The Lacerta Legate is a high-ranking member of Caesar's Legion in the Mojave Wasteland in 2296. He appears in season 2 of in the Fallout TV series.
Background[]
Nothing is known about his history with Caesar's Legion. At some point prior to 2296, he gained the rank of legate in service to one of the two figures claiming to be Caesar in the midst of the Legion's succession crisis and civil war. As such, he regards the leader of the other faction within the Legion as a "false Caesar."
Fallout TV series[]
The Profligate[]
Lucy MacLean is brought before the Lacerta Legate at the entrance of Caesar's tent with the slave woman she saved at Affordable Al's Discount Hospital. The Lacerta Legate notes that the slave woman lost her assigned legionary and has her executed on the spot while Lucy is brought into the main tent. The Lacerta Legate removes his helmet and greets Lucy as a profligate.
Lucy attempts to talk to Caesar but is scolded by the Lacerta Legate. Lucy is confused about his pronunciation of "Caesar" as with a hard "K" sound, stating that Kaisers are German and they have a Roman theme. The Lacerta Legate, Caesar, and his advisor ignore her and continue to talk amongst themselves.
Lucy tries to talk to Caesar again, but is shushed by the Lacerta Legate as he explains they are discussing the rights to her "prima noctis." Lucy is taken aback by this. She admonishes them for discussing the right to her virginity and that prima noctis is not Roman but a medieval tradition using a Latin phrase. She further explains that she wants to respect their traditions, but have crossed a line. Not knowing when to stop, Lucy continues that she's not even a virgin, citing the "cousin stuff" she has performed. The Lacerta Legate observes with disapproval.
Lucy is tied up and escorted to a crucifix by the Lacerta Legate and two legionaries. Lucy angrily exclaims that they've "lost their way." The Lacerta Legate explains to Lucy that the Legion is at war with the New California Republic, the Great Khans, the Brotherhood of Steel, but that they first must conquer the "unrepentant" members of Caesar's Legion who follow the "false" Caesar: he points towards another Legion camp on the opposite side of a mound. Lucy asks about the two Caesars; the Lacerta Legate explains that the first Caesar died, and that the two sides have been at war over who should be the heir, battling over who can reach Caesar's skeleton first and read who he wrote down as his successor. They have been at a stalemate ever since.
Lucy offers to help the Lacerta Legate through use of her family counselling skills to resolve the conflict. The Lacerta Legate smiles at her naivete and has her crucified.
The Lacerta Legate begins to walk away from the now crucified Lucy, but Lucy exclaims "This isn't Rome, okay? This is America!" This prompts the legate to turn back for one last exchange with Lucy, stating that the only remnants of America are the evidence of its failure and then excuses himself, walking away. Lucy continues anyway, yelling at the legate that if he's at war with everyone then it is likely he's the bad guy. The legate snaps back that "good" is not a meaningful vector for history - "only strength." He finally leaves Lucy on the cross.
Later on, the Lacerta Legate stands in as the Ghoul arrives for an audience, and asks him about the information he claims to have. The Ghoul makes it known that he wants something in return for the information, but the legate threatens to crucify him until he gives it to them. The Ghoul reveals that he can give them the location to the last holdouts of the NCR. The legate is surprised by this information, and they quickly negotiate for the release of Lucy MacLean from her cross.
Personality[]
What is shown of the Lacerta Legate demonstrates him to be a more reserved and calculating man compared to his predecessors Joshua Graham and Lanius. However, he is no less ruthless, such as ordering for an escaped slave to be executed the moment she is returned to the camp. In his interactions with Lucy MacLean, despite the Legion's policy towards women in general, he allows her to walk and speak openly for a fair amount of time and freely informs her about the Legion's ongoing situation, only to respond to her genuine offers of help by having her crucified.
Appearances[]
The Lacerta Legate appears only in the Fallout TV series.
| Episodes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | ||||||||
| Season 2 | ✔ |
Behind the scenes[]
- "Lacerta" is the Latin word for lizard.
- Filming
- In an Inverse interview published with the release of "The Profligate," Macaulay Culkin said that his work acting as the Lacerta Legate was prompted by Geneva Robertson-Dworet, where he was told to explore "a bunch of different performances" that informed the "spectrum" of his character. He said that he never got a conclusive answer on how he was expected to play the Lacerta Legate and concluded that he could decide that himself "for the most part." Culkin says he dynamically adjusted his performance according to the reactions of his castmates and the critiques of the showrunners.[Meta 1]
- He said that playing the Lacerta Legate in Fallout is the first role in his career set in a post-apocalypse story.
- When he received the script, according to Culkin, he knew that his character would be a member of Caesar's Legion due to seeing multiple mentions of "Caesar" in his lines; when he asked if the showrunners wanted him to pronounce it "kay-zer," they understood that he was a Fallout fan and would commit to making the character fit into the setting.
- Culkin said that due to his tight schedule, his preparation for the role was short, including being fitted for his costume one day and then walking on set the next.
References[]
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