Fallout’s NCR explained, from its beginnings to the twist in the Prime Video finale

Prime videos Stand out Season 1 explores Vault’s lore from the video game source material – including the New California Republic. If you played Fallout Play beforehand so you are already up to date with the NCR. But if you’re a franchise newbie, you’ll probably feel a little lost due to the series’ nods to NCR.

And fair enough too. We don’t learn much about NCR’s backstory Stand out Season 1, except for a brief discussion between Maximus (Aaron Moten) and Lucy (Ella Purnell) in Episode 5 and a story scrawled on a blackboard that Lucy stumbles upon in Episode 6. So if you still have questions about NCR, the following guide should help fill in the gaps!

[Ed. note: The following contains spoilers for Fallout season 1.]

What is the New California Republic?

The NCR is a federation formed after the nuclear war of 2077 that left the United States in an irradiated hellscape. It was founded in 2189 in New California, which includes a significant portion of the West Coast and Southwest. Thus, the NCR had been in operation for 107 years before Lucy and Maximus visited the ruins of its capital, Shady Sands, in Episode 5. According to the tablet in Episode 6, Shady Sands began to falter in 2277, and the broader NCR collapsed as a result.

So which states were part of the NCR in its heyday? In total there were five member states (all of which shared a common border): Dayglow, Hub, Los Angeles, Maxson and Shady. The NCR has also gained a foothold in parts of Northern California, Oregon and Nevada. As a result, most places are located on the west coast Stand out Season 1 takes place on (or near) the NCR grounds. This includes Vault 33, which is either in NCR territory or very close to it.

Who founded the New California Republic?

As noted in various Fallout According to media, the NCR owes its existence to the survivors of Vault 15, which – like so many vaults – gradually became a not so nice place to live. These people ventured into the wasteland, founded Shady Sands, and (thanks to the city’s prosperity) slowly restored patriotic feelings among the people. In 2186, a pilot government was formed to draft a constitution, and three years later, voters from Dayglow, Hub, Los Angeles, Maxson, and Shady voted to create the NCR.

Who is responsible for the New California Republic?

According to various sources (including radio broadcasts in Fallout 4), The first NCR president was the leader of Shady Sands, Aradesh. When Aradesh disappeared in 2196, his daughter Tandi was chosen as his successor. This set off a course of events that would make even the most successful politician in the real world blush; Tandi won every election she voted in for the next 52 years. It’s also easy to understand why. As recorded in Fallout 2 and various “serial bible” documents, Tandi transformed the NCR into an economic and political powerhouse during her half century at the helm.

But nothing good lasts forever, and Tandi eventually died at the ripe old age of 103. A series of successors followed, none of which lived up to Tandi’s legacy. Two of you – Fallout: New Vegas‘ Wendell Peterson and Aaron Kimball have even backed off their progressive policies and (largely) pro-peace position. Because of this, the NCR was involved in major turmoil beginning in the 2250s, including wars with the Brotherhood of Steel and the imperialist slave trader Legion Caesar.

Kimball is still president of NCR when Shady Sands is reduced to rubble and he is accepted into the group New Vegas – set four years after the destruction of Shady Sands suggests this is still the case. That is, within Stand out In the main narrative of the first season of 2296, Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury) is the leader of her own faction of NCR troops. Hell, she’s a quasi-religious figure to the people of Vault 4. Does this mean Moldavian has ousted Kimball in recent years? Perhaps.

How technologically advanced is the Republic of New California?

Very – of Stand out Standards, at least. While the wider wasteland is essentially an irradiated Wild West, the NCR’s infrastructure and technology, particularly in Shady Sands, is (or seemingly was) much closer to civilization as we know it. Over the years, the NCR has built or repaired power grids (more on that later), roads, and railways (in Lucy’s memories of Shady Sands in episode 8, we get a quick look at streetlights and a tram).

The NCR is also crushing it in terms of its manufacturing, medical and (especially) agricultural industries. Crucially, the association has rehabilitated large agricultural areas to give them plenty of room for huge herds of Brahmins (mutant cows) and crops – the latter of which has been maximized through computer modeling. Overall, this keeps the NCR’s coffers full.

The NCR military is also not to be despised. While they don’t have a stockpile of power armor or other perks stockpiled by the likes of the Brotherhood of Steel, they still pack plenty of firepower. The NCR also knows how to build formidable fortifications, even though they are not quite nuclear safe (just ask anyone living in Shady Sands in the year 2277).

Is the New California Republic really a utopia?

No – although they try really hard to be. Aside from the NCR’s relatively advanced technology and infrastructure, the Federation is a democratic society with courts. These laws include the protection of ghouls and other mutants, who are largely second-class citizens in the wider wasteland. President Tandi also introduced measures to limit the size of Brahmin herds to prevent barons from gaining too much political power.

That all sounds pretty sweet, right? Unfortunately, the NCR is as fallible as any human-made and run institution, and many of its ideals and laws do not always apply in practice. Ghouls and mutants still face prejudice in parts of the Republic. Additionally, the cap on the Brahmin herd was lifted after Tandi’s death, causing the Barons to exert undue influence, just as the late NCR Commander-in-Chief had feared they would one day do. There is also other evidence of NCR corruption and even quasi-colonialism found throughout the Fallout games.

So no, the NCR is not a utopia – not even when Shady Sands was at its peak. But it’s still as close to an absolute force for good as the Fallout mythos.

[Ed. note: The rest of this post contains spoilers for the end of Fallout season 1 (specifically after episode 5). Proceed only if you want to know some of the secrets of the Wasteland!]

What happened to the capital of the New California Republic, Shady Sands?

It literally exploded. As shown on the other page Stand out Season 1, Episodes 5 to 8, a nuclear warhead (or similar) has turned Shady Sands into a crater and a series of bombed-out buildings in the year 2277. This is arguably the Prime Video show’s biggest contribution to Fallout to date Canon, as the fate of Shady Sands is not revealed in any of the games – not even those set after the city’s destruction.

Who gave the order to wipe Shady Sands off the map? Lucy’s father and Vault 33 overseer Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan). As Moldaver explains in the season finale, Hank’s wife Rose ran off to Shady Sands with little Lucy and her brother Norm in tow. Hank soon tracked them down and when Rose refused to return to Vault 33, he grabbed the children and destroyed the joint with nuclear weapons.

What does Moldaver’s artifact do?

Another big payout Stand out The finale of the first season is that the series’ mysterious artifact, MacGuffin, is a cold fusion energy source. Moldaver developed cold fusion technology to end the energy crisis of the time. However, Vault-Tec bought it and – as usual – co-opted it for significantly less egalitarian purposes.

When Moldaver finally gets her hands on the artifact, all she thinks about is using it for its original purpose. And that’s exactly what it does, using it to power the rest of Shady Sands’ power grid. That’s what all those lights are: a symbol of what life could be in the NCR, not to mention the wider wasteland, if cold fusion energy were harnessed properly.

How is the New California Republic connected to New Vegas?

The last scene in Stand out In Season 1, a power-armor-clad Hank trudges through the desert to a legendary location from the games: New Vegas. Given that power armor only allows for limited short-haul flights, even franchise newcomers should quickly realize that New Vegas can’t do this The far from Shady Sands. Does this mean that NCR and New Vegas are connected?

In a word: yes. In other words, the NCR and New Vegas signed a treaty in 2274 that gave the NCR (among other things) near-exclusive control over the Hoover Dam – the supply of water and electricity to its member states – as long as it retained the sovereignty of New Vegas recognizes . Despite the treaty, the NCR has long held hopes of annexing New Vegas through either diplomacy or military force.

The continuity of Fallouts is currently unclear as to whether the NCR will ever manage to absorb New Vegas. One of Fallout: New VegasThe four main ends represent such annexation, but the other three do not. Current Fallout administrator Bethesda Game Studios is no help either and remains cautious about the endings. time and Stand out Season 2 – will hopefully set the record straight!