Why was the WX-78 created and everything that was shown in the short film "Disconnected"? Theory

[Deerclops Mika]

Recently, I wondered about what was shown in the short film "Disconnected" about the WX-78. The main goals were to understand why the WX-78 project exists and whether Wagstaff is as bad as it began to seem to many. I'm still of the opinion that the main task of Wagstaff is to study the Constant and it looks like the WX-78 project is related to this. First of all, I want to recall my old theory, namely why there is just a hologram in DS and DST Wagstaff. First, it is worth remembering where the conclusions that Wagstaff is a hologram came from:

1. When health decreases, Wagstaff's voice is distorted as if it is broadcast through something slightly broken.
2. While playing for Wagstaff, noises on the screen are like from a film, as if everything that we see is being broadcast somewhere
3. If you sit on the throne for Wagstaff, then when you come to the throne next time Wagstaff is no more, which may indicate that he simply turned off the projection
4. All arguments about the fact that in DST Wagstaff there is a hologram, starting from the name of the object in the game, ending with the ability to disappear and appear anywhere and effects on the model

However, if Wagstaff in the original DS is just a projection, then why can't he teleport and has the parameters of hunger, sanity and lives. I think that his projection is capable of transmitting to him some physical properties or the real parameters of hunger, reason and lives are different from the hologram in order to be able to study the Constant not only from the side of flora and fauna, but also from the side of the ability to survive in this world and understand physics and how time flows in this world, because, as we know, physics and the flow of time in the Constant do not coincide with the real world. The second option explains why we can play Wagstaff multiple times. The fact that in DST he is able to create physical objects, but at the same time he is definitely a hologram, also indicates that his projection in Constant is semi-physical. However, contrary to the theory that Wagstaff's projection also tells his portal, if Wagstaff can broadcast himself into a Constant, then he does not necessarily need a portal to a dangerous world. Here begins the theory of why the WX-78 was created. I have important points in the short film (and not only) that I noted:

1. The last experiment looks like "Organic components to blame?"
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2. A person can transfer his mind into the WX-78.
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3. Several WX-78s were created
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4. Loss of past person's memory
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5. Cancellation of the WX-78 project
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Perhaps you already understand what I mean. It looks like the predecessors of the WX-78 originally had organic components, not sure if I want to know where Wagstaff got them from, but after that they were replaced with Empathy Module acting as a moral compass (can be found in the compedium), Chemical Engine in place of the stomach (can be found in the quote on Monster Meat "IT IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH MY CHEMICAL ENGINE"), Optical Sensors in place of the eyes (сan be found in the quote on Klaus "THE RED FLESHSACK LACKS OPTICAL SENSORS"), Smelling Module in place of the nose ((сan be found in the quote on Slurper "IT VIOLATED MY SMELLING MODULE."). This explains why in the game the WX-78 also has a health, hunger and sanity bar, just like normal survivors. It looks like Wagstaff originally planned in order to study the Constant, people did not use a hologram, but moved their consciousness into a robot and passed through the portal. The fact that several robots were made may indicate that the study of the world had to take place in whole expeditions. The person who helped Wagstaff in creating the portal and WX-78, during the test of the robot, received memory lapses because of which he forgot his past and did not know how to return his mind back to his original body, this also speaks of why WX- 78 continues to be interested in The Constant, but hates Wagstaff for what hi allegedly did to him. Wagstaff, realizing that memory lapses can occur when moving the mind, cancels the project and replaces the method of studying the Constant using a second body with a hologram. It turns out that the WX-78 is an unsuccessful experiment in which no one is to blame. After a memory lapse, the man whose mind was in WX-78 began to hate Wagstaff and was most likely lured into the Wagstaff's portal by Maxwell's trickery. Also, Wagstaff initially planned to study the world instead of a hologram by transferring consciousness into a robot.

[SomebodyRandom]

That's an interesting take on it.

I think that WX-78 was created because the person who transferred their mind into WX was obsessed with robots and how much more efficient they can be compared to humans. Then Wagstaff saw that WX was having troubles with their memories and decided to put a stop to it. However, WX-78 was adamant and decided to continue their experiments in secret, ending up in a fight with Wagstaff, leading him to burn the rest of the robots that (presumably) WX created and kicking them into the Constant via the portal he and WX created (they are shown building it just after WX gets transferred into their new body).

Wagstaff obviously can't project his hologram directly into the Constant from Earth so he has to create that portal to go into the Constant and get to a safe place where he can survive in indefinitely and then project his hologram in the areas he would be doing his research in. 

Also Maxwell's trickery wouldn't be very possible to be at play here due to WX's lack of knowledge about who Maxwell is in the first place. They didn't know each other at all.

• "HE IS AN UNKNOWN" - WX-78's quote for Maxwell NPC (from Solo DS)

Meanwhile, everyone else (other than Wagstaff) shows hatred towards Maxwell when examining the NPC

[YouKnowWho]

We don’t know much about what WX was like before the mind transfer, but I imagine they might’ve suffered from some kind of erratic behavior themselves and became obsessed over trying to engineer the problem away.

It just strikes me as a bit strange that WX would even build an empathy module in the first place if their mindset was just a “robots rule humans drool” thing. 

[Deerclops Mika]

5 hours ago, SomebodyRandom said:

That's an interesting take on it.

I think that WX-78 was created because the person who transferred their mind into WX was obsessed with robots and how much more efficient they can be compared to humans. Then Wagstaff saw that WX was having troubles with their memories and decided to put a stop to it. However, WX-78 was adamant and decided to continue their experiments in secret, ending up in a fight with Wagstaff, leading him to burn the rest of the robots that (presumably) WX created and kicking them into the Constant via the portal he and WX created (they are shown building it just after WX gets transferred into their new body).

Wagstaff obviously can't project his hologram directly into the Constant from Earth so he has to create that portal to go into the Constant and get to a safe place where he can survive in indefinitely and then project his hologram in the areas he would be doing his research in. 

Also Maxwell's trickery wouldn't be very possible to be at play here due to WX's lack of knowledge about who Maxwell is in the first place. They didn't know each other at all.

• "HE IS AN UNKNOWN" - WX-78's quote for Maxwell NPC (from Solo DS)

Meanwhile, everyone else (other than Wagstaff) shows hatred towards Maxwell when examining the NPC

Many characters have only heard Maxwell through a gramophone or RP-76, so WX may not know what Maxwell sounds or looks like.  We also know that the WX-78 had some Wagstaff related memory disabled and enabled with Winona in DST.  So the module that was disabled during the original DS may have just been disabled during the hit in the Constant, which is why he may not remember Maxwell. 

 

2 hours ago, YouKnowWho said:

It just strikes me as a bit strange that WX would even build an empathy module in the first place if their mindset was just a “robots rule humans drool” thing. 

It could also be related to a disabled module.  At the time of the original DS, he might not have known he was human. After in DST when Winona turned on the WX module, he began to hate Wagstaff a lot

[TemporarySolutn]

14 hours ago, Deerclops Mika said:

It looks like the predecessors of the WX-78 originally had organic components

no he is talking about the bionic animals they are experimenting on

and it doesnt seem like he was having memory problems it seems like he was remembering his humanity which he didnt seem to like too much, i assume he felt that it made him weak, which is why he throws his empathy core at Wagstaff

WX seems to have had some severe "FROM THE MOMENT I UNDERSTOOD THE WEAKNESS OF MY FLESH IT DISGUSTED ME" vibes and that seems to be what his projects were based on, the robots were probably supposed to be a way of working in the constant without having to go into it, which is why they would have replacements and why wagstaff would want his help to begin with

afaik WX hasnt been seen to show any interest in the constant, only "robotic evolution", Wagstaff was intrested in the constant so "make me a robot so i can explore the constant" was deadset for his interests and skillset anyways 

[maradyne]

10 hours ago, YouKnowWho said:

It just strikes me as a bit strange that WX would even build an empathy module in the first place if their mindset was just a “robots rule humans drool” thing. 

Since the update vid, I've come to assume that the 'empathy module' was actually a sort of container for his 'former self'; old memories and emotions. His humanity. An approximation of a human brain, somehow.
Basically that every bit of the lab animation are memories contained within the device, including those from the human perspective.

With it being disconnected for so long, WX has drifted from its originator's mindset. Both believe in progress through the replacement of weak flesh...
But the scientist saw itself as the herald of that vision; he couldn't entirely remove himself from the equation.

 

WX had no such reservations.

 

 

 

It's been interesting me lately, since...machine transference is looking more and more like an eventual, inevitable development IRL. The sheer possibility of it is...
At what point does consciousness, the view from our perspective, end?
Emulation isn't duplication.
Even duplication...is just duplication.

To let something take on yourself is to leave the world behind, with a creation that knows itself to have all of your experiences...
But does it truly recall them? Depends on the medium, I guess.

At the moment of understanding, how that would affect them depends on what type of person you were. How much consciousness itself had been explored...and whether it actually matters to that particular psyche.

[SomebodyRandom]

8 hours ago, Deerclops Mika said:

Many characters have only heard Maxwell through a gramophone or RP-76, so WX may not know what Maxwell sounds or looks like.  We also know that the WX-78 had some Wagstaff related memory disabled and enabled with Winona in DST.  So the module that was disabled during the original DS may have just been disabled during the hit in the Constant, which is why he may not remember Maxwell. 

Even so, characters who we know only interaction with Maxwell prior to entering the Constant was using the gramophone/PR-76 still hate him (Wilson), and even characters who were already in the Constant hate him (Wormwood, Wilba). Wagstaff & WX-78 on the other hand, don't know him at all. Also we are shown the moment WX-78 starts hating the Empathy Module, and trying to get it removed from their plans, and we are also shown WX-78 getting thrown into The Constant. (1:21 from the video and 1:31 from the video, respectively)

[TemporarySolutn]

58 minutes ago, maradyne said:

the 'empathy module' was actually a sort of container for his 'former self'

it is literally his empathy, he remembers Wagstaff despite not having his Empathy module he remembers all the **** that happens when it gets reconnected because his empathy made him feel human, reminded him of what it was like to be human, and likely, made him feel weak

[mr. brj]

On 5/26/2022 at 2:49 AM, SomebodyRandom said:

"HE IS AN UNKNOWN" - WX-78's quote for Maxwell NPC (from Solo DS)

I would also like to point out that Wagstaff not only lacks a dislike or hatred towards Maxwell, he also seems to have discovered the Constant without ever meeting him. If I remember correctly, examining some objects as Wagstaff, including the Maxwell Statue, makes him say something like "I would like to meet this man". He also finds it fascinating that his inventions are used in the Constant as the "Things", implying that he wasn't even aware of his radios being able to be used as magical keys that can unlock magical portals, but he is somehow aware of the Nightmare Throne which has the power to link worlds.

So maybe WX-78 wasn't an experiment on the survivability of the Constant environment, maybe they were indeed an experiment on a safe means of transportation between the two worlds. Just something to think about.