Controller of Planet X
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The make-believe is over now. From now on, I'm in charge of things. Earthlings, your history stops here. From now on, you're cattle. Your one and only function is to be our food supply.
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— The Controller of Planet X addresses Shinichi Ozaki, Douglas Gordon, Anna Otonashi, and Miyuki Otonashi after assassinating the Xilien Commander (Godzilla Final Wars) |
The Controller of Planet X (X星人統制官 is the leader of the Ekkusu Seijin Tōseikan, lit. "X Alien Control Officer")Xiliens in Invasion of Astro-Monster and Godzilla Final Wars.
The first incarnation of the Controller from Invasion of Astro-Monster commanded the Xiliens from his underground base on Planet X. He brought astronauts Glenn and Kazuo Fuji into the complex and convinced them that his race was under attack by Monster Zero, the Xiliens' name for King Ghidorah. The Controller next headed to Earth, where he revealed the locations of Godzilla and Rodan and had his ships capture them. The Controller staged a battle between the two Earth monsters and Ghidorah on Planet X, sending Glenn and Fuji back to Earth while keeping Godzilla and Rodan on the planet He soon issued his ultimatum to Earth, revealing that the three monsters were under his control and demanding the planet's surrender. He made his return to Earth aboard a command ship and oversaw the invasion from there. When humanity found a way to sever the Xiliens' control of the monsters and weaken the invaders, the Controller activated a self-destruct switch which destroyed his ship along with all of the other Xilien UFOs and bases.
The second incarnation of the Controller from Godzilla Final Wars was a staff officer in the Xilien military serving under the Xilien Commander. When the Xiliens' covert plan to infiltrate the Earth Defense Force was exposed, the staff officer assassinated his superior and declared himself the Controller of Planet X. Unleashing all of the monsters under his race's control, the Controller planned to wipe out most of mankind and enslave the rest as "cattle." He captured the crew of the Gotengo when they breached the Xilien Mothership, then proceeded to engage in a hand-to-hand fight with the EDF's Shinichi Ozaki. Defeated, the Controller activated the ship to self-destruct, but Ozaki and the Gotengo crew managed to escape in time, leaving the Controller to die aboard his ship.
Name
The character's Japanese name literally translates to "X Alien Control Officer." The English dub for Invasion of Astro-Monster refers to him as the Controller of Planet X, while the English subtitles from Classic Media's DVD release and The Criterion Collection's Blu-ray release of the film instead refer to him as the Commandant. In both the original Japanese dialogue and English dub for the film, he is also referred to simply as the Controller (統制官. The English name "Controller of Planet X" is commonly used for the Tōseikan, lit. "Control Officer")Showa iteration of the character in official sources, such as the entries for Invasion of Astro-Monster on Toho's official English website and The Criterion Collection's website. The English version of the mobile game Godzilla Defense Force instead refers to him as the Xilien Leader, while the comic series Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers gives him the full title Supreme Controller of Planet X. In the final issue of the comic, he is instead addressed as the Supreme Commander. A Monogram International figural bag clip of the character refers to him as the Xilien Controller.
The version of the character from Godzilla Final Wars is never referred to in dialogue by any formal name or title, though official Japanese-language supplementary materials give him the same name as the leader of the Xiliens from the Showa series,[3] or alternatively call him the New Controller (新統制官. Shin Tōseikan)[2] These materials also establish that prior to usurping power from the Xilien Commander, he is known as the Xilien Staff Officer (X星人参謀. Ekkusu Seijin Sanbō)[1] He is informally referred to as "that Xilien kid" or mockingly as "X-Man" in English dialogue in the film. Concept art of the character includes the English name Xilian Regulator, while the description for Gigan 2004 in the mobile game Godzilla Battle Line uses the translation Controller of Xilien. It is a common misconception among English-speaking fans that the character's name is "X," due to a misinterpretation of a cameo by actor Kenji Kohashi in which he announces on a talk show that he has changed his name to "X" as a ploy to capitalize on the Xiliens' popularity.
Personality
In Invasion of Astro-Monster, the Controller is cold and manipulative, allowing his life to be run by a computer that controlled the lives of all Xiliens. The Controller was willing to conquer the Earth peacefully, giving the human race time to surrender without any bloodshed, but was more than willing to order the deaths of countless humans when they would not comply. The Controller is completely reliant on the computer that controls the Xiliens' lives, basing all of his decisions upon its calculations. He is overconfident in the computer's capabilities, and cannot comprehend when the humans turn the tables on the Xiliens.
In Godzilla Final Wars, the Controller appears to be mentally unstable, as he feels no remorse in killing his superior, the Xilien Commander, who is presumably his mentor. The Controller is prone to untimely fits of hysterical laughter, like when one of his monsters is defeated, when Godzilla is released, or when he is beaten in hand to hand combat by Shinichi Ozaki. The Controller is also prone to violent outbursts of rage. He becomes very angry when one of his monsters is defeated, or when he is outsmarted by one of the humans, often to the point of him jumping up and down and flailing his arms in anger. However, these outbursts are unusually short, and he can snap between near-manic anger to a cool and emotionless state in the space of a few seconds.
History
Showa era
Invasion of Astro-Monster
When astronauts Glenn and Fuji arrived on Planet X, the Controller brought them into a complex under the planet's surface, where he stated that he and the Xiliens required the Earthlings' assistance. The Controller told them that Planet X was being terrorized by King Ghidorah, called "Monster Zero" by the Xiliens, and that they wanted Godzilla and Rodan to be brought to Planet X to fight him off. The Controller promised a miracle drug capable of curing cancer in exchange for the Earthlings' help, and asked Glenn and Fuji to speak to Earth's leaders. The Controller secretly came to Earth in an Xilien UFO, hiding under Lake Myojin. Eventually, the Xiliens' presence was discovered by the humans and the Controller arranged a meeting with Earth's leaders. The Controller revealed the location of Godzilla and Rodan, and had two UFOs capture them. The Controller then invited Glenn, Fuji and their commander Dr. Sakurai on board his ship to witness the plan take place. When they arrived on Planet X, they witnessed Godzilla and Rodan battle and defeat King Ghidorah, with the Controller proclaiming it to be a great victory. He then sent the three back to Earth on a replica of their spaceship, the P-1. When they returned to Earth, they played the tape supposedly containing the cure for cancer, but instead discovered it contained an ultimatum from the Controller, demanding the Earth surrender to Planet X. The Xiliens soon besieged the Earth with their UFOs and the three mind-controlled monsters, Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah. Using the A-Cycle Light Ray Gun, the people of Earth severed the Xiliens' control over the monsters, and then broadcast a sound across the Earth that was lethal to the Xiliens. The invasion a failure and his ship on the brink of destruction, the Controller proclaimed that the Xiliens would escape into the future and pressed a button, which caused all of the Xiliens' ships and bases on the Earth to explode.
Millennium era
Godzilla Final Wars
The Controller revealed himself to the people of Earth alongside his superior, the Xilien Commander, claiming that he and the Xiliens had come to Earth to save the planet from an incoming asteroid called Gorath, that would soon impact and destroy the Earth. While the people of Earth initially embraced the Xiliens, the Controller grew impatient with the Commander, who wanted to harvest the humans' mitochondria through peaceful means with minimal violence, while the Controller preferred to annihilate their civilization immediately using the Xiliens' superior technology and enslave them. Eventually, members of the Earth Defense Force discovered that the Xiliens were replacing high-ranking Earth officials with disguised members of their race. A group of them confronted the Controller and his superior while they and the United Nations Secretary General were being interviewed live by Anna Otonashi. Douglas Gordon shot the Secretary General, causing his head to split open and revealing him as an Xilien. The Commander attempted to defuse the situation, but the Controller simply shot and killed him. The Controller declared himself the new leader of the Xiliens and used his powers to mind control the EDF's mutant soldiers, forcing them to attack the other humans. The Controller then returned to the Xilien Mothership and ordered all of the kaiju under their control to be released.
When the Controller learned that the Gotengo had survived and was en route to Antarctica, he sent Gigan to destroy it. The Gotengo freed Godzilla from Area G, and he quickly defeated Gigan. The Controller proceeded to unleash countless monsters against Godzilla, including Zilla, Kamacuras, Kumonga, Anguirus, Rodan, King Caesar, Ebirah and Hedorah, all of which fell. The Controller finally unleashed Monster X to battle Godzilla in Tokyo, while the modified Gigan battled Mothra. When the Xilien Mothership was boarded by the Gotengo, the Controller had his underlings capture the crew and bring them to him. The Controller taunted them, explaining that humans were "cattle" and that he planned to enslave and breed the humans so their mitochondria could be harvested as a food source for the Xiliens. He also revealed that the mutants on Earth were a result of humans and Xiliens interbreeding in the past. Some rare individuals called "Keizers" could obtain incredible powers from this combination of DNA, and the Controller revealed that both he and Shinichi Ozaki were among them. The Controller took control of Ozaki and had him attack his allies, but Miyuki Otonashi was able to free Ozaki from his control using the Shobijin's sacred dagger. Ozaki and the Controller then battled while Gordon, the rest of the crew, and the world leaders taken prisoner by the Xiliens fought their way back to the Gotengo. Channeling all of his hidden power, Ozaki defeated the Controller, leaving him lying on the ground. The Controller laughed, stating that he would not die alone as the ship began to self-destruct. Ozaki reached the Gotengo and escaped with the ship, while the Controller screamed defiantly as the Mothership exploded with him in it.
Abilities
The Controller from Godzilla Final Wars is a Keizer, the result of ancient interbreeding between Xiliens and humans. As a Keizer, he possesses incredible physical power as well as the ability to control mutants, also spawned by the same Xilien-human interbreeding. With great effort he is able to control fellow Keizer Shinichi Ozaki, though the latter is soon freed from his control by the Shobijin's sacred dagger.
Filmography
- Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
- Godzilla Final Wars (2004)
- Godziban (TV 2019-) [episode 30]
Comics
- Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #1-5 (2022)
Video games
Godzilla Defense Force
The Controller of Planet X, called the "Xilien Leader" in-game, is a primary antagonist in the 2019 mobile game Godzilla Defense Force. He commands the Xiliens' legion of monsters in the invasion of Earth, and frequently contacts the Earth Defense Force and taunts them in their efforts to stop him. It is eventually revealed that the Xilien Leader is subservient to the Xilien Queen, the true leader of the race.
Gallery
Invasion of Astro-Monster
Godzilla Final Wars
The Controller screaming as the Xilien Mothership is destroyed with him inside
Godziban
Merchandise
Monogram International Figural Bag Clips
Trivia
- The visor that the Controller is seen wearing in some scenes in Godzilla Final Wars is a reference to the attire of the Xiliens in Invasion of Astro-Monster.
References
This is a list of references for Controller of Planet X. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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Bibliography
- Iwahata, Toshiaki (2 July 2021). Picture Book of Godzilla & All Monsters. Kodansha. ISBN 978-4-06-523491-4.
- Matsui, Satoshi, ed. (1 March 2005). Godzilla Final Wars Super Complete Works (2nd ed.). Shogakukan. ISBN 4-09-101498-4.
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