What is Steph Harper's Secret in the Fallout Series? Relevance of Vault 31 Explained

Split-image showing Steph Harper in Amazon's Fallout series
Credit: Prime Video

Split-image showing Steph Harper in Amazon's Fallout series
Credit: Prime Video

As Fallout continues to set the standard for video game adaptations, fans are paying closer attention to the characters in the Amazon Prime Video series. Among the more intriguing parts are Steph Harper's secrets, including her connection to the mysterious Vault 31.

Spoiler Warning: The following sections contain spoilers for the Fallout series.

Steph Harper in the Fallout Series

Annabel O’Hagan plays Stephanie “Steph” Harper in the Fallout TV series. She’s introduced as one of the residents of Vault 33, where a good part of the series takes place. More importantly, she’s a best friend to the female lead, Ella Purnell’s Lucy MacLean.

Annabel O'Hagan's Steph Harper performing maintenance duties opposite Ella Purnell's Lucy MacLean. Screenshot taken from the Fallout Official Trailer.
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Credit: Prime Video
Annabel O'Hagan as Steph Harper (right) from the Fallout Official Trailer

In a series of unfortunate events, the pregnant supporting character got stabbed in the right eye and lost her husband in a raider attack on Vault 33. Here is where Harper gets a shocking scene: she asks another colleague, Chet, to try on her dead husband’s clothes. She then makes out with him and promptly starts going into labour.

She later moved into Vault 32 with Chet and was soon assigned as the vault overseer.

Read more: Fallout: Exploring the Radio Freedom Station Gag in the Prime Series

The Secret of Vault 31

The Amazon Prime Video series established that the Vaults 31 to 33 make up a self-contained network in what used to be Santa Monica, Los Angeles. While Vaults 32 and 33 were immediately established in the pilot episode, Vault 31 remained in the shadows.

Bud Askins, Vault-Tec executive, plays a key role in one of Steph Harper's secrets in the Fallout series.
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Credit: Screenshot at 1:03 via Amazon Prime Video
Michael Esper's Bud Askins in a Fallout series promotional video

Vault 31 serves as the control vault for what is known as “Bud’s Buds.” This program was devised by Vault-Tec exec Bud Askins before the Great War, aiming to breed a loyalist population of dwellers.

The program started with Bud’s hand-picked junior executive. They were cryonically frozen in Vault 31, while the original inhabitants of Vaults 32 and 33 were outsiders containing genetically acceptable traits.

Over time, the frozen residents of Vault 31 were released and assimilated into the other two vaults, often with the Triennial Trade.

Steph Harper is one of the cryonically frozen Vault-Tec employees. Now that Fallout season 2 is greenlit, we will see whether her mandate as one of Bud’s Buds will put her in Lucy’s way.

All eight episodes of Fallout season 1 are now available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.

Read more: Fallout: Is Hank a Bad Guy in the Prime Series? Why Was He Kidnapped in the First Place?