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With the new D.I.C.E. toy line hitting stores, I got to thinking about the subject of minors piloting mecha (the heroes of the show/toyline are billed as the only unit composed of kids). And, more broadly, all the various stories in which minors are in control of super-weapons and other devices of military might.
Of course, the main real world reason for kids to be using the Weapon (as I will refer to all mecha, fighters, virtual reality armada control systems, dragons, etc) is the idea that kids want to watch shows with kids doing stuff. It's the same (possibly flawed) logic behind kid sidekicks in comics. But there's usually some sort of reason in-story, and I've noodled up a taxonomy of these reasons.
1. No Grown-Ups Allowed
The nature of the Weapon makes it unusable by adults. Adults simply cannot operate it, so it's up to the kids to get behind the controls or in the saddle and save the world. This may only be a temporary situation, of course. Perhaps technology will advance to where adults can be used eventually, or perhaps the condition for operating the Weapon is being born on or after a particular date...eventually the Chosen will be adults, but they're still kids now. Perhaps the Weapon has biochemical issues, and puberty makes one unsuitable. Or the Weapon is self-aware, and can only get along with kids.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is probably the clearest example of this. You had to be exactly the right age to operate an Eva unit, and that age happened to be about 15 at the time the story started.
2. Move Over, Grandpa
In this situation, while adults can use the Weapon, they are hopelessly outclassed by minors for some reason or another. Maybe they lack the physical or mental flexibility, maybe it's hormones again, etc. As in gymnastics, the advantages of maturity and experience are vastly outweighed by those of youth. You have bitter old retired pilots who, at 25, haven't seen combat in almost a decade, and teach at the academy because it's their only shot at using the Weapon again, if only in training environments.
Alternately, it's a more whimsical environment (like Codename: Kids Next Door) where children are running things. Adults could certainly use the Weapon effectively, they're just not permitted to know it exists!
Now, points 1 and 2 both involve children deliberately put on the line of fire as a matter of policy. Either they're the only ones who can do it, or they're so much better than adults that the moral dilemma is resolved in favor of sending kids into battle. The next two points are the other side of things, where kids aren't sent into battle as a matter of policy, but by accident...and then they're often stuck there because they prove to be effective.
3. Some Training Exercise!
Often, the Weapon is not something you can just pick up and use like a rifle. You need years of training, if not an entire lifetime, and the kids in the story are part of some early training academy, or maybe glorified Boy Scouts (as with the Exo-Scouts in Exo-Squad). Kids are not intentionally put into combat, except for maybe the occasional prodigies (i.e. D.I.C.E.'s F-99 squad). Far more often, the conflict results from either the war coming to a "safe" training area, or the training group ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Suddenly the games are real, and they have to survive long enough to get rescued, or even rescue themselves. If the series is to continue past the rescue, either the rescue is a botch, or they prove themselves worthy of graduation.
The Last Starfighter is an example of this. He was going to be training for months before going into active duty, then suddenly the surprise sabotage left him the only defense against invasion.
4. Oops, What Did That Button Do?
Gundam. Johnny Sokko. Techjacket. Etc. For some reason, a kid or kids end up in control of the Weapon in episode 1, and either it bonds to them or there simply isn't a better choice for a while. Children of scientists have this happen to them a lot. as they're just hanging around the Weapon when disaster strikes. If there's not a bonding, this is either a light-hearted setting ("Gosh, I guess he did pretty well piloting it, we'll let him continue!") or the operator(s) have to prove themselves VERY WELL to avoid being yanked by the owners of the Weapon.
5. That's It, I'm Calling Child Protective Services
There's no particular reason why a kid HAS to be the operator of the Weapon. Heck, adults probably could do better. But whoever controls the Weapon has decided that the operator is to be a minor. Doctor Inventor wants his son in the pilot seat. Alien Floating Head feels kids will be easier for him to mold and guide. Etc. As in #1 and #2, kids are being deliberately sent into harm's way. But as in #3 and #4, there isn't a compelling reason to endanger children. This sort of situation is almost always either in a lighthearted setting, or ends very quickly as the kids get slaughtered for darkly humorous effect (sidekick killing is a favorite cheap trick of "I'm a serious writer" types working in genres that have kid protagonists).
As far as I can figure, pretty much every storyline in which you find kids operating the plot device Weapon and getting into trouble falls into one of the above five points.
Of course, the main real world reason for kids to be using the Weapon (as I will refer to all mecha, fighters, virtual reality armada control systems, dragons, etc) is the idea that kids want to watch shows with kids doing stuff. It's the same (possibly flawed) logic behind kid sidekicks in comics. But there's usually some sort of reason in-story, and I've noodled up a taxonomy of these reasons.
1. No Grown-Ups Allowed
The nature of the Weapon makes it unusable by adults. Adults simply cannot operate it, so it's up to the kids to get behind the controls or in the saddle and save the world. This may only be a temporary situation, of course. Perhaps technology will advance to where adults can be used eventually, or perhaps the condition for operating the Weapon is being born on or after a particular date...eventually the Chosen will be adults, but they're still kids now. Perhaps the Weapon has biochemical issues, and puberty makes one unsuitable. Or the Weapon is self-aware, and can only get along with kids.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is probably the clearest example of this. You had to be exactly the right age to operate an Eva unit, and that age happened to be about 15 at the time the story started.
2. Move Over, Grandpa
In this situation, while adults can use the Weapon, they are hopelessly outclassed by minors for some reason or another. Maybe they lack the physical or mental flexibility, maybe it's hormones again, etc. As in gymnastics, the advantages of maturity and experience are vastly outweighed by those of youth. You have bitter old retired pilots who, at 25, haven't seen combat in almost a decade, and teach at the academy because it's their only shot at using the Weapon again, if only in training environments.
Alternately, it's a more whimsical environment (like Codename: Kids Next Door) where children are running things. Adults could certainly use the Weapon effectively, they're just not permitted to know it exists!
Now, points 1 and 2 both involve children deliberately put on the line of fire as a matter of policy. Either they're the only ones who can do it, or they're so much better than adults that the moral dilemma is resolved in favor of sending kids into battle. The next two points are the other side of things, where kids aren't sent into battle as a matter of policy, but by accident...and then they're often stuck there because they prove to be effective.
3. Some Training Exercise!
Often, the Weapon is not something you can just pick up and use like a rifle. You need years of training, if not an entire lifetime, and the kids in the story are part of some early training academy, or maybe glorified Boy Scouts (as with the Exo-Scouts in Exo-Squad). Kids are not intentionally put into combat, except for maybe the occasional prodigies (i.e. D.I.C.E.'s F-99 squad). Far more often, the conflict results from either the war coming to a "safe" training area, or the training group ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Suddenly the games are real, and they have to survive long enough to get rescued, or even rescue themselves. If the series is to continue past the rescue, either the rescue is a botch, or they prove themselves worthy of graduation.
The Last Starfighter is an example of this. He was going to be training for months before going into active duty, then suddenly the surprise sabotage left him the only defense against invasion.
4. Oops, What Did That Button Do?
Gundam. Johnny Sokko. Techjacket. Etc. For some reason, a kid or kids end up in control of the Weapon in episode 1, and either it bonds to them or there simply isn't a better choice for a while. Children of scientists have this happen to them a lot. as they're just hanging around the Weapon when disaster strikes. If there's not a bonding, this is either a light-hearted setting ("Gosh, I guess he did pretty well piloting it, we'll let him continue!") or the operator(s) have to prove themselves VERY WELL to avoid being yanked by the owners of the Weapon.
5. That's It, I'm Calling Child Protective Services
There's no particular reason why a kid HAS to be the operator of the Weapon. Heck, adults probably could do better. But whoever controls the Weapon has decided that the operator is to be a minor. Doctor Inventor wants his son in the pilot seat. Alien Floating Head feels kids will be easier for him to mold and guide. Etc. As in #1 and #2, kids are being deliberately sent into harm's way. But as in #3 and #4, there isn't a compelling reason to endanger children. This sort of situation is almost always either in a lighthearted setting, or ends very quickly as the kids get slaughtered for darkly humorous effect (sidekick killing is a favorite cheap trick of "I'm a serious writer" types working in genres that have kid protagonists).
As far as I can figure, pretty much every storyline in which you find kids operating the plot device Weapon and getting into trouble falls into one of the above five points.
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The two main characters (who I'd guess are in their early teen years) are courier pilots because they're poor and have no family, and happen to have enough skill to fly a "Vanship" (the series' prevalent type of small, stubby air vehicle) decently and keep it from breaking down.
It's not that they're better than adults (we see them piloting at a roughly equal level with several adult pilots from their area in a race early on) or that they ended up there by chance - they're just trying to support themselves.
They don't even really get drawn into the series' big-giant-war out of pure chance - in the first ep, they accept a contract to deliver a message to the front lines (though their connection with the conflict is increased by chance events later).
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