OVA
Description
Bernard Wiseman, known as Bernie, was born in UC 0060 in Side 3. Drafted into the Zeon military after high school graduation in September UC 0079 during the One Year War, his qualifications led to aviation school in the mobile suit department. Wartime urgency drastically shortened his training. After basic training, he joined a mobile suit unit under the 7th Division, Assault Mobile Force, based at Granada.
On his first combat mission, invading the neutral Libot colony in Side 6, Bernie's MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai was shot down, crash-landing inside the colony. Stranded, he befriended Alfred Izuruha, an eleven-year-old boy fascinated by mobile suits. To maintain cover and impress Alfred, Bernie fabricated stories about being an ace pilot. He traded his Zeon rank badge for Alfred's video footage showing suspicious Federation activity, including images of the RX-78NT-1 Gundam NT-1 "Alex" prototype.
This intelligence secured Bernie's transfer to the elite Cyclops Team, a special forces unit led by Steiner Hardy tasked with "Operation Rubicon" – capturing or destroying the hidden Gundam Alex. Veterans Gabriel Ramirez Garcia and Mikhail Kaminsky viewed Bernie as inexperienced and treated him with disdain; he replaced the late Andy Strauss, though Steiner wanted someone more seasoned. Bernie's initial assignment involved escorting Kämpfer parts to a factory within the colony, where he reencountered Alfred. When Alfred discovered the team's operations and reported them to police, Bernie maintained cover by posing as Alfred's stepbrother. This led Steiner to assign Bernie to monitor Alfred, ostensibly to prevent leaks but primarily to keep the rookie away from critical missions.
Bernie and Alfred later infiltrated a Federation base, gathering intelligence with Alfred photographing the Gundam Alex. Despite this, Garcia physically reprimanded Bernie for taking risks. During Operation Rubicon's infiltration, Bernie's inexperience proved catastrophic; posing as an Australian soldier, he mixed up summer and winter seasons, blowing the team's cover and triggering a firefight that killed most of the Cyclops Team. Steiner was severely wounded, and Garcia died attempting to plant explosives on the Gundam. Bernie escaped with Steiner, who succumbed to his injuries, leaving Bernie as the sole survivor.
Learning Colonel Killing planned a nuclear strike on Side 6 to ensure the Gundam's destruction, Bernie initially decided to flee to the luxury colony Francheska. While awaiting departure, he saw a red-haired woman he mistook for Christina Mackenzie, a neighbor of Alfred's. Their initial meeting occurred when Christina, unaware of Bernie's identity, knocked him unconscious with a baseball bat after mistaking him for a prowler near Alfred's house. Alfred later claimed Bernie was his stepbrother. Despite this, Bernie and Christina developed mutual attraction, neither revealing their military roles – Bernie as a Zeon pilot and Christina as the Gundam Alex's test pilot.
The sighting caused Bernie to reconsider abandoning the colony. He chose to stay and destroy the Gundam Alex himself to prevent the nuclear attack. With Alfred's help, he repaired his damaged Zaku II Kai and set traps in the colony's forested sector. Before the mission, he recorded a message for Alfred, instructing him to play it only if he died. On Christmas Day UC 0079, Bernie engaged the Gundam Alex, unaware Christina piloted it. Utilizing terrain and traps, he gained the upper hand, damaging the Gundam significantly and destroying its head unit with his heat hawk. During the battle, Christina pierced the Zaku's cockpit with a beam saber, hitting the reactor and causing an explosion that instantly killed Bernie. Federation soldiers later described his remains as resembling "a pile of hamburger" or "minced meat."
Alfred witnessed Bernie's death and played the recorded message. Bernie revealed the nuclear threat to ensure colony evacuation, advised Alfred against resenting the Federation or the Gundam pilot, admitted soldiers fight for what they believe is right, added a lighthearted note about possibly returning if he survived, and asked Alfred to greet Christina. When Christina later asked Alfred to say goodbye to Bernie, unaware she had killed him, Alfred agreed without revealing the truth.
Bernie is characterized by youth, inexperience, and retention of civilian sensibilities. His fabricated stories revealed a desire for acceptance, particularly from Alfred, whom he treated as a younger brother. Though initially naive about war, his experiences with the Cyclops Team and loss of comrades led to his final sacrificial decision. His combat skills reflected his rookie status, with rushed training and an initial mission ending in defeat. However, he demonstrated resourcefulness and adaptability, particularly in his final battle using tactics to compensate for technological inferiority. In video game portrayals, his statistics often emphasize higher melee combat skills than shooting abilities, referencing his close-quarters success against the Gundam Alex.
A novelization alternate continuity depicts Bernie surviving the Zaku's destruction, with a newspaper later mentioning "the pilot miraculously survived." His relationships included a surrogate brotherhood with Alfred, romantic feelings for Christina, and strained but developing bonds with Cyclops Team members. Garcia showed harsh mentorship but protective concern before his death, while Steiner trusted Bernie enough to be carried to safety after being wounded.
On his first combat mission, invading the neutral Libot colony in Side 6, Bernie's MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai was shot down, crash-landing inside the colony. Stranded, he befriended Alfred Izuruha, an eleven-year-old boy fascinated by mobile suits. To maintain cover and impress Alfred, Bernie fabricated stories about being an ace pilot. He traded his Zeon rank badge for Alfred's video footage showing suspicious Federation activity, including images of the RX-78NT-1 Gundam NT-1 "Alex" prototype.
This intelligence secured Bernie's transfer to the elite Cyclops Team, a special forces unit led by Steiner Hardy tasked with "Operation Rubicon" – capturing or destroying the hidden Gundam Alex. Veterans Gabriel Ramirez Garcia and Mikhail Kaminsky viewed Bernie as inexperienced and treated him with disdain; he replaced the late Andy Strauss, though Steiner wanted someone more seasoned. Bernie's initial assignment involved escorting Kämpfer parts to a factory within the colony, where he reencountered Alfred. When Alfred discovered the team's operations and reported them to police, Bernie maintained cover by posing as Alfred's stepbrother. This led Steiner to assign Bernie to monitor Alfred, ostensibly to prevent leaks but primarily to keep the rookie away from critical missions.
Bernie and Alfred later infiltrated a Federation base, gathering intelligence with Alfred photographing the Gundam Alex. Despite this, Garcia physically reprimanded Bernie for taking risks. During Operation Rubicon's infiltration, Bernie's inexperience proved catastrophic; posing as an Australian soldier, he mixed up summer and winter seasons, blowing the team's cover and triggering a firefight that killed most of the Cyclops Team. Steiner was severely wounded, and Garcia died attempting to plant explosives on the Gundam. Bernie escaped with Steiner, who succumbed to his injuries, leaving Bernie as the sole survivor.
Learning Colonel Killing planned a nuclear strike on Side 6 to ensure the Gundam's destruction, Bernie initially decided to flee to the luxury colony Francheska. While awaiting departure, he saw a red-haired woman he mistook for Christina Mackenzie, a neighbor of Alfred's. Their initial meeting occurred when Christina, unaware of Bernie's identity, knocked him unconscious with a baseball bat after mistaking him for a prowler near Alfred's house. Alfred later claimed Bernie was his stepbrother. Despite this, Bernie and Christina developed mutual attraction, neither revealing their military roles – Bernie as a Zeon pilot and Christina as the Gundam Alex's test pilot.
The sighting caused Bernie to reconsider abandoning the colony. He chose to stay and destroy the Gundam Alex himself to prevent the nuclear attack. With Alfred's help, he repaired his damaged Zaku II Kai and set traps in the colony's forested sector. Before the mission, he recorded a message for Alfred, instructing him to play it only if he died. On Christmas Day UC 0079, Bernie engaged the Gundam Alex, unaware Christina piloted it. Utilizing terrain and traps, he gained the upper hand, damaging the Gundam significantly and destroying its head unit with his heat hawk. During the battle, Christina pierced the Zaku's cockpit with a beam saber, hitting the reactor and causing an explosion that instantly killed Bernie. Federation soldiers later described his remains as resembling "a pile of hamburger" or "minced meat."
Alfred witnessed Bernie's death and played the recorded message. Bernie revealed the nuclear threat to ensure colony evacuation, advised Alfred against resenting the Federation or the Gundam pilot, admitted soldiers fight for what they believe is right, added a lighthearted note about possibly returning if he survived, and asked Alfred to greet Christina. When Christina later asked Alfred to say goodbye to Bernie, unaware she had killed him, Alfred agreed without revealing the truth.
Bernie is characterized by youth, inexperience, and retention of civilian sensibilities. His fabricated stories revealed a desire for acceptance, particularly from Alfred, whom he treated as a younger brother. Though initially naive about war, his experiences with the Cyclops Team and loss of comrades led to his final sacrificial decision. His combat skills reflected his rookie status, with rushed training and an initial mission ending in defeat. However, he demonstrated resourcefulness and adaptability, particularly in his final battle using tactics to compensate for technological inferiority. In video game portrayals, his statistics often emphasize higher melee combat skills than shooting abilities, referencing his close-quarters success against the Gundam Alex.
A novelization alternate continuity depicts Bernie surviving the Zaku's destruction, with a newspaper later mentioning "the pilot miraculously survived." His relationships included a surrogate brotherhood with Alfred, romantic feelings for Christina, and strained but developing bonds with Cyclops Team members. Garcia showed harsh mentorship but protective concern before his death, while Steiner trusted Bernie enough to be carried to safety after being wounded.