Talk:James

The lines
"James, the father of the Player Character in Fallout 3 will appear prominently throughout the game. "

and

"His name nor other details are not known as of now."

Contradict each other. Please advise.
 * Oops. His name was mentioned in some previews and I added it to the opening paragraph but forgot to correct the rest. Thanks for catching it! Ausir 20:53, 14 August 2008 (UTC)

Question
Sorry, but the "Notes" section of the article keep referencing "x Years Later" scenes. Can someone clarify which scenes these are/when they occur? --cv.

Should it be noted that Liam Neelson was Qui Gonn Jinn, because Obi Wan watches his master die like the lone wanderer watches his father die. Also a bigger coincidence is that in a possible 2011 film Lincoln, Liam is Lincoln? Hey Orcidea, your'e favourite gun is your dads!

Picture of the dog
Although it is very likely to assume the dog in the Virtual Reality world of the Tranquility in Vault 112 is the VR projection of James, it is never explicitly made a fact.
 * It is. Braun states that. Or do you prefer a bigass neon sign attached to the dog stating that its your dad? Shaur M. S. Grizlin 21:46, 17 November 2008 (UTC)


 * After escaping, there is a dialog option with James, asking him how he liked life as a dog.  --Oddrune 23:31, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

There's also the option to say "Dad? Is that really you?" to Doc in the simulation, to which he responds with an excited bark, so yeah.--Solbur 14:38, 17 January 2009 (UTC)

Ghoul James?
It says on his character article that he can take the appearance of modded races such as ghouls... Is that added by the mods or does he take that appearance completely on his own? Seal481 07:57, 1 January 2009 (UTC)
 * There's probably a command that runs between the birth of the Lone Wanderer and "One Year Later", that would be the easiest way to get him to use the same race as the player, and would of course also cause him to be a Ghoul if the player was a ghoul. But I'm not 100% sure since it would take more than that one command to make it work. Kris (talk) 21:11, July 15, 2010 (UTC)

Rivet City native
There's a lot of circumstantial evidence against that, at the very least the history shows that Rivet City wasn't established until after James was born, so he'd only be 'native' in the loosest definition. Pinkerton says that prior to Rivet City, the scientists were operating out of a naval base, and says nothing at all about James. Li suggests that she first came to Rivet City after Project Purity disbanded, and there's never a suggestion that James was familiar with the place before he tracked down Li.

Entry to Vault 101
Sometime during the transition from birth to the "one year later" scene, amidst all the other dialogue, you can hear the Overseer say something about a physician. I only heard it once during the start of my third game, but it could suggest that James and his son were let into the Vault because they needed a new doctor. Something I thought I should mention, but I doubt it's worth putting in the article. 69.136.147.205 03:14, 24 November 2008 (UTC)

The line was, "We need a doctor, not a dentist!" I might be wrong, but I think it was in reference to Andy, who likes to drill and saw the patients. This was the reason the Overseer let James in, because Andy's treatments were too often lethal. --97.81.77.13 23:36, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

It sounds like "dentist" to me as well. The current version has "deadbeat", but I'm reluctant to alter it without backup/consensus. 71.220.202.122 08:11, 3 March 2009 (UTC)

Personally, I heard "cheery cherub" rather than "charities". Are there no transcripts of the opening dialogues? Vault122 18:45, 7 March 2009 (UTC)
 * Yes, in the GECK, quest Id:Cg00. Topic:CGTransitionTopic. It says "We need a doctor, not a deadbeat.". I actually added the quotes to the Baby Steps page. --Vladimir Lem 22:12, November 7, 2009 (UTC)
 * I always thought it was "we need a doctor, not a daycare" and it was the Overseer complaining that he spent too much time looking after his child. Kris (talk) 20:44, July 15, 2010 (UTC)

Picture
Why is there a picture for this character? Aside from his species and gender, his appearance can vary in almost any way, depending on the choices of the player. It might be more informative to have a mosaic of several different possible James.

--Oddrune 23:35, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Or even better, we can have a whole page with almost every possible way James could look like!

71.32.123.68 03:44, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

No matter what permutations you choose, James has the same basic face for all four archetypes. It'd be better to post the mosaic. This is as ridiculous as posting a user-made face of Darth Revan as a portait.

173.70.84.171 15:00, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

James' default race is caucasian and whatever the set face 1 is so he would be confirmed that in canon he would be caucasian. Due to the accent.

Lame!
Does anyone else think it is ridiculously unfortunate that James' wife dies in the game, and then a few months later Liam Neeson's wife ACTUALLY dies? That sucks so bad!--ASL93ratjar 23:32, 28 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Dude, thats just harsh. Fat Man Spoon 22:30, 2 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I never put that together, but yeah that is an odd and unfortunate coincidence. I wonder if the voice actors, or even Liam, played the game.

Fate of James
What ever happens to James's body after he dies in the Purifier? Does it just disapear from the game world? --AleximMose 05:29, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

Yes-DragonJTSLeave me a message 05:55, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
 * The grue eats him. That Furry Bastard 07:19, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Or the Enclave took him. If he is really dead, then it is probable that he was cremated by said bad guys for "genetic non-compliance".--Amitakartok 22:28, 2 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Autumn survived, and I suppose it isn't too far fetched to wonder if they revived him. After all, you managed to recover after a couple weeks.  I suppose it really depends on Liam's willingness to partake in a Fallout 4.

It would be a prety cool unmarked quest to find his body and give him a proper burial, but yeaf the enclave probably cremated him.--Radraider 16:26, September 21, 2009 (UTC)
 * Autumn only survived because he injected himself with some high-tech radiation solution. I assumed either the Enclave took the bodies or the radiation dissolved him, as shown in the final-game cut-scene if the player activates the purifier, as the player is shown turning into a pile of ash. (Assuming you don't have Broken Steel, of course.) --Vladimir Lem 22:16, November 7, 2009 (UTC)

-- using console codes on my PC i revived him and talked to him. he basicaly says what he said before the scene, except hes lying down when you talk to him. i wonder what would happen if you set him as an essential player when hes inside the chamber

-- I would like to clear up the whole "pile of goo" thing that everyone claims your character turns into at the end. Its completely absurd. Radiation would not cause you to melt into goo or ash, and no one else has had this happen to them. If this is so, you should instantly (almost) melt as soon as you go near Vault 87. 24.63.181.250 23:30, October 2, 2010 (UTC)

-- Well, radiation was never really portrayed realistically in this game... --Barsaxmus 07:07, April 15, 2011 (UTC)

Vault 106
When I shot one of the hullucinations, I got 37xp. One of the others ran away saying "This is madness!". No xp was awarded for shooting other hullucinations. Fat Man Spoon 15:33, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

THIS IS SPARTA !!!!

--- (NEW) "This is madness!" ... madness... i think you all know the rest.

Deathclaw hands...?
"James has also been known to have giant death-claw hands." Uuuh, what? I have a feeling this isn't true... 213.65.69.18 18:41, 11 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Actually it is true on the 360 vertion and its halrious. 124.185.128.41 04:37, December 7, 2009 (UTC)

This needs some clarification. Do you mean his hands are replaced by deathclaw model hands? Or do mean the occasional glitch where a character model's hands get distended and oversized?--Gothemasticator 04:48, December 7, 2009 (UTC)

Affiliations
Should "Vault 101" be added to the Affiliations? since he was a vault member for close to 20 years? Ranger1991 22:18, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Death
Is it wrong that i cried a bit when James died ;( --Muaka 15:09, 11 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Yes, that means you are spineless. http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/thumb/5/5c/Scribe.jpg/15px-Scribe.jpg Tagaziel (call!) 15:17, 11 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Dude, I loved James like a real father, and Liam did a great job at it. It was more interesting exploring the world, hoping I would eventually run into him. Coincidentally, I bought Fallout 3 and an xbox because my father went into a coma after a stroke during heart surgery because I had to stay with my mother. You wouldn't believe how relevant it all felt. - Neveos

Wow you fell in love with some pixels. You need some balls.--Kirby888 05:23, November 7, 2009 (UTC)
 * The fact that you can get so attached to a game character does not make you any less of a man; it's only testament to the power and the emotion that Bethesda put into the characters and quests. (It's kinda like crying when someone dies in a movie.) I have yet to be able to play an evil character, because the game is so convincing that I feel bad whenever I do something evil. Bethesda designed the game to feel as real as possible, so the fact that someone would cry after the Waters of Life is only proof of how awesome Fallout 3 is. --Vladimir Lem 22:09, November 7, 2009 (UTC)
 * Oh wow, another one of "low standards" people. Homeworld is a game crafted with love and emotion, something genuinely moving. Fallout 3? Since characters are merely cardboard cut outs, I fail to see how anyone could care about them and their crappily written scripts, much less actually cry when they die. http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/thumb/4/4a/Naglowaa_se.gif/11px-Naglowaa_se.gif Tagaziel (call!) 22:15, November 7, 2009 (UTC)
 * If the game is that bad, then why do you play it? --Vladimir Lem 20:33, November 23, 2009 (UTC)
 * I don't. I played through it twice, so that no morons can claim I can't say anything about something I didn't play. Oh, and for the record, I borrowed my copy. http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/thumb/4/4a/Naglowaa_se.gif/11px-Naglowaa_se.gif Tagaziel (call!) 22:30, November 23, 2009 (UTC)
 * I felt attached to James too. I threw my controller across the room when he died! And it's also hard for me to play an evil character I'm also Very Good. Jstarsupreme

Let the record show that he borrowed his copy I understand how you feel, I feel the same way about NPC's or the PC, but I would never cry :P

Patriot 23:33, June 15, 2010 (UTC)

Hi! No it isn't wrong that you felt the correct emotion to feel when he died. Those who insulted you for doing so, I wondered how they could be smart enough to operate a computer well enough to write their insults. Well, that just goes to show me the big differences between the terms "I.Q." and "E.Q.". Not all players are of the same gender, age, or maturity level, et cetera. Each player will respond accordingly. So I guess if one is smart enough to write the words needed to insult you, doesn't mean that they have the wisdom to know that they shouldn't be so rude. "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to! Cry if I want to!", that sentiment may be applied to your gaming experiences as well. Let no one tell you otherwise unless you are crying too often and then you might need to consult with a medical doctor. Otherwise, more power to you for enjoying the game as intended, as I'm sure that they did not intend for you to not enjoy the game. Leo Star Dragon 1. 70.129.174.55 00:53, February 4, 2011 (UTC)

Trivia
Has anyone else noticed that he is around the same age as the Chosen One? (If you make a 16 year old Chosen one, that is)

-- i think james would be 52 if he was 16 in the year 2241. extremely close, i wonder if bethesda did this on purpose. that would be pretty cool though, if they did do it on purpose. that makes the lone wanderer the vault dwellers, son's (the chosen one/james) kid, or in other words, the great grand child of the original character of the first fallout... thats pretty cool (Post-apocalyptic-guy 02:51, November 29, 2009 (UTC))

YUM
I added the note on the other means to aquire his stuff, I ate him at that point....and Augustus...even though (annoyingly) they look the same after being eaten...which is annoying...i wanted an undead Augustus hunting me 78.150.39.162 23:47, 6 August 2009 (UTC)

Whats with the color in the pic with James beind Doc in Tranquility Lane? Is that some pc mod? AreYouGoingToEatThatNuke? 23:57, January 15, 2010 (UTC)

It is actually a mod Nukey, I've seen it on youtube Patriot guy 23:54, June 15, 2010 (UTC)

Action James Crosses the Wastes
After rescuing him from the Tranquility Lane simulation, I decided to follow James on his journey and watch him ineffectively attack big bad monsters while they ineffectively try to kill him. When we got to the Citadel, something messed up and a bunch of Brotherhood Paladins began attacking. While I was killing the guy that had the rocket launcher, Charon and James must have finished off the guy with the gatling laser. I know he had a gatling laser because when I went back to James, he was now toting a bad ass gatling laser on his back and just standing there. I couldn't do anything to move him from the spot, so I fast travelled to Rivet City and soon discovered that he still had the gatling laser. When everyone walked to the Jefferson Memorial, I decided to let them go ahead so I could watch him gatling laser the crap out of super mutants. He did not disappoint.

-- That's even more epic than my experience. I watched James grab a baseball bat from a mailbox near the Red Racer factory (I think, or maybe it was the Nuka-Cola plant) to bludgeon the raiders and take either a pistol or submachine gun from them to finish them off. Essential NPC's, when properly motivated, are quite amusing. --75.54.87.207 08:11, September 10, 2011 (UTC)

Dad vision in vault 106??
i was in vault 106 when i saw a vision of dads in a room i shot one of them but they dissapeared WTF??


 * vault 106 experimented with hallucinagenic drugs. Traces are still in the air and occasionally you'll hallucinate people you knew in place of the insane survivors.A Pickering 13:59, February 19, 2010 (UTC)

race change?
OK, I think my brother is yanking my chain on this one. He says he's started a black character and James is black to match. I don't belive him myself. the character I'm currently playing is asian and James is still caucasian. Does his race change to match the player characters?A Pickering 14:01, February 19, 2010 (UTC)

Yes.

It can be difficult to tell the difference between a Caucasian, Hispanic, or Asian version of James, but you shouldn't have too much trouble once you've seen them. If you play on the PC you can open the console and click on any NPC to take a guess at their race with the command. For James, you would want to use the "old" races: "CaucasianOld", "AfricanAmericanOld", "AsianOld", or "HispanicOld". Bear in mind that the actual old people in the game use the OldAged versions.--Kris (talk) 20:51, July 15, 2010 (UTC)

Dad vs mutant
If you free your dad from vault 87 before killing any supermutants at the memorial and then take the team there, now don't attack anny mutants that come foward. Your dad will attack them. I saw him go hand-to-nailboard with a supermutant and, with a little help from the good doctor, took it down. Then has the cheek to say im the only one with 'combat experience' and sends me in alone.

JASPER42.
 * Yeah, James is programmed to fight anyone who attacks him, even if takes beating radscorpions with his bare hands. It is illogical and unrealistic, but, hey, he is an immortal character. One of the lamest moments in F3.--TheBearPaw 21:17, June 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * Vault 87? I think you mean Vault 112, he never goes to 87 Patriot guy 23:56, June 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * Vault 87? I think you mean Vault 112, he never goes to 87 Patriot guy 23:56, June 15, 2010 (UTC)

Trivia
James Madison was the fourth president of USA. He was the principal author of the US constitution, called the father of the constitution. That is very probably the origin for his name and for Dr. Li's name too.

In Jefferson memorial is written a quote taken from a Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, 1777. The last sentence is taken from a letter to James Madison, August 28, 1789.

''God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just....

Quotes
This isn't the first article I've seen it on, but the quotes on this page are not really 'notable' for any reason, they're just random things he says. Anyone want to tell me why I'm wrong? Taaaa StarfishCostume 17:33, September 10, 2010 (UTC)
 * So replace the lame ones with some good ones. Wikis are editable, you know.--Gothemasticator 21:01, September 10, 2010 (UTC)
 * Alright cranky. Wikis are also open to discussion, so I was seeing if anybody wanted to give me any reasons as to why the quotes should be kept. But no, obviously, I'm a fool. >.< StarfishCostume 21:41, September 10, 2010 (UTC)
 * Personally I agree with the both of you. Have at it, friend! -- 21:48, September 10, 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I was cranky. Sorry about that. I do agree some of the existing quotes are lame and could indeed be replaced with better ones. --Gothemasticator 02:07, September 11, 2010 (UTC)
 * Thankssssss mans. Will do. StarfishCostume 07:25, September 11, 2010 (UTC)

English Accent
James definitely has an English accent! No question! The actor is northern Irish, so it's not his natural voice, I don't think, but wouldn't be too hard for him to do.

If you need more proof, look no further than the beginning of the game, when he pronounces "walk" in the British way, "worlk" rather than the American "waalk", and "arsk" rather than "aask" (I don't really know another way to express it).

So I am puzzled as to why my edit got reverted, even though other people seem to think this is true as well (look up).

82.68.127.14 15:32, September 20, 2010 (UTC) Hamish


 * You're hearing things that aren't there. He speaks in a refined and cultured manner, but his accent is distinctly American. -- 15:48, September 20, 2010 (UTC)

James' accent is lightly Irish but it is possible that he just learned to speak in his accent from his parents and their ancestors so that's a possibility.

Honestly, I don't see any other accents other than Liam Neeson's normal accent. And please sign your posts! --Kingclyde 00:31, December 13, 2010 (UTC)

I am irish and am from the same county as Liam Neeson he clearly to me has a Cavan irish accent not english nor american he sounds irish.His character is probably meant to be an Irish american one.kaminoman

Neeson does not have a Cavan accent. Although light, he does have a Norn Irish accent particuarily if you listen to the way he says 'Now' which we are always ridiculed for saying it like Naow.

James and Catherine in New Vegas
Not sure if it's intentional, but I added a mention of their picture's appearance in New Vegas anyway. :) Ausir(talk) 08:23, November 2, 2010 (UTC)

Where exactly can you find this? 60.234.236.221 04:48, January 2, 2011 (UTC)

The picture is actually an unused prop for Fallout 3 and is propably supposed to be a picture of just some family, even if it is a recycled photo of them. 96.50.198.233 05:02, January 2, 2011 (UTC)

Ausir@ Just to point out James i think is meant to be Irish american because of Liam Neesons obvious irish accent.And Doc mitchel voiced by michael hogan is Irish American and has a very irish twang to his accent the two could be related? kaminoman

Age?
Should it be noted that that James is the only character that ages? At the beginning his hair is colored but when you meet him outside his hair has turned grey.--BOSPalidan 23:00, January 23, 2011 (UTC)

No, not really, Amata ages throughout the beginning of the game, as well as the other kids, and not to mention the player. 10.7.11.46 17:01, May 4, 2011 (UTC)

Race
It states that he is: Human: Caucasian when he is actually race dependent on what you choose. So change that The Victorious Phoenix 14:12, April 12, 2011 (UTC)

How is James enslavable?!?!?!
I looked on his page to see a yes on enslavable. I think thats rather impossible. If he can be enslaved, then his head can pop like a melon, which would totally fuck up the story line. So why is there a yes in enslavable!?!?!!?!

Scotch
I edited the bullet about scotch under Notes with information found on Wikipedia and TV Tropes. Looks like James prefers Scotch for a more subtle reason...

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Fallout3 (under "Stealth Pun")

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_whisky#History (confirmed here)

69.234.114.52 06:14, May 12, 2011 (UTC)
 * I don't doubt your information, but that is a real stretch. Having a fondness for scotch is a pretty common thing, perhaps moreso in fiction than in reality. It's a nice coincidence. You might want to contact the devs and let them know how they unwittingly made a really nice subtle and fitting coincidence.--Gothemasticator 06:19, May 12, 2011 (UTC)


 * Hey there, I'm the one who put that on TV Tropes in the first place. I think that the whole pun on 'waters of life' was intentional, since the devs make it a big deal to put scotch in the areas where James has been (i.e. in his room at the Memorial) and he references scotch a couple times in dialogue. I don't see why they'd mention scotch specifically so many times if they weren't going for the pun.--Kafeij 00:47, June 8, 2011 (UTC)


 * Most simply, they put scotch where James has been, because he likes scotch. As I said above, it's a fairly common fictional device.--Gothemasticator 02:10, June 8, 2011 (UTC)


 * Yeah, I know they wrote his character to like scotch. The point I was trying to make was that they could have chosen any alcoholic drink at random for him to like, or they could've forgone the specific references in general - but they chose scotch. I don't think it's that much of a stretch to say it was a subtle pun they were aiming for.--Kafeij 06:40, June 8, 2011 (UTC)

Vault 21
Can someone remove this assumption? The picture was eventually not seen in the active game world of FO3, and since Gstaff confirmed that Catherine is a "no-race-defined" the mention that they might have been in Vault 21 based only on the picure would contradict Catherine's "no-race" status. --Radnus 15:48, May 26, 2011 (UTC)

Getting into the vault
Wasn't Vault 101 meant to never be opened? The people living there thought there was no outside world, so why didn't anyone react when James suddenly appeared in the vault?

They let him in.OmnipotentPotato 20:31, July 3, 2011 (UTC)

Yeah well that's obvious. But since they thought there was no outside world - why didn't anyone react like "hey, there's a guy we've never seen before" ?

They'd already been outside. You can read about a scout expedition to Megaton in the Overseer's office. Hi There! 23:24, July 3, 2011 (UTC)

How can I search James' body at project purity?
Was reading up on the St Aubin medical facility and noticed the following paragraph, to quote: (To acquire the items, use the same trick you use to search dad's body after he activates the purifier. To actually acquire them, first jump on the little ledge above the cell and the ammunition boxes. Go into third person view and change the camera angle so you are looking down on your character, and slowly rotate. You will eventually get the option to pick up the cell and open the two ammunition boxes.)

Hello! What's that about being able to search James' body? Any ideas anybody? I can't find a page or such that advises of how to search him...

Thank you in advance Tactictoe 23:46, July 8, 2011 (UTC)

Vault 21
I was playing NV last night and I saw a picture of what looks like james. I never saw what mom look like but in the photo the woman near him was African American (that would explain the race thing when you are born). But was he in Vegas before that crazy vault kid was ever even born. Please answer ASAP

What i think.
i cried at first when he died because he has the same name as my dad and resembles him somewhat but after the final mission (without down loadable content)i stopped because his corpse wasn't there no ash no goo nothing and in the base raven rock no cremation chambers or anything so its my belief hes still alive out there they should make DLC where you find him and he lives in megaton after you find him.The Puppet Man of Vault 77 18:30, August 6, 2011 (UTC)
 * Or, ya know, the Enclave moved the dead body because they didn't want it in the way and stinking up the place. UserGreatMara.png pistol.png 18:34, August 6, 2011 (UTC)

I told Dad to Fuck off.....
I did it because I needed to see the reaction obviously in real life, your dad would scold or lecture you...but Liam Neeson (James) said and I quote "I'm sorry you feel that way, son" WTF?

Insensitive jerk.;)--OmnipotentPotato 20:35, November 11, 2011 (UTC)

WT...
I disagree. He's a main character yes, but "James" should be the disambiguation page because "James (Fallout 3)" isn't a unique multi-game spanning character like "Harold".--Ant2242 (talk) 19:33, 9 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Which was never a criterion used to determine where to move the page. James in Fallout 3 is a plot-critical, major character in Fallout 3. This makes him the most likely candidate to be searched for when someone types in James. Furthermore, disambiguation pages aren't directories of articles with the same name. They're there to resolve ambiguities due to shared words or names in article titles. Finally, since James from Fallout 3 is a much bigger character than any other James we have on the list, to keep James a disambiguation page would create the illusion of false equivalence, that he is as important as any other James or Jim we have among the articles. Tagaziel (talk) 19:46, 9 December 2013 (UTC)

So "James" is the primary topic because the page is the currently most likely destination for someone who typed in "James"?--Ant2242 (talk) 20:17, 9 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Kind of, yeah. Wikipedia does the same thing. Tagaziel (talk) 20:40, 9 December 2013 (UTC)

So we'll have to rename it if the next game has a main character named "James"?--Ant2242 (talk) 20:46, 9 December 2013 (UTC)
 * In the unlikely event that another NPC is named James, lacks a surname and is a central character to the game, yes. --Kastera (talk) 20:54, 9 December 2013 (UTC)
 * What Kastera said. I promise I'll fix the links then too. :) Tagaziel (talk) 21:16, 9 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Why not just use the disambiguation pages as they have already? They don't necessarily have to be used to throw links in haphazardly in which relevance is hidden to those unknowledgeable. They can be split up into specified sections to determine minor and major characters. Leon934 (talk) 21:47, 9 December 2013 (UTC)

I thought it is by Game then Alphabetical.--Ant2242 (talk) 22:17, 9 December 2013 (UTC)