FNF:G7> Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, just waste Invid!

Look, an actual entry!

Remember the days when it took more than 13 weeks worth of programming to make a season, even for a kids’ show? That happened in the 80’s when Carl Macek found that there weren’t enough episodes of Super Dimensional Fortress Macross to make a full weekday TV series in the US. So he and Harmony Gold got their hands on two other series: Super Dimension Calvary Southern Cross and Genesis Climber Mospedia. Together, the three series formed Robotech, a big chunk of my childhood. Mospedia was used as the “Third Robotech War”, which happens to be my favorite.

Macek also didn’t spare the expense when it came to the soundtrack. The background music was a mix of orchestral (not sure if there was an actual orchestra) and pop, with some piano music thrown in for good measure. And all of it enhanced the atmosphere in ways some live action TV shows didn’t at the time. Thanks to Comico the Comic Company, I can bring you a Spacebooger-approved entry set from that series, as a cross-dressing soldier entertains a bunch of house slaves of an alien race as other soldiers raid the place.

Hold on to your hats, kids.

Track 7 of 12

The Dancefloor: Robotech: The New Generation #5 (Comico The Comic Company, Jan. 1986)

Adapted from the episode “Curtain Call”

The Promoters: Jack Herman (script), Jeff Dee (penciler), Sam Kieth (inker), Bob Pinaha (letterer), and Kurt Mausert (colorist)

I’m going to try to do this in the style of the Robotech narrator. *ahem*

Scott Bernard and his growing band of Freedom Fighters find themselves low on Protoculture, the power source cultivated from the Invid “Flower of Life”, which is also a food source for Invid, the third alien race to attack the Earth since the SDF-1 crashed here so many generations ago. Luckily, Scott has a plan to steal the fuel they need from a group of humans who have settled into their role as slaves to the Invid horde.

"We'll even stop at the gas station and fuel it up."

Another stage of the plan is being set at a nearby arena, where Lancer is using his cover as female singing sensation Yellow Dancer, who our group first met in a lounge. One could question why the Invid lets this go on, or how a lounge singer one episode becomes a planet-wide sensation scant episodes later, but that’s nitpicking. Part of the plan includes distracting the house Negros police during the concert, then sneaking past the skeleton crew to steal the Protoculture.

"We hired the same security from that Brick Springstern concert a few tracks ago."

And so, Yellow Dancer takes the stage to the applause of all his her fans.

So the Invid ruined winter, too?

OK, am I the only one who realizes what’s really happening here? A soldier in drag is singing an anti-nuke song during a military operation on a planet that’s been taken over by aliens. Really, take a look!

Is that crazy or what?

But while the space-born survivor of the Invid attack on his fleet remembered all the Invid/Police surveillance gear, he forgot that the old fortress they are using to store the Protoculture still has it’s ancient defenses.

"And I didn't pack my rubber ducky, either!"

After escaping that trap, our heroes tie balloons to the Protoculture canisters, and release them as part of the grand finale to Yellow’s concert.

Wait, how many times did they hit that guy?

But the Police and Invid find some of the balloons and catch on to their plan. They race towards our heroes! And here comes the fightin’!

But I'm not cold!

Giant crabs machines they can handle, but not the cops?

And so our intrepid band continue on their mission to Reflex Point, the last known location of a computer terminal, in order to vote for their favorite 7th track in the continuing odyssey of Friday Night Fights! And so should you, because as Lancer/Yellow Dancer him/herself says:

Special bonus: click to see Yellow's real singing voice Live!