Quattro Bajeena
| Quattro Bajeena | |
|---|---|
 Quattro Bajeena and his mobile suit, the Hyaku Shiki. | |
| First Seen: | Zeta Gundam Episode 1, "The Black Gundam" |
| Affiliation: | A.E.U.G. |
| Voice Actor: | Shuichi Ikeda |
Lieutenant Quattro Bajeena (aka Lt. Quattro) is one of the main protagonists of Zeta Gundam. He is a mobile suit pilot for the Anti-Earth United Government (A.E.U.G.) as well as one of the founding members. He most often serves aboard the A.E.U.G. cruiser Argama. He displays a strong disdain for the Titans, an elite unit of the Earth Federation Forces and the chief group of antagonists in Zeta. Lt. Quattro views that organization as an oppressive force upon all those who live in space colonies, and fights to suppress their influence out of his deep, selfless yet unexplainable affection for all Spacenoids.
Contents
Personal Information
Background
Very little is known about Quattro's past before the events of Zeta Gundam, but the audience can safely assume that he was a rank-and-file mobile suit pilot for the Republic of Zeon during the One Year War. His military record during the OYW was apparently of no long-term importance, as it is not mentioned in Zeta. However, his wingmen on the Argama's Rick Dias team look up to Quattro as not just a superior officer and accomplished mobile suit pilot, but as something of a folk hero (for reasons Zeta's writing staff neglected to explain to the audience). For instance, out of admiration for Lieutenant Quattro, his wingmen often call him "Captain" or "Commander," but never in front of the other crew as so not to offend the captain of the Argama, Bright Noa.
Aside from these sparse hints about Quattro's past, we also know that before joining the A.E.U.G., he lived in obscurity on the space asteroid Axis, where he developed a special affinity for enormous black sunglasses. Later, he made the odd decision to join the Earth Federation Forces' mobile suit corps on Earth. However, he seems to have immediately regretted his decision, as he quickly joined a group of disgruntled former EFF members to help start the Anti-Earth Union Group.
Mentor Figure
During the events of Zeta Gundam, Quattro acts as a mentor to Kamille. Not only does he help the young ace hone his skills as a rookie mobile suit pilot and give the young boy advice on life and love (as a man who seems to know something about loving and and losing from past events which are unfortunately never illuminated to the audience). In a particularly memorable and heartfelt scene on board the Argama after Kamille's mother is killed and he is forced to take up arms against his father in an ambush by the Titans, Quattro asks Kamille if he has ever heard of a man named Char Aznable, a famous Zeon pilot who Quattro says he once knew, but never specifically divulges the nature of their connection. Obviously, Kamille knows of the famous hero of Zeon, and states that he "highly respects" Char Aznable (who everybody but diehard conspiracy theorists believes died in the battle of A Bao A Qu on New Year's Eve 0079). Capitalizing on their mutual knowledge of this great figure, Lt. Quattro surprises Kamille with the touching story of how that former icon of Zeon also lost his parents at a young age, and had to overcome heartbreak and tragedy in order to achieve such great things in his short life, which ended only after he died for a noble cause he believed in.
After this exchange, Char Aznable is never again mentioned in Zeta Gundam.
Distinguishing Characteristics
Most Important
Lt. Quattro's most notable visual feature is his affinity for black mirrored sunglasses which he wears even in places one typically does not find individuals wearing them, such as indoors or in the dark. There is a great deal of fan speculation surrounding Quattro's reasons for wearing these unique black shades so frequently. Some believe Quattro is simply quite shy, especially around recent acquaintances, using his glasses around strangers to help assuage crippling social anxiety. However, a larger percentage of the Gundam fanbase believes Quattro is just highly sun-conscious and thus appreciates the UV blocking properties of sunglasses as a means of avoiding the sun's harmful rays. Solar radiation is especially punishing in space as there is no atmosphere to filter out UV rays as there is on Earth. Additionally, sunglasses could be considered a basic survival tool for a space-based mobile suit pilot such as Quattro, as temporary blindness caused by a sudden glint of sunlight could leave a pilot disorientated and thus highly vulnerable to enemy attack. Note that another ace pilot, Amuro Ray, is also seen donning sunglasses in episodes of Zeta Gundam, giving additional weight to this theory. These are the only plausible reasons fans have been able to devise concerning Quattro's strict adherence to his trademark fashion quirk.
Other
Aside from the ever-present sunglasses, Quattro's appearance is not remarkable or peculiar in any way. Any resemblance to any person or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Mecha
Piloting Ability
Along with Kamille Bidan and Amuro Ray, Quattro is one of the best pilots in the A.E.U.G., or anywhere else. His prowess on the battlefield has caused many to invoke the imagery of a bright meteor streaking across the sky to describe his fighting style. He scores dozens of confirmed kills over the course of the series. The A.E.U.G. frequently relies on Quattro to engage enemy aces and advanced enemy units, be they from the Titans, the Earth Federation Forces itself, or later from Neo-Zeon. He exhibits lower-level Newtype abilities in battle.
Mobile Suits
RMS-099 Rick Dias
Early in the series, Quattro pilots an oddly colored Rick Dias. There are no special figures on his individual suit's performance capability. Thus, we can assume its abilities are in exact 1:1 parity with other Rick Dias units.
MSN-0100 Hyaku Shiki
Lt. Quattro later pilots the Hyaku Shiki, a formidable prototype suit notable for its golden beam-resistant coating.
Post-Zeta Notoriety
After the events in Zeta, Quattro falls from prevalence along with fellow Zeta protagonist Kamille Bidan. There is no reference to Lt. Quattro or his accomplishments after Zeta's conclusion. It is possible that Lt. Quattro chose to retire and disappear into obscurity after growing tired of war and wanting to eschew the fame he achieved as an A.E.U.G. pilot. A very small handful of dedicated fans further speculate that Quattro took the unprecedented step of assuming a false identity in order to live out his remaining days in a well-earned peace, but Gundam cannon offers no support for such a theory.
