Macross Frontier - Vajra discussion
 

The purpose of this thread is to provide a place to discuss all things Vajra related. The Vajra are the enemy of humans and zentradi in the Macross Frontier series.

This discussion may include, but is not limited to:

• Vajra mecha.
• Their biology.
• Their social organization.
• The origin of the Vajra.
• Their goals.

Spoiler Policy

• Any post based on information in advance of the anime will be deleted unless a spoiler tag is used.
  Spoiler tags should not be used except where discussing spoilers, lest people be afraid to read your post.
• Adding a Spoiler tag:
  

  Just highlight your spoiler and click the button found on the "Quick Reply" and "Reply to Thread" forms. Make sure that you include a title for the spoiler!

• Please use the Report button if you see any unmarked spoilers:
  

  Click the button found to the left of the post, just under the poster's avatar. Using the Report button is anonymous and helps the Moderators to locate and deal with problems quickly.

• Posting unmarked spoilers may result in a ban.
  Note: Reporting a post does not mean the poster will be banned instantly.
  The moderators prefer to use bans only if warnings are ignored.

---

How are the Vajra structured?
So far (episode 4) they have appeared as giant insect-like beings attacking the Macross Frontier fleet in small groups with two variants,
as shown below:
the bigger red variant seem to command the smaller brown one. The red variant seems to be more rare than the brown variant, but it's
much stronger.
In episode 5 quite a bit of details regarding the Vajra were released:

• They can fold on their own. (It's obvious from episode 1 tough...)
• Their shell is of similiar material as a Valkyrie's energy conversion armor.
• It gradually grows missile-like objects internally.
• They have no brain, so they have no thoughts. This implies they're controlled by someone else.

---

How can a Vajra be taken out?
The red variant Vajra isn't even scratched by missiles and beams weapons, while the brown variant can be taken out by missiles.
Another thing we know is that the mind of a Vajra isn't in their head because they can move even if their head is blown away, as it's shown in this image:
So far we've only seen Ozuma and Alto being able to kill a red Vajra variant on a 1 vs 1 fight, but only because of particular circumnstances. Specifically Ozma was able to kill a red Vajra by himself only because it was distracted by something (Ranka?) song so Ozma was able to hit the Vajra with a (big) knife, as it is shown here:

This seems to prove that the red Vajra have an armor only on their UPPER part, while the rest is relatively weaker.
Alto killed one because he imitated Klein Klan, who made the first crack on the upper part of the red Vajra with a zentradi beam cannon by the way. In general the red Vajra variant seems to be vulnerable in their lower parts (as shown in the screen above) and in the specific upper point shown in these screens:
Other characters are able to take on the red Vajra most likely, like Klein Klan and her Pixie Squad.

---

What is the link between the Vajra and the songs?
Even if Vajra's purposes are unknown at the current stage of the series), but we know they're attracted by songs. It's not clear if they're attracted by Ranka's songs or by songs in general, but the link between the Vajra and the songs is a fact. In episode 5 it's shown that Ranka's song makes a red Vajra reviving so it's quite clear that the songs give the Vajra the energy they need to live: it's most likely the Spiritia which was introduced in Macross 7 for the first time. Spiritia is a form of energy generated by all living things - from plants to humans and Zentradis - a sort of life force. A person's spiritia can regenerate through listening to music: the music carries the most pure form of spiritia called "anima spiritia".

---

The Vajra's battlecruiser.
In episode 7 the first Vajra's capital ship appeared:
it's a battlecruiser and it has the ability to fold out without being affected by fold dislocation devices.
It has tons of artillety weapons: it can grow them inside itself most likely, like all other Vajra can do. In this sense this battlecruiser can be considered as a new kind of Vajra and so it can be considered a biological weapon as well.
Anyway its most devastating weapon isn't artillery but a huge beam that it fires by opening its front and it is generated by a fold reactor.

There is link between the Protoculture and Vajra.

The Vajra has the same spiral markings found on Mayan island in Macross Zero.

Also being a biological weapon with beam weaponry it is closer to the Birdman. (Macross Zero)

Sara and Mao Nome are singers akin to Anima Spiritia singer Nekki Basara of Macross 7.


From what we know the last survivors of the Protoculture were the Anima Spiritia as they were able to seal the Protodevlin in Varuta.

Compared to the Evil series, which were possesed by the Protodevlin, Vajra appear to be conventional weapons instead of the ultimate super weapons.

I remember one source stating that the insignia for protoculture was a spiral, which markings can be found in Macross Zero and on the Vajra.

Well we don't know what happened to the rest of the original Supervision Army.
Only the new Supervision Army from the Varutan Megaroad 13 colonists brainwashed by the Protodevlin.

ASS-1 or the SDF-1 Macross is the only piece of technology recovered of the original Supervision Army.

The Supervision Army was more like a third party introduced late in the Protoculture war by the Protodevlin.

As the Protoculture split themselves into 2 factions.

After singers like Lynn Minmei and Nekki Basara it is expected that songs can not be used negatively.

But as with the incident with the AI Sharon Apple of Macross Plus songs can be used for control and brainwashing.

hmm....Biuological weapons, that's the equivalent to a Ghost A.I. fighter, has self-manufacturing missile bays, energy proto-culture amour, and to round it off an Animu Spiritia energy converter perhaps?


But the self-replicating missiles (and decoys i suspect) was a happy surprised.

:)

It has babies, which has the intelligence of a smart micro missile, then fires them at you.

I wonder if it makes it's own ammo for it's arm cannons as well?

It seems to be a kinetic weapon but caseless.

Ever heard of a rail gun?

Anyway if episode 5 is any indication Vajra are likely controled by emulators like the Marduk of the AU Macross II.

The Vajra's reaction may not be hostile to Ranka.

Let's see the songs effect throughout the francise.

Macross - Culture shock to the Zentradi.

Macross Plus - Sharon Apple's hypnotic control. Myung's song can snap a person out of it.

Macross 7 - Anima Spiritia an energy created by song is too pure for Protodevlin to absorb and is repelled by it. It can snap mind controled beings and raise spiritia levels.

Macross Zero - Sara and Mao Nome's song can affect Protoculture related artifacts.

................or a gauss gun, particle accelerator, liquid plasma, pulse laser.....who knows?

:rolleyes:

Or the "bullets" are really spines ejected from a specialized organ ala the Hydraliks from starcraft

Given the topic at hand, it's unavoidable to refrain from discussing the other Macross shows. However, there are a large number of new viewers to the Macross universe, so I'm going to insist that spoilers that give away the ending of an older show (or any other major event) be placed inside spoiler tags, and properly marked:

[SPOILER=Ending of Macross Plus]
BOOM!
[/SPOILER]

....or insect bullets with monocular-sharp head cones and chomping teeth that start burrowing into armour and flesh upon hitting the target,Tyrants Warrior guns in Warhammer 40K.

:p

After watching episode 5, I think

nonsense.

It's the power of SOUND ENERGY.

Animu Spiritia Banzai!

:)

I actually like to entertain the thought that the Vajra have a hive-mind similar to the Formics (buggers) in the Ender's Game novels.

Just one thing to shoot down that theory. The Vajra has the spiral markings of the Protoculture found on Mayan island in the prequel Macross Zero.

They're clearly space dolphins.

best answer so far. :p

so long, and thanks for all the fish?

Also, how does the similarity to the protoculture markings disprove my theory? For all we know the protoculture could have been inspired by the Vajra markings to include them in their art.

Just going to copy paste my last reply in the episode 6 discussion thread.

But these spoilers are for the episode 7 preview, not 6.

Good find Tabris, finally something serious and not that space dolphin joke thing.
But...

It wasn't a joke.

Ok Vajra are space dolphins for you, but it's YOUR PERSONAL speculation: it's nowhere near something which can be called a FACT. There is no evidence a part from that generic shape you think is a dolphin.

It was either a dolphin or something totally random that just so happened to look exactly like a dolphin.

That ligh is spiritia most likely. Do you want to say that spiritia is a dolphin? :p

Why not? "Spiritia" is already stupid enough, it may as well be a space dolphin.

Missiles ?

But they aren't aerodynamic at all with that shape...

Wire/nervous-controlled weapons ?:uhoh:

Uhm some kind of wired dragoons/funnels/fangs? Lol it would be overkill...

It is not a dolphin

It is a Whale, a space Whale.

I don't think that really matters when you have space crabs fighting against transforming space jets and giant human mechasuits.

Last I checked, aerodynamics doesn't mean much in space.

Yes you're right, I realized this yesterday night... :heh:
Anyway their shape is quite weird for being an aircraft.

Vajra function more like bugs than a jet in a atmosphere. Red ones have wings.

I contest your conclusion,

It's not a space whale!

Space whales are enormous creatures with FTL propulsion organs.

No way they will fit inside a VAJRA.

No.

It's clearly a Dolphin, its "thanks for all the fish" but clearly there were elements that were certainly not thankful for the fish.

Also you have to considered, dolphins sing all the time, so it'd natural that these vajra are powered by dolphin animu spiritia songs.

:D:p

Ok that shape is Paris Hilton guys!!! :p
Can we stop this nonsense for now? We have NO evidence to say what means that shape seen within the Vajra. It can be anything or it could even be meaningless: until some evidence is shown in the anime evreything is speculation.

Pretty much, they switched the scene as it was still "expanding", I wouldn't be surprised if it was nothing at all and just the whole core was beginning to glow.

I just wonder how the birdman from Zero will tie into all this.

Did anybody caught the implication that the Vajra are from the Protoculture.

All protoculture derived cultures use space folding. (Well except space whales.:p)


Also why did the Vajra take the main island of Macross Galaxy?

The last time anybody took a main island intact was the Protodevlin capturing Macross 5.

What kind of colony did Sheryl say Galaxy was?

Some ideas.