This article is about Sifar Saberah as depicted in Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark and its sequels. For her copy that sided with the Yamato crew, see Toko Katsuragi. For her counterpart in Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato and Space Battleship Yamato II see Sabera (OS).
I am Saberah, the one and only.—Sifar Saberah and Toko Katsuragi[7]
Sifar Saberah was a Zemurian woman who fell in love with the Gatlantean sovereign Zworder and sided with the Gatlanteans during their rebellion against her people. Her betrayal of the Zemurians earned her the nickname "the witch".[2] The name was also used to refer to a series of copies of the original, who served the Gatlantis Empire as its Chief Ministers. During this time, she was mostly referred to only as Saberah (SABERAH, Saberah)[8] and by the nickname "Silver Priestess" or, more rarely, simply "Silver".[9]
As the only natural human in the empire, Saberah was the only one capable of piloting the Ark of Destruction, which served as its mobile capital. However, despite having their memories manipulated, each copy of Saberah eventually regained the original's memories and refused to pilot the Ark. The last two incarnations of the Silver Priestess were created with an emotional inhibitor, turning her into a mannequin for the emperor and leaving her without a will of her own.
In December 2202, Zworder created a modified copy of Saberah with the appearance of an Earthling woman. The copy would take the name Toko Katsuragi and be sent on a mission in the territory of the Earth Federation. The last incarnations of Saberah perished on June 2, 2203, during the Final Battle Over Earth.
Biography[]
The original Saberah and the Gatlantis Rebellion[]
Sifar Saberah was born on planet Zemuria around the twelfth century.[5] Her people, the Zemurians, had created an artificial human species to serve as their slaves, the Gatlanteans. They eventually broke their tabus and created a Gatlantean with control over Cosmo Wave telepathy,[10] Zworder.[2]
A hologram of Zworder and Saberah, holding their infant son Mil
Despite Zworder's philosophy being centered around the idea of the Gatlantean race being free from love due to their lack of reproductive organs and necessities, and thus able to create a utopic society, he and Saberah fell in love. They got married and even adopted a young clone of the Gatlantean, named Mil, whom they intended to raise as their son.[2]
Saberah and Mil murdered by the Zemurians
When Zworder became the Supreme Leader of the Gatlanteans and led them in a rebellion against their slave masters, Saberah supported him. However, she and Mil were kidnapped by the Zemurians, who threatened to kill them unless Zworder revealed the location of his armies. Zworder gave in and provided the information, but the Zemurians broke their promise and killed both Saberah and young Mil.[2]
Heartbroken, Zworder left the planet alongisde the few survivors of his species.[2]
Saberah reborn[]
Saberah's first copy tries to talk Zworder down from his omnicidal goal
Mad with grief, Zworder vowed to wipe out all humans from the universe, claiming their love, of which Gatlantis was pure, to be the root source of all evil in the universe. In pursuit of his goals, Zworder sought the legendary Ark of Destruction, a device built by the ancient Archelias civilization to eradicate all humans. While on this quest, Zworder aged and was succeeded by a younger clone of himself, who inherited his memories and name, thus becoming the new Zworder. Eventually, he found the Ark but realized that only a true human could activate it. Consequently, Zworder decided to use a pieace of technology on the Ark, which became known as the Saberah Reproduction Device,[11] to create a "genuine copy" of Saberah from her data and compel her to activate the superweapon for him. A new Saberah was successfully brought to life, but she was still unstable. Zworder urged her to recall the pain and grief that her fellow humans had caused her and to bring justice to them. Initially, the flow of her memories caused her to scream in terror and start reactivating the Archelian device, but Saberah came to her senses and halted the procedure. She told the Gatlantean that the darkness he fought was inside his heart and urged him to cease his quest for vengeance before her body dissipated into red dust.[2]
Saberah, as Chief Minister and highest-ranking official, leads the Ark of Destruction
However, her words did not sway her husband. Instead, Zworder chose to create multiple copies of Saberah, gradually limiting her memories until she submitted to his will. Using one of these copies, he successfully reactivated the Ark of Destruction and established it as the capital of his newly formed Gatlantis Empire. Zworder declared himself the Great Emperor of the empire.[2] Saberah, now transformed into his obedient[2] and sadistic Chief Minister[1] and highest-ranking official, was given responsibility for all internal and military affairs of the state, as well as for navigating the empire's mobile capital.[6] Her appearance was changed to look more similar to a Gatlantean. Her hair was turned white and linked to her eyebrows, her ears were also made slightly pointy.[12] During this time, she earned the nickname of Silver Priestess.[6]
Despite this, all copies of Saberah eventually regained the memories of the original, refused to obey the Emperor's commands, and were subsequently killed. Chief Intel Archivist Gairen, in reality the name and position assumed by an elder Zworder once their younger counterparts replaced them on the throne, recreated a copy of the Silver Priestess every time she was discarded, but they continued to regain their memories regardless.[13]
The Hunt for the World of Tranquillity[]
For this topic in more detail, see Hunt for the World of Tranquillity
In 2199, Emperor Zworder assigned his direct warrior, Grand Chief Commissioner Goran Dagam, to lead a hunt for the World of Tranquillity, Shambleau, an Archelian ark. Saberah was responsible for overseeing Dagam's mission. Despite her dislike for Dagam, she had an informant on his flagship, Bodom Mace, who reported directly to her.[1]
Saberah compels Dagam to follow his orders
On August 27,[4] Dagam reported to Saberah that although they had no solid leads on the location of the ark, he had found another valuable prize for Zworder. Annoyed, Saberah interrupted him and ordered him to stay focused on his mission, threatening him with death if he didn't fulfill it. Later, Mace informed her that the Dagam fleet had located Shambleau. She immediately contacted the Grand Chief Commissioner to confirm it and ordered him to halt his attack on the planet so as not to damage it for the Great Emperor.[1]
Saberah makes fun of Dagam and his origins
She scolded him for his brutish behavior and mocked his background as a mere bandit unworthy of the latest technologies given to him by the emperor. This greatly angered Dagam, and he smashed the communication device on his flagship, cutting off the communication. He then continued his attack against a combined force of Greater Garmillan Empire ships and the Earthling space battleship Yamato, which ultimately led to his death.[1]
Terezart and the war against the Yamato[]
Saberah reports to Zworder about their tracing of Teresa's message
In 2202, Saberah was in Zworder's throne room aboard the Ark of Destruction during the Invasion of Planet Terezart.[12] A few days later, she informed the Emperor that they had successfully traced a Cosmo Wave communication sent by the goddess Teresa, who lived on the planet, during the attack. She believed that the message had been sent to Earth, the home planet of a race that had recently allied with the Garmillans. Following Zworder's request, she directed the mobile capital to move out against this new enemy.[14]
Toko Katsuragi on the eleventh planet
Zworder laid the groundwork for the impending invasion of the Earth Federation by creating a new copy of Saberah. This copy was modified to appear as a regular Earthling and was sent undercover to the 11th planet of the Solar System.[13][15] The empire then launched a full-scale attack on the world on December 24, 2202.[4] This new Saberah took on the name and identity of Toko Katsuragi.[15] Meanwhile, the already existing Saberah continued to serve Zworder aboard the Ark.[16]
During the battle of the eleventh planet, Zworder's officials reviewed the records regarding the Yamato, the battleship that had defeated Dagam and received Teresa's call. Saberah instructed Gairen to trace the vessel's records, which revealed it was equipped with a powerful Wave-motion Gun. This troubled General Chairman Razera, but the Emperor was confident that the Yamato would not use that weapon, much to the surprise of the Silver Priestess. After the battle, which ended with the Earthlings emerging victorious, the commanders of the Gatlantean forces contacted Zworder, distressed by the fact that the Yamato had spared them. The Emperor explained that they had done so out of love, which caught Saberah's attention.[16]
Saberah observes Desler's fleet with Goenitz and Zworder
Days later, she was present as Eternal Supreme Leader Abelt Desler, the former disgraced dictator of Garmillas, was presented before Zworder. She arrogantly told him he should be grateful to the Great Emperor for granting him a fleet, as the Gatlanteans had no place for defeated commanders in their society. However, Zworder interrupted her and told her to be respectful to the former ruler of a country.[17] The empire unleashed Desler against a renagade formation of its military, and Saberah witnessed his attack against them together with Zworder and Commander-in-Chief Goenitz. Noting he had passed their test by acting loyally, she wondered if he had done so in a good faith attempt to repay his debt, or if he simply had nowhere else to go.[18]
As Yamato approached the Ark of Destruction, Toko Katsuragi, who had boarded the battleship to spy on it for the Emperor, and Saberah began resonating with each other. During a meeting, she confidently confirmed to Goenitz that the Emperor had predicted Desler's rebellion against his will. However, despite her acting normally, Zworder noticed her growing connection to Katsuragi.[13]
Saberah and Katsuragi face each other and fight over their identity
Shortly after, the Ark appeared in front of the Yamato, and Saberah tried to use its supergravity to destroy the battleship once and for all. However, her connection with Katsuragi distracted her, resulting in a psychic confrontation that left her questioning her identity. She believed to be unique among the people of the empire, yet she was now facing an identical copy of herself. Unable to move, Zworder approached her and reassured her that she was the only one in Gatlantis capable of controlling the Ark of Destruction. He also emphasized that he was following her judgment of humanity more than she was following him. This temporarily snapped her out of her confusion, and she resumed her attack. However, as the Yamato was pulled deeper into the Ark's gaseous cover, no Gatlantean ship attacked, as they were all immobilized by the resonance between the two Saberahs.[13]
Zworder strangles Saberah to death
Zworder ordered Saberah to prepare for warp, but the Silver Priestess once again stood still in terror as her link with Katsuragi strengthened. Feeling the emotions felt by her counterpart aboard the Yamato, Saberah remembered the love Zwordar had once felt and suffered from. She felt that she could never break free of that love, but that it was a sweet suffering. The realization made her once again regain all the memories Gairen had locked away. With tears streaming down her face, she reached out for Zworder, calling him by name and reaffirming her own identity as Sifar Saberah. She affirmed that both she and Zworder knew what love was and urged him to stop his madness. The Great Emperor repeatedly told her to stop, but she insisted that he was not trying to destroy the universe, but something of his own. Enraged, Zworder strangled her to death, as he had already done multiple times.[13]
The invasion of the Solar system[]
For this topic in more detail, see Gatlantis Campaign#Invading the Solar system.
After Saberah's death, the capital of the Gatlantis Empire was paralyzed. Following Zworder's command, Gairen created a new version of Saberah, but this time he installed an emotional inhibitor, transforming the Silver Priestess into a puppet devoid of will or personality.[19] At Zworder's orders, the new Saberah led the invasion of the solar system by piloting the Ark of Destruction throughout the various battles of the conflict.[2][20][21]
The Ark of Destruction refuses Saberah's commands
During the Final Battle Over Earth on June 2, 2203, the Yamato infiltrated the Ark of Destruction intending to reach the throne room and activate Golem, a device capable of instantly killing all Gatlanteans. Katsuragi, who had regained her memories and defected in favor of the Yamato crew, used her status as a Saberah copy to help pave the way for Yamato through the Ark using her Cosmo Wave. Zworder instructed his Saberah to override her, but being little more than a puppet made her unable to oppose Katsuragi. The landing team from the battleship landed in the throne room and confronted the emperor. Upon realizing the Gatlanteans' human nature, Zworder activated Golem to eliminate them all. As the machine's light filled the room, Saberah screamed in terror.[21]
Saberah watches Zworder fuse with the Ark of Destruction
After all the Gatlanteans died, Zworder fused with the Ark of Destruction and started transforming it to eliminate all life on Earth. Saberah watched silently as he was pulled away by the superweapon's gravity. Meanwhile, another copy of Saberah was created in the Saberah Reproduction Device. Zworder spoke to her as she lay unconscious, telling her that she had activated the Ark because as a human, she was compelled to destroy her own kind, but also to love and protect it.[22]
The last two iterations of Saberah were eliminated on the Ark of Destruction, when it was destroyed by the combined efforts of the Yamato and Teresa during the final battle phase.[22]
Personality[]
Unlike the Type Zworder Gatlantean clones, which had different personalities depending on their iteration despite inheriting the same memories,[23] every pure copy of Sifar Saberah maintained the original's personality.[2] However, the manipulation of her memories later carried out under Zworder's orders led to a drastic change in personality for the later copies.[1][2]
Saberah makes an offensive remark to Supreme Leader Desler
Originally, Saberah was a caring woman, deeply in love with Zworder and devoted to their adopted son Mil. Intelligent and understanding, Saberah could easily read her husband's emotions and understand the motives behind his vengeance crusade against humanity.[2] However, after Gairen imposed limitations upon her memories, Saberah became cruel and manipulating.[1] She took great pride in her position within the Gatlantis Empire. This often led to insolence when speaking with those she considered beneath her.[1][17] In her new state, she was completely devoted to Zworder, addressing him only by his title and never by name.[13] While still able to easily identify his intentions, she was fully subjected to his will.[14]
The supposedly emotionless Saberah screams in terror
However, despite their programming, every copy of Saberah ended up regaining the original's memories and awakening their true personality.[13] To prevent this, Zworder ordered the creation of a copy that lacked any emotion, effectively meaning she had no free will.[19] Despite the emotional inhibitor, this Saberah still felt intense terror the moment Golem was activated.[21]
Saberah was capable of using the Cosmo Wave.[13]
Behind the scenes[]
Saberah's various designs. From left to right, Farewell, Yamato II, the PS game, and 2202.
Sifar Saberah is the counterpart in the remake continuity to the character Sabera, who appeared in Space Battleship Yamato 2 and Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato. Her new design, which was drawn by Nobuteru Yuki,[9] more closely resembles the Farewell version,[24][25][26] with some her clothes' neckline being similar to the small changes to the design made for the second Yamato Playstation game, Farewell Space Battleship Yamato: Warriors of Love,[27] and her cape resembling the one she dons in Space Battleship Yamato 2.[25]
Saberah is voiced by Yūko Kaida in Japanese and by Colleen Clinkenbeard in English. Her name is rendered as Sifar Sabera in the English adaptation.[1][14]
Her character description for Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark states she is 23 years old, while "Gatlantis, the Cursed Children" reveals she was born around the 12th century AD.[2][28] This could be a retcon, or 23 could be the physical age of all Saberah copies.
A painting of Saberah by Naoyuki Kato, depicting her with green skin
Skin color changes[]
In both Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark and Space Battleship Yamato 2202, Saberah's design remains mostly consistent.[1][12] However, there is a difference in her skin color between the two versions. In Odyssey of the Celestial Ark, Saberah has a darker, more greenish complexion, although it's not easy to notice because she only appears via hologram.[1] This is more obvious in her artwork in printed materials, such as in volume three of Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Complete Works.[9] Regardless, on the official website for the film[28] and in the movie's program booklet, her skin is depicted as lighter and yellow-tan.[26] This version is used for all of her subsequent appearances on screen in 2202.[12] However, the "anime graph" promotional booklet given out in Japanese theaters for chapter 7 of 2202 shows her with her more greenish skin color.[29]
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- It's important to point out that all recreations of Saberah are described either as "copies" or "genuine copies," but never as "clones." The technology used to recreate Saberah and the final results are entirely different from the methods used to create regular Gatlantean clones.[2]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 "Gatlantis, the Cursed Children"
- ↑ "Farewell, Space Battleship Yamato"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Trajectory of YAMATO official 2024 calendar
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 In "Gatlantis, the Cursed Children" Gairen and Zworder are shown finding the Ark of Destruction in 1203, Gairen affirms that they had been searching for the Ark for more than 100 years meaning the Rebellion must have taken place prior to 1103
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Official Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love website CHARACTERS & MECHANIC entry for Saberah
- ↑ "The Shocking White Comet Empire - The Yamato Rams Through!"
- ↑ Official romanization confirmed in the Yamato Travelogue Character File 07 on V-storage
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Complete Works Vol.3 p. 196
- ↑ Yamato 2202 Chapter 7 blu-ray booklet p.7
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works Vol.2 p.145
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "A.D. 2202 - Revive, Space Battleship Yamato!"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 "The Shocking White Comet Empire - The Yamato Rams Through!"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Tension – Reach the Embassy on the Moon"
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Shock – Legacy of the Cosmo Reverse"
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "The Beam of Light Flashes! / Radiance of the Wave Motion Gun"
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Bewitching - The Space Fireflies Beckon a Crisis"
- ↑ "Dessler's Challenge!"
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Battle off the Coast of Saturn - Gather the Wave Motion Gun Fleet!"
- ↑ "Yamato in Crisis - The Devil's Alternative Once More"
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 "Yamato, Attack the Comet Empire!"
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Farewell, Space Battleship Yamato"
- ↑ "Warriors of Love"
- ↑ Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 "2201: The Yamato Returns!"
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark program booklet p.9
- ↑ Farewell Space Battleship Yamato: Warriors of Love
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Official Space Battleship Yamato 2199 website CHARACTER entry for Sifar "Silver" Saberah
- ↑ Yamato 2202 Chapter 7 theater goods on Cosmo DNA
Japanese language information[]
シフアル・サーベラー Shifaru sāberā