Space Colony (U.C.)

Space colony construction in the early UC era.

In the Universal Century timeline, space colonies are placed at five gravitationally stable points in space, known as Lagrangian points. In most cases, a Lagrangian Point is home to more than one group of space colonies. Individual colonies are known as "Bunches", and a group of colonies that occupy a Lagrangian Point are known collectively as a "Side". Because Sides sometimes share a single Lagrangian Point, it is possible to have two Sides in close orbit to one another. All colonies in the Universal Century are O'Neill "Island 3" type colony cylinders.

The first 50 years of the Universal Century were spent building the various colonies and placing them in the Lagrangian Points, as well as colonizing the moon. By UC 0050 9 billion of the 11 billion people in the Earth Federation live in space colonies or on the moon. In UC0051 the Federation froze plans for additional colony development, and in UC0084 reorganized the remaining Sides into different Lagrangian Points. With the re-organization of the Sides completed, the Federation announced that the status quo would be maintained. In the latter half of the Second Universal Century the construction of new colonies was restarted.

Side 1

The Earth sphere circa U.C. 0084-0123, following the reorganization of the Sides. This map is used in all U.C. shows set after U.C. 0084, including Zeta Gundam, Char's Counterattack, and Gundam F91. Note that the designations Side 4, Side 5, and Side 6 have been reassigned.

Side 1 is located at Lagrangian point 5 (L5), and is called Zarn. This side serves as the Earth Federation's space capital. This side was also one of the first colonial bunches the Principality of Zeon attacked during the One Year War. Side 1 is home to several colonies, among them Shangri-La, Londenion, 30 Bunch, Island Blade, Island Ease, and the Pia Albanian colony.

Side 2

Side 2 is called Hatte, and is located at L4. This was one of the first Sides attacked by the Zeon during the One Week War. Some experts speculate that the colony used for Operation: British may have been taken from Side 2. Later, this Side adopted the name Zanscare Empire. Side 2 is home to Island Iffish Bunch 13, the 18th Block, and the 21st Block.

Side 3

A "closed-type" O'Neill Colony.

Side 3 is located behind the moon, at L2, and is known as Munzo. Side 3 was the only Side to never use the "open-type" colonies. They instead used "closed-type" colonies, which removed the glass "sky" panels and was a completely "solid" cylinder with no open view to space. This allowed each colony to house greater capacities of people.

In UC 0052, Zeon Zum Deikun moved to Side 3 and began to spread his philosophy of Contolism - essentially that the earth was sacred, and that human beings had a solemn right to protect it. This philosophy also encouraged the people of the space colonies to considered themselves independent from earth. In UC 0058, under the guidance of Zeon Zum Deikun, Side 3 declared independence from the Earth Federation and formed the Republic of Zeon. In UC 0068, Deikun died under mysterious circumstances, and Degwin Zabi took control of the Republic of Zeon.

Under Degwin's leadership, the Republic of Zeon became a dictatorship, and the National Guard regiments Side 3 maintained became a full fledged army. On August 15, UC 0069, Degwin announced the formation of the Principality of Zeon, setting himself up as the ruler and giving his four children unilateral control of the military forces. Simultaneous with this announcement came severe purges of the remaining followers of Zeon Zum Deikun living in Side 3. Between UC 0069 and UC 0078 the Principality of Zeon began mass producing various warships and mobile suits in anticipation of an armed conflict with the Federation.

After the One Year War Side 3 came under the control of Prime Minister Darcia Bakharov, who sued for peace. Bakharov and the Federation reached an agreement whereby the Principality of Zeon would surrender, and Side 3 would be allowed to maintain its independence under its previous title, the Republic of Zeon. The deal also allowed the Republic to maintain an armed force which would be subject to periodic inspections by the Federation. Although the agreement formally ended the war many Principality supporters rejected the offer, and chose instead to go into hiding.

Side 3 received additional space colonies in 0082 and again in 0083 as part of the Colony Reclamation Project, which sought to ease the overcrowding of Side 3. Side 3 remained the Republic of Zeon until they rejoined the Federation in UC 0100.

Side 4

Side 4 is know as Mua, and is located at L5. During the reorganization of Sides in UC 0084, Side 4 was moved to L1. Side 4 was one of the first colonies attacked by the Zeon during the One Year War. Some experts have suggested that the colony used for Operation British originated here. Side 4 was eventually reconstructed into the Frontier Side in Gundam F-91 The only known colony in Side 4 is New Manhattan, which was the headquarters of the Illuminati resistance group in G-Saviour.

Side 5

Side 5 is known as Loum, and is located at L1. During the reorganization of the Sides in UC 0084, Side 5 was moved to L4. During the One Year War, this Side became a battle zone when the Principality of Zeon attempted to capture a colony from Side 5 to drop on the earth. When the Earth Federal Space Force intercepted the Zeon, a massive battle for Side 5, later called the Battle of Loum, erupted between the two forces. At the end of the One Year War this area became known as the shoal zone. Watohoat and the Texas Colony were both located in Side 5.

Side 6

Side 6 is known as Riah, and is located at L4. Side 6 declared independence from the Earth Federation on April UC0077, and thanks to backing from the Principality of Zeon, succeeded in gaining independence, at which point this Side adopts the name Riah Republic. Unlike Side 3, which went to war to claim total independence from the Earth Federation, Side 6 maintained diplomatic ties with the Federation, and left the Earth Federation on good terms. During the reorganization of Sides in UC 0084, Side 6 was moved to L5. Side 6 declared neutrality in the opening weeks of the One Year War, and managed to avoid most of the major battles of the war. Side 6 was targeted by the Zeon late in the One Year War after a Federation R&D base was discovered here. The story is told in Gundam 0080. Two colonies are known to be located in Side 6: Libot Colony and Baldur Bay.

Side 7

Side 7 is known as Noa, and is located at L3. At the time of its introduction in the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Side 7 consisted of a single, incomplete space colony that housed a Federation R&D base involved with the Vinson Plan. This Side became famous in September of UC 0079, when the assault carrier White Base and its Mobile Suits successfully fended off an attack by Zeon Mobile Suit pilots, and in doing so marked the first battle between Zeon and Federation MS inside a colony. After the war, this Side 7 colony is completed and given the name Green Noa 1. A second colony, known as Green Noa 2 and later renamed Gryps, is added to the cluster in U.C. 0085. There are two known colonies in Side 7: Green Noa and Gryps/Gryps II.

Side 8

Side 8

Symbol of Gaia

is known as Gaia and was a late addition to the Universal Century time line; its first appearance isn't until UC0223. Information on Side 8 is sketchy at best, but we do known that the colony is agricultural and that it is located at L1. The leader of Side 8 is Councilor Graves.

Additional Colonies

• Moon Moon: A lost "Island 1" type colony, home to a primitive group of space dwellers. Seen in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ.

• Sweetwater: A Space Colony from the Universal Century timeline. It was created through the combination of an Island 3 "open-type" colony with a "closed-type" colony as a place for refugees of the One Year War, Gryps Conflict, and the First Neo Zeon War. In UC0093, Neo Zeon, now led by Char Aznable, used the colony as a base from which they could launch another war against the Earth Federation. Due to Aznable's popularity among the colonists, Neo-Zeon's existence was hidden from the inspections conducted by the task force Londo Bell until the commencement of the Second Neo Zeon War.

• Laplace: a Stanford Torus type colony, used as the official residence for the prime minister of the Earth Federation. Destroyed UC0001.

Gallery

See Also

• Universal Century
• Late Universal Century

External Links

• Gundam Official Site