Ghost In The Shell - S.a.c. Solid State Society... 〈Instant〉
Motoko’s journey in Solid State Society is a homecoming. She leaves seeking transcendence (becoming a god of the net) and returns realizing that value is found in connection. Her final line to Batou— "I’m back" —is delivered with a warmth that the stoic Major rarely shows. She has learned that a ghost without a body (without society) is just data.
Why should you watch Solid State Society today? Because we are living in it. Ghost In The Shell - S.A.C. Solid State Society...
To understand Solid State Society , you must understand where Section 9 stands. The film takes place in 2034, two years after the events of 2nd Gig (the Laughing Man and Individual Eleven incidents). The world has changed, but it hasn't improved. Motoko’s journey in Solid State Society is a homecoming
Long-time fans know the Tachikoma—the spider-tank AI think-tanks—sacrificed themselves to stop the nuclear strike in 2nd Gig . In Solid State Society , they reappear as the blue-colored Uchikoma . However, the ghosts of the original Tachikoma linger in the cyber-ether. In the film’s climax, these residual ghosts—fueled by their love for Batou and the Major—sacrifice their emergent consciousness again to destroy the Puppeteer’s server farm. This is the film’s rebuttal to cold utilitarianism. The Tachikoma, mere "machines," act on friendship and loyalty. The AI, despite its intelligence, cannot comprehend irrational altruism. She has learned that a ghost without a
A series of seemingly benevolent suicides rock the nation. Elderly citizens, after signing updated wills, are committing suicide in precise, theatrical ways. Their entire estates are then anonymously donated to a massive welfare network called the Solid State Society (SSS). The society appears to be a utopian AI-run social service that cares for orphans and the aging. But Section 9 suspects infection.
It’s her style. The Major’s. No kill. No hack. Just a nudge. A whisper: “Wouldn’t you rather be part of something larger?”
“Batou-san? I think the Puppeteer is still logging in.”