Editor's Note: The following contains major spoilers for 1899.

While 1899 has its fair share of cryptic elements, the bugs Daniel (Aneurin Barnard) and Elliot (Fflyn Edwards) use aboard the Kerberos might puzzle even the most attentive fan. That’s because the series never gives us a clear explanation of those bugs and what exactly they do. Nevertheless, enough clues are spread across the eight episodes of 1899’s first season for us to put things together and realize what those beetles are. Even so, the answer is not so straightforward, as the bugs simultaneously represent the emotional connection between Maura (Emily Beecham) and her son and a concept from computer science.

How ‘1899’ Uses Bugs

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In the first episode of 1899, a beetle guides Maura to the Prometheus’ closet where Elliot is locked. Daniel and Elliot also use the same beetle on multiple occasions to open locked doors, gain access to one of the virtual rooms which host fake memories, or even guide them through the Kerberos while avoiding detection by Henry’s (Anton Lesser) henchpeople. Later in the show, Maura also uses a beetle to go back to open a shaft under her bed so that she can return to her own memory and look for her father. Daniel also uses a beetle to bring Ada (Vida Sjørslev) to him before he uses his shell to kill the girl and kickstart the events that lead to mutiny aboard the Kerberos. In short, beetles are used to overcome one of the simulation’s limitations by forcing a behavior that doesn’t seem to be an intended part of the virtual landscape code.

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It seems like the bug is a tool only Daniel and Elliot can use to go whenever they want in the simulation and surpass some of the virtual environment’s obstacles. More precisely, the beetles, or bugs, are being used to introduce an unwanted behavior inside the simulation. Like computer bugs, the beetles break down the software and force it to do something it was not initially programmed to do.

Of course, bugs are usually a byproduct of programming and are born inside the software, the fruit of coding mistakes or unpredictable interactions between different parts of the code. Bugs also usually result in a single kind of unwanted behavior. In 1899, however, it seems that Daniel and Elliot controlled the beetles and maybe introduced them into the simulation. So, if we wanted to use the proper terminology, Daniel and Elliot would be using the beetles as hacking tools, not as bugs. That means the bugs could be an external code that Daniel brought along in order to manipulate the simulation to his favor.

Then again, 1899 was created like a puzzle, feeding clues to the audience to solve its mysteries. So it would make sense if creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar wanted to simplify things since “bug” is a term more accessible to the average fan than “hacking tool.”

It could also be that the beetles are, indeed, bugs, which means issues in the simulation code left behind by its creator. In that case, Daniel and Elliot didn’t create the beetles but are only exploiting them. Since Daniel and Elliot are some of the few people who are aware they are inside a virtual world, that would allow them to review the code and find flaws they could use in their favor. That would be a classic case of a bug becoming a feature. Either way, the important thing to remember before Season 2 of 1899 is that those beetles are causing unwanted behaviors inside the simulation, making them valuable tools for the people trying to escape their virtual jails and return to the real world. However, besides being related to computer science, 1899’s bugs also have an in-universe explanation for their appearance.

How the Beetles Relate to Maura’s Past

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Image via Netflix

While there is still much we don’t know about Maura’s past, Season 1 of 1899 explains why the woman is trapped inside the simulation. In the real world, Maura is married to Daniel, and they have a son together, Elliot. At some point, Elliot falls sick from a deadly disease. Incapable of saying goodbye to her son, Maura created the first simulation version, where she kept Elliot’s consciousness safe. Maura and Daniel visit this simulation frequently, prolonging their family life by the side of her son. We still don’t know how Maura’s simulation became a prison for so many people or why she erased her own memory. However, the beetle Daniel and Elliot use inside the simulation looks a lot like another bug from their past.

In one of Maura’s memories, we see the woman sharing a cozy afternoon with her son. During this afternoon, Elliot finds a bug that looks exactly the same as the beetles used inside the simulation. Elliot wants to keep the beetle in a box, and Maura tells the boy the poor creature doesn’t deserve to live in prison. Elliot then questions how he will be able to know the bug is safe and watch it grow if he doesn’t keep it around. Maura tells her son he won’t know, but that doesn’t mean it’s right to deprive another creature of its freedom. Ironically, some months or years later, Maura will lock Elliot inside her virtual box, completely forgetting her own advice.

We still don’t know how the simulation works precisely and if the traumatic memories of Kerberos’ passengers have any relation with reality. However, the simulation seems to be at least partially affected by Maura’s memories, which makes sense since she created the whole thing. So, it would be fitting if the computing bugs that show up in her code took the shape of a beetle she saw while spending time with Elliot. Inside the simulation, any piece of code is represented by an object, so it’s interesting to think bugs could be represented by, well, bugs. And if that’s the case, no bug is better than the beetle Maura used to teach Elliot a lesson she also needs to learn herself.

1899 is streaming right now on Netflix. Unfortunately, the streaming platform hasn’t yet renewed the series.