Editing Gundam (section)

==Overview==
===Concept===
[[File:Gundam.jpg|thumb|[[Gundam (fictional robot)|RX-78-2 Gundam]] by [[Hajime Katoki]]]]''Mobile Suit Gundam'' was developed by animator [[Yoshiyuki Tomino]] and a changing group of Sunrise creators with the collective pseudonym of [[Hajime Yatate]]. The series was originally entitled ''Freedom Fighter Gunboy'' (or ''Gunboy'') for the robot's gun, with teen boys as the primary target demographic. Early production had a number of references to [[Freedom (political)|freedom]]: the [[White Base]], the casts home and ship, was originally "Freedom's Fortress", the Core Fighter was the "Freedom Wing" and the Gunperry was the "Freedom Cruiser". The Yatate team combined the English word "gun" with the last syllable of the word "freedom" to form the [[portmanteau]] ''Gundom''. Tomino changed it to ''Gundam'', suggesting a unit wielding a gun powerful enough to hold back enemies like a hydroelectric [[dam]] holding back water.<ref>Gundam Archives, production notes</ref>

In keeping with the concept, Gundams are usually depicted as prototypes or limited-production with higher capabilities than mass-produced units, which are often referred to simply as ''mobile suits''. Most Gundams are large, bipedal, [[humanoid]] vehicles controlled from a [[cockpit]] by a human pilot. The cockpit is regularly located in the [[torso]] with some notable exceptions, while the [[head]] serves as a camera to transmit images back to the cockpit. Throughout the series of shows, movies, and manga, a variety of different suits named Gundam appear with different designs and pilots specific to each series.

===Genre & Innovation===
''Mobile Suit Gundam'' reportedly pioneered the [[real robot]] subgenre of [[mecha anime]].<ref name="Oppliger">{{cite web|url=http://www.animenation.net/blog/2007/10/12/ask-john-which-gundam-series-have-had-the-most-impact-on-anime/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616111552/http://www.animenation.net/blog/2007/10/12/ask-john-which-gundam-series-have-had-the-most-impact-on-anime/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 16, 2009|title=Ask John: Which Gundam Series Have Had the Most Impact on Anime?|first=John|last=Oppliger|author-link=AnimeNation#John Oppliger|date=October 12, 2007|access-date=July 28, 2009|publisher=[[AnimeNation]]}}</ref> In contrast to its [[super robot]] cousins, ''Mobile Suit Gundam'' attempted realism in its robot design and weaponry by running out of energy and ammunition or malfunctioning. Its technology is derived from actual science (such as [[Lagrange points]] and the [[O'Neill cylinder]] in space, and the use of [[helium-3]] as an energy source) or feasible technology requiring only a few fictional elements to function (such as Minovsky Physics).<ref>"Gundam Science, the High Frontier - G.K. O'neil's Space Colonization Plan, Gundam Century", ''[[Out (magazine)|Out]]'' special edition, Renewal Version</ref> The series itself has also been described as a [[space opera]] for its broad plots revolving around politics.<ref name="Stuckmann2018">{{cite book |author=Chris Stuckmann |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dFxZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT42 |title=Anime Impact: The Movies and Shows that Changed the World of Japanese Animation |date=May 15, 2018 |publisher=Mango Media Inc. |isbn=978-1-63353-733-0 |page=42}}</ref>

However, there is a secondary element to many series that runs counter to this image. Most of the series' protagonists are something called {{vanchor|Newtypes}}, genetically advanced humans adapted for space. Newtypes have [[extrasensory perception|psychic abilities]] that enable them to do a variety of superhuman feats that differ from series to series. These range from an ability for instant understanding of other Newtypes' thoughts and desires, an enhanced sense perception that is regularly tied to piloting skills, and the capacity to utilize special mobile suits and weapons that tap into these newtype senses.

==={{anchor|Narrative}}Timelines===
Most of the ''Gundam'' animation (including the earliest series) is set in what is known as the Universal Century (UC) [[calendar era]], with later series set in alternate calendars or [[alternate future|timelines]]. Many UC shows were directed by series creator Tomino, especially throughout the 80s and 90s. However, many new ''Gundam'' stories are told in their parallel universe with independent timelines (giving jumping on points for newer generations of kids). The original UC storyline continues to be popular, with new installments frequently produced in and around the other established stories. Nostalgia for the oldest ''Gundam'' shows (and its status as a pop-culture icon in Japan) is a factor in its continuing success.<ref>[http://www.mhi.co.jp/news/sec1/020220nl.html] ''機動戦士ガンダムは、同じくバンダイグループの（株）サンライズが制作し、1979年4月～1980年1月にテレビシリーズ第1作が放映されて以来、テレビシリーズ8作品、劇場用映画9作品などが公開され、20年以上にわたり人気を保っています。米国をはじめ、ヨーロッパ、アジアでも作品が放映され、各地で高い人気を得ています。''</ref> 

Other notable timelines include the Cosmic Era, (Gundam Seed, Seed Destiny, and Seed Freedom), Anno Domini (00, 00: Awakening of The Trail Blazer) and many others. These act as much more self contained narratives, re-adapting and playing off of many of the series core tropes in more modern ways built for the times in which they were released in.

===Spinoffs===
''[[SD Gundam]]'', a spinoff of ''Gundam'' which began during the mid-1980s, features [[super deformed]] designs and emphasizes comedy and adventure. ''[[Model Suit Gunpla Builders Beginning G]]'', ''[[Gundam Build Fighters]]'', and ''[[Gundam Build Divers]]'' feature contemporary settings and use Gunpla as plot elements.