Robotech FAQ
Ë
Ë‚
Written by
----------
YuYu Mei Balasingam-Chow (yumei@merle.acns.nwu.edu), Dave
Deitrich (deitrich@cc.gatech.edu), Peter Fagan
(sapphire@netcom.com), Roderick Lee (agitator@kaiwan.com), Chris
Meadows (chm173s@nic.smsu.edu), MegaZone(megazone@world.std.com),
Josh Megerman (st92bb10@dunx1.ocs.drexel.edu), Rich Pieri
(ratinox@ccs.neu.edu), Aubry Thonon
(ess6alt@edhopyr2.qed.qld.gov.au), Peter Walker
(pww@spacsun.rice.edu), Arek Wdowiak (awdowiak@eecs.uic.edu)
This FAQ is also available on WWW at:
http://www2.ncsu.edu/eos/users/r/rkswamy/www/roboFAQ.html
Special thanks to all the readers of the Robotech Mailing List!
FAQ CHANGES SINCE VERSION 0.9:
* Added Sections
3.4.3: Robotech: Not Necessarily the Sentinels
7.3.4: What does the *.gz extension mean [on ftp files]?
7.4: [Robotech-related] Web Pages
* Updated Sections
3.2.4: Where can I get copies [of the Robotech novels]?
5.5.2: [Macross DYRL] How does it relate to the TV Macross?
7.3.3: What [FTP] sites would be of interest to me?
NOTE: This FAQ is NOT COMPLETE yet. Sections that are not
complete are
marked with a * in the table of contents.
+-------------------+
| TABLE OF CONTENTS |
+-------------------+
SECTION I: INTRODUCTION
SECTION II: THE TV SERIES
2.1: MAIN CHARACTERS IN ROBOTECH
2.2: ROBOTECH TV EPISODE GUIDE
2.3: THE ROBOTECH TIMELINE
2.4: HOW TO SEE THE SERIES
2.4.1: Is Robotech Still on TV?
* 2.4.2: Where can I get Robotech on Videotape?
2.4.3: Where can I get Robotech on Laserdisc?
2.5: ROBOTECH TV SERIES QUESTIONS
2.5.1: Why are there continuity problems between the three segments?
2.5.2: What is Protoculture?
2.5.3: Where was the SDF-2 in Episode 36?
SECTION III: ROBOTECH SPINOFFS AND "SEQUELS"
3.1: ROBOTECH THE SENTINELS
3.1.1: What is it?
3.1.2: How many episodes were produced?
3.1.3: Will there be any more?
3.1.4: Where can I get a copy?
3.2: THE McKINNEY BOOKS
3.2.1: What are they?
3.2.2: How do they differ from the TV series?
3.2.3: What is "End of the Circle" and "Zentraedi
Rebellion"?
3.2.4: Are they still in print? Where can I get copies?
3.2.5: Who is (are) Jack McKinney?
3.3: THE COMIC BOOKS
3.3.1: The Comico Robotech Adaptations
3.3.2: The Comico Graphic Novel
3.3.3: Robotech II: The Sentinels
3.3.4: Robotech II: The Malcontent Uprisings
3.3.5: Robotech: The Legend of Zor
3.3.6: Robotech: Cyberpirates
3.3.7: Robotech: Return to Macross
3.3.8: Robotech: Invid War
3.3.9: Robotech: Invid War Aftermath
3.3.10: How many of these titles are still in print?
3.4: THE MOVIES
3.4.1: ROBOTECH: THE MOVIE
3.4.1.1: What is it?
3.4.1.2: What was it about?
3.4.1.3: Where does it fit in the TV series?
3.4.1.4: Why was it never released nationwide?
3.4.1.5: Where can I get a copy?
3.4.2: CLASH OF THE BIONOIDS
3.4.2.1: What is it?
3.4.2.2: What was it about?
3.4.2.3: Where does it fit in the TV series?
3.4.2.4: How is it different from "Macross: Do You
Remember Love?"
3.4.2.5: Where can I get a copy?
3.4.3: ROBOTECH: NOT NECESSARILY THE SENTINELS
3.4.3.1: What is it?
3.4.3.2: Who is Seishun Shitemasu?
3.4.3.3: What other Robotech parodies have they made?
3.4.3.4: Where can I get copies?
3.4.4: MACROSS: HARMONY GOLD DUB PRE-ROBOTECH
3.4.4.1: What is it?
3.4.4.2: Original theme song
SECTION IV: ROBOTECH MERCHANDISE
4.1: THE ROLE-PLAYING GAMES
4.1.1: What is the Robotech RPG?Π4.1.2: Who makes it?
4.1.3: How many books/supplements are there?
4.1.4: What discrepancies are there between the RPG and the
series?
4.1.5: What's Macross II? Is it a sequel to the Robotech
RPG?
4.1.6: What's Rifts? Is it a sequel to the Robotech RPG?
4.1.7: Where can I get copies?
4.2: THE ROBOTECH SOUNDTRACK
4.2.1: Was a soundtrack for Robotech ever produced?
4.2.2: Who produced it?
4.2.3: What songs are on the album?
4.2.4: Where can I get copies?
4.3: ROBOTECH TOYS, MODELS, AND OTHER STUFF
4.3.1: Isn't the Transformer "Jetfire" toy a Veritech?
4.3.2: What happened to the Robotech action figures?
4.3.3: Are there any other toys that were produced for
Robotech?
4.3.4: What are these Revell "Robotech" Models I remember
seeing? Most of them never appeared in the show! A few of
them look like they were ripped off from Battletech!
4.3.5: Where can I get these toys and models?
4.3.6: Are there any Robotech video games?
SECTION V: ANIME RELATED TO ROBOTECH
5.1: OVERVIEW OF ANIME
5.1.1: What is it?
5.1.2: How is Japanese Animation different from American
Animation?
5.1.3: Are any of these sequels to Robotech?
5.1.4: Where can I get copies of these shows?
5.2: SUPER DIMENSIONAL FORTRESS MACROSS
5.2.1: What is it about?
5.2.2: How does it differ from the "Macross" part of
Robotech?
5.2.3: What are the "Zentraedi" in the original series?
5.3: SUPER DIMENSIONAL CALVARY SOUTHERN CROSS
5.3.1: What is it about?
5.3.2: How does it differ from the "Southern Cross" part of
Robotech?
5.3.3: Who are the "Masters" in the original series?
* 5.4: GENESIS CLIMBER MOSPEADA
* 5.4.1: What is it about?
* 5.4.2: How does it differ from the "New Generation" part of
Robotech?
* 5.4.3: What are the "Invid" in the original series?
5.5: MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE (1984)
5.5.1: What is it about?
5.5.2: How does it relate to the Japanese Macross?
5.6: MACROSS FLASHBACK 2012
5.6.1: What is it about?
5.6.2: How does it relate to the Japanese Macross TV series
and "Do You Remember Love?
5.7: MACROSS IIΠ5.7.1: What is it about? Is it a sequel to Robotech?
5.8: SUPER DIMENSIONAL CENTURY ORGUSS
5.8.1: I see "Super Dimensional" in the title. Is it
related to Macross or Southern Cross?
5.9: GENERAL ANIME QUESTIONS
5.9.1: Who is Haruhiko Mikimoto? Why is he important?
5.9.2: Who well did the series that make up Robotech do in
Japan?
SECTION VI: MECHA
6.1: GENERAL QUESTIONS
6.1.1: What is "Mecha"? Why do I keep hearing it in
reference to Robotech?
6.1.2: How does Protoculture power mecha in Robotech?
6.1.3: How were the mecha powered in the original anime?
6.2: ROBOTECH MACROSS MECHA
6.2.1: THE VERITECHS
6.2.1.1: Description of the Veritechs
6.2.1.2: How are Veritechs different from the original
anime mecha?
6.2.1.3: Where is the pilot located in battloid mode?
6.2.1.4: Why are there intakes on the Veritech?
6.2.2: THE DESTROIDS
6.2.2.1: Description of the Veritechs
6.2.2.2: How are Destroids different from the original
anime mecha?
6.2.3: ZENTRAEDI AND ZENTRAEDI MECHA
6.2.3.1: How tall are Zentraedi?
6.2.3.1: Description of the Zentraedi Mecha
6.2.3.2: How are the mecha different from the original
anime mecha?
6.2.4: THE SDF-1
6.2.4.1: How is it different from the Japanese Original?
6.2.4.2: Who built it in the original Macross series?
6.2.4.3: Is the SDF-1 that appeared in the Macross Movie
different from the one in the series?
6.2.5: THE SDF-2
6.2.5.1: Where is it? Why do we never see it in the TV
series?
6.2.5.2: How do the versions of the SDF-2 in the
Japanese Macross TV series and Macross 2012 differ?
6.2.6: THE SDF-3
6.2.6.1: Why do we never see it in the original TV
series?
6.2.6.2: Was there ever an SDF-3 in ANY anime?
6.3: ROBOTECH MASTERS MECHA
6.3.1: SOUTHERN CROSS MECHA
6.3.1.1: Description of the Mecha
6.3.1.2: How are they different from the Japanese
Originals?
6.3.2: ROBOTECH MASTERS MECHA (BIOROIDS)
6.3.2.1: Description of the Mecha
6.3.2.2: How are they different from the Japanese
Originals?
6.4: ROBOTECH NEW GENERATION MECHAΠ6.4.1: ROBOTECH EXPEDITIONARY FORCE MECHA
6.4.1.1: Description of the Mecha
6.4.1.2: How are they different from the Japanese
Originals?
6.4.2: INVID MECHA
6.4.2.1: Description of the Mecha
6.4.2.2: How are they different from the Japanese
Originals?
6.5: ROBOTECH SENTINELS MECHA
6.5.1: ROBOTECH EXPEDITIONARY FORCE DESTROIDS
6.5.1.1: Description of the Mecha
6.5.1.2: Are these designs based on Japanese mecha?
6.5.2: INVID MECHA
6.5.2.1: Description of the Mecha
6.5.2.2: Are these designs based on Japanese mecha?
SECTION VIII: FAN FICTION AND MAGAZINES
8.1: ROBOTECH: OBJECTIVE REFLEX POINT (ROLL CALL, ETC)
8.1.1: What is it?
8.1.2: Where can I get it?
8.2: ROBOTECH: THE MISFOLD
8.2.1: What is it?
8.2.2: Where can I get it?
8.3: ROBOTECH: THE LEGEND OF THE SKYBEAST
8.3.1: What is it?
8.3.2: Where can I get it?
8.4: ROBOTECH/RIFTS CROSSOVER
8.4.1: What is it?
8.4.2: Where can I get it?
8.6: (REVISED) NINJAS AND SUPERSPIES IN INVID INVASION
8.6.1: What is it?
8.6.2: Where can I get it?
8.7: HE FINALLY LIKED MINMAY...
8.7.1: What is it?
8.7.2: Where can I get it?
8.8: PROTOCULTURE WARS (CHILDREN... SERIES)
8.8.1: What is it?
8.8.2: Where can I get it?
8.9: PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS
8.9.1: What is it?
8.9.2: How do I subscribe?
8.10: MECHA PRESS
8.10.1: What is it?
8.10.2: How do I subscribe?
SECTION IX: MISCELLANEOUS STUFF
9.1: Recommended Reading for more info on Robotech
Œ+--------------------------+
| SECTION I - INTRODUCTION |
+--------------------------+
OH, WHAT A TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE
The History of ROBOTECH
Written by Enrique Conty (conty@mcs.com)
April 27, 1993
(Edited by Peter Walker)
Preface by the Author:
======================
Harmony Gold's ROBOTECH is one of the five best remembered
science fiction television shows ever, according to a recent
poll. However, few people are aware of the convoluted story of
how the show was brought to the US, and I constantly see
questions in USEnet's rec.arts.anime newsgroup as to whether a
particular anime is related to ROBOTECH. This document will try
and make some sense of the convoluted history of this show.
Editor's Preface:
=================
I have chosen to retain the majority of Enrique's original
work, almost without alteration. Where I did step in, it was to
correct minor issues of detail in which I feel I have some
expertise, to update it with new material, and to remove sections
redundant in this FAQ. This essay was revived in the hope that a
coherent introduction for the alt.tv.robotech, and
robotech@list.gatech.edu FAQs would bring a newcomer or casual
fan up to a higher level of appreciation for the show's history
and complexity quickly.
There has been much confusion regarding this show's history,
and though I feel I have much to add to Enrique's comments in
specific areas, I decided to preserve the integrity of his
writing, and add most of my thoughts elsewhere. In all, I feel
that this is the most comprehensive introduction to the Robotech
phenomenon I have seen, and give full thanks to Enrique for the
effort he put into it.
The Original Shows:
===================
In late 1982, Tatsunoko Productions' SUPER DIMENSION
FORTRESS MACROSS premiered on Japanese airwaves. Originally
intended to be a comedy, it went on to become one of the most
popular shows ever in the giant robot (a.k.a. mecha) genre,
right next to MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM. After MACROSS ended in 1983, it
was followed in the same time-slot by Tokyo Movie Shinsha's SUPER
DIMENSION CENTURY ORGUSS. ORGUSS shared some creative staff with
MACROSS (thus the similarities in character designs and mecha),
and there were a couple throw-away in-jokes in the first few
episodes, but otherwise there was no relation between theŒshows. Meanwhile, an obscure mecha show called GENESIS CLIMBER
MOSPEADA came and went. According to Robotech Art I, Mospeada
was placed with a disastrous time-slot, but developed a very
popular fan- following, ensuring its survival in an OVA, Genesis
Climber Mospeada: Love Live Alive.
When ORGUSS finished its run in 1984, it was replaced by
SUPER DIMENSION CAVALRY SOUTHERN CROSS. Again, there was no
relation between the shows other than the words "Super
Dimension".
Two other important events happened in 1984. The first one
was the theatrical premiere of MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE? in
July. This movie was a condensed re-telling of the original
MACROSS plot, with completely new animation. The second event
was the release of MEGAZONE 23, one of the first OVA (Original
Video Animation, i.e. made-for-video) features ever made. It had
the same character designer as MACROSS and ORGUSS, Haruhiko
Mikimoto, who had become a fan-favorite due to his previous work
in these shows. MEGAZONE 23 PART II was released in 1986.
Hasbro and Revell go to Japan:
==============================
American toy company Hasbro was looking in Japan for a
transforming jet model for their "Transformers" toy line, which
uses the premise of vehicles which transform into giant robots.
Model kit company Revell was also looking in Japan for
models for their "Robotech Defenders" line of robotic model kits.
They eventually used models from MACROSS, DOUGRAM (more on this
later), and ORGUSS.
Toy giant Bandai got the license to manufacture toys based
on MACROSS. Bandai was approached separately by Hasbro and
Revell for the rights to sell the "Valkyrie Fighter" from MACROSS
(a jet which transformed into a humanoid robot). Bandai sold the
rights to the fighter to BOTH companies separately. Hasbro's toy
eventually became known as "Jetfire", where the Revell models,
called Vexar, Axoid, and Orbot, represented, with altered paint
schemes, 1/72 scale Macross VF-1S, -1J, and -1D Valkyrie models
respectively.
Enter Harmony Gold:
===================
Sometime around mid- to late 1984, the rights to the MACROSS
series were acquired by an American company, Harmony Gold.
Originally, MACROSS was slated to be translated rather
faithfully, and a TV-movie compilation of the first three
episodes had been broadcast. However, the "golden number" for
television syndication is 65 episodes (13 weeks of daily weekday
episodes), and MACROSS only had 36 episodes.
Carl Macek, a producer for Harmony Gold, came up with an
idea which to this day he insists was brilliant, although many purists might disagree. Macek bought the American broadcast
rights to SOUTHERN CROSS and MOSPEADA, and rewrote the plots of
the three series to get a more-or-less coherent plotline.
The "chapters" in this generation-spanning story were now
known as "The Macross Saga" (MACROSS), "The Robotech Masters"
(SOUTHERN CROSS), and "The New Generation" (MOSPEADA).
With the addition of a "bridging" episode between "Macross
Saga" and "Masters" (created entirely from re-used footage), the
episode count was brought up to 85 episodes. All they needed now
was a title.
Three-Way Fight:
================
Revell was looking for ways to advertise their line of
"Robotech Defenders" in other media. There was a three-issue
limited comic series published by DC Comics, whose plotline no
relation to any of the original Japanese shows, or to Harmony
Gold's plot.
When Revell learned about Harmony Gold's plan to bring
Macross to the US, they forced Harmony Gold to rename the series
to "Robotech." They also wanted to stop Hasbro from
manufacturing the "Jetfire" model. Hasbro won that legal battle.
And so, ROBOTECH premiered in October 1985 on American
airwaves. The rest is animation history.
ROBOTECH: The Spinoffs
==============================
In early 1986, Harmony Gold was riding the crest of
Robotech's popularity, and had started production on ROBOTECH II:
THE SENTINELS and ROBOTECH: THE MOVIE.
SENTINELS was to be a brand-new series of 65 episodes,
written in the United States and animated in Japan, for North
American broadcast. Matchbox, who had the license for ROBOTECH
merchandise and was one of the major sponsors for SENTINELS,
backed out of the project at the last minute. It has been
theorized that low profits on the ROBOTECH toy line were the
reason for this.
ROBOTECH: THE MOVIE was a re-edited MEGAZONE 23, combined
with footage from SOUTHERN CROSS, plus a 12-minute happy ending,
comprised of new animation commissioned from Japan. The movie
was a disaster: after a few test screenings in Dallas, Texas and
a showing at the Los Angeles Animation Celebration, the film's
distributor (Cannon Films) decided to cut their losses, and
abandoned the project.
Back in Japan
=============
In 1986, both MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE and MEGAZONE 23
PART II were translated into English, to teach the language toŒJapanese students. Both of these were released on video in
Japan. An "extra gift" was added to the video version of MZ 23
II -- the 12 minutes of additional footage created for ROBOTECH:
THE MOVIE.
Also in 1986, the MACROSS FLASHBACK 2012 OVA was released in
Japan. This was made of 8 minutes of new animation showing what
became of our heroes after the war, and 22 minutes of scenes from
the MACROSS series and movie, set to Lynn Minmei songs.
FASA and BattleTech
===================
In 1984, before the Harmony Gold deal with Revell, FASA
Corporation created a pencil-and-paper game inspired by the
Japanese mecha genre. This game, at the time called
BATTLEDROIDS, evolved into what is currently known as BATTLETECH.
To give the game's 12 basic units the right "anime" look,
FASA used mecha designs from MACROSS, DOUGRAM (another anime
show), and CRUSHER JOE (an anime space opera movie). However,
FASA did this without permission from the Japanese companies.
These eventually learned about this, and threatened to sue FASA.
An out-of-court settlement was reached on which FASA could keep
the existing designs. Thus, some of the mecha in BATTLETECH are
based upon MACROSS mecha. In recent years, new FASA publications
have made the mecha taken from anime look increasingly less like
their Japanese originals, presumably because of the whole fuss.
Other Merchandising
===================
Comico used to sell comics adaptations of the ROBOTECH TV
series. Eternity Comics took over the license from Comico, and
for several years published comics which took the ROBOTECH
universe into new directions. In summer '94 with the issue #12 of
_Return to Macross_, Bk 3 issue #8 of _The Sentinels_ Eternity
ended it's affiliation with the Robotech line. The line will be
picked up in autumn '94 by Academy Comics.
"Jack McKinney" wrote prose novelizations of the ROBOTECH
series, and an original Robotech novel called THE END OF THE
CIRCLE and THE ZENTRAEDI REBELLION, inspired by _The Malcontent
Uprisings_ from Eternity Comics.
Palladium Books sells an official role-playing game based on
the Robotech universe. For a while, they also used to sell
videotapes of the second and third chapters of ROBOTECH, along
with the 76 or so minutes of animation ever done for ROBOTECH II:
THE SENTINELS.
Family Home Entertainment (FHE) used to sell a "condensed"
version of the "Macross Saga" portion of ROBOTECH. They also
sold a video version of the English dub of the MACROSS movie,
from which they removed 18 minutes and re- titled as "Clash of
the Bionoids". US Renditions used to sell a CD of the ROBOTECH soundtrack, now out of print.
The American fan group Seishun Shitemasu created ROBOTECH
III: NOT NECESSARILY THE SENTINELS, a video parody/homage mixing
footage from ROBOTECH: THE NEW GENERATION and GUNBUSTER (a recent
mecha OVA series which also has designs by Mikimoto), along with
voice acting provided by the group itself. The scary part is,
their story fits flawlessly with the existing ROBOTECH universe!
The Present
===========
In 1992-93, MACROSS II is released nigh-simultaneously in
the US and Japan. This six-part OVA series continues the MACROSS
story 80 years later, and has Mikimoto back as character
designer. Because it's based on the Japanese MACROSS, it
obviously has no relation to the ROBOTECH story, or to ROBOTECH
II.
While Harmony Gold is still the sole rights holder of
ROBOTECH rights to all the ROBOTECH material are licensed to
producer Carl Macek, now head of Streamline Pictures, a company
formed to bring English-dubbed anime to the U.S. Streamline also
sells the ROBOTECH II: THE SENTINELS videotape, as well as the
'Perfect Collection' which pairs two ROBOTECH episodes, and their
subtitled Japanese originals on each tape. FHE is still selling
the original ROBOTECH episodes (now unedited) in a more
conventional format. No firm plans have been made to release
either ROBOTECH: THE MOVIE or MEGAZONE 23 in any form,
though it is reported that Streamline has acquired MEGAZONE 23 in
the last year.
The status of the rights to CLASH OF THE BIONOIDS and/or
MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE is unclear at this point.
Acknowledgments
================
I'd like to thank Peter Walker and Emru Townsend for
providing most of the information in this article. I also want
to thank the thousands of readers in rec.arts.anime for their
input and corrections.
+--------------------------------------+
| SECTION II - ROBOTECH: THE TV SERIES |
+--------------------------------------+
2.1: MAIN CHARACTERS IN ROBOTECH
--------------------------------
THE MACROSS SAGA
================
RICK HUNTER
Japanese Name: Hikaru Ichijo American Voice Actor: Tony Oliver
One of the key characters in the Robotech saga, Rick Hunter
starts out in the series as an arrogant young civilian stunt
pilot and becomes an experienced, tempered veteran by the end of
the Macross saga. A skilled pilot, Rick becomes leader of Skull
Squadron after Roy Fokker dies and is promoted to Admiral at the
end of the first Robotech war. Rick leads the Expeditionary
Force to Tirol on a mission of peace, but instead becomes
involved in a war against the Invid. After the Invid invade
Earth, Hunter orders the Expeditionary Force fleet to Earth
(including a young pilot named Scott Bernard) in order to
recapture humanity's home. Rick Hunter disappears along with
the rest of the SDF-3 in the final episodes of the series.
LYNN MINMEI
Japanese Name: Lynn Minmay American Voice Actress: Reba
West
A beautiful but spoiled young girl who becomes Rick's
primary love interest early on in the Robotech series. Minmei
wins the Miss Macross beauty competition on the SDF-1 and quickly
becomes a star, leaving Rick to pursue her career. After her
career collapses, however, she comes back to Rick for emotional
support. Lynn Minmei hates war and is a strong advocate of peace
with the Zentraedi.
LISA HAYES
Japanese Name: Misa Hayase American Voice Actress: Aline
Leslie
A career military woman, first officer of the SDF-1, and
Rick Hunter's commanding officer. Lisa Hayes and Rick Hunter
fight each other like cats and dogs in the early episodes of the
series, but come to respect each other and eventually fall in
love. Lisa is given command of the SDF-2, and then the SDF-3
after the SDF-2 is destroyed in the final battle of the first
Robotech war. Rick and Lisa marry each other on the night before
the SDF-3 leaves for Tirol.
ROY FOKKER
Japanese Name: Roy Focker American Voice Actor: Don
Warner
Rick's mentor and "big brother", Roy Fokker is largely
responsible for getting Rick into the military in the first
place. Roy is a veteran pilot from the global civil war and was
one of the first test pilots for the Veritech fighter. Roy leads
the famous "Skull Squadron" of the SDF-1 until he is killed in
combat by the ace Zentraedi pilot Miriya. His death is a
tremendous shock for Rick Hunter, who relies heavily on the
veteran pilot for advice.
CLAUDIA GRANTŒJapanese Name: Claudia LaSalle American Voice Actress:
Brittany Harlow
Chief Communications Officer of the SDF-1, Claudia Grant
always provides a steady presence on the bridge during battle.
Claudia was Roy Fokker's lover and is badly shaken by his death.
Claudia is also Lisa's best friend, and helps her to sort out her
confusing feelings for Rick Hunter. Claudia sacrifices herself
in the final battle with Khyron to save Lisa's life.
CAPTAIN HENRY J. GLOVAL
Japanese Name: Bruno J. Grobal American Voice Actor: Guy
Garrett
An experienced commander and veteran of the global civil
war, Captain Gloval is assigned command of the SDF-1. It is
largely due to Gloval's tenacity and experience that the SDF-1 is
able to make it back to Earth after folding to Pluto. After the
destruction of the Earth and defeat of the Zentraedi armada,
Gloval becomes supreme commander of the RDF, and begins
construction of the SDF-2 to try and prevent another war by
making peace with the Robotech Masters. However, Capt. Gloval is
killed and the SDF-2 destroyed during Khyron's attack on New
Macross.
MAXIMILLIAN (MAX) STERLING
Japanese Name: Maximilian Jiinas American Voice Actor: Jimmy
Flinders
At first Max is an insecure recruit assigned to Lieutenant
Rick Hunter during the SDF-1's voyage to Earth. However, Max's
phenomenal piloting abilities quickly distinguish him as THE best
pilot aboard the SDF-1. This causes him to earn the
hatred/respect of Miriya, ace pilot of the Zentraedi. Max
defeats Miriya in combat and eventually marries her. Max becomes
one of Rick's closest friends after Roy Fokker's death, and
becomes the leader of "Skull Squadron" after Rick is promoted to
Admiral.
BEN DIXON
Japanese Name: Hayao Kakizake American Voice Actor: ?????
Another young recruit assigned to Rick Hunter during the
SDF-1's voyage, Ben has tremendous courage, determination, and
loyalty but only average skill as a fighter pilot. Ben is killed
in the line of duty while defending the SDF-1 from Khyron's
attacks.
LYNN KYLE
Japanese Name: Lynn Kaifun American Voice Actor: Eddie
Frierson
Lynn Minmei's cousin. Lynn Kyle comes onboard the SDF-1
after it returns to Earth to watch over Minmei and to be reunited with his parents (who Minmei was living with on the SDF-1). A
talented actor and skilled martial artist, Lynn Kyle is also a
strong believer in peace with the Zentraedi at ANY cost. Kyle
becomes Minmei's manager, but the two break up when Kyle becomes
discouraged and starts drinking after the destruction of the
Earth.
KIM YOUNG
Japanese Name: Kim Kaviroff American Voice Actress: Wendee
Swan
Claudia Grant's communication assistant and one of the
"bridge bunnies," a trio of bridge officers who are inseparable
both on duty and off. Kim is killed during the final battle with
Khyron.
SAMMIE PORTER
Japanese Name: Shammie American Voice Actress: Deena
Morris
Lisa Hayes' assistant and the youngest member of the bridge
crew. Also a member of the "bridge bunnies". Sammie begins to
show promise as a talented officer near the end of the series,
but is killed in the final attack by Khyron's forces.
VANESSA LEEDS
Japanese Name: Vanessa American Voice Actress: Sandra
Snow
Chief Computer Operator on the SDF-1 bridge, and the third
member of the "bridge bunnies" trio. Vanessa is also killed by
Khyron during the final assault on the SDF-1.
BREETAI
Japanese Name: Britai Kridanik American Voice Actor: Jonathen
Alexander
Commander of the first Zentraedi fleet that locates the
SDF-1 on Earth, Breetai is a skilled and merciless opponent who
leads attack after attack on the battle fortress. However,
Breetai comes to respect and even admire Earth's culture and
eventually defends the SDF-1 during the battle against Dolza's
forces. Breetai becomes a strong supporter of Admiral Gloval,
Rick Hunter, and Lisa Hayes.
EXEDORE
Japanese Name: Exedore Formo American Voice Actor: Leonard
Pike
Breetai's assistant. A fairly brilliant analyst and
scientist, Exedore is one of the first to realize the potential
that humans possess. Exedore is absolutely loyal to Breetai, and
eventually becomes a great supporter of Admiral Gloval, Rick
Hunter, and Lisa Hayes.ŒKHYRON
Japanese Name: Kamjin Kravshera American Voice Actor: Greg
Snow
Nicknamed "the Backstabber", Khyron is one of the best
generals that the Zentraedi fleet has to offer. He is also
totally ruthless, often sacrificing his own men if it will earn
him a quicker victory. Khyron becomes obsessed with destroying
the SDF-1 and constantly launches attacks despite his superior's
orders to the contrary. Khyron is eventually killed in a
kamikaze attack run on the SDF-1 and SDF-2.
MIRIYA
Japanese Name: Miria Fariina American Voice Actress: Penny
Sweet
A beautiful ace Zentraedi pilot and member of the Quadronos,
an elite band of all-female Zentraedi warriors. Miriya is
undefeated in combat until she meets Max Sterling. Miriya is so
intrigued and infuriated by an opponent that she cannot defeat
that she elects to be micronized and enter the SDF-1 secretly to
kill Max. However, after being defeated by Max, Miriya falls in
love with him and marries him. Max and Miriya have a child named
Dana Sterling, who becomes a key character in the second Robotech
saga.
DOLZA
Japanese Name: Bodolza American Voice Actor: ?????
Supreme Commander of all Zentraedi. Dolza wants to
recapture the SDF-1 because he believes it holds a secret that
will make the Zentraedi the most powerful race in the galaxy.
However, he is unable to comprehend human emotions and orders the
Earth destroyed rather than risk the contamination of his fleet.
Dolza is killed by the SDF-1's counterattack after the Earth is
destroyed.
AZONIA
Japanese Name: Lap Lamiz American Voice Actress: ?????
Commander of the Quadronos and Miriya's superior officer.
At first Azonia is extremely loyal to Breetai, but defects to
Khyron's side after Dolza is killed. Azonia is killed along with
Khyron during their attack on the SDF-1 and SDF-2.
BRON, RICO, KONDA
Japanese Names: Walera, Rori, Konda
American Voice Actor: ?????, Axel Roberts, ?????
Three Zentraedi spies sent to infiltrate the SDF-1 and learn
all they can about human culture. However, they become
contaminated by that culture and spread the contamination to
Breetai's ships after they return. They become strong supporters
of the RDF and good friends of Max and Miriya Sterling during the rebuilding period after Dolza's attack.
THE MASTERS
===========
DANA STERLING
Japanese Name: Jeanne Francaix American Voice Actress: ?????
The daughter of Max and Miriya Sterling and the first child
to result from a union of two races. Dana is among the first to
graduate from the new Robotech Military Academy and is very eager
to prove herself in combat. Dana has a wild streak that makes
her a good leader but a poor follower. Fortunately she is
quickly put in charge of the 15th ATAC squadron where she can put
her talents to good use. By the end of the second Robotech war
Dana has lost her innocence and some of her energetic personality
has been replaced with a with pessimism about the future and the
coming of the Invid.
NOVA SATORI
Japanese Name: Lana Isavia American Voice Actress: Penny
Sweet
One of the youngest and highest ranking members of the
Global Military Police, Nova is a career military officer with a
very disciplined spit-and-polish attitude towards the military.
This puts her at odds with Dana and her squad, who are much more
lax and often bend rules and regulations. Nova and Dana become
great rivals, and tension becomes even greater when Zor Prime is
captured and becomes part of the ATAC.
SEAN PHILLIPS
Japanese Name: Charles de Touard American Voice Actor: ?????
Formerly a first lieutenant in charge of the 15th ATAC, Sean
Phillips is demoted and replaced by Dana after being caught with
the daughter of a high- ranking Southern Cross official. A
professional womanizer, Sean eventually falls in love (for real)
with Marie Crystal. The problem is that Marie has a hard time
believing that Sean is sincere in his feelings.
BOWIE GRANT
Japanese Name: Bowie Emerson American Voice Actor: Larry
Abraham
In the original scripts for Robotech, Bowie Grant was the
younger brother of Claudia Grant, but was later changed to be the
nephew of Claudia for the Sentinels story line. Bowie is
actually a sensitive and talented musician and is not really
suited to the military or combat. The only reason he stays in
the military is his loyalty to Dana Sterling, who has been his
best friend since childhood. During an invasion of the Robotech
Masters' fortress Bowie meets and falls in love with Musica, an alien musician.
MARIE CRYSTAL
Japanese Name: Marie Angel American Voice Actress:
Shirley Roberts
An independent, proud, and skilled pilot for the TASC space
forces of the Southern Cross. Like Nova Satori, Marie is a
strong believer in discipline which puts her at odds with Dana
and crew. Marie's discipline falters slightly, however, when she
falls in love with Sean Phillips.
ANGELO (ANGIE) DANTE
Japanese Name: Andrzej Slawski American Voice Actor: Drew
Thomas
Second in command of the 15th ATAC, Angie is a very
no-nonsense down-to-earth kind of guy. At first he has trouble
respecting Dana as his commanding officer, but grows to respect
the young lady as she leads the 15th to victory time and time
again.
LOUIE NICHOLS
Japanese Name: Louis Ducasse American Voice Actor: ?????
Half punk, half nerd, Louie is the young genius of the 15th
ATAC. When not involved in combat, Louie often tinkers around
with machinery and mecha, constantly trying to improve them. One
of his most clever inventions is the "pupil pistol," an
eye-controlled aiming system that was designed to improve Louie's
score at a video game. However, Louie gets very upset when the
military starts to use his invention to improve the targeting
systems of Earth mecha.
ROLF EMERSON
Japanese Name: Rolf Emerson American Voice Actor: Jeffrey
Platt
A seasoned veteran and skilled officer, Rolf Emerson is one
of the finest generals in the Southern Cross military forces.
However, his sense of honor and duty often put him at odds with
the more corrupt leaders in the Southern Cross, who usually
assign Emerson to dangerous missions in the hopes of getting rid
of him. Rolf was named chief guardian of Dana Sterling and Bowie
Grant after their parents left on the SDF-3, and the trio has
become quite close.
ANATOLE LEONARD
Japanese Name: Claude Leon American Voice Actor: ?????
Supreme Commander of Earth's military forces, Anatole
Leonard is the opposite of Rolf Emerson in almost every way.
While Leonard is a skilled officer and tactical genius, he is
also a bigot and very corrupt. He is totally unwilling to negotiate with the Masters, and wants to kill every member of the
enemy forces rather than compromise. Leonard's blind hatred of
the Masters and anyone who opposes him (like Rolf Emerson) is a
primary cause of the destruction of the Southern Cross during the
final battles of the second Robotech war.
THE ROBOTECH MASTERS
Japanese Name: The Zor American Voice Actor: Alex
Gregory
The immortal lords of Robotechnology who corrupted Zor's
original discoveries into terrible weapons of war. The Robotech
Masters were once the leaders of a vast intergalactic empire.
However, the destruction of the Zentraedi and constant attacks
from the Invid have greatly weakened the Masters' forces to the
point where they can no longer maintain their empire. In order
to survive, the Masters MUST retrieve the Protoculture Matrix
from the wreck of the SDF-1 on Earth, even if they have to kill
all of humanity to do it.
ZOR PRIME
Japanese Name: Seifrietti Weisse American Voice Actor: ?????
Zor Prime is a clone of the original Zor, the "father" of
Protoculture. The Robotech Masters use Zor Prime first as a
soldier and then as a spy in an effort to find a way to defeat
the Earth forces. However, Zor's advanced intellect allow him to
eventually overcome the Masters' programming and remember who and
what he is. Zor Prime dedicates himself to destroying the Masters
and preventing the Invid from destroying Earth. Although he
succeeds in the first task, he fails to destroy the flower of
life, instead scattering the seeds all over Earth and
guaranteeing the arrival of the Invid. Zor Prime sacrifices his
own life in the wasted effort to destroy the flower at the end of
the second series.
MUSICA
Japanese Name: Musika American Voice Actress: Chelsea
Victoria
One of the Masters' clones and a member of a trio of
musicians, Musica is charged with playing music that keeps the
other clones of the Masters passive and obedient. Musica meets
Bowie Grant during a Southern Cross invasion of the Masters'
fortress, and the two instantly fall in love. Bowie opens
Musica's mind to new possibilities, and as a result Musica rebels
against the Masters' control.
THE NEW GENERATION
==================
SCOTT BERNARD
Japanese Name: Steik Bernard American Voice Actor: Greg Snow
Robotech Expeditionary Force (REF) Pilot and sole survivor
of the Mars Division assault on Reflex Point, Scott Bernard has
one goal; defeat the Invid at ANY cost. After surviving
crash-landing on Earth, Scott tries to recruit others who are
willing to fight the Invid, and eventually succeeds in gathering
a group of freedom fighters to help him in his quest. Scott is
very determined and single-minded at the start of the series, but
starts to lighten up when he meets and falls in love with
Marlene, who reminds him of his former girlfriend who was killed
in battle. Scott's world is turned upside-down when he learns
that Marlene is actually an Invid; a member of the race he is
trying to destroy.
LANCER
Japanese Name: Yellow Belmont American Voice Actor: Jimmy
Flinders
A skilled pilot and freedom fighter who joins up with the
team in the third episode. In order to escape the Invid, Lancer
created the female personality of Yellow Dancer and uses her to
do undercover work for the team. Near the end of the series
Lancer falls in love with an Invid named Sera, and together they
help to form a tentative peace between both sides at the end of
the series.
RAND
Japanese Name: Rei American Voice Actor: Anthony Wayne
A young and arrogant wanderer/freedom fighter, Rand is a
self-taught survivor. When Rand meets and joins up with Scott
Bernard, he begins to learn the value of friendship and teamwork
and becomes less of a loner. Rand falls in love with Rook early
on in the series, but it takes nearly until the end of the series
before she returns the feelings.
ROOK BARTLEY
Japanese Name: Fuke Eroze American Voice Actress: ?????
Rook grew up among the ruins and gang wars that followed the
Second Robotech War, and learned how to be tough and independent
at an early age. In fact, she has built up so much emotional
armor around herself that she has trouble relating to other
people. Like Rand, though, she eventually learns to drop her
armor and care for other people again while being part of Scott's
team. Near the end of the series Rook falls in love with Rand.
ANNIE (MINT)
Japanese Name: Mint Rubble American Voice Actress: Mary
Cobb
The youngest member of the resistance fighters, Annie is aŒspunky and obnoxious little girl who always wants to be in the
middle of the action (often getting in over her head). Despite
her annoying and troublesome antics her teammates love her and
would go to great lengths for her.
LUNK
Japanese Name: Jim Austin American Voice Actor: ?????
An ex-Southern Cross mechanic, Lunk is a good source of
technical and moral support for the rest of the team. However,
Lunk himself is plagued with worries and insecurities from his
actions during the initial invasion of the Invid, where he was
forced to run away and watch as friends of his were killed. Lunk
desperately wants to prove to himself that he has courage, and
believes that he can do that by staying with Scott's team.
MARLENE (A.K.A. ARIEL)
Japanese Name: Marlene American Voice Actress: ?????
Marlene is the first humanoid Invid created by the Regis
(see below) to spy on Scott Bernard's team. However, during her
insertion into the team she is hurt and loses all of her memory.
Believing her to be a wounded human female, the team takes her in
and cares for her. Through them Marlene learns human customs and
emotions, and eventually falls in love with Scott Bernard.
Though shocked when she rediscovers that she is an Invid, Marlene
recovers and manages (along with Sera) to convince the Regis to
flee Earth rather than fight to the finish.
THE REGIS
Japanese Name: Refles American Voice Actress: Celena
Banas
The supreme ruler of the Invid. The Regis has one overall
goal; the evolution and survival of her race. Intelligent and
ruthless, she is completely intolerant of humans, who remind her
of the Robotech Masters who destroyed her homeworld long ago.
What the Regis doesn't realize, however, is that she is acting
just like those same Masters that she hates. Sera and Marlene
are eventually able to convince her to leave Earth rather than
continue a war that may destroy both races.
SERA
Japanese Name: Sorji American Voice Actress: ?????
Along with Corg, Sera is the result of the Regis' second
attempt to create a humanoid Invid. At first a cunning and
ruthless warrior, she eventually falls prey to human emotions and
begins to fall in love with Lancer. Although she has trouble
understanding these newfound feelings, she eventually realizes
the futility of her races' actions and helps Marlene to convince
the Regis to flee Earth.
CORGŒJapanese Name: Batra American Voice Actor: ?????
Another humanoid Invid created by the Regis, Corg also falls
victim to human emotions like Marlene and Sera. However, instead
of friendship and love Corg learns hate and aggression, and
directs his violent feelings towards his enemies. An extremely
skilled fighter, he is responsible for many REF deaths during the
final battle and almost succeeds in killing Lancer, Rook, and
Rand. He is finally defeated and killed by Scott Bernard in the
final episode.
2.2: ROBOTECH TV EPISODE GUIDE
------------------------------
THE MACROSS SAGA
1. Boobytrap The SDF-1 comes to Earth.
2. Countdown Rick Hunter encounters the giant
Zentraedi.
3. Space Fold The SDF-1 is stranded near Pluto.
4. The Long Wait Rick and Minmei are trapped, alone
together.
5. Transformation The SDF-1 adopts an Attack Mode.
6. Blitzkreig Lisa Hayes conceives the Daedalus
Attack.
7. Bye-Bye Mars Khyron attacks the SDF-1 on Mars.
8. Sweet Sixteen Rick is promoted and Minmei has a
birthday.
9. Miss Macross The Zentraedi monitor a TV beauty
contest.
10. Blind Game Rick and his team are captured by the
Zentraedi.
11. First Contact The Zentraedi are terrorized by human
affection.
12. The Big Escape Miriya plants micronized Zentraedi
spies.
13. Blue Wind The SDF-1 finally makes it back to
Earth.
14. Gloval's Report Captain Gloval summarizes the story so
far.
15. Homecoming Minmei visits her parents and returns
with Kyle.
16. Battle Cry Rick's has a near-fatal accident in
combat.
17. Phantasm Rick has a bizarre dream.
18. Farewell, Big Brother Max battles Miriya and Roy is fatally
wounded.
19. Bursting Point The Omnidirectional Barrier kills Ben
Dixon.
20. Paradise Lost The "Small White Dragon" cast party.
21. A New Dawn Rick and Lisa become allies in
adversity.Œ22. Battle Hymn Khyron leads his troops into the
SDF-1.
23. Reckless Some Zentraedi desert and are given
asylum.
24. Showdown Lisa leaves the SDF-1; Max meets
Miriya.
25. Wedding Bells Max & Miriya are married, and fly
together, too.
26. The Messenger Exedore warns the SDF-1 of impending
disaster.
27. Force of Arms Rick and Lisa are reunited; the SDF-1
triumphs.
28. Reconstruction Blues The SDF-1 crew now build their lives
on Earth.
29. Robotech Masters The Robotech Masters set off for
Earth.
30. Viva Miriya A Zentraedi factory satellite is
captured.
31. Khyron's Revenge Malcontent Zentraedi on Earth oppose
the humans.
32. Broken Heart Rick rescues Minmei from Khyron.
33. A Rainy Night Lisa and Claudia Grant talk about Roy
and Rick.
34. Private Time Minmei comes between Lisa and Rick.
35. Season's Greetings Khyron prepares for a final attack on
the SDF-1.
36. To the Stars The SDF-1 is destroyed; Rick and Lisa
make up.
THE ROBOTECH MASTERS
37. Dana's Story The Robotech Masters engage the humans
in combat.
38. False Start Dana Sterling is put in charge of her
squadron.
39. Southern Cross Dana repels the Bioroids and is
promoted.
40. Volunteers In Earth orbit, Dana panics under
fire.
41. Half Moon Bowie Grant is captured by the
Robotech Masters.
42. Danger Zone Dana's squadron takes down an enemy
Fortress.
43. Prelude to Battle Bowie is arrested by the Global
Military Police.
44. The Trap Inside the Master's ship, Bowie meets
Musica.
45. Metal Fire Dana argues that the enemy aren't
androids.
46. Stardust A GMP agent assists Dana in fighting
the Masters.
47. Outsiders A single ship from the REF returns to
Earth.
48. Deja Vu Dana meets the captured Bioroid pilot, Zor.
49. A New Recruit Zor unwittingly becomes a spy for the
Masters.
50. Triumvirate Invid Flowers of Life are found inside
the SDF-1.
51. Clone Chamber Marie Crystal's team rescue the Earth
Fleet.
52. Love Song General Emerson is assigned to a
combat mission.
53. The Hunters The military perverts Louie Nichols'
invention.
54. Mind Game Dana's squad is sent to help Emerson's
fleet.
55. Dana in Wonderland The humans encounter the Masters'
society.
56. Crisis Point In the Masters' ship, Zor and Musica
find Dana.
57. Daydreamer Zor, Musica and Dana's squad return to
Earth.
58. Final Nightmare Zor suffers a flashback inside the
SDF-1 ruins.
59. The Invid Connection The Masters issue an ultimatum to
Earth.
60. Catastrophe Zor destroys the Masters, but attracts
the Invid.
THE NEW GENERATION
61. The Invid Invasion Scott Bernard crash lands on the
planet Earth.
62. The Lost City Annie joins Scott and Rand against the
Invid.
63. Lonely Soldier Boy Rook, Lancer and Lunk join the team.
64. Survival The Invid sense the Protoculture in
the mecha.
65. Curtain Call Scott's team pull off a Protoculture
raid.
66. Hard Times Rook has a violent bout with her past.
67. Paper hero Lunk tries to fulfill a friend's dying
wish.
68. Eulogy Scott meets his hero, Colonel Jonathan
Wolff.
69. The Genesis Pit Invid evolution experiments are
discovered.
70. Enter Marlene An amnesiac woman joins Scott and
company.
71. The Secret Route Lancer falls foul of his old flame,
Carla.
72. The Fortress A decisive victory for Scott and the
others.
73. Sandstorm Rand has a dream influenced by the
Invid.
74. Annie's Wedding Annie woos a young would-be tribal
warrior.Œ75. Separate Ways The teams' personal conflicts become
arguments.
76. Metamorphosis The Regiss creates two new humanoid
agents.
77. The Midnight Sun The Invid Sera is disturbed upon
seeing Lancer.
78. Ghost Town Word of a new REF offensive reaches
Scott.
79. Frostbite Marlene puts a dent in Scott's
emotional armor.
80. Birthday Blues "Mint" LaBelle has the best birthday
ever!
81. Hired Gun Rook meets a man with a cruel
vendetta.
82. The Big Apple An attack on an Invid hive in New York
City.
83. Reflex Point Scott discovers that Marlene is an
Invid.
84. Dark Finale The team joins the REF in a final
assault.
85. Symphony of Light The Regis changes form and leaves the
Earth.
2.3: THE ROBOTECH TIMELINE
--------------------------
(NOTE: This section is still being edited)
Perhaps the most uncertain portion of the Robotech universe
is the timeline. Very few dates are given in the show, and
competing (and contradictory) chronologies are given in the
novels and the role-playing game. Indeed, the former two sources
even contradict the show on several points. Furthermore, there
is a wide dissatisfaction among many fans with the McKinney
novels, and a reluctance to take McKinney's word on any matter,
even as matter-of-fact as the timeline. So what is known, from
just the show itself?
Macross:
1) The SDF-1 lands on Earth in 1999. This is made explicit in the
narration in the episode "Boobytrap".
2) The SDF-1 is completed, and the Zentraedi first arrive, in
2009. This is established in both narration and in a time-lapsed
sequence of the repair work on the SDF-1, also from "Boobytrap".
3) It takes the SDF-1 12.5 months to return to Earth from the
fold. This is established in the episode "Homecoming". Earth is
bombarded some months after.
4) The show picks up again approximately 'two years' later,
according to the narration. The time seems to be early Autumn, as
it begins to snow only a few episodes later. Dana Sterling is
several months old by this time. See "Reconstruction Blues".
5) The episode "Season's Greetings" is set at Christmas.Œ6) The episode "To the Stars" takes place soon after that, either
in late December or (more likely) in early January. A picture
album closes at the end of the episode, with the words "So
long...2012" written on it, perhaps indicating the date of the
end of the show.
Robotech Masters:
1) Dana is still a teenager (less than 19), but she is a graduate
of the Robotech Academy (can't be too young). This is established
in the episode "False Start". If she is born in 2011 (from
above), then a good guess for the arrival of the Robotech Masters
would be between 2027 and 2030.
2) Major Carpenter's aide refers to their ship as their home for
ten(?) years in the episode "Outsiders", limiting the date of the
departure of the REF.
3) The Second Robotech War lasts only a couple of years, from the
pacing of the episodes.
New Generation:
1) Most of the crew has never seen Earth, and was born on a
Robotech ship in deep space, established in "The Invid Invasion";
if the median age of the crew were 22, then that means that this
episode is set 22 years after the departure of the REF.
2) The Invid seem to have run Earth for many years.
3) Scott was a kid (10?) when Wolff departed for Earth, from the
episode "Eulogy".
4) A crashed vessel from the expeditionary force is seen in
"Ghost Town". Its crew are old men, in their sixties and
seventies, except for one man in his late forties (who doesn't
seem, from the way he's treated, to be part of the crew).
Sentinels:
1) Macek establishes the date for the beginning of this as 2022.
Obviously, it is impossible to generate a calendar that agrees
with every cue from the series - because there are vestiges of
the pre-Robotech plot- lines still in the dialogue. Many fans are
generally unsatisfied with McKinney, and the RPG has its problems
as well.
2.4: HOW TO SEE THE SERIES
--------------------------
2.4.1: IS ROBOTECH STILL ON TV? WHAT TIME/CHANNEL?
Robotech is currently aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on
cable in the US. It airs both weekday and Saturday mornings.
Times my vary, it is best to check the TV Guide for your area.
The Sci-Fi Channel has a page near the front.
Œ2.4.2: WHERE CAN I GET ROBOTECH ON VIDEOTAPE?
[To Be Completed]
2.4.3: WHERE CAN I GET ROBOTECH ON LASERDISC?
LIVE Entertainment is releasing collections of ROBOTECH
episodes on LD. Each disk contains 4 episodes, all uncut and
original length. Currently all Macross TV episodes are available
and the Southern Cross episodes are currently being released.
Presumably LIVE Entertainment will release the New Generation
episodes after all Southern Cross episodes are released.
Each disk is $34.95 (manufacturer's recommended price).
LIVE Entertainment is distributing the discs throughout the
U.S. to Laserdisc stores, so if you can't find the discs in your
local LD shop you can probably have them order them for you.
If you don't live near a LD store, then you can order the
discs from a mail- order LD store. Laser Craze in Boston has
been advertising the discs like crazy (no pun intended), so they
probably have a lot of them. You can contact Laser Craze at the
address below:
LASER CRAZE
349 Newbury Street, Boston.
Boston, MA 02111
Phone: (800) 888-6086 - Orders Only
Phone: (617) 338-9820 - Questions
Fax: (617) 338-8098
2.5: ROBOTECH TV SERIES QUESTIONS
---------------------------------
2.5.1: WHY ARE THERE CONTINUITY PROBLEMS BETWEEN THE THREE
SEGMENTS?
Most continuity problems arise in the TV show because the
original three series from which the footage was drawn were not
intended to be seen together. Carl Macek used three totally
unrelated stories, and combined them into one, with the usual
time constraints associated with getting a show on the air. The
second of the three series, Southern Cross, wasn't even set on
Earth in the original Japanese version. An imperfect match was
inevitable.
2.5.2: WHAT IS PROTOCULTURE?
It has been proposed that there are as many explanations for
Protoculture as there are fans. The best way to answer the question is to examine the facets seen from the various sources.
What does everyone agree upon? Protoculture is a form of
energy derived from placing the seeds of the Invid Flower of Life
in a matrix that prevents them from dividing. This energy source
is completely clean, abundant, and because of this, the Robotech
Masters' entire empire depended on it.
What also is agreed upon is that the spores of the Flower of
Life (related to the seeds) cause severe hallucinations, and to
some extent, precognition and telepathy, usually mediated through
obscure symbols.
Protoculture is also somehow involved in genetic engineering
technologies of both the Invid and the Robotech Masters, though
the details (from the show) are uncertain.
Later writers (especially Jack McKinney) have dramatically
expanded on this idea. In McKinney's novels, protoculture has
moved from a force that permeates the universe to an intelligence
that shapes events in the universe to its own ends. It also is
allegedly responsible for a symbiotic relationship between man
and mecha, and infusions of it can enhance awareness and
intelligence. While some see the roots of these extrapolations
in the TV series itself, others hotly dispute this, claiming
McKinney went off on his own.
2.5.3: WHERE WAS THE SDF-2 IN EPISODE 36?
In a word, nowhere. There is no SDF-2 in the footage, though
there is in the dialogue. In the original Macross TV show, the
SDF-2 was to be built on the moon beginning sometime after the
series was over (a scaled-up version of the idea for this vessel
was seen in Macross: Flashback 2012 as the Megaroad-01; though it
is larger than the Macross source material had previously
stated). But the SDF-2 is never actually seen in the Robotech
footage, as it was not in the footage for the original Macross.
There is only one battlefortress to be seen in the lake.
Carl Macek has explained this away by asserting that the
vessels were back-to- back, but the first glimpse of this
explanation not seen until the Comico adaptation, and has been
the standard apologia ever since. The idea was to have three
ships to correspond to the three mounds seen in the Southern
Cross episodes.
+-----------------------------------------------+
| SECTION III - ROBOTECH SPINOFFS AND "SEQUELS" |
+-----------------------------------------------+
3.1: ROBOTECH: THE SENTINELS
----------------------------Œ3.1.1: WHAT IS IT?
The Sentinels was to be a 65-episode sequel to the Robotech
TV series, detailing the adventures of the REF on Tirol and other
worlds conquered by the Regent, king of the Invid. For financial
considerations described more fully by Carl Macek in _Robotech:
Art III_, the project was canceled, though the story was
rewritten by Jack McKinney in a novel form, and published by
Eclipse comics in a graphic form. Both new media dramatically
modify the plot as described by Macek in _Art III_, especially
toward the end of the series.
3.1.2: HOW MANY EPISODES WERE PRODUCED?
The footage for the first three episodes were completed
before financial complications doomed the project. These episodes
were rearranged, with new dialogue and some old footage added,
and were released on videotape, originally through Palladium
books, and later through Streamline. This footage is now widely
available on video and laser disk, usually in the 'Animation'
section.
3.1.3: WILL THERE BE ANY MORE?
Extremely unlikely. The animated TV version of the Sentinels
is, in effect, on hold. There is some renewed interest at Harmony
Gold because of the popularity of Robotech on the Sci-Fi network,
but no firm plans have been made public.
3.1.4: WHERE CAN I GET A COPY?
Check your local video retail or rental store, or write:
STREAMLINE PICTURES
P.O. Box 691418
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Phone: (310) 657-8559
3.2: THE McKINNEY BOOKS
-----------------------
3.2.1: WHAT ARE THEY?
The Robotech novels are published by Del Rey and are
copyrighted by Harmony Gold U.S.A, Inc. and Tatsunoko Production
Co., Ltd. - except for #19 which is just HG. Robotech is a
trademark owned and licensed by Harmony Gold U.S.A.
The order to read them:
/-13-14-15-16-17\
1-2-3-4-5-6-19< >18
\-7-8-9-10-11-12/ΠThe following descriptions were taken from the back of
#19.
The Macross Saga aka First Generation:
#1 Genesis ISBN: 0-345-34133-3
As the Global Civil War was about to wipe out Humankind,
a dying alien genius dispatched the abandoned Super Dimensional
Fortress to Earth - and put Humanity's future in the hands of a
corps of untried, resolute young men and women: the Robotech
Defense Force. Then the most feared conquerors in the universe
attacked, and the real war began...
#2 Battle Cry ISBN: 0-345-34134-1
Henry Gloval, Human captain of the alien spacecraft
called the Super Dimensional Fortress, was a practical man - he
only asked himself once or twice a day how in the world he had
ended up in commend of the stupendously powerful SDF-1. After
all, he had more important things on his mind - for now the
Zentraedi had come to claim the alien space fortress as their
own...
#3 Homecoming ISBN: 0-345-34136-8
For more than a year, the Humans aboard the SDF-1 had
fought and eluded an endless armada of Zentraedi warships. Now
the space fortress would have to battle her way back to Earth.
But villains came in human form as well as alien - and the
treachery of power-hungry men might be the most lethal threat of
all...
These first three books have also been recently published as
a '3-in-1' volume. ISBN: 0-345-38900-X
#4 Battlehymn ISBN: 0-345-34137-6
For two years, the SDF-1 had been chased through the
Solar system by a race of giant alien warriors, only to be made
to feel like unwanted relatives when they finally returned to
planet Earth. But after three months of inactivity, the SDF-1's
Captain Gloval took matters into his own hands. In direct
violation of Council dictates, he ordered the SDF-1 airborne.
After all, the fate of the Earth was at stake...
#5 Force of Arms ISBN: 0-345-34138-4
The giant Zentraedi had given up their efforts to capture
the SDF-1 intact. Now they wished only to destroy it - along
with its Human crew, the whole Human race and its homeworld, and
those aliens who had defected to the Terran side. Supreme
Commander Dolza mobilized the largest fleet of Zentraedi warships
the universe had ever seen... and all their weapons were aimed
at Earth.
#6 Doomsday ISBN: 0-345-34139-2
It was a war without victors - one that had brought two
species to the brink of extinction. And it was a war without
spoils, save for the devastated Earth itself. After the final battle, Humans began the painstaking process or reconstruction.
The Zentraedi would help them - for the two former enemies new
shared a common goal: survival. But all was not well in this
bravest of new worlds... for one Zentraedi had vowed to lead his
race back to their former glory - at any cost.
Del Rey has collected books 4-6 into one '3-in-1' volume as
with 1-3. ISBN: 0-345-39145-4
Southern Cross aka The Robotech Masters aka Second
Generation:
#7 Southern Cross ISBN: 0-345-34140-6
Twenty years after the First Robotech War, the Robotech
Masters came to Earth to finish the conquest their Zentraedi
warrior-slaves had begun... and a battle-ravaged Earth had to
defend itself once more. And young Dana Sterling, half-Human,
half-Zentraedi commander of an elite Hovertank unit, stepped into
the spotlight of interstellar history!
#8 Metal Fire ISBN: 0-345-34141-4
An alien fortress had crashlanded on Earth - brought down
deliberately in the struggle between the Robotech Masters and
Earth's Human inhabitants. Now the fortress sat silently
overlooking Monument City, daring someone to penetrate its dark
mysteries. And who better to brave the ship than Dana Sterling's
15th Squadron ATACs - after all, they had brought the thing down
to begin with!
#9 The Final Nightmare ISBN: 0-345-34142-2
The war for Earth had become even more desperate: the
Robotech Masters' Protoculture Matrix was degenerating,
transforming into the Flower of Life, which was sure to draw the
savage, merciless Invid across the galaxy. But the Army of the
Southern Cross vowed to wage war for Earth to the bitter end.
And Dana Sterling, half-alien commander of an elite Hovertank
unit, waged a desperate war of her own to uncover the meaning of
her strange visions and the secret of the alien heritage...
The New Generation aka The Invid aka Third Generation:
#10 Invid Invasion ISBN: 0-345-34143-0
The Invid Regis had succeeded where the Robotech Masters
had failed - her warrior horde had gained control of Protoculture
and laid claim to Earth. It was up to the space-weary Human
veterans of the Expeditionary Force to retake the planet - a
world most of them had never seen. And the counterinvasion would
be more difficult than anyone could imagine...
#11 Metamorphosis ISBN: 0-345-34144-9
There had never been a less conventional band of
champions: a downed pilot who was a stranger on his own
homeworld... a former biker hellion... a young forager obsessed
with the vanishing heritage of Humanity's lore... a lethal Robotech warrior... an irrepressible adolescent convinced that
the world owes her a Great Romance... and a cloned enemy
Simulagent who couldn't recall who she was. And somewhere ahead
of them lay Reflex Point, nerve center and stronghold of the
Invid conquerors - and the destination of the group that was
Earth's last hope.
#12 Symphony of Light ISBN: 0-345-34145-7
It had been a long, hard road for the ragtag band of
Robotech irregulars, but Reflex Point was finally close at hand,
and preparations were underway for a full-scale assault on the
Invid stronghold. But the Invid Regis would not surrender so
easily the world she had come halfway across the galaxy to claim.
And no one had thought to ask whether Protoculture might have
something to say in these matters. But indeed it did, and the
final encounter of the Robotech Wars would be more mystifying
than anyone had imagined...
The Sentinels:
#1 aka #13 The Devil's Hand ISBN: 0-345-35300-5
It was 2020, and the Super Dimensional Fortresses 1 and 2
had long been destroyed. But Earth was now on the mend, and the
Robotech Defense Force had fashioned a new battle fortress: the
SDF-3, tasked with a trip across the galaxy to make peace with
Tirol's Robotech Masters. But unknown to Admirals Rick and Lisa
Hunter and the SDF-3's crew of thousands, the Robotech Masters
were already on their way to Earth. And at Tirol, the SDF-3
would face the galaxy's fiercest warlord: the Invid Regent!
#2 aka #14 Dark Powers ISBN: 0-345-35301-3
Stranded on the far side of the galaxy after battling the
Invid hordes, the Robotech Expeditionary Force's chances for
survival are slim. But suddenly, a starship unlike any other
appeared - manned by an incredible assortment of beings
determined to challenge the Invid Regent himself! REF volunteers
signed on, their mighty war mecha in tow, for a campaign that
would mean their total destruction - or liberty for the planets
of the Sentinels!
#3 aka #15 Death Dance ISBN: 0-345-35302-1
Four months had passed without a word from the Sentinels,
and the members of the Expeditionary mission to Tirol feared the
worst - even as they began truce negotiations with the Invid
Regent himself. Far away, the surviving Sentinels were hopelessly
stranded on Praxis, a planet in cataclysm, at the mercy of the
Invid Regis. But deep within that world's core were answers to
the Sentinels' prayers - if they could only reach them before
Praxis tore itself apart.
#4 aka #16 World Killers ISBN: 0-345-35304-8
The bearlike Kabarrans and the swashbuckling amazons from
Praxis, the feral natives of Garuda and the Human Robotech heroes
- these oddly match champions banded together with yet other species to form the valiant Sentinels. But no fighting force
could hope to dislodge the Invid hordes from Haydon IV, ethereal
world of superscience, or Spheris, crystalline globe of living
minerals and murderous resonances. Nevertheless, the Sentinels
launched their attack...
#5 aka #17 Rubicon ISBN: 0-345-35305-6
Optera - birthplace of the Flower of Life and its agents
of retribution, the Invid - was to be the site of the final
confrontation between the Sentinels and Edwards and his Invid
allies. Edwards, with Lynn-Minmei prisoner and a handful of
Invid Inorganics under his control, had fled Tirol for the
distant planet. Breetai's Zentraedi were headed there as well -
and so were the renegade forces of Tesla, mutated by the fruits
of the Flower. The Sentinels themselves were not far behind...
and it was a battle the Sentinels had to win!
The conclusion to the series:
#18 The End of the Circle ISBN: 0-345-36311-6
The SDF-3 manifested from spacefold, but no one aboard
had the slightest idea where they were - the ship appeared to be
grounded in some glowing fog, ensnared by the light itself. And
the ship's Protoculture drives had disappeared. Meanwhile, in
Earthspace, the Ark Angel had been spared the destructive fate of
the REF main fleet, and a mission set out to locate the SDF-3.
Elsewhere, mysterious events were being set into motion, and the
ultimate conflict was imminent...
An additional side-story:
#19 The Zentraedi Rebellion ISBN: 0-345-38774-0
Not every Human was eager to share the planet Earth with
the Zentraedi survivors of the First Robotech War, and there was
little prospect of a lasting peace. The tensions in the
Southlands had given rise to two opposing groups: the Army of the
Southern Cross, and a loosely organized brigade of Zentraedi
insurgents, driven by the Imperative to continue the fight -
until one race or the other was eradicated. Caught between those
rivals was the Robotech Defense Force, which would play a crucial
role in what would be called the Malcontent Uprisings...
3.2.2: HOW DO THEY DIFFER FROM THE TV SERIES?
Overall, the first twelve McKiney novels follow the Robotech
series exactly, so that when reading the novels one can simply
imagine the film in their head moving along with the words. The
novels add another dimention to the Robotech universe and the
characters, bringing out their thoughts, feelings, and inner
conflicts as well as describing the scenes in a way not possible
with television. There exist however, several imporant
differences between the novels and the animated series that
should be mentioned.ΠOne of these major differences is the McKinney team's use of
the "Thinking Cap", the sensor-packed helmet that Veritech and
other mecha pilots need to interface with their vehicle to form
the mysterious symbiotic link made possible by protoculture. In
the series there is no mention of the thinking cap. Indeed there
are several scenes where the pilot flies his vehicle without one,
such as when Rick Hunter
rescues Lisa Hayes from the destroyed Grand Cannon: he has her
wear the helmet and skillfully pilots his VT in guardian mode out
of the ruins with Lisa on his lap.
In addition to protoculture's use as a fuel source and power
behind the mysterious symbiotic link, McKinney portrays it
allowing metal objects to act like a living entity, repairing and
readjusting themselves according to needs at hand. Examples
include the SDF-1's solid floor allowing Captain Gloval's team to
pass through to different levels during their initial encounter
right after the fortress crashlanded on Macross, their robotic
probe's circuits rearranging themselves after entering the SDF-1,
Breetai's ship's hull resealing itself after Ben Dixon fired
missiles to try and escape with his buddies, and Khyron's ship
rebuilding its command center.
After the McKinney team finishes covering the saga as seen on
film, they create their own material when continuing the series,
most notably in the Sentinels series of novels. The most recent
addition is Book #18: The End of the Circle, which has been
received with mixed feelings by the Robotech fans, some of whom
do not agree with its canonism. Their latest book, #19: The
Zentraedi Rebellion also attempts to cover ground not supported
by the tv series when it tries to explore the crisis caused by
Zentraedi living on Earth who can not adapt to a peacful
existence. However one wishes to judge these books is entirely up
to them, but the McKinney novels will remain a major part of the
Robotech universe left to be explored and enjoyed by its fans.
3.2.3: WHAT IS "END OF THE CIRCLE" AND "ZENTRAEDI REBELLION"?
End of the Circle is a new story designed to tie up all
the loose ends in the Robotech universe post-Sentinels. It is a
creation of Jack McKinney's and is not related to the Robotech
III: The Odyssey concept mentioned in Robotech Art 3.
The Zentraedi Rebellion is a story that takes place
between the end of the Macross Saga and the beginnings of
Southern Cross and The Sentinels. It is based strongly on the
Eternity Comic's miniseries The Malcontent Uprisings.
3.2.4: ARE THEY STILL IN PRINT? WHERE CAN I GET COPIES?
Del Rey has collected the first three novels into one
volume, and may continue this with the rest. #19 is new,
however, at this time I do not believe the earlier books are
still in print. However, they still seem to be available from earlier printings.
Still-in-print Robotech novels can usually be ordered
through your local Waldenbooks or other favorite book store, or
by mail order from:
Del Rey Order Department
Randome House Distribution Center
Westminster, MD 21157
Phone: 1-800-733-3000
3.2.5: WHO IS (ARE) JACK McKINNEY?
Jack McKinney is a pen name for the team of Brian Daley
and James Luceno.
3.3: THE COMIC BOOKS
--------------------
3.3.1: THE COMICO ROBOTECH ADAPTATIONS
Author: (?)
Artist: (?)
Publisher: Comico
Number of Issues: Macross: 36
Masters: 25
New Generation: 25
Dates of Publication: 1985-1988 (?)
Plot: Comic book adaptation of the Robotech TV episodes.
3.3.2: THE COMICO GRAPHIC NOVEL
Author: Mike Baron
Artist: penciling by Neil Vokes, inking by Ken Steacy, coloring
by Tom Vincent
Publisher: Comico
Date of Publication: 8/86
Plot: Gloval, Edwards, and Fokker explore the newly-crashed
Battlefortress in 1999.
3.3.3: ROBOTECH II: THE SENTINELS
Author: Tom Mason and Chris Ulm (after Bk 2 Issue #14, Tom Mason)
Artist: Jason and John Waltrip
Publisher: Eternity/Malibu
Number of Issues: 16 in Book One, 2 in the Wedding Special, 3 in
the Illustrated Handbook, 21 in Book Two, 8 in Book 3.
Dates of Publication: 11/88 to 4/94
Plot: The REF departs to Tirol to confront the Robotech Masters,
but find Invid there instead. With the aid of the Sentinels,
aliens formerly in the Masters' empire now under the Invid yoke, a group of REF soldiers set off to defeat the Invid. A retelling
of McKinney's novelization of the never-completed TV series.
3.3.4: ROBOTECH II: THE MALCONTENT UPRISINGS
Author: Bill Spangler
Artist: Michael Ling
Publisher: Eternity/Malibu
Number of Issues: 12
Dates of Publication: 8/89 to 12/90
Plot: In separate adventures, Max Sterling and Johnathan Wolff,
and Miriya Sterling discover a plot by Zentraedi malcontents to
avenge themselves on humanity for atrocities committed against
them by mankind, and work to prevent it. This series is set a
number of years after the destruction of the SDF-1.
3.3.5: ROBOTECH: THE LEGEND OF ZOR
Author: Jason and John Waltrip
Artist: Jason and John Waltrip
Publisher: Eternity/Malibu
Number of Issues: 6
Dates of Publication: 3/92 to 10/92
Plot: Zor sets off from Tirol and discovers the Flower of Life.
The Robotech Masters seize power on Tirol, and order the
defoliation of Optera by the Zentraedi. The story ends with Zor
sending his Battlefortress to Earth.
3.3.6: ROBOTECH: CYBERPIRATES
Author: Bill Spangler
Artist: Thomas Tenny and Fred Perry
Publisher: Eternity/Malibu
Number of Issues: 4
Dates of Publication: 3/91 to 7/91
Plot: A couple of years after the departure of the SDF-3, the
Southern Cross testing its new Alphas. But something goes wrong;
an outside force is taking the planes over.
3.3.7: ROBOTECH: RETURN TO MACROSS
Author: Bill Spangler
Artist: Mujib Rahiman and Tim Eldred
Publisher: Eternity/Malibu
Number of Issues: 12
Dates of Publication: 3/93 to 3/94
Plot: During the years before the arrival of the Zentraedi, an
assassin stalks the SDF-1, and a rogue submarine from the Global
Civil War tries to capture Fokker and Edwards and hold the RDF
hostage. Meanwhile, Breetai and Khyron are sent on a mission to
investigate an alien ship, as they look for Zor's missing
battlefortress.
3.3.8: ROBOTECH: INVID WARŒAuthor: Bill Spangler and Tim Eldred
Artist: Tim Eldred and Fred Perry
Publisher: Eternity/Malibu
Number of Issues: 18
Dates of Publication: 5/92 to 10/93
Plot: The first twelve issues detail the early days of the Invid
occupation of Earth, centering around Nova Satori, Johnathan
Wolff, Lancer, and John Carpenter, especially Satori's systematic
attempt to expand her personal powerbase on Earth, and
preparations on Moon Base to assist Earth. The later six chapters
detail adventures of Scott Bernard and his band between episodes
of the TV show, up to the departure of Scott in search for the
SDF-3.
3.3.9: ROBOTECH: INVID WAR AFTERMATH
Author: Bruce Lewis
Artist: Bruce Lewis, David Lanphear, and Tim Eldred
Publisher: Eternity/Malibu
Number of Issues: 6
Dates of Publication: ~11/93 to 4/94
Plot: In the years after the departure of the Invid, Lancer,
Sera, Annie, Rand and Lunk build an oasis among the devastation,
called Bellmont. Eventually, Nova Satori, with the assistance of
Scott Bernard and Rook Bartley, takes over the city and
establishes herself as tyrant. Meanwhile, a starving army of
Zentraedi is closing on the city, with the firm intention that
their demands will be met.
3.3.10: HOW MANY OF THESE TITLES ARE STILL IN PRINT?
In the summer of '94, Eternity Comics ended its affiliation
with the Robotech line, with several titles to be picked up by
Academy Comics. The notes in the last Eternity issues indicate
that _Sentinels_ will definitely be picked up, with the
possibility of _Return to Macross_ and _Invid War: Aftermath_
being picked up as well.
3.4: THE MOVIES
---------------
3.4.1: ROBOTECH: THE MOVIE
3.4.1.1: WHAT IS IT?
Robotech: The Untold Story was a cinematic release that
combined footage from the Japanese OAV release MEGAZONE 23,
footage from SOUTHERN CROSS, and 15 minutes of new footage at the
end in the Megazone style. Originally released in Dallas and
several other Texas cities, and occasionally appearing elsewhere,
the Robotech Movie was a commercial failure in the USA. It
remained on Cannon's catalog for a while, but was (apparently)
eventually withdrawn.
Œ3.4.1.2: WHAT WAS IT ABOUT?
In 2027, the Robotech Masters arrive at Earth to retrieve
the memory core of the battlefortress of theirs that had crashed
here in 1999; this memory, incorporated into the E.V.E. computer
at Earth's Robotech Research Center, is vital to the survival of
their civilization. To capture it, they abduct B.D. Andrews, a
leader of the research team, and replace him with a simulagent.
One of Andrews' men is suspicious, and passes on a mobile data
terminal (a huge transformable motorcycle) to his friend,
civilian Mark Landry, before he is killed by agents accountable
to Andrews. Mark is told by his friend in the exchange to contact
Eve.
Mark takes the MODAT 5 with him, and eventually discovers
that the only Eve he knows of, a popular singer and talk-show
hostess, is really a computer- generated hologram used for
propaganda by the United Earth Government, produced by the E.V.E.
computer and now partially under Andrews' control.
Meanwhile, the Armies of the Southern Cross are doing battle
with the Robotech Masters in space, using a battle plan generated
by the E.V.E. computer; but the Andrews simulagent sabotages the
plan, and the Earth forces are defeated, and retreat.
Eventually Mark confronts Andrews, and threatens to go
public with what he knows (the arrival of the Robotech Masters
was kept secret from from the public) if Andrews tries to injure
him or his friends.
Andrews busies himself with the process of downloading the
E.V.E. memory to a satellite, where the transmissions are
intercepted by the simulagent's alien masters.
Andrews' agents kill one of Mark's friends, and take the
film she'd made of the MODAT, sending Mark into a rage. He
confronts Andrews again, and is defeated.
Computer Minister Embry has meanwhile been alerted to the
illicit transmissions, and prepares to make them known to the
Supreme Command. To prevent this, Andrews declares Martial Law
in the Far East sector, and while Minister Embry's plane is
readied at the airport, Andrews' troops close in on him to stop
him.
Left for dead, Mark is awakened by E.V.E., who offers to
help him. She directs him to a Robotech fighter, and Mark speeds
to the airport, defeating Andrews and his men. Back in space,
General Emerson is attacking the Robotech Masters again. Without
Andrews at the controls, E.V.E. formulates a new battle plan,
which is implemented by a hovertank squad, resulting in the
downing of one of the aliens' flagships. The Earth is safe, for
now.
Œ3.4.1.3: WHERE DOES IT FIT INTO THE TV SERIES?
The Movie is set just before the beginning of "Dana's
Story"; in a sense, it is a preliminary episode to the Second
Robotech War, though there are a number of continuity problems
with the TV series. These problems are discussed in detail in "A
Fly's View of the Tangled Web", an essay written by Peter Walker
(pww@spacsun.rice.edu) and available from him or from the FAQ
archive.
3.4.1.4: WHY WAS IT NEVER RELEASED NATIONWIDE?
There were a number of factors that may have contributed to
it. Firstly, Cannon did a poor job of advertising it in the test
markets; commercials for the movies were slated for 6:00 in the
morning. Secondly, the movie was competing with Transformers: The
Movie, which had a bigger advertising budget and a wider appeal.
Thirdly, the movie was too cerebral for the general kid- vid
audience, and many parents who took young children were not
prepared for the adult themes (sex and violence). Most
importantly, the fan reaction was luke-warm at first, and has
become increasingly hostile with the passage of time.
3.4.1.5: WHERE CAN I GET A COPY?
I don't know, but if you do, please tell us! Seriously, the
Robotech movie has never been released on video in the American
market. Sightings of the film on video in England, the
Netherlands, and elsewhere have been reported on the net, but
nothing firm is known.
3.4.2: CLASH OF THE BIONOIDS
3.4.2.1: WHAT IS IT?
CotB is a dubbed and edited release of Macross Summer
'84: Do You Remember Love?
3.4.2.2: WHAT WAS IT ABOUT?
DYRL was a theatrical version of the Macross TV series in
Japan that condensed the plot and used revised character and
mecha designs. The plot is pretty much the same as the Macross
Saga since very little was changed from the original to make
Robotech. Of course, the original definitions - non-Robotech -
for protoculture, etc. The major difference was that the male
aliens were Zentraedi and the females were Meltraedi and they
were at war with each other, and BOTH were after the humans.
3.4.2.3: WHERE DOES IT FIT INTO THE TV SERIES?
It doesn't really. It isn't actually a part of Robotech,
it is unrelated. Yes, the designs are the same, however, it is
*not* part of the universe. It was not licensed by Harmony Gold and the release is unrelated to RT. It is basically a capsulized
version of the Macross Saga as far as the footage goes.
3.4.2.4: HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE?
Basically some scenes of graphic violence and nudity were
edited out. And the voice actors weren't great. There is a
bootleg of the dub of DYRL *before* the cuts were made
circulating in fandom.
3.4.2.5: WHERE CAN I GET A COPY OF IT?
It should be available from any video retailer. [I am
searching for the company and full information currently, this
will be added as soon as I get it.]
3.4.3: ROBOTECH: NOT NECESSARILY THE SENTINELS
3.4.3.1: WHAT IS IT?
_Robotech III: Not Necessarily the Sentinels_ is a film that is
two parts parody of and one part homage to Robotech. It was put
together by the fine folks at Seishun-Shitemasu, through the
magic of some very creative editing and dubbing.
_NNTS_ uses footage taken primarily from Gunbuster, Macross: Do
You Remember Love, Macross Flashback 2012, and Mospeada: Love,
Live, Alive, as well as music from the Macross, Robotech, and
some other soundtracks. The character voices are done by Seitman
Shitemasu people, in some cases surprisingly aptly.
The plot of the story centers around Annie LaBelle and Lynn
Minmei, who are "portrayed by" Noriko and (insert name here, I
don't know it) from Gunbuster. Annie and Minmei have to pilot a
new combining mecha against the Invid, who are now determined to
destroy the earth. Various revelations are also made about the
fates of the characters since the end of Robotech.
Without giving too much away, _Not Necessarily the Sentinels_ has
some very funny things to say about Robotech and anime fandom in
general, but don't take it too seriously.
And a word of warning...were it to be rated, _NNTS_ would be
rated at least "R," for what I believe they call "sexual
situations." So, don't show it to anyone who might be offended
by its content.
3.4.3.2: WHO IS SEISHUN SHITEMASU?
Seishun Shitemasu was formed in mid-1990 by several San Diego
area anime fans, the "bunch of guys with a vcr." From the
beginning we have tried to create fun anime redubs which take
themselves just seriously enough, with humor and profundity and frivolity and core concept all blended in measure. Seishun
Shitemasu (pronounced say-SHOON shteMAHS) originally grew out
the stupid realization that Nadia with her Blue Water was not
entirely unlike Sheeta with a tan, and, well, things just sort of
took off from there. The name is Japanese for "[I'm] living in
the springtime of [my] youth," taken from the first Kimagure
Orange Road opening credits("Kasuga Kyosuke, ju-go-sai...seishun
shitemasu!").
There's no end in sight.
3.4.3.3: WHAT OTHER ROBOTECH PARODIES HAVE THEY MADE?
None, but they are producing a sequel to Robotech III...
Robotech IV: Khyron's Counterattack.
Admiral Rick Hunter and the Invid are gone. The Earth is at
peace once again. But from beyond the stars, the dark tides of
shadow threaten to rise again, to do the bidding of an ancient
enemy. And if the heroes of the fourth Robotech War repulse this
new threat, can they survive the wrath of Lisa? Annie and Minmei
are going where they've never gone before...
3.4.3.4: WHERE CAN I GET COPIES?
Try your local anime club, or post a request on rec.arts.anime.
3.4.4 MACROSS: HARMONY GOLD DUB PRE-ROBOTECH
3.4.4.1: WHAT IS IT?
Before they decided to do Robotech, Harmony Gold was
planning to dub Super Dimensional Fortress Macross and release it
directly to video cassette. The completed the first tape, called
"Boobytrap" which is the first several episodes of Robotech. It
apparently never hit wide-release, however it was pirated and
copies are circulating in fandom. The voices seem the same as
Robotech, except for the narrator. Some of the music is
different, and there are a few brief scenes that were cut from
Robotech. (Mostly Roy and Rick scoping Minmei's posterior.)
Aside from that the biggest difference is the names, they
retained the original last names.
There was a comic tie in via Comico, which is why the first
issue of The Macross Saga is just called 'Macross' and has the
original Macross logo. It was printed before the decision to do
Robotech was made.
3.4.4.2: ORIGINAL THEME SONG
This is a transcription from one of the pirates of the theme
song. It is as accurate as the nth generation copy could allow.
ŒSoldier of warlords from deepspace
Macross
Hurled through the night to this new place
Macross
Crushed and forgotten to Earthlings
Macross
Magically healed and rebirthing
Just a pile of rust was all they found on that Isle
That no one suspected to see
10 years later Super Fortress Macross would rise
Guardian of you and of me
Macross the arm of the new wave
Macross
Champion and knight of the new day
Macross
Gauntlet of mankind you stand forth
Super Space Fortress called Macross!
+-----------------------------------+
| SECTION IV - ROBOTECH MERCHANDISE |
+-----------------------------------+
4.1: THE ROLE PLAYING GAMES
---------------------------
4.1.1: WHAT IS THE ROBOTECH RPG?
The Robotech RPG is a role-playing adaptation from the TV
show. It allows players to pretend to be a character living in
the Robotech universe, and to live out through the game the
adventures of people from that fictional setting.
4.1.2: WHO MAKES IT?
The Robotech RPG is published by Palladium books, and its
principal author is Kevin Siembeda. The game mechanics are
derived from his earlier games (the Palladium Fantasy RPG, Heroes
Unlimited, etc). See below for information on how to contact
Palladium books.
4.1.3: HOW MANY BOOKS/SUPPLEMENTS ARE THERE?
The books released in the series, in chronological order of
setting, (to date) are:
1) _Macross_: Game mechanics and mecha for the First Robotech War
and years immediately after.
ROBOTECH: The Role-Playing Game, Book One: Macross. Copyright Π1986, by Kevin Siembieda. 110 pages, $9.95. Cat. No. 550,
ISBN 0-916211-21-5
2) _RDF Manual_: Source material on Post-holocaust Earth, new
rules, and equipment for the RDF, and rival governments.
Book Two: RDF Manual. Copyright 1987, by Kevin Siembieda. 48
pages, $7.95. Cat. No. 551, ISBN 0-916211-23-1
3) _The Zentraedi_: Source material on these warrior-giants.
Book Three: Zentraedi. Copyright 1987, by Kevin Siembieda. 48
pages, $7.95. Cat. No. 552, ISBN 0-916211-22-3
4) _Southern Cross_: Game mechanics and mecha for the Second
Robotech War and the periods before and after, and source
material for the era.
Book Four: Southern Cross. Copyright 1987, by Kevin Siembieda.
112 pages, $11.95. Cat. No. 553, ISBN 0-916211-27-4
5) _Invid Invasion_: As above, but for the Third Robotech War and
Invid occupation.
Book Five: Invid Invasion. Copyright 1988, by Kevin Siembieda.
112 pages, $11.95. Cat. No. 556, ISBN 0-916211-28-2
6) _Robotech II: The Sentinels_: As above, but for the Robotech
Expeditionary Force's adventures on Tirol and other Invid-
occupied worlds.
ROBOTECH II: The Role-Playing Game, The Sentinels. Copyright
1987, by Kevin Siembieda. 160 pages, $14.95. Cat. No. 557,
ISBN 0-916211-33-9
7) _REF Field Guide_: An illustrated reference work for the
_Sentinels_ book.
ROBOTECH II: REF Field Guide. Copyright 1989, by Kevin
Siembieda. 144 pages, $14.95. Cat. No. 558, ISBN
0-916211-36-3
Adventures published for this game include: _RDF Accelerated
Training Program_, _Ghost Ship_, _Zentraedi Breakout_, _Return of
the Masters_, and _Lancer's Rockers_.
ROBOTECH RPG Adventures: Ghost Ship. Copyright 1988, by Kevin
Siembieda. 48 pages, $7.95. Cat. No. 554, ISBN 0-916211-29-0
ROBOTECH RPG Adventures: RDF Accelerated Training Program.
Copyright 1988, by Kevin Siembieda. 56 pages, $7.95. Cat. No.
555, ISBN 0-916211-32-0
ŒBook Six: Return of the Masters. Copyright 1989, by Kevin
Siembieda. 88 pages, $9.95. Cat. No. 559, ISBN 0-916211-37-1
ROBOTECH RPG Adventures: Lancer's Rockers. Copyright 1989, by
Kevin Siembieda. 48 pages, $7.95. Cat. No. 560, ISBN
0-916211-42-8
ROBOTECH RPG Adventures: Zentraedi Breakout. Copyright 1994, by
Kevin Siembieda. 64 pages, $9.95. Cat. No. 561, ISBN
0-916211-67-3
4.1.4: WHAT DISCREPANCIES ARE THERE BETWEEN THE RPG AND THE
SERIES?
There are a number of minor ones, which are collected in an
essay called "A Collection of Comments...", referenced in section
IX of this FAQ.
The largest discrepancies, however, are two-fold: Firstly,
the RPG claims (in _Invid Invasion_) that the Invid returned some
years after the Regis' departure, contradicting both letter and
spirit of the last episode, providing an artificial reason not to
end the role-playing campaign when the show ends. It is this
liberty that has drawn the most fire from fans (though others
have accommodated it into their campaigns).
Elsewhere, (in _The Sentinels_) Siembeda takes liberties
with the number of ships that supposedly departed with the SDF-3
to Tirol. According to all the known Sentinels reference
material, the SDF-3 was supposed to be alone. However, Siembeda
seems to be attempting to address problems in Macek's version of
the Sentinels; one ship leaves, and hundreds (fully crewed)
return. Likewise, he has the REF spend an indeterminate time
sweeping the Galaxy clean of the Regent's Invid, where in the
outlines for the Sentinels TV show, the REF was to have returned
not long after the capture of the Invid's home-world.
4.1.5: WHAT'S MACROSS II? IS IT A SEQUEL TO THE ROBOTECH RPG?
The _Macross II RPG_ is based on the Japanese TV series
Macross II, which was based on the movie Macross: Summer '84,
which was based on the Macross TV series, from which Robotech was
derived. In other words, the scenarios are not related, though
they use similar game mechanics and mecha (being both published
by Palladium and written by Siembeda, and the mecha designers in
Japan were the same for both TV shows, this is not surprising).
The plot of the Macross II TV show is detailed elsewhere in this
FAQ.
4.1.6: WHAT'S RIFTS? IS IT A SEQUEL TO THE ROBOTECH RPG?
Well, not exactly.
RIFTS could be called Palladium's seminal game, incorporating
as it does elements from most of Palladium's prior role-playing
games (Heroes Unlimited, Beyond the Supernatural, Ninjas &
Superspies, TMNT/After the Bomb, the Palladium Fantasy
Role-Playing Game, and, yes, Robotech).
It is set several hundred years in the future, a century or
two after a magical apocalypse triggered by nuclear war. The
earth has been transformed into a magic-supercharged dimensional
nexus, infested by monstrous creatures of all descriptions.
Magic, psionics, mutants, and supernatural creatures abound, as
well as all sorts of giant robots. Civilization consists
primarily of scattered small villages and settlements, with a
couple of large communities made up of magic-users and the more
benevolent supernatural creatures, and several fascist, pro-human
dictatorships.
RIFTS could be considered a sequel to Robotech in that it was
Palladium's next giant robot project once Robotech lost its
popularity. Rather than let this new system of mega-damage and
gameplay mechanics go to waste, they incorporated it into their
new super-RPG. However, RIFTS has no actual connection to the
Robotech universe (though there do exist rules for bringing
Robotech mecha into that universe, in the RIFTS Conversion Book).
(Although there is no _official_ connection, my stories and
the Robotech RPG net.supplement that Dave Deitrich and Chris
Meadows are writing hint that the RIFTS universe is where the
SDF-3 ended up after misfolding and vanishing on the way to
earthspace. But this is completely non-canonical (if anything in
Robotech can be described as "canon"), so feel free to make up
your own interpretations.)
4.1.7: WHERE CAN I GET COPIES?
Palladium's games are widely available in most gaming and comics
stores, Robotech included. Failing that, try writing them at:
PALLADIUM BOOKS
2455 Universal Drive
Taylor, Mi 48180
Unfortunately, Palladium does not make international mail-order
shipments. If you live outside the U.S. and want to order the
Robotech RPG books via mail-order, try the following mail order
RPG store and ask for a catalog:
Mail Order Hobby Shop
P.O. Box 756
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
USA
Enclosing some money for return postage would be a good idea as
well.Œ
4.2: THE ROBOTECH SOUNDTRACK
----------------------------
4.2.1: WAS A SOUNDTRACK FOR ROBOTECH EVER PRODUCED?
Yes, US Renditions (A division of Books Nippan) released
first an LP, and later a CD of the Robotech soundtrack.
4.2.2: WHO PRODUCED IT?
Both were pressed and released through US Renditions,
however, they are Copyright 1985 Harmony Gold USA, Inc./Tatsunoko
Productions Co. Ltd. And the CD bears both the US Renditions and
Harmony Gold logos.
This is from the first page of the CD liner:
Hello and Welcome to the Robotech BGM Perfect Collection
Compact Disc! First of all, we at Nippan/U.S. Renditions would
like to thank everyone who purchased the Robotech record and we
thank you for your continued support.
In the spring of 1987, Books Nippan approached Harmony Gold
about creating a new Robotech product. Because of the
overwhelming interest from the fans in a Robotech soundtrack, we
decided that a background music album would be the best
selection. In a joint effort between Harmony Gold and Books
Nippan, the first American BGM album was produced. In the
process, many of the Robotech instrumentals had to be given new
names. Titles such as "Mechastorm," "The New Mission," and "Red
Alert" were created to give identity to the most popular Robotech
music.
Shortly after the release of the album, fans offered a great
deal of favorable comments and constructive criticism. Some felt
that there should have been more vocal tracks from the Robotech
characters Lynn Minmei and Yellow Dancer. Others did not
understand the significance of the Sentinels Medley and how it
fit into the Robotech Universe (The Robotech sequel, The
Sentinels, is now available on home video [Editors note: They
mean the one tape.]). "Together", the wedding song of Rick and
Lisa, was such a moving composition to some fans that they played
it during their own wedding ceremonies. Mark A. Weiss, one of
the most enthusiastic Robotech BGM fans had this comment about
"Together": "This song touched something deep within me. The
melody, the words, a very beautiful voice... a very romantic song
about lasting love and commitment - all done with perfect
orchestration!"
This Compact Disc collection is Nippan/U.S. Renditions' way
of saying "thank you" to all of the fans who made Robotech not
just another animated series, but an actual phenomenon.ΠEnjoy,
David Keith Riddick
Special Projects Producer
Nippan/U.S. Renditions
4.2.3: WHAT SONGS ARE ON THE ALBUM?
Both the CD and LP have:
1. Robotech Main Theme
2. Mechastorm
3. Flower Of Life (Regis Theme)
4. Enemy Attack
5. Love Theme I
6. We Will Win
7. Robotechnology Theme
8. Love Theme II
9. Rick Hunter Theme
10. Roy Fokker Theme
11. Earth Government At Work
12. Lonely Soldier Boy
13. Macross Theme
14. Robobumper
15. Red Alert
16. The Way To Love
17. Together
18. The Sentinels Medley
In addition, the CD has the following bonus tracks.
19. My Time To Be A Star
20. We Will Win (Minmei Extended Version)
21. It's You
22. Look Up (The Sky Is Falling)
23. We Will Win (Lancer Version)
4.2.4: WHERE CAN I GET COPIES?
US Renditions sold out several years ago. Your only hope is
to find a dealer who still has some, or find them used at a
convention. You can also try asking on rec.arts.anime.
marketplace and/or alt.tv.robotech, but be warned, it will be
very expensive. The CD has sold for over $150 US online.
Harmony Gold is considering a re-release of the CD.
However, at this time, there are no actual plans to do so. So
don't wait for it.
4.3: ROBOTECH TOYS, MODELS, AND OTHER STUFF
-------------------------------------------
4.3.1: ISN'T THE TRANSFORMER "JETFIRE" TOY A VERITECH?ΠYes; Hasbro bought the rights to the large Valkyrie toy from
Bandai, a Japanese toy company licensed to make and sell Macross
toys, before Harmony Gold ever got involved with Macross.
4.3.2: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ROBOTECH ACTION FIGURES?
Matchbox's action figure line was generally unsuccessful,
and was eventually canceled. They just didn't sell. Some blame
demographics (Robotech fans tended to be older and less
interested in toys, as opposed to collectibles), and the
rendering of the figures was widely seen to have been of middling
to poor quality.
4.3.3: ARE THERE ANY OTHER TOYS THAT WERE PRODUCED FOR ROBOTECH?
Matchbox put out several lines of toys. One of the first
were 1/100 or so scale die-cast toys of the Macross Destroids,
small egg-Valkyries (with stubby cartoonish limbs and torso),
1/35 or so and 1/72 scale toy Alphas and 1/6 scale
Cyclone-and-rider toy. All of these toys were made in Japan and
were repackaged here. Later lines included toys manufactured
specifically for Matchbox, including Bioroids, a Hovertank, Invid
Scout and Shock Troopers, and the action figures. The second line
of toys was of mixed quality.
4.3.4: WHAT ARE THESE REVELL "ROBOTECH" MODELS I REMEMBER SEEING?
MOST OF THEM NEVER APPEARED IN THE SHOW! A FEW OF THEM LOOK LIKE
THEY WERE RIPPED OFF FROM BATTLETECH!
At the same time Hasbro acquired the Valkyrie toy, Revell
acquired the rights to several Bandai model lines. This included
three Valkyries (from Macross), a mecha from Orguss (a series
done by some of the same team as Macross), and a host of mecha
from a Japanese series that was never widely seen outside Japan,
Dougram. These models were the first 'Robotech' anything; the
Harmony Gold concept was only called Robotech after pressure from
Revell. When FASA was trying to come up with authentic-looking
designs for its Battledroids game (eventually to be renamed
Battletech), they took designs from Macross, Dougram, and a movie
called Crusher Joe (quite without permission - a suit was avoided
through an out-of-court settlement). Hence the overlap.
4.3.5: WHERE CAN I GET THESE TOYS AND MODELS?
While Macross and other Robotech-related models and toys
were readily available from convention dealers' rooms (and in the
case of the Matchbox toys, toy stores) in the late 1980's, they
are rare now. One can often still find them overseas, or from
well-stocked distributors. One place to look might be:
NEWTYPE TOYS AND HOBBIES
1531 B 10th Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94122
ΠPhone: (415) 731-3077
4.3.6: ARE THERE ANY ROBOTECH VIDEO GAMES?
Not currently. Harmony Gold has licensed a US game company
to produce a CD-ROM, interactive Robotech game. However, at this
time it is still in the preliminary stages and nothing definite
is known.
+---------------------------------------+
| SECTION V - ANIME RELATED TO ROBOTECH |
+---------------------------------------+
5.1: OVERVIEW OF ANIME
----------------------
5.1.1: WHAT IS IT?
Anime (pronounced "annie-may") is animation (cartoons) drawn
and produced in Japan. Many American cartoon shows are actually
anime shows that have been imported, redubbed, and re-released to
the American public. Besides Robotech, other examples of
American cartoons that use footage from anime are Speed Racer,
Battle of the Planets, Gigantor, Transor Z, and others.
It is important to note that anime is a MEDIUM and not a
GENRE. There are all types of animes available; sci-fi animes,
comedy animes, romance animes, action animes, horror animes, et
cetera, et cetera. Basically there are examples of anime for any
type of story you can imagine. Robotech is NOT representative of
all anime; to say that Robotech represents all anime would be
like saying that Star Trek represents all American television.
It is simply not true.
5.1.2: HOW IS JAPANESE ANIMATION DIFFERENT FROM AMERICAN
ANIMATION?
Some people claim that anime is much more violent/sexual and
drawn much better than American animation. This is not really
true. There are examples of American animation that are just as
violent/sexual ("Heavy Metal") or just as well drawn (Disney) as
many anime shows out there. The difference is that there is a
LOT more animation produced in Japan than there is here in
America. Consequently, even though the percentages of types of
animation are about the same, the greater number of shows
produced means that there is a lot more anime to choose from in
any particular genre.
One reason why anime seems so much better than American
animation is the "fan filter" effect. Only a select few animes
make it overseas via traders or professional companies, and those
few are usually chosen because they stand out in some way. Thus, we usually only get to see the "best" examples of anime here,
while the poorer ones remain in Japan in relative obscurity.
5.1.3: ARE ANY OF THESE SEQUELS TO ROBOTECH?
No, not really. Although some of the anime listed below
were produced by the same producers/designers/artists that worked
on the footage that made up Robotech, NONE of the plots have
anything to do with Robotech. All of these shows are completely
independent stories.
5.1.4: WHERE CAN I GET COPIES OF THESE SHOWS?
Many of these shows have been subtitled or dubbed in English
by American companies and are now available for purchase in the
U.S. and other countries. You can usually find them by looking
in your local video or comic book stores, or by contacting
mail-order video shops. Another good way to see these shows is
to visit a local anime club. Many colleges and universities have
Japanese animation clubs that promote anime by offering free
showings to the public of the latest shows. These clubs are also
a good source of information on how to get your own copies of
these shows. Ask the employees at comic book and video stores in
your area to see if there are any anime clubs near you.
5.2: SUPER DIMENSIONAL FORTRESS MACROSS
---------------------------------------
5.2.1: WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
In 1999 the nations of Earth are locked in a state of nearly
constant war, wars that everyone knows will ultimately result in
a self-induced genocide. But before anyone starts using nuclear
weapons an extra-terrestrial starship crashes on a small island.
Many think that someone has started using nukes, but public
announcements claim it is an massive asteroid that has impacted
the Earth. The crash and eventual exploration is the impetus that
causes the Unified Earth Government to coalesce. Investigators
discover that the ship had retreated from a battle in space, a
battle against gigantic soldiers. The "UN Spacy" (think army,
navy, spacy) is formed to protect the Earth from the possibility
of invasion.
After 10 years, reconstruction of the flagship of the UN
Spacy, the SDF-1 Macross, is finished. But during the launching
ceremonies a Zentraedi fleet appears and launches an offensive to
capture the Macross. In an effort to gain a better tactical
position, the Macross attempts a fold jump to lunar orbit. But
there are many things about the Macross the new crew doesn't
understand, and instead of the Moon they fold out to Pluto's
orbit, taking the island and over 50 thousand civilians with it.
One more problem: the fold drive that allowed the jump vanishes. Cut off from Earth, hounded by an enemy they don't understand,
and carrying 56,000 civilian refugees, the Macross struggles to
return to the planet it is sworn to protect.
"Superdimension Fortress Macross" was intended to be a
tongue-in-cheek parody of shows like "Kidou Senshi Gundam"
(Mobile Suit Gundam) and Uchuu Senkan Yamato ("Space Battleship
Yamato" aka "Star Blazers"), as well as itself. But as the story
evolved, and the company funding the project changed, the parody
was set aside in favor of a more serious soap opera-style war
story. As "Gundam" was the first TV series to take the giant
robot seriously, turning it into just a machine of war, "Macross"
was the first to do so with transforming giant robots. Macross
broke many other cliches and stereotypes of the giant robot genre
as well, from not making the story's hero the best pilot, to
giving that distinction to an otherwise "nobody" character, and
having that character become romantically involved with the the
enemy pilot.
Originally slated for 52 episodes (a full year; Japanese
TV doesn't have broadcast seasons like the US), it was gradually
pared down to 36 episodes due to monetary and manpower
restraints. But even with only a 36-episode run, Macross is still
one of the most popular animated TV shows in Japan, spawning a
beautiful feature-length film ("Macross Summer '84: Ai Oboete
Imasuka"), a 30-minute music video "sequel" to the movie ("Flash
Back 2012"), a 6-episode OAV (Original Animation Video) series
sequel to the movie ("Macross II"), a new TV series starring one
of Maximillian's and Miria's many daughters started it's run in
early October 1994 ("Macross 7"), and a new OAV series prequel to
"Macross 7" ("Macross Plus"). Not to mention numerous other
merchandising endeavors from soundtrack and vocal albums to toys
and models to clothes and school supplies.
5.2.2: HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM THE "MACROSS" PART OF ROBOTECH?
Carl Macek made many modifications to the Macross story in
order to mesh it with Southern Cross and Mospeada, some trivial,
others grotesque. These are some of the more notable
differences.
The most important difference is the definition of
"Protoculture." It is not an energy source; it is not some
biochemical substance that allows for mecha transformation; it is
not some quasi-mystical force playing games with the Universe; it
is not a god. "It" is not an it at all. The Protoculture were
literally the "first culture" to evolve in the galaxy, circa
50,000 B.C. Circa 47,000 B.C. a Protoculturian exploration vessel
visited Terra, presumably leaving behind humanity's ancestors. As
their Stellar Republic expanded they came into conflict with the
Patrollers, that conflict eventually resulting in the destruction
of the Protoculture and their republic.
The "SDF-1 Macross" (originally designated "ASS-1: AlienŒStarShip-1") belongs to an unnamed race that is at war with the
Zentraedi. Britai Kridanik's fleet is chasing it because of
several unique abilities the ship possesses. The ship is capable
of self-repair, something of vital importance to the aging
Zentraedi fleet. Its systems are technologically more advanced
than the Zentraedi's, something else they wish to study. The
ship's fold engines are capable of feats previously unheard of to
the Zentraedi, including folding while inside a planet's near
gravity well and atmosphere. There is speculation that the fold
engines are also capable of limited temporal displacement (the
kanji for "superdimension" literally read "exceed[ing] time [and]
space"), again something the Zentraedi desire greatly. And it's
proper combat tactics to ride your kill down to make certain it's
a kill.
"Robotechnology" is another invention of Carl Macek. The
advanced technology of the SDF-1, referred to as
"overtechnology," was studied and adapted, resulting in the
development of the Destroids, Valkyries, and the reconstruction
of the ship. Reflex (reactive) weapons are a form of
thermonuclear weapons, probably designed in such a way as to
minimize or eliminate radioactive fallout.
There is no SDF-2 being constructed on Earth. Construction
of the SDF-2 "Megaroad" (or "Megalord" or "Megaload" depending on
how you read it; all three were used during the preproduction of
"Battle City Megaroad," the original working title of Macross
when it was still a parody, the name itself being a linguistic
word-play) begins on the moon in 2003, a space battleship of
purely Terran design. After the near-annihilation of humanity its
construction is altered, instead becoming the ark that will
search the galaxy for a new home for humanity.
The reconstruction project does not completely unify Earth;
there are a number of anti-unificationists using guerrilla
warfare and terrorism against the United Earth Government.
Because of the Unification Wars all personnel on the Mars Base
are withdrawn to Earth; the Anti-Unification Army hijacks a Space
Destroyer and destroys the entire return fleet (Riber is killed
here, not on the Mars Base). The Anti-Unification Army is finally
defeated by the unification forces in 2007 after 5 years of civil
war. Even with the defeat of the Anti-Unification Army, though,
there are still many people chafing at UEG rule--witness the
initial decision by the leaders of the Ontario Autonomous Region
to allow the Macross to debark it's civilian passengers.
At the time of the Macross' launch, there are only 2
A.R.M.D. (Armored) Carriers commissioned; Armored-1 and Armored-2
(not Armored-10 as the dialogue states) were to rendezvous with
the Macross. That is probably the simple mistake of reading the
"01" on the hull as "10." Construction plans called for a total
of 10 A.R.M.D. carriers, though only 8 were completed and
comissioned.
ΠMany names were changed. The Macross has an international
cast (see section 2).
Lynn Kaifun (Kyle) is Lynn Minmei's brother, not cousin.
Finally, of course, "Superdimension Cavalry Southern Cross"
and "Genesis Climber Mospeada" have absolutely nothing to do with
Macross. Any footage from Southern Cross or Mospeada that appears
during the first 36 episodes of Robotech, or any Macross footage
that appears during the rest of the series, has been edited in
for continuity and plot development. There are no Inbit or Zor,
Invid or Robotech Masters, no special or metaphysical flowers
(other than the dandylions Hikaru finds out in the wastelands) in
Macross. "Superdimension Century Orguss" also has nothing to do
with Macross aside from sharing a "Superdimension" title and the
same character designer (Haruhiko Mikimoto, aka HAL).
5.2.3: WHAT ARE THE "ZENTRAEDI" IN THE ORIGINAL SERIES?
Oddly enough, the Zentraedi are one of the things Macek
changed the least, and borrowed from the most to develop the
"prehistory" of the Robotech timeline.
The Protoculture's greatest science was that of genetic
engineering. They could perform miracles with genetic tissue,
from determining the sex of an unborn foetus to cloning an army
of gigantic warriors. The Zentraedi were created by the
Protoculture to protect themselves from the Patrollers and other
enemies. They were conditioned to fight, devoid of emotions, and
segregated by sex to prevent a resurgeance of those emotions. All
knowledge of how to repair their machines of war was denied them,
and they were further conditioned to respect and fear those who
could perform such repairs, such as the Protoculture themselves.
The average Zentraedi soldier is approximately 35 feet tall,
not the 50 feet the dialogue states; that's probably an
exaggeration for effect as a 50-foot tall Zentraedi wouldn't be
able to fit in a 50-foot tall Regult Combat Pod. Britai
Kridanik's height is given in "Macross Perfect Memory" (the
Japanese equivalent to "Robotech Art 1") at 44.5 feet, and he is
much taller than the average Zentraedi soldier (and approximately
the same height as a Battloid Valkyrie). Bodolza is taller still.
5.3: SUPER DIMENSIONAL CALVARY SOUTHERN CROSS
---------------------------------------------
5.3.1: WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
In the future, humanity has moved out of the solar system
and started to colonize planets far away from Earth. One of the
farthest colonies in existance is the planet Glorie, on the very edge of explored space. The main military forces protecting the
colonists of Glorie from the unknown are the Armies of the
Southern Cross.
However, unknown to the human colonists, Glorie is the
ancestral home of the Zor, a race of highly advanced humanoids
that have been wandering the galaxy for the past few centuries.
Although the Zor abandoned their homeworld ages ago, they have
now returned with what remains of their fleet to reclaim their
planet. Unfortunately, the humans have already made Glorie their
new home and refuse to leave it. Since Glorie does not have a
large enough food supply to support the humans and the Zor
together, they declare war on each other for sole possession of
the planet.
The resulting war for Glorie basically makes up the Southern
Cross TV series. The events focus on Jeanne Francaix (Dana
Sterling), the young and inexperienced leader of the 15th ATAC.
Jeanne struggles to change her band of misfits and drop-outs into
a skilled fighting force, and largely succeeds in turning the
15th ATAC into an elite unit by the end of the war. During the
battles Jeanne also grows and matures from a headstrong girl into
an experienced woman. (Typical Japanese "coming-of-age"
storyline)
During the war, the Zor learn that they can kidnap humans
and brainwash them into expendable pilots for their own mecha.
This causes great moral conflicts on the side of the humans as
they discover that they are often fighting their own kind, who
are helpless pawns of the Zor. One of the best examples of this
is Seifrietti Weisse (Zor Prime), a Southern Cross soldier
captured, brainwashed, and surgically altered to be a spy for the
Zor Lords. Seifrietti is returned to Glorie, where he is
captured and then "adopted" by Jeanne and the 15th ATAC.
Seifrietti manages to break the Zor's conditioning and kills the
Zor Lords himself at the end of the series.
The three mounds seen near the end of the series are not
rotting spaceship carcasses, but instead contain the last
surviving plants of a species that made up most of Glorie's food
supply in the distant past. When Seifrietti detonates the last
Zor fortress over the mounds, the resulting explosion spreads the
plant's seeds all over Glorie. Unlike in Robotech, this is a
GOOD thing, since the new plants will increase Glorie's food
supply to the point where it can support both the humans and the
surviving Zor together in peace.
5.3.2: HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM THE "MASTERS" PART OF ROBOTECH?
Aside from the differences mentioned above, one of the major
differences between Southern Cross and Robotech is that in the
original SC TV series, Glorie had TWO suns instead of one. Since
Carl Macek wanted to turn Glorie into a post-holocaust Earth, he
eliminated the second sun by editing out most of the footage
where both suns appeared, and editing out the second sun via airbrushing in those scenes which could not be cut out.
5.3.3: WHO ARE THE "MASTERS" IN THE ORIGINAL SERIES?
As mentioned above, the "Masters" are the Zor, a race of
wandering conquerors who left Glorie long ago and returned to it
when their forces and number began to wane. Despite their
humanoid appearance, they do not appear to be related to humans
in any way. Their technology is TOTALLY different than human
technology, and the two share nothing in common(unlike in
Robotech).
5.5: MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE (1984)
-----------------------------------------
5.5.1: WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
"Macross: Do You Remember Love" is a full-length anime film
based on the Macross TV series. The movie starts out with the
SDF-1traveling near Saturn, presumably on its way to Earth. The
normal life on the warship is interrupted when a Zentran
battlecruiser defolds and attacks. During the battle, a young
pilot named Hikaru Ichijo rescues the famous singer and movie
star Lynn Minmay from being killed, but ends up trapped with her
in the lower decks of the SDF-1. While trapped, the two become
very close. After being rescued, the two begin to date, and
Hikaru takes Minmay on a tour of Saturn's rings. However, the
lovers are captured by the Zentran along with first officer Misa
Hayase, squadron leader Roy Focker, and Lynn Kaifun, Minmay's
manager. However, while returning to the main Zentran fleet the
Zentraedi are attacked by the Meltran, giant warrior women who
have ben at war with the Zentran for ages. Hikaru and Misa
manage to escape during the confusion, but Roy is killed and
Minmay and Kaifun remain captured.
Hikaru and Misa fall out of the Zentran ship during a fold
and wind up back on Earth. The surface of the Earth has been
laid to waste by Zentran bombardments, and almost no one has
survived. While searching for survivors, Hikaru and Misa
discover an ancient spaceship that was once buried at the bottom
of the ocean, before the ocean was evaporated in the Zentran
attack. The ship turns out to be a colony ship from the
Protoculture, an ancient race that were the ancestors of the
Zentran, Meltran, and Humans. Misa also finds a fragment of an
ancient song from the Protoculture in the ruins. Hikaru and Misa
start to become very close to each other, when they are rescued
by the SDF-1 which has finally made it back to Earth.
While trying to figure out what to do next, the SDF-1 is
attacked by a Meltran cruiser. However, the battle is
interrupted by the arrival of the Zentran fleet, which is
broadcasting Minmay's singing. Bodolza, leader of the Zentran
forces, calls a truce with the SDF-1. Bodolza wants the humans on the SDF-1 to complete the song that he has discovered (a
"fragment of culture") which he can then use as a powerful weapon
to attack the Meltraedi. While the songwriters on the SDF-1 try
to come up with suitable lyrics, Misa translates the fragment she
found on the colony ship and discovers that it is a listing of
the original lyrics to the original song Bodolza has discovered.
However, before she can announce her discovery, the main Meltran
fleet arrives to destroy the Zentran and the SDF-1.
Bodolza, angered by the lack of progress from the SDF-1,
breaks the truce and orders the Zentran ships to fire on the
battlefortress. However, the SDF-1 manages to escape. Misa
gives the lyrics to Hikaru, who in turn convinces Minmay to sing
the song. The complete song, entitled "Do You Remember Love",
convinces most of the Zentran and Meltran forces to join ranks
with the SDF-1 against Bodolza. As both fleets and the SDF-1
attack the Zentran fortress, Hikaru enters it with his Valkyrie
and manages to kill Bodolza, saving the last survivors of
humanity and the Zentran and Meltran fleets from destruction.
5.5.2: HOW DOES IT RELATE TO THE JAPANESE MACROSS?
Although "Do You Remember Love" is based on the Macross TV
series, the events in the movie take place outside of the
original story's continuity. Some of the events from the Macross
TV series are included in the movie, like Hikaru and Minmay's
time trapped in the SDF-1, Roy Focker's death, and the final
climactic battle against Bodolza. However, new parts were also
added such as the Meltran forces and the Protoculture colony
ship. While closely resembling each other, the Macross TV series
and Macross Movie should be considered separate and unrelated
stories.
The original Macross storyline has undergone several
revisions since the release of the original Macross TV series.
According to the newest continuity a la Macross Plus and Macross
7, Macross '84 is a fictional theatrical release based on the
events of the originalseries. In other words, the movie is NOT
part of the official Macross storyline. It is a historical
fiction movie *within* the Macross tv series universe released in
2031 about Spacewar One. Macross II is an "alternate story";
some have interpreted this to mean it is an OAV sequel (again
within the series universe) to the movie. On the other
hand, Flashback 2012, which clearly uses mecha designs from the
movie, has, nevertheless, been integrated into the series
timeline. "August 2012, Lynn Minmay's final concert".
5.6: MACROSS FLASHBACK 2012
---------------------------
5.6.1: WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Two years have passed since the events in the 1984 movieŒ"Macross: Do You Remember Love". Lynn Minmay, who is still a
superstar, quietly reminisces after a concert about the events in
her life that had led up to that point. She remembers her
arrival on the SDF-1, her meeting Hikaru Ichijo and Misa Hayase,
and the final battle with the Zentran and Meltran forces against
Boldolza. (These flashbacks are done in the form of music videos
with footage from the Macross TV series and the 1984 movie.)
Near the end, Hikaru and Misa appear to Minmay and show her the
newly-completed SDF-2 Megaroad and the VF-4 Valkyrie fighters.
The SDF-2 launches from Earth on her maiden voyage on a mission
to find a new home for humanity. Minmay, however, chooses to
stay behind this time and watches the enormous ship as it departs
Earth to voyage into history.
5.6.2: HOW DOES IT RELATE TO THE JAPANESE MACROSS TV SERIES AND
"MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE"?
Although Flashback 2012 uses footage from the original
Macross TV series in some of its videos, the OAV is actually a
"sequel" to the 1984 Macross Movie. The most direct proof of
this is the fact that the SDF-2 design used in Flashback 2012 is
*VERY* different than the design used in the TV series.
5.7: MACROSS II
---------------
5.7.1: WHAT IS IT? IS IT A SEQUEL TO ROBOTECH?
Macross II is a 6-episode OAV (Original Animation Video)
series that is a sequel to the 1984 movie "Macross: Do You
Remember Love". The new series takes place on Earth 80 years
after the movie ended. Since "Do You Remember Love" isn't part
of the Macross TV series continuity, Macross II is also outside
that continuity. Thus Macross II is 2 generations removed from
the footage that became Robotech.
5.8: SUPER DIMENSIONAL CENTURY ORGUSS
-------------------------------------
5.9.8: I SEE "SUPER DIMENSIONAL" IN THE TITLE. IS IT RELATED TO
MACROSS OR SOUTHERN CROSS?
Storywise, no. Orguss was done by the same studio that did
Macross and Southern Cross, which accounts somewhat for the
similarities in the names. Also, the character designs for
Orguss were done by Haruhiko Mikimoto, which explains the similar
appearance between Macross and Orguss characters. However,
Orguss and Orguss II are not related in any way to either the
Macross or Southern Cross storylines.
Œ+--------------------+
| SECTION VI - MECHA |
+--------------------+
6.1: GENERAL QUESTIONS
----------------------
6.1.1: WHAT IS "MECHA"? WHY DO I KEEP HEARING IT IN REFERENCE TO
ROBOTECH?
"Mecha" originally derives for the word "mechanic", used by
Japanese animators to refer to technological elements of the
shows. It eventually came to be synonymous with 'giant robot'
both to the animators and fans, and to characters within the
shows themselves. Since many of the machines in Robotech are
based on the 'giant robot' mode, the word 'mecha' is commonly
used.
6.1.2: HOW DOES PROTOCULTURE POWER MECHA IN ROBOTECH?
This is never comprehensively answered in the show. All
books and comics written after the McKinney novelizations imply
that protoculture is some sort of fluid that runs throughout the
mecha (and the traces of it in the Zentraedi). This idea seems to
be originally McKinney's. The earliest comprehensive description
of what protoculture actually does in the generation of power is
in Comico's _Robotech: The Graphic Novel_. Zor says, "But look at
these seeds! The miracle of clean energy -- It never fails to
astound me. How each seed strives to divide -- but when placed
in a pressurized chamber, is arrested in mid-division... so long
as the pressure is precisely maintained, the seed radiates heat,
which we ultimately to energy." Since Carl Macek worked closely
with the author on the graphic novel (unlike the novelizations,
where Macek has implied McKinney was on his own), we can take
this as the closest to the original conception.
6.1.3: HOW WERE THE MECHA POWERED IN THE ORIGINAL ANIME?
Usually, the mecha were supposed to be fusion-powered. The
messy issue of how the heat gets converted into electricity or
motive power (in both the original anime and Robotech) is neatly
ducked. In Mospeada (New Generation) the fuel cells were
Hydrogen and Oxygen. In some scenes, 'HOH' can be seen written
on the cells.
6.2: ROBOTECH: MACROSS MECHA
----------------------------
6.2.1: THE VERITECHS
6.2.1.1: DESCRIPTION OF THE VERITECHS
ΠThe Veritech (a.k.a. VF-1 Valkyrie) resembles a U.S. F-14
Tomcat in fighter mode, but can convert into a 45-foot tall giant
robot (Battloid mode), and an intermediate stage called Guardian
(called GERWALK in the Japanese version) that resembles a fighter
plane's wings, fuselage, and cockpit, with the engines/legs swung
forward like the talons of a bird of prey, and the arms sticking
out the sides. The weapons include: 12 missiles under the wings,
1 to 4 lasers on the head (a turret in fighter and Guardian
modes), a 55mm rotary gun-pod held in the hand (or on the
underbelly in fighter mode). There are also lasers in blisters
on the nose in fighter mode, but these are only seen in two
episodes, and their existence is a source of controversy among
the more pedantic breed of fan. The number of lasers on the head
differentiate the various models, and rank of the pilot.
Half-way through the Macross part of the show, we are
introduced to the Armored Veritech, which consists of a standard
Veritech in Battloid mode, with armor added to every part of the
body but the head, and enough bays to hold almost 70 small
missiles. There are two small booster packs added to the back as
well.
Towards the end of the Macross part of the show, we are
introduced to the Super Veritech. This is a standard Veritech
with armor/thruster packs added to the arms and legs, and two
large booster packs on the back. The front of the booster packs
have 4 launchers each for multiple small missiles. Under the
wings, one sometimes sees six very powerful and large missiles.
The addition of the armor does not (unlike the Armored Veritech)
inhibit transformation in any way.
6.2.1.2: HOW ARE VERITECHS DIFFERENT FROM THE ORIGINAL ANIME
MECHA?
The biggest difference is that the Macross originals use
fusion power, where the primary power source of the Robotech
versions are powered by protoculture. In addition, the novels
introduce the idea of the 'thinking cap', through which the
pilot's thoughts translate into the Veritech's actions to some
extent. This idea is completely absent from the original Macross
Valkyrie.
6.2.1.3: WHERE IS THE PILOT LOCATED IN BATTLOID MODE?
The pilot is located in the center of the chest on all
Macross-era Veritechs, behind the plate that slides over the
canopy. We see this clearly when Breetai is involved in a
fist-fight with Rick's VF-1J in the episodes "Blind Game" and
"First Contact". Somewhere the misconception came about that in
the trainer (VF-1D according to Macross, VT-1D according to the
Palladium role-playing game), the pilot sits in the head (this
has appeared, among other places in the comic _Invid War:
Aftermath_). This is mistaken. A close examination of the second
episode (where Rick emerges from the trainer and converses with Minmei) reveals that the head folds completely forwards, and then
the instructor's and pilot's seats (in that order) emerge from
deep inside the torso.
6.2.1.4: WHY ARE THERE INTAKES ON THE VERITECH?
However one generates power, one still has to convert it to
thrust. The mecha designers for the Japanese TV show realized
this, and added intakes to the Veritech. In an atmosphere, air is
sucked in, heated in the fusion engine, and jetted out as
exhaust. It's a way of minimizing fuel use in the atmosphere.
Even in Robotech (with protoculture), one still needs to spit
mass out the back to accelerate the plane, so Robotech's
innovations do not make the intakes obsolete.
6.2.2: THE DESTROIDS
6.2.2.1: DESCRIPTION OF THE DESTROIDS
The Destroids are generally seen only in the background in
the show, but several have grown very popular with fans.
Destroids are non-transformable Battloids, for the most part
similar in height to the Veritech. They are the RDF's walking
artillery platforms.
One type is the Excalibur. With 12 missiles on each
shoulder, a gun cluster near what passes for an arm pit, a
machine-gun on the nose, a launcher with six missiles over one
shoulder and a searchlight on the other, and two huge particle
guns that pass for arms, this Destroid is the workhorse of the
RDF.
Built on the same set of legs, the Spartan is much simpler
in design, boasting only a large missile drum for each arm. This
is the long-range artillery battery of the RDF.
Also on the same set of legs as the Excalibur is the
lightest of the Destroids, the Raidar X. This mecha is an
air-defense weapon, with two long laser cannons on each arm.
Rounding out the smaller Destroids is the Gladiator, a
compact mecha for close fighting. It is the only one with hands,
and can carry a club, or presumably a gun pod. It is armed with a
12 missiles on each shoulder, a gun cluster in the center torso,
and a light anti-air laser on top.
The behemoth of the Destroids is the MAC II. In effect, it's
a 4-barreled 16 inch battleship turret with legs and two
tri-barreled laser cannon arms.
6.2.2.2: HOW ARE DESTROIDS DIFFERENT FROM THE ORIGINAL ANIME
MECHA?
ΠFirstly, the Destroids are fusion-powered in the Japanese
originals. In addition, the guns on the arms of the Raidar X and
the MAC II are not lasers, but respectively, 78mm autocannon and
missile launchers. Macek has commented that in his view, all
weapons in Robotech were beam guns (recall that all of this was
before the release of _Aliens_, which brought conventional
projectile weapons back in vogue in American Sci-Fi, whereas they
had been the rage in Japanese anime for years, working alongside
lasers and particle guns).
Finally, there are the names. While Destroid names are
rarely mentioned in the show, the Japanese ones seem to be the
ones most often used. (The exception is a reference in the
background to a 'Gladiator squadron'.) However, with the release
of the Matchbox die-cast Destroids, new names were given. What
Matchbox calls the Excalibur was originally the Tomahawk, the
Raidar X was originally the Defender, the Gladiator was
originally the Spartan, the Spartan was originally the Phalanx,
and the MAC II was originally the Destroid Monster.
6.2.3: ZENTRAEDI AND ZENTRAEDI MECHA
6.2.3.1: HOW TALL ARE THE ZENTRAEDI?
If you believe the dialogue, 50 feet. However, in the
original Macross, the average Zentraedi was just shy of 10 meters
(33 feet), and this is how they are drawn in the show, relative
to the humans and the Earth mecha.
6.2.3.2: DESCRIPTION OF THE ZENTRAEDI MECHA
The Zentraedi use a wide array of mecha. Most common is the
Regult Battle Pod, which looks like a giant bird egg, with only
the legs protruding. It is armed with two particle gun, two
smaller forward-firing anti-personnel auto-cannon, and two
rear-firing anti-aircraft lasers. This mecha is around 50 feet
tall.
There are three variants of the Battle Pod. Two sacrifice
the top-lasers with light and heavy missile batteries,
respectively. The third sacrifices all weapons and is a recon
unit.
The Zentraedi Officer pilots the Glaug Officer's Pod. It is
similar to the Regault, but the torso is more stretched, it is
larger, and has arms. Armed with a top-mounted particle gun, a
particle cannon and an impact cannon on each arm and two light
anti-personnel cannon, this is a formidable weapon. The Glaug
can be attached to a rocket sled for additional speed and flight
capabilities.
The alternate pod for male Zentraedi is the Nosjaedul-ger
power armor. Humanoid in shape, the Zentraedi wears it like anŒover-sized suit. It is armed with an impact cannon in the chest,
a particle gun on the shoulder, and a hand-held laser cannon.
The Zentraedi's most lethal weapon is the Quaedluun-rau
power armor, worn by female officers. Larger than the male power
armor, it is faster and more deadly. It is armed with two impact
cannons on the chest, a tri-barreled particle gun in each
forearm, and a launcher with 17 small missiles on each hip, and
on the top of each side of the thruster-backpack. The female
power armor is also gifted with enormous maneuverability and
acceleration.
The Zentraedi air forces consist of the Fighter Pod,
essentially an elongated three-sided pyramid with engines on the
bottom. There is a dual missile launcher on each side, and a
cluster of particle guns in the nose.
The Zentraedi employ other vessels, most notable being the
Quel-Qualie Theater Recon Scout pod. Far larger than any other
mecha, this large craft is mainly used for intelligence, though
it is well-armed with missiles and cannon. The Zentraedi also use
a saucer-shaped landing vessel, to deliver Battle Pods to the
theater of engagement.
But don't think the Zentraedi is helpless out of his war
machine. He can wear either a light or heavy combat armor, and is
issued a large gun pod, equivalent to that on the Veritech. And a
35-foot tall (or 50, depending on your preference - footage or
dialogue) warrior is no slouch with his bare hands, either.
Breetai (taller than most Zentraedi) knocked around Rick's
Veritech with little effort.
6.2.3.3: HOW ARE THE MECHA DIFFERENT FROM THE ORIGINAL ANIME
MECHA?
The main difference is that in Robotech the mecha are
powered by protoculture, where in the Japanese original, they are
fusion powered.
6.2.4: THE SDF-1
6.2.4.1: HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM THE JAPANESE ORIGINAL?
Robotech's SDF-1 is fairly close to the one from the
original TV series. The original version possessed several
capabilities that the Zentraedi were very eager to possess,
including self-repairing systems and an advanced fold drive
system. The original was powered by overtechnology reactor
systems instead of protoculture systems used by the Robotech
version. Also, the original SDF-1 did NOT have anything
resembling a Protoculture Matrix hidden aboard the vessel. The
Zentraedi wanted the vessel itself, and not anything contained
in its hull.Œ6.2.4.2: WHO BUILT IT IN THE ORIGINAL MACROSS SERIES?
The Japanese SDF-1 was built by an unnamed race that were
also enemies of the Zentraedi. The actual identity of the
builders is never revealed in the series, though they are
presumably humanoids somewhat similar in size to humans. The
Japanese SDF-1 was NOT constructed by the Robotech Masters, or
the Zor Lords from "Super Dimensional Calvary Southern Cross".
6.2.4.3: IS THE SDF-1 THAT APPEARED IN THE MACROSS MOVIE
DIFFERENT FROM THE
ONE IN THE SERIES?
Yes, slightly. The SDF-1 in the Movie had a slightly
different body styling, including squarish booms for the main
guns instead of the tapered look of the TV series. The movie
SDF-1 also had two Armor-type weapons platforms for arms instead
of naval warships. The movie design for the SDF-1 is actually
closer to the TV SDF-2 design than the TV SDF-1 design.
6.2.5: THE SDF-2
6.2.5.1: WHERE IS IT? WHY DO WE NEVER SEE IT IN THE TV SERIES?
In the original TV series, the SDF-2 was being constructed
on the Moon to take advantage of the lower gravity there.
Construction of the ship did not begin until after Kamijn
(Khyron) destroyed the SDF-1 Macross, and thus the SDF-2 never
appeared in the original footage of the final episode of Macross.
The SDF-1 is the only ship in the New Macross lake during
Kamijn's attack.
Carl Macek explained that the vessels were back-to-back, but
no pictures or footage supported this claim until the Comico
adaptation of Robotech. Macek wanted to include the SDF-2 in the
final battle to help explain the three mounds seen in Southern
Cross, thus creating continuity between the two sagas.
6.2.5.2: HOW DO THE VERSIONS OF THE SDF-2 IN THE JAPANESE MACROSS
TV SERIES AND MACROSS 2012 DIFFER?
The SDF-2 in the Macross TV series was much closer in design
to the original SDF-1, retaining the same basic shape and the
ability to transform between two different modes of operation.
The TV SDF-2 was 1620 meters in length, 420 meters larger than
the SDF-1. The SDF-2 also had two Armor-type weapons platforms
for arms instead of the warships incorporated into the SDF-1.
In the original TV series, the SDF-2 was intended to repace the
SDF-1 as the flagship of the Earth defense fleets.
The SDF-2 from Macross 2012 is MUCH different from the TV
version, however. Instead of being a warship, the 2012 SDF-2 is
a colony ship intended to help the survivors of the Earth/Zentran/Meltran War find a new home. The 2012 SDF-2 is
restricted to one form and can NOT switch into a humanoid mode.
The front 2/3rds of the ship encloses a complete city for
colonists aboard the ship. The general shape is vaguely like the
SDF-1 in flight mode, but much larger with large wing-like
structures on the sides for troops and mecha. Although the exact
size of the SDF-2 is not given, it is about 50% larger than a
Zentran Nupetiet-vernitzs flagship; somewhere around 7,500 meters
long.
6.2.6: THE SDF-3
6.2.6.1: WHY DO WE NEVER SEE IT IN THE ORIGINAL TV SERIES?
The concept for the SDF-3 was an original creation by Carl
Macek to explain why the main characters from the Macross saga
didn't appear in Southern Cross or New Generation. The SDF-3
never actually "existed" in any of the original Macross, Southern
Cross, or Mospeada footage and thus never made into the footage
that made up Robotech. This also explains why the SDF-3 had to
"vanish" while folding from Tirol to Earth; the ship didn't exist
in the footage of the Mospeada battle sequences. The SDF-3
appears only in the Sentinels and in Eternity's comic book
adaptations for Sentinels.
6.2.6.2: WAS THERE EVER AN SDF-3 IN *ANY* ANIME?
No, the SDF-3 is unique to Robotech and the Sentinels.
Neither it nor any ships similar to it have appeared in Japanese
animation.
6.3: ROBOTECH MASTERS MECHA
---------------------------
6.3.1: SOUTHERN CROSS MECHA
The Armies of the Southern Cross have at their disposal
various transformable & non-transformable mecha as diverse as the
15 branches themselves. The vehicles are perfectly adapted for
the elements of air, land, space, & water offering excellent
performance, maneuverability, & a host of deadly & accurate
weapon systems that make the Armies of the Southern Cross a
formidable force to be reckoned with.
6.3.1.1: DESCRIPTION OF THE MECHA
The following are the transformable mecha:
LOGAN - A second-generation veritech fighter developed
specifically for the Armies. Much smaller & lighter than the
original VF-1 series, it offers greater speed & maneuverability. The most striking feature of this new fighter the availability of
TWO modes instead of three: fighter & guardian. It is primarily
designed for fast, aerial & battlefield combat,
not for prolonged battles.
The primary weapon system of the Logan are two forward-firing
high-powered lasers mounted into the "shoulders" of the fighter,
a rapid-fire particle beam tri-cannon mounted in the nose, and
the E-20 Gun Pod. For defense the Logan's wings, composed of
complex alloys and ceramics can be used as arm shields for
parrying missiles or other forms of attack.
AJACS (Ajacs Veritech Attack Helicopter) - An extremely
maneuverable vehicle designed primarily for space combat,
although in fighter mode it resembles a helicopter. Like the
Logan, it too has only two modes: helicopter & battloid
configurations. It is extremely agile in all environments & can
nearly outmaneuver anything in space, thanks to a host of
maneuvering thrusters built into its feet, arms, & helicopter
blades.
The weapon systems include a forward laser built into the
nose/head of the helicopter, a pulse laser mounted on the right
arm resembling a gun pod (although it can be detached if
necessary & mounted on the other arm), optional use of the EU-11
& E-20 gun pods (not normally carried), & a missile pod on each
wing carrying up to 8 medium-range missiles each.
HOVER TANK (Veritech Hover Tank [VHT]) - Toughest & most powerful
mecha in use by the Armies. Much smaller than previous Destroid &
Veritech fighters, the VHT is a land vehicle. In tank mode, the
vehicle is a highly-maneuverable armored transport riding off the
ground on jets of air. Conversion into transport (or guardian)
mode raises the main platform on its feet & extends the main
cannon & triple-barreled auto cannon.
Although this mode makes the VHT the most vulnerable because of
its severely restricted mobility (maximum speed is 8 mph), the
amounts of damage it can unleash are tremendous.
There is a controversy between the Robotech Mailing List &
Palladium as to the nature of the Main Cannon. According to
Palladium, the weapon is a rapid-fire ion cannon firing powerful
energy blasts up to 30 times in succession, at which point the
pilot will have to wait for the ion generator to recharge the
weapon at a rate of 10 blasts per hour. According to the Robotech
Mailing List, animation footage indicates that the blasts travel
in an arc, suggesting the use of projectiles. As such the group
has come up with stats for various types of shells, ranging from
armor-piercing to high explosive to smoke carried in various
combinations depending on mission type or availability. Whichever
system is correct is strictly up to the individual fan or game
master.
The triple-barrelled auto cannon fires 32mm rounds in rapid
bursts with enough ammo for 5 reloadings for a total of 200
bursts. Conversion into battloid mode produces a highly-agile
robot with tough arm shields allowing it to parry huge amounts of
damage thanks to hi-tech armor. It is armed with the EU-11 energy gun pod, which is stowed in the forward center of the vehicle in
tank mode. In tank mode, the gun pod can be used although the
entire vehicle has to be moved in order to aim it. The main
cannon can also be fired during battloid mode, but it takes a
long time to extend it out of its arm-shield & aim it, making the
VHT vulnerable during this period.
The non-transformable battloids are all giant mecha of
humanoid shape with the same basic design but specially adapted
for various uses in the 15 branches. Their primary purpose is
rescue, recovery, & reconnaissance. They are all agile, possess
great strength, excellent sensors, & can handle most tasks better
than normal construction or earth moving equipment.
GLOBAL MILITARY POLICE MULTIPURPOSE BATTLOID - Most powerful &
heavily armed of the class. The mecha can function well in all
environments & has limited flight capabilities enhanced by a
detachable jet pack. Its reinforced forearms function as shields
& a spotlight in the chest. Weapons include laser cannons in the
head and use of the EU-11 & E-20 gun pods for added fire power.
TACTICAL CORPS RECON BATTLOID - Used for rescue, reconnaissance,
& recovery. The mecha has an enhanced sensor array, radar & video
system. Less heavily armored, combat is restricted to troop
support & scouting, but it is still formidable. Weapons include
twin heavy-duty head lasers & optional use of gun pods (EU-11
usually carried).
COSMIC UNIT SPACE BATTLOID - Specifically designed for space,
the mecha can also operate underwater. A jet-pack enhances
mobility in addition to standard directional thrusters. It also
features a chest-mounted towline launcher for hauling up to 30
tons of material using a variety of attachments. There are no
built-in weapon systems, but the E-20 gun pod is normally carried
& the EU-11 can be used.
CIVIL DEFENSE CORPS LIGHT BATTLOID - Designed for urban combat,
law enforcement, & riot control. It includes heavy arm shields, a
head spotlights & jet thrusters for leaping, jumping, &
underwater operations. It is used by the mecha pilot grunts.
Weapon systems are 2 mini-head lasers, the E-20 gun pod, &
optional use of the EU-11 gun pod.
CIVIL DEFENSE CORPS BATTLOID - A more heavily armored version of
the Light Battloid operated by officers. Differences include a
redesigned head, head lasers, & larger mass. It offers greater
protection, but is heavier & slower. Weapon systems are the head
lasers, the EU-11 gun pod, & optional use of the E-20.
Southern Cross mecha are smaller and more efficient than
their RDF predecessors. Most of the new mecha are powered by
fusion reactors instead of Protoculture systems, due to the
scarcity of Protoculture on Earth after the SDF-3 left. There
are three major mecha that are featured prominently in the Masters chapter of Robotech:
The Logan
The Logan is a new generation veritech fighter that makes up
the majority of the Earth air forces. It is MUCH smaller than
the original VF-1 Veritechs; only 6.29 meters compared to the
VF-1's 14.23 meters. Also, the Logan is only capable of TWO
modes of operation, a jet mode and a half-battloid/half-gladiator
mode. The Logan is rowboat shaped with small wings and a large
domed cockpit. Armament consists of a tri-barrel laser cannon on
the nose/head, missiles on the wings, and a gun pod that is
handheld in battloid mode.
6.3.1.2: HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT FROM THE JAPANESE ORIGINALS?
The main Southern Cross mecha in Robotech are very similar
to the original designs. The Hovertank was orignally named the
"Spartan" and the AJACS was orignally named the "Auroran". Also,
most mecha weaponry in the original series were projectile
weapons instead of energy weapons. Other than that most stats
and weaponry are the same.
Many of the SC Battloids featured in Palladium Games'
adaptation of Southern Cross are based on single sketches or
brief descriptions, so weaponry and specs may not be accurate.
There is also strong evidence that what Siembeida calls EBSIS
Mecha are actually powered suits used by the Southern Cross
armies. The EBSIS soldier battloid for example is probably
an undersea powered armor suit, based on sketches included in
"This is Animation #10: Southern Cross".
6.3.2: ROBOTECH MASTERS MECHA (BIOROIDS)
The Robotech Masters use Bioroids, 7 meter tall humanoid
robots, as their mecha of choice. All bioroid designs are very
similar; bubulous and flared armor with muscular arms and broad,
three-toed feet. Differences between the units can mainly be
determined by the heads, which are styled differently for
different units. The main types of bioroids used by the
Masters are:
Worker Bioroid (unarmed worker unit)
Blue Bioroid (standard combat unit)
Green Bioroid (higher ranking combat unit)
Red Bioroid (squadron leader)
Invid Fighters (Red-Bioroid variations that work in teams of
three)
Bioroids are piloted by clones. The lower units such as the
Worker Bioroid and the Blue Bioroid can be piloted by nonhuman
clones which are little more than primitive brains in a fleshy
support system. Higher bioroids require humanoid clones to operate at full efficiency.
All Bioroids are unarmed. Instead, they are provided with a
series of hand-held weapons for attack and defense, as well as a
very fast and heavily armed anti-gravity platform for increased
mobility. Bioroids are usually controlled from a separate
Robotech Master Attack Craft; a heavily-armed shuttle that can
transport bioroids to a combat zone and then transport them
away after the battle.
6.3.2.1: DESCRIPTION OF THE MECHA
6.3.2.2: HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT FROM THE JAPANESE ORIGINALS?
The main difference between Robotech Bioroids and SC
Bioroids is that SC Bioroids could be piloted by brainwashed
humanoids instead of clones. This meant that the Zor Lords
(Robotech Masters) could use captured humans instead of clones to
attack the armies of the Southern Cross. The SC Bioroids are
also powered by a fusion-like power source instead of
protoculture. Other than that, the Robotech Bioroids are
extremely close to their original versions.
6.4: ROBOTECH NEW GENERATION MECHA
----------------------------------
6.4.1: ROBOTECH EXPEDITIONARY FORCE MECHA
6.4.1.1: DESCRIPTION OF THE MECHA
The mecha of Mospeada, or Robotech: The New Generation is
very different from the mecha of the two previous generations.
On the side of earth are three transformable mecha unlike any
seen before in Robotech, and for the first time the primary enemy
is not a humanoid species. In addition, there is very little
space combat as the Invid control the earth and most of the
fighting is on the ground.
Cyclones
The Cyclone is more of a battlesuit than a full mecha,
consisting of a transformable motorcycle and body armor onto
which it mounts. The Cyclone comes in three forms, the VR-038-LT
Light Cyclone, the VR-041-H Saber, and the VR-052A/B Battler.
Armament is as follows: The LT has no built-in weapon systems,
but mounts an RL-6 rocket cannon on the right front end in cycle
mode and on the right arm in battloid mode. The Saber mounts
twelve RPGs, six housed on each side of the chest in battloid
mode and on the front end in cycle mode. In addition, although
never seen in the footage there is a retractable vibroblade
mounted in each front wheel housing, which is mounted on the arm
in battloid mode. The battler cyclone comes in two varieties;
the first mounts 2 missiles on each forearm while the second
mounts a particle cannon on the right forearm.ŒAlpha Fighter
The VAF-06 Alpha Fighter is the New Generation's equivalent
to the original VF-1 series. It's primary weapon, however, is
missiles. A grand total of 60 missiles are carried internally; 8
on each shoulder, 10 on each forearm and 12 on each leg. The
Alpha also carries a 35mm tri-barreled cannon which is usually
mounted outside the undercarraige in fighter mode. The Alpha is
smaller than the VF-1, standing only 28ft high or so, and is
slightly slower, but is considerably more maneuverable. It also
is not capable of achieving orbit of any kind by itself,
although it is fully transatmospheric when paired with a Beta
Fighter. Later versions of the Alpha carry what is known as a
"shadow device", which allows them to not be seen on the Invid's
protoculture sensors, and a "destabilizer", which allows the
alpha to create holes in the force fields that surround invid
hives.
Beta Fighter
The VBF-1 Beta fighter is something of an enigma in the
series, as its function is never fully explained in the series.
It is a large heavy fighter, looking something akin to a brick
with wings in fighter mode, and a short, squat destroid in
battloid mode. Unlike the alpha, it is a two form veritech, but
it also has the ability to link up with an alpha to form a
single, large unit capable of transatmospheric flight. The beta
is often seen linked up with no pilot; the pilot of the alpha can
control the whole system as a single unit. While linked up, the
alpha can transform into battloid mode giving the alpha pilot
greater flexibility in combat. The beta carries a wide range of
weapon systems: 3 cannon, fixed firing forward in fighter mode, 2
sets of missile launchers - one in the chest and the other
popping up from the shoulders, and 2 tri-barreled particle cannon
(one mounted on each wrist). The beta is also one of the most
heavily armored mechs in Robotech, able to take a direct shot
from an invid plasma cannon and not get scratched. The beta also
has a shadow version, but this is only seen used in conjunction
with a shadow alpha.
6.4.1.2: HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT FROM THE JAPANESE ORIGINALS?
In the original Japanese show, the cyclone was referred to
as the M.O.S.P.E.A.D.A., which was an acronym for Mobile
Operation Soldier Protection Emergency Aviation Drive (or Dive)
Auto. The alpha fighter was referred to as the Legios, although
that name was also used for the linked alpha/beta combo, and the
beta was known as the "Tread". Instead of being a separate
combat mecha counterpart to the Legios, the Tread was primarily
an unmanned booster, designed to increase the capability of the
Legios. In addition, all mecha ran on fusion power, not
protoculture.
6.4.1.3: DO WE EVER SEE ANY DESTROID-LIKE MECHA IN MOSPEADA?
ΠNo, there are no destroids in Mospeada. This is because,
unlike the other two series the primary purpose is attack, not
defense, and while good at defending a set location, destroids
are not very good at fast attacks and movement. In addition,
destroids require large landing craft to get them to the planet's
surface, and large vessels have been shown to be sitting ducks
against the invid.
6.4.2: INVID MECHA
6.4.2.1: DESCRIPTION OF THE MECHA
Invid mecha: The invid use 5 primary mecha types, with minor
vairations is a couple of them. The majority of them are
insectoid or crab-like in shape, armed with claws and plasma
"anhiallation disc" weapons, and are capable of flight.
Invid Scout/Armored Scout: This is the most common mecha in the
Invid arsenal, a small (about the size of a modern car) red
crab-like mecha whose primary armament is its large strong claws
that are capable of ripping open mecha and starships alike. The
Armored Scout version adds a pair of plasma cannon mounted on the
shoulders. Their primary weak point is their sensor "eye",
mounted directly in front of the cockpit. A direct hit will
break through and kill the pilot.
Invid Trooper/Shock Trooper: This is the primary soldier mecha
of the invid, a large (almost 20 feet tall) purple mecha that
looks like a beetle on steroids. It too uses its claws as its
primary weapon, with greater effectivness due to their size and
weight. The Shock Trooper, like the Armored Scout, adds a pair
of plasma cannon over the shoulders, though where the Scout's
cannon are simple bolt-on pieces, the Shock Trooper's weapons are
large and in separate housings capable of vertical motion. The
primary weak point, like the scout, is the sensor, "eye",
although the troopers seem to know this and will block aimed
shots with their large claws.
Pincer Command Unit: This is the largest of the Invid insectoid
mecha, only seen in the second half of the series. it is about
22 feet tall, mounting large heat cannon over the shoulders and
smaller plasma cannon on either side of the "eye", and a mix of
light blue and white. Its primary purpose is command of a large
group of Invid troops, but it is seen as a frontline combat unit
during the battle of Reflex Point. It gets its name from the
grasping "fingers" it has on each arm. The heat cannon can fire
either a convergent beam, capable of melting almost anthing, or
twin beams for greater area destruction. Its primary weak point
is also its "eye".
Hive Guard/Enforcer: This is the smallest and least common of
the Invid mecha. Just slightly taller that a normal human, its
primary purpose is guarding valuable locations and urban investigation where larger mecha is less than desirable. its
only armament is a laser cannon mounted on the back of the
wrists, and it is not known to be capable of flight. it comes
in 2 color schemes: Dark greyish-blue and white for the hive
guards, and a light greean and off-white for urban enforcers.
They are not very well armored, and a single shot will usually
kill them.
Royal Command Battloid: This is the largest of the Invid mecha,
standing 26 feet tall (the same size as an Alpha) and piloted by
an Invid in human form. In a departure from standard Invid
weaponry, in addition to an arm mounted plasma cannon and head
laser, the RCB mounts a missile pack on each shoulder blade. The
RCB is heavily armored, but it's cockpit is covered by a clear
canopy, and thus is it's major weak point. The RCB is roughly
equivalent to an Alpha fighter, both in purpose and capability.
6.4.2.2: HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT FROM THE JAPANESE ORIGINALS?
The only difference between the Robotech version of the Invid
mecha and the original Japanese mecha is their name. The Scout
was called the Iigaa, the Armored Scout was called the Iigau,
the Trooper and Shock Trooper was called the Gurab, the Pincer
was called the Gamo, the Hive guard was called the Malar, and
the RCB was called the Gosu.
6.5: ROBOTECH SENTINELS MECHA
-----------------------------
6.5.1: REF DESTROIDS
6.5.1.1: DESCRIPTION OF THE MECHA
The new REF destroids are the next generation of
non-transformable Earth mecha, redesigned based on advances made
in Robotechnology and mecha systems in the years following the
first Robotech war. Like the Alpha Fighters, the REF destroids
have been reduced in size by 30%, while increasing the amount of
armor and firepower contained by each model. One common
modification was that all REF destroids were equipped with some
form of hands and arms, to allow them to grab objects as well as
engage in hand-to-hand combat.
Excalibur MK VII
An upgraded version of the old RDF Excalibur/Tomahawk. Major
changes include the replacement of the dual particle cannons with
a single more compact particle cannon on the left arm; the right
arm cannon is replaced with a Gladiator-style arm and hand for
grasping and HTH combat. The gun clusters are replaced with a
triple laser system on the cockpit, and the single
over-the-shoulder missile launcher is replaced with two smaller
units. The shoulder missiles of the older unit are kept in the newer one.
Gladiator MK III
An upgraded version of the old RDF Gladiator/Spartan. The
Gladiator is one of the most changed destroids in the REF
version. The shoulder missile pods are replaced with
high-powered laser cannons, and the nose gun cluster is replaced
with a dual laser turret and missile launcher. In addition the
legs were redesigned to provide the mecha with better climbing
abilities, and missile launchers were added to the legs.
M.A.C. III
An upgraded version of the old RDF Mac II/Monster. The new
Mac II is lighter and faster, with a greater variety of weaponry.
The arm missile launchers were replaced with individual particle
cannons, and three artillery cannons are mounted on top of the
mecha instead of four. A missile launcher was added to the
center of the main body, and two detachable plasma bombs are
mounted on the sides of the mecha. The Mac III is one of the
only REF Destroids without hands.
Raidar X Mark XI
An upgraded version of the old RDF Raidar X/Defender
anti-aircraft destroid. The dual autocannons on each arm are
replaced with tri-barrel rapid-fire laser cannons, and the radar
dish on top of the mecha is now mounted in the chest for better
protection. Two over-the-shoulder missile launchers have been
added, as well as a chest laser for antipersonnel weaponry. The
Raidar X is one of the only REF Destroids without hands.
Spartan Mk XII
An upgraded version of the old RDF Spartan/Phalanx heavy
assault destroid. The new version retains the drum-shaped arm
missile launchers, but also adds a third missile launcher in the
chest of the mecha. Two concealed arms with hands are also
mounted on the arms of the mecha, to enable it to grasp objects
and engage in (limited) HTH combat.
6.5.1.2: ARE THESE DESIGNS BASED ON ANY JAPANESE MECHA?
No. The REF Destroids are 100% American mecha designs and
do not appear in ANY Japanese mecha series. They only appear in
the Sentinels RPG and the Sentinels comic books.
6.5.2: INVID INORGANICS
6.5.2.1: DESCRIPTION OF THE MECHA
Unlike the Invid Regis, who was concerned more with the advancement of the Invid race, the Invid Regent only wanted newer
and better ways to kill and destroy. He developed the Invid
Inorganics as a new line of Invid Mecha with the sole purpose of
hunting down and destroying humanoids, Zentraedi and Tirolians in
particular. The Invid Inorganics are not piloted mecha; instead,
they are non-living robots with simplistic artifical
intelligences. The Inorganics are constructed from an
alchemy-like process, similar to how golems were built in legend.
When an Inorganic is "killed", it crumbles to dust. Invid
Organics are mostly incapable of independent operations; they
are usually controlled by an Invid Brain hidden in a guarded
hive. If the brain is destroyed, then the Inorganics will freeze
in their tracks. Inorganics are usually used for reconnaissance,
occupation, and extermination by the Regent and his forces. All
Inorganics have a bulbulous shape to them, and look almost
insect-like in nature.
Invid Cougar
The cougar resembles a prehistoric sabertooth tiger. It is
primarily used for hunting and stalking prey, as well as
reconnaissance. It has no weapons, but possesses sharp claws to
tear into mecha armor (and mecha pilots). During combat several
cougars will work together to overpower a foe and literally "dig"
the pilot out of his mecha.
Invid Odeon
The most common invid Inorganic design. The Odeon is the
"grunt" of the Regent's military forces, with a huge barrel chest
and long powerful arms. The Odeon is a lumbering juggernaut that
relies on thick armor rather than speed to approach its foe. The
Odeon is also not equipped with weapons, but sometimes carries an
energy weapon in its hand.
Invid Scrimm
The Scrimm is designed specifically for killing humanoids.
Although smaller than the Odeon, it has three powerful arms and
two whip-like arms ending in spiked claws that can be used to
impale mecha or people. The Scrimm is faster than the Odeon, and
is equipped with two globes on its back that can produce a deadly
nerve gas that will quickly kill most humanoids. The Scrimm does
not have any other weapons.
Invid Crann
The Crann is designed especially for reconnaissance instead
of killing humanoids. The basic shape of the inorganic is
humanoid, with two long arms and a beak-like appendage under the
central eye. The Crann is the only inorganic besides the Scrimm
with internal armaments; the beak contains an energy tongue that
can be used as a whip, and a laser cannon is mounted on the top
of the mecha. The two arms of the Crann can detach and function and independent reconnaissance units (they somewhat resemble
"face-huggers" from the movie "Aliens").
6.5.2.2: ARE THESE DESIGNS BASED ON ANY JAPANESE MECHA?
No. The Invid Inorganics are 100% American mecha designs
and do not appear in ANY Japanese mecha series. They only appear
in the Sentinels video, the Sentinels RPG, and the Sentinels
comic books.
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