Turning Out the Lights: Consciousness and Existential Grief in SOMA (Simon of Omicron)

SPOILER WARNING: The following focuses on a major plot twist for SOMA, revealed at Site Omicron.

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Game: SOMA

Objective: Leave Simon to fend for himself or end his suffering

Location: Site Omicron, PATHOS-II

Summary: When brain-injury patient Simon Jarrett "wakes up" as a cortex chip implanted in a dead woman's body at an underwater research facility to learn that Earth's surface has been decimated by a comet in 2104 AD, the last thing on his mind is sending a probe of digital humanoid replicas into space. But after befriending the voice in the portable storage unit, Catherine Chun, Simon is determined to launch the ARK and save the last remaining traces of humanity - including himself.

If only it were so simple: Simon must traverse the quaking subterranean wilds to reach the ARK at Site Tau, operating a high-pressure diving suit by "transplanting" his consciousness into its infrastructure. A straightforward procedure until Simon "hears himself" wailing in his "former body", bringing to light the horrific revelation that he is but one copy among a series of Simons. As the "new" Simon perseveres, he is faced with a devastating choice: Will he show mercy and drain "old" Simon's battery or let him fend for himself on a desolate station as Earth's sole survivor?

Perhaps one of the most existentially haunting dilemmas in videogames to critically address posthumanism, this decision deals with existence, hope, agency, and the idea of consciousness.

Note: The descriptions "old" and "new" are used to distinguish between the Simon inhabiting PATHOS-II employee Imogen Reed's body who we "wake up" with at Upsilon and the body into which Simon is recently transferred as he appears in the player's P.O.V. (It isn't clear who transferred where, and since both Simons would likely claim to have existed before the other, it's easier use the bodies as descriptors here).

More information: Omicron | SOMA Wiki | Fandom

 Site Upsilon, PATHOS-II. Photo credit: FetchQuester

Agency and Proximity of Consequence

It's an infamous hypothetical scenario that rears up on psychological evaluations and conversations between friends: You're on a train speeding down a track towards a group of civilians and the brakes won't work; switch the track and the people are saved, but you kill another individual as a result.

Without introducing further elements to complicate things (the sole individual is a life-saving doctor or leader of a peaceful revolution vs. a small group comprised of violent criminals) then assuming the most lives saved = the more ethical choice, the answer is simple: Flip the switch. What makes this answer so unnerving is the concept of agency: Knowingly performing an action which will directly result in harm or death. (Though not taking action is a form of action in itself, its misperception as a passive response counters the alternative). We can trick ourselves into analysing every aspect of the argument, but what really troubles us is having a direct hand in a tragedy that demands commitment in owning up to the consequences.

We can apply the same level of perplexity to the fate of all the Simon Jarretts in Soma. We ask "What is consciousness?" debating the nature of the soul and straddling the distinctions and similarities between the two. Simon's sense of self is authentic, but is it legitimate? Yet this really only comes into play when we, as Simon, must choose whether or not to turn off the switch on a version of "ourselves" in another surprising and horrific twist. Once again, it is the proximity of agency which empowers us on one hand and paralyzes us on the other, knowing that our choices count.

Euthanize Simon

The argument that only "one" true Simon exists may be a determining factor in this decision, leaving us with the first-person perspective protagonist as our priority. Yet as we learn of infinite Simons and realize each one is just as much a "Simon" as the next, we're compelled to feel an equal amount of compassion for all of them. Treating the "old" Simon with the same respect for personhood rather than a "copy" which can be discarded requires a quick cognitive adjustment, however - even our "new" Simon immediately questions "Why is it still talking?" indicating an instinctive reaction of detachment/disassociation.

This doesn't diminish the anguish that either Simon feels though - one confused and disoriented in the "old" body while the "new" Simon laments the fate of his other self, as well as the despair felt by the player as they are simultaneously engaged and removed from the jarring scene. Without breaking our suspension of disbelief, we are forced to empathize as both Simon and ourselves: Are we rooting for Simon to succeed or do we feel broken for him?

Much of this comes down to our personal beliefs regarding the right to life and the right to quality of life - two principles which often find themselves in conflict with each other. If we are basing our decision on the experiences Simon had endured thus far, quality of life outweighs the right to life. 

The Simon of Toronto in 2015 is long gone along with the rest of the world as the remnants of PATHOS-II crumble into dust on the ocean floor; there is no family to return to, no home to belong to, and no recognition of the life Simon knew as the Earth churns into a hell-scape of ash and cinders. When his "copy" awakens from their short slumber, the only "life" Simon Jarrett will know is imprisonment on a submerged wreck threatened by the menace of its deteriorating nuclear reactor. With increasingly unhinged human/robot hybrids suffering an identity crisis, digital ghosts terrorizing the base, and the all-consuming, unpredictable WAU for company, Simon's future is even bleaker than the "original" Simon's brain diagnosis: A painstakingly long, lonely death devoid of loved ones, embittered by a sense of betrayal as another version of himself eventually lives on in an idyllic virtual world. The greatest kindness we can grant is to ensure he never wakes up.

The mediocre life of Simon Jarrett, circa 2015. Photo credit: FetchQuester

Leave Simon Alive

Inflicting the trauma of killing "himself" upon the "new" Simon is not only heinous in itself, but denies "old" Simon's right to decide whether he wants to live or die (this differs from the other self-aware "entities" who implored Simon to end their suffering, having already chosen their outcome but lacking the means to fulfil it). If we reflect upon ourselves as complete individuals whose lives are presented with multiple possibilities able to choose any given path at any given time (also considering parallel/alternative universes), then we must respect that not all Simons would execute the same actions in the same set of circumstances and therefore one Simon cannot speak for another. (What comprises the "idea" of Simon may have an integral core, but this core will have variations and in this case, consciousnesses). We can seduce ourselves into the belief that we are showing mercy to our "old" self, when in reality we are murdering another sentient being with their own unique beliefs and convictions. 

And if we acknowledge that multiple possibilities exist for all the Simons, logic decrees we must offer the same generous scope to the world itself: Who are we to calculate the probability of survival when new opportunities may disclose themselves to Simon? (The fact that we are participating - and not just spectating - in an interactive medium which gives us a conscious choice validates this). Anyone who survives their fiancé in a car crash, is diagnosed with a fatal brain injury, wakes up to the apocalypse and the existential nightmare of what defines the collective identity of the human race and stay partly sane can work with just about anything. What if Simon is able to salvage the resourcefulness and resilience that has empowered him to adapt and push forward?

"Where there is life, there is hope." Perhaps this singular sentiment alone is enough to merit the right to life belief. Every Simon has a story - maybe there is more to this one. Perhaps he will transcend into the WAU's expanding network and find a way to preserve and cultivate some form of synthetic/organic matter on Earth - he is the "human" prototype for artificial intelligence, after all. Two futures, two frontiers: One earthbound, one among the stars.

Additional Thoughts

SOMA haunted me for a long time, resonating with a sombre relevance as our species faces crisis after crisis on a global scale. Among our distinctions as sentient animals is our ability to survive, adapt, and evolve into thinkers and builders guided by ideas. SOMA questions not only what it means to be a conscious human but to be conscious of consciousness itself. Is it the scientific manifestation of the soul or an entirely separate entity? When we say "conscious", do we adhere to something exclusively homo sapien? Why does it even matter if we survive if we are always connected to the universe in one way or another, whether by particles or dimensions or what is believed to be an afterlife? And what do we save or spare? What voices will carry out our remains which define us as a species?

Spoilers affecting choice:

If Simon initiates the "Execute: drain_battery" prompt (note the double-meaning) with the help of Catherine, he will remain silent for a short time afterwards; en route to Site Tau, he contemplates what comes after death - if he and the other Simons will have a place for them in the "afterlife" (presumably taken by the original Simon), including the Simon he "killed". He calls waking up in the right body "dumb luck", admitting that each Simon would claim to be the "right" one; he also states this if the player decides to let Simon live. In this case, he initially expresses a sense of relief at having not killed the other Simon but denies that "old" Simon possesses the same faculties as himself: "He'll never experience my journey - the full journey. He wouldn't understand. How could he?" He continues to spiral into a frustrated rant that unearths a chilling sense of torment building within.

This nightmare re-emerges when the ARK is successfully launched by the Omega Space Gun at the end of the game, with one copy of Simon wailing into an empty void as Catherine's lights blink out.

- Lucy A.

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Sources: 

SOMA (Frictional Games); fandom.com

*A special thanks to Christopher Odd for his playthrough and commentary on SOMA and Diego for his input.