- "I used to think I was an individual with my own life and my own problems. But now I realize we are all just pieces of a bigger puzzle. Alone we are nothing. It's this lack of... completeness... that complicates our lives. Make us whole. That is what I hear when I close my eyes. Make us whole. That is what we all must do. We just have to get over the first step. We just have to die. It will do the rest."
- —SCAF Sergeant Richard Lumley[1]
A poster promoting the Markers' message.
"Make Us Whole", "Make Us One" and other similar phrases are a mantra that is used by the Brethren Moons, the Markers and those affected by them as a way to call for assistance in bringing about their ultimate goal of unity through Convergence.[2] As such, "Make Us Whole" can refer to any type of action that assists Convergence, ranging from acceptance of death to the construction of Marker copies.
Background[]
- "Have to stop it... Death is the answer. And beyond... It can make us whole. A life beyond death..."
- —Private Karklins[3]
Messages written in Marker symbols commonly found on the Ishimura and Aegis VII.
A shrine on Tau Volantis with the corpse of a SCAF soldier and the "Make Us Whole" message.
Whenever a Marker is activated, it begins to emit high frequency waves that affect the dead and living organisms within its range. EarthGov scientists speculate that the Marker's carrier wave has different effects on people depending on the subject's mind.[4][5]
A majority of humans perceive the signal as "noise"; voices and hallucinations which ultimately cause the affected individuals to become paranoid and end up hurting themselves or others, thus setting the stage for the Necromorph infection. It is hypothesized that the different effects of the signal are attributed to some undefined aspect of the individual's intelligence or DNA. More compatible or "smart" individuals will instead be given a series of codes or blueprints that show the individual how to create Red Markers,[6] along with hallucinations that compel them to do so.[7]
Very few individuals are immune to the hallucinogenic effects of the Marker, with the only confirmed example being Lexine Weller. The Marker's carrier wave is often experienced as visions repeatedly asking the subject to make it "whole" which, for some, is achieved by hurting themselves and anyone around them, while others begin to feel the urge to replicate the Marker.[7]
Unitologist Enigmas commit suicide with the "Make Us Whole" message.
Individuals who experience the dementia created by the Marker often believe the phrase "make us whole" to mean becoming a singular entity with one mind and body in the coming Convergence; that through their death, the individual will become a part of the "whole" through a type of "rebirth". Following these beliefs, Unitologists preserve the bodies of the deceased in their community for the coming Convergence. The Church's practices of suicide by apparent suffocation[8] effectively carry out the Marker's supposed will.
Notable Uses[]
- "Thank you, Isaac. I always believed in you. We're whole again. We are whole."
- —Marker 3A to Isaac Clarke as it forces him to "see what can't be forgotten".
Make Us Whole-2
The "Make Us Whole" theme from Dead Space (2023).
During the Necromorph outbreak on the USG Ishimura, the apparition of Nicole Brennan that appears to Isaac Clarke insinuates that returning Marker 3A to its signal-amplifying pedestal on Aegis VII will make the Marker whole again and allow it to implant its self-replicating mental blueprint in the minds of Isaac and, as revealed later, Elizabeth Cross.[9]
During the Necromorph outbreak on Titan Station, the apparition of Nicole implies that the death of Isaac, the Site 12 Marker's creator, and the subsequent "absorption" of his body would complete the Convergence Event and allow humanity to be "reborn as one", thus making them whole.[10]
During the mission on Tau Volantis, after the alien lifeform, "Rosetta", is reassembled by Isaac Clarke, Ellie Langford and John Carver, Clarke activates the Codex and experiences the memories of Rosetta. The natives of Tau Volantis built Red Markers on their planet, leading to Convergence. On the day of this event, the Black Marker was used to create a Brethren Moon using the bodies of the aliens as well as parts of the planet itself. However, this process was halted prematurely by the machine that froze the planet and placed the incomplete moon in a state of hibernation. Isaac realizes the Marker signal's ultimate source is the moon that wishes to become "whole" with the completion of the Convergence Event.
Following the events on Tau Volantis, the Brethren Moons are awakened and begin communicating with Clarke through intense hallucinations, repeatedly urging him to lead the Moons to Earth, telling him to "take [them] home" and "make [them] whole".
Trivia[]
- In the 2023 remake, if Isaac collects all 12 Marker Fragments scattered throughout the Ishimura and places them on the ritual table in Captain Mathius' room, his dialogue will change when retrieving the Marker from the cargo bay with the crane: instead of saying "Still in one piece", Isaac will say "Good. The Marker's okay. It's... whole."
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- ↑ Log:S.C.A.F. Artifact 12
- ↑ Interview with Wright Bagwell
- ↑ Dead Space: Extraction - Karklins Attack Cutscene
- ↑ Dead Space: Aftermath
- ↑ Log:Same Signal
- ↑ Dead Space 3 Dev Team Edition
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Dead Space: Catalyst
- ↑ Unitologists members on the Ishimura Crew Deck
- ↑ Log:Negotiations
- ↑ Dead Space 2: Chapter 15: It Ends Here