Elk Domel

This article describes the character Elk Domel from Space Battleship Yamato 2199. For his counterpart in the original Space Battleship Yamato, see Domel (OS).

Blessing and honors to you Terrons, and to those of us from Garmillas!

—Elk Domel, to the Yamato crew, ^[2]

Elk Domel was a Garmillas senior officer serving in the Astro Fleet of the Greater Garmillan Empire. Dubbed the "Space Wolf," Domel was considered to be one of the empire's most brilliant tacticians. His record of victories and his personal code of conduct made him a revered and envied officer within the military, as well as a popular figure among the people of Garmillas.

He served during the Gorni Campaign and in 2199, he was tasked by Admiral Gul Ditz to deal with the Gatlantis Empire's invasion of the Small Magellanic Cloud. Later that year, he was called back to the Garmillan homeland and given the command of the Galactic Theater by Eternal Supreme Leader Abelt Desler, with the specific task of defeating the Earth space battleship Yamato. After attempting to stop the battleship on several occasions and being drawn into a political power struggle for control of the Empire, he was ultimately defeated and killed at the Battle of the Rainbow Star Cluster against Yamato.

Biography

Private life and early service

Elk Domel was born in the early 2160s in the Domel family.^[12] He married the daughter of a Garmillas diplomat, Elisa, and the couple bore a son, Johann.^[13] The boy died at a young age, a tragedy that would haunt Elk and his relationship with Elisa at the same time that wars with neighboring powers demanded his presence away from home.^[11][14]

As a young naval captain he was granted command of a warship he dubbed "Domelaze" after the territory once ruled over by his family.^[12] The name would be inherited by a second warship under his command.^[15] During the Gorni Campaign, Domel held a command position and was the superior of Vance Barlen and Vem Heidern. Heidern would follow him through various successful campaigns, which earned Domel an unmatched reputation on the battlefield and the nickname "Space Wolf". He also treated his subordinates with respect--both Garmillas and members of subject species, among them the Zaltz Valcke Schulz--and was willing to share his military insights with them as a teacher, earning a high degree of loyalty in the process. Domel became a national hero, gaining much popularity among the Garmillan populace. As his stature grew, so too did resentment among more senior officers who began to see him as a rival, despite his complete lack of interest in politics.^{[11][16][17][1]}

He eventually achieved the rank of Vice Admiral and was assigned to lead the 6th Armored Space Division of the Great Imperial Garmillas Astro Fleet,^[18] which under his command became widely regarded as the most elite unit in the Garmillan armed forces.^[1] He was given the third Zoellugut-class 1st Class Astro Combat Ship as his flagship, which he named Domelaze III.^[15] The ship was captained by Heidern.^[4]

At war with Gatlantis and back on Garmillas

In March 2199,^[19] Admiral Gul Ditz, the Supreme Commander of the Great Imperial Garmillas Astro Fleet, sent Domel to the Small Magellanic Coud to take command of the defenses against the invading Gatlantis Empire.^[5] On March 25,^[7] he participated in the Battle of the Small Magellanic Cloud Outskirts, infliting a curshing defeat against teh Gatlantis Army's forces. During the battle, he told his subordinate, Major Fomt Berger, not to be overconfident in his superiority against his enemy. He then turned to Heidern and told him the victory would make the enemy lay low for some time, before sarcastically asking his old comrade if he would miss the thrill of hunting them, which Haidern acknowledged with a loud laugh.^[4]

Suddenly, Domelaze III was hailed by Admiral Ditz, who requested Domel return to Garmillas to be awarded the Desler Cross, Special First Class. Domel was reluctant to leave the frontlines for such a matter, but Ditz informed him that it was merely a political statement and that Supreme Leader Desler himself had something in mind, forcing Domel to accept.^[4]

To honor his award, a large parade was organized in Garmillas's capital city, Baleras. As he was escorted in an hovercar, a small girl approached him with a flower bouquet. He asked his driver to stop, and stepped out of the vehicle and graciously accepted the girl's gift. At the end of the parade, Supreme Leader Desler awarded him the medal and informed him about a problem in the Galactic Theater. Domel told him he had heard rumors of a Earth battleship, the Yamato, that had broken their lines of defense there, and that even Schulz had fallen in battle. Reiterating his loyalty to Desler and the empire, accepted the order to hunt down the vessel and was promoted to General Admiral.^[11]

After the ceremony, Domel got into a limousine with Admiral Ditz and their mutual friend, Director Welte Talan of the Ministry of Armaments. The two expressed their concerns about Domel's increasing popularity, which was causing hostility from many within Desler's inner circle. Ditz explained that his new subordinate, Major General Gremdt Goer, former Commander of Operations for the Galactic Theater, was a follower of Marshall Herm Zoellik. However, Domel expressed his disinterest in politics. He then gazed at the city they were leaving and sadly remarked on the changes in Baleras. He then asked Ditz to lend him the Dimensional Submarine UX-01, which was under his command. They were unexpectedly halted at an Imperial Guard checkpost, where an officer informed them about a sabotage at a nearby floating plant. Domel noticed regular civilians being taken away by the Guard and commented on it, but the officer deemed it irrelevant. As their hovercar was allowed to proceed, Director Talan sadly agreed with Domel's observation that Baleras had indeed changed.^[11]

Domel was left at the cemetary where Johann had been laid to rest, and there he met Elisa at his grave. She was surprised to see him there on the anniversary of their son's passing, but he explained that he had returned at Desler's request. While they watched two boys playing with Elisa's pet rokrohk, Domel disclosed that the Supreme Leader had asked him to take command of the Galactic Theater. He saluted the two boys and held his wife's hand as she sadly remarked that the Milky Way was very far away, to which he agreed.^[11]

Hunting Yamato

Domel and his division traveled to planet Balun, the headquarters of the Galactic Theater. Upon arriving at the Balun base, he met Major General Gremdt Goer, his predecessor and subordinate. At the same time, Heidern provided him with coded confirmation that the UX-01 had engaged Yamato in stealth warfare, and he relayed this information to the confused Goer. Later, the major general congratulated Domel for gaining Desler's approval to use the Dimensional Submarine, but Domel informed him that he had not received such approval. Domel's staff officers then informed Goer that, as long as Ditz approved, they would be fine. Domel confidently told Goer to keep his motto, “adaptability above all else,” in mind.^[20]

The UX-01's ambush failed to stop Yamato's advance, and instead the Zirel Minister of Propaganda Miezela Celestella attempted to carry out a psychic attack from the ruins underneath the Balun base. He observed the Zirel's ship descend into the ruins, and later watched it leave after the attack failed. He explained to Goer that rumors wanted Celestella a descendant of the civilization that had built the subspace gates around Balun. When the major general asked him what she had tried to accomplish, Domel laughed and told him that a normal man could hardly understand a witch's motives.^[21]

Domel was informed by Ditz that Supreme Leader Desler would arrive at Balun in secret for an inspection. At a meeting with his staff and Goer, he decided their next move would be to attack the Yamato, which was exhausted from a series of aggressive recon missions, as it moved toward the neutron star Carel 163. The gravitational influence of the star would force them out of warp in one out of five points, so Domel ordered fleets to be deployed at each location and to converge as soon as the Earth vessel was located. He departed aboard Domelaze III with Goer at his side, and once his scouts located Yamato, he ordered them to force it to warp toward Carell 163. As expected, the battleship warped out in front of Domel's forces, and he ordered the rest of the fleet to converge.^[22]

He continued to direct the fleet's operations, but Yamato continued pushing forward and broke through their lines. Acknowledging his enemy's fierceness with a smile, Domel ordered his flagship to concentrate all fire on it. Goer tried to order evasive maneuvers, but Domel countermanded him, proudly stating that Domelaze III did not retreat. As the Earth ship collided with the flagship, unleashing its firepower against its main guns, Domel turned to look at it with a grin. Yamato managed to get past Domelaze but was surrounded by Domel's remaining forces, and the admiral declared his victory. However, as he continued to direct the battle, he received an emergency transmission from the Presidential Office in Baleras. Vice Leader Redof Hiss ordered him to withdraw and return to Garmillas immediately in response to an emergency. Despite trying to tell him he had Yamato within his grasp, Domel was angrily forced to comply and stood down the attack.^[22]

Suspicion and redemption

Arriving at Garmillas, Domel was promptly arrested and brought in shackles in front of a tribunal. When he asked what was going on, Vice Leader Hiss informed him that Desler's flagship had been sabotaged while on its way to Balun and that he had been accused of playing a role in the Leader's assassination. Director General Hydom Gimleh of the Imperial Guard accused him and Ditz, since they were the only people aware of his visit to the Galactic Theater headquarters. He called Gimleh's accusation childish, but the Director added that Elisa had recently been found harboring an anti-government fugitive. Despite him trying to deny the accusations against him and his wife, Domel's guilt was obvious to the jury, and he was unanimously given the death penalty.^[22][23]

While Domel awaited execution in a prison cell, his innocence was proven when Desler emerged from hiding to reveal Marshall Zoellik, the highest ranking opponent of Domel in the empire, as the true conspirator.^[17] After being released, Domel was brought before the Supreme Leader and received a personal apology from him for his ordeal. He was informed that a recent attack from Yamato had stranded most of the empire's naval forces three months away from Garmillas. Domel requested the opportunity to pursue Yamato and finish what he started. Desler agreed, and Hiss informed him that they had gathered the best forces for him, and that his wife would receive a more lenient sentence if he succeeded. However, Desler also gave him a second mission: during her psychic attack, Celestella had discovered the presence of an Iscandarian passenger aboard Yamato. Domel was to abduct her before destroying the battleship.^[9]

As he made his way toward Baleras's spaceport in a hovercar, he informed Heidern of the new mission. Together with the rest of his staff, they passed their gathered forces, and Domel laughed at Hiss's remark about giving him their best troops, noticing they were mostly made up of children and old men. He came across Barlen, whom he hadn't seen since the Gorni Campaign, and asked him if he thought they could manage with only four old ships and young men. Barlen recalled that Domel had once told him a soldier came of age on the battlefield, and Domel smiled and told him he'd count on them. He then asked Commander Flakken of the UX-01 for his help once again and was introduced to the commander of the Zaltz 442nd Special Platoon, tasked with kidnapping the Iscandarian. He asked if they were aware of the cruciality of their mission, but Major Berger questioned the Zaltzi's loyalty. To answer his doubt, the platoon began singing the Garmillan national anthem, and Domel joined them with a smile.^[9]

Afterward, he met with Director Talan and asked his ministry to lend him a secret prototype Instantaneous Material Transporter, a device capable of instantly warping small crafts that lacked warp drives, as well as a special rock drill missile and the bomber to carry it. He thanked Talan for his help, but the Director simply told him he was accustomed to his strange requests, although he could not understand why Domel had asked him for such a missile.^[9]

He later discussed Yamato's movements with his staff, and his men agreed that Yamato was probably not going to pass through the Rainbow Star Cluster, the shortest route to Garmillas but also the most dangerous. Domel later watched a picture of Elisa and Johann before returning to ponder the map of the possible routes toward Garmillas. He ultimately decided his fleet would take course 728 toward the Rainbow Star Cluster, as he was firmly convinced Yamato would do the same. After his five-ships task force set sail, he informed the unit of his decision. Heidern wondered if Yamato would pass through such a dangerous area, but Domel reiterated that if the battleship's captain was the kind of man he thought he was, then he would take that route.^[9]

Death at the Rainbow Star Cluster

For this topic in more detail, see Battle of the Rainbow Star Cluster

Upon reaching the Rainbow Star Cluster, Flakken immediately spotted Yamato and informed Domel. Heidern praised the admiral for his insight and he gave the order to begin the operation. Following Domel's command, two air attack units were deployed. One unit engaged Yamato's air force, while he used the Instantaneous Material Transporter to teleport the second unit directly to the vulnerable battleship. With Yamato's systems damaged, the 442nd was dispatched to retrieve the Iscandarian. At the same time, the general admiral teleported Barlen, piloting the bomber carrying the Special Rock Drill missile, in front of the enemy ship. The missile was inserted into Yamato's main gun's muzzle and set to detonate once the 442nd evacuated the ship.^[2][9]

While the missile would have been enough to sink the battleship, as soon as Flakken notified the successful abduction of the Iscandarian, Domel authorized the deployment of another squadron of torpedo bombers, stating that there were no certainties in battle and ordering them to destroy the Yamato. Despite their best efforts, the attack was repelled, much to Domel's surprise. He took it as a sign from the Heavens, and ordered all remaining ships to move in, determined to sink his enemy himself. However, the crew of the Yamato managed to take control of the unexploded missile and used it against Domel's ships. As his comrades fell one after the other, he ordered the Domelaze III to open fire on the Earth warship, but the enemy drove his flagship inside an ion turbulence.^[2]

Shocked by the Earthlings' tactics, Domel bitterly admitted that his arrogance in wanting to personally sink them had lowered his guard. With no other option, he initiated the battleship's self-destruct sequence and ordered Captain Heidern and his bridge crew to abandon the ship. Out of loyalty, none of the crew members chose to abandon him, and Heidern sarcastically remarked that they would all be court-martialed for not obeying his orders, which made the admiral smile.^[2]

The dreadnought's autonomous bridge section broke away from the wreck of Domelaze III, maneuvered underneath Yamato, and clamped onto the ship's third bridge. Domel then opened communications with Yamato and asked to speak with the ship's commander. He introduced himself to the captain, Admiral Juzo Okita, expressing his contentment for finally being able to meet him. He congratulated him on his masterful leadership, but told him that he could not allow Yamato to continue its journey unless he wanted his men's sacrifice to have been in vain, and told him he hoped he could understand. The admiral expressed his gratitude, as a soldier and as a man, for meeting Okita, praised both his people and the people of Earth, and then cut communication. After being saluted by his men one last time, he serenely activated the self-destruction device, vaporizing himself and the rest of the ship's crew immediately. However, Yamato's shields came online at the last moment, saving the ship from further major damages.^[2]

Legacy

Elisa Domel, imprisoned on the planet Leptapoda light years away from the battle, sensed her husband's passing.^[2] Due to his inability to stop Yamato, she remained under detention until allies of Admiral Ditz initiated a prison riot and freed her.^[24]

Two weeks after Domel's death, Desler presided over a public memorial service in front of the Presidential Office. Speaking before a mass audience of mourners rivaling the crowd that greeted Domel months earlier, Desler presented the captured woman from Yamato, in reality a Earthling crew member, as the third princess of Iscandar and announced the unification of Iscandar and Garmillas.^[25]

Appearance

Elk Domel was a Garmillan man, with brown hair he kept hair short and brown eyes. He had bushy eyebrows and a prominent chin with a dimple. He was around 200 cm (c. 6'5'')^[26] tall, and was very muscular.^[4]

He usually preferred wearing his form fitting combat uniform, but wore a traditional military officer uniform on special occasions.^[11] He carried a short whip.^[11]

Personality

Elk Domel was a dedicated soldier. Beyond his tactical prowess, he maintained a highly principled code of honor that informed his service to the Garmillas military. He viewed senior officers and subordinates alike as comrades in arms, and was willing to extend his respect to enemies on the battlefield.^{[1][2][11][4]} His loyalty to Garmillas and to its Supreme Leader was unwavering, even after its Leader's scheming nearly destroyed him,^[9] but he had a strong distaste for the Imperial Guard, its director Hydom Gimleh, and their brutal actions.^[11][17]

Despite his great popularity among the populace, he was uninterested in political power and fame. The most visible evidence of this was his appearance while on duty; unlike the majority of high-ranking Garmillas officers who favor more formal attire, Domel prefered tight fitting combat clothing, changing to full dress only for high-level functions.^[1][11][4]

Away from battle, Domel was a devoted spouse and family man. His love for his wife remained undiminished by long periods of service away from Garmillas, and well after losing his son, he continued to grieve. The admiral also had a close bond with his pet, a rokrohk that had been with the family from before their son's death. He brought the animal with him to his new post on Balun.^[11][20][9]

Domel's abilties and personality inspired great loyalty and admiration among his subordinates.^[2][16] Even after leaving his service, Valcke Schultz and his subordinates still showed devotion to the admiral and longed their time under his command,^[16] as did Vance Barlen.^[9] Domel was friends with his staff officers, most notably with Captain Vem Heidern, who sometime served as his confidant.^{[11][4][20][9]} Domel was also close friends with his direct superior, Admiral Gul Ditz,^[11][4] and with Director Welte Talan.^[11] He also had a great trust in Commander Wolf Flakken, despite his reputation as a loose cannon.^[2][20]

Despite only meeting him face-to-face once in his final moments, Domel came to greatly respect Admiral Juzo Okita, having faced off against him and his battleship, the Yamato, on several occasions.^[2][9]

Battles

Gatlantis-Garmillas War

• Battle of the Small Magellanic Cloud Outskirts

Garmillas War

• First Battle against Domel
• Battle of the Rainbow Star Cluster

Others

• Gorni Campaign

Manga

Most of Domel's actions in the maanga adaption of Space Battelship Yamato 2199 are nearly identical to the anime's version of events, with some difference in the chronology. Domel takes command on Balun after Celestella's psychic attack,^[27] and his recalling to Garmillas during the Battle of Carell 163 takes place before Desler's assassination. He is recalled by the Supreme Leader himself in order for his attack not to harm Yurisha.^[28]

Additionally, the scen of him visiting the cemetary on Garmillas is different. After visiting his son's grave he visits Schulz's. He is surprised to see many flowers, and describes the deceased colonel to Elisa as a kind and corageous man, who never attacked a surrendering enemy nor had any hatred for those he fought against. The couple is interrupted by a crying Hilude Schulz, the Colonel's daughter, demanding an explaination for her father's death. To console her, he tells her that he too feels wierd when visiting graveyards and only seeing the names of many deceased people. He continues by stating that, while people's lives shine for only a brief moment, they actually continue for eternity as there are those who inherit them, and tells her that Schulz would surely live on in her heart. He also states that her father had surely imagined a future with her, and that had given him courage and hope. Before leaving, she asks Hilude's name.^[29]

Gallery

Behind the scenes

Like his original series counterpart, Domel's name and character are inspired by Marshall Erwin Rommel of the Nazi army during World War II.^[30] However, unlike in the original series where he is portrayed as arrogant, his Space Battleship Yamato 2199 counterpart is a much more humble and honorable man.^[1]

His redesign was handled by Nobuteru Yuki.^[31] He is portrayed by Akio Ohtsuka in Japanese, and by J. Michael Tatum in English. The English version of 2199 inaccurately renders his ranks as Senior General and High Chief General.

References

Japanese language information

エルク・ドメル Eruku Domeru