#tron (1982)

[atori-matriarch-of-ram-fam]

I agree with the "Ram person" assessment. 😆 You've caused me to do a lot more Thinking about Ram and the rest of the world of the ENCOM system than I ever have before. (My relationship with any fandom as an INFP has always been imbibe the thing, bask in the glorious feels, and sometimes look at other people's analyses and see if they resonate).

In my actual Thinking for developing my own headcanon about circuitry, I've thought the same thing...that the unitards the actors wore translates to programs' "skin" and not clothing...and that the pauldrons, gauntlets, and boots can be removed. (I know this is different in Legacy because Rinzler pulls down Quorra's clothing to expose a tattoo on her skin, but in my head, in '82 they have no skin under what we see).

I also think that programs' appearance is similar to a video game avatar and that they can be changed but only if they have a terminal like Yori has. In my mind those terminals (at least in what we see in '82) are very difficult to come by and means most programs during the MCP's reign aren't able to change their appearance.

Now...I did NOT know that the novelization talked about Yori being "completely herself again" when she changed into what we see in her apartment. (I really need to read the novelization 🤨). That gives me even more to Think about in terms of Ram's circuitry outside of his "warrior form."

Onto the less headcanon-y, more practical part of my contribution.

A photo was recently posted to a Discord server that shows the circuitry of what I assume all User-loyal programs who wear the chest armor Ram wears looks like:

Here are reference photos of Ram and Crom showing parts of this circuitry peeking out:

Again, from a practical standpoint, it makes sense that the costuming department would repeat these patterns to save time and energy.

Here is a red warrior shot showing the bottom rib portion of the same circuitry...with much simpler circuitry on the legs:

So basically, to me, this is the circuitry of all chest-armored warrior programs who don't have access to a terminal. I'm still pondering what exactly is underneath this skin or "shell" though, as I said, I don't think there's another layer like User-like skin.

Side note: Why does it look like they doodled a sad MCP sketch on the ribcage part? 😂

I noticed that you're essentially the resident RAM person on Tumblr and, first of all, you're fascinating and I love you (in a non romantic way) and second, do you know, or have ideas, about what RAM's circuitry looks like under the armor?

Oooh!!!!!!

First of all I appreciate the compliments very much -- it feels weird to be considered a Ram expert since I've only been in Tron fandom a little over a year, and I really don't want to take away from the voices of fans who have been here for ages... but, I do admit I have spent that short time in an abnormally intense state of hyperfixation, and I LOVE talking about my headcanons, especially about Ram...

so... here we go!!

Okay, so, in my funhouse of a brain this thing about Ram's circuitry is probably a more complicated question than it'd seem to anyone else. Several different interpretations and answers here.

On the one hand, there's my understanding that clothing in the Encom system doesn't actually come off, just gets shifted from one outfit to another-- with the same sort of animated effect you might get when changing the outfit of a video game avatar.

Generally, asking what's under a program's suit is a kind of meaningless question.

I think even if they have a "naked" option for how they can appear, it's not "underneath" the others in any meaningful sense, it's just another outfit. Nor is it their "true" appearance in any way -- one program could have several different naked renders with different anatomy!

But:

your question was about armor, and I do imagine that some of the armor pieces worn by warriors in the Games can be taken off. Although we don't see proof of it onscreen, my own feelings tell me that the helmets and gauntlets and shoulder pads can probably be "removed" pretty much like clothing. On the code level of things, I imagine the code for those is more similar to "object being carried" than "outfit being worn."

Interesting little side detail here! Apart from the very dramatic change of outfit that Yori does in the Deleted Love Scene, there are a couple instances of small costume changes being made between scenes-- with known behind-the-scenes reasons for it.

Like how Yori wears a warrior helmet while on the Solar Sailer, because Cindy Morgan insisted on taking a break from that tight headcap and the painful glue that held it onto her head.

But then, it's fairly straightforward to theorize in-universe reasons why a helmet may be more proper solar-sailing attire than a headcap.

It's harder to explain an in-universe reason for the sudden change in appearance in both Ram's disc and his hands, between two frames of the disc-trick scene:

The out-of-universe explanation is that the disc tricks were done by a double, instead of by Dan Shor. Which could explain the shift from bare hands to gloves-- it's probably hard to do those tricks with gloves on (though it doesn't quite explain why Ram has to wear gloves the whole rest of the scene, or why a whole different disc was needed.)

In-universe, anyway, I like to imagine that Ram was calibrating or testing his disc in some way-- and this involved running a subroutine that temporarily changed the appearance of both the disc and his hands, simply as a graphic interface to show that the routine is running.

....Okay, that was a long side detail! Back onto the question of Ram's armor.

I've also posted before about how I view the armor of game warriors. Basically, I see it as functioning less like actual armor, and more like a set of symbols to represent which programs do what. (Like how the toga indicates novices, and so on.)

Anyway, whatever Ram's vest means, I think that it does come off, and would reveal a different set of circuitry on the "bodysuit" portion of his render underneath that.

But, to be honest, I think that pattern would be pretty standardly similar to the one on Flynn and on a few of the other conscripts. The parts of it that we can see-- that little arrowlike thing below his neck, for instance-- are pretty much the same. So I'd guess it's all part of a design that's just one of a few standard render patterns that get used and reused for warriors.

However.

Ram could still have a secret, unique, cool and interesting appearance of his own! The whole outfit of Ram in the games is a render chosen by the MCP, and is not necessarily what Ram considers "himself."

I think programs can have specific appearances that they consider to be their "true form"-- the way they appear when they get to be fully themselves. This is what Yori seemed to be shifting into for the Love Scene.

It's even more clear in the novelization's version of that scene, which also gave Tron a transformation of his own, in which his circuitry "took on a flowing look."

I imagine it's possible that many programs have a "true form" with patterns that look less angular and more organic. The parts of the System that are "free" and the way things naturally "should" be (...the I/O Tower.... Yori's creative decorations in her quarters...) do tend to have more flowing, curvaceous lines.

....And now I do feel a bit inspired to draw something like that for Ram.

I think he'd love it.

[allsystmsred]

TRON (1982)

[giddlygoat]

i thought it would be funny if turbo tried to take over tron first, but after very nearly getting mortally obliterated on day 1 he decided to cheese it outta there fast af

[presumablystrange]

Wendy Carlos posing alongside her synth

[shehungthemoon]

i love tron so so much. he's got more action scenes than speaking ones and he's a religious crusader and he only knows how to puppy love and he'd never kissed his girlfriend until another man showed them how to do it and he's died for said man multiple times and he's his world's deadliest gladiator champion and he's ambidextrous and he's also not even the main character in either of the movies named after him.

no one will ever do it like him ever again.

[lordfries]

imagine the power I’d wield if I woke up with the motivation to create a whole comic

[scruffynerfherder17]

FUQ it, Tron post.

This is just an OC I've named Saffron and he lives rent free.

He my lil boo thang.

He runs a bar in the city but it also serves as a speakeasy and hideout for ISO's and other lost programs. His eyeballs are all messed up because he was one of the first programs tested on when CLU was messing around with rewriting programs.

[ekk0klo]

so i just got this super cool tron figure that i didnt knew existed and its now my favorite thing i own :D

[anntova]

Tron

[wynandcore]

Save me Alan Bradley 1982. Alan Bradley 1982 save me

[qyrhan]

My take on the silly comic going around on twitter rn :]

[do not repost my art to other sites]

[original by @sweepswoop_ on twitter]

[10yrsyart]

Connor needs more friends and Tron lost/ destroyed all his friends, so i think they should be buddies 😤👌 they have a lot in common, they can bond over their shared trauma hahah

(the crossover came to me in November and then i shot myself in the foot by deciding to do traditional instead of digital 😂 ...and it hasn't left me alone, so there may be more still)

DBH/ Tron AU

transcript:

Connor: -nothing so far. It appears to be a library archive of ENCOM's back up files. Copies of layouts and simulations. But no location of the GRID server or current status.

Markus: Alright Connor, keep me posted. And be careful.

Connor: I will, Markus.

Connor: (A corrupted security file..? Why-)

Connor: --W A K E U P--

Connor: I'm sorry. Your updated matrix was corrupt, so I had to access your base code.

Tron: Are you a User?

Connor: My name is Connor, I'm th- I'm an android.. a detective with New Jericho.

Tron: My name is Tron. To what do I owe a super computer for the rescue?

Connor: New Jericho received an anonymous tip about the existence of ISOs in ENCOM's dormant system, and I recovered your security program during my search. Perhaps you'd be able to help me?

Tron: I cannot condone any program, or AI for that matter, actively working to harm the Users or ISOs.

Connor: That's not our intent, I promise you.

Tron: ...Very well. On one condition.

Connor: Yes?

Tron: ..I'm an old program, Connor. Would you tell me.. how the User world has changed?

Connor: (smiles)

(BONUS)

Tron: Connor! It's good to see you.

Connor: Hello, Tron.

Tron: How are you?

Connor: I'm well. I was telling my friend Hank about you and the date of your origin. And he said, “For pete's sake, kid, what'cha doin with all us old guys? Ya gotta get out more, get some sun.”

Tron: He sounds like he would have enjoyed one of MY User friends.

Connor: Maybe if he knew who you were, Hank would feel differently-

Tron: NO... no, I'd rather keep my anonymity. It's better that way..

[zhedley]

I watched TRON (1982) and TRON LEGACY (2010) back to back and I want to tell you what makes a TRON plot:

A counter-culture hacker has a strained relationship with the ENCOM tech company. They sit at a desk (with their back to a big laser) to poke around a computer system, then get lasered into cyberspace by a rogue intelligent program that has taken charge of its program society through militaristic cyberviolence. The hacker is briefly forced to play deathsports (video games) before fleeing into a cyberworld they don't understand, joining forces with anti-fascist cyberallies while constantly on the run, trying to get to a big glowing cyberbeam in order to get home and also defeat the rogue ai's cyberplan to spread its cybercontrol to human society. There's a cyberguy named Tron who -and this is essential- is only important to the plot once. Profit-driven tech leaders get deposed. The visuals are state-of-the-art and indulgently weird, often beautiful but also confidently overreaching their capabilities. Philosophical questions of life and meaning are raised but never explicitly explored in dialogue, though messages are ripe for extrapolating. Jeff Bridges is there and he's a pretty chill cybergod.

They should make a new one every 15 years or so forever.

[undyworld]

i promised a tron without his helmet a LONG time ago. unfortunately i don't think it looks like tron but he only looks like tron with his helmet on. so this is the best we're getting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lordfries]

[alovelywaytospendanevening]

Alan Bradley & Kevin Flynn + Excerpts from the novelization of Tron (1982)