Seem

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Physical information
Species	Human
Gender	male Male
Behind the scenes
Portrayed by	Tara Strong

The arena shows all, dark one. Hate consumes your eyes.

Seem, Jak 3

Seem is a support character in Jak 3. The leader of the Precursor Monks, he was first encountered in Spargus surveying a dark maker satellite and thereafter helped Jak in furthering his knowledge of Precursor technology and the oncoming threat of the Dark Makers.

History

Jak 3

Seem first appeared in the Arena of Death after the mission "Earn 1st war amulet". Upon sighting Jak after he returned to normal form from Dark Jak, he glared at Jak which caused him a brief episode of discomfort, and dizzy, blurred vision. He again encountered Jak before the mission "Unlock satellite", in which he gave insight to his dark nature, citing "the arena shows all, dark one." The satellite that they were studying at the beach had crash-landed there and the monks were sent to investigate. Jak unlocked the satellite in a satellite game, where it afterwards produced a dark eco crystal which Seem warned against touching, though he was still ignorant of Jak's capabilities.

Seem was preoccupied with the coming of the "Day Star" (the Dark Maker ship) which he feared would be the undoing of the world. However, he still kept an eye on Jak, resisting to believe he was such a hero as his legend entailed. Seem had some connection with Veger, sharing knowledge with him about the Precursor catacombs. Both Veger and Damas referred to the Precursor Monks as their own monks, and Seem was seen sharing information with the leaders of Haven City and Spargus, respectively. Seem also had some insight to the Precursors being ottsels, acknowledging that Daxter "carries the colors of our creators." Seem was also responsible for Jak's acquisition of a light eco crystal which helped him power the eco power sphere. Seem wagered the crystal in a leaper race which Jak prevailed in winning.

In the mission "Take out Marauder stronghold", Jak retrieved a stolen Precursor artifact which a band of marauders had taken from a Precursor monk artifact dig. After retrieving the artifact, Seem displayed gratitude towards both Jak and Daxter, first acknowledging them as heroes. Towards the end of the game, after the mission "Rescue Seem at temple", Jak rescued him from a Dark Maker invasion. It was here that Seem gave Jak the time map which was one of the important artifacts needed to further his mission in stopping the Dark Makers. He also thanked Daxter for letting him "see the face of [her] creators", much to Daxter's confusion.

At the end of the game, Seem is present at Spargus when the Precursors publicly revealed themselves to society, and praised Daxter as a great hero.

Characteristics

Appearance

Seem is a short, frail human male, with decorative white and golden face paint, traditional Precursor clothing covering his entire body, and Precursor metal armor. The under armor which Seem wears appears to be made out of a durable material, and was referred to as rubber by Daxter. Over this, he wears a decorative gown from his waist to his ankles.

Personality

Seem is very equanimous, and very skeptical and distrusting of Jak and Daxter when he first met them. He is wholly devoted to uncovering and keeping the secrets of the Precursors, though appears to be loyal to those who contract himself and his monks such as Damas or Veger, leaders of two different cities. Despite his mistrust in the beginning, Seem eventually grows to respect the two and displays several signs of gratitude and impression. Towards the end of the game, after realizing Daxter has the face of a Precursor, he is considerably more praiseful the duo, as he possibly realized not only Daxter's position as a Precursor but Jak's connection with saving the universe as well.

It is unknown how Seem acquires his information, or from where it originates, though it is implied that he was aware of the Precursor's true identities before they were discovered by Jak, as he frequently compared Daxter to the Precursors. It is unknown if Seem had any form of direct contact with the Precursors though this would seem unlikely.

Behind the scenes

Gender

Seem is well known for his lack of certain gender. There are sources which suggest he is male; however, a conclusive determination can be made from the fact there are sources higher in quantity and quality which indicate he is male. This includes two explicit references to Seem using male pronouns by developers in behind the scenes commentary for Jak 3, one by an animator, and one by creative director, writer, and character developer Dan Arey. Furthermore, The Official Jak 3 Guide by Piggyback Interactive lists Seem as female.

The character may have originally been conceived as male by character designer Bob Rafei. Original sketches of Seem depict him as a male (topless with male breasts), but the final rendering (by the same artist) implies designs were "merged" to create a male version of the character, with a restrictive armored top that covers his entire torso (thereby making no indication of breasts indicative of either gender). This gender change may explain why some sources still intimate a male gender, rather than reflecting the change made in later development stages.

It is also possible the ambiguity was intentional. No official commentary from Naughty Dog or Sony has been given on the matter, though the ambiguity has been referenced in two subsequent franchise releases. It was first referenced in the Jak and Daxter Trilogy, in which Daxter stops short of introducing Seem as either "this man" and instead says "this... individual". Daxter then later refers to him as "monk boy", referencing the ambiguity while implying a male gender. In the Jak and Daxter Collection, an HD remaster of the series for the PS3 and PS Vita, it was referenced in the form of a trophy related to Seem titled "Dude in Distress", playing on the term damsel in distress.

Death

Seem was originally scripted to die in the siege of the Monk Temple by the Dark Makers, but she was ultimately kept alive in the final release. The grimmer, raspier tone of Seem's voice is due to the voice acting being recorded when Seem's death was still planned.

References

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