T. R. Edwards
Encyclopedia
Thomas Riley Edwards is a fictional character from the universe of Robotech
. He would have been a main character in the storyline of the aborted animated sequel series Robotech II: The Sentinels
, which was later realized as both a series of a novels
and comic books
.
as part of the expanded back-story he crafted for the series. In order to pave the way for his role as a key antagonist in The Sentinels, Edwards was first intended to feature in 1986's Robotech: The Movie
; as this movie was an English dub of the direct-to-video Japanese feature, Megazone 23
, Edwards was to be the English-language version of that movie's antagonist, simply named "B.D.". Consequently, his name was originally to be B.D. Edwards, and his Sentinels character design was created based on the appearance of "B.D." in the Megazone 23/Robotech: The Movie animation. Per Macek's original vision, the movie would have taken place during the early stages of the Macross
portion of the Robotech storyline, in the early 2010s, but when the story was heavily revised for the final cut of the film, this timeframe was advanced to the year 2027—a point in time when Edwards would not have been able to feature in the story. Consequently, the plan to make B.D. and Edwards the same character was discarded, and the villain of the movie was redubbed "B.D. Andrews". While he retained his basic visual similarity to B.D., Edwards's character designed was modified to have blond hair and a slightly more gaunt face, while he gained the new initials "T.R." (though years later, even Macek's own notes, as published in Robotech Art 3: The Sentinels, continued to refer to Edwards as "B.D.").
Having been removed from Robotech: The Movie, Edwards was instead introduced by Macek in the pages of Robotech: The Graphic Novel, published by Comico Comics
in August 1986. This comic introduced Edwards as a mercenary fighter pilot in the years that preceded the beginning of the Robotech television series, and established him as a perennial rival of Roy Fokker. This story was also adapted into the first Robotech novel by Jack McKinney
, published by Ballantine Books
in 1987.
The withdrawal of partner Matchbox Toys ultimately caused The Sentinels to be cancelled after only approximately three episodes' worth of footage had been completed. This footage was cut together to form a "movie" of sorts that was released directly to video, and in which Edwards briefly appeared, voiced by actor Michael McConnohie
. The remainder of the Sentinels storyline, including Edwards's eventual descent into insanity and ultimately, his death, was subsequently told through a series of five more McKinney-penned novels, based on Macek's outline for the unproduced cartoon. A comic book adaptation of the Sentinels storyline was also produced by Jason and John Waltrip from 1988 to 1996, across two publishers, but was cancelled before it could reach its conclusion, ending on a huge cliffhanger as Edwards's evil intentions were exposed.
When Harmony Gold
decided to reboot the Robotech universe for the 21st century, much of the "expanded universe" material that had been produced for the franchise, like the graphic novel and the Sentinels storyline, was relegated to a position of secondary continuity, free to be overwritten by new material. In line this with, Edwards's early years, as seen in Comico's graphic novel, were re-imagined in the comic book mini-series, Robotech: From the Stars, published WildStorm
. Edwards was also at the heart of WildStorm's final Robotech project, Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles
, penned by returning creators Jason and John Waltrip. Prelude served to link the upcoming new animated feature, Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles
to the timeframe of The Sentinels, and although many of the specific details were different in the revised, post-reboot timeline, it broadly allowed the Waltrips to finish their version of the Sentinels storyline, including a new ending for Edwards.
and the beginning of the Robotech television series. The comic established a long-standing rivalry between him and Roy Fokker, owing to many encounters they have had on the battlefield. It is in the midst of one such encounter, in the year 1999, that the SDF-1 explosively arrives on Earth, forcing the two foes to break off their battle. In the wake of the ceasefire that the global unification of government caused by the SDF-1's arrival precipitates, Edwards is assigned to the team that is sent to investigate the crashed spaceship, alongside Fokker and Henry J. Gloval.
had been able to rescue Lisa Hayes
from the wreckage of the base, he had not searched for any other survivors, and Edwards's fury at being left for dead by Hunter shaped a grudge he would carry throughout the Sentinels storyline.
In the first act of The Sentinels, covered in McKinney's novel The Devil's Hand and Eternity Comics' 16-issue first volume of the Sentinels series, Edwards is promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and becomes part of the "Pioneer Expedition", leaving Earth on diplomatic mission to Tirol
, homeworld of the Robotech Masters
, in hopes of preventing more war. Edwards's personal means of preventing further war, however, is to conquer all the alien forces that he can, thereby keeping the Earth safe and under his rule. To achieve this end, he first seeks to take oust Rick Hunter, now an Admiral, from power, first attempting to ruin his wedding to Lisa Hayes, then undercutting his every command when the Robotech Expeditionary Force begins its attempt to liberate Tirol from the clutches of the evil alien Invid
. Ultimately, by capturing the Invid Brain, a living organic computer that controls the Invid troops, with the aid of his loyal "Ghost Squadron" unit, Edwards brings the battle on Tirol to an end, but keeps the Brain sealed away in order to plunder its secrets for himself.
The second act of The Sentinels, covered by McKinney's "Dark Powers" and Eternity's second volume, running to 21 issues, sees the titular Sentinels—a mismatched rebel cell of aliens whose planets had all been conquered by the Invid—appear on the scene seeking the REF's help in freeing their homeworlds. The xenophobic Edwards initially refuses any aid, until Rick Hunter proposes leaving the SDF-3 himself to join them on their quest. With Hunter and a large number of the troops loyal to him thus removed from the equation, Edwards is left in charge of the military remaining on the SDF-3, and begins manipulating the plenipotentiary council to his own ends. He begins to obsess over Rick Hunter's old flame Lynn Minmei, and resolves to force her into loving him, while at the same time entering into a secret alliance with the Invid leader, the Regent, feeding him information on the Sentinels' movements in an attempt to have Rick Hunter killed.
Edwards believes he has succeeded in both his goals at the act's conclusion, unaware that Rick and the Sentinels are still alive on the unstable planet Praxis. In the story's third act, told through McKinney's "Death Dance" and the 22-issue third volume of the Sentinels comics, published by both Eternity and Academy Comics, Edwards invites the Invid Regent to the SDF-3 for peace talks, then proceeds to manipulate events that lead to the Regent's apparent murder (in actuality, it is merely a clone who perishes, though even Edwards is unaware of this). This action results an escalation of war, and under these circumstances, Edwards is able to convince the council to commission the construction of a new fleet of warships that will be placed under his control, which he plans to use to take over the Earth. His plans are stymied, however, by the machinations of his rival aboard the SDF-3, Doctor Emil Lang, who delays him by facilitating the rebellion of the humans' Zentraedi allies.
Edwards's evil is finally exposed in the fourth act of The Sentinels, as seen in McKinney's "World Killers" and Academy's 13-issue fourth volume of the comic series. When representatives of the Sentinels returned to Tirol with the Zentraedi and are placed on trial by Edwards over allegations of treason, Doctor Lang is able to trick Edwards into revealing his schemes, then capturing his outburst on video and replaying it for the council. His wicked goals laid bare, Edwards kidnaps Minemi and flees Tirol, covering his escape with an army of Invid mecha controlled by the captive Brain. Edwards proceeded to meet his end in the fifth and final installment of The Sentinels, told in the pages of McKinney's Rubicon; no direct comic adaptation of his novel was produced. In this climactic chapter, Edwards escapes to the Invid homeworld of Optera, planning to use its Genesis Pits to engineer a race of monsters that would serve as his army. Ultimately, Edwards perishes when android Janice Em
holographically disguises herself as Minmei in order to get close to Edwards, then sacrifices herself to tumble him into the Genesis Pit, ending his life.
WildStorm's final Robotech project, Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles, was an alternate conclusion of the Sentinels storyline, picking up—very broadly speaking—where the Waltrip's original comic adaptation of the series had left off, with Edwards's treachery being exposed. The timeline had advanced to the year 2043 (where the original Sentinels comic had left off around 2027) and many of the specific details of the back-story were different in the revised timeline, but the story proceeded in the same basic way, with Edwards kidnapping Minmei and fleeing to Optera with the aid of the Invid Regent, with the major addition of the mysterious new "Shadow Technology" being employed by Edwards in order to set up its role in the animated Shadow Chronicles feature. In the final showdown on Optera, as in the Rubicon novel, Edwards is sent plummeting into the depths of the Genesis Pit, but in a twist on the ending that the Waltrip brothers had intended to implement for their original comic adaptation, he survives the pit and emerges as a grotesque, hulking creature, fused with the Invid brain. Janice remains his undoing, sacrificing herself to serve as a signal beacon for the SDF-3 in orbit above Optera to track and fire upon, obliterating Edwards.
The final issue of Prelude, in particular, elaborates on certain aspects of Edwards's character that are noticeably different from those of the madman from the original Sentinels storyline. Edwards's grudge against Rick Hunter is not merely over his own facial scars, but the life of a woman he loved who also perished in the ruins of Alaska Base as Rick and Lisa escaped. His goal is not the immediate domination of Earth, but in fact its liberation from the Invid Regess, who had conquered it in 2031, a story thread only made possible by the advancement of the timeline over the original Sentinels setting. Additionally, Edwards, through communication with the captured Invid Brain, appears to have become aware of the Haydonites' (one of the Sentinel ally races) true intentions which would be revealed in the 2006 film Robotech The Shadow Chronicles.
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...
. He would have been a main character in the storyline of the aborted animated sequel series Robotech II: The Sentinels
Robotech II: The Sentinels
Robotech II: The Sentinels was an attempt by Harmony Gold USA to continue the original 1985 Robotech television series. Only three episodes were ultimately animated before the project was canceled in 1986, and a feature-length film was released from footage taken from the completed episodes...
, which was later realized as both a series of a novels
Robotech (novels)
In 1987, the Robotech animated series was adapted into novel form by authors James Luceno and the late Brian Daley and published by Ballantine Books. Having previously collaborated on the animated series Galaxy Rangers, the pair's Robotech novels were released under the unified pseudonym of "Jack...
and comic books
Robotech (comics)
Robotech comics first officially appeared in print in 1985, though Comico published the first issue of its license from Harmony Gold USA under the Macross name....
.
Concept and creation
T.R. Edwards was created by Robotech producer and writer Carl MacekCarl Macek
Carl F. Macek was an American writer and controversial anime pioneer and producer of the 1980s and 1990s.-Robotech and Harmony Gold USA:...
as part of the expanded back-story he crafted for the series. In order to pave the way for his role as a key antagonist in The Sentinels, Edwards was first intended to feature in 1986's Robotech: The Movie
Robotech: The Movie
Robotech: The Movie is a 1986 American-Japanese science fiction animated film based on the Robotech TV series and Robotech franchise created by Harmony Gold USA...
; as this movie was an English dub of the direct-to-video Japanese feature, Megazone 23
Megazone 23
is a four-part original video animation created by AIC, written by Hiroyuki Hoshiyama, and directed by Noboru Ishiguro, Ichiro Itano, Kenichi Yatagai and Shinji Aramaki. The series was originally titled but the title was changed just before release....
, Edwards was to be the English-language version of that movie's antagonist, simply named "B.D.". Consequently, his name was originally to be B.D. Edwards, and his Sentinels character design was created based on the appearance of "B.D." in the Megazone 23/Robotech: The Movie animation. Per Macek's original vision, the movie would have taken place during the early stages of 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...
portion of the Robotech storyline, in the early 2010s, but when the story was heavily revised for the final cut of the film, this timeframe was advanced to the year 2027—a point in time when Edwards would not have been able to feature in the story. Consequently, the plan to make B.D. and Edwards the same character was discarded, and the villain of the movie was redubbed "B.D. Andrews". While he retained his basic visual similarity to B.D., Edwards's character designed was modified to have blond hair and a slightly more gaunt face, while he gained the new initials "T.R." (though years later, even Macek's own notes, as published in Robotech Art 3: The Sentinels, continued to refer to Edwards as "B.D.").
Having been removed from Robotech: The Movie, Edwards was instead introduced by Macek in the pages of Robotech: The Graphic Novel, published by Comico Comics
Comico Comics
Comico: The Comic Company was an American comic book publisher, headquartered in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Its best-known comics include the Robotech adaptations, the Jonny Quest continuation written by co-creator Doug Wildey, and Matt Wagner's Mage: The Hero Discovered and Grendel...
in August 1986. This comic introduced Edwards as a mercenary fighter pilot in the years that preceded the beginning of the Robotech television series, and established him as a perennial rival of Roy Fokker. This story was also adapted into the first Robotech novel by 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...
, published by Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
in 1987.
The withdrawal of partner Matchbox Toys ultimately caused The Sentinels to be cancelled after only approximately three episodes' worth of footage had been completed. This footage was cut together to form a "movie" of sorts that was released directly to video, and in which Edwards briefly appeared, voiced by actor Michael McConnohie
Michael McConnohie
Michael D. McConnohie is a voice actor and is the President of the Nevada-based Voxworks voice-acting corporation. He is known for his recognizable deep booming voice and is generally known for playing more charismatic characters...
. The remainder of the Sentinels storyline, including Edwards's eventual descent into insanity and ultimately, his death, was subsequently told through a series of five more McKinney-penned novels, based on Macek's outline for the unproduced cartoon. A comic book adaptation of the Sentinels storyline was also produced by Jason and John Waltrip from 1988 to 1996, across two publishers, but was cancelled before it could reach its conclusion, ending on a huge cliffhanger as Edwards's evil intentions were exposed.
When 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....
decided to reboot the Robotech universe for the 21st century, much of the "expanded universe" material that had been produced for the franchise, like the graphic novel and the Sentinels storyline, was relegated to a position of secondary continuity, free to be overwritten by new material. In line this with, Edwards's early years, as seen in Comico's graphic novel, were re-imagined in the comic book mini-series, Robotech: From the Stars, published WildStorm
WildStorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
. Edwards was also at the heart of WildStorm's final Robotech project, Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles
Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles
Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles is a five-part comic book mini-series written by Tommy Yune along with the Waltrip brothers, who were previously the art-and-writing team of the Robotech II: The Sentinels comic series. It was published under DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint...
, penned by returning creators Jason and John Waltrip. Prelude served to link the upcoming new animated feature, Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles is the 2006 animated sequel to the 1985 Robotech television series. It was released on DVD on February 6, 2007.- Plot :...
to the timeframe of The Sentinels, and although many of the specific details were different in the revised, post-reboot timeline, it broadly allowed the Waltrips to finish their version of the Sentinels storyline, including a new ending for Edwards.
Early appearances
Robotech: The Graphic Novel and the opening chapters of the Battlecry novelization by Jack McKinney introduce Edwards when he was a Lieutenant Colonel, acting as a mercenary fighter pilot for the Greater North East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere during the Global Civil War that preceded the crash of the SDF-1SDF-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 beginning of the Robotech television series. The comic established a long-standing rivalry between him and Roy Fokker, owing to many encounters they have had on the battlefield. It is in the midst of one such encounter, in the year 1999, that the SDF-1 explosively arrives on Earth, forcing the two foes to break off their battle. In the wake of the ceasefire that the global unification of government caused by the SDF-1's arrival precipitates, Edwards is assigned to the team that is sent to investigate the crashed spaceship, alongside Fokker and Henry J. Gloval.
Robotech II: The Sentinels
Edwards's activities during the First Robotech War, which broke out in 2009, are mostly unchronicled. The fifth and final Sentinels novel, Rubicon, reveals that during the final stage of the war, he was stationed at the Alaska Base Grand Cannon facility when it was devastated by the Zentraedi armada in the television series episode, "Force of Arms". During this attack, Edwards's face was irreparably scarred, and he forever after wore a half-cowl to cover his wounds. While Rick HunterRick Hunter
Rick Hunter, voiced by veteran voice actor Tony Oliver, is one of the fictional characters in the Robotech anime television series. He begins the series as a naive and headstrong nineteen-year-old civilian pilot, having flown for his father "Pops" Hunter's world-class flying circus...
had been able to rescue Lisa Hayes
Lisa Hayes
Lisa Hayes is one of the fictional characters in the first Robotech anime television series. She is known as Misa Hayase in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, the series which was adapted into the first saga of Robotech.- Biography :...
from the wreckage of the base, he had not searched for any other survivors, and Edwards's fury at being left for dead by Hunter shaped a grudge he would carry throughout the Sentinels storyline.
In the first act of The Sentinels, covered in McKinney's novel The Devil's Hand and Eternity Comics' 16-issue first volume of the Sentinels series, Edwards is promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and becomes part of the "Pioneer Expedition", leaving Earth on diplomatic mission to Tirol
Tirol (fictional planet)
In the fictional Robotech universe, Tirol is the homeworld of the Robotech Masters, who are the leaders of their race - the Tirolians, and their bioengineered Zentraedi troops. Tirol is the third moon distant from the blue-green, Jupiter-sized planet Fantoma, whose large ring system is extremely...
, homeworld of 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...
, in hopes of preventing more war. Edwards's personal means of preventing further war, however, is to conquer all the alien forces that he can, thereby keeping the Earth safe and under his rule. To achieve this end, he first seeks to take oust Rick Hunter, now an Admiral, from power, first attempting to ruin his wedding to Lisa Hayes, then undercutting his every command when the Robotech Expeditionary Force begins its attempt to liberate Tirol from the clutches of the evil alien 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...
. Ultimately, by capturing the Invid Brain, a living organic computer that controls the Invid troops, with the aid of his loyal "Ghost Squadron" unit, Edwards brings the battle on Tirol to an end, but keeps the Brain sealed away in order to plunder its secrets for himself.
The second act of The Sentinels, covered by McKinney's "Dark Powers" and Eternity's second volume, running to 21 issues, sees the titular Sentinels—a mismatched rebel cell of aliens whose planets had all been conquered by the Invid—appear on the scene seeking the REF's help in freeing their homeworlds. The xenophobic Edwards initially refuses any aid, until Rick Hunter proposes leaving the SDF-3 himself to join them on their quest. With Hunter and a large number of the troops loyal to him thus removed from the equation, Edwards is left in charge of the military remaining on the SDF-3, and begins manipulating the plenipotentiary council to his own ends. He begins to obsess over Rick Hunter's old flame Lynn Minmei, and resolves to force her into loving him, while at the same time entering into a secret alliance with the Invid leader, the Regent, feeding him information on the Sentinels' movements in an attempt to have Rick Hunter killed.
Edwards believes he has succeeded in both his goals at the act's conclusion, unaware that Rick and the Sentinels are still alive on the unstable planet Praxis. In the story's third act, told through McKinney's "Death Dance" and the 22-issue third volume of the Sentinels comics, published by both Eternity and Academy Comics, Edwards invites the Invid Regent to the SDF-3 for peace talks, then proceeds to manipulate events that lead to the Regent's apparent murder (in actuality, it is merely a clone who perishes, though even Edwards is unaware of this). This action results an escalation of war, and under these circumstances, Edwards is able to convince the council to commission the construction of a new fleet of warships that will be placed under his control, which he plans to use to take over the Earth. His plans are stymied, however, by the machinations of his rival aboard the SDF-3, Doctor Emil Lang, who delays him by facilitating the rebellion of the humans' Zentraedi allies.
Edwards's evil is finally exposed in the fourth act of The Sentinels, as seen in McKinney's "World Killers" and Academy's 13-issue fourth volume of the comic series. When representatives of the Sentinels returned to Tirol with the Zentraedi and are placed on trial by Edwards over allegations of treason, Doctor Lang is able to trick Edwards into revealing his schemes, then capturing his outburst on video and replaying it for the council. His wicked goals laid bare, Edwards kidnaps Minemi and flees Tirol, covering his escape with an army of Invid mecha controlled by the captive Brain. Edwards proceeded to meet his end in the fifth and final installment of The Sentinels, told in the pages of McKinney's Rubicon; no direct comic adaptation of his novel was produced. In this climactic chapter, Edwards escapes to the Invid homeworld of Optera, planning to use its Genesis Pits to engineer a race of monsters that would serve as his army. Ultimately, Edwards perishes when android Janice Em
Janice Em
Janice Em—an acronym alias for Junctioned Articifial Neuro-Intigrated Cybernetic Entity M1—is a fictional android from the universe of Robotech...
holographically disguises herself as Minmei in order to get close to Edwards, then sacrifices herself to tumble him into the Genesis Pit, ending his life.
WildStorm comics
When the Robotech universe was rebooted for the 21st century, Edwards's original debut story from Robotech: The Graphic Novel was overwritten by the new mini-series, Robotech: From the Stars. In this new tale, he does not meet Roy Fokker until after the war has ended, and shares a far less antagonistic relationship with him as his supervisor during the early days of Veritech fighter development. However, Edwards is actually a mole for Colonel Anatole Leonard, who secretly opposes the new Unified Earth Government and is working to get the Veritech program shut down so that its remnants can be placed under his control. The plan meets with failure when Fokker stops Leonard's other operative, Shawn Arnold, from hijacking the Armor-1 space platform. At the conclusion of the series, Edwards is reassigned to Alaska Base, setting up his fate in The Sentinels.WildStorm's final Robotech project, Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles, was an alternate conclusion of the Sentinels storyline, picking up—very broadly speaking—where the Waltrip's original comic adaptation of the series had left off, with Edwards's treachery being exposed. The timeline had advanced to the year 2043 (where the original Sentinels comic had left off around 2027) and many of the specific details of the back-story were different in the revised timeline, but the story proceeded in the same basic way, with Edwards kidnapping Minmei and fleeing to Optera with the aid of the Invid Regent, with the major addition of the mysterious new "Shadow Technology" being employed by Edwards in order to set up its role in the animated Shadow Chronicles feature. In the final showdown on Optera, as in the Rubicon novel, Edwards is sent plummeting into the depths of the Genesis Pit, but in a twist on the ending that the Waltrip brothers had intended to implement for their original comic adaptation, he survives the pit and emerges as a grotesque, hulking creature, fused with the Invid brain. Janice remains his undoing, sacrificing herself to serve as a signal beacon for the SDF-3 in orbit above Optera to track and fire upon, obliterating Edwards.
The final issue of Prelude, in particular, elaborates on certain aspects of Edwards's character that are noticeably different from those of the madman from the original Sentinels storyline. Edwards's grudge against Rick Hunter is not merely over his own facial scars, but the life of a woman he loved who also perished in the ruins of Alaska Base as Rick and Lisa escaped. His goal is not the immediate domination of Earth, but in fact its liberation from the Invid Regess, who had conquered it in 2031, a story thread only made possible by the advancement of the timeline over the original Sentinels setting. Additionally, Edwards, through communication with the captured Invid Brain, appears to have become aware of the Haydonites' (one of the Sentinel ally races) true intentions which would be revealed in the 2006 film Robotech The Shadow Chronicles.