Becca Franco

Becca (Bekka Pramheda in Trigedasleng) is a recurring character in the third, fourth and fifth seasons. She is portrayed by Erica Cerra, who also portrayed A.L.I.E., and debuted in Wanheda (Part 1).

Becca was a scientist who in 2051 created A.L.I.E.. Fearing A.L.I.E., would be a threat, Becca decided to continue her research in space on her space station, Polaris. In addition to A.L.I.E., she created the Nightblood serum and a second version of the AI. Later, Becca escaped Polaris just before it was destroyed and descended to Earth, where she became the first Commander.

The Commanders that come after her are also referred to as "Heirs of Bekka Pramheda" which indicates that she died. Moreover, it has been confirmed that there can only be a new Commander when the current has died.

In Season Five, it was later revealed that Becca was burned alive by the Second Dawn cult members, led by Bill Cadogan.

Early Life
Not much is known about Becca's early life. At some point, she and Chris began working on the A.I. known as A.L.I.E.. She also developed Nightblood for the Eligius Mining Company. At 26, she found a pathway to access a human mind. That same year, in 2051, she had to lock up A.L.I.E. because her answer for what was wrong with the world was "too many people".

A year later, on May 10, 2052, Becca was aboard Polaris, trying to perfect A.L.I.E. 2.0, when A.L.I.E. caused the nuclear apocalypse. Two years later, on October 1, 2054, the thirteen surviving space stations were coming together to form the Ark. However, when Commander Cole McAdams found out about A.L.I.E. 2.0, he ordered Becca to destroy it. Becca refused and instead implanted the AI within herself. Moments before Alpha Station blows up Polaris, Becca uses an escape-pod to descend to Earth.

Becca landed not far from the Second Dawn Bunker in the rubble of a city which would later become Polis. She was met by several cult members wearing hazmat suits. Even though she offered them the Nightblood serum, the cult decided to kill her by burning her at the stake, on the orders of Bill Cadogan.

Throughout the Series

 * -| Season Three=

In Wanheda (Part 1), Murphy is watching some old videos while stuck in the lighthouse bunker. In one of those videos, from 2051, Chris brings Becca to meet A.L.I.E., who'd chosen her avatar to be the likeness of Becca, her creator. Becca proceeds to question A.L.I.E., learning that A.L.I.E. believes that root problem is "too many people".

In Bitter Harvest, A.L.I.E. mentions that Becca went up to space to work on version two of her AI code. Becca believed "she needed a more secure work environment", removed from A.L.I.E, her first AI.

In Thirteen, Becca appears in a series of flashbacks from 2052 and 2054. In 2052, Becca is working in her lab on Polaris. She and her assistant, Peri Gordon, are working on her second AI, a chip with tentacle-like appendages, but it continues to malfunction. She then gets an emergency call from Chris, informing her that A.L.I.E. got loose and is hacking nuclear launch codes. He informs her that the poison pill virus that was supposed to kill A.L.I.E. failed and Becca tells him to take shelter in the lighthouse bunker. She then watches with Peri and Commander Cole McAdams as nuclear missiles fly across the planet.

Two years later, Becca is seen injecting herself with a black fluid. In her briefcase, it is seen that there are many more vials of the black fluid. Then McAdams walks in to confront Becca on her research after learning from Peri that it was Becca's artificial intelligence program that caused the nuclear apocalypse. The commander is preparing to dock with the other twelve stations to create the Ark, but he fears the AI will infect all 12 stations if it remains on board. Becca pleads that the AI will save them on the Ark and can help human scientists giving them calculations to ensure their survival. However, the Commander is not convinced and goes with Peri to find something to float the research in. Becca locks herself in the lab and inserts the AI chip into her neck. She then takes an escape pod. She lands on Earth, but her suit is breached and the radiation levels spike. However, she was able to take off her helmet and breathe safely. She then sees humans approaching in the distance, wearing hazmat suits, and tells them that she is here to help.

In 2150, Murphy analyzes an old escape pod and Grounder cave paintings. From them, he theorizes, that the First Commander came from Polaris. Combined with the fact that A.L.I.E.'s pills have the same symbol as the Commanders, he realizes the AI is somehow related.

In Perverse Instantiation (Part 2), Becca is the one that sends a sign to Clarke for her to follow all the way to the kill switch when she enters the City of Light. Lexa thanks Becca out loud when she sees a little girl on a bicycle with the sacred symbol on her back, the sign they must follow.

When Clarke reaches the kill switch, she meets Becca who is there to assist her. Becca explains that A.L.I.E. 2.0 has merged with Clarke’s mind and only the mind that’s in control can operate the kill switch. But before Clarke can get her hands on the switch, A.L.I.E. appears and tells Clarke that she will be killing everyone if she pulls the lever. Becca intervenes by telling Clarke that A.L.I.E. is stalling so that the update can be completed and as soon as it happens, A.L.I.E. will delete the kill switch. Becca then asks A.L.I.E. the definition of “perverse instantiation”. Becca realizes that she never taught A.L.I.E. that the goal isn’t everything and that how you reach the goal matters also. She apologizes to A.L.I.E. As Clarke hesitates to pull the kill switch, Becca tells her that it’s now or never and that once A.L.I.E. is upgraded, she won’t be able to help her anymore. When Clarke asks A.L.I.E. to let the people decide whether they want to stay in the City of Light or not, Becca answers that A.L.I.E. cannot do that because her core command is to make life better for mankind and that she still thinks she’s doing that. Becca’s last words of encouragement to Clarke are: “Yes, Clarke. There’s still hope.” A.L.I.E. replies that there is not and says to Clarke that she can ease everyone's pain and save the human race together, but Clarke says to A.L.I.E. that: "You don't ease pain, you overcome it." She then turns to Becca and says "And we will." Becca and Clarke both smile, as Clarke pulls the kill switch and destroys A.L.I.E., ending her once and for all.

In DNR, Raven Reyes sees Becca. Becca attempts to "help" Raven by tricking her to go the Government & Science Ring.
 * -|Season Four=

In The Other Side, Raven is still halluncinating Becca and she's still trying to "help" Raven, while Raven halluncinates someone else, Jacapo Sinclair. Sinclair tapes Becca's mouth shut and ties her to a chair. Sinclair convinces Raven that Becca is the bad part of her brain.

In The Warriors Will, via the flame, Madi sees a memory of Becca's death, in which the Second Dawn cult, led by Bill Cadogan, set her on fire. She pleads with Cadogan not to kill her and tells the members of the cult before she dies, that Cadogan isn't saving them, he's killing them.
 * -|Season Five=

Personality
Becca was very intelligent, creating two A.I., one of which was a neural implant, as well as the Nightblood serum. She appeared to be kind and understanding. When A.L.I.E. ended the world, Becca was guilt-ridden. She believed her A.L.I.E. 2.0 research was necessary for human survival and was even willing to risk everyone's lives on Polaris to protect the AI.

Physical Appearance
Becca is slender with an average build. She has a tan complexion, dark brown eyes, and black hair.

Quotes

 * -|Season Three=
 * A.L.I.E.: "As you know, I didn't think I needed an avatar; you did. Why not my creator?"
 * Becca: "Please state your core command."
 * A.L.I.E.: "My core command is to make life better."
 * Becca: "How would you do that?"
 * A.L.I.E.: "By fixing the root problem."
 * Becca: "What is the root problem, A.L.I.E.?"
 * A.L.I.E.: "Too many people."
 * -- on a 2051 video in Wanheda (Part 1)


 * Becca: Define "perverse instantiation."
 * A.L.I.E.: Perverse instantiation... the implementation of a benign final goal through deleterious methods unforeseen by a human programmer.
 * Becca: Like killing 6.5 billion people to solve overpopulation. The goal isn't everything, A.L.I.E. How you reach the goal matters, too. I'm sorry that I didn't teach you that.
 * -- Perverse Instantiation (Part 2)


 * -|Season Four=
 * Becca: Raven!
 * Raven: Becca?
 * Becca: You can tell me it's none of my business, but why live in a hole in the ground, when you've a perfectly good rocket?
 * -- 'DNR'


 * -|Season Five=
 * Becca: Cadogan please! You're making a mistake. I can save you! I can save all of you! With my serum, you don't have to live in the bunker anymore! The Flame can change everything! You think he's saving you, but he's killing you.
 * -- 'The Warriors Will'

Killed Victims

 * Most of the human population (unintentionally and indirectly)
 * Crew of the Polaris (indirectly)
 * Peri Gordon
 * Cole McAdams

Notes and Trivia

 * Becca was 26 years old when she found a pathway to the human mind and 27 when the Earth was destroyed.
 * The infinity sign is the corporate logo of Becca's company that created both A.L.I.E. and A.L.I.E. 2.0. It was adopted as the "sacred symbol" of the Grounders.
 * The avatar adopted by A.L.I.E. was made in the image of its creator.
 * Becca's genetic treatment turned the blood black and was the genesis of the Nightblood.
 * She was the first Nightblood Commander.
 * The code in Becca's journal is in the programming language Julia, according to two of Julia's co-founders.
 * At some point, Becca conducted research in her lab with a radiation chamber in an effort to find a cure for cancer.
 * Becca created A.L.I.E. but realized that there was a fault in the coding. A.L.I.E. scared Becca when the AI stated that it intended to fix the "root problem" which was "too many people".
 * Gaia mentions that Becca is buried in the Second Dawn Bunker.
 * Her company designed most of the technology on the space stations that made up the Ark.