Rolf Emerson

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Rolf Emerson is a fictional character in the Robotech series. He appeared during the Southern Cross segment of the series which is also known as Robotech: Masters. This segment was originally the 1984 anime series Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross. Rolf Emerson is one of the handful of characters to retain their original name and name spelling for the Robotech adaptation. In Robotech, he was voiced by actor Michael McConnohie.

Major General Rolf Emerson was Chief of Staff in the Army of the Southern Cross and a trusted adjutant to Supreme Commander Anatole Leonard. Gentle and compassionate, Emerson often sued for peaceful negotiations over the militaristic solutions that Leonard proposed. Emerson was known for his excellent tactical skills in battle, especially in contrast to Leonard's often rash and aggressive "throw everything we have at them" tactics. The two men often clashed over their philosophies but it was obvious that they deeply respected each other.

Emerson was made godfather to Bowie Grant and Dana Sterling who were left under his care while their parents joined the Robotech Expeditionary Force. Conflicting matters is Bowie having fallen in love with Musica, a young cloned citizen of the Master's race. Offering her sanctuary, Bowie had become a fugitive during the latter part of the series.

Leonard, eventually assigned Emerson to Moon Base Aluce, where he felt that Emerson would be most useful. This was the first line of defense against the Robotech Masters. Because of this, several officers under Emerson were convinced that the assignment was essentially a death sentence because Emerson had continually opposed Leonard's policies. Emerson, against all expectations, survived a major battle with the Masters by carrying out a space warp maneuver.

Emerson eventually meets the Robotech Masters themselves after he and his crew are captured in space. Failing to persuade the Robotech Masters to consider peace, he dies protecting Bowie from a rifle blast fired by a Bioroid Terminator. Emerson dies in Bowie's arms, his last words a plea for peace between the two beleaguered races.

[edit] Trivia

In the original Japanese Southern Cross, Bowie Grant was called Bowie Emerson and is actually the son of Rolf Emerson.