REMEMBERING THE LEGEND

RAHM JETHANI - Writer, 3rd Year, English

They say every person dies two deaths...

SPOILERS FOR LEGEND OF THE GALACTIC HEROES!

If your life was to suddenly end, how do you think you would be remembered? This is, in many ways, a doomed question, but let’s try to answer it anyway. In all likelihood, those who knew and loved you would feel deeply saddened by the loss. If you were fortunate enough to be part of a large or tightknit social group, your absence would shake their emotional foundation quite hard, no matter how significant your individual presence might have been. Your beliefs, mannerisms, and behaviors would live on well beyond your physical death. Yet in truth, as the years would pass, you would be remembered less and less. Those who heard your name would bolster the “idea of you” to make up for their faltering memory, but the impossibly intricate “you that lived” would disappear from many of their minds, merging with their fictional and idealized version of you. Posthumous idealization isn’t necessarily a tragic thing, as every death invites it to some extent, regardless of circumstances. Idealizing deceased loved ones can help people cope with the pain of loss or guilt, for example. Even a person’s worst deeds can become rose-tinted after death or disappearance.

Contending with this concept can be extremely difficult, and can often lead to nihilistic outlooks on the flawed nature of human memory. After all, how does one even come close to answering the question of how they will be remembered? It is a question that’s almost impossible for most people to answer confidently, and might lead to hopeless paranoia and dread in some cases. However, there is an OVA series that strongly rejects nihilism, while also, miraculously, depicting loss and legacy from an impersonal viewpoint. This show is able to treat the nuanced subject of legacy with the kind of philosophical dignity it deserves. The anime in question is the 1988 cult classic, Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

On the side of the democratic Free Planets Alliance, Admiral Yang Wenli represents the commonplace, righteous soldier. He’s known for being a militaristic genius with a kind and thoughtful heart, proudly upholding the practices of democracy even in situations where that behavior would be disadvantageous. His leadership in battle led the Alliance to numerous achievements, as his fleet never lost a single battle. To the common supporter of democracy, “Miracle Yang” was living proof that their political philosophy was correct.

But then, Admiral Yang Wenli “the Magician” died.

Yang’s adopted child Julian Minci and his wife Frederica Greenhill remembered him quite differently than the public. This is natural, as they were very close, and his family had had the chance to observe all of Yang’s habits and quirks. For example, Julian and Yang talked at length about the irony of war having “heroes”, and the simple joy of studying history rather than being at the forefront of it. Furthermore, Julian also realized how much Yang was unable to take care of himself, often resorting to sleeping or drinking on the job. In Julian’s mind, Yang Wenli was much more of a man, full of flaws and humor and unrealized dreams, than a myth, representing an entire political belief system. Likewise, Frederica also observed Yang’s various idiosyncrasies. To Frederica, Yang was her childhood hero, and even though they were only married for two years, she came to love him for the man he was. She knew of his contemplative and indecisive nature, and comforted him in a way that history would never remember.

And yet, everyone grieved for Admiral Yang Wenli.

On the side of the autocratic Galactic Empire, Emperor Reinhard von Lohengramm represents the ideal of the rare, morally good dictator. He’s known for being a charismatic leader with a just and fierce mind, standing by and improving the system of autocracy without ever compromising on his morals to lead with love rather than fear. His takeover of the Galactic Empire led to numerous social advancements, and made many people on the losing side of the Free Planets Alliance submit to the Empire due to Reinhard’s positive reputation. To his subjects and enemies, Reinhard “the Golden Lion” was living proof of the goodness that came from properly exercised dictatorship.

But then, Emperor Reinhard von Lohengramm died.

Just like in Yang’s case, those close to Reinhard remembered him quite differently than the public, such as the Empire’s Fleet and High Admirals, and his wife Hildegard von Mariendorf. This is similarly natural, due to their closeness and frequent interaction allowing for a more developed reading of Reinhard the man. The Fleet and High Admirals saw both his regrets and moral decisions weigh heavily on him, and saw a glimpse into his conflicted heart. They knew that, for example, Reinhard had never recovered from the death of his best friend Siegfried Kircheis at the hands of an assassination attempt that had instead been meant for him. They knew that Reinhard was fighting through the pain of his sister isolating herself on a far-off planet. Likewise, Hildegard also saw a different side of the New Empire’s dictator. She saw a man whose lack of common life experiences manifested into raw outbursts, such as exhibiting nervous avoidance towards romance and throwing wine glasses in rage.

And yet, everyone grieved for Emperor Reinhard von Lohengramm.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes presents the idea that the two versions of a person, “the idea of the person” and “the person that lived”, exist in harmony with each other. As a result, it is impossible for one person to fully see the ways in which people would remember them. However, rather than giving in to despair over this impossibility, Legend of the Galactic Heroes suggests that how these different versions are remembered is not what matters at the end of the day. Rather, the importance lies instead with how both versions affect the lives of the people who knew that person, no matter which was considered “authentic” or not. Although there would likely be countless others with as much universal presence as Reinhard von Lohengramm and Yang Wenli, it would never erase these mens’ individual impacts on the lives of the people who knew them, and the people who knew those people, and so on. Legend of the Galactic Heroes tells us that the memory of a person will never be forgotten, regardless of how it is interpreted by and through others. In this way, one continues to live through history, influencing peoples’ lives until the end of the universe.