Gundam The Origin Timeline Thoughts

[toysdream]

I've kind of stopped tracking U.C. timeline stuff for the time being - partly because it's been decades since any substantial new info was published, and partly because we don't yet know to what extent the animated Origin will supersede previously published claims. But with two episodes wrapped, maybe it's time to start analyzing the Origin continuity.

SPOILERS AHOY!


Episode 1 takes place in early U.C. 0068. I think Deacon previously noted that the stamp on the cargo crate at the end of the episode says it's February 27; it's not clear how much time has passed during the episode, but Dozle's scars from the funeral bombing are starting to heal up. In any case, Deikun's death occurs after the start of the year.

At this point, Casval and Garma are both 11 years old (older than previously claimed, though I should note that their ages were never actually stated in the anime, and hence were technically unofficial). According to the casting notes from the studio, Artesia is 7 in this episode; Ramba Ral and Kycilia are 24; Dozle is 28. (This means that Kycilia and Dozle are ten years older than previously reported, while Ramba Ral and Artesia are unchanged.)


Episode 2 is said to begin in the summer of U.C. 0071. However, when Artesia is writing her first letter to her mother, she says that this is the 43rd full moon since she came to Earth; if they reached Earth in March of U.C. 0068, then this would have to be September, U.C. 0071.

By this point, the Republic of Munzo has already been renamed the Republic of Zeon, and development of the MW-01 is well underway.

According to the studio's casting notes, Casval and Garma are now 15, Artesia is 10, Mirai is 15, and Amuro is 8. Since Casval has aged 4 years, it seems his birthday must be somewhere between February and September. Artesia has aged only 3 years, so her birthday would be between September and February. Mirai is a few years older than previously claimed. Amuro will still be 15 at the start of First Gundam, and according to the First Gundam anime he turns 16 before the end of the war.

Based on this, we can date Casval's birth to the middle of U.C. 0056. The opening narration of this episode also says that Zeon Deikun appeared on Munzo's political scene in U.C. 0057. So his relationship with Astraia, and the birth of Casval, would date to before his political debut. However, the studio's casting notes aren't technically official either; the bonus comic in the second The Origin guidebook says Casval was born in U.C. 0057, so I think this is still up in the air.


When do Casval and Artesia part ways? That's a tricky question. It's often been claimed in publications that Casval entered Side 3 in U.C. 0074, and this is supported by a couple of details from the comic - the inscription on "Edouard's" gravestone says he died in U.C. 0074, and this is the same year when the comic first shows Casval and Garma in the Zeon military academy. However, if the Mass family relocates to Texas Colony shortly after the U.C. 0071 attack, this would mean they stay together at the colony for at least two years. Not impossible, but it may come as a surprise to viewers of the episode, where it doesn't seem like much time passes.

I note that the script of the Gundam III movie, where the parting of Casval and Artesia was previously shown, gave their ages as 13 and 10 respectively. If Casval has now been aged two years and Artesia's age is the same as previously reported, then this would suggest a separation in U.C. 0071 or 0072.

-- Mark

[toysdream]

A belated self-followup. This noodling about the Origin timeline has turned out to be useful for current assignments, so I'll develop it a little further based on some details in the comics...


In a line that wasn't included in the second episode of the Origin anime, when Sayla is writing to her mother to tell her about the meeting of Char and Casval, she says that Char is a high school student and is 16 years old, "the same age as Casval." Based on the notes above about Casval's age - 11 years old as of February, U.C. 0068, and 15 years old as of September, U.C. 0071 - he should turn 16 at some point between February and September of U.C. 0072. They go on to establish that Casval isn't in high school yet, which is unusual for a 16-year-old in the Japanese school system - no wonder the headmaster wants to send him on to high school!

This doesn't quite help us nail down the date at which Casval leaves Texas Colony and enters Zeon. In theory, he could still be 16 years old for most of U.C. 0073. So all we can really say is that the encounter between the lookalikes should be after February, U.C. 0072 and before September, U.C. 0073.


Now, skipping ahead to the next part of the comics, which will be covered in the next animated episode and is therefore a SPOILER for the anime!


Casval and Garma go on to spend three years at the Republic of Zeon's military academy, where we see them early in their careers with a dateline of U.C. 0074. In the Japanese system, school terms - even military school terms - begin in April, and end in March. So it's plausible to assume that they start at the academy in April of U.C. 0074. By this point, Dozle's secret project has already completed the MS-02, and Dr. Minovsky promises he'll complete the MS-03 by the end of that year.

The story then skips ahead three years to Casval's and Garma's graduation. Just before the graduation ceremony, we see a display at Garma's computer that reads "03:21" - this is most likely a clock, but I note that the Japanese SDF academy holds its graduation ceremony on March 22, so this may actually be a date. In any case, March of U.C. 0077 seems like a good guess for the date.

After the events surrounding their graduation, there's an epilogue in which Tem Ray is assigned to the Federation's mobile suit development project. In the briefing, they show him footage of an MS-04 combat test with the date stamp "UC 0077 06-23 WED", which supports the general timing suggested above.


On the whole, the Origin timeline isn't compatible with previously established ones, so it's anyone's guess what we're supposed to consider "official" at this point. But I note that previous sources have claimed that the Principality was founded on August 15 - Delaz chooses this date in U.C. 0081 to resume guerilla activities - so it's possible that the establishment of the Republic of Zeon, which Jimba Ral is still reacting to as of September, U.C. 0071, could have taken place on August 15 of that year.

Also, back in Gundam Century, we were told that the MS-03 - the disappointing prototype that preceded the installation of a compact Minovsky fusion reactor - was completed in February of U.C. 0074. Since the MS-02 plays this role in the Origin development history, it could likewise have been completed on that date, around the same time that Garma and Casval enter the military academy.

-- Mark

[balofo]

We should just consider the main UC timeline everything animated minus Z movies, Thunderbolt and Origin.

I'm not a specialist but 0083 and Z can still happen with either TV 0079 or the movies. Or even a combination of both, since it's the starting point.

[toysdream]

On the other hand, so far the animated Origin hasn't contradicted anything in the pre-existing anime. (It does contradict MS Igloo, but nothing animated.) The fact that they're trying to unify all the One Year War mobile suit development under the "MS Discovery" umbrella does suggest that, even if the Origin anime ends up veering away from First Gundam continuity, it's still relevant in terms of background setting.

As I've noted before, the First Gundam TV series and movies contradict each other on some minor points, so U.C. continuity is clearly robust enough to survive these kinds of conflicts among "official" materials. Even Thunderbolt may not rock the boat if the anime doesn't go as far off the rails as the comic apparently does. So I don't think we need to preemptively ignore The Origin on the grounds that it may end up conflicting with other anime at some point in the future.

-- Mark

[balofo]

On the other hand, so far the animated Origin hasn't contradicted anything in the pre-existing anime. (It does contradict MS Igloo, but nothing animated.) The fact that they're trying to unify all the One Year War mobile suit development under the "MS Discovery" umbrella does suggest that, even if the Origin anime ends up veering away from First Gundam continuity, it's still relevant in terms of background setting.

As I've noted before, the First Gundam TV series and movies contradict each other on some minor points, so U.C. continuity is clearly robust enough to survive these kinds of conflicts among "official" materials. Even Thunderbolt may not rock the boat if the anime doesn't go as far off the rails as the comic apparently does. So I don't think we need to preemptively ignore The Origin on the grounds that it may end up conflicting with other anime at some point in the future.

-- Mark

I saw that new chart for MS-D, pretty interesting.

BTW what's the Sunrise/Bamco stance on animated movies for games like Gihren's Greed, that Z PSX game where we see Quattro exchanging Mineba and the 0081 OP movie?

[toysdream]

A good question - they certainly made enough fuss about the pre-title animation for the 0081 game.

-- Mark