Having multiple timelines is one of the most unique aspects of the Gundam universe. After all, what started as adventures of Amuro Ray in the Universal Century timeline expanded into adventures in other alternate Earths, each having their own story to tell. Such is the case of the Regild Century, one of these Gundam timelines.
Being primarily the setting of the 2014 series Gundam Reconguista In G, the Regild Century is stated as the era “after” the Universal Century timeline, putting this particular timeline into a rather interesting situation. Aside from being perhaps the first timeline to be a “spinoff” of an existing timeline, just what else are highlights of the Regild Century?
7 Connected To The Universal Century
Unlike other timelines in the Gundam universe, the Regild Century is a direct continuation of another existing timeline. In this case, the Regild Century directly ties into the Gundam Universal Century timeline, albeit set thousands of years later.
Its series Gundam Reconguista in G is set around R.C. 1014, where the world is once again in a fragile state of peace. Unlike other timelines set not too distant from the start of their respective timelines, the thousand-year gap in the Regild Century separates it far enough from the Universal Century to become its own separate setting.
6 A Universal Ending Filled With War
Despite the efforts of Amuro Ray and his companion leaving an end to the war between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon, it appears their efforts weren’t enough to sustain peace for the long term.
According to the beginning stages of the Reconguista anime, the Regild Century began soon after a period of horrible space wars engulfed the latter part of the Universal Century.
Due to this, the world was left with abandoned space colonies and rampart starvation and general hopelessness. It’s in this situation that puts everyone at the brink of war that makes Reconguista in G protagonist Bellri Zenam engage in quite a compelling setting.
5 The Kuntala Oddity
One of the most surprising additions in the Reconquista anime are the “Kuntala,” citizens formerly considered as lower-class prior to the Regild Century. According to the anime, the Kuntala were cultivated and treated as cattle during the latter part of the Universal Century. Apparently, in order to cope with the disastrous situation in the Gundam setting such as starvation that wrecked the globe at the time, Kuntala were eaten as substitute food.
In modern days, referring to them as “Kuntala” is now considered derogatory. Unfortunately, despite discrimination against Kuntala being reduced in the anime, the prejudices are still apparent as those of Kuntala origin are still absent in important positions.
4 Enter Capital Territory
Prior to the start of the series, ecological collapse on Earth has forced the surviving humans to move to the only green place on the planet for survival. This was around an area in the Amazon where the Capital Tower, an orbital elevator from the bygone Universal Century era, was located.
Having been reconstructed, the area surrounding the Capital Tower has been renamed as Capital Territory. Unlike current locations on Earth, the time of the anime had people treat Capital Territory as sacred ground as it is the only structure in the planet capable of supporting photon batteries carried from space.
3 Religion Out Of Survival
Another interesting element developed in the Regild Century is a religion around the events that ended the Universal Century. Called SU-Cordism, it stands for “Space Umbilical Cord” and has ideals that resonated as a form of response to the wars that happened prior to the Universal Century bringing humanity once again at the brink of collapse. This was a belief system shared by most characters in the series.
In turn, “SU-Cord” became a term of greeting amongst believers, and even a word of prayer among others, even other Gundam characters in the series. Its principles include unchecked technological developments, reliance on the Photon Batteries, and restriction of technological advancements - something called the AG-Tech Taboo.
2 The Mysterious Photon Batteries
Similar to other Gundam anime, society in the Regild Century also has a power source unique to them. Coming in the form of Photon Batteries, they are a rare source of power coming from the mysterious Venus Globe and supplied by the Hermes Foundation.
Unlike other series where scientists can study their new energy sources, Photon Batteries remained a mystery in the anime. This was because the components and technology behind the Photon Batteries are unknown at the time, and any tinkering could risk wasting the Photon Battery in an explosion.
1 The Venus Globe Outside Earth
While the devastation prior to the end of the Universal Century caused much of the iconic Gundam space colonies surrounding the planet to be destroyed, one did persist until the present day: the Venus Globe. This referred to a group of space colonies revolving around the planet Venus.
The Venus Globe is notable for its interconnected colonies forming a “Sea Disk” that consists of an ocean 100-kilometer in diameter and 150 meters deep. Central to the Sea Disk is an asteroid crucial for mining for the colonies. The Venus Globe is being managed by the Hermes Foundation, which then holds a monopoly in the distribution of Photon Batteries.
The upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury is scheduled to air in October 2022.