Bart Torgal

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Bart Torgal
Affiliation	Torgal Corporation
Occupation	Heir to Torgal Corp
Age	19
Family	Paul Torgal (father)† Unnamed half-sibling(s)
Status	Missing, presumed dead
Voice Actor	James Backway

We shouldn't have gone so deep. They don't want us down there.

― Bart Torgal, Data Downloads

Bart Torgal was the heir to Torgal Corp and is the only known legitimate child of Paul Torgal, though the PDA implies he has illegitimate half-siblings. He was a beneficiary of the advanced learning program, cerebral implant recipient and learned farming through 'digitraining'. Using this knowledge, he kept the three Degasi survivors alive by growing food.

A few weeks after being marooned(when they had reached the Deep Grand Reef), Bart discovered that they were infected with an alien bacterium and attempted to find a cure. Marguerit Maida would bring Bart samples to see how they reacted to the bacteria. However, these were often of little use as Marguerit tended to severely injure or use Transfuser serums on the creatures, making them unsuitable for testing.

Bart's last known location was the western observatory on the Floating Island, to which he fled after the destruction of the Deep Grand Reef base by the reaper leviathan brought back by Marguerit. He made a final log, detailing the effects of the Kharaa on him and noting that he would soon join his friend and father in death.

Bart provides the voiceover for the official cinematic trailer of Subnautica, a slightly edited version of his third and final log "Return From the Deep." A brief snapshot of his life after Paul and Marguerit's demise is also shown.

Before the Crash

It's logical to assume that, out of both bias and a desire to see his only legitmate son succeed as heir to the family empire, Paul would have installed Bart as his second in the shipboard hierarchy. This position would very likely have been an uncomfortable one for Bart, as he seems to have little experience and no interest in a command situation. Judging from the logs found throughout the game, Bart is much more comfortable taking orders than giving them, preferring instead to study the local biodiversity.

After the Crash

After crashing on 4546B, Bart immediately sets to finding a way to ensure they don't starve by determining which plants were safe to eat and which ones were not. He eventually discovered that Bulbo Tree Samples, Lantern Fruits, Chinese Potatos, Marblemelons and Gel Sacks were edible, and used his limited technical skills to devise a purification system that would desalinate and clean the seawater to create potable water for them to drink.

After Marguerit and Paul died, it's shown in the cinematic trailer that Bart survived for some time and was able to build himself a base in what appears to be the Safe Shallows or the Crash Zone, a Seamoth and gather several pieces of lab equipment. It's possible that he discovered a purple tablet during this time, as the only other one found by the Degasi crew was an Orange Tablet uncovered by Marguerit. It's also shown that he eventually abandons his base and flees to the Floating Island, where he makes his final log.

Personality

Bart has an interest in plants, as noted by his father, and has received cerebal implants. Bart had a great interest in the wildlife of Planet 4546B, often disapproving of Marguerit's methods, asking in one log what the point of surviving the planet was if they had to kill everything that made it wonderful. After the destruction of the Deep Grand Reef Seabase, he seems to be accepting of his fate, and unfazed by the death of his father and friend.

Relationships

Paul Torgal

Despite being his father, Bart doesn't seem to be particularly close to Paul. It can be noted that Paul appears to be overprotective over his son, which may be due to the fact that they are on an alien world and Paul is fearing for his safety. It can also be noted that the frequent fights between Paul and Marguerit upset Bart, who tries to stay neutral and act as peacekeeper.

Marguerit Maida

Bart and Marguerit are genuinely friendly to one another, with Maida bringing Bart specimens for him to study. Bart is also fascinated by her willingness to do everything in her power to ensure their survival, but disagrees with some of Marguerit's methods of getting creatures for him to study and can get upset when she severely injures them or injects them with Transfuser serums. Despite this, he and Marguerit have great mutual respect for each other.

Relevant Data Downloads

Degasi Crew Manifest: Bart Torgal

“	Auxiliary Search & Rescue Mission: Bart Torgal Position: Vice President of Torgal Corp. Status: Lost in space near planet 4546B Age at time of disappearance: 19     - The only legitimate child of Paul Torgal     - Beneficiary of enhanced learning techniques and cerebral implants     - Digi-trained in advanced biochemistry and stellar economics     - Emissary Khasar reports Bart was accompanying his father to a newly-constructed, deep-space station where he was to serve a five year term as Chief Operating Officer	”

Bart Torgal's Log #1 - This World

“	I thought it might get claustrophobic, living underwater. Father feels it is. He'd tell me it was childish, but I stare out the window and sometimes I think how lucky I am to see this world up close. Back on the island I wouldn't have believed the creatures that live down here. The fish─they glow! There's one that's 90% eyeball. Snakes twice the length of a habitat compartment. Certainly it's not all friendly. Most of the plant life is toxic─I learned that the hard way─but I've managed to coax some marble melons into growing indoors, and when they don't cover our dietary needs, well... we eat the fish themselves. It's a bit gross, but it's nothing they wouldn't do. I've been attempting to document my findings. Father approves. He says understanding is power─that the more we know about this planet, the more we can use it to our advantage. I'm just doing it because it's fun. It's not easy without proper equipment and network access, but the old fashioned way─observing, taking notes, testing theories─shows me the world in a way a spectroscopic analysis never could. Lately I've been watching the crabsnakes. They ambush their prey as it tries to feed on the mushrooms they hide in. What they don't eat settles on the seabed, which fertilizes the mushrooms, which feeds the herbivores, and so the chain continues. Co-evolution gives me the fuzzies.	”

Bart Torgal's Log #2 - Stalker Teeth

“	Something incredible just happened. Since we're down here, I had this plan to build equipment and study the incredible lifeforms we're encountering, but I didn't have enough enameled glass. So I started looking for a natural substrate that would strengthen the glass we have, and those stalker teeth we've been finding fit the bill─only, well, we needed more. That's when Marguerit got interested. She actually listened to me─more than I can say for father─and I worked up the courage to talk about my more...tentative theories. When I told her they were attracted to metal deposits─that their teeth get dislodged when they pick them up─her eyes narrowed and she dashed out of the room. Three hours later she came back, her pack loaded down with stalker teeth! I asked her about it. She shrugged and said my theories were good. Said she had them eating out the palm of her hand. I think she meant it literally. She is incredible. She went out to the kelp forests, armed with just a heatblade, and went fin to fin with a pack of stalkers. On the one hand, that is the coolest thing I have ever heard. On the other, I hope the stalkers didn't come off worse than Marguerit did. She had a huge gash on her forearm. I don't think things went as smoothly as she made out. And what's the point in surviving here if we have to kill everything that makes it so wonderful? I wish I knew more about these animals, but father won't let me leave the habitat. Maybe with all this glass we could build a containment unit and get up close to them.	”

Bart Torgal's Log #3 - Return From the Deep

“	This is the first time I've seen sunlight in months. After all that time in the deep I'd been dreaming of it. Now that I'm back here, I'm finding it hard to enjoy alone. Father was right: We should never have left this place. We shouldn't have gone so deep. They do not want us down there. Despite my best efforts, ill-health is taking hold of me. The visions are getting worse. Marguerit and father are now part of the ecosystem of this incredible planet. It's reassuring to know that when I go, I'll join them. Until then... well, there's always the view.	”

Gallery

Bart looking into the ocean

Bart interacting with a Peeper outside his Seabase window

Bart exploring the Safe Shallows

Trivia

• Bart's original name was Baat, but was changed in later development to Bart.
  • Bart and his father shared the surname of Torgaljin before it was shortened to Torgal.
• Bart describes seeing visions upon nearing death. It is possible that they were in fact from the Sea Emperor Leviathan attempting to communicate with Bart.