Courier

The Courier, also known as Courier Six, is the player character and main protagonist of Fallout: New Vegas.

Background
Most of the Courier's past is shrouded in mystery. What is known is that sometime before taking the fateful contract to deliver the platinum chip, the Courier lived as a drifter, earning a reputation as a veteran of the trail who had traveled all over New California (according to Ulysses the Courier has been to Circle Junction, New Reno, Vault City, Fort Abandon and on brahmin drives at the Big Circle). Yet the Courier had some sort of connection to the budding community of the Divide in southern California (Ulysses claims that the Courier regularly traveled through the area, and contributed a great deal in keeping it alive).

After the New California Republic attacked and sacked Navarro, they recovered a piece of tech they did not fully understand, but they recognized several symbols (such as the Old World flag). They later linked these symbols to similar markings they saw in the Divide. The Courier took on the job to return it there, perhaps because the markings reminded them of home. But after making the delivery, the package turned out to be a detonator that contained missile launch codes. According to Ulysses, the package "woke up" and sent the detonation signal to missiles locked in the silos, resulting in massive earthquakes and powerful storms wiping out the community in its infancy, leaving Ulysses as the only survivor. The Courier was apparently not present when the destruction happened and therefore did not know of it.

In 2281, the Courier was one of six messengers hired by the Mojave Express to deliver packages to the New Vegas Strip, with the Courier carrying the parcel containing the only item of worth: Robert House's platinum chip, delivering it all the way from near Hub, California. The Courier got the job after Ulysses pulled out when he learned that the Courier's name was next on the list. The Courier was intercepted by Benny, who then shot the Courier in the head twice and left them for dead, buried alive in a shallow grave in the Goodsprings Cemetery. The Courier was dug out by Victor, a friendly Securitron under Mr. House's control. The Courier was then nursed back to health by Doc Mitchell, the resident doctor of Goodsprings.

Information through dialogue
The player character can make several statements about their past through in-game dialogue options. They do not form part of their background until they have been selected. Below is a non-exhaustive list of elements of the character's past which can be explicitly expressed during gameplay:


 * During a conversation with Bruce Isaac in Novac, the Courier can state that they have been to New Reno before and attended one of his shows at the Shark Club.
 * When talking with Little Buster, the Courier can suggest that they worked as a bounty hunter at some point.
 * The Courier is initially unaware of the rarity and value of the Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle caps as Malcolm Holmes says the Courier did not express any reaction upon finding their first one.
 * Even if one has not made contact with the Brotherhood of Steel at Hidden Valley, the Courier can state they have heard of the Brotherhood when conversing with Veronica for the first time and, upon passing an Intelligence check, when interacting with Christine in Dead Money. The Courier may also be aware of their technology obsession and their hostility with the NCR.
 * During the dialogue with Veronica, the Courier may mention not knowing where they came from.
 * The Courier can tell Cass that they [the Courier] do not know what a fish is. Or, on the contrary, an intelligent Courier may test her knowledge about fish.
 * In Dead Money, the Courier can express unfamiliarity with FEV through their interaction with Father Elijah.
 * When Elijah mentions the "Big Empty," the Courier may claim that they have never heard of it before.
 * Before setting off to New Canaan, the Courier can tell Jed Masterson that they have not been to Utah in some time, suggesting that they have been there before.
 * In Honest Hearts, a Dead Horse stalker may express surprise with the Courier's knowledge of the Dead Horses' and the Sorrows' languages.
 * In conversation with Joshua Graham, the Courier may imply that they have never heard of Christianity, or at least the Mormon faith.
 * In Old World Blues, the Courier is revealed to have a special brain condition due to being shot in the head in just the right spot and surviving.
 * After Old World Blues, the Courier becomes a cybernetically augmented human. Even if they get their brain, heart, and spine back, there will still be some advanced technologies that remain in place.
 * A skilled Courier may have a high understanding of RobCo technology. In Honest Hearts, a Courier with a high Science skill can call out Ricky's incompetence with his locked Pip-Boy. In Old World Blues, the Courier can recognize the RobCo signals that 8|Doctor 8 transmits. The Courier is also apparently able to understand ED-E's incomprehensible beeping and is even able to tell the difference between its emotions through its beeping.
 * One of the epilogues of Old World Blues states that the Courier knows very little about communism or high schools.
 * According to Ulysses, the Courier has been to Circle Junction, New Reno, Vault City, Fort Abandon, and on brahmin drives at the Big Circle.
 * The Courier has very limited knowledge of the Midwest, as when ED-E from the Divide plays the log from when a child found it, asking it where that occurred will have ED-E respond with Chicago, Illinois. The Courier knows about Illinois if they have met the Mojave ED-E ("Illinois? So that's where you got that plate. The other you, I mean."), but is unaware of it if they have not ("Illin-what? Come on you're making that name up."). Regardless of if they have met the Mojave ED-E, the Courier does not know about Chicago, asking "What's a Chicago?"
 * An intelligent Courier may have at least passing knowledge of snipers and spotters, as Boone can be recruited by simply noting that snipers are supposed to work in pairs.
 * A male Courier with the Lady Killer perk can ask if the Lonesome Drifter is 17 and then express relief when he says he is 28, implying the Courier impregnated (or believes he impregnated) a woman in Montana.
 * The Courier may not understand one of Arcade Gannon's Latin phrases, indicating unfamiliarity with the language.
 * An intelligent Courier can have knowledge of ancient Roman mythology and American history, as they can recognize that Ulysses took his name from Ulysses S. Grant, not the mythological figure Ulysses, by his pronunciation of the name.
 * Dialogue with Raul indicates that the Courier may have at least a passing knowledge of Spanish, using the word "vaquero."
 * A female Courier knows how to use the heels of her feet in a sexually gratifying way, according to potential partner Benny.
 * When Caesar mentions the concept of Hegelian dialectics, the Courier can claim to be unaware of that concept.
 * After hearing one of the ED-E clone's recordings and discovering that the ED-E clone is trying to find their way home, the Courier can remark that they feel the same way and adds "Why do you think I became a courier?"
 * In dialogue with Keith, the Courier can claim to have once been a con artist.

After Hoover Dam

 * It is stated in the endings for Old World Blues, that in the years following the Second Battle of Hoover Dam that the Courier returned to Big MT and watched over it, keeping a close eye over the sciences and goings-on of the facility while gradually reintroducing sciences both forgotten and new back into the wasteland as needed.

Appearances
The Courier appears in Fallout: New Vegas and all of its add-ons. They are also mentioned in the graphic novel, All Roads.

Behind the scenes

 * Originally, the player would have been able to choose the Courier's race. Obsidian planned for the options of human, ghoul, and super mutant; however, Bethesda strongly advised against on the bases of reworking armor and weapons for each race. Obsidian followed Bethesda's advice and left the Courier human.
 * The Courier is the Joker in the deck of Vault playing cards included with the Collector's Edition of Fallout: New Vegas.