I'd agree with that assessment regarding RW copyright rulings and add Western TM's as well.(change Unified to UN at your pleasure. UN would be how it's generally rendered on screen, Unified is an accurate translation of the terms used in Japanese).
So, it's best to say that post Interstellar War 1, it's been officially "New", but hasn't been applied consistently until Macross F. (My guess is that it has something to do with the results of the RW copyright trials, but that's just me.)
The re-organization of UNS to NUNS became an convenient tool for Kawamori to change the name and insignia of "Federal" fleets. It also provided a dramatic tool to reorganize the UNG. Empowered by the Galaxy Network, the UNG became a federation of member states. Whether those states were colony worlds or emigration fleets, each were an autonomous member world of the UNG, but separate with their own governments.
It also opens the door to inter-colonial conflicts and frees up the creative team from being tethered to emigration fleets like it has been with the last two series'.
"Macross the Race" is also expounding on the idea that Federal government is "holding back" the bleeding edge technological advancements for UNG controlled NUNS fleets and not fulling disclosing them to emigration fleets. Hence the desire / need for emigration fleets to develop their own versions of next generation fighters - VF-25 and VF-27, based off the YF-24 airframe. Not unlike how governments operate today. The US F-16 is a different aircraft than the Japanese version or even the Israeli version, yet they look similar.
I tend to believe the VF-24 is the next generation of Federal fighter that has much more under the hood than the emigration fleets are aware of. This gives the Feds a tactical advantage if the need ever arose for them to defend themselves against an aggressive or rogue state.
Edited by Zinjo, 04 March 2011 - 12:04 AM.











