Summary:
As ZAFT forces attack an Earth Alliance base, the EA side gets some reinforcements in the form of the Strike Noir, the Verde Buster, and the Blu Duel. Sven and company make quick work of the enemy mobile suits, leaving a fiery battlefield. Back at their base, their commander is on the phone talking with someone about the situation with rebel forces, the three Phantom Pain pilots and a bunch of soldiers are in a bar watching the TV, which is airing three children talking about how Naturals killed their Coordinator parents and calling for the death of Naturals and Blue Cosmos. As the news continues talking about Coordinators and terrorism, Mudie comments that her teacher told her that the only good Coordinator is a dead one. Sven remembers how interested he was in the stars when he was a child and how he wanted to be an astronomer. His father had even gotten him a telescope as a birthday present. Sven had watched programs about landing on the moon, read up on his Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein, and went to the space museums. However, an explosion had killed his parents and he was put in a special program.
The present Sven wakes up to his alarm and reports to his commander. Sven’s target is a Coordinator refugee camp training terrorists and his mission is to destroy the facilities and eliminate the terrorists. Sven asks if there is a limit to targeting only terrorists and his commander asked him back if he made a distinction between terrorists and those who were not. While flying along to the refugee camp, Sven remembers how he had been taken as a child to a facility where he was brainwashed with anti-Coordinator slogans and violent material. After he and his fellow pilots land their mobile suits, Sven gives the order to fire. As he watches the slaughter, Sven then remembers his teenage combat training and how he had gotten a certain injection. With the camp destroyed and the fires burning out, Sven is the solitary figure standing on top of the rubble.
Meanwhile, at the DSSD Troia Station in space, Selene is surrounded by scientists. She shows one of them the 401’s AI Unit and explains that the 401 will eventually be able to make judgments on its own, which opens up the possibility of unmanned planetary exploration. There is a cockpit because in the beginning there can be a pilot that the AI learns behavior from. Back on Earth, a fierce battle has erupted between an EA ship – carrying a Destroy Gundam – and a ZAFT force. Mudie in the Blu Duel destroys a pair of BuCUEs with her Stilettos, but then gets her sword arm cut off by another BuCUE. The Blu Duel also gets its left leg cut off, meaning that Mudie is now a sitting duck. A trio of Kerberos BuCUE Hounds then gang up and stab her Gundam repeatedly until she’s dead and the Blu Duel has been destroyed. Sven turns his attention to the Hounds and easily defeats all three, but it’s too late for Mudie. Although Shams is in shock and disbelief at Mudie’s death, Sven barely shows any emotion.
Afterwards, Sven passes by Sting and an unconscious Stellar inside the hallways of the ship. Shams tells him that their orders have come and this time they’re going after the DSSD space station. In contrast to Sven’s uncaring attitude, Shams wants to beat them all to death. During this time, Selene and Sol are in space testing out the 401’s Voiture Lumiere system. Sol suggests that calling it the “401” is impolite to the AI and recalls what Edmond said about looking up. Edmond had used the word Stargazer, so Selene adopts the name and enters it into the computer. With the test underway, the station radios with a confirmation that the Voiture Lumiere is accelerating the mobile suit. The man in the transmission congratulates the 401, but then corrects himself and calls it the Stargazer.

I thought this episode by itself was pretty awesome, but I’m a bit apprehensive about the overall story. I really liked the battle in the middle of the episode where Mudie died. The way the Kerberos BuCUE Hounds ganged up on her very much resembled wild dogs feasting on prey, which is probably the image they were going for. And then it was pretty cool how Sven did that back flip and tossed the Hounds into each other. Still, the problem with such a short series is that you don’t really connect with the characters much, so a death like Mudie’s doesn’t really mean anything.
This episode also featured some cameos by Azrael, Sting, and Stellar. I think Neo was in the Stellar/Sting scene too, but there wasn’t a clear shot of him except a distance one from the back of the head. In terms of timeline, this episode lands right around GSD episode 31, where Sting and Neo brought Stellar onboard the Bonaparte. In contrast, the first episode of STARGAZER occurred around GSD episode 7, after Junius Seven fell on Earth. That seems like a big jump, though I don’t remember how much actual time passed between those episodes.
But like I said, I’m a bit uneasy about the story because it seems like we haven’t gotten enough development of the characters and the story, and next episode (coming September 22nd) is already the final one. I just don’t think they can conclude in a satisfactory enough manner with only 15 more minutes. Oh well, I’ll reserve judgment until I see the final episode.
As a final note, I love listening to the ending song more and more. The single is due out next week.

44 Comments

  1. definately different the gs and gsd.

    there is no way Mudie would have died if fukada was directing this.

    thank god he isnt xD

    but yeah, definetaly didnt expect Duel to get trashed already lol

    Mav
  2. 2nd row, 2nd pic.

    Doesn’t that guy look like WuFei form Wing?

    That’s Mudie.

    I knew that there was something about her design that I didn’t like. Couldn’t quite put my finger on it ’til Wufei was mentioned.

    CoffeeAddict
  3. i’m pretty sure the next epsiode is going to take place when stella start pilot destroy gundam, just look at how sting is dressed, and stellar’s condition, and AUEL is not there because he had already been killed by shinn. very interesting indeed… maybe we will get to see FREEDOM destorys DESTORY!

    jj
  4. Mav, cause poorly developed fodder never bought it in Seed or Destiny, right? Especially from the EA, lol. *coughthedruggiestheextendedtheastraygirlsHeineMiguelNicholTollecough* No, Mudie died like exactly the kind of seed based character she was. Nothing special there.

    jj, yeah first ep was around Junius drop, and this one is apparently when they are transporting the first Destory. Who knows when the last ep will take place.

    浪ちゃん~, it’s a flashback; he’s still dead.

    cordon
  5. Aww shit…..and I thought I’ll finally get to see Blu Duel kick some ass…can’t believe its gone that fast….damn….they should have extend it to 25 min instead of just 15 min.

    dward
  6. Well, at least they’re not afraid to kill main characters – and we get to see the dirty side of the war too, with another apparent graduate of the Druggie/Extended program in the form of Sven. Still, I do have to wonder how they’re going to close all this, given how.. crammed.. the story seems.

    Haesslich
  7. the thing that is somewhat disturbing was the wiping clean of the refugee camp.

    Sven is lacking of heart in this episode, and now we know why those daggers with the striker packs are calles “Dagger Slaughter” >.>;;

    one funny thing tho – never knew that HMTL is essential to start up an advanced AI system 😀

    seaotter
  8. anyone besides me paying attention to how in the end, sven is another experiment, the EA making another brainwashed killing machine, like the extendeds and the druggies? puts in perspective how blue cosmos gets all it’s recruits; kill the parents and then mindrape the kids untill they don’t think for themselves much, and who knows what they were injecting the bugger with. I almost pity him. almost.

    Z
  9. They aren’t going to give me the satisfaction of seeing Cagalli and Athrun together, are they? Those guys have no respect for what we fans go through do to their inability to FINISH a stupid storyline….razzin frazzin…somebody tell me that in the manga everything is alright?!?!!?! please…

    December Rogue
  10. @December Rogue: You’re bitching out the wrong crew, hon. These aren’t the people who butchered AxC in GSD, because they’re a completely different team from the ones who did GSD. And the odds of Athrun and Cagalli, who have precisely zip to do with either DSSD or Phantom Pain, are about 1,000,000: 1 against.

    X
  11. please…no more KIra/Athrun things..They really screwed up the story if they appear(poor…poor seed destiny..).Anyway The strike Noir is great,and stargazer is awesome.Next is the final eh..Hope to see Stargazer real action…

    Cassea_Hazashi
  12. OK,would anyone tell me what’s going on around here?(i saw the episode that stella die…how come there still her picture in this season?)And Cassea_Hazashi i don’t know who you are but how can you said that Kira and Athrun swcrewed up the the story?! They are like the best character i have seen! And one more thing i think that the thing that swcrewed up the story is that freaking strike noir and stargazer what ever things!!!

  13. well there is going to be only 3 episodes in Stargazer… however my theory is that something important happened while in that perioud of time. After Stargazer is finish they will start a whole new series after the defeat of Dullindal and include the characters from GSD and GS

    runtzguy
  14. if they do do a third season to gundam seed destiny or whatevery they would call it…i would rather have them do it more like this ver.I think the direction is way better…theres more reality to it.

    kotoro
  15. Amuro is better than Kira in my opinion hehehe…OK every1 have their own thinking about the chara’s.I like Kira in Seed,but hate him in the middle of Destiny story.The whole Strike Freedom thing is stupid,the story became more idiotic,because the director tried to expose Kira & AThrun,he forget Shinn,and finally Shinn doesn’t become the hero(aagh…i miss camille…),but Kira is.The stupid 1?Mitsuo Fukuda.But Stargazer tried to be different,and for the whole plamo-commercial things,i think this series is good enough…And stargazer design is so…good..

    PRV-002 Revolution Gundam
  16. Fukuda is the stupid 1 bro…ANd he make the Kira & AThrun played stupid in this idiotic scenario(Read: Destiny).Kira&Athrun is good character,but in destiny they are no different than in Seed series,finally they became character that seems destroy the scenario…..What a pity..

    Alberl Escalia

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