[EVA] Rei's Origins (repost)

[Greg Muir]

> >1. Robots with extension cords are stupid. Why the hell would they design
> >something so deliberately stupid?
> >(Because they weren't intended as combat units, and engines were in the
> >works, just not soon enough to beat the first angel attacks. Still, the
> >extension cords *are* lame.)
>
> The cords are also a safety feature, in a way.  If an eva goes out of
> control, there is a chance they will still be able to eject the umbilical
> cable from the back of the eva.  Then it only has 5 minutes of activity
> before it stops.  See the episode with Jet Alone, even though
> NERV sabotaged
> it, that's basically what they're afraid of happening.
>
Yes, but they were intentionally developing S2 engines for the EVA's, placed
on in Unit-04, and made use of them in the mass-production series EVA's.
While I do agree that safety measures are needed to prevent the crazed
behavior the EVA's are so famous for, I would think that this sort of thing
would be terribly crippling in combat. You would think that a more assured
method would be something akin to the range safety devices used in modern
launch vehicles. Rather than explode the entire EVA, though, you would think
they could simply place pyrotechnic charges at key areas within the mecha,
cutting the connection between the internal batteries and the electrical
system.

But all logic aside, the majority of what they do visually in EVA is done
for drama, not for the practical end. Consider the launch sequence. Ain't no
way in hell something that heavy is gonna move that quickly. Certain tactics
such as the one used against the underwater angel, that's completely absurd.
There's no way in hell that battleships could perform in such a fashion with
months of prep time, nobody could throw that together in 30 seconds. Also
the whole bit with the 5 minute power supply, it's a simple device to
increase the tension of the combat scenes. Even with all that in mind, the
strength of the mechancial designs and the approach to the project make it
seem real, and the character development allows the show to transcend the
mere form of a giant mecha toon.

BTW there's another problem that makes sense in context: the EVA weapons.
Oversized rifles, handguns and the like? WTF? Why don't they build these
weapons into the mecha? Integrate the gun with the arm, mount a rocket
launcher on the back, etc. This makes sense when you discover that those
aren't robots, they're something alive wearing armor. The EVA's weren't even
designed for combat, and since they are a poorly understood design I doubt
that humans could easily modify the bodies to use super-duper gun arms and
the like. Thus, they have to carry their weapons like humans. Still, the
thought o fusing an oversized revolver on an angel strikes me as a bit
silly. If an N2 device won't penetrate the AT Field, how will a frickin'
bullet, no matter how big?