Alister Azimuth

"General Alister Azimuth. Four-Bolt Magistrate of the Lombax Praetorian Guard. Elder Councilman for the Center for Advanced Lombax Research. And you, my dear boy, look just like your father."

- Azimuth introducing himself to Ratchet.

General Alister Azimuth was a revered yet rebellious leader of the Lombaxes. The Court of Azimuth was designed by him, and he was a childhood friend of Kaden. He was a Four-Bolt Magistrate of the Lombax Praetorian Guard, and also an elder councilman of the Center for Advanced Lombax Research. Azimuth possessed a variety of equipment including a Praetorian OmniWrench, Hoverboots, and a pocket watch containing a picture of him and Kaden. Azimuth also had his own ship, which looked similar to the Aphelion.

Early life
"Kaden almost broke his arm hoverbooting right over there...we had some good times!"

- Azimuth remembers his childhood

Alister was best friends with Kaden and as children they had many adventures together in the Breegus System, notably hoverbooting on Krell Canyon. As they grew older Kaden had a son and presumably joined Alister in the Center for Advanced Lombax Research and Lombax Praetorian Guard.

Exile
"For my crimes...I was forbidden from joining the Lombaxes. And so...I live in exile."

- Alister speaks of his exile

Later, the Lombaxes were approached by an inventor who, unknown to them, was Percival Tachyon. He possessed ideas for technology considerably more advanced than what they were using at the time. Despite warnings from Kaden to do otherwise, Azimuth helped the inventor by giving him access to Lombax technology, believing it could repair the galaxy from the Great War. Tachyon instead would use this technology to crush Fastoon and build his new empire. The General held himself responsible for the attack as well as the deaths of Kaden and hundreds of Lombaxes. When the Lombaxes escaped, Azimuth was forbidden from joining them and was exiled. He would eventually find himself in the Breegus System on Torren IV. From this point on, Alister began gathering information about the Great Clock, hoping it could undo his mistake.

Rebellion and skirmishes with Nefarious
A few decades later Doctor Nefarious rose to power in the Polaris Galaxy. Alister had many confrontations with the doctor and his henchman Lord Vorselon. Despite being captured briefly by Vorselon, Azimuth managed to destroy one of Nefarious’s transports, and an outpost in the Korthos Sector belonging to Vorselon.

Meeting Ratchet
"No.. It can’t be... You’re Kaden’s son."

- Azimuth realises who the “assassin” is

When Azimuth first met Ratchet, he initially thought that the young Lombax was an assassin wearing a Holo-Guise who had been sent by either Vorselon or Nefarious to kill him. Ratchet chased him, and when he caught up, Azimuth recognized Ratchet as Kaden’s son. Azimuth spoke with Ratchet about the Great Clock, and taught Ratchet how to use hoverboots. Afterwards Alister told Ratchet to meet him in Axiom City on planet Terachnos, where they could find a way to talk to Clank in the Great Clock. He and Ratchet infiltrated Pollyx Industries, a company specializing in Zoni technology, and discovered that the last remaining Obsidian Eye in the universe was located in Krell Canyon on Lumos. After battling and defeating a VX-99 sent by Dr. Nefarious they set off for Lumos.



On Lumos, Azimuth explained the story of his exile to Ratchet. He also revealed his plan to gain control of the Great Clock and prevent his actions from leading to the vanishing of the Lombaxes and the death of Ratchet’s parents. He promised Ratchet that he would help him get his family back.

Conflict over the Clock
"They’re not in danger, they’ve just…moved on. And we’ll find them. But the past stays where it is."

- Ratchet speaking to Azimuth at the Great Clock

When Ratchet and Clank learned that the Great Clock could rip apart reality if misused, they unsuccessfully attempted to dissuade Azimuth from using it. Azimuth became upset and the general left in his ship. After Ratchet and Clank defeated Dr. Nefarious, Azimuth saved them just before the ship they were standing on collided with the Nefarious Space Station. The three of them flew to the Great Clock where Clank requested to stay to protect the facility. Still intent on using the Clock, Azimuth asked Ratchet about the Lombaxes. Ratchet replied that they had moved on, but said that the past should not be changed, backing out of Azimuth’s plan.

Frustrated and outraged that Ratchet no longer wanted to “save” the Lombaxes, Azimuth shot Ratchet with an energy blast from his wrench, killing him. Azimuth raced Clank to the Orvus Chamber, but the robot managed to seal it off before he could reach it. Inside, thanks to advice given to him by the Plumber, Clank shifted time six minutes into the past and prevented Ratchet from being hit by Azimuth’s blast.

Duel at the Orvus Chamber and Death
"Take care of yourself, Ratchet."

- Azimuth’s last words.

Pursued by Ratchet and Clank, Azimuth raced to the Orvus Chamber and activated a time shift to prevent the attack on Fastoon. Ratchet then fought him to prevent the destruction of the universe. Upon his defeat, Ratchet told Alister that the Great Clock was not a time machine—it was only meant to keep time and space intact not to be used as a time machine. Realizing his mistake, Alister bid Ratchet a final farewell and used his wrench to move the damaged master switch, reversing the massive wave of quantum energy reverting time back to its normal flow. Though he was successful, the resulting final blast of energy killed Alister. Clank says Ratchet that he had done a great job and should be proud of him. Alister’s Praetorian OmniWrench was taken by Ratchet and put on the wall of his garage along with his other weaponry.

Legacy


"Alister Azimuth. He was a great Lombax, until shame and anger got the best of him. To many, he is the villain who put the universe in jeopardy for selfish reasons, to others, he is a hero whose only crime was wanting to correct a mistake."

- Docent 427 description of Alister Azimuth.

His death affected Ratchet who felt some guilt over the events.

In Ratchet &amp; Clank: Into the Nexus, the Lombax History Wing of the Intergalactic Museum of History, there is a statue of him near Ratchet and Clank’s, explaining while some of the galaxy’s population sees him as a villain who put the entire universe in inter-dimensional danger for his own selfish reasons, others see him as a hero whose only crime is to give Tachyon access to the Lombax Archives, which resulted in the start of Percival’s Cragmite Empire and all he wanted is to correct that mistake that he made in the past.

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
Azimuth appears as a downloadable minion for Ratchet & Clank.

Personality
"Alister Azimuth. He was a great Lombax, until shame and anger got the best of him..."

- Docent 427 describing Alister Azimuth as a great Lombax that became corrupted by his desire to use the Great Clock to undo his mistake.

Alister was very much a Lombax man who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, feeling immense pride in his accomplishments, and great shame in his mistakes. He was known to be daring, courageous, and very charismatic, being able to instantly bond with and convince Ratchet of his plans with much zeal and conviction in his voice and approach. He was known to banter during battle and make references to Kaden, often to Ratchet’s growing chagrin. However, Azimuth’s charisma and charm concealed a deep pain and darkness within his heart. His shame in allowing Tachyon to rise to power and the subsequent massacre of his race and his own banishment tormented him for over twenty years and drove him quite mad. He could be violent, impulsive, and downright murderous at times in his quest to undo his mistake with Tachyon, such as when he turned on and killed Ratchet. He showed much cognitive dissonance in the face of information about the Great Clock’s nature that contradicted his own preconceived ideas. Alister also had a weakness and susceptibility towards obsessive behavior, such as his desperation to protect the galaxy after the Great War and his desire to use the Great Clock. His days as a military man also left him hostile and easily given to kill his enemies over incapacitating them. But deep down he was a man who loved his way of life, his people, and his friends. His guilt tormented him to the end of his days.

Relationships
"Kaden and I were good friends. He was a great Lombax. Smart as they come."
 * Kaden

- Azimuth talking about his best friend and Ratchet’s father, Kaden.

Kaden was Alister’s best friend. They often hover booted in Krell Canyon. Kaden, while obliviously daring and bold, he also appeared to be the more cautious of the two, as he warned Azimuth not to trust the inventor, knowing that doing so would lead to disaster. When Alister failed to heed Kaden’s warning and trusted Tachyon anyway, it ultimately lead to the disappearance of the Lombaxes, the rise of Tachyon’s Empire and the death of Kaden and his lover, leaving his son, Ratchet as an orphan. Azimuth greatly regretted inadvertently playing his part in the death of his best friend and during his exile, sought out the Great Clock to turn back time and undo his terrible mistake.

"...and you, my dear boy, look just like your father."
 * Ratchet

- Azimuth introducing himself to Ratchet.

At first, Azimuth tried to kill Ratchet when he thought he was one of Nefarious or Vorselon’s assassins in a Holo-Guise. Once he got a closer look at him, he saw him as Kaden’s son. He quickly bonded with Ratchet, becoming somewhat of a father-figure to him, and seeing Ratchet resemble Kaden in many ways while helping him search for Clank and fight against Nefarious. Ratchet had a deep respect for the elder, always calling him “General” or “Azimuth.” Until his attack on The Great Clock, where he called him “Alister” for the first time. After defeating the VX-99 in Axiom City, he apologized to Ratchet for not trying to find him decades earlier, stating that would have, had he knew Ratchet was alive, but told him that from that moment onward, he had a family. Eventually, he told Ratchet of his unintentional role in the fall of the Lombaxes and Tachyon’s rise to power, and his hope to use the Great Clock to undo that tragedy and give Ratchet his family back. For a while, Ratchet agreed, however after rescuing Clank from the Valkyries and learning of how misusing the Clock by using for long-distance travel would cause the universe to collapse on itself, Ratchet decided to abandon that plan, with Azimuth taking off on his own. Eventually after Nefarious was defeated, Alister killed Ratchet in his quest to turn back time. Clank, abandoning everything he was taught, turned time back six minutes, and saved Ratchet. Azimuth raced to the Orvus chamber, and pulled the lever back. Ratchet managed to convince Alister of his folly of nearing destroying the Great Clock and universe along with it after beating him, Azimuth gave his life to save the Clock after bidding Ratchet farewell.

Appearance
Azimuth possessed the usual characteristics of a Lombax, including long ears and a tail. Compared to Ratchet, he was taller and far more muscular. The color of his fur differed as well - he had light gray fur with red-brown stripes and black eyebrows. Azimuth’s eyes were yellow with brown irises and he also had a short beard on either side of his jaw. In addition, he wore Praetorian Guard armor with plates on the shoulders and chest. The chest plate in particular had a symbol on it, much like Ratchet’s armor.

Powers, abilities, and weaponry
Azimuth was a hardened war veteran and a powerful fighter who could backflip and jump distances that even the greatly athletic Ratchet would not be able to cross without a Meteor Pad or versa-target.

His hoverboots were far superior to Ratchet’s, enabling greater speed and farther jumps. His close-combat skills combined with his extremely powerful Praetorian OmniWrench made him a deadly adversary, and he was also able to attack from long distances with blasts of negatively-charged energy from his wrench so powerful that they could severely injure and unarmored Ratchet with a single shot, he could also spin the wrench at high speeds to deflect weapon fire - even from the likes of the RYNO V. He also possessed explosive mines that he could throw around the battlefield.

Azimuth was a skilled pilot and had his own Lombax starfighter that he would use for transportation and combat. His ship was equipped with powerful ion cannons for usage against foes.



Behind the scenes
Joey D'Auria provided the voice for Alister Azimuth in A Crack in Time.

Development
Alister Azimuth was developed as a character to introduce another Lombax to the series. Alister Azimuth was considered to be who Ratchet could have become if he didn't have Clank. According to senior writer TJ Fixman, he was a deeper character then was possible in previous games.

Trivia

 * Azimuth was one of the few main characters to die on screen. Others include Luna and Lord Vorselon.
 * The symbol on Azimuth’s armor resembles the one on Orvus’s head.
 * In real life, an azimuth is an angular measurement in a spherical coordinate system.
 * Azimuth is an unlockable skin in A Crack in Time after collecting 32 gold bolts.
 * Azimuth’s wrench was also an unlockable replacement for Ratchet’s wrench in A Crack in Time, but it can't fire energy blasts.
 * Azimuth’s wrench can be seen on the wall of Ratchet's garage in the opening pages of Ratchet & Clank: Issue 1: Ears of War. Alister Azimuth also appears in a picture in the same comic.
 * On the image in Azimuth’s pocket watch he has a small scar over his right eye. This is absent in his in-game model.
 * If you use the Grooovitron Glove on him, he will disco dance and do Michael Jackson's Moonwalk Dance.

Appearances

 * Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
 * Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
 * Ratchet & Clank: Issue 1: Ears of War
 * Ratchet & Clank: Issue 3: Lost and Spaced
 * Race Through Time
 * Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus


 * Non-canon
 * PlayStation Home
 * PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
 * Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault