Robert Norton is the captain of the USM Eudora and an officer of Earth Government's Earth Defense Force.[2]. He helps Ellie Langford and Isaac Clarke on their quest to destroy the Markers during the year 2514.
History
Almost nothing is provided on Robert Norton's military career or personal life prior to the events that take place on Uxor, Keyhole Station and Tau Volantis. A brief conversation with Clarke suggests that Norton and John Carver serve the "last battalion" of the Earth Government's Defense Force in the wake of the relentless attacks committed by the Unitologist group Circle, led by Jacob Danik[2].
Events of Dead Space: Liberation
Ellie Langford and Robert Norton meet during the time he and Carver are stationed on Haven Prime. Following her break up with Clarke, the two become romantically involved. When Damara Carver discovers information on Marker research from the Sovereign Colonies, Ellie and Robert choose to help the archaeologist unearth more information. Some time after her discovery, Uxor is attacked by the Circle and Jacob Danik. Norton and Ellie arrive to the planet too late to save Damara or her son, Dylan, but persuade Carver into getting the doctor's compiled data to safety.
Norton and the Eudora descend from high orbit to get Ellie and Carver off Uxor before Danik can apprehend him. When Carver demands to know what's going on, Norton is quick to tell him that the information is "need-to-know" only. Regardless, Ellie tells him what Damara was doing and how she planned on helping them destroy the source of the Markers. Once Carver decides to help them, the Eudora lands at Ptolemy Station where they use the station's triangulation system to locate the source of the "master signal" of the Marker. Realizing they need a shock beacon and a station to get there, they head for Keyhole station.
In transit, Ellie tries and fails to decode the Marker language found in Damara's research. Ellie suggests that they contact Clarke, as he's the only person she knows who can decipher the language of the Markers. Norton objects, believing Clarke's status with the Unitologists and insanity would merely complicate their mission further. Ellie, believing Norton is merely being jealous, storms off to speak with Carver.
When they arrive at Keyhole Station, Norton decides to take the lead despite his lack of familiarity with the environment. It isn't before long that the trio is attacked and separated by the combined forces of the Unitologists and the Necromorphs already aboard the station. Norton leads himself and Carver into further danger when he continues to refuse Carver's requests to lead. When he saved by Carver, the sergeant tells him to take his advice next time. Unable to reach Ellie, Norton grudgingly agrees with her plan to go head to Tau Volantis without them. Before she travels through the ShockRing, the two apologize to each other over the dispute about Isaac.
Norton uses the Eudora's armament to destroy the station and the ShockRing, preventing Danik from following her. Without hesitation, he tells Carver their next move would be finding Isaac Clarke.[3]
At an unspecified time after crashing on Tau Volantis, Norton makes a deal with Danik. Excluding Clarke, in exchange for the safety of the rest of the crew, Danik would give him a ship and allow them to leave Tau Volantis unharmed[4].
Events of Dead Space 3
Norton, accompanied by Carver, locate Clarke on the New Horizons Lunar Colony. They infiltrate and subdue the engineer, Carver holding Isaac at gunpoint. Norton demands Isaac's expertise in a mission involving the Markers. Following Isaac's refusal, Norton persuades him by telling him Ellie requested he find him. When he explains she's missing, Isaac grudgingly accepts the task and the three set out through the streets of the Lunar Colony.
As Unitologists overwhelm them in an attempt to murder Issac, a suicide bomber destroys their car, separating Norton and Carver from Issac who lands in the sewers below. Norton and Carver fight to regroup with their target. Not long after another Necromorph outbreak is triggered by the Moon's marker, Norton and USM Eudora arrive to extract Isaac from the top of a train and shock out of the system[2]. With the three on board, Norton plots a course for barren ice planet, Tau Volantis.
Arriving in the planet's system, Norton and his crew discover the remains of Sovereign Colonies warships, with an SOS signal transmitting from the CMS Roanoke. Moving closer, the Eudora strays into a minefield, and sustains heavy damages. Isaac goes to acquire a EVA Suit while Norton and Carver seal off a ruined doorway. The destruction of the Eudora hurtles the group into space through the debris field[5]. Norton and Carver guide a boxlike container holding Rosen and Locke through the debris toward the distress signal.
Guiding the box into a cargo bay in the Roanoke, Norton and Carver stay behind to open the box and release Rosen and Locke while Isaac searched the ship for Ellie. His crew is eventually ambushed by an ancient swarm of Necromorphs that were sealed in the abandoned ship for two centuries.
They narrowly hold the monsters off and barricade the room while Issac restores power to the ship. Norton and Carver arrive at the sealed room moments after Isaac, finding Ellie, Jennifer Santos and Austin Buckell[6]. Overjoyed to see her, Norton embraces and kisses Ellie. Assuming the mission complete, Norton declares they're all leaving, but Ellie tells him otherwise. She believes there is something important in the admiral's quarters that needs investigating.
Discovering a decommissioned shuttle, the CMS Crozier, Norton once again tries to persuade Ellie into leaving Tau Volantis, but she remains determined to see her mission through. Frustrated, Norton contacts Issac privately, imploring the engineer to get Ellie to see reason. He exposes his jealousy to Isaac, reaffirming that Isaac and Ellie's relationship is over and she's in love with him[7]. Once the Crozier is repaired, the crew make a break for the planet. The debris field quickly damages the shuttle, shattering the windows and igniting the ship as it plummets into the atmosphere. The shuttle splits apart, separating Isaac from the others[8].
Norton and the team search for shelter from the freezing environment of the planet. They manage to find snow suits, but there are only enough for Norton, Ellie and Santos. They forced to leave an injured Buckell behind when he refuses a snow suit[9]. Norton and the others make their way to a research facility wherein they are attacked by a swarm of Necromorphs.
When Isaac reunites with the group, Norton openly questions Ellie's feelings for himself and Isaac which almost results in open conflict between the two men[10]. On the way to the warehouse complex, the group is attacked by Danik's men and separated from Isaac again. Norton remains dubious of the team's efforts to find the Codex and its corresponding the machine, citing their knowledge on the device no greater than his own[11].
During their examination of the Nexus corpse, Isaac catches Norton contacting someone, but when questioned, Norton says it was nothing important. Norton begrudgingly aids in search for the Marker signal within the Nexus' body; he lowers Isaac down into the opening of the creature's body. The experiment is a success, Santos manages to locate "a thousand" signals beneath the planet's surface. The only way to reach the signals is to climb to the second dig site further up the mountain[12][4].
Norton waits until Ellie and Santos head off to set up the climbing gear before he leaves Isaac trapped in the elevator. He is determined to take control of the mission and "save" Ellie. However, Norton and Carver are ambushed outside the complex by Danik and his followers moments before Isaac joins them. Danik reveals Norton allowed them to track the team to the planet through ShockSpace.
When Danik decides to kill them, Norton rebels; the leader is going back on his promise to allow Norton and the others off-planet if Isaac was captured. Isaac intervenes, preventing Danik from executing Norton. The three engage in combat with the Unitologist soldiers until the Nexus appears. Carver and Isaac manage to keep Norton out of danger, almost at the expense of Isaac, who is nearly devoured by the creature. Isaac kills the Nexus from within its body; after he escapes, Norton attacks him in a fit of rage. He blames Isaac for dragging them to the planet and tries to kill him. Isaac reacts in self-defense, shooting Norton in the head with a Unitologist pistol[4].
Later, he reanimates as a Necromorph and appears as a hallucination of his former self. When Isaac/Carver approaches, it turns out to be Norton who reanimated as a Slasher.
Death Scene
If the player fails the button sequence, Norton will shoot Isaac in the head with his pistol, killing him instantly.
In Dead Space 3: Awakened Norton appears as a Slasher and attempts to execute the player, if the player fails the button sequence, the infected Norton will use the default Slasher Death Scene.
Trivia
- Norton is voiced by and modeled after Robert Gant.[13].
- Robert Norton shares the same last name as Karrie Norton, the protagonist of Dead Space (mobile). It is currently unknown if the two are related.
- Norton's suit, at the beginning of the game, shows the USM Valor logo on the left side of the chest.
- Norton's helmet bears the USM Valor logo on both of the side's of his helmet.
- The player can carry Norton's body to where Ellie is using kinesis, but this does not change the cutscene where Ellie asks where Norton is. Norton's corpse can also be dismembered, but becomes a Slasher anyways, Interestingly, his Slasher form doesn't have the secondary hands regular Slashers have.
- Norton also appears in Dead Space 3: Awakened as a hallucination of his human self until the player approaches revealing him to be a necromorph. He has an incredible amount of health for a basic slasher .
- Fitting, as Carver comments that Norton "Won't stay dead for long" after Issac kills him.
- Norton is the first character to be turned into a necromorph ingame to possess a unique slasher model that clearly identifies whom he used to be.
Gallery
Notes
Sources
- ↑ IGN.com: Dead Space™ 3 - Creating Carver
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Dead Space 3: Chapter 1: Rude Awakening
- ↑ Dead Space: Liberation
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Dead Space 3: Chapter 12: Autopsy
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 2: On Your Own
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 3: The Roanoke
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 4: History's Ember
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 7: Mayhem
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 8: Off The Grid
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 9: Onward
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 10: Now We Know
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 11: Signal Hunting
- ↑ IMDb: - Robert Gant