Zeta World: The Approach to U.C.0087
NEW SERIALIZATION VOL.1

Step α: Keyword: Mk-II
Explanation & Illustration: Kazumi Fujita

The first appearance of humanity’s colossal humanoid weapons on the battlefield dates back eight years to Universal Century 0079. This was the MS Zaku, a giant standing 18 meters tall, which completely overturned the concept of space warfare and triggered the outbreak of the One Year War.

Since then, the rapid development of mobile suits has been driven by the exigencies of war and the youth of the technology, spawning various types to adapt to varying situations. However, the current situation surrounding mobile suits is not entirely positive. While the development and deployment of new models continue, not all have been successful. Indeed, the mobile suits system is beginning to show signs of conceptual deadlock.

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Discussing post-war mobile suit development necessitates acknowledging the indispensable role of the RX-78 Gundam. Developed in the late stages of the war, this mobile suit was a catalyst that turned the tide of battle, and its pilot, Amuro Ray (an Ensign at the time), created what could be termed the ‘Gundam Myth.’ For instance, the first directive of the Federation’s mobile suit development engineers is often said to be “Surpass the Gundam!” However, some argue that there’s nothing left to learn from the Gundam. Its groundbreaking technologies – like beam weaponry, advanced computer systems, high-output thrusters for enhanced mobility, and atmospheric re-entry capabilities – have now become standard features of mobile suits.

Critics also highlight the GM II’s inferior combat capabilities, a direct descendant of the Gundam. Although the GM II, essentially a minor update of the GM, has improved performance in every aspect and rivals the original Gundam, its relegation to a secondary role is seen as evidence of the outdated basic design of the Gundam-type mobile suit.

Was this really the case?

RX-78 GUNDAM (Mk-I): This machine, famously known as the RX-78 Gundam (MK-1), hardly needs an introduction. Its high mobility and agility, said to be akin to a human being, can be easily imagined from this still image. Unfortunately, the original unit no longer exists, but it is said that plans are underway to reconstruct it based on the few remaining documents.

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The misfortune for the Gundam stemmed from the disappearance of its chief designer during wartime testing, which interrupted research and resulted in a significant loss of data. Many engineers involved in developing new mobile suits mistakenly attributed the Gundam’s combat effectiveness solely to its enhanced armament.

The Zaku established the foundational technological concept of mobile suits. The Gundam, though based on the Zaku, incorporated elements that were more than just an enhanced version of the Zaku. It represented a development towards a more human-like mobile suit.

The brilliance of the Zaku’s designer was in integrating a humanoid concept into the traditional EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity) units. Of course, the existence of Minovsky particles played a significant role in this, but many of the operational advantages of the Zaku were derived from its humanoid form, which offered greater flexibility and capacity.

Typically, multi-purpose weapons are prone to failure, but the mobile suit, by adopting a humanoid form, stepped into an entirely new category. The basic principle of Gundam development focused on this aspect, evolving the advantage of the Zaku’s humanoid form into a concept of a human machine. This distinguished the Gundam from other Zaku variants. Although the Gundam was designed for more practical combat applications and underwent enhancements in output, armaments, and other aspects, these were merely the introduction of already established technologies in other Federation categories, peripheral issues. The true innovation and hallmark of mobile suit engineering lay in the Gundam’s human-like qualities.

To illustrate this, one could say that there is as much difference between a walking tank (the Zaku) and mobile infantry (the Gundam). It’s interesting to note that the main camera of the Gundam was positioned to mimic human eye placement, reflecting the designer’s focus on human characteristics, which many engineers of the time dismissed as ‘superfluous’ or ‘not necessarily making it stronger.’

Imitating human form indeed introduced complexities in the system, structural weaknesses, higher failure rates, and increased maintenance challenges. To address these issues, the Gundam’s designers used new materials like Luna Titanium, later evolved into Gundarium. However, production inefficiencies were still unavoidable.

Another misfortune was that Amuro Ray was the sole pilot of the Gundam. The logic that attributes the combat achievements of the Gundam to the special abilities of a Newtype pilot is flawed. “In other words, factors like an exceptional pilot and powerful equipment, such as the beam rifle, led to the conclusion that the Gundam was an excessively expensive failure.

Challenging this logic is easy. A soldier, no matter how powerful their armaments, cannot wield them effectively without proper physical training and enhancement. Furthermore, one might wonder if Amuro Ray would have rapidly awakened as a Newtype had he been assigned to any machine other than the Gundam. The Gundam, reacting precisely to the pilot’s will and essentially an extension of the pilot’s body, might have facilitated this expansion of consciousness. However, proving this theory is challenging without operational data from non-Newtype pilots.

Subsequent mobile suit development, seemingly forgetting the ‘human-machine’ concept, focused solely on peripheral improvements: increased armament, power, and sensor enhancements. This resulted in extreme specialization in general-purpose and local combat units, with an overemphasis on heavy armaments and system maximization, leading to a diminished focus on the humanoid aspect. This evolution, focused only on the periphery, is now reaching its limits, reminiscent of the mammoth doomed by its own tusks (ironically, the Federation’s frontline units are now improved versions of the Zaku, known as the Hi-Zack).

YRMS-106 HI-ZACK: This is a prototype undergoing mobility tests in space. As the first mobile suit of the post-war era, the Hi-Zack was developed by integrating the know-how of the RX-series into a Zaku-based design. This approach resulted in an unusually rapid completion and a unique final product.

To break this deadlock, several trials have been conducted, but they all remain confined to performance enhancement plans for the overgrown peripheral aspects mentioned earlier. Given that mobile suit technology has reached technical maturity, it may be time to reevaluate the philosophical principles embedded in the Gundam.

The development of the true successor to the Gundam, the Mk-II, began against this backdrop. Its main concept is a “return to Gundam,” aiming to be a more human-like mobile suit.

The question is, can the Mk-II surpass the original Gundam?