INTRODUCTION | CHARACTERS | THE ORIGINAL TV SERIES | BACKGROUND| MERCHANDISE

BACKGROUND The year is 2071, and humanity has spread out across the Solar System. Mankind has yet to reach the stars: the technology still does not exist, and nor does the will. Swift travel is made possible by a network of phase differential gates. In 2022, during the development of the gates, a terrible accident caused a catastrophe in Earth orbit, damaging both the homeworld and the Moon. The surfaces were heavily irradiated, and humans had to evacuate. Using the very gates that had caused the disaster, mankind left for the planets and moons of the solar system. Governments and ethnic groups were forgotten, but soon replaced by new allegiances and affiliations, as new communities formed. As in the period after WWII, the tough times brought super-fast developments; as the economy recovered, the underworld gained more power. The widening gap between rich and poor created a boom in criminal activity, in the period later termed the Roaring Twenties. The period saw the rise of numerous criminal syndicates, specialising in illegal activities such as drug-dealing. As time passed, the planets and satellites became independent states, and a new generation grew up with no memories of the Earth. Gate technology became a trusted part of everyday life, and a necessary tool for the people. Interplanetary crime fell under the jurisdiction of the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP), an organisation which also introduced a bounty-reward scheme. Once registered, bounty-hunters were licensed to bring criminals to justice in exchange for high rewards. This created a new class of bounty-hunters (the “cowboys”) – it is estimated that there are up to 300 thousand “cowboys” chasing criminals around the Solar system. 2071: love it or leave it.

Machinery Life in the late 21st century is not so different from our own time. People still have airplanes, cars, ships, weapons and computers. The difference lies in the space ships – MONO (Machine Operation Navigation of Outer space). This hardware includes the airframe control mechanics, navigation system and auto-calculation software. All space ships have MONO installed, leading to the term “MONO pod” for cockpits and escape vessels. Because all spacecraft carry MONO systems as standard, they are called MONO Machines, but this term tends only to be used for small to medium-sized craft. Strictly speaking, there are distinctions between the MONO Racer, MONO Boat and MONO Carrier classes, but this is often negelected in everyday speech. The TV series showcased many civil MONO Machines are shown, but in the movie we finally get the chance to see the military variants.

	The Bebop Converted interplanetary trawler / 142m long / 69.2m wide/ 45.6m high/ weight 1567t Jet purchased the ship second-hand, installing a supercharged communication system and larger engines to make her suitable for bounty-hunting. She was originally an interplanetary trawler for use on the Seas of Ganymede, designed to both catch fish and transport them under refrigeration to other worlds. Spike and Jet use the Bebop as their home base, though she so large that not even they can claim to have investigated all her cabins and holds.

	Swordfish II High speed fighter/ 13.8m long/ 13.3m wide/ 4.8m high (including guns)/ weight 8.4t The Swordfish is Spike’s MONO Racer. Originally developed for high-speed sport, it was remodelled and fitted with armaments by Spike’s friend Doohan. It has four wing-mounted machine guns and a laser cannon attached to the underside. The main engine is a nuclear fusion aero-spike, and the booster nozzle is reconfigured as a short-range impulse drive. Spike has used this machine for over a decade.

	Hammerhead High output tug boat/ 21.5m long/ 12/3m wide/ 7.7m high/ weight 15.3t The Hammerhead is Jet’s MONO Boat – a small trawler auxiliary vessel, remodelled with a heavy engine and extra propellant tank for power and range. Though it does not have any weapons, it is a powerful machine, with a grappling claw, magnetic clamp, anchor rod and winch.

	VTOL loaded with heavy fire arm/ 8.6m long/ 7.2m wide/ 5.4m high (including guns)/ weight 7.2t The Redtail is Faye’s MONO Carrier. It has two triple-geared engine for use in atmospheres, and a fusion rocket motor for vacuum. It also has a superior VTOL system. Various equipment can be added in modular form, making it a flexible multi-purpose craft. In its basic configuration, Faye has it loaded with weaponry, both bought off the rack and customised with her own unique modifications.

Phase Difference Space The science of Spatial Alternation Dynamics is based on the theory that our universe phases in and out of existence, blinking on and off every 1/48th second. According to the hypothesis, our entire existence disappears every 1/48th second, to be momentarily replaced with another dimension, known as Phase Difference Space. Since Phase Difference Space is 1/240th the size of our own universe, it is possible to travel 240 times as fast within it, assuming that one can both enter and exit the new dimension at the appropriate times. The devices used to enter the new dimension are known as Phase Difference Space Gates. By entering them, travel times are greatly accelerated, reducing the Earth-to-Mars transit time to between 13 and 24 hours. These future equivalents of 20th century Earth’s “highways” are operated by the Gate Public Corporation, which charges a toll on all traffic. The invention of the gates made it possible to deliver vast amounts of materials and energy (including sunlight itself) to distant planets, consequently making it immensely easier to make these worlds suitable for human habitation. This process is known as terraforming.

INTRODUCTION | CHARACTERS | THE ORIGINAL TV SERIES | BACKGROUND | MERCHANDISE

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