IT'S ALL IN THE EYES CHICO....ROBOTECH NOVELS "NO ERROR!"..




If one thing that this journey of mine has striven on; it's that the flow of the Robotech Novels go as steady as possible.

Many times, whether it be through an Epigraph or the story itself, there are moments where Brian and Jim contradicted (unintentionally) an event or character. As much as I have loved the Novels, I have never shied away from these cases. It become a matter of connecting the dots to said contradictions through the use of theories as explanation.

Such is the case with the character of Lazlo Archimedes Zand.

He is first introduced in the Novel Doomsday;

"Professor Zand, a shadowy figure who had emerged from Lang's Robotech elite; "

It is here where he has a verbal confrontation with one Rick Hunter;

"That's nonsense, Commander," said Professor Zand, who had Dr. Lang's marblelike eyes. He stood up, palms flat on the table, to press his point. "There have always been wars in progress somewhere on Earth, even before the invasion from space. I think this clearly indicates the warlike nature of Humans."

Another Zentraedi sympathizer, thought Rick. And talking like an alien to boot. He began to stammer a response, always feeling outgunned when up against academics, but Zand interrupted him.

"A perfect example: Look what happened on Earth when the peacemakers tried their best to prevail. They formed the League of Nationsand the United Nations, both of which failed!"

Rick got to his feet confrontationally. What did all this have to do with Humans enjoying war? The best he would allow was that some humans enjoyed war but most didn't. Most enjoyed...love.

"I can't believe you'd simplify the facts like that," Rick shouted. "You're practically rewriting history!"

"Facts, sir, do not lie," said Zand.

RN - Doomsday
*****
And it is here where the contradiction is...(but it won't become that until almost 10 years later )

..."Zand, who had Dr. Lang's marblelike eyes"...

These eyes on Dr. Lang are a result of the Protoculture Boost he experienced on the initial reconnaissance mission to the SDF-1 in the Novel Genesis.

If Zand has these eyes....then that means he experienced his own boost at the time of Doomsday?

Not in the RNU.

Jump to Zentraedi Rebellion, published in 1994.

For it is in this Novel where Zand's boost actually takes place and where Emil Land discovers it in one of the more dramatic scenes in the Robotech Novels;

"Lang stood up and walked across the room. Without announcing his intentions, he swept the sunglasses from Zand's face and looked into his eyes. It was like looking into a mirror. 

Lang staggered back, supporting himself on the edge of his desk. "Good God, you've done it. You found a way to take the mind-boost." 

Zand whipped the glasses out of Lang's hand and put them on. "What are you babbling about? You know as well as I that Zor's console was destroyed." 

Lang stared at him, wide-eyed. "You found a way. Tell me what you did, Lazlo. Don't shut me out." 

Zand hesitated, then grimaced sinisterly. "You're right, Doctor, I did find a way. You want the details? I injected myself with a mixture of Zentraedi blood and a couple of ccs of fluid from that Invid craft we found. I was unconscious for three hours. I'm sure I almost died. But believe me, Doctor, my IQ is right up there with yours now, and it's increasing—every day, every hour. And soon I'll have an understanding of the Shapings. I'll have powers you never dreamed of."

Lang lowered himself to the desk like one deflated. "Lazlo, listen to me. You don't realize what you've done. You think this is all some competition, but it isn't, and you're going to begin to understand the downside of the boost. The hunger that surpasses any known addiction. The moments of madness—" Lang paused to catch his breath. "Why couldn't you have talked to me first?" 

"Talked to you? Talked to you? When exactly was I supposed to do that? The great and all-powerful Lang, always addressing the UEG, or receiving one honor or another. Designing mecha, designing starships, traveling up and down the gravity well like a superhero . . . Tell me, Doctor, when was I supposed to talk to you?"
 
"Lazlo," Lang said softly, "I never realized—"
 
"That's right, you never did, and that's been the problem all along. But no more. Because I don't need you anymore. I have people who accept me for what I am, not as just some pale alternative to the great Lang. I have funding, I have projects. I have my own mission, my own destiny to shape. And perhaps it's not as bound up with yours as you'd like it to be, but I can't help that the lowly disciple has grown up to found his own movement, Doctor. And we'll just have to wait and see which of us turns out to be the more influential."

RN - Zentraedi Rebellion
*****
Now the hows and whys of this event is another story for another day, but as T.R. Edwards puts it about Lazlo Zand in the same book;

"He won't admit it, but he's pathologically jealous of Lang—he has been for years."

And with that, my esteemed reader, is where it gives an opening to the following theory which would explain the "marble like" eyes Zand has years before his own boost.

So here goes...

Zand's jealousy of Lang was such that in the obsession to make himself look more, "academic" like Lang, he decided to wear contacts that gave the appearance of Lang's eyes. And even the talking like an alien as Hunter puts it adds to Lazlo's facade. Given his portrayal in the Master's Saga Novels, this is a strong possibility. 

Of course, there is nothing in the books that back this up as Zand's appearance in Doomsday is pretty much a cameo.

But with what Edwards has to say....It certainly fits into the narrative.

Now...before anyone says...."BUT IN THE SHOW-".....as a reminder, the Robotech Novels are their own Universe and while there might be moments where the visual coincides with the literature, it ends there.

To the show...unto the show.

Unto the Novels....well, you get the picture.

Another "NO ERROR" moment...and trust me, there will be more to come in the future.

AND IT'S FUN!!!!!!!!!

Much love and kick ass!

John


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