..

"Robotech II: The Sentinels" & Beyond... The Sentinels was a failed TV venture that folded after the production company lost all their materials in a warehouse fire. However, to salvage funds and to attempt to generate enough interest to continue the project the frist three episodes were released as a pilot movie. The project was never completed, the novels by Jack McKinney are available through the end of the Sentinels Saga. 15 years after the destruction of the SDF-1 and SDF-2 at the hands of Kyrhon the REF (Robotech Expeditionary Forces) head to Tirol, homeworld of the Robotech Masters, in hopes to find a peaceful solution before Earth is drawn into another devastating war. However, when the SDF-3 and REF Fleet come out of hyperspace fold Tirol is under seige by a new alien threat- the Invid! What the REF learns is that the Masters have left, taken nearly all of their able and combat ready society with them, to Earth! The SDF-3 was damaged in the battle with the Invid so they are unable to fold home, however several ships (Col. Wolfe) are sent later to assist Earth once it is confirmed that Earth is fighting the Masters. What begins in Tirol is a battle for freedom amongst various races in that quadrant of the galaxy. The battles begin with liberation of several alien worlds and the formation of a the Sentinels (a freedom force led by the REF and alien freedom fighters who came to the REF for help). The saga (from the books- as the tv movie ends with the battle of Tirol and the SDF-3 being crippled) continues to a battle across half a dozen worlds and a climatic battle between the Regent and Breetai. Breetai is killed in the battle, however he is successful in killing the Regent and ending the war. The REF Fleet returns to Earth in time to be utterly demolished by the retreating Regis at the end of the Invid occupation of Earth. The SDF-3 never appears with the REF fleet and is presumed lost. Scott Bernard and a handful of others take the Ark Angel and begin a trek across the galaxy to locate the SDF-3. The saga of Robotech has finally come to a close. Notes about the Novels: There is a Jack McKinney novel "The End of the Circle" that describes events of the SDF-3 and it's eventual return, however most Robotech fans disgregard the novel, saying that it denies the heart of the series by pulling too far from the core of the conflict, the protoculture and it's ties to those in the various wars. Indeed the protoculture is all rendered useless and only a weak second matrix made by Rem (the third Zor clone) and Cabel (Tirolian scientist) is available, and at the end of the novel the robotech saga is completely without this core component. This is clearly evident when Lisa Hayes-Hunter says "The age of protoculture has passed the galaxy forever" and she continues describing Louie Nichols (Southern Cross) and his compatriots devising telepathic and telekentic power implants (another heavy theme in the novel) instead of a protoculture based saga. In addition many fans disregard his other novels recounting the series claiming that too many liberties are taken that attempt to water down or cheapen the story, such as chaging the inherent nature of protoculture seeds to a more all powerful living entity capable of reshaping physical wiring and the complete change of the veritech helmet into a mindreading "thinking cap." While it is seen that protoculture powered mecha seem to respond to living movements (ie running, leaping, turning, etc) more effectively, it is never said to be an entity of it's own. Most fans tend to believe that it's enhanced movements and such are more due to the fact that as a plant it is a living organism and it's bio-mechanical creation of the mecha with a more effective power source makes the difference. However, the books are popular among fans none-the-less and are easily found in most used book stores (or possibly through Del-Rey still).