Bask Om
Colonel and field commander of the Titans who orchestrated genocidal campaigns against Spacenoids.
Bask Om was a colonel and field commander of the Titans during the Gryps Conflict. He was one of the most notorious figures in the Earth Federation Forces, known for his xenophobic hatred of Spacenoids and his willingness to employ brutal genocidal tactics to maintain Earth supremacy.
Bask was instrumental in the creation of the Titans organisation following Operation Stardust and became their field commander by UC 0087. His actions during the Gryps Conflict included ordering the mass murder of civilians through poison gas attacks and using civilian hostages to achieve tactical objectives.
Biography
Early career
Little is known about Bask Om’s early life, though by some accounts he spent part of the One Year War as a prisoner of war in Zeon custody. This experience, if true, may have contributed to his virulent hatred of Spacenoids. Some sources suggest he suffered vision damage during his imprisonment, which would explain his constant use of red goggles, though he was observed to function normally without them.
Operation Stardust
During Operation Stardust in UC 0083, Bask served as a member of the Earth Federation Forces and was placed in charge of the newly constructed Solar System II superweapon. His mission was to destroy the Delaz Fleet’s colony drop threatening Earth. When Anavel Gato damaged the weapon’s control ship, reducing its effectiveness, Bask became enraged at his failure to stop the advancing colony.
Against the pleas of his subordinates, who warned that friendly Federation forces would be caught in the blast, Bask ordered a second bombardment of the Solar System II directed at the Delaz Fleet itself. The attack destroyed mobile suits from both sides, including Kou Uraki’s RX-78GP03 Gundam “Dendrobium”, but failed to prevent the colony from reaching Earth.
Following the colony drop, Bask gave a speech arguing that the Delaz Fleet’s actions demonstrated Earth’s vulnerability to external threats. He announced the formation of an elite counter-insurgency force: the Titans. Arguably, Bask and Jamitov Hymen were the individuals who most benefited from Operation Stardust, as the tragedy provided them with the political support necessary to create their new organisation.
Formation of the Titans
Bask became one of the founding members and the field commander of the Titans, working closely with supreme leader Jamitov Hymen. The organisation was ostensibly created to hunt down remaining Zeon remnants and maintain security in the Earth Sphere, but under Bask’s leadership it became a tool for Earthnoid supremacy and the systematic oppression of Spacenoids.
Gryps Conflict
By UC 0087, Bask had risen to become the field commander of the Titans and oversaw much of their “dirty work” in maintaining control over Spacenoids. His tenure was marked by shameless orders for mass murder, including the use of G-3 poison gas to eliminate entire colony populations.
Hostage tactics
At the start of the Gryps Conflict, Bask used Kamille Bidan’s parents as hostages to pressure the Anti-Earth Union Group into returning the stolen Gundam Mk-II prototypes from the Titans’ headquarters at Green Noa II. This tactic resulted in the death of Kamille’s mother, Hilda Bidan, at the hands of Jerid Messa. The brutality of this action disgusted Titan pilot Emma Sheen, who helped Kamille and his father Franklin escape with the Mk-II prototypes.
Colony 30 incident
One of Bask’s most notorious atrocities was the Colony 30 incident, where he ordered the entire population of a space colony to be killed with G-3 poison gas to end an anti-Earth rally. This action exemplified his complete disregard for civilian life and his willingness to commit genocide to achieve political objectives.
Command of Gryps 2
In December UC 0087, Bask took command of the Titan flagship Dogosse Giar and began using the deadly Gryps 2 colony laser as a superweapon to attack space colonies. This marked the height of his power within the Titans organisation.
Death
After Jamitov Hymen’s death at the hands of Paptimus Scirocco, Bask stood as the only obstacle preventing Scirocco from acquiring complete control over the Titans. During a mission involving Rosamia Badam piloting the MRX-010 Psycho Gundam Mk-II, Reccoa Londe and other allies of Scirocco attacked Bask’s ship. In the ensuing confusion, Reccoa destroyed the Dogosse Giar with a direct shot to the bridge, killing Bask.
In the compilation movie trilogy, Bask was instead killed by Yazan Gable during the three-way battle between the AEUG, Titans, and Axis.
Personality and traits
Bask Om was characterised by his brutal and despicable nature, driven by a deep xenophobic hatred of Spacenoids. He was extremely arrogant and had no qualms about physically abusing anyone who questioned his orders, including fellow Federation officers. His large and intimidating figure—standing nearly two metres tall—allowed him to exert control through both verbal and physical intimidation.
Bask’s tactics were completely devoid of human decency due to his lack of respect for human life. He showed no remorse when civilians were caught in battles and frequently attacked enemies without regard for friendly forces in the line of fire. His preferred methods were severe, and he expected absolute obedience from his subordinates.
Despite his brutality, Bask possessed tactical brilliance and was able to maintain control over strong-willed officers through fear and intimidation. His commitment to Earth supremacy appeared genuine rather than self-serving, as he consistently prioritised the advancement of the Titans organisation over personal gain.
Skills and abilities
Bask Om was recognised as a tactical genius whose command was feared for its ruthless efficiency. His ability to maintain discipline among dangerous subordinates demonstrated his mastery of leadership through intimidation and fear. He was skilled at employing aggressive tactics to suppress dissent and was not hesitant to use massive firepower even when friendly forces were at risk.
His political acumen was evident in his successful manipulation of the aftermath of Operation Stardust to gain support for the Titans’ creation. Despite numerous operational failures, he managed to rise through the ranks and secure significant influence within the Federation command structure.
Relationships
Jamitov Hymen
Jamitov Hymen, as the supreme leader of the Titans, was the only individual for whom Bask held any respect. This was due to their shared beliefs in Earthnoid supremacy and totalitarian methods. While the two were rarely seen interacting during the Gryps Conflict, Jamitov clearly held Bask in high esteem, appointing him as both the Titans’ field commander and the public face of their military structure.
Paptimus Scirocco
Despite being a fellow Titan and capable soldier, Bask held Paptimus Scirocco in low regard due to his Spacenoid origins. Bask openly distrusted Scirocco despite multiple pledges of loyalty to Jamitov. His attitude of allowing Scirocco to operate freely as long as he didn’t act against the Titans ultimately led to Jamitov’s death and Scirocco’s uprising.
Reccoa Londe
Bask openly distrusted former AEUG member Reccoa Londe, especially since she was inducted into the Titans by Scirocco. Convinced she was acting as a spy for the AEUG, Bask commanded Reccoa to prove her loyalty by gassing a space colony, and physically assaulted her when she questioned the orders. Despite Reccoa’s genuine defection, she ultimately killed him on Scirocco’s behalf during the climax of the Gryps Conflict.
Bright Noa
Despite Bright Noa’s status as a legendary war hero from the One Year War, Bask held little respect for him due to Bright’s strong disagreement with his brutal tactics. After physically attacking Bright for questioning civilian casualties, Bask refused to acknowledge him while other Titan soldiers mocked the former White Base captain. Ironically, this abuse led to Bright’s defection to the AEUG, creating one of the Titans’ most dangerous enemies.
Behind the scenes
Bask Om was voiced by the late Daisuke Gōri in Japanese across all his appearances. Gōri was known for his deep, booming voice that made him ideal for villainous roles. He passed away on 17 January 2010 at the age of 57, three weeks before his 58th birthday, in what was ruled a suicide. His death was attributed to depression caused by deteriorating eyesight from diabetes, which prevented him from continuing his voice acting career.
In English, Bask has been voiced by several actors including Noah Umholtz in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Don Fischer in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory.
The character’s design emphasises his intimidating presence through his large stature and distinctive red goggles, which have become his trademark visual element. His completely bald appearance with no eyebrows further adds to his menacing appearance.
Appearances
- Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory - episode 13
- Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: The Afterglow of Zeon
- Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam - episodes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 13, 40, 43, 45, 48
- Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX - episode 6
- Dynasty Warriors: Gundam series
- SD Gundam G Generation series
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Gihren’s Greed