Anime Profile: Robotech

Note: Robotech is the combination of three (originally unrelated) anime shows (Macross, Southern Cross and Mospeada) into one story.

"In the year 1999, high above Macross Island in the South Pacific, a phenominal event ocurred in the skies which altered the course of human history."

This quote is used in practically every Robotech Homepage out there, and for good reason. This statement sets the scene for the entire Robotech saga. In 1999, during a global civil war, a spaceship exited a space fold and crash landed on Earth. This crash put things into perspective for everyone on Earth. The entire civil war was called off as humanity explored, investigated, and rebuilt "The Visitor" as the ship was called early on. "The Visitor" was rebuilt and renamed the Super Dimensional Fortress 1, or the SDF-1. The SDF-1 was to be mankind's first line of defense against any alien invasion. The leaders of Earth felt, rightly so, that whoever built the ship would come looking for it and they might not be peaceful.

Ten years later the SDF-1 has been rebuilt and as it prepares to launch, a number of alien ships exit out of a space fold. These ships belong to the Zentraedi, an alien race bent on retaking the SDF1. Through an automated defense onboard the SDF1, mankind fires the first shot and destroys part of the attacking Zentraedi fleet. Battle quickly ensues and soon mankind is fighting a desperate war that they have little chance of winning...

The first Robotech war had ended fifteen years ago with the defeat of the Zentraedi, but a new threat is about to emerge.

Ten years have passed since the SDF-3 launched to Tirol and with it went the heros of the war. No one on Earth realized that the expeditionary mission was a failure, the Robotech Masters had long since left Tirol and are heading towards Earth. It is a slow journey without the necessary Protoculture required to make the space fold.

Earth has changed since the time before the war. Humans are tougher, stronger and willing to fight for what they believe in. Fifteen years after the 1st Robotech war, the first graduates out of the United Earth Forces Military Academy are pressed into service. It is on their graduation day when the Robotech Masters arrive.

The Robotech Masters quickly lay siege to Earth. The United Earth Force responds by opening fire on the Robotech Masters and the 2nd Robotech war begins. Once again humanity is thrown into a conflict in which they have little hope of winning...

Only a few short years have passed since the defeat of the Robotech Masters, but Earth is a different place. The Regiss has invaded the planet and has begun to harvest the Flowers of Life. Earth has been nearly beaten into submission with only a few bands of freedom fighters attempting to overthrow the Invid. Through several miscalculations, the REF arrives at Earth several years too late to stop the Invid. The first wave sent to dislodge the Invid meets with complete disaster as resistance is much fiercer than originally expected.

One of the only survivor is Lt. Scott Bernard, who ends up creating his own band of resistance fighters. He has resigned himself to carrying out Admiral Rick Hunter's last orders to his group, to find the Invid hive (code named Reflex Point) and destroy the Invid Regiss. Meanwhile, Rick Hunter prepares for the second and third waves to lauch to Earth, for with them are the newly created Shadow Fighters and Neutron S-Bombs which will defoliate Earth of the Flower of Life and render it uninhabitable.

This is the third and final saga of the Robotech television series, however there was a movie that was made afterward, which was comprised of two seperate anime series, Megazone 23 and Southern Cross, and about 10 minutes of newly created animation.