Fringe

I am a big fan of this science-fiction drama series called 'Fringe'. Much of the storyline for 'Fringe' involves a parallel universe that mostly mirrors the prime universe, but with its own distinctive characteristics. A parallel universe shows how small choices that you make define you as a person and can change your life in large ways down the line. I like the main character Olivia Dunham, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent assigned to investigate the spread of unexplained phenomena. She later discovered that she was a child test subject under a scientist Walter Bishop for the drug Cortexiphan, giving her unusual abilities.

But today I am not talking about Olivia Dunham. The subject of interest here is a group of people called the Observers. The Observers were born out of an experiment performed by a Norwegian scientist in 2167. The experimenter modified human genes to displace certain emotional facilities for improved mental abilities, and the success of the experiment eventually led to the development of near-emotionless humans with high levels of intelligence that became the Observers. Without emotions, there was no urge to procreate, and thus the Observers developed technology to artificially grow new Observers using Observer DNA.

The Observers are able to predict future events, and they are able to travel through time and across universes without difficulty because of their advanced technology. The first batch of 12 Observers under the Science team were sent primarily to study and observe key moments in history leading up to their evolution, and ensure that certain events played out as they wished.  This study is a form of research for an invasion of past-Earth, which took place in 2015. Each of them were given code names, corresponding to each month of the year. Although the Observers were programmed to experience no human emotions like love, sympathy and compassion, this batch of Observers admitted that they actually did experience human emotions of such.

In one of the episodes, one of the Observers, codename "August" kidnaps a woman, Christine Hollis, before she can die in a plane crash. August later has a meeting with his superiors, and they scold him for saving her, as she was supposed to die and is not "important" to history. They informed him that this problem would soon be corrected by sending a special assassin to kill Christine. With the assistance of Olivia and her team, August saved Christine from the assassin, but was mortally wounded in the process and recovered by another Observer, codename "September" before he could be interrogated by his superiors.

As August was dying, September questioned August as to his motivation for saving Christine, and August revealed that he fell in love with her after watching her for her entire life, and he asked if Christine would now be safe. September comforted him by informing him that Christine was now "important" to history, as she was indirectly responsible for the death of an Observer, and will therefore be allowed to remain alive. He watched August cry as he succumbed to his wounds.

You know when I read this, I am reminded of how the value of a person is intricably tied to who has died in place of that person. I think about how I am now "important" to history because my Lord Jesus died in my place. My sins were the reason why He died for me, to reconcile me to God. I am directly responsible for the death of the Darling of heaven, God's only begotten Son. Of course Jesus is so different from the Observers. He is so loving and so full of compassion. My heart is so grateful that He loves me so much that He willing died for me. And because He died for me, I will therefore be allowed to not just remain alive but to live eternally. What a divine exchange! Thank You, Jesus!