'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
Miryia Sterling, heroes of the
First Robotech War, and the sister of
Maia Sterling.
Dana remained on Earth while Max and Mirya joined the
Robotech Expeditionary Forces aboard the
SDF-3. Dana is a graduate of the United Earth Forces Military academy along with childhood friend
Bowie Grant. She was placed with the 15th tactical armored squadron then under the command of Sean Phillips near the beginning of the
Second Robotech War. With Sean's demotion for flirting with an admiral's daughter, Dana was promoted to
Second Lieutenant and command of the 15th.
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 was killing could be her own relatives. Because of this, she had several clashes with supreme commander
Anatole Leonard over his bigoted treatment of captured bioroid pilots. Leonard seemed 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.
Dana was 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 touched the terminals of a protoculture chamber and the surge awakened racial memories inside her. Through a waking dream, she met 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 movie) Zor sacrificed 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 became 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. Other accounts have them acquiring a returning ship from the REF, piloted by Colonel
Jonathan Wolfe, and using that ship to rendezvous with the remnants of the REF. Whatever the case, eventually, as depicted in the Wildstorm comic, , 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, the nature of which is unknown.
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 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).
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It should be noted, however, 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.