could have also done research not just for her own curiosity or her job, but to try and help Shadow as well. Since at the start of Sonic Heroes, he tells her he has no memory, so she could have looked into it to help him if he needed to remember something or if he was having trouble with the memories coming back. Usually Rouge is fairly self serving, but she does have a bit of a soft spot for Shadow. And, she is shown to have a decently friendly relationship with Abraham, so it's possible that he filled her in to some details about it as well. Oh, and I'm pretty sure she probably saw the broadcast of Gerald telling Shadow about the true purpose of the Eclipse Cannon towards the end of Shadow the Hedgehog, which would mean that she at least knows of Maria and could make some inferences. Sonic can keep up with Shadow, but I don't think he'd be able to talk Shadow down from doing something if that's what he wanted or felt like he needed to do, and I don't think Rouge is under the impression that he could, either. That's my personal take, at least.

[@olezornow4239]

The writing was so good the animation is just peak! I already loved the original Sonic generations. But holy Molly this looks next level. This franchise was with me since childhood seeing it do well now warms my heart❤

[@EqualsPeach]

27:10 This. I was never really satisfied with him simply saying he was leaving his past behind at the end of Shadow 05, because I figured it wouldn’t be closure enough. I feel like it only left him more confused about his purpose, from yielding to Sonic at the end of Generations to doing the bare minimum in Forces to whatever he did in 06. Now that he’s finally going to see Maria and Gerald again, it should very well provide him some clarity, and that aforementioned closure.

[@MaxusFox23]

Yeah, ShTH05's ending is nothing but rushed and incomplete, and Never Turn Back's lyrics clearly show that him moving forward is still a bumpy ride. *Hell, as if All Hail Shadow, Shadow's current main theme, having a loud and clear "Nothing ever fills this hole inside your heart" wasn't indicative enough.*

[@vento662]

The whole time I was watching this when it was dropped I was wondering what your thoughts would be lol. Please make more deep dives into Sonic stuff. Also, the vibe I got from Rouge talking to Abe at the end is that deep down she wishes she could be that person who could talk him down now Maria's gone, but she's accepted that's just not how he sees her, so she'll do what she can to support him in her own way. I'm hoping when/if Maria and Shadow get to interact in the game she'll encourage him to open himself up more to the people around him, would also be nice to get some more from Gerald, I wanna know what he thinks of everything going on, and if Shadow tells him what his Grandson has gotten up to. (Sorry for the incredibly long comment, these characters mean a lot to me and your stuff is very much enjoyable to watch.)

[@maciesummers4938]

I have wanted Maria and Shadow content for YEARS! And these episodes did not disappoint. (And yes I feel you on crying on the last 2 minutes of episode 3) At the core of it Shadow and Maria loved each other. They where each other’s soulmate. Maria was shadows light, some who who loved him for him, and to me Shadow was Maria’s reason to hope. Hope for a future together on the planet she never truly experienced. Hope to keep going and trying. And that’s the end of my Ted talk! But thank you for these videos I have loved them all!

[@maciesummers4938]

Also because some people may misunderstand, the love between them is very much sibling, platonic soulmates

[@FoxNinja4000]

When Shadow holds the missile back at the big dog he holds it for a few seconds to make the heat seeking tech register the big dog as the target. That view you see is the missile's heat seeking point of view.

[@Idkkprincess]

AHHHHH COOL THANKS!

[@thebluewind5733]

The blue flickering teleportation thing Shadow is doing is his Chaos Snap which isn't Chaos Control however with Chaos Control is more Time-based as he can stop time for a brief moment, the Technique seems extremely malleable due to what it can do but the primary ability seems to be a time stop type of power. I find it extremely interesting to see that Shadow is still rattled with the loss of Maria and feeling that he has to close himself off to be efficient in his goal. However he is struggling from the loss rather then trying to live in the present with people who actually want to be his friends. His ultimate closer maybe have to have one final conversation with her because moving on is always the hardest part in life.

[@Idkkprincess]

Oh…I call chaos snaps..chaos jumps…but yeah the whole chaos control thing has been highly debated recently with the generations updates and Ian Flynn comments but I understand that it’s time and space based And I agree that shadow really struggles with closure on the chapter with Maria since he never actually had it

[@Theoneeyed_ghoul]

This 🙌🏻 was my only small correction I was gonna add. Just because Shadow teleports doesn’t necessarily mean he’s using chaos control. As we see in the opening for Shadow the Hedgehog 05

[@NinGamerDave]

Excellent deep-dive analysis on Dark Beginnings' Episode 3. 🧐👍 Earlier today, while remembering Team Dark's theme, "This Machine" from Sonic Heroes, got me thinking on how despite Shadow and Omega being the two characters that immediately associate with the song's title (since both were created by humans), despite Rouge being the "only" organic one in the team, her impressive knowledge over specific tech and information sort of places here within that category as well (of a "machine"). Not strictly a machine made of alloy and other metals, but a character who possesses "machine-like" qualities (again, knowledge on tech, as well as an order of doing things). As for the last episode's ending theme ("Without You"), by just listening to that line of "I'll save you *again*", my mind went straight to that scene from Sonic X Shadow Generation's story trailer where it seems he'll meet Maria and Gerard within the White Space and, it would seem like Mr. Flynn might have cooked some "alternate timeline" shenanigans. 👀🕓

[@Lunchbillion]

GUN are lethal as hell. I can only imagine how much carnage the truck in City Escape caused

[@alicesacco9329]

I think Shadow needs sleep, otherwise he would not talk about having nightmares. Also in the final scene he looked quite, sleepy before the panic attack. Slouchy Shadow is back! Yeah, he slouched a lot in Adventure and 06.

[@Idkkprincess]

I just think Shadow needs sleep 🤣🤣🤣

[@Taiyama2]

20:21 "Are you Rouge because you're the strongest, or are you the strongest because you're Rouge?"

[@Idkkprincess]

🤣🤣🤣☝️☝️☝️

[@Sanic-T-Hedge]

2:12 well considering that Bats sleep during the day and are awake at night, im sure Rouge already got plenty of sleep.

[@Idkkprincess]

But later she’s a Sonic’s party?? Did she get a nap in between?

[@Sanic-T-Hedge]

@@Idkkprincess Lol, well I guess we don’t exactly know what time the birthday party is held so it’s possible. But I think the way funnier option is that throughout every game rouge is actually extremely tired and the others keep screwing up her sleep schedule. No wonder her eyelids are always visible, girl needs some sleep lol

[@FSAPOJake]

​@@Idkkprincess Hey, parties can go late into the night for us normal folk, right? Same case with her. Except the parties she goes to go well into the day.

[@BLUESTREAK91]

Man! Just 8 days more then we all can find the answers that Shadow is looking for once the game drops!

[@Idkkprincess]

😭😭😭😭😭

[@blackfox4138]

I think the glowing red eyes segment was from the soldier's point of view. It's showing the dark edgy Shadow that we all love, but he subverts the scene by saving him. Showing that, true he's our favorite little edgehog, he's also a hero at the end of the day.

[@Idkkprincess]

Favorite little Edgelord 🥹🥹🥹

[@OnePolishMoFo]

The mysterious perspective is the missile's guidance system. It's heat seeking. You can see it tracking the flares the Heavy Dog shoots out. Which is something real military aircraft use to counter missiles.

[@Sonic-q6i]

They better release the song

[@Pan-cackes]

Also, Rouge made Shadow promise to go to Sonic's birthday before helping him complete a mission. The fact that he's going to cross paths with Black Doom will probably explain why he didn't keep his promise.

[@EthanLR]

He kept it, he was just late

[@rosey480]

I'm still convinced Rouge and Abe were talking about two different people. While Rouge has done her homework on Shadow, I'm not sure it's enough to make a proclamation the way she did. But the part that throws me off the most is her using present tense. It's a bit weird to refer to someone dead that way

[@Idkkprincess]

And even her little smile is a little weird if she was talking about Maria...unless her research also showed something about Black Doom as well.

[@Pan-cackes]

@@Idkkprincess Nervous smile maybe?

[@PZ14WolfGamer]

HELLLOOOOO, IDK PRINCESS!!!!

[@Idkkprincess]

HI!

[@PZ14WolfGamer]

@@Idkkprincess hahahah... HAHAHAHAHAH!!! HELLO

[@AzulAraus]

Rouge is referring to Maria. She knows Shadow's whole story (that's why he's the only one she really cares about), it's Abraham himself who confirms her words referring to Maria.

[@AdrianGuerreroMontes]

I think, in the moment of Shadow and Maria, some images of Maria came to Shadow without him thinking about it. So i think Shadow suffers from psychosis, and i think the alien DNA has something to do with it. And if thats the case, that would explain the amnesia as well. I know that if the mind had some bad chemicals can produce some psyquiatric problems.

[@michaelcarlton1484]

In order, Shadow's mind and thoughts have been altered by: Being sent to Earth and altered by Gerald when they were imprisoned and then being put in stasis for fifty years. (For all we know, Gerald's brainwashing could have been on loop or something the whole time.) Amy reminding him of Maria's wish. Falling back to Earth and being put into stasis (again). Seeing the Shadow Androids and wondering if he's even the original. The Black Arms literally messing with his head as everyone around him feeds him conflicting information. The guy has been through A LOT.

[@AdrianGuerreroMontes]

@@michaelcarlton1484 Yeah, but it seems that someone like Shadow is not mentally prepared for these kinds of challenges. But he faces them nonetheless. Because ive seen, through history, heroes facing some obstacules and dont having a problem, mentaly speaking.

[@FSAPOJake]

Rouge is a bat so theoretically she is nocturnal. And she canonically owns a night club which lines up.

[@Idkkprincess]

Is that still canon? I thought it was more a fanon thing?? You got some sources so I can look up?? :)

[@FSAPOJake]

@@Idkkprincess Yes! Club Rouge from Sonic Battle. She runs that at night then does her heists and missions during the day. Like an opposite Batman.

[@Idkkprincess]

@@FSAPOJake hahaha, I for real forgot about that…I really just thought it was something they kept adding to ff to have her do something like Shadow’s continuous G U N paperwork 🤣🤣🤣

[@clerkwithamouth]

26:18 I don't think he was about to spiral, I think he was about to cry. About to let himself feel, but he had to stop himself because this wasn't the time or place for it.

[@PrinceRioPalace]

I think that's not the heavy dog. That's the blue falcon is blue, not gray.

[@Idkkprincess]

I now have a video idea. Naming every war ship in Sonic cuz I don’t know like at least three apparently 🤣🤣🤣🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ thanks for the info though very much appreciated 👍👍👍

[@PrinceRioPalace]

@@Idkkprincess your welcome

[@josepadron335]

Can you turn your volume up? it's very difficult to hear you

[@Idkkprincess]

I’ll try and see what’s up!

[@renorasearcy7874]

I had a feeling it was Casey when I first heard the song i was like that girl still bringing the feels

[@Idkkprincess]

She makes me cry, forever and always