Shangri-La
The first space colony constructed at Side 1 that became a junk-filled refuge after the One Year War.
Shangri-La was the first space colony constructed at Side 1, located at Lagrange Point L5. Named after the mythical paradise, the colony served as a working-class settlement that became cluttered with debris and junk following the devastation of the One Year War. By UC 0088, Shangri-La had transformed into a refuge for salvage workers and their families, most notably becoming the home of teenage junk dealer Judau Ashta and his companions.
History
Early settlement
Shangri-La was constructed as the first colony at Side 1, one of several early colonies built to house humanity’s migration to space. The colony was selected to host the 52nd Olympic Games, marking it as the first Olympics to be held off Earth. This selection indicated Shangri-La’s prominence as one of the oldest and most established space settlements in the Universal Century.
As Side 1 developed into the Earth Federation’s administrative centre in space, Shangri-La served as a residential colony housing families and workers who supported the Federation’s space operations. The colony maintained a typical Island 3-type configuration with open-type windows that allowed natural sunlight to filter through transparent walls and mirrors.
One Year War impact
During the One Year War, Side 1 became one of the first targets of the Principality of Zeon’s initial offensive in January UC 0079 during the One Week Battle. Though Shangri-La survived the initial assault, the colony sustained significant damage from debris and the general devastation that swept through the Side 1 cluster.
The war’s aftermath left Shangri-La cluttered with debris and space junk, as countless destroyed vessels, mobile suits, and equipment accumulated in the colony’s vicinity. This transformation from a prestigious settlement into a debris-filled environment reflected the broader decline that affected many space colonies following the conflict.
Post-war recovery
In the years following the One Year War, Shangri-La became a working-class community where families struggled to make ends meet. Many residents turned to salvage operations, collecting and recycling the abundant war debris that surrounded the colony. The port facilities became crowded with salvage vessels and repair operations, creating a bustling but chaotic environment.
The colony’s economic situation deteriorated to the point where many families were forced to seek work elsewhere, leaving their children behind. This pattern reflected the broader economic disruption that affected space colonies throughout the UC 0080s, as the Federation struggled to rebuild its space infrastructure.
The Shangri-La incident
In early UC 0088, Shangri-La became the centre of significant events when the damaged AEUG battleship Argama docked at the colony for repairs following the Gryps Conflict. The ship’s arrival attracted the attention of both local salvage crews and pursuing Neo Zeon forces.
During this period, fourteen-year-old junk dealer Judau Ashta and his friends attempted multiple times to steal the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam from the Argama, hoping to sell it for enough money to improve their living conditions. These attempts led to several skirmishes within the colony between Judau’s group, Titans survivor Yazan Gable, and AEUG forces.
The conflict escalated when Neo Zeon’s Endra also docked at Shangri-La, bringing opposing military forces into close proximity within the civilian colony. Local port executives, faced with bribes from Neo Zeon, allowed both hostile factions to dock simultaneously, creating a dangerous situation for the colony’s residents.
Geography
Physical layout
Shangri-La followed the standard Island 3-type colony design, featuring a cylindrical structure with three longitudinal strips of transparent windows alternating with three strips of land surface. The colony rotated to provide artificial gravity through centrifugal force, with residential and industrial areas distributed along the interior surface.
The colony contained both civilian residential districts and industrial zones, including extensive junkyard facilities where salvage operations took place. These scrapyards became defining features of Shangri-La’s landscape, filled with discarded mobile suit parts, spacecraft components, and other war debris.
Infrastructure
Shangri-La maintained a functional space port capable of accommodating both civilian and military vessels. However, the port operated under capacity constraints, with port authorities prioritising higher-paying clients and relegating lower-priority vessels to extended waiting periods.
The colony’s infrastructure showed signs of economic strain, with many families living in modest accommodations. Educational facilities remained operational, though economic pressures forced many children to skip school in favour of salvage work to support their families.
Strategic importance
Federation administration
As part of Side 1, Shangri-La held strategic importance due to the cluster’s role as the Federation’s space capital. Though not a primary administrative centre itself, the colony’s location at L5 made it a significant waypoint for Federation operations and logistics.
The colony’s transformation into a salvage centre inadvertently provided valuable resources for mobile suit repair and construction, as the accumulated debris included rare materials and components that could be recycled for military use.
Military significance
During the UC 0088 incident, Shangri-La’s port facilities demonstrated their capacity to accommodate major warships, making the colony a potential staging area for military operations. The presence of both AEUG and Neo Zeon forces highlighted the colony’s continued strategic relevance despite its economic decline.
Notable events
First space Olympics
Shangri-La’s selection as the host site for the 52nd Olympic Games marked a significant milestone in space colonisation history. This event represented humanity’s commitment to maintaining cultural and sporting traditions beyond Earth, establishing space colonies as permanent homes rather than temporary settlements.
Judau Ashta’s recruitment
The events at Shangri-La in UC 0088 led to Judau Ashta’s recruitment into the AEUG, where he would become pilot of the MSZ-010 ZZ Gundam. This recruitment proved pivotal in the First Neo Zeon War, as Judau’s abilities as a Newtype made him one of the conflict’s most effective pilots.
Neo Zeon infiltration
The successful infiltration of Shangri-La by Neo Zeon forces demonstrated the faction’s growing influence and the Federation’s weakening control over its space territories. The incident foreshadowed the larger conflicts that would engulf the Earth Sphere during the First Neo Zeon War.
Behind the scenes
Shangri-La was created as the primary setting for the opening episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, serving to establish the series’ initial lighter tone before transitioning to more serious themes. The colony’s junkyard environment reflected director Yoshiyuki Tomino’s desire to show the aftermath of war on civilian populations.
The name “Shangri-La” references James Hilton’s fictional utopian valley from the 1933 novel Lost Horizon, creating an ironic contrast with the colony’s post-war reality as a debris-filled working-class settlement. This naming choice emphasised themes of lost innocence and the gap between idealistic visions and harsh realities.
Appearances
- Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (mentioned)
See also
External links
- Shangri-La on the Gundam Wiki