Anti-personnel Automaton used by A-Laws
The Automatons (オートマトン) are unmanned, autonomous machines that appears in the Mobile Suit Gundam 00 series.[1][2][3][4] They are used for various purposes, including as anti-personnel weapons, mobile suit maintenance, etc.[2][3][4][5]
History[]
First Appearance[]
It is unclear when the automatons first appeared. However, the Union was known to have anti-personnel suppression automatons in AD 2308, as briefly mentioned by Union mobile suit pilot Daryl Dodge in the aftermath of a terrorist bombing during the civil unrest in Kingdom of Azadistan.[6]
A-Laws' Automaton[]
The most well-known automaton is the anti-personnel automaton deployed by the A-Laws in AD 2312.[1][3][7][8] This automaton is a new model, and it is powered by GN Particles stored in a built-in GN Condenser.[3][8][9][10] It has four legs that ended in small wheels, and can either walk using the four legs or dash around using the wheels.[1][7][11][12] These legs are folded against the main body when the automaton is transported to its target location in a container mounted on a mobile suit, namely the GNX-704T Ahead.[1][7][8][11] Around a dozen automatons are stored in each container, and the Ahead's pilot can monitor their status.[1] The automaton is impervious to low power infantry weapons such as handguns; only explosives and assault rifles can damage or destroy it.[1][12]
For weapons, two 9mm anti-personnel machine guns are installed in a rotatable pod on the bottom of the automaton's main body, and this gun pod can be replaced by a poison gas pod.[1][3][7][11] The automaton also has four flexible manipulators, one stored behind each leg.[7][12] These manipulators are for precision work, and also allow direct connection and access to computer system.[7][12] Additionally, a thruster system seemed to be located on the bottom of the main body, and it is used for moving between different levels, or to quickly adjust the position of the automaton itself.[1][11] The automaton can be programmed with various modes, such as "Quell Mode" and "Kill Mode".[7][8][11][13] In particular, the Kill Mode enables indiscriminate killing, and while the Earth Sphere Federation Forces (ESF Forces) rarely used this mode with their automatons, the A-Laws' automatons had this mode as their default.[7][8][12] The A-Laws' automatons are sometimes referred to as military automatons[1][11], suggesting that there are automatons not used for military purposes.
The A-Laws was first seen deploying this new model of automaton in response to the anti-government group Katharon's operation to rescue their captured comrades from the colony Proud in L4.[1] This deployment also served as a performance test for the automaton.[1] Upon reaching the target location, the automaton container detached from the Ahead and flew to an opening in the colony.[1] About a dozen automatons then emerged from the container and commenced the hunt for fleeing prisoners.[1] These automatons were later destroyed by Gundam Meister, Setsuna F. Seiei, who had sneaked into the colony.[1]
Later on Earth, the automatons were deployed in an attack on a Katharon base hidden in the Rub' al Khali desert.[11] After an opening was created in the base, an Ahead flew over it and dropped the automatons directly from the mounted container in mid-air.[11] The automatons landed safely and after reorientating themselves, moved out and shoot at Katharon members.[11] Shortly after, the GN-006 Cherudim Gundam, piloted by Lockon Stratos, arrived and destroyed the automatons.[11]
The next known deployment of the automatons was during the "Break Pillar Incident", which started when ESF Forces soldiers dissatisfied with the brutal actions of the A-Laws took over AEU's Orbital Elevator La Tour in a coup d'état.[12] As part of A-Laws' plan to deal with the coup, several Aheads flew close to the Orbital Elevator, then detached their automaton containers.[12] After the containers landed on the outer surface of the Orbital Elevator, the automatons moved out and destroyed at least two bulkhead walls to enter the structure.[12] Although the Orbital Elevator's internal defense system destroyed several automatons, some managed to sneak through.[12] Using one of its manipulators, an automaton interfaced directly with a computer port and accessed the structure's security camera system.[12]
Another group of automatons later broke through the defense system.[12] The coup forces deployed soldiers equipped with rifles and shields to intercept and destroy the automatons.[12] However, the automatons were set to Kill Mode, and so they indiscriminately attacked soldiers and civilians, resulting in civilian casualties.[12] The coup forces then secured escape routes, and escorted the civilians to board the linear trains quickly to escape.[12] As the linear trains departed, the government released an edited video showing civilians being killed by the coup forces' soldiers instead of the automatons.[12] This false information was part of A-Laws' plan to obtain permission and gain public support for its assault operation.[12] Due to A-Laws' subsequent actions, the Orbital Elevator was damaged and there were further civilian casualties, before the incident came to an end.[14]
The A-Laws was eventually defeated by the combined forces of Katharon, ESF Coup d'état Faction, and the Celestial Being in a space battle in L2.[15][16] The mastermind behind the A-Laws, the Innovades who falsely claimed to be Innovators, then revealed themselves and their huge base - the colony-class deep space mothership Celestial Being.[16] During the ensuing battle, the Celestial Being's tactical mothership, CBS-74 Ptolemaios 2, managed to land in one of the deep space mothership's warships docking bays.[16] In response, the Innovades launched a horde of automatons to infiltrate the Ptolemaios 2 and kill its crew.[16] These automatons were the same as the A-Laws', but were linked to Veda.[16][17] In the end, these automatons failed to kill the Ptolemaios 2's crew, as the Gundam Meister, Tieria Erde, activated the GN-009 Seraphim Gundam's Trial System in time, shutting down all machines linked to Veda in the battlefield.[17]
Non-combat Automaton[]
Several non-combat automatons were seen in AD 2314.[3][4][5] The first of which is a model of automaton made by AEU to assist in mobile suit maintenance.[4] This automaton was seen together with the GNX-903VW Brave Commander Test Type in a base located in the Union's Orbital Elevator.[4][5]
Later, a huge horde of alien life form called "Extraterrestial Living-metal Shape-shifter" approached Earth, triggering mass evacuations to shelters worldwide.[5] In the Kingdom of Azadistan, the Royal Palace opened its halls to increase the number of shelters.[5] In one of these halls, automatons were moving around the evacuees, while palace personnels were handing out food.[5] Elsewhere, on an Orbital Elevator, automatons were accompanying technicians who were working on the structure's exterior.[5]
Both the Azadistan's and Orbital Elevator's automatons resembled the military automaton deployed by the A-Laws two year ago, but they have different color schemes and lacked the rotatable gun pod.[5] It is unknown if these automatons are newly made or re-purposed A-Laws' automatons.
Gallery[]
Lineart[]
Anime[]
.png "Automatons Deployed 01 (00 S2,Ep1).png (2.18 MB)")
Notes & Trivia[]
- The automatons are somewhat similar to the Bug from Universal Century and Mobile Dolls from the After Colony, as unmanned killing machines deployed by their respective series' antagonists.
Appearances[]
- Television Series
- Mobile Suit Gundam 00
- Episode 26 (Season 2, Episode 1) The Angels' Second Advent - (First appearance of A-Laws' Automaton)
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Episode 26, The Angels' Second Advent
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Key Words section in 'Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Mechanics 1st' Book
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Profile of Automaton from the Glossary section of The Official Gundam Perfect File Vol. 147
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 In Brave Commander Test Type's detail pages in 'Gundam 00 Mechanics Final' Book
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Mobile Suit Gundam 00 The Movie -A Wakening of the Trailblazer-
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Episode 13, Return of the Saint
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Profile in 'Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Mechanics 2nd' Book
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 'Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Mission Complete 2307-2312' Book
- ↑ HG00 1/144 GNX-704T Ahead model kit manual
- ↑ 'Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Data Archives' Book
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Episode 30, Homeland Burning
- ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Episode 41, Prelude to Tragedy
- ↑ Profile in Japanese Wiki
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Episode 42, Within the Scattering Light
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Episode 47, For the Future
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Episode 48, Flower of Life
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Episode 49, Beyond