Why do Headshots Work on Mobile Suits?

[Enchanter468]

If it was using chemical rockets, the propellant would have to be flammable.

I wasn't implying that the propellant wouldn't burn, just that it might not be flammable until used. For instance, some rocket engines use oxygen and hydrogen. Liquid oxygen is not itself flammable, but when combined with the hydrogen and ignited, it's very flammable. Likewise, hydrogen does not burn in the absence of oxygen. I was merely stating that an MS chemical rocket engine may use propellant that combines, and whose components aren't flammable individually.

And while we've never gotten an confirmation on the exact type of rocket motors used by any particular mobile suit (the Gundam staff tends to avoid going into that much detail), I wound find it very strange (and stupid) to put a nuclear reactor in a space vehicle and not use nuclear rocket engines.

The only reason I ask is that Gundamofficial states that the earliest mobile suits use chemical rocket thrusters (no mention of what mobile suits those are, though), even though as far a we know, UC mobile suits have always been nuclear powered.

[crashlegacy14]

well we've had a rather good number of female pilots in the meta-series that have used MS and not lost their mecha's heads. but yeah seems while chicks dig giant robots, they cant keep the heads on when in high grade units.

I should point out that there's few points on a mecha that you could destroy and it resonably still be functional, the head is the worse of these. here's the reasoning. excluding torso destruction which are almost always lethal a mecha has it's limbs and head. destruction of an arm is the least problematic of an injury for a mecha to deal with. loosing a leg on the other hand cripples the mecha (provided a ground encounter) almost ensuring death in sort order and largely prevents the mecha from moving. the head sits in between those two, lose of the head is often crippling to the pilot's fighting ability, but not nessisary preventing the mecha' continued survival.

[ironscythe]

Maybe this was already said, but I think that, in the case of some of the lower-tech "grunt" suits, the sudden destruction of the head module could result in a power surge back to the monitors, blowing them out or at least giving the pilot a nasty shock.
Kinda like how, in Star Trek, panels on the bridge blow out as a result of damage elsewhere. Battle damage is never "clean", so relays would get fused together, severed in areas not protected by breakers, etc. Power surges and feedback pulses would be common.

Also, it's obvious that the cockpit isn't fully protected from electrical surges, since we've seen so many cases of electrical whip attacks electrocute the pilot without the whip actually touching the cockpit.

[CidHighwind]

Maybe this was already said, but I think that, in the case of some of the lower-tech "grunt" suits, the sudden destruction of the head module could result in a power surge back to the monitors, blowing them out or at least giving the pilot a nasty shock.
Kinda like how, in Star Trek, panels on the bridge blow out as a result of damage elsewhere. Battle damage is never "clean", so relays would get fused together, severed in areas not protected by breakers, etc. Power surges and feedback pulses would be common.

Also, it's obvious that the cockpit isn't fully protected from electrical surges, since we've seen so many cases of electrical whip attacks electrocute the pilot without the whip actually touching the cockpit.

Yeah, and electricity doesn't work that way. At all. It works more like the Hambrabi's attack in Zeta where the voltage paths though the circuits as they are the least resistive path and fries the controls, not the pilot. Because the pilot isnt a more viable path to ground than all of the metal parts around him.

But anyway, I swear there were a few scenes in the original and Zeta series where a grunt mobile suit loses a head, or limb, and then proceeds to explode fantastically. This never made sense to me, and it was probably done without much thought, to make an exciting scene. But if its taken seriously. it makes me think that a mobile suit only need a good bump, or kick to the shins before it explodes. No wonder Emma bailed from the Mk. 2 in its condition at the end of Zeta.

[ironscythe]

Yeah, and electricity doesn't work that way. At all.

I know how electricity works (It's been a while since I built my last ion engine, but I still remember a bit), but yeah your explanation is good.

The bit about explosions after losing a head or other limb most likely has to do with propellant igniting from the sparking, severed relays. Unless I missed that day in physics as well.

There's also the "because it's cool" arguement. That always wins in the end.

[JEFFPIATT]

More than likely the real reason is to show cannon fodder exploding without thinking out if it would actually happen. Wing used that to the point of cheapening the plot out. But it in a fictional universe would be dependent on how bad the hit was 08th ms team and zeta proved that a destroyed head unit will not always destroy an ms but hinder it's operation. if anything it has to be an secondary event that causes the explosion or shutdown. For the most part the hand built gundams and GMs seem to have a better chance of surviving that the Production line units witch have a 50/50 shot of being destroyed in a chain reaction.

[Zeonista]

Part of the MS incapacitated by headshot seems to work on the principle that the MP MS turn into cardboard stuffed with fireworks when it is dramatically suitable. Remember the old anime rule that everything explodes! It makes for a good disabling hit, since a headless MS pilot might decide that the loss of primary sensonrs would justify playing possum, bailing out, or beating a hasty retreat. Sort of like an official acknowledgement that the hero/villain has just kicked your supporting role's butt, and it is now time to bug out and wait for the next battle. The only time loss of head/primary sensors seems not to cause immediate bailout (literal or tactical) is in close combat, where the backup cameras' less than stellar performance are offset by the target being right there.

[CidHighwind]

Yeah, and electricity doesn't work that way. At all.

I know how electricity works (It's been a while since I built my last ion engine, but I still remember a bit), but yeah your explanation is good.

The bit about explosions after losing a head or other limb most likely has to do with propellant igniting from the sparking, severed relays. Unless I missed that day in physics as well.

There's also the "because it's cool" arguement. That always wins in the end.

I'm sorry, I didnt intend to offend you, I meant to agree with your point.