.:After Colony:.
GundamWing After Colony
Though its part of the Gundam saga and features traditional Gundam props like space colonies and mobile suits, Gundam Wing and its spinoffs take place in their own own self-contained world. The history, technology, and social structure of this parallel universe are very different from those of the classic "Universal Century" series. Here, the unique setting of Gundam Wing is examined - an alternate world which also serves as the backdrop for Endless Waltz and original stories like Episode Zero, G-UNIT, and Blind Target.
After Colony
Dates in the Gundam Wing world are given according to the After Colony, or AC, calendar. The first year in the AC calendar marks the creation of the first permanent space stations in geosynchronous orbit above the earth. The huge space colonies we see in Gundam Wing came much later, after a full century of research and construction effort.
The space colony project begins in earnest in AC 022. In this year, several of Earth's nations begin building colonies at Lagrange point 1(L1), one of five gravitationally stable points in Earth orbit. These construction efforts are complicated by resource shortages, conflicts between the sponsornations, and unexpected medical complications caused by extended periods in space. The first two problems are solved by the intervention of the wealthy Middle Eastern nations, who help mediate the disputes and divert asteroids to serve as raw material for colony construction.
In AC 102, the first full-size space colony is completed at Lagrange point 1, and soon colony clusters are forming at all five Lagrange points. As the political situation on Earth becomes ever more tense and international conflicts flare up, hundreds of millions of civilians emigrate to the relative peace and quiet of the space colonies. For the first three decades of the second century AC, these colonies are a haven for refugees from a war-torn Earth.
The United Earth Sphere Alliance
In AC 130, the disputes between Earth's nations begin to die down. During the peace negotiations, a new world government is established, under the name of the United Earth Sphere Alliance. The Alliance sets out to enforce world peace through military power, and soon brings all of Earth's nations under its absolute control.
Once the Alliance has subjugated Earth's quarrelsome nations, it turns its attention to space. As far as the Alliance is concerned, the space colonies are the property of the nations which had originally constructed and settled them. In AC 147, the Alliance invokes the authority of its member nations to forcibly seize control of the colonies, all in the name of "justice and peace."
The following chart outlines the major branches of the Alliance military and their commanders as of AC 195.
Branch Commander
Commander in Chief Field Marshal Noventa
Space Command
-Cosmo-arma (space forces) General Septem
Earth Command
-Arma (ground forces)
-Marina (navy)
-Aeronautica (air force) General Ventei
Special Mobile Suit Corps
-Space Forces
-Ground Forces Duke Treize Khushrenada
The Romefeller Foundation
The Alliance's massive campaign of pacification and conquest is largely financed by the Romefeller Foundation, a huge military-industrial combine run by European aristocrats. Hewing to the culture traditions of their noble forebears, the Romefeller Foundation's members see the Alliance as a means to control the unruly masses. As a side benefit, the Alliance's reliance on military force makes it a steady customer for Romefeller's lucrative arms business.
Rebellion and Oppression
In AC 165, the space colonies, chafing under the strict control of the Alliance, choose a representative to lead them in their quest for independence. This leader, a man named Heero Yuy, subscribes to a philosophy of total pacifism. Over the next decade, his advocacy of nonviolence and disarmament are well-received by Earth's nations. After Yuy's successful goodwill tour of Earth in AC 174, it seems that freedom was close at hand.
However, the Alliance and its backers have other plans. On April 7, AC 175, Heero Yuy is shot and killed by an unknown assassin. The space colonies erupt in turmoil, which the Alliance uses as a pretext to step in and forcibly restore order. The space colonies are placed under a permanent state of martial law, and all contact between colonies is prohibited. This new conquest is carried out and enforced with the help of the Alliance's newest weapon, the mobile suit.
Enter the Mobile Suit
Among the Romefeller Foundation's subsidiaries is a company called OZ(Organization of the Zodiac), which develops machinery for space transport and colony construction. One of these machines is a humanoid vehicle called a mobile suit, equipped with movable limbs and manipulator hands, and operated by a human pilot. In AC 173, OZ begins development of a military version of the mobile suit, which Romefeller will then be able to sell to the Alliance military. A number of brilliant scientists from the space colonies collaborate on OZ's first prototype mobile suit, the OZ-00MS Tallgeese. Just as the Tallgeese is completed, Heero Yuy is assassinated. The developers quit the project in protest, and OZ continues their work, scaling down the Tallgeese into the mass-produced OZ-06MS Leo. In the following years, new mobile suits specialized for different environments will join this "Zodiac series."
Formation of the Specials
In order to speed the adoption of its new weapons, the Romefeller Foundation sponsors a new branch of the Alliance military - the Special Mobile Suit corps, or "Specials." These elite troops are superbly trained in mobile suit combat, and are authorized to operate independently on land, at sea, and in space. In reality, the Specials are actually members of OZ, which has now been refashioned into a secret society controlled by the Romefeller Foundation. Under the guise of the Specials, OZ infiltrates the Alliance military and influences its policies to suit Romefeller's whims. The following chart outlines the unique rank system used by OZ/Specials officers. The Japanese terms "tokusa," "tokui," and "tokushi" have no direct translation, but could be interpreted as "special commander," "special officer," and "special soldier" respectively. Each rank has a corresponding "court rank", an honorary title of nobility, and can be roughly equated to a regular Alliance military rank.
OZ/Specials Rank
Court Rank Example Equivalent Alliance Rank Tokusa, high class Duke Treize Khushrenada Major General Tokusa, first class Marquise -------- Brigadier General Tokusa, second class Count Lady Une Colonel Quasi-Tokusa Viscount -------- Lieutenant Colonel Tokui, high class Baron Zechs Merquise Major Tokui, first class Count Lucrezia Noin -------- Tokui, second class Knight Otto Captain Tokushi Sir -------- 1st Lieutenant