So I dunno about anyone else, but the Emperor freaked me right the hell out, and I was badly disappointed by T.'s decision to go along with the plan. I mean, seriously.
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T: Yo, Emp. This whole dying for gods thing is kind of crazy and evil, you dig? Like, the gods don't even seem to be real, dawg.
Emp: Oh, shit, yeah, I forgot to tell you. I'm just a computer and not actually a god like I've been saying for centuries. I totes had to lie because otherwise I couldn't crush and subjugate all you squishy types properly.
T: Oh. That explains a lot.
Emp: Yeah. We're gonna keep on doing the blood sacrifice thing, by the way.
T: Isn't there any other option?
Emp: Sure, we could educate folks and stuff, but it's kind of hard and I don't really feel like hauling you dipsticks out of the stone age. I like you when you're gullible. But hey, since you got wise, I'll kill other guys instead of you.
T: Wouldn't that violate all of my newfound ethical convictions?
Emp: A little bit, yeah. But it's okay! We won't tell them the gods aren't real. That way the morons will think it'll do some good! Ha ha! We cool, bro?
T: Sure thing, dawg.
Emp: Oh, here. You can use this to live forever. It's a total trip. We can slaughter tons of dudes for like no reason.
T: Sweet! Oh, wait. My poontang will get all old and crusty and then die on me. That'd be a bummer.
Emp: *shrugs*
T: I think I'll just go die pointlessly instead and have an oxygen-starved vision that possibly invalidates every thematic subtext so far in the story.
Emp: Sounds like a totally sweet plan, bro!
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The emperor is like a textbook evil overlord computer, manipulating history in pursuit of some crazy goal and completely unconcerned with the sanctity of life. What, when it's just one dude, that's a crazy rogue AI, but when it's millions of dudes, well, gotta break a few eggs?
Gah.
Also, if the gods are real and fate is inevitable, then how the living hell did the Magic Robot change history? Why would the gods not have just done it this way from the start? Thus, I choose to see the god at the end as a hallucination, because otherwise the themes get all gummed up. Beyond the whole thing where the emperor is clearly evilevilevil but doesn't get called on his shit.