The Governor in Season 3.
The Governor is a device created by Stephen Bartowski. Stephen learned that continued mental access to the Intersect is akin to a computer circuit being overheated. So he created the Governor, a device that governs his neural network and prevents the Intersect from causing brain damage, dementia, or insanity.
He eventually created one for Chuck after he downloaded the Intersect 2.0 in order to protect his son. After Stephen's death, it appears that Chuck learned how to make a governor by season 4. He is seen to have three of them in his room, despite there only being one left at the end of season 3.
It appears that after Morgan downloaded the flawed Intersect in Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger there was no Governor created before he had the Intersect suppressed.
Chuck's Governors in Season 4 (Episode 1).
Whilst the first Intersect didn't seem to cause negative effects for Chuck, Orion's Intersect, which had been inside Orion's head for a lot longer, was causing him problems, therefore, requiring him to have a governor to control it. Chuck, however, had also been shown to have downloaded a proto-Intersect at the age of 8 without ill effect.
In the final scene of Chuck versus the Goodbye, Chuck is seen wearing a watch that appears to be a Governor. It is possible that the Intersect version he uploaded from the sunglasses does not have the fix that Ellie had made when correcting their dad's Intersect, or Chuck has gotten so used to wearing the watch , or as a reminder of his father, that he wears it regardless, even though he doesn't need its special function.
Trivia[]
- Chuck's governor is a Rolex Oyster Perpetual with California Dial face.