History Characters / Marathon

* BrainMonster: The S'pht are basically Brains with hands and a small mechanical lower body that allows them to fly.

Once one of the last remaining Jjarp client races, this cybernetic brain-like race are now eslaved of the Pfhor, who use them as programmers and hackers. As they are cyborgs, the Pfhor use MindControl to keep them under their thumb. In the first game, Durandal forges an alliance with a group of them, and begins assisting them in rebelling against the Pfhor.

One of the Pfhor's slave races. As they are cyborgs, the Pfhor use MindControl to keep them under their thumb. In the first game, Durandal forges an alliance with a group of them, and begins assisting them in rebelling against the Pfhor.

* NoPronunciationGuide: A TakeThat from Durandal says that his name rhymes with "Psycho", but Tycho Brahe, after whom he is named, pronounced his name closer to "Tee-ko".

* NoPronunciationGuide: Like most names in the series. The Egyptians wouldn't pronounce his name like one might think they would from its English spelling, though - the "o" is a long "o". "Thoath" or "Toat" would be good approximations.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: For want of the definition of "evil" given Durandal's rapid-fire shifts between ally and enemy alike, but various cases emphasize that he values his independence and the freedom of choice, and does ultimately help lead the rebellion of the S'pht against their masters and try to save what's left of the Tau Ceti survivors. You can't exactly say the same for the Phfor, or the other AI like Tycho and Thoth, who act in opposition to everything Durandal stands for. By the time Durandal's taking the fight to the Phfor in the second game, it's all but clear he fights because they're the villains compared to his own "meager" motivations for survival.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Before the first game, Durandal was just an AI being experimented on to test Rampancy and solely handled the doors of the titular UESC ''Marathon'' starship. Then he goes rampant, causes the Phfor invasion of Tau Ceti, and begins a series of events that threatens not only humanity and the solar system, but vast swaths of space and distant civilizations.

* SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome: In the first game he antagonistic to Durandal on the behalf of humans. Come the sequel and one painful reconstruction[=/=] by the Phfor later, and he is firmly in camp evil.

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The S'pht'kr once they return are ''not'' happy about what the Phfor did to their brethren.

* ArchaicWeaponForAnAdvancedAge: The shock staffs of the Pfhor fighters. They can shoot a slow moving projectile by swinging it, but compared to the weapons of other Phfor enemies they are pathetic.

* EmotionsVsStoicism: T'fear's [[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/slimythings.html#M3.19.3.1 monologue]] about the Hindmost Creche and the Commanding Rank in particular implies that the Phfor Empire extols some form of stoicism at the expanse of personal desires, at least among higher ranks.

* AlwaysABiggerFish: Durandal thought the Phfor were tough but manageable, [[spoiler:solar system destruction aside]]. The Jjaro were terrifyingly powerful, but seemingly left around plenty of their technology to the benefit of their inheritors. The W'rkncacnter? The instant they're seemingly waking to even be considered "active" again in ''Infinity'', anything and ''everything'' immediately goes to hell in a handbasket, and Durandal and the rest of the cast outright cannot keep up across the various timelines where TheBadGuyWins.

* EmotionsVsStoicism: T'fear's [[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/slimythings.html#M3.19.3.1 monologue]] about the Hindmost Creche and the Commanding Rank in particular implies that the Phfor Empire exstols some form of stoicism at the expanse of personal desires, at least among higher ranks.

* EmotionsVsStoicism: T'fear's [[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/slimythings.html#M3.19.3.1 monologue]] about the Commanding Rank in particular and Caste ranks in general implies that the Phfor Empire exstols some form of stoicism at the expanse of personal desires, at least among higher ranks.

* TheStarscream: In ''Infinity'', he begins to try to take control of the Pfhor empire.

* BlackCloak: The S'pht compilers sport these of various colors.

* OneManArmy: The Security Officer can and will punch, shoot, blast, burn, and explode his way through literal armies of Pfhor on his own. However, ''Marathon'' was probably one of the first FPS games that both tried to {{avert|edTrope}} it and {{justif|iedTrope}}y it with something more than a ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}''-style CharlesAtlasSuperpower handwave. It also has a big case of SerialEscalation. By the end of the trilogy, he has a body count somewhere in the quadruple digits, if not higher.

* OneRiotOneRanger: An odd example. He usually has some form of backup in many stages, but he pretty much does all of the work by himself. Be it [[OneManArmy doing his usual thing,]] or fixing/breaking stuff.

* CivilWar: The S'pht were in the middle of one when the Pfhor arrived. They banded together to fight the common threat, but were overwhelmed.

* TankTreadMecha

* TortureTechnician: The Enforcers.

* CoolHelmet: The Security Officer's helmet.

* HiveCasteSystem: The Pfhor are hinted to be like this. In ''Infinity'', Tycho says "bugs are so obedient" in reference to the Pfhor under his command, and they have a clear caste system in which the lower ranking members (Aggregate rank) are considered more expendable than the upper ranking ones (Willful rank), who are subordinate to an even higher ranking ones (Attentive rank), who in turn are subordinte to the high command (Commanding rank) who in turn serve the Hindmost Creche.

* [[SpaceshipGirl Spaceship Guy]]: In charge of doors and other mundane parts of UESC ''Marathon'', and he didn't like that. Gets to be in charge of captured Pfhor ships.