History Anime / MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory

* MasterOfTheMixedMessage: Nina's actions at the end of the story frustrated many fans. The series changing directors near the end of the series also changed her relationship with Kou to reveal that she once was lovers with Gato. As such, she betrays Kou and allows Gato to make the final adjustments to the colony just to prevent either one of them from killing each other right there on the spot. Her feelings for Kou are real, but above anything else as she has expressed across the series, she just doesn't want to see either of them die if such outcomes can be avoided.

* PlotHole: Clearly the writers thought up the whole Nina/Gato pairing mid-series(there were different writers and director for the second half of the series), because if she knew who Gato was, why did she let him take a Gundam with a giant nuke equipped? Hell, when Gato is stealing GP-02A, Nina looks him ''dead in the face'' and doesn't recognize him. There's nothing to suggest that Nina even knew him by anything other than reputation [[NewOldFlame until the final four episodes]], where her love affair with Gato was simply a contrivance to generate drama and prevent Kou from foiling Gato's plans.

* RunningGag: Carrots. Seriously. ''They're rabbit food!''. This is apparently in reference to Ryo Horikawa, who also does not like carrots. It may also be a double reference to his most [[Anime/DragonBallZ famous role]][[note]]Horikawa plays Vegeta, who hates/does not like Goku, or Kakkarot, which is a pun on carrot[[/note]].

* CharClone:
** Averted with Anavel Gato, who seems like another Char cookie-cutter character at first glance. But aside from being {{The Rival}} to Kou, he's actually quite different. He lacks Char's smugness, and also lacks the ulterior motives that most Char Clones have; whereas Char and his counterparts are never truly loyal to anyone but themselves, Gato is absolutely devoted to Zeon's ideals, arguably more than any other character in the Universal Century timeline. He also never wears a mask, making 0083 one of the few Gundam series with no masked characters at all. In addition, Gato has considerably less respect for his adversaries than Char is demonstrated to have. Gato believes that most of the Federation rhetoric is drivel (irony considering Delaz's speeches) and that the Federation soldiers don't value anything. In the very least, Char is more even-handed in his opinions about the Federation, going as far as to work for them in Zeta.
** [[spoiler:Kelly Layzner is more of a Char, since he is a temporary mentor to Kou, has blond hair, and pilots a red mobile armor.]]

* AllForNothing: The theft of the GP-03. The reason the crew of the Albion wants it in the first place is because of its nature as a one-man army: it was designed to protect strategic points in space. They're incapable of breaking the perimeter the Delaz Flotilla has formed around the falling colony, so they think Unit 3 will allow them to get through and stop its descent. However once they get to La Vie en Rose, they run into the insane Federation stooge Nakato who demands they use the Gundam to protect the ship (which is not currently under attack). They steal it, which results in the said stooge killing its creator. Nakato blames the theft and her death on the crew of the Albion, but they manage to get away with the Gundam. However by the time they reach the colony, the Flotilla has been rejoined by Gato, now piloting the Neue Ziel, a powerful Mobile Armor created by Axis, which completely nullifies any advantage Unit 3 had. As a result of this Captain Synapse gets sentenced to death and Kou gets sent to a Federation labor farm (though he only spends 3 months of his year-long sentence before the Federation's erasure of the Gundam Development Project leads to his sentence being struck off the books.)

! All spoilers for ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' are unmarked. Also, since this is a prequel {{OVA}} to ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'', expect major {{Late Arrival Spoiler}}s for that series as well, as ''Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory'' ends with a ForegoneConclusion. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!

** There's a little-known audio drama called "The Battle of the Runga Sea" where the ''Albion'' gets ambushed in a shoal zone and Uraki tries out an experimental long beam rifle for the [=GP01=] (essentially a precursor to the Zeta's mega launcher), which burns out after a single shot. The story was adapted as a single stage in the UsefulNotes/Playstation2 game ''Encounters in Space'', but otherwise the only way for Western fans to know about it is by browsing summaries online.

* MasterOfTheMixedMessage: Nina's actions at the end of the story frustrated many fans. A change in the director at near the end of the series also changed her relationship with Kou to reveal that she once was lovers with Gato. As such, she betrays Kou and allows Gato to make the final adjustments to the colony just to prevent either one of them from killing each other right there on the spot. Her feelings for Kou are real, but above anything else as she has expressed across the series, she just doesn't want to see either of them die if such outcomes can be avoided.

** [[spoiler:The Anaheim Director shoots himself in the head in front of all of his subordinates after the Delaz Conflict.

* ForWantOfANail:
** Had the Federation made any real effort to keep nonessential personnel out of the Gundam hanger during maintenance - especially given that they were loading one of them with a nuclear warhead - Gato would not have been able to steal the GP-02 in the first place. Gato actually lampshades the Federation's pathetic security while he's breaking in.
** Similarly, if the Albion had just been a ''little'' bit more accurate with its mega particle cannon shot when Gato prepares to leave Earth, GP-02 would've never even made it to space.
** If Lt. Burning's mobile suit hadn't exploded for a few more seconds, he could've told everyone about the true purpose of Stardust and maybe actually averted it.

* {{BFG}}: The YMS-16M Xamiel carries a 680mm artillery cannon. This thing is so big it must be folded in half when not in use, and is actually slightly longer than the mech is tall WHEN folded. And this is a [[HumongousMecha 27 meter tall mobile suit]] in a time when most are still "only" 18 meters!

* ImpaledWithExtremePredjudice: The Gundam Dendrobium imitates this on Cima's Jerbera Tetra by slamming his beam canon directly into her cockpit. The impact itself was enough to shatter both the cockpit and the visor on her space helmet. She was only alive long enough for the breath to be knocked out of her lungs before Kou blasted her.

* InformedAttribute: The GP01 is said to be highly adaptable, but the closest the anime ever gets to suggesting this is mentioning that it didn't technically ''need'' the Full Vernien upgrade, and could have been made spaceworthy just by changing out the Core Fighter. ''0083 Rebellion'' is better about this, showing more alternate equipment versions like a Full Armor type equipped with a variant of the Gundam Alex's Chobham armor, an amphibious type borrowing parts from MSV's Aqua GM, and a "Heavy Full Armor" version that borrows from ''Gundam 0081''[='s=] 7th Gundam.

* AllForNothing: The theft of the GP03. The reason the crew of the Albion wants it in the first place is because of its nature as a one-man army: it was designed to protect strategic points in space. They're incapable of breaking the perimeter the Delaz Flotilla has formed around the falling colony, so they think Unit 3 will allow them to get through and stop its descent. However once they get to La Vie en Rose, they run into the insane Federation stooge Nakato who demands they use the Gundam to protect the ship (which is not currently under attack). They steal it, which results in the said stooge killing its creator. Nakato blames the theft and her death on the crew of the Albion, but they manage to get away with the Gundam. However by the time they reach the colony, the Flotilla has been rejoined by Gato, now piloting the Neue Ziel, a powerful Mobile Armor created by Axis, which completely nullifies any advantage Unit 3 had. As a result of this Captain Synapse gets sentenced to death and Kou gets sent to a Federation labor farm (though he only spends 3 months of his year-long sentence before the Federation's erasure of the Gundam Development Project leads to his sentence being struck off the books.)

* AllThereInTheManual: Putting aside requiring knowledge of the original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' to know the backstory, audio dramas expand on why Cima holds such a big grudge against her Zeon superiors, as well as the origin of her SuperPrototype Gebera Tetra as a potential fourth unit in Anaheim's Gundam Development Project that was scrapped by the Feddies and passed along to Zeon.

* AmazonianBeauty / StatuesqueStunner: Less combat-oriented than most, but Mora Bascht is as tall as most of the guys, slightly taller than some, visibly muscular, and [[HaremNanny often has to physically punish Monsha's attempts at hitting on her mechanic team]]. At first, she seems to be an example of NoGuyWantsAnAmazon, but by episode 7 ends up being the female part of the BetaCouple.

** During his first bout with Cima, the GP-01 has its arm blown off by Cima's Gelgoog.

* [[BridgeBunnies Hangar Bunnies]]: Mora Bashct's lovely mechanic crew.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Kou's brief encounters with Gato at the beginning of the series start him on a quest to become the best Gundam pilot he can be. When he finally confronts Gato in space some months later... Gato only vaguely remembers him.
** But later subverted in that, when Kou and Gato finally face-off again and Kou manages to destroy GP-02, Gato makes it a point of remembering his name.
* CallForward: The series epilogue show that the events led more or less to the rise of the Titans from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta]]''.

* CharacterDevelopment: Lots. Kou's maturation from rookie to ace, as well as his relationship with Nina Purpleton, are two of the major subplots.

* CharClone: Averted. Anavel Gato seems like another Char cookie-cutter character at first glance. But aside from being {{The Rival}} to Kou, he's actually quite different. He lacks Char's smugness, and also lacks the ulterior motives that most Char Clones have; whereas Char and his counterparts are never truly loyal to anyone but themselves, Gato is absolutely devoted to Zeon's ideals, arguably more than any other character in the Universal Century timeline. He also never wears a mask, making 0083 one of the few Gundam series with no masked characters at all.
** In addition, Gato has considerably less respect for his adversaries than Char is demonstrated to have. Gato believes that most of the Federation rhetoric is drivel (irony considering Delaz's speeches) and that the Federation soldiers don't value anything. In the very least, Char is more even-handed in his opinions about the Federation, going as far as to work for them in Zeta.

* ComingInHot: The memorable scene in which a totaled GP-01 crashes into the Albion's hangar.

* CoolShip: The ''Albion'' and the Cima Fleet's ''Lili Marleen'', both sleeker and upgunned versions of the original series' ''Pegasus''- and ''Zanzibar''-class ships respectively.
** In fact, nearly every ship seen is an upgraded version of the originals.

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:The Anaheim Director. And Gato, who kamikazed into one of the Federation's many ships.]]
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: Burning. And how.]]

* EarlyBirdCameo: We get a foretaste of the bastardry Jamitov Hymem, Jamaican Daninghan, and Bask Ohm would commit in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta Gundam]]'' with their appearances here. Haman Karn also has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo.

* EnergyWeapons: Wouldn't be Gundam without 'em.

** Oh come on, like you didn't think too that Nina is a [[http://theblemish.com/images/2009/04/kelly-mcgills-top-gun-500x381.jpg clone]] of [[Film/TopGun Charlie Blackwood]]...

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption[=/=]DoomedByCanon[=/=]ForegoneConclusion: This show sets up why the Titans was established, as well as how Axis Zeon began taking action. Yeah.

* ForWantOfANail: If Lt. Burning's mobile suit hadn't exploded for a few more seconds, he could've told everyone about the true purpose of Stardust and maybe actually averted it.

** Even further back, had the Federation made any real effort to keep nonessential personnel out of the Gundam hanger during maintenance - especially given that they were loading one of them with a nuclear warhead - Gato would not have been able to steal the GP-02 in the first place. Gato actually lampshades the Federation's pathetic security while he's breaking in.

* GrandTheftPrototype: Performed by Gato in the first episode; the official English title for the episode, "Gundamjack", was the former {{Trope Namer|s}}.

* HamToHamCombat: Kou and Gato, of course.

** A popular theory is that the people who would become the Titans purposely let the nuking happen, so they could use the incident as justification for their rise to power. Knowing Jamitov, that's not too unbelievable.
* IndyPloy: Kou becomes quite good at this.

* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Burning, Delaz, Cima, Gato, and Synapse.]]

* LargeHam: "SOLOMON! I HAVE RETURNED!" and of course [[RunningGag "GATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"]]

* MasterOfTheMixedMessage: Not exactly between her and Kou, but Nina's actions at the end of the story frustrated many fans.

* OlderAndWiser: Burning to Kou whenhever the latter's in a pinch.

* PlotHole: Clearly the writers thought up the whole Nina/Gato pairing mid-series(there were different writers for the second half of the series), because if she knew who Gato was, why did she let him take a Gundam with a giant nuke equipped? Hell, when Gato is stealing GP-02A, Nina looks him ''dead in the face'' and doesn't recognise him. There's nothing to suggest that Nina even knew him by anything other than reputation [[NewOldFlame until the final four episodes]], where her love affair with Gato was simply a contrivance to generate drama and prevent Kou from foiling Gato's plans.

* TheRemnant: Delaz Fleet. Cima Fleet seems this way too, [[DefectorFromDecadence but...]]

* RetCon: Used InUniverse. [[spoiler: All the data on the Gundam Development Project is deleted and Kou's prison sentence is revoked so that the Federation can pretend that they didn't violate the Antarctic Treaty.]]

* SuperPrototype: All three Gundams, as well as Cima's Gebera Tetra and the Neue Ziel.
** This series takes the concept and it becomes the primary focus of the story. Unit 2 should not have been built in the first place and is the instigator for the whole thing. In most other Gundam series (with at least [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn one exception]]) the actual mobile suit storyline is secondary to the actual war.

* TechnologyPorn: The quality of the mecha animation in ''0083'' would not be equaled by any subsequent Gundam production until ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn Unicorn]]''.
* ThemeNaming: All three Gundams are named after flowers (GP-01 = [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zephyranthes Zephyranthes]], GP-02A = [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physalis Physalis]], GP-03 = [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrobium Dendrobium]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchis Orchis]] (the weapons platform) / Dendrobium [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamen Stamen]] (the actual Gundam). The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerbera Gerbera]] Tetra is too, since it was originally intended to be the GP-04.

** Captain Synapse and Admiral Kowen are both stripped of their positions and side materials indicate that they were executed but their fates are left ambiguous.

%%** Mora.

* PersonalHateBeforeCommonGoals: The series eventually reveals that [[spoiler: Cima Garahou, one of the primary antagonists of the anime, was actually TheMole]] and had been sabotaging Zeon all along, and was trying to prevent their ColonyDrop. That doesn't stop Kou from [[NotSoFriendlyFire killing her on the battlefield despite orders to cooperate with her]], him being unable to forgive her for what she's done and those he's lost as part of her machinations.

! All spoilers for ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' are unmarked. Also, since this is a prequel OVA to ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'', expect major {{Late Arrival Spoiler}}s for that series as well, as ''Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory'' ends with a ForegoneConclusion. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!

! All spoilers for ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' are unmarked. Also, since this is a prequel OVA to ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'', expect major {{Late Arrival Spoiler}}s for that series as well, as ''Mobile Suit Gundam
0083: Stardust Memory'' ends with a ForegoneConclusion. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!

* AllThereInTheManual: Putting aside requiring knowledge of the original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' to know the backstory, audio dramas expand on why Cima holds such a big grudge against her Zeon superiors, as well as the origin of her SuperPrototype Gebera Tetra as a potential fourth unit in Anaheim's Gundam Development Project that was scrapped by the Feddies and passed along to Zeon -- Oh, and it was test-piloted by [[FountainOfExpies Char Aznable]], hence its red/pink coloring when actually seen in the series.

->''"For the rebirth of the ideals of Zeon... For the success of [[ColonyDrop Operation Stardust]]! '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXjaZe3lPF8 SOLOMON! I! HAVE! RETURNED!!!]]'''"''

* GratuitousEnglish: Both opening themes. The full-English versions of both OP themes, renamed ''"Back to Paradise"'' and ''"Oblivion"'', skirt between this and the SurprisinglyGoodEnglish.

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: The English version of "The Winner," "Back to Paradise," used in episode 1 and halfway through the series.

** The GP-02 wouldn't look too out of place in a ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' game. Even more hilarious when considering that Gato has [[Creator/AkioOhtsuka the same voice of said game's protagonist.]]

* HotScientist: Nina Purpleton is the prime example, but the other girls working at Anaheim Electronics are far from homely.

The series was released following the success of ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam0080WarInThePocket Gundam 0080]]'' OAV and the movie ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamF91''. One of the factors that really makes this series stand out is the [[TechnologyPorn exceptional mecha designs]], which has had a strong influence on how to make HumongousMecha with a militaristic aesthetic. A manga adaptation by the director called ''Manga/MobileSuitGundam0083Rebellion'' was published from 2013 to 2021, which revisits the events of the OVA in a manner not too dissimilar to ''Manga/MobileSuitGundamTheOrigin.''

* KillEmAll: Most of the Delaz fleet who isn't with Karius does not survive the series. The flotilla of mobile suits Axis was forced to leave at the end rush the Federation fleet to get through to an Axis transport that's already left the Earth-sphere.

* AllForNothing: The theft of the GPO3. The reason the crew of the Albion wants it in the first place is because of its nature as a one-man army: it was designed to protect strategic points in space. They're incapable of breaking the perimeter the Delaz Flotilla has formed around the falling colony, so they think Unit 3 will allow them to get through and stop its descent. However once they get to La Vie en Rose, they run into the insane Federation stooge Nakato who demands they use the Gundam to protect the ship (which is not currently under attack). They steal it, which results in the said stooge killing its creator. Nakato blames the theft and her death on the crew of the Albion, but they manage to get away with the Gundam. However by the time they reach the colony, the Flotilla has been rejoined by Gato, now piloting the Neue Ziel, a powerful Mobile Armor created by Axis, which completely nullifies any advantage Unit 3 had. As a result of this Captain Synapse gets sentenced to death and Kou gets sent to a Federation labor farm (though he only spends 3 months of his year-long sentence before the Federation's erasure of the Gundam Development Project leads to his sentence being struck off the books.)

* ArcWelding: In terms of mechanical designs, this series ties the mechas from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0080WarInThePocket'', which mostly just did its own things, to the wider Federation and Zeon tech tree: the GM Custom and the GM Cannon II both incorporated tech from the Alex, showing that its technology didn't just go to waste after its destruction. The GM Cannon II was also based on the Guncannon Mass Production Type. The Gelgoog Marine took design cues from the Gelgoog Jager, and the Rick Dom II made a reappearance.