Jessica Edwards
From Gineipaedia, the Legend of Galactic Heroes wiki
 Jessica Edwards (796 UC (487 IC / 3596 CE)) | |
| Gender: | Female |
| Affiliation: | Free Planets Alliance |
| Status: | Deceased (murder) |
| Died: | 797 UC (488 IC / 3597 CE) |
| Played by: | Koyama Mami |
Jessica Edwards (Japanese: ジェシカ・エドワーズ) was an Alliance peace activist and politician, and the fiancée of Jean Robert Lapp.
Contents |
Early life
Little is known about Jessica's background before her introduction, except the fact that she was the daughter of the bursar of the Free Planets Alliance Officer Academy and was working as a music teacher. She caught the attention of Jean Robert Lapp one day during his cadet days while she was playing the piano, and found out that she will be attending a ball organised by the Academy. Jean confided with Yang Wen-li about his discovery and both decided to try their luck in asking her out during the ball, with Yang winning the right to ask her first via a coin flip.
At the ball, she was asked to dance by Yang who, being a novice in dancing, stumbled and stepped on her toes repeatedly. Though attracted to Yang's bumbling nature, Jessica chose to play "hard to get," and accepted Jean Robert Lapp's invitation to dance, hoping that Yang would ask her again. He never did.
Jessica however maintained a friendly relationship with Yang, and together with Lapp, engaged in student activism. Most notably in 785 UC (476 IC / 3585 CE), she initiated a student protest against the dissolution of the War History Studies Department in the Academy. Although the protest ended in failure, it gave her the necessary experience when she became involved in political activism later on in her life. (SL: 'A Short Trip to the Past')
Eventually, Jessica Edwards would be engaged with Lapp, but before they could finalise their marriage, Lapp was deployed to the front lines. (Overture to a New War)
In January 796 UC (487 IC / 3596 CE), Jean Robert Lapp was killed in action at the Battle of Astarte. Filled with grief and anger, Jessica Edwards publicly confronted then Secretary of Defence Job Trunicht at a speech commemorating the war dead. She demanded to know where Trunicht was when Lapp, and so many of his comrades, were slaughtered by the Imperial Fleet.
After being removed from the hall by security, Jessica was assaulted by the Patriotic Knights Corps (PKC), who sought to murder her for sedition against the government. Yang, having seen Jessica's outburst on television, correctly guessed that her life would be in danger and managed to rescue her.
Yang took Jessica Edwards to his estate, thinking she would be safe there, but the house was soon assaulted by the Patriotic Knights Corps. Yang managed to successfully drive off the PKC, and then approached Trunicht. Though he refused to directly acknowledge his control over the PKC, Trunicht did agree to spare Jessica's life. (LOGH: 'Birth of the 13th Fleet')
Political career
Jean Robert Lapp's death, and her experience with the PKC drove Jessica to join the Citizens' Anti-War Union, and directly work toward ending the war. In 796 UC (487 IC / 3596 CE), her home district, planet Terneuzen, held a by-election for a seat on the national legislative council. Jessica was a key campaign official in James Thorndike's candidacy. Unfortunately, Thorndike was murdered by the PKC. This attack, however, had the unintended consequence of swinging public support away from the pro-war candidate, Raymond Togliatti, back to the Citizens' Anti-War Union. With Thorndike dead, Jessica took his place and was elected to the council in a landslide victory, capturing 80% of the vote. However one week after her victory, the Free Planets Alliance High Council voted to invade the Galactic Empire. (LOGH: 'Jessica's Struggle')
Death
In 797 UC (488 IC / 3597 CE), Admiral Dwight Greenhill led a coup d'etat against the democratically elected government, installing himself as military governor over the capital planet Heinessen. Jessica Edwards led a protest against his National Salvation Military Council at a stadium in the capital city. She was killed when the military police used force to attempt to break up the protest. The resulting riots led to a total of nearly 1,500 military police casualties and 10 to 15 times that in civilian casualties. (LOGH: 'The Battle of Doria Starzone, And...')
Legacy
After her death, Jessica Edwards became a symbol of the anti-war movement in the Alliance. The Edwards Committee, which was founded by anti-war activists after the Alliance Civil War, was named in memory of her. In addition, a statue of Jessica Edwards was erected outside the stadium where she died. (LOGH: 'War Without Weapons', 'Eve of the Festival')
Appendices
Appearances
- LOGH:
- 'In the Eternal Night' (first appearance; hologram)
- 'The Battle of Astarte'
- 'Birth of the 13th Fleet'
- 'Jessica's Struggle'
- 'The Battle of Doria Starzone, And...' (death)
- 'Rumbling' (memory)
- Overture to a New War
- SL:
- 'A Short Trip to the Past' (flashback)
- 'Planet POW Camp' (final appearance; flashback)
