Dana Sterling
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into List of Robotech characters. (Discuss) Proposed since October 2007. |
Dana Sterling is a fictional character from the Robotech anime television series. The character was adapted from the originally unrelated characters Komilia Maria Fallyna Jenius in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross and Jeanne Francaix in The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross. She is the daughter of Max Sterling and Miriya Sterling, heroes of the First Robotech War, and the sister of Maia Sterling.
Fictional Character Biography
Dana is only seen as a baby in a few brief scenes in episodes 28, 30, and 35 of the first Robotech Saga. She is first seen in episode 28, Recontruction Blues, where Lisa Hayes watches enviously as Max holds Dana while Miriya watches with joy, and Lisa then wishes that she and Rick Hunter were married and had a child like Dana. Dana plays an important role in episode 30 when Max and Miriya bring her along on an important mission into deep space. After blasting their way into the Robotech Satellite factory, Miriya proudly displays Dana to the enemy Zentraedi. The Zentraedi, who have never seen a baby before, are terrified of Dana, believing that she is a mutation and that she might be contagious, and abandon their posts, giving the United Earth forces and the Zentraedi that have allied with them under Breetai time to attack and seize the factory.
Dana remained on Earth while Max and Mirya joined the Robotech Expeditionary Forces aboard the SDF-3. It is not stated in the television series why Max and Miriya left Dana, who at the time was eight years old, behind. However, the decanonized Jack McKinney novel "The Devil's Hand" (book 13 of the Robotech series), states that Dana was left behind because, as the only child of a Human-Zentraedi union (who had been studied, tested, and evaluated since birth), she too valuable to risk going with the Expeditionary Forces. Max and Miriya were reluctant to leave Dana behind but ultimately accepted this decision, and left Dana, along with Bowie Grant (whose parents also joined the expeditionary forces), under the care of their close friends, Rolf and Laura Emerson. Dana and Bowie subsequently grew up as near siblings.
In 2029, just before the beginning of the Second Robotech War, Dana graduates from the United Earth Forces Military academy along with childhood friend Bowie Grant and is placed with the 15th tactical armored squadron then under the command of Sean Phillips. However, after Sean is demoted for flirting with an admiral's daughter, Dana was promoted to Second Lieutenant and command of the 15th. Among those under Dana's command are Louie Nichols and Angelo Dante. Nichols proves himself as tech expert. Dante views Dana as an overconfident teenager and Dana must repeatedly prove to him that she is a competent leader. Dana clashes with Marie Crystal, a squadron leader within the Tactical Armored Space Corps and Nova Satori, an officer in the military police.
Gregarious and outgoing, Dana proved to be a competent tactical leader in battle. She was also torn between her half alien heritage and the fact that the enemy she is killing could be her own relatives. Because of this, she has several clashes with supreme commander Anatole Leonard over his bigoted treatment of captured bioroid pilots. Leonard seems to tolerate her because of her relationship to Chief of Staff Rolf Emerson. Dana, along with Bowie were left under his care by his friends, the Sterlings and the Grants who also joined the REF.
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Dana is attracted to Zor Prime (a captured Bioroid pilot and a clone of Zor, the Tirolian who discovered Protoculture) who was attached to the 15th squadron and helped him regain his memory. During the final battle with the Robotech Masters, Dana accidentally touches the terminals of a protoculture chamber and the surge awakens racial memories inside her. Through a waking dream, she meets a young girl, the younger sister she had yet to meet but had been born in deep space during the SDF-3's mission. (This sister was named Aurora in the decanonized Jack McKinney novels. Maia appears to replace Aurora in the retconned timeline and is a major character in the Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles movie). Zor sacrifices himself to destroy the Earth mounds where the ruins of the SDF-1's protoculture matrix were located as they had mutated and began to attract the Invid Sensor Nebula. Unfortunately, he only spread the spores throughout the planet causing Earth to become a fertile greenhouse for the Invid flower of life. The arrival of the Invid was a certainty now and their chances of winning were non-existent as the United Earth Forces and the Robotech Masters had exhausted themselves.
In the shadow of impending doom, Dana becomes more somber and pessimistic and a pale shadow of her former cheerful self. It is believed that she and other survivors of the 15th joined in the initial but unsuccessful resistance against the Invid Invasion. In the decanonized Jack McKinney novel "Rubicon" (book 17 of the Robotech series), Dana, along with Louie Nichols, Bowie Grant, Angelo Dante, Sean Phillips, Marie Crystal, Musica and Allegra acquire Jonathan Wolfe's ship, travel to Tirol, and meet up with the Robotech Expeditionary Forces in 2033. In the Wildstorm comic, Prelude to Shadow Chronicles, at least Dana and Louie Nichols reach Space Station Liberty.
During her brief appearance in the Prelude comic, a still subdued Dana reacts strangely when she meets Tirolian Scientist (and Sentinels member) Rem. Her mostly non-verbal behavior indicated that she recognized him, but this is only due to the fact that, like Zor Prime, Rem is another clone of Zor. it is also apparent, again through non-verbal behavior, that there is friction between Dana and Maia Sterling, the nature of which is unknown. However, one explanation that has been proposed is that Miriya died during the Maia's birth (this explanation would also explain why there is no mention of Miriya in the Prelude comic.)
Dana, as the offspring of the Max and Miriya Sterling, is one of the most dangerous and powerful Robotech warriors of all time. Only in the de-canonized book "End of the Circle" by Jack McKinney are her skills directly compared to Robotech warriors of other generations. In this book she is deceived by the Invid Regis and initiates personal combat with her father. The book seems to suggest that if Kazianna Hesh had not intervened Dana might even have bested him.
Difference Between Baby Dana and Adult Dana
Many fans[who?] have criticized or spoofed the apparent discrepancy between the green haired baby Dana of the Macross Saga (Komilia Jenius), and the blonde haired adult Dana in Robotech Masters (Jeanne Francaix). Though this was partially reconciled with the short-lived Sentinels series showing a very young, but very blonde girl whom Miriya refers to as her daughter; some fans have joked that either the original baby was a natural blonde and had its hair dyed to match her parents (This explanation is given in the novels), or that Max and Miriya's infant was switched at birth with the illegitimate daughter of Lynn Minmay. The real child of Max and Miriya then apparently grew up to become Lana Isavia (Nova Satori). [1]
However, the explanation that Dana is the illegitimate daughter of Lynn Minway is problematic in that in episode 60 (entitled "Catastrophe") of the series, Dana experiences memories that emerge from her "Zentraedi cell structure." Therefore, the only way the above explanation is possible is if Minmay's affair had been with a Zentraedi. Another explanation that has been given is that Nova Satori is actually the child of an affair that Miriya had with another human.
It is important to note that there is no evidence provided in the television series, the novels and the comics, that even suggests that Dana is not the child of Max and Miriya.
A more likely explanation for Dana's change in hair colour is that an infant's hair color will often change (lighter or darker) as the child grows older--and that adults often have hair color different then they had in childhood. Dana's younger sister, Aurora/Maia Sterling is also seen to have blue hair as a child, though her hair fades to a pale pink in adulthood.
It should also be especially noted that the unusual hair colors depicted in the animation (as with all anime) may not necessarily represent natural coloring.
Jeanne Fránçaix
Dana Sterling is adapted from the character Jeanne Fránçaix, of the anime The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross. She is voiced by Michie Tomizawa. Down-to-earth and happy-go-lucky, Jeanne, from the native planet of Liberté became the leader of the 15th Squad in the Southern Cross' A Tactics Armored Corps. Her disobedient behaviors often lead her to solitary confinement, often placed there by Lt. Lana Isavia (aka Nova Satori). Fortunately she always manages to be let out when needed. Jeanne develops a romantic interest in Seifriet Weiße (aka Zor Prime), but his reaction is one of puzzlement and disdain. Most of the series revolves around Jeanne's escapades with the 15th Squad, and her almost personal war with the invading Zor.
Other relatives
In the television episode "Triumvirate", Dana briefly mentions a younger brother that she left behind at home. Given the lack of any siblings other than Aurora (original continuity) and Maia (current continuity), most fans conclude that the writers of Sentinels and other continuing stories simply forgot about this mention and treat it as a script blooper. Other fans speculate that she could have been referring to Bowie with whom she practically grew up with and considered family. In actuality, this line was leftover from the original Japanese script where Jeanne did have a younger brother. Some clarification on this issue was given in an interview with Carl Macek by Chris Meadows on the Space Station Liberty program on 4/14/07. Mr. Macek stated that Dana has both a brother and a sister. This was to be further developed in scripts for "The Sentinels" series. Because all the background details of the rebooted Robotech timeline are still being created, it remains to be seen if a younger brother still exists.
Controversial Scene featuring Baby Dana
In episode 30 of the original Japanese The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, entitled Viva Maria, (or Viva Miriya in the english Robotech), Milia Fallyna/Miriya Sterling casually throws baby Komilla/Dana across a table to Misa Hayase/Lisa Hayes, who barely manages to catch Komilla in time. Maximilian Jenius/Max Sterling, who is present during this event, casually states that Dana has "a strong skeleton," and apparently shows no concern about what Miriya has just done. This scene was completely deleted when the series was edited into the Robotech saga, except for a brief shot showing Miriya holding a sleeping Dana.