- "Then why isn't someone after her?!"
- ―Wes's worries bleeds through his tone for Madison Raye's safety.
| Wes Hawthorne | |
|---|---|
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| Biographical Information | |
| Name: | Wesley Alexander Hawthorne |
| Born: | 2124 |
| Nationality: | United States of America |
| Family Members: |
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| Physical Description | |
| Species: |
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| Gender: | Male |
| Status: | Alive |
| Affiliations | |
| Title(s): |
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| Loyalty: |
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| Behind The Scenes | |
| Portrayed By: | Gregory Smith |
Wes Hawthorne is a scientist and a driver for the Avatar Program who arrived to Pandora in 2158. Serving as a xenogeneticist, Wes is a vital member of the program for his set of skills in researching Na'vi genetics and unlocking more of the secrets behind the native species to Pandora.
Wes is also a brother and sibling to Jia Hawthorne, the RDA SecOps officer who took command as substitute administrator of Hell's Gate.
More recently, Wes was invovled in the repair operation of the Altair Borealis, a failed mission that nearly costed the lives of Theo Garland, Madison Raye and Norm Spellman.
History[]
Early Life[]
Born the eldest son of Martin and Sophia Hawthorne, a university physics professor and stay-at-home mother respectively, Wes showed an early interest in music and began violin lessons at age 4. He has studied and played with varying degrees of intensity since then, but he would come to eschew the idea of a professional music career in favor of exploratory science... much to the disappointment of his mother.
Though Wes and Jia had always been moderately close, they became practically inseperable after their parents divorced, sharing the belief that it was now them against the world. He was the more emotionally sensative of the two and often acted as Jia's sounding board for helping her deal with troublesome feelings. She, in turn, was his diminutive yet ferocious bodyguard at school, until he passed out of the awkward stage of his formative years and revealed the more sociable and charismatic aspects of his nature.
Through those difficult times, Wes found solace in both music and school, and excelled greatly at both. But it was his growing interest in extraplanetary sciences his senior year of high school that ultimately decided his fate. In college, he grew increasingly fascinated by exploratory missions to Pandora, and he became convinced that the future of mankind would be discovered in the vastness of space. These grandiose ideals were furthur fueled by the enthusiasm of his first serious girlfriend, Diana Swanson, who turned him onto the idea of joining RDA's prestigious Avatar program.
The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. And the more he liked the idea, the more he realized he would need to come to a decision about his main field of study. For years he dabbled in a little bit of everything--biology, genetics, astrophysics, engineering--unwilling to close any doors. It was through his study of Pandora's complex ecosystem that he finally hit upon the idea for his grand thesis: the evolution of the planet's neural network.
With this goal now firmly in mind, Wes threw all of his energy into joining the program. His test scores and credentials proved more than sufficient, but it was ultimately his propensity to music that guaranteed his success. Years spent practicing the violin had heightened his fine motor skills and resistance to mental fatigue. Wes was accepted, but Diana unfortunately was not.
His personal life turned rocky following this. His romantic relationship with Diana came to an end, but they eventually worked out enough of their issues to remain friends. Wes' parents had varying reactions. His father was supportive, if emotionally distant, but his mother was distaught by the idea that her son was 'abandoning her'.
Jia's reaction was by far the most shocking. Perhaps she feared she too was being abandoned by her biggest supporter. Or she saw this as a chance to achieve her dream of joining military service, something both of her parents had forbidden. But she announced her plan to join the RDA's security branch, SecOps. Wes was initially dismayed by his sister's announcement, but eventually he came to support it, and even drew some measure of comfort from the knowledge that his sister would be there to explore Pandora with him.
Despite the turmoil, Wes remains hopeful and intensely excited about the upcoming adventure. He is eager to make his mark in human history and find his place within the bigger universe.
Pandora 2158[]
Eventually, Wes would find himself on Pandora working for the RDA's Avatar Program as a driver. He arrived aboard the ISV Altair Borealis along with other known personnel such as Dominik Temple and Lorne Durán. Fitting right in with other colleagues of the program, Wes's first gig was giving support for the avatar team sent into space to repair the heavily damaged Altair before it crash lands into Pandora.
Personality[]
Wes is a people pleaser, one of those rare types who makes friends amidst vastly different social circles. His easygoing manner and charming smile was hard-won, however, after being heckled as a science and music nerd as a kid. He maintains a generally positive attitude about life and the future, but when upset or depressed he tends to become insular. An explorer to the core, he is constantly asking questions and searching for what he calls the "profound truths", both in the universe and in himself. He retains a small set of core values that are inviolate, but everything else is up for debate. Usually a meandering yet stimulating debate.