Titans

The Titans (ティターンズ, Titānzu) were an elite autonomous counter-insurgency group formed by the Earth Federation in Universal Century 0083, following the events of Operation Stardust. Originally created to hunt down Zeon remnants and suppress anti-Federation movements, the Titans eventually evolved into a ruthless military faction that committed numerous atrocities against civilians, particularly Spacenoids. They served as the main antagonistic force during the Gryps Conflict.

History

Origins

The Titans were formed by the Federation Council on 4 December UC 0083, in response to Operation Stardust, during which the Federation lost over half its space fleet in a nuclear attack perpetrated by the Delaz Fleet, a Zeon loyalist remnant group. Convinced that Zeon remnants posed a legitimate threat, Federation Senior Financial Officer Jamitov Hymen advocated for the creation of a special forces unit with the power to act outside the law, arguing that the Federation’s safety outweighed citizens’ civil rights.

As this force grew more powerful, their objectives expanded beyond their original mandate to include suppression of any opposition to the Earth Federation. On 31 July UC 0085, a massive peaceful protest against the Titans’ actions was held in Side 1’s 30 Bunch (the 30th Colony in Side 1). After Federation Forces failed to calm the resulting riots, the Titans responded by shutting down the colony’s air supply and deploying G3 Gas, killing the entire population.

Gryps Conflict

When most Federation Council members refused to charge the Titans with wrongdoing over the Colony 30 incident, dissident citizens and Federation soldiers formed resistance movements known as the Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG) in space and Karaba on Earth. Initially, the Federation did not consider these movements significant, but as their resistance escalated into a civil war, the Earth Federation eventually ceded control of nearly all military operations to the Titans, including most of the Federal army.

The Titans’ cruelty and oppressive nature were exposed when the AEUG captured the Federation capital building in Dakar during a televised assembly of Federation leaders. When Char Aznable made a speech denouncing the Titans, they attempted to silence him by deploying mobile suits in populated areas of the city with complete disregard for civilian safety. Their actions were broadcast to the entire Earth Sphere, forcing the Earth Federation to publicly acknowledge the problem they had created.

With public support and Federation backing slipping away, the Titans were forced onto the offensive. In a twist of irony, they allied themselves with the recently returned Axis Zeon forces—the very enemy they were formed to oppose.

Towards the end of the Gryps Conflict, the AEUG successfully captured the Titans’ Gryps II colony laser, which they used to destroy the majority of the Titan fleet. The Titans’ leadership was ultimately lost in the ensuing three-way conflict between the AEUG, Titans, and Axis forces.

Legacy

Although most Titans personnel died in the conflict, survivors followed different paths. Many returned to the Earth Federation and either resumed military service or faced trials for their war crimes. Others unwilling to surrender formed rebel groups such as New Desides, but these were eventually eliminated by the Earth Federation’s Task Force Alpha in early UC 0088. The remaining Titans remnants either joined Axis Zeon in their preparations to invade Earth or fled to Mars seeking protection from ReZeon.

The Titans’ actions were considered such a blight that the Federation spent years removing almost everything associated with the group, including abandoning Zeon-style mobile weapons and mothballing the Alexandria-class heavy cruisers. The absence of the Titans and decommissioning of their remaining assets left a substantial gap in the Earth Federation’s defences, leaving them vulnerable to Neo Zeon for much of their conquest of the Earth Sphere in UC 0088.

Despite the Titans’ failure, the Federation still recognised the need for an anti-Zeon and counter-insurgency task force. In March UC 0090, Londo Bell was founded as a replacement for the Titans. Primarily composed of former AEUG and Karaba soldiers, Londo Bell aimed to handle conflicts more humanely, though it was still accused by some of continuing the Titans’ totalitarian legacy.

Organisation

The Titans operated under the sole control of Jamitov Hymen, functioning as his personal military and carrying out violent actions with impunity, outside the limits of the Federation’s supervision. Their ranks were primarily filled with pro-Earthnoid soldiers, most of whom harboured strong anti-Spacenoid sentiments and were known to use intimidation tactics even against civilians, fellow Federal soldiers, and lesser Titans officers.

Leadership

• Jamitov Hymen – The Titans’ founder and leader, a corrupt politician and high-ranking admiral who controlled the organisation from behind the scenes.
• Paptimus Scirocco – A powerful Newtype from Jupiter who allied with the Titans. He was an ace pilot, mobile suit engineer, and brilliant strategist who assumed leadership after assassinating Jamitov Hymen.
• Bask Om – Field commander of the Titans, notorious for using illegal methods in their quest to control Spacenoids and for physically abusing his own soldiers.

Notable members

• Jerid Messa – Titans mobile suit pilot and squad leader who became one of their premier ace pilots, developing a rivalry with AEUG pilot Kamille Bidan.
• Yazan Gable – A highly skilled veteran ace pilot known for his arrogance and disregard for the chain of command.
• Four Murasame – An artificially enhanced cyber-Newtype who piloted the MRX-009 Psycho Gundam.
• Emma Sheen – A Titans officer who defected to the AEUG after realising the Titans’ cruelty.
• Reccoa Londe – Originally an AEUG officer who defected to the Titans to serve under Paptimus Scirocco.

Major strategic locations

• Gryps – Located at the Side 7 colonies, used for secret mobile suit development. Noah 2 (Gryps 2) was later converted into a colony laser.
• Konpei Island (Formerly Solomon) – Space fortress formerly used by the Principality of Zeon that became an important base of operations after the UC 0083 attack on the EFF naval review.
• Kilimanjaro – A mountain fortress used as an alternative to Jaburo. It fell to AEUG/Karaba coalition forces shortly before the Dakar Speech, with Jamitov Hymen escaping moments before its capture.
• Gate of Zedan (Formerly A Baoa Qu) – Once known as the Zeon space fortress A Baoa Qu, it was renovated and recommissioned by the Titans before being destroyed in a collision with the asteroid Axis.

Uniforms and rank insignia

Initially, the Titans uniform was simply a recoloured version of the standard Earth Federation Forces uniform. In May UC 0087, two months into the Gryps Conflict, the Titans switched to a new model of uniform with elaborate chest markings that also served as rank insignias, ironically resembling those of the former Principality of Zeon.

Behind the scenes

The Titans inspired several antagonist factions in later Gundam series, including:

• OZ from New Mobile Report Gundam Wing, formed to combat perceived threats from space colonists
• The A-Laws in the second season of Mobile Suit Gundam 00, founded as an elite peacekeeping corps that committed atrocities in the name of their ideals
• Blue Cosmos/Logos/Phantom Pain from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and SEED Destiny, which promoted Earth supremacy
• Gjallarhorn from Mobile Suit Gundam IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS, an Earth-based peacekeeping force that grew corrupt over centuries

Despite being formed to hunt down Zeon remnants, most mobile suits used by the Titans featured distinctly Zeon-inspired designs. This was because many were developed by Anaheim Electronics after they acquired the mobile suit developers formerly employed by Zeon during the One Year War.

Appearances

Television series

• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
• Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (mentioned only)

Movies

• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation - Heirs to the Stars
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation II - Lovers
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation III - Love is the Pulse of the Stars

OVAs

• Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (formation)
• Gundam Evolve
• Gundam Sentinel (New Desides)
• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (mentioned only)

Manga

• Advance of Zeta: The Flag of Titans
• Advance of Zeta: The Traitor to Destiny

See also

• Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG)
• Operation Stardust
• Gryps Conflict
• Earth Federation Forces
• Londo Bell

External links

• Titans on the Gundam Wiki