tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9781915102271585182024-02-08T13:12:53.906+00:00Star Fleet - The Thalian Zone<center><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7698407238_544f22e876.jpg">
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We watch Star Fleet. One episode a day. Starting 23/10/2012, the thirtieth anniversary of the broadcast of the first episode !</p></center>Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-49926529694029259432016-04-02T12:26:00.001+01:002016-04-02T12:26:42.114+01:00IndexHere's an index to all my Star Fleet blog entries in transmission order:
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<a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/one-month.html target="_blank">One Month</a><br>
<a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/where-were-you.html target="_blank">Where were you....</a><br>
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01 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/01-scramble-x-bomber.html target="_blank">Scramble, X-Bomber!</a><br>
02 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/02-imperial-alliances-surprise-attack.html target="_blank">The Imperial Alliance's Surprise Attack!</a><br>
03 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/03-find-f-01.html target="_blank">Find F-01!</a><br>
04 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/04-transport-fleet-annihilated.html target="_blank">The Transport Fleet Annihilated!</a><br>
05 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/05-mysterious-ship-skull.html target="_blank">The Mysterious Ship Skull!</a><br>
06 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/06-x-bomber-goes-forth.html target="_blank">X-Bomber Goes Forth!</a><br>
07 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/07-mortal-combat-in-gravity-graveyard.html target="_blank">Mortal Combat In The Gravity Graveyard!</a><br>
08 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/08-attack-beyond-tears.html target="_blank">An Attack Beyond Tears!</a><br>
09 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/09-targeted-captain.html target="_blank">The Targeted Captain!</a><br>
10 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/10-drifting-galaxy.html target="_blank">The Drifting Galaxy</a><br>
11 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/11-farewell-eternal-battlefield.html target="_blank">Farewell, Eternal Battlefield!</a><br>
12 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/12-our-mortal-enemy-is-captain-carter.html target="_blank">Our Mortal Enemy Is Captain Carter</a><br>
13 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/13-battle-to-death-x-bomber-vs-imperial.html target="_blank">Battle To The Death: X Bomber Vs. the Imperial Alliance</a><br>
14 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/14-lamia-girl-of-destiny.html target="_blank">Lamia, Girl Of Destiny</a><br>
15 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/15-x-bomber-dies-on-planet-malphane.html target="_blank">X-Bomber Dies on Planet Malphane!</a><br>
16 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/16-lamia-kidnapped.html target="_blank">Lamia Kidnapped</a><br>
17 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/can-you-already-feel-changes-in-your.html target="_blank">Asleep In The Ice Prison</a><br>
18 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/lamia-where-are-you-keep-on.html target="_blank">Destroy The Prison Planet!</a><br>
19 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/19-f-01-assassination-plot.html target="_blank">F-01 Assassination Plot</a><br>
20 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/20-collinian-all-out-attack-begins.html target="_blank">Collinian: All-Out Attack Begins!</a><br>
21 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/21-collinian-limitless-battle.html target="_blank">Collinian Limitless Battle!</a><br>
22 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/22-board-imperial-battlecruiser.html target="_blank">Board The Imperial Battlecruiser!</a><br>
23 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/23-earth-in-desperation.html target="_blank">Earth in Desperation!</a><br>
24 <a href=http://thalianzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/24-new-beginning-for-galaxy.html target="_blank">A New Beginning For the Galaxy</a><br>
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-62511871326397759312012-11-15T08:27:00.001+00:002012-11-15T08:29:38.169+00:0024 A New Beginning For the Galaxy"Our defences are unable to penetrate their planet fortress!"
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<b>Episode 24</b>: A New Beginning For the Galaxy<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7698402628_65257cbaee.jpg>Volume 8: Showdown In Space</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 4<p>
X-Bomber & The Skull race towards Earth as The Imperial Master continues his assault. General Kyle calls X-Bomber and tells them it's only a matter of time before they are defeated. Lamia rests in her quarters, unable to remember her encounter with the Imperial Master. The Imperial Master appears before them in space telling them Earth may escape total annihilation if they execute Lamia. Hercules replies by firing X-Bomber's Laser Torpedoes at the hologram. Lamia offers to surrender her life but the crew refuses. The Skull hears the ultimatum and has the pilots attack the Imperial Planet in the Dai-X. Halley has Lamia & Kirara transferred aboard the Skull. The pilots form the Dai-X robot but are attacked by Imperial Fighters. They reply with Dai-X's eye beams, super laser cannon and foot cannon. Fighters are launched at the Skull which comes under heavy assault during which Kirara, acting as a gunner, is shot and blasted into space. Heavily damaged with the majority of the crew dead the Skull is only saved by the arrival of Dai-X which destroys the attacking fighters but is forced to leave the stricken ship floating in space. The Dai-X attacks the Imperial Fortress planet with the X-Tracers and then deploys it's breast cannons. The Imperial Master has the Delta Laser fired at the Dai-X damaging it, knocking out the crew and leaving it tumbling through space. Lamia & Halley stand on the deck of the Skull as the new millennium dawns with a planetary alignment. The Imperial Master starts to celebrate his victory, but as he does so Halley raises his sword and is surrounded by a glowing light before disappearing and merging with Lamia. Lamia too becomes glowing light and travels to the Imperial Master's planet where she confronts the Imperial Master. He defies her and attacks her with a sword but, as the Fortress Planet nears Earth, she flies round the room evading the Imperial Master and replies with energy bolts. He fires energy bolts at her from his eyes but she destroys both him and his Fortress Planet. Lamia bids goodbye to the people of the Earth and crew of X-Bomber before leaving for deep space. The pilots reactivate Dai-X. On X-Bomber Professor Hagen remembers Captain Carter & Doctor Benn, lost in the fight against the Imperial Alliance. Dai-X and X-Bomber head for Star Fleet Command on Earth.
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The last episode of Star Fleet has a lot to live up to. In many ways it delivers: we get a decent action sequence involving the Dai-X robot, fighting the Alliance Astro-Fighters for the first time, we get to see the Imperial Master wreaking destruction on Earth on a greater scale than before and we get to see Lamia's transformation, an event that's been hanging over the series for a long while, and the full power of F-01 unleashed destroying both the Imperial Master and his Fortress Planet. But against that we've got some slightly odd pacing: Dai-X launching (and with flipped shots showing Main Body & Leg Track leaving from the wrong sides of the ship) deciding to stay in fighter mode and then five seconds later forming the Dai-X. Yes, it's a reaction to the Imperial Master's manoeuvre but maybe leave them in fighter mode for slightly longer, having said you're going to do that, and maybe engage some Alliance fighters before forming the Dai-X. Then Dai-X sits out the conclusion to the series as does X-Bomber, which serves little function in this episode apart from to deliver Lamia & the Dai-X to the battle. Maybe having Lamia deal with the Imperial Master and then X-Bomber destroy the Fortress Planet using X-Impulse (unseen since episode 7) might have brought the craft into the action a bit more. In it;'s final appearance the only one of it's weapons we see is the Laser Torpedoes and they're just used to fire at a projection of the Imperial Master in space! Dai-X gets a slightly better crack at things using it's super cannon and X-Tracers before unveiling it's eye beams, foot cannon (effectively Leg Tracks' gun, not previously seen used in this mode) before *finally* using the Breast Missiles. (Stop laughing - that's the name given in <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7698395866_152ee3836e.jpg>The Look In Article</a> published at the start of the series. And yes the photo there does show Dai-X's chest open standing on a planet, something we don't see in the English episodes of Star Fleet. It might be from Super Space Machine X Bomber - Takeoff Preparation Complete, the Japanese Pilot which I've never seen)
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Having got the end of the series here's the final tally of how many times X-Bomber & Dai-X use which weapons:
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X-Bomber:
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Turret Lasers - 8 times: 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 14, 15 & 23<br>
Laser Blast - 5 times: 2, 5, 7, 14 & 22 <br>
X-Impulse - twice: 3 & 7 <br>
Shield - once: 4 <br>
Beam Cannons - twice: 4 & 22 <br>
Laser Torpedoes - 3 times: 8, 21 & 24<br>
Neck Laser Torpedo - once: 16 <br>
Rear Laser Blast - once: 22
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Dai-X
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Fighters - 10 times: 4, 5, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24 <br>
Robot - 7 times: 4, 11, 18, 19, 21, 22 & 24 <br>
Super Cannon - 5 times: 4, 11, 18, 19, 21, & 24 <br>
Torpedoes - 5 times: 4, 11, 18, 19 & 21<br>
X-Ray Laser - once: 19 <br>
X-Tracers - twice: 21 & 24 <br>
Shield - once: 21 <br>
Eye Beams, Foot Gun & Breast Cannon - once each, all in 24
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And while we're counting: we see the pilots space suits in episode 5, 18, 19 & 22 plus Shiro's in 12 & 14. And despite seeing the yellow suits hanging in the airlocks on several occasions - episodes 3, 10 & 16 spring to mind!
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Kirara is killed during this episode, seemingly randomly by a laser blast followed by a poignant shot of him drifting away into space. He's been there to be Lamia's bodyguard and seemingly the only reason to kill him now is his function has been fulfilled. Maybe they should have had him killed in episode 19 instead of Cyborg and had Doctor Benn, a far better character onscreen than Professor Hagen, continue to the end of the series? Technically Captain Halley dies too when he merges with Lamia and the Imperial Master certainly does when Lamia destroys him. So the final count of named character deaths in the series is 8: Capitan Carter, Doctor Benn, Commander Makara, Captain Orion, Calliban, Kirara, Captain Halley & the Imperial Master. Technically it might be 9, but you can't really be sure about Princess Keeli in episode 11. We've also seen numerous Star Fleet pilots, Pluto Base personnel, Termoids & Skull crew killed. For me the most annoying dead characters are Captain Halley's first officer, who we see in a couple of episodes and reports Kirara's death here, and the Imperial Officers on the Fortress planet because we never find out what their names are!
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The explanation of why Lamia's powers emerge (the how I'm not even going to touch with a long barge pole) has been telegraphed throughout the series as being to do with the dawning of the year 3000. OK, it's an arbitrary date, I'll live with that. But now, right at the end, it seems that what actually triggers this is a planetary alignment in the Solar System. The series, via Professor Hagen, had a botched go at explaining this last episode (some mumbled statements about movement of planets which made no sense - I wonder if the Japanese version was clearer). So did Lamia need to be in the Solar System for her powers to manifest itself? Would explain why the Skull was hanging around in Episode 5..... and indeed why Lamia was sent to Earth in the first place. Maybe when Halley gave the crew of X-Bomber his explanation of what was going to happen to Lamia in episode 16 he should have said that it would be triggered by the planetary alignment and that she needed to be in the Solar System by the point the alignment occurred at the start of the year 3000. That would then have given the need to get back to Earth more urgency from that point onwards and added an element to the battle on Carillion..... "we must leave as soon as possible to get Lamia to Earth in time"
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The ending always amuses me: Lamia, transformed into a glowy light being, floats about and fires energy bolts at the baddie. The reason it amuses me is that it's very similar to the end of the Doctor Who story The Mutants except there the transformed being is Ky, played by <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrick_Hagon>Garrick Hagon</a> (Captains Carter & Halley in Star Fleet, amongst others) the real life husband of <a href=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0743619/>Liza Ross</a> who plays Lamia!
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I love Star Fleet as a series to bits. But I'm aware the episodes I like the best are the first 12 that I caught on first transmission. When the mystery of F-01 is revealed the series somehow looses *something*. Oddly it's the three later episodes that I didn't see as a child I have the most trouble with. 22 doesn't live up to my expectations, 23 is just not any good and we've outlined the flaws in 24 (admittedly much less obvious than those in 23) above.
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Portions of this episode appear on the original version of the UK Video compilation <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a> but how much depends on which version you have. I have two, a 90 min version and a shorter 77 minute version which cuts all of the material between the farewell meal on Carillion and Halley & Lamia standing on the Skull in episode 24, amounting to about 17 minutes of footage and including all of the material from episode 23 and all the Dai-X battle sequences from this episode. Most of the episode was found as the middle episode of US Video <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7698402628_65257cbaee.jpg>Volume 8: Showdown In Space</a>. However I got to see the full version of this episode when, c2000, a friend of mine sent me a video tapes containing episodes 19 & 24. Now I know that episode 24 originally aired in the LWT region in 1983. I'm unsure if it was repeated in that region in 1984: maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. The tape I have features the tail end of the credits to The Chart Show before Star Fleet starts, and the Central television logos which suggests that Star Fleet was repeated in that region on or after January 1989, the date the Chart Show was first aired by ITV.
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The episode, like the other 23 episodes of Star Fleet was *finally* released in full when it appeared on DVD on Monday 9th February 2009. To say I had been looking forward to this set was an understatement. All 24 episodes, in full, at last. And yes it looks better than any previously available version of the episodes. But, spoilt by years of loving work by The Restoration Team on the Doctor Who DVDs and the, frankly, beautifully restored HD prints used for the Prisoner & Space 1999 BDs I can't help but feel it could look an awful lot better properly tidied up with the scratches that are seen on some episodes removed.
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And, while there's lots of bonus features on the DVDs, much of it amounts to text & photos with just a documentary featuring Go Nagai, Louis Elman, Peter Marinker, the voice of Paul Bliss and a frankly annoying Gerry Anderson who keeps plugging his own products and a framed version of the Brian May music video making up anything like what I would have expected. I think there's room for a definitive release of this series and here's what else I'd include:
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The Star Fleet "ad caps" - the Star Fleet logo animations that appear at the beginning and end of each advert break.<br>
The Brian May Star Fleet project in full screen 4:3 ratio<br>
Scans of the Look In Star Fleet Articles & Covers, Star Fleet comics strips (some, but not all, of which were reprinted in a booklet with the first edition of the DVD) and Star Fleet Annual.<br>
The existing UK Compilation videos.
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These are the most obvious UK special features that could be included, but the Japanese and French version of the series, both called X-Bomber, would give us a wealth of extra materials
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French & <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8B5HgySnJw&feature=related>Japanese title sequences</a> <br>
Japanese pilot/promo Super Space Machine X Bomber - Takeoff Preparation Complete<br>
<a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4XFm25qB50&feature=plcp>Trailer for Japanese episode 18</a><br>
Japanese episode 18, a clip show missing from the UK run. (see <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qm8kBLFOI4&feature=plcp>here</a> and <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24_sARh_t8E&feature=plcp>here</a> on YouTube)<br>
Any cut Japanese footage<P>
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The absence of Cast & Crew Commentaries is also noticeable compared to The Doctor Who DVDs. A fan commentary might have been nice too.... In fact if there's any Special Edition DVD producers reading this I'd love to come in and do one for episodes 4 & 5. Of the entire series it's those two episodes that really stand out for me. When I think of Star Fleet it's Moonbase, asteroid belt, Dai-X rampaging on Jupiter, the snow falling on Pluto and Lamia seeking the Skull while the others search for her that I think of.
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Thanks for watching Star Fleet with me these last few weeks. I hope you've all enjoyed it. And don't forget to <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">buy the DVD</a> if you haven't already so you can watch them again!
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-50007837756291210112012-11-14T07:14:00.001+00:002012-11-14T07:14:53.628+00:0023 Earth in Desperation!
"To catch an Iron Fish we'll use the electric solar energy net!"
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<b>Episode 23</b>: Earth in Desperation!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7698402628_65257cbaee.jpg>Volume 8: Showdown In Space</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 4<p>
X-Bomber is surrounded by a fluctuating energy field which Lamia's emerging powers have created. Professor Hagen attempts to help Lamia with the pain she is experiencing as she starts to change. The Imperial Officers report to the Imperial Master they will reach Earth a few days before the New Year and X-Bomber is far behind them even though it is travelling faster. Earth Defence Forces detect the Imperial Home Planet and speculate it's a UFO. General Kyle asks if they have managed to make contact with X-Bomber yet. X-Bomber tries to call Earth but fails. Lamia flees the bridge as she has more pains and the ship is surrounded by light again. She has a vision of the Imperial Master who communicates with her. She tells him to stop his advance on Earth but he refuses and swears to destroy her. The Imperial Master fires Laser Torpedoes at the distant pursuing X-Bomber. X-Bomber takes evasive action but the torpedoes turn with them. Hercules opens fire with the turret lasers. X-Bomber is damaged but are saved when the Skull arrives and Captain Halley destroys the Laser Torpedoes. The Imperial Master retaliates by launching the electric solar energy net. Star Fleet command tries to contact the UFO but the Imperial Master refuses to reply. X-Bomber becomes ensnared in the Space Net turning the electrical system haywire and causing PPA to malfunction. X-Bomber is out of control and the Skull's attempts to rescue it fail. The Imperial Master contacts Earth Defence Forces and taunts General Kyle and orders them to surrender before firing it's missiles. X-Bomber slows, regaining computer control and raises it's shield, escaping the net. The Imperial Master tells Star Fleet command that they will be annihilated. Under attack Earth scrambles it's astro fighters to attack but they are destroyed by the Imperial Master's planet. X-Bomber regains contact with Star Fleet command and is updated on the status of the attack. Shiro tells General Kyle that Lamia is the F-01, that Doctor Benn has been killed and reveals that they have been joined by his Father to the General who is pleased at his reappearance. General Kyle urges them to make all speed to Earth as the Imperial Master promises to make Earth burn!
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Push me on my least favourite Star Fleet episode and I'll probably go for this one. It just doesn't work for me and there's a a load of reasons for it. Primarily I think the problem is to do with the lack of Commander Makara and Captain Orion, the primary protagonists for much of the show. Somehow the Imperial Master, being loud and shouty, and his unnamed assistants just don't do the job. The Imperial Officers, who appeared from nowhere last episode, might have worked better if we'd have seen them before on previous visits to the Imperial Master's planet. The Imperial Master himself doesn't feel like too much of a threat in this episode. Yes he's attacking Star Fleet command but Commander Makara didn't do too bad a job of that in episode 3 and somehow the threat posed by him doesn't feel sort of magnitudes higher which it should do for a series' big bad. The Laser Torpedoes fired at X-Bomber are physical projectiles as opposed to the laser blasts seen previously and their pursuit of X-Bomber is similar to the first death ball seen in episode 19. The Space net however.... deary me what a silly idea. Maybe as a close range weapon for ship to ship combat but to fire it at a ship so far away and achieve a direct hit? No. And when PPA, disorientated by the effects of the net, starts singing It's a Long Way to Tipperary and Underneath the Arches I can't help but think of Bender from Futurama whenever he gets exposed to a magnet. Professor Hagen's annoying me coming over as little more than a watered down knock off of Doctor Benn..... and as for his poor explanation of why Lamia's powers are emerging concerning the way the planets are moving..... ugh. Actually now I think of it this might make some sense when you see the next episode but could have been explained a lot better here. I wonder if the Japanese version made more sense? The way this episode is physically cut together looks sloppy & rushed too, like bits of it are actually missing. Examples include the suddenly appearing energy effects too and the quick cutting between shots of the moving Imperial Planet, not giving time for the musical cues heard throughout the series. No I'm sorry it just doesn't work for me.
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On the plus side: General Kyle and Earth Defence forces *FINALLY* make their return appearance, their first since episode 6. If you've joined the series since then you'll have no idea who they are as we've not seen them, bar flashbacks in 9 & 13, since. Maybe an occasional scene set in Star Fleet command in the meantime might have been in order? I do wonder about why Star Fleet has curved launch ramps for their fighters, as seen in the tunnel launch sequences, won't they achieve a greater speed being launched off a straight ramp? We also get to see X-Bomber's turret Lasers, or rather the one operated by Hercules, used for the first time since episode 15. It's their 8th use here.
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I said in the previous episode I had concerns about how that episode crammed too much in. I think both episodes would work a lot better if some of the material was swapped round giving the Imperial Master more to do earlier and continuing Commander Makara's involvement in the series for longer:
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Episode 22:
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Imperial Master's planet exits the Thalian Zone while X-Bomber races at twice hyper speed to Earth. Makara's damaged battleship attempts to pursue but is far behind. The spacenet fired at X-Bomber slowing it down. X-Bomber escapes from the Spacenet but Captain Orion makes his suicide attack on X-Bomber crippling her in space.<P>
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Episode 23:
<p>
The Crew work to repair X-Bomber as the Imperial Master closes in on Earth and Earth defends itself. Commander Makara attacks X-Bomber in her repaired battlecruiser. Dai-X destroys Makara's spaceship. X-Bomber contacts Earth and promises it will be there as Imperial Master continues his attack.
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Portions of this episode appear on the original version of the UK Video compilation <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a>. However I have two copies of this video: a 90 min version and a shorter 77 minute version which cuts all of the material between the farewell meal on Carillion and Halley & Lamia standing on the Skull in episode 24, amounting to about 17 minutes of footage including all of the material used from this episode. Most of the episode was found as the middle episode of US Video <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7698402628_65257cbaee.jpg>Volume 8: Showdown In Space</a>.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-14923036421355729322012-11-13T07:47:00.001+00:002012-11-13T07:47:59.899+00:0022 Board The Imperial Battlecruiser!"Long live the Imperial Alliance!"
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<b>Episode 22</b>: Board The Imperial Battlecruiser!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: -<BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7698402628_65257cbaee.jpg>Volume 8: Showdown In Space</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 4<p>
X-Bomber is travelling towards Earth but the Imperial Home Planet is ahead of them and will get to Earth first. Professor Hagen comes up with a way to override the computers so X-Bomber can travel at twice Hyper Speed and get to Earth faster. Meanwhile the disgraced Commander Makara is attempting to pursue X-Bomber in her crippled battlecruiser. Captain Orion lies in the sick bay, mortally ill after being struck by a falling beam. The injured Calliban, miraculously having survived the the destruction of the death ball, tells Orion he has suffered severe cerebral damage and cannot resume his command. Orion has Calliban take him to his drone craft and launches in pursuit of X-Bomber. Commander Makara thinks he is deserting but Calliban tells her that he has gone to make a final suicide attack on X-Bomber. Lamia wonders how she can demonstrate the powers that the prophecy tells her she will have. The Drone craft's approach is detected and X-Bomber tries to negotiate with it's Captain but Orion is set on his goal and challenges X-Bomber to fight opening fire on it. X-Bomber is forced to slow down to fight opening fire with it's rear laser blasts and taking evasive manoeuvres before opening fire with it's twin beam cannons severely damaging Orion's craft. Declaring "Commander Makara this is your true Orion - Long live the Imperial Alliance!" Orion rams X-Bomber, crippling her but destroying himself and his ship in the process. Repairs completed Commander Makara closes on X-Bomber as the crew work outside repairing X-Bomber. The Battlecruiser opens fire on X-Bomber as the crew come try to come inside the ship, repairs not quite completed leaving the ship unable to use X-Impulse. Hercules is knocked into space but Lee pulls him back in by his tether. X-Bomber uses it's laser blast against the Battlecruiser but the Alliance ship raises it's new shield and returns fire further damaging X-Bomber. The Pilots leave the ship to Professor Hagen launching the Dai-X and immediately forming the Dai-X robot which they plunge towards the battlecruiser penetrating it's shield and entering it through the launching bay. Dai-X rampages through the ship towards the engine room. Calliban attempts to escape but is crushed by falling debris. Dai-X heads for the cruiser's bridge. Commander Makara attempts to flee too but Hercules crushes her using Dai-x's fist. Dai-X flies out of the battlecruiser as it explodes behind the the Dai-X. The Imperial Master's home planet emerges from the Thalian Zone and heads towards Earth........
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Any opinion I have on this episode *has* to be taken in some context here..... In August (?) 1983 Star Fleet returned to the LWT region running on Saturdays and Sundays. I saw episode 20 on one Saturday, missed episode 21 the next day because I was at church and then..... the following Saturday I was faced with a choice: Do I watch episode 22 having missed the previous episode or do I go to Bentalls in Kingston to meet Darth Vader? Aged 10 and at the height of rabid Star Wars fandom following Return of the Jedi I chose the latter..... as we wandered round town afterwards I ran into some neighbours (in the brand new just opened Waterstones store) who told me what happened and I immediately knew I'd missed a complete classic episode. Fast forward to 1990 and I'm picking up cheap Star Fleet compilations. None (or very little) of this episode appears on either compilation: indeed as I remember it the end of <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a> is *very* rushed. There's portions of episode 23 and most of episode 24 but no episode 22. So the first time I got to see this episode was in 2000ish when I got a copy of the US video <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7698402628_65257cbaee.jpg>Volume 8: Showdown In Space</a>....
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To me the episode is a bit of a game of two halves: Orion's suicide run and Dai-X's attack on the Battlecruiser.
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Firstly: what on Earth is Calliban doing there? He was on the Death Ball when it was destroyed towards the end of the last episode. He should be dead! OK he's injured here with a stick and a bandaged arm but he's less injured than Orion is. And Orion.... we never even saw him get injured in the previous episode yet here he's in a much worse state than Calliban. Right got that one out of the way.
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You get the feeling that Calliban is manipulating Orion during their conversation in the sickbay. There's been some antagonism between the two in the previous 3 episodes that they've been in but nowhere near as bad as between Orion & Carter previously. Here Calliban seems to be actively manipulating Orion into the course of action that will cause his death. And so, bandaged and wearing the medal the Imperial Master gave him, Orion goes to his doom, calling out to Commander Makara and proclaiming his loyalty to the Alliance. Makara's been nothing but cruel to Orion on screen apportioning blame for all the failed attacks to him. Yet here at the end it's her he's trying to impress again......
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Now I have some issues with the pacing of this and the next episode.... lets just say I'd have ended the episode with Orion's crash, leaving X-Bomber crippled as the Imperial Master's planet approaches Earth leaving the destruction of Makara's Battlecruiser for episode 23.... More later .....
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Orion's attack gives X-Bomber a chance to use two of it's weapons: the first we've not seen before, a rear mounted laser blast identical to that first seen fired from the cannons within X-Bomber's neck in episode 2. We also get to see the twin blue beam cannons for a second time, first seen in episode 4. Commander Makara's Battlecruiser finally gets it's own shield and we get to see X-Bomber attack it with it's Laser Blast, it's 5th following episodes 2, 5, 7 & 14. The Spacesuits are back for the pilot's EVA repair work. It's the fourth time the pilots all wear their space suits (episode 5, 18 & 18) but the sixth time for Shiro (above plus 12 & 14). And still nobody has worn one of the yellow suits in the airlock!
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Then we get to Dai-X's rampage on the Imperial Battlecruiser. The shot of it trying to penetrate the shield looks a little dodgy but flying into the launch bay with us looking out for the first time is a lovely shot, strangely reminiscent of some of the model work on the original Battlestar Galactica which had similar shots of shuttles landing on the Galactica's launch bay. We then get to see the Battlecruiser destroyed from the inside out which somehow fail to live up to what my ten year old mind imagined it might. Nevertheless there are some lovely shots in here. I do wonder about the wisdom of killing both Makara and Calliban off in this sequence especially as we've already lost Orion earlier in the same show. Again the pacing. If Calliban had died in the previous episode and Makara in the next (see above for when I'd have had this episode end) that might have worked a little better. And, at a crucial stage in the story, The Skull & Halley are missing for the entire episode. Still more next episode when I have issues with that......
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So after twenty years this episode couldn't really live up to what my brain had imagined it to be. And perhaps because I'd never seen it till I was an adult that makes me be a bit more critical of it than some other episodes.
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So it's farewell to Commander Makara, Captain Orion & Calliban. Farewell to to the magnificent Imperial Alliance Battlecruiser and the drone fighter carriers but we'll see the fighters again in episode 24. The three deaths then create a vacuum in the enemy ranks filled by the two Imperial Officers briefly seen at the end of this episode who I think are voiced by John Badderly (PPA) and Sean Barret (Captain Orion). <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Barrett_(actor)>Sean Barrett</a> started his career in the fifties as a child actor before appearing in a number of recognisable shows such as Z-Cars, Softly, Softly, Father Ted, Holby City, Brush Strokes, Minder & Poldark. He got into voice over work in the early 80s and has performed this role in several films including of Tik-Tok in Return to Oz, a Goblin in Labyrinth and UrZah the Ritual-Guardian in The Dark Crystal.
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The Japanese name for this episode is Board The Gelma Mothership! It doesn't appear on either of the UK compilation tapes but featured on US Video <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7698402628_65257cbaee.jpg>Volume 8: Showdown In Space</a>.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-63285650474178121622012-11-12T07:30:00.002+00:002012-11-12T07:30:57.237+00:0021 Collinian Limitless Battle!"and now we'll celebrate with a bonfire!"
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<b>Episode 21</b>: Collinian Limitless Battle!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7698401788_a38ecc0852.jpg>Volume 7: Attack of the Bionic Robot</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 4<p>
Commander Makara has her battlecruiser fire laser torpedoes at X-Bomber but X-Bomber replies with it's laser blast. The carriers on Collinian deploy more fighters against the palace and the city. Halley wants the rulers to flee but the refuse and will not reply with violence or use Professor Hagen's laser cannon which he constructed without their knowledge or permission. The Skull launches and battles the Alliance fighters as Calliban's Death Ball approaches the palace and attacks, demanding Lamia surrender herself. Halley calls X-Bomber for help, revealing the Alliance's trap. The pilots leave X-Bomber in the hands of Professor Hagen & PPA launching the Dai-X fighters. They form Dai-X in space and travel to Collinian where they land and confront the Death Ball. Calliban has been waiting for the Dai-X and attacks it first with missiles. The Death Ball's shell is impervious to Dai-X's physical attacks but when Dai-X physically pushes the death ball back Dai-X gets electrocuted by it. Dai-X uses it's laser beam and torpedoes but the death ball is undamaged. The Death Ball closes in on Dai-X as the Skull is attacked by the fighters. Dai-X jumps over the death ball but it turns round firing magnets attached to chains at the robot and then electrocuting it again, forcing the robot to the ground and injuring the pilots. Lamia is appalled by the suffering her friends are enduring and urges the Collinian royals to use the Professor's cannon. Death ball retracts it's chains and uses a flame thrower against Dai-X and the city. The pilots recover and Dai-X regains it's footing projecting an energy shield which deflects the Death Ball's flames. Dai-X fires X-Tracers destroying the Death Ball, but collapses, it's energy cells depleted. As Makara's battlecruiser attacks the palace fires the cannon causing the cruiser to flee in flames. The rulers of Collinian thank the crew of X-Bomber for helping defend their planet. Lamia bids goodbye to the -Bomber crew as she prepares to leave with Halley. As Commander Makara plots to destroy Collinian they are interrupted by the hologram of the Imperial Master who strips her and Orion of their command and tells them he will attack the Earth himself. Makara refuses to take this disgrace and resolves to attack and destroy X-Bomber. Collinian intercepts the transmission from the Imperial Master and informs Captain Halley & Lamia. Lamia rushes to tell the X-Bomber crew as they pay their respects at Doctor Benn's grave before they leave. She tells them that the Imperial Master will attack the Earth and they prepare to return to Earth. Lamia pleads with Shiro to go with them. The Imperial Master's planet moves out of the Thalian Zone and commences it's journey to Earth. Shiro asks his Father if they can take Lamia with them. After she argues that she must return with them the pilots vote to take her with them and Professor Hagen accepts the decision. Hagen informs Captain Halley as X-Bomber launches for Earth he prepares to following the Skull.
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On the Star Fleet DVD <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Bomber>X-Bomber</a> creator <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Nagai>Go Nagai</a> expresses a desire to have an Imperial Alliance mecha foe for Dai-X. Well that's effectively what you get here with Calliban's death ball, a machine loaded with weapons which gets turned on Dai-X. It's a fab piece of design right down to it's screw thread tracks for moving it. It really is a match for our heroes robot, knocking it flat on the floor at one stage. But Dai-X has a few new tricks for it too: we saw X-Bomber's shield back in episode 4 now Dai-X reveals it's shield: a rectangular red panel projected in front of the robot. The shot of Death Ball's flame hitting it and being halted, but just lapping slightly over the top of the shield is one of my favourite effects shots in the entire series. Dai-X then deploys it's X-Tracers, white energy blasts fired from the X-Crest on his head. This *might* be the same weapon used to destroy the first Death Ball in episode 19 but the effect is very different, more a series of pulses than a constant blast.
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X-Bomber meanwhile fires what is termed a Laser Blast here but was called it's Laser Torpedoes in it's only previous outing in episode 8. There the four blast were pink, here they're yellow/orange.
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The destruction of the Death Ball is pretty spectacular and just watching this episode in isolation you'd think Calliban has perished with it. But the next time trailer reveals he's still alive and back on the Alliance Battlecruiser. Yes we get to see the Imperial Master and his home planet this episode as seen in the previous next time trailer but they only appear fleetingly and right at the end of the episode.
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The first run of this episode in the UK (in the LWT region at least) occurred on a Sunday so I missed it as I was at church. The LWT 1984 repeat run either never got this far or aired in on a Sunday morning when I couldn't watch. But when I went to secondary school in 1984 one of my new friends there had recorded this episode and still had it on tape so in 1985 it became the first episode of the series I saw after the original run had finished. I wouldn't see any more Star Fleet footage until finding the videos in Woolworths c1990 and none of the 3 episodes I'd missed until c2000!.
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The Japanese name for this episode is M13 Limitless Battle. Some of the episode appears on the UK compilation tape <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a>, but how much depends on what version you have. On my earlier version we get Halley learning of the intended assault on Earth, Lamia warning X-Bomber's crew and X-Bomber leaving for Earth. On the latter version all this material, plus all the material taken from episode 23 and a good proportion of that taken from episode 24 is missing. A more complete version of the episode appears on the US videotape <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7698401788_a38ecc0852.jpg>Volume 7: Attack of the Bionic Robot</a>.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-11668668656624964172012-11-11T08:08:00.001+00:002012-11-11T08:08:39.134+00:0020 Collinian: All-Out Attack Begins!"an amazing weapon for a planet that has renounced war"
<P>
<b>Episode 20</b>: Collinian: All-Out Attack Begins!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7698401788_a38ecc0852.jpg>Volume 7: Attack of the Bionic Robot</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 4<p>
X-Bomber approaches the planet Collinian, with the crew haunted by the recent death of Dr Benn. Touching down they are reunited with Captain Halley and inform him of Dr Benn's death. Shiro and the pilots ask Halley's permission to bury Halley on Collinian. Commander Makara orders Captain Orion to attack Collinian. Shiro demands answers from Halley causing Lamia to run away, tortured by the knowledge that people have died because of her. Halley goes to find her and attempts to explain their destiny together. The crew of X-Bomber decide to attack & destroy the Imperial Alliance on their home planet to ensure a lasting peace. They decide to request help from the people of Collinian. Halley tells the X-Bomber crew that there's someone he wants them to meet. He takes them to a building containing a huge weapon. The pilots wonder what a planet that has renounced war is doing with such a weapon. They then meet Professor Hagen, Shiro's father, Lamia's guardian and the designer of X-Bomber. Calliban announces he has created a new weapon to destroy Lamia and leaves the battlecruiser bound for Collinian. Professor Hagan reveals he went into deep space seeking answers about Lamia's origins. His ship malfunctioned and he was was rescued by the Skull then taken to Collinian where he constructed the laser cannon in anticipation of the day that the Alliance would attack the planet seeking Lamia. They are summoned to the palace for an audience & dinner with the king of Collinian. Makara decided to lure X-Bomber into space while Calliban attacks Lamia and launches the drone carriers. During the dinner the Alliance attack begins. Halley stays behind to protect Lamia as X-Bomber launches into space. On the surface of Collinian Calliban's new death ball stands ready as Captain Orion's fighters attack the palace and the Battlecruiser retreats luring X-Bomber further away from the planet.
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A quieter episode after the previous one, a moment's reflection which is probably what was necessary after the death of Doctor Benn. But crucially this episode properly introduces (after flashback appearances going back to episode 3) Professor Hagen, Shiro's Father, who I think is voiced by <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrick_Hagon>Garrick Hagon</a>, the man credited as playing Captain Carter but who also voices Captain Halley. Effectively he now fills Doctor Benn's role in the series..... which almost reduced the impact of the character's death if he's immediately replaced with a similar one. Maybe killing Doctor Benn in the same attack that Lamia gets captured and then having the crew without a leader for a few episodes may have worked better....
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Couple of interesting visuals in this episode. Dr Benn's tombstone confirms his name to be Ben Robinson which is a little odd. The spelling is different from the titles and the English use of the word Doctor typically follows with the first name and not the surname. The other comes as X-Bomber is launching: sitting there on the launch pad beside it is the same ship that Professor Hagen was in when he was rescued by the Skull.
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Ooh a big cannon that the peace loving planet have never used: do you think that is that going to get fired in the next few episodes??
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Last episode we got to see Calliban's Death Ball in the next episode trailer even though it only appears right at the end. This episode's next time trailer treats us to shots of the Imperial Master and his home planet and we won't see those until the end of the following episode.
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The Japanese Name for this episode is M13 All-Out Attack Begins!
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This was the first episode since episode 13 that I saw on original transmission. Episodes 14-19 aired on a Sunday while I was out but following a lengthy break this episode was shown on a Saturday with the following episode (21) the next next day and the one after that (22) the following Saturday. It was also, for various reasons we'll explore later, the last episode of the original transmission run that I saw. I didn't see it on the 1984 repeat run and indeed can't even be sure it was shown.
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Significant portions of this episode appear on the UK compilation tape <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a> as well as featuring on US Video <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7698401788_a38ecc0852.jpg>Volume 7: Attack of the Bionic Robot</a>.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-43875216637950457222012-11-10T07:50:00.001+00:002012-11-10T07:50:53.594+00:0019 F-01 Assassination Plot"My friends we will soon reach our destination"
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<b>Episode 19</b>: F-01 Assassination Plot<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7698401788_a38ecc0852.jpg>Volume 7: Attack of the Bionic Robot</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 4<p>
Commander Makara is angry at X-Bomber's rescue of Lamia her scientist Caliban comes to the bridge to show her the bionic assassin he has developed to kill F-01 against the Imperial Master's orders. Lamia recovers from her ordeal on X-Bomber weakened and struggling to communicate with Captain Halley on Collinian. X-Bomber detects a deserted spaceship. The pilots visit it in the Dai-X fighter and find nothing there but the Cyborg assassin hides in Legtrack returning with them to X-Bomber. X-Bomber encounters a spherical object in space approaching them. They take evasive action but the sphere follows them at hyper speed and opens fire on the ship. X-Bomber is damaged and launches the Dai-X fighters which immediately combine into the Dai-X robot. With the ship all but empty the Cyborg stalks the corridors finding Lamia's room and attacking her. Kirrara defends her enabling her to sound the alarm summoning Dr Benn who orders PPA to recall Dai-X. Dai-X fires a laser beam from the X crest on it's head destroying the sphere and the pilots set out for X-Bomber. Dr Benn shoots the assassin wounding it, but it makes another attempt to kill her catching Dr Benn with it's serrated claw before he kills it. The pilots return to the ship and X-Bomber resumes it's course for Collinian. Makara is angry at the failure of Caliban's assassin and he begs for one more chance. X-Bomber nears Collinian, and are contacted by Captain Halley but Dr Benn collapses in his chair mortally wounded by poison from the Assassin and die. The pilots vow to continue their mission as Shiro states that there will never be another man that could take the Doctor's place.
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Huge, huge episode for the series. You have to start with the ending though: killing one of the lead characters? In sight of his goal? Harsh by itself and very harsh for a children's series. Yes Dr Benn died heroically defending Lamia but you can't help feeling that if he'd sought medical help immediately he might have lived..... I've got some thoughts about the timing of the death too, but that relates to a huge surprise in the next episode so I'll save it till then.
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Then we have the series new character Caliban, the silver skinned Imperial Alliance scientist Caliban. He's got a bionic lens covering his right eye but it seems to be a piece of machinery rather than the creature like implants seen on other Imperial Alliance officers. I'm not 100% sure but I think Caliban is another character voiced by <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrick_Hagon>Garrick Hagon</a>, previously Captain Carter and now Captain Halley.
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The first of Caliban's ball like Death Machines appears in this episode (and the second appears in the next time trailer despite not appearing till the end of the next episode!) which gives us the first opportunity to see Dai-X fighting in space as opposed to on the ground. We've known it can fly since it's first appearance in the Jupiter battle where it forms in the air then lands but this is the first time it's engaged in combat while flying. With the arms stretched out in front it can use the missiles and Super Cannon (pink blasts again) but here it needs to be upright to deploy the constant laser blast from the X shaped crest on it's head - a mini version of X-Impulse? It's the only time we see this weapon used though they;ll be a very similar one in two episodes time.... This is the first time we see the two halves of brain con coming together to form the head of Dai-X: we've previously seen it in two halves as a fighter and then together as a head but not as it transitions through the two states. It's the third time the pilots all wear their space suits (episode 5 & 18) but the fifth time for Shiro (above plus 12 & 14).
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This episode is the first to appear on US Video <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7698401788_a38ecc0852.jpg>Volume 7: Attack of the Bionic Robot</a>. The <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/7698403868_1070418f2c.jpg>back cover</a> here is interesting as <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8025/7698399180_9ca80df281.jpg>it shows Shiro meeting one of the staff at Star Fleet command</a>. An enlarged scene (but smaller image) <a href=http://www.bigdaix.co.uk/images/page3xbomber.jpg>can be found here (top right)</a> which shows Lee & Hercules in the room too. Publicity image or one cut from the Japanese promotional episode 0, presumed also to be the source of the shot of PPA flying in Braincon with Shiro seen at 2m50s into <a href=#http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8B5HgySnJw&feature=related>this video</a> (<a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8298/7949375518_0823d797ab.jpg>screenshot here</a>)? Sadly this promo is another item missing from the UK DVD which would have added value to the set.
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The bionic assassin segments of the episode (but not the death ball sequences) appear on the UK Video <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a>. When I started obtaining Star Fleet episodes on video from people I knew this was one of the first complete episodes I saw. This was also the last episode of Star Fleet to air in the Sunday morning run of episodes in 1983 at around the end of February/start of March (I can't be precise because I don't have airdates for later episodes)
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As well as being the last episode in which his character Dr Benn appears, <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Marinker>Peter Marinker</a> is credited in the interview by voice director Louis Elman on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> as effectively taking over the direction of the final half dozen episodes of the series when Elman is called to another project. <a href=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0547707/>Peter Marinker's extensive CV</a> goes right the way back to working on Z-Cars in the 60s and includes an episode of the Professionals which I've seen and own. His first credited voice over work was on <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_%28TV_series%29>Monkey</a> providing a number of supporting roles, although I've seen it claimed he worked on The Water Margin prior to this. This has led to a career in voice over work - if you're watching an English dub of a Japanese Manga production then he's probably involved - but he's also appeared on film in Event Horizon, the Sylvester Stalone Judge Dredd and Love Actually. Dr Benn isn't his only role in Star Fleet, although it's the one he's credited for, as he also provides the voice of the narrator.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-31224085231973106262012-11-09T06:14:00.001+00:002012-11-09T06:14:58.328+00:0018 Destroy The Prison Planet!"Lamia, where are you? Keep on communicating!"
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<b>Episode 18</b>: Destroy The Prison Planet!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7698401454_45de00fa74.jpg>Volume 6: Lost in Space</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 3<p>
X-Bomber searches in space for Lamia. Kirara tampers with X-Bomber's controls and has to be tranquillised again. The Imperial Master dispatched Commander Makara & Captain Orion to the Collusion Star Cluster to decimate the planet Carillion. Lamia trapped in the Ice Planet prison struggles to contact Captain Halley telepathically. The pilots suggest searching for Lamia in the Dai-X fighters to cover a wider area. Halley reports he has heard from Lamia and has traced her to the glacial planet. X-Bomber sets off for the planet but their course is detected by the Alliance Battlecruiser which changes course to intercept. As X-Bomber nears the Allurian star cluster Kirara awakes, calmed knowing that Lamia is near. X-Bomber remains in orbit round the Glacial Planet while the pilots fly the Dai-X fighters to the surface to rescue Lamia. However as they near the prison they come under heavy attack from ground based defences. X-Bomber detects the Battlecruiser approaching and warns the fighters so they unite the Dai-X robot and destroy the ground defences. They locate the prison and enter in spacesuits, freeing Lamia from the chamber holding her. As they leave quakes start to rock the planet which they deduce is a nuclear reaction caused by their attack. X-Bomber moves to a wider orbit to avoid damage as the pilots carry Lamia to the Dai-X. The Alliance detect Dai-X launching but are caught in the blast as the nuclear explosion goes off, damaging the ship and destroying the planet. Lamia is taken to X-Bomber's sickbay to begin her recovery.
<P>
The second half of this episode is just what the series needed at this minute, a good bit of action. *Finally* we get the Dai-X robot back for only its third appearance (episodes 4 & 11) so far in the series! For something that appears every episode on the end titles it's absent for a huge portion of the series. However this is the start of it's real starring role in the series and it's in all bar two of the remaining episodes. Yes the battle is essentially a rerun of the one in episode 4 on Jupiter, even down to the same two special weapons being used but so what? Sometimes a big red robot smashing things is just what you need!
<P>
Note that the pilots are wearing spacesuits on the surface of the glacial planet.... but Lamia isn't when they bring her outside. Can she now breath other atmospheres? We also get to here the Asteroid theme from episode 4 again.
<P>
Missing from all UK compilations due to the elimination of the Lamia kidnapped plot this is the final episode on the US video <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7698401454_45de00fa74.jpg>Volume 6: Lost in Space</a>.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-19757768511875634742012-11-08T07:47:00.003+00:002012-11-08T07:56:22.379+00:0017 Asleep In The Ice Prison"Can you already feel the changes in your body? When your powers are fully grown they will be harnessed by the Alliance!"
<P>
<b>Episode 17</b>: Asleep In The Ice Prison<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7698401454_45de00fa74.jpg>Volume 6: Lost in Space</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 3<p>
The X-Bomber crew start to repair their damaged ship. The Alliance Battlecruiser arrives at the Allurian Ice Planet Prison where Commander Makara confirms to Lamia she is the F-01, tells her of her origins and how they will use hers powers to control the universe. X-Bomber launches from Malphane. The Imperial Alliance Battlecruiser lands on the Ice Planet and Lamia is taken by Captain Orion onto the surface. Captain Halley attempts to contact Lamia telepathically but she is taken to a chamber bellow ground. Kirara goes berserk on the X-Bomber bridge disrupting operations and is tranquillised by Hercules. Lamia is subjected to a candlelit ceremony in the prison as a gift from the Imperial Alliance. Commander Makara arrives and watches Lamia be sealed in a glass electro magnetic capsule preventing her from using her powers. As they leave the prison chamber snow begins to fall burying the entrance to the chamber. Commander Makara contacts the Imperial Master and confirms Lamia is imprisoned. The Imperial Master summons them to his base to celebrate their success. X-Bomber looses their trace on Makara's ship and is forced to rely on Captain Halley to trace Lamia. Lamia, trapped beneath the surface in the dungeon, fears she is going to die.
<P>
Hmmm, after the action in the last episode this is a much slower episode. There's some nice stuff in it though especially the Ice Planet Dungeon and the reappearance, for the first tie since episode 9, of The Imperial Master. I think this is the first time we've got see a clear shot of the underside of X-Bomber and it's certainly the first time we've seen inside the Skull.
<P>
None of this episode was used on a UK compilation tape but it appears on US Video <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7698401454_45de00fa74.jpg>Volume 6: Lost in Space</a>.
<P>
The next time trailer for episode 18 promises much including Dai-X on the Ice Planet, but this isn't the next time trailer Japanese viewers saw. Theirs was very different and you can see that <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4XFm25qB50&feature=plcp>here on YouTube</a>. Why so different? Because the next episode in Japan wasn't the next episode in the UK. Japanese episode 18 was a third clip show, the third in 10 episodes after eps 9 & 13, with a minimum of new footage involved. Called "Bloody Mary's Promotion!" (so what would have been Commander Makara's promotion in the UK) it features 3 brief new sequences: the pilots in their quarters wondering where Lamia is (note the pictures of Thunderbird 2 and the Fireflash from Thunderbirds on Hercules' wall), followed by a condensed version of episode 14 where Lamia meets Captain Halley, cutting back to the pilots before cutting to the Imperial Master congratulating Makara & Orion before reviewing their operation to capture Lamia in episodes 15 & 16, returning to the Imperial Master and then to X-Bomber as the pilots continue the quest for their missing comrade. You can see the entire episode on YouTube: <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qm8kBLFOI4&feature=plcp>Part One</a> and <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24_sARh_t8E&feature=plcp>Part Two</a>. This is the first Japanese episode I've seen: I've watched Transformers Masterforce and Victory in the original Japanese so I'm used to Japanese soundtracks but it's odd watching this with different music and voices. There's bits where I think "NO, this should be that noise...." and it isn't. And yet in the middle of this the main X-Bomber door noise sounds exactly the same.
<P>
Right next episode, finally, it's Dai-X time!
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-23943849612633858592012-11-07T08:08:00.001+00:002012-11-07T08:08:48.878+00:0016 Lamia Kidnapped"Lamia is to dominate the universe using her great power in the year 3000"
<P>
<b>Episode 16</b>: Lamia Kidnapped<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7698401454_45de00fa74.jpg>Volume 6: Lost in Space</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 3<p>
Termoid soldiers board X-Bomber but are resisted by the recovering Hercules & Shiro. PPA uses a built in laser to drive the Termoids out of sickbay. Lamia is captured trying to escape and Kirara is injured as the Termoids use a grenade to cover their escape with their prisoner. Lamia is taken to the battlecruiser where Commander Makara has her imprisoned. The Battlecruiser lays mines which drift towards the planet as it retreats. Captain Halley calls X-Bomber and comes to meet them on Malphane. He explains that Lamia is F-01 and is a princess from the planet Esper. At her birth it was foretold that she would possess a tremendous power in the year 3000. The Imperial Alliance then attacked Esper to try to seize F-01 and the elders of the planet fled. Hearing of the research institute on Mars they sent Lamia there to be cared for by humans. Doctor Benn introduces Shiro to Halley as the son of the man who found Lamia. Halley can't join them in fighting the Alliance as he cannot expose his protectors in the Collinian Star Cluster to the Alliance. Halley explains that he and Lamia are to become one so he can guide her. He explains how the pendant has awoken some of Lamia's powers and communicates with her discovering she is in the Aurelian rainbow coloured star cluster, but the Alliance attach her to the Laser Memory Dissimilator to contain her powers. X-Bomber tries to trace her location as the Skull leaves for safety. X-Bomber launches from Malphane but find themselves obstructed by the mine field which further damages the ship. They attempt to detonate the mines using Laser Torpedoes but the damage proved to much for the ship causing it to crash onto Malphane again....
<P>
Good episode: a gun battle in X-Bomber to open with, some answers in the middle, a fab space sequence with the minefield at the end and another wonderful crash sequence. The answers we get from Halley fill in a lot of the gaps in Lamia's past and there's a particularly interesting reaction from Halley when he's told Shiro is the son of the man that found Lamia: "So you're the one...." As well as knowing everything about Lamia, Halley would seem to know something about Shiro too.....
<P>
Captain Orion is a lecherous so and so in this episode when confronted with Lamia "what a pretty little thing, how old are you child?" Ugh.... Lamia is attached to the Laser Memory Dissimilator to limit her powers, last seen being used to interrogate Captain Carter in episode 2.
<P>
We get to see X-Bomber's yellow space suits again, hanging in the airlock as the Termoid soldiers come aboard. The weapon used to destroy some of the mines needs some comment: it's described as Laser Torpedoes, and looks a lot like the Imperial Alliance Laser Torpedo effect. However where as previously (episode 8) X-Bomber's Laser Torpedoes were four converging blasts from the wing tips here it's a pair of blasts from the top of the neck, previously the location of the blue beam cannons seen in episode 4.
<P>
This episode was the first one on US Video <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7698401454_45de00fa74.jpg>Volume 6: Lost in Space</a> and oh look Lamia's been kidnapped! That's the clincher to the arguement I've been highlighting for the last few episodes: the covers and titles for volume 6 (which seem to show a scene from episode 14, on volume 5) and <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8168/7698401336_fb8bde6d0a.jpg>Volume 5: Kidnapped</a> have been accidentally swapped in pre production!. A brief excerpt from this episode, the meeting between X-Bomber's crew and Captain Halley was used on the UK compilation video tape <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a> and the full episode is on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 3 where a brief snippet of the program's ad cap can be heard at 8:44 into the episode. Sadly the Ad Caps don't appear in full elsewhere on the DVD. I'll be returning to what else is missing from the DVDs at a later stage....
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-21744040410280191652012-11-06T07:06:00.001+00:002012-11-06T07:06:08.347+00:0015 X-Bomber Dies on Planet Malphane!
"We must take the girl Lamia away from X-Bomber somehow"
<P>
<b>Episode 15</b>: X-Bomber Dies on Planet Malphane!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: -<BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8168/7698401336_fb8bde6d0a.jpg>Volume 5: Kidnapped</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 3<p>
Lamia is contacted by Halley telepathically over the vast distance of space. Her response is detected by X-Bomber's crew and she insists that they should make for a planet which Halley is on. The Imperial Alliance believe they have tracked the Skull to the Collusion Cluster and decide to intercept X-Bomber on it's way. Lee notices the differences in Lamia but Hercules dismisses it as her being distressed by her encounter with the Skull. Shiro believes the beam fired at Lamia has triggered her powers and Doctor Benn agrees. Lamia detects the Alliance warship approaching but Hercules dismisses her concerns and storms out. After he leaves the Battlecruiser is detected by X-Bomber's instruments but Hercules refuses to return to the bridge. The ship is shaken by the Alliance's assault and the Oxygen system severely damaged causing the crew to collapse. PPA activates the auxiliary system but finds that's damaged too and attempts to repair it. Lamia & Kirara come to the bridge and find the unconscious crew. Captain Halley contacts her and tells her to set a course for the planet Malphane. Lamia manages to land X-Bomber by herself but Commander Makara demands her surrender as the Imperial Alliance battlecruiser traps them. PPA refuses to let her surrender and gets her to help treat the crew. When Lamia does not surrender Makara has fighters attack X-Bomber. Lamia and Kirara operate the turret lasers and repel the fighters. Makara recalls the remaining fighters and has the carriers land ground vehicles crewed by Termoids who start cutting their way through X-Bomber's hull....
<P>
Lamia's sudden telepathic powers emerge from nowhere but Shiro's assumption that they've been triggered by the energy blast fired at the Lamia's pendant the previous episode would seem correct. Hercules is especially sceptical here, but there's little to explain quite why especially as he has seen the lengths the Alliance have gone to to seize Lamia in previous episodes.
<P>
Weapons: turret lasers for the 7th time, but it's the first time we see them used by someone other than Shiro & Hercules as Lamia & Kirara use them. This isn't the last time we'll see Kirara's gunnery skills either.
<P>
I have to ask how is Lamia breathing OK in such a thin atmosphere in X-Bomber? Is this another change as a result of the exposure to the ray Halley fired at her.
<P>
Barry Hercules is voiced by actor <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_Gregory>Constantine Gregory</a>. He's not got many roles you'll have seen him in, the most prominent being as the Computer Store Manager in James Bond: Goldeneye. He was also in CI5: The New Professionals, Space Race & Spooks. I'm not 100% sure but I believe he also provides Kirara's grunting noises for Star Fleet.
<P>
This episode's Japanese title is X-Bomber Dies on Planet M! None of the episode appears on the UK Compilation tapes but it is on the US Video <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8168/7698401336_fb8bde6d0a.jpg>Volume 5: Kidnapped</a> which we've got to the end of without seeing a kidnapping.....
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-25376241966175155962012-11-05T07:22:00.001+00:002012-11-05T07:22:33.028+00:0014 Lamia, Girl Of Destiny"If one of you wears the special token have that person transferred to our ship"
<P>
<b>Episode 14</b>: Lamia, Girl Of Destiny<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8168/7698401336_fb8bde6d0a.jpg>Volume 5: Kidnapped</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 3<p>
X-Bomber searches for the Skull, but Shiro is showing remorse for killing Captain Carter. The Imperial Alliance find the Skull but don't attack, waiting for X-Bomber. The Skull contacts X-Bomber asking if one of them wears the special token that they should be transferred to the Skull. Doctor Benn, suspecting another trap, refuses. Lamia shows Shiro how her pendant resists a laser and persuades him to take her to the Skull using a space chopper. X-Bomber follows at a distance, with Hercules angry that Shiro has risked Lamia's life. The Alliance sights the space shuttle and prepares to launch a mission to capture Lamia. Lamia wonders if the Skull was the ship that took her to Mars as they find the ship hanging there in space as the Cruiser launches three drone craft carriers. Shiro & Lamia go the the Skull where they are greeted by it's commander Captain Halley who fires a weapon at Lamia's pendant. The pendant absorbs the energy into her body. She dons a spacesuit to transfer to the Skull but Imperial Fighters attack and she is knocked into space. Shiro pursues her while Halley opens fire on the fighters. Orion orders the Skull destroyed. Shiro rescues Lamia from fighter that has seized her but more pursue them and they are only saved when Lee arrives in Leg track and destroys the fighters. Lamia & Shiro return to X-Bomber and Shiro & Lamia are taken to sickbay. X-Bomber transfers power to it's shields and uses the main laser blast to destroy the fighters, and then attacks the carriers with only Captain Orion's escaping. Lee return to X-Bomber as Hercules punches Shiro for risking Lamia's life. In Sickbay Lamia dreams of Halley and hears him telling her not to die, before waking to see Shiro who is bundled out of sickbay by Kirara.
<P>
Finally after nine episode pursuing it (OK 7 really) X-Bomber catches up with the Skull. Twice since the initial contact the Skull has fled from X-Bomber and they're rather cautious here too as is X-Bomber having been tricked by a fake Skull once already. But thanks to Lamia's determination contact between the is finally made and we get to meet Captain Halley, who's voice we first heard way back in episode 5. I'm pretty certain that <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrick_Hagon>Garrick Hagon</a>, who played Captain Carter, is voicing him here which makes sense as Carter's episodes were in the first half of the series and all of Halley's, bar the initial message in 5, are in the second. However in Japan the two roles are voiced by different actors.
<P>
The opening scene in this episode bothers me, it doesn't really fit and feels like it belongs in previous episode closing events there. Hercules is playing his guitar at the start.... it hasn't come from nowhere, he was seen bringing it with him when the pilots arrived at Moonbase in episode 1.
<P>
There's some decent character work in this episode: Hercules, who has shown an interest in Lamia all along, is angry at Shiro for endangering her. But when a pilot needs to rescue them it's Lee that Doctor Benn sends instead. This then gives us the only appearance of a lone Dai-X fighter, Leg track in an episode by itself. Yes Shiro flies Braincon solo against Captain Carter in episode 12, but you saw the other two fighters earlier in the episode.
<P>
We see some new kit in this episode, the space chopper that Shiro flies Lamia to the Skull on. Effectively it's a space motorbike with an enclosed side car! And it looks very silly.... at least until the pod on the side gets blown off later in the episode! We also get to see Lamia in a spacesuit for the first time, a red and grey affair with a similar helmet to Shiro's original spacesuit helmet.
<P>
X-Bomber weapons: 6th use of the turret lasers, and 4th use of the Laser Blast (previously seen in episodes 2, 5 & 7)
<P>
There's a lot of the original music from episode 5 reused here: obviously the Skull's theme but also the "searching" music, originally used when the pilots hut for Captain Carter, as Shiro & Lamia try to find the Skull.
<P>
Since there's a solo role for Lee in this episode it's probably a good point to look at <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Rolston>Mark Rolston</a> who voices him. This is his first credited television role but if you're a science fiction/genre fan the chances are you'll have seen him in something. Probably his most recognisable role is his first in 1986 where he played Private Drake in Aliens. He then has a lengthy career in television and films in the US appearing in Star Trek: The Next Generation (Lt. Walter Pierce in Eye of the Beholder), Babylon 5 (Karl Mueller in The Quality of Mercy), Star Trek: Enterprise (Captain Magh in The Augments / Kuroda Lor-ehn in Canamar) and 24 (Bruce Foxton in Day 3). IMDB has an amusing coincidence in consecutive entries on his CV: In Cold Case he played Ari Gordon while in CSI: Miami he was FBI Agent Glen Cole Gordon Cole was of course Dale Cooper's boss in Twin Peaks.
<P>
This is the first episode of the series I didn't see on it's initial broadcast: the series had switched to Sunday mornings and for the next six weeks I had to rely on friends at school to tell me what had happened. Likewise I would have missed this episode on it's repeat transmission but for one thing: it was broadcast in the first week of the 1984 school summer holidays when there was no Sunday school at church. So this week and for the next five weeks I caught episodes I had missed on their initial transmission and was a very happy boy.
<P>
The episode features, nearly in full, on the UK compilation tape <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a> and as the middle episode on the US Video <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8168/7698401336_fb8bde6d0a.jpg>Volume 5: Kidnapped</a>. As of yet nobody has really been kidnapped in that video tape but the image of Lamia plunging through space as she falls from the Skull does rather look like the cover to <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7698401454_45de00fa74.jpg>US Volume 6: Lost in Space</a>..... No, I'm not done with this one yet!
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-63910732409346095682012-11-04T07:47:00.000+00:002012-11-04T07:47:06.489+00:0013 Battle To The Death: X Bomber Vs. the Imperial Alliance"I didn't expect to be eating soup on New Year's Day at the far end of the Universe"
<P>
<b>Episode 13</b>: Battle To The Death: X Bomber Vs. the Imperial Alliance<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8168/7698401336_fb8bde6d0a.jpg>Volume 5: Kidnapped</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 3<p>
Shiro, Hercules & Lee spend New Years Day together eating soup together and reflecting on their time together & Captain Carter.
<P>
Ladies and Gentleman: My least favourite episode of Star Fleet. By some distance. And for a variety of reasons:
<P>
Firstly it's another clip show, just 3 episodes after the last one. AGGGGGH! And what's worse is that it reuses some of the same footage. How short a memory do they think we have? The previous clip show, episode 9, at least gave us The Imperial Master and his home planet in the original footage, here it's just the three pilots sitting around and you only see them briefly....
<P>
Then there's the opening narration which indicates this episode is taking place on New Year's Day..... OK. The problem here is the opening narration for episode 1 makes it clear that the year then is 2999 and later episodes make it crystal clear that events of the closing episode is centred round the dawning of the year 3000. So how have we got another New Year's day in between?
<P>
My gripe about different dialogue from the actual episodes repeats itself here as per episode 9. Here a far worse error is made. The footage used is:
<blockquote>
Captain Carter training Shiro from episode 5
<br>The Imperial Alliance invasion, X-Bomber launch & shooting down from episode 1
<br>Lamia driving out to X-Bomber from episode 2
<br>X-Bomber crashing from episode 1
<br>More driving & the laser blast from episode 2
<br>X-Bomber take off & X-Impulse from episode 3
<br>X-Bomber rendezvousing with the transport cruisers & arriving at Pluto from episode 4
<br>The pilots search for Captain Carter, Lamia going to the Skull, being rescued by the pilots, The Skull being attacked by the Alliance & defended by X-Bomber using the Laser blasts from episode 5
<br>X-Bomber at Jupiter & Dai-X destroying the base from episode 4
<br>X-Bomber sucked into the black hole from the end of episode 6
<br>X-Bomber attacked in the black hole and defending itself with laser blasts & the X-Impulse from episode 7
<br>The Sea of Trees & Captain Carter from episode 10
<br>Laser torpedoes setting off the volcano from episode 8
<br>X-Bomber breaking free from the trees in episode 10
<br>X-Bomber attacking with laser torpedoes from episode 8
<br>Shiro shooting Captain Carter in episode 12
</blockquote>
We're jumping around all over the place with the events of episode 4 taking place after episode 5 and episodes 8 & 10 merged together into one. I suppose you could put it down to the pilot's memory having jumbled things up but....
<P>
I think perhaps this episode lacks a bit of focus in it's flashbacks too: it's a sprawling mess taking in brief snippets of most of the first 12 episodes. Episode 6 is represented by a shot that might as well been ripped out the recap in 7 and episode 9 is completely missing but seeing as that's a clip show set on the Imperial Master's planet and the pilots weren't present perhaps that's understandable. Episode 11 is missing as well: the only reason for it's absence I can think of was it was so recent and has the Dai-X smashing things so is rather similar to episode 4 and Episode 12 only has the shooting scene.
<P>
Here's what I'd have done instead, focusing on Captain Carter:
<blockquote>
Opened with the training sequence from episode 5<br>
The Alliance attacking Pluto in episode 1 and Carter seemingly killed<br>
Pilots searching for Carter on Pluto in 5<br>
"but what we didn't know was Captain Carter was a prisoner of the Imperial Alliance"<br>
Interrogation scene from episode 2<br>
Lamia flying out to the Skull, being rescued, Skull being attacked and fleeing from 5<br>
"while searching for the Skull we received a transmission that lured us to the Sea of trees where we met the Alliance's new Commander"<br>
Sea of Trees from 10<br>
"The New Commander seemed familiar...."<br>
War Planet conversation with Carter & Dai-X battle from 11<br>
"We realised it was our old tutor Captain Carter"<br>
Deserter, duel, crash & shooting from 12
Finish with reflection
</blockquote>
In fact the end of it is part of what's wrong with the episode, it sort of ends abruptly without any cut back to Shiro, Hercules & Lee to reflect on events.
<P>
Shiro provides most of the narration for this episode and he's played by actor <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Benedict>Jay Benedict</a> who I definitely have seen in other productions and I'll wager you have too. Sadly two of his most high profile appearances ended up on the cutting room floor: Firstly he appeared as <a href=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Deacon>Deak</a> in the Tosche Station scenes in <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_IV:_A_New_Hope>Star Wars</a> which also featured <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrick_Hagon>Garrick Hagon</a> (Captain Carter in Star Fleet) as Biggs. He's also the first of two Star Fleet actors to appear in <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliens_(film)>Aliens</a> and although his role as Newt's Dad, and the first Face Hugger victim on the colony was cut from the theatrical edition it was reinstated for the special edition. He was later Alan Kalanak in the 2001 <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Creek>Jonathan Creek</a> Christmas special Satan's Chimney (alongside recently deceased Doctor Who actress <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Tamm>Mary Tamm</a>) has had a recurring role in <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foyle's_War>Foyle's War</a> and recently appeared in <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_Rises>The Dark Knight Rises</a>.
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No I think the real reason I look back on this episode with such disdain is that it was the last regular episode of Star Fleet I saw from the first run on the television. From it's start till this episode it had run on Saturday mornings and I'd seen every one. With episode 14 it moved to Sunday mornings which meant I, as part of a church going non video owning family, would not get to see it. And what's worse the trailer for episode 14 made it look fab! The Skull is back and we get to meet it's Captain? wow, finally some answers and I wouldn't get to see them :-(. For the next episode of Star Fleet that I actually saw in the first run see episode 20.
<P>
This is another episode whose title I've modified from the Japanese name which was Battle To The Death: X Bomber Vs. the Gelma Army. It's the first Japanese episode to use the new credits sequences, on which the UK end titles were modelled. The opening sequence can be seen <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8B5HgySnJw&feature=related>on YouTube</a> and runs from 1:11 to 2:22. The closing sequence is the same visuals as the opening and to the same music as the original closing theme heard from 2:22 on the video.
<P>
Obviously there's no reason to include it on the UK compilation tapes but it's the opening
episode on the US Video <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8168/7698401336_fb8bde6d0a.jpg>Volume 5: Kidnapped</a>....... And now I see that cover & title for the first time in AGES I'm wondering if the US video distributor may have made a slight mistake with the covers for volumes 5 & 6. For why see the next episode & episode 16.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-60450539192404408682012-11-03T07:55:00.002+00:002012-11-03T07:55:18.811+00:0012 Our Mortal Enemy Is Captain Carter"You are now our enemy, an enemy that must die!"
<P>
<b>Episode 12</b>: Our Mortal Enemy Is Captain Carter<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7128/7698401210_4a2c804905.jpg>Volume 4: The Search for the Skull</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 2<p>
Lamia sits with Kirara on X-Bomber's bridge wondering where they came from. Shiro, Hercules & Lee are now convinced that it was Captain Carter who was commanding the Alliance forces recently. Alliance fighter aproach X-Bomber pursuing one of their own, a Termoid deserter. The pilots rescue him in the Dai-X fighters and bring him aboard X-Bomber. The Alliance identify the soldier as crewman 0171 from the carrier. Captain Orion blames Captain Carter but Carter tells him he is emulating the wooden horse of Troy by having someone working from the inside. He is taken to the sickbay for treatment but awakens and captures Lamia taking her to the engine room as a hostage and planting charges to destroy the ship. The pilots begin to cut their way in. As the Termoid prepares to detonate the bombs he is jumped by Kirara giving the pilots enough time to gain access. The Termoid is scanned in sickbay and a bomb is found embedded in him so he is ejected from the ship in a capsule before it explodes. The pilots become convinced Captain Carter briefed the Termoid and Shiro challenges Captain Cartern to a dual. Shiro flies Brain Com to attack Captain Carter flying an Imperial Alliance astrofighter. Shiro finds himself unable to fire on his former tutor, but overcomes his reservations and shoots Captain Carter's Fighter down onto an asteroid. Shiro lands Brain Com and ventures out onto the surface in a spacesuit where he finds the injured Carter lying on the rocks. The Alliance lobster control devices falls off him and Captain Carter regains control of himself. Seeing his bionic arm he smashes it infrustration at what the Alliance have done to him and made him do. He commands Shiro to kill him for what he has done and when Shuiro refuses he counts to 3 forcing Shiro to open fire on him, killing him. With his dying words he congratulates Shiro on his good shooting.
<P>
A game of two halves: we open with the Imperial Deserter coming aboard X-Bomber and holding Lamia hostage. We finally get to see a Termoid up close but as this plot ppoint is over in half an episode it doesn't get any time to develop. Maybe having the traitor on board for a few episodes skulking in the background before revealing itself may have given this thread a bit more substance. The second half of the episode is taken up with the Shiro/Carter dual. Carter's been around as an enemy officer for 3 episodes but he was hardly in the second one and just a brief appearance during the first part of this one. All over in three episodes.... I wonder if it might have been worth extending the storyline for longer, six episodes say, giving the mystery of who the Alliance's new captain is more time to play out. And so the saga of Captain Carter comes to an end as pre-empted twice previously in the series in episodes 5 & 11 with flashbacks and dream sequences of the two shooting at each other.
<P>
Hardware: after looking at the same Imperial Alliance fighter designs for eleven episodes we get to see not one but two variants in this episode: The Deserter is flying a fighter with an extra set of tubes on the outside of it's laser guns while Carter's fighter has a different canopy and a longer nose. We never see what happened to the Deserter's fighter: it could well be on X-Bomber still. Carter's menawhile gets wrecked on the Asteroid.... Carter seems to be breathing the Asteroid's armosphere ok after the crash but Shiro puts his spacesuit on: have the Alliance augmented his body in other ways other than the arm which he destorys here? On the other hand there is some confusaion later in the series as to who can breate what when. Shiro's spacesuit is a little different to when we last saw it: he's wearing a plain silver helmet which is now missing the red coloured flashes it had when we last saw it in episode 5.
<p>
I am wondering if there's a little Star Trek referrence in the deserter's given identity number 0171, a numerical anagram of 1701, The Enterprise's registry number....
<P>
On it's Japanese broadcast this was the last episode to use the original X-Bomber opening credits, <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8B5HgySnJw&feature=related>which you can see here at the start of video</a> and the original closing credits, which can be seen from 2:22.
<P>
I saw this episode on it's first transmission and I'm pretty sure I remember seeing the LWT repeat in 1984 the Sunday after I got back from my camping trip in Wales (see episode 9 for the camping trip's other impact) when I was too shattered to go to church that day. It's Japanese name is Our Mortal Enemy Is Captain Custer, using Carter's Japanese name. None of this episode appears on a UK video tape but it appears on US video <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7128/7698401210_4a2c804905.jpg>Volume 4: The Search for the Skull</a>.
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This is the last episode of Star Fleet to include new music, in particular the death theme over Captain Carter's final moments. The incidental music, as well as the opening and closing titles was provided by keyboard player Paul Bliss, who has played with numeroud bands over the years including <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moody_Blues>The Moody Blues</a>. For many years fans wanted a Star Fleet music album and finally in 2009 a CD was released which is available at <a href=http://www.starfleetsoundtrack.com/>www.starfleetsoundtrack.com</a>. You can hear Paul Bliss interviewed on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series DVD Disc 3</a>
<P>
At this point we are halfway through the UK run of Star Fleet.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-76011701785220327102012-11-02T07:42:00.001+00:002012-11-02T07:42:37.113+00:0011 Farewell, Eternal Battlefield!"At night they return and begin again: they fight endlessly"
<P>
<b>Episode 11</b>: Farewell, Eternal Battlefield!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7128/7698401210_4a2c804905.jpg>Volume 4: The Search for the Skull</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 2<p>
Shiro dreams of Captain Carter, a nightmare which ends with Carter shooting him, and is late for his duty shift. As an ailing John Lee retires to bed, Shiro tells Dr Benn that he thought the new Alliance commander was his old instructor Captain Carter and finds that Hercules agrees with him. X-bomber receives distress call from a nearby planet and sends Dai-X to investigate. They find a ruined city on the planet surrounded by the remains of a battlefield with destroyed and half buried tanks and fighters. They trace the distress call and find a young woman imprisoned in a cellar in a spider's web with an iron mask over her face. The pilots free her, killing the spider guarding her. She tells them she is called princess Keeli and they take her to the ruins of the palace. She tells them the war on her planet has not ended. Many years ago the Imperial Alliance attacked the planet without warning. Commander Makara had her imprisoned in an underground chamber and had the planet cursed to be an eternal battlefield by night. The tanks and fighters are sleeping at the moment and will awake soon and start fighting again. An Imperial Alliance carrier arrives and they are spoken to by the new Alliance Commander who refuses to identify himself. He demands Lamia handed over and the search for the sailing ship The Skull terminated. He sends fighters to attack the tanks and fighters on the ground bringing them back to life. While princess Keeli shelters in the dungeon the carrier leaves. The pilots return to Dai-X defending themselves against the reactivated tanks and fighters. When the individual fighters are overwhelmed with Mainbody damaged they form the Dai-x robot and destroy the tanks & fighters, bringing peace to the planet. Keeli returns to the surface and thanks them, disappearing and leaving just a rose behind. The pilots return to X-Bomber in the Dai-X wondering if Princess Keeli was ever really there.
<P>
Hurrah! Finally a second Dai-X robot episode! We're at episode 11, nearly half way through the series and, barring the flashbacks in the clip show, we've not seen the Dai-X robot for SEVEN episodes, since episode 4. And it'll be another 7 (ish) before it's back again. After that however it's almost a constant presence.
<P>
We get to see the pilot's bunk room for the first time in this episode..... and an interesting question is raised: what is Shiro doing sleeping in his helmet? We're then treated to an attempt to show a puppet with a cold as John Lee blows little bubbles from his nose while in bed! Gross. <P>
This is the first episode so far not to feature Captain Orion, and Commander Makara is only in it very briefly in flashback. In fact the Imperial Alliance presence in the present is minimal, just a brief visit from Captain Carter, commanding a carrier for the first time and accompanied by the most prominent use of his theme to indicate his presence. And you could argue that his presence is unnecessary as Princess Keeli seems pretty sure that the tanks and fighters would come to life again anyway at night so wouldn't have needed the Imperial Alliance to wake them up.
<p>
It's nice to see some new hardware in the show: the last new vehicle we saw was the Skull in episode five. Here we get the Weevil like tanks with glowing eyes and the Pterodactyl fighters. Keeli describes her planet as peaceful so I'd always assumed that his was specialist Imperial Alliance equipment used to assault the planet..... now I'm not so sure.
<P>
Last time we saw the Dai-X robot it assembled in the air before landing to fight but this time we see it fighting in the air too. It uses just the missiles and the Super Cannon again but this time the bolts from the super cannon are pink. There is a last in this episode too: It's the final time we see Leg Track's tank mode.
<P>
Then there's Princess Keeli herself. Is she real? Is she a ghost? We just don't know, she seems real enough until the very end of the episode when she turns into a rose. There's been a vague background plot for a while of both Shiro & Hercules harbouring affections for Lamia so it's Lee's turn here to fall for the beautiful girl. I'm reasonably sure, just like Lamia, that Keeli is voiced by <a href=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0743619/>Liza Ross</a> who in real life is the wife of <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrick_Hagon>Garrick Hagon</a>, who plays Captain Carter and others in Star Fleet. I've got two of her film appearances on DVD: Tomorrow Never Dies (where she plays Mary Golson) and Batman (where she's Mom opposite Garrick Hagan's Dad). She's not had many television roles, At Home with the Braithwaites as Dr. Ornstein being the most recurring one as an onscreen actress, but has performed opposite her husband as a voice artist in many radio and dubbing productions including several Dirk Maggrs productions in the 1990s.
<P>
Footage from this episode was used in the promotional video for <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_May>Brian May's</a> <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Fleet_Project>Star Fleet Project</a> a cover of the song used as the end titles. Over the years the existence of this has led to many people believing that Brian May composed the song and indeed the music for Star Fleet. He didn't, as we'll see next episode. I saw the video for this song once on an ITV Saturday morning show (Saturday Starship?) and then forgot about it until I found a copy on record years later..... which has long since gone, leant to a friend who kindly never returned it! The video can be found on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series DVD Disc 3</a> but is horribly framed instead of appearing in full screen.
<P>
As well as appearing on the US video <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7128/7698401210_4a2c804905.jpg>Volume 4: The Search for the Skull</a>, this episode is the latest episode of Star Fleet to be included on the UK Compilation <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a>. The episode is mostly complete just cutting all footage featuring Captain Carter although a small amount of his dialogue broadcast over loud speaker from the carrier remains. However it isn't the last episode on the tape as the order is a little odd. The episodes on the tape are (in order of appearance):
<P>
1 Scramble, X-Bomber (until just before X-Bomber is shot down) <br>
5 The Mysterious Ship Skull! (from the point the Black Hole is detected) <br>
6 X-Bomber Goes Forth! <br>
7 Mortal Combat In The Gravity Graveyard! <br>
8 An Attack Beyond Tears! <br>
11 Farewell, Eternal Battlefield! <br>
4 The Transport Fleet Annihilated!
<p>
Footage from episodes 2 The Gelma Fleet's Surprise Attack! & 3 Find F-01! feature on the other UK compilation <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a> while episode 4 features again with episode 5 The Mysterious Ship Skull! on the <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698400394/>The Thorn/EMI Video</a>.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-47700257631891776852012-11-01T07:16:00.002+00:002012-11-01T07:16:48.530+00:0010 The Drifting Galaxy"Put me in command and I guarantee the destruction of X-Bomber"
<P>
<b>Episode 10</b>: The Drifting Galaxy<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7128/7698401210_4a2c804905.jpg>Volume 4: The Search for the Skull</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 2<p>
As X-Bomber travels through space Shiro wonders where the Skull is now. On the Alliance Battlecruiser Commander Makara berates Captain Orion again when a new officer arrives on the bridge: the brainwashed & cybernetically enhanced Captain Carter. He takes over the operational command of the Battlecruiser to Captain Orion's disgust as being sidelined. On X-Bomber Lee discovers he is no longer able to contact Star Fleet command because they are now too far away, but they do pick up a signal from The Skull summoning them to the planet Zeenith, a green forested world where the find the Skull floating on a sea of trees. The Skull instructs X-Bomber to land but when they do the Skull doesn't respond and vine tendrils reach up from the forest, attaching themselves to X-Bomber. The Skull summons Lamia but Doctor Ben is suspicious. The new Imperial Alliance Commander, his face obscured, appears on the monitor screen and berates X-Bomber. X-Bomber tries to launch but is trapped by the vines. The Skull fades in front of them and the Imperial Cruiser emerges from behind a waterfall. The new Commander demands Lamia is handed over to them and she agrees, but Doctor Ben stops Lamia from leaving in the airlock. The Imperial Cruiser attacks X-Bomber, but Doctor Benn realises that the attack is freeing them. X-Bomber tries to launch again but still is tangled in the vines. On the Alliance Battlecruiser Captain Carter orders the Delta Laser used, the Imperial Alliance's ultimate weapon, but before it can be fired the Imperial Battlecruiser is assaulted by the real Skull, diverting the Cruiser's attention. X-Bomber finally escapes as does the Skull which is unsuccessfully pursued by the Imperial Cruiser. Commander Makara is impressed with Captain Carter's tactics but the sidelined Captain Orion isn't. On X-Bomber Shiro wonders where Commander Makara was during the attack and is reminded of something by the new commander's voice...
<P>
This episode is the first of three where X-Bomber is pitted against Captain Carter, the former tutor of Shiro, Hercules & Lee. Captured by the Imperial Alliance in episode 1 and interrogated in episode 2 we've not seen him since, except in flashbacks in episodes 5 & 9. He's now brainwashed by the ultra solar rays and turned into a Cyborg with his left arm replaced by an Imperial Alliance claw, similar to Captain Orion's, and a Lobster like device covering the right side of his head and his right eye. Oddly his left eye is still covered by half of his sunglasses..... Cool maybe, but not exactly practical. All the Alliance officers seen so far appear to have cyborg parts and an eye device: Makara has a cyborg left arm & hand with a face, which speaks in a male voice, over her left eye while Orion has a cyborg right arm & hand, a cyborg left arm & claw and a Caterpillar like eye piece which goes back over his helmet. Captain Carter's theme music, last heard in episode 1 as the pilots decide to fly X-Bomber in his memory, returns as well being heard as X-Bomber struggles to escape from the sea of trees.
<P>
The Sea of Trees is some lovely model work again in the series as is the shot as the Imperial Cruiser emerges from under the Waterfall. But imagine how big that waterfall must be to conceal a ship that size! There are some amusing shots of X-Bomber shedding the last of the vines as it takes flight at the end of the episode.
<P>
The only weapons X-Bomber uses this episode are it's turret lasers (6th occurrence) but we're nearly treated to the Imperial Alliance's ultimate weapon: the Delta Laser that emerges from the launch bay of the Alliance Cruiser.
<P>
Yes, PPA's voice is still wrong here. And yes, there's those Yellow spacesuits again in the airlock that nobody's worn yet. Since we've last seen them it's become apparent yellow might be X-Bomber's colour: it's also used on Lee's headset (those at Star Fleet command are white) and PPA.... Actually PPA is Moonbase personnel which used yellow inn the design of the main building.... is the yellow equipment inherited from X-Bomber's home base?
<P>
I haven't passed any comment on the episode titles yet but "The Drifting Galaxy" ? What relevance has that to the episode? Surely something like "Trapped in the Sea of Trees" would be better. And again the title of the US Video "The Search for the Skull": there's not a lot of Skull searching going on here. In fact US Volume 4 contains all 3 of the Captain Carter episodes on one tape (what I wouldn't have given for that in the UK) so maybe something like "Attack of the Traitor Captain" would have been better? Sadly this episode appears on none of the UK compilation tapes.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-65385480391640639112012-10-31T06:59:00.002+00:002012-10-31T06:59:38.761+00:0009 The Targeted Captain!"Commander Makara, that's the entrance to the execution chamber"
<P>
<b>Episode 9</b>: The Targeted Captain!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: -<BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/7698400836_384e039c43.jpg>Volume 3: Space Lava of Death</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 2<p>
Commander Makara & Captain Orion return to the Imperial Master's Fortress Base in the Thalian Zone. There they are put on trial for their failure to capture F-01 with execution their fate if found guilty. As Commander Makara tries to explain the Imperial Master appears before them and projects images of the battles they have fought in. He shows their attack on Pluto and interrogation of Captain Carter followed by their attack on Earth and shooting down of X-Bomber. But X-Bomber shoots down the carriers with it's laser blast. When the Imperial Cruiser goes to SF command and attacks X-Bomber launches and use X-Impulse to damage the battlecruiser. The Imperial Master blames Commander Makara for underestimating X-Bomber. He shows them the asteroid belt ambush, and praises Captain Orion's bold tactic of ambushing X-Bomber at the Methane Sea, but shows them how the base on Jupiter was destroyed by the Dai-X. Commander Makara blames defeat on the Dai-X and says that the Imperial Master's intelligence system should have warned them of it, which enrages the Imperial Master. Commander Makara tell him that she is convinced Lamia is the F-01 and that she has a new plan to capture her. The Imperial Master tells them that they have just six more months to find F-01.
<P>
Ladies and Gentlemen: the clip show. Or rather the first Clip Show. Clip shows can serve a function, beyond their cheapness. There's relatively little new footage here but what there is introduces us to the Imperial Master's base for the first time, a structure so huge that the Battlecruiser, which dwarfs X-Bomber, fits into a tiny little bit at the the bottom of the base, which really gives you some idea of the scale of the structure.... the only thing like it I can think of is seeing the Enterprise fly into the Star Base in Star Trek III. Inside the Master's base is a nightmare landscape of desert, bones and a Guillotine (an illusion, like the projected images?) which he appears towering over with the previous stories from episodes 1-4 retold in images in the sky. Here the images follow what happens in pretty much the correct order but now Captain Carter's interrogation now takes place en route from Pluto to Earth rather than after X-Bomber's crash. This is nothing compared to some of the liberties taken during the next clip show in Episode 13. Yes, two clip shows in five episodes!
<P>
What's interesting here is that a different dub script is being employed for the English speaking voice actors to that which was used in the original episodes 1-4 so you get some differences in lines being delivered. Similarly the same backing music isn't always used behind the scenes most notably as X-Bomber approaches the Imperial Base while flying over the Methane Sea.
<P>
As well as introducing the Imperial Master properly and his home planet this episode places a time limit on Commander Makara's mission adding some urgency to what they're doing. It also reminds us of the existence of Captain Carter and that he's an Alliance Prisoner, something that will become very important shortly. And by spending nearly half the episode concentrating on reviewing the Jupiter battle we get a good look at the Dai-X robot which we haven't seen since.
<P>
Like the previous episodes PPA's voice isn't right here and I'm at a loss to say for definite who's voicing it. Likewise Commander Makara's male voice, heard from the moulded face covering her left eye, when she addresses the Imperial Master, is identified in the cast list and I can't work out who it is. The Imperial Master, on his first lengthy appearance after two brief visits to the Battlecruiser Bridge as a hologram, is played by <a href=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0936797/>Jacob Witkin</a>, another of the Star Fleet cast to be missing a Wikipedia entry. In a lengthy CV the only thing I've seen him in is <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Professionals_(TV_series)>The Professionals</a> Season 3 episode <a href=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0679334/>Stop Over</a>. Going to have to dig that out to watch now..... There's a few names I recognise in that: Morris Perry, W Morgan Sheppard and Alec Linstead, all with Doctor Who connections.
<P>
This is the first episode we've seen not to be included on any UK compilation video, for fairly obvious reasons. (although, obviously, footage from it shows up on other tapes) It can be found on the US video <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/7698400836_384e039c43.jpg>Volume 3: Space Lava of Death</a>. I'm reasonably sure I saw this episode on it's 1984 repeat: I was due to go on a school trip to Wales in the summer and one Sunday morning they took us out on a practice hike through Richmond Park to break our brand new walking boots in. The walk was early and finished c11:30 so I missed church and managed to get home in time to see most of this episode. I'm pretty sure it was the first episode in the repeat run I saw.....
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-71105993037111025792012-10-30T07:27:00.002+00:002012-10-30T07:27:52.637+00:0008 An Attack Beyond Tears!"The entire planet is a live volcano and full of.......ferocious creatures"
<P>
<b>Episode 8</b>: An Attack Beyond Tears!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/7698400836_384e039c43.jpg>Volume 3: Space Lava of Death</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 2<p>
X-Bomber lands on the planet Alaria to make repairs, but Captain Orion is pleased at this development as the entire planet is a live volcano inhabited by what he describes as ferocious creatures and mutants. While the pilots undertake repairs Lamia goes onto the planet's surface and befriend furry creatures which she names Monmons. Kirara is agitated by them and fetches Shiro and Hercules. Shiro shoots one of the Monmons approaching Lamia and is severely admonished by her before they return to the ship. As X-Bomber prepares for launch the Monmons gather on the ship. The Imperial Cruiser hides behind the nearby volcano and fires a laser missile starting an eruption. X-Bomber is surrounded by lava but can't take off because of the Monmons on the ship so Doctor Benn orders Hercules to open fire on them but Lamia stops him. He and Shiro argue, with Shiro now siding with Lamia who argues that life should be protected. It's only when the Imperial Cruiser reveals itself and attacks X-Bomber that Shiro himself opens fire on the Monmons. X-Bomber launches and attacks the Imperial Cruiser with laser torpedoes then escapes. Makara berates Orion on the damaged Cruiser before the Imperial Master appears before them and orders them to return to him. Makara makes it clear she intends to blame Orion for her failure as they set course for the Thalian Zone.
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This is a science fiction show with cute furry animals. All science fiction shows with cute furry animals are bad up to and including Return of the Jedi, the worst of the original Star Wars films which this predates on the cute teddy bear like creature front by 3 years (on original Japanese broadcast). And it's full of moralising about respect for life too so it's not onto a winner..... But in here are two fab moments of comedy: The first is Captain Orion's line, quoted above, where there's a pause and an almost visible shudder as he considers the inhabitants of the planet to be ferocious creatures. And yet, when we see them, they're a bunch of teddy bears. So why do they agitate Kirara so? Is he jealous? Then as Lamia admonishes Shiro she finishes with "This beautiful creature might have become our first friend in space......" and the picture cuts to the Imperial Battlecruiser, which is definitely not our friend in space! And then we have a Volcanic eruption and you really can't go wrong there. Lava and fire everywhere!
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X-Bomber uses it's Turret lasers for the fifth time here and we get to see it's Laser Torpedoes for the first time: four pink laser blasts, similar to the yellow laser torpedo blasts from the Alliance ships, emerge from the tip of each wing and converge into one blast in front of the ship. This weapon will be back in episode 21.
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Like the previous episode PPA's voice isn't quite right here....... I suspect another member of the cast is performing it. It's still wrong for the next episode too!
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This episode marks the return of the Imperial Master, unseen since the opening minutes of the very first episode. Once again he appears as a hologram on the bridge but we'll see him in person next episode.
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Like the previous episode this appears on US Volume 3 video <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/7698400836_384e039c43.jpg>Space Lava of Death</a> (told you the title would makes sense now!) and is also featured on the UK compilation <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a> following directly on from the episode preceding it. There's one more episode on that tape to come, episode 11, and I'll recap the tape's contents in the slightly odd order it appears on the tape there.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-72154403310266161582012-10-29T07:14:00.000+00:002012-10-29T07:14:06.401+00:0007 Mortal Combat In The Gravity Graveyard!"Try to escape us X-Bomber...... If you can!"
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<b>Episode 7</b>: Mortal Combat In The Gravity Graveyard!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/7698400836_384e039c43.jpg>Volume 3: Space Lava of Death</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 2<p>
X-Bomber finds it's power has been drained by the black hole. It picks up an object moving and follows it hoping to find an exit. Captain Orion takes the carriers into the Black Hole to attack X-Bomber. Dr Benn tells the pilots that they cannot return fire because they need to preserve power but eventually gives in to their demands. They attack the fighters with the turret lasers but the fighters retreat having drained X-Bomber's power enough that it cannot escape the Black Hole. Dr Benn decides to use the remaining energy on the ship to attack. When Captain Orion enters the Black Hole with two Carrier Craft they use the main laser blast to destroy one carrier and severely damage the one Orion is on. He retreats and Commander Makara enters the black hole in the Battlecruiser. X-Bomber uses the last of it's power firing the X-Impulse at it damaging Makara's ship which retreats leaving the powerless X-Bomber floating in the black hole. The crew make a record of what happened and Lamia attempts to contact the Skull when suddenly the ship ship starts moving. The Skull tows them out of the black hole with it's tractor beam and leaves them adrift in normal space as X-Bomber's power systems start to recharge. They decide to make for a nearby planet to carry out repairs....
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Oh the science in this episode hurts so much. "The Black Hole" behaves like a black hole, a Nebula (see Star Trek II Wrath of Khan) or a maze interchangeably as required. Quite where it's magic energy draining powers come from I don't know.... For someone determined to escape from the Black Hole one moment, Doctor Benn gives in very easily to the pilots request to return fire even though he knows the consequences (see also: defending the Skull in episode 5)
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Weapons: we get to see the turret lasers (very Star Wars, Han Solo & Luke Skywalker in the Millennium Falcon) for the fourth time (episodes 1, 2 & 6 previously) the Laser Blast for the third time (episodes 2 & 5) and X-Impulse for the second and I believe final time!
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PPA spends most of this episode incoherent under the effects of the black hole but there's something not quite right about his voice here. Was one of the other actors supplying it for this episode only? Normally he's voiced by <a href=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0045969/>John Baddeley</a>. The only other place I've encountered him is in the second series of the radio version of <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy_(radio_series)>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</a> where he plays Bird Two & a Foot Warrior. He appears as a voice artist in <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Crystal>The Dark Crystal</a> alongside fellow Star Fleet voice artist <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Barrett_(actor)>Sean Barrett</a> who supplies the voice for Captain Orion. Badderley's Character here is called PPA - Perfect Programmed Android - but in the original Japanese version X-Bomber he's called PP Adamski, which at first look makes little sense. However, thanks to having reviewed a great many Transformers toys, I know that the 1985 Mini Autobot <a href=http://www.tfu.info/1985/Autobot/Cosmos/cosmos.htm>Cosmos</a> is called Adams in Japan and thank to <a href=http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Cosmos_%28G1%29#Foreign_names>his TFU entry</a> I know that this is a reference to <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Adamski>George Adamski</a>, a figure prominent in the UFO spotting community as one of the first people to claim to have sighted UFOs and made alien contact.
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As well as appearing as the opening episode on the US Volume 3 video <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/7698400836_384e039c43.jpg>Space Lava of Death</a> (join us next episode to find out why it has that fantastic title) this episode is also featured on the UK compilation <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a>Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-13017246121667196632012-10-28T07:17:00.002+00:002012-10-28T07:17:15.824+00:0006 X-Bomber Goes Forth!
"They're on course for destruction as I planned!"
<P>
<b>Episode 6</b>: X-Bomber Goes Forth!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/7698400742_2d2b3afef2.jpg>Volume 2: Revenge of the Robot</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 2<p>
X-Bomber returns to it's Moonbase home. While the crew relax Star Fleet command take the decision that X-Bomber will try to follow the Skull to gain more information about F-01. However before the ship's designated launch time Commander Makara attacks again and X-Bomber is forced to launch early and help fighters from Mars base defend Earth. When Commander Makara retreats X-Bomber commences it's stated mission bidding Star Fleet command farewell. However they are then attacked again by Commander Makara. While manoeuvring they find themselves driven off course, caught in the grip of a black hole which suck X-Bomber into a graveyard of space where it collides with a meteorite.
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For various reasons this has always been a bit of a nothing episode for me. It's..... just there. I've got it on tape somewhere with episodes 2, 4 & 5 and while the others got regular listening to, this one rarely did. OK it was missing it's very end but.... And although I've said it appears on <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a> compilation in reality it's just the last few minutes from (roughly) where X-Bomber gets pulled of course (but possibly slightly earlier during the battle) which is tagged onto the end of episode one replacing the crash sequence that left X-Bomber stranded on the moon.
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Remember the PC on the Pluto Base fighter pilots helmets in episode 1? Here we have MC on the Mars base pilot helmets. As X-Bomber moves away from earth this is the last time we see additional Star Fleet vessels for a long, long time. Similarly it's the last time for a while we'll see General Kyle and Star Fleet command. And it is the last time we see Moonbase and X-Bomber's Crater base home, save for brief shots on the end titles.
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Because this is the last time we'll see him for a while in his credited role we aught to mention <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Brennan_(actor)>Kevin Brennan</a> who voices General Kyle. When I did my Star Fleet site he was one of the few actors I could find out nothing about. Now it's a little easier in the age of Wikipedia & IMDB (though three of the cast are missing Wikipedia entries still!) I've actually seen at least 3 of his film appearances: <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Carter>Get Carter</a>, <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutiny_on_the_Buses>Mutiny on the Buses</a> & <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spaceman_and_King_Arthur>The Spaceman and King Arthur</a>, but not his first genre appearance in <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomwatch>Doomwatch</a>: The Human Time Bomb as Sir Billy Langly. I own his appearance in <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Professionals_(TV_series)>The Professionals</a> season 2 episode Blind Run as the Minister but don't recall what he looks like.
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We *nearly* get to see the Dual Cannon within X-Bomber's neck fired for the third time and the second time in two episodes. Here it gets referred to as the Direct Laser Blast. Unfortunately the Alliance runs away before it can be used.....
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Black Holes..... Now most sci fi watching children in 1982 would have known what a Black Hole was courtesy of the 1979 (1980 in the UK?) Disney Film <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Hole>The Black Hole</a>. In particular what we knew about black holes was they sucked things in and you couldn't escape. Star Fleet's version conforms to this but beyond that the physics just goes to pieces. Just check your brain in for the end of this episode and all of the next!
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-38924279068676232102012-10-27T07:41:00.002+01:002012-10-27T07:41:18.523+01:0005 The Mysterious Ship Skull!
"To My Compatriot on Earth, This is the Skull!"
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<b>Episode 5</b>: The Mysterious Ship Skull!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698400394/>The Thorn/EMI Video</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/7698400742_2d2b3afef2.jpg>Volume 2: Revenge of the Robot</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 1<p>
X-Bomber and the transport cruisers touch down on Pluto to commence the reconstruction of Pluto Alpha Base. Shiro, Hercules & Lee exhaustively search for Captain Carter but are unable to find him. Lamia receives a transmission from a ship called the Skull, mentioning the pendant she was found with and offering to bring her to them by tractor beam. She steals a shuttle and attempts to find the Skull. When she is found to be missing she is pursued by the Dai-X fighters and X-Bomber. Lamia finds the Skull but the engines on her shuttle fail and she is unable to make contact. She is found by Shiro in Brain Con and soon joined by Lee & Hercules. The Skull is located by the Imperial Alliance battlecruiser, who are seeking it. Commander Makara has Captain Orion assault the Skull with astrofighters. Shiro contacts X-Bomber to ask if they should intervene but is told not to by Doctor Benn. The Skull drives the astrofighters off, and Commander Makara orders a retreat before assaulting and seriously damaging the Skull using her battle cruiser. Dai-X's pilots prepare to intervene but are prevented to by X-Bomber's arrival. The rescue Lamia's shuttle and return to X-Bomber where they persuade Doctor Benn to intervene. They attack the Battlecruiser with the laser blast from the dual cannon in X-Bomber's neck. The Battlecruiser is forced to return fire on X-Bomber while retreating allowing the damaged Skull to escape.
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Episode Five really closes the introductory chapter of Star Fleet by introducing the plot element that will power the next part of the story: the mysterious sailing ship the Skull. The search for the ship will be the driving force for the next nine episodes. All we see of it here is literally a sailing ship, in space, with a Skull on the prow. The producers of Doctor Who must have cried when they saw this episode, which I think first aired 20th November 1982, because they had a Sailing Ships in Space story ready to go for their next season (Enlightenment) but Star Fleet can't claim that they came up with the concept. I tried to trace the definitive origin of the idea when I did Enlightenment for the Doctor Who Blog. <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Pirate_Captain_Harlock>Space Pirate Captain Harlock</a> and <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Battleship_Yamato>Space Battleship Yamato</a> need to bear some responsibility for the idea of sailing ships in space with Harlock featuring a ship with a skull & crossbones on it's bow. However I'm reasonably sure the idea predates even that.... Here the ship, the voice of it's captain, a probable link to Lamia via the pendant and that they are known to Imperial Alliance are all we know and the ship is set up as a mystery alongside the true identity of the F-01 which the Alliance seek.
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And while we're on non original ship ideas: the Transport Cruisers in this and the previous episode, carrying their load amidships, look rather like Eagles from Space 1999 and the much later Transformers character <a href=http://www.tfu.info/1991/Cybertron/SkyGarry/skygarry.htm>Sky Garry</a>. Here we see them coming into land on Pluto where it's snowing. Ok..... I get that snowing is shorthand for "it is very cold" but for snowing to occur I'm pretty sure their needs to be evaporation to form clouds and at <A href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto>approximately 44 degrees Kelvin</a> that isn't going to be happening. While the landing is taking place we're treated to a comedy scene of PPA wrapped in bandages on X-Bomber following injuries sustained in the previous episode..... This scene ends in laughter but for some reason Kirara has acquired cymbals and is banging away like one of those little wind up monkey toys I can remember as a child.
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The Skull offers to lead Lamia to it by tractor beam. But if it were a tractor beam why then does Lamia's ship stop short of the Skull with an apparent engine failure? I think this line is a victim of being translated into English and "Homing Beacon" would be much more appropriate. As we'll see later the Skull does indeed have a more traditional tractor beam aboard....
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The other plot thread left hanging from the initial episodes is the pilot's instructor Captain Carter. We know from episode 2 that he's a prisoner of the Imperial Alliance (though the audience isn't reminded of it here) but the pilots don't. Here they spend the first part of the episode searching for him with some flashback's to the academy including one where Shiro is forced to shoot his instructor which will become significant later....
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The voice actor for Captain Carter is <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrick_Hagon>Garrick Hagon</a>, probably the most recognisable of the Star Fleet voice cast thanks to his appearance in<a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_IV:_A_New_Hope>Star Wars</a> as <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biggs_Darklighter#Biggs_Darklighter>Biggs Darklighter</a>, the last rebel pilot to die at the Death Star battle. However a lot of his role was cut from the original film with only a short segment of him meeting Luke in the hanger bay reinstated. A significant amount of footage exists and can be found on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005HNV2OS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B005HNV2OS&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray</a> showing with Luke at the start of the film on Tatooine. If you look carefully in the Tosche Station scenes there's actually a second actor from Star Fleet involved...... (find out who in episode 13!) These scenes were included in the comics and book adaptation of the film enlarging the character's public role. He appeared in the 1972 Doctor Who story The Mutants as Ky and will appear in the 2012 series in the episode The Gun Slingers. Finding out the same actor was in Star Wars, Star Fleet & Doctor Who was the thing that developed my obsession with actor's CVs and what else they has appeared in, Garrick Hagon is married to the actress <a href=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0743619/>Liza Ross</a> who plays Lamia in Star Fleet and when we get to her (episode 11) we'll look at the large number of productions that they've been in together. Captain Carter isn't in that many episodes and he's only credited as such due to that being the role he played in the first episode so we find Hagon doing several other voices as the series goes on. He makes two other voice appearances in this episode alone: he's the Pluto Alpha Base voice that challenges Lamia when she steals the shuttle and also the the voice of the unseen & unnamed Captain of the Skull. I'm pretty sure he voiced Professor Hagan's one speaking line in episode 3 and, likewise, am reasonably certain he plays the Imperial Alliance Scientist Calliban in the last third of the series.
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Spacesuits: recall the yellow X-Bomber Spacesuits seen hanging in it's airlock? Here the pilots are wearing Silver spacesuits with individual coloured trim: Shiro is red (matching the cuffs of his shirt and Dai-X), Hercules is Green (like his jumpsuit) and Lee is Blue (as per his coat). Here Shiro's helmet carries the trim, just like the other do. The next time we see him wearing it (in episode 12) and in it's subsequent appearances it will be plain silver, like his Pilot's helmet. In fact when he's wearing the spacesuit is the only time in the series that Shiro appears without his helmet.
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Like the previous episode the music here is superb. We're treated to some snowy music to open the episode as the ships land which cuts into the trecking music as the pilots search for Captain Carter. As Lamia journey's through space we hear the haunting theme for the Skull for the first time which effectively cuts into a version of the main Star Fleet theme as X-Bomber launches and dispatches the Dai-X. All are present on the excellent <a href=http://www.starfleetsoundtrack.com/>Star Fleet soundtrack CD</a> but unfortunately the urgent music as Lamia flees Pluto in the stolen shuttle is missing from this episode. I'll sit down and listen to the entire CD to see if I can work out where it is (as the series goes on musical cues are frequently recycled) or if it's missing entirely.
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This episode is the middle episode on the US Star Fleet video <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698400742/>Volume 2: Revenge of the Robot</a> and as such is missing it's opening & closing credits as well as it's Next Time sequence. As a pivotal episode in the series it's something of a surprise that it appears on neither of the two best known UK compilations <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a> or (perhaps a better home for it) <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a>. I recorded it onto audio cassette from it's 1984 repeat showing and was still listening to it after I found the two compilation videos. What I didn't know at the time was that there was a third Star Fleet video with it on. I knew this video tape existed because I had seen it ONCE! On a 1986 holiday to Sandown in the Isle of Wight we passed a video shop and sitting there in a window was the only video cassette I had ever seen with the Star Fleet Logo on it - you can see <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698400248/in/set-72157630870119616>a picture of the cover here</a>. Many years later after I posted a Star Fleet sight onto the internet and started exchanging copies of episodes with people who emailed me. One of the things I was supplied with was a copy of this video tape and was delighted to find that it was a near complete compilation of episodes 4 & 5 missing just the next time trailers and the title sequences separating them.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-86077752857676960132012-10-26T07:35:00.000+01:002012-10-26T07:35:10.381+01:0004 The Transport Fleet Annihilated!"What if we lie in wait for it...... under the Methane Sea"
<P>
<b>Episode 4</b>: The Transport Fleet Annihilated!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a> / <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698400394/>The Thorn/EMI Video</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/7698400742_2d2b3afef2.jpg>Volume 2: Revenge of the Robot</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 1<p>
The house is empty, I've got this one on through the hi-fi system :-)
<p>
Star Fleet sends transport cruisers to begin the rebuilding of Pluto Alpha base but the cruisers disappear en route. In order to protect the next group of transports X-Bomber is dispatched to guard them, passing by Mars en route where Lamia catches sight of the planet she was found on. They enter the Asteroid Belt where they are ambushed by Imperial Alliance Carrier craft. The transports retreat as X-Bomber raises it's shield and destroys the carriers. Commander Makara is angry that their plan has failed but Captain Orion proposes ambushing X-Bomber at their base on Jupiter and having the cruiser lie in wait under the Methane Sea. Dr Benn deduces that a fleet of that size couldn't have come from a faraway base and that the Alliance must have a base on Jupiter which they decide to attack. Arriving at Jupiter they discover a huge base there which open fire on them, but when they try to escape they are cornered by Alliance Carrier rising from the depths. Realising that they have fallen into a trap, Dr Benn sends Shiro, Hercules & Lee to attack the base in the three Dai-X fighters that X-Bomber carries while he, PPA & Lamia man X-Bomber. The three fighter launch and approach the base with Shiro & Hercules attacking from the air in Braincon & Mainbody while Lee lands Leg-Tacks and uses it's tank mode to attack on the ground. Finding themselves massively outgunned they combine the three fighters into the massive Dai-X robot which goes on a rampage, destroying the base with missiles and it's super cannon. The Imperial Alliance cruiser flees and X-Bomber completes it's mission safely escorting the transport cruisers to Pluto to commence rebuilding the base.
<P>
Declaration: Favourite episode of the whole series.
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I've probably seen or experienced this episode of Star Fleet more times than any other. To this day I still have a complete audio recording of it. It's all but complete on <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a> video compilation (missing just one of Captain Orion's lines, the very end and the next time on Star Fleet and exists on a second unnamed UK compilation, referred to as the <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698400394/>The Thorn/EMI Video</a> missing just the next time sequence. I've seen it sooo many times.
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When we first see X-Bomber it's sitting outside being washed by PPA & Kirara. I've always though this shot was a little odd, why isn't it in it's Moonbase hanger seen in the first (and sixth) episodes? But no, it's outside Moonbase (which you can see in the background) on the Moon's surface. So how is Kirara washing X-Bomber without a spacesuit on? Can he breathe in space? When we see X-Bomber launch a little while later it is the standard moon launch sequence seen in the end titles but I'd never noticed before that you don't see the Hanger doors which I'd always thought you had done.
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The pilots have an addition to their costumes as of this episode: They've gained a metal X badge on a star background on heir left shoulders, a symbol that they're part of X=-Bomber's crew. You'll see the same symbol on their spacesuits next episode.
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What's with Commander Makara's assumption that X-Bomber's sitting on the moon crippled as per episode 2 and most of episode 3? They know it isn't from the attack at the end of episode 3.... unless something has happened in the meantime.
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The spacecraft model work in this episode is superb, starting with the sequence as X-Bomber levels off to fly with the transport cruisers and then cuts to the Imperial Alliance cruiser on Jupiter surrounded by mist. We then go into one of the better musical themes used in the series, the haunting music as X-Bomber passes by Mars (where we get to see Lamia's room, complete with photos of Professor Hagan for the first time) which continues into the Asteroid Belt (watch the side window behind Dr Benn and Shiro as an asteroid passes by it as they're talking, the first hint of where they're going). Asteroids would have been very much in young British science fiction fans minds when this episode was shown: they're a feature of a major sequence in <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Empire_Strikes_Back>The Empire Strikes Back</a>. It's possible Empire Strikes Back could have inspired this sequence but I suspect that the lead time between Empire's release and this episode's first Japanese broadcast is too short.
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And then we get a fabulous musical transition into the Imperial Carrier's theme as they're revealed (sadly not quite intact on the <a href=http://www.starfleetsoundtrack.com/>soundtrack CD</a>). These Carriers are different to the ones seen in the first few episodes. For a start they're not carrying fighters and also have a new weapon mounted on it's nose firing a pink energy beam as opposed to the yellow that they normally fire. To counteract this attack X-Bomber (for I think the only time in the entire series) raises a green energy shield and then retaliates with a pair of twin beam cannons, firing blue beams, that have suddenly appeared on the top of the ship (they'll be unseen again until episode 22).
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In this episode is Captain Orion's moment of true genius: lie in wait for X-Bomber at Jupiter. It's a great plan, albeit reliant on X-Bomber's crew guessing where the Alliance carriers have come from. And it would have worked to, if it wasn't for Commander Makara staying his hand when he wanted to attack as X-Bomber approaches. It's not the first time Makara has countermanded Orion's orders... and it forces you to review the previous occasions she did so. Is Orion the true genius behind the Imperial Alliance (Don't forget it's the carrier and fighter squadrons under his command that destroy Pluto Alpha base and down X-Bomber in the first episode). Around these decisions we're treated to some superb model work of the Carrier diving into the methane sea, submerged under it and then surfacing plus X-Bomber flying over it.....
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Which leads us to the question where is the Methane sea? <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter>Jupiter</a> itself is a gas giant composed almost entirely of Hydrogen & Helium and definitely wouldn't have the rocky outcroppings seen during this story. The most obvious candidate for a Jovian moon with rock and a sea is <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_%28moon%29>Europa</a> but the sea there would be covered by a layer of ice. Oddly the conditions shown here do exist elsewhere in the solar system: Rock with a Methane Sea is a pretty dead on description of <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_%28moon%29>Titan</a>, the moon of <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn>Saturn</a>. But as we see next episode Star Fleet's grasp of the solar system's environment is a little tenuous.
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Doctor Benn's plan in this episode is to attack the base using Laser Torpedoes. We know what these look like as that's the weapon the Imperial Alliance cruiser fires and we've not yet seen X-Bomber fire anything like that. The Laser Torpedo weapon on X-Bomber makes it's debut later in episode 8.
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The major feature of this episode though is the debut of the the three Dai-X fighters. <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698395866/>The Look In promotional article</a> names them as Brainder, Jumbody & Legstar but the episode refers to them as Brain Com, Main Body & Leg Tacks. There's evidence that these may be the fighters Japanese names - listen to the dialogue in <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5krXSpmAfw>this YouTube clip of the Japanese version of the Dai-X sequence from this episode</a>. The name Les Star for Lee's fighter may explain the large LS seen behind his right shoulder on the wall of the fighter's cockpit. We see the fighters launching in this episode, as we have done on every title sequence, with Shiro's Braincon emerging from under X-Bomber's neck, Barry Hercules's Main Body on the right side of X-Bomber(looking from front) and John Lee's Leg Tacks on the left side.
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Here's a question for you: where do Leg Tacks's tracks emerge from when it lands? It looks like the underside of the craft but, as we'll see in later sequences, the underside of the craft appears to be where the upper legs fold out from under the craft onto the back of it. Similarly when the fighters combine where do Dai-X's fists come from? The ends of the arms in fighter mode are it's engines...... And how are Shiro & Hercules sitting upright in the Dai-X robot? Their cockpits face up in the robot configuration. So do the chairs somehow rotate in the cockpit ala Thunderbird 1 shifting from vertical to horizontal flight? These question obsessed me when I was younger and still bother me to this day.
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Star Fleet's Japanese creator <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Nagai>Go Nagai</a> is credited with creating the idea of a giant robot (mecha) piloted by a user/users in <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazinger_Z>Mazinger-Z</a> in 1972. In 1979 it was first used in the <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Sentai>Super Sentai</a> series <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Fever_J>Battle Fever J</a> and remains a stable of the Super Sentai series and (from 1993) it's English version <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Rangers>Power Rangers</a>. I still have a love of the giant robot sequences in Power Rangers (the rest of Power Rangers: meh. I want Giant Robots!) to this day which I suspect is inspired by watching Dai-X at an early age. It's a man in a suit ala the old <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla>Godzilla</a> movies but it's a very effective suit (and isn't the only man in a suit in Star Fleet....) Here Dai-X does the majority of it's work with it's fists but it does deploy two of it's weapons: the missiles mounted on the left arm and the Super Cannon, firing green energy bolts, on the left. The same Look In article linked to above credit Dai-X with two more weapons but they, and the others which it doesn't mention, won't turn up until much later in the series. In fact following this we won't see the Dai-X robot again for some time (flashbacks in episode 9, new footage in 11) although it'll be a constant presence thanks to the end titles, sourced from the second Japanese end title sequence (<a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8B5HgySnJw&feature=related>see all the Japanese title sequences here</a>)
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We're use to the idea of vehicles combining to form a robot now thanks to Transformers and Power Rangers but this was one of the first times British viewers would have seen that trick pulled. Not the absolute first though: the 1977 Takara Toy <a href=http://www.microforever.com/microdesign.htm>Microman</a> toy <a href=http://www.microforever.com/giantacroyear.htm>Giant Acroyear</a>, which was imported into the US by Mego and then the UK by Airfix in the Micronauts toy range, is the earliest example I've found of the concept but I'm sure there are earlier ones..... I had a Giant Acroyear as a child (well my brothers did) and following this episode I'm sure it stood in as a Dai-X fighting the Imperial Alliance in the shape of the <a href=http://www.innerspaceonline.com/hornet.htm>Micronauts Hornetroid</a>
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I love this episode. Yeah I know I've said it already. But I really think they struck absolute gold here. Mystery in the first half leading to an action packed second half. Fabulous music, for me the best scored episode of the series, rivalled only by the next one. But most importantly the reveal of the Dai-X robot. Superb. If I had just one episode from the series to watch it'd be this one.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-10595316812719638352012-10-25T08:00:00.000+01:002012-10-25T08:00:09.857+01:0003 Find F-01!"First we must find out what exactly F-01 is"
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<b>Episode 3</b>: Find F-01!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/7698400626_9c4973df85.jpg>Volume 1: Save The Earth</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 1<p>
While Star Fleet searches it's databanks for information on F-01 Doctor Benn tries to send Lamia back to Moonbase, not wanting to risk her life, but she refuses to leave and joins the pilots repairing the engine room. Hercules & Lee speculate that F-01 might be one of X-Bombers weapons but Shiro thinks that F-01 may be a person, with special powers. Lamia overhears this and returns to Doctor Benn questioning her origins. Shiro follows and overhears Doctor Benn telling her how she was found in a spacecraft on Mars, with Kirara and her blue jewelled necklace, by Professor Hagan, Shiro's Father. Professor Hagan raised her as her own until he disappeared from Mars some time ago. Kirara finds Shiro and Doctor Benn swears him to secrecy. When no data on F-01 is found in the computers, General Kyle decides to attack the Alliance Cruiser. He tells Makara they have no information but she doesn't believe them. General Kyle contacts X-Bomber but it is unable to launch in time to save them. The Alliance destroys Earth's missile base sites and gives them five minutes to hand over F-01. Star Fleet command evacuates it's personnel to the shelters. Doctor Benn decides to use X-Bomber's X-Impulse to attack the Imperial Alliance cruiser. Lamia contacts Commander Makara and tells her that she is the F-01. This draws the Cruiser away from Earth. Shiro stops Lamia from leaving X-Bomber to surrender herself. As the Cruiser approaches the Moon X-Bomber launches and uses the X-Impulse against it massively damaging the vessel and forcing it to flee the solar system.
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So.... where do we start? Spacesuits. I like spacesuits :-) I do wonder though what Professor Hagan is doing wearing one with no gloves? <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars>Mars</a>' surface pressure is 0.636 (0.4–0.87) kPa (compared to <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth>Earth</a>'s 101.325 kPa so I'd have thought a full suit would be necessary especially if entering a potentially hazardous environment.....
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And then there's the spacesuits seen hanging in X-Bomber's airlock. Bright yellow in colour. And hanging there is the only time you'll see these suits: The pilots will wear space suits in several later episodes (and Lamia in one too) but they never use suits of this design and colour.
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Then we have to question the Hagan family's domestic arrangements: How has Shiro never met Lamia before if her Father brought her up? If we assume that she & Shiro are a similar age in their early twenties surely they must have come into contact? The only assumption is that Professor Hagan and his wife are long since separated with Shiro & his mother remaining on Earth while Professor Hagan went to Mars & started work on X-Bomber. Note that Professor Hagan is now missing: Absent, Missing & Presumed Dead Fathers are a bit of a trope in Japanese Manga & Anime fiction (see also: Red Impulse / Kentaro Washio in <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatchaman>Gatchaman</a>, a plot element eliminated from the western <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Planets>Battle of the Planets</a> version.
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So how does Lamia make the jump to think that she may be F-01? She's a bit impulsive as we'll see in later episode so..... but it is quite a big leap to make. Doctor Benn's direction to the crew to take X-Bomber up to avoid colliding with Makara's battlecruiser is a bit odd: the following frames show both ships heading up and narrowly missing, surely down or off to the side would be better?
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X-Impulse's debut here is as an X shaped blue ray projecting out from X-Bomber's wings. We're given prior warning of it's destructive power as Star Fleet command evacuates to shelters and when we see it it's jolly impressive becoming the first thing to actually do some damage to the alien cruiser. We learn something about the Alien Cruiser here when Star Fleet command analyses it: it's 1,600 meters long. From that you should be able to produce estimates of the rest of it's dimensions.
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At one point I owned a copy of this episode on audio tape. But for some reason the previous episode overran and I missed the end of the episode on recording: it cut out just as X-Bomber started launching so I missed the crucial X-Impulse sequence. These first three episode make a nice little trilogy to open the series so it's only right that they all appear together on the US Star Fleet video <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698400626/>Volume 1: Save The Earth</A>. It's the only episode on the tape to retain it's next episode sequence, which excited me no end as a nine year old: Asteroids! Those red fighters from the end titles at last! This episode also appears, almost complete, on the <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a> UK compilation.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-14214583492213970602012-10-24T14:16:00.000+01:002012-10-24T14:16:46.051+01:0002 The Imperial Alliance's Surprise Attack!"All power to the main shield in a concentrated laser beam"
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<b>Episode 2</b>: The Imperial Alliance's Surprise Attack!<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/7698400626_9c4973df85.jpg>Volume 1: Save The Earth</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 1<p>
Having downed X-Bomber Captain Orion wants to proceed to Earth and destroy it, but Commander Makara reminds them of their true quest: to find the F-01. To that end she interrogates Captain Carter, taken prisoner at Pluto, using the Laser Memory Disimilator. He knows nothing and she is unable to obtain information from him. Makara orders him treated so he does not die. At Moonbase a concerned Lamia attempts to contact X-Bomber but is unable to raise them. She & Kirara drive out to the crash site but come under sustained assault from Imperial Alliance fighters. Shiro, Hercules & Lee revive themselves and give her covering fire to reach the relative safety of the ship. Doctor Ben has the pilots shift the ship's position towards the enemy and then opens the ship's neck to reveal it's laser cannon which destroys four of the five carrier vessels, just Captains Orion's escaping. Dr Benn contacts General Kyle on Earth and the crew begins repairs to X-Bomber. Earth Defence Force's Ocean Patrol Fleet has arrived at Pluto but is lured into space by the Imperial Alliance's FG operation, involving holographic ships, which allows Commander Makara to take her cruiser to Earth where she confronts General Kyle demanding the location of the F-01. She gives him one hour to comply....
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The thing that stuck in my memory from this episode was the unveiling of the first of X-Bomber's BIG weapons, the twin laser cannon in it's neck. <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698395866/>The Look In pull out centre piece promo</a> says this is called the Breast Cannon but I can't remember hearing this one used in the series. Here it wipes out four of the carriers that were involved in downing X-Bomber. Of the ship's arsenal this is the one we'll see the most of over the series.
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I also know this episode nearly off by heart. You see during 1984 Star Fleet was repeated in the LWT ITV region and I had my mother record the episodes on audio tape for me. (we didn't get a VCR till 1989) This was the first episode I recorded and kept and loved it.....
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But knowing it so well caused irritation in later years. People moan that Star Fleet never had a proper video release in the UK but there were three separate tapes released. The first that I knew about we'll cover in a few episodes time. But one day in.... 1990 I think? I wandered into Woolworths in Kingston and found two video cassettes with familiar covers: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a> and <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a>. I was on my way to the Dentist at the time (funny how these details stay with you) and had no money on me (I was a sixth form student so got free treatment) so had to go to the Dentist, go home to get some cash, go into town and hope they were still there. Which they were. <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399508/>Space Quest for F-01</a> concentrates on the F-01 storyline and starts from around the ad break in this episode where the Alliance commence the FG operation. But what I wanted to see was the action sequence of Lamia driving out to X-Bomber and the cruisers being attacked......
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Then around 2000 when I first got online at home I discovered that there was an eight tape US VHS release of Star Fleet. NTSC tapes represented no problem to me by then so I tracked down all eight volumes which each contained 3 episodes each. However, and like the early Doctor Who video releases, the episodes were butchered to remove the next time & end titles of the first episode & second episodes and the opening titles on the second and third episodes. In addition a number of other small cuts were made to bring each volume down to an hour's run time. So in goes Volume 1, I watch then first episode, ooh here's the crash, Lamia decides to drive out to X-Bomber..... and there's the crew waking up with a big chunk of the action as Lamia is attacked missing. I've never been able to identify all the other cuts but I knew this bit was missing.
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In fact THE first thing I did when I got <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> on DVD was check that this sequence was intact and it wasn't the US tapes re-edited!
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There's two major revelations in this episode: the first is that Captain Carter is still alive and has two hands: later events made me question this and watching episode 1 through this time I noticed you never see both hands at the same time. Since one later episode has a definite example of flipped footage I was on the look out for a scene where we see both hands at once and you get it here when he's strapped to the Laser Memory Dissimilator. The other is what the enemy are searching for: the F-01. Absolute honest truth: 9 year old me thought that the F-01 was some mighty weapon and thought it was going to be the big red robot seen in the end titles and not yet glimpsed in the series... which was obviously going to turn up and lift the crippled X-Bomber up off the moon.
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One of the games you can play with Star Fleet is to try to identify which minor role is played by which voice artist. We know the cast for the first episode which is displayed on captions at the end of every episode:<blockquote>
Dr. Benn - <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Marinker>Peter Marinker</a><br>
Shiro Hagen - <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Benedict>Jay Benedict</a><br>
Barry Hercules - <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_Gregory>Constantine Gregory</a><br>
John Lee - <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Rolston>Mark Rolston</a>
<P>
General Kyle - <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Brennan_(actor)>Kevin Brennan</a><br>
PPA (Perfectly Programmed Android) - <a href=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0045969/>John Baddeley</a><br>
Lamia - <a href=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0743619/>Liza Ross</a><br>
Captain Carter - <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrick_Hagon>Garrick Hagon</a><br>
<P>
Commander Makara - <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_Bryer>Denise Bryer</a><br>
Captain Orion - <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Barrett_(actor)>Sean Barrett</a><br>
The Imperial Master - <a href=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0936797/>Jacob Witkin</a>
</blockquote>
Already we've heard various Moonbase, Earth Defence Forces staff & pilots and Imperial Alliance Termoids that we can't be 100% sure of. I'm particularly annoyed that I've never been able to identify most of General Kyle's staff but I'm pretty sure I know who the female staff member is in this episode: <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_Bryer>Denise Bryer</a> who voices Commander Makara. Why? Because she sounds just like Mary Falconer in <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrahawks>Terrahawks</a>, who Bryer also voiced. Bryer is the only actor to work on both shows, which use similar puppetry techniques. Terrahawks was in production as Star Fleet was aired so comparisons are inevitable leading some people to believe that <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Anderson>Gerry Anderson</a> was involved in creating Star Fleet (he wasn't). Denise Bryer has a long history of voice work, including a very early Anderson series <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Twizzle>The Adventures of Twizzle</a> & <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Feather_Falls>Four Feather Falls</a> where she worked alongside her then husband <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Parsons>Nicholas Parsons</a>. Other roles including performing as voice artist on <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector's_House>Hector's House</a> & <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noddy_(character)>Noddy</a> as well as the films <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Oz>Return to Oz</a> & <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth_(film)>Labyrinth</a>.
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All the titles for the Star Fleet episodes are taken from their Japanese broadcast, but I've actually altered the title of this episode slightly: the Japanese name is The Gelma Fleet's Surprise Attack! which uses the Japanese name for the Imperial Alliance. There's a couple of other places where I'll make an English substitution.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-978191510227158518.post-66829285672100627392012-10-23T11:41:00.000+01:002012-10-23T11:41:22.373+01:0001 Scramble, X-Bomber!"The Year is Two Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety Nine. Space War Three has ended. The Galaxy is once again enjoying a time of peace. Our Solar System, with Earth as it's leader, is slowly rebuilding, attempting to forge new hope out of the ashes of devastation. Star Fleet, the spearhead of Earth's defences, is commanded here from the headquarters of EDF, Earth Defence Forces...."
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<b>Episode 1</b>: Scramble, X-Bomber<BR>
<b>UK Video</b>: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a><BR>
<b>US Video</b>: <a href=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/7698400626_9c4973df85.jpg>Volume 1: Save The Earth</a><BR>
<b>DVD</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">Star Fleet - The Complete Series</a> - Disc 1<p>
<P>
A massive alien battlecruiser comes out of the Thalian Zone commanded by Commander Makara and Captain Orion. They encounter a Star Fleet cruiser, but are interrupted by the Imperial Master, who appears as a hologram, reminding them of the true purpose of their Mission. Captain Carter at Pluto Alpha Base alerts Earth Defence Forces of the destruction of their cruiser and dispatches astro fighters against the alien cruiser. The Cruiser annihilates the fighters. General Kyle on Earth orders Doctor Benn on Moonbase to launch the uncompleted X-Project and sends him their three most promising pilots Shiro Hagan, John Lee & Barry Hercules. En route to the moon Shiro's friends ask him about X-Project which his father designed but he doesn't know what it is. On Moonbase they are introduced to Doctor Benn, his cyberdroid PPA, his secretary Lamia and the beastly Kirara, her bodyguard. The Alien Battlecruiser dispatches it's own Carriers and Drone Fighters under the command of Captain Orion which attack & destroy Pluto Alpha Base. The pilots are shown the huge X-Bomber craft when General Kyle brings news that Pluto has fallen and the pilot's former tutor Captain Carter is presumed dead. The Pilot's don't want to fly X-Bomber against the enemy without a simulated flight so Doctor Benn and PPA elect to take X-Bomber up themselves as the Fleet approaches. The pilots relent and decide to go for the memory of Captain Carter. X-Bomber launches out of it's moon crater base and engages the enemy fighters with Shiro & Hercules manning the guns. Massively outnumbered X-Bomber is severely damaged and crashes onto the Moon's surface, the fate of it's crew unknown, as Alliance fighters circle overhead and General Kyle admits all hope is lost.
<P>
Let me tell you how this all started for me: Star Wars. I was born in 1973 so was a little too young for Star Wars in 1977 but did see Empire Strikes Back in 1980. I eventually saw Star Wars in..... spring of 1982 I think, in a double bill with The Empire Strikes Back. Then in the autumn of '82 ITV announced that it was going to be showing the UK Television Premier of Star Wars on 24th October. This was a big thing, with huge publicity including a cover and features in the TV Times, then the only listings magazine to carry the listings for ITV. We were a Radio Times family, we didn't buy the TV Tomes but I persuaded my Mum to make an exception that week. And because it's something Star Wars related <a href=http://www.nightshade.org.uk/tvtimes.pdf>someone has scanned it in</a>. Go have a look at it...... But if you turn to page 38 (p36 of the scan) you'll see the entry for Saturday morning:
<blockquote>
10.0<br>
New Series<br>
The Year is 2999. Space War Three has ended. The Solar System is being rebuilt, led by planet Earth. But hostile powers and aliens are at work. Can General Kyle and his Star Fleet prevent sabotage?
</blockquote>
Sold! As Sean pointed out to me, when I sent him the link, isn't annoying how they used to put 10.0 instead of 10:00.
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So at 10am on Saturday 23rd October, yes thirty years ago today, we gathered round the TV to see what this was like....
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Hooked with the titles. Fantastic opening beat, huge big logo, ooooh X shaped spaceships. Puppets! (I'd seen and like Thunderbirds by this point) Thunderbirds style "pilots entering spaceships" Oooh, spaceship launching out of a crater (Space Sentinels/UFO), Character introductions. Alien Spacecraft, aliens, battles..... OOOOH Big Red Robot !
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The start of the program itself is great with some stunning visuals, including a lovely pan over the alien Battlecruiser. We meet the threat to the solar system first Commander Makara & Captain Orion, come to reap havoc and destruction..... and their Imperial Master who reminds them of their real mission there..... without telling us what it is. From there on the first half of the program is a near constant barrage of alien destruction removing first Pluto's fighters and destroying Pluto itself seemingly killing it's commanding Officer, Captain Carter..... We're then introduced to the majority of the rest of our cast quite quickly - in the entire series there are only four named characters not in this first episode - and the real star of the show X-Bomber whom the original Japanese series was named after.
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Yes, original Japanese series. Because Star Fleet started off in Japan as <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Bomber>X-Bomber</a>, a creation of Manga legend <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Nagai>Go Nagai</a>. Like <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatchaman>Gatchaman</a> before it (imported into the west as <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Planets>Battle of the Planets</a>) it was redubbed for an English speaking market. Unlike Gatchaman X-Bomber survived the process largely intact.
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Lots of the little details in the show jump out at me.... When Commander Makara speaks to the Imperial Master the little face covering her left eye (all Imperial Alliance officers appear to have some form of bionic device over one eye) speaks in a male voice. Is this an attempt to insinuate that she's a Hermaphrodite like Kattse/Zoltar in Gatchaman/Battle of the Planets? Captain Carter's statement of "if this base is taken the next victim is the Earth" is a bit odd.... surely one of the other planets has to be on the same side of the sun as Pluto & the Earth? If you look on the graphic in Star Fleet Command Mars, Saturn and Jupiter all are.... do Star Fleet not have bases on the moons of the gas giants? We'll find out in this episode that they do on Mars but episode four would indicate that perhaps there isn't a Jupiter base. Look at the pilot of the first ship the Alliance destroy: there's a 1 on his helmet while the other Pilots have PC (Pluto what? Pluto Central?) on theirs an abbreviation that crops up elsewhere alongside EDF (Earth Defence Forces). As the pilots decide to fly X-Bomber in memory of Captain Carter a little theme sounds which will return in later episodes. There's a statue in Moonbase's lobby: it's of <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis>Artemis</a> the Greek goddess of the moon.
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Then there's the bigger stuff like wonderful design on the alien ships: The <a href=-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coelacanth>Coelcanth</a> like alien battlecruiser and it's insetoid Carriers (which look a lot like the <a href=http://www.innerspaceonline.com/hornet.htm>Micronauts Hornetroid</a> I used to own) and fighters. X-Bomber itself is a very different piece of design, much more blocky than the alien craft. The only weapons we see it use this episode are the two laser gun emplacements on either side of the control room. The Look In article that accompanies the series launch mentions a third, top turret (referred to in the dialogue for the next episode) but we never see it in the series. There are numerous little and not so little flaws in this Look-In article we will be ridiculing as the series goes on. But especially in episode 4. Oh yes.
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Then there's the ending.... My goodness. The all powerful superspace craft is shot down by the enemy, crashing into the moon leaving you wondering if the crew are alive or dead with seemingly no hope. What a fabulous ending, just so different to the usual kids series fare. OK it's *slightly* spoiled by the "next time on Star Fleet" trailer and voice over but ....
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And then there's the end titles. X-Bomber launching and flying over moonbase..... yeah we've seen that. But the three fighters combining to form the big robot ? oooooh! While the opening sequence of Star Fleet is a European invention (including the only European shot footage for this show with the first 10 seconds including the logo) the end titles are adapted from the second Japanese end title sequence - you can see all 3 Japanese title sequences at <a href=http://www.bigdaix.co.uk/videos.htm>www.bigdaix.co.uk</a>
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Star Fleet has a long and complicated video release history before it was eventually completely released on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00171EE9E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00171EE9E&linkCode=as2&tag=anepisadaykee-21">on DVD during 2009</a>. This episode appears on the <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698400626/>Volume 1: Save The Earth US Video Tape</A> and , up until the point X-Bomber is shot down, on the UK Compilation <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_ayres/7698399368/>The Thalian Space Wars</a>.
Philip Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15056519803620199653noreply@blogger.com0Swindon SN25 3DP, UK51.5853009 -1.803401651.5828344 -1.8083371 51.5877674 -1.7984661