The Prometheus was an unmanned space battleship built and operated by the TPC Police Bureau[3] in the movie Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light. There were plans for mass production but after the hijacking incident, the Prometheus became the sole ship to be built.
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Overview[]
As one of the projects to construct new space combatant ships that represent the Neo Frontier Era, the Prometheus is the ultimate weapon meant to become the Symbol of Power [4] for the human race. Its purpose is to takeover Ultraman Dyna's place in protecting the human space, who is considered inferior and unreliable in the eyes of the developers.
The warship is equipped with a Neo Maxima Engine, allowing it to travel faster than light in space as well as generate energy for the Neo Maxima Cannon. As a ship that operates in full automation, it eliminates the need of a human crew and thus removes the risks of injury and death. Furthermore, combat data scanned from the brains of talented and experienced people can be inputted into the ship's computer to improve its performance on the battlefield.
Conception[]
Design Evolution[]
Although several were considered, designer Hiroshi Maruyama based the Prometheus' design on the Mydo Sky Shark due to budget reasons. Because Maruyama was not used to designing mecha, he received advice from the late Yasuyuki Inoue of the special effects company Alpha.[5]
![Early draft A[6]](/wiki/File:Prometheus_Draft_A.png "Prometheus Draft A.png (2.74 MB)")
![Early draft B[6]](/wiki/File:Prometheus_Draft_B.png "Prometheus Draft B.png (2.83 MB)")
![Final design[6]](/wiki/File:Prometheus_Final_Design.png "Prometheus Final Design.png (2.6 MB)")
![Final design, top and side views[6]](/wiki/File:Prometheus_Final_Design1.png "Prometheus Final Design1.png (2.76 MB)")
Prop Miniature[]
The existing prop miniature of the Sky Shark was modified and repainted to the Prometheus' design.[5] While the Sky Shark's prop was built by Marbling Fine Arts[7], the modified prop miniature was built by Alpha.[2] Although the main material used for the new parts was FRP, the miniature was still heavy due to the fact that it was built from the Sky Shark's prop.[8]
Prometheus' prop miniature[8]
After modifications, the prop miniature measured 142.5 centimeters long and 60 centimeters wide. When filming scenes where it was flying in the air, the miniature was hung by wires with a sky and clouds backdrop. The wires were then digitally removed in post-production.[8]
The prop miniature still exists today with some structural deterioration and a missing side turret. It has been displayed to the public several times, such as the Ultraman Festivals 1998 and 2008.
History[]
Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light[]
The Prometheus showing its presence
The Prometheus was built in full secrecy and kept on the Coreomeos Island, with Professor Rui Kisaragi as head of the project and Staff Officer Kihachi Gondou as the supervisor. Plans to mass-produce the ship were considered. While Super GUTS fighters were battling Geranda alongside Ultraman Dyna on the moon, the Prometheus was sent to the area to test its Neo Maxima Cannon. With the complete destruction of the kaiju, the Prometheus was called back to its base.
Super GUTS members being introduced to the Prometheus
On Earth, Super GUTS members were invited onboard the ship to have their brains scanned. The memories and combat experience scanned would then be inputted into the ship's main computer, enhancing its combat capability and reliability. The guests expressed their reluctance, but Shin Asuka chose to participate to prove that the ship was unnecessary. Unbeknownst to Asuka, the ship had now obtained his combat experience as Ultraman Dyna.
The Prometheus undergoing alien conversion
Some time later, an UFO appeared and began attacking the ground facilities. When Dyna arrived to confront the alien craft, the Prometheus was launched without permission. The ship, with a possessed Kisaragi onboard, turned towards Dyna and opened fire. Dyna intercepted the projectiles with a twin Hand Slash, which also temporarily stopped further attacks coming from the ship. The Prometheus was then forcibly converted into the Deathfacer by the UFO, in which its crew declared themselves as the Monera.
Prometheus-Deathfacer defeated by Dyna
The Prometheus, in its Deathfacer form, was defeated in its second battle against Dyna. After thwarting the Monera's human annihilation plan, all development and usage of the Neo Maxima Cannon became prohibited.Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light Usage of the Neo Maxima Cannon was temporarily reallowed to fend off the Gran-Sphere.Final Chapter III: Toward Tomorrow...
Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Adventure[]
Through unknown means, another Prometheus was buried underneath Planet Boris and recovered by Alien Reiblood 50 years after the Reionics Battle on Planet Hammer. While the exact origin of this battleship is unknown, Reiblood mentioned it in a brief passing that it was "a human-built ship that was modified into a deadly weapon by an invading force".
After Io returned from his time-traveling trip, he and Pigmon unintentionally discovered an opening of the ship's hull. Exploring inside, they arrived at the Main Bridge. Upon touching the Brainwave Scanning Capsule, Io unknowingly had his battle tactics for Gomora and Bemular read. Following Grand King's defeat and the intervention of Rei's spirit, Reiblood possessed the Prometheus as his last resort tactic where he brought it to Io Mikura's Earth.
The Prometheus tailed Io and Vittorio's ship and shot it down in Earth's orbit. Earth's ZAP forces were occupied in battling legions of kaiju as the battleship made its descent. After severely damaging one of ZAP's ships, the Prometheus transformed into Deathfacer. In robot form, it proceeded to kill, absorb, and convert nearby kaiju into fuel to resurrect Reiblood. Io, using both his and Vittorio's devices, confronted the robot with his kaiju allies. To counter Deathfacer's data reading ability, Vittorio's EX Gomora was summoned and successfully disabled the robot. Deathfacer was ultimately destroyed by the two Gomoras' combination attack, the W Ultra Oscillation Wave (Zero Shoot).
Data[]
Key Areas and Weapons
- Stats
- Length: 154 m[1][2]
- Width: 72 m[1][2]
- Weight: 1920 t[1][2]
- Origin: Coreomeos Island, Earth
- Flight Speed: Mach 3.3 (in-atmosphere)[1][2]
- Power and Propulsion
- Neo Maxima Engine: The Neo Maxima Engine allows the ship to travel faster than light in space as well as generate energy for the Neo Maxima Cannon.
- Engine Thrusters: The Prometheus has two engine units located on the lower stern. The ship uses these to propel itself forward. Additionally, there are a pair of downward-facing thrusters under both wings. These are used for vertical take-off and landing, and maintaining altitude.
- Powers and Weapons
- Neo Maxima Cannon [9]/N.M.C[10]: A high energy weapon powered by the Neo Maxima Engine. It is far more powerful than the Maxima Cannon such as the one used by the Artdessei. At maximum output, the cannon is capable of destroying entire asteroids. The Prometheus has one concealed in the lower hull at the front. When in use, the barrel would extend out as it begins the energy charging sequence.
- Twin-Barrel Gun Turret: Eleven are scattered around the ship's hull.
- Autocannon: The ship's multi-barrel rapid-firing armament.
- Casemate Type: Five are mounted on both sides of the wing hull parts, totaling ten.
- Fixed Type: Two are mounted in front of the rear bridge tower. They can only fire forward.
- Brainwave Scanning Capsule: Located inside the center of the Main Bridge, this human-sized machine reads a person's memories and converts them into data. The data would then be used to train the ship's main computer.
- Ultra Adventure
- Transformation: The Prometheus can independently transform into Deathfacer. This is presumably as a result of Reiblood possessing the ship, or as he stated, the ship was already modified by the invaders (hence implying that "Deathfacer" is a hidden feature to it).
- Crew and Complement
Thanks to its automation, the Prometheus does not require a human crew. Therefore, its Main Bridge does not have control stations and seats. Instead, the Main Bridge houses the Brainwave Scanning Capsule and wall-mounted computer panels.
Gallery[]
Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light[]
Behind the Scenes, Prop Miniature[]
![Display at the Ultraman Festival 2008[11]](/wiki/File:Prometheus_Prop,_Musiba1.png "Prometheus Prop, Musiba1.png (836 KB)")
![Closeup of the Main Bridge and the Neo Maxima Cannon's barrel[11]](/wiki/File:Prometheus_Prop,_Musiba2.jpg "Prometheus Prop, Musiba2.jpg (94 KB)")
![[11]](/wiki/File:Prometheus_Prop,_Musiba3.jpg "Prometheus Prop, Musiba3.jpg (175 KB)")
![Note the missing side turret[11]](/wiki/File:Prometheus_Prop,_Musiba4.jpg "Prometheus Prop, Musiba4.jpg (179 KB)")
Trivia[]
- A schematic of the Prometheus is visible on the front page of a Team EYES TECCH Thunder's operations manual.[12] Warm Memories
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 The Ultraman Chronicles: The History of Light Soldier's Battle, 1979-2003 pg 108
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 TV Magazine Special Editing Heisei Ultra Movie Works pg 34
- ↑ Ultra Tokusatsu Magazine Vol.3 pg 24
- ↑ Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna, Ultraman Gaia Hikari no Kyojin Korinroku pg 51
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ultraman Design Works pg 241
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Ultraman Design Works pg 116
- ↑ Heisei Ultra Movie Works pg 15
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Tsuburaya Productions Illustrated Catalog ~Ultraman Mechanics~ pg 63
- ↑ TV Magazine Special Editing Ultraman Dyna pg 32
- ↑ File:Prometheus Schematic Display1.png
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Photos taken by https://twitter.com/musibahayata, uploaded with permission
- ↑ File:PrometheusSchematicCosmosEpisode.png
