Wow, people seem pretty upset about an absurb number of things.

Did anyone ever consider the moral/ethical ramifications of Lacus not showing up? Of her not trying to help a person who has specifically asked for her help?

The fact is, she should have shown up riding shotgun in Freedom's cockpit, with Justice and Akatsuki flying cover. Then again, maybe she was worried that if she turned and went immediately back the AA, her shadows might try and take her down in a population center, INSTEAD of some abandoned ruins. Lacus is not one to edanger lives she doesn't need to, and she's not dumb. She's just very moral, something some people dont give much weight. Being morally true to yourself means making hazardous choices sometimes. (IE, your breaks are out. Theres a car in front of you, a lake to your left, and a telephone pole to your right. The telephone pole or the lake is more likely to kill you, but you aren't going to hurt other people in the car in front of you either)

Personally, I liked how this episode layed down some things. There is no no killing policy. Never has been. Its a "i'd prefer not to kill you, but dont f-ing push it" policy. Also illustrated by Kira's not really caring how much damage got done to Stellar as long as he brought down her Destroy. People who complain about Kira going out of the way to take out weapons... think about it. Assuming that hitting any given point on a MS is equally difficult, and I see no reason it shoudln't be (unless you are SPECIFICALLY maneuvering certain points to avoid hits, Ala Shinn in impulse), taking out weapons instead of pilots is as simple as modifying the software that aquires targets.

I thought Athrun was great in this episode. It really illustrated the difference between his military background and Kira's nothing-but-MS combat experience. Kira was only responding to the attackers, letting himself be suppressed and forced on the defensive. Athrun on the other hand, knew that he had to take the fight to them to avoid being suppressed to the point where they were forced into the open. To those who are angry with his superhuman feats, remember these people in this episode weren't human. At least, not like anyone who is real. Remember in SEED, when Andy shielded himselm, cagali, and Kira in response to an RPG being fired? Thats the type of stuff Coordinators are capable of.

Meer will be missed. And likely, hated for taking up a good portion of the next episode. A shame.