TV-Series
Description
Willibald Joachim von Merkatz was a distinguished high admiral in the Galactic Imperial Fleet, his career spanning decades before the series' events. Holding the rank of full admiral by at least 791 UC, his reputation as a skilled commander extended even to the Free Planets Alliance, and lower-ranking Imperial personnel respected his leadership and concern for subordinates. Assigned to Reinhard von Lohengramm's command at the Battle of Astarte as one of five problematic senior officers, Merkatz initially doubted Reinhard's unconventional tactics. Nevertheless, he performed effectively against the Alliance's 4th and 6th Fleets, later acknowledging Reinhard's tactical genius and developing a respect contrasting with the Imperial aristocracy's contempt.
During the Lippstadt Rebellion, Duke Otto von Braunschweig coerced Merkatz into serving as the Lippstadt Alliance's military commander by threatening his family. Merkatz accepted only with the condition of absolute control over military operations, a stipulation Braunschweig violated almost immediately. Merkatz advocated consolidating forces at Geiersberg Fortress to overextend Reinhard's supply lines, but Braunschweig favored fragmented deployments and unauthorized offensives by nobles like Marquis Wilhelm von Littenheim. Despite these obstacles, Merkatz secured the rebellion's sole significant victory, forcing Oskar von Reuenthal's withdrawal from the Schann-tau system. The rebellion collapsed after Braunschweig's nuclear attack on Westerland and a disastrous final assault. Facing defeat, Merkatz contemplated suicide due to his oath to the Goldenbaum Dynasty and refusal to serve Reinhard. His aide, Bernhard von Schneider, persuaded him to defect to the Free Planets Alliance instead.
In exile, Merkatz initially aligned with the Imperial government-in-exile under Kaiser Erwin Josef II, accepting the largely ceremonial titles of Fleet Admiral and Minister of Military Affairs despite lacking substantial forces. He expressed discomfort with the nobles exploiting the young Kaiser politically. He later offered his services to Alliance admiral Yang Wen-li, joining the Iserlohn Fortress garrison as a "guest admiral" with rank equivalent to an Alliance vice admiral. He maintained his Imperial uniform as a symbol of lingering loyalty to the Goldenbaums. Primarily serving as a tactical advisor at Iserlohn, he assumed direct fleet command during critical engagements, such as the Eighth Battle of Iserlohn during Yang's absence. There, he effectively used Alliance forces to entrap and inflict heavy losses on Neidhart Müller's fleet. After the Alliance's surrender at Vermilion, Yang tasked Merkatz with preserving a small fleet in hiding. This force became the foundation of the revived Yang Fleet a year later, with Merkatz playing a prominent role in the Battle of the Corridor.
Following Yang Wen-li's death, Merkatz transferred his allegiance to Julian Mintz out of loyalty to Yang's former officers. He commanded a squadron during the Eleventh Battle of Iserlohn and participated in subsequent operations against the New Galactic Empire. His tactical signature consistently emphasized direct assaults using massed small craft, like Imperial gunships or Alliance Spartanians, to target capital ships. Fleet Admiral Oskar von Reuenthal regarded him as one of the era's greatest tacticians, alongside himself, Yang, Reinhard, and Wolfgang Mittermeyer. Despite fighting the Empire, Merkatz remained apolitical, privately acknowledging improvements in citizens' lives under Reinhard's reforms while unable to reconcile this with his oath to the Goldenbaum Dynasty. He was killed in action at age 63 during the Battle of Shiva in 801 UC when his flagship, the *Hyperion*, came under concentrated fire from Ernst von Eisenach's fleet. His final act was orchestrating the *Hyperion*'s self-destruction to cover Julian Mintz's retreat. Bernhard von Schneider later ensured Merkatz's remains were returned to his family in the Empire.
During the Lippstadt Rebellion, Duke Otto von Braunschweig coerced Merkatz into serving as the Lippstadt Alliance's military commander by threatening his family. Merkatz accepted only with the condition of absolute control over military operations, a stipulation Braunschweig violated almost immediately. Merkatz advocated consolidating forces at Geiersberg Fortress to overextend Reinhard's supply lines, but Braunschweig favored fragmented deployments and unauthorized offensives by nobles like Marquis Wilhelm von Littenheim. Despite these obstacles, Merkatz secured the rebellion's sole significant victory, forcing Oskar von Reuenthal's withdrawal from the Schann-tau system. The rebellion collapsed after Braunschweig's nuclear attack on Westerland and a disastrous final assault. Facing defeat, Merkatz contemplated suicide due to his oath to the Goldenbaum Dynasty and refusal to serve Reinhard. His aide, Bernhard von Schneider, persuaded him to defect to the Free Planets Alliance instead.
In exile, Merkatz initially aligned with the Imperial government-in-exile under Kaiser Erwin Josef II, accepting the largely ceremonial titles of Fleet Admiral and Minister of Military Affairs despite lacking substantial forces. He expressed discomfort with the nobles exploiting the young Kaiser politically. He later offered his services to Alliance admiral Yang Wen-li, joining the Iserlohn Fortress garrison as a "guest admiral" with rank equivalent to an Alliance vice admiral. He maintained his Imperial uniform as a symbol of lingering loyalty to the Goldenbaums. Primarily serving as a tactical advisor at Iserlohn, he assumed direct fleet command during critical engagements, such as the Eighth Battle of Iserlohn during Yang's absence. There, he effectively used Alliance forces to entrap and inflict heavy losses on Neidhart Müller's fleet. After the Alliance's surrender at Vermilion, Yang tasked Merkatz with preserving a small fleet in hiding. This force became the foundation of the revived Yang Fleet a year later, with Merkatz playing a prominent role in the Battle of the Corridor.
Following Yang Wen-li's death, Merkatz transferred his allegiance to Julian Mintz out of loyalty to Yang's former officers. He commanded a squadron during the Eleventh Battle of Iserlohn and participated in subsequent operations against the New Galactic Empire. His tactical signature consistently emphasized direct assaults using massed small craft, like Imperial gunships or Alliance Spartanians, to target capital ships. Fleet Admiral Oskar von Reuenthal regarded him as one of the era's greatest tacticians, alongside himself, Yang, Reinhard, and Wolfgang Mittermeyer. Despite fighting the Empire, Merkatz remained apolitical, privately acknowledging improvements in citizens' lives under Reinhard's reforms while unable to reconcile this with his oath to the Goldenbaum Dynasty. He was killed in action at age 63 during the Battle of Shiva in 801 UC when his flagship, the *Hyperion*, came under concentrated fire from Ernst von Eisenach's fleet. His final act was orchestrating the *Hyperion*'s self-destruction to cover Julian Mintz's retreat. Bernhard von Schneider later ensured Merkatz's remains were returned to his family in the Empire.