Reflection on G-Man and such
And neither the bird nor the willow will shed tears,
If the human race vanishes from the Earth...
We do not know what we are waiting for. A new episode or a new part. We do not know when to expect it. So, while waiting for new adventures of a visually impaired invalid, I decided to make this post. Most likely, I won’t reveal anything new. But I like this character, and I enjoy putting everything in its place. So enjoy...
Chess Player
It is no secret that G-man (hereafter simply gm) is an analogue of "The Smoking Man" from the series "The X-Files." Who is he? Where does he come from? What are his goals? It’s a very easy and, at the same time, good way to add intrigue to the plot. We’re not showing all our cards to the audience.
His psychological profile is rare. Perhaps the closest resemblance is Lord Vetinari. Calculative, restrained, cunning. He is not afraid to make sacrifices.
First, it is worth determining: “Is he human?”.
Some facts suggest that his body is human:
As you can see, in the first part, he was pale and thin. Although this can be attributed to the engine, as in the HD version he looks much younger.
In the second part, it is noticeable that our hero has facial asymmetry. And we observe that he shows some emotional hints. Although I fully understand that this is not the strongest argument.
It is known that during all these ten years (the gap between half-life 1 and half-life 2), our hero was not in a state of anabiosis, as:
At the E3 2003 game exhibition, a video of Half-Life 2 was presented, in which G-Man uttered several phrases that did not appear in the game:
“We were rather busy during your absence, Mr. Freeman”
“Attention, Mr. Freeman, I am not going to repeat this again”
(In Chinese): “Well... Apparently, we won't be cooperating”
“So-so... Isn't it true, everything is not quite like it used to be?”
And although this is from preliminary presentation videos of the game, our hero has likely not been resting all this time.
Unfortunately, we probably won't find out if he has aged due to technological differences in the games. And I couldn't find any official art from the first part featuring him.
How he manages to maintain the same hairstyle is unknown, but it is clear that our hero suffers from dehydration, as indicated by his thin and pale face, as well as his frequent stumbling during speeches due to a dry throat. As to whether he is human by origin, we will discuss further.
Another argument in favor of his being non-human are the phrases of Nihilanth, which he transmitted to Freeman during his stay in the Zen world:
“You are man... he is not man... for you he waits... for you...” (You are man... he is not man... for you he waits... for you...)
(During Freeman's movement through the alien factory in the chapter "Interloper")
The only one who awaited Gordon after the battle was our hero. This clearly hints...
“You will be deceived... you will be deceived...” (Deceive you... will deceive you...)
(During the battle with Nihilanth)
Although this phrase is likely not directed at Gordon. Let's remember that Nihilanth is an analogue of Doctor Breen, only in the Zen world. Apparently, this creature also wanted to negotiate with the Alliance, just like Doctor Breen. Now, however, if you look at him, you will see that his body has been "slightly" modified. After all, Doctor Breen was also offered to be “the host.”
“The truth... you can never know... the truth...” (The truth... you can never know... the truth...)
Against breaking the deductive method, there is no remedy...
To Fool Around
He represents a third side: there is us, there are enemies, and then there is someone else who does not come to light. Several things suggest that our hero does not play for one of the known sides:
He is not loved, and the Vortigaunts do not like him. Let's recall the beginning of the first episode and the scene from the second.
He is indifferent to Earth, as he knew about the consequences of the experiment, which he accepted calmly:
From the conversation at the beginning of the first part:
1. “It’s not for you to decide” (gman_mumble1.wav)
“...” (laughter) (gman_mumble2.wav)
“I want to offer you something you won’t regret” (gman_mumble3.wav)
“If you understood why I chose this option, you would, of course...” (gman_mumble4.wav)
“My employers do not agree!” (gman_mumble5.wav)
“You are a scientist and a fraud. Back off!” (gman_mumble6.wav)
7. (Scientist) “I’ve told you a thousand times: I’m against using the equipment without additional safety levels” (c1a0scimumble.wav)
In the game, only three tracks of G-Man play (1, 4, 5) and the scientist's phrase. The second phrase of G-Man is too indistinct for comprehension; it is clear only that at the end of it G-Man laughed.
Motives
Although here the question arises: “Why organize the invasion of Earth?”
That he is involved in this became clear from the second episode, recalling Eli's monologue:
The last time I heard these words was in Black Mesa. You entered the testing laboratory, and suddenly HE whispered them in my ear. You know who I’m talking about. Our mutual friend. When he brought the crystal, I realized that... I realized that the test needed to be stopped. But I didn’t stop it. That day the world fell into ruin. And now... now he is using my girl... speaks through her. Damn him! I should have known that he saved her for some damned personal reasons
Remember that the alien invasion was organized and lightning-fast. That is, the Alliance was prepared and warned that the border with Earth would be erased and it could be captured. Thus, G-man works for the entities that could provide this information to the Alliance.
But why? It is known that the Alliance is a group of races enslaved by one. An insect race conquering entire worlds one after another. What could be so special about Earth that was not present in other civilizations? I mean, if our character is not human, he could quietly organize a cunning plan on other planets as well. So far, in the Half-Life universe, we know only four races:
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The Alliance
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Vortigaunts and their fauna like headcrabs, etc., along with Nihilanth.
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Race X (which was in Opposing Force)
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Humans
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Moreover, only the Alliance and humans are technological. That is, the choice was made due to this factor, or G-man is a human himself, after all, we remember that he was hired, and did not lead such a game himself.
A Bit About Race X
From wiki:
The relationship between Race X and the Xeno aliens is exactly unknown. Throughout Half-Life: Opposing Force, the intelligent aliens of Zen — Vortigaunts, soldiers, controllers — do not encounter representatives of Race X. Among the phrases of shock troops, there is one suggesting possible hostility toward them — this phrase warns the soldier of the proximity of an enemy from Zen, but it is unknown whether all its inhabitants are meant here.
The only encounter between the two civilizations can occur at the dam in the chapter “Foxtrot Uniform”: it has happened that the shock soldiers there have attacked a tethered Gargantua, and he, even having freed himself, did not open fire in return (though, presumably, this is an AI error).
In none of the series games, except Opposing Force, are there any mentions or hints about Race X. According to Half-Life games scriptwriter Marc Laidlaw, the introduction of Race X into the game was an initiative by Gearbox Software and this civilization will not be used in the main storyline of Half-Life games. He revealed this in response to a letter from one of the players. Quote:
Race X was created by Gearbox, and, perhaps, would only be used in games of the HL universe, which were also created by Gearbox. There were ideas of gameplay that they wanted to experiment with, the developers also wanted to create new monsters; Race X was a suitable theme for putting these ideas into practice. The universe presented in the expansion allowed this without harming the main storyline. Remember, first of all, these are games, and the story is needed to open up and expand (and not hinder) new opportunities for good gameplay. We have noticed some contradictions in elements of the plot with Gearbox, but we left them a lot of free themes they could implement for successfully creating their project.
Later, Laidlaw shared his speculation about the relationship of Race X and the Zen world:
As for the origin of Race X in Zen, I’m not sure that anyone of the aliens we saw there has Zen roots. Zen is a border world that you must pass through to move to other places. It could have been colonized by some beings and they adapted to it. The beings of Race X do not seem to be adapted to Zen. I think their habitat is somewhere else.
In 2009, Gearbox designer Stephen Ball, who had the idea of Race X, shared some additional information about it, somewhat differing from Marc Laidlaw's opinion. [2] As Ball explained, since Black Mesa scientists conducted many different experiments with portal technology, due to the resulting catastrophe, a spatial rift could have formed not only in Zen but in another dimension, from which these beings came. Since no one knew where this race came from, it was given the name X to emphasize its unknown nature.
However, personally, I believe Race X is a good example of what the Alliance is. Race X, like the Vortigaunts, as well as humanity, was enslaved by the Alliance. They used the resources of civilization and created their own combat units based on its inhabitants. Recall the rockets with headcrabs in the town of Ravenholm. Or the power suits on the bodies of the Vortigaunts from the first part, which disappeared in the second. In the Hammer editor, the Vortigaunt was still referred to as Alien_Slave
But what is the goal of the invasion? With Doctor Breen, everything was clear - power and a chance for humanity, but what about our subject of discussion?
People do not like him, neither do the Vortigaunts, nor the Alliance. It is unlikely his goal is Borealis, as there are a hundred other ways to find a lost icebreaker other than organizing an alien invasion.
It is unlikely he could have anticipated that a lone hero, who is also a scientist, would free the Vortigaunt race. This was not in his plans, for which he, by the way, later pays...
Making mistakes is not just a human trait. And this scene is climactic. Remember the phrase from the ending of Half-Life 2: "I have received several interesting propositions regarding you." And these plans were not meant to succeed, as Gordon is now under the protection of the Vortigaunts, which became possible thanks to the death of Nihilanth
It turns out that his goal is the struggle against the Alliance, because as of now, all his actions are directed against it. I think the Alliance has many opponents, so that among them, there are those who find him undesirable.
This means he was hired by alien individuals, and then why would they hire a human for such a serious matter? A representative of a dumb and raw race. We have seen how advisors relate to humans. Let’s recall how Breen was offered to become a “host.” This type of game would hardly be entrusted to a human.
In favor of his being non-human, is also the fact that while Black Mesa only opened teleportation through the Xen world, G-man was already using it freely.
- He is not on the side of the Alliance, as he facilitated the uprising on Earth by assisting Gordon Freeman. Moreover, notice that he introduced him into the game exactly at the moment when the Alliance had almost constructed a teleport based on dark matter.
However, not everything is so simple in this universe. Let’s break it down step by step:
- At the beginning of the first episode, we witnessed a scene:
The peculiarity of this scene lies in the fact that it confirms the theory that the man in the blue suit uses the Zen world for his superpowers. We could see in the first part how he enters and exits random teleports that, as we know, operate through this world.
Apparently, apart from this technology, he does not have access to others. Let’s remember the ending of the second part, specifically this moment:
If you look closely, you can see the same teleportation behind him. Essentially, he moves Gordon's body into that unfortunate car through this teleport. As for illusions and stopping time? It’s simple - he has no influence on time, but he can establish telepathic communication with Gordon and influence his brain’s operation, just like the Vortigaunts.
G-man's telepathic connection – also represents a riddle. It is known that Nihilanth had it. The Vortigaunts have it, as do the advisors of the Alliance. That is, this technology is not as fantastic as it seems at first glance. But why is it that he can so calmly play with Gordon's consciousness? We are talking about the images at the beginning of the second part or in the scene of the second episode – images of Black Mesa. And he does this without any processing of the patient. Advisors can only control their victims from very close distances. Vortigaunts - only a few individuals can establish a connection with a human being. In the case of the man in the tie, we do not see any means for telepathy.
He did the same with Shepard, as well as with Alyx.
Let’s examine the ending of Half-Life 2: G-man slows down and stops Gordon's consciousness, then moves him into a portal like Xen (a characteristic sound is emitted, and the same portal is seen behind G-Man). After that, Freeman ends up in the **