The Regent is male Invid who served as a counterpart to the Regess and was ruler of half their race.
Biography[]
Legend of Zor[]
Originally, the Invid race lived as a peaceful primitive race of beings that lived on the planet Optera where they were guided by the intelligence of the Regess as well as lived in a symbiotic existence with the Flower of Life. As such, at this time, there was no Regent and the race was only led by the Regess. This changed when the Tirolian Zor arrived in the Tzuptum system and began exploring the planet. His explorations for new sources of energy led him to be fascinated by the Flower of Life and the Invid. The Regess eventually appeared before him and claimed that she had been waiting for him for a long time - seemingly mistaking him for another individual. Appearing in a pleasing Humanoid form to him, the two engaged in a telepathic communion where the Regess shared all the knowledge of the Flower of Life with Zor whilst his knowledge of Tirolian civilization were given to her. Afterward, Zor left the planet in order to experiment with the Flower of Life samples he had taken and used to develop not only Protoculture but the Protoculture Matrix.
The newly formed Regent. (Robotech Genesis: The Shaping)
At some point during this time, the Regent was formed as a separate but equal figure and the entire Invid race hyper-evolved as a species where they adopted a partially humanoid form. The Regess, however, maintained a more human-like form whilst the Regent appeared as a much larger version of the newly evolved Invid. Invid civilization lived a peaceful existence in emulation of the Tirolians in this era through the Regent held the view that Zor was not the being that they had awaited though the Regess disagreed. Eventually, the Regess sensed the arrival of Zor and desired to meet him once more. However, he had arrived under orders of the Robotech Masters to steal all the Flower of Life from Optera with his Zentraedi which saw the entire world being defoliated during the harvest with the death of many Invid. The Regent and Regess ushered their children into their Invid Hive to shelter where the Regess telepathically caused pain in Zor for his betrayal. Zor, as a result, halted the harvesters and left only a small number of Flowers of Life on the planet with an angry Regent and Regess consumed with vengeance. Thus, once more, the Invid were transformed as a race who weren't bent on revenge on Zor and his people.
Sentinels[]
The Regent at Tirol. (Robotech II: The Sentinels)
In the aftermath, the Regent developed mechanical mecha known as the Inorganics and attacked the Tirolian Empire where it was ravaged. Zor was killed during these attacks and he sent his battle fortress with the only surviving Protoculture Matrix on a course for an unknown world. The planets of the Local Group that were part of the Robotech Masters empire were gradually conquered one by one. Thus, worlds such as Karbarra, Spheris, Haydon IV, Praxus, Garuda and Peryton were all part of the new Invid empire. The now weakened Robotech Masters gradually fell and ultimately departed their homeworld of Tirol for the Protoculture Matrix on Earth. In this time, the Regent assaulted the now defenseless Tirolian homeworld where he intended to find the Flower of Life whilst enacting his vengeance on the civilian population. Tirol was devastated though the Regess felt it was a wasted effort and showed her scorn to her male counterpart. However, the Regent was determined that the Flower of Life still resided on the planet and left a garrison under Obsim along with an Invid Brain to determine any trace of their food source. He later departed the planet to return to Optera and his main home Hive. In addition, he also had sent his scientist Tesla to collect sentient specimens from the Local Group that were to be gifted to the Regess for her experiments.
Despite his conquest of the Tirolian Empire, the Regent faced new opposition by the sudden arrival of Humans from the Robotech Expeditionary Force. In addition, the slaves on board the Farrago had also rebelled where they found a loose alliance called the Sentinels that were determined to free their homeworlds. Thus, they allied with the REF in order to liberate their planets one at a time with the Regent struggling to combat this new threat to his dominion. This time saw the likes of Karbarra liberated but the Regent received covert information from General the REF who betrayed Rick Hunter for his own ambitions. Thus, the Sentinels were ambushed at Praxis and left abandoned as the planet was going to explode through managed to escape. The Regent also met with the REF for diplomatic talks though had sent a clone of himself in his place rather than risk his own well being. This clone grown from a special Invid egg met in talks with General Edwards where it was secretly killed by Tesla who now harbored his own ambitions now. The Regent was now aware of Tesla's betrayal and made it an order to terminate his own former servant.
The Regent considers military strategy.
Following this event, the Sentinels attacked Garuda where they succeeded in liberating the planet but not before Rem was captured. The Tirolian was sent to the Haydon IV by the Regent as his wife was on the planet and he intended to teach her a lesson as Rem resembled Zor. When the Regent arrived, he learned that the Regess had departed known space for an unknown planet with her half of the Invid. He also learned that Rem was in fact a clone of Zor and attempted to locate the Protoculture Matrix but failed. At this time, the Sentinels attempted to liberate the planet but its powerfully advanced defense grid prevented any form of violence being instigated on the world. As such, the Invid occupied it but without force and the Regent was advised by Vowad of the Haydonites. Events spiraled out of control when the captive Praxians rebelled in their slave pens and the defense system was reprogrammed by Janice Em that now ignored the Sentinels. Thus, the Invid suffered terribly on the planet as their forces retaliated after being attacked only to be destroyed by the planetary defense systems. During this time, Sarna the daughter of Vowad was killed and the Haydonites openly turned against the Invid by manifesting a powerful image of Zor that destroyed the Regent's carrier.
The defeated Regent retreated to his Invid flagship and departed back for Optera in a rage. He decided to finally unleash the Black Death Destroyers who were sent to bring a terrible vengeance against his enemies. At some point, a task force of Karbarrans infiltrated Optera and attempted to assassinate the Regent only to die in the process and killed only a clone. In addition, General Edwards was exposed as a traitor to the REF and he contacted the Regent to enlist his help. The Regent, however, instead told him to reactivate the Invid Brain on Tirol which would awaken the fallen Inorganics which allowed Edwards to escape the planet.
The Regent on Optera. (Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles)
A year later, the Regent was present on the Battle of Optera, when his ship was assaulted by the REF. He used his Invid Overlord mecha to battle Breetai, who was in a Bioroid Interceptor. The two both died when General Edwards, betraying his assumed 'ally' fired a Synchro cannon at their location. That allowed Edwards to take full control of the Regent's army.(Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles)
Notes[]
Breetai Vs Regent Final Battle Sentinels Comic. (Robotech II: The Sentinels Book 4 0: Special Zero Edition)
The Waltrip comics ended by Book Four and thus the future arcs were only detailed in the Sentinels Timeline comic which that the Regent would have died on Optera in a special mecha in personal combat against Breetai and his position would have been taken over by General Edwards.
The only visual appearance of the Regent comes from the canceled Robotech II: The Sentinels series. Much of the characters' appearances come from the comic formats where the Regent is shown to be constantly annoyed with his wife. Furthermore, elements of infidelity are often voiced by him towards the Regess as he accuses her "affair" with Zor being the root cause of the loss of the Flower of Life. In contrast, she sees the Regent as an unevolved being who is only concerned about conquest rather than seeking enlightenment through evolution. Above the Robotech Masters, the Regent has shown a considerably strong amount of rage towards Zor in the comics especially when he encounters Rem.
Robotech Art 3 that contained background notes for the character state that the Regent was originally a complacent leader of the Invid but the loss of Protoculture and the Flower of Life has turned him into a progressive evil individual. As a result, he became fixated on the eradication of the Robotech Masters and destroying their civilization for the theft of the Flower of Life whilst engaging in the conquest of the cosmos. The notes stated that he sees the Invid as his children and thus does not like to leave them behind which led to him developing the Inorganics that were controlled by a living computer linked to the Regent's own consciousness. The relationship between the Regent and the Regess is described as being polar opposites of one another with his wife seeking the ultimate destiny of the Invid whilst he himself wishes to forge his own destiny through war and conquest.