[TEXT-BASED] Monthly Mobile Vol.36 (Oldsmobile Roundtable) (Patreon)

Notice to our ReadersAs we shared previously, Professor Carmine Exeter has passed away. In his memory, we’ve brought out a photo from his brighter, livelier days. May Maria’s grace be upon him.

――Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for gathering again as the year draws to a close.　And once more, we sincerely apologize for the long hiatus. It caused no end of trouble for everyone.

FARES MUAWAD (hereafter, FARES)Oh, no, no, no. The Zanscare Revolution demanded noble sacrifices.

LI DONG-FEI (hereafter, DONG-FEI)When a mobile suit flattens your office building, there’s only so much you can do.

――Truly, it was unbelievable. Thankfully not a single employee was injured, but losing all the archived data for our back-issue printings… that one stings.

FARESWhich means Why Did Johnny Ridden Die? will have its publication pushed back, and the reissue of Inside Neofalia, too?

――Indefinitely delayed. We’re truly sorry to everyone who was looking forward to them.

DONG-FEIWell, the fact that no one died is far more important.

GETTLE DUPRE (hereafter, GETTLE)It would have been nice if the old regime could have been suppressed without bloodshed. But bringing out something like the Zondo Gei, a relic if there ever was one, that was unexpected.

DONG-FEIRight? And of all things, our building had to be crushed by a collector’s item like that. Very “Mobile Machine magazine,” I must say. (laughs) Pardon me. (laughs)

DINA KIM GINZAEVA (hereafter, DINA)At any rate, the Zanscare Empire has been successfully established, and here we all are again, reunited. Let’s appreciate that first and foremost.

――Then, for the sake of first-time readers, may I ask everyone to briefly introduce themselves?

FARESMy apologies. I’m Fares Muawad, a military historian scratching out a living.

DONG-FEILi Dong-fei. I’m an engineer at the Public Corporation for Space Transport.

GETTLEGettle Dupre. I serve as a pilot with BESPA.

DINAI’m military writer Ginzaeva. A pleasure. And this here, she’s my understudy.

HISTORICA CHRONICA (hereafter, HISTORICA)Historica Chronica! I joined the revolution as a youth member of the Gatie Party!

GETTLEOh? A youth-corps member? Excellent, very promising.

――Now then, for today’s theme, we’d like all of you to look back on the Oldsmobile Movement. With the founding of Zanscare, the meaning of revisiting the so-called “Zeon War of Independence” feels especially relevant.

HISTORICAIn that case, we should probably start by explaining what “Zeon” even is, for readers who only know the present day.

GETTLEMy son doesn’t understand it at all.

FARESTo be precise, the rise of the Principality of Zeon, or more accurately the first Republic of Zeon, begins in U.C. 0046, when Zeon Zum Deikun proposed the political ideology known as “Contolism.”

DINAYes, the idea, foundational even to us in Zanscare, that space colonies are not mere earthborn possessions, but equal, sovereign economic spheres.

HISTORICAHis ideology merged with another trend popular in the U.C. 0040s, Ereism, which viewed Earth as humanity’s shared sacred homeland requiring preservation, and together they formed a powerful current of thought.

GETTLEIt was also the period when construction of new colonies was halted, and the forcibly relocated Spacenoids widely felt themselves to be abandoned, a discarded people.

DONG-FEI Nine billion individuals, nearly all of them thrust into space at gunpoint, had only just begun establishing viable lives in the colonies through desperate, back-breaking labor. Life for Spacenoids back then was far harsher than it is today.

DINADeikun’s idea, that humankind in space would become “Newtypes,” offered solace and hope to those who had been cast off from Earth.

FARESAt first, he was dismissed as a new religion cult leader. Even so, his followers grew, and in time he unified all of Side 3 and declared the Republic of Zeon.

HISTORICAJanuary 3rd, U.C. 0058.

FARESNaturally, Earth’s Federation did not recognize that sovereignty. Their response: economic sanctions on Side 3, and the Federation’s massive military buildup of the U.C. 0060s. It was broadly understood that all-out war was just a matter of time.

DONG-FEI Meanwhile, Zeon Deikun, not content with simply holding Side 3, demanded policies from the Federation that would protect the rights of Spacenoids throughout all space. Namely:

Establish autonomous rights for every Side, including Side 3

Transfer patents for technologies developed in space back to the Spacenoids

Demilitarize Luna II and open the Gunman-Magnet ore deposits

Resume space emigration and dismantle certain state-run monopolies

HISTORICAThe first point is straightforward: colonies should not be treated as Earth’s plantations. Recognize each Side as a constituent state and guarantee its sovereignty. It mirrors our own current independence movements.

DONG-FEI The second point requires a bit of technical explanation. Before colonies gained independence, all technology developed in space legally belonged to Earth, the sovereign power and financial backer. Meaning colonies had to pay for technologies they themselves created. An absurd arrangement that lasted for decades.

DINAThis patent-fee system placed an enormous burden on both the colonies and the lunar settlements. It effectively funneled wealth from space back down to Earth, above and beyond taxation.

GETTLEThe third point, the Gunman-Magnet deposits, the rare-metal compound, are the backbone of life for all spacefaring people. Water spheres, air spheres, Gundarium alloy, mega particle cannons, all require Gunman-Magnet. And Luna II, home to the largest known deposits, had been converted into a Federation military installation.

DONG-FEI The Republic of Zeon secured its own supply via asteroid mining, it seems, but even so, without Luna II’s deposits, the livelihood of nine billion Spacenoids simply could not be sustained. Deikun demanding its opening was entirely reasonable.

HISTORICAFor comparison, here in Zanscare, we’ve secured our supply from the Jovian sector, the Chancellor, His Excellency Kagatie, personally towed an ore-bearing satellite from Jupiter.

DINAEven today, nationalist groups in Side 3 continue to demand that Luna II be transferred under their authority. “The revolution is complete only when Luna II moves to the moon’s far side,” that's been a traditional rallying cry for generations.

FARESThe fourth point stems from Ereism, but it’s crucial in addressing the economic and political imbalance between Earth and the colonies. It later becomes central to the ideologies of Char and the AEUG. You cannot understand the upheavals of the U.C.0080s onward without this.

HISTORICASo not merely religious. As long as Earth’s entrenched elites siphon wealth from space, Spacenoids can never achieve independence. Ereism insists: the Federation must carry out space emigration according to its founding mission.

FARESExactly. Put another way: Among Spacenoids, it was generally accepted that the Federation’s right to rule came only from its pledge to cleanse Earth through emigration. Earthnoids, however, saw living on Earth as their natural birthright. That rift in perception was practically unbridgeable.

DINAYet the Federation brushed off every one of these demands. Diplomatic efforts to avert war stalled completely, and then Deikun was assassinated. Degwin Sodo Zabi rose to power and imposed a monarchy in U.C. 0068.

THE AFTERGLOW OF ZEON FOLLOWING THE ONE YEAR WAR

――And then, eleven years after those events, the Principality of Zeon launched its so-called “War of Independence” against the Earth Federation.　It ended, of course, in defeat.

GETTLEWell, the One Year War itself has been chronicled to death, books, films, documentaries. You all know the drill. (laughs)

DONG-FEIWhat followed was forty years of protracted conflict, as the Federation was forced into a long, grinding conflict with what it labeled “Zeon remnants.”

DINADong-fei, that term, "Zeon remnants," is loaded with Federation bias. It’s not an accurate descriptor given that it comes from a suppressor.

HISTORICAIn reality, the groups lumped together as “Zeon remnants” broke down roughly like this:

Hardline Principality loyalists, like Aiguille Delaz and Desert Rommel, who rejected the second Republic’s surrender terms and insisted the Independence War must continue.

Zabi royalist hardliners, such as Glemmy Toto, who believed the Zabi bloodline was the rightful dynastic house of all Spacenoids and aimed to restore Zabi autocracy.

Neo Zeon, figures like Haman Karn, who rejected the old Principality system yet used the Zabi name symbolically, seeking true Spacenoid autonomy.

Char Aznable and his followers, who rejected both the Zabis and the Federation, acting exclusively on Ereism- and Contolism-based principles.

AEUG and later Mafty Navue Erin, who inherited Deikun’s ideology but disregarded Zeon’s cultural traditions, pursuing Ereism or Contolism through entirely independent, original frameworks.

Earthborn nationalist groups, such as the African Liberation Front (FLN), who absorbed Zeon soldiers or mobile suits into their forces for their own liberation struggles.

Nationalists protesting the loss of autonomy in U.C. 0100, who demanded the restoration of the second Republic of Zeon.

And lastly, groups originating from ①–⑦ who lost all organizational discipline and devolved into simple criminal syndicates or space pirates.

DINAPeople often mock “the Zeon remnants” as endlessly fracturing and fighting among themselves, but the truth is each originated from entirely different contexts and ideologies. “Fragmentation” is largely a convenient Federation narrative.

GETTLEAnd the collapse of Haman’s forces, after she gained control of Side 3 only to fall victim to Glemmy Toto’s uprising, that image left a powerful impression.

HISTORICAAnd don’t forget the AEUG, who once sympathized with Side 3’s sovereignty, only to assassinate Haman and then run back to the Federation! Where exactly was Char Aznable’s legacy in that betrayal?!

DONG-FEIWell… I can understand the frustration over how the AEUG changed after Quattro Bajeena vanished.

DINAAnd Anaheim Electronics shifting allegiances, too. The way Melanie Hue Carbine effectively abandoned Wong Lee, that was classic Lunarian opportunism.

――We’re drifting a bit. Let’s return to the topic:　What triggered these so-called “Zeon remnants” to start being referred to collectively as Oldsmobile?

FARESThat’s quite clear. It stems from the March 12, U.C. 0116 attack on Frontier I by the NSP and the Republic Liberation Front.　

GETTLEThe incident where the so-called RF mobile suits were deployed in large numbers for the first time. Admiral Kamuna Tachibana’s wife was killed in that battle, and he was commander of the defense forces.

DINARF units had actually appeared earlier, December 10 of the previous year, here in Ameria, deployed by the NSP. But that was buried by media blackout and barely known.

HISTORICABut the Frontier attack turned into full-on urban combat. Civilians couldn’t help but see RF Mobile Suits with their own eyes.

DONG-FEIAnd by that time, the “mono-eye” silhouette already carried loaded political meaning, just like the Gundam faceplate. Updating the internals while deliberately styling the exterior after old Principality units wasn’t unique to Oldsmobile. AEUG, Karaba, even the African Liberation Front were doing that in the 0080s. It’s a long tradition.

FARESBut since Zakus and Goufs were used in the Frontier attack, the media pounced, and that’s when the name “Oldsmobile” took off.

DINAAt that point, it was unquestionably a slur.

FARESIndeed. The coverage painted them as antiquated Zeon holdouts, aging soldiers dragging out obsolete mobile suits. That was the media narrative. In reality, the NSP and RLF were organizations made up largely of the younger generation, the post-Mafty youth.

GETTLEBut the media also had an incentive: emphasizing “Oldsmobile” allowed them to criticize the Federation for taking heavy losses against supposedly obsolete machines.

HISTORICASounds about right. The media always clings to narrative over reality.

DINAHistorica, we are technically part of the media too.

HISTORICAAh, my apologies!

――The next major surge of Oldsmobile activity comes in U.C. 0120, correct?

FARESYes. The October 25 Kobayashi-maru hijacking, and the October 28 F90II theft.

DINAAt that time, anti-government groups across the Earth Sphere were devastated from the Trimurti Incident and its brutal suppression. Neither the Federation nor the remnants themselves believed large-scale operations were still possible. So when the Mars Independent Zeon Forces and the Legacy Fleet launched these attacks, the entire Earth Sphere took notice.

DINAWe discussed this two years ago, didn’t we? (Editors Note: from the U.C. 0147 December issue.)

GETTLEIndeed. The Federation, unusually fast for them, immediately declared the hijackers to be Mars Independent Zeon forces and dispatched a fleet to Mars.

HISTORICAAnd the 13th Independent Fleet descended onto Mars… only to be wiped out, thanks in part to Bosch Weller’s betrayal, correct?

FARESExactly. Only one ship, the cruiser Duquesne, returned to Earth. It’s fair to call it utter annihilation.

GETTLEThey did manage to narrowly recapture the F90, but the losses were catastrophic. If the Olympus Cannon hadn’t collapsed due to that mysterious accident, Earth might have taken a direct hit. From a purely military standpoint, it was an unmitigated disaster.

――I understand the Mars base possessed production capabilities rivaling Luna II's arsenals, with over 500 RF mobile suits manufactured there.

DONG-FEIThere are even theories that the Mars factory quietly supported the armies of Haman and Char. So Kelvim Toffler’s “500-unit theory” doesn’t sound that far-fetched.

DINAAnd after the base’s destruction, all those forces were absorbed by the Jupiter-front fleet known as Jupiter Phantom.

HISTORICABut wasn’t Jupiter Phantom supposedly wiped out back in U.C. 0095, by the suppression fleet and the prototype JRX-10095-V1 Variant Gundam?

FARESThat’s where things get murky. Some say the U.C. 0095 expedition was aborted and the Variant Gundam was never deployed in combat. Others claim the original Jupiter Fleet was destroyed, and the one appearing in U.C. 0121 was actually a new force prepared by the Jupiter Empire. Plenty of conspiracy theories.

DONG-FEIIt is Jupiter, after all. And Jupiter means— [approximately twelve lines redacted by censors]

GETTLEIn any case, the Jupiter Fleet did return to the Earth Sphere, equipped with upgraded RF suits enhanced by the stolen F90II data, and elite pilots to match. It’s obvious they had major backing.

DONG-FEIBuffo Concern, Jupiter Empire, take your pick.

FARESNo military force can independently produce entirely new mobile suits like that. There’s always a larger organization behind them. AEUG, Mafty, none of them were “standalone.”

DINAAnd so, after absorbing the Mars Independent Zeon Forces, Jupiter Phantom rallied countless Zeon-aligned groups, including the Legacy Fleet, and proudly christened themselves Oldsmobile.

HISTORICATaking a name bestowed as an insult by the establishment and wearing it as a badge of honor, that's happened countless times throughout revolutionary history.

FARESThe Dutch “Sea Beggars” are one famous example.

DINAAnd we’ll certainly be diving deeper into their leader, Radhi Pyrrhus Jamshid, as this series continues.

――Thank you all very much. May the blessings of Maria be upon you.