Table of Contents
  2.1 Who is Harmony Gold U.S.A., Inc?
  2.2 Who is Carl Macek?
  2.3 What were Harmony Gold's Original Plans?
  2.4 Why was Robotech created instead?
  2.5 How was the name Robotech chosen?
  2.6 What are the Macross and Mospeada Dubs?
     2.6.1 Are the Macross and Mospeada Dubs Available on VHS or DVD?
  2.7 What is Codename: Robotech?
     2.7.1 Is Codename Available on VHS or DVD?
  2.8 What are Robotech Eye-Catchers
     2.8.1 Where can I see the Robotech Eye-Catchers
  2.9 What is Robotech Wars?
  2.10 How was the Opening & Closing created?
  2.11 What is odd about episode 37, Dana's Story?
  2.12 Where is the SDF-2 in episode 36?
  2.13 What is special about Aunt Lena's name
  2.14 Why was Robotech edited for violence and related?
  2.15 Why are there Animation mistakes?
  2.16 What is Robotech.com?
  2.17 What is the U.N. Public Service Announcement?
  2.18 What is Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles (New Series)?
  2.19 What are the Robotech Remastered: Extended Edition DVDs?


     2.1 Who is Harmony Gold U.S.A., Inc?
              Began in 1983, Harmony Gold is an American company that deals in the production, acquisition and distribution of international television programming. The company is fully responsible for the creation of the Robotech series and any other animated projects for it.

     2.2 Who is Carl Macek?
              Carl Macek was the Producer and Story Editor of the Robotech TV series. Harmony Gold hired him in 1984 in producing their original plan. However, once he saw the material, he thought they could produce something with a longer running time which would be a combined 85 episode series using three unrelated Japanese Animated shows from Japan. Carl Macek should not be thought of as the main and only creator of Robotech. He did create many of the tie-in plots for Robotech, but not every detail. Most of that credit goes to the writers.

     2.3 What were Harmony Gold's Original Plans?
                 In 1984, Harmony Gold's main plan was to translate the Japanese series named Super Dimensional Fortress: Macross to air on American Television. However, they ran into a broadcasting problem. At the time, in the 1980's, there was a guideline that any TV show must have a 65 episode program. S.D.F. Macross only had 36 episodes and there was no video market for Anime to release the series on video. They decided that they would simply run SDF Macross with two other Japanese Animated series one after another without editing them. Those were Super Dimensional Cavalry: Southern Cross and Genesis Climber Mospeada. Those two TV shows had nothing to do with each other or Super Dimensional Fortress: Macross, other than the three being created in Japan and Tatsunoko having a hand in their creation. However, Carl Macek had a better idea.

     2.4 Why was Robotech created instead?
                     With the guidelines in the 1980's stating that a show must have at least 65 episodes for a TV program, Harmony Gold decided to put two other Japanese Animated series with Super Dimensional Fortress: Macross. However, their newly hired Producer, Carl Macek, had a better option for them. Instead of running these three shows unrelated to each other, he decided that Harmony Gold should combined their storylines and create a completely new show using their animation. This created Robotech, using three unrelated TV shows, Carl Macek and 8 to 9 writers worked around the clock to rewrite and/or edit the Japanese scripts and create a new universe where they were all interconnected and became one storyline.

     2.5 How was the name Robotech chosen?
                   With such cartoons as He-Man on TV, the idea of toy/show marketing was an ideal way of marketing a series and making money. Harmony Gold got into an association in 1984 with Revell, a premiere model kit company that had acquired the rights to many of the model kits based on the mecha in Macross and Southern Cross. Revell's model line was called Robotech Defenders. Harmony Gold saw that having model kits as a toy market using related mecha from their series targeted a bigger audience and made marketing much easier. There was one catch to Revell's deal of becoming the official sponsors to Harmony Gold's new creation. The TV series had to be named after Revell's toyline, and this forced Harmony Gold to use the title Robotech which became a very successful idea.

     2.6 What are the Macross and Mospeada Dubs?
                         In 1984, Harmony Gold allowed Carl Macek to create an english translation of Super Dimensional Fortress: Macross that used the first three episodes of the series and released it on video through a magazine called Heavy Metal. The only things that were changed was the main title theme and the character names slightly. This was Harmony Gold's plan to create interest from Revell to market with them for any future plans to have support. This lead to Revell's agreement that Harmony Gold must use the title Robotech on whatever came out of the company's productions. The Mospeada dub by Harmony Gold was only done as a sample. They never created one for S.D.C. Southern Cross, because it was a very recent release in Japan at the time.

        2.6.1 Are the Macross and Mospeada Dubs Available on VHS or DVD?
                       Macross English Dub Episode 1 is only available on DVD as a bonus disc to A.D. Vision's Robotech: The Masters Legacy Box Set 5. Mospeada Dub is only available on DVD as an bonus disc to A.D. Vision's Robotech: New Generation Legacy Box Set 6.

     2.7 What is Codename: Robotech?
                  Codename: Robotech was a feature film given to TV stations that agreed to air Robotech on a weekly basis. This film was aired on TV once around the country before the Robotech TV series began. It was meant to introduce an audience to the complex world of Robotech before watching the episodes. Codename: Robotech was basically an extended episode 14, Gloval's Report, by retelling the first 12 episodes of Robotech in a reminisce form. However, it was done in a way to showcase different characters, mecha, story elements, and more, giving the newcomer an idea of what Robotech was all about and an insight to Gloval's personality.

        2.7.1 Is Codename Available on VHS or DVD?
                        Codename: Robotech is only available on DVD as an bonus disc to A.D. Vision's Robotech: Macross Saga Legacy Box Set 1 and the Robotech Protoculture Collection.

     2.8 What are Robotech Eye-Catchers
              Eye-Catchers were commercial breakers before and after a Robotech episode was going to break and then return. Harmony Gold's staff picked particular actors to do lines of about the same thing for "Robotech is coming back soon" or "Robotech is back", but each had to be slightly different. This was a way of introducing new mecha and character voices throughout the series. Many of the eye-catchers from the Macross Saga showcased the mecha and voices of its episodes, and those that belonged to the second saga. However, The Southern Cross saga only focused on its own. The third saga, The New Generation, used both mecha and voices from its own episodes, while also using the ones from the previous sagas to make the viewer remember and re-watch the Robotech series.

        2.8.1 Where can I see the Robotech Eye-Catchers
                    A.D. Vision's Original Robotech DVDs has restore the eye-catchers to their episodes and are used on all 85 episodes and in Codename: Robotech.

     2.9 What is Robotech Wars?
                     Robotech Wars is a promotional video created by Matchbox that was included with the Robotech Wars Video Playset. This video includes two completely made up episodes (created with the use of multiple clips of The Macross Saga merged together to create an episode), and are called: "To the Ends of the Universe" and "Battle Royale". The main purpose was to show off various mecha so the owner would buy more of the Robotech toys. In no way is this video correct to the TV continuity. It plays dangerously with any type of story, facts, and continuity. This video includes no new footage.

     2.10 How was the Opening & Closing created?
              As you watch every episode of Robotech, the opening and closing theme scrolls by before and after each episode. Most of the animation in both you never saw in the episodes themselves. Examples of this would be Zor and Dana floating across the screen and Dana in an outfit like Musica's. So, where does this stuff come from? It's not new animation. Harmony Gold simply took the three original Japanese shows' openings and closings and combined them together to create one for Robotech that would feature multiple mecha and characters of the Robotech series.
     (Note: The Robotech Remastered Edition uses new saga-based openings and closings instead of the one formed for Robotech.)

     2.11 What's odd about episode 37, Dana's Story?
                      This episode is completely made up of used footage of multiple scenes of the Macross Saga and Southern Cross. Some viewers do notice that different scenes are from different parts of the two sagas. This episode creates two conflicts from the result of used footage. One major one is the scene of the A-JACs. The A-JACs were not created in the Southern Cross saga until much later. Another minor thing is the use of footage of the Robotech Masters as they speak as the Robotech Elders instead, in some cases.

     2.12 Where is the SDF-2 in episode 36?
                      Some ask this question, and others don't notice. Animation wise, the SDF-2 doesn't exist due to the fact that the animation is of SDF Macross. Carl Macek created the idea that the SDF-2 is in episode 36 and is referred to in the dialogue. The SDF-2 is important for the three mounds in the Southern Cross saga, because each mound is one of the three ships: SDF-1, SDF-2, and Khyron's cruiser. The SDF-2 is really there authentically and continuity wise, and some say its behind the SDF-1, but the theory of it being underwater to the left of the SDF-1 is likely the logical answer.

     2.13 What is special about Aunt Lena's name
                      A minor piece of information from Macek is that the character who is named Aunt Lena, whose is Minmei's aunt, is named after Macek's mother. A lot of his cousins used to call her Aunt Lena instead of using her full first name, Leona.

     2.14 Why was Robotech edited for violence and related?
                     As it was true that Harmony Gold edited the Japanese footage of its Japanese body language whenever it could, it also edited out extreme violence (which defines as lots of blood or blood coming out of the body like bullet shots) and any kind of nudity and panties. The reason for editing these things is due to the NBC 1980's TV guidelines and Harmony Gold's hope to be able to meet most their and other networks' rules to have Robotech aired as many places as possible. For those who think these deleted scenes were unneeded, in current times, Robotech would have been extremely edited too death. All other edits were due to storyline continuity.

    2.15 Why are there Animation mistakes?
                   While a viewer watches most of the Robotech series, they will come across these minor "mistakes" of color or bad drawings. An example of this is when the veritech colors are totally missing or get swap onto another veritech, which is seen in episodes like Blind Game, episode 10. These kind of things were left by the Japanese production not because it was overlooked, but simply the lack of time. There is a limit of time for each episode to be complete for a television production and it leaves the artists no time in fixing up any mistakes or missing items. Other "problems" might of been character/machine drawings, shadows and related are either not exact or missing. These problems are due to the same time strict deadlines, but not their artists exactly. Many artists would call up their friends from other studios to help finish up an episode in paints or drawings to get the episode done for the deadline. These solutions often cause slight mistakes or imperfect drawings. This is the simple life of a deadline television production in Japan.

     2.16 What is Robotech.com?
              Robotech.com is Harmony Gold's first and only web site for Robotech in general created in February 2001. A lot of fans were expecting Harmony Gold to have additional knowledge of the series that wasn't already known. However, the site drew together a major community of all kinds of fans of both casual and hardcore. This crowd is often a collection of fans that never realized that Robotech had an online hardcore community before the creation of Robotech.com. Only part of that old-time community has joined and used the site while many others avoid it and prefer fan-made message boards and web sites.

     2.17 What is the U.N. Public Service Announcement?
               In honor of the United Nations' 60th anniversary, Harmony Gold decided that they would produce a 60-second Public Service Announcement to increase awareness of the work of the U.N. during the 60th opening session of the UN General Assembly in Fall 2005. The Public Service Announcement was animated by DR Movie, which is the company also animating Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles. Both projects began in 2004, and the Public Service Announcement was released in April 2005. The animation uses Shadow Chronicles' character designs and ships to express the message that if humanity can come together, they can do wonderful things. The two Robotech characters are the redesigned Scott and Ariel and their dialogue is completely out of character (and they do not use the original voice actors either). Scott's alpha in guardian mode is seen along with the new Shadow Chronicles' Horizon V ships. Harmony Gold has announced that this clip is not a part of the Robotech continuity and should be ignored for such purposes.

     2.18 What is Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles (New Series)?
               The Shadow Chronicles is Harmony Gold's new Anime production that began with a feature-length movie released on DVD on February 6, 2007. Originally titled Robotech: Shadow Force, the movie picks up with Robotech episode 85 as the REF encounters the Invid. It begins the search for Admiral Hunter and the discovery of a new alien threat. This will be the beginning of an all new adventure for the Robotech universe.
               A new series has been promised to the Robotech fans since 2002 when Harmony Gold publicly announced it. However, the production for the new Shadow Chronicles series did not start until 2004. This project was spread over five companies: Harmony Gold, Intersound, KickStart Entertainment, Tatsunoko and DR Movie. KickStart is the company managing and organizing the whole project, while Harmony Gold is producing the story concepts and scripts for the new series. DR Movie under the instruction of Tatsunoko are animating Shadow Chronicles using the storyboards and designs coming out of Tatsunoko. Intersound, Harmony Gold's sound studio, is producing the dub and soundtrack.
               DR Movie, a Korean animation studio, will be animating the Shadow Chronicles series using the newest generation of Anime style that combines 2D cel-like characters with a 3D cel-shaded world and mecha. A few of the new character designs will be done by Tommy Yune, who is the creative director and plays a major role in the overall story and world of Shadow Chronicles. The series does not contain the classic Narrator or any type of narration that is known in the TV series. To a few fans disappointment, Carl Macek will not be involved with the main production either. Characters from the 85 episodes of Robotech and Robotech II: The Sentinels appear throughout the movie. However, they have new animation designs. This new Robotech series will receive full international distribution throughout the world but Japan.

      2.18 What are the Robotech Remastered: Extended Edition DVDs?
               In 2004, Harmony Gold with A.D. Vision finally decided to make an attempt to remaster the Robotech TV series completely. This became possible because of the discovery of the original audio reels from 1985. A.D. Vision were finishing the remastering  of the original Japanese Southern Cross and Mospeada, and so they believed they could do Robotech. They took the remastered footage from all three Japanese shows and re-edited them into the Robotech format. ADV left as much additional footage they could that didn't include Japanese dialogue. The footage is mostly extended scenes with more violence and nudity. From there, the audio track had to be overlapped with new sound effects to create the 5.1 surround sound. These new sound effects are often said to be overpowering and underpowering depending on the scene. The Robotech soundtrack, already remastered, was placed back over this new creation to finish the job.
               A.D. Vision made a couple of more changes, such as creating new saga-based opening and ending sequences, reorganizing the eye-catchers, and adding the 2044 timestamps to one or two New Generation episodes. In additional to that, they created a new Spanish dub with new voice actors. The Spanish fandom was disappointed, because they really enjoyed the original spanish actors from the 1980's. Each DVD contains 6 episodes per disc which causes some pixelization due to compression.
               The Robotech Remastered DVDs are not for any strict Robotech fan who wishes to preserve and watch the original 1985 episodes. This edition could be compared to the changes made in the Star Wars trilogy but not as extreme. I advise any hardcore Robotech fan to buy the original DVD release that preserve the original 1985 TV edition of the series. However, if you're not that hardcore or want a more modern experience, these remastered DVDs are for you.