In the Cosmic Era, the present-day United Nations funded the idea of constructing new space colonies originally as manufacturing and research facilities. Known as PLANTs (Productive Location Ally on Nexus Technology) these hourglass shaped colonies were primarily manned by Coordinators. Over time, they became a haven and eventually the permanent home of the vast majority of the Coordinator population, fleeing persecution and when the war begin, they became an independent nation. The PLANTs are divided into 12 groups known as "cities," each one named for a month of the Roman Calendar (i.e. Aprilius, Junius).
CONTENTS
PLANTS/ZAFT
1.1 PLANT Supreme Council
1.2 ZAFT
1.3 FAITH
1.4 Oceania Union
1.5 African Union
PLANTS
I. PLANT Supreme Council
The PLANT Supreme Council is an executive committee of twelve elected members, each representing a sector (or "city") of the groupings of the PLANTs. Each member is also assigned to one of five committees (Judicial, Administrative, Legislative, Diplomatic, and National Defense), each with its own chair. The committees are governed overall by the Supreme Council Chair.
The make up of the PLANT Supreme Council as of the beginning of the Bloody Valentine War of CE 71 is as follows on the chart below, with a roughly evenly split political division of the Moderate Faction (led by Siegel Clyne and Eileen Canaver) and the Radical Faction (led by Patrick Zala and Ezalia Joule). Siegel Clyne is later replaced by Patrick Zala as Supreme Council Chair.
During this time, Siegel Clyne, frustrated by the extremist actions of his successor, secretly allowed his daughter, Lacus Clyne to entrust Kira Yamato with the ZGMF-X10A Freedom. The Clyne family was forced into hiding with the act of treason drawn against them; Eileen Canaver was left in charge of the Moderate Faction and Patrick Zala quickly ordered the arrest of the members of the Moderate Faction and those associated with the Clyne family, triggering an underground civil war in the PLANTs between the radicals and the moderates.
Following the conclusion of the First Bloody Valentine War, Eileen Canaver leads the arrest of Ezalia Joule and the members of the Radical Faction and becomes the acting head of the PLANT Provisionary Council, consisting of the members of the Moderate Faction.
Many members of the PLANT Supreme Council are also parents of elite mobile suit pilots in ZAFT, such as Tad Elsman, Ezalia Joule, Yuri Amalfi, and Patrick Zala, whose children are under the command of Rau Le Creuset onboard the newly constructed Nazca-class ship Vesalius during the First Bloody Valentine War.
| Council Member |
Representing |
Committee Assignment |
Political Faction |
Academic Specialty |
| Ali Kasim |
Januarius City |
Legislative Committee Chair |
Moderate |
Microengineering |
| Tad Elsman |
Februarius City |
Administrative Committee Member |
Neutral/Moderate |
Biochemistry |
| Ezalia Joule |
Martius City |
National Defense Committee Member |
Radical |
Aerospace engineering |
| Siegel Clyne |
Aprilius City |
Supreme Council Chair |
Moderate |
Space Life Sciences |
| Yuri Amalfi |
Maius City |
National Defense Committee Member |
Moderate |
Mechanical Engineering |
| Louise Leitner |
Junius City |
Judicial Committee Chair |
Radical |
Agricultural Engineering |
| Jeremy Maxwell |
Quintilis City |
Legislative Committee Member |
Radical |
Chemistry |
| Orson White |
Sextilis City |
Administrative Committee Chair |
Neutral/Radical |
Microengineering |
| Eileen Canaver |
September City |
Diplomatic Committee Chair |
Moderate |
Information Science |
| Herman Gould |
October City |
National Defense Committee Member |
Radical |
Political Science |
| Parnel Jesek |
November City |
Judicial Committee Member |
Neutral/Moderate |
Industrial Engineering |
| Patrick Zala |
December City |
National Defense Committee Chair |
Radical |
Historical Structures |
As of CE 73, Eileen Canaver retired from her position as PLANT Supreme Chair and an almost entirely new PLANT Supreme Council has been elected. Gilbert Durandal is the new PLANT Supreme Chair along with other newly elected representatives: Alan Clarzec, Ricardo Orff, Eduardo Lee, George Adaman, Crister Oberge, Neu Kazaefsky, and Takao Schreiber. Returning members consist of Ali Kasim of Januarius City, Louise Leitner of Junius City, Orson White of Sextilis City, and Parnell Jesek of November City.
II. ZAFT
ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty) is a political, economic, and military alliance of PLANT colonies. Specifically, ZAFT usually refers to the military side of organization. It was originally formed as a political organisation known as the Zodiac Alliance by Siegel Clyne and Patrick Zala in CE 50, to peacefully fight for the rights and independence of Coordinators. This follows in the rather curious Gundam tradition of naming the space colony military with a "Z" (Zeon, from early Universal Century, and the Zanscare Empire of Victory Gundam) or "Zodiac" within its acronym (such as Gundam Wing's Organization of the Zodiac (OZ)). The Zodiac Alliance was renamed "ZAFT" in CE 65, but became a military organisation only three years later.
ZAFT is well-equipped with Nazca-class and Laurasia-class warships in space, Lesseps-class and Petrie-class vessels on land, and Vosgulov-class submarines at sea.
ZAFT fights the Earth Alliance to a standstill in the Bloody Valentine War of Cosmic Era 70-71. During mid CE 71 Patrick Zala, who blames all Naturals for the death of his wife in the Bloody Valentine Tragedy, becomes leader of not only ZAFT but also of PLANT and effectively removes the moderate faction of the PLANT Supreme Council. Zala plans to wipe out all human life on Earth, eliminating, he believes, Naturals who are the cause of all warfare and establish Coordinators as the master race, a "new humanity". After the war ZAFT changes its name to People Liberation Acting Nation of Technology.
Following the Junius Seven colony drop disaster, the Earth Alliance demands that ZAFT demilitarize and its government disperse; the obvious refusal results in the second war between ZAFT and Earth in four years. Earth support for ZAFT greatly increased after PLANT Chairman Gilbert Durandal's famous anti-Logos/Blue Cosmos speech that was broadcast throughout the PLANTS and Earth. Even though ZAFT and the Three Ships Alliance joined forces and fought together against Earth Alliance forces, they remain enemies until the end of the war.
ZAFT has consistently proven itself to be on the cutting edge of nuclear technology, producing the Neutron Jammer, the Neutron Jammer Canceller, the Neutron Stampeder, and the GENESIS cannon. In addition, they developed the Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System, which allows a battleship to recharge its mobile suits' batteries without them having to return to the ship.
III. FAITH
FAITH (Fast Acting Integrate Tactical Headquarters) is an elite subset of ZAFT personnel that have remarkable war records and certain character traits. They are appointed by the PLANT council or the Chairman, to whom they are solely answerable. Their authority is above those of Squadron Commanders, and can presumably give strategic orders on the spot or override any orders given to them by anyone other than the Council.
FAITH members wear badges resembling a white wing emerging from a golden elliptical orb.
Known members of FAITH include: Heine Westenfluss, Athrun Zala, Talia Gladys, Shinn Asuka, and Rey Za Burrel.
IV. Oceania Union
The Oceania Union is a nation composed primarily of Australia and New Zealand. The Oceania Union is allied with ZAFT, and one of ZAFT's two primary military bases on Earth, Carpentaria, is located there. At the signing of the Junius Treaty, all national boundaries were restored to their pre-war status, however, one of the conditions of the Treaty required ZAFT to pull their terrestorial forces back to the areas around their two major bases, Carpentaria and Gibraltar. As a result of this, independent regions within ZAFTs two allies (Oceania and the African Community) emerge. For two years these areas remain independent of both ZAFT and the Earth Alliance, but eventually join the Earth Alliance after the Break the World incident. In Oceania's case, the independent region (and later Alliance member) is New Zealand.
V. African Union
The African Community is a loosely-affiliated group of nations and tribes in the northern sections of Africa, the African Community is one of only two nations on Earth openly allied with PLANT, though there are resistance movements, including Desert Dawn. Supposedly its territory includes Gibraltar, where the second ZAFT's main military base is located. At the signing of the Junius Treaty, all national boundaries were restored to their pre-war status, however, one of the conditions of the Treaty required ZAFT to pull their terrestorial forces back to the areas around their two major bases, Carpentaria and Gibraltar. As a result of this, independent regions within ZAFTs two allies (Oceania and the African Community) emerge. For two years these areas remain independent of both ZAFT and the Earth Alliance, but eventually join the Earth Alliance after the Break the World incident.
