The Will of the Ancients

Mysteries > The Mystery of the Sky Rider

Written by Geoffrey Duke, October 2003.

The Sky Rider grasps his wound in pain.

The open wound releases the life energy contained within his dying body shortly after.

The Sky Rider is one of my favourite characters (as if you didn't know that already) and by far the most mysterious. He has also become known as the "fourth rider" by the Empire because the Empire only discovered his existence after documenting the first three human riders who soared the skies atop Lagi. We might know what he was (a rebel drone), but no one knows who he was. His personality was never exposed, so we cannot empathize with his motives. A character who leaves fans forever curious is the best example of a suspense-driven story device. Team Andromeda had plenty of time to later peel away a few layers of his character but chose to instead allow his secrets to die with him.

The final words of the Sky Rider can be heard drifting through episode 7 of Panzer Dragoon Orta, aptly named Forbidden Memories, where you pay a visit to Sestren's memory banks. This was perhaps a tribute to him, or a way to bring a smile to the faces of older fans by letting us know he hasn't been forgotten. Why Sestren was monitoring him raises more questions but this confirms what we already know: he was important in the greater scheme of things.

I love the idea of the green life force that spirals out of the Sky Rider and into the unknown having the status "possible Divine Visitor" placed on it. The Divine Visitor decided not to take control of Kyle because its only means of opening a direct path to Sestren (the Sky Rider) had just died, in which case it waited for another opportunity to present itself. The green energy can either serve as a clue pertaining to his nature, or can be an untold story unto itself. The truth is still open for debate.

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