Lamarr



In Half-Life 2, the catalyst for the first few chapters of the single player campaign is the pet headcrab belonging to Doctor Isaac Kleiner, Lamarr, who wrecks Kleiner's teleporter (sending herself to a barren wasteland in the process) and so forces Gordon Freeman to travel on foot. Lamarr is named after the late 1930s actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr, as evidenced by a line issued by Dr. Kleiner just after Lamarr jumps onto the working teleporter during "A Red Letter Day" chapter, and at the end of the chapter "Entanglement". In the latter, as Gordon Freeman, Alyx Vance, and Dr. Kleiner are attempting to evacuate Dr. Kleiner's lab after it is discovered that the Combine are making an offensive sweep of the area, Dr. Kleiner states that he wishes to find and save his pet headcrab (which he is unable to find, after Lamarr peeks alongside Dr. Kleiner at Alyx and Gordon when the latter arrive at Kleiner's lab, backs off and disappears) before they leave. Alyx attempts to rebutt him by telling him that there are many other headcrabs to use as a pet, and he replies by saying "There's only one Hedy". Lamarr makes her final appearance in Half-Life 2 after the credits, dropping down into a black background and then leaping towards the screen as part of a stinger sequence. Lamarr is safe and sound in Episode One, where she makes a brief cameo appearance, causing further mischief to Dr. Kleiner during his live and unedited evacuation broadcast in City 17 (though the question of how she found her way back to Dr. Kleiner is left unanswered).

Lamarr demonstrates that it is possible to disable a headcrab's capability to couple and infest a host. Lamarr is said to be "debeaked" by removing the sharp "beaks" surrounding her mouth, removing her ability to cut into a victim's head and assume control. Lamarr's behavior may also be proof of the ability to "tame" a headcrab. Simply being debeaked does not suppress the aggressive, parasitic nature found in all headcrabs. Lamarr does still run around as shown when she is first met: lunging at Barney, then attacking a bird on the rafters, and then escaping into ventilation shafts. Kleiner also states that she may attempt to "couple with [a person's] head...fruitlessly, of course". Lamarr is seen walking beside Dr. Kleiner and peeking curiously around a corner, showing she is tame to an extent. Although Kleiner refers to Lamarr as a female, whether headcrabs actually have a gender remains unknown. He may simply refer to Lamarr as a female simply because of the name he gave it.

The general consensus seems to be that unable to draw nutrients from a host, Lamarr is able to subsist on a diet of fruit – as indicated by a Post-it note posted on a board in Kleiner's laboratory serving as a reminder to buy more watermelon (presumably a favorite for its general resemblance to a human head).