Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Alva Edison is a pre-war robot, and is similar to most other RobCo protectrons in appearance. Just like Button Gwinnett, a memory malfunction caused him to believe he is the real Thomas Edison. He is in charge of the Edison Electronics industrial research laboritory.

Background
A protectron model, created by RobCo before the war in the 2050's, was installed at Edison Electronics as a tour guide. Originally progrmed to pretend to be the real Thomas Edison, time and weathering has tampered his memory banks, and he now ACTUALLY believes himself to be the Thomas Edison. As Thomas Edison, he assumed control of Edison Electronics, and continued work there.

Edison is the third most prolific inventor in history, holding 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. He is credited with numerous inventions that contributed to mass communication and, in particular, telecommunications. These included a stock ticker, a mechanical vote recorder, a battery for an electric car, electrical power, recorded music and motion pictures. His advanced work in these fields was an outgrowth of his early career as a telegraph operator. Edison originated the concept and implementation of electric-power generation and distribution to homes, businesses, and factories – a crucial development in the modern industrialized world.

Just as the real Edison did in the Fallout Universe, he takes (the very late) Edward Weston as his adversary.

Combat Atributes
Protectrons are one of the weaker robots in Fallout 3 and can be destroyed with most low-level weapons or explosives (such as grenades). Despite being somewhat more durable than the typical raider, their poor armor means their lifespan is likely to be quite short. They are gray by default, but Edison comes painted with a white underbelly, and a red glass dome.

Edison has three laser weapons built into his frame, one in each arm and another one in their head. He is hardly the best shots, although sustained fire can put a dent in the player character's health.

Like most robots in Fallout 3, Thomas Edison has a Combat Inhibitor on its back. Crippling this part of the robot will cause it to frenzy and start attacking all targets indiscriminately.

Statistics

As a character, he has 5 points in every S.P.E.C.I.A.L. category

He only has 75 hit points, and is only level 3. His combat skill is 50, and has an attack damage of 30.

Interactions

Talking to Edison reveals a lot of information origionally meant for tour groups. Including:

"I have 6 children, you know. I have to keep working to feed poor Marrion, Thomas, William, Madeleine, Charles, and Theodore, and keep Mina happy"

"Mary had a little lamb, it's fleece as white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go" -This is a reference to his famous recording on an early Phonograph

"Have you seen that pioneer of incandescent electric lighting, Mr Hammer? I need his assistance" -This is a reference to William J. Hammer who was Edison's assistant.

"I have five dots here, like you see on dice, tattooed onto my left forearm" [odd he doesn't realize he lacks human arms, or the tattoo]

"Perhaps you know of my work? The Carbon Telephone Transmiter? The Electric Light? Telegraphy?"

"Nature is what we know. We do not know the gods of religions. And nature is not kind, or merciful, or loving. If God made me — the fabled God of the three qualities of which I spoke: mercy, kindness, love — He also made the fish I catch and eat. And where do His mercy, kindness, and love for that fish come in? No; nature made us — nature did it all — not the gods of the religions" This is an actual quote by Thomas Edison, and if you call him an athiest, he responds "You have misunderstood the whole article, because you jumped to the conclusion that it denies the existence of God. There is no such denial, what you call God I call Nature, the Supreme intelligence that rules matter. All the article states is that it is doubtful in my opinion if our intelligence or soul or whatever one may call it lives hereafter as an entity or disperses back again from whence it came, scattered amongst the cells of which we are made." which was another quote in response to a large number of people calling him an athiest.

Quests

Battle of the Currents: You can convince Edison [speech 50] that you are his rival, Edward Weston, you can kill Edison, you can reprogram Edison [Science 60] or you can side with Edison to destroy Weston's lab.

<p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hall of Fame: Return Edison's lost awards to him for a reward. 500 caps each, and an additional 1000 when completed. [Trophies include the John Scott Medal, the Matteucci Medal, the Edward Longstreth Medal, and the Franklin Medal]

<h2 style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Behind the Scenes

<p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Protectrons are modeled after Robby the Robot.

<p style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Edison's true history with Nikola Tesla has also provided dramatic tension and is a theme returned to numerous times.