Wanted to revive some debate as to what exactly old Stalky is exactly
We know he was essentially an Orokin babysitter as a guard when the empire fell. But that raises the question for one, how is he still alive and for two, how did he learn to fight Tenno?
My theory is he himself is either a Tenno or he is a form of Warframe
I think there’s a possibility after the Tenno killed the Orokin, he either found some way to work the Helminth or just infected himself with the infestation
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It’s fairly strongly implied that he’s a Tenno, but one that remained loyal to the Orokin (for whatever reason, they were colossal assholes). From the various frames lore entries we know that frames/Tenno served in a variety of different positions around the origin system so it seems whatever they had Stalker doing (whatever a low guardian is) he was excluded from the Sentient war effort.
As for how he survived without entering stasis, it’s possible he pulled a Rell and he actually did die but used transference to permanently inhabit his frame. That could go a long way to explaining why his memory seems corrupted and he’s a bit insane. He’s driven by the vague memory of hatred for the Tenno/frames but can’t really remember details like the fact that killing frames doesn’t kill the Tenno.
Okay so assuming we accept this as the truth, what are his little squad? (Misery, Angst, Mania, Malice, Torment, Violence)
The Wiki calls them Acolytes, allies of the stalker. They look like various Warframes, even armed with some abilities. Is stalker training them or are they something different?
It’s not entirely clear, I’m not sure if there’s even an actual lore reason for them, they were introduced as special enemies for an event after all. I would speculate that they’re maybe un-awakened Tenno that Stalker has somehow convinced to join him. Or maybe they are awakened, but they’re just super emo nihilistic teenagers. It’s maybe telling that their names sound like something a bunch of edgelords would pick.
I want to bring up another suggestion here:
I think there’s a possibility after the Tenno killed the Orokin, he either found some way to work the Helminth or just infected himself with the infestation
While an interesting idea, it’s ultimately flawed. The problem with Helminth (and the infested) is that although it can transform a person into a Warframe, the process destroys the mind. They’re left in a rage filled animalistic state. If Stalker was a person who had become infected he’d just randomly be lashing out and not capable of speech or reasoning. The reason the Tenno are even necessary in the first place is because they calm the minds of the Warframes through a sort of symbiosis/meditation. As we’ve seen with Umbra the frames are not entirely mindless but without a Tenno they’re closer to beserkers.
You could make the argument that he has gone insane, though not necessarily berserk, since he is filled with murderous rage over an event that happened centuries ago and with vigor he’s forgotten who he even is.