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Coordinator

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“ Kira: "The Coordinators are no different... from anyone else."
Cagalli: "But you guys can do so much more than we can. From birth."
Kira: "Only if we practice, study, or train properly. We're not born with special abilities, just because we're Coordinators."
Cagalli: "I guess you're right."
Kira: "It's true that we don't catch deadly diseases, and we're born after our genes are operated on, to alter our potential abilities and physical features. But I understand those to be Natural's... or everyone's dream. That's why we exist." 		”

—Kira Yamato and Cagalli Yula Athha discussing Coordinators, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, The Sea Dyed Red

Coordinator (コーディネーター Kōdinētā?) is a genetically enhanced human being introduced in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.

Overview & Development Process[]

A Coordinator typically has a number of enhanced traits including faster learning, and stronger and faster bodies that are virtually immune to disease. The genetic modifications that create a Coordinator had to be performed in the earliest stages of embryonic development. The Coordinator embryo was then reinserted back into its mother for gestation. These genetic enhancements are then passed on to the Coordinator's children without the need for more enhancements. When Natural parents have had their child turned into a Coordinator, the child is described as a "first generation". On the other hand, those born from parents who are both Coordinators are called the "second generation", and those born from a union of a Coordinator and a Natural are categorized as "Half-Coordinators".

A potential flaw in the Coordinator creation process is a discrepancy between how a Coordinator fetus is intended to develop and how the child really turns out. In many cases, unwanted genetic traits would appear in the baby, arguably due to the inability of the mother's womb to pose as an adequate environment to support the genetic modifications. There are also rare cases of Coordinators who have defects in basic sensory functions due to complications in the genetic manipulation process and they require implants or external devices to compensate (e.g. Riika Sheder). It is this conflict of genetic traits that resulted in decreased birth rate of the "third generation" Coordinators and beyond.

History[]

In C.E. 15, a highly respected man named George Glenn announced the shocking news that he was the first "Coordinator", being born following a genetic manipulation procedure, resulting in a human "engineered" to be better. He disclosed the entire process to create a Coordinator to the public. Following the revelation, people who were born naturally - that is, without this procedure - became known as "Natural".

For many years, after George Glenn's revelation, Coordinators remained illegal. When the ban was repealed, in the C.E. 30's, the so-called "Coordinator Boom" started and lasted until the CE 50's. Following the rapid and widespread diffusion of Coordinators, major social unrest followed, throwing the world into chaos. Many Naturals started to shun Coordinators out of jealousy for their abilities or for ethical reasons, stating that they were created unnaturally. Anti-Coordinator pressure groups, such as the radical Blue Cosmos, began labeling Coordinators as "un-human" and declaring they had to be exterminated "for a blue and pure world". A derogative term among Naturals for Coordinators is "Patchworker", a reference to their "patchwork" DNA.[1]

As the major political blocs began building the space colonies, known as the PLANT Colonies, they gradually became a new home for Coordinators. The Naturals intended to make the Earth their exclusive domain, although it was not uncommon to find Coordinators and Naturals living peacefully together in "neutral" nations such as the Orb Union.[1]

By the mid-50's, the situation had deteriorated to the point that Blue Cosmos members were in positions of power across the Atlantic Federation and Coordinators had largely retreated to either neutral nations like the Orb Union or into space in PLANTs, where they were more than welcome.

It became evident that there was a problem regarding "third generation" Coordinators and beyond in that the birth rate was rapidly declining; due to the negative effects of genetic improvement. As a means of lessening the effects, the PLANTs instituted a marriage control system, allowing only compatible Coordinators to marry each other. By C.E. 71, this reality led to a confrontation between Siegel Clyne, who advocated regression through interbreeding with Naturals[2], and Patrick Zala, who advocated a solution through the advancement of genetic technology.[3]

In C.E. 45, several nations secretly produced their own Coordinators in the eventuality of combating PLANT. Known as Combat Coordinators, these variants of the standard Coordinator type were specifically designed to posses high combat capabilities. To ensure their loyalty to the Naturals, the Combat Coordinators were subjected to mental conditioning, but this saw minimal success as several subjects broke free and escaped the program. Later, the Combat Coordinator project was refined in the Socius series, who were both loyal and incapable of harming any Naturals.

In the early 50's, a renowned scientist, Professor Ulen Hibiki, proposed the usage of an artificial womb to circumvent the natural womb's shortcomings. The Ultimate Coordinator Project was funded by Mu La Flaga's father, Al Da Flaga, who wanted to clone himself. Many "prototypes" failed, including Canard Pars, the only one known to have survived, before the last and only successful Ultimate Coordinator, Hibiki's son Kira Yamato, was born on May 18, CE 55. Kira grew up completely unaware of his origins, only to learn of it later in the First Alliance-PLANT War.[4]

True Purpose[]

According to the G.G. Unit, an artificial intelligence derived from the memory engrams of George Glenn's brain and then acted as the captain of the Re.H.O.M.E., Coordinators have strayed from their intended purpose; to "coordinate" the next step of humanity's evolution, as the name indicates. George Glenn never intended for Coordinators to view themselves as a superior race, but in Glenn's eyes, anyone who works for the betterment of humankind is a true Coordinator, regardless of whether their genes have been enhanced or not.[5] Unfortunately, this enlightened view is not shared by many on either side of the Earth/PLANT conflict.

Known Coordinators[]

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED[]

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny[]

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73 Stargazer[]

Gallery[]

Notes & Trivia[]

  • In the Super Robot Wars series, a coordinator gains 1 point bonus to each stat for each multiple of 5 morale/will above 110 points. The Will of most units/characters tops at 130 Will, which is a modest but useful 4-point bonus. Bosses and certain skills obtainable by players can bring this up to 150 (9 points).
  • Though in more recent entries (L, Z2), there's no such skill, negating this advantage, reducing the gap between the coordinators and natural pilots.
  • In Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Battle Destiny, original characters made as Coordinators typically have +9 to all stats except Stamina and have no MS type restrictions, but growth is slower compared to Naturals. Moreover, there are two other types that are exclusive to the main characters in the series:
    • Coordinator (Second Type): Same base stat boosts, but when MS HP drops to 30%, SEED mode activates and gives +30 to all stats.
    • Super Coordinator: Kira Yamato only. all stats except Stamina +14, and when MS HP drops to 30%, SEED mode activates and gives +30 to all stats.
  • Coordinators closely resemble the Augments from Star Trek as they are physically and mentally superior to normal humans. Another similarity to the Augments that Coordinators share is the fact that they are feared and hated by Naturals, as the Augments were to humans. It should be noted that in Star Trek, dislike for Augments was due to the fact that they were extremely aggressive and dangerous. In Gundam SEED, Coordinators were disliked because they were envied, as well as due to a general dislike of Genetic Engineering during that time.
  • Some fans have suggested that the next stage of human evolution that Glenn refers to are Newtypes, however, he neither uses that term nor gives any details of how this next stage differs from current humans.

Appearances[]

Television Series
OVAs and ONAs
Movies
Manga
Novels

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-37, Divine Thunder
  2. ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-20, On a Calm Day
  3. ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-41, Trembling World
  4. ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-45, The Opening Door
  5. ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray Chapter 9, Re. H.O.M.E.'s Maiden Voyage
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