A Look at the Making of the ‘Conn-Pod’ from Pacific Rim

Conn-Pod is one of the most interesting cockpit designs in recent sci-fi films – because of the ‘left/right’ operations of the brain but also because it provided an environment for two (or more) actors to have to co-exist and collaborate to achieve results, rather than focusing on a single actor’s presence and psychology. The video below shows some of the making of that went into the Conn-Pod, including actual mechanical and electrical (and electronic) systems designed by Legacy Effects that perform a desired function while not overburdening the actor/s physically.

Conn-Pods are typically outfitted with escape hatches that Pilots can enter or exit through once the cockpit is attached to the Jaeger; in other cases, escape hatches are located on the shoulder or elsewhere.^[2] Conn-Pods are the most vulnerable part of the Jaeger. As the Kaiju adapted to the nature of the Jaegers, they began to specifically target the Conn-Pods.^[2] Some Jaegers, such as Striker Eureka and Coyote Tango, are equipped with entry and exit hatches on the roof of the Conn-Pod.