Tem Ray

is a character from the fictional Gundam science fiction anime universe, and is the father of Amuro Ray. He is considered to be the scientific mind behind the Federation's Mobile Suit (V Project) series, and the creator of the original RX-78-2 Gundam.
Biography
Tem Ray's birthplace is unknown, but like Amuro it is thought to be somewhere between Japan and the East Coast of the United States. As for Tem's personal life, he married Amuro's mother, Kamaria and led a normal life when he was not serving in the EFSF. Sometime before the One Year War, Tem was called up to research and develop weapons for the EFSF at Side 7 and took his son with him, much to Kamaria's dismay.
Once at Side 7 he began research and had to leave his son in the care of the neighbor girl Frau Bow while he went away on government business. Sometime before and during the OYW, Tem began construction of MS with the blessings of the EFSF and headed the "V Project".
When the project was in its final stages Tem was sent to report to Jaburo to receive the White Base and bring it to Side 7, where he was to collect its MS compliment. On the way to Side 7, the ship was followed by a Zeon commanded by Char Aznable, who stumbled upon the White Base while returning from a mission of his own. Once docked at Side 7, Tem immediately set off to transfer the mobile suits. However, one of the Zeon Zakus that infiltrated the colony went against order and decided to launch an attack on the dock. In the ensuing chaos, Tem's son, Amuro ran out of the refugee shelter and called out to him. Despite being very happy to see his son, Tem coldly ordered Amuro to evacuate to White Base, then went off with another officer to find a tractor in order to complete the transfer of the remaining MS component. Being desperate, Amuro jumped into Gundam Unit 2, managed to start it up and began awkwardly engaging the Zakus. He slashed a Zaku in half with Gundam's beam saber, causing the Zaku's reactor to explode, blowing a huge hole in the colony's hull. Tem and his assistant were sucked out into outer space. Sometime after, he was rescued by a shuttle and sent to one of the neighboring sides where he received medical treatment, but he never recovered from the brain damage caused by the long period of oxygen deprivation.
During the last encounter with his son, Amuro found Tem residing in a junkyard in Side 6. Tem congratulated him for doing a good job and gave him a tape deck, saying it would enhance Gundam's power. Amuro instantly sees it to be a 'piece of junk' and throws it away. Amuro notes that his father suffers from oxygen deprivation syndrome, and sadly, says a final good-bye to his father. In an ambiguous scene in the movie trilogy, Tem fell down a stairwell while celebrating Amuro's victory (which was broadcasted on Side 6's television media). It is possible that he died from head trauma in this scene, but the viewer is never explicitly told whether he died or simply passed out. However, his profile in the character gallery of Dynasty Warriors: Gundam states that he met an "unceremonious end" after falling down the stairs, suggesting that Tem did in fact die in the accident.
Trivia
* Though it's not mentioned in the stories and movies, the game Ghiren's Ambition shows an effort between General Revil and Tem Ray to convince the Earth Federation general staff that Mobile Suits are the next generation of war machines.
* Though it's not stated, during the series there were hints that his wife was having an affair.
* The junk contraption Tem tried to give to Amuro would later on reappear in some of the Super Robot Wars and SD Gundam G Generation RPGs as an equippable part for playable robots. Usually called "Tem Ray's Circuit", the part actually dropped the overall stats of the robot equipping it (although it drastically reduces the cost of repairing the unit). This implies it could've really setback the Gundam's capacity, and wasn't just a piece of junk he put together. Still, this does go against his claim that the circuit would "increase" the Gundam's performance further. Similarly Dynasty Warriors: Gundam features equippable parts that are categorized by designers, of which include Tem, Rain Mikamura from G-Gundam, and Dr. J from Gundam Wing. Of all of the designers, Tem's parts provide the worst statistic bonuses, never adding more than a +1 or +2 modifier to any individual statistic. However, should the player acquire three Control Circuits, it does provide the best stats boost in the game.
* In the Playstation Portable game, Ghiren's Ambition: The Threat of Axis V, Tem Ray has his own playable faction, which consists of engineers (e.g. Franklin Bidan), technicians (Guineas Sahalin), and test pilots (Kou Uraki) from nearly every series within the Universal Century. In context of the game, he creates his rag-tag army in response to the long, protracted war between the Titans and Axis Zeon. When Tem is deployed alongside Franklin (designer of the Gundam Mk II, father of Camille Bidan), he reveals his junk contraption, boasting it to increase combative capabilities by tenfold. Franklin politely declines, only for Tem to insist in mad laughter.

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See Also

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