Southern Cross was the third of three "Super Dimension" shows run on a continuous timeslot by Takatoku Toys on MBS; the other two were Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982) and Super Dimension Century Orguss (1983). Southern Cross, for a number of reasons, was unable to repeat the success of the previous two shows, and was cancelled after only 23 episodes.
According to information from the show's producers, the Zor were humans. They were the descendants of the crew of a colonizing ship that had been thrown into the past due to an accident with their hyperdrive. This information is also in the booklet included with the North American DVD set.
The film was shot in 16mm.