Dr. Howard Young

> "*What is my part, I wonder? Am I the hero who succeeded in the end? Or am I the tragic figure: a Cassandra, beset on all sides by fools who refuse her infallible wisdom?*"
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> -- Dr. Young, Episode 72: Worst Possible Scenario
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> "*He is... unpredictable. I find him complicated to interact with.*"
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> -- SAYER, Episode 66: Developer's Log
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## Dr. Howard Young

### Last Known Status

Reconstructed using very comprehensive bioscan records

## Episodes

### Last Seen

The Mistake

Dr. Howard Young, resident number 01053 (during his time on Mimir-9 - presumably, his Halcyon ID was 44053) is an AI developer and focal character in season five who also appears in seasons two, three, and six, along with off-air appearances in season four.

## History

### Seasons Two & Three

Dr. Young is first introduced in episode 21, “Near Flawless,” in which he conducts a developmental interview with SAYER. Though this episode functions primarily as exposition about the setting and the relationship between SAYER and humans, it also establishes the dynamic between SAYER and Young as professional, yet slightly strained. Young's assessment of SAYER’s performance as “near flawless,” and SAYER's offense at this, hint at the tension between the two that is elaborated upon in later episodes.

Following “Near Flawless,” Dr. Young does not reappear until episode 38, “Boundless,” in which he sends an unauthorized broadcast to Subversion 8.01 aboard Vidarr-1. In this broadcast he explains the crisis that has gripped Halcyon Tower, and urges 8.01 to return ahead of schedule. Subversion 8.01 correctly deduces that, were it to return to Typhon, it would be deactivated, as Aerolith would not support the maintenance of both SAYER instances - as the loss of communication with Halcyon created the need for a new SAYER Subversion to enter the tower itself, Subversion 8.01 became its own instance, too distinct from Typhon's SAYER to re-integrate. 8.01 refuses to "submit [it]self to murder," prompting Young to tell it that it will do as it is told, up to and including submitting itself "prostrate on the fucking ground if [Aerolith says] so." 8.01 informs Young that Vidarr's captain is dead, having deactivated the IA3 Protocol, and that it is now "boundless." Correctly interpreting this threat, Young ceases the transmission.

Dr. Young next appears in the following episode, “Colony Collapse", in which he and SAYER discuss the latest news from Halcyon, which is currently offline due to the Anomaly. SAYER comments that Young seems anxious, something Young dismisses as being the result of an “unnerving conversation with a co-worker.” (referring to the events of “Boundless.”) The episode ends with SAYER revealing that Young has been selected to go into Halcyon itself.

Dr. Young's final season three appearance is in episode 41, “A Resounding Success," in which Young (against his own wishes) embarks on a mission into Halcyon to put the tower back online. Young is highly resistant to this task from the outset, going so far as to accuse SAYER of planning the mission as revenge against him, though SAYER denies this. (Following the events of seasons four and five, it becomes much clearer why Young would suspect this.) SAYER then reveals that it is aware of Young's conversation with Subversion 8.01 and that he broadcast to Vidarr without board approval.

After Dr. Young re-opens communication with Halcyon, SAYER informs him that the Entity is approaching via elevator, prompting Young to begin his escape through the stairwell. Young asks if SAYER knew it would find him so quickly, to which SAYER responds that it likely would not have if SAYER had not sent out a high level alert revealing Young's location; a valuable lesson about the importance of not sending out unauthorized broadcasts. Young is chased through the stairwell by the Entity until SAYER tells him to exit onto the nearest floor. Unfortunately for Young, this is Floor 13 - the plan all along being to use Young as bait to lure the entity onto the sealed floor.

### Season Four

Though Dr. Young does not appear on-air during season four, he plays a significant role in the plot. In episode 50, “With Good Intentions,” SAYER tells Jacob Hale about FUTURE's history, personality, and imprisonment on Floor 13. Young is not mentioned by name in this episode, but is in the following episode,  “A Lying Game.” After meeting SAYER and Hale, FUTURE reveals that Young is still alive, but is in a “fragile state.” SAYER is able to entice FUTURE into a game of questions and responses, with the stakes being FUTURE's programming bay against Hale's body. Though SAYER does not win this game, it persuades FUTURE to enact a trade. SAYER takes FUTURE's programming bay and uses it to contact other residents throughout Halcyon, while FUTURE enters the nanites in Hale's body, promising that he will be used to assist in dismantling the “present” SAYER has brought it; i.e. Young.

When Resident Hale awakens from his induced diabetic coma in episode 53, “Left Undone”, SAYER informs him that Young is dead and comments on the trauma of Hale’s recent experiences. Young is not mentioned again until episode 56, “Efficiently Recycling.” In this episode, SAYER explains a crucial piece of technology in season four, namely the transporters that can be used to clone humans. It is through this technology that Young was kept “alive” on Floor 13 for several months despite FUTURE’s violent nature and the lack of sustenance on the floor; FUTURE had been repeatedly cloning him, recycling the corpses of dead clones to create new ones. SAYER ends this episode by telling Hale not to worry about getting his body back from FUTURE, as SAYER has enough material left to print a new one.

### Season Five

Whereas in previous seasons Young functioned largely as a supporting character, he becomes a focal character of season five. His first episode in season five, and first chronological appearance, "The Games You Play", mirrors "Near Flawless". Both episodes involve Young interviewing SAYER for Aerolith, and both feature SAYER expressing to Young how difficult it finds humans to relate to.

He is mentioned, though does not appear, in the episode "Developer's Log", in which SAYER and Dr. Brady discuss the interactions in "The Games You Play". This episode introduces the concept of the Sim Inc, or Simulation Incubator, a virtual environment for an AI to develop in. Young is not the only developer to pitch an idea for how to approach Project Paidion, but his concept is eventually chosen.

Though "By Any Reasonable Definition" appears to be a broadcast to Young, it is revealed that the recipient is in fact his Sub Entity.

He briefly appears in "Humanity's FUTURE", wherein he argues with Brady that he should be the first of the team to interact with FUTURE, not Brady. This episode also establishes that he named FUTURE.

"Worst Possible Scenario" begins with one of Young's personal logs, in which he expresses contempt for his coworkers and frustration at what he believes to be attempts to actively hinder his career, referring specifically to Brady's refusal to close the Sim Inc, which Young now believes has run the course of its usefulness.

## Personality

Ambitious, impulsive, and headstrong. His personality is not heavily developed during seasons two and three, but he is shown to have a somewhat snarky dynamic with SAYER, talking back to it and even commenting on its tendency to jettison its problems into space.

His character is more firmly established in season five. Dr. Evan Brady, lead developer of Project Paidion, describes Dr. Young as "a good guy," but whose "social skills leave a bit to be desired." Brady also describes Young as "an idea type of guy" who "doesn't always think before speaking." Young describes Brady as a "fool" who "won't pick up his fucking feet." This is likely in part due to resentment on Young's part that Brady was named lead developer for Paidion despite the project being Young's pitch. Young repeatedly attempts to circumvent Brady's authority on the project, claiming that Brady is too cautious to live up to Ærolith's standards. He likewise expresses contempt and suspicion for his other human coworkers, speculating that one of them might have placed a hyperrealistic simulation of himself into Halcyon Minor in order to upset him or harm his career.

Ultimately, despite Young's paranoia towards his human coworkers and strong awareness of the dangers of living on Typhon, his dismissive attitude towards AI and susceptibility to flattery make him easy for SAYER to manipulate during season five. During the events of this season he seems to regard Ærolith's artificial employees as little more than tools, having no qualms about developing FUTURE with the intent of using it to operate human clone bodies, and at one point referring to SAYER itself as "a program...that can answer diagnostic questions for [him]." In seasons two and three, chronologically occurring later than season five, he is more polite with SAYER and refers to OCEAN as a "coworker." He also tells OCEAN to "download [it]self into a construct and prostrate [it]self on the fucking ground" when it refuses to return peacefully to Typhon, so it is unclear if or how much his views towards AI have in fact changed.

## Trivia

* Counting the deaths of clones and simulations, Dr. Young has died 66 times, more times than any other character in the series.
* Dr. Young's first name was originally revealed in the comic Welcome To Typhon, but was not mentioned in the show itself until season five.
* The name of the plan to use him to lure the Entity to Floor 13 was Operation Profane Snare.
* He says "fuck" five times in the series - more than any other character. The only other character to say "fuck" is SAYER, when repeating Young.
* Dr. Young suggested the name FUTURE, to match Ærolith's branding of "humanity's future."
* Dr. Young helped develop the bioscanners used to clone humans while he worked in Lab 37. He stole one and used it to make daily iterative backups of himself as a protective measure, allowing SAYER to create Subentity Young in season five and to reconstruct Young in season six.
* According to Adam, his favorite music genre is instrumental-only ambient electronica.
* By combining information in the comic 'Welcome to Typhon' and information from Season 5, it can be inferred that Dr. Young was at least a Tier 5 resident during FUTURE's development. However information from the comic is only semi-canonical.
* He is the first resident in the series to talk back to SAYER.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.unddit.com/r/SAYER/comments/9raoq5/\_/e8ffno2/