BattleTech: The Animated Series

Battletech: The Animated Series was a Saturday morning cartoon created for syndication by Saban Entertainment, and broadcast in 1994 from September 10th to December 10th on Fox. The series ran for one season (13 episodes), and focused on the early career of then-Major Adam Steiner. The series was noteworthy for its blending of computer-generated imaging and traditional cel-animation to create a smooth transition between sections.

Basic Plotline

The series took place in 3050 in the Inner Sphere during the Clan Invasion. It commences on the planet Somerset, the home planet of Major Adam Steiner. Away at the Nagelring on Tharkad, he received word of its fall to Clan Jade Falcon, and of his brother, Andrew Steiner's capture by the invaders. Due to his familial relationship with the then-Archon Melissa Steiner, he gained permission to assemble a force for reconaissance of the Clan Invasion Zone, with the implied possibility of retaking Somerset.

The plotline thickens when it is revealed when the only available JumpShip around Tharkad is the Draconis Combine JumpShip Katana, which was recently seized for smuggling. Steiner and his men are forced to try and get along with the Combine crew of the JumpShip.

Major Characters

Adam Steiner – An instructor at the Federated Commonwealth's prestigious Nagelring Military Academy and a native of the planet Somerset, Adam is a proponent of combined-arms tactics, unconventional warfare and cross-training in multiple fields of combat. In addition to being a skilled tactician and BattleMech pilot, he also flies aerospace fighters. After the Strikers' mission to Somerset, Adam plays an influential role in the Lyran Alliance and is eventually promoted to General of the Armies. When Tharkad is besieged during the Word of Blake Jihad, Adam is temporarily crowned Archon of the Lyran Alliance in order to keep the position out of enemy hands. Adam pilots AXM-2N Axman and AWS-9M Awesome 'Mechs.

Rachel Specter – Adam's executive officer and close friend. Rachel is an expert in electronics and communication and coordinates the Striker's actions in battle.

Katiara Kylie – Also a native of Somerset, Katiara originally washed out of Adam's training program, but managed to make her way into the team, much to Ciro's displeasure. Though not skilled with BattleMechs, she's a skilled aerospace fighter pilot. Katiara pilots a Banshee aerospace fighter and Infiltrator BattleArmor.

Ciro Ramirez – Born to a minor but prestigious family of MechWarriors, Ciro is a skilled pilot who's very set in his ways. Ciro is captured by Clan forces early in the series, and eventually comes to accept their way of life, joining Clan Jade Falcon and fighting against his former teammates. Ciro pilots WLF-2 Wolfhound and Mad Cat 'Mechs.

Zachary Miles "Hawk" Hawkins – A veteran MechWarrior who works with FedCom intelligence. After capturing a Draconis Combine JumpShip for smuggling, he finds himself reassigned to it under Adam's command. Initially distrustful not only of the Combine crewmen but also of his new commanding officer, he eventually comes to respect Adam's piloting and leadership abilities. Hawk pilots an MAL-1R Mauler 'Mech. Post-series, he is mentioned as having a WLF-1 Wolfhound 'Mech in storage.

Valten Ryder – A scoundrel of a MechWarrior, Val is hired by the Strikers on the planet of Dustball, where he worked for a local crime boss to retrieve his father's Centurion BattleMech. Val is very much out for himself, but is surprisingly loyal to his friends. Val pilots CN9-D Centurion and BSW-X1 Bushwhacker 'Mechs.

Franklin Sakamoto – Originally a smuggler for a Draconis Combine crime syndicate, Franklin overcomes his distrust of Adam to become one of the most valuable members of the Strikers, saving Prince Victor Steiner-Davion from an assassination attempt and becoming the first Inner Sphere BattleArmor trooper to destroy a Clan BattleMech. During his time with the Strikers, Franklin discovers he is the illegitimate son of Theodore Kurita, the ruler of the Combine, and gets caught up against his will in an attempted coup against Kurita by the Black Dragon syndicate. The plot fails, and Franklin renounces his claim to the Draconis throne to rejoin the Strikers. After finishing his tour of duty, Franklin returns to the Combine where he is formally recognized by his father and joins the elite Otomo unit. During a revolt on the planet Luthien, Franklin is again captured by Black Dragon forces, and his unit vows to rescue him. Franklin pilots Sloth BattleArmor, as well as AWS-9M Awesome and HTM-27T Hatamoto-Chi 'Mechs.

Jade Falcon main characters

Nicolai Malthus- A Star Colonel in the Jade Falcon touman, he was assigned originally to assist in the capture of the Inner Sphere, but quickly grew a deep loathing of Adam Steiner and his Strikers for what he percieves as barbaric ways and dishonor, owing to the Major's unconventional tactics (at least to Clan minds) of hit-and-run. He also becomes the bondholder of Ciro, after Ciro's capture by the Jade Falcons. He is portrayed as the stereotypical Clansmen, placing great emphasis on honor and what he believes to be "correct" warfare, and does not place nearly as much on loyalty.

Kristen Redmond- A Star Captain in the Jade Falcon touman, she was a bitter rival of Star Colonel Malthus', partially owing to her age (far into Solahma years), and partially due to his dereliction of duty to Galaxy Commander Chistu in order to pursue the Strikers. She was, for a short period of time, the bondsman of Adam Steiner, although she escaped from his DropShip due to his repeated unwillingness to give her duties in the way that a bondsman should.

Vandervahn Chistu- The Galaxy Commander in charge of the unit of Malthus and Redmond, he was committed to the invasion doctrine, and frequently chastised Malthus over it, at one point instructing the newly-returned Redmond to hunt him down and kill him. He is not regularly seen throughout the series.

Natalya - The Star Commander of the Star of Elementals attached to Redmond's unit, she was frequently seen in combat against the Strikers.

Canonical Errors

Throughout the series, a number of canonical errors can be seen regarding the 'Mech designs and the basic plotline of the story; for example the wrong uniforms for the Strikers and Falcons and the inclusion of the Mauler as a Federated Commonwealth 'Mech when in fact it was a Draconis Combine 'Mech. To try and explain these issues, FASA published a sourcebook for the Strikers that gave some extra background information and summarized the whole series.