Summary
- The icy lake at the end of Rebel Moon: Part 1 is a mysterious location that may or may not be real, possibly existing in an intangible realm or an astral plane.
- Noble's conversation on the astral plane is with Regent Balisarius, who is revealed to be a significant character in the sequel and possibly connected to the assassination of the royal family.
- Balisarius will have a personal vendetta against Kora, making her a wanted fugitive, as she has injured Noble's pride and dealt a major blow to the Imperium. The significance of the neurolink and icy lake in the sequel's plot is uncertain.
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Rebel Moon: Part 1 - A Child of Fire.
After his apparent death at the end of Rebel Moon - Part 1: A Child of Fire, Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) is transported to a mysterious frozen lake to speak with the shadowy leader of the Imperium before his body is healed and he's shockingly resurrected. The mysterious scene on the astral plane is a major set-up for Rebel Moon - Part 2: The Scargiver, due to hit Netflix on April 19th, 2024. Without more context, it's hard to know exactly where they are or what's happening, but there's a number of clues that can help explain the icy lake at the end of Rebel Moon - Part 1: A Child of Fire.
With Rebel Moon, Zack Snyder is establishing an entirely new sci-fi/fantasy universe on Netflix, meaning it's full of world-building that creates new civilizations, planets, and technology. While other major franchises are inspired by source material or sequels or reboots of already established media, Rebel Moon doesn't have a history of past stories to tell, meaning everything introduced is brand new for the audience and may not make sense until the story plays out more. Rebel Moon - Part 1: A Child of Fire gives basic backstories for the Imperium and many of the characters, but many aspects, including the ending, set up more mysteries for the sequel.
Where Was The Icy Lake At the End of Rebel Moon?
Was that the Motherworld? Was it even a real location?
After Noble's apparent death, he's taken back to the Imperium dreadnought and connected to an advanced machine be a "neuro link," and the medical team, wearing similar red robes to the Imperium Priests, say there's no time to stabilize him first because Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) is waiting. Noble is elevated into a womb-like ball of energy and sent to the surface of a dark icy lake. Since he appears in a fully healed body and fresh Imperium uniform, the neuro-link appears to be a digital or metaphysical realm or alternate dimension like an astral plane where he can communicate with Balisarius across vast distances of space.
The astral plane is a special location only accessible to the Imperium elite, used by its high ranking officials, military leaders, and priests to communicate across vast distances, experiment, and more. It's also full of ainteresting symbolism, such as the massive crescent moon in the sky, which is a perfect match for the original Rebel Moon logo or the giant fish under the ice resembling the Imperium designs on Jimmy's chestplate.
Who Was Noble Talking to At the End Of Rebel Moon?
Regent Balisarius could be a much bigger deal in the Rebel Moon sequel.
Noble's meeting on the icy astral plane is the first time Regent Balisarius is revealed outside of flashbacks. In the flashbacks he's featured clean-shaven at two younger ages: once when he abducts Kora as a child, and again when the King (Carey Elwes) addresses the troops at the Academy Militarium. When he meets with Noble on the frozen lake via the neurolink, Balisarius is wearing the much more elaborate uniform of the Regent of the Imperium and now sports a beard.
After Kora was abducted by then-senator Balisarius, he took her under his wing and raised her as an adopted daughter. She excelled in the military and eventually he pulled strings to have her placed as the personal bodyguard of the King's daughter, Princess Issa. According to Jimmy (Anthony Hopkins), the royal family was assisinated by "those they trusted the most," after which Balisarius siezed the opportunity to take power as Regent. It's never explicitly confirmed, although circumstances seem to suggest Balisarius had a hand in the death of the Royal family.
Regent Balisarius Will Be More Important in Rebel Moon Part 2
How are Kora and Balisarius connected to the King's assassination?
Both as the leader of the Imperium and as Kora's adoptive father, Balisarius' role could be much more significant in the sequel, Rebel Moon - Part 2: The Scargiver. It's quite conspicuous how Balisarius positions Kora as the bodyguard to Princess Issa, the royal family is betrayed and assassinated, Balisarius rises to power, and Kora goes into hiding as one of the most wanted fugitives in the galaxy. Kora's could factor into the assassination in a number of ways, but something happened around that same time to make her flee the Imperium and make Balisarius want to "crucify her in the shadow of the senate."
Whatever happened with Kora, Balisarius, and the royal family already made her a wanted fugitive, but now that she's struck the first major blow to the Imperium and injured Noble's pride, both Balisarius will have a personal vendetta against her when the Imperium returns to Veldt in Rebel Moon - Part 2: The Scargiver. Whether the neurolink and icy lake on the astral plane are relevant to the sequel's plot, or just an element of flavor in the worldbuilding of Rebel Moon - Part 1: A Child of Fire remains to be seen, but it's certainly one of the biggest mysteries at the end of the movie.
