Invid

The Invid are a slug and insect-like race responsible for the Third Robotech War. They have a symbiotic relationship with the Flower of Life; the plant that is the source of Protoculture. Historically, they are the enemy of both the Robotech Masters and, more distantly, the Haydonites. Their invasion of Earthafter the Second Robotech War also pulled them into conflict with humankind.

Homeworld and empire
A hive mind consisting of invertebrate, bipedal, crab-like creatures, the Invid came from the world of Optera, the inhabitable planet of the Tzuptum System. Their world was defoliated by the Robotech Masters in an attempt to monopolise the Flower of Life, a powerful narcotic that was native to the planet and also the source of an incredibly powerful energy source called Protoculture. Enraged by the devastation and betrayal by those who came as apparent friends, the sedate and agrarian Invid militarize and begin a program of genetic manipulation, evolving to a point where they can strike back. The unleashed rage of the Invid proves superior to the Masters' own power, and the Robotech Empire is slowly conquered. Ultimately, the Invid trace the stolen Flowers to Earth (which turns out to be the only other place in the galaxy where the Flower can grow) and invade Earth without a moment's hesitation, thus beginning the Third Robotech War.

Leadership
The Invid are led by twin monarchs. Long ago, the Regess genetically modified herself to interact more easily with the scientist Zor, who came to Optera to study the Flower of Life. In this form, she was seduced by Zor, who took from her knowledge of the Flowers' secret before abandoning her and the Invid. The Regess is devoted to the Flower of Life and its ability to transform. While willing to engage in near-merciless conflict in the short term, she views evolution as a path to move beyond slaughter in the longer term and aspires to reach a stage of evolution where the Invid might recapture the idealic life that was once theirs. With the release of the movie Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, the Regent is also physically undeveloped beyond the natural bipedal stage of existence that was the Invid's original form. His path is not transformation but annihilation: while Zor was likely unaware of the Masters' intent to defoliate Optera, he links the personal betrayal of the Regess' seduction to the defoliation and has since that time devoted himself to the destruction of the Masters' race.

The Flower of Life
The alien plant known as the Flower of Life is inexorably tied to the survival of the Invid race. When the Robotech Masters discovered Protoculture while studying this plant, they believed the Invid were unaware of its properties. The Zentraedi, under orders from the Masters, were sent to harvest as much of the Flower as they could, then defoliate the entire planet of Optera. The destruction of Optera's ecosystem changed the Invid.