Well, you're only 1/5 of the way through the series, so you have yet to see how important of a character she is through the plot. SouthtownKid is also brutally misrepresenting her character.
How so? There's no deep brooding secret behind her character or anything, if that's what you're worried about. You just have that sweet idol character, and then you find out she's more politically-minded than her current occupation would have you believe. [edit] Seeing how this is the toy thread, and not the anime thread, here's something that I don't think got picked out before amongst all the other Tamashii Nations coverage: http://gundamguy.blogspot.ca/2012/10/robot-damshii-side-ms-testament-gundam.html Potential Robot Damashii Testatment Gundam release? Really? That's completely out of left-field. Even before the Astrays or something?
Yeah, that's exactly my point. Sorry, I should have thought ahead and realized my post would be a spoiler for you. I do apologize for that. But yeah, that sweet, innocent thing is all an act. Athrun was set to be married to her and yet he did not know the real her AT ALL. That is highly deceitful on her part. The fact she could keep her real self so completely hidden, even from those to whom she is supposed to be closest (like a fiancee) makes it impossible to take anything she says or does at face value. And you see that as a good thing, do you? A religious figurehead? That is super-dangerous, especially when involved in politics.
Hence why her characterization in Destiny is somewhat controversial. The point is, though, that you characterized her is some sort of cold-hearted deceiver, which is kinda the exact opposite of who she is. Instead, she's so kind-hearted and well-meaning that she can't help but attract a mass of loyal followers. Keeping her feelings from Athrun wasn't to be interpreted as her being manipulative and deceitful. The fact is that Athrun is too kind-hearted as well, and he wouldn't dare to let her get involved in military actions as his fiancee. But she has her own political aspirations outside of his goals, and she can't have him shouldering her burdens.
I just thought of something that never occurred to me during my viewing of Destiny, how the hell did Shinn and Kira survive that nuclear explosion Spoiler when the Freedom got stabby stabbed
That's not the way I see it. I see it as she will lie to whoever she happens to need to in order to achieve her objectives. She bends people to her will and changes partners casually based on her needs at the moment. Kira was the perfect tool for her, and she took up with him without ever even consulting or caring about Athrun. He thought he was still her fiancee. Then when he returned to the Plants, she bent him as well and then sent him back on his way to carry out her will (still never bothering to mention she was now with his best friend). Laccus is so much more intelligent and worldly than Kira, that I never get the sense in either series that she is actually with him in the sense of sharing romantic feelings. More that he is a tool for her to use, who she stays with in order to keep under control. Not completely unlike what Flay attempted in her own clumsy, inexperienced way. Laccus' goals may be noble (in as much as dangerous religious figureheads are capable of being), but her means are freaking diabolical. She turns friend against friend and family member against family member with a smile on her face and a gentle word. Not to mention the absolute belief of a zealot. It's creepy.
Wasn't there a scene in the following episode where it showed Kira with his hand/finger on the "off button" for the Freedom's reactor. (It's been awhile since I've seen Destiny so I'm not entirely sure ) Still, I call bs on it considering the whole "bigass explosion" unless someone can enlighten us on it.
It just seems like in that regard that her sweet and kind act is just fake, the way she seemed like a nice person is what I like most about her. But since it's just a ruse it makes me feel like she not really as nice as people would make her out to believe. Putting aside the drama, I (finally) got one of my packages and just finished building a 1/144 HG Hizack EFSF Version. The only Major problem I have with it is that it's hard to pose while holding the gun without making the pose look unnatural. (Also the decals that it comes with are a real hassle for me)
Simply, don't listen to SouthtownKid . He's reading way too far into things. Athrun and Lacus had an arranged marriage to begin with. They were just going through the motions, but there was no real passion in their relationship. Just puppy love at best. Spoiler Freedom and Justice are equipped with fusion reactors, not fission. There's no nuclear fallout if those go kablooie. Combined with the "blink and you'll miss it" shot of Kira going for the reactor cut-off, what you see is a standard "Mobile Suit blowing up"-type explosion, not a nuclear one. On top of that, Kira was saved by the fact that the Freedom's cockpit is in the upper chest, rather than the abdomen like the Impulse and most other Mobile Suits. So the reactor in the abdomen goes boom, but the presumedly blast-shielded cockpit remains intact.
That is completely what it is. The bottom line is that her deceptions and manipulations (particularly of Athrun) show that she is an "ends justifies the means" kind of person, which is the worst kind of person and INCREDIBLY dangerous in a political leader, especially one with -- like you point out -- religious undertones. You or I may agree with her end goal, but her methods are as wrong-headed and frankly dangerous as Patrick Zala's, Azrael's, Durandal's or Rau's. Agreeing with the ends doesn't excuse using any means. The thinking that it does has historically led to disaster pretty much every time. I can go along with it for the sake of the show, which takes a pretty simplistic view of war compared to the original series anyway. But in real life, someone like Laccus would be as big a threat as any of the series' antagonists.
Ok I think it's best we stop talking about this before things get too crazy. It wouldn't be just puppy love if she were my fiance.
Yes, in real life she'd probably be the portrait of a dangerous cult leader or something. But in the fictional universe that Gundam SEED operates in, with it's ultimately black & white views on human morality and skewed writing perspective, her methods are the exact opposite of how you're portraying her. Because in the Gundam SEED universe, Lacus is treated alongside Kira as a messiah-type character, and whatever they do or say is ultimately right. It's not that she's manipulative. It's that she appeals to the deep seated morals within the people around her, and they ultimately agree with her of their own free will. Because she's unquestionably right.
I really don't agree. Even in-universe, I find the character more scary than anything or anyone else in the entire series. And yeah, "cult" is a great word for it. Which I almost used. Because that's how her followers appear in the show. They are cult-like. And how are her methods the opposite? Her methods are her methods. If the result is positive, that has absolutely no bearing on her methods. She still did what she did. The idea that it's found excusable because everything turned out all right is exactly what I am talking about. It's a dangerous way to think.
That's a very nice mushrom cloud for a standard explosion. Fission or fusion, you can't sut of a nuclear reaction with the hit of a switch.
Well, let's not start making a list of things you can't do with the flip of a switch in Gundam. Nuclear reactor shutdown is only one of many.
I still believe that Lacus beamed Kira up with a teleporter that her army of Haros stole from the Enterprise.
