Last modified: 2008-11-08 by marc pasquin
Keywords: gundam | federated union of earth | republic of zeon | principality of zeon | neo zeon | united nations troops spacy | federal forces | anti earth-union group | titans corps |
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The original Gundam saga consists of the works set in the Universal
Century timeline; later spinoffs set in alternate universes are not
directly related. Usually referred to collectively as 'UC Gundam,' its
setting is a future period in which the large majority of humanity has
migrated off a polluted and overcrowded planet to live in giant space
colonies in lunar orbit. The TV shows, OAV's, movies, novels, comics and
video games are concerned largely with a series of violent conflicts
between a monolithic central authority on Earth and a sucession of
radically independence-minded regimes that spring up among the
colonists. The principal combatants in the early part of the UC Gundam
timeline are the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon.
Eugene Ipavec, 2 january 2005
by Eugene Ipavec, 31 december 2004
Given enormous freedom and an unscrupulous, power-hungry
leadership, the Titans soon turn corrupt and brutal. Hunting down Zeon
extremists takes a backseat to keeping the colonists in their place.
After a particularely egregious atrocity--where the Titans put down an
anti-Federation riot with nerve gas--the AEUG is formed. Consisting of a
broad coalition, including dissident elements of the Federal goverment,
defectors from the Federal Forces, moderates among the
independence-minded colonists and former members of the Zeon military,
the AEUG resists the Titans with mixed results. The acronym stands for
'Anti-Earth-Union Group'--I know, kind of redundant, it's written right
on the flag. The design--Earth, Moon, plus a white ring for the
colonies--is prabably meant as a claim toward representing the entire
Earthsphere.
Eugene Ipavec, 31 december 2004
by Eugene Ipavec, 31 december 2004
The Federation (formally, the Federated Union of Earth) is an UN-style world
government that is liberal and somewhat democratic but is also corrupt,
overbearing, oligarchic, paralyzed with bureaucracy and rather
incompetent-and which gets progressively less liberal and democratic as the
series' timeline progresses, on top. The Federation's flag is not featured
that often-it never appears in the original series at all. It is, however,
shown waving during the title
sequence of Gundam episode 0083: Stardust Memory, where the design can be made out
very clearly, though the colors are a bit iffy because of poor lighting. The
flag seems to be modeled after that of
the UN, with the Earth in the center of a blue field, with the
diamond-shaped field possibly
lifted from the Brazilian flag in a subtle attempt to suggest the
Federation's somewhat
banana-republic-like tendencies toward instability and repression.
Eugene Ipavec, 21 may 2003
by Eugene Ipavec, 31 december 2004
The flag of the Earth Federal Forces, the
Earth Federation's military. The central symbol is a variant on the
Federation's arms. This flag actually appears in the original series, in
the scene where General Reville is being welcomed at the captured Zeonic
asteroid fortress of Solomon, as well as in the Gundam: The Origin
manga, at the signing of the Antarctic Treaty. This may mean that the
EFF flag also serves as the flag of the Federation during the One Year
War period, due to the interruption of civilian control. If so, the
'earth' design is restored to use at some point between the end of the
war in Jan. 0080 and early 0083.
Eugene Ipavec, 21 may 2003
Click for a larger version
by Eugene Ipavec, 31 december 2004
This banner can be seen hanging at the back of the hall
during the court-martial scene in Gundam:The 08th MS Team. I would guess
it is a ceremonial version of the EFF flag.
Eugene Ipavec, 21 may 2003
by Eugene Ipavec, 31 december 2004
The flag of the space arm of the Federal Forces. The
acronym stands for 'United Nations Troops Spacy', though the official
translation has used the term 'Earth Federation Space Forces,' which
also appears onscreen. The U.N.T. Army and Navy presumably also have
flags, but they are never shown in the animations. This flag can be seen
in a newspaper photo in Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, announcing the
signing of an armistice to conclude the One Year War. The picture is in
b&w, but as the symbol of the Federal Forces is shown frequently on
spacecraft and uniform patches and is always red-and-gold, it is a
reasonable assumption that this color scheme carries over to the flag.
When shown on display screens the initials U.N.T. are punctuated, but on
the treaty-signing flag they are not.
Eugene Ipavec, 31 december 2004
by Eugene Ipavec, 31 december 2004
Three years after the conclusion of the war, the Delaz
incident--a series of massive terrorist attacks--prompts a turn toward
authoritarianism within the Federation. A new branch of the Federal
Forces is established for the task of maintaining internal security and
supressing anti-Federation militancy: the Titans Corps. Their flag
appears now and then in Zeta Gundam, often behind Jamitov Heimann at
press conferences. There is another version, with a more stylized bird
and lacking the red star.
Eugene Ipavec, 31 december 2004
gfr1.gif)
by Eugene Ipavec, 10 january 2005
gfr2.gif)
by Eugene Ipavec, 10 january 2005
This version appears in Gundam 0080, on a Medea heavy cargo aircraft.
Eugene Ipavec, 10 january 2005
by Eugene Ipavec, 2 january 2005
The Principality of Zeon is a
militaristic, totalitarian regime, based in a cluster of space colonies
in Side3 (L2). It starts a vicious war of agression against the
Federation, nominally to gain independence and sef-determination for of
all the space colonists. In practice their aim is to control the entire
Earthsphere. The Zeon flag is a quite blatant ripoff of the Nazis, with
the Sigil of Zeon in place of the swastika. The sigil represents
Contolism, the philosophy of Zeon Zum Deikun, the founder of the
Republic of Zeon. Originally, simply a philosophy of self-determination,
but it is later hijacked by radical nationalists who pervert it into a
fascist ideology of strenght and colonial supremacism. The Principality
as originally depicted was only a fairly generic unpleasant regime, with
a violently xenophobic nationalism having infected an othewise
legitimate cause--the Nazi allusions were gradually introduced in
assorted sequels over the course of the decade after the original Gundam
series aired in 1979. This flag can be seen flying off the conning tower
of a Zeon sub in Gundam 0083, among other places.
in 1979. The flag can be seen flying off the conning tower of a Zeon sub in
Gundam 0083,
among other places.
Eugene Ipavec, 2 january 2005
by Eugene Ipavec, 2 january 2005
An alternate version of the Zeon flag. It appears only in
the Origin graphic novel, which makes certain changes to the plot and is
considered a step above semi-canonical.
Eugene Ipavec, 2 january 2005
by Eugene Ipavec, 10 january 2005
Another flag of the Principality of Zeon. It is
identical to the common one except that a different variant of the Sigil
of Zeon appears in the center. It was used in the 2004 series MS IGLOO:
Confidential Files of the One Year War (Kidou Senshi Gundam MS IGLOO:
Ichinen Sensou Hiwa). An image of the flag appears here
Eugene Ipavec, 10 january 2005
gzns.gif)
by Eugene Ipavec, 11 january 2005
by Eugene Ipavec, 3 september 2005
a flag from the 1989
anime series "Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory." It appears in episode 8
over Haman Karn's seat of honor at a cabinet meeting. Karn holds the
post of regent in the Zeon goverment-in-exile during the minority of the
legitimate heir, Minerva Zabi; that would make this her standard as
Regent of the Principality.
Eugene Ipavec, 3 september 2005
by Eugene Ipavec, 2 january 2005
At the end of the One Year War a faction of Zeon
hardliners retreats to the Pricipality's asteroid fortress of Axis, in
the asteroid belt. There they proceed to label the republican
authorities at home traitors and declare themselves Neo Zeon, the
legitimate embodiment of the Pricipality in exile, and sponsor acts of
'resistance' against the Feds. The Axis flag is a variant of the
Principality's. This is another case where I cannot find a clear enough
image to ascertain exactly which flavor of Zeon sigil is in use. But
I've eliminated three, so it's a 50/50 shot. However, it should likely
be labeled as provisional.
Eugene Ipavec, 2 january 2005
by Eugene Ipavec, 2 january 2005
After 0090, a new faction of Neo Zeon takes form
in the Earthsphere, at the refugee colony of Sweetwater. They use a
flag bearing a stylized winged design taken from One Year War-era Zeon
military uniforms--the faction leader had been an ace in the War.
Eugene Ipavec, 2 january 2005
by Eugene Ipavec, 2 january 2005
Just prior to the end of the One Year War the Principality of Zeon is dissolved, and the Republic of Zeon reestablished. The Republic adopts a new flag at that time, though it is uncertain whether this is a new flag or simply the restored pre-Principality flag of the Zeon Republic. It might even be the original flag of Munzo Province, as Side 3 had been known before the revolution.
The three stars are presumably a reference to the Republic's location in Side 3 at the L-2 LaGrange libration point, in lunar orbit. The object to the left is a stylized representation of a open-type O'Neill space colony cylinder--actually a screwup in the graphics dept. as Side 3 is supposed to be made up entirely of closed-type 'Viviarium' colonies.
The flag appears in a newspaper photo in the final episode of 'Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket', so all the colors are grayscale, but the design is very plain and visible. The three stars would probably look better a bit more to the right--this may be a perspective problem, but I rendered it as it appeared onscreen.
I thought this was a good example of a transitional flag--practical,
neutral, a bit dull--it reminds me vaguely of the postwar Bosnian one.
Eugene Ipavec, 2 january 2005
This flag belongs to Riah Republic, which is used to
be Side 6.
kim tiu, 2 december 2006
While the flag is not identified on screen, authoritative sources,
including the now-defunct gundamproject.com whose owner currently runs
the license holder's official English-language website, have considered
the event it is displayed at to be the armistice ceremony concluding the
One Year War, which would mean the flag would have to represent to the
Republic of Zeon (the Riah Republic had been neutral). Expert opinion
isn't infallible, of course.
Eugene Ipavec, 14 january 2005