“ | We call it the Anomaly Stone. | ” |
— Gabriel Santiago [src] |
The Anomaly Stones,[1] also known as The Device, or simply the Stones, are mysterious, divine alien artifacts of an extraterrestrial origin. These objects were created by an unknown alien race before their transcendence.
Overview[]
The Anomaly Stone is thousands of years old and has 744 symbols on it. It was created by an unknown race before their Transcendence, presumably the one that the Judge belongs to. Gabriel thinks the stone is likely responsible for the radio signal disruption on the moon, due to the Anomaly. This artifact is able to control the Temporal Anomaly and is present on each of the worlds the Anomaly exists on. By entering a specific code, the Anomaly can be targeted for a specific destination.
Hope explains that each mind has its own unique code, a biometric signature. By entering Hope's code, Octavia was able to pull her to Sanctum while Hope could send Octavia back through using a tag. As later revealed, Levitt used a device left behind by the native Bardoans to get the code and tattoo it on Octavia's back. The Bardoans had used this method to pull back people who got stuck in the Anomaly when they used it.
Gabriel suggests that the species that created the Anomaly Stones did so while looking for a new home too. Using the Stones and the Anomaly, they could search for a new planet without the need for years of space travel or cryosleep.
The Anomaly Stone has what Becca Franko calls "the final code" leading to Judgment Day, the end of humanity. This code brings the being that uses it to another plane of existence where they represent their species before the Judge to determine if their species will Transcend or be annihilated. The beings on Etherea achieved Transcendence in this manner, but the Bardoans and many other species failed the test and were wiped out.
According to Bill Cadogan, the Anomaly Stones are indestructible.
The Anomaly Stones can be deactivated which causes them to stop floating and sag to the floor. However, the Anomaly still remains active allowing travel to the world in question. The Anomaly Stone can be reactivated using another code. Entering a planetary code also appears to reactivate the Anomaly Stone as seen when Raven Reyes input the code to Sanctum into the deactivated Earth Stone and it shot back into the air on its own and resumed hovering.
While an Anomaly Stone is deactivated, the world in question is listed as being off-line on the Disciples' star map, meaning that the star map can't be used to find the code to travel to that world. Reactivating the Anomaly Stone in question appears to make the world accessible again via the star map as both Raven and Clarke had no trouble in opening the Anomaly to Earth after the Earth Stone was reactivated while before only Cadogan knew the code.
Known Planets[]
This is a list of known planets/moons in the Milky Way Galaxy that have the Stones.
The Symbols[]
In the series[]
Gabriel studied the Anomaly and its symbols for over 150 years. He stored all that information in the outpost located above the Anomaly Stone.
Known Symbols | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Behind the series[]
During the Title Sequence, the anomaly symbols appear transitioning from original latin letters:
History[]
The Anomaly Stones were created by an unknown extraterrestrial race that achieved Transcendence. Many races would, over time, discover the Stones and ultimately activate what Becca Franko called "the final code" leading to a test before the Judge that would determine if the species would Transcend or be annihilated. One such species was a race of giants known as the Bardoans. The Bardoans used the Stones to travel to different planets, but failed the Judge's test and were wiped out. The Anomaly Stones are currently abandoned on six different worlds in the Milky Way Galaxy, after the Bardoans went extinct.
The artifact was discovered by Mission Team Alpha. Gabriel Santiago has been studying the Anomaly Stone for 150 years.
Bill Cadogan, the leader of the Second Dawn, had first discovered the Anomaly Stone on Earth, in the South American country of Peru, where he found it in a secret observatory beneath the Temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu. Cadogan spent ten years before the Nuclear Apocalypse and two years after it trying to get the Stone to work without success. However, Becca Franko was able to figure out the code for Bardo using the Flame and Cadogan eventually led his cult members, who are now ancestors to the Disciples, through the Anomaly to there. At some point, the Earth Stone was buried underneath its position in Cadogan's lab. An Azgeda symbol on the spot suggests that Azgeda had something to do with it.
On Bardo, the Disciples found logs left behind by the native Bardoans describing their history and use of the Anomaly Stone. After centuries of work, the Disciples were able to translate the Bardoan language and discovered a log discussing activating the Stone and it becoming a bright star leading leading to judgment and transcendence, the same effect that Becca experienced when she discovered what Becca called "the final code" using the Flame. The Disciples translation suggested that there would be a last war fought when this code was entered, something that they based their whole mythology and effort around. However, the Bardoans did not record what this code was forcing the Disciples to search for it on their own. The Disciples assigned a code-breaking team to figure out the secrets of the Anomaly Stone. One known code that they found was a 10-digit code that allowed the Disciples to harness the power of the Anomaly. However, after that they were unable to find any more codes for decades.
Throughout the Series[]
In The Blood of Sanctum, the Anomaly Stone makes its first appearance, as Gabriel shows Bellamy, Octavia, and Echo the artifact. Octavia activates a code tattooed on her back, causing the Anomaly to expand and release Hope Diyoza who injects Octavia with a locator tag. As the Anomaly returns to normal, Octavia vanishes as Hope collapses.
In The Garden, Hope Diyoza leads Gabriel Santiago and Echo to a second Anomaly Stone hidden underground on Skyring. Though Hope has the code to open the Anomaly to Bardo from "a friend on the inside," she discovers that it has been washed away. Though Gabriel tries to replicate the symbols with a charcoal rubbing he fails. Hope subsequently explains that Octavia had entered Hope's unique biometric code into the Anomaly Stone which is what brought her to Sanctum.
Gabriel later discovers the Memory Drive of Doctor Colin Benson, a quantum physicist from Mission Team Beta who studied the Stone. Colin eventually figured out the code on his own, causing the Anomaly to expand to the shore, but Gabriel's computer is destroyed before they can record the code.
In Hesperides, Raven is able to use the HUD on a Disciple's armor to learn the codes for the Anomaly Stone to direct the Anomaly to one of six planets in the network. Raven chooses Nakara however while trying to get to Skyring. After the departure of Raven, Clarke Griffin, Jordan Green, Niylah and Nathan Miller, a previously-unseen Disciple enters a code into the Anomaly Stone to deactivate it. As the Disciple retreats through the closing Anomaly, pulling Gaia through with him, the Anomaly Stone falls to the ground, inert and deactivated.
After arriving on Nakara, Raven realizes that they are stranded as there is no sign of an Anomaly Stone to set a new destination.
In Welcome to Bardo, in a flashback after rescuing Octavia, Hope attempts to use the star map in the Disciples' armor to open the Anomaly to Sanctum but fails. Levitt instead types the code into the Stone for her and tattoos Octavia with Hope's biometric code so that she can use the Stone on Sanctum to pull Hope through at a later time. In another flashback, after Octavia offers information in exchange for Bellamy being allowed to return to Sanctum, Anders uses the Stone to reopen the Anomaly to Sanctum. However, a fallen Disciple sets off a grenade, apparently killing Bellamy.
In the present after listening to one of Anders' sermons, Gabriel realizes that Earth had an Anomaly Stone which is how the Disciples reached Bardo, not Eligius III.
In Nakara, after rescuing Diyoza, Echo, Hope, Gabriel and Octavia intend to return through the Anomaly to Sanctum but are warned off by Levitt due to the Stone room being too heavily guarded. Instead, he directs them to head for the surface.
On Nakara, Clarke's group uses the HUD on Raven's armor to track down the Anomaly Stone inside of what turns out to be an organic creature. Under attack by smaller creatures, Raven uses the symbol found on a Disciple corpse to locate the correct planet on the star map. After entering the code into the Anomaly Stone, the Anomaly appears nearby and the group enters it to rescue their friends on Bardo.
In The Queen's Gambit, Gabriel joins the team studying the Anomaly Stone and learns that it has been decades since a new code has been found for it. One of the team tells him that the last code that they had managed to find was a 10-digit code that allowed the Disciples to harness the power of the Anomaly. As they work on the Stone, Clarke's group arrives from Nakara.
In Anaconda, in a flashback, as the Nuclear Apocalypse rages overhead, Bill Cadogan works on deciphering Earth's Anomaly Stone which he discovered a decade before in a secret observatory hidden beneath the Temple of the Sun in Machu Pichu. However, Cadogan has no luck, continuing his work for the next two years.
After arriving on Earth, Becca Franko finds herself drawn to the Stone. Using the enhanced senses granted to her by the Flame, Becca is able to figure out the code for Bardo, opening the Anomaly. However, she argues for using her Nightblood instead of the Anomaly. Becca later studies the Stone, sketching the symbols in her notebook.
While talking with Callie Cadogan, Becca realizes that the 7 symbols she believed were damaged as they made no noise is actually a code. When Becca enters it, the Stone spins wildly before becoming a bright ball of light that Becca disappears into when she touches it. When Becca returns and the Stone returns to normal, she reveals that "the final code" led to Judgment Day, the end of humanity and insists on shutting it down. However, Cadogan refuses to listen and locks Becca up to get the code. When that fails and learning of the Flame, Cadogan burns Becca at the stake to get the Flame and thus the code for himself.
After Callie steals the Flame and escapes, Cadogan uses the Stone to lead his people through the Anomaly to Bardo to start over.
In A Little Sacrifice, Cadogan shows Gabriel, Niylah and Jordan Green the logs the that Bardoans had left behind regarding their use of the final code. Cadogan explains that they need the Flame to find this code as the Bardoans didn't record it. After Cadogan leaves to have lunch, Jordan goes through the logs and believes that the Disciples mistranslated the language. Instead of a last war, Jordan believes that the logs speak of a test, presumably one individual who enters the code into the Stone representing their species to determine that species' future. Gabriel decides not to share this information, knowing that if Jordan is right, Bill Cadogan is the wrong man to represent humanity in such a test.
In Etherea, after being trapped on the planet of Etherea, Bellamy Blake and Conductor Doucette spend at least two months climbing a steep mountain to reach the Anomaly at the top. After falling from a cliff face, Doucette tells Bellamy to let him go and that he has written down all of the Anomaly Stone codes Bellamy will need in a book and slipped it into Bellamy's bag. However, Bellamy chooses to save Doucette anyway. The two men eventually reach the Anomaly Stone which is not as far up the mountain as the Anomaly itself and Doucette enters the code for Bardo, causing the Anomaly to descend off of the mountain to somewhere far below. The two men jump through the Anomaly and emerge in the Stone room on Bardo.
In The Stranger, Cadogan walks around the Bardo Anomaly Stone in disappointment after learning of the Flame's destruction. Later, he uses it to send all of Clarke's friends aside from Raven, Bellamy and Gabriel to Earth.
On Sanctum, members of Wonkru led by Knight recover the Anomaly Stone and bring it to the Great Hall. Still deactivated, it has to be carried on a long pole by several men and weighs down the stand it is put in. Despite the Sanctum Anomaly Stone being deactivated, Cadgoan is able to open the Anomaly to the moon, though it appears in the same room as the Stone instead of in its previous location.
In Blood Giant, after taking control of the situation, Raven uses a Disciple helmet to find the code to reactivate the Anomaly Stone which begins hovering once again. Cadogan reveals that the planet where their friends are is off-line and only he knows the code and Raven discovers that there is in fact a planet she can't find the code for. At Clarke's demand, Cadogan enters the code and the Anomaly opens.
In A Sort of Homecoming, after arriving on Earth, Raven uses a Disciple's helmet to search for the Anomaly Stone in the bunker. Raven discovers that it is 100 meters straight down from the fighting pit, but Clarke smashes the helmet, intending to remain on humanity's regenerated homeworld. Murphy has Raven attempt to fix the helmet so that they can find the Stone without success. Later, Raven attempts to use Sheidheda's helmet to find it, but the helmet is damaged and can't pinpoint the Stone's location beyond it being somewhere in the rec room.
In The Dying of the Light, Raven, Murphy and Jackson desperately search the bunker's rec room for Earth's Anomaly Stone. They eventually discover an Azgeda symbol on the floor, suggesting that Azgeda had something to do with the Stone's burial. The three excavate the Stone and once its cleared enough, Raven uses the Disciple helmet to enter the code for Sanctum. The Stone shoots up out of the ground on its own and resumes hovering and the Anomaly opens nearby. The three rush through the Anomaly with Emori whose heart has stopped on a gurney as Jackson gives CPR.
On Bardo, Levitt enters the Stone room and tricks a Disciple Conductor into activating the nanotracking program and bringing Clarke and Octavia back to Bardo. However, the Disciples have moved the Anomaly from the Stone room to the oxygen plant in preparation for the Last War. Later, while going through the M-Cap records, Levitt discovers that Cadogan found the memory of Becca inputting the final code into the Anomaly Stone on Earth, meaning that Cadogan now has the code that he needs.
In The Last War, the Eligius Prisoners help open the way to Earth's Anomaly Stone, freeing the group trapped in the bunker.
At the same Cadogan enters the final code into the Bardo Stone, turning it into a bright ball. When Cadogan enters it, he arrives on a pier he once took his daughter to in the midst of a star field where he is greeted by the Judge in the form of Callie. The Judge begins the test, but Clarke kills Cadogan from behind. The Judge changes into the form of Lexa to continue the test with Clarke who fails. As a result, Clarke and Cadogan's body are ejected and the light turns bright red as the Judge prepares to wipe out the human race. Despite the dangers, Raven touches the light and enters to continue the test, ultimately succeeding in achieving the Transcendence of the human race.
Left behind, Clarke returns to the Bardo Stone, now returned to normal, with a Disciple helmet and uses it to travel to Sanctum and later to Earth.
Appearances[]
Season Six | |
---|---|
Episode | Appearance Status |
Sanctum | Absent |
Red Sun Rising | Absent |
The Children of Gabriel | Absent |
The Face Behind the Glass | Absent |
The Gospel of Josephine | Absent |
Memento Mori | Absent |
Nevermind | Absent |
The Old Man and the Anomaly | Absent |
What You Take With You | Absent |
Matryoshka | Absent |
Ashes to Ashes | Absent |
Adjustment Protocol | Absent |
The Blood of Sanctum | Appears |
Season Seven | |
---|---|
Episode | Appearance Status |
From the Ashes | Absent |
The Garden | Appears |
False Gods | Absent |
Hesperides | Appears |
Welcome to Bardo | Appears |
Nakara | Appears |
The Queen's Gambit | Appears |
Anaconda | Appears |
The Flock | Mentioned |
A Little Sacrifice | Appears |
Etherea | Appears |
The Stranger | Appears |
Blood Giant | Appears |
A Sort of Homecoming | Mentioned |
The Dying of the Light | Appears |
The Last War | Appears |
Notes and Trivia[]
- The Anomaly Stone has a mysterious symbol known as an Octonion taking the form of a simple letter O. Gabriel Santiago believes that it may be connected to Octavia Blake in some manner due to her time in the Anomaly and her having the Anomaly Stone combination on her back.
- One of Octavia's nicknames is "O". If the O symbol does indeed stand for Octavia, a B symbol could stand for either Bellamy or Bardo, as the people who kidnapped Bellamy were from Bardo, according to the HUD in their helmets, and they also had Anomaly markings similar to Hope and Octavia.
- Earth's Anomaly Stone is still located somewhere in the Second Dawn Bunker as confirmed in "A Sort of Homecoming." However, Wonkru never found it during their six years in the bunker.
- In "The Dying of the Light," its revealed that it was buried in the floor beneath the rec room which was once Cadogan's lab. An Azgeda symbol over its location suggests that Azgeda had something to do with its burial.
- In "The Last War," Raven calls the Anomaly Stone a pulsar when its light turns bright red after the Judge decides that humanity is to be annihilated.
- In "The Last War," the Judge implies that there are many countless stones in the Universe and many countless civilizations took the test and failed, resulting in their extinction.
- Jason Rothenberg mentions that many countless anomaly stones is in many countless life-sustaining habitable planets in the Universe, implying that some of the countless civilizations took the test and successfully achieves transcendence, leaving behind many habitable planets, including Etherea, because if the species fail the test and are wiped out by Gem9, it will wipe out life on many habitable planets, making it uninhabitable, due to the Gem9 remaining in the particulate matter on the planet's surface and in the air, which was mentioned by Anders and Levitt.[2][3]