The labyrinthine Universal Century (UC) timeline of Mobile Suit Gundam one of the more expansive fictional histories in anime has been revisited often, for better and worse, between Yoshiyuki Tominos original show (0079, in honor of its release year) and its sequels. The main story continued on through decades, following the conflict between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon; many OVAs returned to little gaps in the One Year War around which the first Gundam show revolves. Eventually other shows would take place in alternate continuities, with more branches than can be aptly described right this moment. But through all of these revisitations of this fictional history, the order of events in the main canon of Gundam (starting from UC0079, the in-universe year the series began) has remained somewhat sacrosanct.Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX first grabbed headlines with the announcement of its collaboration between longtime Gundam steward Sunrise and Khara, with an impressive creative team behind the wheel: director Kazuya Tsurumaki (FLCL, Rebuild of Evangelion), reuniting with FLCL and Evangelion writer Yoji Enokido (also known for Revolutionary Girl Utena) with Evangelion creator and Khara founder Hideaki Anno contributing scripts. The theatrical release, GQuuuuuuX: Beginning, compiles the first few episodes of the show, and leads with a rather exciting prologue.And it turns out its relationship with the timeline of Gundam is much more complex.[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for GQuuuuuuX: Beginning.]GQuuuuuuX (pronounced G-kwuuks, apparently, something the characters themselves puzzle over) takes a swing at encroaching on and then remixing the UCs vast existing fictional history, starting from a simple but fun what if prompt: What would it look like if Char Aznable, who became an archetypal antagonist for the whole franchise, led the Principality of Zeon to victory in the One Year War instead of the Earth Federation?It begins with him stealing the Gundam, its intended pilot Amuro Ray nowhere in sight. The first half hour of GQuuuuuuX follows the domino effect, accelerating through the timeline of 0079 as Zeon steamrolls the Earth Federation. During the final battle, Char disappears. This completes this divergence from the original Gundam timeline as he can no longer complete his mission of revenge against the Zabi family, who lead Zeon.If this sounds like a lot to follow, thats because it is and illustrates the double-edged sword of the narrative premise, which sometimes feels like it leaves us to obsess over these deviation points in the lore. On one hand, this theatrical release is likely to bring it to a much wider audience before it streams in April. But on the other, elements in GQuuuuuuX lean on lore from the original. This is less a knock against the show so much as a warning: Its probably not the best Gundam to start with. But if it gets more people watching 0079, maybe thats a good thing! Its not impossible to follow the cast is mostly new, after all, and the cartoonish animation style seeks to emphasize that newness.Plus, its hard to resist how much there is to love here for folks who hold 0079 close to their hearts, with so many fun twists on familiar people, places, and machinery. The White Base also gets stolen; Char faces his own sister Sayla in the final battle between Zeon and the Earth Federation; a host of minor characters also show their faces in new contexts. The aforementioned prologue is made as though it was an episode of the original show bringing back the classic opening and narration contextualizing the One Year War (humanity was horrified at its actions), complete with the groovy original soundtrack and old-school character designs.While this does make the 3DCG animated mechs feel like more of an intrusion a shame, considering the gorgeous 2D battles of previous show The Witch from Mercury its a delightful throwback, one which moves with the glee of fans who have been gifted the biggest toybox of all time. Its also a delight to see how the changes GQuuuuuuX makes to this canon carve out new spaces for minor characters like Challia Bull, who here takes a bigger role (and, inadvertently, a chance to live) after throwing his lot in with Char to take down the Zabi family. Consequently, it also imagines a wild new status quo for the bigger figures like Kycilia becoming Her Excellency, ascending in power, rather than getting beheaded by a cannon.After the throwback drama of the opening, GQuuuuuuX pivots to new set of characters. Amate Machu Yuzuriha is a high schooler living in the politically neutral space colony Side 6 (which is also the setting of one of the best Gundam OVAs, War in the Pocket). After a meet-cute of sorts with Nyaan, a refugee working as a courier, she also meets Shuji, the mysterious (and broke) pilot of the Red Gundam. Through them, Machu gets involved in Clan Battle, an underground mech fighting ring (the premise not too far-flung from The Witch from Mercurys honor duels at a pilot school). The three already have great chemistry together, something which will no doubt be a delight to watch evolve over the course of the series.Tsurumakis fusion between the classic series and the artists it inspired is prevalent throughout both the theatrical cuts production and its story. As it jumps five years from the end of the One Year War to Side 6 and its reconstruction in UC 0085, the groovy instrumentation of the score shifts to cool and atmospheric electro, the slightly more realistic character designs emulating the original switch to the luminous neon colors and exaggerated features of the new designs by Take (known for her work on Pokmon). The mechanical designs by Ikuto Yamashita (Evangelion, Metaphor: ReFantazio) also merge past and present, giving familiar designs a more rugged facelift.As fun as the prologue is, its here where the talents of the staff really shine, their brightly colored and more cartoonish approach emphasising that this is gearing up to be a radically different take on the UC. Classical touches still remain like the original Newtype flash sound effect that pings whenever the pilots minds touch each other, though the visualization of that sensory experience has been touched up.Tsurumaki and Enokidos approach to the UC also preserves the franchise-wide interest in backroom politics and the impact of this big robot action on civilian life, as well as the recurring, circular nature of the conflicts in the UC between the Earth Federation and Zeon and their descendants.As enjoyable as it is, theres a sense that GQuuuuuuX is more rewarding for those who have kept up with Gundam through all its various pivot points, even in the ways it connects back to our world. One of the most striking visuals of these early episodes is that of black-painted police Zakus cutting through civilian structures bathed inyellow smoke, tearing the area apart in their search for a fugitive, a frenzy punctuated by the armored Military Polices brutality when engaging with the man theyre tracking imagery that holds real potency considering much of the principal cast are refugees from the One Year War. Its but one element of GQuuuuuuX that considers the aftermath of the conflict, of how these tools are reappropriated now that their purpose has been served all building upon the fascistic imagery typically represented by Zeon in new ways, some more analogous with the present day.Though Side 6 is independent and not ruled by Zeon, the appearance of these mechs in the hands of a third party inflicting damage on civilian structures ties into a broader picture of the UC where the machines of that conflict continue to enable violence even outside of their original wielders, through arms sales. The immediate emotional power of the imagery isnt closed off, necessarily, but there are broader implications that add another layer for longtime viewers. This is why its hard to entirely write off GQuuuuuuX as something for fans only; while the prologue episode is a whirlwind of fictional jargon and name drops, the main show has impact even when isolated from this context.Its hard to say how the alternative world built on the 0079 story will come back around over the course of a full anime season (or more) when the show is released in full in April. But there are promising things on the horizon, so only time will tell how Tsurumaki and Enokido will play with UC lore. Its not impossible to follow. Its hard to pin down how the exploration of these older elements will eventually dovetail with the new characters, but its an exciting enough prospect, and theres a clear attempt at striking a balance between the nostalgia of die-hards and the curiosity of newbies. (Not to mention the fun of theory-crafting and wiki dives, something that is amusingly reflected by Machu, who looks up Char on FoolyPedia.) In the meantime, GQuuuuuuX: Beginning is an incredibly exciting (re?)introduction to this reimagined Universal Century in a take that perhaps doesnt make it any easier to understand, but finds exciting new life in it anyway.