Advanced Generation

Advanced Generation (AG) is the timeline of Mobile Suit Gundam AGE. It is set several hundred years after mankind migrated into space and started living in space colonies. Wars on Earth had long ended and humanity appeared to be at peace until the appearance of a mysterious enemy known as the Unknown Enemy.

The Advanced Generation timeline is unique among Gundam series for its multi-generational narrative structure, following three generations of the Asuno family as they pilot successive Gundam mobile suits across a century-spanning conflict. The series explores themes of family legacy, the cyclical nature of war, and the evolution of mobile suit technology through the revolutionary AGE System.

Timeline

Main article: Advanced Generation timeline

The Advanced Generation timeline spans approximately one hundred years, encompassing what becomes known as the One Hundred Years War. Unlike other Gundam series that focus on single conflicts, AGE presents a generational saga that examines how war affects different eras and the people who inherit its consequences.

Year	Events
AG 101	Unknown Enemy destroys space colony Angel in “The Day the Angel Fell”
AG 108	Flit Asuno loses his mother in the UE attack on colony Ovan
AG 115	Mobile Suit Gundam AGE First Generation Arc begins; AGE-1 Gundam deployed
AG 140-142	Second Generation Arc; Asemu Asuno pilots AGE-2 Gundam
AG 164	Third Generation Arc; Kio Asuno inherits AGE-3 Gundam; final battle
AG 201	Peaceful resolution achieved between Earth Federation and Vagan

History

The Advanced Generation timeline begins with humanity having successfully migrated to space colonies several centuries prior, with wars on Earth having ended and an era of apparent peace established. However, this tranquil period was shattered in AG 101 when the Unknown Enemy launched their first devastating attack.

The Unknown Enemy emerges

In AG 101, the mysterious faction known only as the Unknown Enemy attacked and completely destroyed the space colony Angel. This brutal assault became infamous as “The Day the Angel Fell” and marked the beginning of what would later be known as the One Hundred Years War.

Seven years later, in AG 108, the UE attacked the peaceful colony Ovan, where seven-year-old Flit Asuno witnessed the death of his mother, Marina Asuno. Before dying, Marina gave Flit the AGE Device, a memory unit containing the blueprints for humanity’s legendary protector—the Gundam.

The truth behind the war

The conflict that defined the Advanced Generation timeline stemmed from a tragic betrayal in humanity’s past. Years before the UE attacks began, the Earth Federation had initiated a colonisation mission to Mars called “Mars’ Birthday” to ease overpopulation pressures in the Earth sphere.

The Mars colonists, however, fell victim to a deadly space-borne illness known as Mars Rays. Rather than mount a rescue mission, the Earth Federation made the callous decision to abandon the colonists entirely, leaving them to die on the hostile planet.

The survivors, embittered by this betrayal, established their own society called Vagan and swore revenge against the Earth Federation that had abandoned them. These forgotten colonists would eventually return as the Unknown Enemy, possessing advanced mobile suit technology and an unshakeable determination to reclaim Earth as their rightful home.

Mecha

Main article: Advanced Generation mecha

The Advanced Generation timeline is distinguished by its unique approach to mobile suit development through the AGE System. This revolutionary technology allows mobile suits to evolve and adapt based on combat data, automatically generating new equipment and upgrade packages called “Wear” systems.

Earth Federation mobile suits

The backbone of Federation forces consisted of the RGE-B790 Genoace, a versatile mass-production mobile suit. However, the true stars of the Federation arsenal were the three generations of Gundam developed by the Asuno family:

Each Gundam featured the AGE System, which could analyse combat situations and manufacture new “Wear” equipment to adapt to different mission requirements. The AGE-1 introduced forms like Titus for close combat and Spallow for high mobility. The AGE-2 featured transformation capabilities, whilst the AGE-3 pioneered the Core Block System with separable components.

Vagan mobile suits

The Vagan forces deployed advanced mobile suits that often outperformed early Federation designs. Their technology reflected their origins as abandoned Mars colonists who had developed independently for decades:

Vagan mobile suits typically featured organic, curved designs that contrasted sharply with the more angular Federation machines. Many incorporated transformation capabilities and advanced beam weapons that initially gave them significant advantages in combat.

Series & films

Main article: Gundam series and films

The Advanced Generation timeline was primarily explored through a single television series and its related media:

Title	Type	Year
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE	TV series	2011-2012
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Memory of Eden	OVA	2013

Mobile Suit Gundam AGE

The main series consisted of 49 episodes divided into four distinct story arcs:

• First Generation Arc (Episodes 1-15): Following Flit Asuno as he develops the AGE-1 Gundam and begins humanity’s fight against the Unknown Enemy
• Second Generation Arc (Episodes 16-28): Asemu Asuno inherits his father’s mission, piloting the AGE-2 Gundam as the war with Vagan escalates
• Third Generation Arc (Episodes 29-39): Kio Asuno takes up the AGE-3 Gundam as the conflict reaches Earth itself
• Three Generations Arc (Episodes 40-49): All three generations unite for the final battle using the ultimate AGE-FX Gundam

The series was unique for spanning such a long timeline within a single show, allowing viewers to see the long-term consequences of war and how conflict shapes different generations.

Manga

Main article: Gundam manga

Several manga expanded on the Advanced Generation timeline:

Title	Publication	Description
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Treasure Star	CoroCoro Comic	Side story featuring adventurers exploring space
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Memories of Sid	Shōnen Sunday S	Asemu’s encounter with the EXA-DB
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: First Evolution	Gundam Ace	Adaptation of the early series

Video games

Main article: Gundam video games

The Advanced Generation timeline featured in several video games:

PlayStation Portable

• Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Universe Accel (2012)
• Mobile Suit Gundam AGE: Cosmic Drive (2012)

Arcade and console appearances

• SD Gundam G Generation 3D
• Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. series
• Super Robot Wars BX

The Advanced Generation timeline’s AGE System concept was particularly well-suited to video game adaptations, with the upgrade and customisation mechanics translating naturally to interactive media.

Legacy

The Advanced Generation timeline represented an ambitious attempt to tell a truly generational story within the Gundam franchise. By following three generations of the same family across a century of conflict, it explored themes rarely addressed in other Gundam series: how war shapes families across time, the burden of inherited conflict, and whether cycles of violence can ever truly be broken.

The series introduced innovative concepts like the AGE System and its modular approach to mobile suit design, whilst returning to classic Gundam themes of understanding between former enemies. Its resolution, showing the eventual cooperation between the Earth Federation and Vagan to terraform Mars and end the cycle of war, provided a hopeful conclusion to the prolonged conflict.

Though set in its own timeline separate from the Universal Century, the Advanced Generation timeline contributed unique perspectives on war, technology, and human nature that enriched the broader Gundam universe.

See also

• Universal Century
• Future Century
• After Colony
• Cosmic Era
• Anno Domini
• Post Disaster

External links

• Advanced Generation on the Gundam Wiki
• Mobile Suit Gundam AGE on Wikipedia