gen:LOCK

gen:LOCK
	wiki
Created by	Gray Haddock
Starring	Michael B. Jordan Dakota Fanning David Tennant Monica Rial Kōichi Yamadera Miles Luna Blaine Gibson Chad James Gray Haddock
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	8
Production
Productioncompanies	Rooster Teeth Outlier Society Productions
Broadcast
Original run	January 26, 2019

gen:LOCK is an American anime-style web series created, written and directed by Gray Haddock for Rooster Teeth. It is set on a dystopian future Earth in which an international coalition known as The Polity fights a hostile, autocratic invading force known as The Union. The show follows the gen:LOCK program and its members, who participate in the development and testing of an experimental technology which allows for individuals with unique mental make ups to have their minds uploaded to giant suits of mecha armor.

Like Red vs. Blue, gen:LOCK will air on American television, namely Adult Swim, and is set to get a DC Comics book starting in September 2019.

Season 2 is in development through an outside studio, and debuted on HBO Max in November 2021 before being available for RT First members.

Synopsis

“On the losing side of a global culture war, an Experimental Science Unit is pushed to identify a team of young pilots who can control a variety of prototype, next-generation mecha—giant, robotic, weaponized bodies. The recruits will find, however, that their newfound abilities come at no small cost.”

Global Culture War

In gen:LOCK a war of beliefs is being fought within populations around the world. There are no direct land borders, but clashes instead occur between those of alternate perspectives within the same location. One side has begun to organize in order to do a territory grab and form mono-culture areas, and the opposing side is resisting.

The cultural nature of the war is based on identity and the ability to fight while still preserving your own. This is tied into the pairing of people and the world's gen:LOCK technology, which is a technological breakthrough on the protagonists' side of the war.

Cast

Main cast

• Michael B. Jordan as Julian Chase, a Vanguard pilot and "All-American guy" from Brooklyn, who after being presumably dead in battle, turns out to be alive if missing most of his body, as part of the gen:LOCK crew.
  • Jordan also voices Nemesis, a gen:LOCK holon holding the original mind of Julian Chase that was captured and modified by the Union.
• Dakota Fanning as Miranda Worth, a Strider pilot and Chase's girlfriend prior to the war who is left conflicted by his return after he was presumed dead for four years.
• Maisie Williams as Cameron 'Cammie' McCloud, a Scottish hacker and the youngest recruit of the Gen:Lock program at the age of 17 years old.
• Kōichi Yamadera as Kazu Iida, a gen:LOCK transfer from the Japanese military, where he was demoted from the rank of Sergeant to kitchen duty on grounds of insubordination.
• Golshifteh Farahani as Yasamin Madrani, a former Iranian fighter pilot who defected from the Union after her parents were taken away, and has since joined the gen:LOCK recruits.
• Asia Kate Dillon as Val/entina Romanyszyn (roh-mah-nee-shin), a former Russian covert agent in the gen:LOCK recruits. Val/entina is genderfluid, going by the name "Val" when male-presenting and "Valentina" when female-presenting.
• David Tennant as Dr. Rufus Weller, a scientist from the Polity's Experimental Science Unit. Creator of the gen:LOCK program.
  • Tennant also voices Caliban, Weller's personal AI assistant, whose mind is an early copy of the Doctor's.
• Monica Rial as Col. Raquel Marin, the leader of the Vanguard (the Polity's military).
• Blaine Gibson as Robert Sinclair, a Vanguard Specialist. Sinclair was presumed dead after a Union imposter (also voiced by Gibson) attempted to steal a Holon using his identity, but a post-credits scene in Season 1 reveals he survived his attempted abduction and is trying to escape Union territory.
• Gray Haddock as Lieutenant Leon August, the leader of Miranda's strider unit.
• Miles Luna as Miguel 'Migas' Garza, a mecha mechanic and one of Chase's closest friends.
• Chad James as Jodie Brennan, a strider pilot.

Minor characters

• Lindsay Jones as Simone 'Razzle' Rasmussen, a fighter pilot and Julian's former squadmate in the 'Silver Falcons' unit.
• Shari Belafonte as Roberta Chase, Julian's mother
• G.K. Bowes as Driana Chase, Julian's sister and aspiring pop idol
• Lara Toner Haddock as Patricia Bartlet-Young, President of the Polity
• Lawrence Sonntag as ABLE, the Anvil's AI unit and Colonel Raquel Marin's assistant.
• SungWon Cho as Heng Li "Henry" Wu, a scientist who is kidnapped by the Union and then rescued by the gen:LOCK team. He works for RTASA, which becomes gen:LOCK's new base of operations.
• Anisha Nagarajan as Dr. Fatima Jha, a scientist working at RTASA and Dr. Weller's ex-wife.
• Matt Hullum (season 1) and Kiff VandenHeuvel (season 2) as Marc Holcroft, the principal investor in the ESU and RTASA, and one of the early collaborators on the gen:LOCK project.

History and Development

It was announced with a brief teaser at RTX Austin 2017 (on July 7, 2017) that Rooster Teeth Animation has announced that they will be making a new series called gen:LOCK that will be a mecha action drama series by RWBY producer, Gray G. Haddock. It has since been teased at New York Comic Con and RTX London.

A trailer was shown at New York ComicCon 2017, where it was described as, “grounded science-fiction" in the tradition of mecha anime such as Gundam and Tom Clancy novels but with a look and feel reminiscent of RWBY.

It was set for a late 2018 release. On May 21, 2018, it was revealed that the main lead character, Julian Chase, a Vanguard pilot and “All-American guy” from Brooklyn who helps form the show's team, will be voiced by Michael B. Jordan. Jordan is also set to co-produce the series through his production company, Outlier Society Productions, who will co-produce the show. In June 20, Gray Haddock stated in his journal that the gen:LOCK would come out in January.

The release on January 26, 2019 has both the first episode open for everyone on Rooster Teeth's website and the second one available for FIRST users. The pilot also had a surprise screening at the RoosterTeethTv stream on December 22. The first season concluded on March 9, 2019.

Episode listing

Season One (8 episodes)

#	Title	Description	Date	Duration	Link
1	The Pilot	Earth, 2068. City by city, free society is being forcibly absorbed into a vast autocracy. One military force holds the line. One pilot could turn the tide.	January 26, 2019	32:07	RT
2	There's Always Tomorrow	Earth, 2072. Chase tries reconnecting with Miranda and the Vanguard. Doc's new recruits arrive with more than a few questions and one perilous secret.	January 26, 2019	26:16	RT
3	Second Birthday	The Colonel raises concerns about Doc's residency. Chase feels the impact of absence. The new recruits are introduced to the potential of using gen:LOCK mecha for combat.	February 2, 2019	25:05	RT
4	Training Daze	The gen:LOCK team begins rigorous training to master their mecha. The recruits get better acquainted during a rare moment of downtime. While on the gen:LOCK team's first field mission, a new threat emerges from the shadows. Note: episode co-written by Kerry Shawcross	February 9, 2019	24:19	RT
5	The Best Defense	A recruit's talent for tinkering raises concerns. Chase receives an overdue upgrade. The Vanguard goes on the offensive and engages a frighteningly familiar foe.	February 16, 2019	23:54	RT
6	The Only Me I Know	Doc reflects on the past before deciding his future. The gen:LOCK team is tested like never before when the battle arrives at the Vanguard's front door.	February 23, 2019	25:33	RT
7	It Never Rains...	On the run, the team learns more about the origins of gen:LOCK and one another. New potential allies are revealed. Note: episode co-written by Jason Weight	March 2, 2019	24:32	RT
8	Identity Crisis	The team must evolve further if they hope to make a stand against the Union's deadliest weapon. Note: episode co-written by Jason Weight and Evan Narcisse	March 9, 2019	31:57	RT

Season 2

Episode	Title	Original Air Date	Run Time	External Link
1	When the Leaves Began to Turn	November 4, 2021	27:03	[1]
2	The First Strike	November 11, 2021	25:03	[2]

Trivia

• During the opening episode, as Chase flies between buildings he passes by a room with an elderly man in a wheelchair. Burnie Burns said "that was my cameo", as it is an aged caricature of himself.
• In the Vanguard's memorial wall, the names around Julian Chase are mostly crewmembers, namely Michael Pedro, Erin Winn, Ian Llanas, Sana Freeman and Larissa Angus.
• The famous dialogue that opened Red vs. Blue appears in two parts during the show: in episode 2, Cammie says "It's one of life's great mysteries, isn't it?", while on 6, Dr. Weller asks "You ever wonder why we're here?"
• In episode 4, while on the virtual reality ether, the characters try on alternate costumes. The fantasy ones turn them into characters from RWBY.
• The RTASA company employs the same font as RTX, which in itself was also used by NASA, showing the company is arguably a combination of NASA and Rooster Teeth.