Zeon

For the Judaic religious concept of Zion which can be confused with this subject's title due to differences of romanization, see Zion. For the boiling water added to the chalice during the Divine Liturgy, see Zeon (liturgy). For the Shining Force II character called Zeon, see Shining Force II. For the Konjiki no Gash Bell!! character called Zeon, see Zeno and Dufort.

In the television anime Mobile Suit Gundam (Universal Century series) universe, Zeon can refer to the Republic of Zeon, the Principality of Zeon or Neo Zeon. It is also referred to as the Duchy of Zeon or the Zeon Dukedom. Before the English translation of Japanese name to Zeon was canonized by Nippon Sunrise in the late 1990s, it was sometimes translated as Zion or Jion, with the latter being closer to actual pronunciation in Japanese. This fictional faction appeared in various plots of the meta-series, including animated series Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn and many novel and manga series. The main events of the early Universal Century timeline revolves around wars between the Earth Federation and Zeon and its different splinter factions.

Cultural significance

In the book "Seikai Seifuku" wa kanou ka? by Toshio Okada, the Principality of Zeon is given as an example of a realistic Conquer the world reason. It is a rare example (for its time) of an anime arch-enemy having a clear reason for conquering the world (the other major example being Space Battleship Yamato). It is also an uncommon example of a rebellion group under an unjust rule being portrayed as evil instead of just.^[1]

The Principality of Zeon can also be compared to World War II Nazi Germany. The strategy and tactics used in the war is enlarged to a global (or space) scale, yet the ideal and methods are basically the same.^[2]

The uniform for the Hong Kong comic world 2009 voice over competition's workers uniform were replicas of the uniforms of the 4 different ranks of the Zeon forces.

Republic of Zeon

The Republic of Zeon was initially founded by Zeon Zum Deikun (father of Char Aznable), who declared the colony located at the second Earth-Luna Lagrangian Point, named Side 3, independent from the Earth Federation in U.C. 0058. For the next several years, Zeon Zum Deikun and his followers dealt with diplomatic issues surrounding their independence, chiefly the economic pressure applied to Side 3 by the Earth Federation, in their efforts to force Side 3 back into the Federation. During this time, Side 3 formed its first national guard unit. Unfortunately, for the Republic of Zeon, Zeon Zum Deikun unexpectedly died (almost certainly assassinated by the Zabis) in U.C. 0068, leaving Side 3 without a leader. After the end of the One Year War, the Republic was re-established with a pro-Earth Federation puppet government.

Principality of Zeon

After Deikun's death, his advisor, Degwin Sodo Zabi, became the new leader and renamed the Republic the Principality of Zeon, changing its flag as well. Degwin rapidly expanded the colony's national guard units into a full fledged army. Mobile suits and other unique weapons made their first appearance. War was soon declared unilaterally on the Earth Federation. Outside of the armed forces ranks, Degwin Sodo Zabi is sometimes referred to as the "Sovereign of Zeon".

The resulting conflict against the Federation was known as the One Year War. The first week of the war, known as the "One Week Battle" (from January 3 U.C. 0079 to January 10 U.C. 0079) resulted in the deaths of 3 billion people (2.8 billion colonists, by indiscriminate use of NBC weapons, and an estimated 200 million from nuclear winter, as a result of Operation British) and the total destruction of Side 1, 2 and 4.^[3] Following the Battle of Loum on January 15 U.C. 0079 killed most residents of the Side 5 colony. The combined attacks during this period resulted in the death of nearly half of the total human population around the Earth sphere.

Initial estimations put the death toll of the colony drop at 2.32 billion: 0.32 billion as a direct result of the drop itself, and an additional 2 billion due to the drop's after-effects (that is, many places in the vicinity of the drop zone losing contact with the rest of the world, and thus losing any aid in their survival). Post-war research, however, lowered the number to a total of 0.2 billion deaths directly related to the drop.^[3] As a consequence of the astounding losses, the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon signed the Antarctic Treaty on January 31 U.C. 0079, banning the use of NBC weapons and colony drops.

The next day, immediately after the treaty was signed, Zeon began the formation of its Zeon Earth Attack Force. By the middle of U.C. 0079, the Zeon forces had controlled over 70% of the Earth's surface.^[4] Nevertheless, after several major operations (Velvet,^[4] Odessa, et al.), the Earth Federation regained much of their lost ground. The war eventually climaxed in the Battles of Solomon and A Baoa Qu, where the Earth Federation's superior forces took control of both Zeon fortresses. The Principality of Zeon finally surrendered with the Treaty of Granada, on January 14, U.C. 0080.

Several years later, in U.C. 0083, the Delaz fleet, under Aiguille Delaz, sought to rebuild Zeon in Operation Stardust. The resulting colony drop destroyed much of the North American farmland. The Delaz fleet was soon defeated, but the war led to the Earth Federation's creation of a force called the Titans to prevent future insurrections.

Zeon armed forces

Within the storyline, the Zeon army was composed of three branches in U.C. 0079:

• Zeon Space Attack Force

The equivalent of the Earth Federation Space Force, the Space Attack Force consisted of six battle fleets, modeled after the Earth Federation Navy, with space battleships and mobile suit carriers used as their primary weapons.

The Commander of the Space Attack Force was Vice Admiral Dozle Zabi. The Space Attack Force's headquarters were based in the Fortress of Solomon.

• Zeon Mobile Assault Force

The Commander of the Mobile Assault Force was Rear Admiral Kycilia Zabi.

Its headquarters were based at the lunar city of Granada. Consisting of the equivalent of about one battle fleet, Kycilia's forces include intelligence services, research projects, like the Flanagan Institute, resource and mining operations, and special forces teams, like the Black Tri-Stars, Chimaera Corp and the Midnight Fenrir Corp.

• Zeon Earth Attack Force

Commanded by Captain Garma Zabi, the Earth Attack Force was headquartered in California.

According to the story, the Earth Attack Force was presumably the largest of the other three branches, the role of Garma Zabi was practically ceremonial, since the Earth Attack Force consisted of an army, navy, and air force and he was at the time only in his early twenties. Other senior officials who still reported to Garma hold the reins in the army, navy and air force, respectively. Garma's main duty was to serve as commandant of Zeon-occupied North America.^[5]

Neo Zeon movements

First Neo Zeon movement

Several more years passed as the Titans reigned with brute force. In U.C. 0088, the Titans were defeated by the Anti Earth Union Group (AEUG).

The Axis Zeon (or simply Axis) were remnant members of the Principality of Zeon who, for various reasons, retreated to the giant asteroid Axis, at the end of the One Year War. Most members of this group seek to forcibly re-establish the Principality of Zeon. They were led by Haman Karn, who was chosen to rule over the Principality supporters, until Mineva Lao Zabi, remaining survivor of the Zabi family, became old enough to do so on her own. However, Mineva was merely Haman's puppet and tool to establish her right to lead.

Axis circa 0083

Axis returned to the Earth Sphere on October 12, U.C. 0087, during the height of the Earth Federation's civil war, the Gryps Conflict. Both the Titans and the AEUG were eager to ally with the Axis fleet, thus virtually doubling their fleet. The AEUG was the first group to open negotiations with Axis, but failed as Haman chose to side with the Titans. Later, the AEUG secretly opened a second round of negotiations, where Haman agreed to assist them against the Titans. In truth, Haman's goal was to play the Titans and the AEUG against each other, so that whichever side emerged victorious would be sufficiently weakened, allowing her forces to overcome them and seize control of the Earth sphere.

For the next year or so, the bulk of the Earth Federation's military fought the newly created Neo Zeon army, led by the former anti-Titans group, Karaba and surviving members of the AEUG from the Gryps Conflict, as a group of young civilians from the Shangri-La colony, led by Judau Ashta, joined the Argama's crew, becoming the pilots of the Federation's new ZZ Gundam, which struck a severe blow on Neo Zeon's forces. Despite this, many inside the Federation government chose to appease Haman, even after Haman dropped a colony in Dublin, as a show of Neo Zeon's strength and having their forces prevent all civilian attempts from evacuating to further the act. This caused massive civilian casualties that resulted in the near genocide of Dublin's population, had Karaba not intervened and rescued some of the civilians with the Audhumla before the Colony hit while the AEUG held off Haman's forces. Haman's movement, however, died with her not long after, due to the rebellion of the self-proclaimed clone of Gihren Zabi, Glemy Toto which resulted in a Neo Zeon civil war, thus concluding the first Neo Zeon movement after both had died during the final battle against the AEUG.

Second Neo Zeon movement (aka Char's Rebellion)

In U.C. 0093, Zeon Zum Deikun's son, Casval Rem Deikun (aka Zeon's legendary ace, Char Aznable, the "Red Comet"), created a second Neo Zeon. This movement was founded under the ceremonial goal of "speeding up" the space migration of all of humanity, so the theoretical evolution of humanity into Newtypes could be realised. Char's plan involved a series of massive asteroid drops against the Earth, ultimately leading to an eternal nuclear winter, rendering the planet uninhabitable. The final collision attempt was to involve the Axis asteroid, headquarters of the previous Neo Zeon movement. The plan was ultimately foiled by the Federation's Londo Bell taskforce, headed by Bright Noa, and his old adversary from the One Year War, Amuro Ray, when Amuro managed to push the falling Axis away, sacrificing himself and killing Char in the process (while their deaths were never officially confirmed in the movie, their deaths are confirmed in the novelization of Char's Counterattack).

The Sleeves

In U.C. 0096, a Neo Zeon splinter group called 'The Sleeves', led by Full Frontal, described as being 'The second coming of Char', fought with the Earth Federation over Laplace's box and the secret of the Universal Century.

In U.C. 0100, the Republic of Zeon officially rejoined the Earth Federation.

Mars Zeon

Appearing in the manga series Gundam F90, the Mars Zeon was a group of Zeon rebels who fled to Mars, rather than to Axis, after the One-Year War. Surviving on their own for a long time, the Mars Zeon was later reinforced by remnants of the second Neo Zeon movement. Using the former Neo Zeon members' AMS-119 Geara Doga mobile suits, the Mars Zeons were able to produce mobile suits outwardly, similar to the Principality's most famous designs, but possessing performance superior to the Geara Doga. Mars Zeon first made their presence known in U.C. 0120, when they stole one of the prototype F90 Gundam F90 units, leading the 13th Autonomous Corps to pursue them back to Mars. There, it was learned that the Mars Zeons had converted Olympus Mons into a gigantic rail cannon, and were planning on bombarding the Earth and destroying the Federation. Thanks to the efforts of the 13th Autonomous, however, the Mars Zeons were defeated and the Olympus Cannon was destroyed.

The Mars Zeons were also nicknamed the Oldsmobile Army by the Federation, because of their use of mobile suits of old-style appearances. The Oldsmobile Army eventually invaded Earth in U.C. 0122, allying with the Crossbone Vanguard. However, when the Federation started to deploy their down-scaled mobile suits, such as the F71 G-Cannon and the RGM-109 Heavygun, they proved to be very effective against Mars Zeon's larger mobile suits.

Variations in name

Early official romanizations were rendered "Zion". Early English language anime publications frequently used the alternate spelling "Jion" when writing articles about Gundam. Frederick Schodt chose to use "Zeon" when he translated the Gundam novels into English, and this later became the official romanization. Schodt mentions in his notes to the Gundam novelizations that he chose this to keep the sound correct, yet avoid unintentional offense problems concurrent with the use of the term Zion, which is also a religious/political term in the real world. In the Cartoon Network run and English localization of Mobile Suit Gundam, the Zeons were also derisively referred to as "Zeeks", originally taken from Gundam Sentinel: 0079, one of the many Gundam side stories written by Masaya Takahashi and added by translator Neil Nadelman, to reflect the tendency to nickname war enemies, i.e. Yankees/Rebs (Civil War), Jerries/Tommies (World War I), Japs (World War II), Commies (Cold War), Charlie (Vietnam). The Zeons use similar nicknames for the Earth Federal Forces, such as "Feddies".

References

1. ^ "Seikai Seifuku" wa kanou ka?, Toshio Okada, 2007
2. ^ Gundam and World War II, There was a time Zeon forces, German forces fought, and loss.(ガンダムと第二次世界大戦～かくしてジオン軍、ドイツ軍は戦い、敗れた～), Suzuki Doitsu, 9 September 2003, Kosaido Shuppan, Click Code, ISBN4-331-50999-0
3. ^ ^{a b} Gundam Officials, One Week War
4. ^ ^{a b} Gundam Officials, One Year War
5. ^ Gundam Officials