Dr. Neil Good’s namesake is meant to be a pun of Mötley Crüe’s song Dr. Feelgood. The reason will become more evident later but [Semi-Spoiler, I guess?] the pills Dr. Good takes greatly numb his ability to feel emotions. He takes them not with the intent of feeling good, but to keep himself from feeling overwhelmingly bad. In a roundabout way you could say they make him “feel good”, as it makes him feel better than he previously did. And as a bonus, having less emotions helps keep him focused on his work. The pills are a very unique formula and he produces them himself in his personal lab.
The whole concept of Dr. Neil Good stemmed from Static Shock, a smarty pants with the power to manipulate electricity. He may not be a superhero, but like Static he has the desire to help others. That desire is what led him to utilize his mind to the fullest and study so many fields within science so he can do all he can to aid in the advancement and overall betterment of humanity.
A lot of little design details were put into his character in an attempt to keep him from looking too much like a generic scientist, as well as for fun. Ratchet’s gauntlet gloves and others with functions that double as weopons throughout the Ratchet and Clank series were naturally in mind when brainstorming his design since they share a science fiction theme. The glowing orbs in his boots indicate the charge level for their hovering ability, both the design and function of which are inspired by the hoverboots from Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time. They were such a fun mechanic. This function will be seen later on in the series.
I really liked this beautiful necklace from Star Trek and how alien/futurey it looked. I gave this image to Mr. Scars as a reference for it. The orbs at the end of Dr. Good’s necklace are not just decorative though, they are energy stores that can be used as a last resort for power if he is low and really needs it. Though he should have known to utilize some already in the series he tries so hard to conserve them that the thought of doing so never crossed his mind. Or rather mine, if we are being honest. Maybe later though. If I remember.
Dr. Good’s goggles design are based off of the red eyepiece in Jak’s goggles in Jak and Daxter. I always found them so kool and felt like they should be on both sides. I tweaked them to my liking by requesting the red eyepiece on both sides with swirls instead of the crosshair for laughs. Though necessary for lab safety he also utilizes them just as often for eating onions, his favorite food. He prefers to eat them raw, like apples.