I'll just leave it with the assumption that it was repair job using newer parts that might not have been able to replicate the original's exact appearance.

Everybody, even she herself, knew that she was just meant to be a public figurehead to try to inspire unity during a period of turmoil for a small and rather insignificant country in the global political arena.

Staying true to this, right from the beginning Marina couldn't really do much anyway seeing as her people were still blowing themselves up despite her efforts, let alone exert any form of influence that could have helped Celestial Being. While in S2 she was a refugee on the run from her own country, further limiting her ability to do anything seeing as her position as a public figurehead basically went down the drain with that.

Oh, they could've given her more screen time. Then you could watch her teaching orphans all day because that was basically all she could ever do being a refugee and having 0 military training unlike her former aide who was actually very well versed in politics.

Lacus on the other hand was a singer. Just a bloody singer, who just so happened to be the daughter of a high ranking politician in the colonies. That's it. She had no real power, political or otherwise. All she could do was "uuuh...! Minna...! Please stop fighting...!". I think that all her music must have had subliminal messages in it because people actually started listening to her rants...

She wasn't even the captain of her own bloody flagship and made almost no decisions in 3 ships Alliance which she was somehow able to form, putting herself at it's head, despite having no real influence or authority, other than being a singer and so-and-so's daughter... And those 3 ships were somehow able to fight, head-on I might add, with very little guerrilla tactics against 2 major warring powers; and winning.

And then she practically became the ruler of the colonies in GSD. Don't let her rather lowly official position fool you; after the shit they were able to pull in the final battles of GSD nobody would ever DARE take her and her godly crew on or they will face the full wrath of the political influence her white knight was able to get for her.

Would you rather Marina suddenly steps up and unites all the guerrilla factions in the Middle East, which were already united with their own spy and communications network, pleading for them to rise up thus making the A-Law's clean-up assignment all the more easier?

Or would that be too realistic? Let's say that the outdated Tierens, Flags, Enacts, etc. combined with defectors from the Earth Federation army were suddenly able to fight back and win with the help of Celestial Being and the overwhelming strategies of both the Colonel and Sumeragi against the information controlling Earth Federation Government which would surely have manipulated the people into hating this new rebel coalition, branding them as terrorists. And they win by convicing people to stop fighting by putting Marina on a pedestal and singing with children. "THINK OF THE CHILDREN!" will be her Trans-am-seed-beserker-mind-break speech that Setsuna will FORCE into the minds of every living creature on the face of the planet with his Trans-am-burst-mode.

Thus, creating a world of peace that hails Celestial Being and Marina as their overlords.

Want moar!

Ground combat gundam freakin rocks with the 180mm cannon

I agree that GSD was shit.
Took everything that made Seed respectable, and enjoyable, shat all over it, ate it, and puked it back out.

Marina?
Really?

Marina is by far, the most useless character I've seen in a Gundam series in a long time. Honestly, what's her role in the plot? She isn't important or crucial to anything.

Feldt > Marina any day.