Vanderkam

This article is about the Xenosaga character. For the Xenogears character, see Vanderkaum.

Vanderkam
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Age	33
Japanese VA	Nobuhiko Kazama
English VA	Bob Papenbrook (XSI) Keith Szarabajka (XSII)
Appearances	Xenosaga Episode I Xenosaga Episode II Xenosaga I & II Xenosaga Episode I (manga) Xenosaga: The Animation

Lieutenant Commander Vanderkam (ヴァンダーカム) is a character in the Xenosaga series. He is a commanding officer at the U-TIC Organization who works undercover as a lieutenant commander in the Galaxy Federation's 117th Marine Division.

Appearance and personality

Vanderkam is a bald man with a dark purple "X" tattooed on his face. While infiltrating the Woglinde, he wears a green Federation marine uniform.

Vanderkam is a short-tempered man who often berates and mistreats his subordinates, physically abusing them and calling them "slackers" when they so much as ask him to go easy on them. Vanderkam's biggest weakness is a reliance on big guns.

Story arc

History

Following the disappearance of the planet Ariadne, The U-TIC Organization takes measures to retrieve the Zohar Emulator that was left there by planting undercover operatives such as Vanderkam and Andrew Cherenkov within the 117th Marine Division, set for deployment to escort the cruiser Woglinde in the investigation of the planet's disappearance.

Episode I

Early in the game, Shion Uzuki passes by him reprimanding some of his subordinates for slacking off in one of the Woglinde's storage hangars. He blames his subordinates for the disappearance of three different people who touched the Zohar Emulator. When Shion approaches the Emulator herself and nearly gets hit by a piece of the Emulator's Attract Inhibitor, Vanderkam yells at her as well, calling her a slacker and harshly informing her that only authorized people are allowed in the area. He expresses frustration about the fact that civilians like Shion have been let aboard the ship. Later, when the Gnosis attack the ship, he objects to Cherenkov's plan to purge the entire block and use a gate jump to get the Zohar Emulator back to their commander, Margulis. Cherenkov orders him and the others to get into an escape pod and evacuate, which they do shortly afterwards.

Episode II

Vanderkam is encountered when the party makes its way through the Submerged City, towards Labyrinthos. Vanderkam can be heard from a crashed Ormus ship, yelling at his subordinates. Spotting the party's E.S. units, he attacks them with the Naglfar Cannons and is defeated. It is unknown whether he survived the destruction of the Naglfar Cannons.

Lore

• Vanderkam has an estranged older brother.
  • The "Destiny" card in Xeno Card gives the implication that Vanderkam's estranged older brother may, in fact, be the commander of Gedalya's 422nd Federation Fleet; the same fleet that surrounded the Kukai Foundation when it was framed for the destruction of the Woglinde.
• In Xenosaga I & II, Vanderkam fights the party at the Submerged City piloting the Proto Dora instead of the Naglfar Cannons.

Database

Episode I

Lieutenant Commander Vanderkam

A lieutenant commander in the U-TIC Organization.

Rumor has it that he was onboard the Woglinde to secure the Zohar.

Whether he was the same officer who reprimanded Shion is as of yet unknown.

Episode III

Lieutenant Commander

A hot-blooded man constantly chewing out his subordinates.

A member of the U-TIC Organization and subordinate to Andrew. He went undercover aboard the Woglinde in order to secure the Zohar. A short-tempered man, constantly barking at his subordinates, “Quit slacking!”

He boarded the Naglfar Cannon in the Sunken City of Old Miltia and stood in the way of Shion and the others. He has an estranged older brother.

Freaks

ヴァンダーカム

アンドリューと共にヴォークリ ンデに乗り込んでいた男。

U–TIC機関の指揮官の一人としてあげられる。 少佐。ゾハル確保のため、アンドリューと共にヴォークリンデに乗り込んでいたとされるが、直接ゾハル警護にあたっていた少佐のことを指すかは不明。

This section needs to be translated. This quote has not officially been translated into English. You can help translate it.

少佐

【しょうさ】ヴォークリンデでゾハルエミュレーターを管理していた男。部下への態度は容赦ない。

T.C.4734年生まれ。33歳。ヴォークリンデが回収した、ゾハルエミュレーターの管理を任されている軍関係者の一人。たるんでいる部下に対して、殴る蹴るのスパルタ方式で接するが、作業員に「マシンと化せ」と不眠不休での作業を要求するように、要は命令に忠実な人物。実はU-TIC機関のメンバーで、アンドリューの部下である。

This section needs to be translated. This quote has not officially been translated into English. You can help translate it.

Xenosaga I & II

ヴァンダーカム

旧ミルチアの水没都市区域において『プロトドーラ』に搭乗し、シオンたちの行く手を阻んだ。
幼いころ生き別れになった兄がいる。

Vanderkam

He boarded the "Proto Dora" in the Sunken City of Old Miltia and stood in the way of Shion and the others.

He has an estranged older brother.

少佐

U-TIC機関に属する人物であり、アンドリューの部下。
ゾハルを確保するためにヴォークリンデに潜り込んでいた。
直情傾向で、自分より立場の低い人間にはことあるごとに「たるんどる！」と叫び散らしている。
幼いころ生き別れになった兄がいる。

Lieutenant Commander

A member of the U-TIC Organization and subordinate to Andrew. He went undercover aboard the Woglinde in order to secure the Zohar.

A short-tempered man, constantly barking at his subordinates, "Quit slacking!"

He has an estranged older brother.

Trivia

• If Shion approaches the Zohar Emulator in the hangar, Vanderkam will berate her for ignoring his orders again.
• Vanderkam's name and design are a callback to Vanderkaum from Xenogears.
  • Both characters belong to a common character archetype of military men seen throughout the Xeno series whose names each reference the real-world actor and martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme.
• Vanderkam's Japanese voice actor, Nobuhiko Kazama, also voices Vangarre in Xenoblade Chronicles.
• Vanderkam's English voice actor in Episode II, Kieth Szarabajka, also voices Dmitri Yuriev in Episode II and Episode III.

Gallery

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  Vanderkam yelling at his subordinates.

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  Vanderkam yells at Shion.

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  Vanderkam punches a slacker.

• 

  The "Destiny" card from Xeno Card.