This article contains major spoilers for Silo season 3’s episode 1 and Hugh Howey’s second Silo book, Shift.

In episode 1 itself, Silo season 3 might have seemingly given away Daniel’s hidden role in the creation of the titular silos. Daniel first shows up in Silo season 2’s ending moments where he, as a Congressman, meets an investigative reporter, Helen, for The Washington Post. Under the guise of a date, Helen presses Daniel to tell her more about a recent radiological attack by Iran on the United States.

The final scene from Silo season 2 gives a glimpse of the events that might have led to the inception of the eventual apocalypse and humanity’s collapse. In season 3, Silo drifts back to the pastime in episode 1, exploring everything from Daniel’s sister’s involvement in the overarching conspiracy to his political aspirations.

A brief scene in the same episode also hints at how Daniel has been directly involved with the construction of the silos. While he is a Congressman, the episode establishes that he put his experience as an engineer to good use to contribute to the construction of the silos. The Apple TV sci-fi show will reveal more about his connection to the silos, but the scene in question is already an intriguing giveaway.

Daniel’s Drill Invention Could Be The Key To Silo’s Future

During his meeting with Senator Thurman in Silo season 3‘s episode 1, Daniel earns a lot of praise from Thurman, who recalls his time with the Army Corps of Engineers and a project in New Orleans. She specifically mentions that he helped invent a specialized drill that can dig deep underground without disturbing the soil or the land on the surface.

This suggests that Daniel’s drilling technology allowed the government to secretly build the silos under everyone’s noses without them realizing that they were meant for an imminent apocalypse. Thurman even mentions that it was Daniel’s idea to replace the levees in the silos with tunnels. Silo season 2 has already established how all silos, including Silo 18, have mysterious tunnel systems that no one is allowed to access.

The Algorithm even warns Lukas that the Safeguard Procedure will be triggered if he dares to inform anyone about them. With Daniel being tied to so many details surrounding the silos’ development, it is hard not to be curious about where his story will go from here.

It must also be noted that there are massive drill-like structures in the lower ends of the silos. Juliette first sees the drill when George Wilkins takes her to the lower level. Perhaps, these drills the ones that Daniel designed in the past timeline and will seemingly have a bigger role to play in future story beats.

What The Silo Books Reveal About Daniel’s Role In The Creation Of The Silos

The show’sDaniel is based on the character Donald Keene from the original Silo books. The books introduce him as a young and ambitious newly elected congressman with a degree in architecture. He is recruited by Senator Paul Thurman to design a massive underground structure. Like the show’s Daniel, Donald seems to know little about the true significance of the project.

Believing that the underground bunkers are only meant for temporary emergencies, Donald unknowingly designs them in a way that later allows the silos’ authorities to supress rebellions and crush the sharing of information. Little does he realize that everything from the strict verticality of the silos to their solitary massive stairwell will eventually become a tool to control the survivors of an apocalypse.

Since Apple TV’s Silo is not entirely following the books’ story and even skipping many aspects of Donald’s backstory, it would be interesting to see how Daniel’s story will pan out and eventually connect to the present timeline. However, it is hard not to commend how the show has managed to hint at his connection to the silos despite drifting away from the books.