Fine. I’ll start watching researching it. Alight then so this Index is a request from
a long time and persistent viewer and I finally got around to watching SDF Macross, you see
I didn’t want to write an episode with no concept beyond the comparatively context-light
nature of wikia articles. So after putting aside some time every week, and actually quite
enjoying it, here we go. The Zentradi from SDF Macross, (not Robotech).
By 2009 Humans had reverse engineered crashed alien tech, in the form the SDF Macross over
the course of 10 years. This led to a burst in development as they passed through the
unification wars, emerging as a single global power with a dedicated space program. On the
day of the Macross’ launch, alien life was encountered, the Zentradi Legion, a military
of devoted warriors who claim to have no culture. But in truth? War is their culture. “The
universe overflows with conflict and it is in battle that one finds life.”
The Zentradi are a race of giants. When compared to humans, they stand at around seven to nine
times the height. Ranging from 8 meters to around 16, though most fit into the 10-11
meter range. Often those of higher rank are greater in stature and many poses augmentations
in the form of cybernetics. They have a variety of skin tones, from pale pinks to greens and
a very diverse range of hair colour, green, blue, browns, greys. Despite these differences,
their genetic makeup is near identical to humans.
The Zentradi are entirely militant. There is no civilian life outside of their army
and naval structure and no efforts dedicated to entertainment or recreation. Time not on
duty is spent sleeping, eating or preparing for the next assignment. This is enforced
by a series of laws and rules inherited from the days of their creation.
I say creation, as the Zentradi were created through cloning and genetic modification by
the Protoculutre Stellar Republic, some of the earliest space faring life in the galaxy.
There are male and female variants between the species (the Meltlandi) however the same
rules that prohibit culture also segregate the genders. This serves a two-fold purpose.
The Protoculture bred them to be their military wing, but the Zentradi have the same emotional
range as humans, thought their purpose in life has created a tendency towards combat
lust or stoicism. By keeping the species segregated, the Protocultre removes the possibility of
love, and emotional attachment that can overwhelm any regimented lifestyle. It also prevents
the possibility of copula tion and reproduction outside of Protoculture controlled facilities.
What’s more, they were forbidden to involve themselves in the cultural activities of other
species, especially those that were also created by the Protoculture, the race of Miclones
for example, known as humanity. In fact their orders were so prominent, that they had even
degenerated into legends and myths by the time they encountered Earth, some 500,000
years after their creation. They too were trained to ignore skills not
centred on warfare with even equipment maintenance not being a critical skill, as it kept soldiers
dependant on the regulated supply of arms from factories that no doubt would originally
have been under the thumb of their masters. This system of control produced a dedicated
fighting force, but as mentioned, they retained the same emotional spectrum as mankind, and
therefore a range of issues would arise among their own ranks. Without a dedicated recreational
activity of any kind, the Zentradi began to find their diversion in training and combat.
This would lead to individuals testing the chain of command frequently in order to take
action that they wanted, either because it led to an adrenaline high, or simply because
it was fun. I doubt they even recognized this fault within their own society however as
they were prohibited from engaging in other cultures leaving them without comparison.
As an artificial race, they are able to replenish their ranks rather quickly, so this combined
with the tendency to “toy with their opponents” for their own amusement, led to situations
where commanders and soldiers thought nothing about throwing away their own lives to force
an enemy’s hand deduce a foes stratagem. Expending a great deal of resources to attain
relatively little intel, or results seems counter-intuitive to our understanding of
combat, where the goal is to win. This is true for the Zentradi too, but another motivator,
likely subconscious and bound into their very way of fighting was to enjoy themselves. Even
vast amounts of friendly fire were tolerated if it was justified, ergo” it got results”,
though it was penalised. Again, they would never know any different as recreation was
a cultural activity and culture was banned. Every Zentradi was under the purview of the
Supreme Commander, the enforcer of Zentradi law, the deciding factor in the direction
of the military and the only one privy to the entire scope of Zentradi history and legend.
In 2009, this was Bodolzaa. If his knowledge base was leaked, those who were not authorised
to know were executed. Below this were commanders of the individual Main Fleets, of which there
were at least 118, the Main Bodol Fleet, the armoured divisions and so on. A lot of these
fleets when not on campaign were orbiting their Homebases. Fortress stations of immense
size created from hollowed out asteroids. Each Branch fleet was led by a flagship and
those in the top three tiers of command were the only ones privy to an entire battle plan
for compartmentalisation, numbering a total of around 2000. The entire Zentradi fleet
numbers in the millions. Zentradi officers wore green and blue tunics
laced with gold trim or red coats styled in a similar fashion. Cloaks and high collars
are common attire for decorated officers. The general soldiers were expected to wear
armour while on duty. This heavy combat armour was green and purple, the dominant colours
of the Zentradi Legion. This combat armour provided high levels of protection against
enemy fire and environmental factors but did little to amplify the strength of the wear
suggesting it wasn’t motorized. In ground combat the relied on their Regult armoured
frames. Among the many technologies of the Zentradi
is the ability to fold space, creating a micro-wormhole point where any matter surrounding the drive
is pulled through into hyperspace and remerges into a new location. They had developed sensor
technology on their ships, more so than the humans it seems as their scanners could detect
life signs and energy readings with far more clarity than the Macross.
Upon encountering humanity, they consider us a threat. Not because of our relatively
modest fledgling star ships, like the Macross, but because of our embracing of cultures and
the very nature of human society in any form. Civilian life is a concept foreign to them
and not because they wouldn’t understand it, simply because they were raised not knowing
any other way than their legions of war. In fact when witnessing human activities such
as a beauty pageant, the all-male Zentradi find themselves unable to process the unfamiliar
emotions of lust or desire, citing it close to the anticipation of combat, the only reference
point they have for fun. Similar emotions are stirred when they witnessed a kiss. Even
beginning to consider it a form of psychological warfare.
Such distractions from their regimented life are considered near-heresy. Though there is
no actual religion either so maybe not heresy, but you get the picture. Artworks, religion,
recreation, civilian life, customs and traditions are all labelled under the banner of culture
and the antithesis of a Zentradi’s way of life. Exposure to these could lead to them
questioning their very command structure. When Zentradi were compromised by exposure
to human culture, the very fears of high command came true and the chain of command broke down
as Zentradi who carried out an attack on the SDF Macross’ civilian sector began to question
the morality of their actions, originally not understanding the nature of non-combatants,
the idea being a foreign concept. This growing movement within the Zentradi built and travelled
further up the chain of command until a mutinous cease-fire was demanded of their commanders
who relented, establishing a tentative dialogue with mankind. The response from High Command
was to cauterize what they saw as an contamination and order the execution of the entire 118th
Main Fleet. Thing is, the Zentradi do have a culture,
culture is a way of life formed by a society’s beliefs and actions, it’s inescapable. Honestly
their way of life is unsustainable and I’m surprised it took even 500,000 years for them
to encounter problems, though with every deviation from their military life, like desertion,
was punished with execution, so its perhaps easier to see how it persevered. You could
argue that it was only the shared ancestry of Zentradi and humanity that opened them
to the possibility of culture to begin with. Thanks for listening. The Index series will
continue as normal with the voted episode later on, but as said, this was a request
for a long time and I’ve finally got round to it. Thanks for watching, I’ve been Ric
and until next time, goodbye.