After years of complete silence from the Knight Gundam series, with the closest it had to new content being the fourth chapter of Gaitoshin Senki being released as part of a complete box set and the true last content being SD Gundam Seidan back in 1997, the series finally made its grand return with the Cardass series New Testament SD Gundam Gaiden: Saddrac Knight Saga (新約SDガンダム外伝 救世騎士伝承), which went from 2013 to 2015. It was later followed by an after story named New Testament SD Gundam Gaiden: Saddrac Knight Saga EX (新約SDガンダム外伝 救世騎士伝承EX), which was released in 2016, and an Anthology Series named New Testament SD Gundam Gaiden: Saddrac Knight Saga SP (新約SDガンダム外伝 救世騎士伝承SP), which was released in 2018.
After the creation of the new Saddrac World, the kingdom of Britis was at peace until one day, when an incident happened relating to the relief on the inherited King Shield. The contracts with the phantom beasts that protected the kingdom had expired, so King Gundam III sent his two sons, Crown Blue Knight Gundam and Crown Knight Red Gundam, to renew them, with the older prince, Blue, being sent to the Heliopolis Plain and while the younger prince, Red, went to the sea of Orb. Both must go through the many trials of the phantom beasts, although along the way they must deal with Black Knight Banshee, a mysterious knight...
The original Saddrac Knight Saga has characters based off of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray, ∀ Gundam, Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam, and Advance of Zeta: The Flag of Titans. EX includes characters based off of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny.
Tropes associated with New Testament SD Gundam Gaiden: Saddrac Knight Saga are:
- Ambiguously Related: Pirate Knight Crossbone/Silver Knight Gundam F97 and Silhouette Lord F91. It's said that Crossbone has some kind of familial relation to F91, but it's unknown what it is exactly.
- Androids Are People, Too: In the last arc of EX, Knight Figure Sirius is the miniaturized OS of Duke Strike Freedom's rebuilt and upgraded Legend Vatras DS who has the appearance of and mindset of a young child. Needless to say Duke Strike Freedom adopts him as a son.
- Artifact Title: New Testament SD Gundam Gaiden: Saddrac Knight Saga SP. While it does feature new artwork for preexisting characters, in terms of story there's only one segment that connects to Saddrac Knight Saga EX. The set as a whole instead focuses on aspects of the greater SD Gundam Gaiden continuity as a whole, including the first chapter, "Dragon Machine Reincarnation", centering entirely around the users of the Thunder Sword throughout the timeline.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: King Gundam III in the second arc of Saddrac Knight Saga. He was possessed by the X-Soul and transformed into Tyrant Noir.
- The Bus Came Back:
- The F90 Junior Brothers, who had not been around since Seikihei Monogatari make a come back as members of the New Generation Knights of the Round Table and are the Crown brothers' grandfather figures.
- Silhouette Knight F91, the upgraded form of Burning Knight F91, also appears for the first time since Seikihei Monogatari, but has a more minor role in awakening Pirate Knight Crossbone's true form.
- Knight Gundam, Knight Amuro, Fighter Guncannon, and Priest Guntank make a return here as one of Knight Unicorn's summons.
- Canon Immigrant: Knight Unicorn Gundam and Crown Knight Gundam III, two characters from Ultimate Battle, would get implemented into the Knight Gundam continuity proper thanks to this series.
- Companion Cube:
- Legend Vatras is this for Crown Blue Knight Gundam. There are several times throughout the series where he calls it "buddy" and is visibly upset in the manga when it gets destroyed by Eclipse Providence.
- Later in EX, Legend Vatras becomes an Empathic Weapon, thanks to Knight Figure Sirius and the addition of the Soul Link System.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Knight Impulse appears in the first chapter of Saddrac Knight Saga EX as a knight summoned by Knight Unicorn, but is not properly introduced until the next chapter.
- Foreshadowing: The way the brothers break through the third trial gate of the Netherworld serves as this. While Crown Knight Freedom uses his own strength to break through, Crown Knight Justice uses the strength of his allies. This is foreshadowing for Crown Knight Justice becoming King Gundam V upon uniting the strength of all the Knights of the Round Table in the final arc as well as his father's successor to the throne.
- Fusion Dance: The world of Saddrac and Llion Cardzi were fused before the events of the story to become a new Saddrac World.
- Humongous Mecha: Like all Knight Gundam works after Seikihei Monogatari, the series has giant mecha in the form of machine soldiers. The most notable of them is Crown Machine Soldier Legend Vatras, Crown Blue Knight Gundam's personal unit.
- Late-Arrival Spoiler: The entirety of EX is one for Saddrac Knight Saga, since it's an after story.
- Left Hanging: The ending of Saddrac Knight Saga EX. After defeating the Scarlet Dragonand recovering the True Thunder Sword, becoming Destiny Knight Impulse, Knight Impulse says that he will "take on the destiny that henote threw away". The narration comments about how the title of Destiny Knight is important due to it signaling the ability to use the Thunder and Storm Swords, something Impulse is the first to do, and abruptly ends. There's no hint at what happens to any of the main characters afterwards.
- Living Battery: The reason why Knight Impulse was kidnapped by Grand Controller Legend is to serve as a power source for his Destroy Golem army.
- Manipulative Bastard: Crimsion Knight Sinanju/Sinanju Rebound in the original Saddrac Knight Saga. He was the one who killed Blanch Knight Sinanju Stein to take his place in the Round Table, inspired Knight Regenerate to form the Anti-Union Army, encouraged the X Soul to possess King Gundam III and suggested going to the Netherworld to recover its Holy Grail and revive the King. This was all so that he could open the gates to the Netherworld and revive the Zeon Clan.
- Puppeteer Parasite: The X-Soul when possessing King Gundam III acts like this. It even takes all of his strength to the point where King Gundam III is slowly dying from the weakness.
- Rebel Prince: Crown Blue Knight Gundam has shades of this. It is noted in the third arc of Saddrac Knight Saga that while he wants to become a good king, he holds desire to learn more about the outside world, which was strengthened upon meeting Captain Lacus. While he eventually is forced to become king after the third arc, he abdicates the throne once his younger brother becomes King Gundam V.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something:
- Crown Blue Knight Gundam and Crown Knight Red Gundam. The entirety of Saddrac Knight Saga is about them fixing the situation with the phantom beasts, retaking Britis Castle after an attack by the Anti-Union Army, going to the Netherworld to get the Holy Grail in order to revive their father, and saving Saddrac from the resurrected Zeon Clan.
- In the first chapter of EX, King Gundam III, who participates in the defense of Britis against the Elemental Dragons.
- "Save the World" Climax: Saddrac Knight Saga EX. While the first chapter was about saving Britis from the Elemental Dragons, EX is about Knight Impulse and Storm Commander Victory recovering the stolen True Thunder Sword from Destiny. It turns into saving the world from Grand Controller Legend in the final chapter.
- Sibling Team: Crown Blue Knight Gundam and Crown Knight Red Gundam, the sons of King Gundam III and protagonists of the story.
- Taken for Granite: At the beginning of the third arc of the original Saddrac Knight Saga, King Gundam III was turned to stone in order to slow the weakening in his body. The petrification is reversed once the brothers obtain a new Holy Grail from Sunborn and resurrect his strength.
