This article is about the Gatlantis Empire from Space Battleship Yamato 2199 and its sequels. For its counterpart in Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato and Space Battleship Yamato 2, see White Comet Empire.
Gatlantis is what will bring real peace to the universe, at my will.—Great Emperor Zworder proclaims Gatlantis's purpose[8]
The Gatlantis Empire, also officially known as Imperial Gatlantis,[9] often simply called Gatlantis (GATLANTIS; Gatlantis),[10] and nicknamed the White Comet Empire or the Comet Empire, was a major military power in the Milky Way Galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud, and intergalactic space in the late twenty-second and early twenty-third centuries. The Gatlantis Empire operated from a massive mobile space fortress, the Ark of Destruction, the adopted home of the Gatlantean people and the center of their culture.
At the height of its power, the empire waged a massive and merciless war against all human species it encountered at the behest of its leader, Great Emperor Zworder.
In the late 22nd century, Gatlantis engaged in conflict with the Greater Garmillan Empire, which ultimately prompted the start of the Gatlantis Campaign against the Earth Federation in late 2202. Earlier that same year, the empire invaded the legendary planet Terezart in an attempt to seize the power of the goddess Teresa. This invasion resulted in the creation of the Gaizengan Weapons Group, significantly enhancing Gatlantis' military capabilities.
After losing Terezart to the Earthling battleship Yamato, which was led by Teresa, the Gatlantis Empire launched an invasion of the Solar System. This campaign ultimately led to the empire's downfall and the death of all Gatlanteans during the Final Battle Over Earth.
History[]
Origins and early history[]

The Gatlanteans leave Zemuria
The Gatlantis Empire traced its origins back beyond the year 1200. The Gatlanteans were originally conceived as clone soldiers by the race that created them, the Zemurians, each with different specialized models. The most advanced clone, Zworder, believed their subjugation to the Zemurians was unjust and led a rebellion of sympathetic Gatlanteans. Originally, Zworder's claim was that the Gatlanteans could built a perfect and fair society, as they were not bound by the foolishness of love. After a brutal war that led to the deaths of millions, Zworder was captured and forced to choose between Sifar Saberah, a sympathetic Zemurian woman he had taken as his wife in spite of his philosophy on love, and the location of his forces. However, the Zemurians broke their promise, and both killed his wife and massacred his armies. It was this event that led Zworder to reject all emotions.[5]

Saberah was forced to awaken the Ark of Destruction
The few remaining Gatlanteans fled Zemuria and wandered space in search of the Ark of Destruction, a superweapon left by the ancient Archelias civilization meant to eradicate humanity if it ever grew into an evil species. The Gatlanteans' quest lasted for over a century, and eventually, the original Zworder grew old and was replaced by a younger clone of his type. The abdicated leader of the Gatlantean race took on the name Gairen and continued to assist his successor as Intelligence Record Secretary, establishing a tradition that would be followed by Gatlantis' leaders for all its history. Around 1203, Zworder found the Ark of Destruction, but for it to be activated a human had to recognize that all humanoid species needed to be wiped out. Since the Gatlanteans did not recognize themselves as humans, Zworder created a perfect copy of the deceased Saberah to pass judgement on humanity in his stead, but despite the pain she had suffered in life, the woman refused to activate the mobile fortress. Adamant, Zworder continued to create new copies of Saberah, limiting her memories more and more and submitting her will to his own until she eventually accepted her new role as judge of all sentient life.[5]

Zemuria is captured inside of the Ark of Destruction
This signed the birth of the Gatlantis Empire, of which Zworder declared himself Emperor. The Ark of Destruction, promptly dubbed the Comet City Empire, became the nation's moving capital under the control of the now Chief Minister Saberah, who moved it at the sovereign's will. Vowing revenge, Zworder returned to Zemuria and destroyed it, trapping the planet within the fortress. Zemuria would be the first of many worlds to fall under the control of the Empire, which soon embarked on a campaign of aggressive expansionism to eliminate suffering by purging all life in the universe.[5]
War against Garmillas[]

Gatlantean forces in the Small Magellanic Cloud
By early 2199, the Gatlanteans had invaded the Small Magellanic Cloud, with the Greater Garmillan Empire resisting their invasion. The Garmillan forces proved superior to the Gatlanteans, whom they considered to be mere barbarians.[11][12]

Yamato sinks Dagam's flagship
Zworder's eye was caught by the lowly caste bandit Goran "Thunder" Dagam, who he promoted to Grand Chief Commissioner of the newly conquered territory and appointed as his direct warrior. Dagam was tasked with finding Shambleau, the legendary Archelian Ark of the Stars.[13] The Great Emperor wished to acquire its cloaking technology to uphold Gatlantis' national polity.[4] In March of 2199,[6] the Garmillas Astro Fleet dispatched Lt. General Elk Domel to take command of the forces stationed at the Small Magellanic Cloud, who was able to beat back the Gatlantean advance.[11][12] Gatlantis gained a significant technological advantage after captured Garmillan scientists produced a new weapon for the empire based on their own technology.[14] Galvanized, Dagam moved his personal fleet into the Large Magellanic Cloud in August[15] to hunt down Shambleau. However, frustrated by his lack of progress, he switched his objective to capturing the Earthling battleship Yamato, which had proved a worthy adversary to the Garmillas in the previous year, despite Saberah's warnings not to do so. By following the battleship, he coincidentally found the Ark of the Stars, but he was killed in battle against Yamato and a Garmillas fleet before he could capture it in Zworder's name.[4]
Some time after his dethronement and his apparent death, Supreme Leader Abelt Desler, former dictator of Garmillas, was taken in by the Gatlantis Empire and given a fleet of warships to serve Emperor Zworder.[16]
Terezart and beyond[]

The Gatlantis Empire built a rocky encagement around Terezart
In 2202, the Comet City Empire moved into the vicinity of the legendary planet Terezart, home to the goddess Teresa. The planet was conquered, and Gatlantis began setting up an artificial crust around it to extract the unique energy that overflew from the goddess' domain.[17][18] By blocking her energy, Zworder aimed to stop Teresa's power to reveal the future to humans from becoming a threat to his plans.[19] The empire also used it to build new weapons.[20] Around the same time, they also created the so-called Gaizengan Weapons Group, a series of bio-technological war machines that could be grown inside of the Ark of Destruction, which gave Gatlantis a never-before-seen numerical advantage over their enemy.[21] In October[22] of the same year, Gatlantis' Vanguard Fleet pushed deep into Garmillan territory in the Milky Way Galaxy, seizing the empire's 8th Floating Continent. On December 2,[6] a joint Garmillas-Earth task force led a mission to recapture the continent. Initially outmatched by the enemy, the joint task force was almost entirely wiped out after Gatlantis unveiled a Calaklum-class Battleship, the first Gaizengan Weapon. The Earth responded by deploying its own last-generation warship, granting them a costly victory. However, the Calaklum survived the attack, and by tracing the route taken by two retreating cruisers, it found out the position of the Earth and threatened it with a suicide attack. Despite the destruction of the warship at the swift intervention of Yamato, the Gatlantis Empire had obtained the Earth Federation.[1][18]

Katsuragi is created
As these events unfolded, Teresa sent a telepathic communication to the crew of the Yamato, calling them to her planet. Thanks to her ability to see the future, Teresa had forseen that the battleship coming to Terezart was necessary to reach the best possible future in which Gatlantis was defeated.[1] Teresa's message was traced by Gatlantis and it was understood as being directed at the Earth. Realizing the importance of the planet as a growing ally of both Garmillas and the goddess, Zworder selected it as the Gatlantis Empire's next target.[18] In preparation for a conflict against the Earth, Zworder produced another copy of Saberah, modified to look like a regular Earthling, and she was sent on a mission into Earth Federation territory. This new copy took on the identity of Toko Katsuragi, an assistant to the Earthling professor Robert Redrowz, who was currently on the 11th planet of the solar system awaiting clearance to carry out an expedition to the Archelian ruins on planet Stravase.[23][24]
The war against the Earth[]
Yamato's journey and Desler's rebellion[]

The Eighth Mobile Fleet over the 11th planet
Gatlantis' Eighth Mobile Fleet attacked the 11th planet on December 24, 2202,[6] devastating the planet's city and destroying most of the forces stationed there. At some point during the attack, professor Redrowz was killed and revived as a living dead body under the direct control of Emperor Zworder. A lone Cosmo Marine managed to break through the Gatlantean blockade around the world and was rescued by Yamato, which had been launched on a mission toward Terezart. The battleship subsequently led a rescue mission on the planet to save all surviving civilians. Zworder gave fleet Admiral Mazer his consent to use a Legionnaire Cannon to wipe out the Earth from afar. However, by exploiting a wave-motion resonance phenomenon, Yamato rendered the enemy fleet immobile and escaped the battlefield unharmed. Both Katsuragi, Redrowz, and a group of living dead bodies hidden among the planet's civilians boarded Yamato, which was now on its way to Stravase to meet with a Garmillas patrol fleet that would carry the refugees back to Earth. Katsuragi began serving as a spy for the empire aboard the battleship and informed the emperor about acting captain Kodai's reluctance to use the Wave-motion Gun, Yamato's most formidable weapon. On Stravase, Yamato was caught in a battle between two Garmillas rebel organizations. Zworder used the occasion to confront captain Kodai personally through a living dead body.[8][25][26][27]

Desler and Mil on the bridge of the Leader's flagship
Wanting to entertain himself by seeing a human act undisturbed, Zworder sent Supreme Leader Desler to hunt down the Eighth Mobile Fleet, which had disobeyed his return order. Afterwards, he tasked the fallen Supreme Leader with the destruction of Yamato. Aboard Desler's flagship was Mil, a Type Zworder Gatlantean and heir to the Gatlantis Empire, who constantly informed the Great Emperor of Desler's every move via Cosmo Wave. However, Desler managed to counter the young officer's telepathy by staging his confrontation with Yamato in a dimensional fault where his link with the sovereign was cut off. Despite his failure at stopping the Earthling battleship, Desler was joined by a fleet of supporters from Garmillas, and managed to assert his independence from the Gatlantis Empire. These events where soon found out by Zworder and his court, but he decided to let Desler act freely for the time being.[28][29]

Zworder strangles Saberah
After gaining sufficient energy from Terezart, Zworder ordered the Comet City Empire to leave in direction of the Earth. The mobile fortress encountered Yamato during its journey, and the battleship was caught in its gravitational field controlled by Saberah. However, the Chief Minister's dominance over the Ark of Destruction began to waver due to the resonance with her copy aboard Yamato. The resonance made Saberah's original memories resurface, and she refused to execute Zworder's command. The Great Emperor thus strangled Saberah to death, which caused the gravitational force to waver and freed Yamato. This left the imperial capital stranded until a new copy of Saberah could be produced.[29]
On March 26, 2203,[6] Yamato arrived on Terezart and liberated it from the occupational forces stationed there by Gatlantis. The planet briefly came under the control of Desler's fleet, who intended to use it as leverage to strike a deal with Zworder, but ultimately Teresa herself made the world disappear. As later stated by Emperor Zworder, the planet still existed, but it had rendered itself invisible and untangible to outsiders.[30][31][19][32]
War in solar system[]
At Zworder's command, Gairen produced a new Saberah, this time with an emotional inhibitor on top of the memory cap, effectively making her a doll under the Emperor's control. With a new Chief Minister ready, Gatlantis prepared to invade the Earth as planned. Without any other place to go, Desler and his fleet were also forced back into servitude to the empire.[33]

The fully revealed Ark of Destruction runs through Saturn, tearing it apart
On May 8,[6] the main force of Gatlantis, commanded by Commander-in-Chief Valsey, arrived in the solar system after a series of skirmishes against the Earth Federation's peripheral fleet. They engaged in a fierce battle with the United Nations Cosmo Navy, during which the Ark of Destruction, carrying Zworder and his court, arrived and easily destroyed Saturn and most of the Earthling forces. During the battle Gairen sensed that the Earth had been using a time fault to build its powerful fleet. Wanting to sieze it to increase Gatlantis' war potential, Zworder decided to take control of the Earth, rather than destroy it. Meanwhile, Yamato was sabotaged by one of its crew members, who had been forced to betray his comrades by Katsuragi. As a result, the battleship crashed into planet Zemuria, which was still held inside the fortress.[34]

Zworder ordered Zemuria's destruction in order to stop Yamato
While the Comet City Empire and the Gatlantean military continued to advance through the solar system, defeating the Garmillas-Earth joint forces battle after battle, Yamato's crew made an incredible discovery. They found a pair of ancient Zemurian AIs who entrusted Katsuragi with their records of Zemurian history. Katsuragi, who had her memories fully restored, rebelled against Gatlantis and allied with the Earthlings. From these records, they learned of the existence of Golem, a device capable of killing all Gatlanteans upon activation, which Zworder had stolen from his overlords during his rebellion.[35][36]
The Great Emperor made an attempt to halt the escape of the battleship from the Ark, but his efforts were in vain. In a final effort to prevent Yamato from attacking the Comet City Empire, Zworder dispatched Desler to deal with the battleship once and for all. However, during their encounter, Mil himself turned against Zworder and tried to persuade him to cease his campaign. Unfortunately, Mil was accidentally killed, extinguishing the last hope for peace between the Gatlantis Empire and humanity.[37][38]
Golem and the fall of Gatlantis[]

The Comet City Empire over the Earth
On June 2,[6] the Comet City Empire broke through the Earth Federation's defenses and reached the Earth. After destroying their last remaining forces, the Seventh Mobile Fleet took control of the planet's capital, and Commander-in-Chief Goenitz of the Gatlantis Astro Fleet declared the empire's full dominance over the planet.[38]

Gairen dies to shield Zworder
Yamato, backed by the bulk of the Garmillan naval forces that had reached the solar system, faced off against the Ark of Destruction. They heavily damaged it with a boosted variant of the Wave-motion Gun. The battleship stormed the capital, aided by Katsuragi who, as a copy of Saberah, had the highest clearance code over the Comet City Empire. Therefore, she could not be intercepted by the Emperor and his staff. Kodai led the assault team that seized Golem. But even as he stood over the device, he still tried to negotiate with Zworder. At that moment, an out-of-control Needle Slave threatened to hit the Great Emperor. Gairen ran in and took the bullet for him, dying in his successor's arms.[39]

Zworder activates Golem
Seeing his predecessor sacrifice for him as a father would for a son, Zworder realized that as much as he tried to deny it, the Gatlanteans were indeed humans capable of feeling love. With his philosophy and worldview shattered, Zworder accepted his humanity and activated Golem himself, killing all of his subjects. As a self-recognized human, he was spared by the device and he could now take control of and merge with the Ark of Destruction to continue his war alone. He began transforming the mobile fortress to suit his needs. After shooting a devastating beam at the surface of Earth's moon, he moved it to the remnants of Saturn to transform its core into energy and blast the planet directly.[38][7]

Yamato, engulfed by Teresa's golden hue, rushes the Ark of Destruction
However, everything had gone according to the future Teresa had predicted. She was able to manifest in normal space through a dimensional hole opened by Yamato's engine breaking down. Together, the goddess and the battleship rushed at the transformed Ark and destroyed it. With the end of the Ark of Destruction and of Zworder, the Gatlantis Empire came to an end.[7]
Legacy[]

The remnants of Saturn post-Gatlantis Campaign
The Gatlantis Empire's brutal war against the Earth stained the Solar System and the Earth Federation for years after its collapse. The Moon began being rebuilt by late 2203, and its reconstruction was completed between 2205 and 2207.[40][41] Saturn's restoration started around 2207 and is currently ongoing.[42]
Government and Politics[]

Emperor Zworder's council, from left to right: Goenitz, Saberah, Razera, Valsey and Gairen
As Great Emperor, Zworder was the Gatlantis Empire's absolute ruler. The Emperor was assisted by Chief Minister Sifar Saberah, who was in charge of all internal and military affairs and the navigation of the Comet City Empire.[9][43] Zworder was also advised by a small council consisting of the empire's highest ranking officials: the Chief Minister, the commander of the Astro Fleet Goenitz, the General Chairman of the Controlling Agency Razera, and the Chief Intel Archivist Gairen who kept the emperor apprised of all important developments. Commander-in-Chief Valsey of the Seventh Mobile Fleet also sometimes sat on the council.[1][44][45]

Goran "Thunder" Dagam, a Grand Chief Commissioner and fleet commander
The Gatlantis people were an artificially created species made exclusively for war, and as such, all other functions of the empire were organized as a military hierarchy.[1][44][45]
Grand Chief Commissioners and feudal lords were appointed to administer regions claimed by the empire.[2][13] The Military Affairs Controlling Agency, chaired by the General Chairman, was the ultimate authority in territorial control, controlling all imperial-occupied star systems. One Grand Chief Commissioner, Goran Dagam, ruled over the Gutaba Area and his own fleet of warships.[4][13]
Society and Culture[]
For this topic in more detail, see Gatlanteans (2199)

Gorland the 19th and his clone successor Nol
As an artificial race, the Gatlanteans did not possess the ability to reproduce, instead, they had perfected cloning techniques inherited from their creators, the Zemurians. Each clone had a specialized role, be it a government official, fleet admiral, soldier or servant. The successor of each clone inherited the name, title and role in society of the predecessor once they came of age.[30]
Gatlantean culture revolved around the philosophy laid out by Zworder following the death of the original Saberah, which caused him to grieve. It was a philosophy that rejected emotions; especially love, regarding them as illogical impulses and the root cause of all suffering. The solution to this, was to eradicate suffering by eradicating life itself. As such, Gatlantis was a highly militaristic society, with the most revered positions being those involving governing and military service.[5] The Gatlanteans addressed those above them in the empire's civil or military hierarchy with the honorific "Sir".[45][29]
Behind the scenes[]
The Gatlantis Empire depicted in 2199, most notably in the movie Odyssey of the Celestial Ark draws its inspiration from medieval China and the Mongol Empire, as reflected in the titles used by the empire (such as Chief Minister, Grand Chief Commissioner, Feudal Lord, Direct Warrior and Great Emperor), as well as the clothing of Gatlantean officers, which resembles a Japanese Haori.[4] This was done to differentiate Gatlantis from Garmillas and the enemies of the original series, which were often rapresented as military states. The reasoning was that as a culture evolved on a completely different world from Garmillas, the Gatlanteans would have a unique society.[46] Yutaka Izubuchi, director of Odyessey of the Celestial Ark likens them to "the image of someone attacking while eating meat and beating drums".[47] The Gatlanteans presented in the movie also express themselves with archaic terms, often resmbling Classical Japanese.[4]
The setting was changed for Yamato 2202, where the empire is presented more as a machine of war meant to perpetrate Zworder's ideals rather than a regular country. This was done because, according to writer Harutoshi Fukui, the original Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato depicted a clash of ideals against reality, while the original series (and thus Yamato 2199) depicted a clash between two nations.[48] Despite these changes, Gatlantis remains stylistically the same, with its aestethic still borrowing heavily from Japanese feudalism. [30]
The literal english translation of the name (帝星ガトランティス, Tei-sei Gatorantisu) would be Imperial Planet Gatlantis, however, the official translation used by Bandai (also used on screen for Garmillas) is simply Imperial Gatlantis.[49][50][50]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "AD 2202 - Revive, Space Battleship Yamato"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Complete Works Vol.3 p. 196
- ↑ Yamato 2202 character data for Zworder
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 "Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Gatlantis, the Cursed Children"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 "The Era of Space Battleship Yamato: Choice of 2202"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Farewell, Space Battleship Yamato"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Zworder, the Devil's Alternative"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Ark of the stars character data for Sifar Saberah
- ↑ Seen on screen aboard Megaruda in Odyssey of the Celestial Ark
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Wish Upon a Star"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "A World I Once Saw"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Odyssey of the Celestial Ark character data for Goran Dagam
- ↑ Odyssey of the Celestial Ark Secret File 01: Threat of the Flame Strike Gun, tragedy of the Garmillas science slaves
- ↑ Mikage Kiryu states that the events of Odyssey of the Celestial Ark (outside of the prologue and epilogue) are set one months after Yamato's take off from Iscandar, as that event is stated to take place on July 27, 2199, it can be deduced that the movie takes place in August of the same year. See Yamato 2199 timeline inconsistencies for more details
- ↑ "Bewitching - The Space Fireflies Beckon a Crisis"
- ↑ "AD 2202 - Revive, Space Battleship Yamato"
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "Tension – Reach the Embassy on the Moon"
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "O Teresa, Cry for Dessler!"
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works vol.2 p.007
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Warriors of Love Chapter 5 Theater Pamphlet
- ↑ In "AD 2202 - Revive, Space Battleship Yamato" the 8th floating continent is said to have been under Gatlantean occupation for 2 months, since "The Era of Space Battleship Yamato: Choice of 2202" establishes the events of the episode happen on December 2, the empire must have occupied the continent in october
- ↑ "Shock – Legacy of the Cosmo Reverse"
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works p.32
- ↑ "Battle to the Death – The 11th Planet Rescue Operation"
- ↑ "The Beam of Light Flashes! / Radiance of the Wave Motion Gun"
- ↑ •"The Trap at Planet Stravase!"
- ↑ "Desler's Challenge!"
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 "The Shocking White Comet Empire - The Yamato Rams Through!"
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 "The Terezart Landing Operation – Crush the Enemy Missile Fleet!"
- ↑ "Zurvival's Fierce Assault - Find Teresa"
- ↑ "Farewell, Teresa! Flowers for Two Desslers"
- ↑ "Battle off the Coast of Saturn - Gather the Wave Motion Gun Fleet!"
- ↑ "Battle off the Coast of Saturn - Gather the Wave Motion Gun Fleet!"
- ↑ "Gatlantis, the Cursed Children"
- ↑ "Escape from the Nightmare!"
- ↑ "The Fated Showdown!"
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 "Warriors of Love"
- ↑ "Yamato, Attack the Comet Empire!"
- ↑ "Earth, Yamato is..."
- ↑ "Yamato, a New Departure!!"
- ↑ "Begin The Secret Operation! Head for the New Yamato!" "
- ↑ Yamato 2202 character data for Sifar Saberah
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 "The Beam of Light Flashes! / Radiance of the Wave Motion Gun"
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 "Bewitching - The Space Fireflies Beckon a Crisis"
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Pia p. 25
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Pia p. 48
- ↑ Interview with Harutoshi Fukui on Monthly Hobby Japan No. 573 p. 191
- ↑ "Heir to the Yamato, Her Name is Ginga"
- ↑ 50.0 50.1 1/1000 Imperial Gatlantis Nazca-Class Strike Carrier Kiska Bandai set
Japanese language information[]
- ガトランティス帝国 Gatorantisu teikoku (Gatlantis Empire)
- 帝星ガトランティス Tei-sei Gatorantisu (Imperial Gatlantis)
- 白色彗星帝国 Hakushoku Suisei Teikoku (White Comet Empire)