A Very Short Vacation/The Glorious Suicide Corps

A Very Short Vacation

The Explorer is traveling through deep space.  On the lounge, Hardware comes upon Lisa and Ginger dozing.  And then walks past the rest of the Voltron force (including Lisa and Ginger) also restingon the lounge.  In Newley's office, Jeff, Page, Hawkins, and Newley are discussing the exhaustion that's incapacitated the crew.  Jeff wants leave on the next planet, Hawkins wants them to wait until the resupply fleet arrive.  Newley takes Jeff's side, which is good because another crewmember has collapsed. 

Hawkins tells him to scout planet Nanos.

The supply convoy is traveling through deep space.  At the space station, they are concerned that there is no armed escort for the supply convoy.  The space station administrator calls up some dude on the phone who answers at a pool that the committee in charge of such things is on a "field trip."  At Galaxy Garrison, they discuss the fact that . . . they messed up.  They'll be forced to recall the supply convoy despite the fact that it's depriving the Explorer of supplies.  Commander Kahn of the space station calls Galaxy Garrison, and Commander Steele tells him to recall the supply convoy.  Kahn is indignant, and says he'll take responsibility for the unescorted convoy.

The Air Team is surveying planet Nanos.  Ginger sends a message back to the Explorer that, um, focuses on the planet's usefulness for R & R.  They fly right over Zabar's fleet.  Zabar sounds exactly like Lotor.  And looks vaguely like him.  Hmm.  Was WEP going to try to make him the same guy?  Dunno.

The Air Team is flying at night.  Apparently Pidge was here (y'know, the main dude from the other Voltron) and said night lasted 60 days.  Ginger sees reflected light.  Like, y'know, off of the hull of a Drule ship.  Jeff convinces her that it was nothing.  Zabar gloats.

The Explorer lands.  R & R begins immediately.  The Voltron force rushes out to the flight deck.  Jeff makes some lame joke about guard duty.  In the next shot, they're already in the water.  I hope they checked for micro-worms.

Commander Kahn is talking to blue leader, commander of the supply convoy.  He tells him to rendezvous with the Explorer on planet Nanos.  The next shot is of a Drule charioteer hovering, watching the fleet go by.  Zabar contacts Mongo and warns him of the approach of a new enemy fleet. Mongo determines to stop the supply convoy.

The space station monitors the progress of the convoy.  Then the convoy picks up something on radar.  Blue leader tells them to steer directly through the center of the enemy forces.  A swarm of fighters dives in at them.  And the supply convoy is being destroyed ship by ship.

We then cut to . . . Cinda's blue legs.  Apparently the Voltron force has no sexual harassment policy.  Hawkins and Newley are on the bridge, looking out over the crew that is apparently nothing more than a bunch of frat boys.

Zabar plans to attack the Explorer.  On the bridge, they get notice that the convoy is under attack, then they get a radar signal from the north.  Hawkins recalls the Voltron force, and we get  weird moment between Jeff and Ginger.  Then we get the launch sequence. 

Zabar's XO tells him that fighters have been launched.  He launches the robeast.  The team sees it coming.  They form Voltron immediately.  There are some preliminary fire exchanges, then the robeast ensnares Voltron with rocket ropes.

The Explorer bridge crew is watching the battle, and then they see Zabar's fleet approaching.  Voltron, caught in the rocket rope, dives into the ocean, dragging the beast afer him.  Zabar's fleet gets closer to the Explorer.  Crik directs Jeff to a cliff.  Voltron release some kind of mines that collapes the cliff on top of the robeast and evere the rocket rope.  Then Voltron forms blazing sword and ends the robeast. 

Zabar is aaalmost in range of the Explorer.  Then they see Voltron and.  Just.  Leave.  Huh.

The Explorer is back in space.  Hawkins is pissed 'cuz Jeff missed Zabar's fleet.  Then he goes to get some rest.  Then the Explorer is back on the planet, and the radar operator sees that two supply ships have made it.  The Voltron froce runs around in corridors as the two ships approach.  Then we get another weird moment with Jeff and Ginger.  Then the Explorer is back in space and Jeff treats us to the ice cream and vega sauce scene with different dialogue (that I'm not going to write down).

The Glorious Suicide Corps

Another suicide corps title.  Is this like standard Toei policy, to have one episode title with "suicide corps" in each series.

The Rugger Guard crew is exhausted.  Ise and Search unfairly gang up on Aki, but Asimov agrees.  Taking care of the steel eating worms was hard work. A crewmember is hauled off on a gurney somewhere after collapsing from overwork.  Ise agrees to let Aki perform a survey of the next planet, preparing it for R & R.

The Salan/Miran Alliance fleet arrives at the space fortress.  The Galaxy Garrison contingent has not lifted off.  Apparently, all the administrators are off for the weekend.  The Galxay Garrison council is upset that they don't have the authority to make the decision in the administration's absence.  The space fortress commander Date calls.  He's going to send the Mirans and Salans without the Garrison forces.  (That's Date with an audible -e at the end).

The air team has surveyed the southern hemisphere of the planet.  As they cross the terminator into night, Patty sends a report back to the Rugger Guard.  The crew is pretty much slumping in the hallways.

The air teem flies right over Gramont's Galveston fleet.  He thinks the Earth fleet has simply found the planet by mistake.  He says he'll wait until the support fleet arrives--his own, or the Earth one.

The air team discusses the drastic temperature changes between night and day.  Patty is about to send the northen hemisphere when she sees something by the lake.  But they've been by the lake and hadn't found anything.  So they leave the Gramont fleet hidden.  He orders the supply fleet's arrival to be sped up, and that they'll attack the Earth ship here.  Yeah . . . his dialogue is confusing me here.

As the team rushes to the flight deck, Aki stops them and puts them on shifts--it's Walter team's turn first.

Commander Date briefs Negure, the supply convoy's commander.  A lone space charioteer sights the fleet and contacts Drake.  Drake prepares to attack in order to prevent the rendezvous on the fourth planet.

Negure prepares his ships for attack.  Date is notified that the Miran/Salan fleet is in the alert zone.  Negure's radar operator detects a flight of enemy fighters.  Negure orders the fleet to drive through them.  The Miran and Salan escort ships don't fare so well.  Then the fighters attack the transports.  Negure's face is super-imposed over flames to the sound of screaming.

Then we get the same sexual harassment scene.  And Ise seems miffed that Aki was right about the need for rest.  On the planet's nightside, three destroyers arrive.  Oh.  That's the Galveston resupply fleet.  They discuss Drake's battle with the earth resupply fleet.

Galaxy Garrison contacts the Rugger Guard, advising them of the battle, and then they get a radar signal from the north.  The rugger teams are deployed, and Aki gets sulky about being open to a surprise attack being his fault.  They launch.

The three ships of Gramont's fleet see the Rugger launch.  He responds by launching his own battle machine.  Aki sulks for a moment, then gives the order to form Dairugger.  The fight goes about the same way as in Voltron, with no real cut footage.

When the Rugger Guard sights Gramont's fleet, they deploy weapon turrets.  Some of them rise up out of the flight deck, which is a strange place for weapon turrets.

Keats is pretty much guiding the course of this battle.  And apparenly Keats team can launch depth charges--out of the radar dish plate on Walter's mecha.  Huh.  Then they form the rugby sword and the battle machine is over.

Gramont is about to fire all weapons when he sees Dairugger approaching and just leaves.  Well, in his defense, he does seem to have only three ships.

Oh, Ise punches Ake.  That was cut out of Voltron.  Ise tells them that the entire support fleet was lost.  Except that it wasn't.  Two supply ships make it.  Which makes Ise sort of a dick.