Re: last reblog.

Aster is a pattern-recognition program that trains on datasets. Because when I was trying to figure out what my Tron universe program-sona would be, there was just… no possible other answer.

Aster is like if a slightly ahead-of-its-time 1980’s-era precursor to modern machine-learning got stolen by the MCP, and put to work as a hack-of-all-trades in the Encom system, instead of whatever evil it would otherwise have been used for.

(Except it was actually stolen by the successors to the MCP. Which in my headcanon still stole programs from competitors sometimes, but with more noble motives.)

Aster is conscious, but not because she’s machine learning software. Because she was stolen by Encom.

Aster’s skills come from her programming. The fact that she has thoughts and feelings comes from The Mysterious Spiritual Magic of the Encom system.