Scavengers Reign: Who Does Alia Shawkat Play in Season 1?

Arrested Development alum Alia Shawkat is one of the biggest stars to lend their voice to Scavengers Reign‘s first season. So, who does Alia Shawkat play in Scavengers Reign Season 1?

Related: All Voice Actors & Cast List for Scavengers Reign

Alia Shawkat’s Role in Scavengers Reign Season 1, Explained

Alia Shawkat plays two characters in Scavengers Reign Season 1: Levi and Fiona. Levi is Shawkat’s primary role in the animated sci-fi series. She voices Levi in every episode of the first season’s 12-episode run, except for Episodes 7-9 (which don’t feature the good-natured robot). Shawkat’s turn as Fiona, while slightly smaller, is no less important. Fiona is a key player in Demeter survivor Kamen’s arc, appearing in both flashbacks and as a telepathic projection conjured up by Season 1 antagonist Hollow. To Shawkat’s credit, Levi and Fiona sound like distinctly separate characters despite Shawkat not adopting a stereotypical “robot voice” for Levi.

Related: Scavengers Reign: What Happens to Levi in Season 1?

Scavengers Reign co-creator Joe Bennett touched on Shawkat’s portrayal of Levi in a November 2023 interview with The Cosmic Circus. Notably, Bennett described finding the right voice for Levi as “a struggle” because it risked making the character look “super antiquated.” “[T]here were early versions, early iterations where we would record Alia Shawkat and have her do a little bit more of a robotic voice,” he recalled. “And it was like, oh, well, that’s gone. Now you have Siri and […] all these different voices that sound very human. And so it’s like, ‘Okay, well then, let’s go that direction.’ So I felt like it was a fun challenge, but it certainly was trying to work with the times a little bit.”

Why Does Alia Shawkat Play Two Characters in Scavengers Reign Season 1?

Alia Shawkat plays Levi and Fiona because the former is meant to sound similar to (but not the same as) the latter. Why? Because Fiona programmed Levi while they were both still on the Demeter, and modeled the robot’s voice on her own. We don’t learn this until Scavengers Reign Season 1, Episode 6, “The Fall,” when Levi discusses Fiona with her human companion, Azi.

Related: Scavengers Reign: What Happens to Kris in Season 1?

“[Fiona] put a lot of herself into me,” Levi explains. “So I always feel a connection to her, even when she’s not around. She was always kind and patient with me.” In response, Azi acknowledges the similarities between Levi and Fiona, which she largely attributes to how Levi sounds. “You actually do remind me of her,” Azi says. “Maybe it’s just because you have the same voice.”

Scavengers Reign Season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.