A to Z Challenge: First Couple: Roy Fokker and Claudia Grant

Roy Fokker & Claudia Grant

The saga of Robotech is largely based on the relationships between the characters.  Throughout the series there are a number of couples (or even triangles), but the first couple is Roy Fokker and Claudia Grant.

Roy Fokker

In a way they're the prototype of Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes that would dominate the Macross Saga.  Roy is a fighter jock and Claudia is a tough bridge officer.  At first they didn't like each other but eventually they fell in love.  None of that is actually seen but it's recounted in the show and the books when Claudia is counseling Lisa Hayes about her feelings for Rick Hunter.

Roy Fokker used to work for Rick Hunter's father in his "flying circus."  Roy and Rick were pretty tight, like brothers.  Roy was Big Brother and Rick Little Brother.  But when the Global Civil War began, Roy became a fighter pilot, which Rick's father took badly.

Claudia Grant

Roy was part of the team to explore the SDF-1 after its crash and he immediately signed on to join the Robotech Defense Force.  He was the leader of Skull Squadron, his Veritech decorated like one of the old Tomcats of the Jolly Roger squadron on the USS Nimitz around that time in real life.  Roy is the one who invites Rick Hunter to Macross Island, where he gets caught up in the fold to Pluto and ultimately becomes a Veritech pilot.  Roy is also the one who convinces Rick to stop moping around and become a fighter pilot.

Roy and Claudia see each other periodically during the war, though it's hard with the frequent attacks and their schedules.  Roy is killed after the SDF-1's return to Earth.  His fighter is hit by some debris or something and while he's not obviously wounded, Roy has some internal damage.  He passes out in Claudia's quarters and later dies.

There's not really a lot about Claudia Grant before she boarded the SDF-1 except that her and Roy clashed horns before they eventually got together.  She works on the bridge with Lisa Hayes and the others and besides her duties, she's the one who keeps order among the other crew on the bridge as the oldest one besides the captain.

Claudia survives a while after Roy, making it through the battle against Dolza's forces and the reconstruction.  She's killed along with the rest of the bridge crew on the SDF-1 when Khyron's battlecruiser rams the SDF-1 and SDF-2.

Bowie Grant, Claudia's nephew

Her relatives Jean and Vince Grant are part of the SDF-3 expedition only recounted in the books.  Her nephew Bowie, Jean and Vince's son, is part of the 15th ATAC Squadron of the Army of the Southern Cross.  Bowie is a talented musician who falls in love with Musica, a clone who plays the "cosmic harp" that helps keep the clones of the Robotech Masters in line.  Bowie goes with Dana to find the SDF-3 and is reunited with his parents.  Then he gets stranded with them in another dimension until they finally get free.