Steiner Hardy

Steiner Hardy (シュタイナー・ハーディ, Shutainā Hādi) was the Zeon commando captain of the Cyclops Team who spearheaded Operation Rubicon’s hunt for the RX-78NT-1 Gundam “Alex” during the Libot incident in UC 0079.

Biography

Steiner’s record follows a Principality of Zeon commando who led the Cyclops Team in the hunt for the Federation’s RX-78NT-1 Gundam “Alex” during the Libot incident.

Recruitment into Cyclops Team

A veteran mobile suit pilot, Steiner transitioned into Zeon’s covert operations arm after demonstrating aptitude for reconnaissance and infiltration. Cyclops Team assignments placed him in politically sensitive theatres where conventional units risked sparking diplomatic crises, and Steiner’s calm leadership made him the natural choice for team captain.

Operation Rubicon

In December UC 0079, Steiner coordinated the Arctic strike on the Federation’s Alaska base to seize Alex development data. Although the raid failed, his extraction plan preserved the team’s core personnel and confirmed the prototype’s relocation to Side 6—intelligence that set up the Libot infiltration.

Libot infiltration and final assault

Disguised as refugees entering the neutral Libot colony, Steiner shepherded Bernard Wiseman, Gabriel Ramirez Garcia, and Andy Strauss through weeks of covert surveillance. When their cover collapsed, he led the desperate hangar assault on Christmas Eve UC 0079, sustaining fatal wounds under Federation defensive fire moments before ordering Bernard to complete the mission.

Physical appearance

Zeon personnel files describe Steiner as a broad-shouldered officer in his early thirties, sporting close-cropped brown hair, a trimmed beard, and the Cyclops Team’s customised field fatigues—olive jackets reinforced with ceramic plating and bearing the cyclopean wolf insignia.

Personality & traits

Within Cyclops Team, Steiner balanced stoic professionalism with paternal concern. He kept Garcia’s bravado in check, mentored Bernard’s inexperience, and maintained discipline without sacrificing empathy. Despite unwavering loyalty to Zeon, he harboured no illusions about the war’s toll, acknowledging the futility of certain sacrifices even as he executed orders.

Skills & abilities

Steiner combined reconnaissance acumen, sabotage expertise, and mobile suit proficiency. He orchestrated Arctic and Side 6 infiltration plans, piloted amphibious and urban-combat suits in constrained environments, and excelled at small-unit tactics that leveraged limited resources against superior numbers.

Relationships

Bernard Wiseman

Steiner treated Bernard as both subordinate and protégé, drilling him in undercover procedures and encouraging caution. Bernard’s reverence for Steiner would later drive his final sortie against the Alex.

Gabriel Ramirez Garcia & Andy Strauss

As captain, Steiner mediated between Garcia’s hot-headed aggression and Strauss’s pragmatic caution, preserving unit cohesion during the high-stress Libot mission.

Military career

Steiner held the rank of captain within Zeon’s covert operations corps. He reported directly to Zeon intelligence, coordinated with embassy assets in neutral colonies, and fielded the Z’Gok-E during the Arctic assault. His death during the Libot operation concluded the Cyclops Team’s campaign and foreshadowed Zeon’s imminent surrender.

Equipment

Steiner personally piloted the MSM-03C Hygogg during the Arctic phase of Operation Rubicon before transitioning to covert work inside Libot, where he coordinated the assembly and delivery of the MS-18E Kämpfer for Bernard Wiseman’s sortie rather than piloting it himself. He also carried standard Cyclops Team sidearms and demolition charges for sabotage objectives.

Legacy

Federation and Zeon debriefs alike cite Steiner’s professionalism as emblematic of Cyclops Team discipline. His leadership forged bonds that outlived the unit, influencing Bernard Wiseman’s tragic final decision and underscoring the human cost of clandestine warfare.

Behind the scenes

Steiner Hardy debuted in the 1989 OVA Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, directed by Takeyuki Kanda. He was voiced by Masashi Hirose in Japanese and Mark Drexler in the English dub.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket