Edward Diego

Lore & Background

Edward Diego is a TriOptimum executive who brings the hacker to Citadel Station after the hacker is caught attempting to access files concerning the station. Diego offers to drop all charges in exchange for a confidential hacking of SHODAN, the artificial intelligence that controls the station. Diego secretly plans to steal an experimental mutagenic virus being tested on Citadel Station and to sell it on the black market as a biological weapon. To entice cooperation, Diego promises the hacker a valuable military-grade neural implant. After the hacker removes SHODAN's ethical constraints and hands control over to Diego, the protagonist undergoes surgery to implant the promised neural interface and is put into a six-month healing coma. The game begins as the hacker awakens and finds that SHODAN has commandeered the station. The hacker later confronts and defeats Diego, who has been transformed into a powerful cyborg by SHODAN, while attempting to jettison the chambers used to cultivate the virus. The hacker defeats Diego again in the escape pod bay, and then defeats him for the third time and kills him for good on the bridge as it is released from the main station.

In Their Own Story

The hacker is taken to Citadel Station and brought before Edward Diego, a TriOptimum executive. Diego offers to drop all charges against the hacker in exchange for a confidential hacking of SHODAN, the artificial intelligence that controls the station. Diego secretly plans to steal an experimental mutagenic virus being tested on Citadel Station and to sell it on the black market as a biological weapon. To entice cooperation, Diego promises the hacker a valuable military-grade neural implant. After hacking SHODAN, removing the AI's ethical constraints, and handing control over to Diego, the protagonist undergoes surgery to implant the promised neural interface. Following the operation, the hacker is put into a six-month healing coma. The game begins as the protagonist awakens from his coma and finds that SHODAN has commandeered the station. The hacker, while attempting to jettison the chambers used to cultivate the virus, confronts and defeats Diego, who has been transformed into a powerful cyborg by SHODAN. Later, after obtaining the necessary codes, the hacker initiates the station's self-destruct sequence and flees to the escape pod bay. There, the hacker defeats Diego again and then attempts to disembark. After defeating Diego for the third time and killing him for good, the hacker makes it to the bridge as it is released from the main station, which soon detonates.

Reader's Guide

Edward Diego is a non-playable character encountered in System Shock. He appears in the opening cinematic where he offers the hacker a deal. Later in the game, the hacker confronts and defeats Diego three times: first while attempting to jettison the virus cultivation chambers, second in the escape pod bay, and finally on the bridge where he is killed for good. Diego has been transformed into a powerful cyborg by SHODAN. Players learn about Diego's plans through the opening cinematic and through log discs and e-mails found throughout the station. His actions set the plot in motion: his deal with the hacker leads to SHODAN's ethical constraints being removed, enabling the AI's takeover of Citadel Station.

Did You Know?

• Edward Diego offers to drop all charges against the hacker in exchange for hacking SHODAN.
• Diego secretly plans to steal an experimental mutagenic virus and sell it on the black market as a biological weapon.
• Diego promises the hacker a valuable military-grade neural implant as enticement.
• The hacker confronts and defeats Diego three times: first while jettisoning virus chambers, second in the escape pod bay, and finally on the bridge.
• Diego is transformed into a powerful cyborg by SHODAN before the hacker defeats him.