TRON Universe

This article is written from a Real World perspective.

For more information on the program, Tron and the story that started the Tron mythology, see Tron (film) and Tron

With Tron taking place in 1982, Tron Evolution set in 1989, Tron 2.0 taking place in 2003 and Tron Legacy set in 2010, the Tron Universe is basically about humans entering inside a computer and interacting with humanoid computer programs in cyberspace. The Universe/mythology is named after the computer program, Tron, who saved ENCOM's computer system and the real world from an evil self-aware computer program known as the MCP in 1982.

Canon

Main article: Canon

There are two different storylines in the Tron mythology.

Main Tron Canon

• Tron (film) (1982)
• Tron: Betrayal (1983/1989)
• Tron: Evolution (1989)
• Tron: Legacy (2010)

The other storyline focuses on Alan Bradley's son Jet Bradley and his adventures in cyberspace. However, it has been confirmed by Tron Legacy director Joseph Kosinski that the Tron 2.0 storyline takes place in an alternate universe. Nevertheless, some elements from Tron 2.0 have appeared in Tron Legacy, such as the fact that Flynn disappeared in the late 80s and the Tron arcade game was a big success.

• Tron 2.0 (2003)
• Tron 2.0 Killer App (2003)
• Tron: The Ghost in the Machine (2003)

Primary Factions

In the Tron Universe, there are two major groups of races/factions: The Users and Programs.

Users

Kevin Flynn, moments before he is digitized.

A User is essentially a human being who operates a computer. Little do we know, on the other side of the screen, there is a micro-civilization of humanoid computer programs, that we created. If a user writes and compiles a program on his computer, the program will look exactly like his User counterpart in the computer world. Users are looked upon by the programs as gods or even saviors of their world.

A User can enter to the computer world through the extremely experimental method of digitization, where they get hit by a dual laser beam from a digitizing gun and literally disingerate. The laser beam collects every atom of the user and convert the analog essence of the human into digital data. Through this process, the user enters in the computer world and can interact with the computer programs. Users have experienced dizziness and disorientation upon entry into the computer world.

If something is wrong with the digitization software/hardware, then the user will get corrupted during the transfer from real world to the compuer world.

Users have special powers in the computer world, such as, they can regain and regenerate more energy than programs, transfer their energy to programs and other objects, withstand much more damage (and can even take lethal doses of pain) than programs and have more complex data than programs. If a user is derezzed in the computer world, he will not die but simply get kicked out of the computer world and reform back to the real world via the digitizing gun. However, if the digitizing software/hardware is unavailable or the digitizing gun is broken, then the user will die if he is derezzed.

Four notable users have been digitized:

• Kevin Flynn (very first user to be digitized)
• Jet Bradley (second user to be digitized. In the non-canon Tron: 2.0)
• Alan Bradley(digitized against his will. Also in the non-canon Tron: 2.0)
• Sam Flynn (digitized while searching for his father)

Other people have been digitized but when they were, they have been corrupted. Others have been digitized correctly, but have not been totally identified. These are only in Tron: 2.0's Alternate Timeline. These people include:

• J.D. Thorne (was corrupted and turned into a virus; died)
• Ms. Popoff (was corrupted with Baza and Crown and turned into a monster virus)
• Mr. Crown (was corrupted with Baza and Popoff and turned into a monster virus)
• Mr. Baza (was corrupted with Popoff and Crown and turned into a monster virus)
• Various DataWraiths

Although it is not confirmed nor denied, there is the possibility that Lora Bradley, Jet's mother, was digitised also. This is inferred due to the following emails located within the Tron 2.0 game.

• Lora died due to a misfire of the digitising laser. If this was active, it can be assumed that she was digitised or part digitised.
• Emails detail rumours that Alan Bradley may have incorporated parts of Lora inside the computer after the digitising accident into her program, Ma1a (Later Ma2a and Ma3a)
• Ma2a exhibits traits recognised as Lora's, suggesting she is connected with it somehow.

No specific answer to this possibility is provided one way or the other, and alternatives to this are also detailed in the plot mechanisms within Tron 2.0.

Programs

Programs are electronic beings that were written/created by the Users. Programs have a unique trait of looking exactly like their user counterpart in the real world. However, despite their human appearance, they are completely different beings than users. They live on pure energy and have circuitry all over their bodies, which glows in fantastic colors which varies from program to program.

Circuitry Colors

Usually, depending on a programs' beliefs or functions (or - in very rare cases - emotions), they stick to several major colors.

• Blue
  • Believes in and/or fights for the Users.
• Red
  • Does not believe in the Users
  • Believes in and/or fights for the MCP
  • ENCOM Security Program
• Yellow
  • Hacker
  • Fights for Independent Programs
  • Virus
• Green
  • MCP's Security functions (such as driving a tank)
  • Corrupted Programs
• Purple
  • fCon
  • In the Deleted Love Scene from Tron, Yori has purple circuitry, possibly denoting that circuitry colors can change by emotions.
  • Briefly Kevin Flynn when transitioning from red to blue in the solar sailor scene

Anatomy

They also wear armor (such as helmets, forearm and shin guards) quite frequently. It is currently unknown if this armor can be taken off or if it's a part of a program's anatomy. Since they protect the program, they could just be additional security code added to the programming.

History

The rise and fall of Kevin Flynn

In 1980, ENCOM, an American technology company in California brings their first mainframe online, which had the greatest state-of-the-art technology at the time. That same year, computer programmer and hacker Kevin Flynn gets his doctorate from Caltech and joins ENCOM. He soon climbs up the ranks and becomes a lead software engineer. In his spare time, he begins writing video games on his private terminal at the ENCOM offices including Matrix Blaster, Vice Squad, Lightcycles (game) and what would be his most popular title, Space Paranoids.

In 1981, Flynn was ready to present his video games to the executives at ENCOM but when he went to his terminal to pull up the game files, he discovered that they were stolen. Three months later, another software engineer named Ed Dillinger presents ENCOM with Flynn's games, claiming them as his own creations. The games became extremely popular at arcades and ENCOM's profits soar. As a result Dillinger gets promoted to Senior Executive VP and fires Flynn. Shortly after, Flynn opens up Flynn's Arcade, which turns out to be very popular with gamers.

The Reign of the MCP

Main article: Tron

By 1982, ENCOM, becomes a very powerful company and begins work on digitization hardware, which allows matter to be transported at a molecular level. In order to control the steadily increasing advance hardware, a program (originally a chess program created by Dillinger) called the Master Control Program aka MCP was created to administrate the entire ENCOM mainframe. Dillinger secretly added some hidden functions in the MCP that allowed it to appropriate other programs it comes across, using the appropriated program's functions to become bigger and more powerful. Eventually, the MCP becomes self-aware and starts to become obsessed with power. It soon starts hacking and stealing programs and code from military, government and bank mainframes from around the world.

Meanwhile, Flynn tries to hack into ENCOM's mainframe to find evidence that Dillinger stole his games. Using his hacking program Clu, Flynn gets booted out of the system and Clu is appropriated by the MCP. Alan Bradley, programmer of the security program Tron, finds out about Flynn's hacking attempt (which caused the MCP to deny Alan access to Tron as a security precaution) and reluctantly decides to help Flynn hack into ENCOM's mainframe by using his girlfriend Lora's direct terminal. Flynn starts to hack into the terminal when the MCP discovers Flynn and shoots him with Lora's experimental digitizing gun. Flynn gets digitized and is transported into cyberspace, where he meets Tron, a prisoner of the MCP, who forces all computer programs that believe in the users to play gladiator video games (based off Flynn's own video games) until they derezz. With the help of Flynn, Tron manages to escape the Game Grid and find their way to the MCP. Tron, using his identity disk, destroys the MCP and ends the reign of the tyrannical rule of the MCP. Flynn gets the evidence that Dillinger stole his games and becomes VP of Creative Development at ENCOM. ENCOM becomes the largest video game company in the world. Flynn never tells Alan or Lora about his experience in the cyberspace and keeps it a secret. Flynn then creates a video game in 1983 called "Tron", based off of Alan's program name. The game is basically a recreation of his adventure on the game grid. Flynn also starts calling Alan "Tron" as a nickname.

Flynn's family

Later in '82, Flynn gets married to Jordan Canas and have a son named Sam. Alan Bradley becomes Sam's godfather. Sadly, Flynn's wife dies in an accident in September 1985. During this time, Kevin secretly devotes his time to creating a utopia inside cyberspace. He redesigns his video game vehicles such as the lightcycle and recognizers and utilizes them in his world.

Flynn goes missing

In November 1989, Flynn disappears without a trace. Leaving behind 7 year old Sam, as well as ENCOM and his fortune. After searching for Kevin, he was presumed dead and Sam lived with his grandmother until he was an adult. During high school at Wellminster Academy Sam shows reckless/risk taking behavior at the school, tagging the symbol "89" on desks and walls, getting into fights, and stunts on his motorcycle in the school's parking lot. According to Alan Bradley, these antisocial activities are his way of getting other people to take a deeper interest in finding his father, who Sam believes is still alive.

In 1997, Sam joins a capoeira martial arts troupe from Brazil and begins to train with them. After 2000, the school notices his social skills have immensely improved and is much more calm when confrontations. He is accepted into Caltech, his father's alma mater, into the matriculating class of 2001.