- "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 thereafter 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 at the Bridge. His corpse was used as a hammer by the Brute which then attempted fruitlessly to kill Clarke. Hammond's body was left on the Valor as the vessel was rocked by internal overload.
Trivia
- Hammond is voiced by Peter Mensah who provides his likeness to the character. Interestingly, Mensah had 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 sacrifices himself to allow the main protagonist(s) to survive.
- "Hammond," when derived from the Old Norse "Hámundr," is taken to mean "high protection,"[3] which is appropriate considering his position as Chief Security Officer.
- In a log after clearing the game it is revealed that he requested background information on both Isaac and Kendra, though the reason for this inquiry is not revealed.
- It is possible he heard of a mole in the Kellion team that in reality was Kendra, which is probably reason for this.
- If Isaac fails to kill the Brute that kills Hammond, the game will resume at the point of Hammond's death; however, Hammond's body does not appear.
Hammond "dead" in the Captain's Nest. (Dismembered by using Force Bombs)
- It is 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 will take a large amount of them to do so. A similar glitch can be used on the patient laying on the operating table at the beginning of Dead Space 2 where you acquire the Plasma Cutter.
- Both games use similar code and physics which is 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 will 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 effect that the Marker 3A had on Hammond.
- There is a weapon component in Dead Space 3 called Hammond's Heavy Frame. This is likely a nod to players who have played the first Dead Space, though how Hammond's gun frame would have ended up on Tau Volanis is 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