"I am merely a vessel"
The Sleeves, those who thirst for the power of Laplace’s Box and the power to render the rule of the Earth Federation null, only to strive for freedom by war and indiscriminate violence rather than peace and understanding. Their leader has no true name. He is The Red Comet, The Ghost of Char, The Pioneer of the Sleeves and The Captain. He is seemingly the reincarnation of the past “hammer of judgement” that lead the second Neo Zeon war 16 years ago. And because of this act of uncanny impersonation, he is an impossible and unnatural being. Banagher’s initial impression of this man captures his existence. “Is he human?” Banagher can only get the feeling that his presence is “artificial” and even “part of the decorations in the room” rather than an actual human being. This is only reinforced by his physical appearance. Even after removing the mechanical mask that hid his true face, his expression was somehow impossibly flawless, his blue eyes felt like an illusion as his stare and voice were “machine-like”, and upon shaking his hand, it felt as if it belonged to a puppet rather than a man. The Captain is described as inhuman and an object in relation to his role. “The me now stipulates myself as a vessel. This vessel is used to carry out the thoughts of the people who were abandoned into space, and inherit the grand wish of those who inherit Zeonism. If they hope for it, I’ll become Char Aznable. This mask exists for that.” He sees himself as a mere vessel for the will of Zeon, the embodiment of his people, rather than his own person. His mask becomes a symbol of this. The mask hides his true face and allows him to become one with ideas instead of an individual. "'Char Aznable is a man who lost.' and on hearing that, Pepe’s trembling face was reflected on the window. 'And he’s a dead man. The reason why I put on this mask is because I know that death made Char’s name a legend. Thus, I’m just playing a role. I have no interest in whether he’s alive or not.' 'Then, you don’t have any intent to remove that mask in the end, is that right?' 'I don’t feel there’s a need to do so. In front of you, that is.'" | The legacy of The Red Comet |
The Captain's Rose
Upon Banagher and The Red Comet’s first face to face (rather than blade to blade) encounter, the lavish décor of the office of the current leader of Neo Zeon had an overwhelming artificial presence, fitting for the headquarters of a man described as such. However, a lone object radiated life in this void of inanimateness; a lone, blood-red rose stood upon his desk. As revealed later, this is treated as no normal rose. Angelo, the Captain’s devout protégé, changes the rose daily, despite the extremely difficult and impractical means of obtaining these roses in a distant quarry satellite like Palau. In this perpetual expression of dedication to him and his cause, Angelo questions whether or not The Captain actually notices him, thus becoming a symbol of his unrecognized and undying devotion. Angelo looks into this rose and sees it as The Captain for who he truly is, he sees him as more than just a vessel; he sees him as a human. The rose is red, the color of The Captain and the color of “the flames of change that engulf him”. Red is the color of that man who “saw the abyss of this space” and returned to the realm of the living to save it. As Angelo replaces the rose after the incident with Banagher, he takes notice of the empty vase and recalls the word “vessel” and feels apathetic for the man he sees as being exhausted for bearing the burden of the world. Angelo is the closest man to the Captain, he is the only one who sees his underlying suffering; he is the only one that sees more as “the ghost of Char Aznable”. |