gen:LOCK is the most recent show to come out of Rooster Teeth Studios, and boy has it come out swinging. The show isn’t like anything else from the studio, and yet it’s a perfect fit for the fandom.
The series is set in a not-so-distant future, where nanotech and technology have significantly changed the face of war. Thanks to Rooster Teeth’s background in other shows, there are a ton of references hidden throughout the show. There are also references courtesy of the voice actors and even a few hidden moments related to only this series. See if you can spot them all!
Siege
Rooster Teeth has many subsets of shows, and while some of them have made it to places like Netflix, others live solely on YouTube and Rooster Teeth FIRST. A couple of examples of these shows are Achievement Hunter and Let’s Play. Both are people playing video games, just with a slightly different focus.
One of the games that many of the Rooster Teeth subsets enjoy playing (though with varying degrees of success) is called Rainbow Six Siege. It’s entirely possible, if not likely, that they’re giving a hat tip to the video game every time they mention playing Siege.
Take Me To Your Leader
In case this wasn’t blatantly obvious to anybody that heard him speak; Dr. Weller is voiced by none other than David Tennant. One of David Tennant’s most well-loved roles was the Doctor, from BBC’s Doctor Who.
In Doctor Who, Tennant played a Time Lord, and while he has a grand time of getting himself into lots of crazy situations, he’s also fantastic at making memorable quotes. One of David Tennant’s lines includes the infamous “take me to your leader” line (you know the one, where almost every alien in any sci-fi movie says it?). This very quote is also used by Dr. Weller during his very first appearance on the show.
Spoilers
Yes, there were two Doctor Who references in a row, and in the very same episode! Maybe they just wanted to get them out of the way?
All fandoms know what ‘spoilers’ means, but Doctor Who gave its fans a whole new reason to appreciate the saying. Time travelers don’t always meet in the same order, as evidenced by the somewhat famous romance between the Doctor and River Song. The singsong way she says spoilers will stick with us always.
Why Are We Here?
In episode two of gen:LOCK, “There’s Always Tomorrow,” on the shuttle full of new recruits, a conversation occurs. Kazu is wondering why Valentina is there since she doesn’t think they can win, and Cammie eloquently responds with a memorable quote “It’s one of life’s great mysteries, isn’t it?”
The conversation is a direct throwback to one of the very first conversations to occur in another one of Rooster Teeth’s shows, Red vs. Blue. In that scene, Simmons is questioning the reason why they’re at the base, only for Grif to misinterpret the question as one about life itself. He responds with “It’s one of life’s great mysteries, isn’t it?”
Caliban Has Ties To William Shakespeare
Dr. Weller’s incredibly helpful android is named Caliban. He’s the quiet sort but is very good at hauling things around, taking commands, and helping with all of the settings for the gen:LOCK project. In short, things wouldn’t run as smoothly without him.
Caliban is also a name from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. It’s not a long shot to assume that Dr. Weller pulled the name directly from the origin, which raises some questions about the implications here. The most obvious correlation is how Caliban is forced into servitude. A little on the nose, isn’t it?
Training Facility
In the third episode, “Second Birthday,” the new recruits finally make it into the program officially. Newly placed inside their gigantic robotic bodies, they have a lot of adjusting to do.
Cammie is understandably having the toughest time of the bunch since her center of gravity has been dramatically altered. The best way to get the three newbies used to their bodies, while also getting them ready for action, is to have a battle simulation. The simulation has a lot in common with the Freelancer training methods used in Red vs. Blue. The pillars are reminiscent, though obviously significantly larger in this instance. As are some of the nonlethal ways of marking your opponents as ‘tagged.’
RWBY Costumes
In episode four of gen:LOCK, “Training Daze,” the gang get their first day off in what must be weeks (if not longer). While most of them would prefer to spend their time staying as far away from the others as possible, Cammie manages to convince the crew to get together in the Ether (their immersive version of the net).
During the short time the group is actually together in the Ether, Cammie has the group try on a series of different outfits (being able to change this setting with the click of a button made this feat possible). One of the outfits shown is none other than a set of costumes from the show RWBY. RWBY is another Rooster Teeth original!
Driana’s Surprise Appearance
In the very same episode and even the same scene as the previous line item, another major event occurs. This is one of those moments where if you blink at the wrong time, you’ll miss it completely.
During the glitching, while the Ether is under attack, you’ll see a lot of people come and go. One of those people you’ll recognize though… For just the briefest moment, Driana is visible. She is notably stunned when shown, but the real question is, why? Is she simply surprised that the Ether is being attacked? Or is she dumbfounded about the sight of her supposedly deceased brother?
The Unknown Antagonist
Another important feature happened in the fourth episode of gen:LOCK, but a lot happens in this episode! This episode brought about the first attack from a major and unnamed antagonist. We know next to nothing about him/her, other than that they are using tech disturbingly similar to Dr. Weller’s designs.
Well, it isn’t completely similar. This beast has four arms, for example. What is notable about the unknown assailant though, is that they seem to be having some trouble. Every few moments he would twitch and otherwise seem to be struggling. The cause of this is yet unknown, but it likely has to do with a lack of stability in his or her setup.
A Phrase That Just Keeps Coming Up
“You only live once, so let the good times roll.” The song that keeps getting quoted made its first appearance back in the pilot episode of gen:LOCK. It made a second appearance that very same episode when Miranda thought she wouldn’t survive an encounter.
The song made yet another appearance in episode five. And it’s from the most unlikely source; the unnamed mecha antagonist is heard to be quoting the song as well, along with a lot of other hard to understand garble.
