Quorra

Origin

Quorra is an Isomorphic Algorithm or ISO, a self substantiating program from the Sea of Simulation. Although Kevin Flynn saw her kind as a miracle, Clu saw them as an imperfection in his quest to create "The Perfect System" and he set out to eliminate them. He did this first by poisoning the Sea thus assuring no more ISOs could generate. Later he went on a campaign of genocide nearly wiping out their race. Only the timely intervention of Kevin Flynn allowed Quorra to survive, barely preventing the total extinction of her race. She has been a student of Flynn's since, studying under his knowledge and philosophies. Quorra, while she has never seen it, is intrigued and vastly fascinated by the real world and is always asking Sam questions. Her manner betrays an understanding of human nature, laughing at times out of place or staring quizzically at people. While naive and altruistic and appears ready to stand up for her beliefs, even if it could cost her her own existence.

Creation

Quorra was created as a character for the sequel of the original Tron in Tron: Legacy. She was played by Olivia Wilde.

Character Evolution

Quorra's character's progress was one of the main factors driving the story line. Her story formed one of the major sub-plots of the film in that while she and her kind had evolved out of nowhere that they deserved a chance to live. This has analogies to modern debates in science and politics, specifically to the debate over the theory of evolution and individuality as opposed to the whole.  

The character was portrayed by Olivia Wilde in the movie and thus her appearance and mannerism are inherently based off of hers. In the movie she is given a sleek futuristic look, which is evident both in her clothing as well as her makeup, both of which are endemic to the character, as she does not need to get dressed or apply makeup per se, rather she is consistently dressed in the same manner as is her face made up in the same manner. Despite this at the end of the movie after she has transitioned to the real world she is shown looking much as she did before, only more human like. Nonetheless the style of her clothing makeup is nearly identical as she has apparently determined how to dress and apply makeup in the short time that she had at that point as a human.

Major Story Arcs

In the film, she first appears when she rescues Sam Flynn from a battle with Clu . She takes Sam and they escaped the Game Grid in a vehicle which can be piloted where the speed cycles cannot. They leave the city and went to the outskirts of town where Sam's dad, Kevin Flynn, has been left in a state of self-exile. Kevin ends up telling Sam what Clu's plan is for the Flynns, including that the page which Sam received prompting him to come into the universe came from Clu not Kevin. With this knowledge in hand, Kevin tells Sam not to go back to the portal but he resists and prepares to leave anyway. Quorra will not go with Sam but she instructs him to look for Zuse including giving him access to the information of which sector he can be found in. After Sam is double-crossed by Zuse he must try to escape but Quorra has determined that he might need help and intervenes. The two fight a number of Clu's soldiers, and Quorra is wounded in her arm, causing it to de-resolve (which gives the impression that it is disintegrating. She shows soon afterwards that she is capable of regeneration provided her code is purged (which is done by Kevin.) As the three characters escape she and Sam share some more philosophical moments, asking him to explain what the sunrise is like. Afterwards they discover it is Clu's intention to invade Earth and shape it too in his concept of perfection. She sacrifices herself by distracting Tron so that the Flynns can escape. Undeterred Sam rescues her and the three flee to the portal. After eventually confronting Clu, she and Sam escape, where she is seen outside of Flynn's arcade. After a motorcycle ride with Sam she gets to see her first sunrise.

Her appearances in comics have largely been in Disney owned foreign series (Disney produced both Tron movies.) Her appearances have largely been as marketed to promotion of the film. This is a common practice at Disney which promotes its own properties across a wide range of media.

Powers and Abilities

As an ISO, Quorra has certain powers specifically as they relate to the Grid. As a being outside of the regular programming of the Grid she has the ability to modify her surroundings somewhat as would a user except to a more limited degree. Additionally she herself can be modified by users in specific settings to accomplish things which might not otherwise be possible. For instance, after a battle in which she lost half of her arm, Kevin reprogrammed her to regrow it. Because of her abilities in the Grid it also makes her a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, and capable of acrobatic and gymnastic feats which would generally be considered beyond that of a human. This also extends to her ability to pilot a light cycle and various other vehicles. As with any resident of the Grid, her power rests in the power disc which is carried on her back. If this is destroyed she instantly dies. As an ISO it is implied that her disk is more valuable and more useful than the average resident of the grid, much as a user's is. None of these powers are implied to exist outside of the Grid.

Despite her having potentially omnipotent powers within the Grid, she is still bound by the base conditions within the grid. For instance she is subjected to what passes for gravity in the Grid. In addition to this she can also be clearly injured and killed. This is evident as she is the last surviving ISO, the others having been hunted down and killed.

Her attraction to Sam also demonstrates that she is capable of developing a wide range of human emotions and experiencing events as a human does. She develops feelings for Sam as well as being touched by her first sunset. This is evident that despite being a technological creation, that she has an advanced form of artificial intelligence.

Other Media

Her main appearance is in the movie Tron Legacy and she appears as a one time only character (she did not appear in the original Tron movie.)