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Headmaster Martine

Martine is a non-playable character in Final Fantasy VIII. He is Galbadia Garden's headmaster and master, and maintains business relationships with Cid Kramer of Balamb Garden, as well as the government of Galbadia. He introduces Irvine Kinneas into the player's party.

Profile[]

Appearance[]

Martine is a middle-aged man with swept back blond hair and gaunt, serious face. In contrast to the more homely Headmaster Cid of Balamb Garden, Master Martine wears a formal long dark blue trench coat with gold trimmings. He wears black trousers and shoes.

Personality[]

Martine dedicates his life to helming Galbadian Garden, and when he begins to think another party wants to take it over, he becomes paranoid and begins a covert operation to avert the takeover. While on Garden premises he conducts himself professionally, arriving at the meeting with the SeeDs on an armored Garden vehicle. NORG, the master of Balamb considers him, duplicitous for "conspiring" with Cid on a mission to deploy the SeeD on a mission NORG did not approve of. When the party meets Martine later, he is crestfallen and depressed, and his previous bravado is gone.

Story[]

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)
Martine

Headmaster Martine.

It is unknown when Martine became Galbadia Garden's headmaster, though it can be assumed he has held the position since the Garden's construction. Galbadia Garden, though being a "Garden", is a separate entity from Balamb Garden and does not train SeeDs. Instead, Galbadia Garden's training program is based on the technological aspects of combat rather than magic, using firearms. Unlike the other Gardens, which have chosen to remain politically neutral, Galbadia Garden operates in close association with the Galbadian government and its military. Martine created an alumni program to help Garden graduates enlist in armies all over the world.

Although the relationship with the Galbadian government afforded Galbadia Garden a great deal of power and influence, it made it vulnerable to Galbadia's political leanings. When Galbadian President Vinzer Deling begins to fall under the enchanting Sorceress Ultimecia's influence (using Edea Kramer's body and name), Martine grows concerned, fearing the sorceress's growing power would spill over into his Garden.

Martine address

Addressing Squall's SeeD taskforce.

Caraway shares Martine's fears and together they hatch a plot to assassinate her. He enlists the SeeDs Squall Leonhart, Quistis Trepe, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt to carry out the plan, together with Galbadia Garden's best sharpshooter, Irvine Kinneas. The plan fails and Ultimecia seizes control of the nation by killing the president and assuming his position, and claims Galbadia Garden as her main base of operations. Although not legally connected to the assassination attempt, Martine is forced out and flees Galbadia Garden.

Exiled from Galbadia and banished from his beloved Garden, the disgraced Martine ends up in Fishermans Horizon. Martine, grateful for the locals' sympathy and support, remains. He can often be found sitting outside Mayor Dobe's house.

Spoilers end here.

Triple Triad[]

TTIfrit

Ifrit.

Martine is an accomplished Triple Triad player with a diverse card deck, having confiscated all of his students' cards before abandoning Galbadia Garden. He plays a small role in the card game side quest; the player must lose the Ifrit card to Martine's friend General Caraway to force him into using his rare Rinoa card. Immediately after the player has lost the Ifrit card to the General, the latter has already lost it to Martine before the player can get it back. This forces the player to travel to Fishermans Horizon and challenge Martine to a game of cards to regain Ifrit. Any rare cards that were lost to Galbadia Garden students on disc 1 can also be won from Martine.

Etymology[]

Martine is a French feminine name derived from the male Latin "Martinus". He is named Dodonna in the Japanese, Spanish, and German versions, and in the Italian version he is called Dodonn. In Star Wars, Dodonna was one of the first generals in the Rebel Alliance, tying in with Square Enix's references to Star Wars throughout the series.

His English and French name may have come from the French localization team members, Jaques Martine and Raphael Arconada, given that the latter apparently named the Anacondaur after himself in the French translation.[citation needed]

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