RGM-89S Prototype Stark Jegan – MechaBay

The RGM-89S Prototype Stark Jegan was a prototype assault mobile suit developed by Anaheim Electronics for anti-ship combat operations. It served as a testbed for the production RGM-89S Stark Jegan.

The “R” in the model code meant it was a Federation model¹ and the “GM” indicated that it was a Gundam mass production mobile suit. The “89” in the model code denoted that it was developed from the RGM-89 Jegan, and the “S” suffix indicated that it was a Stark-type variant designed for heavy assault operations.

History

Anaheim Electronics developed the RGM-89S Prototype Stark Jegan as a prototype mobile suit built as a mid-range fire support unit, created by making drastic modifications to the original RGM-89 Jegan. The overall performance was greatly increased over the standard Jegan, with the Prototype Stark Jegan serving as a functional testbed for the later RGM-89D Jegan Type D-based RGM-89S Stark Jegan.

A small number were produced for testing purposes. The Proto Stark Jegan was utilised by the Earth Federation Forces’ Londo Bell task force during the Laplace Incident in UC 0096, alongside the standard production RGM-89S Stark Jegan.

The RGM-89S Prototype Stark Jegan was one of the mobile suits supplied to the Londo Bell ship Nahel Argama as part of the ship’s reinforcements, and was then used in the attack on the asteroid Palau. During the Battle of Industrial 7, the Nahel Argama would launch the Proto Stark Jegan to defend the ship from the Sleeves’ mobile suit forces.

Design

The Proto Stark Jegan was created by making drastic modifications to the original RGM-89 Jegan, designed specifically for anti-ship combat. The prototype was fitted with additional leg armour and thrusters that could be ejected if needed, similar to the later production Stark Jegan.

Among the differences between the prototype version and the standard model was that the prototype model was not as heavily armoured as the production version. However, some of its body armour used Gundarium alloy making it more resistant to enemy projectiles than the standard Jegan’s titanium alloy ceramic composite armour.

The Proto Stark Jegan’s legs were fitted with additional armour, and new armaments were incorporated across the body, including a pair of machine guns and two sets of missile launchers. The large missile launcher was capable of mounting nuclear warheads, giving the prototype devastating anti-ship capabilities.

One distinctive feature of the prototype model was its protruding chest due to it being a two-seater, whilst the standard model reverted to needing only one pilot. The additional crew member served as a weapons operator, managing the complex missile systems and target acquisition.

The Proto Stark Jegan’s mobility was slower with the additional armour and armaments, but if necessary, they could be ejected to restore manoeuvrability. The mobile suit had an array of rocket thrusters that generated 78,500 kg of total thrust, providing adequate mobility despite the increased weight.

Armaments

The Proto Stark Jegan’s armament package was designed for anti-ship warfare, featuring both missiles and conventional weapons for versatility.

Machine cannons

The machine cannons were chest-mounted shell-firing weapons that had a high rate of fire but had little power and were generally ineffective against mobile suits, though they could damage lightly armoured areas such as sensors. These weapons were ideal for shooting down small, lightly armoured targets such as missiles or small vehicles.

3-tube medium missile launcher

The Proto Stark Jegan mounted a 3-tube medium missile launcher on each shoulder for anti-ship combat. These launchers provided the mobile suit with significant firepower against capital ships and large targets.

Large anti-ship missile launcher

The Proto Stark Jegan could be equipped with four large anti-ship missiles in place of the shoulder-mounted 3-tube missile pods. Each missile appeared capable of destroying a ship, making this the mobile suit’s most devastating armament. The large missile launcher was capable of mounting optional nuclear warheads, giving the prototype the potential to engage even the largest enemy vessels.

Hand grenades

Three hand grenades were stored in the grenade rack mounted on the left side of the waist. They could be thrown and timed to explode after several seconds as set by the pilot, or set to detonate when its sensors detected the metallic signal of extremely nearby enemy machines.

Beam saber

Like the original Jegan, the Proto Stark Jegan stored a beam saber in a rack on the right side of the waist for close combat. The beam saber used an I-field to contain Minovsky particles within the shape of a blade, allowing it to cut through almost any material.

Beam rifle

The Proto Stark Jegan could carry a beam rifle for ranged combat when not equipped with the full missile loadout. This provided the mobile suit with anti-mobile suit capabilities for escort and defensive missions.

Bazooka

The mobile suit could also be equipped with a bazooka for heavy anti-mobile suit combat. This weapon provided an alternative to the beam rifle for situations where physical projectiles were more effective.

Behind the scenes

Mika Akitaka was the original mechanical designer for the CCA-MSV and Gundam Unicorn anime versions of the Proto Stark Jegan, whilst Katoki Hajime designed the Gundam Unicorn novel version.

The Proto Stark Jegan originally appeared in Char’s Counterattack Mobile Suit Variations, where it was designed as part of the expanded mobile suit lineup for that conflict. It was later incorporated into the Gundam Unicorn timeline as a predecessor to the production Stark Jegan.

The initial design by Hajime Katoki that appears in the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn novel was based directly on the original Char’s Counterattack Mobile Suit Variations version by Mika Akitaka. The Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn OVA introduced an additional equipment loadout with large anti-ship missiles.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
Char’s Counterattack Mobile Suit Variations

External links

RGM-89S Prototype Stark Jegan on the Gundam Wiki
RGM-89S Prototype Stark Jegan on MAHQ

Federation in Japanese is renpou, hence the use of “R”. ↩