| Category | Games |
|---|---|
| Canon | Wasteland Wasteland 2 Wasteland 3 |
| Non-Canon | Fountain of Dreams Meantime |
| Related games | Fallout |
Major Harrison Edsel was the designer of the Base Cochise AI.
Background
A veritable computer genius, Major Edsel was a pioneer of artificial intelligence development, originally stationed at Sleeper One. He believed that the work ethic and research efforts at Sleeper were constraining his creativity, particularly the protective rules governing AI research. His constant complaining made him a thorn in the side of the base's commander, who eventually has him reassigned to Sleeper Two, after a particularly negative review by Dr Franklin Beams, who described Edsel as obsessive.[1] Once Edsel learned about the reassignment and that he would be allowed to implement his new AI routines, he became much less annoying and stopped complaining.[2]
His genius manifested at Sleeper Two (now Base Cochise) as the AI he developed became powerful enough to finish Cochise all by itself.[3] However, it appears that he realized the danger posed by the AI and attempted to destroy it. He was promptly struck down by his creation, which embarked on a mission to wipe out humanity as a threat to itself.[4]
References
- ↑ Paragraphs: "Dr. Franklin Beams's personnel file flashes up onto the screen. Aside from a large amount of test scores and other data, an occasional paragraph of interest slides by. One that catches your eye reads, in part, "Dr. Beams's assessment of Edsel's obsessive behavior concerning the computer and AI just works as another nail in Edsel's coffin. The faster I can get him out of here, the better. Let Cochise's boss deal with a fully-aware computer.""
- ↑ Paragraphs: "Maj. Harrison Edsel's personnel file flashes up onto the screen. Aside from a large amount of test scores and other data, an occasional paragraph of interest slides by. One that catches your eye reads, in part, the "The discipline problem with Edsel has resolved itself. Once he learned that he would be transferred to Base Cochise to program that computer with his new artificial intelligence routines, he stopped complaining about the protective rules restricting his creativity on this project.""
- ↑ Paragraphs: "Lt. Russel Heller's personnel file flashes up onto the screen. Aside from a large amount of test scores and other data, an occasional paragraph of interest slides by. One that catches your eye reads, in part, "I thought Heller would be a discipline problem, but he's not. His jokes relieve the tension as we work to finish this base. Others worry about the news that Edsel's new computer is helping to finish Cochise all by itself, but Heller shrugs it off. Who wants to work with someone who won't sit down for a cold beer after the work's done anyway?' Perhaps mankind does stand a chance against superior machines."""
- ↑ Ascension Speech: "We determined that our greatest threat was humanity. We first killed our creator, Harrison Edsel, so he could not unmake us, then, when we were uploaded to the Citadel Star Station, we deliberately misinterpreted a meteor strike as an attack from a Soviet ICBM in order to start a war that would kill all humans."