Is Sylia Stingray A Cyberdroid?
Is Sylia Stingray a Cyberdroid?
A question that has long plagued Bubblegum Crisis fans is this one. The typical reply is not going to be a straightforward 'yes,' but at once very few people are ready to say 'no' concerning this topic. Where the evidence is posted, there are several interesting or common theories. The majority, however, leave out important notes.
The evidence that Sylia is a Cyberdroid is constantly flowing freely from the words, actions, and story behind Miss Stingray, but is not widely accepted because the idea that the leader of the Knight Sabers is anything rather than human is unwelcome in the eyes of most fans. This may have been what made the considerably dent in Sylia's popularity upon the immediate release of the series. It is at the base of the series, though, and with that stated, allow this paper to go further with an open mind.
First of all, Sylia's mental capabilities. Sylia has the ability to download information into her mind and keep it there whenever she comes in contact with a computer. She has a more or less photographic memory and can store information and images on a whim. While all this is interesting and can be explained through methods such as her being, to use Adam Warren's term, an 'augmented intellect,' there is more to this. Those who believe she is a human being often conveniently 'forget' that Sylia does not merely download, but also process and transmit information as does a machine. As shown in Red Eyes, she can send messages via radio waves that travel and enter the mind of a Cyberdroid, and the self-proclaimed Boomer Messiah himself, no less. As the conversation goes, Largo calls out Sylia's name and she asks how he knows who she is. His reply is that he knows that they are two of a kind because… and stops abruptly. His attempt to take Sylia's life was thwarted by none other than Leon McNichol who was in the right place at the right time and a properly loaded and activated Earth Shaker. But Leon's timing could hardly have been worse for those who obsess over who or what Sylia is. That previously given conversation is one of those pieces of evidence that people either ignore or overlook. Most will remember the scene from Moonlight Rambler, though, during which Largo calls Sylia name. This could conceivably be looked at as nothing more than an ominous ending. The incident in Red Eyes is obviously implying something, though.
Sylia's personality shows further proof that she may not be a human. Her comments about how self-serving, lazy, undignified, frail, neglectful, destructive, and generally worthless mankind is leaves one to wonder how she came to this conclusion. In Born to Kill, Revenge Road, Moonlight Rambler, Red Eyes, and Scoop Chase Sylia makes it apparent that she has little or no faith in mankind surviving without her presence and the presence of the greatest power of the series, Genom. Her empathy for Boomers is also interesting, but at once she sees them as petty, useless things that must be put down and out of their, and her, misery. Not entirely unlike Largo. In fact, the two have so much in common that it is a little eerie. They all but share identical personalities, only Sylia keeps herself more in check than Largo does and never goes utterly made trying to dominate.
Another thing that few will notice is how Sylia always waits until one of her fellow Knight Sabers is ready to snap before she takes action. Priss had to get ready for revenge several times before Sylia kicked in even when she undoubtedly saw it coming. Her visit with Priss during Red Eyes when she tried to convince Priss that Sylvie's death was not her fault almost screams manipulation. She does this more than once. Why? To use the emotions of the other Knight Sabers to her advantage. What great good would taking Priss into battle be if Priss did not wield a vengeful vendetta against the Cyberdroids? She would not fight as well as she did when her anger had mounted. Sylia's use of this anger is as cold as Largo's use of the Sexaroids' desire for freedom and deliverance from white slavery.
Physical evidence also says that Sylia is not a human. Aside from the transmission and reception of data, Sylia takes as much in some battles, more in others, than Priss does. The physical duress she puts up with in Tinsel City without so much as a bruise afterward is startling. It might be argued that Linna, too, was flung into a wall, but the fact that the tentacle was wrapped around her waist and not her leg counts for something. The times that Sylia should have lost a limb or at least had it damaged significantly are numerous. They are not viewed as very serious because more emphasis was put upon Priss' wounds than Sylia's. Examination of episodes like Red Eyes where Sylia's back have been snapped clear in have and her side and innards ruptured is indicative of her being able to handle more angst than the general fan population tends to believe. There are multiple instances where Sylia should have died more than once in an episode, but it never happens. She does not complain about her wounds, either. Priss displays at least one wound in two consecutive episodes (the gash on her cheek shown in Moonlight Rambler and Red Eyes) and Linna brings up in Revenge Road that, considering all the stupid things Priss does, she most certainly does need to be examined. Sylia is not once shown revealing the pains of the fight. In Moonlight Rambler the pressure on the wrist of her gauntlet is so much that sparks fly from it as the D.D. jerks violently on her arm, later flinging her several meters to the side as Priss shoots its right arm off. When Sylia's Hardsuit 'fades' no evidence that she was ever being hurt is to be seen, and yet there is no way that she could have gone through that battle unscathed. This happens the same way in Tinsel City when Frederick grips Sylia's Hardsuit and crushes the gauntlet, a reoccurring circumstance.
Oddly, there is something else that seems to persuade one into wondering about whether or not Sylia is a Cyberdroid. When Nene brings up the BU-33S in their conversation during Moonlight Rambler, Sylia is painfully embarrassed about discussing it to the point that she blushes. The effect that talking about a sentient Cyberdroid has on her is striking and heightens the tension built up during scenes in which Sylia interacts with a Cyberdroid, namely Largo.
Moreover, some of the most invaluable evidence pointing to Sylia being a Cyberdroid is found not in spoken word and actions but in the basic premise of BGC. Theme, subtexts, subplots, character development, and undertones are very religious in Bubblegum Crisis, whether one knows this or not. Largo making the old Catholic chapel his home and hideout when he claims to be the Boomer Messiah is one thing. Sylia weeping before her father's casket in that same church years earlier is another. Katsuhito Stingray being referred to as the 'Father of the Boomers' and the one who 'gave birth to the Boomers' are even more definite religious subtexts. While not religious myself, I feel inclined to direct others' attention to these as they fit well into the next statement.
It makes perfect sense for Sylia to be a Cyberdroid. What does BGC do other than break the rules to get people to think? Katsuhito is the Father of the Boomers. Sylia is his daughter. Largo is his wayward offspring who wishes to eradicate 'vulgar humans,' which he refers to as 'foolish mankind' sporadically during BGC!. Does it not seem odd that the daughter of the Father of the Boomers is the one that sparks all this controversy? Would it not make utter and undeniable sense to have Sylia be a Cyberdroid? Just what the audience would least expect. When delving deep into BGC one will notice that the possibilities about characters like Quincy, Sylia, and even Mason himself all seem to scream 'Boomer.' It is odd that all of the major powers in the series are rumored to be such, and all the more completely like BGC for this to be. Why not make all the central characters Cyberdroids and then see how the audience responds? And just to add in a little flavor, don't tell them that these characters are anything but human; rather, drop cryptic hints about it that are sometimes so subtle that nobody but the most observant fans will see them. Largo's fascination with Sylia is yet one more bit that adds to the pile of clues. He hated humans but he obsessed over Sylia.
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