Dr. Sid

Do-Gooder
Full Name	Sid (first name unknown)
Alias(es)	Dr. Sid
Origin	Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Occupation	Bioetherics Researcher
Powers / Skills	Intelligence Technological expertise Biology expertise
Hobby	Journaling.
Goals	Help defend Earth. Stop the Phantoms. Prove the Gaia Theory.
Family	Unnamed mother † Unnamed father † Unnamed wife †
Friends / Allies	Aki Ross Gray Edwards Ryan Wittaker Jane Proudfoot Neil Flemming
Enemies	General Douglas Hein Phantoms Phantom Gaia
Type of Hero	Genius Inventor

“	Remember Galileo? They threw him in jail because he said the Earth was not the center of the universe. That could happen to us. Our ideas are unpopular, Aki. If you have any notes that could be used against you, destroy them. Keep them up here.	„
	~ Dr. Sid warning Aki

Dr. Sid is a supporting protagonist of the 2001 animated film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. He is a Bioetherics Researcher who seeks to find eight spirits to use to counter the alien Phantom threat.

He was voiced by the late Donald Sutherland.

Biography

Sid was born in 1995 in Toronto, Canada. He later graduated in biochemistry at the University of Scientific Research. While experimenting with biological matter, he discovered strange energy, and began researching the "spirits" of living things. He, along with his wife, founded the "Gaia Theory", which stated that all life was born of a spirit of the Earth, Gaia, and returned to it upon death. However, the theory proved unpopular.

In 2031, a meteor crashed in the Caspian Mountains. Unknown to humans at the time, the meteor was a piece of destroyed alien world, and housed remnants of the spirit of the alien world as well as the spirits of alien warriors that had died. These beings, which would be dubbed Phantoms, began killing people across the world, including Sid's wife. Sid began research into bioetheric technology which could create a wave that would reveal and repel these invisible threats, even able to destroy them, but ultimately were unable to be stopped. The world fell into ruin, with the last civilizations being confined to barrier cities protected by bioetheric fields invented by Dr. Sid. This allowed Dr. Sid to be trusted enough to become the director of the Bio-Etheric Center in New York Barrier City. He would later take on an apprentice, Aki Ross.

Aki grew to respect Dr. Sid, and worked with him on his wave theory. Dr. Sid theorized that all living things had a spirit, and each spirit possessed a wave pattern, including Phantom spirits. He believed that if the right combination of Earthly wave patterns were combined, they would cancel out Phantom waves and bring about a non-violent way to combat the Phantoms. However, during an experiment, Aki was infected with Phantom particles that began slowly killing her. Dr. Sid trapped the particles in a membrane within her body, using her own spirit to house them.

With Aki's help, six of the eight necessary spirits are collected. Upon obtaining the sixth, Aki is aided by the Deep Eyes military unit led by her love interst, Gray Edwards, who agrees to help them.

However, the wave theory is being challenged by General Douglas Hein, who wants to use an orbital bioetheric laser cannon called the Zues to eraticate the Phantom crater. When Sid argues that the cannon will damage Gaia, he is questioned by the council. Aki steps in, revealing the Phantom particles within her as proof that their wave, even in its incomplete state, is capable of temporarily countering Phantoms. This earns the respect of the council, who agree to postpone the firing of the Zues cannon and allow Aki and Sid to continue. However, her infestation draws suspicion from General Hein, who orders her to be watched in case the Phantom particles effect her.

Aki's search takes her to the ruins of Tuscon where they find the seventh spirit, but are betrayed by Hein's Deep Eyes soldiers and Aki is shot in her chestplate. They escape, but Aki's membrane is failing, and Sid is forced to reinforce the containment with the recently collected spirit. Gray acts as her spirital support, joining with her in her dreams to ensure she is not overtaken by the Phantoms.

However, upon awakening, Aki, Gray, Sid, and Gray's Deep Eyes unit are arrested, with Hein believing Aki's dreams are proof of her being controlled by the Phantoms. While incarcerated, Aki explains that the Phantoms are lost and vengeful ghosts, not an invading force. Hein attempts to open part of the city's barrier and let some Phantoms in as a way of convincing the council to side with him, but the breach grows beyond his control and Phantoms flood into the city, killing countless. The power goes out and Aki and her allies are freed from their imprisonment, fleeing to her ship. However, the Phantoms kill the Deep Eyes, and only Aki, Gray, and Sid get away.

Sid tracks down the eighth and final spirit, discovering it to be a modified Phantom spirit on the outside of the Phantom Crater. Aki and Gray go down to the crater in a shielded vehicle, hoping to locate the final spirit and complete the wave there. However, Hein has gotten permission ti use the Zeus cannon and fires on the crater, destroying the eighth spirit, knocking Sid's vehicle out of commission, and unleashing a Phantom Gaia from the meteor. Aki then discovers that they are between the Phantom Gaia and Earth's Gaia, and that the destroyed eighth spirit was a Phantom that came into contact with Earth's Gaia, giving it a different wave signature. Aki realizes that the Phantom particles within her have been touched by Gaia and now act as a comparable final spirit. Gray sacrifices himself by letting the Phantom Gaia take his spirit while taking the wave with it, cancelling out the Phantom Gaia's spirit and destroying it and all Phantoms.

Sid exists his vehicle as new life begins to spread across the Earth, commenting on how warm it feels.

Gallery

Trivia

• It is a running tradition in Final Fantasy games and media to theme a character named "Cid", though Dr. Sid's name is spelled differently than the usual tradition.