After a devastating war against the Zentradi, a race of giants, humanity fled toward the galactic core aboard a fleet of colonial ships known as the Macross Frontier. With the extraterrestrial danger receding into the distance, daily life on the Macross Frontier continues as normal. In 2059, Alto Saotome, a young mecha pilot trainee, and his peers are rehearsing a support routine for the renowned singer Sheryl Nome, who has arrived on the Macross Frontier for a concert. Mid-performance, a biomechanical alien species called the Vajra suddenly appears, breaching the vessel's defensive perimeter and crash-landing near the concert site, throwing the entire city into disarray. As the audience evacuates, a young girl named Ranka Lee is left behind and becomes a target for the Vajra, but Alto rescues her at the last moment. In the aftermath, the Strategic Military Services program recognizes Alto's combat prowess, leading to his recruitment to fight the new alien menace.