Mailbag 4: Test Tube Quatre

Posted March 12, 2005

More fun with the MAHQ Mailbag.

Luis Banuelos asks:
I recall reading in Gundam Wing Episode Zero that Quatre is a "test tube baby." What exactly does this mean? Does this mean that he was genetically altered according to the preferences of his parents? If so,
can we classify Quatre as a Coordinator?
Chris responds:
It's been awhile since I've watched Gundam Wing, so bear with me. If I recall correctly, the Winner family had to resort to having "test tube babies" because of the difficulties of natural childbirth in space. I believe that Quatre's mother insisted on having him the natural way and died in labor. In that way, Quatre is a normal child. Even if he were genetically modified, the term "Coordinator" is a Cosmic Era phenomenon that has no bearing in the After Colony universe.

Morgan Henry asks:
What is up with the different voices for the characters in the Zeta Gundam American DVD? And why did they change the name of AEUG VS
Titans to Gundam VS Zeta Gundam? Am I the only one who thinks that
name change makes no sense at all?
Chris responds:
The story on the Zeta dub goes that because of union issues in Canada, Bandai used the Blue Water dubbing studio instead of the Ocean Group, which had previously dubbed Mobile Suit Gundam and Char's Counterattack. As for the games, Gundam VS Zeta Gundam is a different version of AEUG VS Titans which features new mobile suits. It's not an American name change at all.

Scott Steedman asks:
Do you think Gundam SEED DESTINY is all that original? Other than the mecha designs, in terms of plot and characters? Couldn't Shinn, the main protagonist, be compared to the well-known, and not so well-loved Heero Yuy? Also, Rey Za Burrel is almost identical in looks to a young Ra La Creuset, who looks somewhat like Millardo Peacecraft from Wing, so exactly how original would you say DESTINY is, if at all?
Chris responds:
I think it's pretty unfair to compare characters based solely on their appearance or attitude. Shinn is a boy who lost his family and has a very skewed view of the world as a result of that event. Heero is a nameless terrorist who slowly regains his humanity. I don't see how they're alike at all. As for Rey and Rau, I don't think their appearance makes them anything like Zechs. If you want to judge characters, do it by their background and their actions. To use Zechs as an example, he's a masked man who used to be an aristocrat, has a lost sister, and plans to get revenge for the murder of his family by becoming a mobile suit pilot for the organization that murdered them. That is also the story of Char Aznable. Going back to DESTINY, yes, it does have pretty blond guys and masked men. However, it doesn't seem to me like it's ripping off Zeta Gundam as many expected it would. Let's keep watching and see how it develops.

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