The Abesence Of Gast's Presence In the Compilation

I don't know but it seems to bother me that Gast is never really mentioned or referenced at all during these spin off games.I think they wasted a perfectly good exploration of his character and his involvement with the Jenova Project.Plus I want to know what made him leave such an impact on Sephiroth to the point that he respected the man.I also wonder why in Dirge of Cerebrus he wasn't mentioned at all.I know that it was the wangst fest of Vincet and Lucrecia but the guy was a major factor into the research.

Yup and not only did they not explore his character, but they invented Hollander -a totally redundant character imo.

and somehow remembered to keep johnny around, who was a helluva lot more minor

Someone named Octo said:

Yup and not only did they not explore his character, but they invented Hollander -a totally redundant character imo.

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I have a feeling that they actually have forgotten about him or probably haven't been one to think about expanding the characters already in the story.

I mean come on give us some backstory or extra detail about Gast because he was sorta of important,Square.I mean in Crisis Core it barerly touched the backgrounds and stories of other established characters and focused its time on the newly created ones who seem rather uninteresting.

But alas I think they will go back to the old formula of create new redudant characters then turn up the angst to make it all seem mature.

The fact that he wasn't even given a passing mention in Dirge of Cerebrus probably tells a lot about how they view the guy.I feel they wasted a good character with him.

looneymoon said:

and somehow remembered to keep johnny around, who was a helluva lot more minor

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True but come on, you gotta love Johnny!

But yeah, they dont do joined up thinking at SE, lets not forget Gast was Aeriths dad too , and there was no mention of Ifalna either, except maybe in Case of Shinra very briefly.

Someone named Octo said:

True but come on, you gotta love Johnny!

But yeah, they dont do joined up thinking at SE, lets not forget Gast was Aeriths dad too , and there was no mention of Ifalna either, except maybe in Case of Shinra very briefly.

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Yeah,why does no one really mention Ifana and Gast they were Aerith's so why no attention on them.Heck,it would be fun to see that Aerith meets both of her parents in the lifestream.Plus the fact that I could see Ifana and Gast actually being unbsorbed mainly because Ifana is a Cetra and can keep from being absorbed.Since,Gast is her husband she when she died must have found a way to keep him unabsorbed.

Plus I have a feeling that there should be some stuff about Gast and Sephiroth's early years.Gast must have some objection to Shinra's treatment of Sephiroth when he was young.I think he would not have the power to do anything because they would go after him if he tried to take Sephiroth away.Plus he was killed when he didn't let Hojo take Ifana and Aerith away to be experimented on.

If Gast has remained unabsorbed by the lifestream this could also mean he probably has the knowledge of what a omicidial maniac that Sephiroth has become.

I'd like to think they have something planned for Gast. Only that they haven't gotten around to make the next game.

I'm so naive.

Cloche Leythal Pastalia said:

I'd like to think they have something planned for Gast. Only that they haven't gotten around to make the next game.

I'm so naive.

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Maybe they should make a book that is focused on Gast with is inolvement with the Jenova project, his relationship with Hojo, his interaction with Sephiroth,him meeting and then marrying Ifana,and last his death.

If they at least made a book based on him it would be good.I mean they already did material for the Turks so why not for Aerith's father.

They put Gast in the Crisis Core Ultimania, so I don't think they can even say they forgot about him.

Also, there's a scientist guy in the museum in Crisis Core who talks about Ifalna (and I believe Gast too) and how he's fed up with the Shinra. The implication being that he either founded, or was one of the founding members of AVALANCHE.

I bring that up because that's something pretty cool that they consciously put into the game...but it should have been a lot more important.

ForceStealer said:

They put Gast in the Crisis Core Ultimania, so I don't think they can even say they forgot about him.

Also, there's a scientist guy in the museum in Crisis Core who talks about Ifalna (and I believe Gast too) and how he's fed up with the Shinra. The implication being that he either founded, or was one of the founding members of AVALANCHE.

I bring that up because that's something pretty cool that they consciously put into the game...but it should have been a lot more important.

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Yeah,I think they should be more important but they are not.Plus in Dirge of Cerebrus I don't think they mentioned Gast at all.Plus it would have been informative if Gast worked with Grimoire Valentine.

Well, Sephiroth says he respected Gast, so Gast was still part of Shin-Ra after the whole Jenova Project. I'd like to so Gast finding out about exactly what happened in the Jenova Projuct caused him to leave, but give he was the one to okay it in the first place... that's probably not what happened. It is possible, he didn't know exactly what Hojo did to Lucreica, just what the outcome was.

The thing is, by the time all the important stuff in FFVII is happening, (CC and onward), Gast has been dead for a decade and a half. Given how good Shin-Ra is at covering stuff up, a case can be made for people not wanting to talk about him as well as there not being very many people left in the company who even knew about him.

Obsidian Fire said:

Well, Sephiroth says he respected Gast, so Gast was still part of Shin-Ra after the whole Jenova Project. I'd like to so Gast finding out about exactly what happened in the Jenova Projuct caused him to leave, but give he was the one to okay it in the first place... that's probably not what happened. It is possible, he didn't know exactly what Hojo did to Lucreica, just what the outcome was.

The thing is, by the time all the important stuff in FFVII is happening, (CC and onward), Gast has been dead for a decade and a half. Given how good Shin-Ra is at covering stuff up, a case can be made for people not wanting to talk about him as well as there not being very many people left in the company who even knew about him.

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I have a point that they would cover everything up concerning his presence.I wonder if Gast and Hojo had a really bitter rivalry with Gast being the one who clearly was the better scientist.I mean if you get respect from Sephiroth after your death then you must be worth something intelligence wise.

It makes me wonder if Aerith ever contacted her mother and father in the lifestream.It probably be a bittersweet reunion since Aerith was only 20 days old when her father died.

jazzflower92 said:

Plus I have a feeling that there should be some stuff about Gast and Sephiroth's early years.Gast must have some objection to Shinra's treatment of Sephiroth when he was young.I think he would not have the power to do anything because they would go after him if he tried to take Sephiroth away.Plus he was killed when he didn't let Hojo take Ifana and Aerith away to be experimented on.

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I don't think Sephy was treated badly in his childhood. In fact, CC makes me think the Shinra Company has spoiled Sephiroth all his life, and treated him no worse than any other member of SOLDIER.

King Porky Minch said:

I don't think Sephy was treated badly in his childhood. In fact, CC makes me think the Shinra Company has spoiled Sephiroth all his life, and treated him no worse than any other member of SOLDIER.

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Yes, there's no evidence to support the suggestion that Sephiroth was badly treated, and no evidence to suggest that Gast would have objected to it if he was - given that Gast was head of the science department when the human experimentation started and presumably gave it the A-OK. Maybe it was even his idea.

I think fandom tends to assume that Gast must have been a better man than Hojo - hang on, it's not hard to be a better man than Hojo. Any halfway decent human being would qualify. Let me put it another way: I think fandom tends to envisage Gast as a good, even saintly man simply because he's Aerith's father. It's an extension of the widespread tendency to paint her as a self-sacrificing angel - something which I think really diminshes her as a character.

Edit: HJazzflower, i think you meant Aerith was 20 days old when her father died.

LicoriceAllsorts said:

Yes, there's no evidence to support the suggestion that Sephiroth was badly treated, and no evidence to suggest that Gast would have objected to it if he was - given that Gast was head of the science department when the human experimentation started and presumably gave it the A-OK. Maybe it was even his idea.

I think fandom tends to assume that Gast must have been a better man than Hojo - hang on, it's not hard to be a better man than Hojo. Anyway halfway decent human being would qualify. Let me put it another way: I think fandom tends to envisage Gast as a good, even saintly man simply because he's Aerith's father. It's an extension of the widespread tendency to paint her as a self-sacrificing angel - something which I think really diminshes her as a character.

Edit: HJazzflower, i think you meant Aerith was 20 days old when her father died.

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I am to only half agree to some of the things you said but I think they only spoiled Sephiroth once he was adult and gave them results like victory in the Wutai war.Here is my little theory I think they kept him cooped up from day one in the labs and was monitored, experitmented, and trained since he was young to be a Soildier.He might have had interaction with other children but it was often times rare and it often times was shown that Sephiroth was very different from them all.With Hojo monitoring everything I do think that Sephiroth's childhood wasn't a happy one.I think from the fact that Lucrecia wasn't allowed to hold Sephiroth probably indicates that it would give a clue into how he was raised.

I think that Sephiroth was only spoiled once he gave them results because of the Wutai War.It would actually work like this their trained soldier deprived of a happy and normal childhood eventually somewhat gets over his drama being in a isolated and unloving setting with shallow celebrityism and close friends that he has nearby.

Remember in Dirge of Cerebrus they did mention he was sent to Shinra which indicates he was sent there to be trained from the beginning to be a super solider.

So,enough about Sephiroth I think that Gast in the orginal game was just like Lucrecia at times scientifically curious but is kinda wary to cross the unethical lines to do so.I don't think it would have been Gast's idea to experiment on humans but Shinra when they actually get more interested.I think that Shinra probably gave them the idea of the human experimentation and Gast was recultant but he did so anyway thinking that maybe this would be good.However,I think as time goes on and he learns of Ifana and who Jenova is I believe he finally listens to his concious instead of pursuing stuff that could potentially harm the world.I think he would even kick himself for running into things too quickly and not carefully understanding what they were dealing with.Shinra on the other hand I don't think would have listened to Gast and continued on the project with or without Gast's approval.I think he would have doubts once he saw how they were treating Sephiroth and continued his disillutionment with Shinra once it was clear they didn't care.I think when Hojo came to take Aerith and Ifana to be experimented Gast finally grew a spine and decided not to let them seeing that he wanted nothing to do further with Shinra after all that has happened.So,I think that yeah maybe Gast was like Lucrecia got his head into things and didn't think about the consequences fully.

I doubt if Aerith could have ever been reunited with her father in the Lifestream. Even if Ifalna could have preserved his consciousness, he had already been dead for seven years by the time she entered the Lifestream.

Zack getting reassembled by Aerith is a different story, as he had only been dead a couple months when she was killed. Gast was probably diluted into the larger swell a long time ago.

LicoriceAllsorts said:

I think fandom tends to assume that Gast must have been a better man than Hojo - hang on, it's not hard to be a better man than Hojo. Any halfway decent human being would qualify. Let me put it another way: I think fandom tends to envisage Gast as a good, even saintly man simply because he's Aerith's father. It's an extension of the widespread tendency to paint her as a self-sacrificing angel - something which I think really diminshes her as a character.

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It really does. She's feisty, headstrong, more than a little crass, not afraid to get violent, and a savvy businesswoman. Hell, Maiden Who Travels the Planet even has it that she deliberately shortchanged customers, despite -- as slum dwellers go -- not being that bad off.

She's no devil, but this angel has bats' wings.

She's a far more well-rounded person than fanfiction tends to portray her. A lot more real.

I always figured Sephy respected Gast simply because he's a respectable scientist.

I thought it was meant to be dramatic irony. Hah, Sephiroth, you despise Hojo and admire Gast... But we know something you don't know, we know that Hojo is your father and that Gast was the mastermind behind the Jenova Project. Shocker!

LicoriceAllsorts said:

I thought it was meant to be dramatic irony. Hah, Sephiroth, you despise Hojo and admire Gast... But we know something you don't know, we know that Hojo is your father and that Gast was the mastermind behind the Jenova Project. Shocker!

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I think he knows the latter but not the former.Although I think he would have gone after Hojo first instead of President Shinra if that was the case.I think we never find out if Sephiroth ever discovered that Hojo was his father.In fact I don't think any material says that Sephiroth knows about his true parents.Although I have a feeling if he found out he would want nothing to do with Hojo or Lucrecia.

I think Gast was in the same boat as Lucrecia a great scientific mind that let her scientific work take over her sense of morals.They both later come to regret their mistake once they see the consquences of their actions.

I'm not sure how knowing Hojo was his father would make Sephy go after him instead of Shinra.

King Porky Minch said:

I'm not sure how knowing Hojo was his father would make Sephy go after him instead of Shinra.

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I would go after Hojo if I found out if he was my father because seriously looking at how Sephiroth doesn't respect the man I can say I would have grown to hate him too.And from the sound of it Hojo was a constant figure in his childhood which hints there were a lot of stuff that wasn't pretty.

But come on its Hojo and he has caused 90% of the problems in the series.Not to mention he was the one who murdered Gast and then experimented on Ifana and Aerith for seven years.I have a feeling that Hojo probably hated Aerith for being Gast's daughter and probably tried to make experimenation on her as unpleasant as possible when she was a child.

Also the fact that people look down on Hojo while praise Gast shows that there was probably bad blood between them.Mainly because Gast had limitations even though sometimes he broke them with some regret.However,Hojo gleefully throws out the moral rule book and does whatever he wants in the name of feeding his perverse curiosity.

I thought Gast made an appearance in Dirge of Cerberus? It was in a cutscene, and I can't find it on youtube every time I try to look. Somebody other than Hojo was hanging around with Lucrecia in the lab in a flashback, if I remember right. And if it's Gast, they ditched his glasses and beard and radically designed him into a vampire. If it helps, he chuckled a lot in his scenes.

I'm probably going to have to replay the game, it's been six years now. Or I could just flip through the guidebook if I ever find it.

Captain Highwind said:

I thought Gast made an appearance in Dirge of Cerberus? It was in a cutscene, and I can't find it on youtube every time I try to look. Somebody other than Hojo was hanging around with Lucrecia in the lab in a flashback, if I remember right. And if it's Gast, they ditched his glasses and beard and radically designed him into a vampire. If it helps, he chuckled a lot in his scenes.

I'm probably going to have to replay the game, it's been six years now. Or I could just flip through the guidebook if I ever find it.

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I believe it is Grimoire Valentine you're thinking of, if I'm not mistaken.

You're probably thinking of Grimoire Valentine there, Captain.

As for Seph and Hojo, pre-Nibelheim, I could see him confronting Hojo about his parentage. Post-, I doubt he would give a damn. Hojo would merely be another human at that point, and Sephiroth hated all of them. Killing Rufus's father was likely more symbolic than anything else.

Cloud is the only person Sephiroth is shown to have a serious grudge with.

Why would knowing Hojo is his father make Sephy despise Hojo moar? Shouldn't it make him despise him less?