Mei Ling

Mei Ling (美玲, Pinyin: Měi Líng) was a Chinese-American data analyst who was on Solid Snake's support team during the Shadow Moses Incident. Nine years later, she became the captain of the USS Missouri, which was re-instated into active duty as a training vessel after several years on display in a museum.

Early life
Mei Ling became well versed in many forms of literature, familiarizing herself with everything from Shakespeare to Chinese proverbs. She did this to help "keep in touch" with both sides of her heritage, as both her parents were from Guangdong, China, though she herself was born and raised in America within Chinatown.

Mei Ling had always wanted to be a fighter pilot after she fell in love with jets, watching them in the movies, though she did not want to kill people. After learning that the U.S. Air Force needed pilots to perform battle damage assessments (BDAs), she decided to major in aerial photography and air intelligence at MIT, becoming an expert in her field, and joined the ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps). However, her dreams of becoming a pilot were crushed after she learned that there weren't any pilots who only did BDAs, along with failing an aptitude test, due to her poor vision. Discovering that she was not suited to be an officer, she withdrew from the ROTC program.

While still an undergraduate, Mei Ling worked alongside scientists from the NRO (National Reconnaissance Office) and ENPIC (International Photoanalysis Center) on image processing and satellite-based ELINT (electronic intelligence) and SIGINT (signals intelligence) research. As a specialist in image and data processing, she developed the Soliton Radar and the Codec communication system. At some point, she also heard about the exploits of the legendary soldier Solid Snake.



By 2005, Mei Ling was still actively enrolled at MIT. She served as a data analyst on Solid Snake's support team, in charge of recording his mission data. She also provided Snake with information on the Codec and Soliton Radar, as well as offering advice through Chinese proverbs and quotations from Western authors.

During the incident, Mei Ling traced Master Miller's Codec frequency's origin from within the base, thus realizing that the "Miller" contacting Snake and the unit was actually an imposter, although they were unable to warn Snake before he input the PAL codes, and unintentionally activated Metal Gear REX. Learning that Snake's entire mission was a government conspiracy, Mei Ling made a hard copy of all the Codec conversations at Snake and Colonel Campbell's request, which was effectively an "insurance policy" for all three of them in case the Pentagon attempted to arrest them for their involvement in the incident.

Post-Shadow Mosess
After 2005, Mei Ling started working for the U.S. Army SSCEN (Soldier Systems Center), a research and development center for the U.S. military.

In 2007, she helped out the anti-Metal Gear NGO Philanthropy, illegally appropriating equipment from the SSCEN. During one of these instances involving Watik flashware, Snake told Otacon to tell Mei Ling to quit, as the military would find out sooner or later. She was busy during the Tanker Incident, leaving Otacon a cheat-sheet for deciphering Chinese proverbs every time Snake wanted to save (although Snake admitted that he doesn't miss her). However, this plan did not work out as Otacon had "mislaid" the cheat sheet and so kept misinterpreting the translations, leaving an annoyed Mei Ling to correct one of the proverbs for Snake.

Post-Big Shell
After 2009, Mei Ling lost her position as a military researcher.



However, in 2014, she became the commanding officer of the museum-turned-training vessel USS Missouri (it was rumored that she had been promoted to captain after catching the eye of a lecherous old admiral). Snake, upon learning this and the rumors of how she got the position, expressed some regret that he retired too soon from active service. Mei Ling confirmed that Liquid Ocelot was returning to Shadow Moses Island using Metal Gear Mk. II's data before it was destroyed and arrived just in time to save Snake and Raiden from being crushed to death by Liquid's Outer Haven. She then provided Old Snake and Otacon with backup during the assault on Outer Haven. Shortly after Snake managed to upload FOXALIVE to GW, and unknowingly across the entire Patriot AI network, she attempted to break up a fight that occurred on the Missouri.

At Johnny Sasaki and Meryl Silverburgh's wedding, Mei Ling served as the bridesmaid. She also ended up losing the bouquet toss to Little Gray, much to her chagrin.

Equipment developed (as of 2005)

 * Codec
 * Soliton Radar

Character
According to Yoji Shinkawa, Mei Ling (Romaji: Mei Rin) was originally designed after the likeness of Japanese actress Shinobu Nakayama. In the original Japanese version of Metal Gear Solid, Mei Ling only quoted Chinese proverbs. The decisions to add Western quotes in the English version was based on a decision between Hideo Kojima and translator Jeremy Blaustein.

The Metal Gear Solid Official Mission Handbook states that Mei Ling joined the ROTC, and later worked alongside the NRO and ENPIC, while still an undergraduate. This is not mentioned in Metal Gear Solid or Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, but was later given in the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database.

Mei Ling makes a voice-only cameo in Metal Gear Solid 2; if the player saves the game on numerous occasions in the Tanker chapter, Mei Ling corrects a proverb that Otacon cannot seem to interpret. In the same scene, she also gets angry at Otacon for apparently not using the cheat-sheets that she gave him in regards to deciphering Chinese proverbs.

Mei Ling also had a minor role in the non-canonical Snake Tales story "External Gazer," where she submitted reported citings of the Gurlugon, and in the ending, the Genola.

In Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2, Mei Ling spoke in a slightly exaggerated Chinese accent. In The Twin Snakes, Mei Ling's Chinese accent is eliminated, establishing that she has a more American accent. This accent is retained in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

Other appearances
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mei Ling can be contacted while playing as Snake, using his Codec taunt. If the player contacts Mei Ling while fighting Pikachu, she will ask Snake to capture it for her. Keeping true to her character, she will also mention several Chinese proverbs in the case of opponents such as Captain Olimar, the Ice Climbers and so forth, with Snake doubting that they are actually proverbs.

When playing Metal Gear Online, Mei Ling has a unique quote (when the player types in &lt;UNI01&gt;). She states a famous Shakespeare quote: "...the tongues of dying men enforce attention like deep harmony. Where words are spent, they are seldom spent in vain." In addition, she is also a playable character of sorts in the MEME expansion. Although she herself cannot actually be playable on the current map, she is capable of using the Soliton Radar to spot enemies hiding behind areas, and then supply the information via SOP. In addition, because of her status as the captain of the USS Missouri in the main game, she is also capable of launching a missile strike on enemies from the USS Missouri on an area that she designates.

In Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Mei Ling makes a cameo appearance as a poster mounted inside a cargo truck.

Notes and references
Mei Ling Mei Ling