PLANT (People Liberation Acting Nation of Technology)[1] is a space based nation introduced in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.
Overview[]
PLANT is the official nation of the 120 PLANT Colonies located at Lagrange Point 5. Its government is led by the PLANT Supreme Council, whose members were each elected from one of the twelve Colony groups. The nation’s capital is Aprilius One, in honor of the first Coordinator George Glenn. The nation’s military is ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty), an organization composed of volunteer soldiers.
Policies[]
As the near totality of PLANT's population is composed of Coordinators, and the fact that Coordinator birth rates had decreased in the second-generation and beyond, the nation enforces strict laws regarding regulated marriages, allowing its citizens to wed only if the two possess a high likelihood of producing children together.
Military[]
Main article: ZAFT PLANT's official military organization is the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty (ZAFT). It is essentially a militia made up of civilian volunteers (and thus has no formal rank structure) controlled by the PLANT Supreme Council, with its members reporting directly to the Chairman of the National Defense Committee. Its headquarters is located at the ZAFT Military Station.
It was originally formed in C.E. 50 by Patrick Zala and Siegel Clyne as the political alliance known as the Zodiac Alliance to peacefully fight for the rights and independence of Coordinators, but their organization was suppressed by the nations controlling PLANT at that time. In C.E. 65, after years of activity and attracting more followers, the name changed into its final name "ZAFT", with its members becoming the dominant force in the PLANT Supreme Council. Since nearly all ZAFT members are Coordinators, they are able to fight the numerically superior EA forces on equal grounds, thanks to their superior physical and mental abilities.
History[]
Origins[]
While the PLANT Colonies were initially research and industrial facilities controlled by the Sponsor Nations of Earth since their creation in C.E. 38, they soon became a haven for Coordinators seeking to escape Earth’s Anti-Coordinator sentiments. As more Coordinators immigrated to the PLANTs, the colonies became a target of terrorist actions by Anti-Coordinator groups, such as Blue Cosmos. Since the Colonies had no political autonomy or military, they were unable to defend themselves and were forced to submit to the Sponsor Nations, much to the increasing dissatisfaction of the Coordinators working in the PLANTs.
In C.E. 50, Siegel Clyne and Patrick Zala founded the Zodiac Alliance, a political group campaigning for the autonomy of the colonies. The Sponsor Nations took measures to suppress the movement, however, the group and its sentiments continued to exist, albeit clandestinely. In C.E. 53, after the Assassination of George Glenn, the first Coordinator, a massive push for independence began within the PLANTs. That same year, the PLANT Supreme Council was created as an organization meant to oversee the Colonies' production and cooperated directly with the Sponsor Nations' directorate. In C.E. 58, Seigel Clyne and Patrick Zala were elected to the PLANT Supreme Council, and the Zodiac Alliance gained considerable public support.
By C.E. 60, the PLANT Colonies became a major source of Earth's energy and manufactured goods. The sponsor nations continued to impose heavier quotas on the PLANTs while they reaped the benefits and stationed their military forces at the colonies to ensure the status quo. Meanwhile, other nations of Earth grew increasingly resentful of the sponsor nations' monopoly of PLANT-produced goods and profits. In C.E. 65, the Zodiac Alliance reorganized itself into ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty), a volunteer force functioning as the PLANT Colonies' "national" military.
In C.E. 68, Siegel Clyne was elected as the Chairman of the PLANT Supreme Council and formally campaigned for PLANT autonomy and economic independence. The formal establishment of ZAFT and Siegel Clyne's appointment as Chairman led to increasing tension between the PLANT Colonies and the Sponsor Nations. That year, Chairman Clyne arranged trade deals with the United States of South America and the Oceania Union for food in exchange for industrial goods. When the Sponsor Nations were made aware of the secret deal, they called for Siegel Clyne’s removal as Chairman and for the Supreme Council to be dismantled. These demands were rejected, and in response, the Sponsor Nation space fleets intercepted and destroyed supply ships heading for the PLANTs, known as the Mandelbrot Incident.
In C.E. 69, following the disastrous Mandelbrot Incident, Chairman Clyne ordered Junius Colonies 7 through 10 to be converted into agricultural facilities, allowing the PLANTs to no longer rely on food imports. After learning of this infringement, the Sponsored Nations sent the Atlantic Federation's 4th Space Fleet to force the Supreme Council back into line. However, when the fleet arrived, ZAFT forces deployed their new weapons, the ZGMF-1017 GINN mobile suits. The GINNs proved vastly superior to the Atlantic Federation's TS-MA2 Moebius mobile armors and were able to push the fleet back from the colonies. The victory at Junius spurred calls for the PLANT Colonies to become an independent nation, with Chairman Clyne informing the Sponsor Nations that they had until January 1, C.E. 70, to either accept their independence and trade fairly for goods or be cut off entirely.
C.E. 70, Beginning of the First Alliance-PLANT War[]
On January 1, C.E. 70, PLANT Council members meet with Sponsor Nation representatives to negotiate terms. However, during the meeting, a council member was killed in an attack, and although Blue Cosmos initially claimed responsibility, it was later revealed that the Sponsor Nations were the perpetrators. As a result, the PLANT Colonies halted all exports of resources to Earth. Having cut off ties with the Sponsor Nations, PLANT had become an independent nation in all but name. A month later on February 5, the United Nations held negotiations between the PLANTs and the Sponsor Nations at the lunar city, Copernicus. However, a terrorist attack killed the UN leadership, and the Atlantic Federation accused the PLANTs of committing the attack, as Chairman Clyne had been delayed from the meeting and therefore survived. With the fall of the United Nations, the Atlantic Federation created the Earth Alliance and declared war against PLANT.
On February 14, C.E. 70, the Earth Alliance space fleet attacked the PLANT Colonies, and fired a Nuclear Missile at Junius Seven, killing 243,721 civilian Coordinators in what would be known as the Bloody Valentine Incident.[2][3] On February 18, Chairman Clyne formally announced PLANT as a sovereign nation and committed to full-scale war against the Earth Alliance. Following the Bloody Valentine Incident, ZAFT developed Neutron Jammers to prevent further nuclear attacks and deployed them across Earth and space on April 1, as part of Operation Uroboros. For the first year of the war, the PLANT Colonies were mostly spared from any further attacks, with the majority of the conflict taking place either on Earth or around other space colony clusters. To further protect PLANT, ZAFT established two major space fortresses to deter future attacks. The first was the former resource asteroid Jachin Due, and the second was the former Republic of East Asia’s asteroid Nova, later renamed Boaz. In October, the conflict reached a pause as a series of peace talks were held between PLANT and the Earth Alliance. However, the talks ultimately broke down and the war resumed.
C.E. 71, Second Year of the War[]
By the start of the war’s second year, internal strife grew within PLANT, with the PLANT Supreme Council splintering between Siegel Clyne’s Moderate Faction, Patrick Zala’s Radical Faction, and a small group of neutral members.[3] Patrick Zala also took action to further his popularity with PLANT citizens, including altering, and in some cases, fabricating information to benefit his agenda.[3][4] On April 1, C.E. 71, Patrick Zala was elected the new PLANT Supreme Chairman and began instituting more authoritarian policies.[5]
In response to the Earth Alliance’s mobile suit development program, Zala ordered the construction of the Neutron Jammer Canceller to counteract the Neutron Jammers for a new series of nuclear reactor-equipped mobile suits.[6][7] Following the theft of one of the nuclear mobile suits, the Freedom, by Kira Yamato with the assistance of Lacus Clyne,[6] Zala labeled the Clynes and their supporters traitors and ordered their arrest, even fabricating allegations that they were in collaboration with the Earth Alliance and responsible for the failure of Operation Spitbreak.[7] The Clynes, Moderate Faction members, and their supporters went underground, reforming into the Clyne Faction to fight against Zala’s regime.[7][8] In June, C.E. 71, Siegel Clyne was assassinated by Zala’s agents,[9] leaving Lacus the sole leader of the Clyne Faction, which later joined the Three Ships Alliance to fight against the Zala-controlled PLANT and Blue Cosmos-controlled Earth Alliance.[8][10]
During the Battle of Mendel, the Earth Alliance acquired the Neutron Jammer Canceller technology from Chairman Zala’s righthand man, Rau Le Creuset,[11] and used it to launch a massive nuclear assault on PLANT during the Second Battle of Jachin Due.[12] The first wave of nukes was destroyed by the Three Ships Alliance, just before ZAFT revealed the GENESIS super weapon, which annihilated a sizable portion of the EA fleet, forcing them to temporarily retreat from PLANT territory.[13] The EA Fleet soon returned for a second strike on the PLANT Colonies, but the Three Ships Alliance destroyed the second wave of nuclear missiles and then proceeded to wipe out the Peacemaker Force.[14] During the latter stages of the battle, Chairman Zala intended to fire GENESIS at Earth to wipe out all Naturals, despite his forces being in the line of fire. When his aid, Ray Yuki, advised him not to fire, Patrick shot him. Ray shot Patrick in retaliation, and both died, while GENESIS was destroyed before it could hit Earth at the battle’s climax by the Three Ships Alliance.[15]
After Patrick's death, the remaining members of the former Moderate Faction, led by Eileen Canaver, arrested Patrick's supporters and took control of PLANT, becoming the Provisional Council.[15] In the aftermath of the Second Battle of Jachin Due, the Provisional Council called for a ceasefire and spent the following months conducting peace talks with the Earth Alliance, leading to the official end of the war on March 10, CE 72 with the signing of the Junius Treaty.[16][17]
C.E. 72, End of the War and Independence[]
Following the end of the First Alliance-PLANT War, PLANT was formally recognized as an independent nation by the countries of Earth. To reflect their new independence, PLANT citizens adopted "People Liberation Actiong Nation of Technology" as the nation’s acronymically name. With the end of the war, the Provisional Council was disbanded and the PLANT Supreme Council was reinstated. The newly reformed council retained only four of its previous members, with the remaining eight spots going to new members, and the chairmanship was succeeded by Gilbert Durandal. In response to former Chairman Zala’s aggressive and authoritarian stance, the new PLANT Supreme Council members heavily advocated for peace between PLANT and Earth and cooperated in fair trade. However, despite the cooperation between the two superpowers, increasing tensions led PLANT to begin an arms build-up while finding ways around the Junius Treaty’s limitations on military power. In C.E. 72, construction of new colonies resumed, with at least one new military colony, Armory One, having been constructed at Lagrange 4.
Second Alliance-PLANT War[]
In October of C.E. 73, conflict began to reignite when the Earth Alliance’s black ops unit, Phantom Pain, attacked Armory One and stole three of ZAFT’s Second Stage Series mobile suits.[17][18] Soon after, a group of Rogue ZAFT Terrorists caused the wreckage of Junius Seven to fall to Earth, causing the "Break The World" Incident.[19][20] Despite ZAFT’s attempts to prevent the disaster, the Atlantic Federation placed blame for the disaster solely on PLANT and demanded the immediate resignation of the PLANT Supreme Council, the dismantling of its military, and submission to the EA’s authority. When the Supreme Council refused the Federation’s outrageous demands, the EA deployed forces to attack the PLANT Colonies, beginning the Second Alliance-PLANT War. The Earth Alliance attempted to end the war quickly by once again launching a nuclear assault on the PLANT Colonies, however, their efforts were thwarted by ZAFT’s Neutron Stampeder, which annihilated the nuclear task force, forcing the EA fleet to retreat.[21]
Despite harassment by the Atlantic Federation, PLANT gained considerable support from the nations of Earth during the Second Alliance-PLANT War, in large part due to the charismatic Durandal.[22] After Durandal revealed the existence of Logos to the world, support for PLANT increased dramatically, as it became a rallying point to fight against Logos and its warmongering practices.[23][24] In C.E. 74, Lord Djibril, leader of Logos, used the superweapon Requiem in an attempt to destroy the PLANT capital, Aprilius One. However, because of the intervention of the Joule Team, the beam missed its target but instead directly hit Januarius 1 through 4 and caused December 7 and 8 to collapse, resulting in the estimated deaths of one million Coordinators.[25] In response, the PLANT Supreme Council authorized a full-scale assault to capture the Moon and neutralize Requiem before it could fire at the colonies again.[26]
After the defeat of Logos, Chairman Durandal proclaimed the institution of a new world governing system, the Destiny Plan, as a means of ending all conflict by giving people a purpose based on their genetics.[27] While some nations supported Durandal’s Destiny Plan, the Atlantic Federation, Orb Union, and the Kingdom of Scandinavia refused it, leading Durandal to use the repaired Requiem to destroy the Arzachel Lunar Base and kill Atlantic Federation President, Joseph Copeland.[28] Expecting Requiem to strike the Orb Union next, the Three Ships Alliance launched an attack on Requiem and Durandal’s space fortress Messiah to prevent the nation’s destruction.[29] During the Battle of Messiah, the Three Ships Alliance managed to destroy both Requiem and Messiah, with Chairman Durandal being killed at the battle’s climax.[30] After the battle, Lacus Clyne mediated the peace proceedings between PLANT and the Orb Union to bring an official end to the Second Alliance-PLANT War. Following the end of the war, Lacus became the Chairwoman of the PLANT Supreme Council.[30]
Gallery[]
Notes & Trivia[]
- The word "PLANT" is sometimes used to refer to all the PLANT colonies as a whole, and the term ZAFT is also used to (incorrectly) describe the PLANTs.
- The PLANT flag was first seen in Episode 11 of SEED Destiny, at the graveyard where Nicol Amalfi rests. Since only the ZAFT flag was seen before, the PLANT flag was created specifically to make the graveyard feel less like a military base.[1]
- In Super Robot Wars Alpha 3, the Alpha Numbers are utterly shocked at the fact that the PLANTs existed and no one knew about them until right then. The in-game explanation was because Blue Cosmos was able to repress knowledge of the PLANTs and Coordinators for quite some time. Only a few within the Federation are aware of PLANT's existence but choose not to inform everyone else about there existence and kept quiet. Bright, Amuro, and Kamille are the only people within the Alpha Numbers to be aware of the PLANTs and Coordinators. In terms of technology in-game explanation is there MS technology suppresses that of the Federation MS.
Appearances[]
- Television Series
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
- PHASE-01, False Peace
- First Appearance
- PHASE-02, Its Name: Gundam
- In Flashback(s)
- PHASE-03, Collapsing Land
- Flashback(s) Only
- PHASE-07, The Scar of Space
- PHASE-08, The Songstress of The Enemy Forces
- PHASE-09, The Fading Light
- PHASE-10, Crossroads
- PHASE-11, The Awakening Sword
- PHASE-12, Flay's Decision
- PHASE-15, The Respective Solitudes
- Flashback(s) Only; HD Remaster Only
- PHASE-17, Cagalli Returns
- Mentioned only
- PHASE-20, On a Calm Day
- PHASE-22, The Sea Dyed Red
- PHASE-25, The Land of Peace
- Mentioned Only; Indirectly
- PHASE-27, Endless Rondo
- Mentioned only
- PHASE-28, Kira
- In Flashback(s)
- PHASE-29, The Turning Point
- Mentioned only
- PHASE-31, Grieving Skies
- PHASE-32, In the Promised Land
- PHASE-33, Gathering Darkness
- PHASE-34, Seen and Unseen
- PHASE-35, The Descending Sword
- PHASE-36, In the Name of Justice
- PHASE-37, Divine Thunder
- PHASE-38, Decisive Fire
- In Flashback(s)
- PHASE-39, Athrun
- In Flashback(s)
- PHASE-40, Into the Dawn Skies
- In Flashback(s)
- PHASE-41, Trembling World
- PHASE-42, Lacus Strikes
- PHASE-43, What Stands in the Way
- In Flashback(s)
- PHASE-45, The Opening Door
- Flashback(s) Only
- PHASE-47, The Nightmare Reborn
- PHASE-48, Day of Wrath
- PHASE-49, The Final Light
- PHASE-50, To a Future that Never Ends
- PHASE-01, False Peace
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
- PHASE-01, Angry Eyes
- PHASE-02, Those Who Call For War
- PHASE-03, Warning Shots
- PHASE-05, Scars That Won't Heal
- PHASE-06, The End of the World
- PHASE-09, Bared Fangs
- PHASE-10, A Father's Spell
- PHASE-11, The Chosen Path
- PHASE-13, Resurrected Wings
- PHASE-19, The Hidden Truth
- PHASE-36, Athrun on the Run
- PHASE-38, A New Flag
- PHASE-39, Kira of the Skies
- PHASE-40, Legacy of Gold
- PHASE-44, Lacus Times Two
- PHASE-45, Prelude to Revolution
- PHASE-49, Rey
- PHASE-50, The Final Power
- OVAs and ONAs
- Movies
- Manga
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED X Astray
- Chapter 1, Parts-X12: The New G
- Mentioned only
- Chapter 1, Parts-X12: The New G
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73 Δ Astray
- Chapter 1, Gate.01 Martians
- Games
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.gundam-seed-d.net/story/diq/phase_11.html
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-01, False Peace
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-07, The Scar of Space
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-20, On a Calm Day
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-32, In the Promised Land
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-34, Seen and Unseen
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-36, In the Name of Justice
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-42, Lacus Strikes
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-41, Trembling World
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-43, What Stands in the Way
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-46, A Place for the Soul
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-47, The Nightmare Reborn
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-48, Day of Wrath
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-49, The Final Light
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED PHASE-50, To a Future that Never Ends
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED After-Phase Between the Stars
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-01, Angry Eyes
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-02, Those Who Call For War
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-06, The End of the World
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-07, Land of Confusion
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-09, Bared Fangs
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-19, The Hidden Truth
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-33, The World Revealed
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-35, Eve of Chaos
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-44, Lacus Times Two
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-45, Prelude to Revolution
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-47, Meer
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-48, To a New World
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-49, Rey
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-50, The Final Power
Cosmic Era Nations and Factions | |
Earth Alliance | |
---|---|
Earth Alliance Subdivisions Atlantic Federation | Earth Alliance Council | Eurasian Federation | OMNI Enforcer | Republic of East Asia | South African Union | United States of South America | |
OMNI Enforcer Subdivisions 3rd Space Fleet | 7th Space Fleet | 8th Space Fleet | 13th Autonomous Corps | 4th Naval Fleet | Archangel Corps | Phantom Pain | |
3rd Space Fleet Subdivisions Moebius Zero Corps | |
7th Space Fleet Subdivisions Dominion Corps | Peacemaker Force | |
Eurasian Federation Subdivisions Task Force X | |
Earth Alliance Affiliates Azrael Conglomerate | Blue Cosmos | Logos | National Defense Industry Association | PMP | The Clan | United News Alliance | World Security Treaty Organization | |
Earth Alliance Predecessors United Nations | |
PLANT | |
PLANT Subdivisions PLANT Supreme Council | ZAFT | |
PLANT Supreme Council Subdivisions Moderate Faction | Neutral Faction | Radical Faction | |
ZAFT Subdivisions FAITH | Gaze Team | Glasgow Corps | Ruddle Team | Joule Team | Laconi Team | Le Creuset Team | Minerva Corps | Morassim Corps | National Defense Committee | PLANT Intelligence Division | Porto Team | Waltfeld Corps | Willard Corps | Yuna Law Team | ZAFT Coup d'état Faction | |
PLANT Affiliates African Community | DEFROCK | Integrated Design Bureau | Maius Military Industries | Oceania Union | |
Orb Union | |
Orb Union Subdivisions Five Great Clans | Orb Disaster Relief Team | Orb National Defense Force | |
Orb Union Noble Families Athha family | Kiou family | Mashima family | Sahaku family | Seiran family | Tokino family | |
Orb National Defense Force Subdivisions 21st Airborne Team | M1 Astray Team | Second Escort Fleet | Second Space Fleet | |
Second Space Fleet Subdivisions Archangel Corps | Kusanagi Corps | |
Orb Union Affiliates Morgenröte | |
Three Ships Alliance | |
Three Ships Alliance Subdivisions Archangel Corps | Clyne Faction | Kusanagi Corps | Millennium Corps | |
Clyne Faction Subdivisions DOM Trooper Team | |
Kusanagi Corps Subdivisions M1 Astray Team | |
Millennium Corps Subdivisions Yamato Team | |
Three Ships Alliance Affiliates Terminal | Compass | |
Compass | |
Compass Subdivisions Archangel Corps | Millennium Corps | |
Millennium Corps Subdivisions Yamato Team | Harken Team | |
Kingdom of Foundation | |
Foundation Subdivisions Black Knight Squad | |
Neutral Entities | |
Equatorial Union | Kingdom of Scandinavia | Martian Government | |
Martian Government Subdivisions Mars Sphere Austrell Colony Delegation | |
Non-Governmental Organizations | |
Actaeon Industries | Adukurf Mechano-Industries | Agstar-Sikorsky | Anti-factice | DSSD | Desert Dawn | Fujiyama Company | G.A.R.M. R&D | Junk Guild | Librarian Works | Mercenary Unit X | Rogue ZAFT Terrorists | Serpent Tail | Winslet World Konzern |