Why does Keen really do what he does?

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Bernie
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Why does Keen really do what he does?

Post by Bernie »

Let us now delve into the inner workings of the mind of Billy Blaze.

Why does he make a spaceship and fly off into space? Is it pain in his life on earth he is trying to escape? Is that it?

Why the helmet? We never see his brother, only hear that its his 'brother's' helmet. Could his brother be... dead? Perhaps his brother died and he is trying to live up to him, someone he always looked up to, which is why his idea of being a hero includes wearing his brother's helmet.

And why the lazer gun? Does it represent his stoicism amidst marxist rage?

lets dissect this subject.
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VikingBoyBilly
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Post by VikingBoyBilly »

for candy.
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Bernie
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Post by Bernie »

haha. ok... but why the candy then?
Does he go for the junk food to deal with emotions he cannot control? Like comfort food? And why is that? Is his father abusive? Is that also why he wants to fly away from his home? whywhywhy?
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Post by Nospike »

He's got a really bad case of the munchies.
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VikingBoyBilly
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Post by VikingBoyBilly »

We're not told why keen built a ship and went to mars in the first place, other than to just explore it. He's a genius, but he's still a kid, so he'll take any opportunity to see some cool stuff and not be bored sitting at home with Molly the babysitter.
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Post by Kate »

Bernie wrote:haha. ok... but why the candy then?
Does he go for the junk food to deal with emotions he cannot control? Like comfort food? And why is that? Is his father abusive? Is that also why he wants to fly away from his home? whywhywhy?

Probably it source of energy for his genius brain :confused
Have you ever heard the joke about the ever-hungry students?
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Post by Plasma Captain »

Billy Blaze is a genius. He's probably smarter than almost everyone else on Earth. He loves to learn (he even sits down and reads books when he's milling about in dangerous environments) and this, combined with his unfathomable intelligence, drives him to invent the tools he needs to go places no other human has gone before and to learn anything and everything he can about the universe. There is probably also an aspect of childlike wonder as well, which makes him want to explore; given his ability to explore pretty much anywhere he wants outside of the planet, it's only natural that he, as an 8-year-old kid, would take that opportunity.

Once he's out in space, though, he learns that there are a lot of unchecked bad guys, so of course he decides to fulfill what is honestly a very common children's fantasy: he decides to become a hero. We can debate all day whether he's truly motivated by the desire to help others or simply some juvenile impulse, but at the core of it, he's a kid, and kids have silly fantasies. It's just that he actually has the means to fulfill them.

As for the football helmet, because Billy doesn't have money of his own, he borrows everything he uses from his family home, even the parts for his spaceship. He needs something to protect his head - his most important asset - and so, finding nothing else, he uses his brother's football helmet. I doubt it has anything to do with how he feels toward his brother. It's possible that his brother doesn't even play football and was just gifted the helmet (I believe Tom Hall or someone on the team had a real-life story like this), so the boy might not even use it to play.

I realize, of course, that your intent is to spark some kind of deep and dark reinterpretation of the games' canon, but my intent is to spoil that with logic. :p
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Post by Bernie »

Grrr logic! My greatest enemy. I'm going to re-counter your logic with insane paranoia, as I usually do.

No my friends - it goes so much deeper. I think he witnessed his brother's murder. Thats right. Saw him shot and lay bleeding by government thugs.

And as for making his ship... hes running away. Thats it. He isnt going out to the universe to explore - but running away as far as he can from his nightmares, even if that means having to escape to outerspace.

And you don't want to hear about the truth about Spot... oh no... you don't want to hear that.... you are not ready for it....
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Post by VikingBoyBilly »

I like where this is going.

Did the "spot" dish not always belong to the yorp we know and love by the unnoficial name "norp?"
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Post by Bernie »

VikingBoyBilly wrote:I like where this is going.

Did the "spot" dish not always belong to the yorp we know and love by the unnoficial name "norp?"
Just drop it man.
But yeah theres a reason he took that yorp to be his pet.
and that dish did belong to Keen's past pet named Spot. There, I said.
And what happened to his old pet?
He witnessed his pet dog Spot's murder. Thats right. Saw him shot and lay bleeding by government thugs.
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VikingBoyBilly
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Post by VikingBoyBilly »

I think you're overkilling the murder thing.
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Post by Plasma Captain »

Meanwhile, Mortimer's story is that he saw some government thugs' murder. That's right. Saw them shot and lay bleeding by his sister.
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Post by entropicdecay »

Saw them shot and lay neural stunned by some kid in a football helmet
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Post by ScarletFlame »

Mortimer is something else. Holy fucl. He is a dictator who brainwashed an alien species, at only the age of nine. We barely know anything about him, (like where are his parents) and yet he is the antagonist of the series. I'd imagine he is the way he is because he is alone in is knowledge. He is the smartest being in the galaxy, and because of that, many people can't understand him.

Although, if you want an edgy hypothesis: Both of his parents pressured him to get perfect grades, which could be the reason why he values intelligence so much. His parents die (somehow) and lived with his sister, who is old enough to be a legal guardian. Without any parental love, he becomes cold and distant.
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Post by Bernie »

You're onto something scarletflame, but dont be fooled. it gets much, much darker...
I called up my buddy Tom Hall and asked him if all of what I'm saying is true. After a while, he cut me off and just said "Look, just drop it man. You don't want to go there. You're not ready for it. No one is. No one is." He then started to cry and hung up.
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