A Curious Comet/The Earth Fleet's Counterattack

This is where WEP seems to have succumbed to the time crunch and overabundance of writers without a lot of communication.  Or, this is where Halley's comet started to affect their minds.

A Curious Comet

The Explorer is in orbit around a planet, and being bathed in intense radiation.  It's Baraka's Comet, as Newley identifies it.  He also points out that wars have been started by comets.  Hawkins has them splashdown on the planet (again, with a gorgeous background painting) to monitor the comet's effect on the planet.

Jeff, Ginger, and Shannon are on the port sponson/outrigger structure thing, watching the comet.  Jeff makes a war god reference (comets being their spies and stuff).  In the lounge, many crew members are watching it.  Chip has trouble seeing it until Rocky hoists him on his shoulders.

Jeff is in the, um, astronomy lab, and the tech notes that the comet is increasing its speed.  They comment that it doesn't seem normal.  As the comet passes, um, though(?) the atmosphere, everyone gets weirded out, but the effects are temporary and harmless.  The astronomy chief remarks that it could be a terrible weapon.

Jeff enters the lounge (which apparently has an above-sea view today) and Crick, Cliff, and Ginger invite him to their table.  They discuss war gods and the new Galaxy Garrison support fleet.

In space, the comet travels through space.  Nerok communicates with Hazar, explaining that the comet has disrupted the Alliance's defenses.  The commanders have a pointless debate.  Nerok returns with more information.  Mongo gasps for some reason and runs off to alert security.  He reports that the Voltron force is on the planet that the comet just went over.  Nerok blathers about his "lunar effect" plan, then convinces Hazar to let him attack.

On Earth, the comet apparently MADE THEM ALL CRAZY.  We see military vessels flying over Russia, Harlem, and, um, Disneyland.  Commodore Steele babbles insanely about attacking the Drule emipre.  He's not concerned about the past.  Fortunately, WEP isn't concerned with continuity, either.  Colonel Cross from the support fleet calls them.  They receive first strike instructions.  Colonel Cross and his bridge crew indulge in more ridiculous dialogue.  Then we see some shots of the support fleet ships with missiles mounted on their undersides.

Drule fighters emerge from darkness and engage the support fleet.  Colonel Cross launches fighters.  The fighters reach the Drule captial ships, and Colonel Cross launches the missiles.  Mongo, on his bridge, is talking about how he's winning, and yet the footage shows the robeast (from last episode) damaged by missiles before it launches.

Hazar is pleased with the "Lunar effect."  He wonders who will lead the attack on the Explorer--Nerok and his man-made comet are ultimately decided upon (after some dumb dialogue).

The battle between Colonel Cross and Mongo rages on--with some pretty good footage.  Mongo's XO reports that Hazar commands them to launch the decoy comet.  Some more goofy dialogue ends with "I SALUTE YOU HAZAR!"

Then we get an embarassing sequence where Lisa does a native American chant and lectures on comets.  With Hutch laying on the deck trying to look up her pantslegs, apparently.  Hawkins come out and says stuff.  Then they all act weird when the comet returns.  Crick holds up a flute and says hi's getting strange readings on it.

On the bridge, Newley and Sparks watch the comet--as it suddenly disgorges charioteers who bomb the Explorers.  The comet dispells itself and reveals the Drule flagship.  The Voltron Force launches and fights the charioteers.  We see Wolo's ship using some crazy-looking (but awesome) weapon.  The robeast is launched and the Voltron force reacts.

The battle rages on it space, and then Hazar calls the attack off, and tries to convince Mongo to try for a peace treaty.

Meanwhile, the robeast is chasing Jeff, and they form Voltron.  They commence the battle, and the robeast gets a few good shots in.  In fact, it knocks Voltron's right arm off, forcing them to reform.  The robeast scoots around on the surface of the ocean on waterskis.  After some more exchange of fire, they form the blazing sword and finish it off.

The Explorer is in space.  Then, it's on the planet.  Lisa has her face buried in a booth and is worried that fighting the robeast will hurt the chances for peace.  Apparently Hazar has requested a peace treaty.  We see a shot of crewmembers hanging out on the deck of the Explorer.  Then we get the same sequence as the ice cream with vega sauce from "Help not Wanted."  AGAIN.

The Earth Fleet's Counterattack

The blazing light of the comet segues nicely with the opening scene.  Ise and Asimov decide to set down on the planet's surface to avoid the comet's effects.  They are concerned that, since they told Galveston that they were only setting down for repairs on this planet in the last episode, it will open them up for retaliation.

Patty, Aki, and Izumo are out of the port sponson watching the comet.  Izumo makes a direct reference to Halley's comit.  Aki goes to watch the comet in the lab.  The rest of the crew are watching on screens in the lounge.

In the lab, a tech is monitor the comets speed increasing.  Weird.  This is translated verbatim in the Voltron dialogue.  Why, then, does the rest of the episode go batshit?!  Oh, and the photons of the comet differ from normal comets.  The comet passes very close to the planet, and the crew are awed by it.  The tech detects "too little influence," whatever that means.

After the comet passes, Aki enters the lounge and joins Walter, Patty, and Keats.  Aki tells them there's a lot of commotion about this being a new type of comet.  The others mention that a massive support fleet is being planned.

Then we see the comit again, and Lafitte contacts Teles from inside--it's a mobile reconnaissance ship.  Teles is unhappy that they were spying on the Earth fleet without his orders.  Drake says the planet is of no use to them--it will eventually escape orbit from the star.  The other captains are angered that he's just going to let them set up a base.  An adjutant calls in and tells Teles that there is a massive Earth fleet moving in, bypassing the space fortress.  Teles orders Drake and Roche to drive the fleet back.  Lafitte arrives, and he argues with all of the captains about harassing the Earth survey force.

On Earth, the Red Army is apparently mobilizing, and starships fly over the statue of Liberty and under the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as over Harlem while tanks cruise down the street.  In the Council chambers, they are told that they are now at a level two alert--but the attack on the space fortress is still a secret, so the public has no idea why there is so much mobilization.  They get word the Commander Hagi that his fleet has passed the space fortress.

Hagi's communications officer tells him that the Rugger Guard is waiting for them planetside.  Then his radar operator tells him of strange signals from the nebula.  The red missiles are Unmanned Snipers.  Hagi has the chariot fighters attacked with interceptors, and when the capital ships arrive, he deploys the unmanned snipers.

Drake tries to deply the battle machine, but the sniper missiles destroy it and damage the machine launch mechanism.

At the frontline base, they are all disturbed at this turn of events.  Sending a replacement battle machine is not possible at this time.  Lafitte and Barataria again urge Teles to attack the survey force.  Hazar agrees, sending Lafitte back in the mobile reconnaissance ship.

Meanwhile, the battle rages on.  Roche tells Drake that Teles has approved the attack on the survey planet.  He vows to take down as many Galveston ships as he can.

On the planet, Kaga (<3<3<3) is singing the Dairugger closing them to the crew gathered on the flight deck.  Ise appears as she finishes, and tells them of the support fleet under attack.  He wonders why they're all just goofing off.  Then the comet reappears, and they go to alert status.

The bridge crew tells Asimov and Ise that it is no ordinary comet--and then chariot fighters fly out of it and bombard the Rugger Guard with missiles.  The comet swirls, and Lafitte's flagship emerges.  The launch the Rugger teams, who engage the charioteers.  The Lafitte launches his battle machine.  It launches missiles right at Aki.

The battle in space is going strongly in Hagi's favor as ship after ship from Drake's fleet falls in flames.  Drake orders Roche to ram the flagship.  Just before Roche complies, Teles appears and tells him to withdraw.  He and his war materiel are too valuable to throw away.

On the planet, Aki is evading the enormous volume of missile fire the battle machine is able to deliver.  Walter urges him to form Dairugger.  And we get the big guy.  The battle machine knocks Dairugger into a shallow part of the bay, and proceeds to clobber him.  A blast from a beam cannon disassembles the right arm, so they reform and the Battle Machine waterskis around him, knocking Dairugger back into the water.  Dairugger scores a few hits with the Electromagnetic whip and the space cutters, but they don't do enough damage.  Walter urgers him to form the sword.  The machine knocks Dairugger underwater, and hey take advantage of this to strike it from a direction it doesn't expect.

Back in the lounge, Kaga is distraught at the number of deaths on both sides in this conflict.  This is not what she went into space for.  The other team  members assure her that they just have to keep telling the Galveston that peace is their ultimate goals.  The episode ends on a ship of Kaga on the deck, apparently praying for peace.