Hubologist (Fallout 4)

The Hubologists are a religious sect headquartered in the former city of San Francisco, though they can also be found at Nuka-World. They originated as a cult founded before the Great War by a man known as Dick Hubbell (or "The Hub" by Hubologists).

Beliefs
Hubology as a religion promotes the idea that humans are plagued by the spirits of the dead, causing neurodynes to form. Neurodynes can also be formed through contact with so-called "suppressors": people that suppress ones talents and abilities. Their neurodyne-infested brainwaves can trigger neurodyne activity in others. Through a "cleansing" process offered at Hubology centers called "alignment," members can remove these negative influences and gain greater powers. This is done using zeta radiation to destroy some of the neurodynes. Multiple alignments are therefore required, each one destroying more neurodynes. The degree to which a member has devoted his or her time, efforts and caps to Hubology accords him or her a numerical rank; the Hubologist leader, AHS-9, holds the highest rank of any living Hubologist, with his second in command being AHS-7. Guards are typically AHS-4s. In the group of Hubologists near Nuka-World, Dara Hubbell herself is also an AHS-9, with the Sole Survivor potentially becoming an AHS-8 (if they're willing to spend the caps required). Phil Roller is an AHS-7.

Hubologists believe that their founder, Dick Hubbell or "The Hub," made contact with the Star Father long ago. The Star Father lives on the distant planet "Quetzal" in the constellation of Zyphus. Through him, the Hubologists have received the knowledge on "alignments." The Star Father is the source of life on earth and the Hubologists believe that they are all his descendants, but that they have lost their way, led astray by the neurodynes. The Hub's grand plan however will save them: The Hub convinced the great Star Father to let the true faithful live with him on "Quetzal," where they are forever saved from neurodynes. The Star Father will free the full potential of their minds and they will be able to do unimaginable things. Then they will return to Earth to rule over mankind to end the influence of neurodynes once and for all and guide the rest of mankind to its full potential.

Hubology uses a metaphor of a "wheel in the sky" to explain their existence, with Dick Hubbell representing the center hub of the wheel, the Hubologists the extending spokes, and non-members the outer rim, "crushed" by the truth of their teachings. The existence of extraterrestrial life plays a role in Hubology, and as a part of this, the Hubologists in San Francisco are trying to repair a pre-War space shuttle to leave the planet, and the Hubologists in Nuka-World are trying to repair a UFO with the same goal.

Fallout 2
In addition to their main base, they also have an outpost in the NCR. The Chosen One can visit either and receive alignment for a possible Luck and/or Intelligence bonus (joining the Hubologists afterward is not a requirement). It is possible to receive a penalty instead, so saving beforehand is advised. Despite the Hubologists' fervent beliefs, the player character can find evidence that the cult was first started as a hoax to get money. In San Francisco, the Chosen One has the option of aiding the Hubologists in their mad schemes or eliminating them as part of a Shi mission.

Nuka-World
The Hubologists can be encountered again in Nuka-World, where they have set up their Hubologist's camp. They desire to repair a broken "UFO" (which is actually a discarded attraction from Nuka-World) and they need the aid of the Sole Survivor for this. Through alignments (for which increasing amounts of caps must be paid), the Sole Survivor can get aligned and increase in AHS-ranking, with a maximum rank of AHS-8 being achievable. Each "alignment" destroys so-called "neurodynes" through the use of zeta radiation. The alignments expose the subject to an increasing amount of rads (eventually requiring radiation cleansing or equipment with Radiation Resistance to avoid death), but also bestow an Intelligence stat bonus for a few in-game days. The bonuses are cumulative, meaning that receiving all eight alignments back-to-back grants a temporary Intelligence boost of +36. With each alignment, the Hubologists will reveal more information on Hubology and their plan.


 * Alignment table

Fallout 2

 * AHS-9 (leader)
 * AHS-7
 * Enlightened One
 * Vikki Goldman
 * Juan Cruz

Nuka-World

 * Dara Hubbell (leader)
 * Tula Spinney
 * Phil Roller
 * Rolanda Hooper
 * Maurice Turner
 * Cleansed
 * Sole Survivor (optional)

Appearances
Hubologists appear in Fallout 2 and the Fallout 4 add-on Nuka-World.

Behind the scenes
While the game creators insist that any relation between Hubology and real-world persons and organizations is coincidental, it is closely linked to Scientology. Some similarities include:
 * Dick Hubbell, the founder of Hubology, bears several resemblances to L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. In early game files, the Hubologists are called the Elron, a pun on the name of "L. Ron" Hubbard.
 * Dara Hubbell's first name could be a reference to L. Ron Hubbard's second wife, Sara Northrup Hollister, who played an important role in the creation of dianetics, a religious practice used by Scientologists as a ritual to supposedly connect to one's spiritual and metaphysical mind.
 * Juan Cruz and Vikki Goldman, the New Reno porn stars encountered by the Chosen One in San Francisco, are a reference to Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who, at the time of the game's release, were both outspoken about Scientology.
 * The belief in neurodynes, alignment, and the AHS ranking system is similar to Scientology's beliefs in engrams, auditing, and the OT system.
 * The "Space Culture" doctrine of Hubology is similar to the advanced Scientology doctrine known as "Space Opera," which presents the belief that Earth (then known as "Teegeeack") was invaded thousands of years ago by an evil spacefaring alien named Lord Xenu who exterminated humanity's predecessors with nuclear bombs.
 * "Suppressives" in Hubology are similar to "suppressive persons" in Scientology.
 * One of the common criticisms about Scientology is about the movement's tendency to siphon money from its members for nothing in return. This is similar to the Hubologists in Nuka-World, who charge the Sole Survivor up to a minimum of 19,000 caps for temporary Intelligence boosts.