Christian Thomas Shepard was an industrialist who spearheaded the Centurion Project.[1]
History[]
Christian Thomas Shepard, originally from England, was widely considered a genius due to his academic and entrepreneurial achievements. Educated at Harrow and Cambridge, Shepard later crossed the Atlantic to pursue further studies at MIT. During his time at the institute, he worked in a military initiative aimed at reverse engineering a computer chip he suspected originated from the Russians. He was right, although he didn't know that it had originally belonged to an unidentified Terminator. Despite his efforts, his research at MIT proved unproductive, leading to his decision to leave before graduating. However, undeterred, he secretly took the chip and persisted in his independent efforts to decipher its secrets.[1]
Utilizing inherited family funds, Shepard founded Century Investments, making several savvy investments in the process. Shepard's achievements propelled him into the prestigious Top 200 Rich List, solidifying his status as a prominent figure in the business world. Beyond his entrepreneurial ventures, Shepard's personal life drew considerable public attention. He was romantically involved with a Swedish supermodel, and their high-profile relationship earned them prominent features in the glossy magazines.[1]
Shepard expanded his portfolio by establishing Century Industries, a corporation of ambiguous scope. Century Industries aimed to develop a series of humanoid household and security robots called Centurions based on what Shepard still though a stolen Soviet chip. Shepard envisioned mass production once the Mk 4 model, nicknamed "Billion" due to its cost, reached perfection. Shepard developed a paternal affection for this creation. Tech-Com, upon uncovering evidence of humanoid machines linked to Century in the 1980s, dispatched a Resistance fighter named Katrina to the past to investigate and neutralize the perceived threat.[1]
At that point, Tech-Com was unaware that the Centurions were not aligned with Skynet. Contrary to their assumptions, these robots played a crucial role in overcoming the Terminators in the Future War. Skynet, realizing this, sent a Terminator to the past with the mission to eliminate Shepard and obliterate his research. Recognizing the error, Tech-Com sent Katrina's brother, Nicoli, back in time to stop Katrina and rectify the situation. Unfortunately, Nicoli was unsuccessful in his mission, resulting in Shepard's death.[1]
Notes[]
- Shepard's death can either be caused by the "Dad Plaid" Terminator or by the player characters, recruited by Katrina in her mission.
- Nicoli mentions that the Resistance had been covertly helping Shepard. It’s not explained exactly when or how that assistance happened.
Appearances[]
- The Terminator RPG Campaign Book: "The Centurion"
- The T2 RPG Sourcebook (Mentioned only)