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| A study of a captured bioroid yields disturbing implications. |
Original Air Date - Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: June 10, 1984. Writer: Hisato Shimogochi. Director: Yoshihito Hata.
Original Air Date - Robotech: May 3, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.
PLOT - SOUTHERN CROSS
The Zor bioroid pilot captured by Jeanne dies, but his mech yields insights into the enemy. The bioroid's technology is such that it responds directly to nerve impulses, allowing the pilots to fight in their mechs as easily and instinctively as if they were their own bodies.
Claude Leon, the supreme general, insists that the enemy are renegade humans who turned to space piracy and thus deserve no mercy. Jeanne is convinced that the pilots are actually humans who were captured by the Zor. The general refuses to even consider this, leaving a dejected Jeanne returning to her squad.
Then the Zor attack the city, specifically attempting to capture civilians. It's Jeanne's duty to fight back - but convinced that the enemy pilots are victims themselves, she finds herself unwilling to shoot to kill...
PLOT - ROBOTECH:
The pilot Dana captured dies, but his mech yields insights into the enemy. The fighter's technology is such that it responds directly to nerve impulses, allowing the pilots to fight in their mechs as easily and instinctively as if they were their own bodies.
Anatole Leonard, the supreme commander, insists that the enemy must be micronized Zentraedi - little more than androids in his view, deserving no mercy. Dana is certain the pilots are living beings. Anatole refuses to even consider this, leaving a dejected Dana returning to her squad.
Then the Masters' forces attack the city, specifically attempting to capture civilians. It's Dana's duty to fight back - but convinced that the enemy pilots are victims themselves, she finds herself unwilling to shoot to kill...
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| Jeanne wrestles with continuing to fight pilots who are victims themselves. |
CHARACTERS:
Tech-savvy Louis quickly figures out how the bioroid responds to human gestures. He also displays his analytical skills, bringing up data for those attacks against the enemy that were effective and in so doing, showing what attacks the enemy is most vulnerable to.
Jeanne's intelligence is more intuitive. Her instincts tell her that the pilots are not the alien clones they observed on the ship, but are instead captured humans. Unfortunately, since she can't back up her suspicions with hard data, she can't really articulate her point to command. Honestly, even if she had all the data in the world, I doubt Claude Leon would pay attention anyway.
Robotech remains effective at showing Louis's analytical abilities. Changes to the script, however, leave Dana's reactions a lot more muddled than Jeanne's, harming her characterization.
Advantage: Southern Cross.
NARRATION:
The Robotech episode opens with an extended recap of the previous episode. The narrator doesn't even pause for breath before pivoting to exposition, reminding us that the Masters have come to Earth for protoculture to keep their society from collapsing. Then, as we cut to Dana, he talks about Dana's internal conflict. But he's not done yet! When we cut to Musica aboard the Masters' ship, the narrator tells us about her (including her name), before expositing about the Masters some more when the action cuts to them.
Across the first six minutes of the episode, the narrator talks more than any of the characters do! It's pared back to a reasonable level after that, but it barely mattered. By the six-minute mark, I was actually laughing aloud at the incessant narration, and it overshadowed the rest of the Robotech version of the episode for me.
Advantage: Southern Cross
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| The alien Musica plays. In Robotech, she and her "assistants" also hold a telepathic conversation. |
CUTS AND ALTERATION:
Dana Frets About Her Mixed Heritage: Robotech's Dana Sterling is the daughter of Miriya, a Zentraedi, so she frets about continuing to fight aliens who might be related to her. The source of hesitation for Southern Cross's Jeanne is her intuitive certainty that the enemy pilots are humans and not aliens at all.
Musica and Her Function: In Southern Cross, the alien woman Bowie met in the last episode plays silently. Then two other young women, identical to her, enter, and she stops playing until they gesture for her to continue. All of this is wordless. In Robotech, the narrator informs us that Musica (the woman) plays for functional reasons, and that the two others are her assistants. Also, because Robotech remains utterly terrified of silence, they speak telepathically through the whole scene.
The Zor Worry About Their Noncombatants; the Masters Don't: In the first scene with the alien leaders, Southern Cross has them worrying about the noncombatants on their ship and expressing frustration at the humans' continued attacks. The Robotech Masters don't even mention the civilians.
The Masters Discuss the Invid: The Robotech Masters talk about how they've come to Earth for the protoculture before the real threat to both them and the humans arrives: The Invid. Thus, the writers begin setting up the third generation.
Acting Commander Andrzej: In both versions, Andrzej/Angelo is made acting commander of the squad while Jeanne/Dana attends the briefing. Southern Cross has an early scene in which Andrzej relieves the previous patrol. Charles attempts to sneak into a coffee house during the patrol, only to be stopped by Andrzej. Robotech moves the first part of the scene to the second half, combining it with Dana's return to the squad. The coffee shop bit is removed entirely.
Jeanne vs. Dana in Protesting the Supreme Commander: Jeanne at least tries to make a case when she argues, pointing out that she and her squad observed alien clones while on the ship. Dana merely protests that the pilots are "living beings" (which, last I checked, wouldn't actually contradict them being Zentraedi) before declaring Anatole to be a fool if he doesn't listen to her. I'm frankly a bit surprised she doesn't end up back in the brig for insubordination.
The Masters Use Added Technobabble: Both Southern Cross's Zor and the Robotech Masters make the same basic plan to deal with the humans: kidnap them and use the captives as bioroid pilots. Southern Cross keeps that simple and straightforward. Robotech inserts a bunch of extra technobabble, with the Masters planning to first subject their captives to "a xzylonic mental probe." No, not the mind probe!
Claude Blames Gen. Emerson for the Attack; Anatole Justifies His Decisions: The tag is completely different despite the same animations. In Southern Cross, Claude blames Emerson's "indecisiveness" for the attack even happening. In Robotech, Emerson is the one blaming Anatole, snapping that "negotiating couldn't have been worse than this." In interests of fairness, I think one Robotech addition to this scene is actually an improvement, with Anatole instructing that the kidnapped civilians be listed not as missing, but as casualties.
Advantage: Southern Cross.
INCIDENTAL MUSIC:
While each version uses its score well, I think Southern Cross is more effective overall. I will admit that I might be suffering a bit of fatigue from Robotech's music by this point, though: After 45 episodes, I can predict with relative accuracy which track will drop at which moment.
Advantage: Southern Cross.
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| The Zor attack the city in search of new bioroid pilots. |
OVERALL ADVANTAGE - SOUTHERN CROSS:
The Robotech Masters come across as more desperate than the Zor, stuck in a course of action simply because they have no other hope for survival. This is an aspect of the Robotech version that I quite like. I also liked the addition of Anatole ordering the kidnapped citizens to be reported as casualties.
However, other changes are decidedly for the worse. Robotech attempts to make use of the Zentraedi backstory from The Macross Saga, but the continuity doesn't line up. The previous generation's epilogue arc indicated that a substantial minority of the aliens joined Khyron's rebellion, but most of them preferred to integrate with the humans. It would be simplicity itself to make a few side characters Zentraedi. Instead, every reference indicates that the Zentraedi were all enemies and they were all defeated.
That has already been annoying me. But this episode is even worse, suddenly indicating that the Zentraedi are androids. What? Dana, our main character, is half-Zentraedi; I somehow doubt she thinks of her mother as an android. Heck, her first scene in this episode has her hesitation to fight based on fear of potentially killing someone she's related to - so the Robotech script isn't even consistent within this one episode!
Combined with the ludicrous amount of narration in the first six minutes, this leaves me judging the Robotech version as not only worse than the original, but considerably worse.
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| Inside the Zor ship. I really like the visual design here. |
OTHER MUSINGS:
Metal Fire provides a lot of exposition about the Zor. We learn how their bioroids work, and why they are able to operate their mechs so much more fluidly than the humans. Southern Cross also indicates that the pilots are captured humans, which presumably explains all the missing personnel from the moon attack. Finally, we get confirmation that the Zor do not view themselves as the aggressors in this conflict. This lines up well with the early episodes, in which every engagement was initiated by the humans.
In Southern Cross, this information is delivered efficiently, with the different threads working together: Jeanne grows increasingly certain that the pilots are human even as the Zor decide that their only way forward is to capture more humans. Jeanne's dilemma is effective: She doesn't want to kill humans who are themselves victims of their true enemy.
It's more muddled in Robotech. Dana is worried that she might be fighting relatives if their enemies are Zentraedi. But she's sure that the enemies aren't Zentraedi because they are living beings... which, somehow, no longer includes Zentraedi.
The final battle sees Jeanne making her first truly bad battlefield decisions. This make sense, because we understand why she's holding back. It doesn't work nearly as well in Robotech. When Angelo snarks that it doesn't matter who the pilots are, given that they're shooting at them, I don't get the impression that I'm supposed to be agreeing with him!
Usually, even with Robotech's ongoing issues with clunky dialogue, a good episode of the original show will mean a good episode of the American version. In this case, however, a pretty good Southern Cross is transformed into a mediocre - and somewhat frustrating - Robotech.
Overall Rating - Southern Cross: 7/10.
Overall Rating - Robotech: 5/10.
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