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Click it or Ticket by Ben This was the case at the end of Gundam SEED, with the death of Mu La Flaga. He died saving the people he cared about, and his death was made blatantly apparent. Move forward a season, and the Special Edition of SEED is released, and suddenly, the evidence of Mu's death is gone. So what is it that protects the hero from explosions, positron radiation and the vacuum of space? How about some logical reasons why Mu might have lived through that? Here we go. Defense against Death #1 – Pilot's suit A Gundam pilot's suit is a very advanced piece of equipment. Made of a stretchable material with a glossy coat (I'm not sure of the actual material, Its some type of advanced polymer) the pilot's suit is a single piece jumpsuit that form fits to the body of pilot. It is airtight and does not restrict the pilot's movement. In addition, a small backpack unit, about the size of a thick notepad is attached to the back, which contains small movement thrusters and an air supply. It is in many ways a direct descendant of our modern space suits, with all the required components to survive in space. It is completed by a metallic helmet with a tempered glass front face for 180% viewing. There is no link between the pilot's suit and the MS it is used for, and thus, a pilot can switch MS at any time with the same pilot's suit. These pilot's suits have also proven to be resistant to shrapnel and heat from explosions, and must provide some form of kinetic energy absorption, which insulates the pilot from being heavily rocked by explosions. In addition, the tempered glass faceplate is incredibly hard to break, and only either a direct impact or exposure to sudden heat can cause it to break. Defense against Death #2 – Redundant Safety Systems Mobile suits are incredibly complicated pieces of equipment, but are very redundant to insure the constant functionality of the suit. A pilot is protected in a large number of ways from direct harm. For one, most MS are equipped with a physical or energy shield to deflect dead on attacks, and they can also be used as a barrier to protect the cockpit. Also, the cockpit itself is the thickest armored portion of the MS, and is usually in a central location to protect it from indirect attacks. The cockpit also has a self contained oxygen supply, should a problem occur with the pilot's flight suit, or for flight where a space suit isn't necessary. In addition, since an MS is directly controlled by camera operations, redundant cameras are placed around the suit in case the main camera in the head is damaged. Another safety feature that is not included in all MS is the Core Block system, which incorporates a dual engine short range fighter jet into the core of the MS as a cockpit, which allows for quick escapes should the MS be heavily damaged. Defense against Death #3 – Seat Belts and Airbags What they say is true, "If it ain't broke don't fix it." Seat belts and airbags, which protect us in our modern vehicles, are still heavily in use into the Gundam era, protecting pilots, drivers and anything that moves. If we look at Char's Counterattack, Char is saved from being wall pancake by a clear massive airbag that filled most of the cockpit. Everyone in the Gundam universe with any sense buckles up. Don't be a fodder pilot… buckle up, it'll save your life. Defense against Death #4 – Dumb Luck It is a sad truth, hero's rarely die, if not through skill, then through the fact that they are in fact the hero. Its no secret that dumb luck plays a huge part is protecting said hero. Kira Yamato, Mu, Uso Evin, and many others can attest to having been a victim of the amazing dumb luck factor. It's like the Newtype factor or the SEED factor. No one quite understands it completely… but they just accept that its there and the not deadness it causes. Damn you dumb luck… you take away all the fun in life.
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