The Inbit (called Invid in the Robotech version of the story) came from a distant star and have been wandering the cosmos seeking to perfect their evolution. The first episode of Genesis Climber Mospeada implied there are multiple groups of Inbit spread out through the universe. The Inbit search for life-giving worlds and then land on them to study their animal life. After the Inbit have studied and experimented on the life forms they find, they change their bodies with the knowledge they have gained. Once they are satisfied they’ve learned all they can from the planet they move on in search of another one.
Inbit Homeworld[]
The Inbit have a hive-like social structure and similarities can be drawn between them and other creatures that form hives like ants and bees. The soldiers seen in much of the show are nearly mindless beings that obey every order of their leader, Refless. Refless is an advanced being with great intelligence and power who leads all Inbit on the planet from Reflex Point.
Reflex Point[]
Because of their hive-like society, the Inbit are not used to dealing with other sentient races. When the Inbit invaded Earth there were no attempts at communication. The Inbit struck quickly and reduced the cities and human population considerably. Once they settled in they ignored humans. They considered them inferior beings and saw no reason to attack their off-world colonies. They attempted no commerce or communication with the conquered humans. Inbit patrols attacked humans using military vehicles or any weapons large enough to threaten Inbit safety. The result of this policy was the Inbit remained very mysterious to the human survivors. The only real interest they took in humans was biological study and the soldier hunts.
Inbit Hives and Structures[]
The first two invasion fleets, though thoroughly vanquished, left surviving soldiers behind. Refless was concerned that these soldiers might cause trouble for the Inbit hives that dotted the landscape so resources were devoted to hunting them down. The very rare and limited communication that occured between Inbit and humans was to set traps in some towns for soldiers. The townspeople would agree to lure soldiers into vulnerable positions in exchange for not being annihilated by the Inbit.
As advanced as their mechanical knowledge seems to be to humans, it is their biological knowledge that is their true focus. The Inbit use their bio-technology to create soldiers and servants that are living reproductions of earlier stages of Inbit evolution. The soldiers are inserted into mechanical bodies that fuse with them and become their permanent bodies. Only the Refless can safely remove an Inbit soldier from its mechanical body and place it in another. Because the Inbit focus so keenly on biology their mechanical technology appears to progress slowly. Although new mechanical bodies are created during their occupation of Earth, the humans advanced their technology more quickly and were able to attain an equal level or better for their combat machines by the end of the show.
Inbit Soldiers[]
By the end of Mospeada an interesting twist occurs. The Inbit decide that humans are the highest life form on Earth. To continue their program of higher evolution Refless starts raising Inbit servants up by granting them human bodies. They appear human in every way except the color of their blood. What Refless didn’t fully understand was that along with the human body comes the human mind. The new human-form Inbit were subjected for the first time to human emotions and individuality. Individuals like Sorji and Aisha started questioning Refless’ decisions while others, like Battra, developed obsessions. This would probably have caused a major upset in Inbit society but by the time Refless was starting to notice it the third invasion fleet had forced the Inbit to leave Earth. Many human-form Inbit remain behind when the Inbit depart for another planet. They integrate into human society. Whether or not they have an easy time is not known.
Inbit Mecha of Genesis Climber Mospeada[]
Genesis Climber Mospeada’s Inbit mecha were primarily designed by Kakinuma Hideki. Except for the Ghoss, the mecha listed here are not vehicles that are operated - they are permanent mechanical bodies. Instead of entering cockpits, Inbit soldiers are fused with the mechanism and it becomes their body. The resemblance to crabs is deliberate. The Inbit soldiers residing within those mechanical bodies are lower links in the chain of Inbit evolution. All Inbit that operate outside of Inbit hives have the ability to see the energy signature given off by machines using HBT fuel cells. This makes it much easier for them to locate humans and monitor their activity. The names of many of the mecha are open to interpretation when putting into English letters. Variant spellings are listed in the profiles.
Trivia[]
- In Robotech, Inbits were referred as "Invid" and generally shared similiar story of landing on Earth from distant planet despite merged with Robotech's canon (namely war with Masters and origin of Protoculture).
- Despite conquering Earth, Inbit generally leave the human populace on Earth and other solar system colonies alone save for regulating HBT usage and thwarting off Earth Recapture Mission.