- “The invasion of Katina is a textbook example of a Venom assault. The first enemy objective is to establish air superiority . Since Andross' Invader IIs are inferior to Cornerian fighters, the enemy will overwhelm the defenders with huge numbers. As Saucerer flies over primary targets, air defence units are lured into meeting the first wave of Invader IIs. A larger wave of enemy fighters then swarms out of Saucerer and eliminates the preoccupied defenders. With the skies clear, Saucerer deploys its Core Weapon and commences with the second objective: the complete annihilation of hapless ground units. At the end of the battle, shock troops are dropped to enslave any survivors.”
- —Lylat Datalink; Anatomy of an invasion, pg 68
Andross' Empire, also known as Andross' army, was the main empire of the planet Venom which was made up of Androssians that operated under the control of Andross. The army was primarily made up of Venomians, which are composed of lizards and primates, with some notable canines accepted into their society. Andross' evil ambition has served as a magnet to attract the scum of the Lylat system into his service. The most powerful and intelligent of his followers have been promoted to positions of leadership in Andross' military machine, and have been given command of specialized war machines of great power. Andross has dispatched these key lieutenants to seize strategic locations throughout the Lylat system. The machines they control come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and are always accompanied by fleets of support craft. The Star Fox team's mission paths led to encounters with different lieutenants.
Society and Culture[]
Unlike the Cornerian Empire's morals and ethics to maintain justice and freedom, Andross' Empire was a disciplined and ruthless force that nearly succeeded in conquering the Lylat System. The invasion of a planet by Venom forces was a planned operation broken down into three stages. The first stage was for Venomian forces to gain air superiority over the enemy, either through overwhelming numbers, superior technology, or both. The fact that the underdeveloped Cornerian Army didn't suspect an attack helped in their goal immensely. The initial wave of star fighters would draw air defense units into meeting them head on, allowing a second wave of fighters to come in and overwhelm the preoccupied defenders. With the skies clear of enemies, the second stage began as bombardment craft proceeded to rain destruction on the now-defenseless ground units. With most ground forces destroyed, the final stage began as shock troops were dropped to round up and enslave any survivors.
The invasion of Katina by Andross' Empire served as a textbook example of the above tactics, at least until Star Fox succeeded in disrupting their plans and destroying their invasion force.
The Empire's emblem has ranged from a simplistic A for Andross, to a modified symbol with the monochromatic semi-realistic face of Andross, to another symbolic homage to Andross as a disembodied head over two cutlasses, similar to Calico Jack's Jolly Roger pirate flag.
History[]
Lylat Wars[]
Andross' legions of minions had been mustered from sources throughout the Lylat system. From bio-tech enhanced monsters from the abysses of Aquas to mechanized starfighters assembled in Macbeth's weapons labs, Andross's minions had one thing in common: they were expendable. Each fighter pilot was expected to willingly give his life for the emperor; each robot was programmed to destroy or be destroyed, and each mindless bio-tech drone has been conditioned to think only one thought, destroy Star Fox or be destroyed. The Andross' army, comprised of both lizard and ape species, wreaked havoc on Corneria at the time of the Lylat Wars. Andross, who had been exiled there due to his experiments that nearly turned Corneria into a lifeless wasteland, managed to amass a very large army, also creating planetary defenses, such as the Bolse Defense satellite and an impressive defense fleet to protect the Area 6 zone. He also built many factories, and armory plants to build his army which would eventually be his tool for revenge. Once his army was assembled, armed, and his fleets were loaded, he set a course for Corneria, and the other planets, using the blitzkrieg tactic.
The Empire was destroyed by both the Cornerian Army and Star Fox by the end of the Lylat Wars, although what remnants were left ended up joining Andrew Oikonny's army, lasting at least up to the time of the Aparoid Invasion. Following the destruction of Andross, the army lost its leadership and was rendered a non-threat.
Four years after the Venomian war, a band of individuals lead by Captain Shears attempted to perform a resurrection of Andross via cloning his d.n.a, but lost due to the combined efforts of the Star Fox team and the space hot rodders. Five years after Shears' failed resurrection of Andross and one year after Andross' failed second resurrection on Sauria, Shears' group was superseded by Oikonny's army (which was composed of former members of Andross' Empire) and later the Anglar army, which was implied to be an artificial race resulting from Andross' experiments on Venom.
Other Appearances[]
- In the Nintendo Power comics, the explanation is that Andross discovered first hand that Venom was indeed populated by a civilization of lizards who were not very well educated in modern technology, so he created his telekinetic amplifier to enslave a majority of them. But, the planet was rich in ancient technology, and scribes to extremely powerful weapons, which Andross used to build his army.
- Planet Venom's entry in the instruction booklet of original 1993 "Star Fox" describes that Andross' army was made up of inhabitants of the planet, who were not really willing followers of their self proclaimed emperor, but were actually drafted into his serves and inwardly hoped that Star Fox would be successful in liberating them.
Names in Other Languages[]
Japan | Andross' army
(アンドルフ軍, Andorufu-gun): Andross' army is alternatively known as the Imperial Guard (皇帝軍, kōtei-gun) in early adaptations by Benimaru Itoh. |
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Trivia[]
- At least in the SNES versions, it had similarities to Prince John's Britain from the Robin Hood franchise, namely due to Fox McCloud, back before he formed Star Fox, frequently leading a band of thieves to rob the Imperial Guard in the name of the oppressed. The Nintendo Power comics also portray Fox McCloud and his team as bandits that oppressed the Androssian society, but never stealing from the Cornerian people, akin to Robin Hood tradition. The Walt Disney adaptation of Robin Hood also portrayed the title protagonist as a fox, and his rival the Sheriff of Nottingham as a wolf, clairvoyant of Fox's rival becoming Wolf O'Donnell years later.
References[]
- NINTENDO POWER Star Fox 64: Official Nintendo Player's Guide. Redmond, WA, Nintendo of America. 1997.
- The name is taken from pg 9. The term Androssians is especially prominent in the guide.
- http://f.starfox-online.net/archives/starFox64.comReconstructed/minions.html
- http://f.starfox-online.net/archives/starFox64.comReconstructed/lieutenants.html
- List of Super Smash Bros. series Trophies (Star Fox series)
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