Technology & Combat Characteristics
The GN-000 0 Gundam was a general-purpose mobile suit developed during the Solar Power Wars, 15-20 years prior to the revelation of Celestial Being, and was completed around A.D. 2290. The first Gundam created by Celestial Being, it was also known as the first generation machine. Data obtained from it was used in creating the second generation Gundams such as the GNY-001 Gundam Astraea. Although Ribbons was once the 0 Gundam's pilot, he was not its official Gundam Meister as the suit did not switch its rollout color scheme (white, grey and yellow) to a custom one, a standard procedure whenever a Gundam has an official Meister. As such the completion of the 0 Gundam was a triumph as it established the basic concepts and systems for later Gundams. This included the use of the GN Drive as the main engine unit, use of the GN Drive's high output to drive beam weapons, presence of clavicle antennae on the torso for controlling GN Particles, and head-mounted v-fin antenna as well as twin eye camera.
Compared to later Gundams, the GN Drive's cone on the 0 Gundam's back was not only of a different design, it was also larger and protruded out more as the drive's ancillary/support systems were yet to be miniaturized. In terms of armaments, the suit has a Beam Saber, Beam Gun, and Gundam Shield for close to mid-range combat. During the Celestial Being's armed intervention in A.D. 2307-2308, the 0 Gundam was with the shadow support organization, Fereshte, who usually took out its GN Drive to power their Gundams. Fereshte eventually merged with the reborn Celestial Being, bringing the 0 Gundam along. The 0 Gundam's GN Drive was then removed and used in powering the GN-0000 00 Gundam, while the suit itself was stored in one of Celestial Being's resource satellites.
The 0 Gundam was later pulled out of storage for combat deployment during the final battle with the Innovators. Since there was no GN Drive left to power it, the 0 Gundam was fitted with a large GN Condenser, also known as particle storage tank, that gave it limited operational time. It also had a new color scheme of red, blue and yellow, and was renamed as 'GN-000 0 Gundam (Type A.C.D.)' (Actual Combat Deployment) to differentiate it from its original form. This version uses the same armament as the original's. Later in the battle, the 0 Gundam (Type A.C.D) was abandoned by the backup Gundam Meister Lasse Aeon after its particle reserves were depleted. It was then found by Ribbons, who reactivated the Gundam one last time using a GN Drive he had cut off from the 00 Gundam.
History
The 0 Gundam was activated to help GNY-002 Gundam Sadalsuud recover the latter's fellow Second Generation Gundams after an incident during the operation to stop a terrorist attack on HRL's Orbital Elevator, which was still under construction. Pilot of the 0 Gundam was unknown.
The 0 Gundam was conducting an armed intervention test in the Republic of Krugis in A.D. 2301. The pilot of 0 Gundam, Ribbons Almark, was supposed to kill all combatants in the area; however, upon upon seeing the awed young Soran Ebrahim (who would grow up to be Setsuna F. Seiei), Ribbons perceived 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 Tieria Erde would eventually pick up on) to recommend Soran as GN-001 Gundam Exia's Gundam Meister. He would later refer to it as a "momentary impulse… but also a sort of mercy."
In A.D. 2302, 0 Gundam assisted in a flight test of the GN-XXX Gundam Rasiel. The pilot of the 0 Gundam at that time was unknown.
Together with the four second generation Gundams, 0 Gundam was also transferred to Fereshte – a shadow group supporting the Ptolemy group. During operations, Fereshte would remove the 0 Gundam's GN Drive, their sole GN Drive, and placed it in the selected second generation Gundam.
During their missions, Fereshte encountered Team Trinity who tried to claim 0 Gundam's GN Drive. Claiming that it was orders from Veda, they demanded Fereshte to stand down their operation and relinquish control of their only GN Drive. Fon Spaak used the GNY-004 Gundam Plutone to resist the Trinity's attempt. Upon being informed of Fon's disobedience by Johann Trinity, Veda detonated Fon's explosive collar. Fon would have died of internal bleeding, save for the intervention of Hanayo who took remote control of Gundam Plutone. She scuttled the mobile suit's body and escaped with the GN Drive and Fon in Plutone's core fighter.
Four years after "Operation Fallen Angels", Celestial Being was reborn. Wang Liu Mei and Hong Long visited one of Celestial Being's secret asteroid bases to see the recent developments. She wanted to see the first Gundam and Ian Vashti opened the container for her to see the 0 Gundam. Ian commented that 0 Gundam's GN Drive was removed and placed into the GN-0000 00 Gundam for testing.
Ian had tested multiple combinations of GN Drives for the 00 Gundam's Twin Drive System, but with little success. He hoped that the combination of Exia's and 0 Gundam's GN Drives would fare better. When Exia returned to Celestial Being as GN-001RE Gundam Exia Repair, compatibility tests resumed with only a 73% synchronization rate, below the required 80%. When A-Laws attacked CBS-74 Ptolemaios 2, Setsuna risked Trans-Am in a risky attempt to increase the synchronization of 00 Gundam's GN Drives. He succeeded and defeated the A-Laws' mobile suits with the 00 Gundam. Without its GN Drive, the 0 Gundam was placed in storage.
The 0 Gundam was eventually moved to another Celestial Being resource satellite at Lagrange 5. With the war against the A-Laws and the Innovators building to a climax, Celestial Being rallied every mobile suit they had, including the 0 Gundam. Without a GN Drive, Linda Vashti and her engineers retrofitted it with a particle storage tank. The 0 Gundam was also given a new paint job and became known as the 0 Gundam (Type A.C.D.). Lasse Aeon later sortied in the 0 Gundam (Type A.C.D.) to protect the Ptolemaios 2 from the Innovators' GNZ-004 Gagas.
Despite a valiant effort, Lasse depleted 0 Gundam (Type A.C.D.)'s particle supply, forcing him to abandon the mobile suit. Due to Ptolemaois 2's movements, 0 Gundam (Type A.C.D.) drifted out of the hanger until Ribbons, in his damaged CB-0000G/C Reborns Gundam, found and fitted it with an original GN Drive, which he had sliced off earlier from the GN-0000+GNR-010 00 Raiser. Ribbons then boarded the 0 Gundam (Type A.C.D.) to engage Setsuna and his GN-001REII Gundam Exia Repair II. The 0 Gundam (Type A.C.D.) was defeated in the final confrontation and exploded due to the fatal blow.