Pre-Introduction
This is one of my personal favirotes, along with Char's Counterattack. At first Gundam 0083
received a lukewarm response, due to the lack of well-established Gundam characters such as
Amuro Rey or Char Aznable. However, by the end of Stardust Memory the series had gained
unheard-of popularity, and threatened Zeta Gundam for the title of best Gundam series ever. In
addition, Gundam 0083 set a new standard among OVA series in terms of animation quality, music,
and audio engineering.
Introduction
Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory begins with a flashback to the battle of Abawaku in the final days
of the One Year War. After the death of Giren Zabi at the hands of his sister, Kishiria (See
Mobile Suit Gundam), Vice Admiral Aguille Delaz gathers all the Jion warriors and warships he
can and flees the battle zone, anticipating that the final defeat of the Jion Archduchy is coming soon.
Among the Jion pilots he rescues is Anavel Gato, a member of the Zabi family's royal guard and
an ace mobile suit pilot. Gato swears to one day return to Abawaku and avenge his fallen
comrades.
Australia
The story then shifts to U.C. 0083, three years after the end of
the One Year War. The EMF begins its "Gundam
Development Plan" and contracts Anaheim Electronics to
build two new prototype Gundam mobile suits. The first suit,
the GP-01, is a redesigned version of the original RX-78
Gundam that was so successful in the One Year War. The
second suit, the GP-02A, is a heavy attack mobile suit
capable of firing nuclear warheads from a modified
hyperbazooka. The two new suits are loaded on the Albion, a
re-designed White Base class warship, and sent to the
Torrington Base in Australia, a testing center for new mobile
suits.
However, Delaz learns about the "Gundam Development Plan" and sends Commander Gato
(a.k.a. The Nightmare of Solomon) on a mission to capture the GP-02A for his Operation
Stardust. Gato and his team land on Earth and Gato secretly infiltrates the Torrington base with
the help of Aubil, one of the Anaheim mechanics working on the Gundams. Meanwhile the
GP-02A is loaded with a Mk. 82 nuclear warhead and prepared for testing. Ensign Kou Uraki,
a young test pilot for the Torrington base, sneaks aboard the Albion to look at the new Gundams.
While on board he meets Nina Purpleton, the strong-willed designer of the new Gundams. Their
meeting is interrupted by the arrival of Gato, who steals the GP-02A and blasts his way out of the
Albion. Kou quickly boards the GP-01 and attempts to stop Gato from leaving. Gato is a much
more experienced pilot, however, and easily escapes with the GP-02A.
Kou and his friends are sent to recapture the GP-02A, but are eventually defeated as Gato
manages to escape to a Jion submarine parked off the Australia coast. Shamed by his defeat,
Kou transfers to the Albion, which takes off in pursuit of Gato.
Africa
Anavel Gato (The Nightmare of Solomon) and his newly-stolen Gundam GP-02A for nuclear combat.
The trail leads the Albion to Africa, where Gato plans to escape to orbit with the help of a hidden
Jion base. In an accidental bump between the mobile suit pilot Keith and Aubil, Keith discovers
that Aubil was carrying sensitive information about the Gundams. Once the captain is informed, the
order is given to arrest Aubil, but just too late as Aubil escapes the Albion on a Core Fighter.
At the Jion base, the commander in charge was listening to Aubil's transmission. Aubil was heading
for the Jion base! The commander deploys several Zakus, which intercept and destroy Aubil's
ship. The other Fed mobile suits follow Aubil's ship and discover it's an ambush. In the end, Kou
defeats the Jion mobile suits in combat, but is unable to stop Gato from escaping Earth with the Unit
2.
Space
The Albion leaves Earth in pursuit of Gato and the GP-02A. However, Gato has managed to
rejoin Admiral Delaz and his fleet by this time. During Gato's absence, Delaz has added to his
ranks Commander Cima Garahau and her Cima fleet. This upsets Gato, as he does not trust the
rebellious and evil Cima. Delaz tells Gato not to worry about trivial matters, however, and orders
Cima to destroy the Albion. Cima's fleet engages the Albion, but Cima is repelled by Kou and the
GP-01 before she can destroy the ship. However, in the process the GP-01, which was not
prepared for space combat yet, is severely damaged and Kou is badly wounded.
The Moon
The Albion travels to the Von Braun colony on the moon to repair the
GP-01. Humiliated by his defeats, Kou jumps ship, gets beaten up, and flees
into the lower levels of the Von Braun colony. There he meets Kelley
Layzener, a Jion mobile armor pilot who lost his arm during the One Year
War. Despite his handicap, Kelley has been slowly rebuilding his mobile
armor, the Val Walo, in preparation for the return of the Delaz Fleet.
Something inside Kelley inspires Kou, and he helps Kelley to complete the
Val Walo, restoring his own self-esteem in the process. Kou then returns to
the Albion, and becomes pilot of the GP-01Fb, a new Gundam built off the
remains of the GP-01, now prepared for space combat.
The Albion prepares to leave and continue their mission to find the GP-02A. Meanwhile, Cima
arrives at the moon and attempts to buy Kelley's Val Walo. Kelley is at first overjoyed, but
becomes angry when he learns that he will not be the pilot. Kelley blasts off in the Val Walo
and attempts to prove that he is a worthy pilot by challenging the GP-01fb pilot to a duel. Kelley
is still unaware that Kou is the Gundam's pilot, and is shocked when Kou begs him to stop before
someone gets hurt. Kelley replies that they are both warriors and that one of them must die before
the battle is over. Nina recognizes Kelley from her past and leaves the Albion in an attempt to
stop the fight. A near miss by the Val Walo destroys her utility craft and knocks her out. Kou,
enraged by Kelley's accidental attack on Nina, attacks and manages to destroy the Val Walo. Kou
begs Kelley to eject before the mobile armor exploded, but Kelley replies that he doesn't regret any
of his actions and thus did not repair the ejection mechanism, and dies with his ship.
Kou manages to awaken Nina, and asks her to accompany him on the Albion. Nina joyfully agrees.
Meanwhile, in space, Gato sadly notes that Kelley has not been able to rendezvous with him and
the Delaz Fleet. However, Gato can no longer wait for him. All the fleets are assembled, and it is
time to begin Operation Stardust.
The Naval Review
After the destruction of the Val Walo, the Albion was assigned as an security vessel for the
Federation's Naval review. The Review had been planned long before the abduction of the
GP-02A. Just before the review began, one of the Federation ships approached a Jion vessel
from the Cima fleet. When the Albion notices the Jion ships, mobile suits from the Albion are
dispatched to the separated Federation ship's zone.
The Federation ship immediately sunk one of the Jion escorts (mysteriously missing Cima's ship)
and a guerilla space battle between the Jion mobile suits and the Albion's mobile suits begins,
culminating in the destruction of most of the Jion suits and the capturing of some documents by
Liutenant Burning. As the Albion's mobile suits return to their mothership, Lt. Burning reveals that
Gato will make his move during the Naval Review. However, as Burning was about to disclose
the objective of Operation Stardust, his mobile suit explodes due to the damage sustained in
battle.
Solomon
As the Naval Review is in progress, many small forces of Zakus are destroyed near the location
of the review, Konpei Island, just another name for the Jion space fortress Solomon. Kou and the
other Albion pilots are extremely fatigued due to the constant combat.
Finally, what was believed to be the main contingent Jion force was attacking an observation
satellite. As the Albion pilots soon discover is that these pilots are much more skilled than the
previous ones.
What they didn't know was that Gato on board the GP-02A is
approaching Solomon from the other side, protected by the floating
debris remaining from the One Year War's Battle Of Solomon. An
unmanned space fortress detects the GP-02A approaching the fleet.
The GP-01fb attempts to intercept Gato but GP-01fb was too far
away. Gato loads the Mk. 82 into the bazooka and nukes almost the
entire Federation fleet!
With most Federation ships damaged or destroyed, Gato attempts to clear the area but is finally
intercepted by the GP-01fb and a more seasoned Kou. After an intense battle with Gato and his
GP-02A, handicapped from the explosion, both Gundams get destroyed, with both of the pilots
leaving safely their suits and rejoining their fellow mobile suits.
Operation Stardust
Gato thrashing the Naval Review marked the beginning of Operation Stardust. Cima attaches
booster rockets to one of two deserted space colonies and blows the mirrors of both, staging a
colony drop on the moon. The Federation send all able ships (able after a nuke?) to intercept
the colony and destroy it.
Meanwhile, the Albion is sent to meet La Vie En Rose to get the GP-03, a top-secret
development by Anaheim. Kou desires to be the pilot against the objections of Nina, who is
adamant over the issue.
As the colony almost reached the moon, the colony's boosters (not the ones placed by Cima's
fleet) is activated by laser fire from Anaheim (one of Anaheim's higher up's was aware of the true
nature of the Cima's actions). The colony moves away from the moon in a collision course with
the Earth! The pursuing fleets from start to run out of fuel, as well as being stalked by Gato's new
mobile armor, the Neue Ziel, a gift from the "neutral" Axis fleet.
When Kou gets the news of the colony drop actually directed to Earth, he and the designer of the
GP-03, Lucette, take the Unit 3, only to get her shot by the commanding Federation officer
aboard La Vie En Rose, Commander Nakajo. However, with Lucette's dying breath, she reminds
Nina of her deepest, darkest secret (Nina's secret that is):
Gato and Nina were lovers when both were on the moon just after the One Year
War.
Critical Interception Point
Kou has several battles on his new suit, attempting to break the Jion's main line of defense: Gato
aboard his mobile armor. This turns into a race against time to stop the colony before it crosses the
"Critical Interception Point", after which there is no way of stopping something THAT massive
from colliding with the Earth. After a prolonged battle, Kou fails to reach the colony as it passed
through the intercept point.
However, Cima Garahau had a change of hearts and betrayed the Jion by holding Delaz
hostage aboard his command ship. When Gato approaches the command vessel, Delaz instructs
Gato to complete his mission and drop the colony, at which point Cima kills Delaz. (Cima was
scheming with the Federation high-command terms on which NOT to drop the colony). As
this was happening, Admiral Jamitov strips General Cowen's authority and gets rid of him from
the head-quarters at Jaburo.
As the colony kept approaching the Earth, the Federation had set up a Solar System (like the one
used on Solomon during the One Year War, under the command of (yes), Bosque Ohm. To
prevent the destruction of the falling colony, Gato takes off on his mobile armor and destroys the
command ship controlling the Solar System, stopping the Feds from doing mayor harm to the
colony. Meanwhile, Cima's fleet and Gato's fleet begin to battle each other for control of the
colony.
As all hell breaks loose, Gato enters the colony to make the final adjustments for the drop. He
had been followed by Nina, who confronts Gato about his sudden disappearance from the moon.
Gato, basically ignoring Nina, is about to do the adjustments when he gets shot in the back by Kou,
who had entered the colony as well. Nina protects Gato from Kou and she takes him away. Kou
pouts and throws a mayor temper tantrum.
Gato handed Nina over to Karius, Gato's right-hand man, to take her to the Axis fleet. Meanwhile,
Kou escapes from the colony, only to find Gato ready to duel with him. As both fight, the Solar
System is fired once more (with much less effectiveness) on the colony, the Jion fleet, and the
Federation fleet in the way. Kou wakes up with no trace of Gato anywhere. Kou fires at Bosque
Ohm's ship in spite for firing the Solar System.
The colony crashes into Earth. The last Jion fleet, commanded by Gato attempts to make a run for
the neutral Axis fleet, who's allowed stay was cut short by the arrival of the Federation fleet,
arriving from the moon. During this last blitz, Gato kamikazi-ed into one of the Federation ships, as
Nina left the Axis fleet to find him.
Conclusion
For shooting at Ohm's ship, Kou gets one year in prison. During this time, the Titans are
established as an elite force to prevent another resurgence of Jion terrorism.
When Kou he gets out, he visits the site where the colony dropped in North America, where he
meets his best friend Keith and sees once more Nina.
All records of the Gundams were destroyed:
RX-78
GP-01
GP-02A
GP-03
Kou's criminal records vanished as well. The LD linear notes said Captain Synapus, the captain of
the Albion was sentenced to death.
Note: The information was from the other sites