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I'd just like to apologize for any... trouble... our synths may have caused for you on your way here.

Alan Binet (username Binet.A) is the head of the Institute's Robotics division in 2287.

Background[]

Binet was instrumental in creating third generation synths. He is a talented designer, a must in the Institute's meritocratic environment, and believes in a healthy work/life balance and tries to put his work out of his mind when he retires for the day.[1]

Binet fully believes that the synths are potentially sentient beings and has had many arguments over it with his friend and colleague, Max Loken. His impassioned speeches about artificial sentience and machines are a constant feature of Robotics, so much that Loken could write them down from memory. Binet is keenly aware that his words fall on deaf ears, as dismissing the synths as machines is what allows the Institute to keep using them as slaves. When reminded of the option to trade the Institute for the wasteland, he is quick to remark that he's only trying to broaden the horizons of his colleagues.[2] Binet believes that the synths could be a further evolution of humanity, if the Institute could only allow them to demonstrate their potential. These are not popular ideas in the Institute, especially in light of the recent increase in autonomous behavior among the latest gen-three models.[3]

Beyond simply challenging Institute ideology, his affinity for working with synths is another source of problems. Following the loss of his wife, Alan has been bonding a little too closely with the synthetic replacement he created in her image named Eve, ostensibly as an experiment to determine whether synths are sophisticated enough to form social and familial bonds. Eve has caused him to come under the suspicion of deviant behavior.[4] Justin Ayo, head of the SRB, believes that his admiration for the synths has led him to mistake them for sentient beings and that Binet helps them escape to the surface. Binet vehemently denies the charge, as he would not do something as cruel as banishing them to the hellish wasteland.[5] The situation is not helped by the fact that the rate of escapes has greatly increased in recent months.[6]

Interactions with the player character[]

Interactions overview[]

Interactions
Icon quest starter
This character starts quests.
FO76 ui icon quest
This character is involved in quests.

Quests[]

Other interactions[]

Alan will give the Sole Survivor various quests to clear areas of enemies hostile to the Institute.

Inventory[]

Apparel Weapon Other items
Cleanroom suit Institute pistol Fusions cells

Notes[]

  • As evidenced by his initial conversation with Max Loken in the robotics lab, he believes that the new synth models are experiencing rapid eye movement and can dream.
  • He is one of the only members of the Institute that feels even slight sympathy for the synths, stating that he wonders if they have artificial sentience or even souls and that if they do, that would make them no different than a person.
  • If Plugging a Leak was completed in favor of Doctor Ayo and Liam was banished from the Institute, he will become depressed and lament about how he did not save Liam and wonders if he is still alive on the surface.

Appearances[]

Alan Binet appears only in Fallout 4.

Bugs[]

  • PCPC Binet may never give his Pest Control quest. Instead, he will speak his regular lines when the player character interacts with him.[verified]
  • PCPC He may also just give the quest reward and XP and thank you for clearing an area of ghouls without ever giving you any quests.[verified]

References[]

  1. The Sole Survivor: "Do you ever log in from your quarters?"
    Alan Binet: "Goodness no. When I retire for the day, I put any thought of work out of my mind. I find that keeping a balance between my work and my leisure time is vital for healthy living. Do you suspect that someone has logged into one of the laboratory terminals from my quarters?"
    (Alan Binet's dialogue)
  2. Max Loken: "Come now, Alan. It could have been anything. It was probably just a glitch in the nervous system. The fine motor control software could use an update."
    Alan Binet: "If it were just a limb twitching, perhaps, but her eyes were moving as well. Involuntary twitching and rapid eye movements while sleeping can only mean one thing, Max. You just don't want to admit to yourself what it is."
    Max Loken: "If you're about to launch into one of your impassioned speeches about artificial sentience and machines with souls, don't bother. I've heard enough of them by now. Hell, I could write them down from memory."
    Alan Binet: "But we can't just ignore the question. If a synth can dream, why can't it have a soul? And if a synth has a soul, then it is a living person by every standard we can measure. Of course, it's far more comfortable to think of them as machines, so we can do what we want with them."
    Max Loken: "If you disapprove of the work we do here, Doctor Binet, you know where to find the teleporter."
    Alan Binet: "Now just a moment, I never said that. I'm simply trying to open everyone's eyes to new possibilities."
    Max Loken: "Well it's an unwanted distraction. We're men of science, not philosophers. You'd do well to remember that."
    (Alan Binet and Max Loken's dialogue)
  3. Alan Binet: "Think about it, doctor. You and everyone else firmly hold onto the archaic opinion that the synths are inferior. By limiting them, we limit our work."
    Institute scientist: "I am well aware of your ideas, doctor, and there is a reason they are not the popular ones. There needs to be a distinction between us and them."
    Alan Binet: "No, they are an evolution of us. The synths possess vast untapped potential, if we'd only let them show it..."
    Institute scientist: "I suggest you keep your radical opinions to yourself from now on. Otherwise, you might find yourself being escorted to the teleporter for a one-way trip."
    (Alan Binet and Institute scientist's dialogue)
  4. Max Loken: "How's that personal synth of yours working out? I've heard that Liam's grown quite attached to it."
    Alan Binet: "Not 'it', Doctor Loken, 'she.' And she has a name. To answer your question, Eve has been an indispensable companion, both to Liam and myself."
    Max Loken: "Alan, I know it's been difficult for you since you lost your wife, but don't lose perspective. A synth might look like a man or a woman, but it isn't. It's not healthy to become too attached."
    Alan Binet: "Need I remind you, Doctor Loken, that in biochemical terms a human being is also a machine."
    Max Loken: "Don't hide behind technicalities, Alan. I'm your friend. I'm not judging you, but others will. Such behavior could be construed as deviant. You know where that will lead."
    Alan Binet: "There's no need to get worked up over it, Max. I'm simply carrying out an experiment. I believe that our third-generation synths are sophisticated enough to form social bonds, even familial bonds. Only through close observation can I prove my hypothesis."
    Max Loken: "Alright, Alan. I'll trust your judgement on this. Just be careful."
    (Alan Binet and Max Loken's dialogue)
  5. The Sole Survivor: "Why would Ayo think you were helping synths?"
    Alan Binet: "He probably thinks my admiration for the synths might have caused me to have some delusion about setting them free. The notion is preposterous. The last thing I'd want to do is banish a synth to the surface. It's a living hell up there. That's not freedom, it's a death sentence. I would never be so cruel."
    (Alan Binet's dialogue)
  6. The Sole Survivor: "How many synths have escaped?"
    Alan Binet: "I'm not sure of the exact number, but I can tell you the rate of escapes has accelerated greatly in recent months."
    (Alan Binet's dialogue)
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