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--- Gel Sadra Week (http://www.gatchamania.net/threadid.php?threadid=2138)
Posted by lborgia88 on 01-10-2008 at 01:42:
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I have been called, in my life, "strange" and "eccentric" but I don't think anyone has called me "crazy."
Not yet, anyway.
Posted by Transmute Jun on 01-10-2008 at 04:22:
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You're crazy, LB, and I love you for it!
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Posted by Ebonyswanne on 01-10-2008 at 05:41:
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This is why I dyed my hair copper red.... I'm an undercover Devilstar...
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Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up- Pablo Picasso.
Posted by lborgia88 on 01-10-2008 at 12:01:
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Well, if I have gone crazy, at least I have good company here!
Posted by Transmute Jun on 01-10-2008 at 13:25:
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Whoo hoo!
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Posted by shamrokchick on 01-10-2008 at 13:36:
Yes you do have good company here! 
Well I guess I'm 0-2 since I'm a blonde who likes purple... 
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"They say the Titanic sank because it hit an iceberg, but that must have been Galactor's fault too." 
Posted by clouddancer on 01-10-2008 at 13:49:
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And yet the Eagle still likes you Shamrockchick.
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Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.
Posted by Transmute Jun on 01-10-2008 at 18:57:
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Does that make you Gel Sadra?
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Posted by tatsunokofan on 02-10-2008 at 00:58:
Hi all!
Well, a lack of free time over the last few weeks (A situation likely to continue for a while yet) and recent restricted access to a computer (While mine is in the shop for an upgrade) has curtailed my participation on this list lately. Regardless, I did have a little time today, so I figured I use the time to throw in a bit of information regarding Gel Sadra.
The prototype for the character first appeared in the Establishment Note for "New Gatchaman," a handwritten document that was an early draft of the "Gatchaman II" series bible. In that, Governor X's new lackey is not yet Gel Sadra. Rather, she is named Sadomadonna. The material gives her this description:
"Sadomadonna (25-years-old)
With Berg Katse perished, Governor X rescues a lady guerilla of unknown nationality from her place of execution.
Who is she? Sadomadonna is Governor X's faithful subordinate, through which he will exert his control.
Is she an unequaled beauty? While that may be, as he name implies, she is also a woman of unparalleled heartlessness, excelling in fearsome sadism."
As you can see, this was not the same child-instantly-grown-to-adulthood that we eventually saw. Alas, the material doesn't give us any further information regarding her past. Had this version of the character survived, I'm sure we would have found out more about her personal history, since all three series did take the time to delve into this aspect of their villain characters. I feel safe in saying that they would have explained us why she was a guerilla and what led to her being up for execution at some point in the series. Obviously, Sadomadonna would not have worked very well as Dr. Pandora's daughter, at least not without making Dr. Pandora closer to Dr. Nambu's age. But, since Dr. Pandora did not exist yet, and wouldnt until "Gatchaman II" was already in production, this was not a consideration.
Anyway, Sadomadonna finally became Gel Sadra in a second handwritten document, an addendum to the "New Gatchaman" Establishment Note titled "'New Gatchaman' Reform Points for the Establishment." In it, they list a couple of character name changes, and for Sadomadonna, they simply say:
"Sadomadonna
Her name is changed to Gel Sadra.
This woman is not the same as Berg Katse, a kind of hermaphroditic mutant who could use the personality and abilities of a man or a woman."
Obviously, that was the name that stuck, and as the planning for the series progressed, she was given her more familiar background. By the time the final draft of the series bible, "New Science Ninja Team Gatchaman Planning Note" was completed (The "Gatchaman II" name wouldn't come along until a month or two after this document was written), Sadra was described as follows:
"Gel Sadra (25-years-old)
With Berg Katse perished, Governor X caused a baby to grow suddenly, creating a unique human mutant.
Why did he do that? For this. Gel Sadra is Governor X's faithful subordinate, through which he will exert his control.
Is she an unequaled beauty? While that may be, as her name implies, she is also a human of unparalleled heartlessness, excelling in fearful sadism.
(This woman is not the same as Berg Katse, a kind of hermaphroditic mutant who could use the personality and abilities of a man or a woman)"
Much of this was, obviously, little more than simply copying the existing write-ups and modifying as needed to include her new origin. Since we weren't supposed to be seeing the earlier drafts of the planning, we arent supposed to know that. Consider that a little peek behind the curtain of the creative process.
Much of what we know about Gel Sadra comes from the show itself. As I mentioned earlier, the staff did take the time to flesh out the villains as their respective series progressed, and Sadra was no exception. I had written an article that ran in the 2003 GatchaCon fanzine about the various villains covering what we know about her, as seen in the series itself without the usual fan-generated speculation attached, and that had as follows:
"Gel Sadra
(Character Voice: Masaru Ikeda)
When Governor X returned to Earth, he had to recreate Gallactor from scratch. To accomplish this, he once again needed someone to act as his human commander, someone who would be completely loyal to him. To that end, Governor X took in a 3-year-old (#50) victim from a cruise ship he destroyed upon his return. This child was placed within a capsule that X used to accelerate her growth, quickly mutating the young girl into the equivalent of a 25-year-old woman ("Gatchaman II" Planning). Governor X named her "Gel Sadra," and used her to form a new Gallactor (#1).
As Gel Sadra had no memory of her earlier life (#50), all of her intelligence was given to her by Governor X. Despite her physical appearance and intellect, much of Sadra's emotional makeup was still that of a child, causing her to throw temper tantrums when things did not go her way (#'s 13, 48, among others). Sadra regularly showed even less regard for her men than Berg Katse did. She cared so little for them that she would force them off of her escape craft without a second thought (#26), and could be totally oblivious to their pain (#34). While not at the same level as Berg Katse, Gel Sadra was quite capable at disguising herself as others. She once replaced Richman the 3rd, one of the world's wealthiest men, when he received an International Peace Prize in front of a large audience, fooling nearly everyone with his guise (#42).
Gel Sadra made use of several weapons. Most prominent were her pistol, powerful enough to destroy a car with a single shot (#1), and the knife she carried concealed by her tall boots. This knife could fire knockout gas from its handle (#41). At other times, she made use of a whip (#6) and a laser sword (#46). For transportation, Gel Sadra had her saucer-shaped personal ship (#1). This craft could travel in the sky, underwater, and even in space (#'s 5, 18, 20, 32, 46, among others). It could also emit a beam to transport a man from the ground into the ship (#1).
One year after Governor X created her, Governor X finally asked X why she had no memories of her past. It was only at this time that Governor X revealed her origins to Sadra. With this information, Sadra was able to uncover her past. She found out that she was actually Sami Pandora, the daughter of Domenico and Silvie Pandora. While Governor X assumed that both her parents had perished, only her father had died on the sinking of the ship. Her mother had survived (#50). In a continuity note, when we are first shown the sinking of the cruise ship, the vessel is named Queen Margaret (#1), yet it is later referred to as the Elizabeth Moore (#50).
Gel Sadra had encountered her mother before, for Dr. Pandora was an expert in cybernetics who had begun working closely with Dr. Nambu (#26). On several occasions, when the two were near each other, they felt a strange connection that allowed them to know where the other was and what they were doing (#'s 26, 40, 42, 48). Sadra even turned this "insight" to her advantage during a battle with the Science Ninja Team (#48).
Unfortunately for mother and daughter, when Governor X was informed of the connection between the two, X had Pandora kidnapped. He hoped to use the bond between the two to convince Pandora to join Gallactor. When this failed, X had Dr. Pandora executed (#50). Her anger over this act caused Sadra to turn against Governor X, leading her to defeat the Solar Shift Plan and to assist the Science Ninja Team in Governor X's destruction (#'s 51, 52). The latter came at the cost of Gel Sadra's life, but she was finally reunited with her mother in the afterlife (#52)."
Anyway, there you go, plenty of stuff on Gel Sadra!
James
Posted by clouddancer on 02-10-2008 at 01:03:
You are correct that is a lot of information on Gel Sadra.
I was not expecting this much information when I asked for your input.
I think it is going to take me a while to digest all this.
Thank you again for your thorough input James. 
__________________
Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.
Posted by Transmute Jun on 02-10-2008 at 02:09:
James, that is fantastic! I love the way you use episode numbers to back up your facts. In fact, I'm now interested in going to take a look at episode 34, where she ignores the pain of her men... I don't recall that one...
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Posted by lborgia88 on 02-10-2008 at 03:28:
Thank you for this information, James. I especially like learning about how Tatsunoko developed their characters, both initially and during the series.
It's interesting how many weapons Gel Sadra used. Offhand, I can't recall Katse using any hand-held weapons, except perhaps that scalpel he picked up to stab Joe in the arm with!
ETA: James has just reminded me of a few more (eps 21, 53 and 70), in his Berg Katse information!
Posted by Ladygalactor777 on 02-10-2008 at 05:16:
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I seen Katse with guns before...
In this shot Katse looks like he saying...
Give me your wallet Gatchaman & the keys of the God phoenix too.
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Posted by saturn on 02-10-2008 at 08:15:
Thank you so much for the very detailed explanations on Gel Sadra, James.
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Posted by Transmute Jun on 02-10-2008 at 13:30:
Great screenshots, LG! 
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Posted by Condorfan on 02-10-2008 at 15:53:
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Didn't Katse used to have a capsule in his mouth and would take it out and throw it for a smoke screen? Of course that may not really be a weapon--more of a diversion tactic. You've brought up an interesting question LB how many personal weapons did Katse have at his disposal? Maybe we should talk about this on the Katse thread!
Again, James, thanks for the information. We know you've been busy but really appreciate to take the time to share your knowledge with us. I've just started watching Gatch II and now Gel Sadra is so much easier to understand now.
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Old age is a high price to pay for maturity.
Posted by lborgia88 on 02-10-2008 at 20:26:
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Now that my memory has been jogged, it is clear that Katse often used guns or rifles. Yet Gel Sadra apparently has a gun, a knife, a whip and a sword too. Of course, in Gatchaman F, Egobossler has a sword, and so does Ken. Seems like a trend...
Who wouldn't want a sword, though? I wish I had one.
Posted by Transmute Jun on 02-10-2008 at 21:32:
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We have many swords. Four are light sabers, and a number of them are pirate scimtars. We also have a 'Captain Hook' sword and a 'Prince Phillip' (from Sleeping Beauty) sword, and a rather badly mangled Jack Sparrow dagger.
Then there are the guns...
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Posted by lborgia88 on 03-10-2008 at 01:32:
I'm jealous.
So, do epic battles with cries of "have at you!" and "en garde!" frequently break out in your home?
Posted by clouddancer on 03-10-2008 at 01:40:
It is more likely, "May the force be with you" and "Ahhhrrrgg, matey" that is yelled around her home.
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Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.
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