Gilboa Sant

Gilboa Sant was a mobile suit pilot and crew member of the Garencieres who served with the Neo Zeon remnant group known as the Sleeves during the Laplace Incident of UC 0096. A devoted father of three children, he was known among his comrades for his warm and friendly demeanour.

Biography

Early life and arrest

Gilboa Sant was born in UC 0066 and later became involved with spacenoid independence movements. At some point prior to UC 0096, he was arrested by the Earth Federation whilst on Earth. According to his eldest son Tikva Sant, Gilboa was subjected to torture and malnutrition during his imprisonment until Captain Suberoa Zinnerman rescued him. This experience left a lasting impact on both Gilboa and his family, reinforcing their opposition to Federation rule.

Service with the Sleeves

Following his rescue, Gilboa joined the Sleeves and became a crew member aboard the freighter Garencieres under Captain Suberoa Zinnerman. He served both as a mobile suit pilot and general crew member, demonstrating his versatility and commitment to the cause.

Industrial 7 incident

In UC 0096, Gilboa was among the crew of the Garencieres when they travelled to the Industrial 7 colony to receive Laplace’s Box from the Vist Foundation. The charitable foundation planned to hand over this mysterious object, said to contain a secret that could lead to the downfall of the Earth Federation, to the Sleeves.

The mission encountered complications when Londo Bell forces intercepted them. During the subsequent battle, Marida Cruz in her NZ-666 Kshatriya destroyed three Federation mobile suits, allowing the Garencieres to escape. However, when they arrived at the colony, the crew discovered that Princess Mineva Lao Zabi had stowed aboard, intent on reaching Cardeas Vist first.

During the Federation’s assault on the colony, Gilboa was stationed on the bridge when Londo Bell forces surrounded Industrial 7 and destroyed one of the Garencieres’ AMS-129 Geara Zulu mobile suits. He contacted Marida via communications and advised that they cut straight through the colony to extract Zinnerman, a strategy that succeeded despite causing collateral damage to the colony.

Custody of Banagher Links

Following the capture of the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam and its pilot, Banagher Links, at the Sleeves base of Palau, Gilboa was assigned to help supervise the young pilot alongside Marida Cruz. During dinner at his residence with his family, including his eldest son Tikva, Gilboa hosted Banagher as their guest.

The dinner became a forum for debate when Tikva challenged Banagher about his support for the Federation, citing his father’s torture as evidence of Federation brutality. Gilboa remained largely quiet during the discussion, allowing his son to voice his views whilst maintaining a paternal oversight. When Banagher posed the philosophical question of whether war was ever justified, citing the massive casualties from Zeon’s colony drop operations, Gilboa looked saddened as the young pilot grappled with the reality of having indirectly killed someone in battle. Marida Cruz then took Banagher to a chapel to explain the true nature of Zeon.

Shortly after this dinner, Gilboa was informed that he was being transferred, as Full Frontal believed the Federation might have tracked them to Palau. As he prepared to leave, his son Tikva ran after him, asking why he was departing so soon. Gilboa promised his son that he would return and instructed him to look after the family in his absence.

Final mission and death

The Garencieres began tailing the Nahel Argama in hopes of rescuing Marida, who had been captured during Londo Bell’s attack on Palau. When the Federation ship began scouting the ruins of Laplace and rendezvousing with a Vist Foundation shuttle, Gilboa excitedly volunteered to take a mobile suit to lead the rescue operation.

Piloting his commander-type AMS-129 Geara Zulu equipped with a heavy armament backpack, Gilboa engaged in combat near the Laplace ruins. Unexpectedly, Banagher in the Unicorn Gundam sensed the Sleeves’ approach and left the Laplace wreckage to confront them. Gilboa’s team opened fire on the approaching Gundam.

Captain Zinnerman advised Gilboa over the communications not to waste too much time and warned that the Gundam was moving faster than anticipated. Gilboa commented that Banagher seemed to have good intuition as he engaged the Unicorn directly, slamming his beam tomahawk against the Gundam’s shield. He warned Banagher of their objective and advised him to stay back if he wanted to live.

As Full Frontal engaged Banagher in his MSN-06S Sinanju, the battle intensified and moved into the atmosphere. Captain Zinnerman ordered Gilboa to rescue Frontal, who was being pursued by the transformed Unicorn Gundam. In the heat of combat, as Banagher fired repeatedly with the Unicorn’s beam magnum in an attempt to hit Frontal’s Sinanju, a stray shot struck Gilboa’s Geara Zulu in the chest, obliterating the mobile suit and killing him instantly.

The shock of receiving Gilboa’s final thoughts through Newtype resonance caused Banagher significant psychological trauma, contributing to the Unicorn being pulled into Earth’s gravity well during the subsequent atmospheric entry.

Personality and traits

Befitting his role as a father, Gilboa was viewed as a warm and friendly person with an open-minded nature and deep concern for the welfare of his family. He demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of personal hardship, having endured torture and imprisonment whilst maintaining his commitment to the spacenoid cause. His friendly demeanour made him well-regarded among the crew of the Garencieres, and he showed particular care in his interactions with younger individuals such as Banagher Links.

Despite his traumatic experiences with the Federation, Gilboa did not exhibit the bitter hatred that characterised some Sleeves members. Instead, he maintained a measured approach to the conflict, focusing on his duties whilst ensuring his family’s safety and well-being.

Skills and abilities

As a mobile suit pilot, Gilboa demonstrated competence in operating the AMS-129 Geara Zulu, particularly the commander-type variant equipped with heavy armaments. His experience as both a pilot and crew member aboard the Garencieres showed his versatility and dedication to the Sleeves organisation. He possessed tactical awareness and good communication skills, as evidenced by his coordination during the Industrial 7 extraction operation.

Relationships

Family

Gilboa was a devoted father to three children, with Tikva Sant being his eldest son. He maintained strong family bonds despite the dangerous nature of his involvement with the Sleeves. His instructions to Tikva to “look after the family” during his final departure demonstrated his sense of responsibility and care for his dependents.

Suberoa Zinnerman

Gilboa held great respect and loyalty towards Captain Suberoa Zinnerman, who had rescued him from Federation imprisonment. This rescue created a strong bond of gratitude and trust between the two men, with Gilboa serving faithfully under Zinnerman’s command aboard the Garencieres.

Banagher Links

Despite their opposing sides in the conflict, Gilboa showed paternal care towards Banagher Links during the young pilot’s custody at Palau. He allowed Banagher to participate in family discussions and maintained a protective attitude, even when his son Tikva challenged the Federation pilot’s beliefs.

Mobile suits

AMS-129 Geara Zulu

Gilboa piloted a commander-type AMS-129 Geara Zulu equipped with a heavy armament backpack. His mobile suit was armed with a Lange Bruno Gun Plus and beam gatling guns, providing substantial firepower for both long-range support and close combat operations. The commander variant reflected his status and experience within the Sleeves organisation.

Behind the scenes

Gilboa Sant was voiced by Chō in Japanese across all appearances in the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn series. In the English dub, he was voiced by Troy Baker in the first episode and Kirk Thornton in subsequent episodes.

The character’s death serves as a pivotal moment in the series, demonstrating the tragic consequences of the ongoing conflict and providing significant character development for Banagher Links through the psychological impact of indirectly causing a sympathetic character’s death.

Appearances

• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096
• Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative
• SD Gundam G Generation Genesis
• SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays