Mr March

Made a new entry for the Macropedia that applies to this discussion. Any comments/concerns/corrections?

dreamweaver I'm just being overly cautious with what is known at this point. Personally, I believe the Vajra to be intelligent; or more to say I believe the Queen Vajra to be intelligent, an intelligence she can direct through any of her bio-mechanical drones. So far an individual Vajra cut off from the Queen has little intelligence it seems, at least if Leon is to be believed...a possibly dubious source of reliable information. There definitely appears to be Ender's Game parallel, though Ender's Game is by no means the only or first science fiction story to feature a story with hive-like aliens and the problems of communication between two species that share little in common or context. The Vajra do bear some resemblance to the description of the buggers (and also the aforementioned xenopmorhps from Alien/Aliens), the v-type virus does remind me of the piggies in the Speaker For The Dead sequel and of course one could make a parallel between the Dimension Eater and the M. D. Device in effect if not in function. I think the Macross Frontier ending is going to turn out quite differently than Ender's Game; likely much happier and much more true to Macross. The role of music, singing and culture will be prominent plot points.

Tell me about it. I watched Akira the first time with no subtitles. You talk about trippy

The Varauta fleet was either largerly destroyed with the other Protodeviln during the end of the war (the Spiritia Black Hole took a lot of victims). The directly possessed humans acting as hosts for the few Protodeviln are lost I suppose, a plot thread that was apparently glossed over at the end of Macross 7. I just assumed any non-possessed, artificially controlled humans (like the Megaroad-13 fleet) still remaining were likely handed over/rescued by UN Forces. Chlore's fleet was likely assimilated in the UN Forces much like the Adocalss fleet at the end of Space War I.

That's why it's called a theory. I'm just working from the best available evidence, but if previous Macross shows and themes are any indication, the Vajra will never be that one-dimensional. This is after all, a super-dimensional anime

I know of one or two members that have said they aren't watching the show. It's not that big a deal really. You just watch when you can. Sometimes other shows movies or life is a bigger priority, though I admit as of the last few years Macross has been a bigger priority for me I got into 24 in second season Battlestar Galactica (re-imagined) caught me at third season The Wire was almost finished it's entire 5-season run when I started watching

LOL I haven't been to the forums on Seto's website, but it's no surprise that some may not like Macross Frontier. His website isn't the only one with a different opinion, but I think we should count ourselves fortunate that most who watch Macross Frontier are enjoying it. It can also be hard to separate the real critics from the "fanboyz" too. I trust Seto's opinion, but I have found on some sites I regularly visit like AnimeNation, AnimeSuki, etc that some criticism is coming from fans who only know how to express themselves negatively even if they don't really feel that way. I'll see such fans in one thread trashing Frontier only to see them glowing after strong episode or going all geek in a tech thread. But I suppose that's the nature of fandom

Thanks for the help everyone, especially Seto Kaiba who has been working with me for a few months now to make the Macross II section as accurate and complete as possible (no small task, considering the lack of information on the internet). I can certainly add a footnote for the Macross II date found in the OST. I think that one came as a surprise to everyone. Seto and I were just discussing the year Macross II takes place this past week and we didn't yet know about that little gem. Crazy how some very important facts are found in the most unlikely places. I hope the makers of the Macross Chronicle know where to look

Is anyone doing a group buy or is Save offering to purchase through him?

Now THAT is awesome information. Thank you azrael! Absolutely. In fact, I'd love to send you a catalogue. Just provide me with a credit card number and we'll get you setup right away

J.T. Silversmith I think any aberations are just red herrings to throw off the audience. The Vajra appear ruthless, evil, and even malicious because that's exactly what the writers want us to believe so far. They want us to think of the Vajra as monsters. They even give them a monsterous, demonic appearance. How could these horrible, beastly things possibly be benevolent? I'm almost positive it's a trick and a lesson, not to judge others by their appearance. So VERY Kawamori And what about the New UN Spacy? Look at their actions through the eyes of a Vajra. The Vajra might even be mortally terrified and as a species feel they are threatened by an enemy they cannot communicate with nor begin to understand. I wouldn't be surprised if the Vajra employ "any means necessary" to destroy the humans. We'd pretty much do the same were we in their position...assuming of course that my theory is correct. And if the Vajra are a hive-like society, their natural tendencies would only amplify this little tragedy. Personally, I think I'm on to something here and I'm getting more and more confident with this theory the more I think about it. If I were a writer, it's exactly the kind of trick I'd use on the audience. I believe that when the plot progresses to a certain point, the story will demand we look at the Vajra in a whole new light. It just fits so beautifully with all the setup thus far. More than that, it gives Macross a chance to be Macross, factoring in the ever present Macross theme of the power of music and singing. Ranka will become the next Minmay, the next Basara, the next Sara. Bringing understand between humans and Vajra; bringing culture to those without. So VERY Macross

I bow to you Seriously, very nicely done azrael. Guess that solves the mystery.

Xeros If that were true, Ranka would be about 25 Shun Well, there's still other factors to consider, but I'm sure that's the basic plot. We still don't know about v-type viruses or why Grace and her cohorts are doing this. There could be financial motives (the SMS, LAI, et cetera) or it could be something else entirely.

I'd say the VF-17 Nightmare transformation control is somewhere on the throttle or stick. But like I said, I can't recall if we've ever seen an animated episode of Macross 7 that showed one of the VF-17 Nightmare controls initiating a transformation. But given that the cockpit is a HOTAS, I can't imagine it being anywhere else. HOTAS cockpits, at least in Macross, don't have much in the way of other controls (as one can see by looking at the cockpit art). Maybe it's voice activated, like a super robot show! GAMLIN KICK! Let the lame flow through me

Yes, I see the Battroid mode throttle for the VF-17 Nightmare isn't at a different 90 degree angle than the Fighter mode throttle, unlike the YF-19 cockpits. But what does that say? The VF-17 Nightmare has a HOTAS (Hands-On-Throttle-And-Stick) cockpit like all the other modern Valkyrie, perhaps even more so given the layout. So if the control for transformation isn't on the throttle or stick, then where would it be? The transformation could still be on the throttle or stick, but just not activated the same way as the VF-1 Valkyrie, the YF-19 or the VF-25 Messiah (by shifting the angle of the mount 90 degrees).

Theory time. I think the Vajra might be victims. Grace and her cohorts are manipulating the New UN Spacy and the Vajra into conflict. The ultimate irony is the Vajra might actually be benevolent, but disasterous first contact with them 11 years ago (the tragic 117th Research Fleet) lead to hostilities with humans. When the Vajra encountered the humans a second time (by chance or yet another manipulation by Grace and her cohorts) they simply attacked out of self defense. :shock: Think about it; the Vajra we see (the bio-mechanical weapons) are incapable of communicating with the humans and supposedly have small brains incapable of intelligence. In the mind of the Vajra, they are the victims, only responding to the "attacks" (intrusions in their territory) by the New UN Spacy, a force that they KNOW to be "hostile" based upon the Vajra's first encounter with the humans 11 years ago. The Queen Vajra we see in episode 13 might be capable of communication. And who does she choose? Ranka. It seems not only the Vajra Queen but the regular Vajra are drawn to Ranka. 1) the Red Vajra seemingly "attacking" Ranka in episode 1 2) the captured Vajra "reacting" to Ranka's singing 3) the Vajra again "violently" pursuing Ranka on Island 1, so Alto, Ranka and Sheryl hide in a bunker. 4) the Vajra going after Ranka on Gallia 4 and capturing her without harm. Look at the Vajra's actions through their eyes. Feel for the Vajra as though they were more than monsters. The Vajra are desperate to communicate with humans, but they don't know how Then the question becomes, why Ranka? Perhaps Ranka can communicate with the Vajra through..."music"! So Macross Frontier might be a classic science fiction tale of tragic first contact with a truly alien species, but with a VERY typical Macross spin and emphasis upon music.

The VF-17 Nightmare isn't transformed using the stick? Seems like it would be, but Idon't think we ever saw a transformation initiation in the cockpit.

Great shots. The details are everything I hope joseph is watching this topic. His fan-made VF-25 top view schematic has turned out to be incredilbe faithful to the original VF-25 model.

It might be a longer wait, but ultimately Shinsen is who I've been turning to for the most accurate facts. They produced subtitles with the more accurate definitions like Anti-Vajra ESA munitions and what not. Whenever I build stuff for my website, I try to find as much Shinsen material as possible. Glad to hear they're still working on Frontier.

Indeed! Thanks to Graham and d3v. I've got an update coming soon too. Sadly not much new material (only about 12 new profiles), but that's to be expected at this point with almost everything in the franchise now covered. However, there's going to be plenty of VERY welcome revisions, additions and other new goodies to enjoy.

Morpheus Oh, thanks Graham Had me frightened good and proper there Still, I suppose I better get my act together and get a pre-order with someone soon. The 24th is creeping up fast.

I meant no criticism, just wondered if something was wrong. If I helped improve the Macross Compendium, all the better. Thanks for your help all.

Whoa! I thought the release was July 24th? Damn, is it still available (binder and all) from HMV?

I was doing some fact checking as I build more entries for my Macropedia and I noticed on the new Macross Compendium, the aerospace company for the VF-11 Thunderbolt has changed from Shinsei Industries to General Galaxy! Is this correct?

For all your needs, from aerospace manufacturing to weapons of galactic mass destruction, LAI is a one-stop military shopping experience you won't soon forget