I remember the first time I ever saw Robotech... It was after school one day when I was in 4th or 5th grade. I came home and was all ready to watch VOLTRON when Robotech appeared in stead; I wasn't happy! I walked across the street to see if my neighbors had noticed the change and we all sat and tried to make sense of the unwanted new series that had stolen VOLTRON from us. And we soon forgot all about VOLTRON.....
Robotech was a unique series made up of 3 restructured Japanese animes to tell a new story for American audiences. The series told of 3 interconnected wars that raged across the galaxy to Earth where each of the final battles was meant to be fought. Robotech was smart entertainment that made GI JOE, VOLTRON, GO BOTS & the like look extremely tired and silly by comparison. The "good guys" did not always win, and were in fact not perfect, and as mortal and as likely to die as any other characters on the show. The wars that were fought were not bloodless and without consequence. GI JOE had nothing on ROBOTECH.
The series with it's 3 generations of warfare & 85 episodes was to have a 2nd season of 65 episodes called "Robotech II: The Sentinels". The 1st episodes began production but trouble soon followed and the project was scrapped. The footage that was produced was released on video (and later on DVD), and is definitely worth seeing.
The 1st 6 of the Robotech Novels written by two authors collaborating as JACK McKINNEY were Christmas presents for me one year and I soon collected all 12 of the original series. I Read The 2nd Generation novels over & over because I had fallen in love with the character ZOR PRIME, and the novels (in my opinion) were even better than the animated series they were based on. The continuity and character development was there in spades... and I was there to reap the rewards.
"Jack" followed up the original 12 novel series with a series of 5 novels telling the story of Robotech's never completed 2nd season, with some ideas of his own as well, and the result was awesome. But the 5 part Sentinels series still left some gaps in the storyline. Jack soon followed that series with "Robotech #18: The End Of The Circle", an ending to the series that he had devised himself, which was very satisfying, and 3 novels that closed the gaps in the preceding series. The results of these extra novels being added to the original 12 is a completed saga of 21 novels, and a wonderful story that spans generations.
Here is a list of the Robotech novels separated by generation, but listed in chronological order.
BEFORE THE EARTH YEAR 1999:
ROBOTECH
#18 THE END OF THE CIRCLE*
pages 85-87, 114-116, 136-139, 148-150, 204-206, 211-214.
*these flashbacks to Zor's actions and the true beginnings of the Robotech storyline may be considered spoilers, but chronologically these would be set shortly before the prologue to Robotech #01: Genesis - in deed these memories serve as an extended prologue when read in this order. I've read the series so many times, that these are just a natural starting point for me, though newcomers to the series may wish to hold off on reading them until the end of the series, when the revelations involved will hold more power for them.
ROBOTECH: FIRST GENERATION
#01 GENESIS: PROLOGUE [pages 1-8]
This first Robotech novel has been reprinted in 2 3-in-1 omnibus editions, containing the first 3 Robotech novels in 1 volume. In these editions the PROLOGUE is found on pages 5-11.
1999:
ROBOTECH: FIRST GENERATION
#01 GENESIS: CHAPTERS 1-2 & INTERLUDE [pages 9-30]
In these editions Chapters 1-2 & the Interlude are found on pages 12-30.
2009-2018:
ROBOTECH: FIRST GENERATION
#01 GENESIS: CHAPTERS 3-22 [pages 31-201]
In these editions Chapters 3-22 are found on pages 31-176.
ROBOTECH: FIRST GENERATION
#02 BATTLE CRY
ROBOTECH: FIRST GENERATION
#03 HOMECOMING
ROBOTECH: FIRST GENERATION
#04 BATTLE HYMN
ROBOTECH: FIRST GENERATION
#05 FORCE OF ARMS
ROBOTECH: FIRST GENERATION
#06 D00MSDAY
ROBOTECH: LOST GENERATION
#19 THE ZENTRAEDI REBELLION
2020:
THE SENTINELS
#01 THE DEVIL'S HAND: pages 2-15 paragraph 1, 22-27, 30-32, 38-51, 59-70, 73-85
This first Sentinels novel has since been reprinted in a 3-in-1 omnibus editions, containing the first 3 Sentinels novels in 1 volume. I never got around to buying one, so I don't really know what pages correlate to the original version, but basically all of the storyline of the launch of SDF-3 takes place in 2020, while the Invid invasion of Tirol and the arrival of SDF-3 take place in 2025.
2025 - 2030:
THE SENTINELS
#01 THE DEVIL'S HAND: pages 1-2, 15(paragraph 2)-22, 27-29, 32-38, 51-58, 71-72, 86-205.
This first Sentinels novel has since been reprinted in a 3-in-1 omnibus editions, containing the first 3 Sentinels novels in 1 volume. I never got around to buying one, so I don't really know what pages correlate to the original version, but basically all of the storyline of the launch of SDF-3 takes place in 2020, while the Invid invasion of Tirol and the arrival of SDF-3 take place in 2025.
ROBOTECH: THE SENTINELS
#02 DARK POWERS
ROBOTECH: THE SENTINELS
#03 DEATH DANCE
ROBOTECH: THE SENTINELS
#04 WORLD KILLERS
ROBOTECH: THE SENTINELS
#05 RUBICON: pages 1-183
ROBOTECH: LOST GENERATION
#20 THE MASTERS' GAMBIT
ROBOTECH: THE SENTINELS
#05 RUBICON: pages 183-185
2031-2033:
ROBOTECH: LOST GENERATION
#21 BEFORE THE INVID STORM: pages 1-222
2034:
ROBOTECH: THIRD GENERATION
#10 INVID INVASION pages 9-204
ROBOTECH: THIRD
GENERATION
#11 METAMORPHOSIS
2035:
ROBOTECH: THIRD GENERATION
#12 SYMPHONY OF LIGHT
ROBOTECH: 1ST GENERATION -
#01 GENESIS
#02 BATTLE CRY
#03 HOMECOMING
#04 BATTLEHYMN
#05 FORCE OF ARMS
#06 DOOMSDAY
ROBOTCH: LOST GENERATION (VOLUME 1) -
#07 THE ZENTRAEDI REBELLION
ROBOTECH: THE SENTINELS (VOLUMES 1-5) -
#10 DEATH DANCE
#11 WORLD KILLERS
#12 RUBICON
ROBOTECH: LOST GENERATION (VOLUME 2) -
#13 THE MASTERS' GAMBIT
ROBOTECH: 2ND GENERATION -
#14 SOUTHERN CROSS
#15 METAL FIRE
#16 THE FINAL NIGHTMARE
ROBOTECH: LOST GENERATION (VOLUME 3) -
#17 BEFORE THE INVID STORM
ROBOTECH: 3RD GENERATION -
#18 INVID INVASION
#19 METAMORPHOSIS
#20 SYMPHONY OF LIGHT
ROBOTCH: LOST GENERATION (VOLUME 4) -
#21 THE END OF THE CIRCLE
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There is also a wide array of Robotech Comics out there (which I collected for years before giving them to a friend of mine) - & - you can learn how these fall in line with the animated series HERE
And there is also a new Robotech Official Site - HERE
And here is a link to more of my own ROBOTECH ART!
ROBOTECH: BATTLECRY [X BOX VIDEO GAME & GAME GUIDE!]