Byron (7)
| Byron | |
|---|---|
| |
| Species: | New Human |
| Serial number: | 7 |
| Affiliations: | Expedition Team |
| Status: | Alive |
| Voice actor: | Peter Wingfield |
Byron (7) is one of the First Companions. A self-described optimist, and an enthusiastic adventurer, Byron believes that humanity is fundamentally good. He shares an odd friendship with Alcatraz, whose honesty he respects despite their disagreements. An avid proponent of exploration, Byron serves as the Expedition Leader on the mission to the Island. Byron was born at night and came out of the Dam under the stars. This sublime experience shaped his perception of the universe.
“I’m someone who believes that human beings are important, terribly, desperately important, because intelligent life is rare and precious. I suppose you could say I’m… old-fashioned.”
The Talos Principle II
Byron is present at the ceremony commemorating the birth of the one-thousandth citizen of New Jerusalem. Consequently, he witnesses the appearance of Prometheus. Byron and Alcatraz proceed to the conference room to discuss the source of the apparition. After 1k arrives, it is decided that they will embark on an expedition. Alongside 1k, Alcatraz, Melville, and Yaqut, Byron sets off to investigate the mysterious island.
Arriving at the Megastructure, Byron is in awe. Against expedition protocol and the wishes of his second-in-command, Alcatraz, Byron abandons the VTOL to explore the surrounding area.
When the Megastructure is opened, 1k explores until he discovers a terminal. Accessing it, the team learns that Athena had been there before them, and Byron becomes determined to find her. Entering the Megastructure a second time, he accesses a different terminal and learns that Athena and Cornelius had both been there. Before he can access their file, he becomes trapped in a data overload, and the Megastructure becomes unstable. His team is forced to evacuate and leave him behind.
Later, aided by Prometheus, 1k frees Byron from the data overload and they make for the exit, but Pandora blocks their path. She creates an energy blast that knocks both Byron and 1k unconscious. They are rescued by the expedition team and taken to Neith where they are repaired. Byron is the first to be fixed.
After he awakens, Byron becomes determined to make his vision a reality. In the upcoming election, he runs for mayor against the incumbent mayor, Hermanubis. After the election, he and 1k can return to the Megastructure to save Athena. On the way to the VTOL, Byron and Alcatraz have an argument about what to do with the technology Athena created. Upon arriving at the Base Camp, Byron is hopeful that their friendship will persevere in the long run after Alcatraz sees with his own eyes the future that Byron helps create.
In the canon events of the story, Byron is last seen gazing up at the Singularity.
Isle of the Blessed
Byron, now the mayor of New Jerusalem, greets Yaqut, Miranda, Athena, and Cornelius as they arrive on Barzai's island. When confronted, Byron admits to not having talked to Alcatraz since their argument. After much pressure from his friends, Byron invites Alcatraz to the group call and apologizes for his behavior. They are later seen standing together overlooking the Hexahedron.
Into the Abyss
Having reconciled with Alcatraz, Byron sits with him and recounts his experience inside the Megastructure. As Byron tells it, he awakens to discover that he is trapped inside Athena's tormented mind. He asks Elohim to explain what happened to Athena using his story-telling function. Athena's mind created twenty-four puzzles, but if Byron only chooses to solve eight, he returns to the real world. Alcatraz asks him why he made the decision to leave without answers, and Byron admits that in the moment, he valued his team more than answers. If Byron completes all twenty-four puzzles, he is confronted by his own digital psychosis, an entity called bYr0n. After going back and forth with the manifestation of his self-doubt, Byron breaks his loop by realizing that he has to live up to his own principles and take responsibility. Byron is awakened when 1k physically pulls him from the terminal. At the end of Byron's story, Alcatraz expresses shock at Byron having literally confronted himself. Byron admits that it was necessary because he was stuck in a loop just as much as Athena was. They laugh at their self-contradictions, and Byron expresses how good it is to have Alcatraz back.
Trivia
- Byron is named after the 19th century travel writer, Robert Byron.
- In North 1, Byron recalls an old saying about how the sea will claim everything. This is a reference to the video game The Sea Will Claim Everything.
- Byron was the first New human to have his body upgraded, an act he calls "deliberate evolution."