Movie
Description
Meldarz, also spelled Moelders or Mœlders, serves as the supreme commander of the Black Nebula Empire's forces operating in the Large Magellanic Cloud. He is the main antagonist of the 1979 film Space Battleship Yamato: The New Voyage, where he commands from his immense mobile fortress, the Autostar Gorba, a heavily armed vessel roughly the size of a moon.
Meldarz is a high-ranking military leader entrusted with overseeing critical resource extraction operations for his empire, which is engaged in a large-scale conflict referred to as the Space Wars. His primary mission is to secure the minerals of the planets Gamilas and Iscandar, resources his empire urgently needs to continue its war effort. When the planet Gamilas is destroyed by a mining fleet, Meldarz orders his subordinate, Commander Deader, to pursue the displaced planet Iscandar and not return without the necessary minerals. After Deader's fleet is annihilated by the combined forces of the Gamilas fleet and the Earth battleship Yamato, Meldarz reports the failure to his superior, the Great Emperor Skulldart, and identifies the new defending force as originating from Earth.
In terms of personality, Meldarz is depicted as a calm, ruthless, and calculating commander who also possesses a sense of honor. He is a brilliant strategist and battlefield commander, yet his demeanor is not one of pure savagery. This is most clearly demonstrated when he confronts the Yamato and the remnants of the Gamilas fleet led by former enemy Abelt Desler. Rather than attacking immediately, Meldarz congratulates the crew of the Yamato for their bravery, demands their withdrawal, and grants them ten minutes to leave before he begins his assault. He remains composed even when Desler's flagship rams his fortress, calmly ordering his weapons officer to destroy the attacking ship. However, he also exhibits arrogance and a cruel streak, taunting Desler when the Gamilas leader's signature weapon fails to damage the Gorba and ruthlessly laughing at his failed attack. This arrogance ultimately proves to be his undoing, as he confidently descends to the surface of Iscandar in his fortress to commence mining operations, unaware that Queen Starsha remains on the planet and is prepared to sacrifice herself.
Meldarz's key relationships are primarily defined by his position in the military hierarchy of the Black Nebula Empire. He is a loyal and respectful subordinate to the Great Emperor Skulldart, to whom he reports the status of the mining mission and bows respectfully before ending their transmission. He holds command over officers such as Commander Deader. His interaction with the protagonists is adversarial, treating the crew of the Yamato and Desler's forces as obstacles to be removed. He even threatens to kill Queen Starsha and Mamoru Kodai, the brother of Yamato's acting captain Susumu Kodai, if his demands are not met.
Within the story, Meldarz serves as the primary force opposing the Yamato and its allies. His role is to drive the central conflict as the commander of the invasion force threatening Iscandar and its queen. He is responsible for the destruction of Gamilas and the subsequent pursuit of Iscandar. His personal involvement culminates in the final battle over Iscandar, where his fortress, the Gorba, overpowers both the Yamato and Desler's fleet. The character shows little development over the course of the narrative, remaining a powerful and unchanging antagonist until his sudden demise. His death is a direct consequence of his own hubris; he is caught completely off guard and vaporized along with his fortress when Queen Starsha triggers Iscandar's self-destruction. His death serves as a turning point, allowing the Yamato and Desler to survive and ending the immediate threat to Iscandar, though the Black Nebula Empire subsequently turns its attention toward Earth seeking revenge.
Meldarz's notable abilities are not personal or physical, but rather those of a commander and strategist. He is recognized as a brilliant battlefield commander capable of leading a large-scale military force. His true power lies in his command of the Autostar Gorba, a technological marvel of the Black Nebula Empire. The fortress is equipped with incredibly powerful weapons, including a main cannon capable of firing a concentrated energy burst that creates a massive crater on a planet's surface. The Gorba also boasts defenses powerful enough to completely nullify the Dessler Cannon, a formidable weapon of the Gamilas fleet, demonstrating the technological superiority of Meldarz's forces.
Meldarz is a high-ranking military leader entrusted with overseeing critical resource extraction operations for his empire, which is engaged in a large-scale conflict referred to as the Space Wars. His primary mission is to secure the minerals of the planets Gamilas and Iscandar, resources his empire urgently needs to continue its war effort. When the planet Gamilas is destroyed by a mining fleet, Meldarz orders his subordinate, Commander Deader, to pursue the displaced planet Iscandar and not return without the necessary minerals. After Deader's fleet is annihilated by the combined forces of the Gamilas fleet and the Earth battleship Yamato, Meldarz reports the failure to his superior, the Great Emperor Skulldart, and identifies the new defending force as originating from Earth.
In terms of personality, Meldarz is depicted as a calm, ruthless, and calculating commander who also possesses a sense of honor. He is a brilliant strategist and battlefield commander, yet his demeanor is not one of pure savagery. This is most clearly demonstrated when he confronts the Yamato and the remnants of the Gamilas fleet led by former enemy Abelt Desler. Rather than attacking immediately, Meldarz congratulates the crew of the Yamato for their bravery, demands their withdrawal, and grants them ten minutes to leave before he begins his assault. He remains composed even when Desler's flagship rams his fortress, calmly ordering his weapons officer to destroy the attacking ship. However, he also exhibits arrogance and a cruel streak, taunting Desler when the Gamilas leader's signature weapon fails to damage the Gorba and ruthlessly laughing at his failed attack. This arrogance ultimately proves to be his undoing, as he confidently descends to the surface of Iscandar in his fortress to commence mining operations, unaware that Queen Starsha remains on the planet and is prepared to sacrifice herself.
Meldarz's key relationships are primarily defined by his position in the military hierarchy of the Black Nebula Empire. He is a loyal and respectful subordinate to the Great Emperor Skulldart, to whom he reports the status of the mining mission and bows respectfully before ending their transmission. He holds command over officers such as Commander Deader. His interaction with the protagonists is adversarial, treating the crew of the Yamato and Desler's forces as obstacles to be removed. He even threatens to kill Queen Starsha and Mamoru Kodai, the brother of Yamato's acting captain Susumu Kodai, if his demands are not met.
Within the story, Meldarz serves as the primary force opposing the Yamato and its allies. His role is to drive the central conflict as the commander of the invasion force threatening Iscandar and its queen. He is responsible for the destruction of Gamilas and the subsequent pursuit of Iscandar. His personal involvement culminates in the final battle over Iscandar, where his fortress, the Gorba, overpowers both the Yamato and Desler's fleet. The character shows little development over the course of the narrative, remaining a powerful and unchanging antagonist until his sudden demise. His death is a direct consequence of his own hubris; he is caught completely off guard and vaporized along with his fortress when Queen Starsha triggers Iscandar's self-destruction. His death serves as a turning point, allowing the Yamato and Desler to survive and ending the immediate threat to Iscandar, though the Black Nebula Empire subsequently turns its attention toward Earth seeking revenge.
Meldarz's notable abilities are not personal or physical, but rather those of a commander and strategist. He is recognized as a brilliant battlefield commander capable of leading a large-scale military force. His true power lies in his command of the Autostar Gorba, a technological marvel of the Black Nebula Empire. The fortress is equipped with incredibly powerful weapons, including a main cannon capable of firing a concentrated energy burst that creates a massive crater on a planet's surface. The Gorba also boasts defenses powerful enough to completely nullify the Dessler Cannon, a formidable weapon of the Gamilas fleet, demonstrating the technological superiority of Meldarz's forces.