I think the T.V. screen represented the possible choices he could make.
Example:
Spoiler:
The Architect - Precisely. As you are undoubtedly gathering, the anomaly's systemic, creating fluctuations in even the most simplistic equations.The responses of the other Ones appear on the monitors: "You can't control me! **** you! I'm going to kill you! You can't make me do anything!*
Then Neo awnsers.
Neo - Choice. The problem is choice.
But, in this part they all answer the same.
The Architect - You are here because Zion is about to be destroyed. Its every living inhabitant terminated, its entire existence eradicated.
The responses are Bulls**t!
Neo - Bull****.
The Architect - Denial is the most predictable of all human responses. But, rest assured, this will be the sixth time we have destroyed it, and we have become exceedingly efficient at it.
I think that should explain it, but I would like to know what you guys think.
saraph could possibly be a former 'one' but i really doubt it. like dexx said, i believe he is a program and that's it. as for the french guy, he can't be a former 'one' because he says: "I have survived your predecessors and I will survive you." or some such. does that mean he survived himself? of course not. AND if he were a former 'one' then why would have have renegade programs at his disposal? Wouldn't they be from the same time period (if hypothetically) when he was the one making him and them enemies?
too many contradictions. there's no way the french guy could be the one
i dont think the ones went to the real world.if they did the people of zion would know that there has been more than one "one".it was apparent that the people of zion did not know Neo is the 6th one so the previous one could not have been in the real world.important information like that would get passes on from generation to generation.i think the one was killed after picking the people to restart zion.maybe even reinserted into the matrix and forgetting what happened like cypher wanted in the first movie.
well, the 5th "one" Morpheus does refer to. he says that there was a man who could manipulate the matrix, and he was the man to free the first of us ( hackers). As for not knowing about ALL of the previous "ones" Neo says it himself, either no one knows or no one told him....chances are, the previous ones didn't know about their predacessors. Neo does though. This plus the fact that he wanted trinity to live may be why he chose the door not leading to the source
Of course the Ones go to the real world! He chooses seven men and 16 women to re-build Zion and therefore HE is the eighth man for two women each. He frees those people, tells them of the Matrix, keeps the lie of the Prophecy going out of his desire to save humanity, and the cycle keeps on going, each new Zion thinking it is the first, being created by a One they think is the first, and waiting for the One to return.
Morpheus thought it was about two hundred years after 1999. The actual length of time since that Zion was set up cannot be more than about 150 years then because otherwise they would think it was after roughly 2199 (else people would be able to trace family lines dating back to before the 21st century which would make no sense to them because Zion did not exist then).
So let's say about 150 years, so if the Councillor is about 70 then when he was a child he could have known someone about 70 or older who knew that One. Stretching it a bit, though.
morpheus said that the man who could manipulate the matrix died but before he prophesied his return
as for the architect
maybe the architect was lying to neo trying to get him to do what would be considered morally right (save humanity by reuniting with the source) in order to save his and the rest of the machines own sorry behinds