Gundam Hathaway is in the classic Universal Century timeline, continuing from the original Mobile Suit Gundam, but also starting a new trilogy
Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway, the newest movie in the Gundam franchise, is both a sequel to the original TV series and the beginning of a new series of films. The movie is set in the Universal Century continuity as part of an effort to return to the universe and timeline of the classic series. This means that Hathaway is meant as both a treat for old-school Gundam fans and a jumping-on point for new ones.
Having been around for over 40 years, the Gundam franchise has a somewhat tangled continuity. Many of the most popular series are set in standalone alternate universes, such as Gundam Wing, SEED, and Iron-Blooded Orphans. These shows are meant to be accessible to new and casual fans, and not burdened with decades of continuity. Like the current DC superhero movies, Gundam combines standalone works with those set in a broader continuity.
Hathaway is one of those stories set in the Universal Century timeline, which began in the original Mobile Suit Gundam series and continued through Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ, and fan-favorite movies and OVAs like Char's Counterattack, Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, and The 08th MS Team. Hathaway is set in the year UC 105, positioning it 26 years after the original Gundam, 18 years after Zeta, and eight years after the previous UC entry, the Gundam Narrative movie. There have been series and movies set after this point in time, such as Victory Gundam and the Gundam F91 movie, but given the poor reception of these projects, they may be remade or retconned in the future.
Just as Marvel's Phase 4 is introducing a new generation of heroes taking up classic mantles, Hathaway has many ties to earlier entries in the series. Hathaway Noa, the movie's eponymous protagonist, is the son of Bright Noa, a central figure in the original Gundam series. The mysterious terrorist persona of Mafty is explicitly compared to past characters like Amuro Ray and Char Aznable. However, Hathaway puts a new spin on these influences.
Hathaway is intended to be the first in a trilogy of movies adapting original Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino's Hathaway's Flash series of novels. It is also part of Gundam studio Sunrise's UC NeXt 0100 project, designed to create an interconnected universe of works detailing the next century of the UC continuity, which began with the Gundam Narrative movie. Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway's ending leaves the main conflict of the movie unresolved, setting up future installments in the franchise.
While there is a long list of Universal Century stories before Hathaway, the movie is also intended to be a fresh start for the timeline and introduces its central conflict in a way that new viewers can understand. Most of the continuity comes in occasional references to characters like Char or concepts like Newtypes which are not necessary to understand the plot. For those looking to catch up, Netflix, which streams Hathaway outside of Japan, also has the Gundam compilation movies that condense the classic TV shows into their most important points. Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway is thus designed to both continue the story that old-school Gundam fans began following decades ago while also engaging new viewers and launching a series of its own.
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