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The
Robotech saga was composed of three large-scale wars, telling a
grim story about the eventual destruction of planet Earth by extraterrestrials.
The cartoon's distinction comes from its usage of mechas - or huge
piloted robots that could collapse into jets and other vehicles.
The first war, dubbed "The Macross Saga," took place in 1999 as
a massive alien spaceship crash lands on Macross Island (a fictional
island, located in South America). This even caused a ceasefire
in an already raging world war. As a result, the United Earth Government
studies the craft, dubbed SDF-1, as it is secretly being hunted
for its retrival by the Zentraedi race due to its precious cargo:
the last known collection of Protoculture: a powerful energy source
used in genetic engineering. The Zentraedi, led by Commander Breetai,
descend on Earth and trigger the lost ship's cannons, revealing
its location. SDF-1 and its earthern authority figure, Captain Gloval,
prepare the foreign ship for emergency takeoff with no knowledge
of its usage. As a result, they mistakenly end up at the end of
the solar system, only to attempt to return to Earth the long way.
During this journey, they are attacked repeatedly by Zentraedi ships,
resulting in the deaths of 15,000 civilians on board. Meanwhile,
several million Zentraedi ships close in on Earth at Supreme Commander
Dolza's order. Almost all of Earth's surface was erradicated. As
the SDF-1 returns to Earth's orbit, it uses music as a confusion
tactic to change the tides of war, sending multiple waves of Zentraedi
ships against their own kind: ultimately battling toward the mothership,
ending Dolza, and winning the war.
The
second war, known as "The Masters Saga," began in 2029 with an alien
unit known as the Robotech Masters seeking out the SDF-1 ship that
Commander Dolza failed to do. Beginning with a surprise attack on
the United Earth Force's moon base Luna, Earth's full defenses were
called to action, resulting in the eventual self-destruction of
Master ships. The impact of the explosion, which happened near SDF-1,
caused Protculture spores to release within it. These spores were
detected within a year after their release, by the Invid race. This
prompted the third war, or "New Generation Saga." Set in 2031, the
Invid shattered Earth's organizations and technological capabilities
- especially since the impact of the first two wars were so great.
The Invid occupied Earth for 13 more years, until they were driven
out by human forces with the help of brand new SDF-3 and 4 ships,
and accompanying fleets.
The
entire epic saga of "Robotech" has been released on DVD
from Adv Films, in 2002.
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