08-05-2025
‘Gundam GQuuuuuuX' Unleashes The Black Tri-Stars, Sort Of
The new Rick Doms have a funky thruster "foot" at the rear.
In the latest episode of Gundam GQuuuuuuX, we're finally introduced to the Black Tri-Stars, or what's left of them.
This was a more surprising episode and actually added something more to the show. In that, the setup for a new clan battle against Ortega and Gaia from the Black Tri-Stars, we had a switcheroo with Pomeranian pilots.
With Challia Bull and his team still trying to find the GQuuuuuuX, although in a rather laid-back manner on the part of Challia, we see what happens to veterans of the war.
Hauling junk, Gaia and Ortega from the Black Tri-Stars aren't doing so great, while Mash is absent and living a more glamorous life. This leaves the remaining pair to enter clan battles in their old Rick Doms under the team name of Binarys and earn some extra cash.
The Rick Doms in this continuity are pretty similar but have an additional thruster 'foot' at the rear that's deployed for high thrust maneuvers. It's pretty neat actually.
In the original Mobile Suit Gundam, this also tracks as the Rick Doms were a space-only variant of the Dom, but were visually pretty much identical. So this design variance is a cool addition.
In any case, Gaia and Ortega do their version of the Jet Stream Attack, and things pan out in a way neither really expects.
For starters, Machu is late to the clan battle after defending Nyaan from some security guards, as she is apparently a refugee. After Machu kicks one of the guards squarely in the plums, Xavier saves her and they hide in a locker together.
Xavier is convinced Machu is the pilot of his GQuuuuuuX, but when the Gundam launches without her, both Machu and Xavier are suitably confused.
This is because Nyaan has taken Machu's place and for the initial fight, the Omega Psychommu isn't active and Nyaan gets hammered. This felt a lot like how Sayla Mass steals the Gundam in the original series, but Nyaan then breaks through and activates her Newtype abilities, which in turn activate the Omega Psychommu.
The result is a surprising fight and one where Shuji and Nyaan work well together, to the jealous horror of Machu.
While the re-jigged background of the series is a mess, this Newtype switch-up with Nyaan is interesting and implies more of a love triangle setup down the line, or even a more direct rivalry between Nyaan and Machu.
I do feel the overall layout of the series feels very messy, especially after the carefully considered Witch from Mercury, but the characters and story are doing interesting and surprising things finally, and that's great.
Gundam GQuuuuuuX is now streaming worldwide via Amazon Prime Video.
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