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| A Zor bioroid pilot is taken prisoner. |
Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: Outsider.
Original Air Date - Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: June 24, 1984. Writer: Hisato Shimogochi. Director: Mikio Suzuki.
Robotech: The Outsiders.
Original Air Date - Robotech: May 7, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.
PLOT - SOUTHERN CROSS
Gloire security forces scour the site of the recent battle, searching for the downed enemy pilot. Lana finds him just as he collapses from his wounds. Gen. Emerson, determined not to lose another potential source of intelligence, orders him kept at the hospital for treatment and observation - and, not without reluctance, Supreme Commander Claude Leon agrees.
Meanwhile, the transmission the humans sent to their home planet, Liberté, finally bears fruit, with a human ship coming to break through the Zor blockade. But the Zor are stronger than the human forces counted on. Worse, when the officer in charge does reach Gloire, he comes with grim tidings for the war ahead.
PLOT - ROBOTECH:
At the site of the recent battle, Nova finds the clone of Zor Prime just as he collapses from his wounds. Gen. Emerson, determined not to lose another potential source of intelligence, orders him kept at the hospital for treatment and observation - and, not without reluctance, Supreme Commander Anatole Leonard agrees.
Meanwhile, the transmission the humans sent to the fleet finally bears fruit, with a battle fortress coming to break through the Robotech Masters' blockade. But the aliens are stronger than the human forces counted on. Worse, when the officer in charge does reach Earth, he comes with grim tidings for the war ahead.
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| Jeanne is haunted by the ongoing toll of the war. |
CHARACTERS:
Marie is in hospital, recovering from her crash in the previous episode. When she hears Charles talking to the nurse outside her room, she starts to primp a bit - only to deflate when she hears him leave in response to the nurse refusing to allow visitors. In Robotech, she further grumbles about Sean giving up so easily.
Jeanne appears to be haunted by George Sullivan's futile death and by the ongoing war. Robotech reframes this, with Dana instead plagued by visions of the Zor clone, furthering the idea of him calling to some buried Zentraedi memory. In both versions, when she sees that Bowie is troubled, she puts on a smile and prods him until he talks to her about the alien girl he's hopelessly smitten with.
Advantage: None.
NARRATION:
Robotech's opening narration focuses on fitting the story to that series' arc, emphasizing Dana's Zentraedi half and the image of Zor that she's certain should mean something to her. The narrator also pops in to tell us that the human ship heading for Earth is from the SDF-3 - again, steering the Southern Cross plot pieces into a direction that fits with Robotech. None of this is intrusive, and it's probably necessary in order to maintain the continuity established by "The Macross Saga."
Advantage: None.
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| Jeanne coaxes Bowie into talking, in a scene that Robotech removed, but repurposed into the frame for Dana's Story. |
CUTS AND ALTERATION:
Dana Is Fixated on Zor: The episode opens with Jeanne sitting at a piano, reflecting on the last battle while her squad sleeps. Robotech alters this so that Dana is explicitly fixated on the alien known as Zor, with her feeling certain that he should mean something to her.
The Zor and the Robotech Masters Have Different Goals: Both versions emphasize a transmitter in the mind of the pilot sent out as bait for the humans. Southern Cross's Zor are using it to study the humans' military capabilities. The Robotech Masters have a more specific goal, hoping that their clone of Zor (now an individual rather than the name of their species) will be able to find the protoculture factory from the SDF-1.
The Relief Ship is Now from the SDF-3: In Southern Cross, the ship trying to break through the Zor blockade was sent from the human world of Liberté. Robotech reframes this, again to fit its ongoing plotline, with the ship sent by the SDF-3.
The Jeanne/Bowie Conversation Is Removed: Charles wakes up Jeanne and, after some banter, points out Bowie's glum mood. Jeanne blinks away her moodiness and puts on a smile to get Bowie to talk about the alien girl he's fixated on. This is substantially the same in both episodes, with Bowie ultimately fleeing to his quarters. Southern Cross continues with Jeanne following Bowie to his quarters, joking about being in "a boy's room" and pushing him to keep talking. Robotech cuts all of this, though much of the animation from this scene was used for the frame of the Dana/Bowie talk in Dana's Story.
The Prisoner's Memory: Near the episode's end, the unconscious prisoner reacts to nightmarish memories of an attack. In Southern Cross, where it's been indicated that all the enemy pilots are brainwashed humans, he is remembering the attack on Aluce Base, and his mention of that gets a reaction from Lana. In Robotech, the Zor clone is instead remembering carnage witnessed by the original Zor.
Gen. Emerson Compares This Situation to the Zentraedi: The tag sees Gen. Emerson arriving at the hospital where the prisoner is being observed, with him seeing that prisoner as their last hope. Robotech adds an internal monologue, with Emerson comparing the current situation to the war with the Zentraedi fifteen years earlier. Emerson muses about how much "easier" that situation was. Um, I think the billions of humans killed when Earth was nearly destroyed might just disagree with you...
Advantage: None.
INCIDENTAL MUSIC:
Southern Cross's first half has a bizarre musical choice, with a disco-like track playing as Claude Leon confronts Emerson about the prisoner. The scene really doesn't require any music at all, and I found this music to be distracting.
Robotech applies its incidentals well throughout the episode. This is particularly true of the action scene in the second half, which becomes noticeably more gripping when backed by the Robotech score.
Advantage: Robotech.
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| Relief forces arrive to engage the Zor. It doesn't go well. |
OVERALL ADVANTAGE - NONE:
Both versions work equally well. Robotech drops a character scene in order to fit some ads in and get to the action faster - but the Jeanne/Bowie scene in Southern Cross really doesn't do much other than to repeat information the previous scene had already provided, so it's not much of a loss. Most of the other changes made are simply to bring the story more in line with Robotech's ongoing arc. They don't make the episode better, but neither do they harm it.
OTHER MUSINGS:
This is a transitional episode. The captive pilot is recovering, with the Supreme Commander reluctantly agreeing to allow Emerson to handle studying and eventually interrogating him rather than risk his security people killing another potential source of intelligence. Some new characters arrive, though their ultimate contribution here is just to dash hopes of future reinforcements. And Jeanne and Bowie continue to wrestle with their personal issues. The various threads are kept alive, but the only significant development is the capture of the prisoner.
This keeps the episode from being particularly memorable, but it is entertaining. The big action scene is well-animated, and the story remains on track. Outsider may just be a "building block" episode, but at least it's a sturdy one.
Overall Rating: 6/10.
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Next Episode: Déjà Vu
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