This article contains spoilers for Fallout Season 2 up to episode 5.
Amazon Prime’s Fallout series has been a goldmine of lore for fans of the franchise, and Season 2 is giving New Vegas fans the closure on the fate of the Mojave Wasteland they’ve been missing. While the Fallout TV show primarily follows Lucy, Maximus, and The Ghoul on their journeys through the wasteland, there are other characters who have delivered some of the most crucial pieces of lore, such as the fact that the Legion is in a civil war after Caesar’s death, or Mr. House’s end of the world prediction date in Season 2 Episode 5. However, potentially the most significant lore drop of the season so far has comes from Vault 32’s new Overseer, Steph Harper.
With Fallout‘s latest mainline video game release coming back in 2018 with Fallout 76, fans are eager to see where the franchise will take players next. Bethesda’s Todd Howard has confirmed that the Fallout TV show is canon to the franchise, and that the events of the Amazon Prime series will affect future entries like Fallout 5. With this in mind, the revelation of Steph’s true identity in Fallout Season 2 Episode 4 could be setting up the franchise to go somewhere it’s never been before in Fallout 5.
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Why Steph’s Canadian Identity Matters for Fallout Season 2
One of the biggest twists of Fallout Season 2 so far came at the end of Episode 4. As the new Overseer of Vault 32, Steph’s demeanor toward her partner Chet, has drastically changed since Season 1, with Chet raising Steph’s son almost entirely by himself. During Steph’s tense discussion with Vault 32 resident Woody, Chet takes the opportunity to do some snooping, finding Steph’s pre-war ID in her drawer. This ID card not only proves that she was born before the war, but that she is a Canadian citizen by birth, prior to coming to the US and joining Vault-Tec.
Fallout 5 Could Take Players to Annexed Canada
Canada hasn’t played a major role in the Fallout TV show or any of mainline games to date, but it has quietly been a key player in the greater lore for the franchise. The US began the process of annexing Canada in 2059 in order to safeguard the natural resources it contained during the Resource Wars, bringing it fully under the control of the US in 2072. With Canada under control, the US was able to establish Anchorage, Alaska as a key frontline position for the Canadian territory.
The invasion of Alaska by China in 2066 accelerated the US’ annexation of Canada as the Sino-American War ramped up.
A Canadian Setting Would Be a Series First for Fallout
Despite Canada’s importance to the timeline of the Great War and the bombs being dropped, the location has never made an appearance in any Fallout games or the TV show. As such, Fallout 5 taking place in Canada would be a major first for the series, especially since the franchise has never ventured outside the original US territory. However, with a key character like Vault 32’s Steph in the Fallout TV show having ties to Canada, the stage may be set for the next video game entry to finally bring the territory into the fold.
The Most Likely Canadian Settings for Fallout 5
- Ontario
- British Columbia/Yukon Territory
Although Canada is geographically bigger than the US, there are really only two locations that would make sense for a Fallout setting. The first would be Ontario, around the Great Lakes Wasteland, since Toronto is the largest Canadian city and would likely have the most interesting environmental features between the city and the nearby Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and Niagra Falls. The larger Great Lakes Wasteland could even feature the Canadian capital, Ottawa, which would have been a strategic location for the invading US forces to take over during annexation.
Another potential setting would be on the western side of Canada, which could comprise both British Columbia and Yukon Territory. Vancouver is another major Canadian city and the Yukon Territory connects British Columbia with Alaska, making this region a hotbed for the destruction caused by Fallout‘s Sino-American War. Regardless of where in Canada a Fallout game is set, Bethesda would have the opportunity to create a much more lush, snowy forest environment that hasn’t really appeared in any of the franchise’s major maps.
- Release Date
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April 10, 2024
- Network
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Amazon Prime Video
- Showrunner
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Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan
- Directors
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Frederick E. O. Toye, Wayne Che Yip, Stephen Williams, Liz Friedlander, Jonathan Nolan, Daniel Gray Longino, Clare Kilner
- Writers
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Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan
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Ella Purnell
Lucy MacLean
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