Slate

"I’m here for the rocket science and the marshmallows."

 is the first character that the player speaks to upon waking up. They are one of the founding members of Outer Wilds Ventures and the space program's engineer, responsible for building all the Hearthians spaceships, including the one the player uses to travel the Solar system, as well as other pieces of technology, like the Surveyor Probe Mk. IV. They work on an iterative basis, using each new astronaut as a test subject and occasion to build a more powerful and better equipped spaceship, correcting the problems detected in the field like the absence of working retro-thrusters. Considered somewhat reckless by others in the village, they often butt heads with Gossan.

Initial Conversation

 * "There's our pilot! Back from your pre-launch campout under the stars, I see. So it's Launch Day, eh? Seems like only yesterday you joined the space program, and suddenly here you are, leaving on your first solo voyage. What do you say - ready to get this beauty off the ground? It's all fueled up and ready to go!"
 * >All systems go!
 * "Glad you're excited, but remember, if you wreck the ship I'm not building you a new one. I'm not made of lightweight reentry grade aluminum alloys, you know. Anyway, you'll need to get the launch codes from Hornfels at the observatory before you can lift off. Just bring those here once you've said your goodbyes or whatever."
 * >I'm ready if you are.
 * “Are you kidding? Of course I’m ready — it’s finally time to test the new landing hydraulics with a pilot instead of the autoflight system! ...Speaking of pilots, make sure you don’t crash the ship the first time you put it down, you hear? Anyway, you’ll need to get the launch codes from Hornfels at the observatory before you can lift off. Just bring those here once you’ve said your goodbyes or whatever."
 * >You're sure you fixed the retro rockets?
 * "That was only a problem one time. And then maybe a few times after that, but hey, no reason to dwell on the past, right? Anyway, you'll need to get the launch codes from Hornfels at the observatory before you can lift off. Just bring those here once you've said your goodbyes or whatever."

Followup Conversation
Doesn't matter if you go to the moon or Brittle Hollow or just the other side of Timber Hearth. It's all the same to me. Get out there and have fun! Just don't hurt the ship, that's all I ask." Oh, and Gossan says they have the zero-g chamber set up if you want a refresher on making ship repairs in space. Not saying you have to, but uh, it'd help to get Gossan off my back if you did."
 * "Not having second thoughts, are you?"
 * >Where are the launch codes again?
 * "Hornfels has the launch codes. Should be up at the observatory, like usual. I'm starting to think they live there."
 * >How's the ship looking?
 * "Great! Hey, you might get a kick out of this - I've repurposed the spare oxygen tank to be used as an extra combustion chamber!"
 * >What does that do?
 * "Well, it's all very conceptual, but basically, it's like taking a regular second-stage booster and strapping a bigger rocket onto it. Isn't that great?"
 * >Is that... safe?
 * "Probably!"
 * >How safe would you say this thing is?
 * "Oh, it's a perfect ten. Unless you're factoring in pilot error, in which case it's about a four. No offense."
 * >What's my mission once I'm in space?
 * "Hey, you're the pilot - you tell me. Aren't you pilot-types all eager to get up there and explore for yourselves?
 * >What else should I do before liftoff?
 * "If you have any goodbyes to say, you better say 'em now. I think your friend Hal is in the observatory waiting to see you off.

After obtaining the launch codes
...Uh, sorry.”
 * “Looks like you’re ready for takeoff! The excitement of a launch is fun and all, but I can’t wait to get back to working on the new ship. We’re working on fixing the autopilot’s avoidance system for this one!

Second Loop

 * “Hey, you ready to get this thing off the ground? Ship’s all fueled and ready to go.”
 * >Did… did I just… die?
 * “Whoa, bad dream or something? You still look half asleep, but that’s a negative on being deceased. I know it’s tradition to sleep out under the stars the night before a launch, but if you ask me it makes you all a bit jumpy.”
 * >All systems go!
 * "Glad you're excited, but remember, if you wreck the ship I'm not building you a new one. I'm not made of lightweight reentry grade aluminum alloys, you know. Anyway, you'll need to get the launch codes from Hornfels at the observatory before you can lift off. Just bring those here once you've said your goodbyes or whatever."
 * >I’m ready if you are.
 * “Are you kidding? Of course I’m ready — it’s finally time to test the new landing hydraulics with a pilot instead of the autoflight system! ...Speaking of pilots, make sure you don’t crash the ship the first time you put it down, you hear? Anyway, you’ll need to get the launch codes from Hornfels at the observatory before you can lift off. Just bring those here once you’ve said your goodbyes or whatever."
 * >You’re sure you fixed the retro rockets?
 * "That was only a problem one time. And then maybe a few times after that, but hey, no reason to dwell on the past, right? Anyway, you'll need to get the launch codes from Hornfels at the observatory before you can lift off. Just bring those here once you've said your goodbyes or whatever."

When trying to get in the launch lift, Slate will intercept the player.


 * "Oh, hold up, you’re going to want to get the launch codes from the observatory first."
 * >I already got them from the observatory, remember?
 * “Huh. Must be inhaling more fumes than I realized. That stuff is potent. Well, if you’ve got the codes, I’m not gonna stop you. Good luck, and take care of that ship!”
 * >How did I get back here? Didn't I already lift off?
 * “Trust me — with the modifications I’ve made to those rockets? There’s no way I would have missed that. I won’t ask how you got the launch codes, but since you have ‘em, get a move on! I want to see whether the new cockpit stays attached during liftoff.”
 * >Wait, did I just die, or…?
 * “Uh, no…? You have a bad dream or something? I won’t ask how you got the codes, so hurry up and launch before Hornfels decides to ground you for medical reasons. I want to see whether the new cockpit stays attached during liftoff.”

Third loop and later

 * “There’s our pilot! Ready to get this beauty off the ground? Hey, what can I do you for?”
 * >You know the ship is a death-trap, right?
 * “Well yeah, it’s a death-trap, but a really powerful death trap. What, you suddenly care about safety now?”
 * >You’re lucky I’m in a time loop, because otherwise I’d be super dead.
 * “And you’re lucky I don’t have you grounded for medical reasons, because I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
 * >I keep getting killed by ghost matter.
 * “Not if you use your scout to detect it, you won’t, you dumb idiot! Did you think I made that just so you could take pretty little pictures of trees? It has multiple uses! You do know you can use it as a light source, right? Stars above, please tell me you knew that.”
 * >The autopilot flew my ship directly into the sun!
 * “Had an exciting dream, did you? It’s not exactly impossible for the autopilot to get you too close to the sun, but it’s not like it’ll try to take you there on purpose. Make sure the sun isn’t between you and your destination when you engage autopilot, and you’ll be fine.”
 * >The sun is going to go supernova, by the way.
 * “Oh yeah, the observatory has an exhibit about that. Between you and me, I glossed over some of the finer details. Astrophysics is really more Hornfels’s domain. Me, I’m here for the rocket science and the marshmallows."


 * >Did you know it's just an endless void outside our solar system?
 * “Yeah, I'd stick to exploring our solar system if I were you. As much as I'd hate to admit it, out ships aren't exactly deep-space worthy."

Trivia

 * During the alpha of the game, Slate was known as the Rocket Scientist
 * Slate made the Protagonist's Little Scout.
 * In the "Self" ending, it is implied that Slate, as well as the Protagonist, had some involvement in the incident resulting in the loss of Gossan's eye. "Self" cites it as a reason that Gossan and Slate never dated.
 * According to the Protagonist's conversation with "Self", Slate's definition of a bad date is Gossan's definition of a good date: two people talking and nothing has exploded yet.