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Since when do I care if a few programs get derezzed?!
General Tesler
General Tesler
Biographical information
Status Alive
Physical description
Circuitry Color Red
Gender Male
Description Tall, broad-shouldered program wearing a short cape
Other information
Functions Keeping control over Argon City
Enforcing Clu's will
Equipment Identity Disc
Vehicles Speed Boat
Command Ship
Allies Clu 2
Paige
Pavel
Guards
Black Guards
Dyson
Out of universe information
Actor Lance Henriksen (voice)
Appearances TRON: Uprising
Gallery


General Tesler is the main antagonist of TRON: Uprising voiced by Lance Henriksen. He is one of Clu's generals and is extremely ambitious. Tesler rules over Argon City from his command ship.

Biography

Beck's Beginning

Tesler, being one of Clu's generals, was tasked with taking over a section of the Grid. This he successfully did, swiftly conquering Argon City with his army. He ran into complications, however, when the young program Beck fought back after seeing his friend derezzed before his eyes. Beck had destroyed a new statue of Clu and then overturned a Light Rail full of prisoners and freeing them. Tesler decided to handle the renegade himself but, in the ensuing duel, failed to derez Beck and was defeated: Beck effected Tesler's fall off a building by cutting off his arms. Helpless, unable to grab anything, Tesler fell a long way down onto a light rail beam where he was eventually rescued by Paige.

The Renegade, Part 1 & 2

After his embarrassing defeat at the hands of Beck, Tesler did not go on the front lines quite as much. He watched the games at the Coliseum, unaware that the Renegade that he so hated was fighting in the tournament, having been captured for breaking curfew. And so it was that before Tesler's eyes, Beck and another program defeated wave one of their enemies and then escaped. They were recaptured and brought back by Paige, but again they defeated the next round of opponents. Tesler remarked that they were "too good" and Pavel, his second-in-command, suggested that the two fight each other for freedom, thus eliminating the threat of programs beating the games. Then Cutler, Beck's accomplice, forfeited to prevent Beck and himself from killing each other. Tesler was willing to derez them both but Paige, showing her more compassionate side, convinced him to let the winner go free. So Tesler sent Beck off and had Pavel move Cutler to Argon Square to be derezzed.

This turned out to be a mistake, as Beck, once again in the guise of Tron, broke Cutler out and the two escaped from Argon City entirely. But Tesler wasn't giving up that easily. When the escapee and the Renegade jumped in a Light Boat to escape, Tesler gave pursuit in a boat of his own. He very nearly succeeded this time, but the duo was rescued by the actual Tron in his boat. Once again, Tesler had failed to derez the Renegade and achieve his ends.

Tessler Arm Launch

Tesler launches his arm.

Blackout

When Tesler went to inspect his new energy drilling operation, he found that Paige had ordered the drill be shut down. Angered by this decision, Tesler ordered it turned back on and replaced Paige with Pavel to oversee the drilling. Before leaving, he told Paige she had been sloppy lately. He later made a public announcement that the renegade had tried to sap all the energy, and promised to find him and bring him to justice. He congratulated Paige on her idea for blaming the energy plot on the renegade.

Isolated

Price of Power

The Reward

Scars, Part 1 & 2

Grounded

Tagged

State of Mind

Welcome Home

Rendezvous

Terminal

Personality and traits

Tesler is arrogant, ambitious, and is extremely dangerous. He has been known to summarily derez soldiers who bring him unwelcome news; when faced with actual traitors or rebels, he frequently toys with their hopes first, or sentences them to the games, watching with evil satisfaction as they struggle for their lives.

He is a silver-tongued tyrant, ruling Argon through force and fear while simultaneously blaming any chaos on the Renegade and convincing citizens that his cruel, arbitrary directives are for their own good. His skills at deception and rationalization are highlighted in his retention of Paige, whose values are very different from his own, as a valuable ally who believes wholeheartedly that he would never betray her.

Weakness in general is anathema to Tesler. He hates defeat, uncertainty, loss of face, lack of knowledge -- anything that could put him at a disadvantage in any way -- and tolerates the same in his troops as little as he tolerates them in himself. He also detests and fears his superiors due to their power and authority over him, and attempts to show his administration in its best light whenever they visit.

His hatred for the Renegade is complete; he denies any possibility that the rogue program is actually Tron or even Flynn himeself, and constantly plots to flush him out and destroy him. The Renegade's successes and his own failures to defeat him are a constant thorn in his side, to the point that a triumphant Renegade gloats over him in his nightmares -- a weakness and fear to which he would never admit. For his own satisfaction, Tesler demands a worthy adversary in the Renegade; anything less would be an insult to the Occupation and more personally, himself.

Tesler, however, does appear to possess some more positive traits, such as giving his lieutenants second chances and listening to their ideas and suggestions. He did express happiness when Paige was found alive despite her likely being unable to hear him and flew out to rescue her from drowning in the first place, hinting he may at the very least appreciates her as a soldier. Tesler also appeared furious and betrayed when Paige was accused of consipering against him. Tesler also released the prisoners when the Renegade asked as the General promised to do when he surrendered, despite the Renegade not having surrendered yet, saying that he is program of his word. Tesler also congrulates and rewards those who prove themselves to him like Pavel who "proved" Paige innoccent and bringing in the prototype weapon upgrade, rewarding him the district of Purgos.

Tesler also is disgusted with cowardice as seen with Hopper refusing to fight him and begging for mercy, calling the accused program a coward. He also doesn't take kindly to being called a coward, as when Beck taunted him for mainly ordering his soldiers from the safety of his ship, Tesler was quick to point out he didn't disguise himself as Tron like the Renegade did.

Powers and abilities

Tesler prefers hand-to-hand fighting over using his identity disc, though he has been known to cast his disc on occasion. His fighting style is relentless and linear, focusing on crushing the programs in his path, often advancing slowly while pinning victims with his gauntlets in order to prolong their fear and suffering. When he believes himself to have an advantage, he also taunts his opponents verbally, attempting to impress them with their helplessness and the futility of resistance.

When Tesler ignites the prosthetics on his hands and forearms, he has the ability to block disc attacks or to generate a powerful electric charge which can break down and derez programs during prolonged contact. The augmented arms also pack a considerable punch, and Tesler can launch them up to sixty feet from his body to grapple or strike, even turning corners when an opponent dodges.

In Grounded, Tesler allowed Pavel to augment one of his arms with a massive cannon upgrade. When the upgrade is active, spikes protrude from his boots to anchor him against the cannon's hefty backlash.

Trivia

  • General Tesler is most likely named for Larry Tesler, a computer scientist working in the field of human-computer interaction, who worked on the Compel and Pascal programming languages and has launched a campaign for modeless software.
  • A deleted scene, presumably from the season finale, shows Tesler being punished by CLU by having his arms cut off by Dyson.
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