Elmo Vohaul Pug

Gender:	Male
Species:	Human Clone
Profession and/or purpose:	Ex Software Company CEO (as of SQ6)
Games seen or mentioned in:	SQ3 SQ6
Locations seen or mentioned in:	Pestulon Polysorbate LX ScumSoft
Voice Actor(s):	Doug Boyd

Elmo Vohaul Pug was the head of Scumsoft, and great-great-grandclone son of Sludge Vohaul, and great-great-great grandclone son of Slash Vohaul. He was the main antagonist of Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon and a minor character in Space Quest 6: The Spinal Frontier in the 'alternate version' universe (the timeline beginning with SQ1VGA, see Space Quest I: Roger Wilco in the Sarien Encounter (time sector)).

For the version as he appears in the games only see Elmo Pug (original version).

Background

Elmo Pug was the dashing young founder, owner, CEO, president, and head of ScumSoft, Inc., a subsidiary of Vohaul Enterprises, an illicit software development company forming the front for the Pirates of Pestulon. Sludge Vohaul was his great-great-grand-clone.

Elmo V. Pug was an evil, fantasy role-playing, metallically heavy, overweight teenager intent on ruling the universe. Elmo planned to eventually control all sentient life by way of addicting subliminal messages implanted in ScumSoft games, Astro Chicken: The Mindless Video Game was only the beginning. Among his other crimes were capturing the Two Guys From Andromeda and forcing them to write bad software titles.

His great-great-grand-clone warned him about Roger Wilco So he knew who he was, the moment he discovered Roger had infiltrated ScumSoft HQ, and had freed the Two Guys from Andromeda from their jello cocoons. He captured Roger forced him into a Nukem Dukem robots duel. Roger won, causing Pug's robot to crash through the wall of the arena. Roger and the Two Guys escaped. They destroyed Elmo's DeathSkull fighters, and ultimately foiled his and the Pirates of Pestulon's plans. Roger had won, and soon the universe would learn of Elmo's plot, and the galaxy would be safe from his pimply domination. The Two Guys from Andromeda had been saved. His latest mission had been a success.

ScumSoft was still hiring people during the Space Quest V: The Next Mutation (time sector) (c. 3009). Their latest great game being Battle Cruiser, and diversifying into pc bios software, and also ship detonation devices.

Following Pug's defeat in the huge Nukem Dukem robots, and the escape of Roger Wilco and the Two Guys from Andromeda. It was the beginning of his undoing. He became a laughing stock around the company in the final days of Scumsoft. If that hadn't gotten to him, some of his other creative management techniques would have. Dumb stuff like a compulsion for pet projects or personally beneficial programs over those things important to the company as a whole.

The arrangement left him with all his physical assets intact, but not a single other thing, unfortunately.

He was last seen on Polysorbate LX. Apparently, he has become an alcoholic whose company had fizzled out, and now makes a living trading cheat codes for cheap alcohol. The former Ceo of Scumsoft, Elmo Pug, was now down on his luck, and living on the streets. Hard times had hit him like a ball peen hammer between the, uh, eyes. Maybe there is a karma fairy. He was left to selling cheat sheets for arcade games.

He had to maintain a fairly modest profile, hoping that time would heal wounds, and that he would avoid a premature termination (maybe implying that if he still worked for Scumsoft, but had been severely demoted).

He would trade alcohol for cheat sheets. Elmo seemed to have mellowed-out in his old age, no longer evil. He just wanted to survive day to day, and get his business back in order. He remembered Roger Wilco but had no particular grudge with him anymore, and just wanted an equitable trade with Roger. That trade being a bottle of Coldsorian Brandy, in which he would give a cheat sheet for the ScumSoft produced game: Stooge Fighter 3. Then he would enjoy the drink afterwards. Still ScumSoft Corporation still remained notorious during this period.

During the Space Quest VII: Return to Roman Numerals (time sector) there was a merger between ScumSoft and D.U.D. Software, which may have helped turned ScumSoft around.

ScumSoft Corporation would have a comeback in Space Quest X: Latex Babes of Estros time sector although its not clear if Elmo Pug ever became the CEO again. The company had expanded to include ScumWorld Arcade and ScumSoftWorld Theme Park, and had yet another hit with the game Ms. Astro Chicken: Flight of the Pullet. They were official distributers of Sierra Cosmos On-Line's deluxe and expanded version of Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers (ScumSoft) and 350 page Space Quest IV Hint Book. Though at this point it doesn't seem as if the company had continued with its plans for universe domination.

By the SQ12 era, Elmo Pug was too involved in his accounting books and pirated software to exact the kind of revenge, his great-great-grandfather, Sludge Vohaul had done to Xenon. Roger figured he'd just sell him a phony hint book or something if he wanted to get back at him at that point (perhaps forshadowing the SQ4 Hintbook Roger found in the SQX era, though Elmo Pug had nothing to do with selling that to Roger, at least directly).

Game Involvement

Elmo Pug and Roger butted heads in Space Quest 3 during an incident where Roger attempted to rescue the Two Guys From Andromeda from the clutches of ScumSoft. While Roger successfully infiltrated the ScumSoft headquarters, he was ultimately captured moments before freeing the Two Guys. As punishment, he was forced to engage Elmo Pug in a Nukem Dukem robot fight. In what appears to be an enormous underground arena, the two of them squared off. Roger won the fight and escaped with the Two Guys. Elmo, trapped inside his machine, ordered his pilots to man their ships and chase after the Alluminum Mallard. Roger successfully defeated all of the ships and escaped.

It's not known if he specifically took part with the Pirates of Pestulon during the Sarien invasion of Xenon which likely put the final nail in the company. It is unknown clearly just why exactly Elmo was booted from his position as head of Scumsoft. Some sources say that he wasn't himself after suffering a loss in front of his entire company. After a while, everyone began blaming him and his methods of game production and booted him off the moon.

Several games later, Roger encountered Elmo Pug again, rather down on his luck on Polysorbate LX. Roger bought a cheat code for Stooge Fighter 3 from him in exchange for cheap alcohol. Pug did not appear to hold any grudges for past events.

Based on the age given for Elmo Pug in SQ3 and references made in other sources (including the Popular Janitronics), Elmo Pug would have been at upward of 87 (although he doesn't look a day over 40, so like Roger some time travel/time dilation/suspended animation may be involved)! He certainly looks as if decades have passed (he was only 14 in SQ3) and has grown into an middle-aged or older man (certainly of drinking age).

Nicknames

• Elmo V. Pug
• Elmo Pug
• Mr. Pug
• Pug
• Elmo
• St. Elmo
• Elmer Fudd
• Elmer Pugg
• Mughead
• Elmo Whatever-Your-Last-Name-Is
• Scumsoft President
• The Nerd
• The Boss

See also

• Elmo Pug (original version)
• Elmo Pug (alternate version)
• Elmo Pug (future version)

Dialogue

"Security! There's some butt-head in here posing as the janitor!!"

"Do your job and get out!"

Trivia

• He appears to be a boy of about 14 years old in SQ3, infact Roger Wilco infiltrates Scumsoft on his 14th birthday.
• Based on age given for Elmo Pug and references made in other sources (including the Popular Janitronics), Elmo Pug would have been at least 54 in SQ6!
• Roger gives him the nicknames St. Elmo, Elmer Fudd, and Mughead.

Images

A down on his luck Elmo Pug, circa SQ6.

Behind the scenes

Elmo Pug is often thought to be a parody of Bill Gates, head of Microsoft. However this appears to be a coincidence. Neither company name, nor the company itself was inspired by Microsoft, but instead was inspired by Sierra On-line itself (although there are associated references to Mattel's Rock'em Sock'em Robots and videogame and arcade console companies like Atari and possibly Nintendo, see ScumSoft Corporation).

According to Scott Murphy Elmo Pug is just a parody of Ken Williams (actually making two parodies of him on the same screen).

SM: Well, the various past lawsuits against Space Quest are something of a legend, so I guess so. You know, lawyers are like life insurance salesmen but without the sense of humor. We've made a lot of fun of Roberta Williams over the years, but she doesn't seem to care so that's not any fun, and maniacal ScumSoft President Elmer Pugg was patterned after Ken Williams...Gee, I hope Ken doesn't read this.

Elmo Pug is also categorized under 'Nerd' with his office sprite appearing in View.115 (the shared Nerd graphics file) and listed as "Nerd and 'elmo' several times under Script.093 files. He is literally a stereotypical nerd, the boss Nerd, the king of the nerds. One might consider it a race of "Nerds", as all or most of the graphics of the Nerds share Elmo's face and glasses as well

The Space Question Companion ties Elmo Pug into the history of Sludge Vohaul. Although this is not clear from the game (the game makes no such link). The companion only received help from Mark Crowe, and even less from Scott Murphy. According to Scott Murphy there was no connection between villains other than Slash and Sludge Vohaul originally (see Sludge Vohaul (concept)).

The box for Space Quest III also appears to suggest that Vohaul's forces may be tied into the Software pirates and Elmo Pug's organization. With the suggestion that the Vohaul's apeoids might actually be Pestulon space pirates in monkey suits.

The only other source that appears to tie the Pirates of Pestulon to the Vohaul's various attempts to rule the galaxy is Hoyle I. Although in that case Roger can't tell if his latest adventure was caused by the pirates who still held a grudge for him, or by his nemesis Sludge Vohaul.

The games and The Official Book of Roger Wilco’s Space Adventures makes no link between Vohaul and Elmo Pug. Space Quest 6 undermines Elmo Pug and ScumSoft further by it having become bankrupt and Elmo is no longer a villain or threat to anyone (not even mad at Roger having thwarted him, and only interested in cheap booze). Even The Official Guide To Roger Wilco's Space Adventures goes with this non-threatening version of Elmo Pug suggesting that even in the SP12 era he'd hold no grudge against Roger Wilco.