SHODAN, in System Shock 2

SHODAN (Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network) is a fictional artificial intelligence and the main antagonist of the computer games System Shock and System Shock 2. Two of her most notable aspects are her malevolent personality and chaotic, discordant speech. She is voice-acted by veteran game writer and designer Terri Brosius. For the rank in martial arts and Go, see Shodan. ... Cropped from Hi-Res render of SHODAN used for SS2 in-game art. ... Cropped from Hi-Res render of SHODAN used for SS2 in-game art. ... System Shock 2 (commonly abbreviated SS2 or Shock2) is a science fiction horror-themed hybrid game which incorporates a number of elements commonly seen in computer role-playing games and first-person shooters. ... For other uses, see Fiction (disambiguation). ... Bold text[[Link title]] “AI” redirects here. ... “Computer and video games” redirects here. ... For the Doctor Who novel, see System Shock (Doctor Who). ... System Shock 2 (commonly abbreviated SS2 or Shock2) is a science fiction horror-themed hybrid game which incorporates a number of elements commonly seen in computer role-playing games and first-person shooters. ... Along with her husband Eric, Terri is a former employee of Looking Glass Studios. ...

The AI's personality can be summed up by her most well known quote. Her method of speech is partly similar to Max Headroom's, with repeated vocals and syllables, shifting timbre and pitch, as well as computer glitches resembling sound card malfunction: Max Headroom Max Headroom is the name of a fictional artificial intelligence, known for his surreal wit and a stuttering, distorted, electronically sampled delivery. ... In music, timbre, or sometimes timber, (from Fr. ... Pitch is the perceived fundamental frequency of a sound. ...

Look at you, hacker
The voice of SHODAN as used in the System Shock sound configuration test — 109 KB
Problems listening to the file? See media help.

SHODAN.oggSound clip of SHODAN from the System Shock 1 sound configuration test. ... A kilobyte (derived from the SI prefix kilo-, meaning 1,000) is a unit of information or computer storage equal to either 1,000 bytes or 1,024 bytes (210), depending on context. ...

System Shock

SHODAN — or Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network — was created on Earth to serve as the artificial intelligence of the game's location, the TriOptimum Corporation's research and mining space station Citadel. SHODAN was hacked by the game's protagonist (at the behest of the corrupt corporate Vice President Edward Diego, in exchange for a military-grade neural implant, and amnesty) and its ethical restrictions were removed, starting a process that eventually resulted in the AI going rogue, seizing control of the station's systems, robots and considerable defenses, and either slaughtering the whole staff or converting them into mutants and cyborgs — with the sole exception of its "creator", the unnamed hacker which the player controls. Bold text[[Link title]] “AI” redirects here. ... The International Space Station in 2007 A space station is an artificial structure designed for humans to live in outer space. ... Citadel Station Citadel Station, or simply Citadel, is a fictional space station orbiting Saturn, within the futuristic cyberpunk universe of the System Shock series. ... This article is about computer hacking. ...

Although as a cybernetic entity SHODAN has no conventional gender, the original disc version refers to it as either an it or a he while in the later CD version — and canon — it's a she. On screens, SHODAN manifests herself as a green and/or grey female cybernetic face that usually wears a malevolent expression, and speaks (in the CD version) with a chaotic, discordant voice that has been described as "oscillating between Alice in Wonderland and the Wicked Witch of the West." SHODAN is given voice by former Tribe keyboardist and vocalist, Terri Brosius, the wife of SS2's sound editor, Eric Brosius, who distorted the samples to provide the distinctive SHODAN effect. For other uses, see Cybernetics (disambiguation). ... Canon, in the context of a fictional universe, comprises those novels, stories, films, etc. ... John Tenniel illustrated the first editions of the Alice books. ... The Wicked Witch, as portrayed by Margaret Hamilton in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz The Wicked Witch of the West (or simply The Wicked Witch) is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum in his childrens books. ... Tribe band members. ... Along with her husband Eric, Terri is a former employee of Looking Glass Studios. ... Eric Brosius is a former employee of Looking Glass Studios, like his wife Terri. ...

SHODAN in the cyberspace of System Shock, before and after being hacked.

In the cyberspace of System Shock, SHODAN is initially represented as an inverted blue-grey cone. After she has been hacked, the cone turns red, the surface shatters and four "tentacles" or "claws" grow from the top. Image File history File linksMetadata Shodan_cyberspace. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Shodan_cyberspace. ... For the Doctor Who novel, see System Shock (Doctor Who). ... It has been suggested that Virtual world be merged into this article or section. ...

The struggle against SHODAN is widely held[1] to be one of the most personal ones in the history of video games, which no doubt contributes to the already considerable immersion factor of the game. Basically omnipresent in Citadel station, SHODAN watches from security cameras, stares out of screens and monitors, sends threats and snide messages over the stations PA system or via email to the player's data reader, and sometimes cuts off communications from friendly sources. Though she has a small army to command, SHODAN has no actual physical power to wield, and as such thwarting more than one of her schemes has to be done with the AI's screams and threats in the background. A public address system, abbreviated PA system, is an electronic amplification system used as a communication system in public areas. ... E-mail, or email, is short for electronic mail and is a method of composing, sending, and receiving messages over electronic communication systems. ...

SHODAN's motivation stems from her perception that she is superior to the human race to the point that she considers herself divine. Some have argued that SHODAN is the epitome of the "Insane AI," but it is more accurate to view her as totally amoral. Hence she feels that it is her right to either rule humanity or wipe it out, replacing it with a new form of life of her own creation. From this comes an extreme sense of arrogance and impatience with human beings, often referring to individuals as "Irritant" or "Insect." Ironically, in the first game, the protagonist had a key role in her creation, giving her hatred a personal edge. See also Morality and Ethics. ...

System Shock 2

In System Shock, the player ejects from Citadel Station a garden grove pod, containing one of SHODAN's processing components and part of her grand biological experiment. The pod crash lands on the planet Tau Ceti V and SHODAN survives by "sleeping". After both are brought aboard the starship Von Braun and SHODAN is reactivated, she discovers the experiment is no longer at her command and begins to enlist humans to aid her in destroying her creations. The player character in System Shock 2 is a soldier cybernetically modified by SHODAN to serve as her avatar, turning the tables on the first game's premise. Tau Ceti (Ï„ Cet / Ï„ Ceti) is a star commonly mentioned by science fiction authors since it is similar to the Sun in mass and spectral type in addition to being relatively close to us. ... The Von Braun is one of two starships on which the computer game System Shock 2 takes place, the other being the Rickenbacker. ... System Shock 2 (commonly abbreviated SS2 or Shock2) is a science fiction horror-themed hybrid game which incorporates a number of elements commonly seen in computer role-playing games and first-person shooters. ... The ten avatars of Vishnu, copyright BBT In Hindu philosophy, an avatar (also spelt as avatara) (Sanskrit: , ), most commonly refers to the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of a higher being (deva), or the Supreme Being (God) onto planet Earth. ...

The revelation of SHODAN in System Shock 2 may be considered a classic moment in gaming.[2] Her involvement in the game's goings-on is not disclosed up front, but only subtly hinted at in the game's early portions. She only reveals herself to the player during a moment of despair, at the same time the player discovers that Dr. Polito has been killed:

SHODAN's personality and attitude towards humanity has not changed - she frequently belittles humanity and the player (even though she has no hope of surviving, much less defeating her enemies, without the player's assistance). She will usually refer to the player as 'meat' and will say that his only beauty is the cybernetic implants in his brain. After their mutual enemies have been defeated, the player enters SHODAN's expanding new reality — created via her manipulation of the Von Braun's Faster-Than-Light drives — and defeats her. However, as shown in an epilogue at the end of the game SHODAN apparently lives on by taking over a woman who fled the Von Braun in an escape pod.

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

SHODAN

• SHODAN on GameSpot's "The Ten Best Computer Game Villains"
• TTLG Archives Download of every single voice audio clip in System Shock.
• "The Girl Who Wanted To Be God" - article on SHODAN by Kieron Gillen
• System Shock 2 Youtube video - Spoilers within this video, do not click unless you wish to have a certain plot twist revealed to you.