Small Luna IV Analysis

As a warning, my mind is incredibly scattered right now and I can't quite bring myself to structure this. I hope it'll still be cohesive.

First things first, he’s clearly still alive. Even if Moontorre is gone (which I doubt), a Dottore definitely lives on.

The Tsaritsa’s order indicates something interesting. According to Tartaglia, she’ll hold a trial to judge Dottore. But she still gives Arlecchino and Sandrone permission to eliminate him. Since you can’t judge a dead man, this should mean Moontorre is a segment and there is at least one more Dottore that can be judged.

(I don’t think Moontorre is Omega. As many others have noticed, this segment doesn’t exactly sound like the one we met in Sumeru, despite his words. His voice seems almost softer? This is not a particularly strong argument though, as there are many outside factors that could influence the voice acting. Still, we should keep it in mind.)

Unlike Signora’s death, we don’t see what happens to Dottore after Columbina’s beam hits. Let me remind you, this man can teleport. He was having so much fun with that power while talking to the Traveler. And he said he considered fleeing smarter than surrendering, after all.

(I also suspect his ability to teleport might be independent from the Moon Marrows. Since someone like Mona can teleport, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say Dottore can too.)

There is also the matter of future events. Someone needs to burn that old tree after all.

Also the glitching. The glitching. Need I say more?

—

The Sunday parallels are going to drive me insane honestly. The bird symbolism between Columbina (as a dove) and Dottore (as a raven), Dottore playing the piano in Columbina’s teaser, their brand new tragic sibling dynamic, Dottore’s line about living in dreams where pain doesn’t exist (which also ties into Sumeru because of course it does)...

I appreciate that these parallels exist because I’ll take any semblance of proof that Dottore could be playable.

(Speaking of that sibling dynamic… I think I’m going to explode. I can’t put my thoughts into words. How many times is this man going to get abandoned? And his fundamental misunderstanding of how families work?? Hggggggggggggggg somebody give him a hug.)

—

I’ll admit him not recognising Wanderer was disappointing. Of course, he could simply be acting oblivious or even commenting on how Wanderer has changed but these seem unlikely. But we must also consider another possibility: He might not remember him yet. Remember, Nahida needed the Traveler’s prompting to bring out her fairytale about Scaramouche. Dottore might simply need a push to look for his own backup.

Wanderer himself says Dottore will notice his puppet physiology and how his segments came from studying his body. We know that the segments have a telepathic connection (that whole scene where Omega deleted the others) so the other segment(s) can make good use of this information even if Moontorre is truly “dead and gone”. Dottore is smart. Incredibly smart. I find it hard to believe he wouldn’t have any backups in case of Irminsul tampering considering his studies.

—

Dottore’s actions seem strange to me. He’s acting too arrogant. Yes, Zandik has always been arrogant but his arrogance is purely human. He’s always looked down on others—gods and humans alike—because he trusts his own brilliance and convictions, not because of divine power. For someone whose goal was to enhance humans to god status with his own capabilities as a human, just using the power of the Moon Marrows to become a god himself seems odd.

Moontorre’s arrogance mimics that of a god, as if he’s playing the role of a heavenly deity. Perhaps the Heavenly Principles themselves.

As many have theorised before, Dottore’s boss fight seemed to spell out the price for daring to cross a god’s boundaries. Gazing at the god brings punishment, stepping out of the lines they set invites retribution. This reminds me of the Heavens’ attitude towards Khaenri’ah, the Abyss, Orobashi learning the truth, and the spread of forbidden knowledge. If one tries to question more than they’re allowed, they get struck down along with many innocent casualties.

—

I couldn’t find a place to put this but…

It’s so strange to me how the energy fields went unmentioned after Albedo and Wanderer’s investigation. (Like, you’d think they’d mention the countless dead people? I think Hoyo forgor. Silly them.)

Regardless, I was wondering why Dottore even created them. They don’t seem to serve any purpose whatsoever. He did not need them (unless I’m missing something). Plain cruelty, maybe, despite how uncharacteristic it is? Are we even sure that those people were real and not just illusions?

But they do remind me of something. What if the energy fields are supposed to mimic celestial nails and their effects? The people turning into animals symbolising the curse of the wilderness, perhaps? Maybe the fact that he cursed the Traveler and co. in his laboratory was an allegory to Khaenri’ah, even.

—

I subscribe to the theory that states everything that has happened so far has been part of a plan by Dottore (or Prime, specifically), Pierro, and perhaps even the Tsaritsa and Capitano. And I mean everything. From what happened with Scaramouche in Sumeru (“Conquering the divine gaze.”), to Capitano merging with the Lord of the Night, to Columbina finally ascending to her rightful throne. I suspect Tartaglia will be the final pawn in this strange game of chess they’re orchestrating.

The Harbingers are all actors in this foolish play. That’s why they’re named after Commedia dell'arte characters. They’re all dutifully playing their roles, even if some don’t know it yet. And our beloved, cursed Doctor has taken up the mantle of the villain in this story. I like to think he’s aware of it, considering his speech about being a villain.

He mocks his opponents, flaunts his might, draws their rage. He places himself as the one true villain they must defeat.

Almost as if someone is testing if humanity can put aside their differences and turn their blades against a common enemy.

Borrowing Paimon’s words, nothing like a region-wide calamity to bring people together, right?

So far, Luna IV hasn’t brought information that would explicitly disprove this theory, apart from Moontorre seemingly not expecting his defeat. The only explanation I can come up with is that Prime or some other segment was pulling the strings and left Moontorre unawares. I don’t think the man who killed all of himselves without a second thought is above manipulating himself either.

Of course, I admit this is a reach and I don’t think Hoyo would write such a storyline but it is nice to imagine, at least.

As a final note, Dottore is genuinely hilarious. I laughed out loud at several of his dialogues. His behavior towards the Traveler is going to be the death of me. He’s acting overly familiar, giving them like four different chances to work with him (after he told Sandrone he only gave people one chance), being incredibly forthcoming with information… And that one line about the Traveler eventually becoming an outcast? I hope you kissed that brick before you bashed my head in Hoyo.

He was definitely the highlight of all of Nod-Krai. I hope Hoyo doesn’t deprive us of his presence for much longer.

That’s all from me for now. Apologies for the lack of structure. I couldn’t tie my thoughts together as they’re in shambles. I am truly on my last vial of copium.

Remember folks, the end has yet to come.