The short answer to your question, LA, is “not really”. There are, however, things about the scientists and department that we can deduce from the provided information. I’ve given some things below that may be worth discussing.
Who knew that Jenova was an alien?
When the party first visit Cosmo Canyon in the OG, the elders there insinuate that Gast had left Shinra because he had discovered the truth about Jenova. Their knowledge of this means, of course, that Gast knew and told Bugenhagen. Grimoire and Lucrecia (theoretically) were dead by this point so he’s out. Hojo admits to Rufus at Northern Crater that he learned the truth after discovering Gast’s tapes of Ifalna at Icicle Inn, but that information had been somewhat of a secret given the President’s reaction (bar in mind that almost 23 years have passed by this point). Hollander’s claim in Crisis Core that “only he can stop the degradation” suggests that he has done his research regarding Jenova’s genetics. It would not be impossible, therefore, that he had stumbled upon the same truth that Gast had. I doubt Hojo would have shared the info with him but that’s not impossible either as it would have affected SOLDIER experimentation. Gillian had no reason to know and, if I remember correctly, she left Shinra after Angeal was born to raise him. My best guess is that only Gast, Bugenhagen, Hojo and Hollander (latterly) were aware of Jenova’s origins.
Hollander’s Personality
Given that the only part of the Compilation which mentions Hollander is Crisis Core, we obviously don’t have much to go on. I agree with the previous comments regarding the inherent competitive nature of the Science Dept. Hollander is known throughout Crisis Core as one of the main antagonists. We are therefore inclined to hold him in a negative light. One small sympathy we may have is how he was bullied and alienated by Hojo after the latter’s success in the Jenova Project. However, considering the level of bitterness he holds means that he lends his expertise to a man capable of serious damage to the world’s infrastructure (Genesis), all sympathies are lost. In addition, not only did he offer up his unborn child for experimentation, he played no role as a father in Angeal’s life. We can thus deduce that he was a bit of an arse.
Grimoire’s Personality
Again, little is known about this guy because he is only mentioned in Dirge of Cerberus. I agree with jazzflower92 that Grimoire’s existence is more of a plot device than a genuine part of the overall picture. As far as I know, it is implied but never outright stated that Grimoire Valentine was Head of the Science Dept. His interactions with Lucrecia also suggest that he is a gentle soul, a man with experience and someone to be trusted. Which may be true, but his son became a Turk. While the Turks may have been a different organisation back then, a certain mentality would have been required, which suggests to me that Vincent had either a difficult or strict upbringing. This would directly reflect on Grimoire’s parenting – whether he was a disciplinarian or absent or whatever. Vincent does, however, seem to show a level of respect if not fondness for his father because he is hurt when Lucrecia reveals the details of his father’s death, not to mention the fact he wears his scarf as part of his outfit. It is also the case that Mako energy was in use for at least a decade while Grimoire was at Shinra. As a scientist studying the effects of Mako and familiar with the Chronicles of Yore, he MUST have realised that Mako production was harmful to the Planet. Does that make him a bad guy or a guinea-pig? One other thing to note is that there is a general misinterpretation about Grimoire’s role in Deepground. Grimoire had nothing to do with Deepground as he died long before the facility was completed. It is mentioned in Dirge of Cerberus: Online that the experiments with stagnant Mako which created Nero were based upon Grimoire’s work. That much is true, but his documents detailed an ‘unknown power’ in the Mako. He was referring to Chaos, but the DG scientists didn’t realise, and hoped to use the alternate properties of the substance to create a powerful child. This led to the loss of countless unborn life. In my opinion, he was the last of the non-morally-corrupt leading scientists but there is not enough info to go on.
Department of Science
There are a few tidbits worth mentioning that some people may not know.
- Prior to Shinra, Inc.’s relocation to Midgar in 1979 from a yet-to-be-disclosed location, there existed at their HQ the ‘Gast Laboratory’ which is where the Jenova specimen was first taken upon its discovery.
- There is another scientist which has been named (outside of Deepground where a handful of others were also named). This is Professor Rayleigh in episode 5 of Before Crisis.
- While Rayleigh deems the secrets of Shinra more important than her own life, another unnamed scientist in Crisis Core, unrelated to any of this, also speaks of his desire to get revenge on the department for the abominable things they did to the last Cetra. This shows that resignation by way of a moral stance is not something that only Gast did.
- While his role in the company is never confirmed, Bugenhagen is a former employee of Shinra, and it would be expected that he belonged to the Science Department. This also explains why Gast not only considers him an acquaintance, but a friend or even a mentor of sorts.
- It is repeatedly stated that the experiments of Project Jenova (S) took place at Shinra Manor, while it is suggested that Project Jenova G took place at the Gast Laboratory.
I will also write a piece regarding my understanding of Gast but I'm short of time at the minute so I'll post that later.
