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Jacking In

Neo being jacked in

This will feel a little weird.

― Morpheus to Neo[src]

The process of jacking in involves the connection of a redpill's headjack to the communications network of a hovercraft via a data probe cable, and normally with the assistance of an operator, to establish a neural link between the redpill and a program of the operator's choosing. The program may range from educational programs, which provide training and knowledge to the redpill, to virtual realities (such as the Matrix) in order to fully materialize the redpill into a digital world.

Only synthetically grown humans (i.e. redpills and bluepills) physically possess headjacks but bluepills are usually semi-permanently plugged in to the Matrix from the moment they gain coherent consciousness and up until death. Bluepills and redpills alike are initially plugged into the Matrix by Docbots from their pods.

Procedure[]

Trinity Neo Jacked in

Neo and Trinity, jacked in

To jack-in, the redpill normally sits or lies in a chair where their limbs are sometimes strapped in as an added safety precaution against sudden involuntary movements caused by human reflexes or by the hovercraft's movements.

The operator then inserts the data probe into the redpill's headjack and links the redpill into a program. Once the neural link is established, the redpill loses all consciousness from the Real World.

If the redpill is jacked into a virtual reality such as the Matrix then the redpill instead gains back their full consciousness from the digital world, effectively rendering their physical body in the Real World unable to receive conscious brain signals and move, as all signals and instructions consciously generated by the brain are redirected from the headjack into the avatar.

It should be noted that while the redpills's consciousness are redirected, the brain is still fully able to receive signals from both the program and the physical body. It is also important to note that detaching the data probe is fatal while the consciousness is still in the Matrix. And that any physical sensation felt by the body in the Real World, such as pain, are inadvertently experienced by the consciousness (usually seemingly out of the blue) while inside the Matrix.[1]

Disconnection and extraction[]

Main article: Extraction

Telephone Exit

Exiting through a hardline

A redpill's consciousness must likewise be carefully extracted from the Matrix, initiated from the operator console and with the redpill using a proper hardline from within the Matrix. Sudden and forced disconnections without the use of a hardline has proven to be always fatal.

Other simulated reality and construct worlds, like the Construct, allowed the operator to simply disconnect their operatives seemingly without using any hardline.

Prior to the end of the first Machine War, redpills found it difficult to safely exit the Matrix due to the nature of hardlines being limited to select telephones.

During the Machine Civil War, however, redpills were more readily able to exit the Matrix via mirrors and reflective surfaces.

Special Connection of The One[]

The One was somehow able to jack into the Matrix, or at least got half-way through and got stuck in Mobil Avenue, a construct world between the Matrix and the Real World, without the use of a data probe and without plugging in.

Behind the scenes[]

While the movies have shown clearly the effect of the moment a user disconnects from the Matrix (the avatar dissolves in green sparkles), they have never shown on screen how an avatar pops up or materializes in the Matrix at the moment a user jacks in. The redpill simply closed his or her eyes when being jacked in and then opened them up in the Construct or in the Matrix.

References[]

  1. There Are No Flowers in the Real World shows how injuries from the Real World were instantly felt while inside the Matrix
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