The Connection to Rapture, the original Bioshock, and future games [Massive spoilers to B1 and Infinite]

[Lord Krabman ✘O]

Long wall of text incoming, in-depth analysis

It's hard for a story like Bioshock:Infinite to be self-contained. When the multiverse, alternate dimensions, and time-travel gets in the picture, it is inevitable that several theories will start to pop up.
But in this case, the game itself gives us a hint about how Rapture has a connection to all of this, and that is purely intentional.

Elizabeth's speech at the end of the game is extremely important. As you travel through the sea of doors, of lighthouses, she will talk about constants and variables. She will say how some things are inevitable, and how "There is always a man, a city, and a lighthouse". It's not a casual occurrence that this was accompanied by a scene at Rapture.

Here's my interpretation of it:

Some have said Booker is Ryan, or Booker is Jack, but personally I don't find this theory plausible, seeing how Ryan has completely different origins (soviet background) and Jack's origins make this possibility very hard at best (fabricated in a lab and rapidly aged to be Fontaine's ace-in-the-hole against Ryan, being technically four years old at the time of Bioshock.

I don't think Booker is Jack. But I do think Booker and Jack fulfill the same mission in this universe, they are the same constant.

Remember the talk about variables and constants? It's not the first time Booker had been to Colombia. The Luteces had taken him there several times, repeated the experiment several times, until everything went as it had to go. Sometimes Booker would choose the cage instead of the bird. Sometimes the bird instead of the cage. Sometimes he would throw the ball at the couple, and sometimes at the announcer. Sometimes Booker would join the Vox's revolution (as we see in one of the alternate worlds Elizabeth takes us too, the one where Booker is a martyr). All these were variables. The choices you are present in the game, none of them have an impact on the ending. They are the variables, the different things Booker can do on his way to fulfill his mission.

But some things ALWAYS happened. The coin the Luteces present to you at the fair would always turn Heads. (You can see in the tally how it has turned Heads for the last dozens of times, and never tails.) Booker would never row in the beginning of the game (hence the conversation between the Luteces: "He doesn't row?" "He DOESN'T row"). These are the constants, these always happen.

But my main point is how all of this affects Rapture.
Elizabeth talks of constants and variables in a panorama that transcends Columbia and the events of Infinite. She talks about constants and variables in something that goes much further.

"There's always a man, and a city, and a lighthouse"

The way she says this almost makes me take a fatalistic approach to the overarching plot.
There must always be a man, and a city, and a lighthouse.

This is the big constant. The maximum constant.

It is necessary in all of the universes that at some point in time. A man travels into a city through a lighthouse and fulfills the events that are also constants.

This both connects Columbia to Rapture, as well as open possibilities for different sequels.

*Remember, gender is a variable, as can be seen with the Luteces (They are the same person, one being from a world where he was born male, and the other from a world where she was born female).

There must be a man* (Jack/Booker) that travels into a city (Rapture/Columbia) through a lighthouse (this being a very important constant, seeing as all the doors shown at the end are lighthouses). This man* must then travel through the city, eventually killing the creator of the city, the one who idealized it, in tribute to his ego and ideas. There will also be another person (Daisy Fitzroy/Fontaine-Atlas) who is the People's Man, the person that creates the revolution that will later destroy the city.

There will also be a scientist (Tenenbaum/Lutece) that had a role in both creating the city and its contents, as well as helping the protagonist. There must also be a girl (or girls), the victims (Elizabeth/Little Sisters). They will have a protector figure (Songbird/Big Daddy). In fact, in Fink Mfg. it is even outright said that Fink got his idea of Songbird from observing a creature through a tear, something that was clearly a reference to the Daddies.

Some details change. The time. The motivations, the ideologies behind the city. These are the variables.

Notice the little constants in both games. The Plasmids/Vigors, EVE/Salts, the vending machines sounding similar. These are not just meaningless touches.

Across the universe, there must always be a man, a city, a lighthouse. Constants and variables. These are Elizabeth's words. Rapture and Columbia and its events are parallels, mirrors of eachother. Think about it, think about Lutece and Tenenbaum, Fontaine and Daisy, Ryan and Comstock, Rapture and Columbia.

Columbia and Rapture are parallels.

I have not yet finished Bioshock 2, so I won't be able to comment on it for now, but from what I played, it might also fit, some parts even more so, Eleanor Lamb being the parallel to Elizabeth, for example.

Please tell me what you think.

[Turbolego]

I think you're right.

[Wandering Mage]

Glad I took my time to read that it seems like a plausible idea and the most likely one.

Also didn't Fink in an audio log mention something his brother invented or discovered that would benefit Fink.

[Lord Krabman ✘O]

Originally posted by Deathsteel:

Glad I took my time to read that it seems like a plausible idea and the most likely one.

Also didn't Fink in an audio log mention something his brother invented or discovered that would benefit Fink.

That was about the songs. That's what his brother did, he worked in the sound business.

If you notice, throughout the game, you can hear modern songs coming out of tears, and hear songs being sung that were not supposed to exist at the time (Tainted Love in Shantytown, Girls just wanna have fun)

That's what Fink is talking about. The fact his brother discovered how to get ideas from tears, and yes, of course that would benefit Fink.

[Kaigun]

Or it could just people that people will always strive to create a utopia, so there will always be a city, always be a leader.

[Shiro]

That was a very long-winded way of saying "Every Bioshock will have similar story elements".

[Lord Krabman ✘O]

Originally posted by Shiro:

That was a very long-winded way of saying "Every Bioshock will have similar story elements".

Yes, and I don't think that's without reason.

[cobalt]

You're making some good points there.

[Nerevars Goat Univeron]

I'll get back to you after I figure out the whole wall of text thing.

[apayton95]

So just to complicate things a little more, how does Bioshock 2 fit into all of this?

[W r a i t h]

This is a good introduction to Quantum Mechanics.

[mcneilus m/a garbage truck acx]

Originally posted by Lord Krabman ✘O:

Long wall of text incoming, in-depth analysis

It's hard for a story like Bioshock:Infinite to be self-contained. When the multiverse, alternate dimensions, and time-travel gets in the picture, it is inevitable that several theories will start to pop up.
But in this case, the game itself gives us a hint about how Rapture has a connection to all of this, and that is purely intentional.

Elizabeth's speech at the end of the game is extremely important. As you travel through the sea of doors, of lighthouses, she will talk about constants and variables. She will say how some things are inevitable, and how "There is always a man, a city, and a lighthouse". It's not a casual occurrence that this was accompanied by a scene at Rapture.

Here's my interpretation of it:

Some have said Booker is Ryan, or Booker is Jack, but personally I don't find this theory plausible, seeing how Ryan has completely different origins (soviet background) and Jack's origins make this possibility very hard at best (fabricated in a lab and rapidly aged to be Fontaine's ace-in-the-hole against Ryan, being technically four years old at the time of Bioshock.

I don't think Booker is Jack. But I do think Booker and Jack fulfill the same mission in this universe, they are the same constant.

Remember the talk about variables and constants? It's not the first time Booker had been to Colombia. The Luteces had taken him there several times, repeated the experiment several times, until everything went as it had to go. Sometimes Booker would choose the cage instead of the bird. Sometimes the bird instead of the cage. Sometimes he would throw the ball at the couple, and sometimes at the announcer. Sometimes Booker would join the Vox's revolution (as we see in one of the alternate worlds Elizabeth takes us too, the one where Booker is a martyr). All these were variables. The choices you are present in the game, none of them have an impact on the ending. They are the variables, the different things Booker can do on his way to fulfill his mission.

But some things ALWAYS happened. The coin the Luteces present to you at the fair would always turn Heads. (You can see in the tally how it has turned Heads for the last dozens of times, and never tails.) Booker would never row in the beginning of the game (hence the conversation between the Luteces: "He doesn't row?" "He DOESN'T row"). These are the constants, these always happen.

But my main point is how all of this affects Rapture.
Elizabeth talks of constants and variables in a panorama that transcends Columbia and the events of Infinite. She talks about constants and variables in something that goes much further.

"There's always a man, and a city, and a lighthouse"

The way she says this almost makes me take a fatalistic approach to the overarching plot.
There must always be a man, and a city, and a lighthouse.

This is the big constant. The maximum constant.

It is necessary in all of the universes that at some point in time. A man travels into a city through a lighthouse and fulfills the events that are also constants.

This both connects Columbia to Rapture, as well as open possibilities for different sequels.

*Remember, gender is a variable, as can be seen with the Luteces (They are the same person, one being from a world where he was born male, and the other from a world where she was born female).

There must be a man* (Jack/Booker) that travels into a city (Rapture/Columbia) through a lighthouse (this being a very important constant, seeing as all the doors shown at the end are lighthouses). This man* must then travel through the city, eventually killing the creator of the city, the one who idealized it, in tribute to his ego and ideas. There will also be another person (Daisy Fitzroy/Fontaine-Atlas) who is the People's Man, the person that creates the revolution that will later destroy the city.

There will also be a scientist (Tenenbaum/Lutece) that had a role in both creating the city and its contents, as well as helping the protagonist. There must also be a girl (or girls), the victims (Elizabeth/Little Sisters). They will have a protector figure (Songbird/Big Daddy). In fact, in Fink Mfg. it is even outright said that Fink got his idea of Songbird from observing a creature through a tear, something that was clearly a reference to the Daddies.

Some details change. The time. The motivations, the ideologies behind the city. These are the variables.

Notice the little constants in both games. The Plasmids/Vigors, EVE/Salts, the vending machines sounding similar. These are not just meaningless touches.

Across the universe, there must always be a man, a city, a lighthouse. Constants and variables. These are Elizabeth's words. Rapture and Columbia and its events are parallels, mirrors of eachother. Think about it, think about Lutece and Tenenbaum, Fontaine and Daisy, Ryan and Comstock, Rapture and Columbia.

Columbia and Rapture are parallels.

I have not yet finished Bioshock 2, so I won't be able to comment on it for now, but from what I played, it might also fit, some parts even more so, Eleanor Lamb being the parallel to Elizabeth, for example.

Please tell me what you think.

HOLYSH*T!
How old was you when you wrote this theory? It's f*cking amazing!

[Shoelessbeats]

Best theory I've read so far.