History
Tron
Yori was among the programs used by Lora and Gibbs to perform their first successful digitization experiment. Shortly thereafter, she, along with several other programs, was appropriated by the MCP and forced to work on simulations. When Tron rescued her, she was low on power and appeared not to recognize him, giving him the same robotic status report she had given a guard moments earlier; but his entreaties roused her free will again and she hugged him with delight, saying she’d known he would be able to escape his captors. He explained that he needed information from his User, and she fled the simulation complex with him and led him to a secret back entrance to the I/O Tower.
Once inside, she was able to convince the Tower Guardian Dumont to allow Tron to communicate with Alan-One, who provided them with information necessary to destroy the MCP. She then guided Tron to the Solar Sailer, which they stole and used to escape Sark‘s forces, flying it toward the MCP’s citadel at the heart of the ENCOM system. During the flight, Tron interrupted her handling of the ship’s controls to introduce her to Kevin Flynn (who at first mistook her for Lora). Her initial reaction to Flynn implied a level of interest, reflecting the fact that Flynn and Lora had once been a couple, but she retreated to Tron when the User attempted to approach her.
When a power surge halted their progress on the Solar Sailer beam, Yori identified it as coming from the MCP, and guided the ship up the junction Flynn created to reach another beam before the pursuing Recognizers arrived. The demonstration revealed that Flynn was a User, a fact which left Yori skeptical at first, but which she soon accepted.
On the way to the MCP, the Solar Sailer was intercepted and destroyed by Sark’s ship. He captured Yori and Flynn, intending to derezz them along with the ship once they reached the MCP’s mesa. Believing Tron had perished in the crash, Yori lost hope, and was struck by a memory guard’s pike when she attempted to prevent him from taking Dumont to the MCP. Spurning Flynn’s attempts to encourage her, she began to lose power and came close to derezzing with the ship before Flynn revived her. Surprised at his ability to do so, she agreed to keep the remains of the carrier flying as they approached the mesa, unaware Tron was alive and had reached it ahead of them.
When they saw Tron attempting to break through the MCP’s shields, Flynn decided to throw himself into its beam to distract the evil program; believing that he was sacrificing himself, he shared a brief but passionate kiss with Yori before taking the leap. The distraction did indeed allow Tron to destroy the MCP, and Yori reunited with him when the carrier landed. In her delight, she greeted him with the kiss Flynn had taught her; he was bemused, but described it as nice, and the two stood with Dumont as the system lit up again, glad of their freedom but unaware of Flynn’s fate.
Personality
Yori is a sweet and endearing program with a positive personality, a strong practical side, and deep loyalty to those she loves. Even in the most intense situations she manages to find something to smile about, and does not appear to be fazed by environmental danger; she enjoys piloting the Solar Sailer and leads Tron in sliding down a long slope, suggesting with a laugh that they should “do that some more.” She also retains her User’s witty and sarcastic humor, particularly when she meets Kevin Flynn.
Her resourcefulness allowed her to find a way into the I/O Tower and convince Dumont to allow Tron to communicate with Alan-One, and, though it took a near-death experience to shake off her grief, she was willing to continue with the mission to destroy the MCP even when she believed Tron had been killed.
Romance
“I knew you’d escape. They haven’t built a circuit that could hold you.”
Yori’s romantic relationship with Tron mirrors that of their Users, Alan Bradley and Lora Baines, in the real world, with the only major difference between them being the constant reminders of the programs’ affection for one another (regardless of the situation). In both the script and two deleted scenes, the nature of their relationship is explored further by addressing their sexuality. The scene (significantly altered from how it’s depicted in the script) was later removed from the film because it was considered “too sentimental” at the time, something that the director regrets now. Yori also finds herself attracted to Kevin Flynn, who, unbeknownst to her, was once romantically involved with her User. However, her devotion to Tron is strong enough to leave her in no doubt about where she wants to be.
Skills and Abilities
Yori is an accomplished engineer who specialized in the digitzation of simulations within The Grid. In a deleted scene, both her technical and creative skills are displayed to a greater extent when she transforms the appearance of her apartment from a gray and lifeless space to colorful, lively, and comfortable room. In the same deleted scene she is able to change the appearance of her wardrobe from a simple light suit to a more extravagant one. She is also a skilled pilot, single handedly helming the Solar Sailer and the remains of Sark’s carrier with little trouble.
She is also a practical and tactical thinker. Upon being reunited with Tron, she wastes little time on indecision, swiftly discerning the best way to get to where they needed to go; he, in turn, trusts her judgment implicitly.
Other Media
Film
Tron (1982)
Yori and her human counterpart was portaged by actress Cindy Morgan.