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Protoculture (anime)
Encyclopedia
is a term introduced in the 1982 Japan
ese animated
television series Super Dimension Fortress Macross and adapted to the Americanized Robotech
.
/Studio Nue
, 1982), when the creators were researching cultural studies to develop concepts to be used in the plot. In the Macross
animated series Protoculture serves both to refer to the first extraterrestrial humanoid civilization itself ("Proto Culture" or Puroto Kerlchuun, what means "Old Culture" or "Ancient Culture" in the fictional Zentradi language) and earthling culture
itself.
In the fictional history of Macross
the Protoculture was the first sentient humanoid race to evolve in this universe, about one million years ago. According to the official chronology of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
series, the Protoculture became also the first advanced humanoid
civilization in the known universe 500,000 years ago. The Protoculture's first space colonization began with the use of sub-light-velocity spaceships 2400 years after their civilization was created.
100 years later they genetically engineered the giant Zentradi race for its proxy war
fare, which contributed greatly to the expansion of the Protoculture Civilization's sphere of influence across space.
The Protoculture's second space colonization began by super-light-velocity spaceships using fold navigation which achieved the unification of a Stellar Republic
that controlled much of the Milky Way galaxy in the year 2800 of the Protoculture civilization calendar.
When internal conflict became inevitable 60 years later (In an event known as "The Schism Wars") the Stellar Republic became split in two factions. One of these factions created a race of super-Zentradi, called Evil with extraordinary powers; unfortunately, these beings became possessed by creatures from a parallel universe
. The Protodeviln
, as they were called, fed on the spiritual energy (spiritia) of the Protoculture and Zentradi, and turned some of them into brainwashed troops of their own, the Supervision Army, but were defeated and imprisoned by a group of Protoculture called the Anima Spiritia (see Macross 7
).
However, the Supervision Army continued to battle the Zentradi and the remains of the Protoculture Stellar Republic, which caused Protoculture population to dwindle across the galaxy. The Protoculture removed the Prime Directive that stopped the Zentradi from attacking Supervision Army Protoculture effectively, but this directly and indirectly resulted in the war becoming even more intense, and involving more of the Protoculture, whose population dropped sharply. Thus, the remaining Protoculture tried to expand its existing population by seeding humanoid
life in different uninhabited planets and by avoiding any kind of conflict as much as possible.
70 years after the formation of the Protoculture Stellar Republic (497,130 years ago), a Protoculture Survey Ship landed on Earth
and genetically influenced the existing native life to spur the emergence of "mankind", a sub-Protoculture adapted to the planetary environment of Earth
to prepare the planet for future colonization. When the Survey Ship was starting its return to its home planet, it was destroyed by military ships opposed to the Stellar Republic. Records of Earth and humankind were eventually lost.
5 years later the Protoculture lost control of the Zentradi
completely, who kept their fighting with the Supervision Army indefinitely and the reissuing of the Zentradi's prime directive to "not interfere with Protoculture" became ineffective.
A final, devastating war between the Protoculture remmant, the Zentradi and the Supervision Army resulted in the destruction of the entire Stellar Republic. As a result, the Protoculture became nearly extinct 475,000 years ago, not being found ever again by the Zentradi since then.
However, when in the year 2009 A.D. of the human calendar a Zentradi
fleet in pursuit of a Supervision Army Gun Destroyer
first encountered Earth humans—intelligent beings, smaller than themselves, possessed of culture
and who had reconstructed the Supervision Army vessel—they believed earthlings to be the last remnants of the Supervision Army brainwashed Protoculture and sought to destroy them, thus starting Space War I.
During the events of the Macross Zero OVA (set in 2008 A.D., a year before the Zentradi invasion) it was revealed that the much more technologically-advanced remnants of the Protoculture rediscovered Earth about 10,000 years ago and came into contact with the nascent humanity in a place known as "Mayan Island" in the South Pacific. There, they left many antique artifacts and proof of their visit in the oral traditions and archeological myths of the native "Mayan" people, who they genetically altered to be able to interact with those devices through ancient chant
s. Seeing the war
-like tendencies of Earth inhabitants (and not wanting to repeat their past mistakes with the Zentradi) the Protoculture left a very powerful and advanced biomecha known as the "Bird Human" in the South Pacific ocean depths. This mecha
was programmed to destroy the human race in case it followed the same path of war and destruction their previous creations did, and was activated and controlled through the chants of the Mayan shamans.
In The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?
animated movie, the Macross Zero
OVA and the new Macross Frontier
T.V. series, different Protoculture artifacts are shown to be adorned with a spiral
logo.
During the recent Macross Frontier
animated series, it was revealed in-universe that at some point during the course of thousands of years ago the Protoculture came into contact with an even older insectoid
galactic species called Vajra and that they came to fear, adore and deify their Super Dimension
power to the extent of imitating its form, Protoculture technology being an example of this with their Space fold devices, Super Dimension weaponry
and the "Bird Human" protoculture mecha
from Macross Zero
, which was designed to resemble a Vajra Queen.
, the 1985 American
-edited adaptation of three unrelated anime sci-fi series (1
, 2, 3
), the term Protoculture was used to describe a powerful energy source, a catalyst in genetic engineering, a hallucinatory substance, and the described "lifeblood" of two different races. As the "foodstuff" and the by-product of the Flower of Life
, it is used by one race, the Invid, in "finding the ultimate lifeform through the ritualistic eating." The Robotech Masters
also call it "the lifeblood of our existence," and say their "foremost goal is to control this life force by conquering Earth."
In Robotech: Genesis, a six-part comic book mini-series published by Eternity Comics
in the early 1990s, the origin and use of Protoculture is explained. Zor
, a young scientist from the moon of the planet Fantoma, Tirol, is part of a major interplanetary scientific expedition. On one leg of the survey, Zor lands on the planet Optera
, which is home to the insect-like Invid
. Zor finds himself in telepathic communication with the central intelligence of the Invid, and through their meeting an exchange of information between the two races is achieved. The Invid consciousness learns of Tirolian science and engineering, and Zor learns of the innermost secrets of the Flower of Life
, a flower that dominates the landscape of the planet (as well as the diet of the Invid).
By processing the Flowers of Life, the energy source, known as Protoculture, was created. Due to the greed and growing thirst for power of the Tirolian government, the planet of Optera is almost completely devastated due to Tirolian harvesting of the Flowers of Life. This callous defoliation inspires the Invid to create their immense war machine and attack the Tirolians, aka the Robotech Masters
. After the Emperor orders Zor's father killed, Zor decides to destroy the Masters' Protoculture factories. He then escapes the Masters, along with the only remaining Protoculture Matrix, inside the experimental SDF-1 Zentraedi Monitor
. After being mortally wounded during an Invid ambush, Zor sends the space fortress on a random space fold
, and passes away. The ship soon crashes on Earth
and sets the stage for the whole Robotech saga.
The Jack McKinney
novels expanded on the metaphysical aspects of protoculture, notably that protoculture was a form of sentience in itself. Dr. Emil Lang, Earth's chief Robotechnician, frequently referred to a cosmic force that he called The Shapings, a cycle of events and occurrences that ultimately lead to a greater event in the nature of the universe; perhaps the ultimate evolution of life itself to a next stage.
Dr. Lang believes that The Shapings started well before Zor's discovery of protoculture, and have influenced the progress of the Robotech Wars
, including the SDF-3's failure to appear in Earthspace at the end of the TV series. He and Exedore
also suspected that the mythology of the enigmatic planet Haydon, that they have been researching, may yet have an ultimate part to play in the way that The Shapings play out. Dr. Lang and Exedore's predictions as well as the nature of the Shapings and Haydon are explored in the eighteenth Robotech novel, "End of the Circle".
By Harmony Gold
's current stance, the Jack McKinney novels and the Robotech: The Legend of Zor comic series is secondary canon: subject to critical review with respect to the primary canon (the TV series) but not necessarily ruled out. The Haydonites
, however, did appear in the 2006 animated Robotech sequel Shadow Chronicles, although their depiction here is far more sinister. According to the Invid princess, Ariel, the Haydonites wish to destroy all races that use protoculture, because "they fear its awesome power...".
inner circle, Spear of Destiny, it is stated that the process of deriving Vril energy was discovered by Atlanteans
, which involved "extracting life-power from seeds"; German rocket engineer Willy Ley
alludes to the Nazi occult fascination with Vril energy in his 1947 article, "Pseudoscience in Naziland", linking the Vril-ya to the Aryan race
and Nazism
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese animated
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series Super Dimension Fortress Macross and adapted to the Americanized Robotech
Robotech
Robotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985...
.
Macross definition
The term "Protoculture" first came up during preproduction story development for The Super Dimension Fortress Macross Japanese TV series (Big WestBig West Advertising
Big West Advertising Co., Ltd. is a Japanese advertising agency. They are known as one of the sponsors of the Macross franchise in Japan....
/Studio Nue
Studio Nue
Studio Nue is a Japanese design studio formed in 1972 by Naoyuki Kato, Kenichi Matsuzaki, Kazutaka Miyatake, and Haruka Takachiho...
, 1982), when the creators were researching cultural studies to develop concepts to be used in the plot. In the Macross
Macross
is a series of science fiction mecha anime, directed by Shōji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth/Humanity after the year 1999. It consists of three TV series, four movies, six OVAs, one light novel and five manga series, all sponsored by Big West...
animated series Protoculture serves both to refer to the first extraterrestrial humanoid civilization itself ("Proto Culture" or Puroto Kerlchuun, what means "Old Culture" or "Ancient Culture" in the fictional Zentradi language) and earthling culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
itself.
Macross
is a series of science fiction mecha anime, directed by Shōji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth/Humanity after the year 1999. It consists of three TV series, four movies, six OVAs, one light novel and five manga series, all sponsored by Big West...
the Protoculture was the first sentient humanoid race to evolve in this universe, about one million years ago. According to the official chronology of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
is an anime television series. According to story creator Shoji Kawamori, it depicts "a love triangle against the backdrop of great battles" during the first Human-alien war....
series, the Protoculture became also the first advanced humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
civilization in the known universe 500,000 years ago. The Protoculture's first space colonization began with the use of sub-light-velocity spaceships 2400 years after their civilization was created.
100 years later they genetically engineered the giant Zentradi race for its proxy war
Proxy war
A proxy war or proxy warfare is a war that results when opposing powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting each other directly. While powers have sometimes used governments as proxies, violent non-state actors, mercenaries, or other third parties are more often employed...
fare, which contributed greatly to the expansion of the Protoculture Civilization's sphere of influence across space.
The Protoculture's second space colonization began by super-light-velocity spaceships using fold navigation which achieved the unification of a Stellar Republic
Galactic empire
Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fiction and science fantasy, particularly in space opera. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background, or written about the growth or decline of such an empire...
that controlled much of the Milky Way galaxy in the year 2800 of the Protoculture civilization calendar.
When internal conflict became inevitable 60 years later (In an event known as "The Schism Wars") the Stellar Republic became split in two factions. One of these factions created a race of super-Zentradi, called Evil with extraordinary powers; unfortunately, these beings became possessed by creatures from a parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
. The Protodeviln
Protodeviln
The ' are a fictional race of alien beings hailing from an adjoining sub-universe in the anime series Macross 7. Though some appear humanoid , and some bear resemblance of vampire-like elves, most are gigantic creatures with few human features, resembling devils...
, as they were called, fed on the spiritual energy (spiritia) of the Protoculture and Zentradi, and turned some of them into brainwashed troops of their own, the Supervision Army, but were defeated and imprisoned by a group of Protoculture called the Anima Spiritia (see Macross 7
Macross 7
is an anime television series. It is a sequel to the show The Super Dimension Fortress Macross that takes place many years after the events of the first series following a cast of mostly new characters. The show ran from October 16, 1994 to September 24, 1995 at 11:00 AM, and 49 episodes were aired...
).
However, the Supervision Army continued to battle the Zentradi and the remains of the Protoculture Stellar Republic, which caused Protoculture population to dwindle across the galaxy. The Protoculture removed the Prime Directive that stopped the Zentradi from attacking Supervision Army Protoculture effectively, but this directly and indirectly resulted in the war becoming even more intense, and involving more of the Protoculture, whose population dropped sharply. Thus, the remaining Protoculture tried to expand its existing population by seeding humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
life in different uninhabited planets and by avoiding any kind of conflict as much as possible.
70 years after the formation of the Protoculture Stellar Republic (497,130 years ago), a Protoculture Survey Ship landed on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and genetically influenced the existing native life to spur the emergence of "mankind", a sub-Protoculture adapted to the planetary environment of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
to prepare the planet for future colonization. When the Survey Ship was starting its return to its home planet, it was destroyed by military ships opposed to the Stellar Republic. Records of Earth and humankind were eventually lost.
5 years later the Protoculture lost control of the Zentradi
Zentradi
The are a fictional, militastic race of alien, humanoid giants and often the main antagonist in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime series and its Robotech adaptation....
completely, who kept their fighting with the Supervision Army indefinitely and the reissuing of the Zentradi's prime directive to "not interfere with Protoculture" became ineffective.
A final, devastating war between the Protoculture remmant, the Zentradi and the Supervision Army resulted in the destruction of the entire Stellar Republic. As a result, the Protoculture became nearly extinct 475,000 years ago, not being found ever again by the Zentradi since then.
However, when in the year 2009 A.D. of the human calendar a Zentradi
Zentradi
The are a fictional, militastic race of alien, humanoid giants and often the main antagonist in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime series and its Robotech adaptation....
fleet in pursuit of a Supervision Army Gun Destroyer
SDF-1 Macross
The SDF-1 Macross is a fictional interstellar transforming spacecraft from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, an anime science fiction series that aired in Japan in 1982–1983, and its American adaptation Robotech...
first encountered Earth humans—intelligent beings, smaller than themselves, possessed of culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and who had reconstructed the Supervision Army vessel—they believed earthlings to be the last remnants of the Supervision Army brainwashed Protoculture and sought to destroy them, thus starting Space War I.
During the events of the Macross Zero OVA (set in 2008 A.D., a year before the Zentradi invasion) it was revealed that the much more technologically-advanced remnants of the Protoculture rediscovered Earth about 10,000 years ago and came into contact with the nascent humanity in a place known as "Mayan Island" in the South Pacific. There, they left many antique artifacts and proof of their visit in the oral traditions and archeological myths of the native "Mayan" people, who they genetically altered to be able to interact with those devices through ancient chant
Chant
Chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures Chant (from French chanter) is the rhythmic speaking or singing...
s. Seeing the war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
-like tendencies of Earth inhabitants (and not wanting to repeat their past mistakes with the Zentradi) the Protoculture left a very powerful and advanced biomecha known as the "Bird Human" in the South Pacific ocean depths. This mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
was programmed to destroy the human race in case it followed the same path of war and destruction their previous creations did, and was activated and controlled through the chants of the Mayan shamans.
In The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?
The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?
, also known as The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? or Super Spacefortress Macross , is a 1984 Japanese animated movie based around the Macross television series.The movie is a film adaptation of the original Macross series, with new animation...
animated movie, the Macross Zero
Macross Zero
is an anime prequel OVA to The Super Dimension Fortress Macross released for the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Macross franchise during 2002 in Japan...
OVA and the new Macross Frontier
Macross Frontier
is a Japanese animated science fiction space drama that aired in Japan on MBS from April 3, 2008 to September 25, 2008. It is the most recent Japanese anime television series set in the Macross universe. Animated by Satelight, premiered Japan on MBS on April 3, 2008...
T.V. series, different Protoculture artifacts are shown to be adorned with a spiral
Spiral
In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a central point, getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point.-Spiral or helix:...
logo.
During the recent Macross Frontier
Macross Frontier
is a Japanese animated science fiction space drama that aired in Japan on MBS from April 3, 2008 to September 25, 2008. It is the most recent Japanese anime television series set in the Macross universe. Animated by Satelight, premiered Japan on MBS on April 3, 2008...
animated series, it was revealed in-universe that at some point during the course of thousands of years ago the Protoculture came into contact with an even older insectoid
Insectoid
Insectoid denotes any creature or object that shares a similar body or traits with common earth insects and arachnids. The term is a combination of "insect" and "-oid" . Compare "humanoid"....
galactic species called Vajra and that they came to fear, adore and deify their Super Dimension
Hyperspace (science fiction)
Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
power to the extent of imitating its form, Protoculture technology being an example of this with their Space fold devices, Super Dimension weaponry
SDF-1 Macross
The SDF-1 Macross is a fictional interstellar transforming spacecraft from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, an anime science fiction series that aired in Japan in 1982–1983, and its American adaptation Robotech...
and the "Bird Human" protoculture mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
from Macross Zero
Macross Zero
is an anime prequel OVA to The Super Dimension Fortress Macross released for the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Macross franchise during 2002 in Japan...
, which was designed to resemble a Vajra Queen.
Robotech definitions
In RobotechRobotech
Robotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985...
, the 1985 American
Harmony Gold USA
Harmony Gold is a television production and distribution company established in 1983. It is best known as the “creator” and main distributor of the anime series Robotech. It also partially dubbed the Dragon Ball series in the late 1980s....
-edited adaptation of three unrelated anime sci-fi series (1
Macross
is a series of science fiction mecha anime, directed by Shōji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth/Humanity after the year 1999. It consists of three TV series, four movies, six OVAs, one light novel and five manga series, all sponsored by Big West...
, 2, 3
Genesis Climber Mospeada
is an anime science fiction series created by Shinji Aramaki and Hideki Kakinuma. The 25-episode television series ran from late 1983 to early 1984 in Japan...
), the term Protoculture was used to describe a powerful energy source, a catalyst in genetic engineering, a hallucinatory substance, and the described "lifeblood" of two different races. As the "foodstuff" and the by-product of the Flower of Life
Flower of Life (fiction)
Flower of Life is a term used in several animanga series.-Robotech:In the storyline of Harmony Gold's Robotech, the Flower of Life is a plant species originating from the planet Optera, where it was used primarily as a food staple for the native Invid species...
, it is used by one race, the Invid, in "finding the ultimate lifeform through the ritualistic eating." The Robotech Masters
Robotech Masters
-Robotech:In the fictional Robotech universe, the Robotech Masters are a species of humanoidswho mostly appear as triumvirates, native to Tirol, a moon of the planet Fantoma. According to the Jack McKinney novelizations , a Tirolian scientist named Zor discovered the Invid homeworld, and the...
also call it "the lifeblood of our existence," and say their "foremost goal is to control this life force by conquering Earth."
In Robotech: Genesis, a six-part comic book mini-series published by Eternity Comics
Eternity Comics
Eternity Comics was a California-based comic book publisher active from 1986 to 1994, first as an independent publisher, then as an imprint of Malibu Comics. Eternity published creator-owned comics of an offbeat, independent flavor, as well as some licensed properties...
in the early 1990s, the origin and use of Protoculture is explained. Zor
Zor Prime
Zor Prime is a fictional alien character from the Robotech universe, mapped onto the human character Seifriet Weiße from the Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross source material.-Fictional character biography:...
, a young scientist from the moon of the planet Fantoma, Tirol, is part of a major interplanetary scientific expedition. On one leg of the survey, Zor lands on the planet Optera
Optera
In the Robotech storyline, Optera is the homeworld of the race known as the Invid. The Invid lived in peace and harmony with their Flower of Life for millennia until the arrival of Tirolian scientist Zor. Zor seduced their female ruler, the Regis, who revealed certain secrets of the Flower of Life...
, which is home to the insect-like Invid
Invid (Robotech)
The Invid are a fictional alien race in the Robotech storyline. They appear in the New Generation portion of the series, which uses the animation of the unrelated Japanese series Genesis Climber MOSPEADA, so their on-screen behavior and appearance matches the antagonists of that series, called the...
. Zor finds himself in telepathic communication with the central intelligence of the Invid, and through their meeting an exchange of information between the two races is achieved. The Invid consciousness learns of Tirolian science and engineering, and Zor learns of the innermost secrets of the Flower of Life
Flower of Life (fiction)
Flower of Life is a term used in several animanga series.-Robotech:In the storyline of Harmony Gold's Robotech, the Flower of Life is a plant species originating from the planet Optera, where it was used primarily as a food staple for the native Invid species...
, a flower that dominates the landscape of the planet (as well as the diet of the Invid).
By processing the Flowers of Life, the energy source, known as Protoculture, was created. Due to the greed and growing thirst for power of the Tirolian government, the planet of Optera is almost completely devastated due to Tirolian harvesting of the Flowers of Life. This callous defoliation inspires the Invid to create their immense war machine and attack the Tirolians, aka the Robotech Masters
Robotech Masters
-Robotech:In the fictional Robotech universe, the Robotech Masters are a species of humanoidswho mostly appear as triumvirates, native to Tirol, a moon of the planet Fantoma. According to the Jack McKinney novelizations , a Tirolian scientist named Zor discovered the Invid homeworld, and the...
. After the Emperor orders Zor's father killed, Zor decides to destroy the Masters' Protoculture factories. He then escapes the Masters, along with the only remaining Protoculture Matrix, inside the experimental SDF-1 Zentraedi Monitor
SDF-1 Macross
The SDF-1 Macross is a fictional interstellar transforming spacecraft from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, an anime science fiction series that aired in Japan in 1982–1983, and its American adaptation Robotech...
. After being mortally wounded during an Invid ambush, Zor sends the space fortress on a random space fold
Faster-than-light
Faster-than-light communications and travel refer to the propagation of information or matter faster than the speed of light....
, and passes away. The ship soon crashes on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and sets the stage for the whole Robotech saga.
The Jack McKinney
Jack McKinney (writer)
Jack McKinney was a pseudonym used by American authors James Luceno and Brian Daley before the latter's death.As well as adapting Robotech into novel form, they were also responsible for the Sentinels series which continued to expand the Robotech Universe...
novels expanded on the metaphysical aspects of protoculture, notably that protoculture was a form of sentience in itself. Dr. Emil Lang, Earth's chief Robotechnician, frequently referred to a cosmic force that he called The Shapings, a cycle of events and occurrences that ultimately lead to a greater event in the nature of the universe; perhaps the ultimate evolution of life itself to a next stage.
Dr. Lang believes that The Shapings started well before Zor's discovery of protoculture, and have influenced the progress of the Robotech Wars
Robotech Wars
In the fictional world of Robotech, the Robotech Wars are a series of four devastating wars that take place in the first half of the 21st century...
, including the SDF-3's failure to appear in Earthspace at the end of the TV series. He and Exedore
Exedore
Exedore is a fictional character in the Robotech Universe. In the original Macross version, he was called Exsedol Folmo.Exedore is a Zentraedi who serves as adviser to Fleet Commander Breetai during their search for Robotech Master Zor's missing battlefortress...
also suspected that the mythology of the enigmatic planet Haydon, that they have been researching, may yet have an ultimate part to play in the way that The Shapings play out. Dr. Lang and Exedore's predictions as well as the nature of the Shapings and Haydon are explored in the eighteenth Robotech novel, "End of the Circle".
By Harmony Gold
Harmony Gold USA
Harmony Gold is a television production and distribution company established in 1983. It is best known as the “creator” and main distributor of the anime series Robotech. It also partially dubbed the Dragon Ball series in the late 1980s....
's current stance, the Jack McKinney novels and the Robotech: The Legend of Zor comic series is secondary canon: subject to critical review with respect to the primary canon (the TV series) but not necessarily ruled out. The Haydonites
Haydonites
The Haydonites are a fictional, highly advanced cybernetic race that appears in Robotech and made their first appearance in the comic Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles. They are also seen the subsequent movie, Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles...
, however, did appear in the 2006 animated Robotech sequel Shadow Chronicles, although their depiction here is far more sinister. According to the Invid princess, Ariel, the Haydonites wish to destroy all races that use protoculture, because "they fear its awesome power...".
In Popular Culture
The Robotech definition of Protoculture is similar in some respects to the Vril energy described in Edward Bulwer-Lytton's 1871 novel The Coming Race, a substance used by a subterranean humanoid species of Earth called the Vril-ya; in Trevor Ravenscroft's book about the occult practices within the NaziEsoteric Nazism
The term Esoteric Nazism refers to semi-religious developments of Nazism in the post-World War II period. After 1945, esoteric elements of the Third Reich were developed into new völkisch religions of white identity. Examples of post-war Nazi mystical philosophies include Esoteric Hitlerism and...
inner circle, Spear of Destiny, it is stated that the process of deriving Vril energy was discovered by Atlanteans
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
, which involved "extracting life-power from seeds"; German rocket engineer Willy Ley
Willy Ley
Willy Ley was a German-American science writer and space advocate who helped popularize rocketry and spaceflight in both Germany and the United States. The crater Ley on the far side of the Moon is named in his honor.-Life:...
alludes to the Nazi occult fascination with Vril energy in his 1947 article, "Pseudoscience in Naziland", linking the Vril-ya to the Aryan race
Aryan race
The Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...
and Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
.