Meer Campbell (ミーア・キャンベル, Mīa Kyanberu?) is a fictional character from the anime television series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny.
Gundam SEED Destiny
Impersonating Lacus
Meer is contacted by Chairman Gilbert Durandal, who asks her to pose as Lacus. After she accepts the job, Meer's face is surgically altered to look identical to Lacus; however, she does wear a different shaped hairclip. Meer also takes Lacus' image as a pop star further: singing more upbeat versions of her songs, more dancing, more revealing clothing, etc.
Since Lacus has greater political influence than he does, Durandal uses Meer to gain support for his policies. Meer believes in Durandal's ideals, furthers his agenda by impersonating Lacus. Meer believes that by impersonating Lacus, she will be loved by everyone.
While the people in PLANTs have noticed the drastic change in Lacus' (Meer) preferences like wearing a more revealing clothing and singing upbeat songs, none of them became suspicious that she is an impostor. However, Athrun Zala was able to see through her pretenses only by basing on the way she acted when they first met. On the other hand, Kira Yamato knew given that he was with Lacus the whole time and most of the other characters in the Three Ships Alliance knew she is not the real Lacus, especially since Lacus has been living with most of the senior members of the Three Ships Alliance in Orb, and later on board the Archangel. In The Edge (a manga series depicting Athrun's side of the story), Gilbert Durandal acknowledges to Athrun that Meer is an impostor.
Although Meer claims to be an avid fan of Lacus, she had little understanding of what she believed in and what she fought for thus allowing Durandal to easily manipulate her. Meer also has a crush on Athrun Zala whom she still thinks is Lacus' fianceé and uses this as an excuse to be close to him.
At first, Meer was a promising impersonator of Lacus. However she lost composure upon meeting Athrun as she ran towards him full of excitement.
Later, Athrun having been told already of what Meer is doing, Meer tells him her real name and she drags him to dinner. As they speak, Meer asks him about the speech she delivered. Athrun does not respond saddening her. Athrun feeling sorry, reassures her by saying she is almost identical to the real one which makes her face lit up with happiness. Athrun frankly tells her that it's not her but Lacus' "power" that the chairman needs. Meer replies that she doesn't mind if only it is for the moment because she could help the people by being Lacus as she was a nobody and is never needed by anyone.
As time passed, Meer already took the pretending way too seriously fearing that she would go back to her old life of being unwanted. This was shown when she became angry when no one greeted her when she arrived and when her manager said "It's the real one (Lacus)" who boarded the ship.
When he defects, Athrun attempts to convince her to escape Gibraltar with him, she refuses, claiming that she is Lacus and that she prefers to be Lacus.
Hiding
Meer's imposture is revealed to the general public by Lacus after the Battle of Onogoro, when the real Lacus interrupted Meer's TV news broadcast. Following this, Durandal sends Meer, along with her bodyguard Sarah into hiding at the lunar city of Copernicus. Ironically, the Archangel, after being assigned to Orb's 2nd Space Fleet, also lands on Copernicus with Lacus Clyne in tow. Sarah informs Meer of the Archangel's presence and tells her that the other one may be with them. Sarah then suggests that Meer (whom she addresses as Lacus) do something about it, and Meer accepts.
As Kira, Athrun, Lacus, and Meyrin Hawke go shopping, Meer's red Haro gives a note to Lacus saying that Meer is going to be killed (or as the letter says "I'm gonna be killed! -Meer"). Athrun and Meyrin say they believe that it is a trap, but Lacus decides to go anyway, since Meer asked for Lacus' help. The other three accompany Lacus to meet Meer.
Later events and death
Meer meets the others in an empty amphitheater surrounded by armed men waiting in ambush. She is surprised to see Athrun, whom she thought had died after he was branded a traitor. Meer clings to the belief that she is Lacus Clyne, as the real Lacus tries to calm her down, telling Meer that she is her own person with her own dreams, even if she looks and sounds like Lacus right now. Desperate, Meer threatens to shoot Lacus but is stopped by Athrun, who shoots the gun out of her hands.
Sarah, who is lying in wait, tries to shoot Lacus, but Kira's mechanical bird Torii (Birdy in the dubbed version) alerts Athrun to the threat. A heated gunfight then ensues, as Athrun takes down most of the armed men, and Sarah is seriously injured, when a grenade she throws is deflected back at her by Kira and Meyrin.
Mu La Flaga arrives in the ORB-01 Akatsuki after the firefight to evacuate them all. Kira asks Meer to go with them. She first hesitates but eventually accepts. However, she sees Sarah aiming for Lacus; Meer tries to warn off Lacus, but instead takes the bullet for Lacus, while running towards her, while Athrun and Kira then shoot and kill off Sarah.
Meer gives Lacus a picture of herself before her cosmetic surgery, and after begging her not to forget her songs and life with a sincere apology, saying she liked to meet them all properly she dies in a tearful Lacus' arms. Athrun carries Meer's dead body to the Archangel, where a brief but heartfelt funeral service is held for her in her honor. Later, Lacus and the others read Meer's personal diary about her life (with her voice-over again not reflecting what is written). Lacus tearfully promises Meer that she and her friends will never forget about her and her life. Meer is laid to rest with military honors.
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Notes & Trivia
- Meer's name has two meanings: Her name is Dutch for "lake" (as a counterpart to Lacus's name, which is Latin for "lake"), and it's also the phonetic spelling of the English word, "mirror". This shows a symbolic connection between Lacus and Meer through their appearances as well as suggest about Meer's impersonation of Lacus.
- Meer Campbell has known having a voice that sounds very similar to her idol's, Lacus Clyne. Reflecting this, both Meer Campbell and Lacus Clyne are voiced by Rie Tanaka[1] in the Japanese version and by Chantal Strand[2] in the English dub. Jillian Michaels provides the English singing voice of both as well and Stephanie Sheh provides the voice of Meer in NYAV Post dub.
- Meer's last name may be a reference to Miia (whose Japanese name is also ミーア), a member of an alien race known as the "Campbellians" from Chōdenji Robo Combattler V.
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