Anatole Leonard

Infobox animanga character
name = Anatole Leonard
series = Robotech


caption =
first = Episode 37 - "Dana's Story" [ [http://www.robotech.com/infopedia/episodes/viewepisode.php?episode=37] ]
last = Episode 60 - "Catastrophe" [ [http://www.robotech.com/infopedia/episodes/viewepisode.php?episode=60] ]
creator =
voiced by = Greg Finley
oaux* name =
oaux* =
nickname =
alias = Eli Anatole Leonard/Anatole Westophal Leonard
age =
gender = Male
species = Human
born =
death = January, 2030
nationality =
class =
occupation =
title =
relatives =
paux* name =
paux* =
divider =
aux* name =
aux* =

Anatole Eli Leonard, supreme commander of the Army of the Southern Cross, is a fictional character appearing in the Robotech Universe. His full name is also given as Eli Anatole Leonard or Anatole Westophal Leonard in the novelizations. In the original "The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross" series, he was called Claude Leon. In the Robotech animation, he was voiced by Greg Finley.

Post Global War

Primary continuity

"Television series version"

Almost nothing is known for certain about General Leonard's career before he was granted the Supreme Commander ship of Earth's forces.

"Wildstorm comics version"

In the Wildstorm comics which depict the post Global War period, Leonard is introduced as the director of Earth's Destroid Project weapons program. It was intended to replace the Project Valkyrie which had been placed on hold due to several test pilot accidents. Distrustful of the growing United Earth Government, Leonard recruited a young T.R. Edwards to help secretly further sabotage other UEG sponsored Robotechnology projects. This plan failed due to the interference of Roy Fokker. Leonard decided to bide his time and over the course of the years leading to the second Robotech War established a revised United Earth Government under the aegis of the United Earth Forces.

econdary continuity

"Eternity/Academy comics & novelizations version"

Anatole Leonard was first active in the years following the Global Civil War as a behind the scenes organizer against the rebuilding of the crashed alien ship which would become known as the SDF-1. Most notable of the organizations that he worked with and helped to fund was The Faithful, a religious order that deemed the SDF-1 and Robotechnology to be a tool of the Devil. Leonard would also engineer the kidnapping of Dr. Emil Lang's sister, Nina, in the hopes that she would use her own celebrity status as a rock star to speak out against Robotechnology. These tactics failed and Leonard disappeared only to re-emerge years later as Governor of Brasilia in South America during the Zentraedi Malcontent Uprisings that followed the First Robotech War. This would lead to his formation of the Army of the Southern Cross and a tense but steady relationship with the Earth based Robotech Defense Force which would eventually come under his command as Supreme Commander of the United Earth Forces. Leonard had a strong dislike towards Robotechnology and advocated the development and use of Earth designed mecha and weapons independent of the technology gained from the crashed SDF-1 and the alien based protoculture.

His strong opposition towards Robotechnology and it's mecha would lead him to become a suspect in an investigation concerning a string of suspicious flight accidents involving the REF alpha fighter which claimed the life of pilot Amy Pollard. The accidents were later revealed to be deliberate acts of sabotage (subsequently dubbed the Gilles Crimes) that were being coordinated by one his former aides. Though Leonard was never formerly implicated, suspicion remained high that he had orchestrated the plan with the intent to discredit both the RDF and any mecha associated with it.

In 2029, having secretly been appraised of the imminent arrival of the Robotech Masters by Dr. Lazlo Zand, Leonard and forces loyal to him attempted a military coup of the United Earth Government. The coup was eventually halted when then-Minister of Terrestrial Defense Emerson discovered Leonard's knowledge of the Masters and threatened to reveal that he had deliberately concealed it from the senate. Aware that RDF and neutral elements of the military would unite against him if that occurred, Leonard grudgingly complied demanding as concessions that his title be changed to that of Supreme Commander and that Emerson agree to serve in the Army of the Southern Cross.

Second Robotech War

Primary continuity

"Television series version"

Supreme Commander Leonard has the duty of protecting Earth's sovereignty from the technologically superior Robotech Masters. This means using attritional warfare most of the time, in an effort to wear down the Masters' dwindling supply of protoculture.

Ordered to step up assaults on the Robotech Masters by the Prime Minister of the United Earth Government (Wyatt Moran), Leonard develops several strategies to drive the invaders back from Earth orbit. It is when General Emerson is placed as the on-site commander of the forces at Moon Base Luna and ALuCE-1 (Advanced Lunar Chemical Engineering) base, done so by Leonard, that the tide begins to finally turn against the Masters.

In the final episode of The Robotech Masters story, the Robotech Masters manage to break through the defensive screen put up by the United Earth Forces (by this time including reinforcements from hyperspace). One of their ships targets the Earth forces' command center, killing General Leonard and those who did not evacuate. [ [http://www.robotech.com/infopedia/episodes/viewepisode.php?episode=61] ]

econdary continuity

"Novelization version"

During the battle with the Robotech Masters, Supreme Commander Leonard's tactics proved to be wasteful in men and equipment as he stubbornly sent large groups to attack the Masters' flagships despite recommendations that additional intelligence be gathered first. Leonard would also not reveal that the aliens had in fact contacted him at one point during the war leading his staff to mistakenly believe that the Masters had never attempted communication with Earth forces. With a bigoted attitude towards aliens, he preferred to kill captured bioroid pilots rather than learn from them. Leonard frequently clashed with his more compassionate Chief of Staff Rolf Emerson who sought an attempt to pursue peaceful negotiations with the Robotech Masters first before resorting to hostility.

In the final battle, an attack force by the Masters targeted the Southern Cross Command towers in Monument City. Realizing defeat, Leonard was killed when he refused to evacuate with the rest of his aides.

Notes

The novelization and comic versions of Supreme Commander Leonard are substantially different from that of the character in the television series, the primary source of story continuity [ [http://www.robotech.com/infopedia/faq/viewexpcat.php?categoryid=5 ROBOTECH.COM - The Official Robotech Web Site! ] ] . The "Robotech" television series portrayal of Leonard is in turn substantially different from the Claude Leon character inspiration in "The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross." The voice actor of Leonard (Greg Finley, one of the staff writers for "Robotech"), recently affirmed in an interview that Leonard was a good guy. [ [http://robotechnews.blogspot.com/2006/06/interview-with-man-behind-robotechs.html THE (unofficial) ROBOTECH REPORTER: Interview With The Man Behind Robotech's Leaders, Greg Finley ] ] According to Finley, he was written and voiced "to be regarded as a tough, no nonsense, military man" who followed the orders of civilians (in this case, the Prime Minister of the UEG).

References