Emil Lang (fictional character)

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Dr. Emil Lang is a fictional character appearing in the Robotech universe.

Spoiler warning: The following contains plot/ending spoilers.

Dr. Emil Lang (right) as he appeared in Robotech's Macross segment. Captain Henry Gloval (left)

Dr. Lang was briefly seen in episodes 5 ("Transformation") and 6 ("Daedalus Attack") of the Macross Saga. He would have had a much larger role in the aborted sequel Robotech II: The Sentinels. The storyline for this series was later realized as a comic book and novel series. Dr. Lang was Earth's chief Robotechnician and has been with Earth Robotechnology development since it was first developed from the crashed SDF-1. It was through his efforts that the SDF-1 was built from the crashed alien ship. He also helped in development of the Veritech fighter. Among his other innovations were the pinpoint barrier system, omni-directional barrier, Cyclone Armor, and the Shadow Fighter.

After the end of the First Robotech War, Dr. Lang was made leader of the Robotech Expeditionary Force. He would join Rick Hunter, Lisa Hayes, and the other heroes of the First Robotech War aboard the SDF-3. Dr. Lang was a popular and charismatic leader with the REF, a surrogate father figure to the young scientists and soldiers. He became close to cadet pilot Karen Penn, daughter of his friend and colleague, Harry Penn. Although Karen loved her father, she felt he was too overprotective. Despite Harry Penn's protests, Lang fully supported Karen's determination to be a Veritech pilot.

In addition to scientific research, Lang was also a shrewd politician and diplomat who served on the REF Plentipotentiary Council. Lang repeatedly demonstrated his ability to compromise and draw upon the strength of others as the key to diplomacy. He was instrumental in secretly foiling the plans of certain high ranking REF members who exploited their positions. In this, he was assisted by Janice Em. On the outside, she appeared an ordinary young lady gifted with a beautiful singing voice, but in actuality, she was an android that Lang built to act as a spy much like the Japanese kunoichi.

During the final phase of the Sentinel's campaign, Lang, Exedore, and Janice worked together to create Shadow Technology out of the notes left behind by the now renegade T.R. Edwards who had made significant breakthroughs using captured Invid technology.

During Robotech and the Robotech II: The Sentinels animation, Dr. Lang was voiced by Greg Snegoff.

[edit] Original Macross version

Haruhiko Mikimoto was the character designer for Macross, the Japanese animated series that was adapted as the first 36 episodes of Robotech. In the original Macross character designs, the unnamed chief engineer in two episodes (later redesignated Dr. Lang in Robotech) was one of several Macross background characters drawn simply with small black eyes. The Macross chief engineer is credited with the modular transformation and pin-point barrier system of the SDF-1 Macross, but none of the other innovations credited to Robotech's Lang. In the original Macross, the eyes had no special reason for their appearance and is simply attributed to one of the trademarks of Mikimoto's artistic style. Characters with similarly drawn eyes have appeared in other anime on which he worked.

[edit] The Sentinels version

Dr. Emil Lang as he appeared in Robotech II: The Sentinels

The Macross character design was ignored in Robotech II: The Sentinels animation produced where, in his updated character design, he was given normal eyes. Comics have off and on reverted to the marble like eyes without explanation, usually depending on the artist drawing the issue. The Jack McKinney novels have explained it as an indication of Lang's affinity with the protoculture and it's Shapings, an aftereffect of Lang's near electrocution during the initial exploratory expedition of the crashed SDF-1 where he tried to access the onboard alien computer. The Sentinels comic (which uses his Sentinels character design) did show one instance of Lang's eyes turning marble black and of him subduing someone with greater than normal physical strength.