Warren Kepler

Colonel Warren James Kepler is the Director of Intelligence for the Special Projects division, and head of the SI-5 at Goddard Futuristics.
== Biography ==
=== Pre-Goddard ===
 
Not much is known about Kepler's past. He confides to Eiffel that his work had taken a heavy toll on his life, however, he gives no specifics. Tidbits about his past can be picked up through his long-winded stories, though whether anything Kepler revealed was genuine is debatable.
=== Goddard Futuristics ===
Kepler's skills and drive to excel brought him up the ranks of Goddard Futuristics. His official biography states that he has "worked for practically every department." By 2009 he was a captain and Deputy Director of Intelligence. An incident in which Kepler went against his superior's orders and catastrophically compromised a mission brings him before Mr. Cutter. Cutter, however, is impressed with Kepler's vision and willingness to take chances in the pursuit of constant improvement. He chooses to hold Kepler's superior, Major Littlewood, responsible for the mission failure, and Kepler is promoted to his place as major and Director of Intelligence.
=== Previous Hephaestus missions ===
Kepler and the SI-5 were involved in the clean-up after the failure of Lovelace's mission on the Hephaestus. He debriefed Dr. Selberg, and was the one who told him Captain Lovelace's escape shuttle had fallen into Wolf 359.
=== Current Hephaestus mission ===
Kepler handpicks Daniel Jacobi and Dr. Alana Maxwell to join him on the mission to the Hephaestus. On their way to the Hephaestus, they spot Doug Eiffel's destroyed shuttle freely flying through deep space and intercept it, rescuing Eiffel. They reunite Eiffel with the crew of the Hephaestus, restock their supplies, and proceed to repair the heavily damaged station. Kepler takes over as commanding officer and demotes Minkowski to navigations officer. When Eiffel tells him that he's working for a "murderous fruitloop" in Cutter, he says he knows and is fine with it.
Kepler sits in on an appointment between Hilbert and Eiffel. When Hilbert ignores questions from Eiffel, Kepler slams his hand in a drawer, demotes him, and cancels the Decima Project. He also gives Eiffel the choice to end all experiments on him, which Eiffel gladly accepts.
After a brief hint of the potential for alien contact, Kepler extends the 12-hour shift he and Jacobi were working with Eiffel to a 26-hour shift. He tells a joke about a three-legged pig to Eiffel when the latter expresses his dissatisfaction at being on the Hephaestus, and Kepler admits in turn that his job has ‘demanded every inch of his life’. He tells Eiffel that he copes with this lifestyle by approaching it with humor and trying to see things from different perspectives.
When Maxwell is injured, Hera reports to Kepler on Minkowski when she attempts to use liquid nitrogen to kill Maxwell under the guise of rescuing her. He puts Minkowski in solitary confinement for insubordination, but expresses respect for her initiative.
Kepler convinces the crew to complete a dangerous maneuver to bring the station close to Wolf 359’s red line to pick up signals from the star.
On mission day 1023, Kepler’s belongings are ejected from the station, along with his quarters. He interrogates the crew members involved (Minkowski, Jacobi, and Eiffel). Each crew member gives him their version of events, and all three are ultimately punished for dishonesty, with Eiffel specifically sent out on a spacewalk to retrieve the empty Balvenie bottle that was vented.
When Hera becomes unresponsive, Kepler discusses their options with Maxwell, ultimately deferring to her expertise. He, along with Jacobi and the rest of the Hephaestus crew, assist Maxwell to bring Hera back online.
Kepler and Lovelace safely return Minkowski to the station interior after her leg gets stuck in an engine and her equipment is damaged. He then gives her only 10 minutes to recover before sending her back out to finish the work of installing psi-wave regulators.
=== The contact event ===
Shortly before the predicted contact event, the Hephaestus crew initiates a mutiny against Kepler. Kepler, Jacobi, and Maxwell lead them to believe that their plan is working, but Jacobi and Maxwell manage to capture Lovelace and Eiffel. In response to the mutiny, Kepler kills Lovelace. After two more casualties and Minkowski threatening to drop the station into the star, Kepler surrenders to her and orders Jacobi to do the same.
While held prisoner by the Hephaestus crew Kepler uses knowledge of Eiffel’s daughter to taunt him into punching him. Kepler uses this opportunity to disarm Eiffel and take him prisoner instead. He tries to convince Minkowski to release Jacobi, but Lovelace, now fully revived, appears behind him and incapacitates him. When the contact event begins, Lovelace is possessed by the Dear Listeners and removes Kepler’s hand on their behalf when he tries to retake authority.
=== After the mutiny ===
Jacobi expresses anger and frustration that Kepler had kept information from him and Maxwell, and Kepler tells him that he did so under orders.
Kepler reveals the Tiamat Tapes to the Hephaestus crew and reiterates that alien clones should not be allowed to return to Earth. In "Out of the Loop", Lovelace refers to him for help in breaking out of the time loop.
Jacobi and Kepler describe several theories of human and alien communication to the Hephaestus crew. He later plays Questions Only with the remaining crew of the Hephaestus, and ultimately loses to Hera when Lovelace punches him in the arm.
Jacobi orchestrates a counter-coup against the Hephaestus crew and tries to coerce Minkowski to kill Kepler. Kepler, shocked by this development, begins to reevaluate his relationship with Jacobi.
=== Cutter administration ===
When Cutter arrives at Wolf 359 on the Sol, Kepler advises the Hephaestus crew to surrender willingly so they might survive the encounter. When Cutter takes command of the Hephaestus, Kepler attempts to give his report, but is delayed repeatedly and not allowed to do so. He is given a prosthetic hand by Dr. Pryce, as well as the complete briefing on Pryce and Cutter’s plans for humanity.
When he catches Eiffel, who has been freed from his brainwashing and is attempting to free the others, Kepler lets him go without apprehending him or informing Cutter, and warns him that he will be expected somewhere else.
Kepler is ejected with Eiffel, Pryce, and Minkowski when Eiffel starts a fire in a module of the Sol. The group is then rescued from falling into the star by Jacobi and Lovelace, who use a grappling hook launcher to catch and pull them back to the station. Kepler and Lovelace are used as proxies by Minkowski and Cutter (respectively) to negotiate the hostage exchange.
=== Death ===
While disposing of the body of a Listener, Young notices that power has been rerouted from Cutter’s pulse beacon relay (a signal meant to transmit orders to release Decima into the general population) to Hera’s processors. Kepler admits that he did not agree with Cutter’s plans to eventually replace humanity and that he rerouted the power. He shoots Young twice, but before she dies, Young throws Kepler into the airlock and vents him into space.
Before Young opens the outer airlock door, Kepler takes a sip of scotch and seems at peace, knowing he was able to help Jacobi and the rest of Minkowski's crew.
== Personality ==
Kepler is officially described as "equal parts artful lawyer, encyclopedic bureaucrat, and ruthless mercenary." He shows an acute awareness of the different levels of power at play in any scenario, and a willingness to use them to achieve his objectives. He is usually polite, and while he views the Hephaestus crew as disposable and makes no secret of it, he also ensures that they’re able to do the work that he assigns them, and doesn’t force them to do work that is beyond their capabilities. Although he's willing to use violence and coercion, he prefers to negotiate and come to mutually beneficial arrangements.
Gabriel Urbina has stated that Kepler is "fascinated by what makes things rise to extraordinary levels,"Urbina, Gabriel. @GabrielUrbinaTM. "But they both also comment on their respective characters. They give some insight into their priorities, their fascinations, their instincts. Kepler is fascinated by what makes things rise up to extraordinary levels. LaValle is obsessed with seeing the things that others miss." Twitter, 11 Feb 2021. (Screenshot). and this is demonstrated both in his pursuit of his "bigger picture" as well as his dynamics with other characters. He calls himself "the artist formerly known as Warren Kepler," defining himself as an extension of his work. Because of this, he is adaptable in his interactions with others, taking on the persona of whomever it is that can best enable them to do their jobs. Sarah Shachat has said that despite his ruthless ambition and many ulterior motives, Kepler will "bring you up" with him.Shachat, Sarah. @sarahshachat. "Kepler, as scary as he is, as many agenda as he has, he's the guy who'll bring you up." Twitter, 10 Jul 2016, 5:17 PM. https://twitter.com/sarahshachat/status/752265615767900160 (Archived). Sarah Shachat has said that "Overture" is an episode meant to demonstrate that were it not for Cutter's orders, Kepler's leadership could have resulted in the crews becoming a cohesive team.Shachat, Sarah. @sarahshachat. "Well we wanted to explore the possibility of what it’d look like for all of these characters to work together and their strengths to compliment each other. In the world where Kepler doesn’t have Cutter’s secret orders, it could be the beginning of them becoming a cohesive crew..." Twitter, 24 Jul 2019, 11:40 PM. https://twitter.com/sarahshachat/status/1154250011661807616 (Archived).
Although he claims to be "the artist formerly known as," Kepler displays a fondness for road trip and improv games, such as 20 Questions, I Spy, and Questions Only. Noah Masur and Zach Libresco have described him as stern but "playful.""Mission Mishaps: No Complaints with Noah Masur and Zack Libresco" (Patreon reward) His official bio also states that he enjoys a finely aged glass of whiskey, a game of poker, and the thrill of the hunt.
When interacting with other characters, Kepler usually defaults to referring to them by their titles and honorifics. When first meeting someone new, he always offers them food or a drink. Kepler shows a high level of attention and consideration for others, and despite being unwilling to emotionally connect, he is easily able to put himself in their shoes, an ability he primarily uses to predict and manipulate the Hephaestus crew. 
Despite his dubious morality, Kepler demonstrates a steadfast adherence to his own principles, which are not necessarily aligned with those of Mr. Cutter, Goddard Futuristics, or society at large. He is quick to change track when receiving new information, and turns on Cutter when he realizes that Cutter and Pryce’s plans for humanity are in conflict with his own "bigger picture."
== Relationships ==
=== Daniel Jacobi ===
Kepler personally recruited Daniel Jacobi to the SI-5 for his ballistics expertise in 2011. In the years that follow, Jacobi becomes one of the top members of the SI-5, and serves as Kepler's second-in-command on the Hephaestus Mission. Kepler has great trust in Jacobi, who he sees as having earned that trust, and Jacobi was doggedly loyal to Kepler in turn.
However, after Maxwell's death, Jacobi's faith is shaken. Jacobi blames Kepler for her death, as Kepler had not informed them of the full scope of their mission. This break in their relationship eventually leads to Jacobi attempting to force Minkowski to kill Kepler.
Despite their strained relationship, they continue to try and connect with one another, with little success - first because Jacobi rejects Kepler’s advances, and secondly because Kepler must keep his cover in front of Rachel Young and allow Cutter to believe that he is on board with their plans.
Kepler ultimately places himself firmly on Jacobi and Minkowski’s side, regardless of whether or not they know him to be.
=== Alana Maxwell ===
Kepler poached Dr. Alana Maxwell from the Nash Institute for her skill in Artificial Intelligence development, particularly her ability to communicate with "things that aren't humans." In her introduction, Maxwell describes Kepler as "not that scary," indicating her trust and lack of fear. Kepler defers to Maxwell's expertise, but is quick to rein her in when he feels her personal ideology is distracting her from the needs of the mission, as seen in Limbo.
Michelle Agresti has stated that Kepler gave Maxwell a level of autonomy and freedom that she did not have at her previous places of employment.Wolf 359. "Wolf 359 AMA #3" 1:17:22-55. YouTube, 4 Jan 2017, https://youtu.be/qz95mRZ7VMg?t=4642. In turn, Kepler trusts her to the extent that she and Jacobi have override codes to a Hephaestus dummy program, while he does not.
=== Marcus Cutter ===
Kepler has been working directly under Marcus Cutter’s supervision for the majority of his career at Goddard Futuristics. He displays an enormous amount of respect for Cutter’s vision and authority, but concludes that they disagree on what the "bigger picture" should be, ultimately betraying Cutter and aiding the Hephaestus crew.
=== Miranda Pryce ===
Kepler shows deference to Dr. Pryce and follows her orders without question (though with occasional hesitation). He assists her on the module in "Crash and Burn", displaying a degree of comfort and familiarity with her needs. However, while Pryce insists on referring to Hera as "it" and "214," Kepler staunchly refuses to refer to Hera with anything but she/her pronouns and "Hera."
=== Rachel Young ===
Kepler and Young dislike each other immensely. Kepler dismisses her in "Kansas", but becomes her subordinate after she’s promoted to head of Special Projects. Young taunts Kepler for his failure on the Hephaestus mission and for losing a hand. When Kepler sabotages the pulse beacon relay, he tries to talk Young into defecting away from Cutter, but shoots her when she reaffirms her decision to follow his plans. She kills him by knocking him into the airlock and venting him into space.
=== Renée Minkowski ===
Although initially dismissive of Minkowski, Kepler grows to acknowledge her leadership and initiative as she repeatedly proves herself in conflicts against him. Despite punishing her for insubordination in "Fire and Brimstone", Kepler tells her that he respects that she took measures to protect her crew. When he betrays Cutter, Kepler cites both Minkowski and Jacobi as examples of people with whom he is aligned.
=== Doug Eiffel ===
Although he initially seems to like Eiffel, as he appreciates sarcasm and wise-cracks, it is likely a persona that he put on in order to gain Eiffel’s trust and manipulate him into properly doing his job. By the events of All Things Considered, Kepler considers Eiffel incompetent. He allows Eiffel to escape detection after he’s freed from Pryce’s mind control, but is frustrated with him again as of the events of Crash and Burn. He does not seem to hold Eiffel in high regard, but acknowledges him as someone who is willing to crash a ship into the station.
=== Hera ===
Despite Hera’s mistrust of Kepler and the SI-5, she takes his input more seriously than the other members of the Hephaestus crew do. Upon arrival, Kepler thanks her for telling him her preferred name and pronouns, and doesn’t deviate from them even when pressed by his superiors to do so. In "Fire and Brimstone", when she sees that Minkowski intends to harm Maxwell with liquid nitrogen, she reports her to Kepler in order to stop her. 
When speaking with her about station repairs, Kepler refers to Hera as "young lady," and acknowledges the difficulty she’s experienced. He ensures that her systems are repaired, and expresses his reluctance to replace her with a dummy program in "Limbo". In "Constructive Criticism", he and Hera play an extended round of Questions Only to the frustration of everyone else. They have a contentious and antagonistic dynamic, but when Cutter arrives at the station, Hera is the first to defer to Kepler’s expertise in dealing with Goddard management. While sabotaging the pulse beacon relay, Kepler sends the extra power to Hera.
=== Alexander Hilbert ===
Hilbert regards Kepler as the most dangerous man after Cutter, and the sentiment is not returned. Kepler has a strong disdain and dislike for Hilbert, which Jacobi says is due to having expectations of Hilbert that Hilbert failed to meet. Kepler is much harsher with Hilbert than other characters due to their shared history and disappointment.
=== Isabel Lovelace ===
Out of everyone on the Hephaestus crew, Kepler seems to like and respect Lovelace the most, regarding her as an actual threat. He says that she’s "just swell" when asked for his opinion of her, and seems to relish the idea that she’s ready and willing to kill him and his subordinates. Kepler is the only person on board who was aware that Lovelace was an alien, but he was willing to negotiate with her and assign her the position of master-at-arms as she requested. Lovelace dislikes him immensely, but several times refers to Kepler for more information, which he willingly gives. 
== Trivia ==
* His surname is most likely a reference to Johannes Kepler, a noted 17th-century astronomer. It is speculated but disproven that he poisoned his mentor, Tycho Brahe.
*His official playlist, described by Gabriel Urbina as "a companion to [the backstory episodes]... covering music they love, pieces that inform their character and psychology, and tracks that have influenced the way we write them," contains themes of poverty and abandonment. Wolf 359 Extras
* Gabriel Urbina has assigned Kepler a snow leopard as his daemon.Urbina, Gabriel. @GabrielUrbinaTM. "@Wolf359Radio Once said Kepler's would be a snow leopard, Jacobi's a ram, & Maxwell's a raven, but I'm curious what u think. Hit me with ur brilliance!" Twitter, 24 August 2017. (Screenshot)
* Gabriel Urbina has said in a now-deleted Tumblr post that the song that is most representative of him from his playlist is Queen’s "Don’t Stop Me Now".Urbina, Gabriel. @personalinsanitymoment. "Wolf 359 Character Playlists: MVP Tracks". Reblogged by Zach Valenti: https://iamzachvalenti.tumblr.com/post/150063573071/wolf-359-character-playlists-mvp-tracks. (Archived)
* He is good at wrapping presentsUrbina, Gabriel. @GabrielUrbinaTM. Tweet on crew members' present wrapping ability. ., and his drink of choice (apart from scotch) is coffee.Urbina, Gabriel. @GabrielUrbinaTM. Tweet on crew members' preferred drinks. .
* Sarah Shachat said he would probably drive a BMW or Land Rover Discovery, but would "have quite the track day collection."Shachat, Sarah. @sarahshachat Tweet on cars Kepler would own (Archived).
* Gabriel Urbina has said that an early version of Kepler would have been "Malcolm Tucker from The Thick of It, but he has to stay PG-13."
* Urbina said he imagines that Kepler is the most traditionally attractive of the cast.Patreon AMA (November 2016)
* In "All Things Considered", Kepler’s arms are described a having the tensile strength of cast iron.
* Sarah Shachat has said on Twitter that Kepler has taught two university courses: the role of spycraft in international relations, and the impact of second-wave feminism on music and culture.Shachat, Sarah. @sarahshachat. Tweet on courses at "SI-5 University" (Archived).
* Sarah Shachat has said that if she could choose anyone to take her out for lunch, she would choose Kepler, because it would be so good it would redefine her concept of "lunch."Shachat, Sarah. @sarahshachat. Tweet answering "25 Days of Wolfmas" prompt: "Which character would you want to have lunch with?" (Archived).
*The mini episode "Long Story Short" provided many contextless pieces of trivia about Kepler, including:
** He had proved that escape from Alcatraz is feasible
** He formerly worked in the sale of antique salt and pepper shakers
** He almost made the Olympic badminton team
** He was part of a funk band, which he "had to walk away from".
** He had been grandfathered into the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers.
** He came to be in possession of an Oscar, which he returned.
** He did not trust professional bowlers.
** He had distilled moonshine with a straight-six engine.
** He had been deified by some group.
** He may have been accused of insider trading by the Swiss.
** He had no memory of the year 1987.
*It is revealed in "Need to Know" that Kepler once spent $8,000 on a ski trip.
==Image gallery==
KeplerCharacterPage.jpg|Kepler's character sheet from the Wolf 359 website.
== External links ==
*Character biography from wolf359.fm
*Kepler - Kansas, character playlist by wolf359radio
== References ==
Category:Characters
Category:SI-5
Category:Hephaestus Crew