For more information on the program, Tron and the story that started the Tron universe, see Tron (film) and Tron
Set in the present, The Tron Universe has humanoid computer programs inside a computer world, where human Users can interact with these programs through human digitization. It is in this universe where the Tron film, Tron 2.0 and Tron 2.0 comic books take place. The Universe is named after the computer program, Tron, who saved a computer system (and the real world) from a mad computer program known as the MCP.
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 computer 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.
Three notable users have been digitized:
- Kevin Flynn (very first user to be digitized)
- Jet Bradley (second user to be digitized)
- Alan Bradley(digitized against his will)
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 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, they stick to several major colors.
- Blue
- Believes in and/or fights for the Users.
- Red
- Yellow
- Hacker
- Fights for Independent Programs
- Green
- Purple
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.