The thing that bothers me the most is the fact that this groundbreaker of a game will not be released again at least by the same cast (or most of them) ever or anytime soon. Rumors keep spreading about its revival but no one is working on this classic cult that is long overdue. Too much politics involved. The "Dream Team" need to get back together. Mr. Akira and Mr. Kato that means you all too!

ahh! this article makes me want to dive in and expierence the storyline from a 29-year old's perspective instead of trying to remember my first romp through as a freshmen teenager. kudos to Jeremy Signor, for writing the article, and Connstar for providing intresting views on the Chrono Trigger mythos.

I do have one random question though, does the game itself give you any subtle clues on which events trigger a different ending when you decide to fight Lavos? I wanted to expierence Chrono Trigger sans a FAQ, but I was hoping the game might provide some sort of hint as to where you could trigger a different ending. I never remember it being that way though the first play-thru when I was younger.

The writers probably just wanted to play with the idea of the origin of men... OK it comes from a parasite from space... And the idea of this Alien power... Much like plutonium... Which enhances our lives but also a great power that can destroy.

Some points about Lavos were lost in translation of the NES original but was explained in the second game (Chrono Cross) and the DS remake.  Even the original translator has mentioned it could have been smoother and more thorough, iirc.

I've really tried to reduce the spoilers beyond this point... so bear with me.  Or skip down to the last paragraph for the on topic stuff.

I believe that Lavos is an intelligent non-instinctual creature, despite its parasitic life cycle.  Although likely dormant or only subtly active until the incidents of Zeal, it still fulfills the biological imperative of 'survive, feed, breed' throughout the events of the story, through a rather indirect manner.

Towards the end of the game, one of the protagonists mentions the possibility that Lavos has been cultivating the human species. While not mentioned in the Nintendo Original (and I can't remember if its in the DS remake) but referenced in the article above and the full sequel, it was contact with a piece of Lavos' shell that inspired the ability to use magic.  It could be said that magic in the game is inherently alien as well, though the ability to use it is passed on, in dormant genetics (given that the ability to use it by 400AD is unheard of in humans, it must be a dormant trait or recessive gene, right?  Either that or the Mystics were once human... No other explaination is cited for their presence, after all.)  This exposure is essentially a controlled experiment.  

The cultivation is evidenced by the patterns Lavos's protective shell takes on in combat, regardless of the point in the game one fights it.  Overcoming the adversity of the planet's dominant species (similar to our own immune system) would be a significant knowledge-boon for the highly intelligent parent creature, allowing it gain adaption and efficiency in fighting other, similar species in the future.  Despite assisting its burrowing into the planet, the protective outer shell reflects these adaptions.  They will likely aid in future planet munching and also may be a cause for the many layers/parts to Lavos as seen by the adventuring party.

One could imagine that these adaptions and possibly evolutions would further enhance its offspring as well, should they mature sufficiently to be propelled into space by the destruction of Earth and survive.  While they are not shown by the offspring, it is possible that they have yet to grow into it, (example: Lavos puberty) or it is simply uniquely based upon the planet they have last preyed upon.

The minor antagonist Mother Brain's perogative - culling of humans - evidences the use of humans as evolutionary food.  The cold logic of destroying humans to reduce Earth's potential effect on the cataclysmic cycle of Lavos' species, may have been an AI-equivalent of sympathy or giving the best survival chances to life-forms on uninfected/non-host planets.  Given their ability to overcome adversity, humans posed a potential risk to the rein of robots and other life-forms through resurgence.  Thus only a complete destruction of humanity would be necessary.

This risk itself is reflected in Lavos not killing Queen Zeal in the Black Omen timeline.  Despite her insanity (or infection/aligning with Lavos' will) she is key to re-elevating humans or other species to a thriving status, without potentially imbuing them with TOO MUCH power (either on Earth or otherwise, given the final battle in the Omen appearing as 'floating above the planet'), thus is nescessary for further experimentation and strengthening of the Lavos organism (hence being granted immortality).

Should the planet not die or be destroyed and the cycle continue, this advancement-destruction pattern would be essentially be testing the effectiveness of its adaptions.  Furthermore, we see the first Lavos Spawn on the Omen, Zeal's seat of power.  It is either due to her power to protect it OR as a means to further strengthen the offspring by presenting it with an opponent in the form of (ultimately) a disposable human bodied conduit of Lavos' will & power.  (Protect/strengthen/feed the offspring)

Lavos' destructive surfacing in 1999 is a manner of pre-emptively protecting its spawn, a 'nesting' stage in its life cycle.  At the height of human civilization, damaging the planet's ecology removes many threats to the natal Lavos Spawn.  While leaving some humans alive, this could contribute again to the above mentioned controlled experimentation and progressive strengthening.

2300 AD in the lost Black Omen timeline presents some ambiguity. Humans are in recession, the Queen becomes an essential figure in Lavos' plan, sealing herself inside the Omen.  This time line ultimately meets the same end, but no mention of her further involvement is made at the end of time.  Is she waiting for the next step in Lavos' plan? To venture forth to another planet after the fate of the Lavos Spawn is secured?  (And hey.  There were a couple of Nus on the Omen too.  If the queen bites it, and life all begins and ends with Nu... then Lavos has a solid set of resources. ;D )

The mind of the Lavos organism is unknowable, due to the deliciously silent yet permeating role in the story as a creature having previously lived in/on another planet. Inside it's shell finds us confronted with a couple more humanoid forms.  While not the core or brain of Lavos itself, it is an interesting insight into the otherness experienced in the game. They are (possibly humorous, by alien standards) reflections of what has been learned from and of humans throughout its time on Earth. It also, interestingly, presents us with a fickle image of human life and an interesting disconnect between the power level of Lavos' Core and our protagonists.  Relying on images and patterns taught to the player/protagonists, (and in some cases disrupting them) the deceptive manner in which the final fight proceeds is what I believe to be an indication of intelligence beyond animal instinct, driven to the pursuit of perfection and assimilation of knowledge and/or destruction of all that is.
(Wait. The perfection thing was Cell, not Lavos, right?  
Allowing viewers/readers/players to connect with elements within a story is roughly integral for an RPG.  But the non-characterization disconnect with Lavos as a greater power or intelligence (in an almost 'vs. nature/environment' style) within the writing gives weight to that otherness.  Other than its actions on a worldwide scale, there is little way for players to build rapport or connect qualities to Lavos... 

Lavos kind of reminds me a lot of IT from the Stephen King book

*SPOILERS FOLLOW OF THE BOOK (well, and game, but I imagine anyone reading this already knows the CT story pretty well* They were both "alien" creatures that crashed into earth in ancient times, both were thought to have manipulated the "world" (whereas IT's world was a single city, Lavos' was the entire world of Chrono Trigger), both seem to be forces of nature or have some other forces beneath their outer surfaces, both were looking to create offspring, both of them fed (though, Lavos' feeding was more subtle and certainly less gory), and both were defeated by the power of a group of friends.

Instead of zombies all the time

Truly one of the greatest games of all time and this is a realy intreaging look at a very unique antagonist.  

HD Remake

....

Ok HD isn't really a word.  But still.

But it was Lavos

See the title. And know this...Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross were nice tries...but missed the mark. GIVE US A REAL SEQUEL DAMMIT...(secretly hopes for a Wii U one to bring it  back to a Nintendo home console...where it started)

Chrono Trigger not only tackles human origin, predetermination, politics, and class struggle it also integrates a fantastic real-time turnbased battle system, 15 different endings (yeah, take that Bioware), and a soundtrack that still captivates me. It might be my perfect game. A timeless example of how narrative and gameplay can co-exist harmoniously. Thanks for the  lovely article and fond memories, Mr. Signor.

"NI! NI! NI! NI! NI! NI! NI! NI!" as quoted by "The knights of Ni"

Just looking at the pics makes me want to play it all over again. Funny I was just reminiscing over Secret of Mana and how great that game is. Great game!

Lavos is an organism that has infected the planet from an unknown origin.  To paraphrase Matrix logic it infects, consumes all natural resources, breeds, and moves on to find another host.  It disrupts the symbiosis of the original organism and those it gives rise to, in this case earth and it's inhabitants .  It presences disrupts the natural evolutionary cycle and causes mutations in the host organism; yet some organisms are resistant to the effects.  Hence, the distinction between those humans who can use magic and those who can't found in the magic kingdom Zeal.  Eventually, it becomes resistant to any attempt to purge it from the host organism, a.k.a the final battle.  It can asexually reproduce by spawning or budding, creating an exact copy of itslf that will then infect a new organism.  Whether Lavos is the original or a bud itself remains unknown.  If the battles with the spawns ( the ones that leaves the husk you can climb on the mission to ressurect Crono) is any indication those replicas are similar to the Lavos' large shell. Yet, it is unclear if they would have developed into the Core found in the final battle.

This is a great way of viewing the being that is Lavos. So many of us simply saw him as another force to be stopeed, but didn't really take the time to think deep about it.

Considering the final two battles, isn't Lavos itself a spacecraft?

Great stuff. I had played Chrono Trigger on the DS before, but I forgot the majority of the plot. I was gonna replay it anyway... I'll think I'll do that sooner rather than later now that I've read this

Kinda puts a nice explanation to the game's story......I really did love this game first time I played it.....might have to give it another go with newfound inspiration ^_^

Lavos did look like mutated Spinys from Mario Brothers heh

Loved the article, especially the emphasis on "humanizing" the minor villains of the game. I LOVE games that go beyond simply good and evil and actually explore the nature of incentive on human nature, as well as perspective and context on our actions.

CT truly was fantastic, a complete package from start to finish which will always be timeless in my book.

I haven't played Chrono Trigger since its original release.  It was truely a Lovecraftian Alien Horror by way of Akira Toriyama.