RX-0 Unicorn Gundam – MechaBay | Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

The RX-0 Unicorn Gundam was a prototype full psychoframe mobile suit developed by Anaheim Electronics for the Earth Federation as part of the UC Project. It was the titular mobile suit of the Laplace Incident and was piloted by Banagher Links.

The “R” in the model code meant it was a Federation model¹ and the “X” indicated that it was an experimental mobile suit. The “0” in the model code denoted that it was the first unit in the RX-0 series, which would eventually include three total units.

History

Psychoframe technology made its dramatic debut in UC 0093 when Amuro Ray’s RX-93 ν Gundam was able to convert human will into psychoframe energy to push the asteroid fortress Axis away from its collision course with Earth. The miraculous event was dubbed the Axis Shock, and Anaheim Electronics continued development of the mysterious psychoframe under the auspices of the secret UC Project to reorganize the Earth Federation Forces.

Produced as the final part of the E.F.S.F’s reorganization plan, the “UC Project”, the Unicorn Gundam was a revolutionary design meant to be the main symbol of the project’s main goal: to destroy any traces of Zeonism in the Earth Sphere. Thus, not only does it feature a Gundam design, but it also incorporates an anti-Newtype system. Two prototype machines were completed at Anaheim Electronics’ factory in Granada.

The ν Gundam and MSN-04 Sazabi only featured the psychoframe around their cockpits, and Anaheim created the MSN-06S Sinanju Stein to serve as a testbed for the implementation of a full psychoframe in the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam. The full psychoframe allowed for dramatically increased response time.

However, when the Vist Foundation took control of the project, they installed a special “La+ Program” OS into the Gundam, turning it into a symbol of possibility by making it the key to finding Laplace’s Box: the embodied hope of the Universal Century.

In April UC 0096, the Unicorn Gundam was undergoing testing at Industrial 7 when the colony was attacked by Neo Zeon following failed negotiations with the Vist Foundation over the Box. Civilian student Banagher Links was caught up in the conflict and is biometrically tagged as the Unicorn Gundam’s pilot as the dying act of his father, Cardeas Vist. After an initial battle with Neo Zeon, Banagher was picked up by the Londo Bell ship Nahel Argama.

The hunt for the Box began as the La+ Program revealed coordinates to locations tied to UC history. The first stop was the ruins of the Laplace space colony, which was destroyed on the eve of the calendar switch from AD to UC. After descending to Earth, Banagher travelled to Australia’s Torrington Base, the starting point for UC 0083’s Operation Stardust. Upon his return to space, Banagher exhibited awakened Newtype powers and could not only control the activation of the NT-D System, but changed its psychoframe colour from red to green.

In the final stage of the conflict, Banagher was joined by Riddhe Marcenas’ RX-0[N] Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee Norn in a fight against Neo Zeon leader Full Frontal’s mobile armor NZ-999 Neo Zeong. The two Gundams then pushed their psycho fields to the limit to protect Industrial 7 from an attack by the Gryps 2 colony laser.

Following the Laplace Incident, the EFF labelled the Unicorn Gundam and Banshee Norn as Singularity One, signifying that they were technology that had gone beyond human comprehension. Officially, the two suits were dismantled and sealed away, but as of UC 0097, the Unicorn Gundam secretly remained fully intact and in the possession of Banagher and Mineva.

Design

Incorporating test data from the experimental MSN-06S Sinanju Stein, the Unicorn Gundam’s entire frame is built with Psycho-Frame material, drastically increasing the unit’s responsiveness and allowing it to be piloted like an extension of the pilot’s body. While mobile suits used during the Second Neo Zeon War implemented psycho-frame technology on a limited basis, the Unicorn is the first “full psycho-frame” mobile suit.

The Unicorn Gundam featured two distinct operational modes. In its normal form, the “Unicorn Mode”, the Unicorn Gundam’s head is similar in appearance to those of Londo Bell’s mass-produced mobile suits, with the addition of a single, horn-like antenna on its forehead (which gives it the name “Unicorn”).

Destroy Mode is the form when Unicorn Gundam’s NT-D System is activated. The transformation is marked by an expansion of the suit’s frame. The armour seams separate and lock down into various hard-points, while the newly exposed psycho-frame emits a pinkish-red or greenish (Awakened) glow (attributed to the Psycho-Field phenomenon). In this mode, the Unicorn becomes taller, reveal six more thrusters, and its head transforms to one with standard Gundam features, the visor and face guard retracts into the head to reveal the twin eyes and mouth plate, and the antenna splitting into a V-fin.

In Destroy Mode, the Unicorn Gundam’s psycho-frame scans the pilot’s thoughts and directly transmits them to the suit’s drive system; in other words, the Unicorn can be controlled by thoughts alone. Additionally, the mode also causes the machine’s performance - in thrust, generator output, and sensory radius - to be increased to unmeasurable levels.

With the performance limiters disengaged, the Unicorn can accelerate up to 20 G’s in Destroy Mode; to alleviate such high levels of G forces placed on the pilot, a drug administration system called the “DDS” is fitted on the pilot suit. It suppresses stagnated blood circulation due to high acceleration by administering the drug to the pilot.

Special systems

La+ Program

A unique Operating System that slowly reveals the path to Laplace’s Box once certain requirements are met. It was added by the Vist Foundation and not part of the original specifications. It is also responsible for registering Banagher’s biometrics, making the Unicorn Gundam inoperable by others.

NT-D System

A special operating system installed in the RX-0 series mobile suits. The name “NT-D” is supposed to be an abbreviation for “Newtype Drive,” but is actually an abbreviation for “Newtype Destroyer,” a system developed to eliminate Newtypes. The system is activated when it detects an enemy psycommu machine as well as its Newtype or Cyber-Newtype pilot. When activated, the mobile suit transforms into Destroy Mode, dramatically improving its performance as its limiters are disabled, and allowing it to hijack the enemy machine’s psycommu weaponry.

Intention Automatic System

This system is inherited from the Sinanju Stein and functions by using the psycho-frame’s sensitivity to the pilot’s thought-waves to directly affect behaviour of the mobile suit. It is also possible for the pilot to intercept the thought-waves of an enemy pilot. Additionally, the system directs the suit’s movement when active, and does not completely depend on the pilot for commands.

Armaments

The Unicorn Gundam’s standard weapons were vulcan guns for anti-personnel defence, four beam sabers for melee combat, a beam magnum for ranged attacks, and a shield for protection.

60 mm vulcan guns

A basic armament found on many Federation mobile suits. While essentially ineffectual against mobile suit armour, they are useful in intercepting incoming missiles/rockets, destroying mobile suit sensors, and engaging lightly-armoured vehicles.

Beam sabers

The beam saber is a small device held in the mobile suit’s hands when operated and is powered by a rechargeable energy capacitor. It emits a blade of plasma contained by an I-Field and can cut through most armour not treated with anti-beam coating. The Unicorn Gundam is equipped with four beam sabers in total, two on the forearms and two in the backpack. In Unicorn mode, the MS only has access to the two forearm-mounted beam sabers. In Destroy Mode, the other two beam sabers flip out from the backpack, allowing access to all four sabers.

Besides being used as a handheld weapon, the forearm-mounted beam sabers can flip over and be used directly. In this form, they are known as beam tonfas. However, the beam tonfas are only usable in Destroy Mode.

Beam magnum

A handheld firearm equipped with an energy condenser, it is common to the RX-0 series mobile suits. The power output of a single shot is the equivalent of 4 regular beam rifle shots at the expense of an entire E-pack. As such, a single shot is sufficient to destroy a mobile armor-class machine, and even stray particles from the fired shot have sufficient power to destroy a mobile suit, meaning a direct hit is not always required.

Five connected E-packs served as a single magazine for this weapon, and the magazine is also known as “Magnum Bullets”. Up to two spare magazines can be stored on the Unicorn’s rear skirt armour, meaning the beam magnum only has a maximum of 15 shots, causing it to have poor continuous battling capability.

Shield

A forearm-mounted physical shield common to the RX-0 series mobile suits. An I-Field generator is built into the center, enhancing the shield’s defensive power. The I-Field can block beam attacks from beam sabers to battleship-class beam fire. The shield also has four psycho-frame panels to enhance its toughness and to increase the amount of psycho-frame carried by the mobile suit.

When in Destroy Mode, the upper and lower sections of the shield slide apart, revealing the I-Field generator for use, and the psycho-frame panels are also deployed in an X-shape around this generator. In Unicorn Mode, the I-Field barrier can be deployed by having the shield slide apart momentarily.

Hyper bazooka

A 280mm large-calibre recoilless rocket launcher system. This hyper bazooka model is exclusive to the Unicorn Gundam, but it conforms to the standard specifications of the Federation Forces. The hyper bazooka can fire various types of rounds, such as regular rounds and scattershot-type rounds, with the scattershot type being the default.

Known pilots

Banagher Links

Variants

RX-0 Full Armor Unicorn Gundam

In preparation for the final battle against Neo Zeon in UC 0096, Banagher Links’ friend (and mobile suit fanatic) Takuya Irei conceived the plan for the RX-0 Full Armor Unicorn Gundam. With assistance from Anaheim Electronics engineer Aaron Terzieff, the Unicorn Gundam was loaded with every type of equipment available on the Nahel Argama.

Behind the scenes

Hajime Katoki was the original mechanical designer for the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam. The novel was written by Harutoshi Fukui with character and mechanical designs provided by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and Hajime Katoki, respectively.

According to Gundam UC Novel, the Unicorn Gundam’s name is supposed to be only ‘RX-0 Unicorn’, and the word Gundam is just its nickname.

In the conclusion of the Gundam UC novels, the Unicorn doesn’t crystallise after blocking the laser from Gryps 2, but remains completely intact and is described to exhibit a rainbow glow from its psycho-frame; it’s also said that the Unicorn, as a new lifeform, listened to the voices of billions all at once, while producing unlimited power.

A life-size statue of the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam was installed outside DiverCity Tokyo Plaza in Odaiba, Tokyo in September 2017, replacing a previous statue of the RX-78-2 Gundam.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096

External links

Federation in Japanese is renpou, hence the use of “R”. ↩