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The issue of the Standard model URTV's is another one of those things that the Xenosaga series doesn't fully explain, if it all. All we are told is that they fall under a fractured single consciousness, and that the whole Miltia incident finished off the lot of them. When we see them speak, especially when there is more then two of them together, the words of their sentences are spoken with different mouths. Perhaps this is the over mind at work, completing it's thought with whatever standard happens to have the breath for speech. It's rather creepy as it creates a rather discordant effect.
In the scene before the dive into Sakura's domain, we see Albedo complaining that the standards don't have a will of their own. However, when they speak in the same cut scene, anger and jealousy over Rubedo's position is really prevailing. Anger I could see coming from something half sentient, but I think that jealousy shows that the standards do have a personality and thought process beyond the calm, obedient and line face boy we see in the NPC interactions.
Y type vs X type: We aren't told if both the male and female standards fall under the same consciousness or if they are in fact separate ones. Personally I think that because we don't see any evidence to the contrary, that the male and female types are connected by the same consciousness. This has a few consequences.
A) The standards have always known about Citrine. She would have been with the female types and therefore the male types would have seen her too.
B) The standard has a defined, but at the same time fluid concept of it's own gender. The mind is both genders at the same time but the bodies each have their own. However this may also mean that to the standard gender is just physical as their mind is the same mind. Maybe this is like a character that can switch gender at will, it just all becomes the same to them, especially in an environment where male and female were probably only separated for proprieties sake and not actually treated any differently from each other.
This also has a large problem if they are under the same consciousness. In Gaignun's flash backs when we see Yuriev taking over for the first time, Citrine informs young Nigredo that he's 'Just like us' in the English translation. Logically, we can assume that Citrine is referring to the female standards when she says 'us'. However, if the male and female standards are under one consciousness, then they would know about the existence of the executioner URTV's. If they did know, and they hated Rubedo so much to beat on him and try to drag down his self esteem at every turn, why would they not use this knowledge against him? If the female standards had the power to potentially end Rubedo's life, why not tell him about it to frighten him even if they were not allowed to actually go through with the act.
Either this can be taken to mean that the male and female standards are NOT of one consciousness and therefore do not know of Citrine or the Executioner, OR they do know and like they are forced to obey Rubedo in military operations, are forbidden from telling him about the whole issue.
(EDIT DUE TO NEW INFORMATION)
I have been informed that in the second game you do end up being able to talk to a X-type Standard. Apparently right when you get into the institute during MOMO's dive, go poke around in the forest and she's there. She talks about how even though it would make Citrine angry, she would like to bury 'him'. We are never informed who 'him' is (though it might refer to Gaignun the cat). Also, if JR is your onscreen character she will mention feeling a 'male type wavelength' where as the Y type standards mention feeling as if #666 is about. This is pretty good proof that the X type standards and the Y type standards, while most likely part of the same number line (she's number 498), are separate consciousnesses. So instead of being the male and female parts of a whole, they are more like one male consciousness and one female consciousness. Like fraternal twins if you would.
She does also call Citrine 'Citrine' instead of '668' and also talks about Albedo's graves. The X type standards may not be afraid of the variants like the Y types obviously are. Even though Citrine is their leader, they don't seem to be as upset about it. Perhaps this due to them not being used in military campaigns very much, if at all.
What would happen if there was only one Standard at some point: The standards all fall under one single consciousness spread out over multiple bodies. The thing that sets the variants apart is the ability to exist only in one body as a distinct personality. It's quantity versus quality in the games. However, what would happen should a standard exist alone would change due to circumstances and exactly how he found himself.
A)The standard is suddenly cut off from the over mind. Being suddenly cut off from the rest of yourself would be a frightening and traumatic occurrence. Most likely he would be distraught, irrational and would eventually completely shut down if left to his own devices and not given any mental support. Perhaps if left over time he would pull himself together and start being able to function on his own, maybe even getting his own personality depending on who he interacts with. However, if exposed to the variants in this form he would probably alternate between blaming them for what ever went wrong to separate him, and clinging to them because oh god they're the URTV variants, the leaders, and surely they knew what do do as well as them being something familiar.
B)The standard houses the entirety of the over mind. The way I see it, the over mind functions almost like a gas, spread out over a vast territory but still remaining a cloud unto itself. However, it being contained in ONE standard body may function like compressing it, like a concentrate. This standard then may start off less traumatized, but it would still have to get used to the fact that it is one and not many. This standard would get a distinct personalty much sooner then the cut off one, and a much stronger one perhaps. The hate would be amplified, as would the stoicness and the jealousy of his siblings. However he would be in a much better place to start changing these feelings should he be exposed to the variants in a setting such as this.
However in both cases the Standard would have to get used to not getting multiple bits of sensory input. He's used to multitasking, seeing and hearing multiple things at once. Being restricted to just one set of eyes and ears would most likely make him feel as if he'd gone blind and deaf.
Why the standard doesn't like his younger siblings: I feel that the standards hostility towards the variants actually stems from multiple and very human sources.
A)The first could just be the simple jealousy an older sibling has about their younger siblings. The Standards were first. They are technically the 'oldest' of the URTV children. Then along comes their more favored younger siblings. The Standards want their fathers love and attention, but end up feeling second best.
B) The standards represent the mass of humanity, the 'us', and the variants to them represent the 'other', or the 'them'. While the standard models are the normality, the variants are the deviations from normality. Strangers, different, not like them.
C) The variants are simply more powerful. While the standards have numbers on his side, the variants by themselves can take out multiple standards with out breaking a sweat. He calls his younger siblings 'monsters' because to him that is what they are. Monstrously powerful and something to be feared. This could also be considered along with point B like in an X-men comic.
D) Compared to the variants, the standards are basically canon fodder. The over mind would exist as long as one standard remains alive, so what's a few dead ones? They are expendable where the variants must survive in order to continue. They realize this from the get go and are treated as such by their father and the other scientists. The disposal and death of the standard bodies are spoken of in canon with out much feeling to it, off hand almost.
Beneath all that trained super soldier, the Standard is still a 12 year old child who desperately wants approval, attention, and the feeling of being important, but was never allowed or even taught how to express it in appropriate ways.
Misc
U-DO: In canon we see that the Standards are afraid of U-DO, even though they are supposed to be his anti-existence. Standard units have been infected before, both on screen and off before the Miltia conflict, and it doesn't seem to effect the entire over mind. This is most likely because the over mind pulls itself out of a standard body if something goes drastically wrong, like an U-DO infection and transformation, or getting beat to death by Albedo. HOWEVER, there is a small chance that while the over mind doesn't get outright infected until Miltia,each time it brushed near an U-DO wave it gets a little bit tainted by it. This may explain why they are afraid of the thing they are bred to fight, and possibly even their extreme hate and fear of the variants. One of the classic signs of U-DO infection is obsession and fear of one type or another. It just depends on the person on how they handle it.
Yuriev's involvement with his children's interactions: Dmitri probably encouraged the rivalry/hatred between the Standards and the variants. This would serve the purpose of weeding out the weaker standard bodies, as well as forging the varients into an elite force. Can't have them fraternizing with the common soldier now can we. While this does create some friction when military style campaigns are going on, it also demonstrates how his children react under stress.
In the scene before the dive into Sakura's domain, we see Albedo complaining that the standards don't have a will of their own. However, when they speak in the same cut scene, anger and jealousy over Rubedo's position is really prevailing. Anger I could see coming from something half sentient, but I think that jealousy shows that the standards do have a personality and thought process beyond the calm, obedient and line face boy we see in the NPC interactions.
Y type vs X type: We aren't told if both the male and female standards fall under the same consciousness or if they are in fact separate ones. Personally I think that because we don't see any evidence to the contrary, that the male and female types are connected by the same consciousness. This has a few consequences.
A) The standards have always known about Citrine. She would have been with the female types and therefore the male types would have seen her too.
B) The standard has a defined, but at the same time fluid concept of it's own gender. The mind is both genders at the same time but the bodies each have their own. However this may also mean that to the standard gender is just physical as their mind is the same mind. Maybe this is like a character that can switch gender at will, it just all becomes the same to them, especially in an environment where male and female were probably only separated for proprieties sake and not actually treated any differently from each other.
This also has a large problem if they are under the same consciousness. In Gaignun's flash backs when we see Yuriev taking over for the first time, Citrine informs young Nigredo that he's 'Just like us' in the English translation. Logically, we can assume that Citrine is referring to the female standards when she says 'us'. However, if the male and female standards are under one consciousness, then they would know about the existence of the executioner URTV's. If they did know, and they hated Rubedo so much to beat on him and try to drag down his self esteem at every turn, why would they not use this knowledge against him? If the female standards had the power to potentially end Rubedo's life, why not tell him about it to frighten him even if they were not allowed to actually go through with the act.
Either this can be taken to mean that the male and female standards are NOT of one consciousness and therefore do not know of Citrine or the Executioner, OR they do know and like they are forced to obey Rubedo in military operations, are forbidden from telling him about the whole issue.
(EDIT DUE TO NEW INFORMATION)
I have been informed that in the second game you do end up being able to talk to a X-type Standard. Apparently right when you get into the institute during MOMO's dive, go poke around in the forest and she's there. She talks about how even though it would make Citrine angry, she would like to bury 'him'. We are never informed who 'him' is (though it might refer to Gaignun the cat). Also, if JR is your onscreen character she will mention feeling a 'male type wavelength' where as the Y type standards mention feeling as if #666 is about. This is pretty good proof that the X type standards and the Y type standards, while most likely part of the same number line (she's number 498), are separate consciousnesses. So instead of being the male and female parts of a whole, they are more like one male consciousness and one female consciousness. Like fraternal twins if you would.
She does also call Citrine 'Citrine' instead of '668' and also talks about Albedo's graves. The X type standards may not be afraid of the variants like the Y types obviously are. Even though Citrine is their leader, they don't seem to be as upset about it. Perhaps this due to them not being used in military campaigns very much, if at all.
What would happen if there was only one Standard at some point: The standards all fall under one single consciousness spread out over multiple bodies. The thing that sets the variants apart is the ability to exist only in one body as a distinct personality. It's quantity versus quality in the games. However, what would happen should a standard exist alone would change due to circumstances and exactly how he found himself.
A)The standard is suddenly cut off from the over mind. Being suddenly cut off from the rest of yourself would be a frightening and traumatic occurrence. Most likely he would be distraught, irrational and would eventually completely shut down if left to his own devices and not given any mental support. Perhaps if left over time he would pull himself together and start being able to function on his own, maybe even getting his own personality depending on who he interacts with. However, if exposed to the variants in this form he would probably alternate between blaming them for what ever went wrong to separate him, and clinging to them because oh god they're the URTV variants, the leaders, and surely they knew what do do as well as them being something familiar.
B)The standard houses the entirety of the over mind. The way I see it, the over mind functions almost like a gas, spread out over a vast territory but still remaining a cloud unto itself. However, it being contained in ONE standard body may function like compressing it, like a concentrate. This standard then may start off less traumatized, but it would still have to get used to the fact that it is one and not many. This standard would get a distinct personalty much sooner then the cut off one, and a much stronger one perhaps. The hate would be amplified, as would the stoicness and the jealousy of his siblings. However he would be in a much better place to start changing these feelings should he be exposed to the variants in a setting such as this.
However in both cases the Standard would have to get used to not getting multiple bits of sensory input. He's used to multitasking, seeing and hearing multiple things at once. Being restricted to just one set of eyes and ears would most likely make him feel as if he'd gone blind and deaf.
Why the standard doesn't like his younger siblings: I feel that the standards hostility towards the variants actually stems from multiple and very human sources.
A)The first could just be the simple jealousy an older sibling has about their younger siblings. The Standards were first. They are technically the 'oldest' of the URTV children. Then along comes their more favored younger siblings. The Standards want their fathers love and attention, but end up feeling second best.
B) The standards represent the mass of humanity, the 'us', and the variants to them represent the 'other', or the 'them'. While the standard models are the normality, the variants are the deviations from normality. Strangers, different, not like them.
C) The variants are simply more powerful. While the standards have numbers on his side, the variants by themselves can take out multiple standards with out breaking a sweat. He calls his younger siblings 'monsters' because to him that is what they are. Monstrously powerful and something to be feared. This could also be considered along with point B like in an X-men comic.
D) Compared to the variants, the standards are basically canon fodder. The over mind would exist as long as one standard remains alive, so what's a few dead ones? They are expendable where the variants must survive in order to continue. They realize this from the get go and are treated as such by their father and the other scientists. The disposal and death of the standard bodies are spoken of in canon with out much feeling to it, off hand almost.
Beneath all that trained super soldier, the Standard is still a 12 year old child who desperately wants approval, attention, and the feeling of being important, but was never allowed or even taught how to express it in appropriate ways.
Misc
U-DO: In canon we see that the Standards are afraid of U-DO, even though they are supposed to be his anti-existence. Standard units have been infected before, both on screen and off before the Miltia conflict, and it doesn't seem to effect the entire over mind. This is most likely because the over mind pulls itself out of a standard body if something goes drastically wrong, like an U-DO infection and transformation, or getting beat to death by Albedo. HOWEVER, there is a small chance that while the over mind doesn't get outright infected until Miltia,each time it brushed near an U-DO wave it gets a little bit tainted by it. This may explain why they are afraid of the thing they are bred to fight, and possibly even their extreme hate and fear of the variants. One of the classic signs of U-DO infection is obsession and fear of one type or another. It just depends on the person on how they handle it.
Yuriev's involvement with his children's interactions: Dmitri probably encouraged the rivalry/hatred between the Standards and the variants. This would serve the purpose of weeding out the weaker standard bodies, as well as forging the varients into an elite force. Can't have them fraternizing with the common soldier now can we. While this does create some friction when military style campaigns are going on, it also demonstrates how his children react under stress.
