Roger Smith is the main protagonist of "The Big O". A former officer in Paradigm City's Military Police, Roger resigned and took up work as the city's premiere freelance negotiator, mediating disputes, and resolving conflicts between various parties for a fee. A wealthy man, Roger resides in a penthouse outside the domes with his butler, Norman Burg, and an android companion named R. Dorothy Wayneright. Unknown to most of the city's residents, Roger is also the "dominus" or pilot of the mysterious black megadeus Big O.
Early Life[]
In Act:14 Roger confessed that "his life was nothing but boring", and that he was adopted by an affluent foster family. In Act:04, Roger has a vision involving a woman, whom Roger refers to as "mom", which is interrupted by Dorothy; it is unclear if this is his foster or his biological mother. There are also photos of a young Roger with paternal and maternal figures in Act:01, though it is unclear if these are his biological or foster parents. He was educated at a private academy/school under the auspices of an unknown sponsor.
Military Police[]
Roger eventually joined the Military Police. It was during this time that he developed a rapport with Dastun. He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant. After some "arbitrary" reason he decided to resign from the Military Police. It is implied in the series that he resigned since he believed the Paradigm Corporation was not concerned with public safety.
Becoming a Negotiator[]
Roger later claimed, in Act: 14, that he discovered a "run-down bank" and decided to make it his home. While inside he found Norman who had been waiting for his master to arrive. Roger immediately denied being a "master" but after a while conceded. It was around this time that he was told of Big O by Norman. How he decided to become a negotiator is never revealed. He negotiates for anyone under the expectation that both parties behave professionally. He displays a distrust for the Paradigm Corporation. He only takes a negotiation for them if it is necessary.
Roger's Memories[]
In the series finale, Roger indicated that he believed he had retained his memories of the past, but at some point voluntarily removed them for unknown reasons. Various flashbacks throughout the series indicate that this removal may not have been complete.
Roger's flashbacks[]
- Paradigm city was "rebuilt", but apparently citizens faded in from nowhere and populated the city. A Roger Smith with appearance of homeless guy appeared in the city.
- Roger Smith androids were mass constructed, bearing identical appearance of black suit.
- Big O was depicted as a TV show, and a R. Dorothy Wayneright having size of a hand-held doll was shown, the whole house of young Angel and Vera was staged, watched by Angel holding a book of Metropolis.
- Roger's life was depicted as a manga/anime cartoon and a theatre stage play.
- Roger realizes he is a tomato and being raised by someone, possibly Gordon Rosewater, tomatoes are identified with barcodes that may be shown in the eyes of them. This barcode is also shown on displays in the cockpit of Big O and Big Fau.
- Paradigm City was totally destroyed by a conflict between the Bigs and the other Megadeus. Big O, Big Duo, and Big Fau were mass-produced. A Big O emerged victorious.
- In the conflict, Roger Smith wore a flight suit and fought against a hydra eel, being electrocuted, Roger stepped on a switch in desperation and activated plasma gimmick.
- A Big Venus with significantly different design from in the end of "The show must go on" appeared in the city.
- An unconscious Roger lied inside cockpit of a broken Big O.
Roger's Rules[]
Roger has a number of rules that he uses in his everyday life. He is strict when it comes to enforcing these and has not been known to break them.
- "I have a special house rule that only lovely young women can unconditionally enter this mansion." (Act:01)
- "If you stay [in my house], then you wear black." (Act:02)
- "It's not my style to carry a gun." (Act:03)
- "I value women and the elderly. It's one of my policies." (Act:05)
- "If someone lacks courtesy and sincerity, I ask them to leave." (Act:05)
- "The most important rule of all is under no circumstances must anyone touch my desk!" (Act:08)
- "The basic rule of negotiating is to consider and respect the other person's feelings." (Act:08)
- "If you want to live a happy life in this city, leave memories alone when they pop up. That's Roger Smith's Rule No. 1." (Act:11)
- "You have to use your pent-up energy to fight through the harshness of reality. That's Roger Smith's Rule No. 2." (Act:11)
- "A Negotiator only uses force as a last resort." (Act:18)
- "Something else that goes against my policies--using violence against women." (Act:25)