Space Quest Omnipedia
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WilcoCadet
Gender: Male
Species: Human
Profession and/or purpose:
Games seen or mentioned in:

All of them.

Locations seen or mentioned in:

All of them.

Voice Actor(s):
This article refers to Roger Wilco, star of the Space Quest series. Information on Roger Wilco Jr. can be found here. His father can be found at Roger Wilco Sr., his Grandfather Roger Wilco, and his distant ancestors Grandma and Grandpa Roger Wilco (x-number of times removed) and Roger Wilco (female).

Roger Wilco is descended from a long line of Roger Wilcos before him, each of them were Maintenance Specialists. His father was a Roger Wilco, so was his grandfather.

"To seek out new life and new civilizations... To boldly go where no man has gone before.."

A wonderful sentiment, isn't it? Ships full of people searching the cosmos, expanding their knowledge into yet uncharted regions of many galaxies, and looking for new lifeforms? Boldly exploring what can be, but has not yet been?

But what happens when the toilet backs up?

The answer is found in the human[1], Roger Wilco, strange hero from Xenon, who's come to save our toilets from total destruction! If his boss is watching, at least.

Background

Roger Wilco's career has gone from the depths of the trash compactor to the heights of glory. From humble beginnings as a janitor (junior grade) aboard the research vessel Arcada, Roger has gone on to become one of the most admired figures in the galaxy through his exploits in the Space Quest series. He could be considered the ultimate overachiever, having exceeded any reasonable expectations of his abilities. On the other hand, he might only be the luckiest sucker ever to draw breath.[2]

In all, Roger is a scrappy character and a good guy to know... If only for his advice on getting out Gargleblaster stains.

General Information

Roger Wilco was originally born in test-tube 696, his parents had dispensed with all the inconvenient aspects of childbirth.[3] He apparently has a brother.[4]

Roger Wilco was considered a wiz on a kazoo during preschool.[5] He knew from the age of five that he wanted to be a janitor, and help clean up the universe.[6] Roger Wilco gave up licking wires as a cheap thrill when he was six.[7] He used to play the ancient Stratego board game as a kid[8] as well as with dolls. His favorite childhood doll was spider droid action figures. He spent thousands of hours fantasizing snuffing Spittle Slimes. He also had experience with Nukem Dukem robots[9] and played in them for fun. He spent years playing other innocent droid games. He also had typical fears of the Monster in the Socket. He used to scream into the outlet.

When Roger Wilco was a young boy on Xenon, he used to climb a tree. He once got a big dent in his head from falling out of it.[10] Once he was picked on by a local bully, who ground his face in to the asphalt.[11] As a kid, Roger grew to enjoy the wet-tar spell.

His dad used to bring him to Phleebhut to see the World O' Wonders when he was just a kid, to see Mog. He was just a little tyke running around in coveralls. He would enjoy all the fun things to do around the park, including many different rides (that used to be there). He and his dad would take the elevator to the top of Mog's head and look at the view through his eye. Roger used to be afraid of the double Ferris wheel that used to be there. He also used to ride on the Tilt-a-World and it was one of the worst experiences he ever had, it left him spinning[12]. Roger enjoyed the grub that used to be served there--especially the sweet stuff, candy. Such as N & Ns.[13] He and his dad could eat a whole bag of them, except they'd pick out all the green ones. They also enjoyed the hot dogs.

Roger used to pole vault back in highschool during his eleventh grade. He used to vault all over the place, over cars, bushes, swimming pools. He even pole-vaulted over the principle one time.[14]

Roger is a Janitor 2nd Class, and an exemplary one at that. When not fixing toilets or scrubbing decks, Roger spends his time accidentally saving the universe. As it turns out, Roger has been in a number of adventures, although few of his own choosing.

After graduating from university, his first assignment was aboard the starship Arcada. Early in his career, Roger saved the galaxy from the evil Sariens, and the Doctor of Evil, Sludge Vohaul. He barely escaped their exploding ship and was awarded the Golden Mop. However, his fame soon died down and he resumed work upon a space station. Soon he was captured by Vohaul and forced to escape, eventually killing Vohaul... Or so Roger thought.

After another adventure in which Roger saved the world from the Pirates of Pestulon, Roger was forced into the future to save the world from Vohaul's disembodied head, which had taken over his homeworld.

He joined the StarCon Academy to fulfill his dream to become a starship captain. He spent his days there dodging classes and sleeping over the lectures. He managed to destroy 3 trainer ships, one even before leaving the hangar when he attempted to activate hyperspace. While at StarCon Academy the light of distant suns reaching his eyes, causes a wave of homesickness for his friends and family on distant Xenon. Then its said he has doesn't have either, and is able to get on with business.

Roger has given interviews in Space Piston Magazine and The Official Guide To Roger Wilco's Space Adventures, and was also featured in an article in the Galactic Inquirer. He has written journal of his adventures which were designed to explain to people of the past about the future. He sent them back in time in order to inspire designers to create computer games about his adventures in order to insure his own future existence. They were later published in the form of The Space Quest Companion. A series of personal running monologues from Roger Wilco have been published within the "Official Guide to Roger Wilco's Space Adventures".

Roger Wilco was mysteriously missing in the Space Quest XII era, it is believed in that era he may be dead.[15]

Trivia

  • Roger Wilco once had a run-in with the Xenon cops, after he nearly hit their police hovercraft, and then barely missed the Mayor's aircar. He almost lost his pilot's license over it.[16]
  • Roger states that he had wished he had gone to college, and become something more than a starship janitor. He thinks he could study extra-dimensional physics... He wonders what career he'd have, if he had gone to college instead of taking the job on the 'Arcadia' (sic). He believes he would have been more than a janitor.[17] Roger had in fact gone to university, so this may be an effect of the time travel he was involved in. Roger at the time is the pre-sq4 era Roger (and whose time travel was limited to blackhole 'parallel universe' travel and Hoyle I journey) and may be part of the original timeline (before time travel affected his life), perhaps in the original version timeline Roger hadn't gone to any 'college' but rather took the only job that didn't require much education. On the other hand the 'university', and later 'graduate school' may have actually been fancy names given to 'trade schools' as such they were not truly 'colleges' of the sort that teach scholary academia. If so Roger may be making the distinction that he truly hadn't gone to college and pursued a scientific career.
  • Roger Wilco is a fan of sensory movies and books involving Steve Spaceblaster.[18]
  • The smells of iron oxide, burning rubber, and fusel oil, reminds Roger of his Mom's cooking.[19]
  • In SQ3 Roger is said to be a small-brained biped from a hick planet.
  • After more than a century of debt on 20 buckazoids, Roger owed 6.573 billion buckazoids, rounded to an even 8 billion (with a six percent discount).
  • Roger Wilco hates the movie, Night of the Living Dead.
  • Roger Wilco had a subscription to Planetary Geographic, and had every issue back on Xenon.
  • Roger has a thing for being in the closet, is always coming out of the closet, and he also has rainbow plaques on his wall, a rainbow air freshener in his aircar, and has even cross dressed, hmm...[20]
  • Tangle Toes was one of Roger Wilco's kinder boyhood nicknames, in reference to his clumsy nature. Roger also apparently sees him as an imaginary 'friend' who causes him to trip up.[21]
  • Roger Wilco's favorite slurpy machine flavor is Cherry.
  • Roger Wilco apparently loves video games, but he tells others he hates them, believing they ruin the minds, reflexes, and morals of anyone who plays them. Can we say hypocrite? One of Roger Wilco's favorite computer games is "Name that Body Odor!".
  • Thanks to the influence of time travel Roger Wilco history has been modified essentially three times (and a number of minor variations) sometimes Roger maintains memories of both or several variations, other times his memories have been lost by the changes. These timelines as long as Roger survives self correct and merge back into the same time lime for later adventures. Thanks to the splitting timeline there maybe at least three parallel Roger Wilcos. At least two of them sometimes share the same time sector (as one travels back into the past) but usually they just miss meeting each other sometimes by seconds (which might be a good thing as it might cause further paradoxes).

Education and experience

Education

Pre-SQ
Sanitation engineering preschool
Grammar school
Time Theory class during Fifth grade with crazy Mrs. Drimple.[22]
The High School of the Custodial Arts
All the basics, including Basic Disinfecting 101, Broom Wrangling, History of Mop Management, and pole vaulting[23].
Sanitation Engineers of Xenon University (SEX U) Survival Microzapping and Computers for the Technologically Indifferent.[24]
Janitorial Graduate School
Majored in Industrial Waste and sanitation management[25].
Between SQ1 and SQ2
Hollyroid
Writer and director of "The Sarien Encounter" (cancelled)
A year of health club membership;
Between SQ2 and SQ3
ColdSleep EduStim
Fly Your Own Starship for Fun and Booty
Visualize Your Way to More Efficient Bipedal Locomotion
Better Reflexes in 30 Years via EduStims


SQ5
StarCon Academy
First Year
Officer Training
Geology 101: Rocks for Jocks
Space Piloting 101
Captain's Training Seminar.
Gym class
SQ6

Favorite Books & Entertainment

His favorite book is Bill the Galactic Hero, by Harry Harrison. It's about this poor guy who was just minding his own business, and he get's dragged off to another planet. All this weird stuff happens to him, but by the end of the book he's the hero of the galaxy. Boy, where do these guys get their wild ideas? It just amazes him.

Steve Spaceblaster and the Fantastic Feline Females of Fendom

Steve Spaceblaster and the Sorority Girls of Snarfleblax

Steve Spaceblaster and the Warrior Women of Warxwurfx

Lone Space Ranger

Work experience

SQ1
Janitor (apprentice sanitation engineer) with NucleoTherm Hazardous Substance Containment Services on the Arcada Spacelab (his first job after getting his degree[26])
SQ2
Janitor at Xenon Orbital Station 4
SQ5
Captain of SCS Eureka
SQ6
Janitor at SCS Deepship 86

Major Achievements

SQ1
Saved the galaxy from the Sariens (his first adventure[27])
SQ2
Saved the galaxy from cloned Insurance Salesmen
SQ3
Saved the Two Guys from Andromeda
Between SQ3 and SQ4
Saved Xenon from Sarien invasion and saves the second Star Generator.
SQ4
Saved future Xenon from the Super Computer
SQ5
Saved the galaxy from the Sludge Bandits
SQ6 Demo
Saved the crew of the DeepShip 86 and defeated the leader of the Bjorn.
SQ6
Saved Stellar Santiago from Sharpei

Other

Hoyle Book of Card Games, Volume I

Trapped in a card game simulation along with King Graham, Rosella, Larry Laffer, Sonny Bonds, and others: trying to find a way to escape to get back and save the new Star Generator from invading Sariens.

Hoyle 3
Hoyle 4
Visiting Arrakis.
Visiting Warxwurfx.
May have occurred during the Sarien invasion.
Visiting Xon 87.
Visiting Eroticon 6.
Visiting Daventry (again); Rosella's First Quest.

Nicknames

  • Buckwheat[28]
  • Tangle Toes

Dialogue

See Roger's Dialogue for an exhaustive listing.

Images

Check out the evolution of Roger through the series.


Behind the scenes

His name is a play on a common phrase used in voice procedure, "Roger wilco", which is short for "Received, will comply." It is used to affirm one understands that the last call did not only contain information, but a clear directive, as well.

Roger Wilco (unofficial)

For detailed information about Roger Wilco from the fan games see; Roger Wilco (unofficial)

Refrences

  1. Narrator (SQ6): "What's the matter? Afraid a measly, little, pencil-neck, lowlife janitor and general waste of human life is going to embarrass you in front of your friends?"
  2. KQ1 Hintbook, pg39
  3. Space Quest Companion, Second Edition, 29
  4. Narrator (SQ6): "You did have a brother, didn't you? Perhaps his IQ broke double digits."
  5. SQC2E, 89
  6. OGTRWSA2E, 185
  7. SQ6
  8. OGTRWSA2E, 285
  9. OGTRWSA1E, 189
  10. Narrator (SQ5): This tree reminds you of one you used to climb as a young boy back on Xenon... and so does the big dent in your head you got from falling out of it.
  11. SQ4
  12. OGTRWSA1E, 178
  13. OGTRWSA2E, pg 147, 148
  14. OGTRWSA, 172
  15. SQC2E, pg
  16. Hoyle I
  17. Hoyle I
  18. Hoyle I
  19. SQ1VGA
  20. OGTRWSA1E, pg 199
  21. SQC2E, 33
  22. SQ4
  23. OGTRWSA, 172
  24. KQC, 270
  25. OGTRWSA1E, 92
  26. Space Quest Companion, Second Edition,
  27. Narrator (SQ4): Peering through the port, you see an unusual land. It's wind-carved pinnacles and buttes bring back memories of the planet Kerona, where this whole adventure mess started.
  28. SQ4
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