Dominion



Name

There's no deep meaning behind Dominion's name. It was chosen partly because of the word's literal meaning of rulership or authority over another, and partly because of its historical connections to the UK. (It was once applied to the self-governing divisions of the British Empire - e.g. Canada which, for any really fanatical historians among you, was the first country to be given Dominion status!)

Appearance

Dominion is essentally meant to be a soldier, a mercenary. His body armour is meant to be slightly futuristic but only a step or two ahead of what's available now. During the design stages, his armour went from overlapping plates to the more body-formed style popularised by the movie versions of the Bat-suit. I must admit, I still sometimes hanker after the more "visible" protection we gave him early on and we may yet give him a change of armour later in the story!

Role within the story

As the leader of a band of mercenaries, Dominion is something of an ambiguous figure. Although in Shades, he is cast first and foremost as one of the three principal "villains", in the greater scheme of things he's more amoral than evil. In symbolic terms, he represents to some extent the pride the UK has in having a professional standing army, as well as the misgivings that inevitably arise from the fact that some of those "professionals" seem all too willing to find employment with real-life mercenary groups following their discharge.

As far as the story is concerned, many officers have carried the title "Dominion" over the years. It is a rank rather than a name, passed on by each commanding officer to his (or her) successor.