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The ZERO system
is a kind of a cockpit system which is installed in a few Gundams
(Wing Zero & Epyon mainly; but it is installed in Sandrock for
one battle). It is also used by Dorothy Catalonia to control the Mobile
Dolls for the White Fang. The System improves the pilot's abilities to handle his Gundam by boosting his reflexes, he gets faster in making crucial decisions on the battlefield. This is done by hooking up the brain directly with the system - it bypasses normal human interfaces such as visual, and audial input by feeding the data directly into the brain. The pilot doesn't have to wait for his brain synapses to tell him what he saw or heard, the ZERO system will already have the information, and a suggestion for action ready. This system acts as a sixth sense, communicating directly with the brain. Some of the hallucinations caused by the ZERO system is often seen by the pilot as his undeniable future. This is only half true - the system analyses all options, suggest an action to be taken, and the possible result of those actions. So while it seem to have the ability to predict the future, it is only a possible future among endless others. There's no telling how the system chooses one particular "future", or whether ZERO manipulates this future to suit its "needs" or not. When there is no apparent target or mission, the pilot comes into danger of being manipulated by the system, who only seeks out possible targets and analyses the situation. The other hallucinations are caused by this direct brain interface - the ZERO system seeks out and retrieves needed information for the current situation, and communicates with the conscious part of the brain. Because of its danger to the pilot, the ZERO system was discarded by the Gundam Scientists, and not implemented in any other Gundams other than Wing Zero, which was not used (until Quatre found it). The first time all of the pilots use the ZERO system, they all go insane in one way or another. Hallucinations and violent behaviour is to be expected, as it is ZERO's way of operating. Quatre is said to have a "built in" ZERO system, and its effects can be likened to the Newtype abilities of other Gundam series. While the system improved the other pilots, Quatre got "overenhanced" since he didn't really need the ZERO system in the first place, and the massive in-data feedback loop caused his temporary insanity seen on screen in episode 24 and 25. The word ZERO is short for Zoning & Emotional Range Omitted System. In plain English, it literally translates out (from Japanese) to Territorial-Shifting and Reflex-Level Deficiency-Altering System. Or more nicely put - Range and Reflex Boosting System. |
