Star Blazers (1974)

Name: Star Blazers
Rating: 8.2

Rating: 8.2

Synopsis

Star Blazers is an American animated television series adaptation of the Japanese anime series, Space Battleship Yamato I, II, and III. Star Blazers was first broadcast in the United States in 1979. Significantly, it was the first popular English-translated anime that had an overarching plot and storyline that required the episodes to be shown in order. It dealt with somewhat more mature themes than other productions aimed at the same target audience at the time. As a result, it paved the way for future arc-based, plot-driven anime translations.

First Air Date: 1974-10-06

Last Air Date: 1979-04-07

Number of Seasons: 3

Number of Episodes: 77

Created By: Leiji Matsumoto

Networks: NBC

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Eddie Allen as Dashell 'Dash' Jordan
Michael Bertolini as Homer Glitchman
Amy Howard Wilson as Nova Forrester
Lydia Leeds as Queen Starsha
Kenneth Meseroll as Derek Wildstar
Tom Tweedy as Mark Venture
Gordon Ramsey as Orion Sr.
Mike Czechopoulos as Gamilon Colonel Vulgar
Christopher Collins as Comet Empire General Dire
Morgan Lofting as Princess Invidia

Seasons

None (1974)

In the year 2199, a starship must make a dangerous voyage to the distant planet Iscandar and back to save Earth from an alien invasion.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: The Sleeping Giant (1974-10-06)

The first episode of Star Blazers ("Space Battleship Yamato") is born. The earth is being decimitaed by meteor bombs from outer space which is slowly poisoning the earth. Captain Avatar's (Okitaâ's) ship and his assault fleet are attacked by the Gamilons (Gamilus), a form of alien invaders. His ship is critical injured but he makes back to earth. Meanwhile a group of cadets, Wildstar (Kodai) and Venture (Shima) find a special message and ship to aid the fight against the invaders.
Ep. 2: The Giant Awakens (1974-10-13)

The hope of the Earth lies within an old battleship found at the bottom of what used to be the Great Eastern Sea.
Ep. 3: Launch of the Argo (1974-10-20)

The Star Force is created, and their mission is clear - take the newly rebuilt Argo 148,000 light years to the planet Iscandar, to retrieve a machine called the Cosmo DNA which will save Earth from its irradiated state. But will the Gamilons stop them?
Ep. 4: Space Warp (1974-10-27)

The Star Force tests out the Wave Motion Engine's warp capabilities, which will allow them to travel 148,000 light years to Iscandar and back in one year. But will the Gamilons stop them?
Ep. 5: The Floating Continent (1974-11-03)

The Argo is trapped by Jupiter's gravity.
Ep. 6: The Ghost of Recent Past (1974-11-10)

The Argo searches Saturn's moon, Titan, for a rare mineral.
Ep. 7: The Battle of Pluto (1) (1974-11-17)

The Argo faces disaster on the planet Pluto.
Ep. 8: The Battle of Pluto (2) (1974-11-24)

The Star Force sets out to destroy the Reflex Gun.
Ep. 9: Gantz's Last Stand (1974-12-01)

Limping along, the Argo comes up with a new defensive strategy.
Ep. 10: We Will Return (1974-12-08)

The Star Force says goodbye to their families before leaving the solar syste
Ep. 11: The Desslok Mines (1974-12-15)

Gamilon Supreme Commander Desslok unveils a trap that will destroy the Star Force: space mines. But these mines have a sinister function...
Ep. 12: The Sea of Fire (1974-12-22)

Desslok, getting some satisfaction out of seeing his inferior officers fail at their attempt to stop the Star Force with space mines, now offers his own solution: a matter-eating Ecto Gas. Desslok plans to use the gas, and an electromagnetic force net, to chase the Star Force into the corona of a red giant star, Voltan -- The Sea of Fire. He is so confident of his new invention that he tells General Krypt not to bother reporting on the success, and strides off to his bedroom to dream of the conquest of other worlds. The Gamilons begin their offensive by ensnaring the Argo in a powerful electromagnetic space net, and then sending a volley of missiles. Captain Avatar suffers a black-out, which he attributes to an earlier battle wound, and fails to order their interception. Wildstar initiates it instead, without the order, leading to a later reprimand. The ship barely manages to pull out of the space net and evade the Gamilon missiles. Dr. Sane knows the real reason for Avatar's collapse -- radiation poisoning. Privately, he urges Avatar to consider hospitalisation, a suggestion which Avatar adamantly rejects. With the Star Force's flight path restricted by the space net, the Gamilons then loose Desslok's Ecto Gas upon the Star Force from behind, forcing them to flee toward the Red Star of Voltan. There is no choice but to fly dangerously close to the corona, and the ship and crew are on the verge of melting. But, the plan backfires when the ecto gas is drawn into the Sea of Fire, and the Star Force clears a safe path through the fire with a blast of the Wave Motion Gun. On Gamilon, Desslok rebuffs his aide General Krypt's suggestion that they send out interceptors, and instead suggests sending congratulations. He muses to himself, "How could the Star Force have escaped? ...It was a perfect trap!" Earth has 308 days left.
Ep. 13: Know Thine Enemy (1974-12-29)

A Gamilon pilot is captured and the Star Force interrogates him, as Wildstar's personal tragedy comes into play.
Ep. 14: The Worst of Times (1975-01-05)

Tensions mount on the Argo as she is trapped in a space storm.
Ep. 15: The Galactic Whirlpool (1975-12-12)

Desslok commissions Gamilon General and war hero Lysis to defeat the Star Force. The Argo travels near a galactic whirlpool, but as assist from afar saves their mission.
Ep. 16: Tin Wit's Tale (1975-01-19)

IQ-9 and Nova fly down to a planet looking for food for the crew, but are captured by the inhabitants. IQ-9 reveals a secret to Nova that will change both of them.
Ep. 17: The Burdens of Command (1975-01-29)

Vulgar, the general Lysis replaced on Balan, devises a plan to destroy the Star Force. Captain Avatar is critically ill, and Wildstar steps into action.
Ep. 18: The Magnetron Wave (1975-02-02)

The Star Force comes across a Gamilon fortress that emits Magnetron waves, which set vibrations into metals and rips them apart. Wildstar and Sandor board the fortress using a new seamless plane that Sandor created. They destroy the base, and the Argo flies on.
Ep. 19: Little Boy Lost (1975-02-09)

Chief Communcations Officer Homer is worried about conditions on Earth. But what does he know that the crew doesn't?
Ep. 20: The Battle of Balun (1975-02-16)

The Argo reaches planet Balan, the halfway point in their mission to Iscandar. But Lysis is waiting on his base there, and springs a trap that might destroy both the Argo AND the base...
Ep. 21: The Battle of the Rainbow Cluster (1) (1975-02-23)

Gamilon General Lysis, pardoned for his failure at Balan, challenges the Star Force to one final battle.
Ep. 22: The Battle of the Rainbow Cluster (2) (1975-03-02)

The Star Force battles Lysis for the last time.
Ep. 23: A Shocking Surprise (1975-03-09)

The Star Force finally arrives at the Magellanic Cloud and "Iscandar"... but have they found their hope for survival, or their enemy's haven?
Ep. 24: No Quarter (1975-03-16)

The Argo fights on Gamilon, as the Star Force's survival depends on wiping out an entire civilization.
Ep. 25: Welcome to Iscandar (1975-03-23)

The Star Force finally arrives at Iscandar.
Ep. 26: Journey's End (1975-03-30)

The Star Force Returns Home! With the Cosmo DNA, they are ready to save Earth. But one final battle may cost them a crew member closest to Wildstar...