Should Rei have been classified as an angel?

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

AuraTwilight, Could you elaborate a little more on the link to the Ender series?

[AuraTwilight]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concepts_in_the_Ender%27s_Game_series#Hierarchy_of_Exclusion

This. It's telling that the Classified Information goes to say that all life (FAR, Adam-derived, Lilith-derived, etc) are "human" and "Angel" at the same time. The Seeds of Life aren't Angels, as in Adam's Children, but they're lumped in with them, and even though we're Lilith's Children, and Lilith is an "Angel", we do not classify ourselves thus. Basically, the term "Angel" is just a term SEELE/NERV created to designate what's antagonistic to humanity and what we're allowed to kill. It's an alienating term to dehumanize the enemy (or neutral beings just in our goddamn way). It's the same concept as humans in a war calling each other names like "Fuckin' commies", "Goddamn Japs", "Chinks", "Southern bastards", or "Terrorists."

[Teague]

Well, I'd say Rei II shouldn't, but Rei III should...but I suspect this is more due to inclination than any real evidence

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

Well, we do have to admit that Rei III does eventually become Lilith/GNR. Moreover, Rei III seems to be the one in possession of the time-space bending ability to silently appear and observe events as far back as episode #01. However, I think this would put her quite a bit over and above the regular ADOs and LDOs.

[AuraTwilight]

Rei III only possesses that power because she became GNR, mind, and that entity is basically a new-born FAR, really.

[Eva Yojimbo]

I's the same concept as humans in a war calling each other names like "Fuckin' commies", "Goddamn Japs", "Chinks", "Southern bastards", or "Terrorists."

I guess if one is looking at it from a SEELE perspective... maybe. It's also an obvious artistic/narrative/symbolic device.

[MugwumpHasNoLiver]

Basically, the term "Angel" is just a term SEELE/NERV created to designate what's antagonistic to humanity and what we're allowed to kill. It's an alienating term to dehumanize the enemy (or neutral beings just in our goddamn way).

Exactly. Which is why Misato called humans the 18th angel, because they attacked after the 17th. EoE really hits us over the head with this one.

[Ialdaboth]

Huh. Having "Angel" be a term specifically to refer to the enemy makes SEELE's morality a bit more confusing to me. If Angel is just a term for an incredibly powerful and inhuman being derived from a certain evolutionary path, then it just seems like a bit of overly symbolic naming. But if it only refers to the beings that they are opposing, then SEELE are implicitly devils. Given that SEELE seems to firmly believe that Instrumentality is the morally correct course of action, I can't see them choosing a name that paints them in a negative light.

[AuraTwilight]

Seeing as how SEELE ARE pretty much the closest thing to objective villains in the series, in that they want to kill off the entire human race for effectively their own ego gratification, then yea, I'd say they're more or less devils.