The titular robot, the Ideon, is powered by a force known as the Ide. These allude to the Id, defined in psychology as the instinctive, uncontrollable part of the psyche which responds in self-protective actions. Certainly, the Ideon demonstrates abilities in tune with this definition: it only activates when under attack, and acts on its own when it is threatened (or any innocent life aboard it). However, as the battles and deaths escalate, the Ideon continues to get more powerful; this is another psychological reference, where the Id manifests itself through aggressive behaviour - the more aggressive the battles, the more powerful the Ideon becomes.
The series holds frequent hints from Yoshiyuki Tomino's previous series Mobile Suit Gundam (1979):
- in the first episode, a teenage electronics expert (Cosmo Yuki) climbs onboard a powerful robot when his home colony is attacked by aggressors;
- in the second episode, a Haro robot is seen in an exploding fighter;
- in the sixth episode, Amuro Ray is seen among the Solo crew;
- in the seventh episode, Karala speaks of the "Gundam" Nebula;
- and in the 18th episode, a poster of Char Aznable can be seen in a destroyed building.
The series won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in 1980.
The Solo starship is aptly named: its crew are on their own, with their homeworld destroyed and no planet (Ajian or Earth, as seen) willing to take them in. However, they also appear to be named after Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)'s Han Solo and hold similarities to his Millennium Falcon crew (both are a gang of homeless fugitives on the run - the Falcon from the law, and the Solo ship from the Buff Clan).
Originally, the series was planned to be 43 episodes long, but was cancelled after only 39 episodes were aired. However, the remaining four episodes were modified and expanded into the spin-off movie The Ideon: Be Invoked (1982).