IDEON

First Appearance: Episode 1 - "Ideon Resurrected"
Final Appearance: "Be Invoked"

Height: 105m. Weight: 5650t. Crew: 3-8 (usually 6)

Created by the extinct race known to the Solo colonists as the Sixth Civilisation, the Ideon was a large mecha made up from three component vehicles - the Sol-Amber/Ideo-Delta, the Sol-Vainer/Ideo-Nova and the Sol-Conver/Ideo-Buster. It could integrate with the ship built by the Sixth Civilisation, docking with it in robot mode.

It was discovered by an archaeological team led by Professor Rouru Yuki and Professor Formosa, in the form of three giant trucks. They installed control systems onboard, but had little luck in getting any sort of response from the machines. However, when the site was attacked by the Buff Clan, the Ide energy awakened, allowing a small group of colonists to form and control the Ideon robot. The initial pilots were Cosmo, Bes and Kasha.

In the first fight, the Ideon used its' fists for battling. However, Joliver led a team that added Glen Cannons and missile launchers to the units, both for use in their separate modules and in the combined form. The Ideon could fly in combined form due to jets located on the underside of its' shoulders and in its' feet. In its' early battles, the Ideon would take damage fairly regularly - not usually anything that would slow it down, but like the Solo Ship it would be in a state of constant repair. During this period Moera replaced Bes as a pilot, while Tekuno, Bento and Deck would take on full time co-pilot duties.

However, as the skill of its' pilots grew and the power of the Ide rose,the Ideon began to develop even more powerful abilities. The barrier which protected the Ideon during the docking formation became more prominent during combat, while the Ide began boosting the missile launchers, leading to the devastating All-Directional Missile Attack where hundreds of the projectiles from the myriad launchers on the shoulders, arms, torso and legs of the Ideon. These would be joined by three super-weapons that topped even this attack for power.

The first discovered was the Mini Black Hole Cannon, which the Ide revealed over Ajian when faced with a barrage of Sublight missiles to close to destroy. A portal was opened on the Ideon's chest, projecting a localised vortex had harmlessly dissipated the missiles. The weapon had limited practical uses, though, and wasn't seen again.

The second was the Ideon Gun, also known as the Wave Leader Gun. This massive cannon (measuring 74m. in itself) was discovered in the depths of the Solo Ship, and had its' own propulsion system. It connected to the Ideon's chest through a pair of cables, and directed Ide energy at its' targets. Initially while the gun was devastating, it could only fire when the Ideon Gauge was at its' highest. Additionally it took time to charge and fire, and was so powerful it was a danger to everything around it, the Solo Ship usually undertaking a short DS Drive trip to be out of the way. However, by the time of the final confrontation with the Buff Clan, the Ide's power was such that the gun could be used repeatedly. The Ideon Gun had a devastating blast, capable of destroying multiple Buff Clan battleships (and anything else around) in a single blast.

The third was the Ideon Swords. Very long beams of Ide energy would project directly from the robot's wrists, and could cut through just about anything from ships to planets. Initially these were only activated by the Ide itself as a defence mechanism; however, as the energy levels of the Ideon rose these also became more readily available as a conventional weapon. While not as powerful (though still capable of wiping out several craft at a time) or as far-reaching as the Ideon Gun, the Ideon Swords were more precise and thus more useful for close-quarters combat due to the tighter focus not indiscriminately destroying everything around them.

Ironically, as the Ideon's power levels peaked it took higher crew casualties, though this does correlate with the more powerful forces it was facing. Moera was killed when the Ideo-Nova's cockpit was set on fire, and briefly replaced by Gije - who then died on Star Steckin shortly afterwards. The Ideon was finally destroyed, along with its' remaining pilots (Cosmo, Tekuno, Deck and Rapappa), when the Gando Rowa fired at it at point blank range.