Maia Sterling -- Damn Lazy Legacy Character

I don't remember much about Shadow Chronicles: I watched it early in my Robotech-viewing "career" and was so bored I decided not to go back.

One memory that I'm certain of, though, is that the writers were trying SO HARD to make Maia Sterling into the kind of blatant copy-yer-parents legacy character that I always hate.

Look at that: a kickass ace pilot, with custom-coloured mecha. And it took me a while to notice, but her signature colour is purple, maybe even fusing Max and Miriya's red/blue. (The purple matching her hair is just Mary Suesian).

Now I've read between the lines and can happily guess that if the Shadows continuity ever starts again, we aren't going to see the actual Sterlings, and so also suspect that Maia was written the way she was, not only out of sheer laziness, but in the hopes she could fill the void left by the married aces: "Look: she's their daughter and she's got this so-and-so." A substitute, sort of thing.

Which just...I know everybody would say I actually shouldn't critique something that aimed so low to begin with, but screw that: I hate it when this kind of thing is pulled. It's better to create a child character that feels like an individual instead of an offsprung, because nobody can really take the place of the parent characters anyway.

Also, did they want Maia to be the kid from Dana's vision, or not? Cause...it's an obvious guess to make, but jeez, give her blue hair or something.

incisivis wrote:

I don't remember much about Shadow Chronicles: I watched it early in my Robotech-viewing "career" and was so bored I decided not to go back.

One memory that I'm certain of, though, is that the writers were trying SO HARD to make Maia Sterling into the kind of blatant copy-yer-parents legacy character that I always hate.

Look at that: a kickass ace pilot, with custom-coloured mecha. And it took me a while to notice, but her signature colour is purple, maybe even fusing Max and Miriya's red/blue. (The purple matching her hair is just Mary Suesian).

Now I've read between the lines and can happily guess that if the Shadows continuity ever starts again, we aren't going to see the actual Sterlings, and so also suspect that Maia was written the way she was, not only out of sheer laziness, but in the hopes she could fill the void left by the married aces: "Look: she's their daughter and she's got this so-and-so." A substitute, sort of thing.

Which just...I know everybody would say I actually shouldn't critique something that aimed so low to begin with, but screw that: I hate it when this kind of thing is pulled. It's better to create a child character that feels like an individual instead of an offsprung, because nobody can really take the place of the parent characters anyway.

Also, did they want Maia to be the kid from Dana's vision, or not? Cause...it's an obvious guess to make, but jeez, give her blue hair or something.

Yeah it was pretty obvious shes going to fill in for the "sterlings", and shes definitely a mary sue
but what about marcus rush? I think hes intended to take ricks place or some horse shit like that.

but yes, that story was weak and there was no character development at all, they had no personality just a bunch of fan service with mary/gary sueisms.

Marcus was so forgettable the thought never crossed my mind, but I can see it. My thought, before I understood the behind-the-scenes legal tangles, was that in a universe already crammed with so many characters, we didn't need another one.

No, when I think of a Rick knockoff, Jack Baker is the first thing that comes to mind, because of his personality, his role, and his damn NAME. Jeez.

incisivis wrote:

Marcus was so forgettable the thought never crossed my mind, but I can see it. My thought, before I understood the behind-the-scenes legal tangles, was that in a universe already crammed with so many characters, we didn't need another one.

No, when I think of a Rick knockoff, Jack Baker is the first thing that comes to mind, because of his personality, his role, and his damn NAME. Jeez.

All the characters in TSC are pretty damn forgettable, even the ones who were killed off (damn why not the whole cast) and I didn't think of Jack Baker, but he does come off as being the next rick hunter. Makes me wonder why the creative staff didn't do anything with him. OR if they did in the PTTSC comics, I wouldn't know. Didn't want to waste the money on that crap.

on the subject of wannabes, what did you think about Jack Archer from the battlecry game? and the wannabe miriya, kiriyu or something, damn I can't remember her name lol
oh well.

Maia Sterling?

Forgive me for not reading the comics (Tommy), but where does this bimbo come from? I demand a DNA test!

No offense ladies, but is it my imagination or are her breasts and ass bigger than her moms?

Seriously...

And don;t forget Janice Em (Originally built on EARTH long before SDF-3 even launched!)

WTF can you scream FANSERVICE!

At least the original was petite, demure, and tried to fit in, this one is like "I'm a wet dream-bot! look at me!!!"

Oh my GOD, Battlecry.

I never paid ANY attention to the video game side of things, but I looked up the Zentraedi characters in Battlecry because...well, they're Zentraedi. And I just about died when I saw what a shameless ripoff of Miriya that Kiyora was. Or that whatsisname was of Khyron.

Can't say anything about Jack Archer, becuase I didn't look any deeper, but...wow. Just. Wow.

And, they had Jack (Baker) as a fairly major character in the old Sentinels novels and comics, but he didn't DO anything particularly interesting. He was just there being the token Reckless Young Man and oft. comic relief. That's one thing that always struck me right away, that he was a caricature of Rick in so many ways: same with Karen Penn and Lisa.

In PTTSC, which I actually did buy (it was borderline-incomprehensible)...it's hard to tell who Jack even is, because he's the generically handsome anime-looking guy with a goatee (!) He doesn't do anything, either, not that he has room in the crammed-in mess that minseries is.

Janice, okay, it was weird, because she and Ariel look FAR too much alike in TSC, and there seems to be this "geeky guy gets a robot girlfriend" angle they were working with her and Louie. Which...ugh. Things like that just creep me out (see the entire "magical girlfriend" genre of anime).

It's amazing how you can try too hard and stil be so lazy....

Star Dragon wrote:

Maia Sterling?

Forgive me for not reading the comics (Tommy), but where does this bimbo come from? I demand a DNA test!

No offense ladies, but is it my imagination or are her breasts and ass bigger than her moms?

Seriously...

And don;t forget Janice Em (Originally built on EARTH long before SDF-3 even launched!)

WTF can you scream FANSERVICE!

At least the original was petite, demure, and tried to fit in, this one is like "I'm a wet dream-bot! look at me!!!"

Nope you're not dreaming, all the women in TSC have unrealistic figures and ridiculous busts ( I don't think the artist has ever seen a real woman)