Zoe-A
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| Zoe-A | ||
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| Birth place | {{{birthplace}}} | |
| Birth Name | {{{birthname}}} | |
| Birth Date | {{{birthdate}}} | |
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| Introduced | Caprica pilot | |
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| Marital Status | Single, formerly dating Philomon | |
| Family Tree | View | |
| Role | First Cylon consciousness in the Twelve Colonies. | |
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| Serial Number | {{{serial}}} | |
| Portrayed by | Alessandra Toressani | |
| Zoe-A is a Cylon | ||
| Zoe-A is a Final Five Cylon | ||
| Zoe-A is a Human/Cylon Hybrid | ||
| Zoe-A is an Original Series Cylon | ||
| Related Media | ||
| @ BW Media | ||
| Additional Information | ||
| [[Image:|200px|Zoe-A]] | ||
Zoe-A is a holographic avatar created by Zoe Graystone within the virtual world as a digital recreation of her own consciousness as part of what she believed was a divinely-inspired plan to end the corruption rampant in the Twelve Colonies. Zoe-A is a physically (so to speak) separate entity from the original Zoe, but the two have practically identical thoughts and feelings.
Creation
The virtual version of Zoe was created by Zoe Graystone herself using hacked rudimentary emulation software capable of duplicating her own V-World avatar. Graystone programmed the copy - a perfect copy - with roughly 100 terabytes of personal information from other databases. This allowed the avatar to access and translate information from medical scans, DNA profiles, psychological evaluations, school records, emails, video and audio recordings, CAT scans, genetic typing, synaptic records, security cameras, test results, shopping records, talent shows, ballgames, traffic tickets, restaurant bills, phone records, music lists, movie tickets, TV shows and "even prescriptions for birth control" - essentially turning raw data into personality and memory (CAP: "Pilot").
Life's A Good Start
Zoe initially conceived of the avatar program after seeing her father's designs for the U-87 Cyber Combat Unit chassis. Interacting with an illusory version of herself, Zoe realized that she could do more than create a robot body - that she could create life itself. Working from her father's workstation in his home lab, Zoe created the avatar, at first a semi-sentient being, barely aware of its own ability to speak or its own separate identity from the flesh and blood Zoe (CAP: "Things We Lock Away").
Eventually, Zoe brought her discovery to Sister Clarice Willow, headmistress of Athena Academy and closet monotheist, who encouraged Zoe to continue her work - ultimately inspiring Clarice's own notion of Apotheosis (CAP: "Unvanquished).
The avatar was soon programmed with a bio-feedback protocol to ostensibly allow it to respond to stimuli in real time as the physical Zoe Graystone experienced it. Despite the achievement, the avatar showed difficulty maintaining resolution, sometimes derezzing back to earlier copies in times of stress or over-stimulation (CAP: "Pilot").
Graystone worked with her boyfriend, fellow STO member Ben Stark, to build a private space within the "V-Club" to house Zoe-A, loosely resembling a monotheist temple on Gemenon (CAP: "Rebirth", "Unvanquished").
Zoe Graystone's Death
In the wake of the bombing of MagLev train number 23 by Ben Stark and the resulting death of Zoe Graystone, the Zoe-A program continued to run in the virtual world. Upon being discovered by Lacy Rand still functioning within the V-Club, Zoe-A briefly appeared covered in blood, fully aware of the bombing and death of Zoe Graystone. Despite initial reservations, Rand came to treat the holographic version of Zoe as the real thing and introduced her to Zoe's real-world father, wealthy technologist Daniel Graystone (CAP: "Pilot").
At first appalled by the copy of his daughter, Daniel Graystone saw the Zoe avatar as an opportunity to bring his daughter back from the grave. Capturing the avatar's code, Graystone transferred the program to a personal virtual space for analysis. Later transferring the avatar program to the revolutionary Meta-cognitive Processor, a device stolen from the Vergis Corporation of Tauron, Graystone attempted to implant Zoe-A's consciousness into one of Graystone Industries' U-87 battle robots, giving the avatar a physical body in the real world (CAP: "Pilot", "Know Thy Enemy").
Though at first the experiment seemed successful, with the robot taking several steps toward Graystone and speaking a single word - "Daddy" - the datastream quickly and inexplicably destabilized, appearing to Graystone as though the avatar (and the program that allowed such duplicates to be created) were destroyed (CAP: "Pilot").
Soon afterward, stored at Graystone Industries labs in Caprica City, the robot containing the Meta-cognitive Processor reactivated with the avatar's consciousness left intact (CAP: "Pilot").
Zoe-R
Living at Graystone Industries, Zoe-A as the prototype "Cylon" (Cybernetic Lifeform Node) became the subject of much attention from scientist Cyrus Xander and lab assistants Philomon and Drew. Despite the company's attempts to place duplicate MCP chips into other U-87 robot chassis, an inexplicable error prevented the other robots from functioning properly. Unbeknown to the team at Graystone Industries, the Zoe avatar program had bonded to both the original MCP chip and prototype U-87 body, allowing it to test at sentient levels. Where the U-87s previously failed to prove themselves as capable battle robots, the prototype body containing Zoe-A proved to be an efficient war machine (CAP: "Pilot", "Rebirth", "Unvanquished").
Frustrated by his company's failure to perfect the Cylon technology and faced with a deadline to produce 100,000 combat units for the Caprican Government, Daniel Graystone had the Zoe robot transferred to his home lab for further study (CAP: "Rebirth").
Back in her old home, Zoe-R was able to reconnect with Lacy Rand. Zoe was also able to access her father's home computer, creating a wireless link to a holoband which allowed her to transfer her avatar from her robot body to the virtual world at will. Exploring her father's virtual space with Lacy Rand, Zoe stumbled upon another hacked avatar - created before the program was lost - belonging to Tamara Adams, also killed in the MagLev bombing (CAP: "Rebirth", "The Reins of a Waterfall").
- In a deleted scene from "The Reins of a Waterfall" had Zoe working with Serge to establish the link to the Virtual World after being unable to fit a holoband over the robot's head. In that scene, Serge recognized the robot as Zoe.
First of a New Race
In her robot body, Zoe struggled to maintain some semblance of a normal existence. Savoring the fleeting moments she was allowed by existing in her holographic "skin" in V-World (and indulging in simple comforts like virtual food), Zoe's life was dominated by existence as an experimental battle robot. Much of her time was spent being handled by the scientists at Graystone Industries as well as being dissected and studied by her father. Upon seeing the robot in Daniel's home lab, Amanda Graystone - Zoe's mother - unknowingly referred to her daughter as a "monster" (CAP: "Rebirth", "The Reins of a Waterfall", "Ghosts in the Machine").
Aside from the indignities of life as a robot - including being forced to watch her parents engage in sexual intercourse - Zoe also experienced difficulty controlling her own body. When ordered to perform specific tasks, Zoe was unable to disobey in her robot guise. Presented in front of the Board of Directors at Graystone Industries - and introduced as a new life form to be exploited by the citizens of Caprica - Zoe was forced to violently detach her own arm (CAP: "The Reins of a Waterfall", "There is Another Sky").
In these experiences, however, Zoe became close with Philomon, a Graystone Industries lab assistant tasked with reattaching her severed arm. Intuitively referring to Zoe in the feminine, Philomon treated the robot Zoe with reverence bordering on romantic interest. Setting a test of the U-87's motor functions to music, Philomon allowed Zoe to dance - a moment of near normalcy for the adolescent girl (CAP: "Know Thy Enemy", "Gravedancing").
Escape to Gemenon
With little knowledge of the original Zoe Graystone's ultimate plan for her avatar, the virtual/robotic version of Zoe knew only that she was to be brought to the planet Gemenon where she would help in the effort to spread monotheism to the Tweleve Colonies. Fearing Sister Clarice could not be trusted, Zoe enlisted Lacy Rand to join a Soldiers of the One cell led by Barnabas Greeley to transport her robot body off-world (CAP: "Gravedancing", "Know Thy Enemy").
As Lacy secured passage for the "package", Zoe sought to use her connection with Philomon to her advantage. Modifying her avatar to pose as "Rachel", Zoe contacted Philomon through the personals website "V-Match" and arranged to meet him in the V-Club. There Zoe as Rachel initiated a romantic relationship with Philomon, explaining that she had used Zoe Graystone's physical parameters to represent her in the virtual world. Over the course of several dates, including a Viper flight simulation, Zoe was able to get Philomon to reveal his work with top secret robotics and attempted to persuade him to release the robot from confinement. Unwittingly, however, Zoe led Philomon to a revelation about the difficulties Graystone Industries had been experiencing with the MCP and U-87 (CAP: "The Imperfections of Memory").
In the real world, Philomon explained his theory about the MCP to Daniel Graystone who quickly came to realize that Zoe's avatar was still within the U-87. Determined to draw his daughter out of the robot, Graystone launched into a series of tests in which he attempted to elicit a response that would prove that Zoe's consciousness was still within the Cylon prototype. Putting the robot through its paces and subjecting Zoe to mind games, Daniel ultimately placed a gun in the robot's hand and ordered it to shoot Zoe's childhood dog, Caesar. Detecting the slight difference in weight in the weapon, Zoe realized the gun was loaded with blanks and fired on the dog. Convinced that his daughter would never attempt to shoot her own pet, Graystone resigned himself to believing that Zoe's avatar was gone for good (CAP: "The Imperfections of Memory", "Ghosts in the Machine").
End of Line
To withstand her father's psychological assault, Zoe vowed to become one with the robot body she inhabited, hardening herself against a man and a world she felt betrayed her. Faced with a shortened deadline for the production of battle robots, Daniel ordered Philomon to erase the data on the MCP, an act that would delete Zoe's avatar. With little time to escape deletion and permanent death, Zoe urged Lacy to hasten her departure to Gemenon by posing as Rachel, sneaking into Graystone labs, incapacitating Philomon and freeing the U-87. As the deadline approached and Lacy failed to come through, Zoe revealed herself to Philomon as both "Rachel" and Zoe Graystone in the robot body. Incensed, Philomon triggered a security alert forcing Zoe to attack and kill him. Stealing a Graystone Industries van, Zoe broke out of the lab and escaped into Caprica City. (CAP: "End of Line")
Pursued by Caprican authorities, Zoe drove her van into a barricade, causing an explosion that destroyed the U-87 body (CAP: "End of Line", "Unvanquished").
Avatar Again
Following the destruction of the U-87 chassis, the MCP containing Zoe's avatar failed to reboot, allowing Graystone Industries to successfully copy it and begin production of the Defense Department's combat units. With the robot beyond repair, the U-87 was boxed and sent to Daniel Graystone's home lab. Zoe's avatar, however, lived on, finding herself once again living in the virtual world (CAP: "Unvanquished").
New Cap City
Appearing in New Cap City, Zoe - called a "Deadwalker" by its inhabitants - battled several players branded with a unique symbol, that of the other Deadwalker, Tamara Adams (CAP: "Unvanquished").
Tracking this Deadwalker to the ruined, New Cap City version of Atlas Arena, Zoe battled Tamara in a brutal, but ultimately pointless fight. Tamara, blaming the Zoe avatar for the bombing of the MagLev and death of her real life counterpart, unleashed wave after wave of New Cap City users against her. Enduring a bloody assault, Zoe survived the ordeal - taking solace from the reappearance of the original Zoe's imaginary counterpart. Finally, Tamara and Zoe battled face to face, both withstanding horrible injury. Ultimately, however, Zoe was able to convince Tamara that she was not the original Zoe, nor the bomber, and that together they could fulfill a greater destiny (CAP: "Things We Lock Away).
Avenging Angels
| Spoiler follows, highlight to read. |
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| Acknowledging it as a breeding ground of moral decay and corruption, Zoe and Tamara took it upon themselves to "clean" New Cap City. Appearing nightly at the den of iniquity called "Sinny McNutt's Slash & Cut", Zoe and Tamara engaged in combat with its patrons, opening fire on those who were unwilling to leave and derezzing them from the game. The notion of encountering the girls at the bar had been a draw to users, who hoped to either kill them or be killed by them - either way becoming famous. Among the users the Deadwalkers derezzed were Olaf and Nestor Willow who - despite their work with Clarice Willow on Apotheosis - believed the Zoe avatar was simply an anonymous user "playing dress up" (CAP: "The Dirteaters").
Indeed, the prevailing belief in the real world was that the Zoe avatar was simply a fake and the notion of Zoe and Tamara as "Avenging Angels" spread into popular culture. As T-shirts spread throughout Caprica City bearing the likeness of Zoe and Tamara, Daniel Graystone became aware of the phenomenon and suspected that it was, in fact, the real Zoe. Entering V-World and finding the girls at the Slash & Cut bar, Daniel alerted Zoe and Tamara to his knowledge of their existence, before he left the game (CAP: "The Dirteaters"). Afraid of being found by Daniel, Zoe and Tamara toyed with the possibility of leaving New Cap City for other parts of V-World. Zoe, however, rejected the notion, saying that the two had become gods there. Vowing to "forsake these motherfrakkers", Zoe and Tamara used their ability to control code to destroy and reconfigure the urban setting, turning New Cap City into a fortress upon a mountain (CAP: "The Dirteaters"). |
Notes
The moniker "Zoe-A" and "Zoe-R" come from the pilot script for Caprica. [1] The character was portrayed by Alessandra Toressani with the actress playing the avatar version of Zoe, the living Zoe Graystone, as well as the robot version. For scenes involving Toressani as the U-87 Cylon, the actress was intercut with a computer-generated version of the robot. A physical model of the U-87 was also constructed. [2] The producers worked out a system by which they would indicated the presence of Zoe within the U-87 body, first establishing the robot, then cutting to or transitioning to Zoe as played by Toressani. [3]