So what exactly is protoculture?

[SirRobin]

I've again found the great write up from RRG but don't recall if Palladium or Harmony Gold ever gave their stamp of approval to anything. So what is protoculture now? Are the seeds still nuclear?

[glitterboy2098]

in the show, dialog establishes the following:
Protoculture exists as molecules
the FoL spreads via spores
the spores are used to make Protoculture.

so it seems to be a material that is used as a fuel.

[Seto Kaiba]

I've again found the great write up from RRG but don't recall if Palladium or Harmony Gold ever gave their stamp of approval to anything. So what is protoculture now? Are the seeds still nuclear?

To be frank, the uRRG's write-up was never anything more than fan-fiction... with little or no basis in the actual show.

Carl Macek gave an official explanation of protoculture in Robotech Art 1 way back when, but it got summarily disowned when Harmony Gold rebooted Robotech in 2001. That explanation was that the energy was derived by stifling germination in the seeds of the Flower of Life, which produced "bio-energy", which from the context appeared to literally be "life force".

Officially, there is no explanation of what protoculture is or how it works in Robotech... only that it's "a bio-energy power source refined from the Flower of Life" and that its energy density* exceeds that of conventional nuclear power sources.



* The amount of energy produced per unit of fuel mass... though what a "conventional" nuclear power source is is not defined.

[Jefffar]

The show also indicates it can be incorporated into 'protoculture chips' which appear to be some kind of circuitry.

[mech798]

Yeah, it's essentially a very poorly defined "magic fuel". I myself also like the RRg's take, though it is fanfiction, in the sense that it actually gives a reasonable explanation on how and why the robotech master's became dependent on it and how that situation played out.

Another problem with protoculture, *especially* in the RPG is that it isn't defined as Seto said, how much better than conventional energy it is-- but it can't be that much better because you can run VF's and destroids off SMLH fusion which indicates that protoculture is, at best, only a bit better. Personally, I've always thought that was an error and they should have just had protoculture be the only mecha compatible power source out there.*

*there's potentially some good reasons for this. Even aneutronic fusion puts out some neutrons and gamma and in most cases "low emission" fusion designs (none of which have actually worked yet, mind you) such as P+B11 polywell fusion are "low emission" in the sense that they don't need a full fission containment vessel and don't produce long-term waste. However, strap one on your back? Yah, you're gonna drop dead real fast. If you presume that protoculture energy generation A. produces NO hard radiation or neutrons, and B. most of the energy it does produce can be directly converted to usable power, then you can explain why it becomes so important to use, and why it's utilized for everything.

[drewkitty ~..~]

I've again found the great write up from RRG but don't recall if Palladium or Harmony Gold ever gave their stamp of approval to anything. So what is protoculture now? Are the seeds still nuclear?

Before HG de-canonized anything PC, as humans knew it, was the IFOL cells turned into a paste that was the cells being held in stasis/dormancy. With a PC reactor/generator being a unit that activated the cells while also maintaining pressure on them to hold them at the same dimensions as their stasis state. the power is produced from harvesting the energy of the cells trying to grow.
There was a metaphysical aspect to the PC that was never really explained, but to was used as a shortcut to explain things that were not technically possible at the time the 1st series was put together.....like making the PC chips to that were implied to be the basis of Robotech control architecture/avionics.
Yes, this explanation is based off the RT:Genesis graphic novel and the Mc M's novels and RT comics and what little of the show said anything.

Now days it is handwavinum that is not explained in the slightest.

[Tiree]

The following is what I use:
Protoculture can be a solid, liquid, or gas. In it's solid form (highly processed) it can be processed to make computer chips. These chips are found in Mecha and Weapons. When power is applied to the chips, it causes an EM emission that the Invid are able to detect.

When Protoculture is in a liquid state (Processed), it can be used as a fuel source. SLMH can be used in Earth Mecha, but when Protoculture is used, it requires less to get the same performance.

When Protoculture is in a Gaseous State (Heated Liquid State), it is highly explosive. A laser blast can cause the liquid state to become gaseous and then in turn ignite the Protoculture in a fiery explosion.

Protoculture Canisters are used by Every Protoculture user in the known galaxy, except for Earth. During the Macross Era, Earth was unable to create the canister technology till they were able to go through the datafiles of the Robotech Factory. Even the Invid use the canisters within their mecha.

[guardiandashi]

The following is what I use:
Protoculture can be a solid, liquid, or gas. In it's solid form (highly processed) it can be processed to make computer chips. These chips are found in Mecha and Weapons. When power is applied to the chips, it causes an EM emission that the Invid are able to detect.

When Protoculture is in a liquid state (Processed), it can be used as a fuel source. SLMH can be used in Earth Mecha, but when Protoculture is used, it requires less to get the same performance.

When Protoculture is in a Gaseous State (Heated Liquid State), it is highly explosive. A laser blast can cause the liquid state to become gaseous and then in turn ignite the Protoculture in a fiery explosion.

Protoculture Canisters are used by Every Protoculture user in the known galaxy, except for Earth. During the Macross Era, Earth was unable to create the canister technology till they were able to go through the datafiles of the Robotech Factory. Even the Invid use the canisters within their mecha.

I would make one tweak to the invid note, which is that invid consume protoculture, which means that while yes they use protoculture canisters they use them in part like an "iv" baggie IE they "plug in the pc module, and then once installed they siphon it off and have it "flowing" through the veins of the mecha forms bodies

[drewkitty ~..~]

I would make one tweak to the invid note, which is that invid consume protoculture, which means that while yes they use protoculture canisters they use them in part like an "iv" baggie IE they "plug in the pc module, and then once installed they siphon it off and have it "flowing" through the veins of the mecha forms bodies

In the RT2 game I'm in right now we have a Princess and it is a running gag through the game that she drinks them like sports drinks when she can.

[Seto Kaiba]

In the RT2 game I'm in right now we have a Princess and it is a running gag through the game that she drinks them like sports drinks when she can.

Hey... isn't it a thing in the New Generation or Genesis Pits book that certain Invid-created human mutants can pound the contents of a protoculture canister like a fraternity pledge pounding cheap beers to enhance their powers briefly? (Complete with the "I had too much" obligatory barfing.)

[Zer0 Kay]

I've again found the great write up from RRG but don't recall if Palladium or Harmony Gold ever gave their stamp of approval to anything. So what is protoculture now? Are the seeds still nuclear?

Before HG de-canonized anything PC, as humans knew it, was the IFOL cells turned into a paste that was the cells being held in stasis/dormancy. With a PC reactor/generator being a unit that activated the cells while also maintaining pressure on them to hold them at the same dimensions as their stasis state. the power is produced from harvesting the energy of the cells trying to grow.
There was a metaphysical aspect to the PC that was never really explained, but to was used as a shortcut to explain things that were not technically possible at the time the 1st series was put together.....like making the PC chips to that were implied to be the basis of Robotech control architecture/avionics.
Yes, this explanation is based off the RT:Genesis graphic novel and the Mc M's novels and RT comics and what little of the show said anything.

Now days it is handwavinum that is not explained in the slightest.

If your doing McKinney's why not include the FoL's ability found in EotC?

[Zer0 Kay]

I would make one tweak to the invid note, which is that invid consume protoculture, which means that while yes they use protoculture canisters they use them in part like an "iv" baggie IE they "plug in the pc module, and then once installed they siphon it off and have it "flowing" through the veins of the mecha forms bodies

In the RT2 game I'm in right now we have a Princess and it is a running gag through the game that she drinks them like sports drinks when she can.

Technically RT2e. RT2 was Sentinels. Yup RTII RPG: The Sentinels.

[drewkitty ~..~]

I've again found the great write up from RRG but don't recall if Palladium or Harmony Gold ever gave their stamp of approval to anything. So what is protoculture now? Are the seeds still nuclear?

Before HG de-canonized anything PC, as humans knew it, was the IFOL cells turned into a paste that was the cells being held in stasis/dormancy. With a PC reactor/generator being a unit that activated the cells while also maintaining pressure on them to hold them at the same dimensions as their stasis state. the power is produced from harvesting the energy of the cells trying to grow.
There was a metaphysical aspect to the PC that was never really explained, but to was used as a shortcut to explain things that were not technically possible at the time the 1st series was put together.....like making the PC chips to that were implied to be the basis of Robotech control architecture/avionics.
Yes, this explanation is based off the RT:Genesis graphic novel and the Mc M's novels and RT comics and what little of the show said anything.

Now days it is handwavinum that is not explained in the slightest.

If your doing McKinney's why not include the FoL's ability found in EotC?

End of the Circle......lots of metaphysical stuff that explains other things but not explained. Then there is a bit of time travel at the end so we discover Zor's origins & where the SDF-1 fold drives went. All of which are more incompatible with RT2 canon and would be spoilers.