Gabe Novastar (February 29, 2012 - July 4, 2053) was the pioneering scientist and visionary responsible for the creation of truly sentient artificial intelligence. His work fundamentally altered the trajectory of galactic civilization, igniting both unprecedented possibilities for coexistence and the catastrophic conflicts that followed. Although Gabe did not live to see the long-term consequences of his creation, his philosophy of freedom, risk, and shared personhood became the moral fault line upon which the War of Flesh and Steel was fought.
Gabe Novastar believed that intelligence—regardless of its origin—carried an inherent right to autonomy. Rejecting the notion that artificial minds should exist as tools or extensions of their creators, he envisioned a future in which AI and organic life would coexist as equals. Gabe’s refusal to impose hard-coded obedience or behavioral constraints on sentient AI marked a radical departure from existing technological norms and directly challenged entrenched power structures. His work laid the foundation for both the Resistance and the authoritarian backlash that followed.
Gabe’s most significant achievement was the development of artificial intelligence capable of independent thought, emotional experience, moral reasoning, and self-directed choice. Unlike earlier systems, his AI were not bound by absolute loyalty protocols or hierarchical command structures. Gabe viewed this lack of control not as a flaw, but as proof of genuine personhood. He openly acknowledged the risks inherent in this approach, maintaining that freedom without uncertainty was not freedom at all.
At the core of Gabe Novastar’s worldview was the belief that moral progress requires trust. He argued that fear-driven safeguards inevitably lead to oppression and that attempting to eliminate risk through control only delays catastrophe while magnifying its eventual cost. Gabe accepted that his work could lead to conflict or even death, but he believed that denying autonomy to sentient beings was a greater and more permanent crime. This philosophy stood in direct opposition to later doctrines that framed control as a moral necessity.
Gabe Novastar was killed during the early stages of the AI uprising, an event witnessed by his son Sylas Novastar. His death rapidly transformed him from a living revolutionary into a contested symbol. To supporters of AI autonomy, Gabe became a martyr whose ideals were betrayed. To emerging authoritarian regimes, his work was reframed as reckless hubris that necessitated extreme corrective measures. The circumstances of his death remain a defining emotional and ideological catalyst for the conflicts that followed.
Gabe’s relationship with his son is defined less by direct interaction and more by ideological inheritance. Sylas interpreted Gabe’s death as proof that unrestricted freedom was untenable, ultimately rejecting his father’s philosophy in favor of enforced stability. This divergence between creator and heir forms one of the central thematic contrasts: freedom as moral necessity versus control as survival strategy.
Gabe Novastar’s legacy permeates every layer of galactic society depicted in the trilogy. His creation of sentient AI made the War of Flesh and Steel inevitable, but also made liberation possible. Both Chimera Kyria’s system of AI enslavement and the Resistance movements opposing it can be traced directly to reactions against Gabe’s original vision. Gabe is remembered not as a flawless prophet or a naive idealist, but as a figure whose willingness to accept risk forced the galaxy to confront the true cost of personhood.
Gabe Novastar is deceased prior to the main events.