| Anyway, the Gundam universe is comprised of six separate alternate universes that operate almost entirely independent from one-another, and you do not need to have seen one to understand the other. The main one, in which the majority of Gundam anime take place, is called the Universal Century, and naturally is the setting of the original Gundam series, as well. The other five alternate universes independent of the UC are typically only comprised of one, maybe two series at the most, and as stated, do not necessarily require viewing UC Gundam to understand, as one does not have any impact on the other.
For ease of reference, I've jotted down most of the current Gundam anime, organised by timeline, as well as their chronological order within that timeline. The numbers in parenthesis are the years they were produced, followed by the starting years they take place within the timeline.
Universal Century
Main Timeline
The main timeline is basically the central chronology of events within the Universal Century. It's the core part of this timeline, directed entirely by Yoshiyuki Tomino and for the most part, following many of Gundam's most key characters, such as Amuro Ray, Char Aznable, & Kamille Bidan.
Mobile Suit Gundam (1979, UC0079)
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985, UC0087)
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (1986, UC0088)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (1988, UC0093)
Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (1991, UC0123)
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (1993, UC0153)
Sidestories
The sidestories to the Universal Century are essentially what take place during the early wars of the series, away from the events of the main timeline. They are not essential to understanding what goes on in the main story, but help to further flesh out events happening elsewhere.
Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: The Hidden One-Year War (2004, Jan. UC0079)
Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: Apocalypse 0079 (2006, Dec. UC0079)
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (1995, circa Oct. UC0079)
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (1989, Dec. UC00079)
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (1991, UC0083)
Future Century
Mobile Fighter G Gundam (1994, FC60)
After Colony
New MS Report Gundam Wing (1995, AC195)
New MS Report Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz (1997, AC196)
After War
After War Gundam X (1996, AW0015)
Correct Century
Turn-A Gundam (1999, CC2345)
Cosmic Era
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2002, C.E.71)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (2004, C.E.73)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E.73: Stargazer (2006, C.E.73)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: [Unknown Title] (2007, [unknown])
Compilations
Compilations are essentially retellings of prior Gundam stories that compress the events into a shorter digest form, in order to spare fans from having to down an entire 50-something episode series, provide an alternate viewpoint on the story, throw in a few extra scenes, make an extra buck, etc. Some of them, like the Mobile Suit Gundam trilogy and 08th MS Team's Miller's Report, turn out quite well, while others, like Gundam SEED's Special Editions and Gundam 0083's The Last Blitz of Zeon, leave a little bit of something to be desired.
Mobile Suit Gundam I (1981, UC0079)
Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow (1981, UC0079)
Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space (1982, UC0079)
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: The Last Blitz of Zeon (1992, UC0083)
New MS Report Gundam Wing: Operation Meteor (1996, AC195)
New MS Report Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz Special Edition (1998, AC196)
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team: Miller's Report (1998, UC0079)
Turn-A Gundam I: Earth Light (2002, CC2345)
Turn-A Gundam II: Moonlight Butterfly (2002, CC2345)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Special Edition (2003, C.E.71)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny -EDITED- (2005, C.E.73)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Special Edition (2006, C.E.73)
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam I: Heirs to the Stars (2005, UC0087)
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam II: Lovers (2005, UC0087)
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam III: Love is the Pulse of the Stars (2006, UC0087)
A note on Gundam SEED Destiny -EDITED-, it was a special TV episode independent of the actual series meant to update newcomers to the series on what had happened in the first 15-ish episodes. It's unsure if there was only meant to be one, or if a series was planned that was later scrapped, as no more -EDITED- specials appeared afterward. |
