Project Zero Dawn was the initiative that saved humanity from permanent extinction and allowed for the events of Horizon Zero Dawn to take place. Given the project’s scale and importance, it’s natural for Elisabet Sobeck and her team to put down fail safes and contingency plans in case of unforeseen hindrances. One example of this is the Lightkeeper Protocol.
Though the Lightkeeper Protocol was never fully realized, its concept is an interesting one. Moreover, the unfinished protocol was what ultimately led to Aloy’s birth, making it an integral factor in the events of Horizon Zero Dawn.
The Lightkeeper Protocol: How It Contributed to Zero Dawn’s Story
The Lightkeeper Protocol was an internal project that entailed the collection of Sobeck and the rest of the Alphas’ DNA. This would allow the Alphas to create clones of themselves to ensure that their work on GAIA was completed. With help from APOLLO, the Alphas would raise their clones and then train them to continue working on the system.
Thus, to prepare for the Lightkeeper Protocol, the Project Zero Dawn team constructed GAIA’s facility with life support systems and the appropriate storage for necessary resources. Additionally, each of the Alphas — Sobeck included — provided samples of their DNA, which were then stored. These specimens were placed in high-tech ectogenic chambers (care of those from the Odyssey Project) where they would remain pristine until Sobeck’s team needed to produce clones of themselves.
However, at some point during preparations, Sobeck discontinued the Lightkeeper Protocol. The reason for this is unclear. However, Sobeck notes in one of her journal entries that she’s relieved that she and the team won’t have to go through the “creepiness” of raising and training their own clones to do their unfinished work. She also half-jokingly comments that she’d rather not have to deal with a young Travis Tate raised by none other than Travis Tate — the mischievous hacker in charge of the HADES subroutine.
One salient detail in the journal entry is the fact that the Alphas’ DNA samples were never moved from their Cradle facility to GAIA’s. Thus, even if the team wanted to go along with the Lightkeeper Protocol, they had no means of accessing their genetic material. This is all the more unfortunate knowing that Ted Faro ultimately killed the Alphas in his attempt to save humanity from the “disease” that is knowledge.
However, over a millennium after the completion of Project Zero Dawn, GAIA would access the Cradle facility where the Alphas’ DNA is currently stored, and then have the system create a clone of her creator, Elisabet Sobeck, effectively birthing Aloy. This Cradle — ELEUTHIA-9 — is also known as Mother’s Watch. It’s this last-ditch effort by GAIA that sets the events of Horizon Zero Dawn in motion.
Horizon Zero Dawn Community Theories
Knowing what the Lightkeeper Protocol is capable of, many players in the community have taken to theorizing about what it could mean for the future of the series and its characters. One popular theory revolves around the possibility that Ted Faro might still be alive at around the same time as Aloy. Some players believe that Faro might have kept himself (or at least, his DNA) alive for so long through a mix of cryogenics and cloning. This would entail that he somehow accessed GAIA’s system and made a copy of the Lightkeeper Protocols procedures for his personal bunker.
That said, many others in the community are dubious of this theory as Faro lacks any sort of motive to prolong his life. Even so, the game has yet to confirm Faro’s fate. The only thing players know is that he holed up in his personal bunker and hasn’t made a peep since. Though the sequel might give a more definitive answer as the Horizon Forbidden West trailer shows Aloy arriving at Faro’s bunker.
Theories aside, the Lightkeeper Protocol is an excellent plot device that served as the literal starting point for the events of Horizon Zero Dawn. The community is eager to see whether Guerrilla Games will be bringing it back for their highly anticipated sequel.
Horizon Zero Dawn is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.