TV-Series
Description
Ernst von Bähbem is an enigmatic and ancient figure who serves as a primary architect of the events in the story. His exact age is unknown, but he is the current head of the powerful Bähbem Foundation, an organization with origins dating back to the Naacal Trading Company established in 1576. Through the application of technology derived from excavated out-of-place artifacts, the foundation controls much of the world's economy from behind the scenes, granting Bähbem immense influence. He appears as an elderly, gray-haired gentleman and acts as a key sponsor of the organization TERRA.
In truth, Bähbem is not an ordinary human. He is an ancient being known as a Mulian, a race that is outwardly identical to humans but possesses unique characteristics. Referred to as The Designer, he is a cloned host body of an ancient Mulian who has survived across the millennia by transferring his soul into new cloned bodies. This practice has led some to mistakenly call him a modern-day Methuselah or a vampire. He was personally responsible for the disappearance of the continent of Mu into another dimension, an event that sets the stage for the story's central conflict.
Bähbem's personality is defined by a cold, calculating, and utilitarian perspective. He has lived for so long and manipulated so many events that he seems to consider himself almost a god. His primary motivation is to rectify the dimensional fracture he caused by having the world re-tuned by the RahXephon, a task he does not care who accomplishes. He is indifferent to the suffering of individuals or the outcome for humans versus the Mu, as his singular focus is on preventing the two dimensions from colliding and turning into mud.
His role in the story is that of the ultimate puppet master. He has been controlling world events for centuries, waiting for the awakening of the RahXephon. He is responsible for the development of the RahXephon itself, bringing it from his own world to the parallel world of the story. He maintains a key relationship with his granddaughter, Helena von Bähbem, though this connection is tainted by his nature as a body-snatcher. He also has a significant relationship with Johji Futagami, an associate who ultimately judges him.
A significant development in Bähbem's character is the revelation of his method of immortality. When his elderly physical body is shot by Makoto Isshiki, it proves to be an empty shell. It is then revealed that his soul had already transferred into the body of his granddaughter, Helena, from whose mouth he then speaks in his own ancient voice. This chilling act demonstrates the total lack of sentimentality regarding his own family or individual human life. His ultimate end comes when Johji Futagami, who had silently disapproved of Bähbem's schemes, kills Helena's body with a smile, asking if Bähbem is finally satisfied. Futagami's final act is to reject the forced tuning of the world that Bähbem had longed for. Bähbem's notable abilities include his control over vast economic and technological resources, his longevity through the process of soul transfer into clones, and his deep knowledge of Mulian technology, including the creation of the RahXephon.
In truth, Bähbem is not an ordinary human. He is an ancient being known as a Mulian, a race that is outwardly identical to humans but possesses unique characteristics. Referred to as The Designer, he is a cloned host body of an ancient Mulian who has survived across the millennia by transferring his soul into new cloned bodies. This practice has led some to mistakenly call him a modern-day Methuselah or a vampire. He was personally responsible for the disappearance of the continent of Mu into another dimension, an event that sets the stage for the story's central conflict.
Bähbem's personality is defined by a cold, calculating, and utilitarian perspective. He has lived for so long and manipulated so many events that he seems to consider himself almost a god. His primary motivation is to rectify the dimensional fracture he caused by having the world re-tuned by the RahXephon, a task he does not care who accomplishes. He is indifferent to the suffering of individuals or the outcome for humans versus the Mu, as his singular focus is on preventing the two dimensions from colliding and turning into mud.
His role in the story is that of the ultimate puppet master. He has been controlling world events for centuries, waiting for the awakening of the RahXephon. He is responsible for the development of the RahXephon itself, bringing it from his own world to the parallel world of the story. He maintains a key relationship with his granddaughter, Helena von Bähbem, though this connection is tainted by his nature as a body-snatcher. He also has a significant relationship with Johji Futagami, an associate who ultimately judges him.
A significant development in Bähbem's character is the revelation of his method of immortality. When his elderly physical body is shot by Makoto Isshiki, it proves to be an empty shell. It is then revealed that his soul had already transferred into the body of his granddaughter, Helena, from whose mouth he then speaks in his own ancient voice. This chilling act demonstrates the total lack of sentimentality regarding his own family or individual human life. His ultimate end comes when Johji Futagami, who had silently disapproved of Bähbem's schemes, kills Helena's body with a smile, asking if Bähbem is finally satisfied. Futagami's final act is to reject the forced tuning of the world that Bähbem had longed for. Bähbem's notable abilities include his control over vast economic and technological resources, his longevity through the process of soul transfer into clones, and his deep knowledge of Mulian technology, including the creation of the RahXephon.