[EDIT] Not from the roman album, probably from the Mechanics First artbook. 

Er… At least that’s my best guess as to what this is from. Someone started posting WALLS OF TEXT on the latest 2ch spoiler thread. There’s no sauce so I’m assuming it’s probably a repost from an earlier thread (and so they didn’t bother reposting the sauce, I dunno, the 11s are weird). Anyhow, I *believe* this is from the Roman Album (it was supposed to come out this month afterall) since among other things in the WALLS OF TEXT were a lot of statistic type things (er.. well more listing things, who worked on what in what episodes, voice actors, character stats from the first season, etc). There were some Q&A things but I dunno if that was from the same thing or not (some of the answers were a little too… speculative to seem like it was from anything official, especially the answer to “who did Tieria’s woman-voice” which was something like “well, a lot of people think it was… but we don’t really know”).

tl;dr version:

Moving on, this interview/section from the Roman Album/whatever is about the design process of the Gundams for 00. It’s not really spoilery (yet) but I thought it was pretty interesting:

In the extremely early phases of development, the Gundams were subtly different, the names were also based on chess. Specifically, rather than being called “~Gundam” during play they would have been called by code names like “pawn,” “knight” and so on.  The names of course are different but, these early stage design Gundams’ abilities and designs didn’t change very much, even when they became the later official designs. In accordance with the common knowledge, the official designs of the Gundams that appear [in the series] were created by multiple designers, this was something that was decided from the planning stages. During the planning stages, from the scenario idea of “surveying a war situation and fighting” the concept of using the Gundams like chess pieces developed, thus, using chess pieces as a model, each unit’s primary use and so on was roughed out and solidified so to speak. Finally, in order to sum up the work for Gundam 00, these are the the names that changed from the initial creation:

Exia / Pawn Gundam
Dynames / Knight Gundam
Kyrios / Bishop Gundam
Virtue / Rook Gundam
Nadaleeh / Queen Gundam
O Gundam / King Gundam

As far as the names are concerned, ultimately the motif was used as-is as a temporary name, presently I’m sure that the reason was largely that it would have be rejected [if we'd used those names]. Even if it wasn’t used as the title, calling the leading machine “Pawn Gundam” was one thing, but also it seems there was a copyright-related problem with the name “Knight Gundam.”

 

Pawn Gundam (Exia’s prototype)

With close-range combat as it’s forte, it was designed as an advanced guard, like a pawn, with light-weight equipment for combat amidst a group of enemies. 

As with Exia, while being the protagonist’s unit, it doesn’t have many special abilities aside from it’s specialization in close-range combat, it’s a rather plain Gundam, but in the middle stage a “promotion* system” will be revealed during a crisis, the secret ability is revealed, the plan was that “within each unit a supreme capacity is acquired.” 

Later, that power-up idea, “Trans-am,” was given to all the Gundams, not just the Exia. 

Later still, the power-up was also given a limit, and at first the idea of [giving the unit] just a small shield and dagger-type sword to make it biased toward extreme close-range combat was conceived. 

*promotion: (note: this isn’t my note, it’s in the text)
In chess, there is a rule that when a pawn reaches the other side of the board, it is raised in status to a queen, bishop, knight, or rook in accordance with the player’s wishes. It’s the same as “成り” in Shogi. (I don’t know the proper Shogi term, so I’m just leaving it)

 

Knight Gundam (Dynames’ prototype)

Carrying a spear-like rifle, like the knight’s movement it’s the type that can jump over things and make a decisive strike on a point. 

It has knight like armor as supplementary equipment, originally it was this Gundam that was to be equipped with the “Seven Swords” armament from the start. Strategy and tactics are devised in the back lines and generally orders are given [by someone] in place of King Gundam, [Knight Gundam] was intended to command the other Gundams on the front line as a leader unit.

It would have been the primary force unit in the first half being high-powered and all-purpose, from the middle stage on, coinciding with the protagonist’s suit’s power-up, they would switch places and [Knight Gundam] would leave it’s [previous] role; it wasn’t a sniping specialized model like Dynames. Lockon and Dynames continued to carry this this “becoming relied upon and then stepping out in the middle” type role as it was [originally intended].

Traces of the armored state still remain in Dynames’ sniping mode’s head transformation (the visor coming down) which was modified from “full sheild form.” Also, the “armor purge” system was already to be used by Virtue/Nadaleeh.

 

Bishop Gundam (Kyrios’ prototype)

Possessing a transformation capability, in line with the bishop’s movement, a high-mobility type to slice through the battlefield and deliver a surprise attack.

From the concept of a “split personality pilot,” in order to express the gentle and brutal two-sided nature [of the pilot], the idea of having an MS/MA mode transformation was developed, but at the stage in which it was being considered as Bishop Gundam, it was quite different from Kyrios, MA mode wasn’t anything like Kyrios’ airplane model, like Valvaro and Zakrello from previous series 

(in the design concept it was close to W Gundam and Ashtron) it was a fiendish design having a mixture characteristics of talon and scissor wielding animals.

But, since it’s transformation solidified into an airplane type design instead, the previous design was used as a prototype for the Alvatorre. But traces of this brutal past still remain in Kyrios’ claw sheild.

At first it was established that it had a “powerful stealth capability,” this was in place of the “GN Stealth” ability that all the Gundams later inherited. 

 

Rook Gundam (Virtue’s prototype)

Equipped with heavy armor, like the rook’s movement it’s a high firepower type with a fierce frontal offensive capability.

It was planned as a pure heavy armor bombardment type Gundam, even [before] the Virtue/Nadaleeh hidden armor cast-off form-change system was conceived, among the ideas developed during the planning stages was for a “castling* system,” according to which “King Gundam would have a guard stored inside it” so to speak, that became the prototype for the hidden armor cast off system of [Rook Gundam]’s successor, Virtue/Nadaleeh.

The parts which constitute the Virtue that protects Nadaleeh is all just armor, but this idea was different from the one in which Rook Gundam had another unit stored inside it, originally this point was implemented differently. 

Since Virtue didn’t utilize this [version of the] system, the Alvatorre/Alvaron inherited it.

Since the a large unit also has a large energy capacity, it had the capability of resupplying it’s comrades under certain circumstances. Virtue kept the idea of having an “abundance of GN particles,” but the system of “connecting to other units to supply energy” was used by the Trinity’s Gundam Throne Drei [instead].

All-purpose Knight Gundam further dispersed as it changed from the long-distance bombardment role to the sniping type Dynames.

*castling:

In chess, there is a rule that, in the early stages of the game, the king and rook have a move in which they can switch places once. Strictly speaking, there are various more specific rules to executing the castling move.  

 

Queen Gundam (Nadaleeh’s prototype)

Like the queen who has no blind spots, it has an extensive attack capacity, above the board (battlefield) this type dominates the MS below with it’s special grabbing capability. 

Originally with something like a “Psychomu-like ESP enabled Gundam” ability to grasp other MS units (not limited to Gundam types) as well as being equipped with wireless weapons which could be used as attack and defense tools (fannel[s]).

It doesn’t participate in normal battles, but on the occasion that the King Gundam in the command center is threatened and other times of emergency it materializes as this guard, even against countless enemies this powerful unit can surely annihilate them all. Like Nadaleeh it was arranged to have a regal entrance around the half way point.

Nadaleeh inherited it’s hair and feminine bodyline. 

Originally, Rook Gundam and Queen Gundam were entirely different units, but when scenario changed and the chess image was abbreviated, they became consolidated as Virtue and Nadaleeh.

The MS grasping capability was limited to target control, and was inherited by Gundam Nadaleeh as the “Trial System.”

Also, the wirelessly guided “Fang[s]” were inherited by the Trinities’ Gundam Throne Zwei.

 

King Gundam

Loaded with a quantum tactical computer, this type is a command unit that predicts battle conditions and assembles strategy and tactics.

Tentatively it was a Gundam type MS, but since it’s specialization was analysis and whatnot and it was also removed from the front lines in the all important command center, like a king in chess it’s offensive capabilities are quite poor, otherwise the plan was for “a Gundam without any offensive capabilities whatsoever.” 

Later, the war and tactical forecasting roles were delegated to Ptolemy’s command system and the quantum computer aspect developed into “Veda,” it was also established that the unit itself was an old type which wasn’t active anymore in the story (however, it’s an important unit in the story’s beginning).

It was also established that the pilot would be developed into present-day Sumeragi’s prototype character (a man). 

Also, it seems that a trace still remains in that O Gundam’s name comes from “Ou (king).”

There’s quite a bit more, will post as I go. Done.

FUCK WHY DIDN’T THEY MAKE CHESS GUNDAM?! ;_;