by the fans for the fans

There are few series that have become as divisive as Robotech, and potentially profitable as well. A creative merging of 3 Japanese franchises, Robotech was a heck of a lot of fun, deeper than any cartoon available at the same time-period, and spawned a generation of fandom that at its height, could have rivaled many more well-known sci-fi franchises. Harmony Gold and Carl Macek took 3 unrelated series, Macross, Southern Cross and Mospeada and molded them into the series we know today as Robotech. The story told was creative and managed to transcend traditional children television at the time. Harmony Gold and its staff is to be commended for what they did with the series at the time.

However, 30+ years have come and gone since the series premiered and little else has come of it. It's not quite for lack of trying, but the sequels have all failed in some capacity or another. The Sentinels only made 3 episodes before being canceled. The Movie, well, we don't talk about the movie. Robotech 3000 looked nothing like Robotech. The Shadow Chronicles, while entertaining, failed to capture the imagination of Robotech fans. The Robotech: Academy kickstarter failed to get traction at all, and had a number of fans angry that the Shadow Chronicles now appears to have been abandoned. IMO the only success Robotech has seen since it's creation has been in toys and games, and only Battlecry from 13 years ago seems to have captured the Robotech feel. Meanwhile in Japan a number of sequels to Macross have been created and expanded the series immensely, while Robotech fans still are treated to new versions of 'To be in love.'

I feel that the time has come for Harmony Gold to sell the rights to Robotech, or at least become a minority stake-holder and let someone who has the experience and money to take the reins. I'm not sure who should take over, but it's clear that in order for the series to become relevant again the series must be sold.

As a fan I think this is what should happen

Rights are sold to a new owner
An indepth analysis by the new owner as to what parts of the series are required to maintain the 'Robotech' feel while rebooting the series with a modern story
New series is created that is not held hostage by previously created animation while still paying homage to source material
New games are made available
New movie is possible
Proper fan engagement with website not stuck in 2001
Proper Southern Cross toys

Chances are that no matter what happens, Macross will never be a part of the new Robotech, but this may be a blessing. We've all seen it through fan-art and fan stories, and even within Hollywood. There's no reason to abandon the Macross-influence completely, but there are some very creative people out here that could make some awesome designs for a new Macross-era story without directly copying Macross. The SDF-2 in the style of Southern Cross is an example that sticks out to me.

I thank Harmony Gold for all they have done for Robotech, and I commend the creative efforts that they have tried to go to for keeping the series alive, but I think we can all agree that it's time for new leadership on the series. For the fans Harmony Gold, sell Robotech.

The continuation of Robotech is in this weird sort of place. There are things the fans want to see, closure that needs to be attained. We want to find out what happens to Rick Hunter after the SDF-3 leaves Earth. We want to see Dana confronting her parents/siblings. We want to see Scott admit to himself that Marlene is gone, and it's okay to love Ariel.

Anything less is unimportant, and so far the relevent attempts have not been good enough.

Something totally original just isn't going to count. Might as well give it an original name for all the relevance it would have to Robotech fans. On that note, I agree that the only way to get the continuation we all want, is to give the rights to someone with an imagination. It's clear the current HG staff doesn't have one.

I agree, a wholly original series that doesn't take its base from the original series won't cut it either, but a reboot that makes those connections you mentioned would go a long way. I loved seeing the Bioroids battling the Invid in the Sentinels movie, and I was hoping to see more of the cross-overs in TSC, but that didn't happen.

If I were to hire anyone to remake/continue the series, it would be the people making the fan comic Robotech Visions. They have, imo, captured the style and storytelling of the series while bridging the gap between the 2 generations more than almost anyone else. I always look forward to the next step in the story.

X1 Commander wrote: I agree, a wholly original series that doesn't take its base from the original series won't cut it either, but a reboot that makes those connections you mentioned would go a long way. I loved seeing the Bioroids battling the Invid in the Sentinels movie, and I was hoping to see more of the cross-overs in TSC, but that didn't happen.

That was probably my favourite part of the Sentinels, because it puts the Masters in a wholely different light. War is always a matter of perspective, and no one side ever truly considers itself the "bad guys". Everyone is the hero in their own version of history. The dynamics of potential alliances, hostilities, and betrayals, is a key component of any human drama, and Robotech is at its best when these aspects come into play, even (and especially) when alien parties are concerned.

On a grand scale, the REF and Invid Regis should have formed some sort of alliance to combat the Haydonites. Imagine the dischord this would cause in the ranks of both fleets! The Regis and her brood just finished fighting off the remnants of the previous REF invasion, and the REF just got back from battling the Invid Regent, and now they find themselves forced to cooperate in order to survive the assault of a common enemy. Instead, the Regis took all her toys and left Ariel all alone. This was simply poor storytelling.

Marcus+Alex is a great example of original characters and stories that can be told within the existing Robotech continuity. FFS don't kill him off in the first 20 minutes! This was another example of poor TSC storytelling.

On a more personal level, something I mentioned in passing in another thread: What if Rick and Lisa were too old to have kids on their own, and they needed a surrogate mother for their child? What if that surrogate was Minmay! Imagine all of the hassle and hell Rick would catch for this. It would be the old triangle all over again, only this time there is no escape, no choice to be made, no way to get rid of her. Rick and Lisa would be stuck with Minmay forever. Find some way to force the situation, or make it part of some larger scheme. Minmay is the type to hold onto her emotions, even years later. They are the very essence of what drives her.

Maybe Breetai and the Regis could be a thing. Give them some backstory like they almost killed each other this one time, and now they become friends with benefits. If the Sentinels are at the very least, a rough guideline, then Breetai killed the Regent in 1v1 combat. The Regis could be grateful to him for this. Shake things up, keep them interesting.

Unfortunately, nothing interesting has happened since Scott left Ariel on Earth and flew off into the sunset without her. His friends should eventually convince him what a stupid jerk he was, but more importantly, he should eventually convince himself. Most importantly of all, this shouldn't spontaneously occur within the first 3 minutes.

What if it were MARCUS who finally convinced Scott to let go of Marlene and give Ariel a chance? Don't forget, Marcus was Marlene's brother. Marcus hates the Invid for killing Marlene, so coming from him this would carry a lot more weight, and perhaps Scott would be able to forgive himself for Marlene's death, and move on.

THE TIMING OF THE QUESTION IS KIND UP ON THE AIR.

FOR EXAMPLE, SONY JUST BOUGHT THE MOVIE RIGHTS AND ARE MOVING IN A FASTER PACE THAN WB. WHY WOULD ONE SELL WHEN YOU ABOUT TO RAKE IN ROYALTIES FROM SAID PROPERTY?

YES, ITS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING THOUGHT I DO BELIEVE ITS ABOUT TO BE REBOOTED. WILL THIS LET HG FINALLY DO SHADOW RISING? ROBOTECH ACADEMY? WHO KNOWS. MAYBE SONY WILL ALSO DO ITS OWN ANIMATION.

I'm cautiously hopeful about a Robotech movie under the Sony name, and I am hoping that they can pull it off.