Star Blazers (1979– )

A starship must make a dangerous voyage to a distant planet and back to save Earth.

Stars:

Eddie Allen, Michael Bertolini, Amy Howard Wilson

Cast

Series cast summary:
Eddie Allen	...	Dashell 'Dash' Jordan (77 episodes)
Michael Bertolini	...	Homer Glitchman (77 episodes)
Amy Howard Wilson	...	Nova (52 episodes)
Lydia Leeds	...	Queen Starsha (52 episodes)
Kenneth Meseroll	...	Derek Wildstar (52 episodes)
Tom Tweedy	...	Mark Venture (52 episodes)
Gordon Ramsey	...	Orion Sr. (52 episodes)

Storyline

In the late 2100s, the planet Gamilon, a world far beyond Earth's Solar System, declares war on all of Earth. The nations of Earth fight as one against the Gamilons, but one by one, Earth's fleets are defeated. When the nations of Earth refuse to surrender, Gamilon begins bombarding Earth with Planet Bombs, radioactive missiles that look like meteors, which gradually spread deadly radiation all over Earth, forcing what's left of humanity to retreat to underground cities. Queen Starsha of planet Iscandar contacts Earth and promises to provide Cosmo-DNA that can remove the radioactivity and restore Earth to beautiful life. She provides plans to an engine that will allow a brave, young group of technicians to journey more than a hundred thousand light-years to Iscandar, obtain the Cosmo-DNA, and return to Earth within one Earth year. In 2199, an old sea-going vessel is fitted with the awesome engine and launched toward Iscandar. Along the way, the intrepid crew must fight the Gamilons, ...

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Plot Keywords:

space | fighter pilot | anime | quest | spacecraft | 

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Taglines:

We're off to outer space, we're leaving Mother Earth. To save the human race...

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site StarBlazers.com

Country:

Japan

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Space Battleship Yamato

Company Credits

Production Co:

Claster Television Productions, Sunwagon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

22 min 22 min (78 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Initially canceled in Japan due to low ratings, it gained a new lease of life there after Star Wars was released.

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Quotes

Captain Abraham Avatar: [watching Earth from space] I cannot bear to see what has become of Earth. Once green and growing with blue lakes and silver streams, great rivers and mighty seas - now all gone. Only dead and burning desert left. Radiation everywhere.
Narrator: In the year 2199, planet Earth was facing extinction. In the mid 21st century, the mysterious planet Gamilon, a planet outside our solar system, declared war on all of Earth. These evil marauders of space, known for their ruthless warfare throughout the galaxy, ...
[...]

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Connections

Remade as Star Blazers

User Reviews

Even better than I remember it as a kid!

The animation is a bit crude by today's standards, but only on the surface. Its style and heart are still unique and compelling, and clearly each frame is lovingly crafted. The music is phenomenal and moving, especially given that it was probably taken from the original 1974 film. The SF ideas presented (e.g. holography room, space/time warps, etc.) are borrowed by many films and series that have followed. The plots, though overly dramatic sometimes, are poignant and epic nonetheless. Overall, the series is rough on the edges, with many minor flaws such as character inconsistencies and scientific factual blunders, not to mention the gross inefficiency of using a seagoing battleship design for a space cruiser. However, the core of it is pure genius and I'm held in rapt admiration of it.

The references to World War II are obvious: fighting an almost hopeless war against an evil, corrupt empire. The enemy leader, Desslok, even looks like a Nazi with the uniform he wears. The story is emotionally driven: fraught with patriotism, sacrifice, and the desperation to save Earth. The writers employ healthy doses of characterization and detail, something sadly lacking in most other series. Lots of morality and spiritualism are brandished effectively such as (paraphrased) "don't destroy other worlds in desperation, even though Earth will die in less than a year", "with great power comes great responsibility", "take pains not to harm indigenous life on other worlds", "take the blame for your actions and move on", "in spite of all the Capt has lost, he goes on, indomitable", and "your brother survives in you."

Part of the series' attraction is the epic space battles. The see the animators craft the ships and their weaponry, and put them into action, is a sight to behold. "Space planes" soar in formation around the enemy and bristle with missiles and torpedoes. Weapons of mass destruction are brought into play to save the day. And the battleship Argo itself is such a work of art. Its splendor is shown off in a vast array of combat attitudes. They couldn't resist having the ship land in on an ocean, so that its seagoing superstructure and profile could be admired (powerfully reminiscent of the sea battles in our history). Overall, the heroic spirit personified by ship and her crew is exploited to the hilt, and it's hard to resist cheering for them in spite of the melodrama.