Robotech: The Sentinels.

The wedding of Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes, who have
received a copyright-safe makeover between seasons.

Also Released as: Robotech II - The Sentinels.

Original Release Date: September, 1988. Running Time: 75 minutes (original version)/69 minutes (remastered). Written and Directed by: Carl Macek. Produced by: Ahmed Agrama, Hiroshi Ōnogi.


THE PLOT:

It has been nine years since the destruction of the SDF-1 at the hands of rebel Zentraedi Khyron. Now the SDF-3, under the command of Rick Hunter, prepares to embark on the mission devised by the late Admiral Gloval: to lead the Robotech Expeditionary Force to Tirol, the home planet of the Robotech Masters.

Though this is viewed as a diplomatic mission, it includes a strong military force - one which General Anatole Leonard fears leaves the defense of Earth badly compromised (thus representing the one time in the entire saga that Anatole Leonard is ultimately proved right about something). Rick is also troubled, plagued by doubts and worries about the upcoming journey even as he prepares for his long-delayed wedding to Lisa Hayes.

Meanwhile, Tirol is already being invaded by an alien force. The Invid Regent has come in search of the Flower of Life, which was stolen by the Robotech Masters. The Masters have abandoned their home planet, leaving only helpless civilians behind. Tirolian scientist Cabell and his assistant/bodyguard, Rem, begin probing the Invid for weaknesses - but it's clear to Cabell that it's already too late to save the populace from the devastating attack!

Bree'tai warmly greets Lisa and Miriya.

CHARACTERS:

My single biggest gripe with The Sentinels is that I find the characters completely uninteresting. The returning regulars can just about skate by on "TV reunion movie" goodwill; most of them are only onscreen long enough for the brief pleasure of saying, "Oh, there's Miriya! And that's a young Dana and Bowie! And Anatole Leonard's actually right about something, but he's still a pompous idiot!"

The characters created specifically for The Sentinels don't have that advantage, and they are all established in tropey broadstrokes. Hotshot pilot Jack Baker has plenty of talent but a tendency to ignore orders - oh, and his establishing scene is lifted, some lines almost verbatim, from Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. Test pilot Karen Penn's scientist father is upset that she isn't following in his footstep. Jack and Karen meet exactly once, for a period that could be tallied in seconds, but they are already coded as a future couple. And why not? Their personalities are matching shades of beige.

Cabell and Rem come across a bit better, mainly because they're defined through action rather than having characters stand around reciting their character briefs. They still don't amount to much more than "wise old scientist" and "young fighter," but I'll admit to finding their scenes more interesting than those on the SFD-3.

In fairness, this "movie" only represents what would have been the first three episodes of a full season arc. Had the series been completed, any or all of them might easily have gained depth - particularly if some stronger scripts were waiting in the wings.

Nice kitty... Cabell has a close encounter with an Invid Hellcat.

BACKGROUND:

The Sentinels movie cobbles together the three fully animated episodes of what would have been Robotech's second season. Unlike the previous season, this was an original story boasting original animation, something that was affordable thanks to an association with toy company Matchbox and a dollar/yen exchange rate that made employing Japanese animators extremely affordable.

Then everything went wrong.

A brief article on Cancelled SciFi details some of the issues. Toy sales were middling, leading Matchbox to pull out. At roughly the same time, the dollar/yen exchange rate shifted from 220 yen per dollar to 160 yen, greatly raising the price of the animation.

The loss of its toy company partner and the increase in the animation cost were simply too much for Harmony Gold to afford. With only three episodes in the can, the company pulled the plug, with the episodes edited into a movie for a 1988 VHS release.


VERSIONS:

The 1988 version of The Sentinels featured flashbacks using footage from Super Dimension Fortress Macross. Harmony Gold no longer had rights by the time it made its way to disc, so the flashbacks were excised. Though there are a couple of points where it's clear that a dialogue exchange was meant to go into a flashback, this mostly isn't a loss. I do miss one moment, however, an effective visual beat during the wedding when Rick sees images of their fallen comrades.

The only other notable difference is a very slight extension to the ending, with a title card added to act as a lead-in to the then-upcoming Shadow Chronicles.

T. R. Edwards resents Rick Hunter, a thread
that would likely have become interesting.

OTHER MUSINGS:

Despite being incomplete, Robotech: The Sentinels works reasonably well on a story level. Characters are introduced and various plot threads are planted.

Though Rick's mission doesn't intersect with the Invid Regent's invasion of Tirol yet, it's evident that a confrontation will soon occur. One of Rick's officers, T. R. Edwards, is established as resenting him, and it's obvious that he will cause trouble down the line (from his character name and status as "untrustworthy officer," I'm guessing he was originally intended to be B. D. Andrews from the movie, before Cannon imposed a new ending). On Tirol, Cabell and Rem study the Invid for weaknesses, which I'm sure would have led to new developments as well.

In this way, the movie repeats something I noticed about the series: the priority is on plot, not characterization. Earlier in this review, I wrote that any of the bland and tropey characters here might have become interesting later. This is true... but it's also true that by the end of Space Fold - Episode Three of Macross - I was invested in Hikaru/Rick, Misa/Lisa, Roy, Global/Gloval, and Minmay/Minmei. The same simply isn't true of the characters here. I had to look up most of the new characters simply to remember their names!

Character art is noticeably different than in Macross. Rick and Max have grown about a foot taller and even wider than that in the shoulders, Bree'tai wears a full face helmet that makes him look less like an alien than a Viking, and every character's hair has changed. Given that the Southern Cross characters look the same, with even child Dana and Bowie drawn to resemble their Southern Cross versions, it's evident that this was done to dodge copyright issues. Too bad that the new character models are so much less expressive than the originals.

Animation is uneven, and there's a visible split by location. The scenes on the SDF-3 feel choppy and static, with only an action piece involving a failed test flight and some bits of the wedding showing any sense of style. The scenes on Tirol are altogether more dynamic. Even allowing that the Tirol scenes are more action-heavy, I came away with the distinct impression that the animators were more interested in the Tirol plot than the SDF-3 scenes.

Rick and Lisa prepare to leave Earth.

OVERALL:

Given the criticisms above, I should stress that I enjoyed The Sentinels. It's a far more watchable Robotech continuation than the theatrical movie, and there are elements that could have made for an interesting story. Beyond that, it's fun to see all three "generations" interacting in the same film.

That said, when it ends, I'm not particularly fussed that the story is incomplete. Had Macross ended with Space Fold, I would have been genuinely upset. As much as I would have liked The Sentinels to have finished its run... I'm just not left feeling that anything special was lost.

It's an OK film to watch. But my feelings are largely summed up by those two letters: "OK."


Overall Rating: 5/10.

Previous Movie: Robotech - The Movie
Next Movie: Robotech - The Shadow Chronicles

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Robotech: The Movie.

Mechanic Mark Landry acquires the top-secret MODAT-5.

Also Released as: Robotech - The Untold Story.

Original Release Date: July 25, 1986. Running Time: 85 minutes. Home Video Version: 29 minutes. Screenplay by: Ardwright Chamberlain. Story by: Carl Macek. Directed by: Noboru Ishiguro, Carl Macek. Produced by: Ahmed Agrama, Toru Miura.


THE PLOT:

The Robotech Masters have a plan. When the SDF-1 crash landed on Earth, human scientists transferred its data to a "mother computer." The Masters want that computer and its data, but they don't want to risk a frontal assault like Zentraedi Lord Dolza's failure. Instead, they try subterfuge, taking human prisoners for purposes of infiltration.

They find the perfect subject: Col. B. D. Andrews, a highly respected member of the military. They capture him as he attempts to fight off their attack - then kill the original and send a clone of Andrews back with orders to gain access to the computer and transmit its information to them.

Todd, one of Andrews's soldiers, notices the change in the colonel's behavior. He steals the MODAT-5, a mobile database terminal in the form of a motorcycle, and shows it to his friend, Mark Landry, a mechanic and an expert driver. He's midway through telling Mark about his suspicions when three security men show up. Mark gets away on the MODAT, but Todd is unable to escape.

Now it's up to Mark to discover exactly what Andrews has planned. Fortunately, he has help from EVE, the sentient computer whose data is coveted by Andrews and the Robotech Masters. Time is running out, though. Andrews has already begun transmitting his data to a disused satellite, perfect for interception by the enemy. Once the Masters have all the data, they intend to succeed where the Zentraedi failed - by annihilating all life on Earth!

Mark is ready for action - with a lot less
soul-searching than Megazone 23's Shogo.

CHARACTERS:

Despite using much of Megazone 23's footage, Robotech: The Movie is an entirely different film. This extends to the characters. Megazone's protagonist, Shogo, spends almost the entire second half processing the secret he discovers. Mark Landry, the Robotech hero, is far less shaken by his encounter with the fake Col. Andrews, being quippy and jokey in several of the following scenes.

Though B. D. serves as the villain in both films, Megazone's B. D. likely believes that everything he's doing is necessary. He even tries to recruit Shogo, clearly impressed at the young man's natural skill with the prototype motorcycle. Robotech's Andrews is a clone - in spy movie terms, a high-placed agent feeding information to the enemy. He's dismissive toward Mark when they meet, actively attempting to fill the young man with enough doubt to avoid further interference.

"Too many girls... This is not a Cannon movie."

BACKGROUND:

Robotech: The Movie had the misfortune to be a Cannon Film. Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, Cannon's owners from 1979 - 1989, were infamous for last-minute budget cuts and post-production tampering. Now, I grew up in the '80s, and I'll admit to having a grudging fondness for some of their schlocky output. But actual good movies released by Cannon were as rare as flecks of gold in the sand.

Carl Macek's intent was to do with Megazone 23 what he had done with Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada: deliver a passably faithful, if Americanized, version, making changes to fit it to Robotech's continuity. When he screened it for Cannon execs, he was told that there were "too many girls and not enough robots and guns," with Menahem Golan declaring that this was "not a Cannon movie."

Macek responded by throwing in almost thirty minutes of Southern Cross footage and reframing the main plot as a conspiracy set in motion by the Robotech Masters. Deep cuts were made to make room, jettisoning most of the character-focused material, and scenes were shifted around to relate what was left to the Southern Cross scenes.

Macek hated the end result, but it please Golan; per Macek, the Cannon co-owner looked at the newly mangled motion picture and declared: "That's a Cannon movie." Which then proceeded to barely get released in a couple of theaters in Texas and (somewhat strangely) in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

The bizarre thing? Megazone 23 has plenty of action. But I suppose Cannon just couldn't help being Cannon...

A newly-animated ending sees Mark battling, with
plenty of guns and robots. "Now, that's a Cannon movie!"

CUTS AND ALTERATIONS:

Because of the production nightmare, Robotech: The Movie is radically different from Megazone 23. You can actually watch Robotech and remain unspoiled for Megazone's major reveal and many of its plot points.

This makes attempting to itemize individual differences into a fool's errand - such a list would be longer than the review itself. So instead of doing that, I'm going to group the general categories of changes.

Scene Restructuring: Scenes are shifted around, partially to tie the main story together with the Southern Cross footage, and partially to change the emphasis. Megazone 23 opens with Shogo meeting Yui, establishing their relationship as of equal importance to the science fiction/conspiracy plot. Robotech opens with an extended action prologue that sets up the conspiracy plot. Even when Mark is finally introduced, it's not meeting Becky - It's receiving the motorcycle and fleeing from the armed gunmen.

Col. Andrews Is More Prominent than B. D.: B. D., the primary antagonist of Megazone, only becomes prominent in the story at the midpoint, after Shogo meets him. Robotech makes Col. Andrews important right away. Scenes of him plotting, which occur relatively late in Megazone, are moved up to the first third. The magic of voice over also makes him a major player in the Southern Cross prologue. All of this makes his part seem much bigger - in fact, for the first half hour, he's a larger presence than the movie's actual hero!

Relationship Story Is Cut Back - A Lot: Mark's relationship with Becky is only introduced after the conspiracy story is set in motion. She is already his girlfriend, which allows for the removal of all those pesky scenes in which the two leads get to know each other. Almost all of the relationship scenes are pushed together into a single ten-minute block, and most of these are rewritten so that the dialogue is less about them as characters than about the plot. This makes Becky, the female lead, into a peripheral character to such an extent that viewers unfamiliar with the original might wonder why she's even present.

The Big Reveal: Megazone 23's most memorable scene is the mid-film reveal, which Shogo stumbles across by chance while scouting locations with Tomomi for her movie. In Robotech, Mark is led to this secret when he's contacted by Eve. Kelly (Robotech's version of Tomomi) is not present. Oh, and since a major plot turn would apparently not be suitably exciting on its own, Robotech moves a bunch of the action from Megazone's climax into this set piece so that stuff can blow up real good.

The Slimy Producer Tries to Rape Becky: It made emotional sense for Shogo's character when he blamed Yui for her encounter with the producer, as she fully intended to sleep with the man for a role. Robotech alters the scene so that Becky is blameless: Slimy Producer Guy breaks into her room and assaults her, with her fighting him until Mark comes to the rescue. The problem? Mark still somehow blames her, which mainly leaves him looking like a Grade A ass!

The Ending: Megazone animation studio The Idol Company was commissioned to create a new, closed ending (the footage of which subsequently appeared in some Megazone releases). Mark battles Col. Andrews while rescuing characters from an airfield ambush. This is all extremely cheesy, particularly the final shots, and it doesn't make much sense... but it's also kind of fun to watch, as long as you remember to completely turn your brain off.

Rolf Emerson and Anatole Leonard struggle with an alien attack.
The viewers struggle with them being in the wrong movie.

TWO SOURCES THAT DON'T FIT TOGETHER:

The single biggest problem with Robotech: The Movie is the Southern Cross footage. The script makes a decent stab at tying the scenes from the two sources together. However, this very effort makes the Megazone scenes of secondary importance to the story. Because the Megazone scenes are rewritten to be purely reactive to the Southern Cross ones, it's the thread with Mark and Becky that ends up feeling like a subplot. 

It's purely in the Southern Cross scenes that the movie: establishes its plot; motivates the Earth government to grant the fake Col. Andrews access to the computer; sets the stakes, with the Masters declaring their intent to destroy the Earth; and even sees the larger threat of the Masters repelled. By the time Mark has his final confrontation with Andrews, the colonel has already been exposed as an enemy agent and the Masters have already been defeated.

Then there are the visual transitions from one source to the other. Discussions of this movie regularly touch on the quality of the film stock, with Megazone 23 utilizing 35mm while Southern Cross was on more budget-friendly 16mm. More jarring to me, however, was the switch between completely different art styles. Megazone's characters have more individuality in their proportions and a wider and subtler range of expressions, and the Megazone scenes are more colorful and dynamic than those from Southern Cross. If you were to downscale Megazone's footage to match Southern Cross's, the stark difference in the basic look of the two titles would still make it impossible to seamlessly cut them together.

I can think of no more damning indictment of the impact of the Southern Cross footage on this film than its own official home video version. By the time the complete Robotech DVD set was released, Harmony Gold had lost the rights to Megazone, so they created a 29-minute edit using only the Southern Cross footage… and it’s arguably less incoherent than the full length movie is! (credit to Gubaba on Bluesky for pointing out that this edit was done by the studio, and not by Macek himself)

The Robotech Masters plot the destruction of the planet Earth.

OTHER MUSINGS:

Robotech: The Movie is a mess.

Sequences don't lead into each other. Instead, each bit is an entity in itself. When Mark investigates a TV station, for instance, the scene kicks off with an internal monologue so that he can tell us why he's doing this. He meets Col. Andrews because EVE leads him there, with very little leading up to that. Even the new ending starts with Mark being led to the site of the final battle. You can split each bit into its own 10-minute short film (give or take), and each individual sequence would make just as much sense as within the larger movie.

The reshuffling of scenes creates continuity errors. A scene of Becky dancing has her footage re-looped, presumably to fit the music, with the same three shots shown multiple times, which I started to find quite funny after a few seconds. Kelly reviews footage for her movie, having recorded the MODAT transforming into a robot form... a couple of scenes before Mark discovers that the bike has that ability!

Finally, this movie doesn't even fit within the larger Robotech continuity. It is set between The Macross Saga and The Masters, with supporting roles for Supreme Commander Anatole Leonard (still an idiot) and Rolf Emerson. The humans directly battle The Masters at multiple points, and by the film's end are relatively easily defeating them in battle.

Now recall The Masters arc. For the first quarter of that arc: the humans have no idea who these aliens are; the battles are almost laughably one-sided, with the humans barely able to land a shot on the enemy; and they know so little about The Masters that they have to send Dana Sterling's squad into a downed ship to gather intel.

In short, the events of the movie have little internal consistency - and even less consistency with the actual series.

Like I said: a mess.

Mark basks in the aftermath of his victory.

OVERALL:

The one backhanded compliment I can pay to Robotech: The Movie is that I found it passably diverting. It has so little to do with Megazone 23 that I quickly stopped even thinking about the source film, let alone being annoyed at its mangling. This enabled me to enjoy the pretty pictures and action scenes on their own merits.

Much of the voice acting is decent, particularly in the Megazone scenes; the Robotech score is reasonably well fitted to the action; and it all goes by painlessly. Turn your brain off - I mean, all the way off - and there are worse ways to burn off 85 minutes.

So in the end, I'd agree with Menaheim Golan. To its core, it can absolutely be said of Roboech: The Movie:

"Now, that's a Cannon movie."


Overall Rating - Robotech: 3/10.

Alternate Version: Megazone 23

Previous Movie: Codename - Robotech
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2-21. Nightmare/Final Nightmare.

The squad finds the alien flowers in full bloom.
In Robotech, this is a harbinger of doom.

Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: Nightmare.

Original Air Date - Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: Sept. 16, 1984. Writer: Tadashi Terada. Director: Noriyasu Kogawa.

Robotech: Final Nightmare.

Original Air Date - Robotech: May 22, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.


PLOT - SOUTHERN CROSS

Lana has discovered that Jeanne and her squad have been sheltering Zor civilian Musica, who has fled with Bowie. Lana delivers an ultimatum: Jeanne will find Musica and return her for questioning immediately.

Jeanne interprets the order to her own advantage, directing her squad to perform a slow search even though she already knows where Bowie and Musica are going. The two lovers are making their way to the Zor ruins, where the flowers that are the source of the aliens' energy have reached full bloom.

Meanwhile, Supreme Commander Claude Leon orders a final assault against the Zor - while the Zor, increasingly desperate to replenish their energy, prepare an attack of their own...


PLOT - ROBOTECH:

Nova has discovered that Dana and her squad have been sheltering alien civilian Musica, who has fled with Bowie. Nova delivers an ultimatum: Dana will find Musica and return her for questioning immediately.

Dana already knows where Bowie and Musica are going. The two lovers are making their way to the ruins of the SDF-1, where they first saw the Invid Flower of Life. But when they arrive, Musica is horrified to discover that the flower is in full bloom, sending out its spores that will call the Invid to Earth!

Meanwhile, the Robotech Masters, increasingly desperate to replenish their supply of protoculture, prepare an all-out assault on Earth - leaving Supreme Commander Anatole Leonard and Gen. Emerson rushing to intercept them in what seems sure to be the final battle of this war!

Bowie and Musica enjoy a moment of happiness.

CHARACTERS:

Nightmare reduces Bowie and Musica to plot devices. Musica, in particular, seems to spend the first few minutes tripping over... well, the ground. Fair enough to say that a life on a spaceship didn't exactly prepare her for running in the rain, but shouldn't there at least be some uneven terrain for her to trip over? I started to think that Bowie would legitimately make more progress by just carrying her.

There are good character moments for the rest of the cast, though. Jeanne is fiercely protective of Bowie and Musica, slow-walking her (implausibly assigned) search to give them time to get away. Andrzej, who has often argued against Jeanne's decisions, backs her up entirely. The only time he voices disapproval is when she labels Seifriet a coward, with him recognizing the mental torment Seifriet is going through (a good moment that, sadly, is completely changed for Robotech).

Gen. Emerson also gets an excellent scene, reacting nonverbally to Claude Leon's orders in a way that leaves no doubt that he sees these commands as disastrous. After the Act break, he sits in his office in the dark as he resolves to do his duty even if he doesn't think he and his troops will survive it - another scene that is, unfortunately, undermined in Robotech.

Advantage: Southern Cross.


NARRATION:

Southern Cross opens with another artless infodump that I suspect would leave any viewer who had missed key episodes even more confused than if it hadn't been there. Robotech does a much better job of organizing "the story so far."

As is often the case, Robotech ends up using too much narration in the episode itself. The wonderful scene with Emerson sitting in the dark? Robotech slathers voicd over on top of it, telling us what he's thinking when it's more interesting to interpret it from the visuals and music. Then, when the final battle begins, the narrator tells us that this battle will decide the fate of humanity... even though the rest of the episode has repeatedly emphasized that the Invid are coming and that this battle ultimately won't mean a thing.

Advantage: None. There's plenty of fault in both sets of narration.

Seifriet's memories return. Robotech's Zor recovers
some very different memories.

CUTS AND ALTERATION:

Elimination of a Freeze Frame: When Southern Cross's Bowie and Musica are fleeing, there's a sustained freeze frame/pullback at the end of their first scene, a moment that makes a strong visual impression. That freeze frame has been snipped from Robotech for no readily apparent reason. Since the cut is only about two seconds, it doesn't even particularly move them toward an extra advert.

Andrzej Understands Seifriet; Angelo Is Scornful to Zor: After Jeanne tears into Seifriet, Andrzej quietly tells her that she went too far given the man's current emotional state. Robotech's Angelo is - say it with me - much, much dumber than Southern Cross's Andrzej, and he just scornfully remarks that the squad is "better off without him."

The Invid Flower Is Poisoning the Protoculture: In Southern Cross, the flower is the source of the energy the Zor need to survive. That the Zor supplies of that flower are wilting to nothing is the reason they are so desperate. In Robotech, the flower is an infestation that has destroyed the protoculture belonging to the Robotech Masters, with them worried that it may have mutated the protoculture at the ruins of the SDF-1 as well.

The Zor Blame the Humans for Starting the War: As they plan an assault on Gloire, the Zor leaders mention that if they wipe the humans out, it is the enemy's own fault for being so aggressive - a callback to the early episodes, in which every major battle was started by the humans. In Robotech, they just shrug off the potential destruction of the human race on the grounds that the humans would be just as doomed when the Invid arrive.

Bowie and Musica Are Intercut with Battle Preparation: Near the Act break, Bowie and Musica ride on the hoverbike he stole, enjoying a moment of happiness that is intercut with preparations for battle. Southern Cross plays this out over romantic piano music, with the contrast of the music and visuals making for an effective moment. Robotech tries to do something similar, minus the piano music, contrasting voice-overs of Musica and Bowie reflecting on their happiness against military chatter. This isn't a bad effort on the part of the Robotech writers, but I think the original version is stronger.

The Supreme Commander's Orders: Southern Cross's Claude Leon orders Emerson to attack the enemy from one direction while the rest of his forces attack from Gloire. Robotech's Anatole Leonard is just reacting to the movements of the Robotech Masters, hurriedly scrambling forces while ordering Emerson not to withdraw, "no matter what."

Emerson's Orders to Marie and Lt. Brown: The two versions have Gen. Emerson giving completely different instructions to Marie and Lt. Brown. In Southern Cross, he explicitly tells them that they are to fight to the last, with no retreat. In Robotech, he instead says that he expects both of them to come back alive.

Lana's Pursuit: When Jeanne discovers that Lana is following them, she orders Charles to lose her. Robotech changes this slightly, with it now Sean's idea to lose Nova, with Dana actually checking to see if he's sure he can manage that.

Musica Reacts to the Flower: In Southern Cross, Musica recognizes the flower's spores as "the same energy that we used to be bathed with," and she looks out on the sight of the flowers with wonder and a little bit of fear. In Robotech, her reaction is one of despair, as she recognizes the flower's spores mean they are "too late" and that the Invid will be coming.

Zor's Memories: The spores prompt the last of Seifriet's memories to fall into place, and he collapses as he recalls being captured and transformed by the Zor, all for the sake of finding these plants. That doesn't fit with Robotech's changed context; in the Americanized version, Zor collapses as he recalls the "original" Zor's death in an explosion (while studying protoculture, of course).

Advantage: Southern Cross.


INCIDENTAL MUSIC:

This one's a closer call than the last two episodes. Southern Cross benefits from a couple of standout musical moments: the romantic piano music as Bowie and Musica ride toward the ruins and the ethereal alien song as they observe the flowers. Robotech does well with its music, but there's nothing in it to match those two moments.

Advantage: Southern Cross.

The final battle begins.

OVERALL ADVANTAGE - SOUTHERN CROSS:

Both versions of this episode are very good. I actually quite like some of the Robotech material, notably the way the writers are using these events to set up the Invid story. There's a wonderfully ominous quality to Musica's reactions when she sees the spores and realizes that it is, indeed, too late to prevent invasion.

Other changes leave me favoring the original version. Several character interactions are simplified for Robotech, notably those involving Gen. Emerson and his lieutenants and those involving Angelo - who, as ever, is written to be dumber and more belligerent than Southern Cross's Andrzej.

It's still a close call, though, and I'd rank both versions of this episode among the series' best.


OTHER MUSINGS:

Nightmare follows on directly from the previous installment, with Bowie and Musica on the run. Its "A" plot, with Lana assigning Jeanne's squad to find them, feels almost like its own story, but it is very effectively intercut with the lead up to the final assault.

I love the way the two strands progress together. There really doesn't seem to be much plot connection until the final ten minutes, but the Southern Cross episode uses its score to bind them. Robotech attempts something similar with internal monologues and dialogue and, while it isn't as strong as the original version, it still pulls off a similar effect. In both versions, this grants significance to an "A" plot that might have otherwise seemed like another installment of "Jeanne's/Dana's antics."

There's certainly no denying the episode's momentum. Nightmare moves, and it manages several memorable moments along the way. Finally, the visuals of the ruins filled with spores and flowers are gorgeous.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Daydream/Daydreamer
Next Episode: Catastrophe/The Invid Connection

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2-15. Love Story/Love Song.

Jeanne creates a secret admirer to woo Lana away from Seifriet.

Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: Love Story.

Original Air Date - Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: July 29, 1984. Writer: Tadashi Terada. Director: Noriyasu Kogawa.

Robotech: Love Song.

Original Air Date - Robotech: May 14, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.


PLOT - SOUTHERN CROSS

Supreme Commander Claude Leon has put Gen. Emerson in command of the newly secured Aluce Base - in a single command exiling his archrival to Gloire's moon and putting him at the front line of the war. Leon also assigns all of the officers loyal to Emerson, leaving Gloire staffed entirely with his own followers.

Jeanne has more important things on her mind - namely, romance. Sekishima, a captain assigned to the mission, approaches her to help him talk to Lana before he departs. Jeanne throws herself into this, crafting a plan for him to woo Lana as a secret admirer known as "The Rose of Gloire" - with the benefit to her that, if they succeed, she will be left with no rival for Seifriet's affections. There's only one problem: Lana is convinced that the messages are coming from Seifriet, which makes her extremely uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Marie prepares for a special night with Charles. But when a woman from Charles's past intercepts him, their evening takes a disastrous turn...


PLOT - ROBOTECH:

Supreme Commander Anatole Leonard has put Gen. Emerson in charge of the next assault - in a single command exiling his archrival to what is likely to be a one-way mission. Leonard also assigns all of the officers loyal to Emerson, leaving Earth's headquarters staffed entirely with his own followers.

Dana has more important things on her mind - namely, romance. Komodo, a captain assigned to the mission, approaches her to help him talk to Nova before he departs. Dana throws herself into this, crafting a plan for him to woo Nova as a secret admirer - with the benefit to her that, if they succeed, she will be left with no rival for Zor's affections. There's only one problem: Nova is convinced that the messages are coming from Zor, which makes her extremely uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Marie prepares for a special night with Sean. But when a woman from Sean's past intercepts him, their evening takes a disastrous turn...

Marie prepares for her date with Charles.
Things do not go as expected.

CHARACTERS:

Emerson knows exactly what the Supreme Commander is doing, but his sense of duty leaves him with no choice but to follow his orders. Bowie will not express his worry to Jeanne, and Emerson will not come to him. Instead, each shows their feelings silently - Bowie lost in thought as he plays the piano, Emerson stopping his car outside the barracks to listen to him play.

Charles's past promiscuity comes back to haunt him with Marie, who misinterprets his attempts to get away from an old lover. This could come across as sitcom shenanigans - but they never actually resolve the misunderstanding, with it falling to Lana and another officer to intervene on Marie's behalf. Meanwhile, the reactions of both characters show us that their attachment is deeply felt, even as the two are left in turmoil.

Advantage: None.


NARRATION:

Southern Cross's opening narration is more focused than in previous episodes, hitting all the major points that impact the plot of this installment without needless clutter. The Robotech narrator gets a bit overenthusiastic during the recap. Also, the Robotech narrator keeps coming back for scene transitions, particularly in the first half. It's far from the series' worst offender. Still, most of these intrusions are entirely unnecessary.

Advantage: Southern Cross.

Lana receives a letter from "The Rose of Gloire."
In Robotech, it's just from a secret admirer.

CUTS AND ALTERATION:

Manually Processing the Security Checks: An early scene sees Lana manually processing security checks for the task force bound for Aluce Base. In Southern Cross, she and her superior discuss how unusual this is, as normally they would set parameters for the computer to screen. The superior officer is entirely friendly and good-natured. This is not the case in Robotech, which transforms him into a sneering jerk, making it seem all the more bizarre when he's pleasant to her later.

Angelo Is More Talkative than Andrzej: Chalk this one up to Robotech's fear of silence. When Seifriet goes to GMP Headquarters to deliver a book from Aluce Base to Lana, Southern Cross's Andrzej follows him and makes sure that he's seen - but he does not actually speak until Seifriet arrives. In Robotech, Angelo also follows Zor - only this time, he calls out things like, "Hey buddy!" and "I'm watching out for you!" every time he's on screen.

The Secret Admirer: The letters to Lana are from "the Rose of Gloire," with close-ups of that title written in English. But those letters are addressed to "Lana" and not "Nova," and Robotech occurs on Earth and not the colony of Gloire. As a result, the shots in question are removed, and "the Rose of Gloire" becomes a more generic "secret admirer."

The Roman Aspect of the Supreme Commander's Assignment: This is a change I actually like. In both versions, Lt. Brown, who is removed from the mission due to a mistake by Lana/Nova, tells her that he's glad of the error because it will let him keep an eye on the Supreme Commander. He then talks about how all dissenting voices have been methodically assigned to this mission. In Robotech, he compares this to the behavior of Roman emperors, who would "promote" dissenters to become governors of distant provinces to get rid of them, which adds a nice extra layer to the scene.

Marie Waits: While waiting for Charles, Southern Cross's Marie muses that if he takes too much longer, she'll already be drunk by the time he arrives. Robotech de-emphasizes the alcohol by changing her thoughts to impatient worries that Sean might stand her up and leave her with nothing but "cab fare."

"The Triumveroid": There's a single cutaway to the aliens as they test their new secret weapon. Robotech names it "The Triumveroid," with the scientists exulting at how it performs all essential functions of combat. The Robotech scene works just a little bit better than the Southern Cross version, in my opinion, with the description of the new weapon blending effectively with the visuals of the test.

Marie's Departure: When Marie leaves in Southern Cross, Andrzej observes that she specifically asked to join Gen. Emerson in his assignment. Robotech removes this, with Angelo just telling Sean that she has more important things to worry about than him.

Advantage: None.


INCIDENTAL MUSIC:

The only notable musical moment is Bowie playing on the piano as his father (or, in Robotech, godfather) prepares to leave on a dangerous mission, and that scene is equally effective in both versions. There is a nice use of musical continuity in Robotech, as a piano version of Minmei's It's Me is heard in the background while Marie waits for Sean, but overall both episodes use their scores about equally well.

Advantage: None.

Jeanne watches Lana and misinterprets a serious conversation.

OVERALL ADVANTAGE - NONE:

The episode is equally enjoyable in either version. The changes are relatively minor ones that have no significant impact, leaving a viewing experience that's roughly the same whether you're watching Southern Cross or Robotech.


OTHER MUSINGS:

I had low expectations given this episode's title. The "love story" aspects of Southern Cross have not impressed me. I fully believe in the Marie/Charles romance, but I have yet to be given much reason to care about it. I also have utterly failed to be convinced by the Jeanne/Seifriet relationship. Expecting that to be the focus, I braced myself for an installment that would... well, probably be bad.

Imagine my surprise when this ended up being one of the series' better episodes!

There are some amusing animations to go along with the lighthearted nature of Jeanne's secret admirer plan. When lovesick Sekishima approaches Lana, he does so with the posture of a man who badly needs to go to the bathroom. The script is also well-written, adeptly balancing a humorous "A" plot against the drama of the Supreme Commander's plan and the likely fates of those assigned to accompany Gen. Emerson. The moments of Bowie silently playing the piano express his emotions more effectively than any speech would. Even the one cutaway to the aliens, as they test their new weapon, underscores the likely fates of Emerson and his team.

Love Story ends up working all around: as a character piece, as a building block for the larger story, and as an entertaining episode in its own right - and in this case, the Robotech version works just as well as the original!


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Iron Lady/Clone Chamber
Next Episode: Hunter Killer/The Hunters

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2-14. Iron Lady/Clone Chamber.

An emotional Musica refuses an arranged marriage.

Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: Iron Lady.

Original Air Date - Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: July 22, 1984. Writer: Tadashi Terada. Director: Yoshihito Hata.

Robotech: Clone Chamber.

Original Air Date - Robotech: May 13, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.


PLOT - SOUTHERN CROSS

Supreme Commander Claude Leon's reckless assault has failed, with the survivors retreating to Aluce Base to regroup. Undeterred, Leon orders a new operation to reinforce the moon base, transforming it into a military outpost for future attacks. The plan is to move quickly and stealthily, so that there will be no chance for the Zor to realize what's happening. You know, unless someone who really should know better decides to start freely sharing classified information.

So on a date with Seifriet, the usually strait-laced Lana decides to talk about the operation in public with a man who, until recently, was acting as a Zor bioroid pilot. Fortunately, a jealous Jeanne interrupts before she can reveal every detail. Still, Seifriet reports enough for the Zor to locate and attack the human ships, leaving Marie rushing to save them with the already battered remnants of her squad.

All is not well among the Zor either. Seifriet's returning memories and the accompanying emotions keep interfering with his efficiency as a spy. At the same time, Musica's feelings toward Bowie cause her to refuse an arranged mating. This spurs the Zor leaders to authorize a new weapon from their scientists, in hopes of ending the war quickly and recovering their old home planet!


PLOT - ROBOTECH:

Supreme Commander Anatole Leonard's reckless assault has failed, with the survivors retreating to Moonbase Luna to regroup. Leonard orders a new operation to reinforce the moon base, transforming it into a military outpost for future attacks. The plan is to move quickly and stealthily, so that there will be no chance for the Robotech Masters to realize what's happening. You know, unless someone who really should know better decides to start freely sharing classified information.

So on a date with Zor, the usually strait-laced Nova decides to talk about the operation in public with a man who, until recently, was acting as an enemy bioroid pilot. Fortunately, a jealous Dana interrupts before she can reveal every detail. Still, Zor reports enough to allow the Masters to locate and attack the human ships, leaving Marie rushing to save them with the already battered remnants of her squad.

All is not well among the Masters either. Zor's emotions keep interfering with his efficiency as a spy. At the same time, Musica's feelings toward Bowie cause her to refuse an arranged mating. This spurs the Masters' leading Triumverate to authorize a new weapon from their scientists, one that will not only be effective against the humans, but also against the imminent invasion of the Invid!

Andrzej has a little too good a time
on his enforced "date" with Jeanne.

CHARACTERS:

I hope the writers aren't planning to focus on a love triangle between Jeanne, Lana, and Seifriet - not least because these scenes are by far the most annoying parts of this episode. Jeanne at least gets one fun moment around the midpoint. After Seifriet stands her up, she petulantly orders Andrzej to accompany her to the movie she had bought tickets for. Andrzej ends up having a fantastic time while she doesn't, his raucous laughter irritating her.

That's more than can be said for Lana, who up until now has been characterized as responsible and duty-driven. This episode transforms her into a complete idiot, sharing classified intelligence with Seifriet for seemingly no reason other than to flirt. Never mind Seifriet being a security risk, she's discussing this information in a public restaurant! By all rights, that should earn her a swift court martial.

By contrast, the relationship between Marie and Charles is fairly well played here. I can't claim to be any more invested than I was last episode; but when Marie and Charles are reunited at the end, I believe their reactions in a way that I just don't in the scenes involving Jeanne, Lana, and Seifriet.

Advantage: None.


NARRATION:

Both versions open with narration that recaps the previous episode, including the flowers Jeanne and Seifriet discovered in the cave. This is a surprising detail to include, given that the flowers aren't relevant to this episode. The Southern Cross recap plays like a rushed addition overall.

Robotech's narrator also mentions the flowers in the recap, but this narration provides context to connect them to the episode. We're specifically told that the Robotech Masters know of the flower thanks to their connection with Zor, and that it makes their task more urgent because it's a sign that the Invid are soon to invade. This discovery helps push them to action, making it a motivator for their scenes.

Advantage: Robotech.

Marie and Charles reunite. Robotech adds
dialogue and ruins a good scene.

CUTS AND ALTERATION:

Jeanne Suggest Seifriet Not Force His Memories: When Jeanne asks Seifriet to the movie, he's fretting about his memory. She suggests that trying to force his memories back will just make them slip further away. In Robotech, the scene is shortened so that there's no productive discussion, just Dana asking Zor out.

Jeanne's Happy Dance: After Seifriet indicates that he will accompany Jeanne, she celebrates for a few seconds with a rather cute happy dance. Robotech cut the scene to the bare minimum, and the dance is one of the casualties... though it bizarrely gets put in as a flashback during the later conversation between Zor and Nova.

The Zor Energy Problem Becomes a Protoculture Problem: Southern Cross devotes some focus to a problem with low energy in the newest generation of clones, which heralds problems for the survival of the Zor. Robotech makes this part of the "protoculture shortage" that's been affecting the Masters from their very first appearance.

The Masters Approve an "Invid Fighter": The Zor leaders approve their scientists' suggestion of a more reliable fighter. Robotech keeps the basic idea of creating a unit more completely controlled by the Triumverate - but they develop it mainly to deal with the next threat, the Invid. I think this is a change for the better. The Zor/Masters are clearly winning the war against the humans. Worries about the obviously more formidable Invid give the Masters a stronger motivation to resort to an experimental solution.

Marie's Tears: When Charles comes to meet Marie at the end of Southern Cross, she begins crying as he reassures her. Southern Cross understands that Marie weeping silently is more effective than anything she might say... while Robotech blunts the emotion by having Marie tell Sean that she wasn't sure if he cared. In the first case, she's weeping for everything that's happened since she took off, from the devastating losses, to the fear of the death, to guilt at having survived when so many of her comrades died. With that one added line, Robotech reduces it to Marie focusing on the attentions of her sort-of boyfriend.

Advantage: Southern Cross. Mainly because of that last change, which sabotages a strong emotional moment.


INCIDENTAL MUSIC:

The Robotech theme kicks in when Marie rescues the relief force from the Masters' surprise attack. This just about fits the context... but apparently the theme doesn't quite match the length of the scene, so there's an extremely noticeable moment when part of the theme repeats itself.

The Southern Cross music is unexceptional, and its recycled tracks are growing about as wearisome as Robotech's by this point. But Southern Cross has the confidence to go silent during parts of the battle, while Robotech covers every second with music.

Advantage: Southern Cross.

Lana shares classified information with Seifriet.
Because in this episode, Lana's an idiot.

OVERALL ADVANTAGE - SOUTHERN CROSS:

This one was on track to being a case of "no advantage." Then Robotech added that one line for its Marie/Sean scene, wrecking one of Southern Cross's best emotional moments. If you take that away, the two versions are very close in both content and quality, with a few changes that even favor Robotech. But that late scene is enough to tip the scales toward the original version.


OTHER MUSINGS:

Iron Lady pushes the plot forward in potentially interesting ways, and it benefits from another pretty good action scene. It also offers one of the better comedic moments, with the art and animation of Andrzej howling in the movie theater as Jeanne scowls making for a genuinely funny moment.

I am really missing the way the Zor were portrayed in the early episodes: Not speaking, just reacting to each other's unheard telepathic communications. Now they're just as chatty in Southern Cross as in Robotech, and they are far less intriguing as a result. I'll allow that this makes it easier for the writers to have the aliens explain their motivations to each other, but I think a lot of atmosphere is lost as a result.

The episode is enjoyable enough. But while it moves the story forward, I can't make myself think it's particularly good. The strained love triangle and particularly the out-of-character behavior of Lana really soured me on this installment.


Overall Rating: 5/10.

Previous Episode: Triple Mirror/Triumvirate
Next Episode: Love Story/Love Song

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2-13. Triple Mirror/Triumvirate.

Jeanne's triple mirror stirs up Seifriet's memories.

Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: Triple Mirror.

Original Air Date - Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross: July 15, 1984. Writer: Jinzô Toriumi. Director: Yuusaku Satsukime.

Robotech: Triumvirate.

Original Air Date - Robotech: May 10, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.


PLOT - SOUTHERN CROSS

Supreme Commander Claude Leon orders an attack on the Zor fleet. This time, he insists they will succeed because now their Auroran attack chopper is ready to deploy. Marie is assigned to lead the Aurorans, while the Zor watch the humans lift off in disbelief that their enemy could be quite this stupid.

As the Zor engage in easy target practice, inspiration strikes Jeanne about how to recover Seifriet's memories. She takes him to the three mounds, the place where she and Bowie first encountered him. Searching the area, they find a cavern - and deeper inside, they uncover a secret that might just be the key to understanding the Zor!


PLOT - ROBOTECH:

Supreme Commander Anatole Leonard orders an attack on the Robotech Masters. This time, he insists they will succeed because now their AJAX attack chopper is ready to deploy. Marie is assigned to lead the AJAX units. The Masters watch the humans lift off in disbelief that their enemy could be quite this stupid.

As the Robotech Masters engage in easy target practice, inspiration strikes Dana for recovering Zor's memories. She takes him to the three mounds, the site of the battle that destroyed the SDF-1. Searching the area, they find a cavern - and deeper inside, they uncover a secret that leaves Zor in a state of terror!

Claude Leon decides that a frontal assault against a
superior force is a good idea. Because he's an imbecile.

CHARACTERS:

Jeanne is harboring a planet-sized crush on Seifriet. I continue to wish that some of her anger from Déjà Vu lingered, as that was a character beat that was both convincing and interesting. At this point, though, I increasingly doubt the series will follow up on it.

Jeanne impulsiveness continues to be an effective approach with Seifriet. The instant she thinks of taking him to the mounds, she calls up Bowie and simply does it. She later acknowledges defying orders, earning a sigh from Lana. It's clear that Jeanne's philosophy more or less follows the old saying that it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Charles continues to romantically pursue Marie, and she's thawing in her attitude toward him. I wish I could care, but neither character has received enough attention or been granted enough depth for me to feel at all invested. Oh, and at this point, Claude Leon (and his Robotech counterpart, Anatole) is just an imbecile. One who seems determined to wipe out his own forces a mere three episodes after being told that he'll receive no reinforcements. At this point, Gen. Emerson would save a lot of Gloirian lives, and greatly increase the odds of a successful resolution to the conflict, if he were willing to arrange an "accident" for his superior.

Advantage: None.


NARRATION:

The Robotech episode is restrained in its narration... with one exception. At the midpoint, when Dana decides to take Zor to the ruins of the SDF-1 to jog his memory, the narrator has to tell us why she's doing this. Never mind that she's just said why she's doing it, and never mind that she restates it a minute or so later. I have no idea why the writers felt compelled to add that bit of narration, but it's enough to tip the advantage to the original version.

Advantage: Southern Cross.

A cavern full of flowers. Southern Cross's Seifriet
reacts quite differently than Robotech's Zor.

CUTS AND ALTERATION:

The Supreme Commander's Speech: The episode begins with Supreme Commander Leon making a speech about the upcoming attack. In Southern Cross, he full-throatedly stirs up the troops by promising that they will "crush the Zor." In Robotech, Anatole Leonard is more realistic, talking about the dangers of the upcoming battle.

Nova Has Been Assigned to Zor's Rehabilitation: In Southern Cross, Lana tries to persuade Jeanne that she should be part of the effort to recover Seifriet's memories. Robotech changes the scene so that Nova has been assigned to Zor, with her telling Dana: "It's out of your hands."

Subterranean Flowers: Seifriet, Jeanne, and Bowie find strange flowers in a cavern, which Seifriet knows are in some way important. All of this is the same in both versions. In Southern Cross, no sense of malevolence is attached to this discovery. Robotech has a third arc to set up, though, so Zor talks about the flowers as if they are dangerous, saying that he can sense them calling out to something far away. 

The Supreme Commander's Aide: At the end of the episode, the Supreme Commander's aide reports the results of the attack. In Southern Cross, he's as pig-headed as Claude Leon, scoffing at how pathetically their troops performed. In maybe the only distinct improvement in Robotech, the aide reports the losses and retreat as a normal person would, and he reacts with appropriate surprise when Anatole declares that they'll follow up with yet another frontal assault.

A Telling Final Shot: Not significant, but worth noting. The final shot of Southern Cross has the camera tilting up to show Gloire's two moons. But since Robotech is set on Earth, the shot is cut short - but not so short that the camera doesn't visibly begin moving upward just before the cutaway.

Advantage: Southern Cross.


INCIDENTAL MUSIC:

I have a basically split verdict on the music in this episode. The first part of the Robotech episode has some odd cues, notably when "adrenaline pumping" music is used right after Dana's conversation with Nova - and then cut short a few seconds later. I also think the Southern Cross music is more generally effective in the pre-battle part of the episode and in the cavern scenes. However, as usual, the Robotech tracks give a substantial lift to the battle scenes, which are a big part of this episode.

Ultimately, I think it works out to being another case of "No Advantage."

Advantage: None.

Jeanne, Seifriet, and Bowie reach the three mounds.
In Robotech, these are also the ruins of the SDF-1.

OVERALL ADVANTAGE - NONE:

In this case, the two versions are very close together. Most of the changes are minor, save for those specifically made for the sake of Robotech's continuity. It's basically the same episode, and each variant is about as good as the other.


OTHER MUSINGS:

This was a definite improvement over the previous installment. The story moves along nicely, cutting back and forth between the threads of Marie and the space battle and Jeanne and Seifriet investigating the mounds. It's well paced, and the plot pays off elements from the last episode - notably Claude Leon's rash decision to attack and the entire thread about Seifriet's lost memory.

There are several arresting images: the triple reflection of Jeanne in her mirror, which prompts Seifriet's memory that "the Zor are Trinities"; the tiny figures of our trinity of Jeanne, Seifriet, and Bowie standing before the trinity of the three mounds; the cavern with the flowers; and a number of individual images during the space battle. I could nitpick about recycled shots... but honestly, what show of this era didn't do that? This is a good-looking episode.

I wasn't as invested in the space battle as I'd have liked. First, it's not like there was any question of the attack working. It's been a whopping three episodes since the Zor devastated the human relief forces. The Supreme Commander's all-out assault just serves to make him look even more incompetent than he did already. Nor is there any suspense about Marie's fate; unlike Macross, the regulars in this series have absolute Plot Armor. Between these issues, I found myself just sitting back to watch the 'splosions, and wait for the inevitable result.

The Jeanne/Seifriet material is more interesting. I enjoyed the cavern exploration, and I look forward to seeing where that is going. I remain annoyed at how readily the squad has accepted Seifriet, which feels emotionally false to me, but at least it's an interesting thread.

Overall, this is a good episode that's effective in advancing the main arc and leaving me interested to see what happens next.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Lost Memory/A New Recruit
Next Episode: Iron Lady/Clone Chamber

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