Talia Gladys

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Talia Gladys
Talia Gladys in Gundam SEED Destiny
Genetic type:	Coordinator
DOB:	April 4, CE 44
Age:	29 [GSD]
Nationality:	PLANT [GSD]
Allegiance:	ZAFT [GSD]
Rank:	White Coat (ZAFT) [GSD] Commander (ZAFT) [GSD] FAITH [GSD] Captain of the Minerva [GSD]
Family:	Her son (unnamed)
Height:	170 cm
Weight:	52 kg
Blood type:	A
Hair Color:	Light Brown
Eye Color:	Blue

Talia Gladys (タリア・グラディス, Taria Guradisu^?) is a fictional character from the Cosmic Era timeline of the fictional Gundam anime metaseries. She is voiced by Mami Koyama in the Japanese version and Venus Terzo in the English dub.

Talia Gladys is captain of the newly commissioned Minerva. She has shown good instinctive battle tactics and often orders the support ZAKU units to stay close to the ship, limiting the amount of damage done to the ship. However her strategic prowess is somewhat lacking, sometimes relying on others to organize battle plans. Captain Gladys does not use the resources of the Minerva recklessly or without provocation. She has been seen to use the Minerva's "Tannhäuser" positron beam cannon normally as a last resort. Her strengths eventually earn her an appointment into FAITH.

While a good tactician, she sometimes has a hard time asserting her authority with some of her mobile suit pilots. This is made worse when two of them are also appointed into FAITH. Even though her crew is loyal to her, Gladys's own loyalties sometimes seem to waver. She clearly disagrees with many decisions handed down to her by the top brass in ZAFT and the PLANT Supreme Council, but despite personal misgivings, she always follows her orders. Her inability to do what sometimes she believes is right makes her vulnerable to manipulation.

In fact, this loyalty (possibly due to a previous relationship with Gilbert Durandal) is one of the greatest differences between Talia Gladys and her closest contemporary, Murrue Ramius. While Ramius, who serves as captain of the ship Archangel in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, takes her ship and its crew and deserts the Earth Alliance when their superiors plan to sacrifice them in battle; Gladys and the Minerva (save for Athrun Zala and Meyrin Hawke) remain loyal to ZAFT throughout the whole series even when she knows Durandal has made morally questionable choices.

[edit] Relationships

Gladys is shown to be Gilbert Durandal's lover during the series as well as before he became Chairman of the PLANT. At the end of the series she decides to die with Durandal in the space fortress Messiah. Gladys also has a son; as her last request, she asks Kira Yamato to tell Murrue Ramius that she wishes her to meet him some day. (In Final Plus: The Chosen Future, she also asks Athrun Zala to do this.)

Note: While Talia is referred to as a Captain, it is not her rank; ZAFT follows a militia hierarchy. The term Captain in this case refers to a nautical title customarily given to a person in charge of a ship, namely the Minerva.