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| Robotech | ||
|---|---|---|
 Title screen from the 1984 television broadcast | ||
| Original work | Robotech (1984) | |
| Owner | Harmony Gold USA | |
| Print publications | ||
| Book(s) |
| |
| Novel(s) | Robotech novels | |
| Comics | Robotech comics | |
| Films and television | ||
| Film(s) |
| |
| Animated series | Robotech (1984)
| |
| Games | ||
| Traditional | Robotech Collectible Card Game | |
| Role-playing | Robotech role-playing games | |
| Video game(s) |
| |
| Audio | ||
| Original music | Robotech music | |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| Toy(s) | Robotech Defenders Robotech Robolinks | |
Robotech is an American science fiction franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production; it was first released in the United States in 1984.[1]
The show was adapted from three original and distinct, though visually similar, Japanese anime television series (Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA) to make a series suitable for syndication.[2]
In the series, Robotechnology refers to the scientific advances discovered in an alien starship that crashed on a South Pacific island.[3] With this technology, Earth developed robotic technologies, such as transformable mecha, to fight three successive extraterrestrial invasions.[4]
Name origin[edit]
Prior to the release of the TV series, the name Robotech was used by model kit manufacturer Revell on their Robotech Defenders line in the mid-1980s. The line consisted of mecha model kits imported from Japan and featured in anime titles such as Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982), Super Dimension Century Orguss (1983) and Fang of the Sun Dougram (1981). The kits were originally intended to be a marketing tie-in to a similarly named comic book series by DC Comics, which ran for only two issues.[5]
At the same time, Harmony Gold licensed the Macross TV series for direct-to-video distribution in 1984, but their merchandising plans were compromised by Revell's prior distribution of the Macross kits. In the end, both parties signed a co-licensing agreement and the Robotech name was adopted for the TV syndication of Macross combined with Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross (1984) and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (1983).[5]
Fictional chronology[edit]
The Robotech chronology, according to Harmony Gold, is illustrated below:
| Timeline | Generation / Saga (release date) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 (2009) – 2014 | (1) | Robotech: The Macross Saga (1984) |
| 2022 | Robotech II: The Sentinels* (1987) | |
| 2027 | Robotech: The Movie* (1986) | |
| 2029–2030 | (2) | Robotech: The Masters (1985) |
| 2031 (2042) – 2044 | (3) | Robotech: The New Generation (1985) |
| 2044– | Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles (2006) | |
* Asterisked works are now considered 'secondary continuity'—that is, that their events exist in the continuity of Robotech, but 'don't count' when conflicts arise with the primary continuity that comprises the three-part Robotech TV series and 2006's Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles.
In 2002, with the publication of the WildStorm (DC) comics, Harmony Gold officially decided to retcon the Robotech Universe. The following Robotech material is now relegated to the status of secondary continuity:
- The Sentinels in all its incarnations.
- Robotech: The Movie
- Robotech comics published by Comico, Eternity, Academy, and Antarctic Press.
- Robotech RPGs published by Palladium Books.
- Robotech novels written by Jack McKinney, most notably The End of the Circle.
While these materials are not precisely 'retired' or 'removed' from the continuity, their events are subject to critical review, and are strictly subordinate to the 'official' events of the 85-episode animated series.
Television and film[edit]
The original television series[edit]
Robotech (1984) is an original story adapted with edited content and revised dialogue from the animation of three different mecha anime series:
- Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982–1983)
- Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross (1984)
- Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (1983–1984)[6]
Harmony Gold's cited reasoning for combining these unrelated series was its decision to market Macross for American weekday syndication television, which required a minimum of 65 episodes at the time (thirteen weeks at five episodes per week).[7] Macross and the two other series each had fewer episodes than required, since they originally aired in Japan as weekly series. On some television stations, the syndicated run was preceded by the broadcast premiere of Codename: Robotech, a feature-length pilot.
This combination resulted in a storyline that spans three generations, as mankind must fight three destructive 'Robotech Wars' in succession with various invading forces, each of which is motivated in one way or another by a desire for a powerful energy source called 'protoculture'. While each of the three animated series used for its footage informs its content, the Robotech storyline is distinct and separate from each of them.
- The First Robotech War (The Macross Saga) concerns humanity's discovery of a crashed alien ship and subsequent battle against a race of giant warriors called the Zentraedi, who have been sent to retrieve the ship for reasons unknown. In the course of this chapter, Earth is nearly annihilated, the Zentraedi are defeated, and humans gain knowledge of the energy source called protoculture. Humanity also learns of the Robotech Masters whose galactic empire the Zentraedi protected and patrolled.
- The Second Robotech War (The Masters) focuses on the arrival in Earth orbit of the Robotech Masters, who have come seeking what turns out to be the sole means in the universe of producing protoculture. Through a combination of mistrust and arrogance, their attempts at retrieving this meet with opposition from the humans and unleash a war that leaves the Masters defeated and Earth awash in the spores of a plant called the Flower of Life—the source of protoculture and a beacon to the mysterious Invid who scour the galaxy for its presence.
- The Third Robotech War (The New Generation) begins with the arrival on Earth of the Invid, who are lured by the Flower of Life and rapidly conquer the planet. References in the previous two chapters explain to viewers that many of the heroes of the First Robotech War had left Earth to seek out the Robotech Masters on a preemptive mission, and it is this Robotech Expeditionary Force that sends missions back from across the galaxy to attempt a liberation of their homeworld. The storyline follows one group of freedom fighters as they work their way towards the final battle with the Invid.
Robotech: The Movie[edit]
Robotech: The Movie, also called Robotech: The Untold Story, is a feature film and was the first new Robotech adventure created after the premiere of the original series. It uses footage from the Megazone 23 – Part 1 OVA (original video animation; made-for-video animated feature) combined with scenes from "Southern Cross" and additional original animation produced for the film.
The original plan for the film was to have it set during the Macross Saga, parallel to the SDF-1's return to Earth from Pluto. The film would also have served as a prequel to the Sentinels, as both projects were initially meant to share many characters. Harmony Gold producer Carl Macek worked with the OVA's original creators to make the story and the new ending work. The film had to be changed again after the distributor of the film, Cannon Films, saw an incomplete rough cut of the film and were upset by it. They ordered Macek to remove multiple scenes from the film and to add more violence (most of the scenes removed were scenes setting up characters and showing female characters interacting). Macek reluctantly did what they ordered, and created a new script and rough edit for the film in less than 24 hours. When the distributors saw Macek act out the new film, they were much more pleased with the new cut.[8] The opening night in Texas received a positive response, but Cannon Films pulled out after noting that most attendants were adults; the bulk of the scheduled advertising for the series was targeted to children. The film had limited success in Argentina and Belgium.[citation needed]
In 2011, A&E Home Video released, as a part of their Robotech: The Complete Series collection, a 29-minute version of Robotech: The Movie containing only footage used from "Southern Cross". There was no attempt to remaster the footage.[9]
Robotech II: The Sentinels[edit]
This aborted American-produced series would have followed the continuing adventures of Rick and Lisa Hunter and the Robotech Expedition during the events of The Masters and The New Generation. The feature-length pilot is composed of the first three (and only) episodes that were produced. The Sentinels featured characters from all three Robotech sagas and introduced the SDF-3 along with an overview of their new mission. The series was planned to have a total of 65 episodes.[10]
In Robotech Art 3: The Sentinels, Carl Macek blamed the cancellation of the series on the crash of the Yen/Dollar exchange rate,[11] which caused toy partner Matchbox to withdraw from the project. Harmony Gold lacked the funds to produce the series on its own, and production ceased after only three episodes.
Robotech II: The Sentinels was released on VHS by Palladium Books.[12] In 2011, a "remastered" version was released on the A&E DVD set, Robotech: The Complete Original Series DVD. This version has opening titles resembling those found on the "Robotech Remastered" DVDs, as well as a new ending with text explaining the fate of the SDF-3. Also, all of the flashback footage used from "The Macross Saga" has been removed, including the re-used footage from the episode "Wedding Bells".[13]
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles[edit]
In 2002, Tommy Yune announced development of a new animated sequel. Originally announced as a television series with a planned 2004 release date, the project was revealed at Anime Expo 2004 as a feature-length film titled Robotech: Shadow Force. The storyline overlaps with and continues from the unresolved ending of the original series. The title of the story arc was soon changed to Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles. The first trailers with finished animation were shown at Anime Expo and Comic-Con International in 2005. It was not until February 2006, when Kevin McKeever, operations coordinator at Harmony Gold, was able to confirm that the pilot movie had been completed. After a series of delays, FUNimation Entertainment was finally announced as the home video, broadcast, and theatrical distributor at the 2006 Comic-Con International in San Diego with the possibility of producing further sequels. Harmony Gold premiered the movie at various film festivals in 2006, and it was first seen by a public audience at MechaCon on August 9, 2006, where it was showcased as a charity screening to help raise funds for the ongoing Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita recovery effort. A limited theatrical run followed in January 2007, and the film was released on DVD on February 6, 2007.[14] A two-disc collector's edition was released in November 2007.[15]
Robotech: Love Live Alive[edit]
First revealed in late 2011 in the final minutes of Carl Macek's Robotech Universe, a documentary on the making of Robotech dedicated to the then-recent passing of Macek, Love Live Alive is an adaptation of the 1984 Genesis Climber Mospeada OVA, Love Live Alive, incorporating some brand-new animation. The film was released on DVD on July 23, 2013, by Lionsgate Home Entertainment in North America.[16]
Other television and film productions[edit]
Robotech Wars[edit]
This promotional VHS tape created by Matchbox was included with their Robotech Wars playset. This video includes two episodes cobbled together from clips of The Macross Saga. Titled "To the End of the Universe" and "Battle Royale", these episodes contain no new footage, and are not meant to follow any continuity established in the TV series.[17]
Robotech III, Robotech IV and Robotech V[edit]
 | This section may be confusing or unclear to readers. (February 2016) |
During the production of Robotech II: The Sentinels, Carl Macek had already begun to plot out 13 weeks of a third series title Robotech III: The Odyssey, which would have raised the total number or Robotech episodes 215 had both series been produced. He envisioned two additional series (Robotech IV and Robotech V) to bring the total number of episodes to around 300, one to air every weekday for over a year.[18]
For Robotech III: The Odyssey, Macek stated that his plans were to create a time-travel loop, allowing the last episode of The Odyssey to lead directly into the first episode of The Macross Saga.[19] This particular plot detail was eventually adapted into the Robotech novel The End of the Circle by Jack McKinney.[20]
In 1986, fan publication Macross Life published an interview with Harmony Gold executive Richard Firth who first mentioned the Robotech IV and Robotech V series plans.[21] Firth said the story would be about a retired Commodore character from The Macross Saga telling a story via flashback, but Macek later refuted that plot detail in a 2007 interview. Macek stated that while he was hoping to do up to five series, nothing was ever written for the final two.
Robotech 3000[edit]
Macek attempted another sequel with the development of Robotech 3000. This all-CGI series would have been set a millennium in the future of the Robotech universe and feature none of the old series' characters. In the three-minute trailer, an expedition is sent to check on a non-responsive mining outpost and is attacked by "infected" Veritech mecha. The idea was abandoned midway into production after negative reception within the company, negative fan reactions at the FanimeCon anime convention in 2000, and financial difficulties within Netter Digital who was animating the show. During a 2000 San Diego Comic-Con panel, Macek announced the series was would be re-conceptualized as a traditional, hand-drawn animated series, however that idea was abandoned sometime prior to 2002 in favor of development of what would become Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles. The trailer was hosted on the official Robotech website, and was included in the 2007 release of the Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles 2-disc collector's DVD, along with behind-the-scenes motion capture footage.
Robotech: Mars Force[edit]
In October 2004, veteran animation writer and producer Greg Weisman revealed that he developed an animated spin-off series titled Robotech: Mars Force.[22] When asked about the project, Weisman said that he was under a non-disclosure agreement with Harmony Gold and was only allowed to mention that he developed the series.[23]
In 2006, Harmony Gold Creative Director Tommy Yune elaborated on the project in the Space Station Liberty Podcast, saying that Mars Force was a series geared at younger audiences, following the children of the Robotech Expeditionary Force.[24] A similar plot would later be used for the canceled 2014 spin-off, Robotech Academy.
Robotech UN Public Service Announcement[edit]
A sixty-second public service announcement for the 60th anniversary of the United Nations, featuring Scott Bernard and Ariel, was animated during the production of The Shadow Chronicles. Although it did not use the original voice actors and the dialogue was somewhat out-of-character, it nonetheless marked the first fully completed Robotech footage in many years.[25]
Robotech: Shadow Rising[edit]
On July 27, 2007, at their Comic-Con International panel, Harmony Gold and Yune unveiled the second entry of the Shadow Chronicles production, titled Robotech: Shadow Rising and was to be a co-production with FUNimation Entertainment. Pre-production reportedly began in February 2007 and a projected release date of sometime in 2009 was originally expected.[26] In 2009 Harmony Gold revealed that production had not moved forward since the summer of 2007, due to the announced development deal of a live-action film deal with Warner Bros. in September 2007.[27]
At Comic-Con 2012, Tommy Yune announced that Love Live Alive would pave the way for Shadow Rising,[28] and one year later announced at Anime Expo that they had resumed work on Shadow Rising.[29]
Harmony Gold's trademark of the term "Shadow Rising" was filed in 2007, extended in 2010, but abandoned since 2011.[30]
Robotech Academy[edit]
On July 5, 2014, Harmony Gold started a Kickstarter project for Robotech Academy, which Macek had developed before he died. The goal of this project was to raise US$500,000 to produce a new 24-minute pilot episode. The crowdfunding project was to have closed on August 9, 2014;[31] however, on August 2, the project was canceled with a pledge level of US$194,574, or 39% of its target.[32] Harmony Gold, however, announced that further plans to fund the project were being explored.[33] At the 2014 Long Beach Comic Con, it was announced that the producers at Harmony Gold were in talks with at least one new media network on the prospect of producing the show.[34] As of December 7, 2015, the project remains abandoned.
Unofficial and parody productions[edit]
In the 1990s, Seishun Shitemasu, an anime fandubbing group, produced the parodies Robotech III: Not Necessarily the Sentinels and Robotech IV: Khyron's Counterattack, using footage from, respectively, Gunbuster and Gundam: Char's Counterattack, continuing the tradition of the original Robotech's adaptation of unrelated anime series into a single continuity.
On July 2, 2010, Ecuadorian animator Patricio "Pat" Mosquera uploaded to YouTube a teaser for Robotech Skull Knights. On August 17, 2010, second teaser revealed Rick Hunter standing in front of an image of the VF-4 shown in the final episodes of the original series. Robotech Skull Knights has not been released yet.[35] In July 2013, Patricio Mosquera was included as an animation director in the staff list in the IMDb page of Love Live Alive.[36]
On December 31, 2012, Cesar Turturro uploaded to YouTube an Argentine fan trailer for Robotech Valkyrie Project.[37] On December, 2013 the first episode was uploaded to YouTube, and in January 2014, the second episode was also uploaded. The series was cancelled after Harmony Gold issued a "cease and desist" letter to the producers. The team was, however, hired to do the CGI effects for Robotech: Academy.
Proposed live-action film[edit]
Attempts at producing a live-action Robotech have been in development for an extended time, with numerous writers, directors, and actors attached at various times and the film rights changing between studios.
Some time prior to February 2006, the company Kickstart Entertainment (founded by Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles and Robotech 3000 producer Jason Netter) featured a graphic on their website stating that a live-action Robotech movie was in development with Chuck Russel attached to write and direct. While never formally announced by Harmony Gold, Kickstart Entertainment's announcement of this project was reported by Anime News Network on February 27, 2006.[38] Anime News Network's article was updated on March 1, 2006 saying that this announcement had been removed.
On September 7, 2007, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Warner Bros. had acquired the film rights to Robotech, with Tobey Maguire producing and pursuing the lead role.[39] A Harmony Gold representative stated that the company had been approached by WB and would have "a say" in the film's creative direction.[40] A March 2021 review of a 2008 draft written by S. Craig Zahler by the website Scriptshadow revealed the initial plot was very loosely based on The Macross Saga portion of Robotech.[41] Writers attached to the project included Lawrence Kasdan in June 2008,[42] Alfred Gough and Miles Millar in November 2008,[43] Tom Rob Smith in June 2009,[44] and Michael B. Gordon in February 2015.[45] Nic Mathieu had been announced as director in early 2013.[46]
On March 25, 2015, the Robotech franchise was acquired by Sony Pictures;[47] on July 3, 2015, Harmony Gold clarified that Sony has the rights to release the film worldwide with the exception of Japan.[48] After Harmony Gold and Big West reached an agreement which was signed on March 1, 2021 regarding to the Macross and Robotech franchises, announced on April 8, 2021, Big West officially affirmed as part of the deal that they will not take any opposition on Harmony Gold's upcoming live action adaptation of Robotech. Both Harmony Gold and Big West will cooperate on future projects for the foreseeable future.[49][50]
For the Sony production, James Wan was announced in 2015 to direct a script written with Kurt Johnstad;[51] Andy Muschietti took over the project in 2017 after Wan dropped out to direct Aquaman,[52] with Jason Fuchs writing the screenplay from scratch.[53] On April 27, 2022, it was reported that Hawkeye producer and director Rhys Thomas will be directing the film, with duo Art Marcum and Matt Holloway writing.[54]
In June 2023, artist Col Price posted images on both social media and his official ArtStation page of concept art he was hired to create for the film.[55] [56] While only citing "a few years ago" as the time frame of which they were made, Price's images depict an adaptation of The Macross Saga.
Other media[edit]
At the time of its broadcast, Harmony Gold also launched Robotech through a popular line of comics to be followed by novels, role-playing games, toys, and other consumer products. With the cancellation of Robotech II: The Sentinels, many of these licensed products were discontinued, and led to a drought of Robotech product through much of the 1990s, except for publishers who continued The Sentinels storyline in print.
Art books[edit]
In 1986, Starblaze Graphics published Robotech Art 1, a reference book containing artwork, Japanese production designs, and episode guides from the original television series. This was followed by Robotech Art 2, which was largely a collection of art by various American artists and fans. In 1988, Carl Macek collected much of the unused designs from Robotech II: The Sentinels into Robotech Art 3: The Sentinels, which also included his story outline for the rest of the unfinished series, with an explanation behind its cancellation. In 2007, Stone Bridge Press published The Art of Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles.
Comics[edit]
Robotech comics were first published in 1984 with DC Comics' short-lived Robotech Defenders and Comico's adaptation of the first episode of the Japanese version of Macross. However, the first adaptation of the Robotech television series did not arrive until 1984 with Comico's Robotech: The Macross Saga Number 2, which continued from the first Macross issue.
The various comic publishers include:
- Comico (1984–1989)
- Eternity Comics (1988–1994)
- Academy Comics (1994–1996)
- Antarctic Press (1997–1998)
- Wildstorm (DC) (2002–2005)
- Dynamite Entertainment (2013–2015)
- Titan Comics[57] (2017–present)
Collectible card game[edit]
The first Robotech collectible card game was release