The Psychiatrist
A cold voice in the dark, testing reality's seams.
The Psychiatrist is a minor character in Philip K. Dick's original story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, which was loosely adapted into the 1990 film Total Recall. In the story, an unnamed psychiatrist works with Douglas Quail after he turns himself in, appearing only in the story's final section. The psychiatrist helps Quail recall a childhood fantasy about rat-like alien invaders.
Lore & Background
In Philip K. Dick's original story, a psychiatrist appears only in the final pages. After Quail turns himself in, his former commanders place him with a psychiatrist to determine his true personal desires. During this session, Quail recalls a childhood fantasy: as a boy, he encountered rat-like aliens who planned to invade Earth, but young Quail's kindness caused them to postpone the invasion as long as he lived. The psychiatrist helps draw out this memory. The commanders find the fantasy narcissistic but agree to have the memories implanted at Rekal. To everyone's shock, the commanders' plan backfires—the memory is implied to be real, though this is not explicitly confirmed within the narrative.
Reader's Guide
The psychiatrist appears only in the final section of Dick's story, serving as a tool to uncover Quail's deepest desires. Their role is to help Quail access a childhood fantasy that turns out to be real. They work with Quail's former commanders, who monitor the session. The psychiatrist's key contribution is drawing out the memory of the alien encounter.
More in Characters
Elsewhere in Total Recall
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