Dad

 is the Lone Wanderer's father in 2277.

Background
James, born in 2226, was the chief scientist and project leader of Project Purity, an ambitious private project intended to cleanse all of the radioactivity from the water of the Potomac River that fed into the entire Capital Wasteland. However, when his wife, Catherine, died giving birth to the Lone Wanderer, he gave up on the project over the grief of losing his wife. He then asked for entry for himself and his child into Vault 101 in return for becoming the Vault's new physician, and the Vault Overseer granted his request.

Quests

 * Baby Steps: James puts the baby Lone Wanderer in a playpen in a room which contains the You're S.P.E.C.I.A.L.! book. After a brief absence, James returns and shows the child Catherine's favorite Bible quotation.
 * Future Imperfect: James has a brief conversation with his now-teenaged child before it is time to take the G.O.A.T..
 * Escape!: James' unexpected absence from Vault 101 prompts a security crisis and propels the Lone Wanderer out into the wastes.
 * Tranquility Lane: James finds himself in Vault 112, held prisoner in the form of a dog in a virtual neighborhood created and controlled by Dr. Braun.
 * The Waters of Life: After escaping Braun's clutches, father and child head to Rivet City. Upon arrival, James pulls together a research team headed by Dr. Madison Li and escorts the team, with the aid of his child, to the Jefferson Memorial, the site of Project Purity. He then requests that you clear the Memorial of any hostiles before the team enters. As the Enclave storms the Memorial, James refuses to cooperate with the Enclave leader, Colonel Augustus Autumn. In the end, acting as if he was complying with the Colonel's wishes, he overloads the Purifier, releasing radiation into the room and apparently killing the Colonel as he administers some kind of experimental Rad-X. James, however, has no such protection. The last time the Lone Wanderer sees him is when James presses himself against the blast door of the activation room, and telling his child to "Run!" as he slumps to the floor, thus sacrificing himself so his child could live.

Other interactions

 * Birth Scene: James delights over the birth of his child, presenting the child to his wife, who expresses pride and happiness before going into cardiac arrest. James attempts unsuccessfully to save her life.

Effects of player actions

 * When the player is doing tasks to make Project Purity work, James will say that he heard of the player's actions. His reaction will change depending on how you resolved the quest Power of the Atom. If you disarmed the bomb, he will ask you if you truly did it, and will be proud of you if you say that you did. If you caused Megaton's destruction and admit it to James he will be disappointed (you can lie to him, but he won't really believe you).
 * If you did not resolve the Power of the Atom quest at all, or if you talk to him again after he comments on the aforementioned quest, he will instead comment on your current karma level. If you have good karma, he will say "You're a good person, and it shows". If you have bad karma, he will instead comment on how you "seem troubled, like there is a cloud hanging over you." If the player has neutral karma he just greets you in the default manner.

Inventory
* Only while in Vault 101.

Appearances
appears only in Fallout 3.

Notable quotes

 * "As far as I can tell, you're a perfectly healthy 16 year old boy/ girl, so yes, you have to go to class and take your GOAT exam."
 * "Son, I brought you into this world, I think you know the rest."
 * "What in gods name are you doing?"
 * "Stop screwing around!"

Behind the scenes

 * James' voice is provided by actor Liam Neeson, after whom the character is also physically modeled. "This role was written with Liam in mind, and provides the dramatic tone for the entire game. Liam is absolutely amazing to work with", said Todd Howard, Executive Producer of Fallout 3. "It’s been a pleasure bringing the father to life and working with the wonderfully talented people at Bethesda on Fallout 3", said Neeson. “I hope the fans of the franchise and the game will be excited by the results."

Bugs

 * James can appear in the the mission Take It Back! and will still be standing outside of the Jefferson Memorial if you have the Broken Steel add-on.
 * If Megaton is destroyed by detonating the bomb, speaking to him during Waters Of Life He will state his anger and mention that you're "Still his son." Even if the character is female.
 * James counts as a "companion", and as such will use up ammo on any non-companion weapon (unlike most NPCs, who have infinite ammo). This is why he runs out of ammo for his generic .32 caliber pistol so fast. Giving him a companion weapon through console command (on the PC version), such as Charon's shotgun or Sydney's 10mm submachine gun (the non-player version, not the version she gives you), will prevent him from running out of ammo.

Gallery
James Джеймс James