Ask John: Will Crest of the Stars Have As Many Series As Gundam?

Question:
Now that we in the west have a third installment of Banner Of The Stars to eventually look forward to, do you suppose that this particular anime series could eventually have as many different sequels (and, possibly spin-offs) as other series before it (obvious example, Gundam)?

Answer:
To provide a concise answer, no. I don’t envision the Crest of the Stars franchise ever having roughly the number of multiple series, spin-offs, and reinventions that the Gundam franchise has had. But I won’t say that the Crest of the Stars franchise may not have a number of different series. I believe that there’s one simple reason why Gundam can sustain so many different permutations while a franchise like Crest of the Stars can’t. Gundam has giant robots. The importance and impact of mecha in Gundam really shouldn’t be overlooked or dismissed.

The Crest of the Stars franchise is a “hard sci-fi” drama similar in style to the Gundam and Legend of the Galactic Heroes sagas. Crest of the Stars has had manga, two video games, and four anime series. Legend of the Galactic Heroes has had multiple OAV series and theatrical movies. But neither franchise has had anywhere near as many different manga, video game, and anime incarnations as Gundam. Crest of the Stars and Legend of Galactic Heroes are sci-fi dramas about characters and conflicts. Although the same may be said of Gundam, the mecha in the Gundam series also create continuity and longevity that doesn’t exist in the Crest of the Stars and Legend of Galactic Heroes franchises. Every Gundam series has robots. Each Gundam series introduces new robots. The Gundam robots allow for evolution and reinterpretation while maintaining a constant identifying theme; take Mobile Fighter G-Gundam, SD Gundam, and Turn A Gundam as examples. Each of those Gundam series is wildly different from each other and from our normal perception of Gundam. Yet each of these series is still recognizable as a Gundam series because of its mecha.

I can’t envision an independent super deformed Crest of the Stars or Legend of the Galactic Heroes universe. The characteristics of these shows don’t lend themselves well to reinterpretation. Crest of the Stars can basically only present the same story from different perspectives while Gundam has a unifying, consistent theme- its mecha- that can support an unlimited variety of interpretations and alternate recreations. Furthermore, from a practical perspective, the market potential of robot merchandising- especially toys and model kits- virtually guarantees that toy companies and other licensors will sponsor the production of new Gundam anime. Crest of the Stars has no marketable life outside of itself. It doesn’t lend itself to expansion the way Gundam does. Undoubtedly the Crest of the Stars story is expansive enough to allow for an infinite number of side-stories. But the promise of a constant stream of new robots in Gundam, in addition to new characters and new stories, gives Gundam an additional edge over other sci-fi universes which are limited by their established settings and circumstances.

I would say that the success of the Legend of the Galactic Heroes franchise establishes a valid possibility that the Crest of the Stars series could become a long franchise. But I don’t think that the Crest of the Stars series has the flexibility to support an unlimited number and variety of permutations the way the Gundam series does.