You might have seen or heard of THEIA and Hyperion in 007 First Light but got confused about what they are and what role they play in the story. In this article, I explain both of them and how they shape the story.
SPOILER ALERT: Because THEIA and Hyperion drive much of the conflict in 007 First Light, I have to explain some late-game stuff. So, if you haven’t played the game or don’t want any part of the story spoiled for you, feel free to come back later.
What you will read
What Is THEIA in 007 First Light?
THEIA is a second-generation quantum computer created by Sir Nicolas Webb. It’s hidden deep inside MI6 headquarters. THEIA was once considered untouchable and had never been hacked from the outside.
Its purpose was simple: to analyze enormous amounts of data and spot potential national security threats before humans could. The idea was to reduce human error in intelligence work.
Over the years, THEIA has earned a reputation for this amazing ability to stop terrorist attacks in advance and for saving the lives of agents who might otherwise have been lost. One famous success was when it identified the truth behind a crashed foreign satellite in Iceland.
The problem was that THEIA wasn’t perfect. Like any AI, no matter how advanced, it sometimes got things wrong. But since Webb never wanted to admit those AI imperfections, he secretly worked to protect THEIA’s reputation.
He sent his son, Damian, and a covert hit squad to manipulate crime scenes. They killed witnesses and planted evidence so THEIA’s false conclusions would appear legit.
Operation Knightfall and the Caliban Cover-Ups
There are two major examples of this. During Operation Knightfall, THEIA mistakenly concluded that a mole ring existed at the highest levels of British Intelligence. Rather than expose the error, Webb framed Agent 009 to validate THEIA’s hallucinated MI6 mole.
The same thing happened during the Caliban Incident. THEIA linked a terrorist known as Caliban to a series of scientist murders, even though Caliban had already been dead for three months.
To support THEIA’s conclusion, Damian traveled to Vietnam and did what he did best. He killed whoever he had to, to make the scene look exactly the way THEIA predicted.
Hyperion: THEIA’s Secret Quantum Twin
THEIA has a secret twin called Hyperion, which MI6 knew nothing about. Interestingly, it’s named after THEIA’s brother and consort from Greek mythology. Hyperion is a quantum-entangled mirror computer. Because the two machines are linked, they effectively operate as the same system from different locations. Without Hyperion, THEIA’s vast quantum cloud becomes useless.
Hyperion is hidden inside a heavily guarded Webb Industries research facility in the Antarctic Circle. Webb mainly used it to quietly monitor and mirror THEIA’s activities. Webb used this shadow computer to passively spy on MI6 without tipping them off. Once THEIA was shut down, however, Hyperion became far more important.
How Webb Planned to Use Hyperion
The machine is also the endgame of Webb’s final plan. He intended to use Hyperion to overthrow the British government. His masterplan was to frame the Prime Minister and replace him with Steven Bright.
The final plan was to eliminate human oversight from intelligence operations and seize control over global information flows, which is pretty horrifying if you think about it. He even planted a dead-man’s switch to his own heart that would leak all of MI6’s classified data if he died.
What Happens to THEIA and Hyperion in 007 First Light?
By the end of the story, Isola infiltrates the Antarctic research facility and removes Hyperion’s core, though James Bond shoots and destroys it to prevent her from handing it over to her shadowy organization.
Damian turns against MI6 entirely and launches an attack on the organization to claim THEIA’s core as his rightful inheritance and sell it to the highest bidder. However, Isola ultimately steals THEIA’s core during Damian’s headquarters attack and successfully escapes with it, never to be seen again.
007 First Light
