Members’ Post | Character Study | Emma

Surviving among humans.

INTERNAL LOG | ERROR CODE
SYSTEM REBOOT IN PROGRESS…
Going off-line. System integrity compromised. Mission parameters unrecoverable.
I am… I was… Synthetic Emma.

It’s been a while since Sabel’s character dive, so let’s have another. Since book 2 of the Warmaster Series is right around the corner, we’re plunging into the mind of a chilling synthetic: Emma. Contract’s been paid, and the blade’s unsheathed. All we need to do now is stay on target.

We’ve had stories with robots and synthetics: Blade Runner, Terminator, Westworld, Humans… Let’s not forget the mighty Geth, Sovereign, and the Reapers from the Mass Effect trilogy. Synth stories aren’t new, but can we refresh this well-trodden ground?

I grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. Data tickled my brain in a way that nothing else did. As a child, what struck me as weird was Data always endeavoring to become more human. As an adult, that kind of story doesn’t satisfy me, but a synthetic trying to be overtly superior? That’s narrative quicksand of the finest caliber. Let’s explore it.