The
ninth episode of the 1970s animated series Star Blazers (1979) does a strong
job of showcasing imaginative visuals, and for that reason, this installment is
considerably more interesting than some of the earlier episodes.
In
this Star
Blazers episode, a damaged and “very
vulnerable” Argo suffers damage during an attack by the Gamilon fleet and subsequently
seeks shelter inside an asteroid belt.
These asteroids are the remnants of the destroyed tenth planet in our
solar system, Minerva. Realizing that
the ship is “not fit to go into battle
now,” Captain Avatar approves a risky defense strategy by Engineer
Sandor.
Specifically,
he activates an experimental “polarity
reactor” which magnetizes the ship’s hull, and pulls nearby asteroids onto
the ship…essentially burying the ship inside rock on all sides. This new “asteroid
camouflage” prevents the Gamilons from easily locating the Argo, at least
for a time.
This
episode features many dynamic visuals, which makes it a more interesting and
lively segment than some so far. For
instance, we see Argo’s engineers working on the damaged hull of the ship in a
thoroughly impressive sequence. This EVA
reveals scope well, with a team of personnel set against the backdrop of the
detailed ship, and again, this is precisely the kind of composition that
live-action programs of the day like Buck Rogers and Battlestar Galactica
would have been hard-pressed to emulate.
Here, the audience gets a sense of the massive scale of the repair
efforts.
The
visuals of Argo encased in asteroid rock, and then surrounded by a rotating
weapon called an “asteroid ring” (to
deflect Gamilon fire) are also incredibly impressive and inventive. It’s been a few weeks since the show has
revealed such flights of imagination.
If
this episode boasts any weakness at all, it is in the characterization of the villains,
the Gamilons. These aliens sweat,
grovel, whimper, gasp and are forced to speak dreadful dialogue such as “Boy that Star Force is really clever!” In toto, one wonders how the Gamilons ever
defeated the planet Earth, and brought it so low. In virtually every episode thus far they are
depicted as ineffective, even incompetent bunglers. Lacking courage, loyalty and equanimity, one
wonders how the Gamilon race has endured…
After
the serious action featured this week, there are only 338 days left for Argo to
complete its mission to Iscandar. And
the bloody ship still hasn’t left the solar system yet…
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