Union Aerospace Corporation
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The Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) is a fictional military-industrial conglomerate from the Doom series of video games created by id Software. Its focus is primarily military weaponry, weapons and defense contracts, aerospace, bio-research, space exploration, and other more sinister scientific endeavors. From the introduction to Doom 3:
| “ | The Union Aerospace Corporation is the largest corporate entity in existence. Originally focused on weapons and defense contracts, new ventures have expanded into biological research, space exploration, and other scientific endeavors. With unlimited funds and the ability to engage in research outside of moral and legal obligations, the UAC controls the most advanced technology ever conceived. | ” |
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[edit] History
Originally, the Doom storyline was quite different from the version finally used in Doom and Doom II. The original story unfolded on a military base, located on an alien planet called Tei Tenga. The managing organization was called the UAAF (United Aerospace Armed Forces), sent to guard the installation. The UAC was only ever specifically mentioned as side notes; its importance seems to have been somewhat reduced, its focus possibly a military one, and it was referred to as the United Aerospace Corporation. [1]
[edit] Doom and Doom II
The first Doom video game placed the UAC bases on Mars' two moons Deimos and Phobos. The R&D bases on Phobos and Deimos were previously used for radioactive waste treatment and computer housing storage, before teleporters linking them together were built.
The UAC research facilities were built near ancient ruins (the Anomalies) that the UAC discovered could be used to teleport objects between the two moons. Human volunteers sent through the gateways either disappeared, or suffered madness followed with death by full-body explosion.
It is of note that the result of the Anomalies' eventual conversion to interdimensional gateways seems to have resulted more from the UAC's negligence and ignorance.
The UAC's role in Doom II is greatly reduced; although boxes bearing the UAC logo are still encountered, the company does not have a role in the game's storyline (beyond that its research prior to the original game is directly responsible for the demonic invasion of Earth). The UAC does come to the fore once again in the two Final Doom storylines. In the TNT: Evilution storyline it conducts more experiments into teleportation, only under strict military supervision; demons invading through teleporter gateways are quickly destroyed. However, the demons instead choose to attack in a techno-magical spaceship, evading the UAC's defences. In the Plutonia storyline, UAC scientists develop a Quantum Accelerator device in order to close inter-dimensional gateways that the demons themselves are creating. The device works perfectly, but is slow, and the demons overwhelm them anyway.
[edit] Doom 3
With the retelling to the first Doom, the game received a large overhaul, greatly developing the story since it had more detailed and realistic cutscenes. The story was moved to Mars rather than taking place on the Martian moons. Increased focus was placed on the importance of the UAC research being conducted by the Delta Labs division, specifically research under the guidance of Malcolm Betruger. A great deal of the UAC’s research seems to be focused on teleportation, which is shrouded in secrecy. As the player progresses through the game, it emerges that the UAC have even been retrieving specimens (most of them were corpses of imps they had found) from the dimension that they uncovered in their experiments. The labs that contained many of these specimens held: The head and spine of a Hellknight, a still alive Imp, possibly more, (research notes on the Imps and Hellknight seem to indicate that their fireballs are plasma based, possibly the inspiration into the Plasma gun the player picks up,) a Revenant, and more severed bodyparts of Imps.
[edit] Doom movie
The UAC has a role in the Doom movie, but their ambitions and scientific work deviate from the games, as they focus on genomic research instead of teleportation.
[edit] Technology and research
Throughout Doom 3, references are made to current UAC research projects, through email, audio logs and video discs. This generally ranges from the informational videos about the UAC base, to instruction videos on the latest weaponry (such as the BFG9000).
Although the company is technologically advanced, the UAC complex is badly designed and in a state of disrepair. Under its perfect, technological exterior lurks myriad wires, leaking pipes, and other assorted systems on the verge of breakdown. To somewhat sardonic effect in-game, one of the videos mention that they vent the steam byproduct of water and oxygen production in the base throughout the entire facility through hidden pipes, serving as a scare tactic against the player.
The UAC makes use of their Mars facility to conduct research "outside of moral and legal obligations", according to the introductory text sequence of the game. Presumably they are too far away to be reliably monitored by Earth authorities, and their corporate strength offers them substantial political power.
Not all the research being conducted at the base was approved or known by their board of directors. Dr. Malcolm Betruger's unsanctioned pursuit of research stemming from their teleportation technology was enough to alarm the board into sending a high-ranking inspector with a heavily-armed escort to investigate the base, after a whistleblower, Dr. Elizabeth McNeil, informed them of the potential danger the Doctor posed. She is transferred back to Earth by Betruger forcibly (and rather abruptly judging from the fact her PDA is left in her office) before the events of the game, for showing too much interest in his research.
[edit] UAC website
For the promotion of Doom 3, id Software created a fake UAC website with a trajectory countdown. This countdown had two meanings; within the context of the game, it represented the estimated arrival time to Mars of the shuttle that carried the Marine, Swann and Campbell. In real life, it was actually a countdown to the game's release date. (The site now redirects to the id Software website.)
Recently the Doom RPG game for cellphones was released. On the main Doom RPG website there are links to what seems to be a more realistic Union Aerospace Corporation website. Although many of the links lead to "Access Denied" pages, it provides some information on the history of the UAC.
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