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| [[File:Zoe-A.jpg|thumb|A fully-sentient avatar of [[Zoe Graystone]] inhabiting the virtual world of the [[V-Club]].]] | | [[File:Zoe-A.jpg|thumb|A fully-sentient avatar of [[Zoe Graystone]] inhabiting the virtual world of the [[V-Club]].]] |
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| A '''holographic avatar''' is a digital representation of a person in the [[virtual world]] of the [[holoband]]. | | A '''holographic avatar''' is a digital representation of a person in the virtual world of the [[holoband]]. Avatars are created by scanning devices upon purchasing a holoband headset, although avatars can be altered so that they don't represent the user's physical appearance. Such is the case with [[Emmanuelle]], an avatar used by [[Evelyn]]. |
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| == Types of Avatars ==
| | While a majority of avatars are controlled by a user in the real world, [[Zoe Graystone]], who inherited her father [[Daniel Graystone]]'s brilliant computer skills, found a way to create a fully sentient online holographic avatar of herself, [[Zoe-A]], with all of her memories and experiences - essentially a twin who existed only in cyberspace and could interact with Zoe's separate representation there. After her death in a suicide bombing caused by her boyfriend, [[Ben Stark]], Zoe-A is uploaded by Daniel Graystone into a robot body, the first [[Cylon (RDM)|Cylon]], known as [[Zoe-R]]. Zoe's program is also used to create [[Tamara-A]], an avatar of [[Tamara Adama]], who died in the same bombing, due to Daniel Graystone's collaboration with Tamara's father [[Joseph Adama]] {{CAP|Pilot (Caprica)}}. |
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| === Playable Avatars ===
| | When a person leaves the virtual world their avatar will "[[List of terms (RDM)#Other Colloquialisms|derez]]," removing that person's presence in the virtual world. Avatars can also derez due to a number of other factors such as timing out from inactivity, or due to extreme pain from various causes, such as being shot. The only known exceptions to this are Tamara-A and Zoe-A, who will heal over time when shot, but do appear to "bleed" and experience pain when shot. Additionally, any wounds that they acquire appear to display the images from the [[datastream]] in place of flesh, further emphasizing their virtual nature. This was shown when Tamara examined herself in the apartment in [[New Cap City]] {{CAP|There is Another Sky|Things We Lock Away}}. |
| Avatars are created by [[Holoband avatar scanner|scanning devices]] upon purchasing a holoband headset, although avatars can be altered so that they don't represent the user's physical appearance. Such is the case with [[Emmanuelle]], an avatar used by [[Evelyn]] {{CAP|End of Line}}, as well as [[Tad Thorean]] who steals [[Chiron]]'s avatar code with a [[V-world stealing device]] for the purposes of pilfering Chiron's [[New Cap City]] in-world currency {{CAP|There is Another Sky}}.
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| === Non-Playable Avatars ===
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| Non-playable avatars, those of pure code but otherwise automated, can also take on the appearance of real-life persons. Users who buy a holoband are greeted by a virtual [[Daniel Graystone]] in a tutorial program, thus allowing users to get acclimated {{CAP|Pilot (Caprica)}}. [[Odin Sinclair]] virtually fornicates with a non-playable avatar [[Lacy Rand]] {{CAP|The Heavens Will Rise}}.
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| === Sentient Avatars ===
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| While a majority of avatars are controlled by a user in the real world, [[Zoe Graystone]], who inherited her father [[Daniel Graystone]]'s brilliant computer skills, found a way to create a fully sentient online holographic avatar of herself, [[Zoe-A]], with all of her memories and experiences―essentially a twin who existed only in cyberspace and could interact with Zoe's separate representation there {{CAP|Pilot (Caprica)|Rebirth|Things We Lock Away}}. After her death in a suicide bombing caused by her boyfriend, [[Ben Stark]], Zoe-A is uploaded by Daniel Graystone into a robot body, the first [[Cylon (RDM)|Cylon]], known as [[Zoe-R]]. [[Resurrection program|Zoe's program]] is also used by Daniel Graystone to create [[Tamara-A]], an avatar of [[Tamara Adama]], who died in the same bombing, due to Daniel Graystone's collaboration with Tamara's father [[Joseph Adama]] {{CAP|Pilot (Caprica)}}.
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| [[Clarice Willow]], in concert with her two husbands [[Nestor Willow|Nestor]] and [[Olaf Willow|Olaf]], are inspired by this, prompting Clarice to advance her plan of [[Apotheosis]] via Zoe's program {{CAP|Unvanquished|Blowback|Apotheosis (episode)}}. This digital afterlife fails as Zoe-A destroys the construct during the events of the [[Battle of Atlas Arena]] {{CAP|Apotheosis (episode)}}.
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| == Derezzing and V-Death ==
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| [[File:CAP - There is Another Sky - Tamara's Avatar Wound.jpg|thumb|[[Tamara-A]]'s unique wound after being shot by [[Chiron]] {{CAP|There is Another Sky}}.]]
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| When a person leaves the virtual world their avatar will "[[List of terms (RDM)#Other Colloquialisms|derez]]," removing that person's presence in the virtual world. Avatars can also derez due to a number of other factors such as timing out from inactivity, or due to extreme pain from various causes, such as being shot or knifed. Two types of derezzing exist: one voluntary, and one counting as a "kill." For those playing [[New Cap City]], the death of their avatar in V-world permanently bans them from the game, effectively making them dead in a digital sense. | |
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| The only known exceptions to this are Tamara-A and Zoe-A, who will heal over time when shot, but do appear to "bleed" and experience pain when shot. Additionally, any wounds that they acquire appear to display the images from the [[datastream]] in place of flesh, further emphasizing their virtual nature. Tamara discovers this after being shot by [[Chiron]] while examining herself in a [[New Cap City]] apartment {{CAP|There is Another Sky|Things We Lock Away}}. | |
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| == Notes ==
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| * The core concept behind the sentient avatars was that a perfect replica of a person could be created by aggregating their entire "digital footprint"—every piece of data left behind in a modern society, from medical records and synaptic scans to shopping habits and parking tickets.<ref>[[Podcast:Caprica pilot|Podcast for ''Caprica'' pilot]], timestamp 00:43:39</ref>
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| * In the podcast commentary for "Blowback," Tom Lieber discusses the failure of the [[Amanda-A]] avatar. He notes that the key difference between [[Zoe Graystone]]'s success and [[Daniel Graystone]]'s failure in creating a sentient [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] is that Zoe's avatar was a perfect copy, whereas Daniel's was flawed. He states that Daniel "can't even get close" to replicating a true consciousness, highlighting the difficulty and nuance of creating genuine artificial intelligence.<ref>[[Podcast:Blowback|Podcast for "Blowback"]], timestamp 28:08</ref>
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| == References ==
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| {{reflist}}
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| [[Category: A to Z]] | | [[Category: A to Z]] |
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| [[de:Avatar]] | | [[de:Avatar]] |
| [[fr:Avatar holographique]] | | [[fr:Avatar holographique]] |
| {{indicator|Caprica}}
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