Star Blazers Episode #20

Compared to last week's non-traditional installment of Star Blazers (1979), which concentrated on the demons of inner space (guilt and self-doubt), this week's installment about the demons of outer space -- the Gamilons -- feels dull and formulaic.

Once more, the narrative involves the dedicated attempts of a Gamilon underling, this time Lysis, to defeat the Star Force and achieve glory.  He does so, naturally, with a new secret weapon THAT CAN'T POSSIBLY FAIL...but does.

This time, that secret weapon is the "artificial sun" that orbits the planet Balan (instead of vice-versa).  Lysis can control the star's path remotely, and hopes to crash the sun into Argo when it attempts to attack the Gamilon outpost on Balan, one built inside a crater.

Volgar naturally objects that playing with a sun that close to the planet surface could harm the outpost, and goes over Lysis's head to get Desslok involved.  Desslok is none too pleased, but in the end, the outpost is destroyed anyway.

In the end, the Argo -- 44 days behind schedule now -- escapes destruction only because Wildstar, on the bridge of the ship, gets a hunch about the sun, and is prepared to evade it.  

Afterwards, Captain Avatar promotes Wildstar to the rank of deputy captain, noting that he can no longer perform all the responsibilities of that important rank.  "I need your help," he tells Wildstar, "I want you to take on some of my duties."

I love this scene because it represents the torch-passing aspect of the hero's journey, the moment when the wise elder must step down and hand control to the next generation. The great last (tender) scene in this episode between Wildsstar and Avatar all but makes up for the fact that this is probably the sixth or seventh time we have seen this story on Star Blazers already.  Gamilon secret weapons are, at this point, literally a dime a dozen.  And seeing the nefarious aliens handed their hats so frequently by the Star Force only makes them like like ineffectual buffoons.

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