Arguably the most impactful user in the Tron franchise is the legendary Kevin Flynn whose
role in the outworking of the story is unforgettable.
In this video I’d like to explore the history of Kevin Flynn and how he fundamentally transformed
the digital frontier.
Kevin was born in New Jersey and later attended Caltech where he received a doctorate.
Shortly after this he was recruited by ENCOM, an American multinational computer technology
corporation.
As a computer programmer, Flynn began writing code for some of ENCOM’s best-selling video
games including Space Paranoids, Matrix Blaster, Vice Squad, and Light Cycles.
Eventually, the code he wrote for these games was stolen by fellow ENCOM programmer Edward
Dillinger while they were still in development.
3 months later, Dillinger presented these games to the company as his own without even
bothering to change their names.
Subsequently, Dillinger was quickly promoted and eventually rose to the rank of Executive
VP.
He fired Flynn shortly thereafter.
After his exit from ENCOM, Kevin founded Flynn's Arcade, an establishment which held several
classic arcade machines along with many of his own creations.
In an effort to obtain evidence to expose Dillinger’s fraud, Flynn made several attempts
to hack into the ENCOM mainframe from his arcade with a program he had built called
the Codified Likeness Utility or CLU for short.
After infiltrating the ENCOM mainframe, Flynn discovered the Master Control Program, a development
of Dillinger’s which was built on top of an old chess program.
As the system administrator, the MCP had located and worked to protect the incriminating data
Flynn was looking for.
As a result of the breach, Dillinger shut down all access to the mainframe, locking
out ENCOM’s own programmers including Alan Bradley who had been developing a security
program named TRON.
Flynn then asked for help from his ex-girlfriend Lora who was currently dating Alan.
The three formulated a plan for Flynn to forge a Group 6 access so that Bradley could run
his TRON program using it to shut down the MCP.
Afterwards they would be able to release the incriminating evidence.
Flynn then accessed Lora’s terminal but was immediately recognized by the MCP who
fired on the user with Lora’s experimental matter transporting laser.
As a result, Flynn’s body was transferred into digital form and was loaded onto the
Game Grid where he was forced to fight in the games as a gladiator.
After being transported to the Light Cycle arena, Flynn used his knowledge of the program
to force one of the enemy combatants to crash into the wall of the arena, opening up an
escape route.
Flynn would go on to discover the extensive abilities available to him as a user in the
system, including the ability to alter the environment around him.
After joining forces with Tron and Yori, a program written by Lora, the three were successful
in gaining access to and defeating the MCP.
Afterwards Flynn was able to return to the real world and retrieve the evidence needed
to expose Dillinger.
This led to Flynn’s promotion to the position of ENCOM CEO.
He then placed Alan and Lora on the board of directors.
In the years that followed, Flynn continued to use Lora’s digitizing laser to return
to the cyber world, eventually creating a digital frontier called the “Grid” built
in a private server in the basement of his arcade.
The Grid served as a nearly limitless open platform wherein Flynn could channel his creativity
and run experiments to explore almost any curiosity.
As a security measure, Flynn copied Alan Bradley’s Tron program from ENCOM’s server and uploaded
it to the Grid.
He also recreated his original hacking program CLU to operate in his absence, continuing
to work with the objective of creating the perfect system.
Their efforts resulted in the steady growth of the Grid’s infrastructure which started
buzzing with activity as it became filled with all sorts of programs.
However, after the birth of his son, Sam, Kevin began spending more time away from the
Grid.
Because time on the Grid is perceived to pass some 50 times slower than in the real world,
Flynn’s absence for just a few days would seem to be several months for those who were
living in the digital world.
These extended absences strained Flynn’s relationship with CLU and added to the program’s
feelings of frustration.
Tragedy struck in 1985 with the death of Kevin’s wife.
As he struggled to cope with this loss, he would go on to devote more time to his work
on the Grid and would frequently leave Sam with his grandparents.
Flynn spoke publicly about his vision of bringing real world benefits from the digital frontier.
He campaigned for the promulgation of open computer systems and even started giving away
ENCOM software for free.
Eventually, the Grid would spontaneously manifest a new form of program, referred to as "Isomorphic
Algorithms" or ISO’s for short.
Flynn came to view these ISO’s as the key to fundamentally improving the human condition.
A short time later, Kevin visited his old friend Alan Bradley and began to reveal to
him the breakthrough discoveries in genetic algorithms and quantum teleportation which
in turn could lead to changes in science, medicine and religion.
Flynn mysteriously disappeared just two nights later forcing Bradley to take his place as
the interim CEO at ENCOM.
In reality, the cause of Flynn’s disappearance was due to an ambush by CLU, who had turned
against his creator.
While Flynn saw the ISO’s as a cherished miracle, CLU understood them to be an imperfection
in the system and a threat to his prime directive.
During the ambush, Tron was able to draw enough of CLU’s attention to allow Flynn to escape,
however he was unable to reach the portal connecting the Grid to the outside world.
After the portal closed, Flynn was trapped, as it was only able to be opened from the
outside.
CLU then took command of the Grid, and set forth to destroy the ISO’s.
Flynn’s attempts to resist the rogue program only added to its strength and as such, he
was forced to stand by as he realized that the only way to put an end to CLU’s reign
was through reintegration, a process that would terminate both the program and its creator.
CLU’s genocide against the ISO’s saw the destruction of all but one of these miraculous
beings, an ISO named Quorra who was rescued by Flynn after the sacrifice made by a System
Monitor security program who was loyal to the users.
Quorra remained in exile and trained with Flynn at his home in the Outlands.
As the cycles passed, Flynn was forced to come to grips with his failure and sought
to find inner peace by adopting a Zen lifestyle.
The game changed some 2 decades later with the arrival of Kevin’s then-adult son, Sam.
Sam's arrival opened the portal once again providing an 8 hour window to escape.
Kevin was hesitant to head to the portal however, fearing that this would play into Clu’s
plan.
Sam would go on to force his father’s hand as he left the hideout and returned to the
city.
Kevin and Quorra followed Sam and rescued him from a fight with Clu’s Black Guards
at the End of Line Club.
While they were able to escape, the elder Flynn’s identity disc was stolen, giving
CLU what he needed to travel through the portal to the outside world.
The decision was then made to race for the portal by means of a Solar Sailer.
After the Sailer unexpectedly docked with a carrier ship, the trio discovered Clu’s
plan to invade the outside world with an army of repurposed programs.
Eventually they were able to reclaim Flynn’s disc and escape the carrier in a hijacked
Light Jet with CLU’s forces in heavy pursuit.
With a little help from Tron, they were able to survive the subsequent dogfight.
Shortly after this, Kevin secretly switched his identity disc with Quorra.
After reaching the portal they discovered CLU blocking the way, leading to a confrontation
between the program and his maker.
Kevin admitted his failure to CLU, apologizing for giving him an unattainable directive.
CLU was unable to accept this admission and attacked his creator.
After learning that Kevin was actually holding the ISO’s disc, he then turned his attention
to the portal in order to prevent Sam and Quorra from escaping.
Kevin was forced to begin the process of reintegration, sacrificing himself and destroying CLU in
order to save his son and Quorra who were successful in returning to the outside world.
After exiting the portal, Sam transferred data from the server into a flash drive, leaving
many to speculate as to whether or not Flynn might still be somewhere inside the system.
Either way, while their reintegration is believed to have been the end of line for both Kevin
Flynn and his Codified Likeness Utility, Kevin’s sacrifice to save his son and his work to
preserve the last ISO would not soon be forgotten.
But I’m curious to know what you think of Kevin Flynn?
Is there a part of his history that stands out the most to you?
Do you think it's possible, and if so, would you like to see Flynn reappear either in the
outside world or in the digital frontier?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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TRON and other sci-fi and fantasy news and lore.
Thank you all so much for your support and as always, have a very nerdy day.