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Seto Kaiba

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  1. Seto Kaiba
    The new mecha for Macross Delta: Gekijo no Walkure is pretty definitely going to be the VF-31 Armored Siegfried. I'm wondering/hoping this next series will not introduce another new main fighter. We're up to our eyebrows in 5th Gen already, and it's too early for a 6th since the fighter generations usually roughly parallel the real world ones. I'd like to see them actually show us these 5th Gen VFs that already exist in production level use. They could get the same marketing utility out of it, just with redecos of existing VFs and maybe a novel FAST pack or two.
  2. Seto Kaiba
    Simply put, by applying the advancements in material science and technology gleaned from OTEC's study of the wrecked alien ship to the modern aerospace engineering and robotics industries. Once overtechnology made giant robots practical and the new Earth UN Forces started asking for giant robots to fight off a potential invasion by giant space aliens, it was only a matter of time before someone looked at the requirement for new fighters and new land warfare robots and wondered "Can we build one thing that'll do both?" Dialog in Macross Zero suggests the variable system was initially developed in Nora Polyansky's homeland and shared to the rest of the UN Government under mandated technology-sharing requirements. Quite a lot... but what it provided wasn't just technology to be imitated, one of OTEC's goals was to figure out HOW this stuff works so humanity could apply the same principles to other applications. So their analysis and reconstruction of the ship advanced a lot of different fields. As a result, overtechnology did at least as much to improve existing technologies as it did introducing new tech. Some of the alien overtechnology was already simply advanced versions of technologies humanity had already discovered, like thermoelectric converters and particle accelerators. Key technologies that were obtained directly from study of the ASS-1's overtechnology include Gravity and Inertia Control systems, Thermonuclear Reaction generators, Heavy Quantum Reaction Beam weaponry, Space Fold systems (for FTL travel, FTL comms, FTL radar), Energy Conversion Armor, super-alloys, etc. It's implied, but not explicitly stated, that a new form of computer tech got discovered that way as well. A lot of it is human technology that's been enhanced by overtechnology and overtechnology materials. For instance, the only "true" alien technologies that humanity didn't already possess in some form that made it into the VF-1 were the hypercarbon composite structural and armor materials, the energy conversion armor, the compact thermonuclear reactors in the engines, and the AI-based computer handling the airframe's movement. It's highly likely that, given a few thousand more years, humanity would've developed most or all of it on their own by studying the galaxy's native super dimension lifeforms like the Vajra and Vahla Ena. We've already started to defictionalize a fair amount of it today. NASA's been working out the practical aspects of thermonuclear fusion-powered jet turbines for aviation, carbon allotrope thermoelectrics, high-output fiber laser weaponry, carbon allotrope composite materials that are super-tough and super-light, and pure fusion warheads.
  3. Seto Kaiba
    Well, it's certainly going to help them blend in with the official Macross Blu-rays... those are averaging like $63.50 a disc, and the box sets generally don't discount that.
  4. Seto Kaiba
    Having freshly risen from a NyQuil coma in the middle of the freaking night, I shall now set about to delivering more knowledge! To be honest, I'm not sure I would characterize the YF-21 as fundamentally superior to the VF-22. The YF-21 was a bleeding-edge prototype, but as a result the (for the time) ultra-high performance it offered came at the expense of being incredibly unstable, the consequence of making half of the VF's computer the pilot's grey matter. Granted, the VF-22 axed some of the more groundbreaking design aspects of the YF-21 prototype like the active aeroelastic wing material and the Brainwave Control System, but what it lost in maneuverability and precision of control it gained back in terms of stability of control (or "pilot-friendliness") and improvements in both cost-performance and passive stealthiness thanks to a fully internalized set of weapons and the elimination of expensive material requirements. If I were to argue that any one member of the Sturmvogel II family were truly superior to the others, it'd have to be the VF-22HG Schwalbe Zwei. That achieved the performance the YF-21 was aiming for by incorporating the perfected Brain Direct Interface system using implants, though it did lose a bit of maximum engine output (like 25kN or so). I'm guessing this question was prompted by Isamu's attempt to "recapture" the YF-19's performance via the VF-19EF/A so-called "Isamu Special"? The answer is that, really, there's nothing about the YF-19 that was superior to the later models. It was a much more conventional design than the YF-21 and its development was closer to completion than the YF-21 at the time of the Sharon Apple incident, and was selected as winner of Project Super Nova on those grounds. Shinsei Industry's uphill battle after that victory was all about a lack of maneuverability control. The YF-19/VF-19A was approximately as stable as a biscuit raft, and as a result there were many accidents in training where pilots lost control of the aircraft due to its own ultra-high performance. That put the kibosh on it being next main fighter and leaving a smarting Shinsei Industry to spend the next two decades trying to find ways to improve the VF-19's handling without compromising its performance. The VF-19 2nd mass production type, most commonly associated with the VF-19F and VF-19S, was one attempt to make a VF-19 that was friendlier to the average pilot. The fuselage was redesigned to improve aerodynamic stability, the ARIEL airframe control AI was modified to improve handling and ease of control, and for the third or fourth time in the project switched to an engine that had more stable output. Its performance and handling were much improved over the YF-19/VF-19A. What Isamu was trying to achieve via the VF-19EF/A "Isamu Special", variously also known as the VF-19 SMS Type and the VF-19ADVANCE Excalibur Advance, was a very deliberate and carefully chosen set of downgrades to the VF-19EF Caliburn to make something that handled like the "untamed" YF-19-2 he piloted for Project Super Nova. A fighter that was monstrously unstable and dangerous to its pilot, but also quite fun for him to fly. (After all, this was basically the equivalent of a midlife crisis sportscar for him.)
  5. Seto Kaiba
    Almost certainly a legal issue involving the limitations on Harmony Gold's license. The Robotech brand can't legally market any merchandise based on the original three shows in Japan, because the Japanese domestic market is specifically excluded from the scope of their rights under license. It'd be treated as bootleg merchandise if sold in Japan.
  6. Seto Kaiba
    On occasion, Zentradi has been compared to Chinese in that it seems to be a tonal language where the meaning of a word can be changed depending on its inflection. Macross Chronicle, however, notes that its grammar and alphabet are very close to those of Latin-derived languages. Depending on how it's used, "deculture" can have either positive or negative meanings. If you'll forgive me for dating myself with some references to old slang, the usage is almost "sick" in which it could mean either "that's disgusting" or "that's awesome" in a different context. Used negatively, like the Zentradi in DYRL?'s opening do, "deculture" translates to something like "outrageous", "scandalous", "unthinkable", or "disturbing". Used positively, the way Ranka does in Macross Frontier, its meaning becomes more like "amazing", "incredible", "wonderful", or "awesome". "Yakk deculture!" is basically "How disturbing!" or "How amazing!". That is a LONG list. There's a reason Macross Chronicle's glossary is 27 double-sided pages.
  7. Seto Kaiba
    IIRC the artist confirmed back when Titan was teasing issue #1 that they had given permission for the comic to use the art. I know they also paid Artgerm to redraw an existing piece their of Macross fanart featuring DYRL? Minmay to put her in her dress from the Super Dimension Fortress Macross TV series instead, for one of the other variant covers.
  8. Seto Kaiba
    Many times, yes... and, as @Master Dex indicated, if you cut out all the wordy explanations the Aesop at the end is that the YF-30 blows either version of the VF-31 into the weeds with little difficulty. Sorry it took so long to start writing this, I'm battling a bit of a cold. Structurally speaking, Shinsei Industry and L.A.I.'s YF-30 Chronos is as similar as you'd expect to the Surya Aerospace VF-31 given that the VF-31 was derived from it. The YF-30's airframe stands a little taller (4.02m vs 3.85m) and has a wider wingspan (15.62m vs 14.14m for the Kairos or 13.70m for the Siegfried), but the VF-31's airframe is slightly longer (18.84m vs 19.31m). The YF-30 is also marginally lighter than the Kairos and Siegfried customs, at 8,106kg (w/o ordnance container) vs 8,250kg (VF-31A) or 8,500kg+ for all the Siegfrieds. Performance-wise, the YF-30 blows any version of the VF-31 into the weeds. Its FF-3001/FC2 Stage II thermonuclear reaction turbine engines boast an impressive maximum rated thrust of 2,110kN apiece, for a thrust-to-weight ratio of 53.085. The trial production spec for the VF-31A and -B Kairos is using a slightly uprated version of the VF-25's FF-3001A Stage II engines, at 1,645kN or a thrust-to-weight ratio of 40.664. The VF-31 Siegfried customs are all using derated FF-3001/FC2 engines spec'd at 1,875kN... as each variant is slightly different in mass there's no hard-and-fast number for all of them but the best of them is Hayate's VF-31J at 44.854. All of these numbers are without any improvement in performance conferred by a fold wave or fold dimensional resonance system, and are all without the ordnance container factored in. For reference, the VF-25A-1 Messiah's engine output was rated at 1,620kN for a thrust-to-weight ratio of 39.098, which makes the VF-25 seem slightly less capable but you have to remember the VF-25 doesn't have a sizable chunk of its airframe missing at that mass. Unboosted, the YF-30 is working with about 18.4% more engine power AND less weight. We can't say for certain how much bigger its advantage gets as a result of the fold dimensional resonance system being far superior to the Siegfried's fold wave system, but as the Siegfried's boost is only 15% (getting it to a respectable 50.984) it's not going to touch even an unboosted YF-30. A boosted YF-30 is at least comparable to a YF-29B, so that suggests 25% or more. In terms of armament, the YF-30 comes up a bit short in diversity of armament given that it's a technology demonstrator rather than a model produced for combat use. The VF-31 has the advantage of those railguns in the forearms to complement its less-powerful heavy quantum beam gunpod and it has built-in micro-missile launchers to compensate for the standard ordnance container being given over to Walkure support gear instead. I'd still rate the YF-30 higher, given that its standard ordnance container holds actual weapons and its heavy quantum beam gunpod has beam grenade mode AND an MDE option. The option of a MDE beam cannon turret for an ordnance container in the novel gives the YF-30 a commanding advantage, IMO. The real kicker is the YF-30 having that Fold Dimensional Resonance system that is explicitly superior to the YF-29's Fold Wave System. That gives the YF-30 the ability to cross a fold fault (including a fault fold barrier) and a technically-unlimited supply of power and the ability to run its energy conversion armor and pinpoint barrier at full power in all modes. The VF-31 Siegfried uses a fold wave system, the fold dimensional resonance system was a proprietary development by SMS Uroboros that the company went to considerable lengths to avoid disclosing. Master File suggests, though it isn't a reliable source, that the VF-31 Siegfried's fold wave system uses much less fold quartz than the YF-29's. The stock VF-31 Kairos has neither system, but Xaos's Kairos units are equipped with fold carbon-based fold amps to operate in support of Walkure. They're not as effective as those based on fold quartz that were used on the YF-29 and VF-31 Siegfried. It's not clear if the YF-30 had a fold amp or not, but it's possible the fold dimension resonance system can do that. The Sv-262 Draken III has a fold reheat system. I see my description of it as a poor man's fold wave system has caught on. Its only function is improving the maximum thrust of the FF-2999 Stage II thermonuclear reaction turbine engines by 25% on the Ba variant and 30% on the Hs command variant. As far as we know, the VF-31 Kairos is essentially a bog-standard mass production 5th Generation VF of fair-to-middling performance. The one thing we can say is it's probably better at close air support given its less-powerful weaponry, and we know the Siegfried custom version is optimized for close air support of Walkure with its weapons even further derated.
  9. Seto Kaiba
    All things considered, isn't this a bit contradictory? I mean, internet drama is essentially the only "result" that the Robotech franchise can be counted on to produce and the franchise is run and represented by crazy people. The last twelve years or so have been marked by almost nothing but internet drama between the acrimony over Tommy Yune's reboot to the Robotech canon, the witch hunt over generally negative fan reviews of Shadow Chronicles, the stealth cancellation of Shadow Rising and lies about it still being in development, the acrimony over their adaptation of MOSPEADA: Love Live Alive, the massive backlash over the Robotech RPG Tactics Kickstarter, the amusingly karmic self-destruction of the Robotech Academy Kickstarter, and Titan Comics' hat trick of controversies by engaging heavily in tracing, stealing the VF design, and having the comic written by a writer notoriously dogged by accusations of sexual harassment, plus Harmony Gold's standard lot of spurious and absurd lawsuits and legal demands... and that's just the highlights! Let's be honest here, none of us are following this comic thread out of any real interest in the comic itself. This thread is all about people going "Gather round! Gather round! Let's all look at the freak!" every time a new piece of increasingly terrible art is released online.
  10. Seto Kaiba
    Macross Delta episodes 10 and 11. In episode 10, in the pre-credits scene about 25 seconds into the episode Berger is depicted apologizing for the Epsilon Foundation falling behind schedule analyzing the systems on the Sigur Valens and reports that the analysis of the ship's systems is 45% done. In episode 11, about 6 minutes in Berger is present in a meeting with King Grammier where Roid's shocked to learn that Berger's analysis of the Sigur Valens has reached the point where the ship can be activated. Macross doesn't observe a One Steve Limit.
  11. Seto Kaiba
    As far as we know, just one... General Galaxy. The way it's been described, the Macross Galaxy mainland ship was essentially run as a self-contained branch or subsidiary of the General Galaxy corporation. It was sort of like a dystopian version of Walt Disney's EPCOT concept, being a corporate-run techno-futurist community that functioned as a spaceborne R&D facility for its parent company where development and testing of highly controversial and/or bleeding edge secret technology could be done largely uninterrupted. It probably wasn't intended to be a dystopia, and probably didn't start out that way, but once the large-scale implementation of implant technology enabled the execs to mind control the populace there really wasn't anything stopping them from turning it into a cost-effective hellhole. Milia may have been, she just is never seen taking a direct role in military operations until Operation Stargazer... much like how President Glass left the NUNS fleetmaster to run things. We've known for ages that Macross VF-X2 was a significant story, it plays a big role in Macross R, Macross 30, and via novels it ties into Macross Frontier, Macross 7, and a few others. I do have to admit it was definitely a bit of a shock learning that Johnson's knack for picking the wrong side led to him joining two terrorist groups. It definitely explains why the only jobs he could find were out in the space boonies. There might still even be an active warrant or five for his arrest in the core systems. It's not really that surprising, considering the Epsilon Foundation is even shadier than General Galaxy and in both Macross E and the Macross Delta series proper seems to be the Macross universe's equivalent of UC Gundam's Anaheim Electronics... selling to both sides for maximum profit. Another reason it's not particularly surprising is that Berger Stone's Epsilon Foundation branch was the one responsible for all the restoration work on the Sigur Valens and the study of the Protoculture ruins it was meant to work with because Windermere IV did not have the necessary technical base to do it. This guy's people spent probably several YEARS poking around inside that ship for the purpose of restoring it, it would be shocking if he hadn't had some inkling of what it was actually built to do. If it's anything at all like the Fold Evil or the ruins in the Varauta system, there was probably a big freaking sign somewhere saying "WARNING! DO NOT TOUCH! THIS WILL MAKE YOUR HEAD EXPLODE!" or a recording from the ship's creators explaining why it was a stupid idea and that they'd decided not to use it. That's because, due to lazy writing, Roid's plan basically IS Grace's plan... just without the forced cyborg-ization.
  12. Seto Kaiba
    Unlikely, IMO... condensing ten-and-a-half hours of the Macross Delta series into a two-hour movie is not going to leave much room for new effects sequences. Especially given that the movie is almost certain to be as unbalanced as the series was in terms of its focus on Walkure vs. Delta Flight and the actual goddamn war. One has to wonder how many Macross Delta art assets will be reused for this new series, whenever it airs. Macross Delta itself had relatively few new CG models, mostly recycling ones from Macross Frontier. Assuming the new series is going forward in time, I'd bet against it. Kawamori has always liked to start fresh with an all-new place he can tailor to the story's whims when a new series is in the works. Plus I'm not sure any competition between SMS and Xaos could be anything but one-sided. Strategic Military Services is an elite, proposterously well-funded and well-equipped organization that recruits top aces out of the federal New UN Forces. Xaos is bush league by comparison, a financially-troubled PMC outfit with lax discipline and a troubled operational record that depends on their parent company's entertainment branch to keep the lights on and has to recruit washouts from local New UN Forces garrisons. A competition between Xaos and SMS would be rather like sending a platoon's worth of out-of-shape mall cops up against an outfit like Delta Force or Seal Team Six.
  13. Seto Kaiba
    As the originator of the art, and as someone who publicly claims that it's both an original work wholly owned by him AND has also admitted publicly that it's strongly derivative of the VF-1 and VF-0, it's a cert that he'd end up with a summons... whether he would be charged with copyright infringement on his own or would become a party to HG's defense is down to Big West's temperment and/or Harmony Gold's personal inclincation. Their saving grace is probably that Titan Comics jettisoned the artist's original VF-0B-style head and replaced it with heads that are taken right off the VF-1. The two designs are similar enough that it'd be down to a jury in court to decide if they were different enough to be considered a distinct design.
  14. Seto Kaiba
    We don't know how big Macross-29 is, though... probably not very, given that it abolished its own military contingent. That alone might account for the government's chief executive being a mayor rather than a president. What Chronicle was referring to was cases like Macross Galaxy, which doesn't even have a democratic government and is run as a corporation instead.
  15. Seto Kaiba
    Eh, the amateur dramatics he indulged in when he tried (and failed) to market his fanart on various Macross Facebook groups did leave a distinct whiff of reality TV-esque bullsh*t drama on the wind. He took it rather poorly when people pointed out it was kind of legally and ethically dodgy to sell Macross-based fanart to Harmony Gold, equally dodgy to try to commercialize that fanart for profit when it was clearly derived from the VF-0 (doubly so after selling it to HG), and that said sale made his work Robotech by default and thus unwelcome on most Macross groups. He ragequit or got banned from half a dozen groups in two days. HG could probably make a case against him since it's similar enough to the VF-1 design to raise eyebrows and he incorporated VF-1 paintjobs into the CG model's collection of skins, which is a clear violation. If he did that, he'd be the first one Big West sued... or at the very least end up a codefendent with HG and Titan. Probably not, though it wouldn't help them any.
  16. Seto Kaiba
    Your guess is as good as mine. Misa took Hikaru's name when they got married and their daughter's name is Miku, not Yoshi. (Yoshi being a man's given name makes it doubly odd... maybe they meant Yoshie?) Sort of. Though all indications are that it's going to end in the same place the TV series was supposed to... with the departure of Megaroad-01. It's pretty much a given that there won't be any kind of direct sequel to the original Macross series like the OP wants.
  17. Seto Kaiba
    Offhand, I don't recall if its status is ever explicitly discussed in the context of the Macross Frontier: Sayonara no Tsubasa film... the film's novelization, however, does confirm that it is a real, working VF-1 Valkyrie. It's described as being a VF-1X++, presumably it's something somone acquired from a military disposal sale since the VF-1X++ is a New UN Spacy Special Forces-issue variant that is actually meant to capitalize on the ubiquitousness of civilian market VF-1 derivatives to be as inconspicuous as a thirteen meter tall robot can be. (Another civilian owner of a VF-1X++ is Hakuna Aoba, one of the main characters from Macross the Ride, whose ride as a Vanquish League air racer was a custom VF-1X++ until it was destroyed and replaced by the VF-0 Custom "Zeak", which is essentially a YF-25 thinly disguised as a VF-0.) Exactly what the VF-1 on top of Mihoshi Academy's roof is varies from version to version. In the Macross Frontier animation it's a VF-1A-6 or later done up with the markings of Hikaru Ichijo's Skull 11 from Macross: Do You Remember Love?. In the manga where it's depicted as a still-functional fighter, it's a VF-1J-4 or VF-1J-5 like Hikaru's VF-1J from the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross series.
  18. Seto Kaiba
    Gubaba and I had a chat with the artist behind this design on Facebook not too long ago, and what he told us seems to be quite a bit different from what he told you. What he told us was that his fanart was used without his knowledge or consent, and that he'd only learned of its use after Titan Comics had sent the first issue to print via a friend who was following the comic. He also made the claim that he contacted Titan Comics shortly thereafter, and that Titan Comics and Harmony Gold paid him for the continuing use of the fanart in question so that he wouldn't take them to court for using it without permission in the first issue and would not need to design a replacement on short notice. (Of course, after seeing him get kicked from several different groups for advertising his tissue paper-thin VF-0 knockoff without permission and/or as a 100% original design in true "original character, do not steal" fashion, I'd say he has a screw loose but I'm honestly not convinced he has one screw fully tightened. He doesn't seem to realize that the only thing stopping HG from suing HIM for commercializing a CG model that's obviously derivative of the VF-1 was that he sold the rights to it to them.)
  19. Seto Kaiba
    Outside of its very small, but devoted, fanbase... does anybody care about Robotech besides fans of either Macross or BattleTech wishing it'd hurry up and put the other foot in the grave? We know Harmony Gold doesn't. History suggests the Agramas are much more interested in using the franchise's distribution rights to launder money in tax havens than actually developing anything new. Quite the contrary, I say you didn't go too far enough! This is some straight-up uncanny valley nonsense most of the time, with poses and facial expressions that don't line up with what's actually going on.
  20. Seto Kaiba
    Oh, all sorts. Macross II: Lovers Again was the first title to introduce the notion of a commercially-available VF for civilian use. The series materials describe the introduction of the first civilian market VF, the VC-051, as a multipurpose vehicle meant for government and private sector use as a VTOL jumpjet with high endurance for things like natural resource management, search and rescue, mapping, etc. It found its way into the leisure craft market soon after, and became enormously popular. Its successor, the VC-079, is seen in the Macross II OVA outfitted with high-powered camera systems for use as what you might call a space-capable news helicopter analogue. Civilian market VFs later appeared in Macross 7 and Macross Dynamite 7, though those were a mix of decommissioned and disarmed military models and models actually built for civilian use. They're depicted in a variety of roles. The ones in Macross 7 were leisure craft. The ones seen in Macross Dynamite 7 were working craft outfitted for wildlife management use, and one was later seen with space welding equipment working on the construction of a new Battle-class to replace Battle-7. In the Macross the Ride light novel, civilian market VFs are shown used as leisure craft for air racing, while the Macross Frontier novelization has some that are used as training aircraft for the students from the space navigation major at Mihoshi Academy. Macross 30 depicted civilian-use VFs as an easy way for civilians to get around on planets like Uroboros where the local geography isn't very cooperative (and sometimes airborne and highly mobile), as well as convenient tools for wildlife and natural resource management, law enforcement, and even for archaeological study of Protoculture ruins (which are not the safest place to be). Virtually all of the civilian market VFs in the main Macross chronology fall into one of three categories: Old, disarmed VFs that were previously operated by the New UN Forces and were sold off to civilians after being phased out and finally retired by the military. Most of the VFs from the light novel Macross the Ride are in this category, incl. Chelsea Scarlett's VF-11B Nothung II custom, which was made by combining parts from three incomplete airframes the New UN Forces sold off in 2058. Many of the civilian VFs in Macross 7 are also this type, with Milia's being the noteworthy exception. Derivatives of military training aircraft that were specifically produced as unarmed, detuned versions meant specifically for civilian use. The best example of this is the VT-1C first seen operated by civilians on Zola in Macross Dynamite 7. Unarmed versions of current military spec VFs that were produced for PR-friendly activities like company-sponsored air racing teams. Several of these appear in Macross the Ride, like Oscar Brauhitsch's VF-19A Custom that he pilots for Team Shinsei, the VF-17 Song Cuu Long, or the VF-19ACTIVE Nothung that Chelsea Scarlett operates for Team SMS (which is covertly a test aircraft for the VF-25 program). There are a few exceptions to those rules, like Magdalena Zielonaska's Sv-52 Oryol, which she claims is a disarmed Sv-51 that's been extensively retrofitted with modern technology, or Milia Jenius's VF-1J, which was somehow allowed out of the military's sight while still outfitted for combat use complete with Super Packs. Many civilians in Macross 30 are operating replicas of military-issue VFs that have been outfitted with weaponry due to the dangerous local wildlife. Macross II's VC-051 and VC-079 are the only ones I recall offhand that were actually designed from the ground up for civilian use. Destroids don't do so good in space, or environments where the ground isn't stable, or in working environments where being highly mobile is an asset... it's there where the civilian utility VF shines. The utility of a fighter jet is a LOT lower... when someone buys an old military jet for personal use it's a pleasure craft or a museum display piece.
  21. Seto Kaiba
    There were a few in the Pocket Books Star Trek: the Next Generation line that I remember enjoying, in no small part because they were treated as stand-alone "episodes" set during the series. I rather enjoyed Masks and Gulliver's Fugitives from that series. Q-Squared would've been enjoyable if they hadn't spent so goddamn much time on "Trelane is insane now". The Star Trek: Enterprise relaunch has its moments, if you ignore all that rot with the Caeliar which tied into Star Trek Destiny. I'd rate the Archer/Reed/T'Pol A-plot in the Rise of the Federation story arc as probably the best material the various relaunches have produced... provided you exclude the novel Uncertain Logic, which boasted an idiot plot that requires every living Vulcan to be a drooling moron with the attention span and memory of a goldfish. The ongoing B-plot of "Trip Tucker is an agent of Section 31" sucks a lot of the enjoyment out of it though, since he's arguably the galaxy's most inept spy and is constantly being captured and manipulated by his captors. It also lost a few points for having what may be the most cringeworthy and forced attempt to be transgender-inclusive that I've ever seen. The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine relaunch had a few good installments. The Left Hand of Destiny's probably its finest hour, being essentially a Klingon version of the Arthurian mythos with Martok as Arthur. The only downside was it absolutely put Martok through the wringer and managed to take several one-note characters and make them extremely likeable before killing them off. (Especially Martok's aide-de-camp.) The Never-Ending Sacrifice was pretty good, like Martok's The Left Hand of Destiny duology, it's a more in-depth look at the geopolitical (astropolitical?) situation in an alien power (Cardassia) as seen through the eyes of someone who doesn't necessarily agree with all of their culture's views. (And boy did they ever make poor Rugal WORK for his happy ending.) Articles of the Federation was pretty good, for many of the same reasons above, being a more in-depth look into the running of the UFP's government via terribly snarky and sarcastic President Nanietta Bacco (fmr. councilor for Cestus III). Almost everything in the Star Trek: the Next Generation relaunch is rubbish, with a high turnover in characters as the authors try every lame cliche they can think of in the hopes of coming up with one that's actually likeable. Their worst so far seems to be a Vulcan genki girl, but the security officers trying a mutiny on Picard was just too much to believe. The Star Trek: Voyager relaunch less a dumpster fire and more an out-of-control dumpster inferno featuring some of the worst prose I've ever laid eyes on in ANY franchise EVER. The writers have Janeway live down to EVERY negative stereotype of "strong women" possible, and she achieves never-before-seen heights of Mary Suedom as a result. Its sole redeeming feature is the new ship's counselor, Hugh Cambridge, who is so utterly, transparently modeled on Hugh Laurie's titular character from House that it's astonishing they haven't been sued yet. (Did we mention Mr. Laurie attended Cambridge, just in case anyone was in any doubt where that name came from?) He's the one straight man who seems to realize how utterly crappy the books are and is resolved to punish the entire cast in the most ironic fashion possible, which is often hilarious... like locking Harry and Tom in the holodeck and torturing them both in the guise of Chaotica for several days. Outside that, I'm quite fond of How Much for Just the Planet?. It's campy enough that it feels like it really could be an episode of TOS or TAS with very little effort, and manages to be quite funny for a series that ostensibly doesn't do comedy. (Reading it, one might come down with the headcanon that Willy Wonka as portrayed by Gene Wilder is a native of Direidi, possibly one of their politicians.) It's ham and it REJOICES in it.
  22. Seto Kaiba
    So, being half the man he used to be has actually improved him? That's almost enough to make me watch the shows.
  23. Seto Kaiba
    Ja.
  24. Seto Kaiba
    Don't forget the Macross Cannon-class, and the Battle-class covers a multitude of sins since we've seen at least three major variations/subclasses1 and it's strongly implied that no two of them were truly identical. (The same is explicitly stated for the Macross-class SDFNs, that no two conform to precisely the same spec because a lot of their hardware was diverted from Zentradi warships.) If the Sayonara no Tsubasa movie is any indicator, the Macross Quarter-class has the same issue... Technically, the Battle-class, Quarter-class, and Elysion-type are all capable of that... independently operable modules has been explicitly described, including the ability of the Gunship to fire using its internal reactors, but never properly animated. Macross Elysion was the first to actually depict the freely-detachable modular components operating independently in the case of the Aether and her sister ship Hemera... sadly with no sign of the long-awaited Rocket Punch. 1. Respectively, the Initial Type of which the Battle 7 was a representative sample, the Next Generation Type that Macross 13 was, and what I'll call the Late Type that Battle Galaxy and Battle Frontier were. It could be argued, given that the distinction is made for the fleet-specific variant subclass of the Northampton-class stealth frigate that the Battle 5 represents a fourth major variation as a Zentradi Type.
  25. Seto Kaiba
    It isn't even being made by people who have any interest in or familiarity with Macross. Like most Robotech projects, this is a "do it quick, do it cheap, and to hell with the quality" project.
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