CAT1-X Hyperion Gundam series

This article is about a fictional weapon from the Cosmic Era of the anime Gundam metaseries.

The CAT1-X Hyperion Gundam series are a trio of mobile suits that figure prominently in the "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray" stories. CAT1-X1/3 Hyperion Unit 1 and CAT1-X2/3 Hyperion Unit 2 appear in the manga "X Astray", and CAT1-X3/3 Hyperion Unit 3 makes appearances in the photonovel "Astray B" and the novelization of "Destiny Astray". The most important of these is the Hyperion Unit 1, which is piloted by Canard Pars, one of the main characters of "X Astray".

Overview

The Hyperions are depicted as advanced prototypes of the Earth Alliance's Eurasian Federation, created in order to surpass the Atlantic Federation as the dominant member of the Alliance. The three units are identical, with the exception of Unit 1 being red, white, and gray rather than blue and gray like Units 2 and 3. They are armed with a pair of beam cannons, a beam sub-machine gun, 5 beam knives, and a pair of head-mounted CIWS guns. Their main feature, which distinguishes them from other Cosmic Era machines, is a beam shield system called "Armure Lumiere". This system can project either a globe completely surrounding the mobile suit or two triangular arm-mounted beam shields. The globe configuration renders the Hyperion units essentially impervious to attack, but can only operate for about 5 minutes before draining their batteries to critical levels.

The first Hyperion to be introduced is Unit 1, which appears in the opening chapter of "X Astray". Its pilot Canard Pars confronts Lowe Guele, while attempting to locate Kira Yamato, the main character of the anime "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED". Lowe barely escapes this battle alive, and Canard is assigned a new mission to steal ZAFT's new Neutron Jammer Canceller technology. This mission leads to battles with Gai Murakumo and Prayer Reverie, among others. The mission is soon cancelled when, as shown in "Gundam SEED", the Alliance gains N-Jammer Canceller technology through other means. Canard and his special operations team respond by deserting the Eurasian Federation, and stealing their battleship and the then badly damaged Hyperion Unit 1. When Hyperion Unit 2, piloted by Balsam Arendo, is sent to stop them, Canard reconfigures Unit 1's beam shield into a spear and pierces Unit 2's shield. Arendo is killed, and the wrecked Unit 2 is used as spare parts for Unit 1. Canard then steals an N-Jammer Canceller and miniature nuclear reactor from the Ptolemaeus Moon Base and equips it on Unit 1, informally renaming it "Super Hyperion".

Prayer, piloting the YMF-X000A Dreadnought Gundam, then confronts Canard in a final battle. The Dreadnought's DRAGOONs are used to trap the Super Hyperion in a beam barrier, and Canard causes the nuclear reactor to go critical while trying to blast his way free. Canard manages to escape the cockpit, and Prayer uses Dreadnought's body to shield him from the ensuing blast. Prayer dies shortly afterward, and the surviving parts from both wrecked mobile suits are used to produce Canard's next mobile suit, the YMF-X000A/H Dreadnought H.

Hyperion Unit 3 plays a much smaller role, appearing in a chapter of "Astray B" while defending the space fortress Artemis. Unit 3 is attacked by Serpent Tail mercenary Gai Murakumo in the MBF-P03 Gundam Astray Blue Frame 2nd L. Gai discovers that his anti-beam coated Tactical Arms sword can pierce the lightwave barrier (He tried a similar tactic against the first unit with limited success), and it to destroy Unit 3's cockpit, killing its unnamed pilot.

The wrecked Unit 3 is later salvaged and repaired by the Junk Guild, and given to Eurasian freedom fighter Ivan Zamboise, in events depicted in the novelization of "Destiny Astray". Zamboise is part of the western Eurasian independence movement that is briefly mentioned in "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny".

pecifications

CAT1-X1/3 Hyperion Unit 1

Manufacturer: Earth Alliance/Eurasian Federation
Users: Earth Alliance
Unit type: prototype attack use mobile suit
Head height: 16.9 meters
Base weight: 54.7 metric tons
Special equipment: "Armure Lumiere" mono-phase lightwave shield system, Neutron Jammer Canceller ("Super Hyperion" only)
Powerplant: ultracompact energy battery, power output rating unknown (original design, later upgraded through addition of Neutron Jammer Canceler)
Armament: multi-barrel CIWS x2, "Romteknica" RBW Type 7001 beam knife x4, "Zastava Stigmate" RFW-99 beam submachinegun with "Romteknica" RBW Type 7001 beam bayonette x2, "Forfanterie" beam cannon x2
Pilot: Canard Pars

CAT1-X2/3 Hyperion Unit 2

Manufacturer: Earth Alliance/Eurasian Federation
Users: Earth Alliance
Unit type: prototype attack use mobile suit
Head height: 16.9 meters
Base weight: 54.7 metric tons
Special equipment: "Armure Lumiere" mono-phase lightwave shield system
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery, power output rating unknown
Armament: multi-barrel CIWS x2, "Romteknica" RBW Type 7001 beam knife x4, "Zastava Stigmate" RFW-99 beam submachinegun with "Romteknica" RBW Type 7001 beam bayonette x1, "Forfanterie" beam cannon x2
Pilot: Balsam Arendo

CAT1-X3/3 Hyperion Unit 3

Manufacturer: Earth Alliance/Eurasian Federation
Users: Earth Alliance
Unit type: prototype attack use mobile suit
Head height: 16.9 meters
Base weight: 54.7 metric tons
Special equipment: "Armure Lumiere" mono-phase lightwave shield system
Powerplant: Ultracompact energy battery, power output unknown
Armament: multi-barrel CIWS x2, "Romteknica" RBW Type 7001 beam knife x4, "Zastava Stigmate" RFW-99 beam submachinegun with "Romteknica" RBW Type 7001 beam bayonette x1, "Forfanterie" beam cannon x2
Pilot: Ivan Zamboise

Trivia

*The name Hyperion comes from the figure in Greek mythology.

Externam links

* [http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/xastray/cat1-x1-3.htm CAT1-X1/3 Hyperion Unit 1 - MAHQ]
* [http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/xastray/cat1-x2-3.htm CAT1-X2/3 Hyperion Unit 2 - MAHQ]
* [http://www.mahq.net/mecha/gundam/astrayb/cat1-x3-3.htm CAT1-X3/3 Hyperion Unit 3 - MAHQ]