| abstract | - Among other purposes, the Control Brains conduct trials (also known as Existence Evaluations) of Irken criminals, serving as judge, jury and executioner. Should an Irken fail his or her Evaluation, the Brains will eliminate them and erase their PAK's data so that it may never be used again to corrupt another Irken. This ensures that the memories of the failed Irken do not get passed along to the Brains' hive mind. It is also implied that the Brains are actually enormous supercomputers and, like all machines, they can malfunction and break down, so a group of scientists and mechanics is often called in to ensure that the computers are at optimum efficiency. They also decide on elite soldiers' tests, determining whether the subjects pass or fail based on their performance ("Tak: The Hideous New Girl"). They can also reprogram an Irken's PAK and change their job and position, as seen in "The Frycook What Came from All That Space". Control Brains appear to have been in line for a makeover, not unlike the one the Almighty Tallest went through mid-season. The concept art (see picture) for their appearance in "The Trial" makes them appear much more sinister, and more similar in appearance to a human brain. This redesign could be the true appearance of the Brains, as the ones that appeared throughout the series were wrapped in a metal casing. Because of this, there are no visible gender differences between Brains, although a masculine voice was heard from one in "The Frycook What Came from All That Space", whereas Tak referred to the Brain that tested her as a "she". Control Brains run the empire, and their conclusions even have to be accepted by the Tallest, which means that the Tallest have no real authority over the people of Irk, and are simply figureheads, not unlike a constitutional monarchy.
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