Stanford Yu is the leading protagonist of the Netflix animated series, Mech Cadets.
Sky Corps defends Earth against monstrous aliens called Shargs, and the biggest aid in this battle against the monsters has been the mysterious Robos — Space Mech robots who fly down to Earth in small numbers now and then.
They then bond with humans, all aged 16 or less, and the cadets then pilot the Robos to fight against the Shargs. A teenager with great ambitions, Stanford Yu comes to be one of the few cadets who get to pilot these mechs of inexplicable origins.
Desperate aspirations
Stanford Yu has had the same dream all his life — to become a Mech pilot and fly away with the Robos. It was a dream he used to see along with his father while looking up at the sky, at all the Robos who flew down to Earth.
His father was a Robo pilot himself and after he passed away, Yu continued dreaming the dream, determined to become a Sky Corps pilot.
His dreams take over him a bit too much, and he continues aspiring even as his mother, who works as a janitor at the Arizona Sky Corps Military Base, is reluctant to the idea of him becoming a pilot.
He grows so desperate that even after failing to pass the screening, and getting selected into the Engineering Corps, he wants to become a trainee. He crosses the line when he steals an ExoSuit to try and blend in with the rest of the trainees, which he gets fired for later on.
A natural
Leaving the base, Yu heads on for home on his bike, but on the way, he spots a Robo falling from the sky and crashing in the barren rocky region. He goes to inspect the situation and spots a blue Robo.
He goes on to name him Buddy, but before that, the two introduce themselves to each other and fight off a Sharg together. Stanford Yu is not just a natural at combat and athleticism but the connection between him and Buddy also seems very natural.
They seem to share some inherent tuning that makes them really compatible with each other as Buddy takes no time bonding with Yu, and the two come to make some breakthroughs together throughout the first season.
Stanford Yu gets selected into the cadet crew and later embarks on important missions. He also employs his engineering skills to fix the satellite’s orientation and help in reinstating the Global Defense Ring.
Even later, he figures out what his Robo is actually capable of doing. He figures out Buddy’s true powers and later employs them in the battle against Queen Sharg. Buddy uses his gravity-controlling powers to hold the black hole open so the Sharg Queen can be pushed into it.
Also Read: Mech Cadets summary and ending explained
