GN-000 0 Gundam

The 0 Gundam was the first mobile suit to be equipped with a GN Drive. It was the prototype that lead to the development of the second generation Gundam Astraea and eventually the third generation, Gundam Exia.

Combat Characteristics
Not much is known about 0 Gundam's combat capabilities since it was only seen in action once. Due to the fact it's a homage design to the original RX-78-2 Gundam, it can presumed that it's combat capabilities are similar, with the exception of the capabilities of the GN Drive. Its GN particle emissions are shaped like wings, giving it an angelic appearance; it's unclear is it a cosmetic appearance or have potential applications in live combat.

Intervention in Kurdish Republic
O-Gundam's only known sortie was an intervention mission in the Kurdish Republic. The pilot of 0 Gundam, Ribbons Almark, was suppose to kill all the combatants in the area; however, upon upon seeing the awed young Soran Ibrahim (who would later grow up to be Setsuna F. Seiei), Ribbons perceives the boy's look to be one of utter admiration and worship, and lets him live. Afterwards, he went and tampered with Veda's files (something that Tieria Erde would eventually pick up on) in order to make Soran a Gundam Meister by replacing Exia's original pilot with Setsuna.) He would later commented as a "momentary impulse... but also a sort of mercy."

Shadow Interventions
After the development of second generation GNY-Gundams, 0 Gundam's solar furnace was removed and given to Fereshte to operate their Gundams as the shadow group behind the Ptolemy group. With only a single GN Drive, the solar furnace was often swapped between all four GNY-Gundams and piloted primarily by Fon Spaak in their shadow armed interventions.

Resisting Team Trinity
During their armed interventions, Fereshte encountered the Gundam Throne Meisters and they came to claim 0 Gundam's GN Drive. They claimed that it was orders from Veda itself and demanded Fereshte to stand down their operation and relinquish control of their only true solar furnace. Fon Spaak/Gundam Plutone resisted confiscation of the GN Drive and Johann Trinity informed Veda of Fon Spaak's disobedience. Veda detonated the explosive bracelet on Fon and he nearly died of internal bleeding. Hanayo/Gundam Meister 874 intervened by scuttling Gundam Plutone's MS body and escaped with the GN Drive in Plutone's core fighter. The GN Drive was later transferred to Lagrange 3 for maintenance.

Four Year Aftermath
Nearly four years after "Operation Fallen Angels" (episode 25 mid season finale) and the near destruction of Celestial Being, Wang Liu Mei and Hong Long visited one of Celestial Being's secret asteroid bases to oversee the recent developments, Lagrange 3. She wanted to see the first Gundam and Ian Vashti opened the container doors for her to see 0 Gundam. Ian Vashti commented that 0 Gundam's GN Drive has been temporarily removed for an overhaul on 0 Gundams systems. The GN Drive was later moved onto 00 Gundam for testing.

Twin Drive Testing
Ian Vashti removed 0 Gundam's GN Drive and adapted it to 00 Gundam's Twin Drive System. He wanted to test out the synchronization and compatibility of dual GN Drives with little success. All combinations of the GN Drives failed and he hoped that Exia's GN Drive would fare better. When Exia returned to Celestial Being, compatibility tests resumed with only a 73% (needs to be 80%) synchronization rate. When A-Laws attacked Ptolemy 2, Setsuna risked Trans-Am in attempt to level out the synchronization of 00. Setsuna managed to synchronize the Twin Drive System at 87% and defeated A-Laws opposition.

With 0 Gundam without a solar furnace, the unit has since kept in storage at Lagrange 1 (Celestial Being asteroid base) for an indefinite amount of time (possibly for nearly 10-20+ years).

Destruction of Lagrange 3
A-Laws attacked Lagrange 3 (where 0 Gundam is stored) and fired upon the secret asteroid base with GN Missiles. With the destruction of the resource satellite, there's a possibility that 0 Gundam was destroyed along with the entire base; there are several possibilities to explain 0 Gundam's survival. One possibility is that 0 Gundam was transported onto a shuttle along with surviving Celestial Being members to another base. Another possibility is that the containment room that stored 0 Gundam was capable of protecting the MS unit from the initial attack and later recovered by Celestial Being. It's also possible 0 Gundam was moved to an alternate site before the attack. There hasn't been confirmation of 0 Gundam's destruction; logically in all likelihood though, it was destroyed.

--> Correction. 0 Gundam was probably kept at Lagrange 1 (A Celestial Being astroid base) and NOT destroyed in the A-Laws attack. In the episode 2 of the second season, they are testing the 00 at Lagrange 1 and the setting looks almost exactly like the base at the end of the first season were 0 Gundam was stored. When the Ptolemy docked, it was in Lagrange 3, and that's the base that was destroyed. With this fact, it is probable that 0 Gundam is still fine and in storage in Lagrange 1.

Trivia

 * The fact that 0 Gundam resembles the RX-78 Gundam, and Ribbons being its pilot, made it a considerable in-joke, as Ribbons shared that same voice actor of Amuro Ray, the pilot of the RX-78.


 * Ribbons Almark, an innovator, was first revealed as pilot in the novel, which was then confirmed in S2 Ep. 14