Bob (ReBoot) vs Tron

ReBoot vs Tron. Guardian vs. Security Program. Which hero of the computer code will win in this gladiatorial death match?

Interlude
Wiz: I love computers. They help me with research, play games, communicate, take care of the house …

Boomstick: But sometimes things go wrong. Like viruses. Hackers. Or the machines turn against humanity. That’s when we need warriors like these bunch of coding.

Wiz: Bob, protector of Mainframe from the show, ReBoot.

Boomstick: And Tron, the grid gladiator of the Sci-Fi series, …well … Tron. He’s Wiz, and I’m Boomstick.

Wiz: And it’s our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to see who will win in a death battle.

Bob
Wiz: Inside our computers is a world composed of systems connected by the net. The inhabitants are sprites and binomes that work to fulfill the computer’s functions. Unfortunately, there are also computer viruses that threaten the well-being of the systems and their inhabitants.

Boomstick: That is why the Guardians exist.

Wiz: Coming from the Super Computer, these sprites mend and defend the systems and the net from whatever threatens it.

Boomstick: An exceptional guardian was Bob.

Wiz: Bob (which stands for Binary Object) was a cadet when the Guardians encountered and captured a virus called Killabyte. Just as it was about to be deleted, some mysterious user upgraded it into the super virus Gigabyte. It killed Bob’s mentor, Dixon Green, left through a Gateway, and split into two viruses: Megabyte and Hexadecimal. Bob pursued it into the system, Mainframe, where he decided to stay in order to protect the city and his new friends.

'''Boomstick: Though he is impulsive and rarely plans, Bob is quite talented and would do whatever it takes to save the day. He has thwarted the virus, Megabyte, countless times. He wooed … I mean, persuaded … the queen of chaos, Hexadecimal, to spare Mainframe. In fact, he indirectly saved the entire net from the cron virus, Daemon, when Hexadecimal sacrificed herself to negate Daemon’s code because Hex could not stand to let him die. See, Wiz! Being a player is a good thing.'''

Wiz: Speaking of player, Bob also saved Mainframe from a game player that is referred to as The User. You see, some person in the real world has been installing games into Mainframe. However, if The User wins, a section of Mainframe gets nullified and the unfortunate inhabitants that were caught in the gamecube get turned into slug-like creatures called Nulls.

'''Boomstick: What?! So, I really am murdering when I play Call of Duty? Awesome!'''

Wiz: To prevent the destruction, Bob and his friends would go into the gamecube and stop the User from winning.

Boomstick: I thought something was fishy when I kept losing.

Wiz: Actually, it’s because you don’t know how to play.

'''Boomstick: I do so! You load the gun, aim, and fire.'''

Wiz: Not your real gun!

'''Boomstick: Fortunately, Bob is good in games. He’s skilled enough to pilot a spaceship through an asteroid field. His reflexes are fast enough to drive a Formula One racecar around bunch of bombs that the User dropped onto the tracks. He played in military combat games, magical quest games, stealth and survival games, and more. And he usually wins with his wits, instincts, and resourcefulness.'''

Wiz: In a game, Bob reboots himself to obtain the game’s equipment and stats. But, his base form is also pretty strong.

'''Boomstick: He survived a hit that smashed him into a wall. He could take a swipe from the Super Virus Gigabyte. And a good thing too. His movements are slow and clunky like a toy doll. He took hits that real people would have been able to dodge. I mean, half the time he’s just standing there. (to Bob) Why are you just standing there?'''

Wiz: Good thing he can zip around on a zip board, which helps him travel and dodge attacks. And most of all, he’s got his number one tool, Glitch, a Key Tool and a primary device of the Guardians.

'''Boomstick: Remember Bob’s mentor who died? Bob got Glitch from her at that tragic moment.'''

Wiz: It can perform scans and relay information. It can morph into any tool or weapon. It can also create portals by stabilizing tears. At some point, Glitch got an upgrade and could produce energy-based constructs and levitate objects.

'''Boomstick: Received from a dead predecessor. Create energy-based constructs. It’s starting to sound like a Lantern ring.'''

Wiz: Very intelligent, it knows what its Guardian needs. And it even chooses its Guardian.

Boomstick: It is EXACTLY like a Lantern ring.

Wiz: Well, has a Lantern ring merged with the wearer? One time, Bob downloaded Glitch into his own code, combining Key Tool with Guardian, and became Glitch Bob. In this powerful, silver form, Glitch Bob can emit an aura large enough to surround a large pirate ship, tear off the ship’s armor, and tug the large ship through a portal.

Boomstick: Here comes the fancy numbers.

Wiz: Well, since this is a world composed of computer code, we’re not sure how the laws of physics work here. In order to make some kind of estimate of Bob’s force, the best we can do is compare the ship to a Cog. A Cog ship that is approximately 80 ft would weight about 360 tons. This means Glitch Bob exerted around 50,000 Newtons of force when he pulled the ship approximately 200 ft into the portal in about 20 seconds.

'''Boomstick: Glitch Bob could also make force fields that stopped a tank blast and shoot blasts from his hands to blow up tanks. I don’t know why he wanted to give up such a cool power.'''

Wiz: Well, the merge was not perfect, and Glitch Bob had a limited amount of power. Overexertion nearly killed him. In fact, the Key Tool itself had limits. It ran on battery power and needed recharges. There were some files it could not recognize. And it could be crushed in the palm of a strong enemy, like Megabyte.

'''Boomstick: But Bob would never give up on saving Mainframe and its inhabitants, protecting systems and the net, and stopping whatever threat is out there. You can always count on Bob to find a way to save the day.'''

''Bob: “My format: Guardian. To mend and defend - to defend my new found friends, their hopes and dreams, and to defend them from their enemies.”''

Tron
'''Boomstick: Wiz. Why do computers hate us so much?'''

Wiz: The brilliant programmer and ENCOM’s former software engineer, Kevin Flynn, created the Tron System, a digital environment inside a server. Then, ENCOM’s Master Control Program (MCP) became power hungry, took control over the Tron System, and turned against its users. Inside the Tron System, the programs that resisted the MCP’s rule were forced to play in deadly games held inside the platform, called the Grid.

'''Boomstick: Dominating and loves deadly play. Just like my ex-wife.'''

Wiz: When Flynn was zapped into the Grid by a laser machine, he would have been the MCP’s prisoner forever if it wasn’t for a program called Tron. Faithfully loyal to the users, Tron persistently resisted the MCP’s rule and survived several of its death matches.

'''Boomstick: And, boy, does he have skills?! Quick and agile, he is one of the top fighters out of all the programs. If you try to attack him, he’ll swiftly counter you with punches and kicks without breaking a sweat. When a group of programs tried to simultaneously take him down, he easily dodged, blocked, and knocked out all of them like a boss.'''

Wiz: He is skilled enough to defend himself from attackers in all directions. In a 4 vs. 1 disc battle, Tron was surrounded in all four sides. Not only did he block their attacks, but he also took down all four opponents with just a single disc.

Boomstick: Explain what that flashy Frisbee is, Wiz.

Wiz: That is the Identity Disc. A storage device of all the program’s data and a primary weapon. Similar to a Chakram, programs would either throw it like a Frisbee for a mid-range attack, or hold it like a knuckleduster for hand-to-hand melee. Its energy-infused edge is powerful enough to slice through programs and derez them in a single blow.

Boomstick: De- what?

Wiz: Derez. That’s when a program is dissolved and deleted from a lethal blow.

'''Boomstick: Whoa! It’s like they are made of Legos.'''

Wiz: While any program can ricochet their discs or throw it in a curve, some programs like Tron are skilled enough to manipulate the disc’s movement while it is in midair. And, one time, Tron threw his disc so hard that it sliced through a high official’s disc, even though discs are durable enough to block those attacks. And if that’s not impressive enough, in Tron: Uprising, another character, Beck, used his disc to cut what is seemingly concrete in order to collapse a tunnel.

'''Boomstick: But what do people like most about the Tron movies? … The Light Cycle. Vroom! Vroom! She’s slick. She’s fast. And her wheels glow … with light.'''

Wiz: Again, the Tron universe is in a computer-generated world. So, we don’t have actual data on speed and power. But if scaled to the real-world like we did for ReBoot, the Light Cycle seems to be capable of incredible speed. In the cartoon, Tron: Uprising, there was a scene where Beck had to outrace an explosion. In the middle of the scene, he made his cycle burst in high speed. Assuming the cycle is about 8 ft long, and using that as a reference, the cycle’s bursting speed was at least 250 mph. Although the Dodge Tomahawk, which seems to resemble the Light Cycle the most, has a top speed of 420 mph.

'''Boomstick: They are used for a sporty version of the Snake game. As the light cycle zooms across the Grid, they leave a trail of solid light. If you hit that light, you’re dead … I mean, derezzed. Best of all, you materialize it using a baton.'''

Wiz: Tron: Legacy brought us another vehicle, the Light Jet. This small, single-rider jet not only creates light ribbons like the light cycle, but it also has two forward-firing automatic guns that can tear holes into enemy vehicles. However, despite its fancy designs, the speed is not so impressive. In all the scenes of Tron: Legacy, they seem to be travelling at 40 mph to 60 mph.

'''Boomstick: But it is still cool that you can materialize it with a baton. Man! What can’t you make with that baton?'''

Wiz: Funny you should mention that. Since Tron: Legacy, the baton has been used to make various items. A cable for grappling and swinging. An umbrella to keep yourself dry. A light sword. A bo staff. It can also generate a couple other vehicles.

'''Boomstick: Well, I got an impressive staff down here. If you know what I mean.'''

Wiz: Uh hmm! When another program, Clu, turned against Flynn and seized control of the Tron System, Tron displayed tenacity that was matched by his steely resolve. He fought off Clu’s reprogramming and reaffirmed his loyalty to the user. He survived a huge fall into the Sea of Simulation and a blow from Clu’s disc. Despite torture that left him damaged and scarred, Tron remained a strong fighter for the user and a major threat to Clu’s reign.

'''Boomstick: However, all that damage and a betrayal from his close friend did have a toll. One time, Tron was so enraged and thirsty for revenge that he became obsessed with derezzing that backstabber of a friend. During this psychological breakdown, Tron neglected himself and his injuries grew worse. Good thing he still had some friends to bring him back on track.'''

Wiz: A determined warrior with strong loyalty to the user, Tron remained a source of inspiration for the revolution and a thorn-in-the-side of power-hungry programs.

With his memories and identity as Tron returned, Tron flies his light jet on a collision-course towards Clu as he says, “I fight … for the user.”

Fight
(Coming up around 9/27/18)