Robotech: Difference between revisions
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'''Robotech''' is a 1985 [[mecha]] [[anime]], and one of the earliest big import series into the English-speaking world. In fact, it was arguably one of the first anime created ''for'' the English-speaking world, since Robotech was created by butchering three completely unrelated (but visually similar) short-run sci-fi/mecha animes - Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA - and redubbing them to present them as different sagas in a single ongoing multigenerational combat. Due to being one of the first major anime dubs to be aired on English-speaking TV channels, Robotech can be credited with exposing Western audiences to the (at the time) greater maturity and seriousness of anime compared to [[/co/|comics and cartoons]], and thus paving the way for the [/a/|anime & manga]] boom. | '''Robotech''' is a 1985 [[mecha]] [[anime]], and one of the earliest big import series into the English-speaking world. In fact, it was arguably one of the first anime created ''for'' the English-speaking world, since Robotech was created by butchering three completely unrelated (but visually similar) short-run sci-fi/mecha animes - ''Super Dimension Fortress Macross'', ''Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross'', and ''Genesis Climber MOSPEADA'' - and redubbing them to present them as different sagas in a single ongoing multigenerational combat. Due to being one of the first major anime dubs to be aired on English-speaking TV channels, Robotech can be credited with exposing Western audiences to the (at the time) greater maturity and seriousness of anime compared to [[/co/|comics and cartoons]], and thus paving the way for the [/a/|anime & manga]] boom. | ||
=Plot= | |||
Long ago, a race of humanoid aliens (the Tirolians) landed on a planet of bug aliens (the Invid), and learned that a flower native to the Invid's homeworld could be transformed into both a superfuel and a genetic modifying agent. The Tirolians promptly ravaged the planet to claim all of this plant, which the Invid called "the Flower of Life" and the Tirolians called "Protoculture", using it to advance their own culture. Most prominently engineering a race of giant cloned warrior-slaves called the Zentraedi (or Zentradi, however you prefer) to go out and conquer worlds for them. Unfortunately for the Tirolians, the guy who found the Invid's homeworld (Zor) had his own agenda; he only gave them sterile cloned versions of the Flower of Life, and kept the real seeds for himself aboard his personal warship. Eventually, he grew sick of the other Tirolians, by this point now calling themselves "the Robotech Masters", and sent his ship off into deep space, result in both the Tirolians and their Zentraedi forces suffering a critical fuel supply shortage that would ultimately doom both races if not arrested, and resulting in the Zentraedi being sent out to find Zor's battleship... which also gave the Invid, newly transformed into a race of biomechanical killing machines, a chance to launch a devastating war against the Tirolians for the remaining supply of Protoculture. | Long ago, a race of humanoid aliens (the Tirolians) landed on a planet of bug aliens (the Invid), and learned that a flower native to the Invid's homeworld could be transformed into both a superfuel and a genetic modifying agent. The Tirolians promptly ravaged the planet to claim all of this plant, which the Invid called "the Flower of Life" and the Tirolians called "Protoculture", using it to advance their own culture. Most prominently engineering a race of giant cloned warrior-slaves called the Zentraedi (or Zentradi, however you prefer) to go out and conquer worlds for them. Unfortunately for the Tirolians, the guy who found the Invid's homeworld (Zor) had his own agenda; he only gave them sterile cloned versions of the Flower of Life, and kept the real seeds for himself aboard his personal warship. Eventually, he grew sick of the other Tirolians, by this point now calling themselves "the Robotech Masters", and sent his ship off into deep space, result in both the Tirolians and their Zentraedi forces suffering a critical fuel supply shortage that would ultimately doom both races if not arrested, and resulting in the Zentraedi being sent out to find Zor's battleship... which also gave the Invid, newly transformed into a race of biomechanical killing machines, a chance to launch a devastating war against the Tirolians for the remaining supply of Protoculture. | ||
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Invid divisions break away from the Tirolian war and invade Earth, crushing the devastated Earth military and conquering the planet. Soldiers are sent back to Earth from the expeditionary fleet to try and liberate their homeworld from the Invid... twice. Both times end in a devastating defeat for the Robotech Expeditionary Forces and leave the Earth devastated and depopulated. Survivors of the liberation forces go to ground and try to maintain a guerrilla war, eventually finding some success as the Invid become distracted with the possibilities offered by the Flower of Life and human DNA. Eventually, the Invid evolve into energy-based lifeforms that leave the Earth rather than allow it to be destroyed by a vengeful Robotech Expeditionary Force, who have returned with powerful new weapons and are willing to obliterate the Earth than allow it to remain under Invid control. | Invid divisions break away from the Tirolian war and invade Earth, crushing the devastated Earth military and conquering the planet. Soldiers are sent back to Earth from the expeditionary fleet to try and liberate their homeworld from the Invid... twice. Both times end in a devastating defeat for the Robotech Expeditionary Forces and leave the Earth devastated and depopulated. Survivors of the liberation forces go to ground and try to maintain a guerrilla war, eventually finding some success as the Invid become distracted with the possibilities offered by the Flower of Life and human DNA. Eventually, the Invid evolve into energy-based lifeforms that leave the Earth rather than allow it to be destroyed by a vengeful Robotech Expeditionary Force, who have returned with powerful new weapons and are willing to obliterate the Earth than allow it to remain under Invid control. | ||
==/tg/ Relevance | ===The Shadow War=== | ||
An incomplete, American-original story made to try and milk the franchise in the 90s, redone in the 00s, and revived in the 10s to try and reboot the franchise, the Shadow War covers the battle between the Protoculture-fearing Shadows and humanity. Given it's incomplete state, there's not much to say about it. | |||
=/tg/ Relevance= | |||
One of the first big successes for [[Palladium]] was licensing the official Robotech RPG - remember, this series was fucking '''huge''' in the late 80s. Palladium then tried to create a squad-based tactical miniatures game called [[Robotech RPG Tactics]]... which was a steaming pile of crap, even by Palladium standards. | One of the first big successes for [[Palladium]] was licensing the official Robotech RPG - remember, this series was fucking '''huge''' in the late 80s. Palladium then tried to create a squad-based tactical miniatures game called [[Robotech RPG Tactics]]... which was a steaming pile of crap, even by Palladium standards. | ||
=Macross= | |||
No discussion of Robotech can be had without a discussion of '''Macross'''. This mecha franchise began with ''Super Dimension Fortress Macross'' and continued with several sequels, prequels, and spin-offs for another 35 years, often drawing on and combining the aspects of music, mecha, and civilization in different ways. However, unlike SDF Macross (and SDC Southern Cross), almost none of the later works have been exported to the West. The problem lies in the snarl of contracts, trademarks, and copyright conflicts surrounding the original production and the subsequent licensing of the first series to Harmony Gold, creators of Robotech. Suffice to say, fans of Macross are still bitter that Harmony Gold owns all the trademarks in the US and Europe but none of the rights, and always tries to get its cut. | |||
As this is not an anime wiki, that's all we'll say on the subject. | |||
[[Category: Weeaboo]] | [[Category: Weeaboo]] | ||
Revision as of 17:33, 24 July 2020
Robotech is a 1985 mecha anime, and one of the earliest big import series into the English-speaking world. In fact, it was arguably one of the first anime created for the English-speaking world, since Robotech was created by butchering three completely unrelated (but visually similar) short-run sci-fi/mecha animes - Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA - and redubbing them to present them as different sagas in a single ongoing multigenerational combat. Due to being one of the first major anime dubs to be aired on English-speaking TV channels, Robotech can be credited with exposing Western audiences to the (at the time) greater maturity and seriousness of anime compared to comics and cartoons, and thus paving the way for the [/a/|anime & manga]] boom.
Plot
Long ago, a race of humanoid aliens (the Tirolians) landed on a planet of bug aliens (the Invid), and learned that a flower native to the Invid's homeworld could be transformed into both a superfuel and a genetic modifying agent. The Tirolians promptly ravaged the planet to claim all of this plant, which the Invid called "the Flower of Life" and the Tirolians called "Protoculture", using it to advance their own culture. Most prominently engineering a race of giant cloned warrior-slaves called the Zentraedi (or Zentradi, however you prefer) to go out and conquer worlds for them. Unfortunately for the Tirolians, the guy who found the Invid's homeworld (Zor) had his own agenda; he only gave them sterile cloned versions of the Flower of Life, and kept the real seeds for himself aboard his personal warship. Eventually, he grew sick of the other Tirolians, by this point now calling themselves "the Robotech Masters", and sent his ship off into deep space, result in both the Tirolians and their Zentraedi forces suffering a critical fuel supply shortage that would ultimately doom both races if not arrested, and resulting in the Zentraedi being sent out to find Zor's battleship... which also gave the Invid, newly transformed into a race of biomechanical killing machines, a chance to launch a devastating war against the Tirolians for the remaining supply of Protoculture.
Nice going, Zor.
Zor's battleship crashlands on a deserted island on Earth in July 1999, interrupting World War 3 and causing humanity to get its shit together to study this new technology and form a united military in case whoever created the ship comes back from it. Reverse-engineering its systems gives them "Robotechnology", which mostly means energy weapons, forcefields, and mecha - the most impressive of which, during the first saga, is the Veritech; a space-capable jet fighter that can transform partially or wholly into a giant humanoid robot. They also repair and rebuild the battleship, finally getting it ready to travel back into space again in February 2009...
Which is when a Zentraedi fleet shows up on Earth and an automated attack from the "SDF-1", as the rebuilt ship is called, blows up some scouting vessels, causing the Zentraedi to discover that it's on Earth.
Nice going, Zor.
Thus begin the Robotech Wars...
The First Robotech War
The SDF-1, due to the ignorance of humanity knowing that you do not try to make a hyperspace dimensional jump in a planet's orbit, attempts to flee the attacking Zentraedi by "folding" to the Moon. Instead, they teleport the SDF-1, the entire city that had sprung up around it, and two aircraft into orbit around Pluto. The first half of the war consists of the SDF-1 trying to fight its way back to Earth, followed by a devastating battle that ravages the Earth and the Zentraedi alike, resulting in a forced peace due to mutual near-annihilation. Cue a roughly 10-15 year period of rebuilding wherein the majority of Zentraedi fail to adjust to civilian life and retreat to the devastated southern hemisphere to rearm. Humanity decides not to leave things to chance and forms the Army of the Southern Cross to exterminate the Zentraedi, which they do.
The Second Robotech War
Learning about the existence of Protoculture (but not that the Flower of Life is hidden within the wreckage of the SDF-1, because the Zentraedi themselves didn't know this because of certain events in the First Robotech War making them think it had vanished from the battleship), and the Robotech Masters, humanity sends an expeditionary fleet to Tirol for a preemptive strike... but ironically, once the fleet is gone, then the Robotech Masters show up at Earth. In fact, the Robotech Masters have had their collective asses kicked by the Invid, and want to seize the universe's last supply of Protoculture from humanity without alerting the Invid as to where it can be found. Instead, they cause a new war with humanity that ultimately ends with the Flower of Life being literally seeded across Earth, which alerts the Invid (currently battling the Earth expeditionary fleet and the remnants of the Tirolians left on Tirol) that they can find Protoculture on Earth.
The Third Robotech War
Invid divisions break away from the Tirolian war and invade Earth, crushing the devastated Earth military and conquering the planet. Soldiers are sent back to Earth from the expeditionary fleet to try and liberate their homeworld from the Invid... twice. Both times end in a devastating defeat for the Robotech Expeditionary Forces and leave the Earth devastated and depopulated. Survivors of the liberation forces go to ground and try to maintain a guerrilla war, eventually finding some success as the Invid become distracted with the possibilities offered by the Flower of Life and human DNA. Eventually, the Invid evolve into energy-based lifeforms that leave the Earth rather than allow it to be destroyed by a vengeful Robotech Expeditionary Force, who have returned with powerful new weapons and are willing to obliterate the Earth than allow it to remain under Invid control.
The Shadow War
An incomplete, American-original story made to try and milk the franchise in the 90s, redone in the 00s, and revived in the 10s to try and reboot the franchise, the Shadow War covers the battle between the Protoculture-fearing Shadows and humanity. Given it's incomplete state, there's not much to say about it.
/tg/ Relevance
One of the first big successes for Palladium was licensing the official Robotech RPG - remember, this series was fucking huge in the late 80s. Palladium then tried to create a squad-based tactical miniatures game called Robotech RPG Tactics... which was a steaming pile of crap, even by Palladium standards.
Macross
No discussion of Robotech can be had without a discussion of Macross. This mecha franchise began with Super Dimension Fortress Macross and continued with several sequels, prequels, and spin-offs for another 35 years, often drawing on and combining the aspects of music, mecha, and civilization in different ways. However, unlike SDF Macross (and SDC Southern Cross), almost none of the later works have been exported to the West. The problem lies in the snarl of contracts, trademarks, and copyright conflicts surrounding the original production and the subsequent licensing of the first series to Harmony Gold, creators of Robotech. Suffice to say, fans of Macross are still bitter that Harmony Gold owns all the trademarks in the US and Europe but none of the rights, and always tries to get its cut.
As this is not an anime wiki, that's all we'll say on the subject.