- "When the Black Marker was first discovered on Earth so long ago, the government at the time hid all evidence of it from us. When our prophet Michael Altman spoke out against them, he was silenced. Now EarthGov continues that legacy. They tamper with the Markers – making blasphemous copies as part of their secret research programs. They have taken our sacred relic and turned it into a disease. But nature has ways of correcting itself. By liberating the Markers we can end this cycle of death and begin the cycle of rebirth. Join me as we take back our future - the future the Marker promises to us all."
- —Jacob Arthur Danik's speech to the members of the Circle.[1]
The Circle was an extremist arm of the Church of Unitology led by Jacob Arthur Danik. A militant sect of religious fanatics, they were actively deposing EarthGov authority throughout the galaxy, launching a violent campaign with the goal of "freeing" the Red Markers from the government's experiments in the name of nature.[1][2]
Background[]
Description[]
- "As I documented earlier in my Thought Diary, the events on New Horizons Lunar Colony left my faith shaken. Fortunately, Rick, my spiritual counsellor, had been monitoring my diary and pulled me aside for a pep talk. He explained to me that what we're doing is a painful but necessary step towards saving the human race from the path of destruction. The deaths, he said, shouldn't bother me. If we do our job and bring about true Convergence, all those who have died will join us and we will transcend the pain and our baser human frailties to become something better, purer, whole."
- —Excerpt from the diary of a member of the Circle.[3]
Danik's speech
According to one of Danik's logs, the Circle's army was built using the vast fortunes of the Church and they had membership that numbered in the millions.[4] Members of the organization were fiercely fanatic, zealous in their loyalty to both the Church and their leader.
They were shown to possess considerable resources. Its members were well armed and equipped, carrying various weapons such as assault rifles, shotguns, stasis and explosive grenades, and rocket launchers. They also commanded a small fleet of dropships which facilitated their propagation against EarthGov.[5]
An overview of the fanatics' outfit and weaponry, showing their tags that read, "One", "Whole", "Circle", "Marker Make Us Whole", "One Mind" and "Circle of Life" in Marker symbols.
Most members of the zealots adorned their apparel with Marker Symbols in an apparent show of their dedication to the message of the Marker and Unitology. Zealots encountered by Isaac Clarke did not appear to possess proficient combat training - only basic training, as they were slow to aim, stood tall in the middle of firefights, and did not use cover effectively. Often, they would attempt to hide behind something but still leave parts of their body visible or leave cover in the middle of combat. Other times they would abandon cover completely to fire on their opponent without regard to their own survival. Their proficiency with weapon emplacements on their dropships was also inadequate, as they still had problems tracing and firing even when their targets were moving out in the open.
Footsoldiers of the fanatic group committed ritualistic suicide like other Unitology members in previous Dead Space games, by slitting their throats, rather than stabbing themselves in the forehead. In combat, soldiers would run up to an opponent with live grenades in a suicide attack that resulted in devastating damage to their surrounding environment.[6] On one occasion, a member turned a shotgun on himself while screaming "One Mind, One Body" before pulling the trigger.
Tau Volantis[]
- "Do not tremble at the challenges that yet lie ahead, for you are not alone. We are millions strong and our belief in the Markers is unshakable. We have overcome oppression to become one of the most widely-practiced religions in the galaxy. With the Church's fortunes we built an army and with it we have overthrown EarthGov. In the end, Isaac Clarke will be found, the stain on the Markers will be lifted and Convergence will come. Remain vigilant. The end is near."
- —Danik to his soldiers.[4]
The fanatics preparing to attack Isaac Clarke on Tau Volantis.
Danik and the zealots under his command were led to the planet of Tau Volantis by Captain Robert Norton of the Earth Defense Force in the hopes of killing Isaac Clarke, the "Marker Killer" whose continued resistance against the efforts of the Unitologists hindered "Convergence",[7] as well as seeing the incomplete Convergence Event of the planet completed with the Codex once Danik learned about the nature of the device that Ellie Langford was searching for.
Initially, the forces deployed on the planet were numerous; however, they encountered heavy resistance from the waves of Necromorphs on the planet that prevented them from successfully killing Isaac and his team. Issac was constantly caught in between the crossfire between the fanatical Unitologist soldiers and the nightmarish Necromorphs. At first, the Unitologist were caught off guard and faced major setbacks, such as the numerous failed attempts of killing Isaac and his team, or the scavenging of the Armory which resulted in much of the Unitologist teams massacred by the Necromophs.
Circle soldiers being attacked by an Alien Necromorph.
When Isaac and his team were on their way to a facility that housed "Rosetta", Danik and his Forces were able to regroup, and utilize their dropships to deploy more Unitologist soldiers and also searching for Isaac. They were able to fend the Necromorphs off (though some teams were unfortunate), and were continuing their search for Isaac. When Isaac discovered the true purpose of the Alien Machine, and unknowingly explained it to Danik, the Unitologists quickly made their way to the Research Compound Silo that would take them to the Machine. While Danik and his soldiers boarded the elevator, the rest of the Unitologist forces quickly scrambled onto the many platforms to protect Danik's elevator. However, they faced heavy resistance from Isaac and John Carver, and also were being massacred by the overwhelming number of Necromorphs. When Danik and his men reached the bottom of the facility, every remaining Unitologist soldier had been butchered by the Necromorphs. With the realization that they wouldn't survive for long, Danik ordered his men to call for reinforcements.
Eventually, Unitologist reinforcements arrived to the planet and deployed dropships into the Alien City. Heavily armed Unitologists quickly set up defensive positions to block Isaac or any other Necromophs. Yet despite the dwindling number of survivors opposing them, they were unable to stop Isaac and Carver from reaching the Alien Machine.[8][9][10]
The New Cult[]
- "When the sky had cleared, we gazed upon our fallen messiah. Its heavenly body loomed tall where it met the horizon, looking more like a cracked egg than the bringer of unity. Everyone felt the wave of discordance that followed. We turned to each other with anxious glances, faith draining from our faces. Was this what we had fought and died for? Was this the end of our religion? It was at that moment our cries were answered, for a sound pierced the sky and filled our hearts. It was shrill and deafening at first, but soon a voice emerged. "We are coming," it spoke. "Make ready the way.""
- —Randall Carr recounts the moments following the destruction of the Tau Volantis Moon.[11]
The remnants of the Circle form a new cult on the CMS Terra Nova.
In the aftermath of witnessing the Convergence Event and losing Danik,[12] the faith of the zealots deployed to Tau Volantis was shaken with several members finally embracing the futility of believing in Unitology. However, those who remained dedicated to their beliefs eventually gave rise to a new Unitologist Cult, dedicated to the worshiping of the Brethren Moons.[13] The status of the millions of other members was unknown with the lack of information on the rest of the EarthGov colonies and the Brethren Moons invasion.
Trivia[]
- Despite being the most fervent in their belief of Unitology, several of the fanatics were shown to second guess their religion and desert.
- They are the first human enemies that the player can kill outside of cutscenes in the Dead Space series.
- An unused soundtrack, presumably the first version of the theme song playing every time the player encounters the fanatics, can be found in the game files. For unknown reasons, these songs were scrapped from the final production.
Hierarchy / Known Members[]
- Jacob Arthur Danik (supreme leader)
- Randall Carr (high leader)
- The Cult Leader (presumed high leader or spiritual counsellor, unconfirmed)
- Collin (squad leader)
- Lowmiller (squad leader)
- Rick (spiritual counsellor)
- Charles Lafayette (initiate soldier)
- Unitologist Soldiers
- Scrapers
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Sources[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Log:Unitologist Artifact 01
- ↑ Log:EarthGov Artifact 01
- ↑ Log:Unitologist Artifact 04
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Log:Unitologist Artifact 03
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 10: Now We Know
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 1: Rude Awakening
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 12: Autopsy
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 16: What Lies Below
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 17: A Strange City
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 18: Kill or Be Killed
- ↑ Log:A Call to Action
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Chapter 19: Endings
- ↑ Dead Space 3: Awakened: Awakened 2: Infidels