Shaun Hastings

"Hello, Desmond. Go away."

- Shaun Hastings, addressing a curious Desmond.

Shaun Hastings is a supporting character in Assassin's Creed II. He is voiced by and modelled after Danny Wallace, a British author and comedian. He assists Desmond by creating database entries on various persons, groups and buildings he will encounter while in the Animus 2.0. Every time Desmond encounters something of importance, Shaun will make an entry in the database, a sort of digital archive, for more in-depth information.

Early Life
Through conversations in Assassin's Creed II, Desmond learns that Shaun was interested in conspiracies from an early age. Though he was unaware of the existence of modern-day Templars and Assassins, he realized that there was some power-struggle going on. Shaun attempted to tell others about his findings, not realizing that the Templars would try to silence him. Fortunately, Rebecca Crane "rescued" Shaun, and recruited him into the Assassin Order. This was somewhat unconventional, as Assassins are usually born into the order, as with Desmond.

Assassin's Creed II
During the events of Assassin's Creed II, Shaun's role is to provide tactical support to the other Assassin's, as well as providing Desmond with interesting database entries, and the occasional piece of advice on glyph puzzles. Shaun is always busy on his computer though, and rarely has any opportunities to speak with Desmond - telling him to "go away."

Characteristics and Personality
Shaun is often cynical, condescending and pessimistic, but does have a playful side, often inserting humorous tidbits into the database entries of the Renaissance characters. Sometimes he will have little patience to talk to Desmond, other times he will lead off into long conversations. While Shaun's annoyance is usually directed at Desmond, he does insult Rebecca's immaturity by saying "the grown-ups are talking now" - even though she says she's saved his life multiple times. During the modern segments, Shaun says that he enjoys his work researching behind a desk instead of being out in the field. When talking about his status as an Assassin, Shaun claims that he has killed before, and it is likely that he will kill again, though he would prefer if it wasn't necessary. This other side to Shaun's personality is also shown when he explains that he would like to sit in the Animus and perform Desmond's role.

Trivia

 * Danny Wallace, the voice of the character, was contacted by Ubisoft when he went to the BAFTA video game awards with a friend. He was e-mailed and asked if he would like to be a character in an unknown video game which he accepted. The game turned out to be Assassin's Creed II.
 * Shaun is very cynical; as he is quick to point out to Desmond that the Assassins are still killers whatever their motives; making them no more the "good guys" than the Templars.
 * Shaun is quite irate through out most of his scenes, treating Desmond with contempt and belittling Rebecca. This is probably due to the high amount of stress that he must be under, juggling his duty to help Desmond in the Animus and his duty to the other Assassins. He also displays a little envy towards Desmond, as he wants to explore the timeline himself. Overall though, he probably holds a certain respect for Desmond; for his ancestry and as a fellow assassin. He no doubt holds Rebecca in higher regard than he lets on, since she DID save him from Abstergo. Only Lucy seems to be above his snide remarks, either as a sign of greater respect or because he knows not to mess with her.
 * Shaun states during the corrupted sequences that he forgot Rodrigo Borgia was pope even though there is a portrait of him on the wall next to his computer.
 * Shaun affirms that he also provides tactical support for the Assassins on the field.
 * In one conversation with Desmond, Shaun tells him that he has his own special type of ability, which allows him to "see" information and decode it more easily. He compares it to Desmond's Eagle Vision, only more "useful" in his opinion. He was probably referring more to his high intellect than some kind of super-human ability though.
 * The character Shaun Hastings is loosely based on the real life Sean Hastings, a cult hero in the computer industry.