- "Your lack of confidence in me is duly noted, Ms. Daniels, but I have a mission to complete and that's exactly what I intend to do. With or without you. Do we understand each other?"
- —Hammond[1]
Zach Hammond was the Chief Security Officer of the USG Kellion. Hammond was one of the three survivors aboard the USG Kellion that made it past the Flight Deck on the USG Ishimura along with Isaac Clarke and Kendra Daniels.
Biography
During the CEC mission to the stricken USG Ishimura, Zach Hammond was in charge of the operation. In an initial Necromorph attack, Hammond tried to adhere to the original objectives, despite the increasingly disturbing events which began to unfold following the deaths of his underlings, Johnston and Chen. Taking skillful command, Hammond made his way to the ship's Bridge and assisted Isaac Clarke in restoring the Ishimura's guidance systems and ADS network. During this time, Hammond came into contact with several Necromorphs. One of these was secured by him in an escape pod and promptly jettisoned.
Following a mission to purify the Hydroponics Deck's air supply which Hammond was incapacitated, Clarke lost contact with Hammond for a protracted period of time. A military vessel, the USM Valor was dispatched to retrieve the Red Marker from the Ishimura which was a fact that Hammond was unaware of. The escape pod that he jettisoned earlier was recovered by the Valor and despite warnings transmitted to the warship by a fellow CEC employee named Kendra Daniels who was assigned as backup for the operation which she was spearheading, the Valor crashed into the Ishimura.
It was at this time that Hammond finally snapped under the pressure and called an abort on the mission. He re-established contact with Clarke and Daniels and planned to help everyone escape from the Ishimura via a shuttle that he came across on the Crew Deck. Isaac was led to believe that Hammond was withholding information regarding the mission by Kendra to illustrate him as untrustworthy.[2]
Hammond made his way onto the USM Valor and managed to meet up with Isaac near the ship's engine room. Unfortunately for Hammond, the officer was trapped by an Enhanced Brute. Hammond attempted vainly to defend himself, but was assaulted and killed by the beast. It was an ironic death, considering that he informed Isaac about that Necromorph's vulnerability during their time on the Bridge. His corpse was used as a hammer by the Brute which attempted fruitlessly to kill Clarke. Hammond's body was left on the Valor as the vessel was rocked by internal overload.
Personality
Hammond was a dedicated security officer and believed that the mission always came first and was determined to complete their mission despite the Necromorph infestation. His discoveries on what happened to the Ishimura during their mission changed this view, causing him to focus more on keeping himself and the team alive.
Though Kendra consistently tried to make Hammond out as a man not to be trusted, Hammond’s actions are of the contrary as he worked with Isaac to try and escape the Ishimura, going so far as to forsake the chain of command and abandon their mission.
Trivia
- Hammond was voiced by Peter Mensah who provided his likeness to the character. Interestingly, Mensah previously appeared in a horror film that was also set in space like the Dead Space games, entitled Jason X, an installment in the well-known Friday the 13th film franchise. Like his character, Hammond, Mensah's character in the film, Sgt. Brodski was also an elite security officer who sacrificed himself to allow the main protagonist(s) to survive.
- "Hammond," when derived from the Old Norse "Hámundr" was taken to mean "high protection"[3] which was appropriate considering his position as Chief Security Officer.
- In a log after clearing the game, it was revealed that he requested background information on both Isaac and Kendra, though the reason for this inquiry was not revealed.
- It was possible that he heard about a mole in the Kellion team that in reality was Kendra which was probably the reason for this.
Hammond "dead" in the Captain's Nest (Dismembered by using Force Bombs)
- If Isaac failed to kill the Brute that killed Hammond, the game would resume at the point of Hammond's death. However, Hammond's body did not appear.
- It was possible to dismember Hammond's limbs in Chapter 4 in the Captain's Nest by throwing objects at his limbs or by launching Force Bombs from the Force Gun, although it would take a large amount of them to do so. A similar glitch could be used on the patient laying on the operating table at the beginning of Dead Space 2 where you acquired the Plasma Cutter.
- Both games used similar code and physics which was the reason for the glitch to be reproduced.
- During the level where Isaac must re-route the power to the ADS cannons, if the player chose to activate the panel on the third floor and after that, the panel on the first floor, Isaac would get a message from Hammond stating that he started seeing things and his head was pounding similarly how he stated in the next chapter how his eyes are stinging, indicating the dementia effects that the Marker 3A had on Hammond.
- There was a weapon component in Dead Space 3 called Hammond's Heavy Frame. This was likely a nod to players who played the first Dead Space, though how Hammond's gun frame would have ended up on Tau Volantis was a mystery.
- It was impossible to save Hammond from his death since the large window that Isaac was standing behind was both bulletproof and explosion-proof.
Gallery
Notes
- ↑ Dead Space takes place three years before the events of Dead Space 2.
Sources