The series opens with child soldier Soran Ebrahim fighting a horrifically one sided battle against mobile suits in the Krugis Republic. Soran remembers propaganda about how this battle is a holy war to fulfill the will of God, but Soran keeps repeating to himself that there is no God is this world. Suddenly, the enemy mobile suits are destroyed by the 0 Gundam. Soran looks at the Gundam with reverence.
The year is 2307 AD. The Human Reform League (HRL) celebrates the tenth anniversary of the construction of its orbital elevator, Heaven's Pillar. The Advance European Union (AEU), in an attempt to show up the HRL, holds a weapons demonstration to show off the Enact, the AEU's first mobile suit to use solar energy. Two members of the Union military, ace pilot Graham Aker and his friend and mobile suit developer Billy Katagiri, attend the demonstration and are amused by the antics of the Enact's pilot, Patrick Colasour. The demonstration is interupted by the arrival of Setsuna F. Seiei (the now-teenaged Soran)'s Gundam Exia. Patrick attacks the Exia, only to be defeated in seconds. Exia leaves the demonstration site.
On board the Ptolemios, tactical forecaster Sumeragi Lee Noriega and Bridge Bunnies Feldt, Lasse, Christina, and Lichty discuss the debut of Celestial Being. Allelujah Haptism launches from the Ptolemios with the Gundam Kyrios.
AEU Enact's pursue Exia. The AEU sends reinforcements in the form of Enacts hidden within their orbital elevator, creating a major diplomatic incident as this reveals that the AEU has more mobile suits than allowed by treaty. Setsuna escapes with the assistance of Lockon Stratos's Gundam Dynames.
Meanwhile, terrorists piloting blackmarket AEU Hellions attack Heaven's Pillar. HRL Colonel Sergei Smirnov is annoyed that the AEU allowed their mobile suits to be sold to terorrists, while teenage celebrity Wang Liu Mei and her bodyguard Hong Long remain suspiciously calm. The terrorists are stopped by Kyrios and Tieria Erde's Gundam Virtue.
As the media reports on the strange happenings, they receive a message from someone claiming to be responsible and play the message to the world. The message consists of an old man declaring the commencement of Celestial Being, an organization that will end all wars through armed intervention with their special weapons: Gundam. Engineering students Saji Crossroad and Louise Halevy, reporter Kinue Crossroad, the leaders of the three power blocks, Sergei, Patrick, Wang, Princess Marina Ismael of Azadistan, Graham, Billy, and U.N. Ambassador Alejandro Corner watch the broadcast. Most of them are incredulous at the idea of using force to end war, but Wang and Alejandro appear to be members of Celestial Being.
Tropes used in this episode:
- Curb-Stomp Battle: All of the Gundams defeat their targets with ease, but Setsuna's defeat of Patrick deserves special mention.
- David Versus Goliath: The opening battle between child soldiers and mobile suits.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Patrick considers himself to be an ace pilot even though all of his victories have been in combat simulations. Setsuna manages to defeat him without breaking a sweat.
