Libot Colony

Libot Colony (リボーコロニー, Ribō Koronī), also romanized as Ribo Colony, was a civilian space colony within the Side 6 cluster in the Universal Century timeline. As part of Side 6’s neutral territory during the One Year War, Libot Colony maintained civilian life largely isolated from the Earth-space conflict. However, in December UC 0079, the colony became the setting for a covert Principality of Zeon operation that would violate Side 6’s neutrality and claim numerous lives in the war’s final days.

Geography

Structure

Libot Colony was an O’Neill cylinder-type space colony, one of the standard designs used throughout the Universal Century for space habitation. The colony featured:

Interior surface area providing Earth-like living environment
Artificial gravity through rotation
Complete ecosystem with residential, commercial, and light industrial zones
Standard colonial infrastructure (schools, hospitals, civic facilities)
Limited military facilities (defensive only, per neutrality agreement)

Location

The colony was situated within Side 6, one of the space colony clusters positioned at Earth’s Lagrange points. Side 6’s neutral status during the One Year War meant its colonies, including Libot, officially avoided involvement in the Earth Federation-Zeon conflict, though their proximity to combat zones meant war remained a constant presence.

History

Neutrality During the One Year War

Side 6 maintained official neutrality throughout the One Year War, with Libot Colony and its sister colonies avoiding direct participation in the conflict. However, neutrality did not mean isolation:

Refugees from combat zones sought sanctuary in Side 6
Both Federation and Zeon forces occasionally operated near Side 6 space
Economic and supply relationships with both sides continued
Side 6’s government walked a careful diplomatic line to maintain neutrality

For Libot’s civilian population, the war remained somewhat distant – news broadcasts and occasional refugees brought awareness, but daily life continued relatively normally. Children like Alfred Izuruha grew up with war as background noise, romanticizing mobile suits and combat without understanding their reality.

December UC 0079: Operation Rubicon

Libot Colony’s neutrality was violated in December UC 0079 when the Earth Federation chose the colony as a secret development site for the RX-78NT-1 Gundam “Alex”. The Federation calculated that Side 6’s neutral status would provide security for the prototype’s final development and testing before delivery to Amuro Ray.

Zeon intelligence discovered the Alex’s presence, leading to the deployment of Cyclops Team – Hardie Steiner, Mikhail Kaminsky, Gabriel Ramirez Garcia, Andy Strauss, and Bernard Wiseman – for a covert infiltration and destruction mission.

The Battle

On 24-25 December UC 0079, Cyclops Team’s mission culminated in open combat within the colony. The battle between Zeon mobile suits and Federation defenders, including test pilot Christina Mackenzie in the Gundam Alex, brought the war directly to Libot’s civilians.

The combat resulted in:

Significant damage to colonial infrastructure
Civilian casualties and evacuations
Destruction of the Gundam Alex
Deaths of most Cyclops Team members, including Bernard Wiseman
Violation of Side 6’s neutrality by both sides

For Libot’s population, particularly children like Alfred Izuruha who had romanticized the war, the battle shattered illusions about warfare’s glory. The reality of mobile suits fighting in residential areas, the deaths of people they knew, and the colony’s transformation into a battlefield provided brutal education in war’s true nature.

Aftermath

Immediate Impact

The battle’s immediate aftermath left Libot Colony scarred:

Physical damage to buildings and infrastructure required repairs
Civilian trauma from witnessing combat
Diplomatic crisis over neutrality violation
Investigation into both Federation and Zeon activities

The war’s end on 1 January UC 0080, less than a week after the battle, meant Libot’s neutrality violation became a historical footnote rather than a diplomatic crisis – with Zeon defeated, there was no longer a conflict to remain neutral from.

Long-Term Consequences

For Libot’s residents, particularly those who witnessed the combat, the battle’s impact persisted:

Loss of innocence for children who had romanticized war
Trauma for those who lost family or friends
Recognition that neutrality provided no absolute protection
Understanding that global conflicts affect everyone, regardless of political status

Alfred Izuruha, who had befriended Bernard Wiseman and witnessed his death fighting Christina Mackenzie, carried the psychological scars of the experience, representing how war traumatizes even those not directly engaged in combat.

Significance

Libot Colony’s role in Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket served multiple narrative and thematic purposes:

Neutral Territory: Demonstrated that even neutrality couldn’t protect civilians from war
Civilian Perspective: Provided setting for exploring war through non-combatant eyes
Intimate Scale: Small colony allowed focus on personal stories rather than grand strategy
Illusion vs Reality: Safe colony environment contrasted with war’s brutal reality

The colony represented the broader Universal Century civilian experience – populations trying to live normal lives whilst enormous forces beyond their control determined their fates.

Behind the Scenes

Director Takayama Fumihiko and screenwriter Yamaga Hiroyuki deliberately chose a neutral colony as War in the Pocket’s setting to explore themes impossible in active combat zones. Libot Colony’s neutrality meant:

Civilians had normal lives for war to disrupt
Children could romanticize warfare without having experienced it
The battle’s intrusion would be more shocking
The story could explore how war affects those trying to avoid it

The colony’s detailed depiction – residential areas, schools, shopping districts – was designed to feel realistic and relatable, making the battle’s impact more visceral for audiences. Unlike space fortresses or military installations, Libot was explicitly a home, making its transformation into a battlefield tragic rather than simply dramatic.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket

External links

Side 6 on the Gundam Wiki