The Desler administration,[5] also called the Desler regime[6] or Abelt Desler's dictatorship,[7] was the dictatorial government of the Greater Garmillan Empire from its founding in 2188 until the Battle of the Imperial Capital. It was characterized by increasing tyranny and a series of expansionary campaigns under the aggressive philosophy of the Desler Doctrine. Abuses of power from the Imperial Guard, the violent repression of dissenters, rampant xenophobia, and the clash of ideologies between aristocrats, moderates, and hardliners were commonplace during the administration. Following Desler's self-imposed exile, it was replaced by the Garmillas Provisional Government.
Cabinet[]
- Abelt Desler, Eternal Supreme Leader[8]
- Redof Hiss, Vice Leader[8]
- Welte Talan, Director of the Armament Ministry and Defense Secretary[8]
- Miezela Celestella, Minister of Propaganda and Information[8]
- Mardo Vutter, Chief Cabinet Secretary[9]
- Banom Besh, Secretary of Internal Affairs[9]
- Doram Boshrem, Undersecretary of Defense[9]
- Guerlain Mooren, Public Administration Minister[9]
- Merdom Narkin, Finance Minister[9]
- Zenis Dash, Imperial Bank Governor[9]
- Thol Toad, Labour Minister[9]
- Logue Moram, Justice Minister[9]
- Hidore Zarume, Annexation Administration Minister[9]
History[]
Founding and early history[]
Desler announces his doctrine
Following the death of Grand Duke Erich Vam Desler, the Garmillas Grand Duchy fell into a state of civil war over the throne. The Duke's nephew, Abelt Desler, stepped up for the reunification of the nation and in 2188 he declared the Greater Garmillan Empire with himself as Eternal Supreme Leader. Knowing that planet Garmillas was quickly reaching the end of its life span, he declared the Desler Doctrine, a chauvinist philosophy pushing for Garmillan expansion under the guise of spreading Iscandarism. In reality, the Eternal Supreme Leader hoped that, by expanding the empire's borders, they would eventually encounter a planet fit for permanent garmillan emigration.[2][10]
The Imperial Guard assembled a force capable of rivaling the empire's military
As part of his reorganization of the empire, Desler abolished the aristocracy and transformed the Baleras Knights into the Imperial Guard: a paramilitary organization that gradually expanded into a military capable of rivaling the Imperial Defense Force, Garmillas' official armed forces. In addition, the dictator pushed for co-existence between pureblood garmillans and second-class citizens of conquered worlds. These events and actions began causing a rift among the empire's leadership, with the former nobility frowning over the Leader's policies and secretly supporting the Guard and its increasing tyranny since, despite being extremely loyal to Desler, the organization was also one of the most stench upholders of the principles of Garmillan superiority. In addition, under his government the Desler Era was established as the empire's new dating system.[2][11]
Elisa Desler's coup attempt
Eventually, Elsa Desler, the Leader's sister-in-law, attempted to assassinate him, claiming that he had become nothing but a petty tyrant. Her plans were thwarted, but the Supreme Leader couldn't bring himself to execute his deceased brother's wife, instead deciding to exile her and her son.[10]
Desler and Celestella
Desler personally rescued two Zirellan girls from prison. One of them, Miezela Celestella, would come to head his Ministry of Propaganda and Information, becoming one of his closest advisors and supporters. While formally subordinate to Vice Leader Hiss, the de iure head of the cabinet, Celestella answered only to Desler himself. Despite being second in line of succession, Hiss's role within the imperial power structure was effectively null, with the dictator's capricious nature often leading to him undermining Hiss and his ministers' work.[9][12][13]
Yamato and the Civil War[]
Zoellik is summarily executed for his crimes
In 2191, the Greater Garmillan Empire entered a state of war with the people of planet Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy. In 2199, the planet launched space battleship Yamato to reach Planet Iscandar, Garmillas's twin planet, which had offered technological support to the Earthlings. At the same time, tensions within the empire reached a climax, with the former nobility having infiltrated the upper echelons of the armed forces and Imperial Marshall Herm Zoellik planning a coup against Desler to restore the aristocracy. While his attempt failed, his actions resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of Admiral Gul Ditz of the Imperial Astro Fleet, and the Imperial Guard beginning to crack down at the moderate exponents within the armed forces that supported him. In addition, Yamato's success at breaking the empire's lines galvanized the people of various conquered planets, leading to multiple uprisings and violent suppressions by the Guard. Following a devastating attack at the subspace gate network, the bulk of Garmillas's naval forces remained stuck outside of the Large Magellanic Cloud. Director General Gimleh of the Imperial Guard immediately took the opportunity, and with Zoellik and Ditz out of the picture, he effectively assumed sole control of the empire's defenses.[14][15][16][17][18][19]
Yamato fights the Imperial Guard over Baleras
At the same time, Desler began putting plans in place for his dream of unifying the Greater Garmillan Empire with Iscandar. He planned to move the imperial capital from Baleras, the ancestral seat of power of the Desler family, to the space fortress Baleras II, which was supposed to land on Iscandar to officialize the unification project. When Yamato finally broke through and arrived at the Salezar system, a battle over Garmillas and Baleras ensued. During the action, Desler escaped to Baleras II and tried to drop one of the station's sectors on the capital city to eliminate both the battleship and all of his political enemies in one fell swoop. His plan failed, however, and his station was sabotaged from the inside leading to Desler seemingly dying.[12][20]
Legacy[]
The Provisional government
Following the battle, Hiss rapidly stepped into the power vacuum left by Desler's disappearance and took control of a new provisional government, declaring himself Prime Minister. Garmillas signed an armistice and later a peace treaty with the Earth, with the two powers officially becoming allies following a mutual security treaty. Under Hiss, the Greater Garmillan Empire began transitioning into a democracy.[5][7][21]
The Goer Guard Fleet did not recognize the new government
However, certain military formations refused to accept the new government's stand-down order and went AWOL, meeting up with the secretly still-alive dictator. Gimleh went underground and began organizing a group with the heads of the fallen regime to restore dictatorship over the empire. By late 2202, a terrorist organization known as the Anti-Garmillas Rule Destruction Liberation Army was in operation. They claimed that the spirit of Desler's hegemony still loomed over the provisional government, which refused to liberate the territories occupied by the Desler administration.[10][16][21][22]
Desler's fleet in late December 2203
In 2203, Desler reemerged at the head of a new fleet. While initially sided with the Gatlantis Empire and hostile towards the new government, by the end of the year, the Supreme Leader allied himself with Garmillas, and the two factions began working together to find a new home planet for their species.[10][16][23]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Wish Upon a Star"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Desler era official timeline from the Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Chapter 5 theatrical program book
- ↑ "The Era of Space Battleship Yamato: Choice of 2202"
- ↑ "The Forever War"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Yamato 2199 Secret File 03: The steep but bright future of the Garmillas provisional government
- ↑ "Battle off the Coast of Saturn - Gather the Wave Motion Gun Fleet!"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "The Era of Space Battleship Yamato: Choice of 2202"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Space Battleship Yamato 2199 character files
- ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Model Sheet Design Collection GARMILLAS p.180
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "O Teresa, Cry for Desler!"
- ↑ Dengeki Hobby June 2013
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "The Planet That We Head For"
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Complete Works Vol.2 pp.142-143
- ↑ "Messenger of Iscandar"
- ↑ "Toward a Sea of Stars"
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Farewell, Teresa! Flowers for Two Deslers"
- ↑ "Out of the Forest of Memory"
- ↑ "Over the Black Light"
- ↑ "Point of No Return"
- ↑ "One Man's War"
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 "The Forever War"
- ↑ "The Trap at Planet Stravase!"
- ↑ "Earth, Yamato is..."
Japanese language information[]
- デスラー政権 Desurā seiken (Desler administration)
- デスラー体制 Desurā taisei (Desler regime)
- アベルト・デスラーの独裁体制 Aberuto Desurā no dokusai taisei (Abelt Desler's dictatorship)