Dana Sterling

Dana Sterling is a female anime character who features in Robotech.

Biography

Dana Sterling was a female Human/Zentraedi child born the daughter of Max Sterling and Miriya Parina Sterling following the end of the First Robotech War. She was born in 2013 after her parents fell in love leading to the first child born between the two species. Miriya views it as a miracle that she and Max could create "such innocent loveliness" or that she could ever create a life inside her own body. Miriya feels as much love for Dana as any human mother could and views her daughter as "a treasure more precious than any the universe could offer". Max, now age 22, becomes a proud and happy father, despite Dana's playfulness with his hair and her midnight feedings. The Sterlings look forward to raising Dana in a peaceful world, although events would soon transpire that would force the Sterlings into battle again to protect their planet and Dana.

Dana is first seen in episode 28, "Reconstruction Blues", just a few months after she is born. Lisa Hayes, while contemplating the love triangle between Lynn Minmay, Rick Hunter and herself, looks across the street and takes a sharp breath as she spots Max and Miriya walking together, pushing a baby carriage. The Sterlings stop for a moment and Max proudly smiles as he reaches into the carriage and lifts little Dana into his arms while Miriya watches with joy. Max then makes a funny face and Dana smilies in response. Lisa thinks to herself "they look so happy, I can just imagine how it must be" and momentarily, in Lisa's mind, Max wears Rick's face and Miriya wears Lisa's. Lisa envies Max and Miriya for their happy marriage and for having such a beautiful daughter. Claudia Grant, whose lover Roy Fokker was killed in the war, also envies them, as she never got the chance to have a child of her own with Roy. Dana is considered a symbol of new life on Earth that slowly emerges following the massive devastation of the First Robotech War.

As the first known child born of a Human and Zentraedi union, Dana embodied the fragile peace between the two races. Her early years were spent on Earth following the departure of her parents and the SDF-3 to deep space, where she was raised among military caretakers and mentors within the newly established Army of the Southern Cross. From a young age, she displayed a headstrong nature and a fascination with military life, enrolling in the Southern Cross Military Academy and rapidly advancing due to both her inherited combat intuition and mechanical aptitude. (Episode: Dana's Story)

As a lieutenant in the 15th Squadron, Dana commanded a specialized unit of mecha pilots operating Hovertanks, versatile transforming combat vehicles capable of ground and aerial combat. Her squadron became a key defensive force when the Robotech Masters initiated their invasion of Earth to reclaim the Protoculture Matrix. Despite her youth and impulsiveness, Dana demonstrated tactical insight and adaptability in battle, often relying on unconventional maneuvers to outwit the enemy. Her leadership was repeatedly tested as the Masters’ forces overwhelmed the Earth’s defenses, forcing her to make difficult decisions that revealed both her bravery and emotional vulnerability. (Episode: Half Moon)

During the Robotech Masters’ campaign, Dana’s encounters with the enemy took on a deeply personal dimension. She developed a brief, conflicted connection with Zor Prime, a clone of the original Zor, who embodied both her heritage’s alien past and her search for identity. Dana’s empathy toward Zor Prime contrasted with her soldiers’ suspicion, and her attempts to bridge understanding between the two species often placed her at odds with military superiors. As the conflict escalated and the Earth’s forces faltered, Dana’s unit suffered heavy casualties, culminating in her decision to continue fighting despite overwhelming odds. By the war’s end, she was among the few survivors of her command, marked by loss but tempered by resilience and duty. (Episode: Catastrophe)

Dana plays an important role in episode 30, Viva Miriya, when Max and Miriya are asked by Admiral Gloval to bring Dana along on a mission into deep space to capture the last remaining Zentraedi Satellite factory in June 2013. As Dana is only eight months old, a specially designed "cradle pod", with a heavily-padded interior, is installed on the bottom of Miriya's veritech fighter in order to safely transport Dana into space. For the mission, Dana is also given her own tiny white and pink Dr. Denton's spacesuit with a white helmet and tinted face shield. Although Dana travels the long distance from Earth to Breetai's ship alone in the cradle pod, she proves that she has already inherited her parents' strength and resilience. As Max lifts her out of the pod following their arrival on Breetai's ship, Dana, looking like "a tiny wiggling astronaut" in her spacesuit, smiles and coos as she playfully wiggles in his arms. Max smiles and hugs her to himself before saying to Miriya "Safe and sound!" while assisting Dana with a wave. Later, as Dana calmly sleeps in Miriya's arms, Miriya smiles and says to her husband: "Oh Max, look. She's so peaceful."

Initially, the Sterlings are unclear as to why Admiral Gloval wanted them to bring Dana along on such a dangerous mission. However, the strategy soon becomes clear and, despite the danger to themselves and their child, Max and Miriya agree to go ahead with the plan. After arriving in space near the factory, Max and Miriya take off in their veritech fighters and blast their way into the enemy command ship. Zentraedi soldiers surround the fighter and Commander Reno, the leader of the remaining hostile Zentraedi forces, orders them to surrender. However, Miriya, after identifying herself as a former Zentraedi warrior, calmly reaches down into her cockpit and proudly lifts little Dana, cradled in her arms and wearing the same Dr. Dentons spacesuit, into view. The enemy Zentraedi, who have had no exposure to human culture and have never seen a baby before, recoil in shock and fear. One of the Zentraedi soldiers, with a look of terror on his face, shouts "By the foul moons, that thing is deformed!" Dana coos as she brings her tiny gloved hands to her helmet's face shield in an effort to rub her eyes, promoting another Zentraedi to shout "It moves!" Miriya, smiling, explains that "In the micronian [human] language, this is what is called an infant; actually created inside my own body. But by both of us", indicating towards Max. Mirya declares that Dana is a symbol of protoculture and love and lifts Dana above her head in full view of all the Zentraedi in the area. The Zentraedi, especially Commander Reno, become terrified of Dana as they conclude that she is a mutation who is contagious. Filled with fear, the Zentraedi soldiers drop their weapons and abandon their posts, throwing the command ship into chaos and causing disorder throughout the enemy fleet. The Sterlings' diversion gives the United Earth Forces (UEF) and the Zentraedi that have allied with them under Breetai time to cripple the enemy fleet and seize the factory. In the subsequent battle, Miriya pilots her veritech while holding Dana in her lap. Dana, unaware of any of the danger, waves her arms joyously at the fiery explosions going off around her, while Miriya clutches her tightly to herself.

Dana is seen briefly again towards the end of episode 35 when she is approximately 14 months old. As Max and Miriya stand on their balcony watching the SDF-1 lit up with Christmas lights, Max lifts Dana, who is initially startled, onto his shoulder. Max subsequently grumbles after Dana starts pulling on his hair while giggling.

Overview

Personality and attributes

In appearance, Dana Sterling was a young woman of medium height and athletic build, distinguished by her pale blonde hair worn in a short, wavy style and her blue eyes, which reflected her mixed Human-Zentraedi heritage. Her uniform as a Southern Cross officer featured a white and red jacket with gold trim, high boots, and a standard-issue service pistol holster. Her features were softer and more delicate than those of her Zentraedi lineage, yet her stance and expression often conveyed discipline and confidence learned from years of military service. (Episode: Dana’s Story)

Dana’s personality was energetic, brash, and fiercely independent. She often defied authority, showing impatience with rigid military hierarchy and frustration with bureaucratic inefficiency. Beneath her rebellious exterior, she carried deep compassion for her subordinates and a moral conviction rooted in her parents’ legacy of peace and cooperation. Her humor and optimism occasionally clashed with the grim tone of the war, but these traits also inspired loyalty in her team. Dana’s dual heritage fueled her struggle with identity—she longed to live up to her parents’ accomplishments while also defining herself as her own soldier and leader. (Episode: Deja Vu)

She had a younger sister born to her parents in space with her being Maia Sterling.

Powers and abilities

Dana Sterling’s skills extended beyond leadership to advanced mecha operation and combat tactics. As a Hovertank pilot, she demonstrated expert proficiency in transformation maneuvers and real-time battlefield adaptation, frequently using terrain and enemy movement to her advantage. Her half-Zentraedi physiology granted her enhanced reflexes, spatial awareness, and stamina, giving her an edge in prolonged engagements. In addition to her combat prowess, she possessed extensive technical knowledge of Robotech systems, often assisting in maintenance and modification of her unit’s vehicles. Despite her fiery temperament, Dana’s combat record and strategic ingenuity established her as one of the most capable officers of the Southern Cross during humanity’s second great Robotech conflict. (Episode: The Final Nightmare)

After joining the Army of the Southern Cross, she came to be the Commander of the 15th ATAC Squadron.

Notes

• Dana Sterling was voiced by actor Michie Tomizawa and featured in Robotech: The Southern Cross Saga.
• In the first Robotech Saga, the baby Dana appeared with sea-green coloured hair similar to her parents but by the time she was an adult she had blonde coloured hair. This was due to the source material as the child Dana was adapted from Komilia Maria Fallyna Jenius in Macross whilst the adult was adapted from Jeanne Fránçaix from Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross.

Appearances

• Robotech: The Masters Saga:

External Links

• Robotech Character Bio Entry

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