Andy Strauss

Andy Strauss (アンディ・ストロース, Andi Sutorōsu) was a Principality of Zeon mobile suit pilot and member of the elite Cyclops Team special forces unit during the One Year War. He participated in Operation Rubicon and survived the initial assault on the RX-78NT-1 Gundam “Alex”, though he was severely wounded and unable to continue the mission.

Biography

Andy Strauss served the Cyclops Team as its vehicle specialist and mobile suit pilot, participating in Operation Rubicon until severe wounds ended his combat effectiveness during the assault on the Gundam Alex.

Cyclops Team Service

Andy served as a mobile suit pilot within Cyclops Team, the special forces unit led by Lieutenant Hardie Steiner. The team included Mikhail Kaminsky, Gabriel Ramirez Garcia, and later Bernard Wiseman. Andy’s role as vehicle specialist made him valuable for the team’s diverse operational requirements.

Operation Rubicon

In December UC 0079, Cyclops Team infiltrated the neutral Side 6 colony cluster to destroy the RX-78NT-1 “Alex”, a prototype Gundam being developed for Amuro Ray. Andy participated in the team’s reconnaissance, infiltration, and ultimately the assault on the Federation development facility.

During the mission’s planning and preparation phases, Andy worked with his teammates to gather intelligence on the Alex’s capabilities and the facility’s defences. The team’s discovery that the Alex was designed specifically for Newtype pilots and intended for Amuro Ray elevated the mission’s urgency—preventing the Federation’s deadliest ace from receiving an even more powerful mobile suit could significantly impact the war’s final stages.

Battle and Injury

During the assault on the Federation facility on 24-25 December UC 0079, Andy piloted a mobile suit in the attack. The battle proved far more intense than anticipated, with Federation defenders mounting fierce resistance to protect their prototype.

In the brutal combat, Andy was severely wounded. The exact nature of his injuries and whether he survived the war remains unclear in official records, though he was unable to continue participating in the operation. Mikhail Kaminsky, Gabriel Ramirez Garcia, and Hardie Steiner were all killed in action, leaving Andy and Bernard Wiseman as the only survivors of the initial assault.

Bernie would subsequently pilot the MS-18E Kämpfer in a solo assault on the Alex, a mission that would claim his life as well, making Andy possibly the sole survivor of Cyclops Team.

Physical appearance

Andy Strauss had dark hair and brown eyes, his appearance reflecting his role as a professional special forces operative serving with the Cyclops Team.

Personality & traits

Andy Strauss embodied the professionalism of Zeon’s elite special forces. He served as Hardie Steiner’s best friend and the Cyclops Team’s vehicle specialist, bringing technical expertise and dedication to the unit’s missions. His death during the Arctic base assault deeply affected Steiner, contributing to the team leader’s growing disillusionment with the war.

Skills & abilities

Andy Strauss possessed expertise as a vehicle specialist, making him valuable for the Cyclops Team’s diverse operational requirements. He also served as a mobile suit pilot, participating in combat operations until his death during the Arctic base assault.

Relationships

Andy Strauss maintained close bonds with his Cyclops Team comrades, relationships forged through shared missions.

Hardie Steiner

Hardie Steiner served as Andy’s best friend and commanding officer. Their friendship was one of the few personal connections that transcended the professional military relationship within the unit. Andy’s death during the Arctic base assault deeply affected Steiner, contributing to his growing disillusionment with the war and his understanding that the Cyclops Team was being treated as expendable.

Equipment

Andy Strauss relied on mobile suits and vehicles during Cyclops Team operations, using his technical expertise as a vehicle specialist to support the unit’s diverse missions.

Legacy

Andy Strauss’s death during the Arctic base assault marked a turning point for the Cyclops Team, reducing the unit to four members and contributing to Hardie Steiner’s growing realisation that their missions were increasingly suicidal. His survival and severe wounding during Operation Rubicon served as a sobering reminder of the cost of the team’s mission—even “success” came at catastrophic human cost.

His fate also highlighted the tragedy of the mission’s timing—the operation succeeded on 25 December UC 0079, less than a week before Zeon’s defeat and the war’s end. All of Cyclops Team’s sacrifices, including Andy’s severe injuries, achieved an objective that had no impact on the war’s outcome.

Behind the scenes

Andy Strauss was created for Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket as part of the Cyclops Team. His role as a survivor who was too wounded to continue fighting added another layer to the OVA’s anti-war message—not all casualties die, and living with severe injuries and survivor’s guilt could be its own form of tragedy.

Character designer Mikimoto Haruhiko gave Andy a distinct visual design that made him recognisable among the Cyclops Team members during their brief screen time.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket

External links

Andy Strauss on the Gundam Wiki