This episode of Voltron and the "Force of Arms" episode of Macross are the two times I realized that there was something different about anima (once I understood that they were imports and not American shows). In Transformers or G.I. Joe, the threat is always world annihilation or domination. But that big shiny red reset button always gets slapped at the end of the episode, and the next one starts out as if the last had never happened. Here, as the new world is disintegrating or, in Robotech, the Earth is now just a desert planet still flickering with the flames of entire cities burning, I had been wondering "How are our heroes going to get out of this one?" and they didn't. That's when I saw that these shows were something different.
Building New Worlds
The support fleet ships are grounded on the new planet for repairs. The Explorer hovers overhead as Hawkins explains it should be a good place for colonizatio. They're just waiting for the construction crews--and getting bored.
Chip and Rocky are walking across the Explorer's flight dock when a guy who sounds like Wolfman Jack almost runs them down. Chip starts a fight, but gets knocked down. Then Jeff joins in. Crik and Cliff try to break it up, but that results in Jeff getting blindsided with a black eye. Then he and Wolfman settle their differences over, um, grape juice. Jeff and Cliff argue some more and Jeff lunges for him--to be stopped by Ginger. Then there's more arguing, and it ends with Jeff walking off to get back to work.
At the Drule base, Quark oversees the loading of giant missles (for firing at space explorers). Hazar asks Quark if he should expect another fiasco. The WEP writers like the word fiasco. Hazar is going to issue an ultimatum that Galaxy Garrison is to leave the planet--and all their improvements to it--behind, or they will blow it up.
The Voltron force sits on the Explorer flight deck, and admire that absolutely gorgeous background painting (seriously, the backgrounds in these episodes are amazing). Jeff is pouring a glass of whiskey--er, "orange juice" and drops the glass when they see the cargo ships arriving. There is much rejoicing.
On the bridge, Newley and Hawkins are hopeful, but Sparks patches a transmission from Hazar--it's the ultimatum. The Radar operator see no sign of him, just the transmission.
The Galaxy Garrison is debating. They risk losing the new planet *and* the Voltron force. Space Marshall Graham says the time for debate is over.
The Explorer is lifting off, giving the message that all personal must be evacuated. Sparks tells Hawkins that Space Marshal Graham is not sending reinforcements; there's no time.
Commodore Steele communicates with Hazar, trying to persuade him not to attack. Hazar refuses, and tells Quark to be ready.
On the Explorer, bridge officers detect a real big ship.
Quark launches the missiles. Hazar is glad. He orders Quark to launch the robot attack fleet. The ships launch from the frontline base.
Light gleams off the giant missiles as they fly through space. The Explorer detects them and raise the, um, electro-shields. Newley is alarmed, but Hawkins finds a clear channel among the missiles they can pass through. Jeff orders the Voltron force to their ships. They go through the crazy musical chairs launch sequence. The teams fly among the missiles, shooting down as many as they can. There are too many that get away ans begin striking the planet. The ships of the support fleet and the construction ships begin lifting off, but the missiles are destroying the ships on the ground. Some support fleet ships in orbit are making a stand against the missiles. Newley asks the fleet commander when Voltron will be ready (Why is he asking him?!) Not for a hour, he says.
Hazar tells Quark to end the planet. We get a montage of missiles detonating and ships crashing. The Drule fleet is engaging the support fleet. There are some cool "Spanish Galleons broadsiding each other in space" shots that Lucas must have stolen for Revenge of the Sith. A contingent of the chariot suicide ships drops down to the planet and destroys the remains of the base. They're joined by the red ships as the air team starts fighting them using the same footage as the first episode. Then the planet reacts to the bombardment with earthquakes and volcanoes.
We see the bridge crew of the support fleet flagship, and one officer asks in Hawkins voice if Voltron is ready yet. The other officer answers with Spark's voice that they're not ready yet. There are some shots of the fleet ships exploding, and then the Drule fleet enters the atmosphere. The Voltron force strafes the landing Drule ships as the planet clearly is going to Hell.
Voltron's power turbos are recharged, so Jeff forms Voltron. He forms the Blazing Sword amidst erupting volcanoes and earthquakes. Quark gloats as his fighters flee the volcanos. Voltron reaches orbit and looks back at the dying planet. Quark's ship is hovering amidst flames. A bridge crewman says the engines are burning up. Quark orders them to use full power, then the ship explodes as he cries "I'll be back!"
The Explorer and the survivors of the support fleet are watching the planet in its final throes. The team watches from observation windows. They lament Hazar's greed and the planet goes through a pretty impressively animated destruction sequence. Newley gives them a pep talk over the intercom as the planet finally disipates. Then the Explorer leaves, and the surviving fleet ships actually look like wrecks. Hmm.
Farewell Achilles
The fleet ships are repairing themselves on the surface as Asimov and Ise discuss the motives and origins of the mysterious enemy who has attacked them twice.
Same brawling goes on on the flight deck. Mutsu is short, blah, blah, blah. However, there's some tension between the Rugger teams and the regular crew members--Wolfman Jack says there would be no survey if he wasn't helping to fly the ship. And it goes on in the lounge over whiskey. Patty delivers a message from Ise that they Rugger team is to go scrub the flight deck. Kaga agrees. <3<3<3
The camera does a neat pull back from the surface, to the planet, to stars, and then to the Galveston frontline base. A radio-broadcast voice orders the photon missiles placed. Teles and Rackal are discussing the enemy--Rackal vows to obtain the planet if it costs him his life. Teles reminds him that the order is to destroy the planet if the enemy refuses to leave.
The Rugger team is resting on the flight deck after scrubbing it. Aki gets a little philosophical over warring over this planet. Walter even mentions a joint development effort. Ise appears behind them and looks stern. Then we cut to Aki pouring himself bourbon, regulations be damned. He drops it when he sees the construction crews arrive. Asimov and Ise are ready to take off. Arihatai, the communications officer, receives a broadcast from the enemy, telling them to evacuate by 1 P.M. Space Time. The radar operator pinpoints the source as 20 space kilometers away.
The Galaxy Garrison bureaucrats debate. Director Dewas says the Rugger Guard is still to seek an audience with the mysterious aliens.
The Rugger Guard takes off, heading towards the mysterious broadcast source. The support fleet captain wishes them luck.
At the frontline base, the missiles are readied whule Teles admires the nude art in his office. An officer tells him that the intruders keep seeking an audience. Teles is firm that they must leave before anyone does any talking. He orders Rackal to begin the operation.
The Rugger Guard crew are trying to pinpoint their base, and then read the missile launch and go to battle stations. Rackal launches his fleet.
The missiles come out of the depths of space. The radar operator detects them and predicts that their target is the planet. The missiles fly over and past the Rugger Guard as Ise and Asimov realize the lengths their enemy will go to just to drive them away. They launch the Rugger team.
They strafe the missiles, but many get by them. The animation here is pretty cool. Ise and Asimov fret as the missiles pass the Rugger team and hit the planet. Lots of destruction follows. The ships of the support fleet try to hold off the missiles. Asimov contacts Akagi, the support fleet captain, and apologized that they were unable to contact the enemy.
Rackal's XO tells him the missile barrage will be complete in 10 minutes.
The Garrison ships crash to the surface and explode as earthquakes and volcanoes destroy the planet's surface.
Akagi sees the Galveston ships approaching and orders the battle to begin. As the Galveston destroyers lock up the support fleet, the chariot fighters land. There's a lot of footage of the base crew getting slaughtered, then the Rugger team joins the battle. And the music is very slow-moving and sad, since this isn't a triumphant battle.
Akagi's fleet is getting pounded. He orders his remaining ships to withdraw. Rackal gloats as his ships make a landing. Aki sees the ships arriving and tells the team to go after the capital ships. They make a big dent in the invading force. Then the volcanos intensify . . .
From orbit Ise sees the planet begin to go . . .
Aki orders them into the Dairugger Fighting Formation and to form the Dairugger sword. The planet is exploding all around them. Rackal laughs and accuses them of losing their nerve. Dairugger leaves the surface and turns back to watch the planet.
One of Rackal's bridge crew warns him tha tthe planet is collapsing. He orders the ship away, but to late--it explodes.
The Rugger Guard ists in far orbit as the planet dies. Asimov's speech is really cool, as far as this sort of thing in cartoons goes--he says the responsibility for the planet's destruction lies with them as much as with the enemy. He names the planet Achilles, and swears in this planet's name that they will never let this happen again.
And--those ships look pretty wrecked at the end. Maybe they just picked up their surviving crews on the Rugger Guard and left the hulks? It's just the Rugger Guard in the next episode.
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