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Safety first. Remember that.— Evan Watson

Doctor Evan Watson[2] (username Watson.E)[3] is a scientist in the Institute in 2287.

Background[]

Dr. Watson works under Dr. Madison Li as the specialist projects lead scientist of Institute Advanced Systems.[1] He is a strict, no-nonsense man who handles many of the division's administrative tasks, such as maintaining thorough safety regulations, reviewing research proposals for approval, dealing with Facilities to secure power allotments,[4] and generally ensuring that the division complies with Institute protocol.[5] Watson is also involved in the child synth project, although he has significant reservations about it and only continues with the testing specifically because of Father's involvement;[6] while he views Father's ideas as unconventional, he is still fond of the director, and they regularly share long conversations over dinner.[7]

Out of all of these tasks, regulations are Watson's greatest priority. He is constantly submitting new regulation updates to the Institute Directorate to address new developments,[8] and he has written safety handbooks which are thousands of pages long. He believes that safety cannot be compromised for efficiency, claiming to have seen various past incidences where researchers ignored procedures to work faster and ended up dead, and he will not change his mind on the issue.[9] He treats rulebreakers with disappointment, and by contrast, expressing measured discipline is the easiest way to gain his respect.[8][10] He is not completely inflexible regarding the rules, but committing even the most minor infractions will cause him to feel guilty.[11][12]

Watson's penchant for procedure brings him into disagreement with Rosalind Orman, who is constantly making new proposals and redesigns which he sees as unsafe. Watson ends up rejecting many of her proposals outright and brings his safety concerns straight to Orman for the rest, to her chagrin.[13][14] A related issue is Brendan Volkert, who frequently visits Orman during work hours just to be near her. Orman does not mind having Brendan around, but Watson sees his presence as a distraction to their work and would rather have Orman dissuade him.[2][15]

While Watson is content to work under Dr. Li and is willing to excuse her past involvement with the Brotherhood of Steel, he still sees her as an outsider and has privately warned that she cannot be fully trusted.[6] Meanwhile, although he recognizes the Brotherhood as a threat,[16] he admires their technology and would love to reverse engineer their designs for the Institute.[17][18]

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[]

  • Airship Down: If Dr. Li has been convinced to leave the Institute as part of the quest From Within, Evan Watson will be the one who introduces the Sole Survivor to this quest, telling them to speak to Rosalind Orman for further details.
  • Appropriation: Watson requests for the Sole Survivor to recover blueprints from the Brotherhood of Steel. He will not give any material rewards unless convinced via an easy persuasion check, after which he will give four fusion cells. This will make him feel guilty, as he is technically breaking Institute rules. This check must be repeated every time in order to keep receiving the ammo reward.

Effects of player's actions[]

  • After completing Mankind - Redefined, Evan will express guarded support for Father's decision and remind the Sole Survivor to follow regulation to succeed as director.
  • After completing Powering Up, Evan will comment on the new reactor and its ramifications.
  • After completing Nuclear Family, Evan will reminisce fondly of Father and ask to discuss new policies with the Sole Survivor at a later time.

Inventory[]

Apparel Weapon Other items
Blue Institute lab coat

Notes[]

When asked about the Facilities division, Allie Filmore will state that Dr. Watson is a member of Facilities who is in charge of the Institute's power distribution systems.[19] This is contradicted by several conversation scenes involving Watson where it becomes clear that he only works with the power allotment for Advanced Systems and is still constrained by Facilities regulations.[5][4] Allie's line likely confuses Evan Watson with Enrico Thompson, a Facilities member who states in his dialogue that he maintains the Institute's power systems.[5][20][21]

Appearances[]

Evan Watson appears only in Fallout 4.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 The Sole Survivor: "Tell me about the people in your division."
    Dr. Li: "I'm not sure what there is to say. Doctor Watson is the Specialist Projects Lead Scientist. He's... how to put it... very organized and precise. Doctor Orman is the youngest scientists in the Institute, and she's something of a prodigy when it comes to physics."
    (Madison Li's dialogue in Fallout 4)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Dean: "Brendan, were you hanging around AdvanceIn-game spelling, punctuation and/or grammar Systems today?"
    Brendan: "Yeah...but only for like five minutes...why? Wait, let me guess, Doctor Watson complained about me again."
    Dean: "Yes, exactly. Doctor Watson said you were disturbing members of his lab today and he had to ask you to leave."
    Brendan: "I wasn't disturbing anyone. I said hello to Rosalind and he kicked me out for no reason. The guy hates me."
    Dean: "He doesn't hate you. He just hates that you distract people while they have important work to do. Brendan, just stop going over there and this won't be a problem anymore."
    Brendan: "I'm not making any promises."
    (Dean Volkert's and Brendan Volkert's dialogue)
  3. Institute Advanced Systems terminal entries; terminal, View Access Logs
  4. 4.0 4.1 Evan: "Doctor Filmore, did you get the requests I sent over?"
    Allie: "I did. I'm in the middle of reviewing them now, but I'm already unsure how we're going to shuffle things to get you the necessary power. I'll let you know when the review is complete."
    Note: This is part of the looping conversation between the Institute Directorate at the start of Mankind - Redefined.
    (Evan Watson's and Allie Filmore's dialogue)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Dr. Li: "You all know that Doctor Thompson from Facilities has expressed concerns about our power consumption."
    Rosalind: "Here we go again..."
    Evan:" We're not violating any protocols. We're well within approved operating parameters. I checked."
    Dr. Li: "I'm aware of that. Nevertheless, we're going to have to cut back. I'll have a complete rationing plan ready soon, but in the meantime I need you to make cuts anywhere you can."
    Rosalind: "This is going to set us back by days, maybe more."
    Dr. Li: "I know it won't be easy, but we'll have to make do."
    (Madison Li's, Rosalind Orman's, and Evan Watson's dialogue)
  6. 6.0 6.1 Institute Advanced Systems terminal entries; terminal, Personal Notes
  7. Evan: "Father and I used to have long talks every week over dinner. I'm going to miss those conversations."
    Note: This is a floating line which becomes available after completing Nuclear Family.
    (Evan Watson's dialogue)
  8. 8.0 8.1 Institute Advanced Systems terminal entries; terminal, Regulation Updates
  9. Evan: "Since you're new here, you should take time to learn our safety procedures, and the sooner the better. Rules create order, and order promotes efficiency."
    The Sole Survivor: "Too many rules get in the way of efficiency. It slows things down."
    Evan: "I've heard that before. I've also seen scientists get too cavalier with protocols and end up dead. It only takes one mistake, one lapse. Remember that. I had some handbooks made up, but that was years ago. I'll see about getting one to you."
    The Sole Survivor: "Uh, how big is this handbook?"
    Evan: "Just a few thousand pages, but I like to think it's a brisk read. I certainly find it so. Take care, then."
    (Evan Watson's dialogue)
  10. Evan: "Since you're new here, you should take time to learn our safety procedures, and the sooner the better. Rules create order, and order promotes efficiency."
    The Sole Survivor: "Words any former soldier can appreciate."
    Evan: "A man who understands the need for discipline will be a valuable addition here. I had some handbooks made up, but that was years ago. I'll see about getting one to you."
    (Evan Watson's dialogue)
  11. The Sole Survivor: "I have some Brotherhood schematics for you."
    Evan: " Great! I can't wait to get a look at them. I guess you took a pretty big risk to bring me these. I hope I wasn't asking too much of you."
    The Sole Survivor: "That depends. How do you plan to reward me, exactly?"
    Evan: "Well, I guess I could give you youIn-game spelling, punctuation and/or grammar these. Just keep this between us, okay? I'm not really supposed to be handing out fusion cells."
    Note: This is the first-time success response to the persuasion check at the end of Appropriation which causes Watson to provide an extra reward.
    (Evan Watson's dialogue)
  12. The Sole Survivor: "That depends. How do you plan to reward me, exactly?"
    Evan: "I wish I could, but the rules are pretty strict when it comes to allocating resources."
    Note: This is the failure response to the easy persuasion check at the end of Appropriation which causes Watson to provide an extra reward.
    (Evan Watson's dialogue)
  13. Institute Advanced Systems terminal entries; terminal, Personal Notes
    Note: The access logs on the same terminal make it clear it's Orman's own entry.
  14. Evan: "I had a concern about your proposed re-designed for the teleporter."
    Rosalind: "I'm listening."
    Evan: "I'm not sure your proposed safety protocols are going to be sufficient."
    Rosalind: "How about for once, you assume that I actually know what I'm doing?"
    Note: This is one possible set of randomized lines in the AdvSys2 dialogue scene.
    (Evan Watson's and Rosalind Orman's dialogue)
  15. Evan: "I saw you speaking with that Brendan Volkert earlier. What did he want?"
    Rosalind: "Oh, nothing really. He sometimes has theoretical physics questions for me, though I think it's just an excuse to talk to me."
    Evan: "That's what I thought. He's a good kid, but I'd appreciate it if he didn't bother you at work. We don't need anymore distractions."
    Rosalind: "Of course, Doctor Watson. I'll do my best to discourage him."
    (Evan Watson's and Rosalind Orman's dialogue)
  16. Evan: "Those Brotherhood of Steel guys are pretty tough. Be careful out there."
    (Evan Watson's dialogue)
  17. Evan: "You make a lot of trips to the surface, right? Maybe you can help me out with something. The Brotherhood of Steel has developed some impressive technology, and I think we could learn some things from them. The best place to start would be to study their design schematics, assuming you can get your hands on some."
    (Evan Watson's dialogue)
  18. Evan: "I'd love to get my hands on one of those Brotherhood vertibirds someday."
    (Evan Watson's dialogue)
  19. The Sole Survivor: "I'd like to know about the people in your division."
    Allie: "Of course. Doctor Lawrence Higgs is our mechanical engineer. He oversees the major life support and security systems. Power distribution is Doctor Evan Watson's area of expertise, and Doctor Newton Oberly is in charge of food and housing. He coordinates with BioScience to ensure that our meals are balanced for optimal nutrition. We also make use of a number of synth units for low-priority maintenance and labor."
    (Allie Filmore's dialogue)
  20. Enrico: "It's a real juggling act, trying to keep all the systems down here operating in the green. This place might look shiny and new, but there's a lot of old technology in these walls. I lose sleep worrying about when the next blackout's going to hit."
    The Sole Survivor: "Looks like everything's running great. I'd say your doing your job."
    Enrico: "Hey, thanks. It's nice to be appreciated. Most people just take my work for granted. It's the kind of work that only gets noticed when something goes wrong, if you know what I mean. There's some stuff I need to check on. See you around, yeah?"
    (Enrico Thompson's dialogue)
  21. The Sole Survivor: "How old are we talking about?"
    Enrico: "Well, the reactor and a lot of the related systems - you know, cooling, monitoring, power distribution - that's all pre-war tech. Most of the superstructure down here was built later, by the people who survived the war. I guess each generation's been tinkering with the place, adding labs, making upgrades and so on. There's some stuff I need to check on. See you around, yeah?"
    (Enrico Thompson's dialogue)
Institute flag
Fo4 Institute Seal
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