The Principality of Zeon (ジオン公国 Jion kōkoku?) is a nation featured in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX and movie Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-. It fought against the Earth Federation in U.C. 0079 and achieved victory, winning its independence.
History[]
One Year War[]
The One Year War ended on January 3, U.C. 0080, following the Second Battle of Solomon. The Earth Federation's attempt to use the asteroid base Solomon in a colony drop on the strategic Lunar city of Granada, a plan set into motion by the officer Wakkein, failed after a third of the asteroid was consumed by the first Zeknova, a phenomenon triggered by Char Aznable aboard the gMS-α Red Gundam. The Federation had hoped to cripple the Principality of Zeon and offset its losses in the war by destroying Granada, but the Zeknova diverted the asteroid's trajectory and spared the city. With its last, desperate gambit thwarted, the Federation lacked the strength to prolong the conflict and conceded defeat, bringing the most destructive war in human history to a conclusion. Zeon obtained its independence, and the Earth Federation relinquished its control of the Sides and withdrew its military forces from space in general.
Shortly after the war, Sovereign Degwin Sodo Zabi died. Officially, Degwin's death was not suspicious, but Major General Kycilia Zabi was convinced that Supreme Commander Gihren Zabi had assassinated their father. Degwin's funeral marked the last time the two siblings would see each other in person for the next five years, as they maintained mutual suspicions that would try to assassinate each other. Kycilia retreated to her power base in Granada, while Gihren alternated between Zum City in Side 3 and the Zabi family's private villa.
U.C. 0085[]
The Principality of Zeon's dominance over space continued through U.C. 0085, but new tensions had risen to the fore, as Gihren and Kycilia were quietly vying to position themselves as sole ruler of Zeon. It was feared that this shadowy power struggle could escalate into a full-blown civil war between Gihren's faction and Kycilia's faction, a conflict that could become even more destructive than the previous war as the stakes were no less than total control of space itself.
Zeon was also in dire financial straits due to its wartime expenditures. In an effort to generate additional revenue, decommissioned Zaku units, which had been rendered obsolete and replaced as Zeon's main military mobile suit by the gMS-01 Gelgoog, were sold off to the corporations and other governments of the Sides for use as heavy-duty industrial machinery and police equipment. Even with the sales from old war surplus, however, Zeon's debts remained burdensome enough that it could not afford to upgrade its military fleet, and aging ships like the Sodon and Chivvay class remained in active service. The Principality also found itself leaning on the other Sides, such as Side 6, for financial support in some circumstances.
The defeated Earth Federation was still Zeon's chief political and military rival even though it had lost its possessions in space, and the two great powers of the Earth Sphere had settled into a cold war. A treaty known as the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) placed strict limits on Zeon and the Federation's military activities within the sovereign territory of independent Sides. In practice, Zeon had considerable latitude to do as it pleased in the Sides regardless of their objections, including breach the SOFA, as none of them were strong enough to mount any serious resistance. The Federation was limited to acting covertly to undermine Zeon, as it wanted to avoid provoking another war, but Zeon was well aware that its rival still harbored ambitions of one day regaining supremacy over space.
Yomagn'tho[]
At Gihren Zabi's direction, Zeon spearheaded the Yomagn'tho project. Officially, Yomagn'tho was a humanitarian initiative and peace gesture toward the Earth Federation: a Solar Ray colony laser redesigned to gradually warm Earth's atmosphere and counteract the nuclear winter inflicted by Operation British during the One Year War. In truth, Yomagn'tho was an orbital superweapon aimed at Earth and intended to serve as the ultimate deterrent against future aggression from the Earth Federation. Kycilia Zabi decided to harness it for her own purposes. Upon the completion of Yomagn'tho, Kycilia assassinated her brother and used the Newtype Nyaan, piloting the gMS-κ GFreD, to commandeer the installation and fire a massive Zeknova at the asteroid base A Baoa Qu, a key facility of the National Defense Force. This effectively wiped out the bulk of Gihren's faction in one fell swoop.
Before Kycilia could enjoy the fruits of her labor as sole ruler of Zeon, and also before she could carry out the second phase of her plan, which involved firing the Yomagn'tho at Earth to exterminate all Earthnoids, she was killed by Char Aznable, who destroyed her personal Chivvay-class ship Purple Widow using the GMS-α Red Gundam. The Yomagn'tho itself was also annihilated by the awakening of the Rose of Sharon at its core, sparing Earth from its use. Subsequently, an official investigation wrote off the entire Yomagn'tho affair and its associated deaths as an accident, preventing a crisis in relations from arising between Zeon and the Earth Federation.
Sometime later, through the efforts of Challia Bull, Lady Artesia Som Deikun, the daughter of Zeon Zum Deikun, emerged from hiding and returned to Side 3 to be formally inaugurated as the new leader of Zeon. Challia believed that Lady Artesia would be able to maintain the peace between the Earthnoids and Spacenoids, and ensure a new era of freedom for Newtypes.
Military Branches of Service[]
Military Ranks[]
Gallery[]
Notes & Trivia[]
Appearances[]
- Television Series
- Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
- Episode 1, The Red Gundam
- Episode 2, The White Gundam
- Episode 3, Machu in Clan Battle
- Episode 4, The Witch's War
- Mentioned only
- Episode 5, Nyaan Doesn't Know About Kira-Kira
- Mentioned only
- Episode 8, Falling on the Moon
- Movies
References[]