In Robotech
The history of the Zentraedi differs in Robotech, as events from Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber Mospeada are included in the timeline. The most recent events in the Robotech timeline take place in the year 2044.
The Zentraedi were a race of clones, created by the Robotech Masters. Originally serving as miners in the planets of the Masters' empire, only to ultimately become the greatest military force in the galaxy. Because of their effectiveness as soldiers, the Zentraedi were mainly used to subjugate world in the name of the Masters' Empire and destroy any opposition that might threaten their dominance- the most notable being the Invid.
To ensure total control over them, the Robotech Masters limited their psychological and cultural development so that their entire population would believe that they existed only to wage war. These imposed limits would result in the cultural stagnation of the Zentraedi as a race. They had no art and lacked the capacity for creative expression. There were no schools of learning beyond what was directly related to warfare, even excluding advanced medical and technical training. This meant they would be dependent on special bases built by the Masters to fulfill these tasks. The sexes were strictly segregated to minimize the chance of sexual reproduction, as it might profoundly alter the worldview of the race. To that end, the population was indoctrinated to view any sexual activity as disgusting and dangerous.
In 2009, Dolza, the Supreme Commander of all Zentraedi forces in the galaxy, is ordered by the Robotech Masters to find and recover the lost spaceship that had crashed on Earth in 1999. To carry out these orders, he puts his second in command, Breetai, in command of a large fleet of ships and tasks him with tracking down and recovering the lost battlefortress- the SDF-1. The Fortress must be retaken intact, as it contains the last known remaining supply of Protoculture in the universe. Breetai tracks the crashed battlefortress to the Terran solar system, where it had crashed on the Terran homeworld, Earth, 10 years earlier. The humans, or "Micronians" as the Zentraedi call them (due to how small they are in comparrison to them), had spent the last decade rebuilding the battlefortress. The humans are unwilling to surrender the Space Fortress (despite initially knowing nothing of Protoculture) and a two year battle begins between the humans and the Zentraedi (known as the First Robotech War) over the SDF-1.
Initially, it seems that the Zentraedi's superior numbers all but ensure an easy victory of the Micronians. However, the pilots of the SDF-1, who utilize veritech fighters (derived from technology taken from the SDF-1), prove to be far more skilled than anticipated. Despite being outnumbered and under the contant threat of annihilation, the humans' manage to force the two sides into a stalemate. However, an unexpected element comes into play that changes the entire course of the war - Human culture and emotions. With no previous exposure, the introduction of human culture and emotions begins to affect many Zentraedi as the conflict drags on, causing them to rethink their austere lives as soldiers. Over time, many Zentraedi defect to the SDF-1. The first are Rico, Konda and Bron, who after infiltrating the SDF-1, decide to defect after becoming enamored with human culture. A short time later, more and more Zentraedi defect.
In April 2011, Lieutenant Miriya Parina, regarded as the finest Zentraedi fighter pilot and warrior in the fleet, defects as a result of having fallen in love with Human Ace pilot. The sight of their marriage- the great Lt. Miriya Perina willingly becoming the mate of a Human- only further effects the Zentraedi. As this is going on, Supreme Commander Dolza is increasingly disturbed by the rumors of growing cultural contamination among the personal of fleet, orders an all-out attack to destroy the SDF-1! Despite his growing doubt in the rational of this war, Breetai is not yet willing to go against Zentraedi High Command. Despite his own conflicting feelings, he gives the order to attack the Space Fortress.
During the resulting battle, Miriya convinced her husband to attack specific points of Zentraedi mecha to disable them rather than kill them out as a gesture of goodwill. Although Max's superior, Lt. Rick Hunter realized what he was doing, Hunter decided to take the same approach as a final gesture for peace in the face of hopeless odds, while other Terran pilots began to join in. This gesture from the Humans would prove more productive than any could have hoped, as a significant portion of Breetai's fleet outright refusing to fight. In order to avoid a full-on mutiny, something that could potentially destroy the entire fleet, Breetai countermands the attack order and declares a ceasefire. Realizing that a truce with the humans is the only way to stop his fleet from tearing itself apart, Breetai establishes a diplomatic dialogue with the humans.
Dolza, realizing the threat that human emotions pose to his command and the entire Zentraedi Armada, takes decisive and brutal measures to end the threat once and for all. Dolza orders the nearly 4.8 million capital ships in the Zentraedi Grand Fleet, along with his planetoid Command Base, to fold into Earth's solar system and destroy the SDF-1, the defecting Zentraedi forces, and the Earth itself. Out of options, the defecting Zentraedi ally themselves with the forces of the SDF-1, knowing that it's their only chance of surviving. After folding into Earth orbit, the Grand Fleet fires on Earth, causing horrific damage - cities, houses, soldiers and children are all vaporized as the 4.8 million ships fire relentlessly. No area of the planet is spared by the barrage. All major cities are destroyed and the human population is reduced from 6 billion to less than 70,000.
As the Zentraedi fleet prepares to fire again, The Alaska base, which survived the initial attack, fires the massive Grand Cannon which destroys a large portion of the Zentraedi Grand Fleet. A subsequent joint-assault by the SDF-1 and the allied Zentraedi breaks through the Grand Fleet's parameter, allowing the SDF-1 to penetrate into the core of Dolza's Command Bas and launch its Reflex Missiles at the base's power source - a massive reflect furnace. The explosion of the base destroys the rest of the Zentraedi fleet. This marks the end of the First Robotech War.
The assault by the Zentraedi on Earth marked the sudden and almost complete end of the Zentraedi race. Between the firing of the massive Grand Cannon by the Alaska Base, direct casualties of the enormous engagement between Zentraedi, and the massive explosion resulting from the destruction of Dolza's planetoid, losses are overwhelming. Only a few hundred warships survive the battle, mostly drawn from Breetai's forces. The surviving humans and Zentraedi must now work together to rebuild Earth from the ashes left by the First Robotech War. Many Zentraedi are able to integrate into human society, with many micronizing to human size. In October 2012, Max Sterling and his Zentraedi wife Miriya Parina Sterling give birth to a daughter, who they name Dana Sterling. Dana is the first child born from a human-Zentraedi union.
Most of the remaining Zentraedi join their commander and the humans in a subsequent operation against the last remaining Robotech Factory Satellite, an automated production center built by the Robotech Masters to supply their giant warriors with mecha at the height of their expansion. The Satellite is defended by a large force under the command of Reno, but his forces prove just as susceptible to "micronian" culture as did those of Breetai and Dolza's fleets. In June 2013, Reno's fleet is destroyed in battle, pushing the Zentaedi to near-extinction apart from those allied with humanity.
Although many Zentraedi successfully integrate into human society, many others are unable to overcome their lifelong lust for war and a rebellion begins under Khyron and Azonia late in 2013. In January 2014, in the battle of New Macross City, Khyron and Azonia, along with most of the rebels, are defeated, although the SDF-1 is destroyed and the city is left in ruins. The entire area is then sealed off. The attack also kills many Zentraedi who were aboard the SDF-1 at the time. Further Zentraedi rebellions are eventually put down by 2015.
The Zentraedi under Breetai's command discovered their tragic origins in 2013 (one year before the destruction of the SDF-1 and the death of Khyron) and swore enmity to their former masters. However, the latent hatred held by humans due to the Zentraedi holocaust proves to be much of a strain on relations. In 2022, all of the remaining Zentraedi on Earth join the Robotech Expeditionary Force (REF) on a mission into deep space to find the Robotech Masters and prevent another war on Earth. The Zentraedi who do not join the REF take up residence on the Zentraedi Satellite Factory. By 2023, the only person on Earth with any Zentraedi blood is Dana Sterling, who was judged as too scientifically valuable to join her parents on the REF mission. Dana would play an important role in the Second Robotech War when the Robotech Masters arrive in Earth orbit in 2029. Her skills as a pilot and tactician are critical to the eventually defeat of the Robotech Masters by the Southern Cross human forces, although the human victory is a pyrrhic one.
The Zentraedi who join the REF fight alongside the humans against the alien race known as the Invid on over a dozen planets as well as against General T. R. Edwards when he betrays the REF. During the mission, many Zentraedi, including Breetai and Exedore, are killed. By the end of the Third Robotech War in 2044, only a few of the REF Zentraedi are still alive. Among them is half-Zentraedi soldier Maia Sterling, the second child of Max and Miriya, who serves as a skilled pilot against both the Invid and the Haydonites.
The Jack McKinney novels and Robotech comics such as The Malcontent Uprisings limited series developed a Zentraedi language which was different from the language which was developed for Macross DYRL and was not as completely developed as the Macross version. Unlike in Macross, the language for the Robotech Zentraedi was dominated by more harsh, guttural sounds very similar in nature to Star Trek's Klingonese.
Notable Zentraedi:
Breetai | Exedore | Dolza | Khyron | Miriya Parina Sterling
Notable Zentraedi-Human hybrids:
Dana Sterling | Maia Sterling
Read more about this topic: Zentradi