To begin where it ends, the dying father and the boy, Piel, are 60 years in the past of the "main" story-line. In the main story-line, i.e. 60 years later, the same boy--now an old man named Silbad--gets recruited to save himself.
Of course, as viewers, we don't know this until the end. Retrospectively, we can see Silbad embark on a mission he knows full well will fail (Jafar and company are not Piel's ultimate saviors).
Because Silbad knows Piel will be saved, but not by his crew, his character is Rifikian. You've seen The Lion King. Rafiki is goofy and zen. Silbad's drinking song, suggestion to Piel to drink an intoxicant, war cry, and general zoofiness seems to derive from his foresight in knowing all will be right. This is all very different from Prince Matton.
Prince Matton stole jewels and is on the run from the reform (space police). When we first meet the crew, Jafar is escorting Matton to safety. Just then, Jafar gets message from a friend, Piel's dad, that he's dying and requests Jafar rescues his son, Piel. Piel is given a walkie-talkie (called Mike) that is in direct communication with Jafar and company.
Matton wants safety, but Jafar wants to save the boy. So Matton tries to sabotage the rescue mission by telling Piel (thru Mike) to go to a pond where Matton hopes Piel will drown. Matton nefarity was caught in time. He is punished by jettisoning his treasure. Matton gets mad and takes an escape pod to the nearby planet. Jafar pursues.
Both Jafar and Matton are immediately captured. The planet is like iRobot's central intelligence. It's pure energy turns everyone its eaten into a puppet. Before Jafar and Matton are pushed into the energy, Matton sacrifices himself to save Jafar. The redemptive, self-saving, act is similar to Silbad's, but motivated by different roots.
Redemption, how is it achieved? One way, epitomized by Silbad--the joyful acceptance and participation in the ancient concept of eternal recurrence. The other is Matton's Christian idea of repentance, sacrifice, and higher-causes.
(I don't think it's a coincidence that Silbad looks like Socrates and Matton's last moments were fraught with Christian imagery, viz. angels, crucifixion, and martyrdom.)
Of course, as viewers, we don't know this until the end. Retrospectively, we can see Silbad embark on a mission he knows full well will fail (Jafar and company are not Piel's ultimate saviors).
Because Silbad knows Piel will be saved, but not by his crew, his character is Rifikian. You've seen The Lion King. Rafiki is goofy and zen. Silbad's drinking song, suggestion to Piel to drink an intoxicant, war cry, and general zoofiness seems to derive from his foresight in knowing all will be right. This is all very different from Prince Matton.
Prince Matton stole jewels and is on the run from the reform (space police). When we first meet the crew, Jafar is escorting Matton to safety. Just then, Jafar gets message from a friend, Piel's dad, that he's dying and requests Jafar rescues his son, Piel. Piel is given a walkie-talkie (called Mike) that is in direct communication with Jafar and company.
Matton wants safety, but Jafar wants to save the boy. So Matton tries to sabotage the rescue mission by telling Piel (thru Mike) to go to a pond where Matton hopes Piel will drown. Matton nefarity was caught in time. He is punished by jettisoning his treasure. Matton gets mad and takes an escape pod to the nearby planet. Jafar pursues.
Both Jafar and Matton are immediately captured. The planet is like iRobot's central intelligence. It's pure energy turns everyone its eaten into a puppet. Before Jafar and Matton are pushed into the energy, Matton sacrifices himself to save Jafar. The redemptive, self-saving, act is similar to Silbad's, but motivated by different roots.
Redemption, how is it achieved? One way, epitomized by Silbad--the joyful acceptance and participation in the ancient concept of eternal recurrence. The other is Matton's Christian idea of repentance, sacrifice, and higher-causes.
(I don't think it's a coincidence that Silbad looks like Socrates and Matton's last moments were fraught with Christian imagery, viz. angels, crucifixion, and martyrdom.)