First Gundam: Movies Versus TV

[toysdream]

Just cleared away a bunch of backlogged work, so it's time for another noodling analysis thread! I know I need to get back to my neglected MS Catalog project, but first the new stuff...


About a month ago, gunform1010 was asking about the fan consensus on Universal Century history. This is one of those topics that actually has a pretty simple answer - as per Sunrise, the filmed works are official and everything else is iffy at best. The only interesting question is how things shake out between the movie and TV versions of First Gundam (since nobody seriously seems to think that the Zeta Gundam "New Translation" movies are in any danger of overriding the Zeta TV series).

It's been claimed on the Japan side that the First Gundam movies take precedence over the TV series. This is borne out by, for example, the presence of the Core Booster rather than the G-Armor when they show flashbacks in later stories. On the other hand, there's lots of extra material from the TV series that didn't fit into the movie compilations, as well as some key events that logically couldn't have taken place in the movie continuity, and a bunch of significant characters who appear in both versions but whose deaths are omitted from the movies. There's no clear guideline on how much of this extra TV material actually "counts" in a continuity sense.

As I started digging into this, I also ran into some weird issues with dates and locations. The whole thing starts getting very complicated, as usual, but it's interesting to contemplate nonetheless. So let's dig in!


Gundam I vs Episodes 1-5
The first movie roughly corresponds to the first 13 TV episodes, although not necessarily in the same order. Episodes 14-15 fall into a gap between movies, although some of the material from the rendezvous with Matilda's supply corps in episode 14 was inserted into the first movie.

In both versions, the story begins with the attack on Side 7. The date for this was set as September 18, U.C. 0079 in the MSV books, and that's the date that eventually stuck.

After escaping Side 7 and fending off Char, the White Base makes its way to Luna II. This is where things start to diverge. In the TV series, the White Base mobile suits attack Char's Musai while it's being resupplied by Gadem's Papua, leading to Gadem's death and the first deployment of the Guntank. Amuro duels Char twice at Luna II, and in the second battle Char loses both the Zakus he got from Gadem's resupply. Meanwhile, the White Base crew are taken into custody by Commandant Wakkein, and released only when the mortally wounded Captain Paolo vouches for them with his dying breath.

In the movies this is all radically condensed. There's no combat at Luna II, and Gadem completes his resupply without incident. Captain Paolo is taken in by Luna II's medics, and there's no indication of his death; Wakkein appears to send the White Base on its way to Earth immediately afterwards.

The White Base proceeds to enter Earth's atmosphere, with Char and his wingmen attacking it in the process. (In the TV series Char receives another batch of Zakus; in the movie these are the ones he got from Gadem.) As you may recall, in each version the Gundam uses different gimmicks to survive atmospheric entry, but otherwise this part is fairly similar.


White Base Altitude Limits
In Gundam The Origin, we're told that the White Base's Minovsky craft system has a cruising altitude limit of about 4000 meters. Thus, when it gets to South America, it has to circle round until it gets to a gap in the Andes that's low enough for the White Base to pass through. This principle explains some things about the White Base's route in the animation, too; there are big stretches of the Sierra Nevada, and even the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Madre, that would be difficult or impossible for the White Base to cross over. The same goes for the Tien Shan, Hindu Kush, and Himalayan mountains in Asia.


Gundam I vs Episodes 6-10
Char's attack drives the White Base off course, forcing it into the enemy territory of North America. The TV version leaves the precise geography unclear, but an onscreen map in Gundam I shows the White Base traveling due west over Florida and across the top edge of the Gulf of Mexico, at a latitude of about 30 degrees north. In both versions, Char contacts Garma and is collected by Garma's Gaw carrier, which begins pursuing the White Base.

TV version: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/fg05_map.jpg
Movie version: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/g1_map.jpg

In the TV series, the White Base battles Garma's forces several times. According to the episode 6 script, it's initially flying over the east coast of Mexico, so this is presumably where the initial ground battle takes place. At the end of the battle, Garma and Char withdraw to a Zeon "frontline base" in an unspecified bombed-out city.

In episode 7, Amuro's Core Fighter is catapulted over enemy lines in an attempt to contact the Federation's general headquarters. Interestingly, the Core Fighter's flight path takes it right over Garma's frontline base, which suggests that this base is somewhere between eastern Mexico and Jaburo - literally on the frontlines between Zeon and Federation territory. As the episode ends, the White Base crew decide to head for the sea, "using the mountains as a shield."

Core Fighter flight path: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/imag ... course.jpg

Episode 8 gives us an indication of what the means. The White Base is now in Arizona, traveling through the Grand Canyon - oops, I mean the Great Canyon - and using the terrain to create an interference field that amplifies the protective effects of its Minovsky particles. Garma masses his forces at Lake Mead - oops, Mid Lake - to stop the White Base making it over the mountains.

In episode 9, the White Base finally makes contact with the Federation Forces. A coded message directs it to break through enemy lines and escape to the sea, and at the end of the episode they make a rendezvous with Matilda's supply corps. Matilda takes this opportunity to get copies of all their combat data for General Revil.

Finally, in episode 10, the White Base takes overnight shelter in a domed sports stadium and ambushes Garma's Gaw carrier. The Origin places this event in Los Angeles - a logical destination if you're traveling westward via Lake Mead - but in the anime continuity it's normally assumed that this takes place in Seattle. In that case the stadium might correspond to the now-demolished Seattle Kingdome, which seems to be pretty much the only domed stadium west of Lake Mead.

The movie version condenses all the battles of episodes 6-9 into a single engagement near the Great Canyon, culminating in the rendezvous with Matilda. Entertainment Bible 39, whose chronology is generally based on the movies, puts the date of this battle at September 23, U.C. 0079. Char and Garma retreat, and it seems like they attend the party later that same day, which would suggest that Garma actually dies on the morning of September 24 rather than the current consensus date of October 4.

Since the movies show the White Base entering the atmosphere over the Gulf of Mexico, passing through Arizona, and exiting Zeon territory via Seattle, the ship's route is probably similar in both versions despite the smaller number of battles.


Gundam I vs Episodes 11-15
Having defeated Garma, the White Base travels across the Pacific Ocean to Asia. Technically, the most direct route would be along the Aleutian island chain, which helps explain all the little islands the White Base passes en route.

In the TV series, the White Base fights a revenge battle against the bereaved Icelina, then skirmishes with Ramba Ral on an island simultaneously with Gihren's famous funeral oration. The current consensus date of Gihren's speech is October 6, U.C. 0079, which also serves as a reference point for the start of The 08th MS Team.

In episode 13, the White Base visits Amuro's hometown, which is normally said to be in Japan (specifically the San'in region of Honshu). The following episode, it makes a second rendezvous with Matilda, and in episode 15 - the infamous "Island of Cucuruz Doan" - it visits yet another little island, so it still hasn't reached the Asian mainland. Given what we know of the ship's subsequent route, at this point it's probably traveling due west across the Sea of Japan and Korea. Akiyuki Okazaki's timeline in "The Gundam Chronicles Ver.2" claims that Doan's island is part of the Goto Islands off Nagasaki, which would mean that episodes 13-15 all take place in Japan. Since the sun is setting at the end of episode 13, episode 14 begins at night, and Amuro spends the night on Doan's island, this would mean the White Base spends two nights in Japan. As of this point, there's still been no formal instruction from Federation headquarters, and Matilda is supporting White Base on an unofficial basis under the personal direction of General Revil.

In the movie version, the visit to Amuro's hometown takes place before the Pacific crossing, in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The second rendezvous with Matilda takes place just afterwards, about 200 km to the north. In both versions, she explains that the Federation is busy preparing a European counteroffensive and thus can't spare personnel to take over White Base, and gives Bright a field promotion. In the movie, she also implies that their analysis of the previous combat data suggests the crew have Newtype potential. Then comes Gihren's speech and the mid-ocean skirmish with Ramba Ral.


Gundam II
In the opening scenes of Gundam II, we get a peek at General Revil discussing the White Base with General Elran. Once again, he suggests the crew may be Newtypes, but Elran is skeptical that they can conclude that on the basis of "a week or ten days of data."


Conclusions and Chronology
As far as Gundam I is concerned, there aren't too many contradictions between the movie and TV versions. Some battles are skipped over or condensed into a single engagement, Gadem and Paolo don't get death scenes, and the visit to Amuro's hometown and the second rendezvous with Matilda are moved before Ramba Ral's attack and Garma's funeral (and thus, from East Asia to western Canada). Otherwise, though, the White Base follows a similar course and it seems like the timing of the major events should be about the same.

The timing suggested by the animation, however, doesn't necessarily mesh with the current official timeline. (As usual.) Elran's comment in Gundam II suggests that Matilda has collected only 7-10 days of data from the White Base. The date range could reflect the fact that she's made two rendezvous with the White Base at that point, or perhaps Elran is just being dismissively vague, but either way this suggests that she collected the data around September 25-28. That's a bit later than Entertainment Bible 39's date for the initial rendezvous, but considerably earlier than the current date of October 4 for Garma's death, and based on the movie animation it seems like Garma dies the morning after the White Base first meets Matilda.

Personally, I think this is still consistent with the current date of Gihren's speech. If anything, pushing Garma's death earlier gives more time for the Principality leadership to organize the funeral and dispatch Ramba Ral on his revenge mission, and now that the White Base has escaped Zeon territory it needn't be in any particular hurry to get anywhere.


I think that's enough about the first part. Next time, we'll compare Gundam II against TV episodes 16-30, where the differences start getting more significant...

-- Mark

[AmuroNT1]

Very interesting stuff as always. I know it's a little off the topic's main focus, but I was wondering if Matilda's data collection has any bearing whatsoever on the development of the Federation's pre-production MS as seen in 08th MS Team, namely the [G]- and [E]-type GMs. Especially since, IIRC, the GM Early Type was based out of Luna II.

(since nobody seriously seems to think that the Zeta Gundam "New Translation" movies are in any danger of overriding the Zeta TV series).

I'm sure you, of all people, are sick of people desperately begging for confirmation/validation that New Translation somehow kicks ZZ out of Gundam canon.

[Brave Fencer Kirby]

Some interesting stuff all around, but the thing that actually caught my eye was the one bit of technical information...

White Base Altitude Limits
In Gundam The Origin, we're told that the White Base's Minovsky craft system has a cruising altitude limit of about 4000 meters. Thus, when it gets to South America, it has to circle round until it gets to a gap in the Andes that's low enough for the White Base to pass through. This principle explains some things about the White Base's route in the animation, too; there are big stretches of the Sierra Nevada, and even the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Madre, that would be difficult or impossible for the White Base to cross over. The same goes for the Tien Shan, Hindu Kush, and Himalayan mountains in Asia.

That seems to imply an altitude limit measured by distance above sea level, rather than above ground level, which seems odd to me. That would mean that it needs a certain level of atmospheric pressure to operate, which doesn't really mesh with the explanation of how it works that I'm familiar with. But it's an interesting data point none the less!

[Heaven Piercing Man]

This is going to be useful. I've been working on a Spanish sub track for the movies with small notes on the lore, like "boss subtitles" whenever a new mecha appears and dates for key events. I had put Garma's death in October 4, I'm gonna see how this new chronology works.

[Amion]

Some interesting stuff all around, but the thing that actually caught my eye was the one bit of technical information...

White Base Altitude Limits
In Gundam The Origin, we're told that the White Base's Minovsky craft system has a cruising altitude limit of about 4000 meters. Thus, when it gets to South America, it has to circle round until it gets to a gap in the Andes that's low enough for the White Base to pass through. This principle explains some things about the White Base's route in the animation, too; there are big stretches of the Sierra Nevada, and even the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Madre, that would be difficult or impossible for the White Base to cross over. The same goes for the Tien Shan, Hindu Kush, and Himalayan mountains in Asia.

That seems to imply an altitude limit measured by distance above sea level, rather than above ground level, which seems odd to me. That would mean that it needs a certain level of atmospheric pressure to operate, which doesn't really mesh with the explanation of how it works that I'm familiar with. But it's an interesting data point none the less!

Well, could you give poor little o' me the link to that discussion about how it works? My understanding is it uses Minovsky particles to magically do invisibly what GN particles do in flashy rainbow sheets of color. That is, they help interact with gravity and allow the White Base hover capabilities.

So to my completely ignorant mind (blissfully), the atmospheric pressure must do something to the particles, making it hard for them to keep our favorite Trojan Horse aloft at high altitude. *Waits for long post of detailed schematics from other sources that outright disprove this simple minded-selfsplenation.*

On another note, and yes this is off topic but...what conjecture-driven image are we looking at if Garma had successfully captured the Gundam rather than get shot down? Would this have allowed Kycillia to push creation of new protoypes up a notch? From what I recall she's the driving force of it, and even commands at Granada, where one of Anaheim's factories is located. How would this have effected Gelgoog's production? Would it have come sooner and with better weapons or would the reverse-engineering been enough to create a whole new super MS?

[toysdream]

Very interesting stuff as always. I know it's a little off the topic's main focus, but I was wondering if Matilda's data collection has any bearing whatsoever on the development of the Federation's pre-production MS as seen in 08th MS Team, namely the [G]- and [E]-type GMs. Especially since, IIRC, the GM Early Type was based out of Luna II.

Not necessarily. It's usually claimed that the early models were developed without access to Gundam combat data; if I recall correctly, this was why the Federation Forces formed all those independent test teams featured in the Side Story games, and when data from the Gundam started coming in they suddenly found themselves redundant.

Timing-wise, it seems like the Federation should have access to Matilda's data pretty soon after the White Base gets to Earth. But the [G] and [E] types are already in service before Garma's funeral, so it seems pretty clear the Gundam data wouldn't have been available when they were created.

I'm sure you, of all people, are sick of people desperately begging for confirmation/validation that New Translation somehow kicks ZZ out of Gundam canon.

Well, I kind of wish it had, but Unicorn has reaffirmed ZZ pretty conclusively.

That seems to imply an altitude limit measured by distance above sea level, rather than above ground level, which seems odd to me. That would mean that it needs a certain level of atmospheric pressure to operate, which doesn't really mesh with the explanation of how it works that I'm familiar with. But it's an interesting data point none the less!

Isn't it? This does explain a lot of the weird navigational choices the White Base makes on Earth.

Well, could you give poor little o' me the link to that discussion about how it works? My understanding is it uses Minovsky particles to magically do invisibly what GN particles do in flashy rainbow sheets of color. That is, they help interact with gravity and allow the White Base hover capabilities.

Nope, the Minovsky craft system actually has nothing to do with gravity - it's a glorified flotation device. The most complete explanation I've seen was in one of Tadashi Nagase's "UC Science" columns for the Gundam The Movies film comics. That may sound obscure, but Nagase is actually one of the most revered authorities on Universal Century (pseudo)science, and his essays in Gundam The Movies and Gundam Century seem to have been accepted as gospel by most other writers. In fact, his theory about how the psycho-frame generates physical forcefields by interacting with Minovsky particles ends up being really important in Gundam Unicorn.

Anyways, a few years back I translated some text from Nagase's "Gundam The Movies II" essay on "Minovsky's Magical Particle." It looks like that text has now disappeared from the Internet, so I'll post it here as a placeholder.

Minovsky's Magical Particle (excerpt)
From "Mobile Suit Gundam The Movies II". Original text by Tadashi Nagase.

[...]

ROAD TO THE MINOVSKY CRAFT

The U.C. world's first energy sources were huge solar power satellite (SPS) panels. Then came the adoption of inexpensive nuclear fusion reactors, based on a helium 3-deuterium reaction (since the number of particles is the same before and after, this technically shouldn't be called a fusion reaction). This reaction differs from the deuterium-tritium reaction in that it doesn't generate neutral particles, a form of radiation that cannot be shielded electromagnetically. Since the products of the helium 3-deuterium reaction can all be electromagnetically contained, energy conversion and radiation shielding are pretty straightforward.

Unfortunately, Earth doesn't have usable quantities of helium 3. In space, there are two options: the moon's soil contains large quantities of helium 3 deposited by the solar wind, and plenty of helium 3 and deuterium can be found in the atmosphere of the planet Jupiter. Once large-scale production of fusion reactors began, the UC world was forced to tap the latter resource.

At this time, thermonuclear reactors were huge and unwieldy contraptions. The man who was to change all this was physicist Y.T. Minovsky of Side 4. During the development of a new, more compact thermonuclear reactor, a new particle was observed. The existence of this particle was predicted by Minovsky's theories, and its discovery validated his long-ignored work.

This Minovsky particle has a rest mass of essentially zero, and either a positive or a negative charge. A repulsive force is generated between Minovsky particles, and when they are released into open space, the positive and negative particles will spontaneously arrange themselves into a regular lattice structure known as an I-field. This lattice interferes with the transmission of electromagnetic waves, from infra-red and microwave radiation up to ultra-long wavelengths, and hinders the operation of electronic circuitry.

Because the I-field is essentially without mass it can permeate regular matter, but it has a much harder time permeating conductive materials like water, metal, carbon and the earth's surface. During the One Year War, this phenomenon was exploited to create the Minovsky craft. Using this system a vessel like White Base, flying at low altitude, disperses large quantities of Minovsky particles from its underside; since the resulting I-field can permeate into neither the ship nor the ground, a hovercraft-like cushion is created. However, one cannot expect this to have much effect at higher altitudes.

Incidentally, the Minovsky craft also serves a protective function during atmospheric re-entry. During the re-entry process superheated air turns into plasma, which is electrically conductive. Minovsky particles expelled in front of the ship are squeezed between hull and plasma, cushioning the ship against shock and heat.

[...]

-- Mark

[toysdream]

Okay, now for part two. This time we'll be digging into first part of Gundam II, where things start getting a bit more hinky. But first, a followup on an aspect of the previous part that's not directly related to the White Base's location...


Garma's Base
As I mentioned before, in TV episode 6, Char and Garma withdraw to Garma's frontline base in a nondescript bombed-out city. This is where Char's Komusai launches from in episode 7, and since Amuro's Core Fighter passes right over it in an attempt to contact Federation headquarters, it should theoretically lie somewhere between Mexico and Jaburo.

The city: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/fg06_city.jpg
From episode 6: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/fg06_base.jpg
From episode 7: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/fg07_base.jpg

You'll notice a house sitting up on a hill in that second shot. This is Garma's residence, which resembles the mansion where he hosts a formal party in episode 10.

The mansion: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/imag ... ansion.jpg

Although we can't see the house very clearly in the episode 7 shot, the original model sheet art indicates that these are meant to be the same building, and all of the city scenes - Garma's frontline base, the mansion, the domed stadium where the White Base hides - are labeled as being in New York (or "New Yark"). This reflects the general geographical confusion of the TV series, in which the White Base seemingly travels from Mexico to Arizona to Japan by way of New York! In the movies, the domed stadium and Garma's death are relocated to Seattle, giving the White Base a consistent westward direction.

The movies also give us a new version of Garma's base, revealed in a couple of successive establishing shots.

http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/g1_base1.jpg
http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/g1_base2.jpg
http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/g1_base3.jpg

The mansion shown in that last shot, with its trees and driveway and elaborate front porch, is a much closer match for the mansion in TV episode 10. Given that the design of the adjoining base is also very different from the frontline base in the TV series, I'd have no trouble thinking that these are different locations. As to where the movie base (and the party mansion) are actually located, that wrecked steamboat offers a tantalizing clue...


Gundam II vs Episodes 16-21
After escaping North America, the White Base has traveled across the Pacific Ocean and, after a few episodes mucking about in Japan, begun heading west across the Asian mainland. In both the movie and TV versions it appears to follow a similar course, traveling through a series of deserts which are enclosed by impassable mountain ranges - first the Gobi Desert, then the Taklamakan Desert (which is bordered by the Tian Shan mountain range to the north, and the Tibetan Plateau to the south), and finally into Central Asia. This is roughly the same route taken by the ancient Silk Road, by the way.

As episode 16 begins, the White Base is crossing the Gobi Desert. After receiving a message from General Revil, ordering them to cross the Caspian Sea before the start of Operation Odessa five days hence, the ship steers towards the wandering lake of Lop Nur (which lies in between the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts). In a scene that's repeated at the beginning of Gundam II, M'Quve receives word of the White Base's course change, and passes the information on to Ramba Ral's pursuit team; in the TV series, Ral goes on to ambush the White Base at Lop Nur.

The course change: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/g2_map1a.jpg

Although the animation makes it looks like Revil's messenger arrives at sunset, the TV episode script says he arrives at dawn, so the Lop Nur battle evidently takes place later that day. In the course of this battle, the White Base captures an enemy pilot, who escapes that night. Meanwhile, Amuro steals the Gundam and runs off into the desert just before dawn. In episodes 18 and 19, Amuro is wandering around on his own, attacking random Zeon mining bases and having lunch with Ramba Ral. The White Base, unable to proceed without the Gundam, eventually parks in the desert to await Amuro's return. The Japanese publications seem to think that the mining base in episode 18 is near Tashkent, which lies on the other side of the mountains that enclose the western end of the Taklamakan Desert. In episode 19, Amuro and Ral meet in the (apparently fictional) town of Sodon, and shortly afterwards Amuro destroys Ral's Gouf and is locked up by his grateful comrades.

As of episode 20, the White Base has traveled around the Caspian Sea to its western side, and parked beside an unidentified lake. Early in the morning, Ral meets with M'Quve's messenger and, denied reinforcements, launches a fatal guerilla attack on the White Base. As per the TV episode script, Ral meets with M'Quve's lackey in the Cappadocia region of central Turkey (which, thanks to the '80s cult movie "Born Of Fire," I now know is eye-poppingly beautiful).

In episode 21, Hamon leads the remnants of Ral's team in a final revenge attack on the White Base. At this point, we're shown an operation map confirming that the White Base is now in Turkey, on the southern coast of the Black Sea; its present location seems to be close to Ankara, the country's modern-day capital.

http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/imag ... ssamap.jpg

Most of these events are reprised in Gundam II, defying the usual pattern of combining multiple battles into one, but the locations are very different. As Gundam II begins, Ramba Ral is already traveling through the Taklamakan Desert, and when we finally see the White Base it's already crossed the Taklamakan and is now meeting with Matilda's supply corps in a ravine near the Tian Shan mountain range. (The rendezvous point looks a lot like the Fergana Valley, although this isn't stated explicitly in the movie script.) After completing its resupply, the White Base enters the Kyzyl Kum desert in Central Asia, and this is where the second battle with Ramba Ral takes place - 1800 km west of Lop Nur, the corresponding TV series location.

Ramba Ral in the Taklamakan Desert: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/imag ... amakan.jpg
White Base near the Tian Shan: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/imag ... anshan.jpg
White Base enters the Kyzyl Kum: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/imag ... zylkum.jpg

Before parting ways with Matilda, the White Base crew confirm that they plan to go through the deserts and around the Caspian Sea to participate in Operation Odessa.

As per the TV series, Amuro runs off with the Gundam and then encounters Ramba Ral in the town of Sodon. In the Gundam II script, however, we finally get a hint as to where this place is; Sodon itself is in the Karakum Desert, which lies between the Kyzyl Kum and modern-day Iran, and the White Base's nearby hiding place is close to Mashhad, in Iran's northeast corner. This confirms that the White Base is indeed heading around the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, putting it on course for Turkey as in the TV series. Ramba Ral's meeting with M'Quve's envoy, just before his death, appears to take place in the same Cappadocia region shown in the TV series (it's pretty distinctive).

White Base near Mashhad: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/imag ... ashhad.jpg


Gundam II vs Episodes 22-25
In the TV series, after Hamon's defeat, the White Base is attacked and disabled by M'Quve's forces. Mirai reacts by fretting that they'll miss their deadline to participate in Operation Odessa, which improbably suggests that only five days have elapsed since they met General Revil's messenger in the Gobi Desert!

General Revil, who has now arrived at the Federation's European frontline base, responds by dispatching Matilda's supply corps with an engine-repair expert and some shiny new hardware - G-Mecha in the TV series, Core Boosters in the movies. Hot on Matilda's trail are the Black Tri-Stars, who fight a nighttime battle against the grounded White Base that inspires General Revil to formally announce the launch of Operation Odessa. Matilda and one of the Tri-Stars are killed during this battle.

Operation Odessa itself plays out over the course of episode 25, during which Amuro unmasks the traitorous General Elran, defeats the remaining members of the Tri-Stars, and destroys the nuclear missile which M'Quve launched in a final display of poor sportsmanship. In the animation this all seems fairly continuous, although most current publications claim the battle spans three days.

In Gundam II, the grounding of the White Base is attributed to Ramba Ral's suicidal guerilla attack, and the White Base is still undergoing repair and resupply by Matilda's crew as Operation Odessa begins. The battle against the Tri-Stars, and the deaths of Matilda and the three Zeon aces, all take place while the White Base is being repaired.

It appears that the White Base does make it to the main battlefield in the end, as an onscreen map shows the ship as a red blip on the fringes of the battle's endgame. Closing in from behind are Hamon and the remnants of Ral's team, who, in the movie version, put off their final revenge attack until the end of Operation Odessa. After Hamon's defeat, M'Quve escapes into space, signaling the end of the battle. Left ambiguous are the status of M'Quve's nuke and Elran, the traitor general; it's unclear whether these crises didn't take place in the movie continuity, or somebody other than Amuro took care of them.

Odessa campaign map at start of Gundam II: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/g2_map1b.jpg
Operation Odessa begins: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/g2_map4.jpg
White Base at end of operation: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/g2_map5a.jpg
Hamon approaches: http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/g2_map5b.jpg


Conclusions and Chronology
To my relief, it appears that the White Base follows the same course in both the TV and movie versions - westward across the Gobi Desert, a slight course change at Lop Nur (confirmed by M'Quve at the beginning of Gundam II), through the Taklamakan and over the mountains into Central Asia, through the Kyzyl Kum and Karakum Deserts, around the south coast of the Caspian Sea, into Turkey, and finally around the Black Sea to join Operation Odessa. The key battles along the way take place at different points on this route, and even in different orders, but the route itself seems consistent between both versions. (Not that any of the Japanese publications seem to have gotten it right.)

The precise location of M'Quve's mining base is unclear - it's somewhere north of the actual city of Odessa, but every onscreen map (and every published one) puts it someplace different. Some of the Gundam II maps make it look like it's near modern-day Nova Odesa, which I think is a lovely explanation for why they call it "Odessa".

Timing-wise, the current consensus seems to be that Operation Odessa begins on November 7, U.C. 0079, and ends on November 9. Entertainment Bible 39, evidently following the movie continuity, puts Ramba Ral's death at November 5, the arrival of the Black Tri-Stars at November 6, and Hamon's revenge at November 7. Before that, EB 39 has the White Base reaching the Asian mainland on October 10, and on November 2 it receives orders to cross the Caspian Sea within three days. This last event doesn't seem to correspond to anything in the animation, but since it's five days before the start of Operation Odessa, it seems consistent with the five-day deadline mentioned in the TV version.

Later versions of this timeline, however, have muddied the waters a bit. The timeline in Gundam Officials says that the White Base receives a five-day deadline on October 10, and then a new three-day deadline on November 2, the schedule having slipped considerably in the meantime. This doesn't really explain what the White Base is doing between episode 16 (when it's given the five-day deadline) and episode 20 (the death of Ramba Ral); the current timeline has these events separated by almost a month, and since the White Base isn't having any engine problems at this point, the only way to account for the gap is for Amuro to take a few weeks' vacation when he runs away with the Gundam.

For what it's worth, the long gap between Garma's funeral and Operation Odessa is really an artifact of recent timelines (well, post-1980s timelines). The MSV books, which originally gave us the September 18 date for the attack on Side 7, said that the White Base finally arrived at Jaburo on November 3, U.C. 0079 - this would be after Operation Odessa, the ship's stopover in Belfast, and its journey across the Atlantic from Belfast to Jaburo, so Operation Odessa would presumably take place somewhere in the middle of October.


-- Mark

[Heaven Piercing Man]

As to where the movie base (and the party mansion) are actually located, that wrecked steamboat offers a tantalizing clue...

I don't get it, I'm not from the US...

[AmuroNT1]

As to where the movie base (and the party mansion) are actually located, that wrecked steamboat offers a tantalizing clue...

I don't get it, I'm not from the US...

The general climate plus the fact that the mansion resembles an old-style plantation house seemingly sets Garma's base in the Southeastern US, while the riverboat narrows things down further to the region nearby the Mississippi River. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd probably put it in Louisiana.

[gunform1010]

As to where the movie base (and the party mansion) are actually located, that wrecked steamboat offers a tantalizing clue...

I don't get it, I'm not from the US...

The general climate plus the fact that the mansion resembles an old-style plantation house seemingly sets Garma's base in the Southeastern US, while the riverboat narrows things down further to the region nearby the Mississippi River. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd probably put it in Louisiana.

What city then was Eosenbach (sic, likely) mayor of? New orleans?

[toysdream]

The general climate plus the fact that the mansion resembles an old-style plantation house seemingly sets Garma's base in the Southeastern US, while the riverboat narrows things down further to the region nearby the Mississippi River. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd probably put it in Louisiana.

You might think so, but steam-powered paddlewheel boats were once widely used on many American rivers, and up until a few years back they still operated replica paddleboats in Oregon, close to the movies' Seattle location for Garma's last battle. Admittedly, those all seem to have been "sternwheel" types with one big paddlewheel in the back, rather than one on each side as in this picture, but it's hard to guess how precise the Gundam I setting artists would have been with their research...

So the riverboat doesn't actually narrow things down all that much. But it's still a clue, and there may be telltale details in this scene that give us additional hints. I wish I had a printed copy of the Gundam I movie script to consult. :-\

As for Eschonbach, it's interesting to note that he's identified in dialogue only as "the former mayor." In the context of the TV series, where everything is supposed to be happening in New York/New Yark no matter how geographically improbable that may be, Eschonbach is meant to be the former mayor of that city. But if we've moved Garma in the movies, then perhaps Eschonbach's mayorship has moved with him? That's certainly the case in Gundam The Origin, where he's identified as the former mayor of Los Angeles.

-- Mark

[gunform1010]

Trekking back, is there script proof that the final battle (movie-wise) between Garma's forces and the White Base is in Seattle?

Although I am inclined to go with Seattle due to two games (Jaburo and OYW), even though they're games and don't officially count.

[toysdream]

I don't have a copy of the Gundam I script, but I expect it does say so. I have the script for Gundam II, and all the locations specified in the corresponding Roman Album book are taken directly from the script directions, so presumably that's why the Gundam I Roman Album says it's Seattle.

-- Mark

[toysdream]

So, if we wanted to construct some kind of a route map, one of the first issues we run into is that nobody knows exactly where Jaburo is. We get a general idea from the onscreen map in the Gundam I movie, as weirdly drawn as it may be from a geography perspective...

http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/g1_map.jpg

Meanwhile, Gundam Century claimed that Jaburo was built under the Sarisarinama mountain in Venezuela, and the Gundam Historica book series puts it a little east of Manaus. Perhaps the most plausible location, though, is the one in Gundam The Origin; here, it's right on the equator (the most efficient location for spaceship launches), due north of Manaus. Gundam Officials is petty vague about the location of Jaburo, but its White Base route map seems to more or less agree with The Origin in this matter. I've marked all of these locations on this route map...

http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/imag ... world1.jpg

Here, the White Base's planned and actual entry routes are marked in red (as per the onscreen map in Gundam I), and its subsequent route is tentatively indicated in blue.

-- Mark

[gunform1010]

I noticed the White Base stops in Las Vegas before heading to Seattle. So... the ruined city (movie wise) where Matilda's squardron resupplies the White Base is LV?

[toysdream]

I just used Las Vegas as a proxy for the Grand/Great Canyon and Lake Mead/Mid - it's only about 50 kilometers from the latter. In the TV animation, the rendezvous with Matilda takes place at least one day later (since night falls in episode 8 during the Lake Mead/Mid battle, and episode 9 takes place in the daytime, with the actual resupply taking place at sunset). It's not exactly clear which direct the White Base would go after episode 8, but if it's continuing northward along the mountains, then I have a hunch the rendezvous would be somewhere around the California-Oregon border.

-- Mark

[toysdream]

Time for part three, in which we'll wrap up Gundam II and the White Base's Earth adventures, as well as taking a look back at the minutiae of Operation Odessa...


Operation Odessa
It's been claimed in some of the Japanese publications that the Federation's European counteroffensive ends up suffering from scheduling delays, and this does indeed appear to be the case.

In the TV series, the White Base meets with General Revil's messenger in the Gobi Desert and is told that "Odessa Day" is scheduled for five days hence. Their orders are to cross the Caspian Sea before that date. Despite Ramba Ral's attacks, Amuro's desertion, recurring engine problems, and a perilous salt shortage, it looks like the White Base completes this task on schedule. As of episode 20, the ship has crossed the Caspian and received new orders to stay put until the operation commences.

The crew are rightly concerned that this makes them sitting ducks for Ramba Ral, and when he shows up to carry out his guerilla attack, the ship begins moving westward again. By the following episode, when Hamon launches her revenge attack, the White Base has traveled most of the way through Turkey and has more or less reached Ankara, as shown in this onscreen map at the beginning of episode 21:

http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/imag ... ssamap.jpg

Shortly after this, the ship is grounded again by M'Quve's forces. (The location is unclear - all we know is that there are mountains and forests nearby.) General Revil, who has now arrived at the Federation's European frontline base, dispatches Matilda's supply corps to assist the White Base. M'Quve, meanwhile, sends the Black Tri-Stars to finish the Trojan Horse off. General Revil concludes that the time is right to launch Operation Odessa, and at the end of episode 24, he announces that the operation will commence at 06:00 that morning.

Here's the state of play at the start of episode 25:

http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/imag ... samap1.jpg

If you compare against the episode 21 map, you'll see that none of the Zeon or Federation forces have budged an inch - they've basically been holding their positions ever since the White Base received its standby orders. (The only difference I can see is that the rightmost Federation unit has actually retreated.) You'll also note that, in this version, the Federation offensive is coming entirely from the west - there are no Federation forces coming around the other side of the Black Sea.

Later in episode 25, with the exposure of the traitor General Elran, the Federation Forces finally break through M'Quve's defensive lines and converge on his main base. As before, the offensive is coming entirely from the western direction.

http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/imag ... samap2.jpg
http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/imag ... samap3.jpg

What about the movie version? Thanks to the rearrangement of events, the White Base goes straight from being parked on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, to being attacked by the Tri-Stars in a mystery forest, to fighting at the frontlines of Odessa. The initial campaign map we see at the start of Gundam II is pretty similar to the TV version, with the addition of some Federation Forces entering Turkey...

http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/g2_map1b.jpg

And here's what it looks like once the operation is underway:

http://www.ultimatemark.com/gundam/images/g2_map4.jpg

Suddenly, we have extra Federation Forces rushing up along the eastern shore of the Black Sea to attack Odessa from the rear. It's not clear exactly where they came from; the operation map in Gundam The Movies II claims that these are air forces, which would certainly help explain how they got there so suddenly.


Gundam II vs Episodes 26-28
At some point after the successful completion of Operation Odessa, the White Base moves on to a Federation base in Belfast, where the crew finally get to meet their patron General Revil in person. The civilian spy Miharu Ratokie sees the ship landing and sends a terrible snapshot to the lurking Mad Angler squadron and its new commander, Char Aznable.

There was actually a reference to Char in episode 24, when Kycilia was bullying her officers on the eve of Operation Odessa. In this scene, she told them to send some kind of melee combat mobile suit to "Commander Char" before he joins the Mad Angler squadron. At this point, the Black Tri-Stars had just left satellite orbit to rendezvous with M'Quve, so it appears that Char doesn't join Mad Angler until after Operation Odessa. In Gundam II, meanwhile, Char remarks on his good fortune at encountering the White Base so soon after joing the Mad Angler squadron.

In the TV series, the submarines of the Mad Angler squadron launch two attacks on Belfast, the first using two Goggs and the second using one Gogg and one Z'Gok. It's not clear how much time passes during the Belfast visit, but night falls during the second battle, and Miharu sneaks aboard the White Base as it departs the city and heads for Jaburo. Revil, for his part, is on his way back to the European front.

In episode 28, the submarine captain Flanagan Boone makes contact with Miharu, and figures out that the White Base is indeed headed for Jaburo rather than the African front. Since Char and the Mad Angler have to stay put to monitor the situation in Africa, he lends Boone the mobile armor Grublo and a couple of Z'Goks. In the ensuing sea battle, Miharu is killed helping Kai finish off the second Z'Gok, while Amuro duels the Grublo underwater.

The movie version doesn't change very much. The first battle with the Goggs is basically cut, the second one with the Z'Gok and Gogg is basically retained, and in the sea battle the Grublo is destroyed by Kai and Miharu rather than Amuro.


Gundam II vs Episodes 29-30
The White Base reaches Jaburo at sunset, and Char's Mad Angler arrives in time to spot the underground base's hidden docks. After receiving reinforcements, including the infamous Zock, Char sends an advance team up the river to look for entrances to the docks. Meanwhile, an airborne force is on its way from Zeon's California Base, and Char boards one of the arriving Gaws to join the main assault. After losing his wingmen in the descent, however, Char peels off to join his advance team and ends up attacking the docks instead. While the main battle rages elsewhere, Amuro and his comrades thus end up defending the docks from Char and his advance team.

It's unclear how much time passes between episodes 29 and 30. The Zeon forces are back to carrying out their regular bombing raids, and the White Base crew finally receive official ranks and commissions. Char, for whatever reason, is still hanging around Jaburo and leads a team of commandos in Acguys into the base to blow up the Federation's mobile suit factories. According to the narration, this guerilla attack leads the Federation Forces to speed up their space offensive, and the White Base - now designated as the 13th Autonomous Corps of the Tianem Fleet - is sent back into space as a decoy.

In Gundam II, these two battles are combined into a single continuous event, and the order is rearranged. As in the TV series, Char spots the White Base entering the underground docks, and calls for reinforcements from the California Base. While he's waiting, he sends his advance team up the river, and leads the Acguy commandos into the base to blow up the mobile suit factories. Once again, Char's bombing scheme is thwarted, and he hightails it out of Jaburo as the main airborne assault begins. The ensuing battle is frankly a bit confusing - we see Kai and friends defending the docks from Char's advance team, the Gundam does a bit of fighting on the surface, and then Amuro catches up with Char again on his way out through the tunnels.

In any case, the end result is the same - a humiliating loss for Zeon, and the troublesome White Base is singled out for glamorous decoy duty. In the movie version, we're told that the White Base was originally going to be the core of a 13th Autonomous Squadron, but due to Zeon's high evaluation of its fighting strength the decoy mission is ultimately entrusted to this single ship.


Conclusions and Chronology
The last two locations of the White Base's Earth adventures are the same in both movie and TV versions, with the usual rearrangement and consolidation of the battles. Since the Jaburo invasion is a fairly major event, it would be nice if there was some kind of consensus about what happened when, and the movie version is sufficiently confusing that it's not an ideal replacement for the TV version. But c'est la vie.

In terms of chronology, I mentioned before that the MSV books had the White Base reaching Jaburo on November 3, U.C. 0079, and staying there for about a month and a half as it undergoes an extensive overhaul. (This would work pretty well with the alternate date of December 13 for the White Base's return to space, but that's a subject for a future installment.) The current official timeline, however, has Operation Odessa starting on November 7 and ending on November 9. According to Entertainment Bible 39, the White Base arrives at Belfast on November 18, departs for Jaburo at 01:38 on November 22, and arrives at Jaburo on November 27. The big Jaburo attack, in whatever form it takes, is pegged at November 30.

Given that the White Base reaches Jaburo at sunset, which would be about 6:00 PM local time (10:00 PM UTC), the Entertainment Bible 39 chronology indicates that it takes about six days to travel from Belfast to Jaburo - a distance of about 8,000 kilometers. That's an average speed, over open water with no particular enemy interference, of 55 kilometers per hour. Astonishingly slow, even for a Minovsky craft, but I guess that's one way to justify all the padding in the timeline. In this previous thread I noted that later series timelines suggest that the Garuda flies at about 110 km/hour.

On this basis, what seems like a reasonable timeframe for the White Base's Earth journeys? I'll spare you all the numbercrunching and time zone correction - I'm pretty sure that nobody else on Earth but me cares about that stuff! - but my overall conclusion is that it would take about a week for the White Base to get from Prince Rupert to Japan, five days or so from Japan to the Lop Nur rendezvous (given all the nonsense they get up to in Japan in the TV series), about five more days until Ramba Ral's team are wiped out, and about five more until the launch of Operation Odessa. If you want to add some extra padding, the best place to do it is while the White Base is grounded on the eve of Operation Odessa, but all in all I think it's pretty hard to justify pushing it back into November. More on that, perhaps, in a followup post.


-- Mark

[Heaven Piercing Man]

I always wondered how long was Miharu hiding inside the White Base...

[toysdream]

Time to finish up some miscellaneous Gundam I and II business before moving on to Gundam III. Mostly this gets into timeline issues, but first, one little detail to update...


White Base by the Lake
At the start of TV episode 20, the White Base has finally crossed the Caspian Sea, and as per new orders from the Federation Forces it's supposed to stay put until Operation Odessa commences. The ship is now sitting next to a body of water, which I'd assumed was supposed to be the Caspian Sea itself. This kind of bugged me given that it's pretty far from the Cappadocia region of Turkey, where Ramba Ral meets with M'Quve's messenger, and Ramba Ral's guerilla attack on the White Base seems to take place very shortly after that meeting.

On careful inspection, though, the TV episode script actually refers to this body of water as a lake rather than a sea. As such, it could be the saltwater Lake Van in eastern Turkey, which is roughly halfway between Cappadocia and the Caspian; Yasuhiko uses this lake as a setting in Gundam The Origin, during the final showdown between the heroes and the Black Tri-Stars, and makes a point of depicting it as close to Cappadocia. Cappadocia itself also has a bunch of little saltwater lakes, so the White Base could be even closer to Ramba Ral's meeting point.

In any case, this doesn't really change the White Base's apparent route. Thanks to Gundam II, we know it goes around the south coast of the Caspian via Iran; as per the opening scenes of TV episode 21, we know it continues on to the vicinity of Ankara. So this just means the lakeside location of episode 20 is further along this westward route than I'd previously assumed.

I always wondered how long was Miharu hiding inside the White Base...

The animation definitely makes it look like she's just hiding there for one night, but the current timelines imply it's a couple of days. This might be a good time to delve into the gritty details of those timelines...


Entertainment Bible 39
Up until the publication of Entertainment Bible 39, the One Year War Strategy and Tactics volume, published timelines for First Gundam had been pretty bare-bones - only key events like the initial Side 7 attack, Garma's death and funeral, Operation Odessa, the Jaburo landing operation, and the final space battles were covered. EB 39, however, offered a fairly detailed blow-by-blow of the First Gundam story, based almost exclusively on the movie continuity. Here are all the relevant dates and times from EB 39, up through the point where the White Base launches back into space.

U.C. 0079.09.18
08:00 An MS-06 mobile suit team infiltrates Side 7.

08:15 The Federation Forces' new assault landing ship White Base docks at Side 7.

09:00 Prototype mobile suit RX-78 Gundam is activated and destroys two MS-06 mobile suits.

16:50 White Base departs, loaded with RX-series mobile suit components.

U.C. 0079.09.20
11:40 White Base docks at Luna II.

U.C. 0079.09.22
06:20 White Base departs Luna II.

U.C. 0079.09.23
13:40 White Base enters atmosphere, pursued by Zeon forces.

14:10 White Base contacts and engages Garma's forces.
The body text says that Garma engages the White Base around 16:00. Around 18:00, the White Base contacts Matilda's supply corps and receives resupply.

U.C. 0079.10.04
21:50 White Base wipes out mobile battalion led by Garma Zabi. Garma killed in action.

U.C. 0079.10.06
Garma Zabi's funeral held at Side 3's first colony. Gihren Zabi's speech is broadcast worldwide.

U.C. 0079.10.10
White Base crosses Pacific Ocean and enters Asian continent. From here on, it suffers from engine problems (and is thus unable to escape the atmosphere). It continues deep into Central Asia.

U.C. 0079.10.10
18:00 3rd Army, led by General Revil, departs from Britain.

U.C. 0079.10.11
02:50 General Revil's forces cross Dover Strait. Forces begin gathering for Operation Odessa.

U.C. 0079.10.12
Federation Forces send two naval fleets southward from Oslo as a diversion.

U.C. 0079.10.20
Armies arrive at their assembly point in Warsaw and establish a field headquarters.

U.C. 0079.10.25
Final confirmation of the operation. Decoy forces are dispatched to various areas.

U.C. 0079.10.30
Mad Angler corps established. Its commander is Char Aznable.

U.C. 0079.11.02
White Base captain Bright Noa receives orders from General Revil to cross Caspian Sea within three days.
The body text says five days, as per the TV animation.

U.C. 0079.11.02
Additional Federation Forces reinforcements arrive (mainly air forces).

U.C. 0079.11.05
White Base wipes out Ramba Ral's team. Ramba Ral killed in action.

U.C. 0079.11.06
Black Tri-Stars arrive to support Zeon forces.

U.C. 0079.11.07
06:00 Operation Odessa begins. Federation's forces mobilize and begin launching aircraft.

09:20 White Base battles survivors of Ramba Ral's team.

13:40 General Revil's main force breaks through first defensive line. Zeon forces begin retreating on all fronts (to narrow their range of defense).

20:00 Revil's advancing army comes under enemy counterattack.

U.C. 0079.11.08
The front lines are quiet, as neither side can make a move.

U.C. 0079.11.09
03:35 Northern 4th Army breaks through its encirclement and then advances without meeting serious resistance.

05:00 Following 4th Army's breakthrough, Federation Forces take the offensive.

11:00 Zeon defensive lines contract again. Federation's main force (3rd Army) reaches Kishinev, east of Carpathian Mountains.

17:00 Zeon commander M'Quve escapes into space.

U.C. 0079.11.10
Mopping-up operations begin. As of 14:00, combat status is changed to alert status.

U.C. 0079.11.18
Char Aznable discovers what appears to be White Base in Belfast.

U.C. 0079.11.19
26th Submarine Squadron, stationed near Belfast, confirms that White Base in docked in Belfast's harbor.
The body text says the Zeon forces land mobile suits around 11:00.

U.C. 0079.11.21
17:00 26th Submarine Squadron attacks Belfast with two mobile suits. White Base departs for Jaburo later that night.
The body text says the Zeon forces land mobile suits around 17:00, and that the White Base leaves Belfast at 01:38 the next morning.

U.C. 0079.11.22
Mad Angler begins pursuing White Base.

U.C. 0079.11.24
Mad Angler attacks Federation anti-submarine attack force, and succeeds in sinking a Himalaya-class aircraft carrier.

U.C. 0079.11.27
Mad Angler discovers Jaburo's spacecraft dock entrances. Char decides to attack Jaburo.

U.C. 0079.11.28
Mad Angler withdraws to mouth of Amazon River. California Base begins preparations for a Jaburo attack.

U.C. 0079.11.30
03:20 Advance force of three amphibious mobile suits is dispatched up Amazon River.

05:40 Advance force discovers mobile suit entrances. Jaburo detects advance force and issues an alert.

06:30 Reinforcements from California Base arrive, as strike force of 18 Gaw carriers approaches Jaburo. Mad Angler stands by in the rear.

07:20 Strike force passes over Jaburo and begins landing mobile suits. Jaburo begins launching interceptor aircraft.

07:30 After landing, mobile suits spread out. Dividing into teams of two or three, they search for entry routes into Jaburo.

07:40 Char contacts advance force and secret attack force of MSM-04 mobile suits.

07:50 Char engages RX-78 Gundam in combat. Destruction of mobile suit factories fails.

08:20 50 percent of Zeon mobile suits on the surface (13 machines) have now been destroyed.

08:30 Zeon strike force begins withdrawing.

09:00 Strike force completes its withdrawal. They are attacked by pursuit aircraft.

U.C. 0079.12.02
19:00 Federation Forces launch four decoy ships from Jaburo on separate routes.

21:00 Federation Forces launch Second Combined Fleet from Jaburo.

As you can see, this mostly tracks the movie continuity. Garma's first battle with the White Base, and the subsequent rendezvous with Matilda's supply corps, all happen on September 23 just after the White Base enters Earth's atmosphere. This timeline only allows one day for the trip from Luna II to Earth, but the body text implies that the White Base continues directly on from Luna II as per the Gundam I depiction, so perhaps we should assume the White Base actually leaves Luna II on the same day it arrives.

In EB 39's timeline, the White Base receives its orders to cross the Caspian Sea (which aren't mentioned in Gundam II) on November 2, five days before Operation Odessa. EB 39 is inconsistent about whether they're given three days or five, but in the TV version the orders actually said the operation itself would start in five days, so it seems reasonable that the White Base should cross the Caspian a couple of days before that. In any case, EB 39 doesn't tell us what the White Base was doing for the previous three weeks, but after they get their deadline they zip along right on schedule.

As per Gundam II, the revenge attack by Hamon takes place after the start of Operation Odessa, after the initial battle with the Black Tri-Stars. The Belfast section appears to follow the TV continuity, with two separate attacks by Zeon amphibious mobile suits. EB 39 doesn't specify a date for the ocean battle against the Grublo, during which Miharu is killed, but it does mention Char's clash with a Federation aircraft carrier (which takes place right before the Grublo battle in the TV series). Finally, there's a single Jaburo battle, which follows the continuity of Gundam II.


Supplemental Timelines
A few other writers have taken a stab at fleshing out the timeline from EB 39. Here are a few additions from The Zeon News which attempt to account for the three-week gap while the White Base is in Asia...

U.C. 0079.10.10
White Base battles Ramba Ral's team near Lop Nur.

U.C. 0079.10.12
Ramba Ral receives message from captive Zeon pilot. White Base attacks mining base in Tarim Basin.

U.C. 0079.11.03
Gundam destroys 102nd Mining Base near Tashkent. White Base battles Ramba Ral's team near Sodon.

This puts the White Base's first desert battle on October 10, which EB 39 used for the White Base's arrival in Asia. (That's a big change - Lop Nur is about 4000 kilometers west of Japan, and almost exactly halfway between Japan and Odessa.) Cozun's attempted escape, and the White Base's night raid on a Zeon mining base, are two days later; this is also when Amuro deserts the White Base. As per this timeline, Amuro stays on the run for three weeks, which is utterly absurd!

Putting that mining base in the Tarim Basin also only works for the TV continuity. In the movies, the White Base has already crossed the Tarim Basin and exited the Tian Shan, and the first desert battle with Ramba Ral's team takes place in the Kyzyl Kum in Central Asia.

In Gundam Officials, Yuka Minakawa largely recycles the EB 39 timeline, attempting to vague things up to accommodate bits of the TV series continuity. Here are some of Minakawa's additions:

U.C. 0079.10.01
White Base battles Garma Zabi's forces, then contacts Matilda's supply corps and receives resupply.

U.C. 0079.10.05
White Base either battles a Gaw formation, or receives resupply near Prince Rupert.

U.C. 0079.10.09
White Base receives resupply near Japan.

U.C. 0079.10.10
White Base either arrives at Lop Nur and receives orders from General Revil, or crosses Pacific Ocean and reaches Far East.

U.C. 0079.11.24
White Base battles amphibious mobile suits and mobile armor in Atlantic Ocean.

This shifts the Great Canyon battle and the rendezvous with Matilda to October 1. Minakawa seems uncertain about whether the October 10 date should reflect the White Base's arrival in Asia, or the Lop Nur encounter, and as a result the Gundam Officials timeline ends up saying that the White Base receives two separate deadlines for crossing the Caspian Sea!

Lastly, Akiyuki Okazaki's Data Gundam series for Gundam Ace includes an extensive One Year War timeline, with the following additions and changes from EB 39.

U.C. 0079.09.19
White Base docks at Luna II.

U.C. 0079.09.20
White Base departs Luna II, enters atmosphere, and engages Garma's forces.

U.C. 0079.09.LATE
White Base attempts to contact Federation Forces, and battles Zeon forces near Lake Mid.

U.C. 0079.10.01
White Base battles Garma Zabi's forces, then contacts Matilda's supply corps and receives resupply.

U.C. 0079.10.05
White Base either battles a Gaw formation, or receives resupply near Prince Rupert.

U.C. 0079.10.09
White Base attacks Zeon base in Japan.

U.C. 0079.10.MID
White Base receives resupply near Japan, then arrives at Lop Nur and receives orders from General Revil.

U.C. 0079.10.LATE
White Base battles Ramba Ral's team in Tarim Basin. Captive Zeon pilot escapes. Amuro Ray deserts. Gundam destroys 102nd Mining Base.

U.C. 0079.11.EARLY
White Base battles Ramba Ral's team near Sodon. Ramba Ral killed in action. White Base battles survivors of Ramba Ral's team. M'Quve's forces ambush White Base.

U.C. 0079.11.07
White Base rescues Matilda's supply corps. Black Tri-Stars arrive to support Zeon forces.

U.C. 0079.11.08
Black Tri-Stars attack White Base.

U.C. 0079.11.09
Operation Odessa.

Yep, Okazaki has the White Base leaving Luna II and fighting Garma on the same day. He also has Operation Odessa taking place in a single day, and echoes The Zeon News in having Ramba Ral battle the White Base in the Tarim Basin (which, as noted above, doesn't work in the movie continuity).


Some Conclusions
The timing of Garma's funeral is, I think, sufficiently entangled with the timing of other stories like 08th MS Team that it would be foolish to question the accepted date of October 6. But I don't think there's any harm in moving the timing of Garma's death - in fact, the earlier the better, since this allows more time for Ramba Ral to receive his revenge assignment and head for Earth. Since Gundam Officials and Data Gundam both put the Great Canyon battle and the initial rendezvous with Matilda on October 1, then Garma's death could be pretty shortly afterwards. In any case, EB 39's time stamp is clearly wrong because in the animation he dies just before dawn.

As for the Asia section, I think EB 39 probably had it right the first time by putting the White Base's arrival in Asia on October 10. This gives the White Base several days to travel the roughly 7000 kilometers between Prince Rupert and Japan, which seems only fair since EB 39 later allows 5-6 days for it to travel 8000 kilometers between Belfast and Jaburo.

In the movie continuity, it's not farfetched that Operation Odessa would begin five days after the White Base receives its orders from General Revil, but the TV series has a lot more stuff to pack in (including a few additional nights which are shown in the animation). Bunching up all of these events at the start of November also leaves the White Base dawdling around in China for about three weeks, which seems pretty wacky. You'll recall that the MSV books have the White Base reaching Jaburo much earlier - November 3, in fact - and Jaburo seems like a more sensible place for the White Base to spend a couple of weeks of spare time than, say, the Gobi Desert.

Just for the sake of argument, what if we accept EB 39's dates for the buildup to Operation Odessa? This has General Revil departing Southampton on October 10, and reaching the frontline headquarters in Warsaw, Poland on October 20. Indeed, the operation map from TV episode 21 shows the Federation Forces advancing into Poland, and the operation map from episode 25 indicates that they don't move any further until Operation Odessa begins - in other words, these are their final frontline positions. In TV episode 23, we're told that General Revil has just arrived at the Federation's frontline base when he receives the White Base's distress call.

What this suggests to me is that TV episode 21 - Hamon's revenge attack - happens around October 20, when the Federation Forces have just reached their final staging positions and set up their frontline base in Warsaw. In the TV series, it's not until the Black Tri-Stars attack the grounded White Base that General Revil finally orders the start of Operation Odessa, which could perhaps correspond to the "final confirmation" that EB 39 places on October 25. This also lines up nicely with Char's assignment to the Mad Angler squadron on October 30, since in TV episode 24, we're specifically told that Char hasn't joined Mad Angler yet.

So if I were trying to construct a sensible timeline, I'd suggest shifting the date of Operation Odessa forward to late October. As to how this affects other stories and subsequent events, well, that's a subject for another post!

-- Mark

[toysdream]

A little followup on the timeline issues.


Why Worry?
I realize I'm probably the only person in the world who's really concerned about this. Certainly, in Japan everyone seems happy to accept the current official timeline as a given, and it's been largely fixed for about 20 years at this point. Still, it bugs me that - when you dig into them - the accepted timelines for virtually every Universal Century Gundam anime, with the possible exceptions of Gundam 0083 and Victory Gundam, are impossible and stupid.

Compared to, say, Zeta and ZZ, the timeline for First Gundam isn't that bad. But on the other hand, after cataloging all the location info given in the TV and movie scripts, it's really disappointing to realize how wrong and confused all the Japanese publications are about where these events are taking place. This is information directly from the scriptwriters, which has been publicly available for about 35 years, and I'm frankly appalled at what a lousy job the Japan-side publishers have done in interpreting it. If they can't even read a map, I have very little confidence in their ability to construct a realistic timeline.

That said, the damage is done, and it's not like anybody's ever going to ask for my opinion about it. Still, as an intellectual exercise if nothing else, I think it's interesting to consider what a non-stupid timeline might look like...


My Working Model
So after a lot of measuring distances and comparing time zones and estimating times of day, I think this is a pretty reasonable schedule of events.

October 1, U.C. 0079: White Base makes first rendezvous with Matilda's supply corps.

October 2, U.C. 0079: Garma dies in Seattle (late in the evening as per EB 39, because let the baby have his bottle).

October 3, U.C. 0079: White Base visits Prince Rupert, British Columbia. (Gundam I)

October 4, U.C. 0079: White Base departs British Columbia after resupply. (Gundam I)

October 6, U.C. 0079: Garma Zabi's funeral. Ramba Ral attacks White Base.

October 10, U.C. 0079: White Base arrives in Japan. (TV episode 13)

October 11, U.C. 0079: Zeon soldiers attach bombs to the Gundam. (TV episode 14)

October 12, U.C. 0079: Amuro leaves Cucuruz Doan's island. (TV episode 15)

October 15, U.C. 0079: White Base receives orders from General Revil. Ramba Ral attacks near Lop Nur. (TV episode 16)

October 16, U.C. 0079: White Base stops for resupply near Tian Shan mountains. (just before Gundam II)

October 17, U.C. 0079: White Base leaves Tian Shan mountains and enters Kyzyl Kum desert. Ramba Ral attacks. (Gundam II) That night, Amuro deserts White Base.

October 18, U.C. 0079: Amuro battles Adzam at Zeon mining base. (TV episode 18) White Base stops near Mashhad. Amuro meets Ramba Ral at Sodon, and then destroys Gouf in battle.

October 20, U.C. 0079: White Base is standing by in Turkey. Ramba Ral meets M'Quve's envoy in Cappadocia and then launches guerilla attack on White Base. Ramba Ral killed in action.

October 21, U.C. 0079: Hamon leads remainder of Ramba Ral's team in attack on White Base near Ankara. (TV episode 21)

October 22, U.C. 0079: M'Quve's forces immobilize the White Base. (TV episode 22)

October 23, U.C. 0079: General Revil sends Matilda's supply corps to assist White Base. (TV episode 23)

October 24, U.C. 0079: Black Tri-Stars arrive on Earth and are dispatched to attack White Base. (TV episode 24)

October 25, U.C. 0079: Matilda killed in action defending White Base. General Revil orders start of Operation Odessa.

The outline above lets the White Base move at a consistent average speed of 55-60 km per hour, and accounts for all of the mornings and sunsets and nights shown in both the TV and movie animation. It would be possible to pad it out here and there, especially after TV episode 20 when the White Base has to stop a couple of times for engine repairs, but I think this is a reasonable baseline.

If we're allowing 5.5 days for the White Base to travel from Belfast to Jaburo, as per EB 39 - which is where I got the 55-60 km per hour estimate from in the first place - then there's not really enough time for the White Base to make it to Jaburo on November 3, as per the MSV books. You'd really need to shift the entire sequence above forward a few days, which would make a certain amount of sense - it's not like the White Base should really take a week to travel from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Canyon - but would push us even further away from the current official timeline.


What If We Move Odessa?
For starters, moving the date of Operation Odessa forward would mean moving the White Base's Belfast visit, its arrival in Jaburo, and probably the first airborne attack. If we go with the TV series continuity, in which Char makes a second attack on Jaburo some time after the airborne attack fails, then we could keep that second attack at November 30 and move the first one forward.

Operation Odessa is also depicted in episode 7 of The 08th MS Team. Based on the timing information given in the anime, the Apsaras was sighted at the testing ground five days before the end of Operation Odessa; its clash with the 08th MS Team happens on the same day Operation Odessa ends, and Shiro and Aina crash in the Himalayas the day after that. Ten days later, Shiro is being grilled by Alice Miller, and one day after that he goes to try and assist Kiki's village (which has been taken over by Zeon soldiers escaping from Odessa). By the timeline above, they'd have been in the field for about two weeks when the Apsaras is sighted at the testing ground, and Miller's Report would take place one month after the start of the series.

A bigger problem is MS Igloo, which depicts events related to Operation Odessa a couple of times (in the Zudah and Guntank episodes) and slaps a big old date stamp on them, which at the very least seems to qualify the current timeline as official. In any case, if the Zudah begins testing on October 24, it would be silly for the testing to end a couple of days later, and it would be better if we could retain that November 9 date for the final test flight.

What I'd note here is that the aftereffects of Odessa shown in the Zudah episode - Earth orbit is filled with mobile suits and supply transports after a massive evacuation - don't actually resemble the end of the battle as depicted in First Gundam, where M'Quve escapes in a Zanzibar and abandons all of his soldiers to fend for themselves. According to the MSV books, most of the Zeon forces from Odessa flee southward into Africa and eastward towards the Baikonur spaceport, which is the site of a subsequent battle as the pursuing Federation forces catch up with them.

So one possible rationalization would be that the actual battle at Odessa ends in late October, when M'Quve escapes into space, but the overall campaign continues until November 9 when Earth orbit is filled with the Zeon forces evacuated from Baikonur. Not at all official, but perhaps something interesting to consider.


What If We DON'T Move Odessa?
The alternative would be to find a good rationale for keeping the date of Operation Odessa as it is in the current official timeline. As I think we've established by now, the White Base is moving pretty continuously from when it gets Revil's five-day deadline to just before Ramba Ral's death, when it's crossed the Caspian Sea and has now parked to await further instructions. So if we're going to shim in an extra couple of weeks, I think it should probably be after Ramba Ral's death.

One possibility might be to put the extra time in between Hamon's final attack (episode 22) and the White Base's grounding at M'Quve's hands (episode 23). It does seem like a bit of time has passed in between, as the White Base has gone from grieving over Ryu's death, to wandering around taking out M'Quve's bauxite mines. What's more, I just noticed that the opening narration of episode 23 says that the White Base is now moving through Central Asia on its way to Europe.

When we last saw the White Base in episode 22, it was in the western part of Turkey, which is technically in Western Asia, virtually on the threshold of Europe. The fact that the White Base was almost in Europe as of in episode 22 contributed to my impression that very little time passes between this and episode 23, but if it's actually now in Central Asia, then it would have had to double back and start working its way around the eastern side of the Caspian Sea again!

On the face of it, the notion that the White Base makes it all the way across Turkey, and then reverses course and retraces its path all the way back to Central Asia, seems even daffier than the other weird theories I've proposed here. But I guess this would certainly give it something to do for a couple of weeks while the rest of the Federation Forces drag their heels, and moves it to the east of Odessa as suggested by the onscreen maps in Gundam II.

If we can retain the date of November 7-9 for Operation Odessa, that's certainly going to minimize conflicts with the official timeline. It also means we get to retain one of my favorite obscure event dates - the first combat deployment of the G-Fighter on November 2, during the White Base's rescue of Matilda's transport corps.

-- Mark