Heywood Floyd was once a scientist and the mission commander responsible for the first Discovery journey to Jupiter. Though he was officially blamed for the disaster that left the shuttle's crew dead or missing, he nonetheless leads a relatively pleasant life on the Pacific Ocean. When it suddenly becomes clear that the U.S. will not be able to reach their ship before the Russians, he is asked to accompany that nation's crew aboard the Leonov, so that they can successfully determine what happened onboard.
