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Cyrus Temple[5][6] is a character in Saints Row: The Third and Saints Row IV.[7][8][9]

My name is Cyrus Temple, Commander Special Tactical Anti-Gang Unit.
— Cyrus Temple during his introductory speech.[10]

Overview[]

Cyrus is the leader of STAG, which is short for "Special Tactical Anti-Gang Unit" and is one of the main antagonists in the game alongside Killbane.[11] As the man in charge of an elite paramilitary police force whose mission is to eradicate all traces of gang violence in the city of Steelport, he has a lot to bear on his shoulders.

Cyrus always appears dressed in protective body armor, but with no helmet, and unlike the rest of STAG, his armor is colored dark green and black instead of white and black. He is of average height and weight, and has short white hair. Age-wise, he is way past his prime, appearing to be in his late 50s or early 60s. Under normal military circumstances (unless serving in a high-ranking position such as general or admiral), someone his age would most likely be retired from active duty or service. Therefore, it's not evidently clear why he was selected to direct STAG.

Personality-wise, Cyrus Temple is a cold and ruthless man who takes the nature of his missions way too seriously, and has little regard for human life or property (similar to his chief lieutenant Kia). If it wasn't for the fact that Senator Monica Hughes was overseeing and directing STAG's operations on behalf of the US Government, Cyrus and Kia would be free to run loose upon Steelport, and would likely level most of the city in their efforts to wipe out the gangs.

Biography[]

Saints Row: The Third[]

Following Senator Monica Hughes' unanimous approval from the United States Senate to execute the "STAG Initiative" upon the city of Steelport, Cyrus Temple and his troops make their grand and destructive entrance into the city. His voice can be heard briefly as he gives orders to Kia and her unit. Cyrus also makes a physical appearance at the end of the mission, giving a press conference about STAG's mission, and the effects it could have on Steelport's citizens aboard the aircraft carrier Thermopylae.[10]

Cyrus is next seen (with Kia) having a teleconference with Monica Hughes, expressing some frustration over her decision to use Nyte Blayde as the official mascot of STAG for publicity purposes, citing that "shock and awe" wins wars not "hearts and minds" as she believes. Before the conversation comes to an end, Cyrus requests that Monica Hughes gives him permission to use the Daedalus straight away, so that he can bring STAG's mission to a quick and decisive end. Monica Hughes refuses, and orders Cyrus to ensure Josh Birk's safety, or else.[12] An order he ultimately fails to follow as Viola and Playa succeed in kidnapping Birk soon after.[13]

Cyrus Temple at press conference on the Thermopylae

Cyrus explains STAG's mission.

Determined to get Birk back before Monica Hughes chews him out, Cyrus and his troops track down and confront Shaundi and Playa on a helipad at the Saints HQ. Once STAG has surrounded the area, Cyrus arrives via Condor and orders the Saints to give up and surrender themselves. Shaundi and Playa retort by holding Josh Birk at gunpoint and demanding that STAG withdraws from Steelport immediately. Cyrus refuses, and instead offers to make another deal with Playa in exchange for Birk's release. The terms of this new deal specify Cyrus' guaranteed commitment to leave the Saints alone for a period of time, and focus STAG's efforts on The Syndicate instead. The Choice must be made whether to hand Josh Birk over to Cyrus or give him back to Shaundi.[14]

Handing Birk back to Shaundi results in him becoming an unlockable homie along with his other persona "Nyte Blayde". Either way Cyrus retreats back to his Condor and orders his troops to destroy the Saints HQ. Shaundi and Birk escape to safety while Playa base-jumps off the helipad to escape the oncoming destruction. Handing Birk over to Cyrus results in both him and Cyrus retreating to the safety of Cyrus' Condor before Cyrus goes back on his word and orders his troops to destroy the Saints HQ anyway. Shaundi escapes to safety while Playa base-jumps off the helipad to escape the oncoming destruction. After STAG exits the area with Birk, Playa is then given their full cooperation in the takeover of a single neighborhood in Steelport for the Saints (supposedly, STAG moves into the neighborhood, drives any presence of the Syndicate out, and leaves, allowing the Saints to move in unopposed by either side). After the Saints HQ is destroyed, Cyrus sends Kia some Intel on Shaundi, and requests that she captures the famed, Saints lieutenant for questioning. Kia complies with Cyrus' orders and immediately begins hunting for Shaundi.[14]

Shaundi is captured by STAG shortly after Playa defeats Matt Miller and the Deckers.[15] They take her aboard the Thermopylae and place her in the ship's detention center for questioning. In an effort to save her, Playa disguises themselves as Cyrus via plastic surgery, and pretends to bring both Pierce and Viola into STAG custody. Once aboard the Thermopylae, Kia politely greets Playa (believing them to be Cyrus), and congratulates them on their success before having her troops escort Pierce and Viola to the ship's detention center.[16]

After spending a few minutes with Playa, Kia begins to grow suspicious of their disguise due to them not using proper grammar for an army officer (saying things like "Dude" or "What's up?"), and not addressing her by her name. Kia's suspicions are finally confirmed when the real Cyrus announces his intentions to return to the Thermopylae to oversee Shaundi's interrogation. Knowing that their cover has been blown, Playa quickly exits the room while Kia draws a pistol, and takes several shots at them, but fails to score a hit. She then sounds the alarm, informs Cyrus of the on-board situation, and orders all STAG units to shoot the imposter on-sight.[16]

Unfortunately for both Kia and Cyrus, STAG is unable to stop Playa from escaping the Thermopylae with their fellow Saints after they've sabotaged the ship's main reactor. The resulting explosion destroys the Thermopylae and causes a major setback to STAG's plans. 12 hours later, Cyrus sets up shop at his new base-of-operations in Downtown while STAG prepares to lockdown the city. After a short conversation with Monica Hughes, Kia gives him an update on the lockdown's progress and states that STAG commando teams are currently en route to Steelport. Cyrus thanks Kia for the update, and after listening to her desire to "take the gloves off" with the Saints, calmly dismisses her from his presence.[16]

Cyrus later makes a brief appearance with some of his men on the "undead-infested" Arapice Island. This is already after the Saints have successfully (but secretly) dealt with the zombie virus on behalf of Steelport's mayor, Burt Reynolds. STAG enters the area with the intent to try to contain the undead menace, and although Cyrus and his men are more than capable of keeping the zombies from eating them, they are ultimately unsuccessful in achieving their goal. Frustrated, and still unwilling to let Cyrus have the Daedalus, Monica Hughes announces her intentions to come to Steelport and get the situation under control. The news of Monica Hughes's imminent arrival puts Cyrus in low spirits.[17]

Towards the end of the game, Steelport is engulfed in a violent war between the Luchadores and STAG. Playa enters the conflict with their fellow Saints, intent on putting a stop to the chaos before things get out of control. Once successful, there is a Choice between two major events which are occurring at the same time: one is to chase down and kill Killbane, leader of the Luchadores, and the other is to travel to Magarac Island to save Shaundi, Viola, and Burt Reynolds, who have been taken hostage by Kia and her troops. Killbane is at the very top of Playa's hate / murder list, and he is currently preparing to escape the city via private jet. Kia is plotting to destroy the Saints' reputation and frame the gang for mass terrorism by destroying the Magarac Island, and leaving the bodies of her prisoners in the wreckage for the "proper" authorities to find.[18]

Endings[]

Kill Killbane

If Killbane is killed, the Magarac Island is destroyed and Shaundi, Viola, Burt Reynolds, and Kia are all killed in the explosion. After seeing the devastation, Monica Hughes believes the Saints to be terrorists, and reluctantly agrees to let Cyrus bring in the Daedalus to deal with the situation.[18]

Now successful in getting his wish, Cyrus and his troops board the Daedalus and fly the massive airship into Steelport airspace. No sooner does the Daedalus appear in the skies over Downtown without warning, then it turns its guns upon the city and begins bombarding the streets with a hail of cannon fire killing both Saints and civilians alike. The relentless onslaught also creates a city-wide panic as people desperately begin scrambling for cover. Shortly before the Daedalus arrived, Playa had been hosting a Saints memorial party at the Broken Shillelagh in honor of both Shaundi and Johnny Gat. Now, caught up in the midst of this chaos, they quickly come to the realization that STAG is now utterly determined to annihilate the Saints at all costs. Even if it means destroying Steelport in the process.[19]

Determined not to let STAG succeed, Playa grabs a helicopter and quickly makes short work of the Daedalus' primary cannons. After this they land on the ship, fight off any STAG resistance, and begin placing explosive charges on a number of bunker buster caches scattered around the deck. This would help to create a chain reaction strong enough to destroy the ship and save the city.[19]

After they've set the last charge, Cyrus finally confronts Playa in his custom F-69 VTOL, blaming them and their gang for all the destruction down below, and determined not to let them escape. Knowing that the incident on Magarac Island would hinder any attempt to reason with Cyrus, Playa simply fights back. After an intense battle, they manage to do enough damage to Cyrus' VTOL that he ultimately loses control of the aircraft, crashes it onto the Daedalus' deck, and is helpless to stop it from grinding its way over the edge down to the streets below. As Cyrus plummets to his doom, Playa gives a salute to the once-esteemed commander, and compliments him on a fine landing.[19]

With Cyrus gone, Playa locates a regular F-69 VTOL parked in a nearby hangar and escapes the Daedalus before it explodes. In the aftermath of STAG's brutal attack on the city, Playa takes control of Jane Valderamma's news station with Pierce, Oleg, Kinzie, Zimos, and Angel. While the Saints temporarily hold both Jane and her news staff hostage, Playa makes a live televised broadcast; declaring Steelport an independent city-state, free of all federal law and influence. They also sternly warn Monica Hughes and her stooges on Capital Hill that any further attempts to mess with Steelport would be met with extreme prejudice. The remnants of STAG are then ordered to leave the city and Pierce is named Steelport's new acting mayor.[19]

Save Shaundi

If Shaundi and Viola are saved, the Magarac Island is spared and only Kia is killed. As the Saints prepare to leave the island, they are suddenly detained by Cyrus, who orders them to surrender after his men have surrounded the area. Monica Hughes then appears and orders STAG to stand down and let the Saints go, stating that they have just become heroes (mainly to stay in the positive public light).[18]

When Cyrus angrily questions her actions, Mrs. Hughes criticizes him for declaring strict martial law and knocking down half the city. Then she orders him to withdraw STAG from Steelport, and turns to the crowd of journalists standing behind her. As the Saints take their leave, Cyrus sternly warns Playa that the next time the Saints "screw up," STAG will return to finish them once and for all. Playa cheerfully brushes off his remark, declaring "I love you too Cyrus", and departs along with Pierce and Shaundi. Cyrus meanwhile, departs Steelport.[18]

As the "Save Shaundi" ending is the official ending, Cyrus is still alive at the end of Saints Row: The Third.[20]

Saints Row IV[]

After what happened in Steelport, Cyrus Temple was held accountable for his actions and discharged from the military. Distraught over the loss of his career, he took it hard and gradually slipped into insanity; still holding a grudge against the 3rd Street Saints, and blaming them for "ruining America."[21]

Convinced that America's leaders made a mistake in sparing the Saints, Cyrus becomes a terrorist and hatches a plan to launch a nuclear missile on Washington D.C. so that America can "start over;" partnering with Middle Eastern terrorists and supplying them with STAG surplus.[21]

After getting wind of Cyrus' scheme, the Saints team up with MI6 agent Asha Odekar and Matt Miller (now Asha's support operative) to raid his base and stop him. After battling their way though his minions, Playa confronts Cyrus for the last time and pursues him down onto a catwalk before jumping him and proceeding to repeatedly bash his face into the ground. Enraged, Cyrus beats Playa off and whips out a combat knife; managing to stab them in the chest before being punched away.[21]

While Playa struggles to get the knife out, Cyrus stumbles over to a supply crate and gets his hands on a Shokolov AR. A second later, Playa sees the Spec Ops SMG they had been carrying (dropped when they first jumped Cyrus) and makes a dive for it. Although the two combatants now face each other at gunpoint, Playa's trigger finger acts up first, causing Cyrus to fall backwards into a vat of some unknown hazardous liquid. Before sinking to his death, Cyrus' right hand rises from the vat and activates a triggering mechanism; successfully launching the missile. Playa then makes a break for the silo and manages to grab on to the warhead as it lifts off. Cyrus' crazy scheme is finally foiled when Playa disables the missile mid-flight and skydives into the White House; setting the stage for them to become the P.O.T.U.S.[21][7][8][9]

A virtual figment of Cyrus is created by Zinyak to maintain control over Kinzie Kensington's virtual simulation. Dressed in old-school military garb, Cyrus hosts a rally at the city hall, voicing his views on a "perfect" society and making Kinzie stand next to him on stage in a "poodle skirt." Playa eventually arrives to save Kinzie and rewires the loudspeakers to play loud music instead, stimulating Kinzie and several virtual avatars to participate in dancing. Angry, Cyrus fixes his attention on Playa, who defeats him with a Dubstep Gun.[22]

Cyrus appears for one last time within the confines of Simulation 31. Here he's taken over the SNG base at Sierra Point and is once again dressed in his STAG armor. He battles against Kinzie and Playa by taking them on in a virtual rendering of his custom F-69 VTOL. When they destroy the jet, Cyrus bails out and resorts to the use of superpowers and "reinforcements" for the rest of the battle. Upon his defeat, Kinzie gains her own superpowers and finishes Cyrus off by angrily punching him several times in the face. Afterwards, he is reconstructed as a homie to serve the Saints.[2]

Trivia[]

  • Cyrus is voiced by Tim Thomerson in Saints Row: The Third.[3] In Saints Row IV, he is voiced by Richard Epcar during his appearance in the first mission, "Zero Saints Thirty", while his simulated counterpart is voiced by Thomerson again in "Hello Teacup" and "Kinzie's Adventures".[4]
  • There is a Cyrus Gamer Picture in the "Opposition Pic Pack" for Xbox 360, alongside Matt Miller, Viola DeWynter, Phillipe Loren, Kiki DeWynter and Killbane.[23][24][25]
  • In the mission "My Name is Cyrus Temple", Playa uses Image As Designed to look like Cyrus and infiltrate the Thermopylae pretending to be Cyrus.
  • Depending on the Player Customization voice, it results in different dialogue in the mission.
  • Despite being the leader of a force whose aim is to stop all gang violence, Cyrus is fixated on only stopping The Saints until the last mission when they get into a fight with the Luchadores, the main antagonistic gang in the game.
  • Cyrus' face, armor, and attitude resemble Colonel Miles Quaritch from the movie Avatar.
  • After completing the mission "Gang Bang", Cyrus gives a speech and answers questions from interviewers; in his speech he refers to Jessica, a character from Saints Row 2, and reveals her surname.
  • Cyrus and STAG parody the Iraq War by having "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banners, and his mention of "shock and awe" refers to the 2003 Iraq War "Operation Iraqi Freedom". During the initial stages, the Pentagon press agent referred to the aerial campaign as "Shock and Awe".
  • During "My Name is Cyrus Temple" Playa mistakenly uses the term 'Bloke' if using Male Voice 3, claiming that it was something he picked up while stationed in Britain however Kia replies that he was never stationed in the UK.
  • He apparently has no regard for human life, much like Kia, as he orders the Daedalus and STAG soldiers to fire blindly on the city, merely hoping that the Saints would be killed.
  • He dislikes Monica Hughes, despite her being the one who helped to create STAG.[26]
  • During "My Name is Cyrus Temple", if using Female Voice 1, Kia reveals that she had sex or some form of sexual contact with Cyrus Temple, to which Playa replies with "I like... men...".
    • This is later confirmed in Cyrus Temple's Audio Logs in Saints Row IV he also states she preformed a move called the helicopter.
  • If using Female Voice 2 during "My Name is Cyrus Temple", while retaining Cyrus's accent, Playa still uses Russian phrases and grammatics, such as calling teammates "comrades," or saying "is good plan" instead of "it is a good plan."
  • If using Female Voice 2 during "My Name is Cyrus Temple" Playa asks Kia what she thinks of Pierce, and when told about the Specter, asks if it's good for forest combat and if it is able to hit trees without exploding, a reference to Return of the Jedi
  • Although he talks about taking a hardline, in STAG Film he is just as cowardly as all the antagonists in the Saints Row series as he fights Playa in a vehicle, deploying scores of his soldiers, but ends up getting killed by Playa.
  • Cyrus is most likely from the U.S Navy as his rank is a Naval rank.
  • Cyrus is past his prime as he tells Playa that he has been a soldier longer than they been alive and considering that Playa is most likely in their mid 30s, this would make him in his late 50s at least (Playa being of High School age when the song "What I've Got" was released in 1996).
  • Cyrus Temple, like Julius Little in Saints Row and Dane Vogel in Saints Row 2 can be described in the saying "Don't worry about the snake that you can see (Playa), worry about the snake you can't see". All 3 of them claim to support the general good but in reality have very selfish motives; Julius wanting a better lifestyle on the backs of others, Dane Vogel wanting to climb the corporate ladder of at the expense of everyone, and Cyrus wanting full martial control and the ability to suppress freedom by exploiting the fear in people.
  • The scene where Temple is seen executing a zombie, is a reference to a famous photo by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Eddie Adams of South Vietnamese General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a Viet Cong prisoner.
  • A Cyrus Playa has been uploaded to the Community Gallery.[27]
  • The character's name probably comes from the Persian (Iranian) king Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon and freed the Israelites and gave them money to rebuild The Great Temple in Jerusalem.
  • A commander like Cyrus in reality would not be answering to Senator Monica Hughes but only to the Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon or the President assuming the game takes place on United States Soil.
  • Cyrus is the second non-gang antagonist with a personal custom vehicle with the first being Dane Vogel.
  • In an unused homie conversation with Phillipe Loren, Cyrus talks about how STAG had originally been planning to attack the Syndicate first. Phillipe retorts by telling him that Monica Hughes was in his pocket, and would never have allowed Cyrus to do it.[28]
  • Although the two had never met prior to Cyrus' death, the homie conversation between him and Johnny Gat has a somewhat surprising twist. Cyrus recalls that the government had him review Johnny's file shortly before STAG's deployment to Steelport. He also mentions that the list of people murdered by Johnny was the longest he had ever seen outside of a military war zone. Johnny brushes this off by stating that his record of murders is still under appeal in court (a reference to the events of "Appointed Defender").[29]
  • Despite his hatred for the Saints, one of his idle speeches has him expressing concern that Shaundi still holds a grudge against him for capturing her.[30][Reference needed]
    • When recruited with Shaundi, he is unable to apologise to her as she refuses to let him talk, and when Cyrus tries to talk again, Shaundi starts to threaten him in response to him still speaking to her.[31]
    • When recruited with Pierce, Cyrus asks him to talk to Shaundi for him as she wouldn't let him apologise, although Pierce argues that she wouldn't let him appologise to due to him having Kia kidnapping her in Stilwater Blues and detaining her on the Thermopylae (which Cyrus admits to) and that he's on his own.[32]
  • In Saints Row: The Third, Cyrus wields a 45 Shepherd during the STAG Party cutscene when proposing to Playa, a Viper Laser Rifle after the cutscene, and a KA-1 Kobra during the Zombie Attack final cutscene. In Saints Row IV, Cyrus uses a Deacon 12-Gauge Shotgun in Kinzie's Adventures, and an Shokolov AR when recruited as a Homie.
  • His 1950s uniform resembles George S. Patton's uniform.


References[]

  1. Dialogue: Homie conversation between Veteran Child and Cyrus
  2. 2.0 2.1 Mission: Kinzie's Adventures
  3. 3.0 3.1 Saints Row Wiki: Saints Row: The Third credits
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Saints Row Wiki: Saints Row IV credits
  5. Image: Promotional artwork of Cyrus
  6. Note: Surname confirmed via an email from THQ and V-Singular on the official Saints Row forums.
  7. 7.0 7.1 YouTube: Zero Saints Thirty gameplay footage
    Kinzie: "Cyrus has soldiers everywhere so be alert."
    Cyrus: "I should have killed you in Steelport."
    Zero Saints Thirty dialogue
  8. 8.0 8.1 Gamingtrend: We go in deep with Saints Row IV
  9. 9.0 9.1 Image: "Chase Cyrus" objective
  10. 10.0 10.1 Mission: Gang Bang
  11. Saints Row website: Cyrus shirley Temple, post #5
  12. Mission: Convoy Decoy
  13. Mission: Nyte Blayde's Return
  14. 14.0 14.1 Mission: STAG Party
  15. Mission: Stilwater Blues
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 Mission: My Name is Cyrus Temple
  17. Mission: Zombie Attack
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Mission: Three Way
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Mission: STAG Film
  20. Twitter: Steve Jaros' comment about canon ending
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Mission: Zero Saints Thirty
  22. Mission: Hello Teacup
  23. Image: Cyrus in "Opposition Pic Pack" of Xbox 360 Gamer Pictures.
  24. Xbox Marketplace: Opposition Pic Pack, retrieved 2nd August 2011
  25. Saints Row website: Saints Row: The Third - Become a Saint With Your XBL GamerPic!, retrieved 2nd August 2011
  26. Quote:
    Zombies and Monica Hughes--?Shit.
    — Cyrus, at the end of Zombie Attack

  27. Saints Row website: Community Gallery
  28. Dialogue: Homie conversation between Cyrus and Phillipe
  29. Dialogue: Homie conversation between Gat and Cyrus
  30. Dialogue: Idle Dialogue
  31. Dialogue: Homie conversation between Shaundi and Cyrus
  32. Dialogue: Homie conversation between Pierce and Cyrus


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