Donald Anderson, also known as Mr. Sigint or simply Sigint, was a former member of FOX and an expert on weapons, equipment and cutting-edge technology. He assisted Naked Snake during Operation Snake Eater and the San Hieronymo Incident, participated in the development of ARPANET, and was one of the founding members of the Patriots. Anderson later became the chief of DARPA, supporting the development of Metal Gear REX in the early 2000s. During the Shadow Moses Incident, he was tortured to death by Revolver Ocelot of FOXHOUND, and later impersonated by Decoy Octopus.

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Biography

Early life and career

Donald Anderson was born on Veterans Day 1939 in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] At some point in his life, he became familiar with weaponry and high-tech equipment. He was later scouted by Major Zero and requested to join the CIA for his abilities due to having difficulty finding a job anywhere else due to racial discrimination.[5] However, his recruitment caused some controversy among his peers, with Major Zero often having to deal with complaints relating to Anderson three days per month.[6] At some point in his life, he met and befriended Jim Houseman.[7]

Anderson was responsible for inventing the Raikov mask, which was originally intended for a CIA-sponsored mission. An agent was to infiltrate the Soviet Union, impersonate a GRU officer, sneak into a Soviet installation, and steal secret documents. However, the mission was aborted, and Major Zero told Anderson to throw the mask away. However, he was reluctant to do so, as he considered it to be an ingenious design (the first mask to "blink") and that it would be an insult to science to throw it away. Getting the lips to move though, was something he saw beyond anyone's ability.[8]

As a member of FOX, Anderson was given the codename "Mr. Sigint" in reference to the military term "SIGINT" (or SIGnal INTelligence).[5] Though he did not participate directly in the Virtuous Mission of August 1964, Sigint did supply Major Zero with notes regarding the anti-personnel sensor, the motion detector, and the active sonar.[9]

A week later, Sigint was formally introduced to Naked Snake at the beginning of Operation Snake Eater. He provided Snake with detailed information on weaponry, machinery, camouflage and gadgetry, having invented, among others things, the active sonar and motion detector that Snake would use during his mission.[10] Sigint also suggested useful tactics in his battles against enemy forces, supplying intel on the Spetsnaz and the Cobra Unit, such as the latter group's microbombs.[11][12] After Snake's confrontation with The Sorrow, Sigint explained to him that the former Cobra had actually died two years earlier in Tselinoyarsk during a fight with The Boss.[13] He later gave advice to Snake on the use of C3, when the latter headed to Groznyj Grad to destroy the Shagohod.[14]

Following Operation Snake Eater's success, Sigint attended Snake's award ceremony at Langley, in which Snake received the Distinguished Service Cross from President Lyndon B. Johnson along with the "Big Boss" title. He expressed concern when Snake walked away from the room without uttering a word.

Post-Snake Eater

In 1965, Sigint joined ARPA and took part in the development of ARPAnet.[15]

Warning: The following information is from outside Hideo Kojima's core "Metal Gear Saga." It has some level of canonicity within the continuity, but reader discretion is advised.[?]

At some point between 1965-1970, he was also involved in two projects involving making soldiers go through a mission without eating for five days (codenamed "Metabolism Dominance") and making soldiers fight without sleeping, as well as various development projects relating to GPS satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, a human cannon for Special Forces operatives to be launched to the top of a building, and an aircraft resembling a UFO.[16][17]

Main article: San Hieronymo Incident

In November 1970, Sigint was contacted at ARPA by Naked Snake, after escaping imprisonment by the now-renegade FOX Unit, on the San Hieronymo Peninsula.[18][19] With Major Zero having been charged with treason for the unit's rebellion, Sigint warned Snake that he and Para-Medic would be court-martialled if Snake could not disprove that they were accomplices as Snake was charged with treason as well.[20][21] Sigint then suggested that Snake recruit some allies for his cause.[22] Finally, he informed Snake that they had lost contact with a Green Berets squad that was sent to the peninsula and he should seek their help if he found them, unaware that Snake found the sole remaining Green Beret squad member in question, Roy Campbell, in the prison.[23]

Following Snake's success, Sigint greeted him with Para-Medic and Zero on an airport runway when he returned to America, all having been cleared of treason.

Non-"Metal Gear Saga" information ends here.

The Patriots

Anderson, along with Para-Medic, Big Boss, Ocelot and EVA, was recruited by Zero as one of the founding members of his new organization, which would later become The Patriots. Sigint used ARPAnet (the Internet's precursor) to plan the group's later virtual control over the world, with ARPA itself leading many of their developmental plans.

By late 1974, Anderson believed that AI itself should lead humanity, and that they were superior to the AI weapons developed for the Peace Walker Project. Anderson was delegated the leader of Zero's organization, now named "Cipher," after his commander was crippled in a bio-weapon attack by a rogue subordinate, Skull Face. For a time, however, Skull Face wrested control of Cipher from Anderson, only regaining it after the former's death at the hands of Venom Snake and the mercenary group Diamond Dogs.

By early 1984, Anderson had created his brainchild, the AI network that was programmed to maintain the "set of norms" dictated by Zero, and serve as his successors: the Patriots. Despite Zero's insistence that the AI network not have the ability to think for itself, due to the near-disaster caused by the AI deployed in the Peace Walker Incident, Anderson was ultimately forced to allow them to do so and to learn for themselves, supplying broad instructions for them to follow. This was due to Strangelove, the woman originally commissioned to develop the AIs, dying before she could implement several traits into the AIs (such as compassion), which would ultimately result in unforeseen consequences in the near future.

Metal Gear REX

In 2002, Anderson became the chief of DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). As an advocate of the nuclear retaliation theory and having been heavily bribed by Kenneth Baker, he funded the Metal Gear REX project as a joint effort with ArmsTech using part of the Pentagon's black budget. For several years, regular payments in the tens of thousands of dollars had been made to the corporate account of a dummy company for which the DARPA Chief’s wife ostensibly acted as a consultant. REX's development was also initiated to overcome a global trend of military downsizing.

Main article: Shadow Moses Incident

In February 2005, Donald Anderson and Kenneth Baker visited Shadow Moses Island, where Metal Gear REX conducted a rail gun testing exercise. Although he intended to deliver the exercise data to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, he and Baker were taken hostage during a revolt initiated by FOXHOUND. Due to Anderson's cranial implants, Psycho Mantis's mind reading abilities were rendered useless during interrogation.[24] When Anderson refused to divulge his detonation codes for REX, as his mental defenses were reinforced by hypnotherapy,[25] Revolver Ocelot "botched" the torture and killed the DARPA Chief.

Anderson's death was covered by Revolver Ocelot as an accident which deprived his FOXHOUND comrades of the DARPA Chief's code.[26] As a result, FOXHOUND commander Liquid Snake arranged for Decoy Octopus to take Anderson's place as a hostage to trick Solid Snake into revealing alternative method of activating Metal Gear REX.[27] Snake later found the real Anderson's decomposing corpse while held in Ocelot's captivity but was not aware of the switch until Vulcan Raven revealed it.[2][28] Having been Jim Houseman's personal friend, Anderson was the only person who the Secretary of Defense had intended to save.[7] After the revolt, it was reported to Solidus Snake that the DARPA Chief was purposefully killed because he knew of Ocelot's true identity and motives.[29]

Legacy

Anderson's decision to supply the AI network with broad instructions and self-learning capabilities ultimately resulted in the Patriots rejecting Zero's will, and proceeding to create the S3 Plan, as well as the war economy.

During the Guns of the Patriots Incident in 2014, Big Mama revealed to Solid Snake that Anderson's death, and that of of Dr. Clark, served to weaken Zero's faction, which stood in opposition to Big Boss.

Personality and traits

During Operation Snake Eater, Sigint was shown to be boastful. When Snake and Sigint first introduced themselves via the radio, the former asked the latter if he was one of the experts of weapons and cutting edge technology. Sigint replied that he was "THE expert on weapons, equipment, and cutting-edge technology." Sigint seemed to be obsessed over cosmetic features, as he said that the technology of the EZ Gun was troublesome to fit into a package resembling the Liberator pistol, yet he went through with it because he thought the Liberator "[looked] cool." He also refused to dispose of the Raikov mask after the operation it was supposed to be deployed in was canceled, purely because he was proud of getting the mask to blink.

Sigint was also shown to be jovial and energetic, speaking to his follow operatives with a casual and upbeat tone. He also was friendly to Snake and even congratulated him on being given the title of "Big Boss" by patting him on the shoulder though Snake was too distraught to respond.

Sigint's personal data as of 1964 revealed that: his eyesight was 20/16; his blood type was "O"; he had no prior illnesses; his favorite hobby was playing basketball; his favorite food was buffalo wings; his least favorite food was fish and chips; his primary technological interest was computers; his favorite animals were cats; his favorite liquor was beer; his favorite UMA was the [Abominable] Snowman; his favorite UFO was the Adamski type; and the total number of written apologies he provided during that year was 21.[1]

Although his knowledge with technology, weapons, and camouflage patterns were second to none, he did have some difficulty seeing differences between similar objects, like cigarettes and cigars, chocolate chip cookies and scones, or snack and afternoon tea. When corrected, he usually justified his error by claiming they were the "same thing," to the protests of his comrades. This once got him into trouble with Major Zero, which resulted in Zero giving him a long lecture on the history of the concept of afternoon tea (a lecture that Sigint implied happened before).

During his early career in the CIA and ARPA, Sigint shaved his head bald[1] and often wore a black baseball cap with the words "U.S. Team FOX" emblazoned on the front.

Technologies developed

CIA

ARPA/DARPA

Unconfirmed history

The following information has been detailed in official Konami-licensed media, written by various external authors. Its status in the Metal Gear canon is unconfirmed.[?]

By the time of Operation Snake Eater, Sigint was also a member of the NSA, which is where he had become familiar with cutting-edge electronic reconnaissance technology.[31]

After a period of strategizing for the United States government during the Cold War, Donald Anderson worked for the CIA for at least ten years and was awarded the Intelligent Star Badge for his duties.[32]

Behind the scenes

Metal Gear Solid

Donald Anderson was originally stated to be in his 50s during the time of Metal Gear Solid, which is set in early 2005.[3] In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, he was retconned to be a decade older, when it was revealed that his character was the same person as Sigint, born in late 1939.[1]

A picture of Anderson can be seen in the Commander's room in Metal Gear Solid.

In the Metal Gear Solid: Official Mission Handbook from Millennium Books, Anderson's marital status is given as single.[32] However, it is stated in Nastasha Romanenko's In the Darkness of Shadow Moses: The Unofficial Truth that he had been married until his death.[4]

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

According to the script for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the Cyborg Ninja (Olga Gurlukovich) was to have spoken to Raiden in Donald Anderson's voice, while discussing how the PAN card operated, mirroring his dialogue from Metal Gear Solid.[33] However, this was not implemented in the final version.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Calling Sigint on the radio causes some humorous results. He comments on almost everything Snake can equip, along with lectures about much of the equipment Snake encounters; this includes a comedic conversation concerning the cardboard box, and a lecture on the real-life shortcomings of a bipedal armored vehicle after Snake has encountered Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin (which is ironic because Anderson would later fund the Metal Gear REX project). Although Sigint will speak about the Patriot and other bonus items procured by the player, he never comments on the infinity face paint. For a full list of conversations, see here.

Due to a possible translation error in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, when the player wears the Cold War uniform and contacts Sigint, he will say that enemy soldiers will not shoot Naked Snake from behind. However, it is actually the reverse that is true, as soldiers will not shoot Snake from the front, but will do so from behind, as those are the respective locations of the Soviet flag and the American flag.

It is possible that Sigint was the person who developed the rechargeable batteries for the active sonar, motion detector, and anti-personnel sensor, due to having created the first two devices. Additionally, a comment from Para-Medic about the batteries' developer being "pretty strange," during the Virtuous Mission, is similar to a description of Sigint given by Major Zero, in regards to the Raikov Mask, when contacted by Snake about it.

If the player contacts Sigint shortly after Naked Snake wakes up from his nightmare, Sigint will explain that he had an even worse nightmare where his hometown and everyone he knew was "turned into shit" by a "tank-shaped big pile of crap" via its "turd missiles." The dream, fecal references aside, foreshadows their eventual creations of Metal Gears.

Sigint appears in the Secret Theater movie Metal Gear S..., where he replaces Naked Snake in many of the game's cutscenes, just beating Jack to the punch on story line-driven events such as fighting Ocelot and meeting up with, and being seduced by EVA.

According to leaked character sheets for Metal Gear Solid 3, Sigint's appearance was based on various characters played by African American actor Will Smith.[31]

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

San Hieronymo rebel staff Sigint Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Plus) Career Arms Specialist, Engineer Equipment Body Armor, GA-KO Initial LIFE Max LIFE Initial STMN Max STMN SNS 70 130 200 300 10 Combat Ability B B B B B S B B A S B Password NTSC PAL DARPA-1 D+ARPA

In Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, the player is given the option to recruit Sigint. This section details how the recruitment takes place.

After Snake is rescued from the Guest House (and rescues Raikov, if the resistance managed to find and place a Spy Unit in the Western Wilderness and chooses to rescue him), Snake goes over to the Communications Base and contacts Sigint. Sigint deduces that Snake is having trouble with the mission, and Snake confirms this. Snake explains that while he did manage to recruit some of the enemy forces, he does admit that they are chronically short of gear, as they are handling several weapons for the first time. Sigint tells Snake that it isn't surprising as not all of the soldiers are trained in equipment as Snake. However, he does have sympathy for the predicament, as it is tough to fight in that condition, as the soldiers are most likely not inspecting or managing their gear properly. Snake explains that their neither inspecting nor managing their gear properly is exactly the reason as to why Snake contacted Sigint in the first place, and he was wondering if he could give advice. Sigint, however, explains to Snake that the subject matter is far too complex to merely give advice over the radio.

He explains that the soldiers would need an experienced instructor to come down to the San Hieronymo Peninsula to teach them. He also reveals that the same instructor has to have knowledge on Soviet equipment, as well as how to use it. More importantly, he has to arrive for San Hieronymo without someone within the CIA or the Pentagon brass noticing. After explaining this, Sigint suddenly realizes he's that kind of person. Snake then realizes that Sigint wants to come down to the peninsula. Sigint explains that he's well versed in every single kind of equipment known to the military forces: guns, gear, old technology, cutting-edge technology, American-made, Soviet-made, everything. Snake is unsure, as the situation may not be well suited for him. Sigint explains that he probably doesn't have much of a choice but to help, anyways, as these are desperate times, although he also admits that he also wants to see the new CIA weapon.

Shortly thereafter, Sigint manages to find a method of transportation to the San Hieronymo Peninsula, and arrives at the town. However, he also ends up taking evasive maneuvers in case an Alert is triggered. Snake manages to get to Sigint without triggering an Alert and, after briefly talking with Roy Campbell, escorts him to the truck.

Recruiting Sigint is the only way to freely access his radio frequency.

In an optional radio conversation with Sigint, he will explain to Snake about a project that he is involved in, called the Metabolic Dominance, which involved getting soldiers to not eat or sleep for weeks to avoid getting distracted on the battlefield. Snake states that it's the worst idea he has ever heard. This was an actual DARPA project, although it actually occurred in 2004, roughly three and a half decades after the game's events.[34] Similarly, in another optional radio conversation, Sigint will give a list of various projects ARPA is undergoing to some soldiers, which are GPS Satellites, Unmanned Weapons, a human cannon for use by special forces to get to the top of a building, and an aircraft that flies around in a similar fashion to a UFO. However, after Sigint mentioned the human cannon, the soldiers stopped taking Sigint seriously, and hung up when he mentioned the UFO aircraft.

"An expert in weapons, equipment, and cutting edge technology, his code name is short for "Signals Intelligence." Unable to find a job due to discrimination, he was invited by Major Zero to join FOX. Also vice president of the unofficial UMA Finders Club." ―Official description in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus

Along with Para-Medic, Major Zero and Ocelot, Sigint's appearance within the story line of Portable Ops is restricted to the radio, and the animated comic style cutscenes. His in-game model is only used once he has been recruited, an event of unknown status to the game's canonical story due to Sigint greeting Snake upon his return to the United States. Like Para-Medic, Sigint received a new model for Portable Ops.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Prior to the release of Metal Gear Solid 4, it was not clearly established that Sigint and Donald Anderson were the same character. Although similarities between the two were alluded to in previous games, namely their association with ARPA/DARPA, it wasn't until Act 3 of Metal Gear Solid 4, when Big Mama reveals to Old Snake the history of the Patriots, that the two were revealed to be one.

Donald Anderson makes a cameo appearance as a "ghost" near the Tank Hangar's cargo door shaft's entrance. His appearance as a "ghost" is based on his face portrait. In addition, one of his lines from Metal Gear Solid 3, "I am THE expert on weapons, equipment and cutting-edge technology" is the name of a trophy with the Metal Gear Solid 4 trophy patch, unlocked after collecting every single weapon and item in the game (excluding password-exclusive unlockables).

Peace Walker and Metal Gear Solid V

Although Sigint doesn't directly appear in later games, he is mentioned in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker by Kazuhira Miller, during a phone call to Cipher (Zero), in which he states Sigint's view that "machines will just be machines."

Donald Anderson's character model appears in the "Déjà Vu" Extra Ops mission of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Should the player character utilize the Classic Snake skin, Anderson can be found in the same cage that Chico is imprisoned in the main game, shortly before succumbing to FOXDIE. His younger self also appears in the Ground Zeroes app as an officer character in the Mother Base Developer. He is unlocked by achieving the "Fastest Neutralization of Enemies" trial on the Ground Zeroes mission, by completing it within 9 minutes while connected to the app.

Donald Anderson is mentioned in several cassette tapes during Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. One has Zero mentioning Donald to Ocelot after the first phase of Skull Face's plans, and another has Ocelot mention Anderson to Venom Snake, regarding Cipher's current status.

Appearances

Non-canonical

Source

Gallery