Upload has numerous different characters with varying characteristics, attitudes, and desires, who are all trying to navigate their way through life and death. Whether the characters live on Earth or have been uploaded to the afterlife, they are all larger than life, and some of them – especially the main character, Nathan – have some major character development throughout the series.
While no two characters are the same, all of the characters have a quote in the series that embodies who they are as a person (or an upload).
Byron
“No, Like More Of The Talking Part. Do You Think That Maybe Sex Could Be Hot Later If We Knew Each Other? Like It Would Make It More Interesting Somehow? I Don’t Know, I Sound Like A Complete Pervert.”
When Byron is first introduced in Upload, fans get the impression that he is only interested in hooking up with strangers and getting a five-star rating on Nightly. At first, he seems shallow, self-important, and insincere. However, it soon becomes clear that there is more to him.
This quote sums up Byron’s character perfectly – there is a nice and more sincere side to him. However, he is almost embarrassed of that part of himself, and that is why he often presents an intolerable version of himself to the rest of the world.
Dylan
“Come On, Nathan! Don’t Be A Loser. Come On!”
Dylan is one of the youngest and not one of the most intelligent residents of Lakeview. The character died at age ten by breaking through a glass floor at The Grand Canyon, and he continues to look like a child as his parents refuse to update his upload to reflect his real age – eighteen.
As such, Dylan has a lot of teenage angst – he is forever cursing and being rude to the people around him and craves the experience of being a rebellious teenager. This quote perfectly depicts this – he is being rude to a fellow resident and wants the opportunity to break the rules and go to a hacker’s convention.
Lucy
“You Know, I Don’t Feel Comfortable Signing This. You Need a 4.6 Employee Rating To Qualify For That Discount. Right Now, You’re At 4.598, So…”
Lucy is a complete nightmare. She is a manager who does not value her employees and does not shy away from making clear that she makes significantly more money than them, even though many of the other employees are poorly paid and struggling to make ends meet.
Lucy says these words when Nora asks her to sign a form confirming that she is eligible for the employee discount so her sick father can be uploaded when he dies. It is typical of Lucy to avoid doing the right thing to help an employee, even though she certainly has the power to do so.
Aleesha
“I’m Gonna Get You, Luke!”
Nora’s friend, confidant, colleague, and one of the best characters on Upload, Aleesha, really does not pride herself in her work. She is forever making mistakes and bad choices at work, despite seemingly being one of the most capable people in the office. This makes her a really fun character but certainly not the ideal employee.
She and Luke have an ongoing rivalry, and although he really gets under her skin, it seems that they actually care about each other. Nonetheless, this quote perfectly represents this character, as she really makes it her mission to beat Luke in their disputes.
David “Dave” Antony
“I Believe I Was Happiest When We Were All Together. And The Only Way For Us To Be Together Again, Including Nora, Is After We’re All Dead. Is That Creepy?”
As Dave is sick and dying of vape lung (a futuristic, fictional illness), Nora makes it her mission to get her father to upload when he dies so she can still have contact with him. However, Chris is not open to uploading – he is traditional and believes that the soul goes to heaven and cannot be uploaded.
As this quote shows, following the sudden death of his wife, Dave is deeply saddened, and all he wants is to see his wife again and for his family to be together once more.
Luke
“I’m Going To Jump On You Like A Live Grenade.”
Former Army Veteran Luke really craves approval and validation from others. He follows Nathan around and has an ongoing rivalry with Aleesha, although he sees it as banter between friends. Luke really wants a relationship with a woman, but he really struggles to find someone who appreciates him.
When he meets Ingrid’s grandmother, Luke says one of his best quotes in Upload. This quote brings together how integral Luke sees his former career to his personality, as well as his perversion and his aspiration to have human connection.
David Choak
“Hey! Nathan! I Like My Steak Rare. And There’s Nothing More Rare Than Black Rhino Meat. They Had To Kill The Last One To Program The Taste Right.”
David Choak is one of the most evil characters in the series – he has no sense of moral duty and turns out to be the one behind Nathan’s premature demise. Having been extremely successful in his career during his life on Earth, he has essentially unlimited money to spend in Lakeview.
Just like this quote suggests, this character has an obsession with eating rare animals – the more endangered the better. His lack of any kind of a moral compass means that he takes pride in doing bad things – like paying someone to kill the last of a species so he can eat it, just for the fun of it.
Ingrid Kannerman
“Babe, Where Are You? The Vogue Interviewer Is Going To Be Here Any Minute. Is This Dress Okay? I Wanted To Show Off My Shoulder Blades, I Just Got Them Sharpened. Oh My God, Did They Go Too Sharp? They Said They Were Going To Soften Up A Bit, But They’re Too Sharp.”
Ingrid is obsessed with two things: Nathan and appearances. She is forever worried about presenting the right version of herself and her relationship to the rest of the world, and her family’s prestige means that she has many opportunities to be in the limelight. She is obsessive about Nathan – she loves him, but because he does not love her in the same way, she tries to control him.
This quote shows her love of the limelight, her habit of getting obscene beauty treatments done, her obsession with looking perfect, and her controlling Nathan.
Nora
“You Know, For An L.A. Douchebag, You’re The Best L.A. Douchebag I’ve Ever Met.”
Horizens customer service representative, Nora, hates her boss and hates being underpaid, but she sees the value in her work. She makes it her mission to make the lives of others better and is often looking after her sick father.
Just like this fantastic Upload quote shows, Nora has an extremely tough exterior – she is used to looking after herself, and she is not always open to letting others into her inner circle and allowing people to really know her. However, Nora has a heart of gold and tends to try to look for the best in others. She also falls head over heels in love with Nathan.
Nathan Brown
“Even If We Last For A Thousand Years Here, It’s Gonna Feel Short When It’s Over, And We’re Out Of Time With The People We Care About.”
Nathan goes through a lot of character development during the series. When he is on Earth, he betrays his best friend and business partner and is content with being in a relationship with someone he finds attractive and rich, even though he does not really like her personality. However, once he dies and uploads, he starts to work on himself.
There are two consistent traits Nathan has: his vanity and how much he values his loved ones. This quote portrays his most important and consistent characteristic – he just wants to spend time with the people he cares about most.
