Alpha Series (Big Daddy)

"The Big Daddies are now in their Alpha Series. They seem that they try to attack me, but if I strike at them first, I'm always ready to do it so to kick my butt. I must defend myself from them. The Preschool Girls, Booker, and I, are ready for a combat against them. If it is a fight what they want, we'll be ready for them."

--Su Ji-Hoon, Alpha Series

The Alpha Series, a type of Big Daddy, was the first line of protectors to be bonded to Little Sisters. They are introduced in BioShock 2, and in a When the Cold Breeze Blows Away chapter, Alpha Series, as a new type of enemy.

History
"Poor things… what a life. Marchin’ around playin’ Daddy until some Splicer manages to kill off their Sister… and then if the coma doesn’t take ‘em they turn maniac… nothin’ left to do but scream.”

--Augustus Sinclair, Alpha Series

The Alpha Series were a failed line of prototype Protectors developed first by Dr. Yi Suchong. The line was completed by Dr. Alexander using prisoners from Persephone Penal Colony as test subjects. Each member of the Alpha Series began as a test subject for various Fontaine Futuristics Plasmids, and they retain some Plasmid abilities as a result. The bodies of the Alpha Series were less drastically modified than the later models when placed inside their suits. Functioning Alpha Series such as Subject Delta were still heavily spliced, granting them greater strength and stature than most citizens.

The main difference between the Alpha Series and the other Big Daddies is the nature of their bond to the Little Sisters. Each Alpha Series was created with an unbreakable physiological bond to a single Little Sister. This bond created a fail-safe enforced by each Little Sister's pheromone signature—an Alpha Series that wandered too far from his bond partner for an extended period of time would lapse into coma or madness.

This bond proved to be too effective, as each Big Daddy in the Alpha Series became useless after his Little Sister was killed by attacking Splicers or saved by Brigid Tenenbaum. Any Alpha Series model that was not rendered comatose as a result of his Sister being lost descended into emotional instability to the point of psychosis. (Gilbert Alexander recalls seeing one Alpha Series crying at a Gatherer's Garden in mourning for his Little Sister in one of his audio diaries). The Plasmids and Tonics the candidates were exposed to destabilized them further, as rips in the armor of Alpha Series encountered in Fontaine Futuristics reveal their skin as lumpy and grotesque. The prototypes still remaining by the events of BioShock 2 were only useful as foot soldiers, as their suicidal aggression made them unfit for anything else.

When the Alpha Series failed, it was discovered that previous Big Daddy models, namely the Bouncer and Rosie, could be used as suitable protectors. These models had been created before the Alpha Series, but their sole purpose was for the construction and repair of the city. The Bouncer and Rosie were much more suitable protectors as there already existed a large population of them, and they would be able to protect any Little Sister while still carrying out their original function.

Characteristics
Unlike other types of Big Daddies, the Alpha Series attacks the player immediately, eliminating any chance to prepare. Like Subject Delta, the Alpha Series prototypes are not as heavily armored as production-line Big Daddies. As a consequence, they cannot withstand the same level of damage, although they are still significantly tougher than standard Splicers (other than Brute Splicers, which have roughly the same level of health and strength as the Alpha Series). They are also vulnerable to bonus damage from headshots, such as the Rivet or Spear Gun, and take 50% increased damage from explosives.