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Memory Matrix (Database) - The Sentinels Connection |
Many "Robotech" fans would familiar with the
fact that the character B.D. Andrews in "Robotech the movie"
was recycled as T.R. Edwards in the aborted "Robotech II: The
Sentinels" TV series. However the links between "Robotech the
movie" and "Robotech II: The Sentinels" go far deeper than
that. The obvious links are of course are the designs
for B.D. Andrews (#7) and Eve (#8 - marked above as "Eve II"
and "Sexy Robot"). Note the comment next to Andrews; "Damaged
face due to battle injuries", which means that he was meant to
survive the climactic battle between him and Mark Landry in
the original concept for "Robotech the movie". The changes
forced upon the production of "Robotech the movie" by Cannon
Films, which included the "Southern Cross" footage, forced
Macek to change the setting to 2027, which meant a name change
for this character; T.R. Edwards. The inclusion of Eve II is
more interesting. Many of the more hardcore "Robotech" fans
would already know that Eve became the basis for Janice Em who
appeared briefly in "Robotech II: The Sentinels" but played a
much larger role in related "Sentinels" spin offs such as the
Jack McKinney novels and "Sentinels" comics. She would later
be given a more prominent role in "Robotech: The Shadow
Chronicles". According to the Janice's biography in the
Robotech Art 3: The Sentinels book; "Janice is the
reconstructed, ambulatory remnant of an artificial
intelligence brought to Earth inside the SDF-1. Originally
used by the United Earth Government to control the Robotech
Defence Force and provide a conduit of propaganda for
controlling the civilian population, Janice has been
converted into a three-dimensional object by Dr. Lang".
While the Robotech Art 3: The Sentinels book alludes to a link
between Eve and Janice, the above pre-production art confirms
it. Finally, compare the line art above for the four characters (#17, #18, #7 and #8) on the far right with the original "Megazone 23" production art below; It's obvious that the initial designs were copied verbatim with very few changes, most in terms of clothing. Even the poses haven't been altered. The similarities prove beyond doubt that Harmony Gold's original plan was to make "Robotech the movie" directly continue on to "Robotech II: The Sentinels" through these characters. In my opinion the original concepts that Harmony Gold devised for "Robotech the movie" and "Robotech II: The Sentinels" were far more interesting than the final products that finally reached audiences. It’s a shame that outside interference and financial problems got in the way of what could have been excellent continuations of the “Robotech” franchise. |
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