Short answer is that I'm using Macross not Robotech, and while they may have use much of the same animation, Carl Macek did a number on the plot that ran through the whole series. While it was necessary to tie the three japanese shows together for American TV Syndication, and I do like the Robotech storyline on its own, I prefer the Macross story in its unadulterated form as it led to Macross II, Macross Plus, Macross 7, Macross Zero, and now, Macross Frontier.

Carl Macek came up with the idea of "Protoculture" to unite the three series, and it really felt like a pseudo-mystical power source, which is the way he intended it. In robotech, it's this mystical power source that allows a valkyrie to transform into the soldier and guardian modes.

In Macross, the term protoculture was made to fit into the continuum with the introduction of "Do You Remember Love?" which was the movie version of Super Dimensional Fortress Macross. it explained that protoculture was a socio-cultural term, not an engineering one. the proto-culture was the culture that seeded this galaxy with life and not seen since then. We've seen evidence of this proto-culture since then, but not the culture itself. Macross Zero was entirely based upon this premise, and Macross 7 made several references to the proto-culture. I do hope that we will get to see more references to them with Macross Frontier being released this april!

as for Protoculture being an energy source, I can sort of understand how a lifeform like the Flower of Life could act like an organic based ZPM...as it grows, it exhibits that ZPM energy as a harmless background radiation...any living things eventually dies&decomposes unless something is keeping it from dying...the Protoculture Matrix overall ends up modifying the energy that the mulch produced from the Flower of Life so that it doesn't decay...since there's a biological connection to that energy, there's a mental aspect of how that energy is manipulated...also the Flower of Life is a weed...u might be able to use the MAU to modify some dandelions or produce some protoculture energy cells&let them decay into Flower of Life spores...the MAU won't be limited in making the protoculture cell batteries since it's energy¬ organic...

a very important difference between the SDF-1 from the Macross universe to the Robotech universe is that there's a protoculture matrix hidden inside the main engine...then again u could also build the original Zentraedi version of the SDF-1 from Robotech before it had crashed on the surface of Earth that looks a bit like the SDF-3...as for Xander building a base or shipyard like Utopia Planetia...why not build Dolza's command mothership which is 1400KM high...that could be used as the main defense outpost for the solar system...

if u need some reference rpg stats, there's NewType Alpha's website which has the combat refit model of the Megaraod01 as well as other modified SDF class gunships...

also as for MacrossII...i think it could be a movie made in the Macross universe...the movie could be the 10th anniversary celebration of Earth's colonization policies in expanding to the rest of the galaxy just like the movie version of the SpaceWarI was released as propaganda...the movie would be about what would had happened if the survivor of Earth's SpaceWarI had stayed in the solar system...the Marduk could also be a real fleet or a legend among the Zentraedi which had survived from the Protodevlin by using the Song of Death for spiritia warfare or could even be among the many surviving fleet that helped the Anima Spiritia in putting the initial Protodevlin in cold storage...tne VF-2SS could had been for real as a movie prop but that doesn't mean that it's not as combat effective to the next generation of fighters at the time like the VF-3000...maybe the VF-2SS is a frame rebuilt of the VF-3000 modified for space...

anyway i hope u post the next chapter soon...

As for the Hive ships, I don't think I want anything that big anytime soon. The first problem with it is Gravity. it has the mass of a small moon which could change the orbits of whatever planets it goes anywhere near. Second is sheer size, it'd be hard to hide something that big from earth technology even today, what with hubble et. al. The third problem is one of power, or rather "Overpower." I'm having a bit of a problem with it at the moment, but I think it's managable at the moment. I can still write bad guys to challenge the heroes. If I start using things like the Zentradi Command Mothership, then I totally blow to current power scale, and have to re-invent some badguys in order to provide a challenge to the good guys. I'm pushing things, perhaps a bit too far, with the Factory Satellite as it is, and I think that it'll be the last of the "How big is too big?" experiments that the scoobies are going to be running.

I do use NewType Alpha's website, the Macross Compendium (http://macross.anime.net/), Macross Mecha Designs (http://www.steelfalcon.com/macrossmecha.html), and the macross pages at Mecha Anime HQ (http://www.mahq.net/mecha/macross/macross.htm) I also make extensive use of Palladium Books Robotech and Macross series (I have a complete collection that took me years to acquire).

For Star Trek designs, I use mostly The Daystrom Institute Technical Library (http://www.ditl.org/), Ex Astris Scientia http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/)[which is full of starship designs not from the movies or the TV Series], and of course both Memory Alpha and Memory Beta (which I can't find my bookmark to at the moment... :( )

For Star Wars designs, I usually just use the "Starships of the Galaxy" RPG book. I've read every Star Wars book that was available to Xander & company, including the comic series, so I know a goodly amount of the SW material.

Most fans of the series acknowledge that the two movies, "Do You Remember Love?" and "Lovers Again?" (Macross: The Movie, and Macross II) were movies that were made in-universe because they were ret-conned by the creators with Macross Plus and Macross 7. Personally, I see value in the slower time-line of the Macross II continuity. Just how did Humanity survive from the ashes of 80,000 people and several billion Zentradi and Meltradi? and to recover in less than 20 years to the point that HUMANITY is sending out colony ships? Of course, there's also the various tie-ins that you're quoting, the spiritia warfare. at best, a pure human should be exceedingly rare, and as time goes on, become unheard of.

As for the VF-2 Vs VF-3000, considering the numbering system used in the other shows, I find the VF-2 series to be more canon, even if they were on a show that was ret-conned. I love the Valkyries. I think they make excelent multi-roll starfighters, and with the ability to enter & exit a planet's gravity well on their own, they only become that much more effective (the VF-19 & 21). They are as tough as a tank, with a tank's firepower, they have the maneuverability of infantry, with the speed of a hypersonic jet! Ok, sure, they can't enter and clear buildings, but that's what the grunts are for. :)

Ok, i've seen the new Robotech show.

I've purchased the RPG book from Palladium. (cool for fans and die-hard gamers, but hardly earth shatteringly important... the most significan't new thing in the book is a new mecha. it's a jeep version of the cyclone armor... and yes, I'll likely be including it in the story! :) )

However, it's the new MACROSS FRONTIER that is too cool for words! Yes, Ladies and Gents, the emperor of Mecha Space Operas is back with a vengance! Go torrent it! then watch it! you won't regret it!

which rpg book did u get...is it the Robotech: Shadow Chronicles RPG...i'm waiting for the HardCover edition of it to come out in August...any other more details from the rpg..?

anyway Macross Frontier is probably several to a dozen times bigger than Macross7...although having a fleet of supervision army ships or a Varuta flagship&its fleet should be initmidating enough..the again u should build a Meltrandi fleet as well as a Zentraedi fleet from the Macross DYRL movie...as for ground warfare, the Zentraedi will stomp on the Jaffa ground forces just like they did on Optera with the Invid...

Yeah, the pocket sized Shadow Chronicles RPG. I purchased it locally, I figured, A: it's Robotech, so I gotta get it. B: it supports Palladium over Wizards of the Coast *grumbles something that sounds rather dirty, insulting, and probably profane about 4th edition which came out friday* and C: it supports my local gaming store, so why the hell not?

The Shadow Chronicles movie itself was pretty good, but if they don't wind up continuing it, like they did with Sentinels, I'm gonna be disgruntled. Especially when they are STILL trying to block Big West from releasing the Macross sequals in the US.

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I will say that one thing about the Macross Frontier series that made me INSANELY thrilled was that we finally see the Variable Monster ON SCREEN, so, all those people who bitched "It's not canon, wah!" I just wana say "It ain't gonna suck it self, Bit**!!!"

I saw that great honkin huge green shuttle lookin thing fly into frame, and got this shit eatin grin on me face, and said "NO! They didn't! OH HELL YES!" and was doing a Happy Dance by the time the beautiful thing finished transforming!

Then of course, I found out that the ittsy bitsy little frigate lookin thing that was their mother ship, a 400 some odd foot long fighter carrier, was really a MACROSS CANNON BATTLE FORTRESS! *EFG* And I quote Jim Carrey "JOYGASM!!!"

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Sorry bout that folks... While I was away on my Pokegirl Journey, I was repeatedly struck by people waving around the Canon Banner. It's fan fiction of bloody damned fan fiction fer Bob's sake! If some twit writes a piss poor story and does nothing good in the genre, throw it out! However, if someone writes a GOOD story, don't just throw it out because it does something in genre that you don't necessarily like.

Bah! oh well, WHEN I finish Worthless, and its two prequals, I'll consider posting what I've written for the Pokegirl World, and its League Guide (that I'm still slowly working on).

BTW: if you want to D/L the episodes to watch, since it's extreemly unlikely that the will release in the US, go to Isohunt and search for "[AiA I-Z] Macross Frontier" if you want english subtitles, and don't want some funky encoding format you'll have to screw around with. If you want Dubbed, well, you'll have to wait a good long while for that...

They just released episode 10 about 4 hours ago, and I'm seeding it as of 1am (ish)...

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