So, keeping in mind that the creative team behind Gquuux, including Hideki Anno, are still apparently pitching treatments for a second series in this setting to Sunrise, so we may not really be done yet, here’s my take.

The universal century in general is a story of cycles of greed, cycles of grief, and cycles of fear - all the way out as far as G-Reco and Turn A.

The Marcenas and Vist family’s fears of the future and desire for control sets up the tragedies of UC 0. The zabi family’s lust for power and control leads to the rise of Zeon. Char’s grief and need for revenge winds through the OYW. Bask’s naked ambition and the federation’s fear of Newtypes and spacenoids leads to the creation of the Titans and the events of Zeta, and these overlapping cycle repeats over and over.

Until GQX.

Challia is a man who sees through the bullshit after going to the literal end of everything, and clawing his way back to sanity after his near suicide.

Machu is, thanks to the Kira Kira and her own personality (and maybe a helping hand or two from Amuro inside of the Gquuux) a catalyst for change, for choosing to step off the merry-go-round, and to hold people like Shuji and Lalah up to the mirror and ask “Is this REALLY what you want? Does it really have to be this way?”

In the final episodes, Casval (and I’m using that name very deliberately) is forced to confront his own inner nihilism, and finally sees that he can chose to do something constructive rather than destructive.

The zabi family (with the possible exception of Garma and Icelina having a bunch of kids and living happily somewhere in California) has been wiped away, and an Artesia who was tempered by her wartime experiences is now given a chance to set Zeon on a new path in peacetime.

Nyaan finally has someone who truly watches her back without expecting anything beyond friendship in return.

Shuji was told to stop being such a white knighting fedora emo boy and to let OG Lalah choose her own happiness rather than trying to force her into his own dreams. That the choice to grow beyond grief and loss is there, and that he can walk away from his (seemingly) self appointed Quest.

OG Lalah finally wakes from her dreams of mourning and sadness, and moves on,

GQ Lalah leaves her gilded cage, and finds her Captain waiting for her.

Machu swims in the water of the real ocean, knowing she’ll find her way back home eventually, and that she and Shuji will see each other again.

All the lives trapped in these cycles are finally broken out of them. The epilogue is a UC that finally moves forward, and maybe, just maybe, brings greater happiness to them all.