ESSAY OF DOO- ... far too much rambling.
Ahahaha. So. Yeah. I am seriously essayed out. Ergo, this is a very, very bad essay with no flow and poor grammar and it probably only makes sense to me but that's okay because I never have to look at this thing again. XD
BASICS
Name: Mwu La Fllaga
Alias-Only-Not-Really: Neo Lorrnoke
Nickname: Hawk of Endymion
Rank: Colonel
Age: 31
Birthday: November 29th
Height: 183 cm // 5'11
Weight: 71 kg // 156 lbs
Blood Type: O
Genetic Type: Newtype/Natural
Famous Last Words: "I'm a man who can make the impossible possible."
FAMILY
Father: Al Da Fllaga (deceased)
Mother: Name Unknown (deceased)
Siblings: None
Other: Raww Le Klueze (Da Fllaga clone: deceased), Rey Za Burrel (Da Fllaga clone: deceased)
BACKGROUND
Mwu is the only not-cloned son of Al Da Fllaga, a man whose arrogance was matched in intensity only by his affluence, and his mystery wife. He lived with his parents in a stupidly large manor, replete with servant-types and fancy things. Not much is actually known about his relationship with his parents; his mother is mentioned only in passing and, while he calls him arrogant and unreasonable in his adulthood, the insight we're given into his relationship with his father is limited to Mwu overhearing a conversation between Da Fllaga and the nanny (in which his father refers to him as 'one of those'), and a photograph of Mwu and his father looking quite happy.
Of course, with this being a back story in a mecha anime, it's got itself some emo. Unbeknownst to Mwu, his father's opinion of his mother, and him in turn, was low enough that he was willing to break a couple laws to create a suitable heir. He bribed geneticist Ulen Hibiki - Kira's biological father and the man responsible for making him the 'Ultimate Coordinator' - to clone him. No genetic modifications were made; he wanted a perfect clone, a plan which succeeded insofar that an exact genetic duplicate of Da Fllaga was born. Complications arose, however, once it was determined that the clone had shortened telomeres, speeding up his rate of growth and limiting his lifespan. Da Fllaga then came up with plan B: he'd order the mass creation of embryos so another clone could be created whenever a previous one neared his end. Immortality the fucked up and creepy way!
Anyway, the first clone would grow up to become one Raww Le Klueze, elite ZAFT commander and sworn enemy of Mwu. The second, with whom Mwu had no canon interaction as himself (and was limited to combat interaction as Neo) would be ZAFT redcoat Rey Za Burrel. Why hello there, source of Da Fllaga's arrogance! His genes were of equal strength to those of the genetically modified Coordinators; his clones were not only seamlessly integrated into their military, they excelled within it before they hit their chronological teens.
Right. Back to discussing Mwu's actual background, Mwu and Raww did not grow up together, despite them both being children at the time. The precise reasons for this are unknown; perhaps they related to Raww's medical complications, the illegality of the situation, or Da Fllaga's desire to present a certain image that would only be complicated otherwise. There could have been an element of shame, considering how Raww was a failed product. Maybe Da Fllaga had Mwu's best interests at heart or, conversely, didn't want Mwu's personality rubbing off on Raww. Or hell, maybe they just never happened upon each other in the ... fewish years between Raww's birth and Da Fllaga's death. The house really was huge. As was my rambling list.
As children they met only once when Mwu was approximately 8-10ish and Raww was physically 10-12ish but chronologically 3, 4, 5 maybe? Totally estimating here. Regardless of how old either of them happened to be, Raww would set the Da Fllaga manor on fire shortly thereafter, killing Mwu's parents in the process.
RAWW
What happens to either Raww or Mwu immediately afterwards is unknown; Raww meets up with geneticist Gilbert Dullindal at some point (I'm not sure of the precise timeline) while Mwu's whereabouts are uncertain until, at seventeen, he enlists in the military. Raww is similarly inclined; he becomes a soldier of ZAFT though, again, I'm not sure of the timeline.
At some point during the war's early stages (before the series starts) the pair encounter each other once again. No details are given, but it is clear that they had frequently met on the battlefield and developed a very strong rivalry. As far as Mwu was concerned, that's all it was; two men, two egos, and one hell of a coincidence. Those elements existed for Raww too but, above all that was his deep-seeded hatred of Mwu's father, shifted onto Mwu himself.
They'd meet in battle a few more times in SEED before Raww, in a bout of euphoria over his Apocalyptic Plan (!!1!) coming closer to realisation, saw an opportunity to heighten his mood by twisting some sort of proverbial knife into Mwu's side. He lured him into an abandoned laboratory (the very one in which he was created) and, in true maniacal villain fashion, tossed out a few speeches on hatred, Coordinators, clones and war-ending keys. He spills everything about that lab to an understandably sceptical Mwu and blanked out Kira before divulging that, as manifestation of the human ego, he alone has the right to judge all humanity and that he intends to see to its end. D'aww. Kira gets all RAWR, there's a lot of shooting and, in the process, Raww loses his mask. A threeway of shock ensues, Raww flees, and Mwu and Kira leave knowing that Raww, while absolutely psycho, is not a liar.
Raww and Mwu meet once more, on the battlefield. Mwu expresses his refusal to let Raww see his plan through to the end but Raww is determined. He nearly destroys the Strike before heading off to ... do god knows what. Then, Mwu 'dies' and Raww will later follow suit. Only he stays dead.
GENETIC TYPE
Mwu is a Natural; neither he nor his parents went through any genetic modifications. Owing to his father's Coordinator-esque genetic composition, he is capable of more than most naturals but his Newtype abilities play a big part in that.
As there are only five confirmed Newtypes in SEED - Mwu, Da Fllaga, Klueze, Rey, and Kira - it's not really explored in the series itself. Newtypes themselves are unaware of their classification as such; they are aware of the their psychic abilities, at least, but do not understand the reasons behind them. It's likely that Newtype abilities, and the genes responsible for them, are not completely unknown, however. Kira is, more likely than not, a Cyber Newtype, meaning his Newtype abilities are artificial. It's probable that the Newtype gene was rediscovered through the creation of Da Fllaga's clones, since one would think it would have been an oft requested feature in Coordinators otherwise.
Aside from psychic reflexes and slight telepathy, Newtypes are also gifted with enhanced spatial senses. The benefits bestowed upon Mwu and the other Newtypes are simple. They are able to sense immediate and impending danger with varying degrees of success (and most effectively when focused), can operate complicated computer and combat systems, and can sense the presence of other Newtypes who mean them harm. Kira and Mwu, for example, aren't hit by flashes whenever they enter into close proximity; Raww and Mwu, however, are.
MILITARY
Mwu's reasons for enlisting are clear; he is driven by a desire to protect others and a want to put his innate abilities to use. He is a gifted soldier who earned respect through impressive combat records and an optimistic, friendly demeanour.
At the start of SEED, he's a member of the 7th Orbital Fleet (Ahahaha ... I am now incapable of typing 'Fl' without typoing it as 'Fll' first. I blame Megan.) and escort for a group of pilots set to be united with their mobile suits. He himself was a mobile armor pilot (think war plane in space!), for the Moebius Zero. A few explosions and a helluva lot of dead soldiers later, Mwu is left stranded and joins up with the Archangel, piloting his Moebius, a Sky Grasper (think war plane in the atmosphere!) and, finally, the Strike Gundam.
Mwu is initially loyal to the military. Despite having doubts about the way they are operating, he respects the chain of authority and abides by it (with the exception of a few outbursts). While he ultimately does defect, the EAF had reached an extreme level of corruption at that point and, even if he could look past it, he and everyone else on the Archangel could face execution upon their return to the forces.
What does all this mean? In general, Mwu is somewhat unconcerned with such military concepts as rank and decorum. While he does refer to higher-ranking officials properly, he is also unafraid to openly disagree with them. He respects the theory behind military operation, but is not so tied to it that he's willing to concede to them on everything; basically, he accepts that there's only so much he can do in these situations but refuses to compromise his beliefs.
ROLE IN SEED
Outside his duties as a soldier, Mwu steps up to the task of keeping spirits aboard the Archangel high. This is no minor role, as they face consistent setbacks from both enemy and ally alike and spend, well, all of their time without real orders and at a disadvantage. Still, he works to ensure that the crew understands what is happening and what has to happen so they are at least slightly comfortable with their course of action. This is no more pronounced than in his interactions with Kira. For most of the series, Mwu keeps a close eye on him, helping him understand the soldier's perspective and refusing to let him believe what he's doing is wrong.
He serves as a grounding force in another fashion, too; Mwu is prone to broaching topics most everyone else would ignore. In the early episodes, he suggests surrendering as a viable option. Later, he comes up with the idea to raid the debris belt (believed to be comprised of the wreckage of countless spacecraft, but discovered to include what's left of Junius-7, the site of the colossal terrorist attack responsible for the war) for supplies. He tells a group of people left watching their town burn to the ground that they should be grateful and that their enemy was lenient. He comments that Lord Uzumi's (Cagalli's father and then-ruler of Orb) vision of a world where Coordinators and Naturals can coexist without conflict is idealistic, and he alone questions Athrun and Dearka's decision to fight alongside the Archangel against their military.
He doesn't speak out with intent to antagonise; if conflict does arise, Mwu's pretty quick to step back and try to cut it off before it goes anywhere. He's simply unafraid to say what he believes he has to, whether it be to lighten a situation, establish a course of action, or gain an understanding of the people he's fighting for and with.
Generally speaking, he believes strongly in the will of others and is so encouraging because of an honest faith in human ability. He's not paranoid or quick to suspicion; in fact, it's just the opposite. He's more than willing to offer up the benefit of the doubt, as he's a man of his word himself.
Mwu's is a persistent man and will not relent when he's fighting for something he believes in. He is also physically and mentally resilient and absolutely refuses to stay knocked down for long. After the 'incident' with Raww, Mwu returned to the Archangel with an overload of information, some shrapnel in his side, and a bullet in his shoulder and, instead of allowing himself to be injured, he availed himself to the bridge crew for moral support and advice as soon as he was bandaged.
Long story short, Mwu, through combat feats and attitude was good for morale. His actions saved the Archangel more than once and, by the series' end, he had proven himself ready to sacrifice everything for their safety.
GETTING FROM POINT M TO N
Mwu 'dies' quite extraordinarily at the end of SEED; he pilots his mobile suit directly into the line of fire of an insanely strong positron beam canon headed for the Archangel and explodes. At the time the episode was scripted he was, for all intents and purposes, dead. Gone. Irrevivable. Space dust. This, obviously, would not last. By the time the third Special Edition rolled around, they had edited out an image of his mangled helmet. And, at the start of Destiny, Koyasu was back to voicing a dirty blonde soldier with Newtype abilities.
How did he survive? The answers presented in the anime are limited to this screen. That's it. Just that one image. Ahahaha, bastards.
Basically, he was somehow found in the middle of nowhere during a huge battle, amid god only knows how much rubble, and rescued by LOGOS, the wonderful group responsible for Blue Cosmos and a hell of a lot of misguided hatred. His memories were altered and he was given an entirely new identity; that of Neo Lorrnoke, an accomplished and loyal soldier concerned more with rank and pride than actual honour. In all likelihood, they intended him to be their 'perfect soldier'; someone who would go above and beyond what was asked of him and who would do so without question.
SHIFTING SIDES
Neo starts out as a very determined man, driven by success and very little else. As captain of a warship (the Phantom Pain), he is authoritative and demanding of respect, but not overbearingly so; outside of tense combat situations, the atmosphere aboard the ship is relaxed and he comes off as easily approachable. While he does expect to be referred to per military decorum for the most part, he is on relatively friendly terms with the Extended pilots he's in command of - Auel, Stellar, and Sting - and has them call him by name. He is also very involved in their care.
Though he works directly beneath the leader of LOGOS, no evidence is given to suggest that he shares their opinion of Coordinators. He does, however, initially agree with them in regards to the creation and use of Extendeds. (While this is not actually stated, it can be inferred that LOGOS would have tweaked his brain accordingly to avoid any conflict in their regard.) As the series progresses, however, and Neo grows more attached to the Extendeds, Stellar in particular, he starts to openly question their treatment to the doctors aboard the ship, though he would follow up by saying such things shouldn't be considered.
The shift in Neo's beliefs and attitude is accelerated at the series' halfway mark. In episode 25, Stellar heads out on her own and is taken by the Minerva (ZAFT's main ship, and the one Shinn, Luna, and Rey were crew of). Neo receives news that she's officially 'lost' the following episode and expresses distaste in the choice of words before quickly shrugging it off and saying he understands. Still, he moves Stellar's pet fish to his desk and vows to destroy the Minerva to avenge her. This marks the first (and only, really) time that Neo states a desire to take them down for a reason outside of personal victory.
Here, his distaste towards Lord Djibril and his principles becomes rather clear. At one point he openly questions Djibril's perspectives, but doesn't press the matter. At another, he grows angry in expression when Djibril states that the only purpose the Extendeds, and Neo himself, have is to take down the Minerva.
Neo would ultimately fail that task, and Auel would die in the process. Shortly after the final battle between Phantom Pain and the Minerva, Shinn returns a dying Stellar to him on the grounds that he promise to keep her off the battlefield. Neo makes the promise but does not keep it; he does, however, refrain from erasing her memories - the ones of Shinn, at least.
The last battle he'll fight for the EAF finds him shifting quite quickly from overconfidence to panic. He had ordered a recovered Stellar to pilot the Destroy, a new Mobile Suit with unparalleled combat capabilities, under the belief that the enemy forces would lack the firepower to take it down. When the Archangel appears, followed shortly thereafter by the Minerva, he realises his mistake and actively involves himself in protecting Stellar; encouraging her, fighting Kira off, and stopping Shinn from attacking her. In the end, he loses all focus, is able to do little more than shout out to Stellar when she's hit, and has his mobile suit downed by Kira. The Archangel takes him aboard as a prisoner.
Released from his obligations to Djibril, Neo is rather relaxed outside of instances when he is, directly or indirectly, referred to as Mwu. A lighter, more playful side of him is quickly introduced when he tries to comfort a crying Murrue through flirtation and he speaks openly with whomever else happens to be in the infirmary.
He spends a lot of his time watching the news in silence and, well, listening in on an injured Athrun's conversations. Later, he actively involves himself in the affairs of the Archangel by reporting to the bridge with an exaggeration of Athrun's concern for Lacus, which convinces Kira to set out to help her.
Shortly after this, Neo recovers and Murrue equips him with a fighter plane and tells him he can leave. She runs off, upset. He's left speechless and on a cliff, watching the Archangel take off. He would ultimately decide to go after them, however, finding them in combat and destroying a couple missiles headed their way, volunteering his service, and assuring their victory because he's 'the man who can make the impossible possible'.
After the battle he has the sweetest conversation with Murrue (vidclip here), in which he confesses that he's starting to doubt his identity as Neo Lorrnoke and that part of him remembers her. Prior to this, he had experienced some flashbacks but shook them off. He still goes by Neo officially, but answers to Mwu without objection.
Personality wise, he's a slightly more tentative version of Mwu. He'll contribute, but won't take command and, when he does speak up, it's with a little diffidence. He sheds this side of him when he's alone with Murrue, but tends to look to her for guidance during more involved discussions. Yes, I think it's insanely sweet.
At this stage, he believes in what Orb and the Archangel are trying to achieve and is fighting alongside them with the same motivations Mwu would have had. This is ... quite effectively illustrated when Neo reenacts the events that really, really should have killed him in SEED by placing his MS (the Akatsuki, placed in his care by Cagalli) directly in the path of the Minerva's positron blaster canon. He survives and regains his memories, telling Murrue that he won't leave again and that they'll end the war so they can go home. Yes, I think this is insanely sweet as well!
And ... this is where Mwu is now. He retains Neo's memories but, for the most part, Neo's personality was assimilated by Mwu's.
RECONCILIATION
Note that I said for the most part and not entirely; this is where my own perspectives come into play. I don't feel right playing Mwu in a manner that finds the time he spent as Neo being ignored. Yes, Mwu has essentially reverted to his original identity by Destiny's end. However, that identity was dormant for the past two years and I don't see all of Neo's behaviours having been lost when he regained his memories.
So! While, for the most part I am playing him as SEED Mwu, I have taken choice parts of Neo's personality and applied them to Mwu's.
Basically, he's still very upbeat and involved (sometimes too involved); the type who refuses to give in to negativity and, in turn, strives to ensure those around him are kept in high morale. He's also optimistic, but not blindly so; he's still a realist, above all else. Added to this is a slight shortening of his temper (mainly in situations regarding respect and a lack thereof) and a newfound propensity for bouts of tentativeness and a lack of focus (not something I've played out much to date, or something I intend to bring out very often but it is there).
But really, he's still the same old Mwu who, having drawn from everything that happened to him, has just become a whole lot more grateful for everything. I refuse to take the guilt/resentment route with him. He's still a very light-hearted character and he's not going to dwell.
CONFRONTATION
He's not going to ignore what happened, either; he simply cannot, with Shinn, Stellar, Rey, and Jona at camp. This would all be a lot easier if any indications on how he'd respond were given in canon but, since none were, I've had to go and come up with the most complicated way of dealing with it as humanly possible.
ARRGH. This is far too hard to explain.
Neo and Mwu are not two different people. Not only does Mwu retain all of Neo's thoughts and memories, Neo does a lot of reflecting upon his past actions while Mwu's personality was resurfacing. So, because of this reconciliation, he doesn't have that mental divide between himself and him as Neo, so he simply doesn't try and separate the identities in conversation. Not because of some sort of nobility or because I think it'd be a cop-out, but because, in his mind, it was him.
It doesn't stop there, however. Mwu is very aware that he'd had his mind altered and that he was manipulated into acting out of character. He lacked any such awareness before regaining his memories and identity so he's still in the immediate mental state of accepting blame. If a conversation is particularly tense and/or hostile, he won't be thinking 'hey, that's not something I'd ever do under normal circumstances' because he did spend so much time thinking that he acted on his own and that belief is what he'd recall first when confronted. Under more cordial circumstances, he would have the capacity to step back and try to clear matters up without going into too much detail. He wouldn't outright deny responsibility because, quite frankly, I don't want him to. It feels cheap to me. He would, however, bring up the loose idea that he was a different person or, in certain situations, that he had limited control over who he was and what he did.
So. He won't deny responsibility. He won't separate the identities. He thinks of himself as Neo. He knows that he was messed with. He won't sit back and let people believe he's some horrible person. He will defend some of the actions Neo took. Others? Not a chance, but he understands them regardless.
TOY SOLDIERS TAKE BERLIN
I'm ... going to hell for that heading.
The topic of the Extendeds is the biggest issue I anticipate playing through in regards to Neo, with a lot of that involving the battle of Berlin (the battle where Stellar is killed). There are two main issues here: the employment of the Extendeds and the actions Neo took up to and during the aforementioned battle.
Neo's perspective includes everything up to his fall at Berlin; Mwu's encompasses everything thereafter, plus some assumptions based upon who he was in SEED.
Extendeds
Neo has no qualms about making use of the Extendeds as soldiers and believes them to be more than capable of handling themselves. They were assigned to his command for a purpose, and Neo embraces it. He's less pleased when it comes to wiping their memories (at one point, he wonders aloud if people aren't better off without memory) but does go through with it regardless. Outside of this, he treats them well and shoulders the blame for any failures they experience. They are not weapons to him; an opinion that isn't shared by those around him. (I say this for two reasons. One: the Phantom Pain medical staff refer to them as 'battle machines'. Two: The first series Extendeds - Crot, Orga, and Shani, aka the Druggies - were listed in official military documents as weaponry, not soldiers. I assume that, with them all coming from the same lab, things haven't changed.)
Mwu's opposed to the whole idea of engineering humans for the sole purpose of warfare. Damned opposed. If he were faced with the prospect of commanding a group of Extended soldiers, however, I don't think he'd outright refuse since they are willing and capable fighters. Would he meet the situation with enthusiasm, or feel in any way good about it? Probably not; he would, after all, be participating in a program that classifies people as weaponry. Unlike Neo, he would not sit back while his superiors and his crew spoke of them as though they were objects though, and he'd make damned sure that nobody treated them that way.
Stellar
Relative to the five other Extendeds, Stellar is unique. Whereas they embrace battle with enthusiasm and generally fight for fighting's sake, Stellar fights for her life and the lives of those she cares about. Neo, of course, is aware of this (In episode 22, he remarks that; "For someone like her, so afraid of death, the only way to stay alive is to keep defeating her enemies.") and uses Stellar's inward nobility and outward innocence to encourage her to fight.
Outside of battle, he often lets her tag along with him and takes it upon himself to raise her spirits when he can.
In the past, Mwu acted similarly with Kira, playing the protection and death cards to get him to fight despite his clear opposition to the idea. Basically, if Mwu has to, he will try and coerce an unwilling, but capable, individual into fighting.
I am going to say that Mwu would not make Stellar fight, not because of how childlike she is, but because of how much of herself she loses while in combat. He knows that she fights to kill and that she won't stop fighting until she's certain she's safe. And that? Is dangerous. She might have the ability to be a soldier and, at times, the will and desire. She does not have the mental capacity for it, however, and I think that if she were put under his command, he'd put her to use for something unrelated to combat. Like Fllay, who had the will and ability to contribute but whose state of mind left the officers uncomfortable with assigning her responsibilities more involved than janitorial.
It's hard to say what he'd do in an emergency, however. If it came down to it and Stellar had to fight, I think he'd grudgingly go through with it. The same way Neo did. Only if he had to. And grudgingly.
In terms of general interaction, I imagine Mwu would have been as accommodating as Neo was but more naturally so.
Promises
In order for Shinn to hand Stellar over to Neo, Neo first had to promise that he'd keep her away from the battlefield, which he did. I ... am still unsure about whether he intended to break the promise from the start, or whether he would later see no alternative, or if he had hoped that her last battle was going to be her last battle in a happier sense. Or, maybe he just chose to ignore the immediacy of the promise and figured that, so long as he gets Stellar out of the military one day, it'd all be good. ... asdflkajdr ... why so many suppositions? Why?
Whatever the case, he broke the promise as Shinn would see it and, yeah, as he would end up seeing it. To date, I've been playing it under the assumption that Neo deliberately lied so Shinn would leave Stellar with him without conflict. So he didn't entirely mean it, but I'd like to think that he hoped he could live up to it; at that time, he had no idea he was about to be deployed to Berlin and he likely thought he'd have more control.
... and I'm defending him an awful lot here, aren't I?
Okay. The fact remains that, for whatever reason, he broke a very important promise and used Stellar in the next battle.
As I've said earlier, Mwu is a man of his word. He would not have made the promise if he hadn't intended to keep it; the best Shinn would have gotten was an "I'll do my best" or something similar. Why? He wouldn't have believed it himself because he knows that nothing in war is definite and, as I mentioned earlier, that he'd use a soldier like Stellar if he absolutely had to.
So, umm, yes! Mwu wouldn't have promised such a thing, but he would have made sure that Shinn understood he'd do everything in his efforts to see that Stellar could one day live in peace.
Berlin
This is Neo's rock bottom. Berlin is the battle where Stellar is killed shortly after being reunited with Neo. His orders were simple: use the insanely overpowered Destroy MS to effortlessly wipe out a whole lot of people, civilian and soldier alike. If he didn't succeed, he'd be considered a failure and his future would be up in the air, as would Stellar's and Sting's. Looking at the situation from a minimal perspective, Neo figured that the forces stationed in Berlin would be no match for the Destroy and went forward with the campaign without objection. That would prove to be his biggest mistake: in convincing himself that it would be an easy battle and that they'd suffer limited losses, he was wholly unprepared for the arrival of both the Archangel and the Minerva. This lack of foresight would lead to Stellar's death, the last thing he had allowed himself to anticipate.
This ... is something that Mwu wouldn't have considered doing, much less followed through. Post-Berlin Neo feels the same. For one thing, it's pretty damned hard to claim you're fighting to protect people when your orders include wiping out a huge span of civilised territory with an unfashionably large mobile suit. For another, it's hardly an action that begets peace.
For the hell of it, let's say Mwu did accept the mission and intended to see it through. He wouldn't have been so foolish as to believe the plan could be executed with few flaws. As for having Stellar participate, I don't believe he would have. This is not just because of the promise he made to Shinn, but because Stellar had been so recently near death.
That aside, there's a lot of regret over the actions taken, but a considerable amount of understanding is there as well. The options Neo had were limited. Refusal to participate would have seen him separated from Sting and Stellar and, knowing the way the military classifies them, that would have put them in danger. Defection would have been another possibility but, having seen how sick Stellar got while away, he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep them healthy. The military's doctors would have been no help to him here; they did not think of the Extendeds as people, and even warned Neo that he shouldn't grow attached to them. In accepting his orders, he did the only thing he thought to be possible. However, Mwu can't respect the foolishness shown by Neo. Expecting a certain outcome is one thing; neglecting to consider all potential complications is ... well, it's just dumb.
Mwu would have come up with something, because that's what he does. What that might have been, I don't know.
IN FEWER WORDS...
Neo was by no stretch a terrible person. His motivations were a little skewed and he was often smug, but taken away from combat and from Djibril, he was a good guy. He was just limited to Djibril's whims, as he was responsible for altering Mwu's identity and he knew how to manipulate him. Something like that is hard to overcome but he ultimately did, a process which began before he was reunited with the Archangel.
His best side was shown through his interactions with the Extendeds. Though he did push Stellar to fight (Auel and Sting seemed to enjoy it), he didn't truly think of her or the others as weapons, and his concern for them was proven in the end.
Once taken aboard the Archangel, he afforded himself the opportunity to relax and lighten up, partaking in conversation with its crew. After he officially enlisted in the Orb military, he devoted himself to their cause and participated in meetings and tactical discussions, though less actively than Mwu had in SEED. While at first annoyed by being referred to as 'Mwu' or 'Commander', he gradually accepted it and even started questioning his identity. In Destiny 49, he regains his memories by partaking in the same self-sacrificial actions that had 'killed' him in SEED 49.
I'm playing him as Mwu, but have taken the choice parts of Neo's personality that I figure would logically be retained. When it comes to issues involving Neo, Mwu will answer from an involved perspective.
Mwu can understand the actions Neo took and won't be able to outright condemn them. He likely wouldn't have done things the same way, but that's neither here nor there; it's not as though he can do anything about what happened now, even with his memories restored.
Basically ... I wrote a 5500 word essay on issues that WON'T COME UP IN CAMP VERY OFTEN. Ahahaha, lose.
BASICS
Name: Mwu La Fllaga
Alias-Only-Not-Really: Neo Lorrnoke
Nickname: Hawk of Endymion
Rank: Colonel
Age: 31
Birthday: November 29th
Height: 183 cm // 5'11
Weight: 71 kg // 156 lbs
Blood Type: O
Genetic Type: Newtype/Natural
Famous Last Words: "I'm a man who can make the impossible possible."
FAMILY
Father: Al Da Fllaga (deceased)
Mother: Name Unknown (deceased)
Siblings: None
Other: Raww Le Klueze (Da Fllaga clone: deceased), Rey Za Burrel (Da Fllaga clone: deceased)
BACKGROUND
Mwu is the only not-cloned son of Al Da Fllaga, a man whose arrogance was matched in intensity only by his affluence, and his mystery wife. He lived with his parents in a stupidly large manor, replete with servant-types and fancy things. Not much is actually known about his relationship with his parents; his mother is mentioned only in passing and, while he calls him arrogant and unreasonable in his adulthood, the insight we're given into his relationship with his father is limited to Mwu overhearing a conversation between Da Fllaga and the nanny (in which his father refers to him as 'one of those'), and a photograph of Mwu and his father looking quite happy.
Of course, with this being a back story in a mecha anime, it's got itself some emo. Unbeknownst to Mwu, his father's opinion of his mother, and him in turn, was low enough that he was willing to break a couple laws to create a suitable heir. He bribed geneticist Ulen Hibiki - Kira's biological father and the man responsible for making him the 'Ultimate Coordinator' - to clone him. No genetic modifications were made; he wanted a perfect clone, a plan which succeeded insofar that an exact genetic duplicate of Da Fllaga was born. Complications arose, however, once it was determined that the clone had shortened telomeres, speeding up his rate of growth and limiting his lifespan. Da Fllaga then came up with plan B: he'd order the mass creation of embryos so another clone could be created whenever a previous one neared his end. Immortality the fucked up and creepy way!
Anyway, the first clone would grow up to become one Raww Le Klueze, elite ZAFT commander and sworn enemy of Mwu. The second, with whom Mwu had no canon interaction as himself (and was limited to combat interaction as Neo) would be ZAFT redcoat Rey Za Burrel. Why hello there, source of Da Fllaga's arrogance! His genes were of equal strength to those of the genetically modified Coordinators; his clones were not only seamlessly integrated into their military, they excelled within it before they hit their chronological teens.
Right. Back to discussing Mwu's actual background, Mwu and Raww did not grow up together, despite them both being children at the time. The precise reasons for this are unknown; perhaps they related to Raww's medical complications, the illegality of the situation, or Da Fllaga's desire to present a certain image that would only be complicated otherwise. There could have been an element of shame, considering how Raww was a failed product. Maybe Da Fllaga had Mwu's best interests at heart or, conversely, didn't want Mwu's personality rubbing off on Raww. Or hell, maybe they just never happened upon each other in the ... fewish years between Raww's birth and Da Fllaga's death. The house really was huge. As was my rambling list.
As children they met only once when Mwu was approximately 8-10ish and Raww was physically 10-12ish but chronologically 3, 4, 5 maybe? Totally estimating here. Regardless of how old either of them happened to be, Raww would set the Da Fllaga manor on fire shortly thereafter, killing Mwu's parents in the process.
RAWW
What happens to either Raww or Mwu immediately afterwards is unknown; Raww meets up with geneticist Gilbert Dullindal at some point (I'm not sure of the precise timeline) while Mwu's whereabouts are uncertain until, at seventeen, he enlists in the military. Raww is similarly inclined; he becomes a soldier of ZAFT though, again, I'm not sure of the timeline.
At some point during the war's early stages (before the series starts) the pair encounter each other once again. No details are given, but it is clear that they had frequently met on the battlefield and developed a very strong rivalry. As far as Mwu was concerned, that's all it was; two men, two egos, and one hell of a coincidence. Those elements existed for Raww too but, above all that was his deep-seeded hatred of Mwu's father, shifted onto Mwu himself.
They'd meet in battle a few more times in SEED before Raww, in a bout of euphoria over his Apocalyptic Plan (!!1!) coming closer to realisation, saw an opportunity to heighten his mood by twisting some sort of proverbial knife into Mwu's side. He lured him into an abandoned laboratory (the very one in which he was created) and, in true maniacal villain fashion, tossed out a few speeches on hatred, Coordinators, clones and war-ending keys. He spills everything about that lab to an understandably sceptical Mwu and blanked out Kira before divulging that, as manifestation of the human ego, he alone has the right to judge all humanity and that he intends to see to its end. D'aww. Kira gets all RAWR, there's a lot of shooting and, in the process, Raww loses his mask. A threeway of shock ensues, Raww flees, and Mwu and Kira leave knowing that Raww, while absolutely psycho, is not a liar.
Raww and Mwu meet once more, on the battlefield. Mwu expresses his refusal to let Raww see his plan through to the end but Raww is determined. He nearly destroys the Strike before heading off to ... do god knows what. Then, Mwu 'dies' and Raww will later follow suit. Only he stays dead.
GENETIC TYPE
Mwu is a Natural; neither he nor his parents went through any genetic modifications. Owing to his father's Coordinator-esque genetic composition, he is capable of more than most naturals but his Newtype abilities play a big part in that.
As there are only five confirmed Newtypes in SEED - Mwu, Da Fllaga, Klueze, Rey, and Kira - it's not really explored in the series itself. Newtypes themselves are unaware of their classification as such; they are aware of the their psychic abilities, at least, but do not understand the reasons behind them. It's likely that Newtype abilities, and the genes responsible for them, are not completely unknown, however. Kira is, more likely than not, a Cyber Newtype, meaning his Newtype abilities are artificial. It's probable that the Newtype gene was rediscovered through the creation of Da Fllaga's clones, since one would think it would have been an oft requested feature in Coordinators otherwise.
Aside from psychic reflexes and slight telepathy, Newtypes are also gifted with enhanced spatial senses. The benefits bestowed upon Mwu and the other Newtypes are simple. They are able to sense immediate and impending danger with varying degrees of success (and most effectively when focused), can operate complicated computer and combat systems, and can sense the presence of other Newtypes who mean them harm. Kira and Mwu, for example, aren't hit by flashes whenever they enter into close proximity; Raww and Mwu, however, are.
MILITARY
Mwu's reasons for enlisting are clear; he is driven by a desire to protect others and a want to put his innate abilities to use. He is a gifted soldier who earned respect through impressive combat records and an optimistic, friendly demeanour.
At the start of SEED, he's a member of the 7th Orbital Fleet (Ahahaha ... I am now incapable of typing 'Fl' without typoing it as 'Fll' first. I blame Megan.) and escort for a group of pilots set to be united with their mobile suits. He himself was a mobile armor pilot (think war plane in space!), for the Moebius Zero. A few explosions and a helluva lot of dead soldiers later, Mwu is left stranded and joins up with the Archangel, piloting his Moebius, a Sky Grasper (think war plane in the atmosphere!) and, finally, the Strike Gundam.
Mwu is initially loyal to the military. Despite having doubts about the way they are operating, he respects the chain of authority and abides by it (with the exception of a few outbursts). While he ultimately does defect, the EAF had reached an extreme level of corruption at that point and, even if he could look past it, he and everyone else on the Archangel could face execution upon their return to the forces.
What does all this mean? In general, Mwu is somewhat unconcerned with such military concepts as rank and decorum. While he does refer to higher-ranking officials properly, he is also unafraid to openly disagree with them. He respects the theory behind military operation, but is not so tied to it that he's willing to concede to them on everything; basically, he accepts that there's only so much he can do in these situations but refuses to compromise his beliefs.
ROLE IN SEED
Outside his duties as a soldier, Mwu steps up to the task of keeping spirits aboard the Archangel high. This is no minor role, as they face consistent setbacks from both enemy and ally alike and spend, well, all of their time without real orders and at a disadvantage. Still, he works to ensure that the crew understands what is happening and what has to happen so they are at least slightly comfortable with their course of action. This is no more pronounced than in his interactions with Kira. For most of the series, Mwu keeps a close eye on him, helping him understand the soldier's perspective and refusing to let him believe what he's doing is wrong.
He serves as a grounding force in another fashion, too; Mwu is prone to broaching topics most everyone else would ignore. In the early episodes, he suggests surrendering as a viable option. Later, he comes up with the idea to raid the debris belt (believed to be comprised of the wreckage of countless spacecraft, but discovered to include what's left of Junius-7, the site of the colossal terrorist attack responsible for the war) for supplies. He tells a group of people left watching their town burn to the ground that they should be grateful and that their enemy was lenient. He comments that Lord Uzumi's (Cagalli's father and then-ruler of Orb) vision of a world where Coordinators and Naturals can coexist without conflict is idealistic, and he alone questions Athrun and Dearka's decision to fight alongside the Archangel against their military.
He doesn't speak out with intent to antagonise; if conflict does arise, Mwu's pretty quick to step back and try to cut it off before it goes anywhere. He's simply unafraid to say what he believes he has to, whether it be to lighten a situation, establish a course of action, or gain an understanding of the people he's fighting for and with.
Generally speaking, he believes strongly in the will of others and is so encouraging because of an honest faith in human ability. He's not paranoid or quick to suspicion; in fact, it's just the opposite. He's more than willing to offer up the benefit of the doubt, as he's a man of his word himself.
Mwu's is a persistent man and will not relent when he's fighting for something he believes in. He is also physically and mentally resilient and absolutely refuses to stay knocked down for long. After the 'incident' with Raww, Mwu returned to the Archangel with an overload of information, some shrapnel in his side, and a bullet in his shoulder and, instead of allowing himself to be injured, he availed himself to the bridge crew for moral support and advice as soon as he was bandaged.
Long story short, Mwu, through combat feats and attitude was good for morale. His actions saved the Archangel more than once and, by the series' end, he had proven himself ready to sacrifice everything for their safety.
GETTING FROM POINT M TO N
Mwu 'dies' quite extraordinarily at the end of SEED; he pilots his mobile suit directly into the line of fire of an insanely strong positron beam canon headed for the Archangel and explodes. At the time the episode was scripted he was, for all intents and purposes, dead. Gone. Irrevivable. Space dust. This, obviously, would not last. By the time the third Special Edition rolled around, they had edited out an image of his mangled helmet. And, at the start of Destiny, Koyasu was back to voicing a dirty blonde soldier with Newtype abilities.
How did he survive? The answers presented in the anime are limited to this screen. That's it. Just that one image. Ahahaha, bastards.
Basically, he was somehow found in the middle of nowhere during a huge battle, amid god only knows how much rubble, and rescued by LOGOS, the wonderful group responsible for Blue Cosmos and a hell of a lot of misguided hatred. His memories were altered and he was given an entirely new identity; that of Neo Lorrnoke, an accomplished and loyal soldier concerned more with rank and pride than actual honour. In all likelihood, they intended him to be their 'perfect soldier'; someone who would go above and beyond what was asked of him and who would do so without question.
SHIFTING SIDES
Neo starts out as a very determined man, driven by success and very little else. As captain of a warship (the Phantom Pain), he is authoritative and demanding of respect, but not overbearingly so; outside of tense combat situations, the atmosphere aboard the ship is relaxed and he comes off as easily approachable. While he does expect to be referred to per military decorum for the most part, he is on relatively friendly terms with the Extended pilots he's in command of - Auel, Stellar, and Sting - and has them call him by name. He is also very involved in their care.
Though he works directly beneath the leader of LOGOS, no evidence is given to suggest that he shares their opinion of Coordinators. He does, however, initially agree with them in regards to the creation and use of Extendeds. (While this is not actually stated, it can be inferred that LOGOS would have tweaked his brain accordingly to avoid any conflict in their regard.) As the series progresses, however, and Neo grows more attached to the Extendeds, Stellar in particular, he starts to openly question their treatment to the doctors aboard the ship, though he would follow up by saying such things shouldn't be considered.
The shift in Neo's beliefs and attitude is accelerated at the series' halfway mark. In episode 25, Stellar heads out on her own and is taken by the Minerva (ZAFT's main ship, and the one Shinn, Luna, and Rey were crew of). Neo receives news that she's officially 'lost' the following episode and expresses distaste in the choice of words before quickly shrugging it off and saying he understands. Still, he moves Stellar's pet fish to his desk and vows to destroy the Minerva to avenge her. This marks the first (and only, really) time that Neo states a desire to take them down for a reason outside of personal victory.
Here, his distaste towards Lord Djibril and his principles becomes rather clear. At one point he openly questions Djibril's perspectives, but doesn't press the matter. At another, he grows angry in expression when Djibril states that the only purpose the Extendeds, and Neo himself, have is to take down the Minerva.
Neo would ultimately fail that task, and Auel would die in the process. Shortly after the final battle between Phantom Pain and the Minerva, Shinn returns a dying Stellar to him on the grounds that he promise to keep her off the battlefield. Neo makes the promise but does not keep it; he does, however, refrain from erasing her memories - the ones of Shinn, at least.
The last battle he'll fight for the EAF finds him shifting quite quickly from overconfidence to panic. He had ordered a recovered Stellar to pilot the Destroy, a new Mobile Suit with unparalleled combat capabilities, under the belief that the enemy forces would lack the firepower to take it down. When the Archangel appears, followed shortly thereafter by the Minerva, he realises his mistake and actively involves himself in protecting Stellar; encouraging her, fighting Kira off, and stopping Shinn from attacking her. In the end, he loses all focus, is able to do little more than shout out to Stellar when she's hit, and has his mobile suit downed by Kira. The Archangel takes him aboard as a prisoner.
Released from his obligations to Djibril, Neo is rather relaxed outside of instances when he is, directly or indirectly, referred to as Mwu. A lighter, more playful side of him is quickly introduced when he tries to comfort a crying Murrue through flirtation and he speaks openly with whomever else happens to be in the infirmary.
He spends a lot of his time watching the news in silence and, well, listening in on an injured Athrun's conversations. Later, he actively involves himself in the affairs of the Archangel by reporting to the bridge with an exaggeration of Athrun's concern for Lacus, which convinces Kira to set out to help her.
Shortly after this, Neo recovers and Murrue equips him with a fighter plane and tells him he can leave. She runs off, upset. He's left speechless and on a cliff, watching the Archangel take off. He would ultimately decide to go after them, however, finding them in combat and destroying a couple missiles headed their way, volunteering his service, and assuring their victory because he's 'the man who can make the impossible possible'.
After the battle he has the sweetest conversation with Murrue (vidclip here), in which he confesses that he's starting to doubt his identity as Neo Lorrnoke and that part of him remembers her. Prior to this, he had experienced some flashbacks but shook them off. He still goes by Neo officially, but answers to Mwu without objection.
Personality wise, he's a slightly more tentative version of Mwu. He'll contribute, but won't take command and, when he does speak up, it's with a little diffidence. He sheds this side of him when he's alone with Murrue, but tends to look to her for guidance during more involved discussions. Yes, I think it's insanely sweet.
At this stage, he believes in what Orb and the Archangel are trying to achieve and is fighting alongside them with the same motivations Mwu would have had. This is ... quite effectively illustrated when Neo reenacts the events that really, really should have killed him in SEED by placing his MS (the Akatsuki, placed in his care by Cagalli) directly in the path of the Minerva's positron blaster canon. He survives and regains his memories, telling Murrue that he won't leave again and that they'll end the war so they can go home. Yes, I think this is insanely sweet as well!
And ... this is where Mwu is now. He retains Neo's memories but, for the most part, Neo's personality was assimilated by Mwu's.
RECONCILIATION
Note that I said for the most part and not entirely; this is where my own perspectives come into play. I don't feel right playing Mwu in a manner that finds the time he spent as Neo being ignored. Yes, Mwu has essentially reverted to his original identity by Destiny's end. However, that identity was dormant for the past two years and I don't see all of Neo's behaviours having been lost when he regained his memories.
So! While, for the most part I am playing him as SEED Mwu, I have taken choice parts of Neo's personality and applied them to Mwu's.
Basically, he's still very upbeat and involved (sometimes too involved); the type who refuses to give in to negativity and, in turn, strives to ensure those around him are kept in high morale. He's also optimistic, but not blindly so; he's still a realist, above all else. Added to this is a slight shortening of his temper (mainly in situations regarding respect and a lack thereof) and a newfound propensity for bouts of tentativeness and a lack of focus (not something I've played out much to date, or something I intend to bring out very often but it is there).
But really, he's still the same old Mwu who, having drawn from everything that happened to him, has just become a whole lot more grateful for everything. I refuse to take the guilt/resentment route with him. He's still a very light-hearted character and he's not going to dwell.
CONFRONTATION
He's not going to ignore what happened, either; he simply cannot, with Shinn, Stellar, Rey, and Jona at camp. This would all be a lot easier if any indications on how he'd respond were given in canon but, since none were, I've had to go and come up with the most complicated way of dealing with it as humanly possible.
ARRGH. This is far too hard to explain.
Neo and Mwu are not two different people. Not only does Mwu retain all of Neo's thoughts and memories, Neo does a lot of reflecting upon his past actions while Mwu's personality was resurfacing. So, because of this reconciliation, he doesn't have that mental divide between himself and him as Neo, so he simply doesn't try and separate the identities in conversation. Not because of some sort of nobility or because I think it'd be a cop-out, but because, in his mind, it was him.
It doesn't stop there, however. Mwu is very aware that he'd had his mind altered and that he was manipulated into acting out of character. He lacked any such awareness before regaining his memories and identity so he's still in the immediate mental state of accepting blame. If a conversation is particularly tense and/or hostile, he won't be thinking 'hey, that's not something I'd ever do under normal circumstances' because he did spend so much time thinking that he acted on his own and that belief is what he'd recall first when confronted. Under more cordial circumstances, he would have the capacity to step back and try to clear matters up without going into too much detail. He wouldn't outright deny responsibility because, quite frankly, I don't want him to. It feels cheap to me. He would, however, bring up the loose idea that he was a different person or, in certain situations, that he had limited control over who he was and what he did.
So. He won't deny responsibility. He won't separate the identities. He thinks of himself as Neo. He knows that he was messed with. He won't sit back and let people believe he's some horrible person. He will defend some of the actions Neo took. Others? Not a chance, but he understands them regardless.
TOY SOLDIERS TAKE BERLIN
I'm ... going to hell for that heading.
The topic of the Extendeds is the biggest issue I anticipate playing through in regards to Neo, with a lot of that involving the battle of Berlin (the battle where Stellar is killed). There are two main issues here: the employment of the Extendeds and the actions Neo took up to and during the aforementioned battle.
Neo's perspective includes everything up to his fall at Berlin; Mwu's encompasses everything thereafter, plus some assumptions based upon who he was in SEED.
Extendeds
Neo has no qualms about making use of the Extendeds as soldiers and believes them to be more than capable of handling themselves. They were assigned to his command for a purpose, and Neo embraces it. He's less pleased when it comes to wiping their memories (at one point, he wonders aloud if people aren't better off without memory) but does go through with it regardless. Outside of this, he treats them well and shoulders the blame for any failures they experience. They are not weapons to him; an opinion that isn't shared by those around him. (I say this for two reasons. One: the Phantom Pain medical staff refer to them as 'battle machines'. Two: The first series Extendeds - Crot, Orga, and Shani, aka the Druggies - were listed in official military documents as weaponry, not soldiers. I assume that, with them all coming from the same lab, things haven't changed.)
Mwu's opposed to the whole idea of engineering humans for the sole purpose of warfare. Damned opposed. If he were faced with the prospect of commanding a group of Extended soldiers, however, I don't think he'd outright refuse since they are willing and capable fighters. Would he meet the situation with enthusiasm, or feel in any way good about it? Probably not; he would, after all, be participating in a program that classifies people as weaponry. Unlike Neo, he would not sit back while his superiors and his crew spoke of them as though they were objects though, and he'd make damned sure that nobody treated them that way.
Stellar
Relative to the five other Extendeds, Stellar is unique. Whereas they embrace battle with enthusiasm and generally fight for fighting's sake, Stellar fights for her life and the lives of those she cares about. Neo, of course, is aware of this (In episode 22, he remarks that; "For someone like her, so afraid of death, the only way to stay alive is to keep defeating her enemies.") and uses Stellar's inward nobility and outward innocence to encourage her to fight.
Outside of battle, he often lets her tag along with him and takes it upon himself to raise her spirits when he can.
In the past, Mwu acted similarly with Kira, playing the protection and death cards to get him to fight despite his clear opposition to the idea. Basically, if Mwu has to, he will try and coerce an unwilling, but capable, individual into fighting.
I am going to say that Mwu would not make Stellar fight, not because of how childlike she is, but because of how much of herself she loses while in combat. He knows that she fights to kill and that she won't stop fighting until she's certain she's safe. And that? Is dangerous. She might have the ability to be a soldier and, at times, the will and desire. She does not have the mental capacity for it, however, and I think that if she were put under his command, he'd put her to use for something unrelated to combat. Like Fllay, who had the will and ability to contribute but whose state of mind left the officers uncomfortable with assigning her responsibilities more involved than janitorial.
It's hard to say what he'd do in an emergency, however. If it came down to it and Stellar had to fight, I think he'd grudgingly go through with it. The same way Neo did. Only if he had to. And grudgingly.
In terms of general interaction, I imagine Mwu would have been as accommodating as Neo was but more naturally so.
Promises
In order for Shinn to hand Stellar over to Neo, Neo first had to promise that he'd keep her away from the battlefield, which he did. I ... am still unsure about whether he intended to break the promise from the start, or whether he would later see no alternative, or if he had hoped that her last battle was going to be her last battle in a happier sense. Or, maybe he just chose to ignore the immediacy of the promise and figured that, so long as he gets Stellar out of the military one day, it'd all be good. ... asdflkajdr ... why so many suppositions? Why?
Whatever the case, he broke the promise as Shinn would see it and, yeah, as he would end up seeing it. To date, I've been playing it under the assumption that Neo deliberately lied so Shinn would leave Stellar with him without conflict. So he didn't entirely mean it, but I'd like to think that he hoped he could live up to it; at that time, he had no idea he was about to be deployed to Berlin and he likely thought he'd have more control.
... and I'm defending him an awful lot here, aren't I?
Okay. The fact remains that, for whatever reason, he broke a very important promise and used Stellar in the next battle.
As I've said earlier, Mwu is a man of his word. He would not have made the promise if he hadn't intended to keep it; the best Shinn would have gotten was an "I'll do my best" or something similar. Why? He wouldn't have believed it himself because he knows that nothing in war is definite and, as I mentioned earlier, that he'd use a soldier like Stellar if he absolutely had to.
So, umm, yes! Mwu wouldn't have promised such a thing, but he would have made sure that Shinn understood he'd do everything in his efforts to see that Stellar could one day live in peace.
Berlin
This is Neo's rock bottom. Berlin is the battle where Stellar is killed shortly after being reunited with Neo. His orders were simple: use the insanely overpowered Destroy MS to effortlessly wipe out a whole lot of people, civilian and soldier alike. If he didn't succeed, he'd be considered a failure and his future would be up in the air, as would Stellar's and Sting's. Looking at the situation from a minimal perspective, Neo figured that the forces stationed in Berlin would be no match for the Destroy and went forward with the campaign without objection. That would prove to be his biggest mistake: in convincing himself that it would be an easy battle and that they'd suffer limited losses, he was wholly unprepared for the arrival of both the Archangel and the Minerva. This lack of foresight would lead to Stellar's death, the last thing he had allowed himself to anticipate.
This ... is something that Mwu wouldn't have considered doing, much less followed through. Post-Berlin Neo feels the same. For one thing, it's pretty damned hard to claim you're fighting to protect people when your orders include wiping out a huge span of civilised territory with an unfashionably large mobile suit. For another, it's hardly an action that begets peace.
For the hell of it, let's say Mwu did accept the mission and intended to see it through. He wouldn't have been so foolish as to believe the plan could be executed with few flaws. As for having Stellar participate, I don't believe he would have. This is not just because of the promise he made to Shinn, but because Stellar had been so recently near death.
That aside, there's a lot of regret over the actions taken, but a considerable amount of understanding is there as well. The options Neo had were limited. Refusal to participate would have seen him separated from Sting and Stellar and, knowing the way the military classifies them, that would have put them in danger. Defection would have been another possibility but, having seen how sick Stellar got while away, he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep them healthy. The military's doctors would have been no help to him here; they did not think of the Extendeds as people, and even warned Neo that he shouldn't grow attached to them. In accepting his orders, he did the only thing he thought to be possible. However, Mwu can't respect the foolishness shown by Neo. Expecting a certain outcome is one thing; neglecting to consider all potential complications is ... well, it's just dumb.
Mwu would have come up with something, because that's what he does. What that might have been, I don't know.
IN FEWER WORDS...
Neo was by no stretch a terrible person. His motivations were a little skewed and he was often smug, but taken away from combat and from Djibril, he was a good guy. He was just limited to Djibril's whims, as he was responsible for altering Mwu's identity and he knew how to manipulate him. Something like that is hard to overcome but he ultimately did, a process which began before he was reunited with the Archangel.
His best side was shown through his interactions with the Extendeds. Though he did push Stellar to fight (Auel and Sting seemed to enjoy it), he didn't truly think of her or the others as weapons, and his concern for them was proven in the end.
Once taken aboard the Archangel, he afforded himself the opportunity to relax and lighten up, partaking in conversation with its crew. After he officially enlisted in the Orb military, he devoted himself to their cause and participated in meetings and tactical discussions, though less actively than Mwu had in SEED. While at first annoyed by being referred to as 'Mwu' or 'Commander', he gradually accepted it and even started questioning his identity. In Destiny 49, he regains his memories by partaking in the same self-sacrificial actions that had 'killed' him in SEED 49.
I'm playing him as Mwu, but have taken the choice parts of Neo's personality that I figure would logically be retained. When it comes to issues involving Neo, Mwu will answer from an involved perspective.
Mwu can understand the actions Neo took and won't be able to outright condemn them. He likely wouldn't have done things the same way, but that's neither here nor there; it's not as though he can do anything about what happened now, even with his memories restored.
Basically ... I wrote a 5500 word essay on issues that WON'T COME UP IN CAMP VERY OFTEN. Ahahaha, lose.