Philomon
the Graystone lab technician
Philomon was a lab technician at Graystone Industries who worked on the U-87 battle robot program. While trying to discover why the prototype could not be copied, he was unknowingly aided by Zoe-A, the consciousness controlling the robot, and was killed when it rebelled.
Philomon was a lab technician employed by Graystone Industries who worked in the U-87 program, an effort to mass-produce battle robots on behalf of the Caprican military. He spent weeks trying to work out why the program's only intelligent prototype could not be copied, unaware that the machine was under the control of Zoe-A. (Caprica, "Rebirth"; Caprica, "End of Line")
Work on the U-87 program#
Philomon was chief lab technician at Graystone Industries, where he worked on the U-87 program. The aim of the program was to mass-produce battle robots for the Caprican military. He looked after the prototype U-87 and treated it with a respect his colleague Drew Tanner didn't share, often talking to it as if it were a woman. The prototype could only show signs of intelligence with one particular MCP chip installed. With the company's contract in jeopardy if the result could not be copied, Philomon worked with Daniel Graystone to find out why. (Caprica, "Rebirth"; Caprica, "Gravedancing")
The cause lay in the MCP chip itself, which held the Zoe-A avatar. Nobody at the company knew she was there, and Philomon spent weeks on the problem without being able to replicate the chip. (Caprica, "Gravedancing"; Caprica, "The Imperfections of Memory")
Guidance from Zoe-A#
Zoe had grown fond of Philomon while trapped in the robot, and she contacted him through the virtual dating service V-Match under the name "Rachel". They went on several dates in the virtual world. Rather than reveal that she was in the robot, she used the dates to push him towards ideas, and her persona inspired a theory for copying the MCP. Philomon took the theory to Daniel Graystone, who dismissed it and ordered him to delete the MCP instead, not knowing that doing so would delete Zoe as well. (Caprica, "Know Thy Enemy"; Caprica, "The Imperfections of Memory"; Caprica, "Ghosts in the Machine")
Death#
Facing deletion, Zoe sent her friend Lacy Rand to meet Philomon in the real world as "Rachel" and steal the U-87. The plan went wrong, and Zoe revealed herself to Philomon as both Rachel and the robot. He agreed to help her escape, then set off a security alarm. The U-87 threw him into a concrete pillar, killing him, and Zoe made her escape. (Caprica, "End of Line")
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Philomon in Caprica?
- Philomon was the chief lab technician at Graystone Industries. He worked on the U-87 program, an effort to mass-produce battle robots for the Caprican military.
- What problem was Philomon trying to solve?
- The prototype U-87 only showed signs of intelligence with one particular MCP chip installed, and the chip could not be copied. With the military contract riding on it, Philomon spent weeks trying to work out how to replicate it.
- Why could the U-87 chip not be copied?
- The chip held the avatar of Zoe Graystone, which nobody at Graystone Industries knew. Philomon came up with a theory for copying it, but Daniel Graystone dismissed it and ordered the chip deleted.
- How did Philomon die?
- Zoe revealed herself to him inside the U-87 and he agreed to help her escape, then set off a security alarm. She threw him into a concrete pillar, killing him, and fled.
Sources
- EpisodeCaprica, "Rebirth", Season 1, Episode 2 (2010)
- EpisodeCaprica, "Gravedancing", Season 1, Episode 4 (2010)
- EpisodeCaprica, "Know Thy Enemy", Season 1, Episode 6 (2010)
- EpisodeCaprica, "The Imperfections of Memory", Season 1, Episode 7 (2010)
- EpisodeCaprica, "Ghosts in the Machine", Season 1, Episode 8 (2010)
- EpisodeCaprica, "End of Line", Season 1, Episode 9 (2010)
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