Gundam Wing (Terms and Setting)

I've decided that I would do my series review for Gundam Wing, apart from the movie (Endless Waltz), since there are some changes in the art direction and it is a separate plot from the original series. I may also end up breaking this review into segments to facilitate easier reading.

***Spoiler Warning***

Now that I've said it I can do whatever I want. That said, let's begin.

Terms to Know:

• A.C. = "After Colony" refers to the era in which our story unfolds.
• Colony = A space station (built in the rotating ring design to produce gravitational fields), with an artificial weather system and working economy and society. Originally they were founded free from the Earth's nations though some have been overtaken by the UESA.
• Mobile Suit = a humanoid robot several stories tall, used almost universally in battle
• Gundam = a special type of Mobile suit built from a special type of alloy.
• Gundanium = an alloy that can only be manufactured in outer space. It is the strongest substance we know of.
• Mobile Doll = A mobile suit operated by a computer rather than a human pilot.
• UESA = The "United Earth-Sphere Alliance" the earth based government which rules most of the Earth (with the exception of a few nations unwilling to join) and many colonies (who were forced under the UESA's rule).
• OZ = the "Organization of the Zodiac"A rebel faction within the UESA that shows itself to seek to overthrow the UESA which it has deemed incapable of rule
• The Romefeller Foundation = a collection of nobles from across the globe known for their manipulation of world events over the centuries. Largely responsible for the Foundation of both the UESA and later the OZ militant wing of the UESA.
• Sanc Kingdom = a Kingdom of pacifists ruled by the Peacecraft Family that was destroyed by the UESA, prior to the beginning of the series. It's history and future are an integral part of the story.
• White Fang = A colonial rebellion that seeks to beat back the forces of OZ and the Romefeller Foundation and attain true independence for the colonies.

The Setting:

This series is based in a futuristic universe. In a time period they refer to as "After Colony" or "A.C." The year is 195 A.C. which only serves to tell us where we are relative to the beginning of the age of the Colonies. The colonies are a series of orbiting space stations (past the moons orbit), that were established independently of the Earth nearly 200 years before the beginning of the story.

The society of the Earth is one of a ruling aristocracy. The regimented discipline among soldiers is reminiscent of the Victorian Era, which actually fits nicely with the focal point of this universe: The Mobile Suit. Mobile Suits large mechanoid, bipedal robots. They are human in design (two arms, two legs with a torso and head) and piloted by individual soldiers, these (like the sword, the rifle, or the tank) are the weapons of the day. Pilots are expertly trained to operate these vehicles.

There is an elegance to this aspect of the universe (aside from being the main draw to the show), it returns warfare (which in our modern era is polluted with seemingly too many varieties of jets, tanks, guns, etc.) to a simplified seemingly equivalent state and restores skill to the equation, in this universe there is no belief that sheer numbers win a battle. More will be said about Mobile suits in the plot and character portions.

The physics employed in this universe, and the technology is based on existing and projected technologies, particularly things such as Lagrange points, and Vernier engines. Certainly leaps of faith must be made, but the universe is one that is captivating and convincing. The writers and artistic directors are respectful of the audience enough not to ask us to believe more than seems possible in this universe. Truly, nothing is so over the top that you argue it couldn't work, I mean these are giant robots we're dealing with, so just have fun with it.

The tensions established between the United Earth Sphere Alliance and the colonies are easily identifiable to anyone who has studies the nature of colonial revolution throughout history. Elements of the Cold War's arms races and espionage can be found as well. Not to mention ideas of honor both in and out of battle take on special importance for many of our focal characters.

The framers of this universe drew on recognizable elements. The aristocracy and the soldiers aren't as separated as we'd imagine, in fact there are many instances of the nobles leading the charge into battle, much as the nobles of days gone past.

Stay tuned for the next portion of the review where we'll discuss the Characters of the series.

-matt