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The SDF-1 Macross (also called the
ASS-1) is a fictional interstellar spacecraft from the
anime
Super Dimension Fortress Macross and its American rendition:
Robotech. It is an acronym which stands for "Super Dimension
Fortress". The SDF-1 is indeed a maneuverable space fortress capable of
going to different dimensions.
Background
In the Macross version, the SDF-1 was a spacecraft formerly
created by the alien
Supervision army. By some mishap, in the year
1999 it crashed onto an unsuspecting Earth and killed the crew. In the
course of a decade, the spacecraft was rebuilt on the island where it
crashed (South
Ataria Island in Macross, Macross Island in Robotech).
Originally dubbed the ASS-1 (for Alien Space Ship) on its arrival, it was
now called the Super Dimension Fortress 1: Macross (which stands
for Macro Space Ship).
In
2009, the ship was prepared for its maiden voyage. The captain of the
ship was
Bruno J. Global (Henry Gloval in Robotech) with an all female
bridge crew. First officer:
Misa Hayase. Chief Communications Officer:
Claudia LaSalle. The final three members of the bridge crew (known as
the "bridge bunnies") were
Kim Kaviroff,
Shammie, and
Vanessa.
History
On the day of the maiden voyage, the
Zentraedi try to capture the former Supervision craft. The SDF-1 takes
off using its rocket thrusters and attempts to escape using its space-fold
capability to escape from the moon. However, due to the SDF-1's proximity
to the Earth's gravitation field, the space-fold calculations were off and
the SDF-1 ended up near
Pluto. At the same time, the SDF-1 was close enough to the city on
South Ataria Island that the entire city was caught in the space-fold
bubble and transported to Pluto also. After the space-fold, the SDF-1's
fold drives mysteriously vanished.
The civilians from the city (who survived in sealed shelters), were
transplanted onto the SDF-1, and the entire city was rebuilt on the ship.
The ship made its way from Pluto back to Earth, persued by the Zentraedi
the whole way. During this time, the pinpoint barrier system is created
from an energy remaining from the fold drive. Also during this time,
Captain Global ordered the SDF-1's modular transformation and Misa Hayase
developed the Daedalus maneuver. Eventually, it splashed back down to
Earth. Its stay on the Earth is brief, and the civilians forced to remain
on board, because the Earth government wants to use it to lure the
Zentraedi from Earth. The new barrier system overload, which destroys a
significant part of Ontario Quadrant on Earth, cements the SDF-1's fate.
It is sent back into space.
It is during this time that Zentraedi deserters begin taking asylum on
the SDF-1 and the first Zentraedi-human wedding takes place on board.
After the bombardment of the Earth, the SDF-1 plays its role in winning
Space War I by burrowing into the Zentraedi flagship and generating a
barrier overload. After that, the SDF-1 lands on Earth once more, too
battered to rise again.
However, during
Kamujin's final attack on the SDF-1, the space craft manages to get
the energy to lift off again to defend Macross City. It destroys the
attacking ship, but is itself destroyed in the process.
Features
The SDF-1 has numerous notable features including:
- Heavy Particle cannon - a "super dimension energy" cannon capable of
taking out multiple large Zentraedi spacecraft in a single shot. It
cannot be fired often because it drains the SDF-1 of its energy.
- Antigravity Propulsion System (although these burst through the ship
in Episode 2)
- Space-fold Drive - allows
faster than light travel (they vanish in Episode 3)
- 2 super aircraft carriers - the Prometheus and Daedalus carriers,
also taken in the space fold mishap, are grafted onto the ship and look
like arms in its humanoid configuration. Misa Hayase develops the idea
of using the Daedalus to punch through Zentraedi ships (aka Daedalus
Manuever) (added in Episode 4; Daedalus Manuever first seen in Episode
5)
- modular transformation - the SDF-1's design is reconfigurable, and
it can assume a humanoid configuration though this causes much
destruction of the city within (first seen in Episode 5)
- pinpoint barrier - three crew members control three shielding spots
on the ship (developed in Episode 6)
- omni-directional barrier - a version of the pinpoint barrier that
envelopes the whole ship, but overloads under too much stress
(introduced in Episode 19; overload in Episodes 19 and 27)
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