Suisei no Gargantia - generic discussion thread

[Iron Maw]

So now that we know Chambers is running out of power (and that laser & flight show probably wasn't easy on reserves either) do you think Ledo will find another power source for him? While it's possible I can't see show killing him off, but I doubt there is much on earth that has anything close energy needed to recharge him. Perhaps the Sea Galaxy might have answer to that though.

[justinstrife]

Originally Posted by Midonin

Six minutes into CR's sub (and anything "derived" from it).

I went to that scene with two different subs, and neither one mentioned subduing anyone with something that could control their nerves, or whatever else you think it might have implied. What chamber was talking about, was essentially taking everyone as hostage, or at least a select few(possibly the leaders).

An entirely different scenario with different requirements, and within the realm of what Chamber is capable of. Quite a bit different then just subduing pirates who have dozens of people hostage in a very wide area.

Again, what were you expecting them to do? What capabilities does Chamber have, that would have worked in that scenario?

[Midonin]

This is a screencap (with the source visible) of the exact moment I was referring to. It does suggest that Chamber at the very least has a "stun" setting.

[Clarste]

Originally Posted by Midonin

This is a screencap (with the source visible) of the exact moment I was referring to. It does suggest that Chamber at the very least has a "stun" setting.

The nerve center of the ship, ie: the command crew. Kill the leaders and cow the subordinates.

Also, "neutralize" doesn't imply stunning. If you were to take it literally it would imply frying their brains.

[Midonin]

Originally Posted by Clarste

The nerve center of the ship, ie: the command crew. Kill the leaders and cow the subordinates.

Shows how much I know. Or at the very least, the mindset I'm going into this series with.

[Gravitas Free Zone]

Since I was fiddling with my own little screenshot, I see that someone got to this question before I did:

Originally Posted by Clarste

The nerve center of the ship, ie: the command crew. Kill the leaders and cow the subordinates.

So no, that's not a discussion of a stun setting, that plan was to beamspam everyone and blow up the bridge. Which is what they did to the pirates...

Ledo has used his sidearm, so far, to fire a warning shot (that melted the deck), and as a carving tool. So that does have variable settings, but I would think that it's a matter of going from "crispy" to "vaporized" without a human-safe setting either.

Credits:



"Grace" played by Question Marks?

I can't help but expect Amy to finish a sentence with "de geso" at some point.

[Newhope]

Originally Posted by Midonin

This is a screencap (with the source visible) of the exact moment I was referring to. It does suggest that Chamber at the very least has a "stun" setting.

"neutralize" doesn't necessarily mean stun it means removing threats which in this case would probably mean kill them.

[HandofFate]

yea, neutralize is kill in instances where its used.

Like when a swat team barges in or something in movies "target neutralized" means they got many holes in them.

[Ghanw]

It's the same in the sense of "neutralize the enemy" which can be the same the as kill or eliminate the enemy.

[Newhope]

Originally Posted by HandofFate

yea, neutralize is kill in instances where its used.

Like when a swat team barges in or something in movies "target neutralized" means they got many holes in them.

It doesn't always mean kill it depends on the situation.

[TimeSkip]

Since Amy said she's never seen land, we can assume that Earth is underwater. However, there are seagulls flying in many scenes. Where do they sleep or make nests? Ship's deck?

[Ghanw]

Yes the original earth is underwater that is why the people of Gargantia use those low tech mechs to find materials or stuff that was once on land, by having them dive into the water. Seagulls i have seen them build there nest in abadoned buildings next to the sea.

[FredFriendly]

Originally Posted by TimeSkip

However, there are seagulls flying in many scenes. Where do they sleep or make nests? Ship's deck?

Originally Posted by Ghanw

Seagulls i have seen them build there nest in abadoned buildings next to the sea.

Well, there may not be any abandoned buildings next to the sea anymore, since there isn't anything but sea left, but if the foolish birds can't find a place to rest or nest, I ain't got any sympathy for them:



I don't know how big that what-ever-it-is is in the background might be, but, from the looks of it, it's huge, and there's lots and lots of nooks and crannies where birds, as well as that most unpopular of rodent, the squirrel, could make a home. From what we've seen, keeping their ships it tip-top shape (no active US naval vessel would be all rusty and corroded) isn't a priority, so keeping birds from nesting is also probably near the bottom of the list of things to do.

[ginger02]

Originally Posted by Iron Maw

So now that we know Chambers is running out of power (and that laser & flight show probably wasn't easy on reserves either) do you think Ledo will find another power source for him? While it's possible I can't see show killing him off, but I doubt there is much on earth that has anything close energy needed to recharge him. Perhaps the Sea Galaxy might have answer to that though.

I may have missed something, where did it say he was running out of power? Though i guess that would naturally happen anyway.

[Kirarakim]

Originally Posted by ginger02

I may have missed something, where did it say he was running out of power? Though i guess that would naturally happen anyway.

I missed this too, well excuse to rewatch the episode

[Ghanw]

I belive it was in the first episode that it said it was about to loss engery,it was when ledo told Chamber to go into overdrive and all that laser action and after it stopped. Chamber said the remaing energy was used to perserve necessary functions of some sort (My memory is fuzzy after that)

[ChronoReverse]

I wouldn't say running out of power but certainly low in power.

It's implied by how Chamber mentioned "even with our current power levels we can totally waste these scrubs".

[ReddyRedWolf]

Originally Posted by ginger02

I may have missed something, where did it say he was running out of power? Though i guess that would naturally happen anyway.

The first part in ep one with Chamber releasing all limiters and Ledo saying it doesn't matter if they burn out.

Six months after Chamber still hasn't locked the limiters as shown with the beam spam annihilation.

The question is context. Chamber powered down for those six months while keeping Ledo in stasis. How much power does Chamber have left as they are not in space nor fighting Hideous.

How much power did lose with its weapons? In a conventional engagement as seen in the beginning the mechs do not fight at full power.

So what Ledo did was probably overkill even by military standards.

[mikeomni]

Originally Posted by Midonin

Shows how much I know. Or at the very least, the mindset I'm going into this series with.

That's the beauty of this series so far. You've got the sweet hopeful opening with pretty girls in skimpy outfits against the harsh actions in the main story. It's like looking at complementary colors, you appreciate one more with the other.

They say science fiction is a commentary on the human condition. There's the ideas the author puts in and then the filter of our experiences. What I like about having forums like this is the ability to put on other filters. Perhaps we may not agree but we still gain something from it.

Allow me to lay down my interpretation of the story so far ...

Ledo to me represents the harsh side of humanity. He comes from outer space where even the environment will kill you and is the product of a humanity that was desperately seeking a new home that meant the very survival of the species. If I put myself in his environment, I would probably be a calculating person. If not I wouldn't live so long. During the first episode he commented on how he had lost his fear and no longer thought of unnecessary things. Yet we saw his humanity in the willingness to sacrifice himself during the retreat. Later when he finds himself in an unfamiliar environment his immediate action was to calmly assess the situation. This guy is the opposite of the clumsy / whiny / hot blooded archetype of a teen mecha pilot. Like others have mentioned, he wasn't an innocent thrust into war. He's the war veteran come back from war, and he knows its still being waged and his buddies are still in it. You can see that in his priorities. In episode two, Ledo mentioned wanting to go back to the front lines. It shouldn't be too alien a concept, and this is where the commentary comes in, since we've had conflict in the middle east for over a decade. You can watch documentaries on Youtube where soldiers from 1st world countries sometimes express the desire to go back to war. "Why? You've got food, shelter, safety ... why would you want to go back to a harsh environment? Are you nuts? A war junkie?" A number of them will say things like "Because I think I can make a difference" or "my buddies as still there".

Now to the opposite side there is Amy. She's young, enthusiastic and a bit of a risk taker. Somersault before deploying her wings!? No pre-flight safety checks for her! The world she lives in is relatively safe and stable. Gargantia is not Shangri-la where no one dies or gets sick, as we saw there those pesky pirates. Not to mention she has a disabled brother. If her world was as harsh as Ledo's, her brother might not be kept alive.

Then we see the side characters. Pinion talks harsh and callously proposes they "off the kid and disassemble the robot." He is not a bad person as he was first to defend Amy against Ledo. He comes off a bit opportunistic and short sighted, but his reasoning is grounded on his reality ... his voice was the minority in Gargantia's decision process. Ridget and the fleet officials are cautious and skeptical. They have the long term safety of the flotilla to watch out for. They are closer to Ledo in that they measure their steps. They knew they lacked comprehension on what Ledo represents. So it's perfectly reasonable for them to moderate their actions. When those guys with guns and paddles ;-) chased after Ledo no one even "accidentally" fired a shot at Ledo. I don't think they were professional army with fire discipline and what not. Ultimately, Ledo and the Gargantians match in that they are all reasonable people. Hence the deadlock at the edge for the ship. You've got two forces unwilling to oppose each other. One due to caution against the unknown. The other because he knows he needs the Gargantians resources.

Now comes the pirates. They are initially portrayed through two guys attacking Bellows. This is the unstable / disruptive side of humanity. This is Pinion's view in the majority. They have no qualms about killing a few to serve their needs. Force and terror are a convenient tool to them. Their addition to the story provides a break in the earlier deadlock. Ledo seizes this opportunity for future negotiations. When he goes to attack he doesn't take half-measures. Such a thing would be against his training and add more variables than he bargained for. This is not to say he won't get unbargained consequences anyway. His decisions so far are calculated risks. Ledo did this when he took Amy hostage, overrode Chamber's suggestions to kill Gargantians, and ignored the suggestion to go back into stasis. In any of those decisions it could have been as game over to him as sucking hard vacuum. It appears he has been weighing his life against the war that he knows and is still very personal to him.

When we come to sequence where he attacks the pirates he was clearly overpowered. He had "deflector beams" that can vaporize Hideauze creatures. It's amazing how much accuracy Chamber had in minimizing collateral damage. In the animation, Ledo was looking down at the destruction not as an avenging angel but as a cold professional. That last frame where he is looking down especially comes across to me as ... "This is my response to the situation." No gloating or hot blooded righteousness. The vaporization of the pirates is shocking in the inhumanity it represents. When a man gets hit by a missile you get a mess. Those beams deny you ever existed. Ledo + Chamber = cold precision. Ledo gave the order to annihilate with a knowledge to its immediate consequences. It was a means to an end. Juxtapose that to a few hours earlier where he reluctantly consumed the carcass of a marine creature. The one time we see him flustered is when he reacts to the shooting star. He's not superior, just different and still human. Ledo exhibits the swings we see in all people. The other characters in Gargantia also fill the spectrum that is humanity. We have yet to see how the bugs and Hideauze affect the story other than representing the totally alien.

The next episode should be exciting. The Gargantian leadership would debate on what the can vs should do with Ledo. The pirate queen will certainly stir the pot, it's hard to miss the smoke plumes of those destroyed vessels. Reason clashes with greed; provokes malice; corrupts innocence.

[ChronoReverse]

The limiters were just the power levels. Was probably just firing faster than the specs allow for safety.

After the sequence, Chamber mentions that they went to a more careful energy expenditure mode to conserve remaining power.

Basically, despite all the power the machine caliber has shown, it's really just operating on low power mode.