Zor Prime
Encyclopedia
Zor Prime is a fictional alien character from the Robotech
universe, mapped onto the human character Seifriet Weiße from the Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross source material.
of Zor, the Tirolian scientist who was the father of Robotechnology. The Robotech Masters
created him in the hope that they could stave off their own demise, having become utterly dependent upon their now failing Robotechnology. They hoped that his memory might contain the secrets that his progenitor took to his grave. When their efforts to recover his memory failed, the Masters used the clone as a commander for their army of the Bioroid shocktroops. Zor Prime's natural abilities placed him at the front lines of the Second Robotech War, where he frequently fought against Dana Sterling
and the 15th ATAC (Armored Tactical Assault Corps).
Eventually convinced that the humans might have recovered the secrets they needed from the wreckage of the SDF-1 battle fortress that had crash-landed on Earth more than two decades earlier, the Masters allowed Zor Prime to be captured after implanting a "neurosensor" in his brain. The leadership of the Army of the Southern Cross (ASC) saw his appearance as a golden opportunity: hoping that he might grow attached to Dana (who was only half-human herself) and eventually become a valuable intelligence resource, they placed him with the 15th ATAC. Zor Prime thus became a pawn used by both sides: as the Masters' unwitting spy, and by the humans as a would-be turncoat.
Struggling with his conscience and his sanity, Zor Prime eventually finds himself aware of his genetic progenitor's memories and becomes obsessed with destroying the Robotech Masters and their society. This act, he hopes, will atone for what has befallen the galaxy because of his discovery of Protoculture millennia earlier:
Zor Prime's sacrifice proves to be in vain: he does succeed in killing the Masters and destroying their society, but the explosion of the Robotech mothership comes up just short of the critical mass that might have destroyed the Flowers of Life. Instead, the shockwaves scatter the spores of the Flower across the surface of the Earth, leaving the battered human society to await the certain coming of the Invid
.
introduces Rem as the assistant to Robtech Scientist Cabell, who remained on Tirol when the Masters left. Though the events of the Sentinels saga as depicted in comics and the Jack McKinney novels have now been de-canonized by Harmony Gold, Rem does appear in the canonical comic miniseries Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles
, and it is apparent that he is indeed another Zor clone. An older Dana Sterling is visibly uncomfortable meeting him, and when he asks whether they know each other, Dana only answers, "In another lifetime."
Both Rem and Zor Prime ultimately come to possess Zor's full knowledge (with Rem going on to create a new Protoculture Matrix for the Robotech Expeditionary Force; presumably Zor Prime might have done the same if differently motivated), while other Zor clones grown by the Masters and subjected to various forms of sterile technological stimulation consistently disappoint them. Drawing on a main theme of the Robotech storyline, fans may conclude that it is love that allows the clones of Zor to tap into the memories of their progenitor, something that the Masters no longer understand.
Robotech
Robotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985...
universe, mapped onto the human character Seifriet Weiße from the Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross source material.
Fictional character biography
Zor Prime was the last cloneCloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
of Zor, the Tirolian scientist who was the father of Robotechnology. The Robotech Masters
Robotech Masters
-Robotech:In the fictional Robotech universe, the Robotech Masters are a species of humanoidswho mostly appear as triumvirates, native to Tirol, a moon of the planet Fantoma. According to the Jack McKinney novelizations , a Tirolian scientist named Zor discovered the Invid homeworld, and the...
created him in the hope that they could stave off their own demise, having become utterly dependent upon their now failing Robotechnology. They hoped that his memory might contain the secrets that his progenitor took to his grave. When their efforts to recover his memory failed, the Masters used the clone as a commander for their army of the Bioroid shocktroops. Zor Prime's natural abilities placed him at the front lines of the Second Robotech War, where he frequently fought against Dana Sterling
Dana Sterling
Dana Sterling is a fictional character from the Robotech anime television series. The character was adapted from the originally unrelated characters Komilia Maria Fallyna Jenius in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross and Jeanne Francaix in Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross...
and the 15th ATAC (Armored Tactical Assault Corps).
Eventually convinced that the humans might have recovered the secrets they needed from the wreckage of the SDF-1 battle fortress that had crash-landed on Earth more than two decades earlier, the Masters allowed Zor Prime to be captured after implanting a "neurosensor" in his brain. The leadership of the Army of the Southern Cross (ASC) saw his appearance as a golden opportunity: hoping that he might grow attached to Dana (who was only half-human herself) and eventually become a valuable intelligence resource, they placed him with the 15th ATAC. Zor Prime thus became a pawn used by both sides: as the Masters' unwitting spy, and by the humans as a would-be turncoat.
Struggling with his conscience and his sanity, Zor Prime eventually finds himself aware of his genetic progenitor's memories and becomes obsessed with destroying the Robotech Masters and their society. This act, he hopes, will atone for what has befallen the galaxy because of his discovery of Protoculture millennia earlier:
- "This shall be my final gesture, my own sacrifice for the destruction my creation has caused throughout the galaxy. There is no other way. The destruction of this ship over the site of the battle fortress is the only guarantee that the Protoculture will be obliterated, before it brings the Invid to this planet. Now!"
- Zor Prime's final monologue, in "Catastrophe"
Zor Prime's sacrifice proves to be in vain: he does succeed in killing the Masters and destroying their society, but the explosion of the Robotech mothership comes up just short of the critical mass that might have destroyed the Flowers of Life. Instead, the shockwaves scatter the spores of the Flower across the surface of the Earth, leaving the battered human society to await the certain coming of the Invid
Invid (Robotech)
The Invid are a fictional alien race in the Robotech storyline. They appear in the New Generation portion of the series, which uses the animation of the unrelated Japanese series Genesis Climber MOSPEADA, so their on-screen behavior and appearance matches the antagonists of that series, called the...
.
Other Zor clones
The limited footage of Robotech II: The SentinelsRobotech II: The Sentinels
Robotech II: The Sentinels was an attempt by Harmony Gold USA to continue the original 1985 Robotech television series. Only three episodes were ultimately animated before the project was canceled in 1986, and a feature-length film was released from footage taken from the completed episodes...
introduces Rem as the assistant to Robtech Scientist Cabell, who remained on Tirol when the Masters left. Though the events of the Sentinels saga as depicted in comics and the Jack McKinney novels have now been de-canonized by Harmony Gold, Rem does appear in the canonical comic miniseries Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles
Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles
Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles is a five-part comic book mini-series written by Tommy Yune along with the Waltrip brothers, who were previously the art-and-writing team of the Robotech II: The Sentinels comic series. It was published under DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint...
, and it is apparent that he is indeed another Zor clone. An older Dana Sterling is visibly uncomfortable meeting him, and when he asks whether they know each other, Dana only answers, "In another lifetime."
Both Rem and Zor Prime ultimately come to possess Zor's full knowledge (with Rem going on to create a new Protoculture Matrix for the Robotech Expeditionary Force; presumably Zor Prime might have done the same if differently motivated), while other Zor clones grown by the Masters and subjected to various forms of sterile technological stimulation consistently disappoint them. Drawing on a main theme of the Robotech storyline, fans may conclude that it is love that allows the clones of Zor to tap into the memories of their progenitor, something that the Masters no longer understand.