Editor’s Note: The following contains major spoilers for 1899.
While 1899 has its fair share of cryptic elements, the Bugs Daniel (Aneurin Barnard) and Eliot (Flyn Edwards) usage aboard the Kerberos could confuse even the most observant fan. That’s because the series never gives us a clear explanation of these bugs and what exactly they do. Still, enough clues are scattered throughout the eight episodes of 1899’s first season for us to put things together and make out what these bugs are. Still, the answer isn’t that simple, as the bugs simultaneously represent the emotional connection between Maura (Emily Beecham) and her son and a concept from computer science.
Like ‘1899’ uses bugs
In the first episode from 1899, a bug leads Maura to the Prometheus’ closet where Elliot is imprisoned. Daniel and Elliot also use the same bug multiple times to open locked doors, gain access to one of the virtual rooms containing false memories, or even get them through the Kerberos without being detected by Henrys (Anton Lesser) henchman. Later in the show, Maura also uses a bug to go back to open a duct under her bed so she can return to her own memory and search for her father. Daniel also uses a bug to bring Ada (Vida Sjorslev) to him before using his conch to kill the girl and set in motion the events that lead to the mutiny aboard the Kerberos. In short, bugs are used to overcome one of the simulation’s limitations by enforcing behavior that doesn’t appear to be an intended part of the virtual landscape code.
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It seems like the bug is a tool that only Daniel and Elliot can use to go into the simulation at any time and overcome some of the virtual environment’s obstacles. More specifically, the bugs are used to introduce unwanted behavior into the simulation. Like computer bugs, the bugs destroy the software and force it to do something it wasn’t originally programmed to do.
Of course, bugs are usually a by-product of programming and arise within the software, as a result of coding errors or unpredictable interactions between different parts of the code. Bugs also usually result in a single type of undesirable behavior. In 1899, however, Daniel and Elliot seem to have controlled the bugs and possibly introduced them to the simulation. So if we wanted to use the correct terminology, Daniel and Elliot would be using the bugs as hacking tools, not bugs. That means the bugs could be some external code that Daniel brought in to manipulate the simulation in his favor.
On the other hand, 1899 was created like a puzzle that provided the public with clues to solve its mysteries. So it would make sense if Creator Johnny Frisian and Baran bo Odar wanted to simplify things since “bug” is a term more accessible to the average fan than “hacking tool”.
It could also be that the bugs are actually bugs, meaning problems in the simulation code were left by their creator. In this case, Daniel and Elliot didn’t create the bugs, they just exploited them. Since Daniel and Elliot are some of the few people who know they are in a virtual world, they could examine the code and find bugs that they could exploit to their advantage. That would be a classic case of a bug becoming a feature. In any case, it’s important to remember ahead of 1899 Season 2 that these bugs cause unwanted behavior in the simulation, making them valuable tools for people trying to escape from their virtual prisons and into the real one return world. Aside from being related to computer science, the 1899 errors also have an in-universe explanation for their occurrence.
How the bugs relate to Maura’s past
While we still don’t know much about Maura’s past, Season 1 of 1899 explains why the woman is trapped in the simulation. In the real world, Maura is married to Daniel and they have a son together, Elliot. At some point, Elliot falls ill with a terminal illness. Unable to say goodbye to her son, Maura created the first simulation version in which she protected Elliot’s mind. Maura and Daniel frequently visit this simulation and extend their family life alongside their son. We still don’t know how Maura’s simulation became a prison for so many people, or why she erased her own memory. However, the bug that Daniel and Elliot use in the simulation looks a lot like another mistake from their past.
In one of Maura’s memoirs, we see the woman enjoying a leisurely afternoon with her son. That afternoon, Elliot finds a bug that looks just like the bugs used in the simulation. Elliot wants to keep the bug in a box, and Maura tells the boy that the poor creature doesn’t deserve to live in prison. Elliot then asks how he knows the bug is safe and how it can grow if he doesn’t keep it around. Maura tells her son he won’t know, but that doesn’t mean depriving another creature of his freedom is right. Ironically, a few months or years later, Maura will lock Elliot into her virtual box, completely forgetting her own advice.
We still don’t know exactly how the simulation works and whether the traumatic memories of the Kerberos passengers are related to reality. However, the simulation appears to be at least partially influenced by Maura’s memories, which makes sense since she created the whole thing. So it would be fitting if the computer bugs appearing in her code took the form of a bug she saw while hanging out with Elliot. Within the simulation, each piece of code is represented by an object, so it’s interesting to think that bugs could be represented by, well, bugs. And if that’s the case, there’s no better bug than the bug Maura used to teach Elliot a lesson she needs to learn herself, too.
1899 is streaming on Netflix right now. Unfortunately, the streaming platform hasn’t renewed the series just yet.
