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Spoiler Alert! This page may contain plot details relating to Sunrise on the Reaping or unintentionally spoil elements of the book. |
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- "Thinking like your prey... that's where you find their vulnerabilities."
- —Beetee[src]
Beetee Latier is the victor from District 3 of the 34th Hunger Games. He is the male tribute from District 3 who participated in the 75th Hunger Games. Though not a great fighter, Beetee is an expert with electronics and wiring. He was also the father of the late Ampert Latier, who was one of the male tributes for District 3 in the 50th Hunger Games.
Quick Answers
What special skills did Beetee Latier possess that helped him survive the Hunger Games?
Who were Beetee and Wiress in the Hunger Games series?
What is the significance of the phrase 'nuts and bolts' in the Hunger Games?
Were Beetee and Wiress ever married in the Hunger Games series?
Does Beetee Latier survive the 75th Hunger Games?
Biography[]
Beetee was the winner of the 34th Hunger Games. Because he was from District 3, it was assumed that he didn't have as much of a chance in the arena as the other tributes. He got electronic supplies from the Cornucopia and crafted an electronic trap which killed off the final six remaining tributes (presumably the Career pack), making him the victor.[5] Fifteen years later, Beetee was the mentor of Wiress for the 49th Hunger Games. Around ten years before the events of Mockingjay, Beetee Latier "redesigned the underground network that transmits all the programming" in the nation.
Second Quarter Quell[]
As punishment for attempting to sabotage the Capitol's communications system, Beetee's son Ampert was reaped for the 50th Hunger Games and he was forced to serve as a mentor in them so he would watch the final days of his son's life. Although mentors do not typically take part in the training session, Beetee was forced to attend. He taught the tributes how to turn a potato into a battery for light.[6]
On the first day of the tribute training, he partook in a conversation with Haymitch after Ampert directed Haymitch to his father's station. Beetee agreed with Haymitch's comment about how Wiress believed that all arenas were machines. Haymitch then alluded to desire of breaking the "machine", or rather, arena. Beetee showed some support, however due to a Peacekeeper displaying interest in what was happening at his station, didn't outright say anything. Then, the tributes from District 8 were attracted to his station because of the interest the Peacekeeper was displaying in it and Beetee terminated his conversation with Haymitch. He wished Haymitch a happy belated sixteenth birthday, commenting that he was reaped on the same day Haymitch was born. He held out his hand for Haymitch to shake and, in doing so, transferred a potato light kit into Haymitch's hand.[6]
Later, in the middle of the night, Wiress knocked out the power in the building where the tributes were staying, and Beetee went to speak to Haymitch alone. He told him about Sub-A, a floor under the arena for the Gamemakers to control what was happening, as well as their target to drown out by exploding the water tank beneath the arena.[7] Beetee figured out how to smuggle the explosives past security by replacing the District 9 tributes' tokens with explosive.[8] He also replaced the braided cord of Maysilee Donner's token with a fuse, in case Ampert failed to show.[9]
Plutarch Heavensbee later told Haymitch that Beetee was too valuable to be executed for his actions. With his wife once again pregnant, Beetee chose not to commit suicide despite being devastated by Ampert's death.[4]
Third Quarter Quell[]
In the Tribute Parade, he and Wiress wore electric bulb studded outfits, which Katniss noted that the District 3 stylists may have taken inspiration from Cinna and Portia's design the year before.
Before the Games began and Wiress became unhinged, she was shy and easily distracted, so Beetee almost always finished her sentences for her. Furthermore, Beetee was the only person who could really understand anything she said after the Games began, leaving her entirely dependent upon him.
Beetee was given the nickname "Volts" by the other victors after he won by using his knowledge of electricity. Together with Wiress, they were called "Nuts and Volts" by Johanna Mason. The nicknames are also a pun, a variation on the phrase "nuts and bolts". He and Wiress gained Katniss' trust when they were training for the Games. Wiress and Beetee were two of the many tributes who were enlisted by Haymitch to protect Katniss and Peeta in the arena, at every cost.
Beetee notices the electromagnetic force field in the Training Center.
During his interview with Caesar Flickerman, Beetee wore a dark colored suit and questioned the legality of the Quell in his nervous, twitchy way and wondered if it'd been fully examined by experts. He, along with every other victor, held hands as a sign of solidarity and rebellion at the conclusion of the interviews.
His companion, Wiress, never left his side during the 75th Hunger Games.
Beetee's pedestal was positioned on the pedestal next to Blight. In the bloodbath, he was seen floating around the water with the flotation belt, trying, but struggling to keep above the water, and then it finally hits Katniss that the belts are flotation devices. He also got a knife in the back at the Cornucopia (while trying to get a wire), causing severe injury. In the film, he is seen wading through the water as Blight runs on a spoke.
Beetee, along with Johanna, Blight, and Wiress, experienced the 'blood rain,' one of the clock dangers of the arena. When they found Katniss, Peeta and Finnick, the trio was taken down to the beach to be cleaned up. Wiress was then killed by Gloss and then propelled into the water with Beetee's wire when the beach began to spin. It was almost lost until Katniss saved it and gave it back to Beetee. He then explained his plan to kill off Enobaria and Brutus using the wire, and he sent out both Johanna and Katniss to run the wire through the jungle while Finnick and Beetee readied the fake tree and prepared to destroy the arena. Beetee was wounded by Enobaria, however, and as Finnick chased after her, Katniss came to Beetee's aid and completed his mission to destroy the arena.
Beetee, Finnick and Katniss were taken by Plutarch Heavensbee to safety in District 13, while Johanna, Peeta and Enobaria were all taken hostage by the Capitol. Through the work of the District 13 doctors, Beetee managed to survive his injuries.
Mockingjay[]
Beetee in Mockingjay
When Beetee recovered, though still in a wheelchair, he started working for the rebels by making new weapons for the military and a new bow and arrow for Katniss to use as the Mockingjay. When Katniss and Gale arrived at the meadow built underground, Beetee was studying and observing hummingbirds and asked Katniss if she could shoot one down. Gale said that perhaps the hummingbird could be trapped if not shot. Beetee then took them to the special military weapons room where he showed them the weapons he built for the rebels. Beetee allowed Gale to pick a weapon and he chose a bow and arrow. Beetee made Katniss a new bow explaining that President Coin wanted a weapon that was unique to Katniss, and that matched her Mockingjay outfit. Beetee did so, but improved upon that idea by making the bow interact bio-mechanically especially with Katniss. He also made a new and improved trident for Finnick.
Plutarch Heavensbee, President Alma Coin, and Beetee
Beetee continued to make weapons and hack into the Capitol's broadcasts to air the Rebels' propaganda spots. Beetee had Haymitch arrange to have Katniss shoot a propo so they could use it as a distraction tool during the rescue mission to free the victors being held in the Capitol. When Katniss visited Beetee and Gale, she was shocked to find that they were making weapons that could hurt innocent people in the process. Gale replied that they were playing by the same rule book President Snow used.
Beetee and Gale went to the Nut in District 2 to assist the Rebels and met Lyme. The group tried to come up with a plan to attack the "Nut," which would give them control of District 2. Gale suggested that they blow up the inside of the "Nut," which upset Katniss since it would kill the innocent as well as the District 2 Peacekeepers. Beetee supported the plan, calling it "brilliant," which only upset Katniss even more.
During the final battle of the war, a bomb Beetee and Gale presumably made killed Capitol children and Rebel medics, which included Prim, who died in Katniss' arms after the bombs went off the second time.
After the rebels' victory, President Coin gathered the seven remaining victors and asked if they should have one final Hunger Games with children of the most powerful citizens in the Capitol as final retribution for the tyranny of the Capitol's rule. Johanna, Enobaria, Haymitch, and Katniss voted yes, while Peeta, Annie, and Beetee voted no. It is assumed that Beetee eventually returned home to District 3.
Physical description[]
Beetee is described as having ashen skin (which is assumed that his skin is a typical district 3 attribute), black hair and ill-fitting glasses. Katniss stated that he was older than Wiress, so it is estimated he should be in his 50s. When he is speaking on matters other than technology, Beetee is described as nervous and twitchy.
Personality[]
Beetee is described as a trustworthy individual, being the only person apart from Peeta who Katniss fully trusted in the 75th Hunger Games. He is an extremely intelligent man, with his greatest weapon being his knowledge of electricity, which allowed him to win the Hunger Games. He voted against the proposed 76th Hunger Games for Capitol children, saying that the districts and the Capitol needed to stop seeing one another as enemies, showing that despite being committed to the cause of freedom and liberty, he is not overly concerned with vengeance.
Beetee, Wiress, and Katniss in the Training Center.
Relationships[]
Wiress[]
Beetee was Wiress' mentor in the 49th Hunger Games.[6] His ability to complete her sentences indicate that they were good friends who shared similar lines of thought, maybe through years of mentoring together. She stuck with him in the 75th Hunger Games and he was saddened when she died.
Gale Hawthorne[]
Beetee and Gale spent a lot of time working on weapons in District 13. It is presumed they got along well as they shared similar sanguine views on fighting and the war. It is believed, though not confirmed, that they helped design the bomb that President Coin used to kill the Capitol children and Primrose Everdeen, who stood outside President Snow's house.
Katniss Everdeen[]
Beetee was the person who Katniss trusted the most, other than Peeta, during the 3rd Quarter Quell. When he started working with Gale in the weapons center, Katniss started to lose trust in him because he was helping in the creation of many harmful weapons, possibly including the bomb that took her sister's life. However, upon hearing Gale say neither he nor Beetee knew for sure if it was their bomb that had been used, it is unknown if Katniss kept in touch with Beetee and did not cut ties with him like she did with Gale.
Ampert[]
- "They reaped him to kill him, Haymitch! To punish me! I can think of no realistic scenario in which he does not die. I can only hope that his death is quick and not in vain."
- —Beetee agonizing over Ampert's position in the Hunger Games[src]
Ampert was Beetee's son, who had been reaped as punishment for Beetee trying to sabotage the Capitol's communications system. As further punishment, Beetee was forced to mentor him and watch him during training.[6] Beetee was devastated at Ampert's death.[4]
Etymology[]
Screencap from a website where Beetee is called "Beetee Lantier."
"Beetee" seems to be derived from the abbreviation BTU (British thermal unit), a measurement of heat used when measuring energy. His surname, Latier, was not mentioned in the books, but revealed in the films. It has sometimes been spelled as "Lantier".
Trivia[]
- The film suggests that Beetee is far-sighted, as he lifts his glasses in order to look at the Gamemakers' force field more clearly in the Training Center.[5]
- Beetee is the only named tribute that wears glasses. Jeffrey Wright, who plays him, allegedly kept the prop of Beetee's glasses after the filming of the movies.
- Beetee is the only tribute from District 3 whose last name is mentioned.[5]
- In the novels, Beetee, Wiress,[2] and the District 3 male[10] were all described by Katniss as having ashen skin. This was probably a characteristic of District 3's people.
- Beetee's last name could be a version of the surname Lautier, belonging to French chess grandmaster Joël Lautier, as a nod to Beetee's intelligence.
- He is one of the six tributes that survived the 75th Hunger Games and who survived two Hunger Games along with Enobaria, Katniss Everdeen, Johanna Mason, Peeta Mellark and Finnick Odair.
- He is one of the seven victors that survived the Second Rebellion along with Haymitch Abernathy, Annie Cresta, Enobaria, Katniss Everdeen, Johanna Mason and Peeta Mellark.
- Beetee is the only known victor to have his offspring participate in The Hunger Games.
- Beetee was involved in rebel plots surrounding both the 50th and 75th Hunger Games. Some of his co-conspirators in both were Wiress, Haymitch Abernathy, Mags Flanagan and Plutarch Heavensbee.
- Beetee was reaped for his first Hunger Games on the exact same day Haymitch Abernathy the future victor of the 50th Hunger Games was born.[6]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sunrise on the Reaping, Chapter 8
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Catching Fire, Chapter 16
- ↑ Mockingjay, Chapter 1
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Sunrise on the Reaping, Chapter 27
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Sunrise on the Reaping, Chapter 8
- ↑ Sunrise on the Reaping, Chapter 10
- ↑ Sunrise on the Reaping, Chapter 11
- ↑ Sunrise on the Reaping, Chapter 24
- ↑ The Hunger Games, Chapter 16