Nerv:

SEELE, Gehirn and the second impact

SEELE, German for 'soul', is a secret organisation that was established some when before the second impact, after humanity learned of their evolutionary dead end from the dead sea scrolls; one of the great twentieth century archaeological finds. SEELE, realising humanity's limitations, thus began the human instrumentality project; the next step in human evolution. The creation of a single perfect entity formed from the unity of all human souls. Otherwise known as the third impact.

Based on the many predictions depicted in the dead sea scrolls, SEELE organised an expedition to the south pole lead by Misato's father, Dr. Katsuragi, and it was there that the second greatest twentieth century archaeological find was found buried deep in the Antarctic; the first Angel, Adam. Humanity had found their god of gods, but when humanity attempted to contain what they had found, by reducing Adam to his embryo form, their god fought back, the second impact...

Other than those individuals who left prior to the second impact, only Misato, at the time still a young girl, from the expedition team survived the nightmarish hell, no one else was spared as the polar ice caps melted giving rise to the true dead sea. All knowledge of the incident was covered up by the UN, or to be exact by SEELE now using the UN as a cover for the organisation, and so the popular meteorite story was born to divert any unwanted attention.

In order to realise the artificial induction of humanity's next stage of evolution, SEELE formed the human instrumentality committee and then founded the organisation known as Gehirn, German for 'brain'.  Gehirn built a research facility in the Geo Front beneath Tokyo-3, and it was this facility which later formed the head quarters for Gehirn's successor, NERV. Gehirn was responsible for project E, the project to revive Adam from his remains found after the second impact, and it was also during this time that the MAGI system was developed by Ritsuko's mother, Naoko Akagi, who worked for Gehirn at the time.

NERV and a probable third impact

The official story for NERV's existence is to prevent the third impact instigated by Angels through physical contact with Adam, however, this elaborate and widely believed story merely exists to cover NERV's/SEELE's true intention. NERV exists in fact solely for the purpose of instigating the third impact upon the annihilation of all the Angels. The Eva series was in fact not intended as a weapon, but instead as a means of invoking the third impact.

NERV, German for 'nerve', is a front for SEELE, founded by the organisation solely for the purpose of carrying out their wishes, that is their scenario, in particular the human instrumentality project. The committee appointed Gendo as head of NERV, and hence also of the instrumentality project. Gendo's task was to effectively implement the instrumentality of man, seeing the project through to successful completion, however, Gendo's goals, shared also in part by Kouzou, are some what different to that of his dictators'. These differences are tolerated for the most part by the committee, though the fragile relationship between SEELE and NERV soon breaks down upon termination of the seventeenth Angel.

SEELE intentionally captured Adam in order to draw out the other Angels which were subsequently destroyed by the Eva series. Upon the annihilation of all seventeen Angels, SEELE had intended to instigate a controled third impact by bringing an Angel into contact with Lilith as opposed to Adam. Of course this would be impossible what with the annihilation of all the Angels and so SEELE had planed to turn to the Eva series once again, this time for their true purpose. Although not entirely Angel like themselves, coupled with lance of Longinus, however, an Eva would provide a suitable substitute. When the lance is lost destroying the fifteenth Angel, however, SEELE decided to settle for second best by attempting to trick the seventeenth Angel, Kaoru, into coming into contact with Lilith against the Angel's will.

The beginning of the end...

Unfourtunately for SEELE Kaoru wasn't to be fooled into mistaking Lilith for Adam and so SEELE's dream was about to amount to nothing, though maybe not quite. With Gendo forced to use Unit 01 to prevent Kaoru from accidentally discovering Lilith within terminal Dogma, the chance of a mergeance between both Kaoru and Unit 01, constructed from Lilith, and thus the third impact still seemed possible. However, with Kaoru wishing his life to come to an end for fear of triggering humanity's complete annihilation should he continue to live, SEELE's dream of instigating a controled third impact no longer seemed possible what with the death of Kaoru, crushed by the hands of Unit 01 piloted by Shinji.

With both the key elements required to initiate the artificial instrumentality of man, that is both Lilith and Rei, and with all seventeen Angels destroyed, Gendo gets set to realise his dream; third impact along with the reunion between himself and his late wife, Yui Ikari. With control over humanity's evolution lost from their grasp, SEELE plan to take back what was once theirs, Adam, Lilith and NERV, and so both Gendo and NERV find themselves battling an unexpected eighteenth Angel, humans. Ultimately SEELE, NERV and the Angels share the same goal, third impact, each desire to control third imapact's outcome, or rather that is to say the future...

Last updated: 23/02/2004