There is something I hadn't thought of before, but they've done nothing to set it up. Protoculture honey bees, so to speak. This idea is far less fan fiction-ish than most I've heard, but with one episode left, they have next to no room to maneuver.
Everytime I hear someone say "Birdman", I wonder if they actually watched Macross Zero. Then again, we are talking Kawamori, he can retcon it anyway he wants.