Gundam Sentinel
Encyclopedia
is a novel set in the Universal Century
timeline of the Gundam
universe, originally serialized in Model Graphix magazine between September 1987 and August 1988. Gundam Sentinel became a cult hit, due to its super-detailed mechanical designs and an intricate story by veteran writer Masaya Takahashi. Set between the final phase of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
and the early stages of ZZ Gundam
in UC 0088, the story shows the Earth Federation
's efforts to stop an insurrection of elite Federation officers.
Gundam Sentinel took on a much more realistic, technical style of thinking and look at the Gundam universe, where mobile suits were seen more as fighter jets or military weapons. They were larger, had weapons more powerful than their predecessors', the characters were older, and the plot was on a smaller scale than what is usually found in other Gundam series. It also marked the debut of Hajime Katoki
, who would become one of the franchise's most prolific mechanical designers. Gundam Sentinel is one of the most well known Gundam side stories to have been published, and is noted by Gundam fans as being one of the most mature stories in the franchise.
The series was never animated (although a short animated television commercial for a model kit was made) or released as a manga
, but the mecha have been featured in various SD Gundam video games, such as SD Gundam G Generation F
.
After the series completed its run, Model Graphix combined all of the individual articles into a 320-page photo-novel titled Gundam Wars III: Gundam Sentinel -The Battle of Real Gundam-, which also includes new material. It was released in September 1989 and is highly regarded as one of the best Gundam novels ever written. In July 1990, the story was again republished as a novel titled Gundam Sentinel: Alice's Confession. Gundam Wars III was also reprinted in 1994, but it only has articles on the model kits, shortening its size to only 216 pages.
originally proposed to Model Graphix the idea of having the first "non-visual" Gundam, that is, a series totally devoid of animation production and manga
as its source material. Model Graphix liked the proposal, since there was a model release vacancy between Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
and the next animated Gundam
series, and it would be perfect to release their first model kit for the series, the FA-010A FAZZ.
However, after the first few meetings, and with only part of the story and a few of the mechanical designs in place, Bandai began to lose interest in the project due to the anticipated release of Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
, and claiming that the simultaneous release of two Gundam stories would confuse fans. As a result, Bandai abandoned the project with Model Graphix, putting it on "pending" status. With only an alternate color version of the FAZZ model released, the fan community started to doubt the authenticity of Sentinel (due to the display of a sample model kit at the 1987 Japan Hobby Show). Bandai did not take action to defend the issue.
The then-editor of Newtype magazine
was displeased with this turn of events, and added Gundam Sentinel into its August 1987 issue, with a Gundam Saga II cover special. Six pages of a brief, detailed introduction to the story was inserted, with the words This is REAL!! added to confirm its authenticity. The six pages include detailed schematics of the titular machine, the MSA-0011 Superior Gundam
, Hideaki Anno's artwork of a battle between a MSA-007 Nero and a RMS-141 Xeku Eins Type-1 mobile suit, and Hajime Katoki's design of the Superior Gundam.
Once the fan community built up the anticipation of Gundam Sentinel, Bandai decided to go ahead with the serialization of Sentinel, beginning with the September issue of Model Graphix. While Model Graphix would hold the rights to the story, characters, and mobile units, Bandai would have the sole copyright of releasing its models. Wanting to hold onto their partnership, Bandai displayed all five of the sample model kits for the Gundam Sentinel line with full descriptions at the 1988 Japan Hobby Show. The Model Graphix team regarded that year's event as a "Victory", compared to the previous show in 1987, where only a lone Superior Gundam was displayed without any descriptions.
fortress Pezun rebel against the Federation leadership, which has allied with the Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG). The so-called "New Desides" swear to uphold the Titans' ideology of Earthnoid supremacy. The Federation assembles Task Force Alpha, a small force of EFSF, AEUG, and Karaba
veterans equipped with the most advanced mobile suits, and sends them to Pezun to suppress the rebellion before it gets out of hand. The most powerful of them, the MSA-0011 Superior Gundam
, is equipped with an artificial intelligence
named ALICE (Advanced Logistic and Inconsequence Cognizing Equipment).
Task Force Alpha arrives at Pezun and engages the New Desides troops. In the midst of the action, the rebels detach parts of Pezun that have been torn from the main asteroid and throw them at the Alpha force, which loses two Salamis-class cruisers.
Meanwhile, at Ayers City on the moon, a separate New Desides force is being pursued by a Federation fleet led by Admiral Brian Aeno - who suddenly defects to the rebels. Task Force Alpha mounts a full-scale assault on the asteroid, forcing most of the rebels to pull out and head for the city, with a small contingent on Pezun providing cover fire and wiring the base to self-destruct with a nuclear weapon. Task Force Alpha realizes the deception and escape just before the asteroid explodes.
Task Force Alpha begins to probe Ayers City with units of Neros which are quickly defeated by the Gundam Mk V piloted by New Desides leader Brave Cod. The New Desides launches a powerful counterattack just as Task Force Alpha drops mobile suits into the area. They also use a logic bomb that paralyzes Alpha's mobile suits after spies crack their operating systems' software. The EFSF counters the programming, but orders a retreat because of the high casualties and sends reinforcements, designated Task Force Beta.
Task Forces Alpha and Beta launch Operation Eagle Fall, an all-out assault on Ayers City. The New Desides fails to rally nearby other lunar cities to their cause. The fighting is spread out over 11 days. Cod also goes on a rampage, destroying Task Force Alpha's three-man FAZZ squad, but is killed by EFSF pilot Ryu Roots and his Extraordinary-Superior Gundam
. Ayers Mayor Kaiser Pinefield surrenders after learning of Cod's death, while the Axis Zeon arrive to extract the remaining New Desides forces.
New Desides master strategist Tosh Cray assumes control of the group. He plans to hijack the relay station Penta and drop it on the Federation Senate at Dakar
. To boost the New Desides' chances of success, the Axis Zeon supplies them with the massive Zodiac mobile armor, which is capable of atmospheric reentry.
The Task Force Alpha flagship Pegasus III is deployed to pursue the New Desides at Penta. Arriving at the station, the Pegasus III and its remaining mobile suits confront Cray and the Zodiac. The New Desides' remaining members fly out in a shuttle. The Superior Gundam launches with Roots and pilots Shin Crypt and Tex West aboard with Zeta Plus units in support. The Zeta Plus mobile suits are destroyed and the Zodiac separates into two halves called Zoans while Cray launches from the rear of the Zodiac’s hull in a Xeku Zwei mobile suit. Roots destroys one Zoan and is about to dispatch the other when Cray engages him in close combat. He breaks away from the fight and reboards the Zodiac before he falls into the atmosphere.
Realizing the desperate situation, ALICE, the Superior Gundam's AI, ejects its Core Fighter with Ryu inside. The now-self-aware
mobile suit chases and destroys the New Desides survivors during the orbital descent, but breaks up under the blistering heat.
Universal Century
is the original timeline of the Gundam anime metaseries. The official English name U.C. is often used instead in recent production like MS Igloo and Master Grade model instructions and official pages is the original timeline of the Gundam anime metaseries. The official English name U.C....
timeline of the Gundam
Gundam
The is a metaseries of anime created by Sunrise studios that features giant robots called "Mobile Suits" ; usually the protagonist's MS will carry the name Gundam....
universe, originally serialized in Model Graphix magazine between September 1987 and August 1988. Gundam Sentinel became a cult hit, due to its super-detailed mechanical designs and an intricate story by veteran writer Masaya Takahashi. Set between the final phase of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
is a television anime, part of the Gundam series and a sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam. The show was created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, with character designs by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, while the series' mechanical designs is split amongst Kunio Okawara, Mamoru Nagano, and Kazumi Fujita...
and the early stages of ZZ Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
is a TV series aired on Japanese TV from 1986–1987, was the third Gundam series, and a direct follow up to Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. Director Yoshiyuki Tomino returned to lead the series, and he assembled a new team consisting of character designer Hiroyuki Kitazume, who had been one of Zeta...
in UC 0088, the story shows the Earth Federation
Earth Federation
The is a fictional organization in the Universal Century timeline of the Gundam anime series. The name also made a reappearance outside of the Gundam series in following media.* Godzilla vs...
's efforts to stop an insurrection of elite Federation officers.
Gundam Sentinel took on a much more realistic, technical style of thinking and look at the Gundam universe, where mobile suits were seen more as fighter jets or military weapons. They were larger, had weapons more powerful than their predecessors', the characters were older, and the plot was on a smaller scale than what is usually found in other Gundam series. It also marked the debut of Hajime Katoki
Hajime Katoki
is a popular Japanese mecha designer. A member of the studio Sunrise, he is highly noted for his work on the Gundam series as well as his work on video games, such as the Virtual On series and Policenauts.-Biography:...
, who would become one of the franchise's most prolific mechanical designers. Gundam Sentinel is one of the most well known Gundam side stories to have been published, and is noted by Gundam fans as being one of the most mature stories in the franchise.
The series was never animated (although a short animated television commercial for a model kit was made) or released as a manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, but the mecha have been featured in various SD Gundam video games, such as SD Gundam G Generation F
SD Gundam G Generation
SD Gundam G Generation is a series of strategy-RPG video games that focus on the Gundam anime franchise.-History:The G Generation series technically began in 1996, when Bandai released a series of six games for Nintendo's Super Famicom console's Sufami Turbo add-on, each focusing on a particular...
.
After the series completed its run, Model Graphix combined all of the individual articles into a 320-page photo-novel titled Gundam Wars III: Gundam Sentinel -The Battle of Real Gundam-, which also includes new material. It was released in September 1989 and is highly regarded as one of the best Gundam novels ever written. In July 1990, the story was again republished as a novel titled Gundam Sentinel: Alice's Confession. Gundam Wars III was also reprinted in 1994, but it only has articles on the model kits, shortening its size to only 216 pages.
Production
BandaiBandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
originally proposed to Model Graphix the idea of having the first "non-visual" Gundam, that is, a series totally devoid of animation production and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
as its source material. Model Graphix liked the proposal, since there was a model release vacancy between Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
is a TV series aired on Japanese TV from 1986–1987, was the third Gundam series, and a direct follow up to Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. Director Yoshiyuki Tomino returned to lead the series, and he assembled a new team consisting of character designer Hiroyuki Kitazume, who had been one of Zeta...
and the next animated Gundam
Gundam
The is a metaseries of anime created by Sunrise studios that features giant robots called "Mobile Suits" ; usually the protagonist's MS will carry the name Gundam....
series, and it would be perfect to release their first model kit for the series, the FA-010A FAZZ.
However, after the first few meetings, and with only part of the story and a few of the mechanical designs in place, Bandai began to lose interest in the project due to the anticipated release of Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
is a 1988 anime film set in Gundam's Universal Century timeline of Gundam, specifically U.C. 0093.Making its theatrical debut on March 12, 1988, Char's Counterattack is the culmination of the original saga begun in Mobile Suit Gundam and continued through Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Mobile Suit...
, and claiming that the simultaneous release of two Gundam stories would confuse fans. As a result, Bandai abandoned the project with Model Graphix, putting it on "pending" status. With only an alternate color version of the FAZZ model released, the fan community started to doubt the authenticity of Sentinel (due to the display of a sample model kit at the 1987 Japan Hobby Show). Bandai did not take action to defend the issue.
The then-editor of Newtype magazine
Newtype (magazine)
is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga . It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985 with its April issue, and has since seen regular release on the 10th of every month in its home country...
was displeased with this turn of events, and added Gundam Sentinel into its August 1987 issue, with a Gundam Saga II cover special. Six pages of a brief, detailed introduction to the story was inserted, with the words This is REAL!! added to confirm its authenticity. The six pages include detailed schematics of the titular machine, the MSA-0011 Superior Gundam
MSA-0011 S Gundam
The MSA-0011 S Gundam is a prototype transformable mobile suit that appears in the Gundam novel Gundam Sentinel. It is not only piloted by the protagonist, but the onboard AI, A.L.I.C.E., is also one of its pilots.- MSA-0011 S Gundam :...
, Hideaki Anno's artwork of a battle between a MSA-007 Nero and a RMS-141 Xeku Eins Type-1 mobile suit, and Hajime Katoki's design of the Superior Gundam.
Once the fan community built up the anticipation of Gundam Sentinel, Bandai decided to go ahead with the serialization of Sentinel, beginning with the September issue of Model Graphix. While Model Graphix would hold the rights to the story, characters, and mobile units, Bandai would have the sole copyright of releasing its models. Wanting to hold onto their partnership, Bandai displayed all five of the sample model kits for the Gundam Sentinel line with full descriptions at the 1988 Japan Hobby Show. The Model Graphix team regarded that year's event as a "Victory", compared to the previous show in 1987, where only a lone Superior Gundam was displayed without any descriptions.
Plot
Earth Federation Space Force (EFSF) officers stationed at the asteroidAsteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
fortress Pezun rebel against the Federation leadership, which has allied with the Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG). The so-called "New Desides" swear to uphold the Titans' ideology of Earthnoid supremacy. The Federation assembles Task Force Alpha, a small force of EFSF, AEUG, and Karaba
Universal Century Nations and Factions
This is a list of fictional nations and factions of the Universal Century timeline of the fictional Gundam anime metaseries.-Earth Federation:...
veterans equipped with the most advanced mobile suits, and sends them to Pezun to suppress the rebellion before it gets out of hand. The most powerful of them, the MSA-0011 Superior Gundam
MSA-0011 S Gundam
The MSA-0011 S Gundam is a prototype transformable mobile suit that appears in the Gundam novel Gundam Sentinel. It is not only piloted by the protagonist, but the onboard AI, A.L.I.C.E., is also one of its pilots.- MSA-0011 S Gundam :...
, is equipped with an artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
named ALICE (Advanced Logistic and Inconsequence Cognizing Equipment).
Task Force Alpha arrives at Pezun and engages the New Desides troops. In the midst of the action, the rebels detach parts of Pezun that have been torn from the main asteroid and throw them at the Alpha force, which loses two Salamis-class cruisers.
Meanwhile, at Ayers City on the moon, a separate New Desides force is being pursued by a Federation fleet led by Admiral Brian Aeno - who suddenly defects to the rebels. Task Force Alpha mounts a full-scale assault on the asteroid, forcing most of the rebels to pull out and head for the city, with a small contingent on Pezun providing cover fire and wiring the base to self-destruct with a nuclear weapon. Task Force Alpha realizes the deception and escape just before the asteroid explodes.
Task Force Alpha begins to probe Ayers City with units of Neros which are quickly defeated by the Gundam Mk V piloted by New Desides leader Brave Cod. The New Desides launches a powerful counterattack just as Task Force Alpha drops mobile suits into the area. They also use a logic bomb that paralyzes Alpha's mobile suits after spies crack their operating systems' software. The EFSF counters the programming, but orders a retreat because of the high casualties and sends reinforcements, designated Task Force Beta.
Task Forces Alpha and Beta launch Operation Eagle Fall, an all-out assault on Ayers City. The New Desides fails to rally nearby other lunar cities to their cause. The fighting is spread out over 11 days. Cod also goes on a rampage, destroying Task Force Alpha's three-man FAZZ squad, but is killed by EFSF pilot Ryu Roots and his Extraordinary-Superior Gundam
MSA-0011 S Gundam
The MSA-0011 S Gundam is a prototype transformable mobile suit that appears in the Gundam novel Gundam Sentinel. It is not only piloted by the protagonist, but the onboard AI, A.L.I.C.E., is also one of its pilots.- MSA-0011 S Gundam :...
. Ayers Mayor Kaiser Pinefield surrenders after learning of Cod's death, while the Axis Zeon arrive to extract the remaining New Desides forces.
New Desides master strategist Tosh Cray assumes control of the group. He plans to hijack the relay station Penta and drop it on the Federation Senate at Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
. To boost the New Desides' chances of success, the Axis Zeon supplies them with the massive Zodiac mobile armor, which is capable of atmospheric reentry.
The Task Force Alpha flagship Pegasus III is deployed to pursue the New Desides at Penta. Arriving at the station, the Pegasus III and its remaining mobile suits confront Cray and the Zodiac. The New Desides' remaining members fly out in a shuttle. The Superior Gundam launches with Roots and pilots Shin Crypt and Tex West aboard with Zeta Plus units in support. The Zeta Plus mobile suits are destroyed and the Zodiac separates into two halves called Zoans while Cray launches from the rear of the Zodiac’s hull in a Xeku Zwei mobile suit. Roots destroys one Zoan and is about to dispatch the other when Cray engages him in close combat. He breaks away from the fight and reboards the Zodiac before he falls into the atmosphere.
Realizing the desperate situation, ALICE, the Superior Gundam's AI, ejects its Core Fighter with Ryu inside. The now-self-aware
Self-awareness
Self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to reconcile oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals...
mobile suit chases and destroys the New Desides survivors during the orbital descent, but breaks up under the blistering heat.
Earth Federation Forces
- Ryu Roots
- Shin Crypt
- Tex West
- Eton Heathrow
- Stole Mannings
- Sigman Shade
- Chung Yung