|
What is Robotech? -
Introduction
What is Robotech?
Robotech is a story of a multi-generation war waged by humans, genetically created beings, alien
races, and an evolved hive species fighting with giant machines, bio-mechanical systems and
reconfigurable mecha. Its story is on a scale in which whole worlds and races and the very fabric of
the universe lay in jeopardy. It is told through different mediums; a Japanese animation series, or
anime, an adult novelization, role playing game sourcebooks and comics which results in a
conflagration of different points of view points relating to the specifics of the Robotech Universe.
Though there are as many different answers as there are fans to the question of what Robotech is,
most people would agree that it is one of the greatest science fiction epics of our time.
The Story of Robotech
(Preface, which is revealed through flashbacks and story telling throughout the series.)
Long ago in a distant quadrant of the galaxy, an explorer and scientist from the planet of Tirol named
Zor explored the planet of Optera. On Optera there lived a hive species called the Invid, which fed
and depended on a native plant called the Flower of Life. The Invid had a male leader, the Regent,
and a female leader, the Regis. From the Regis, Zor learned that the Flower of Life could be used to
make a remarkable energy source called Protoculture. By working with Protoculture, Zor created a
new type of technology called Robotechnology. Zor introduced Protoculture and Robotechnology to
his planet's leaders, the Robotech Masters, who became corrupted by the power it gave them. The
Robotech Masters genetically created a warrior race of giants called the Zentraedi and seeking a
monopoly on Protoculture, ordered the Zentraedi to defoliate Optera. The Invid were forced to fight for
their survival and became a race of fierce warriors which battled with the Zentraedi and the Robotech
Masters.
Zor became disgusted by the way his leaders used Protoculture and Robotechnology and vowed to
undermine them. He built a powerful ship and hid in it the Protoculture Matrix, a vast Protoculture
resource, and dispatched the ship and died. The Robotech Masters, who needed the resources of
Protoculture the Matrix held to maintain their empire, dispatched the Zentraedi to find it.
(This portion is based on Super Dimension Fortress: Macross)
In the year 1999, an alien ship crashes on Earth on a small Island called Macross bringing an end to
a civil war on Earth. The people of Earth unite and rebuild the ship, which they name the SDF-1.
During the reconstruction, a large city named Macross City, rose up around the fortress. From
examples recovered and information learned from the SDF-1, the Terrans learn about
Robotechnology and apply it.
It takes ten years to rebuild the SDF-1, but in 2009 it was finally done. On the launching day of the
SDF-1, the Zentraedi arrive and the First Robotech War begins as they try to reclaim the fortress
and the Protoculture Matrix it contains.
Rick Hunter becomes one of the pivotal characters in Robotech. He starts as a civilian, becomes a
fighter pilot to follow in the footsteps of his older kid-brother Roy Fokker, and becomes the leader of
the SDF-1's fighter group in Roy's place after he is killed. The SDF-1's First Officer, Lisa Hayes, falls
in love with Rick. Rick, however, is in love with Lynn-Minmei, a young singer and popular icon in
Macross City. Later Rick and Lisa realize their love for each other.
During the war, the Zentraedi in the fleet sent to recover the Matrix are exposed to Terran culture and
emotions for the first time. They refuse to fight and wish instead to abandon their war-dominated
culture to join theirs. One female Zentraedi, Miriya Parino, and a Terran pilot and friend of Rick, Max
Sterling, marry and have a child, Dana Sterling.
At the war's conclusion, the ships of the Zentraedi fleet are summoned to Earth for a final showdown
against the SDF-1 and the renegade Zentraedi which allied with them. The Earth is bombarded and
its surface is all but sanitized of life. The entire fleet of the enemy Zentraedi is destroyed although
remnants of it survive on Earth and continue to fight a brief guerrilla-style war. At the conclusion of
First Robotech War, the SDF-1 is destroyed and plans are made to send a force to Tirol, the home
of the Robotech Masters, to prevent another war from coming to earth.
(This portion is based on what consistent information on the Sentinels is available)
The Robotech Expeditionary Force, comprised of Rick, Lisa, Max and Miriya and the SDF-3 leaves
Earth for Tirol. They join forces with a rag tag group of aliens called the Sentinels who have had their
home planets conquered by the Invid. The Terran Robotech soldiers and the Sentinels liberate the
home planets of the Sentinels.
(This portion is based on Super Dimension Calvary: Southern Cross)
Fifteen years after the end of The First Robotech War, the Army of the Southern Cross is the
defender of Earth. Dana Sterling, the daughter of Max and Miriya, is a soldier in the Army of the
Southern Cross and becomes the commander of a hovertank unit, the 15th ATAC. The Robotech
Masters arrive and ignite the Second Robotech War to recover the Protoculture Matrix from the
buried corpse of the SDF-1.
Dana falls in love with Zor Prime, a captured warrior clone of the original Zor who is an unknowing
spy for the Robotech Masters. Zor Prime eventually remembers his past and tries to fulfill his plan to
undermine the Robotech Masters. At the end of the Second Robotech War, Zor and the Robotech
Masters are killed and the contents of the Matrix are released which caused Flowers of Life to grow.
There is a sense of impending doom as the savage Invid are summoned to where ever the Flower of
Life takes root.
(This portion is based on Genesis Climber Mospeada)
The Invid, led by the Regis, conquer Earth and waves of fleets from Admiral Hunter's expeditionary
force dispatched from Tirol attempt to liberate it. In one of these fleets is a pilot named Scott
Bernard. Scott's fleet is all but wiped out and he believes himself to be the only survivor. On Earth he
continues his mission, which is to destroy the main hive of the Invid on Earth, a structure called
Reflex Point.
During Scott's journey, he collects a rag tag group of freedom fighters who are dedicated to help
destroy the Reflex Point with him. By the time they reach Reflex Point, the largest portion of Admiral
Hunter's fleet arrives for the final attempt at retaking the Earth. Admiral Hunter's flagship, the SDF-3,
mysteriously fails to arrive with the rest of the fleet. During that battle, the Regis utilizes all the
remaining stores of Protoculture to raise herself and her race to a higher plane of existence, leaving
Earth behind.
(Prologue)
What happens to the SDF-3, Rick, Lisa, and friends is only concretely addressed by the Robotech
novels, which some fans accept and some do not.
The Creation of Robotech
The first steps in the creation of Robotech were unknowingly taken in late 1984 when an American
company, Harmony Gold, bought the rights to Super Dimension Fortress: Macross, a 36 episode
anime series created by Tatsunoko Studios which aired in Japan in late 1982. Such purchases were
common as Harmony Gold was the international distributor of Tatsunoko-produced works and their
partnership resulted in the enormous popularity of series such as Speed Racer. Harmony Gold
intended to release an English translation of SDF: Macross for television syndication in the United
States but discovered it couldn't as it was 29 episodes short of the minimum requirement for
television syndication.
A producer at Harmony Gold named Carl Macek conjured up a creative way to meet the requirement
by taking other anime series and blending it with SDF: Macross to create an entirely new series.
Macek looked to series Harmony Gold already purchased and found Super Dimension Calvary:
Southern Cross and Genesis Climber Mospeada. Both series were produced by Tatsunoko Studios
and were aired in Japan in April of 1984 and October 1983, respectively. They were purchased by
Harmony Gold around the same time SDF: Macross was aquired. Like SDF: Macross, they were
intended to be translated into English and released separately, but in Macek's hands, the three
series would be reconceptualized, revised, redefined, and Westernized into the anime series known
to the world as Robotech. The Robotech anime, which was comprised of 85 episodes, premiered in
early 1985.
Robotech started with the anime, but it soon began to expand into other mediums. As its popularity
soared in the summer of 1985, products like lines of Robotech toys, comic series, and merchandise
were created. In the fall of 1985, a 65-episode sequel to Robotech called Robotech II: The Sentinels
began to be developed. It was financed in a joint effort by Harmony Gold and Matchbox International,
which was the master toy licensee for Robotech. It was expected to be released fall of 1986 but ran
into financial complications and was abandoned after only completing 3 episodes. A Robotech
movie, Robotech: The Movie, was released in 1986 but due to advertising snafus the turnout at the
screenings was so disappointing that it was abandoned. The first printings of the Robotech role
playing game books by Kevin Siembieda took place in late 1986. In March of 1987, the first book of
the Robotech novelizations written by Brian Daley and James Luceno under the pseudonym Jack
McKinney was published.
Constant Inconsistency
Interestingly enough, each separate writing of the Robotech story seemed to differ a bit from the
others, which to this day spawns debate and controversy among the fans of Robotech. There are
fans that accept the novel's version of the story that are referred to as McKinneyists after the author
of the novels Jack McKinney. There are those who accept the RPG's version of the story and then
those who accept the anime's version who are referred to as Purists. Then there are sub-groups of
Purists that disagree on the matter of incorporating material from the original animes like SDF:
Macross into the Robotech Universe. There are fans who try to take a little of everything to make a
version called Universalists. Then there are fans who don't think that the events of Robotech: The
Movie should incorporated into the Robotech Universe and there are fans that do. Then there are fans
that think that only some of the events from Robotech: The Movie should be incorporated into
Robotech and the rest should be left out. (The list goes on and on.) Multiply all of that by the fact
that people can't even agree on conclusions from the same version of Robotech and you get a
phenomenon that exists only in the Robotech community.
Survivability of Robotech
Even nearly a decade after Robotech was originally released and aired, it continued to endure and
even grow proving it's long-term survivability. Through the mid 1990's Robotech role playing game
sourcebooks have continued to be printed, the Robotech novels by Jack McKinney have been
reprinted in 3-in-1 collections, and two brand new novels were published. Robotech even got back on
the air in 1994 when all 85 episodes were shown on the Sci-Fi Channel in an early AM timeslot.
Streamline Pictures released a 2-CD Robotech Soundtrack and re-released some of the Robotech
anime on VHS cassettes. In 1996, a Korean company, Joons, re-produced the 12-inch fully
transformable VF-1J Veritech Fighter toy. In March of 1997, Antarctic Press printed the first issue in
a new Robotech comic series. A video game for the Nintendo-64 console was also being produced
by Gametek until that company ran into financial problems. The series made another more
pronounced television appearance in the summer of 1998 when the Cartoon Network aired the first
60 episodes in its regular Toonami afternoon line-up. There are even rumors of new and upcoming
projects, such as Robotech 3000, which could ensure Robotech's longevity well into the next
decade.
The Future of Robotech
The future of Robotech is and will always be firmly in the hands of its fans. As the last decade has
demonstrated, the existing fans are capable of producing a demand so large that the industry hasn't
been able to ignore it. As long as there are fans that demand Robotech, there will be industries
compelled to supply it. As a result, people will continue to be exposed to Robotech in all forms,
original and new, which will in turn continue to create future generations of fans to carry on its
legacy.
Credits
The concept of the page was inspired by Mr. St. D, who after seeing The Robotech Page for the first
time asked, "yeah, but what is Robotech?".
Robotech Art 3 by Carl Macek was my main source of information and dates. I also referred to
Erique Conty's 'History of Robotech' essay a handful of times for additional dates. Basara was also a
great help in providing information. Thanks also to my test readers, especially Pumukl, whose
positive endorsements meant a great deal to me.
|
