Max Sterling
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- This article is about the character from Robotech. See Maximilian Jenius for the original inspiration for this character in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross.
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Maximillian Sterling, voiced by Cam Clarke, is one of the fictional characters in the Robotech anime television series. He is a young fighter pilot assigned to Rick Hunter's various commands (Black Group, Vermillion Team, and Skull Squadron) along with Ben Dixon. He is 19 years old at the beginning of the Robotech's "Macross Saga" and is easily recognized by his blue hair and glasses. His unassuming personality belies his deadly prowess as the SDF-1’s most renowned Veritech pilot.
Max is preternaturally talented with near-perfect fighting judgment. He is widely recognized to be the most dangerous Veritech combat pilot in the entire Robotech universe.
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[edit] Pre-Macross Appearance
According to the Robotech: Love & War comics, Max, along with his friend Ben Dixon, was in attendance for the celebration at Macross Island that marked the SDF-1's maiden launch when the Zentraedi attacked. During the attack, Max becomes one of the first humans to see a Zentraedi in person. He is rescued from the attack by Lieutenant Jonathan Wolfe.
After a couple of months, Max and Ben enlisted with the SDF-1's military forces out of sheer boredom. After completing training, Max promised Ben's mother that he would take care of Ben and ensure his safety.
[edit] First Robotech War
Max wasted little time distinguishing himself among both his fellow RDF pilots and their Zentraedi adversaries, as he notched nine confirmed kills in his first combat sortie in his trademark blue VF-1. But even his impressive skills were put to an ultimate test of survival during a reconnaissance mission that the Vermillion Group undertook to scout Zentraedi targets. After escaping capture by Zentraedi under the command of Breetai, he infiltrated Breetai's battleship in his Veritech and disguised it with a Zentraedi uniform. Max then helped Rick and Ben pilot a Zentraedi battlepod back to the SDF-1.
His fighting prowess eventually gained the attention of Zentraedi Quadrano ace Miriya Parino, who then sought him out in a furious battle that found its way into the streets of Macross City. Unbeknownst to Max, his defeat of the Zentraedi force’s finest pilot made him marked for death by Miriya, who micronized herself in an effort to find him. After several near encounters, Max and Miriya finally confronted each other in a video game clash. The result was the same as before, so Miriya then tried to kill him during what Max thought was their first date. Defeated once again, Miriya despaired of life itself. But incredibly, the two rivals fell completely in love and were quickly married. As the first marriage between a human and a Zentraedi, the union of Max and Miriya became an unlikely symbol of peace and understanding during the First Robotech War. Afterwards, Miriya becomes Max's wingmate on duty, piloting a distinctive red VF-1 alongside Max's blue one.
After the Zentradi Fleet that nearly destroys the earth is vanquished, Max and Miriya settle down in Macross City and give birth a daughter, Dana Sterling, the first child born from a Human/Zentraedi union. Dana would later become a leading figure in the Second Robotech War pitting the Earth's Armies of the Southern Cross with the Robotech Masters. Max and Miriya continue to serve as pilots during the reconstruction period, distinguishing themselves in the battle against the Zentraedi rebellion led by Khyron and Azonia.
[edit] Robotech Expeditionary Force
Eight years after the end of the First Robotech War, Max and Miriya joined their friends Rick and Lisa Hunter aboard the SDF-3 Pioneer Expedition. Although difficult for them, they left a young Dana on Earth with her godfather, General Rolf Emerson. Dana eventually becomes one who first graduates of the Robotech Military Academy, following in the footsteps of her parents.. Max served as commander of the famed Skull Squadron. The expedition, which failed to return to Earth against the Robotech Masters, got caught in a war with the Invid, as chronicled in Robotech II: The Sentinels.
Despite great anticipation of its arrival before the Battle of Reflex Point at the end of the Third Robotech War, the SDF-3 never arrives in Earthspace with the main REF fleet. The quest to find the SDF-3 is a major plot thread in the Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles feature film, and its forthcoming sequel(s).
[edit] Notes
Throughout Robotech, Max is portrayed as Rick's most trusted lieutenant through all of his commands and campaigns. Although Max is never mentioned in either Robotech's third generation saga or Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, the comic series Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles does place him on board the SDF-3 with Admiral Rick Hunter. Rick called for Max to join him aboard the SDF-3 and give his thoughts when the ship was testing the Neutron-S Missiles. The SDF-3 encounters an unknown problem during the Neutron-S missile test in the Omicron Sector, and General Reinhardt sends Captain Vince Grant to investigate. The rescue mission fails, and the fate of the SDF-3 and its crew are unknown.
Max's second daughter, Maia Sterling, is one of the leading characters in The Shadow Chronicles and the leader of Skull Squadron during the Battle of Reflex Point. The canonical status of his third daughter, Aurora, is unknown.
[edit] External links
Official Sites:
- ROBOTECH.COM - Harmony Gold's Official Character Biography for Maximillian Sterling
