Milo Rambaldi
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- Rambaldi redirects here; see also Benvenuto Rambaldi da Imola, the 14th-century Dante scholar
Milo Giacomo Rambaldi is a fictional person from the American television series Alias. The work of Rambaldi, often centuries ahead of its time and tied to prophecy, plays a central role in the show.
According to Alias creator J.J. Abrams, in a feature on Rambaldi included on the season 5 DVD box set, the Mueller device and Milo Rambaldi were originally intended simply to be MacGuffins.
The character is named after Carlo Rambaldi, the creator and operator of many special creatures for Sci-Fi movies. Rambaldi won the 1983 Best Effects-Visual Effects Oscar for his work on the E.T. movie creature.
Rambaldi's technological developments are sought after by numerous governments and rogue organizations in the series. Arvin Sloane is generally obsessed with obtaining Rambaldi's work and unlocking its secrets.
The character draws its inspiration from real-life historical figures including Leonardo da Vinci and Nostradamus. Rambaldi's artistic-looking manuscripts, written in code, are a direct reference to Leonardo's method of recording his work. Behind the scenes, the writers of Alias often referred to Rambaldi jokingly as "Nostravinci".
There seems to be no limit to Rambaldi's genius as he was highly capable in automatism, life extension, protein engineering, mathematics, cryptography and cartography. Rambaldi is said to have predicted the digital information age. He invented a machine code language around 1489, cryptographic algorithms, and sketched the designs of a portable vocal communicator and a prototype that reflected the properties of a transistor.
The Rambaldi subplot, which dominated the first two seasons of the series and was greatly explored in the second half of the third season, was virtually nonexistent in the early episodes of season four. However it continued to lurk in the background of the series and, as creator J.J. Abrams promised, resurfaced in full later in the season. Rambaldi and his works continued to figure heavily through the end of the series.
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[edit] Biography
(Note that much of the information in this section is drawn from sources which do not appear on-screen in the course of the series; therefore, the canonicity of some information may be in dispute)
Rambaldi (1444-1496), a renaissantial homo universalis, artist, alchemist, engineer and mystic, served as chief architect to Pope Alexander VI.
According to the Alias fiction, Rambaldi was born in Parma, and educated by Vespertine monks and worked as a student of the arts until he was 12. In his 18th year and during his travels to Rome he was introduced to Cardinal Rodericus and was retained privately as an architect, consultant and prophet, when Rodericus of Borgia (Borja) became Pope in 1492.
His writings and plans are written in multiple languages ranging from Italian and Demotic hybrids, to elusive mixtures of symbols (pre-masonic cipher encryptions). Rambaldi also created the earliest known watermark which he used on all of his documents: a naked eye, visible only when held to black light, known as the eye of Rambaldi, which helped tell original works apart from forgeries many years later. His waterpapers were all hand-made from a unique polymer fiber.
Despite Borgia's benevolence, Rambaldi and his works never became famous due to the Archdeacon Claudio Vespertini, who feared the revolutionary implications of the technologies defined in Rambaldi's belief system: Rambaldi believed that science would someday allow us to know God. Vespertini attempted to pursue and destroy everything he could find and keep the name of Rambaldi 'invisible.'
When Alexander VI died in 1503, Vespertini ordered that the name Rambaldi be erased from all inscriptions between 1470 and 1496, his workshop in Rome destroyed, Rambaldi himself excommunicated for heresy and sentenced to death by flame. However Rambaldi died in the winter of 1496, a lonely man without a known surviving heir.
Not long after his death, a second workshop was discovered in San Lazzaro, but was also destroyed by the Vatican. Plans and sketches were sold and traded as if without value during a private auction. These plans however have since been located, starting in the 15th century and continuing even to recent years, around Italy, France, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Plans were also found in private collections or museum warehouses. During the Third Reich, documents interpreting his designs and teachings were highly sought-after. It was then when the nickname Nostravinci arose among auctioneering circles. The design directive for many of these drawings remains unclear to this day, and has inspired some impressive forgeries, even prime examples of digital piracy. However the eye of Rambaldi was proven to be the only test of accuracy against them.
Known surviving documents to this day number 22, while known forgeries are counted to be 102. The original works are formally unpublished, due to an international ban on his name, its fascistic legacy, and especially its invisibility. A conspiracy of containment is possible to preempt many of the discoveries of our century, and the knowledge contained under private sanctioning remains under the firm "hand" of the Trilateral Commission.
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This symbol, generally referred to as the "eye of Rambaldi," is the symbol of The Magnific Order of Rambaldi. In the episode Time Will Tell, a direct descendant of Giovanni Donato (who may in fact have been Donato himself) describes the Order as "Rambaldi's most trusted followers, entrusted with safeguarding his creations. Sadly, like most things that once were pure, criminals now use this symbol to infiltrate the Order." Some followers of Rambaldi have the mark tattooed on their hands, including Anna Espinosa.
The glyph is also said by Irina Derevko to represent the struggle between "The Chosen One" and "The Passenger," whom Irina believes to be her two daughters. (See Rambaldi's prophecies below) The circle in the center of the design is said to be the object around which they will do great battle.
The Rambaldi Eye (<o>) appears in one frame of the Alias title sequence (seasons 1-3) after all the letters in the word Alias appear. In season one and three, it flashes as ALIAS is spelled out and Victor Garber's credit appears. In season two, it appears on ALIAS when "With Lena Olin" appears. Season four doesn't have a Rambaldi sign, but it appears in season five when Balthazar Getty appears.
[edit] Rambaldi's prophecies
One of Rambaldi's prophecies is central to the Alias story arc. Written on the forty-seventh page of one of his manuscripts, it predicts the coming of a woman who would "bring forth [Rambaldi's] works" and "render the greatest power unto utter desolation". The identity of this woman has been speculated to be Sydney Bristow, her mother, Irina Derevko, or Sydney's rival Anna Espinosa (who was put through a process to become physically identical to Sydney), as included with the prophecy is a drawing of Sydney's likeness, which also resembles her mother.
The prophecy reads:
- This woman here depicted will possess unseen marks, signs that she will be the one to bring forth my works: bind them with fury, a burning anger. Unless prevented, at vulgar cost, this woman will render the greatest power unto utter desolation. This woman, without pretense, will have had her effect, never having seen the beauty of my sky behind Mt. Subasio. Perhaps a single glance would have quelled her fire.
Sydney Bristow tried to disprove that the prophecy refers to herself by climbing Mt. Subasio, however, this may have been a misinterpretation of the meaning of the prophecy.
Another prophecy, told to Michael Vaughn but never stated specifically, says that the "Chosen One," the woman referred to in the Page 47 prophecy, and "the Passenger," Sydney's half-sister Nadia Santos, would fight and kill each other in battle. Irina Derevko recites a similar prophecy at the finale of season 4 that Rambaldi wrote:
- When blood-red horses wander the streets and angels fall from the sky, the Chosen One and the Passenger will clash . . . and only one will survive.
The team spotted a horse that under the light of the Mueller device appeared blood red (which prompted Irina to recite the prophecy); Nadia passed a statue of an angel which had fallen from a building right before she was captured.
The Rambaldi eye symbol <o> is, according to Sydney, said by Irina Derevko to represent Sydney and Nadia's death-battle; thus it might be considered another iteration of the "Chosen One/Passenger" prophecy. The two chevrons that flank the circle represent Irina's two daughters while the circle is what they will do battle over.
[edit] Known Rambaldi artifacts
- Mueller device - Designed by Rambaldi, built by Oskar Mueller. Known effects include increasing the aggression of certain bees and emitting a sub-sonic frequency which combined with chemical contaminants causes heightened aggression in humans. Five Mueller devices are known to have been built. One small-scale device was seized by Sydney and handed over to Sloane, and presumably was taken into CIA custody with the fall of SD-6. One large-scale device was destroyed by Sydney in Taipei. "Arvin Clone" had one completed small-scale device, the status of which is unknown, and one large-scale device located in his Santiago compound, which was seized and/or destroyed by APO. There were also incomplete components of at least one more device in the compound, also presumably seized and/or destroyed by APO. Finally, Elena Derevko constructed an enormous Mueller device in Sovogda, Russia, which was destroyed by Sydney.
- Rambaldi notebook - Recovered from San Lazzaro. Not seen on-screen, an analysis report by SD-6 indicates that the notebook contains rudimentary schematics for a cellular phone.
- Rambaldi sketches - Two sketches, each of which contains half of a binary code. The second sketch is destroyed by acid in Berlin. When the codes are combined with a compression scheme, they reveal the location of the Sol D'Oro.
- Sol D'Oro (Golden Sun) - A yellow disk, appearing to be stained glass but actually a synthetic polymer.
- Clock - Commissioned and designed by Rambaldi, built by Giovanni Donato (the only man Rambaldi ever collaborated with). When combined with the Golden Sun disk, the clock reveals a star chart identifying the location of Rambaldi's journal.
- Rambaldi's journal (including Page 47) - Contains Rambaldi's prophecy identifying Sydney as the "Chosen One." It also had instructions on how to fit together Rambaldi's designs; possibly for Il Dire. Page 94 was later found to include a listing of "apocalyptic dates and times."
- Ampule - Filled with a "Rambaldi liquid" used to make the text of Page 47 and the Circumference visible.
- Rambaldi code key - Inscribed on the frame of a portrait of Pope Alexander VI painted by Rambaldi, housed in The Vatican.
- The Circumference - A page of text describing the construction and application of the Mueller device. Like Page 47, it was written in invisible ink. It is obtained from the CIA for Irina Derevko in exchange for Will Tippin. It is next seen in the possession of "Arvin Clone."
- Music box - Played a sequence that when each note was translated to its corresponding frequency, revealed an equation for zero-point energy. Destroyed by Sydney after recording the equation to prevent it from falling into the hands of SD-6.
- Flower - Found in an egg-shaped container, it was apparently 400-600 years old, Rambaldi's proof of eternal life.
- Firebomb - A neutron bomb designed by Rambaldi, it delivered micropulses that disintegrated organic matter but left inorganic matter unharmed.
- Cut-out manuscript page - A manuscript page with a section cut out of the center. The missing piece was recovered by Sloane from inside a 15th century statue of an arhat.
- Rambaldi's Study of the Human Heart - Recovered by Jack and Irina. The CIA intended to use it and Irina to flush Sloane out, but Irina double-crossed Jack, stole the manuscript and turned it over to Sloane in exchange for his extracting her from CIA custody. Included the DNA "fingerprint" of Proteo di Regno, which also served as a code key for page 94 of the Rambaldi journal.
- The Di Regno heart - Found inside Proteo di Regno's body, it was apparently keeping him alive. Used to power Il Dire.
- The Restoration - A second Rambaldi manuscript which references The Passenger. Contains the formula for "Rambaldi fluid."
- Il Dire (The Telling) - A machine made of 47 Rambaldi artifacts, it wrote the word eirene ("peace" in Greek) along with the DNA sequence of The Passenger.
- Medication - derived from a formula found in the Rambaldi journal and used on Allison Doren. It helped her heal from the extensive wounds she got at Sydney's hands and may have imparted lasting rapid regenerative abilities. Not seen on-screen.
- Keys - A dozen keys collected by Andrian Lazarey (although one may have been collected by Sydney in the animated episode included on the season 3 DVD set). Used to open the vault which housed the cube holding Rambaldi's DNA.
- Rambaldi tissue - A live DNA sample. The Covenant and Elena Derevko planned to fuse the DNA with Sydney's eggs to engineer Rambaldi's second coming. Destroyed by Sydney.
- "Irina" box - A box with the name Irina inscribed on it, it required four keys to open. It was rumored to contain "the Passenger," which the CIA believed to be a bioweapon. Supposedly it had not been opened since Rambaldi's time but apparently Sloane had found it open, because he hid the di Regno heart inside it.
- Kaleidoscope - This artifact required three discs. Once the discs were inserted into the kaleidoscope, they formed a map of an underwater formation in the Sea of Japan, where the keys to the "Irina" box were found.
- Code key - Used to decode The Restoration. Not seen on-screen. Lauren Reed stole a false code key created by the CIA.
- Hourglass - Contained a fluid that powered the battery for the EEG machine.
- EEG machine - Sketched the brainwaves of the Passenger.
- "Rambaldi fluid" - A chemical containing "protein strains" which, when injected into Nadia Santos (The Passenger), made her a "direct conduit to Rambaldi." This allowed her to experience visions and through muscle memory transcribe a complex algebraic equation for a longitute and latitude, the location of the Sphere of Life.
- Rambaldi orchid - Paphiopedilum khan, a rare lady slipper orchid brought to Italy from China in 1269. Recovered by "Arvin Clone" from the Monte Inferno monastery, it is the source of a chemical contaminant that (when combined with other substances seeded in various water supplies by Sloane) encourages human qualities like empathy and harmonic coexistence; in conjunction with the Mueller device, it causes heightened aggression in humans.
- The Vespertine Papers - Texts, rumored to have been destroyed during World War II, which refer to properties of the Rambaldi orchid. Not seen on-screen. Pages obtained from the Department of Special Research (which may or may not have been genuine Rambaldi pages) were placed in auction as The Vespertine Papers to flush out "Arvin Clone."
- Vade Mecum - Rambaldi manuscript, translated by Lazlo Drake. Described by Sloane as "a template describing how Rambaldi's creations were to be assembled in order to bring forth his final prophecy." Not shown on-screen.
- Sphere of Life - A vessel which supposedly housed Rambaldi's consciousness. When the Passenger (aka Nadia Santos) came into contact with it, she saw terrifying flashes of the future.
- Il Diluvio (The Flood) - A manuscript that described Rambaldi's vision of a moment when the world would be cleansed and everything would begin anew. Not seen on-screen; Irina states that she destroyed it.
- The Profeta Cinque (Fifth Prophet) - A manuscript written in apparently unbreakable code that spoke of advanced genetics.
- The Horizon - When placed on a stone altar in Rambaldi's tomb, forms a levitating sphere which generates a red fluid which has the power to convey immortality.
- Amulet - Recovered from "The Rose," apparently contains a map to Rambaldi's tomb, which is revealed by sunlight shining through it while in a cavern on Mt. Subasio.
- Rambaldi's Tomb - Contains what appears to be the coffin of Rambaldi and a stone altar, which works in conjunction with The Horizon.
[edit] External links
- Official Rambaldi/Alias DVD site The Official Alias DVD site with Rambaldi objects
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