Cinema, TV
Cowboy Bebop



I love all anime but Bebop is one of my favorites. Email me about Bebop or any anime you like.


BACKGROUND
The year is 2071, and humanity has spread out across the Solar System. Mankind has yet to reach the stars: the technology still does not exist, and nor does the will. Swift travel is made possible by a network of phase differential gates. In 2022, during the development of the gates, a terrible accident caused a catastrophe in Earth orbit, damaging both the homeworld and the Moon. The surfaces were heavily irradiated, and humans had to evacuate. Using the very gates that had caused the disaster, mankind left for the planets and moons of the solar system.

Governments and ethnic groups were forgotten, but soon replaced by new allegiances and affiliations, as new communities formed. As in the period after WWII, the tough times brought super-fast developments; as the economy recovered, the underworld gained more power. The widening gap between rich and poor created a boom in criminal activity, in the period later termed the Roaring Twenties. The period saw the rise of numerous criminal syndicates, specialising in illegal activities such as drug-dealing.

As time passed, the planets and satellites became independent states, and a new generation grew up with no memories of the Earth. Gate technology became a trusted part of everyday life, and a necessary tool for the people. Interplanetary crime fell under the jurisdiction of the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP), an organisation which also introduced a bounty-reward scheme. Once registered, bounty-hunters were licensed to bring criminals to justice in exchange for high rewards. This created a new class of bounty-hunters (the “cowboys”) – it is estimated that there are up to 300 thousand “cowboys” chasing criminals around the Solar system.

2071: love it or leave it.


Spike is a bounty hunter from Mars. He was born on 26th June and is 27 years old. His blood type is O. His favorite ship is his speedster, the Swordfish II. His preferred gun is a Jericho 941. He is devotee of Bruce Lee, and a master of Jeet Kune Do. In his youth, he was heavily involved with the Red Dragon crime syndicate, until three years ago, when he met with a serious “accident” under suspicious circumstances. Now he lives aboard the Bebop with Jet, and the two are permanently low on funds. He rarely talks about his past, but seems to have plenty of experience at martial arts and gunfights. He has the ability to see risks ahead, but this doesn’t stop him putting himself in danger: he often faces unnecessary hazards. It would seem that his recklessness comes not from overconfidence in his abilities, but from a lapsed sense of self-preservation. He lacks fear because he has nothing left to lose.


Jet Black is a bounty hunter from the Jovian satellite Ganymede. He was born on 3rd December and is 36 years old. His blood type is A. His favorite space ship is the converted tug Hammer Head. His preferred gun is Walther P99. He worked as a police officer at ISSP (Inter Solar System Police) on Ganymede, where he gained the nickname “Black Dog.” He left the force in the aftermath of an almost-fatal accident. His injuries were so severe that he required cybernetic enhancement, including an artificial arm (a strange choice for 2071, since medical techniques could easily grow him an organic replacement). Now he works as a bounty hunter, drawing on the network of contacts he first established in the ISSP. His hobbies include bonsai, space horse-races, reading and cookery: his specialty is Fried Beef and Green Peppers… just without the beef. He created the Bebop by redecorating a second-hand trawler. If he marries, he would make a great househusband, but he never seems to have much luck with women.


A former fugitive from bounty-hunters, Faye has now switched sides. Her apparent age is 23, though she is actually in her seventies. Her birthday is 14th August, and her blood type is B. Her favorite space craft is the Redtail. Her preferred gun is a Glock 30. She is in heavy debt, thanks to compulsive gambling and the prohibitive medical bills from Cold Sleep. Perhaps because of this, her obsession with money is greater than either Spike’s or Jet’s. When she first encountered Spike and Jet, she claimed to be a Romany, though this was patently untrue. In fact, she lost her memory in Cold Sleep, and remembers nothing of her life before she was frozen. Her missing past troubles her almost as much as its expensive consequences – her amnesia only aggravates a temper that is already short. Her quest to discover who she really is one of the central themes of the series.


She is a genius hacker who once went by the name Radical Edward. She was born on Earth, on 1st January, and claims to be 13 years old. Her blood type is AB, and she is often mistaken for a boy. She uses a custom computer that she built herself, which she calls Tomato. She heard about Spike and company on the Internet, and invited herself to join the crew of the Bebop. She has a feral quality that shows in her gangling walk and flapping arms – perhaps this is why she gets on so well with Ein. Ein looks like a normal male Welsh corgi, and joined the Bebop crew before Faye and Ed. He is really a data-dog, developed by a research organisation. To the right buyer, a dog of Ein’s abilities would command an astronomical price. Between them – a dog with human intelligence and a girl with animal instinct – they make a perfect team.


Vicious is a “made-man,” a leading figure in the Red Dragon crime syndicate. He is 27 years old, but of unknown origin. One of the secrets of his success is his trademark katana – the Japanese sword he refuses to give up, not even when he was posted to the Titan front in the military. He loves edged weapons, and has used them to slice his way to the top. He and Spike fell out over a woman called Julia, and he is still out for revenge – he is believed to have had some involvement in the “accident” that befell Spike three years ago. He is a hard-line criminal, sickened by the syndicate’s moderate approach and the recent move into legal, commercial areas – Mao Yenrai, leader of the moderates, already fell prey to Vicious in episode five. Ultimately, it is obvious that Vicious will make a bid for power, fighting the leaders of his own syndicate. Cruel and cold-hearted, he trusts nobody and uses everyone – is the black bird on his shoulder his only friend?


Her estimated age is 27. We only know two things about her: that she helped Spike after his accident three years ago, and that a year later, she was seen on Callisto. Believed to be an old flame of Spike’s, she appears to be on the run from other members of the syndicate; she was seen hiding from Vicious, and getting information from Spike’s Red Dragon associate Shin (Lin’s brother, see episodes 12 and 13). However, it becomes clear she cannot escape her destiny, and she finally makes her move in the penultimate episode. What happened between Julia, Spike and Vicious all those years ago…?


Machinery
Life in the late 21st century is not so different from our own time. People still have airplanes, cars, ships, weapons and computers. The difference lies in the space ships – MONO (Machine Operation Navigation of Outer space). This hardware includes the airframe control mechanics, navigation system and auto-calculation software. All space ships have MONO installed, leading to the term “MONO pod” for cockpits and escape vessels.

Because all spacecraft carry MONO systems as standard, they are called MONO Machines, but this term tends only to be used for small to medium-sized craft. Strictly speaking, there are distinctions between the MONO Racer, MONO Boat and MONO Carrier classes, but this is often negelected in everyday speech.

The TV series showcased many civil MONO Machines are shown, but in the movie we finally get the chance to see the military variants.


Phase Difference Space
The science of Spatial Alternation Dynamics is based on the theory that our universe phases in and out of existence, blinking on and off every 1/48th second. According to the hypothesis, our entire existence disappears every 1/48th second, to be momentarily replaced with another dimension, known as Phase Difference Space. Since Phase Difference Space is 1/240th the size of our own universe, it is possible to travel 240 times as fast within it, assuming that one can both enter and exit the new dimension at the appropriate times.

The devices used to enter the new dimension are known as Phase Difference Space Gates. By entering them, travel times are greatly accelerated, reducing the Earth-to-Mars transit time to between 13 and 24 hours. These future equivalents of 20th century Earth’s “highways” are operated by the Gate Public Corporation, which charges a toll on all traffic.

The invention of the gates made it possible to deliver vast amounts of materials and energy (including sunlight itself) to distant planets, consequently making it immensely easier to make these worlds suitable for human habitation. This process is known as terraforming.


The Bebop
Converted interplanetary trawler / 142m long / 69.2m wide/ 45.6m high/ weight 1567t

Jet purchased the ship second-hand, installing a supercharged communication system and larger engines to make her suitable for bounty-hunting. She was originally an interplanetary trawler for use on the Seas of Ganymede, designed to both catch fish and transport them under refrigeration to other worlds. Spike and Jet use the Bebop as their home base, though she so large that not even they can claim to have investigated all her cabins and holds.


Swordfish II
High speed fighter/ 13.8m long/ 13.3m wide/ 4.8m high (including guns)/ weight 8.4t

The Swordfish is Spike’s MONO Racer. Originally developed for high-speed sport, it was remodelled and fitted with armaments by Spike’s friend Doohan. It has four wing-mounted machine guns and a laser cannon attached to the underside. The main engine is a nuclear fusion aero-spike, and the booster nozzle is reconfigured as a short-range impulse drive. Spike has used this machine for over a decade.


VTOL loaded with heavy fire arm/ 8.6m long/ 7.2m wide/ 5.4m high (including guns)/ weight 7.2t

The Redtail is Faye’s MONO Carrier. It has two triple-geared engine for use in atmospheres, and a fusion rocket motor for vacuum. It also has a superior VTOL system. Various equipment can be added in modular form, making it a flexible multi-purpose craft. In its basic configuration, Faye has it loaded with weaponry, both bought off the rack and customised with her own unique modifications.


Hammerhead
High output tug boat/ 21.5m long/ 12/3m wide/ 7.7m high/ weight 15.3t

The Hammerhead is Jet’s MONO Boat – a small trawler auxiliary vessel, remodelled with a heavy engine and extra propellant tank for power and range. Though it does not have any weapons, it is a powerful machine, with a grappling claw, magnetic clamp, anchor rod and winch.



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Cowboy Bebop (Cinema, TV)    -    Author : Julian - USA


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last update : 2011-07-24

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