There aren’t many other shows that scratch the same itch forFalloutfans.Falloutblendsa multitude of genres, including sci-fi, western, horror, and action, many of which appear in other hit TV series.The Mandalorianhas a similar sci-fi Western vibe,The Last of Ushas plenty of horror, andThe Witcheris filled with action. Butfactions are what setsFalloutapartfrom the rest. Factions have formed the foundation of every great Bethesda game, and the Wasteland has been home to many of them.
Every faction tells a different story. Many are peaceful, like the scholars of the Followers of the Apocalypse and the Minutemen’s hopeful underdogs. But others are not so friendly, like the tyrannical Caesar’s Legion or thewarmongering knights in the Brotherhood of Steel. The most prominent faction in Amazon’sFalloutseries is the NCR, which falls somewhere in the middle. In Episode 1, the show introduced Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury) as a ruthless raider, but like most things inFallout, there’s more to her than meets the eye.Moldaver led the New California Republic across the Wastelandin her efforts to restore the region’s power grid. By the end of Season 1, the NCR come across as a relatively respectable group looking to bring peace and order to the Wasteland, but their origins tell a different story.
In a future, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles brought about by nuclear decimation, citizens must live in underground bunkers to protect themselves from radiation, mutants and bandits.
The Origins of the NCR in the Games
The NCR began when the dwellers of Vault 15 emerged from their nuclear bunker to explore the Wasteland, a bold decision thatfew vault-dwellers have been brave enough to make. Led by a man called Aradesh, they fought off raiders from the savage Great Khan tribe settled in California, andformed the small town of Shady Sands. Shady Sands gradually developed into a larger sustainable community. After Aradesh died, his daughter, Tandi, took over Shady Sands and became the first President when the town folded five other colonies into its jurisdiction and formed the New California Republic. The Republic slowly began to restore law and order to the Wasteland, along with water, electricity, and security for its citizens. Under President Tandi, the NCR became a pillar of democracy in the West, envisioning a hopeful future that resembled pre-war America. However,the NCR took a darker turnafter various strategic and political missteps,which might be explored in Season 2.
Todd Howard Says ‘New Vegas’ Will Play Into ‘Fallout’ Season 2
“We’re careful about maintaining the key events of that game and the great content in it.”
As the NCR Grew in Power, They Also Became Greedy
The NCR began to expand rapidly, becoming the most dominant force in the West. After President Tandi’s death, theRepublic grew overly ambitious, expanding across as much area as possible. The faction became narrow-sighted, fixated on its end goal of restoring law and order. The NCR abandoned its careful networking with other communities and adopted brutal expansionism, losing its code of ethics and embracing the mentality that ‘the ends justify the means’. It didn’t matter if a region had to be taken by force becausetheir mission to restore order to the Wasteland was for the greater good. The Republic became indistinguishable from the more totalitarian factions it protected people from,like Caesar’s Legion and the Brotherhood of Steel. Around this time,New Vegas rose to supremacy in the West. Mr. House’s (Rafi Silver) union of desert tribes formed a stranglehold on the most profitable region in the Wasteland, so naturally, the NCR wanted control of it. Their expansion into the Mojave would prove a near-fatal move for the faction.
When Will We See the NCR or Moldaver Again?
The NCR’s desperate attempt toestablish territory in New Vegas led to the first Battle of Hoover Dam, where the NCR fought off the Legion to secure the dam and control the flow of electricity and water. However, as the years went on, their campaign proved fruitless.The NCR was stuck in a stalemate with Mr. House, The Legion, and the Brotherhood, lacking the numbers and resources to take on all three factions simultaneously. During the events ofFallout: New Vegas, the player can choose to support the NCR and lead them to victory during the second battle of Hoover Dam. However, Moldaver’s presence in Californiaconfirms that this ending is not canon in theFalloutuniverse. Regardless ofFallout: New Vegas’s ending, Shady Sands still suffers a nuclear attack, as seen in the show.The NCR lost its capital and fled from New Vegasunder Moldaver’s leadership. By the time the series introduces the NCR, they are on their last legs, hoping to restore power to California.
The NCR’s history tells the classic story of overambition and the rise and fall of an empire. Given their moral complexity, the Republic is undoubtedly one of the most interesting factions inFallout. While groups like The Brotherhood and Caesar’s Legion are wholly evil, and factions like the Minutemen and the Railroad are clearly good, the NCR falls somewhere in between. While Season 1 Episode 8 showed the downfall of the remaining NCR units during the Battle of Griffith Observatory,there may be a future for the NCR in Season 2. Moldaver’s actor,Sarita Choudhury, teased Moldaver’s role in Season 2. The Fallout series is moving to New Vegas, so it’s likely that the surviving remnants of the NCR still reside in the Mojave, but will the Republic learn from its past mistakes?
Falloutis available to watch on Prime Video in the U.S.
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