Tikal is one of the most interesting characters we'll meet in the Sonic games(well, all the characters are interesting), and one reason is because of her special abilities. I've been thinking about the game's story, and there are somethings about her I'm not sure...
First, Tikal in the Master Emerald shrine. You know she goes in front of the ME and talks to someone. But who? Is she talking to Chaos, or to the Emerald itself? In SonicX, at least in the US version, there's a part where she says "It's you!" There we can see she's talking to the Emerald, but I don't know if she did the same in the Jap version or in the game. In there(the game) it's not so clear, mainly because she meets Chaos, and he's always present(evidenced by the ripples in the water), but she's directed to the Emerald, which could suggest the ME is an entity on it's own.
Then, what really baffles my mind(and one of Tikal's most unusual powers) is the visions of the past. This can be confusing in two ways:
First, does she show visions of the past or does she warp the characters there? And directly linked to this is the way the characters change place when a vision is over. Yeah, we all know they couldn't stay in the Action Stage, but does that mean she puts them in some kind of trance and leads them to the place they have to go? Like the first vision Knuckles has of her. He's in Casinopolis when he sees the little light, but when the vision finishes he finds himself in Station Square. Did Tikal take him outside while he was having the vision? Or was he just warped to the past, and then brought back?
Feel free to post your theories on these topics. 
She was talking to the ME, and the time she spent inside the ME sealed with Chaos granted her the power she needed for the cutscenes. The specifics of it don't matter to me, but, I do have something:
In Super Sonic's story, when you get the final past cutscene, Sonic is KO the entire time. So it could be said that whenever you 'go to the past', the character has an interactive section of Tikal's memory, or something.
I'd say that's the most sensible explination, Ziggles. The cutscenes are inconsistant on wether they are flashbacks, visions or actual time travelling events.
Some of the scenes clearly depict the character not existing in the same time as Tikal and the Chao, by walking onto the Emerald shrine unprevented and not being able to interact with Tikal; others like the final one DEFINATELY show them interacting with Tikal.
Only explination is that they are in mental constructs of the scenario born of Tikal's power and memories.
Though danged if I know how this teleports them all over the place, and occasionally trances the character or knocks them out.
There's really no consistancy whatsoever.
The final cutscene dealing with the past ends with sonic 'waking up' in front of Tails. He didn't go anywhere. Also, Tikal spoke to at least Gamma and Tails other than Sonic.
I wouldn't think they'd be in a seperate plane than Tikal so to speak when the cutscenes takes place. Tikal is usually dealing with some important stuff and stopping to talk with some random traveler wouldn't really be on the agenda (although I know she does this at least twice other than Sonic).
(well, all the characters are interesting)
This greatly offends me!
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Some of the scenes clearly depict the character not existing in the same time as Tikal and the Chao, by walking onto the Emerald shrine unprevented and not being able to interact with Tikal
They can interact with Tikal, sometimes they just don't choose to, they keep their distance instead.
I'm more concerned with how she got a ROBOT to hallucinate or whatever. When Gamma scans the area he registers it as an actual place, though he is not familiar with it. He doesn't actually go anywhere though, besides back to the Egg Carrier. I don't know what this implies, other than that Tikal REALLY knows what she's doing.
The interesting thing is that when Tails go back to/has memories of Tikal's place, he manages to get the rhythm badge power up. Does this mean that he managed to take an object from one point in time and space to another?
Gameplay element. Ignore it
This is coming off as trying to make sense of every single detail in SA. =O
I never really made a big deal about those minor things. It wasn't a gaping plothole that contradicted or affected the game's overall storyline, so it really didn't bother me as much.
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I'm more concerned with how she got a ROBOT to hallucinate or whatever.
Well, there was a bird inside the robot. 😉
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Does this mean that he managed to take an object from one point in time and space to another?
time and space is all fiction, so far no one really knows what would happen if you travel in time.
movies, cartoons and games can all give any explanation they want no one can really argue something that doesnt exist.
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Well, there was a bird inside the robot.
yeah i thought so too, but why gamma? he's just a bird, what help did she expect from him.
and what's ME?
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yeah i thought so too, but why gamma? he's just a bird, what help did she expect from him.
Robots can do plenty of damage.
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and what's ME?
ME = Master Emerald
oh! i get it. so that ME in knuckles them song title also means master emerald?
thank you.
I always kind of thought that Tikal is a light orb because her physical body is in the past. And the flashbacks? Time warp. When she appears in full body form (i.e. Super Sonic's story and SA2), limited ability to exist physically in the present before having to go back to the whole "lihgtball" existence. That's how I interpreted that.
Well SA2 doesn't count. But Tikal bonded with the Chaos Emerald, I cannot explain away the final screen of SA1, I'd say that's before Chaos went evil rather than them both going back in time. Her power is all derived from the Master Emerald, and whatever the explination for it all is, it's very clear that her body no longer exists as she's not an imortal god like Chaos.
Easiest way to explain her one physical apppearance in the present is that it's symbolic of Sonic realising what the light is and we see her as Sonic imagines her.
I never said she's immortal, just that it's a possibility that the immense energies of the ME give her the ability to TEMPORARILY warp her body FORWARD in time, if the whole "SA1 Tikal Flashbacks= Time Travel" theory holds water. I mean, if she can warp OTHER people back and forth in time... You get the idea.
I always thought that when Tikal appears in full-body form it's just her appearing as a ghost, i.e. giving her spirit a form rather than just a red ball.
But perhaps her power was too limited to do this the entire time, or Chaos was keeping her from doing so, or something.
She doesn't need to warp her body forward in time, the light ball IS Tikal. I wouldn't even say the flashbacks are time travel but interactive visions.
Warping her body forward in time makes no sense and complicates matters.
Good point.
Isn't Tikal now practically immortal, since she's been knocking around in the Master Emerald for the last thousand years or so? Also, while Chaos is probably also quasi-immortal, he's not an actual god, is he? I mean, he was thought to be the "god of destruction" thousands of years ago by primitives after he went postal and destroyed the echidnas, but he's just a regular (albeit freakishly powerful) lifeform, complete with a body, brain, DNA and the other things a lifeform needs (or some of them, at any rate), isn't he?
If Craig's right on this one (amd I'm beginning to think he is), she's dead, and most people would agree that, if ghosts and souls exist, they'd be immortal, so yeah, I'd have to agree with you about Tikal on that one!
I wouldn't say "dead" just that she's fused with the Master Emerald. It's not totally clear as to how and why she does this, but it seems that for the Master Emerald to seal Chaos she herself was sealed with him.
Chaos is a god, thusly immortal, also it's body is comprised of water and has a connection to the Emerald energy, he isn't going to evapourate in the ME. Tikal isn't made of chaos energy and thusly even if her physical being fit inside a glowy rock (I'm going to hazard a "no" on that), her soul would and souls never die :3
In any case, her body is dead. I doubt it could last soulless for several millenia.
(hunkers down with oft-hugged Sonic plushie for expected Tails Doll comment)
Sonic Battle seems to make out that Chaos has a connection to Wind and Water spirits. Maybe Chaos is one of these?
Or maybe Chaos is just a really, really evolved Chao. O_o
Who knows?
I always just assumed he was something like a physical embodiment of Chaos energy.
It makes sense since he gains more power after absorbing the Chaos Emeralds. Plus, judging from the flashback where he decimated the echidna tribe, he seems to be able to manipulate the power of the Master Emerald.
