This World's for the Birds/Emma, the Female Captain

This World's for the Birds

The fleets are notified by Jeff that they are reaching planet Nesto, and Captain Morgan (who is Newley with miscolored hair) calls and tells them the the Drules are sending three scientific teams to meet them on the planet.

Borgam is trying to convince Hazar to let him be in charge of this mission, and he's chosen Twyla as lead.  Hazar tells her he wants no fighting.  Then he stalks off.  After he's left, Borgam says OF COURSE they're going to fight.  Borgam even sits in Hazar's seat.  Twyla's fleet launches.

The Air team approaches Nesto at the same time as Twyla's.  Apparently, because Twyla is a girl, she has Bardo as a chaperone.  They argue about who goes to the planet.  It ends up being Twyla, who leads a flight of chariot fighters.

On the planet, they fly over dinosaurs in the forests.  The air team is flying around volcanic plains and wonders where the Drules are.  The Drules startle some pterodactyls and get swarmed.  The robot tries to take over for Twyla, and then a flock of birdodactyls tries to pull her off her ship.  She crashes into a cliff wall and falls.  The robot stops and tries to revive her while the others cover.

Chip convinces Jeff to start their own exploration.  The team separates and fans out over the planet. 

The robot is carrying Twyla back to the ship when another arrives to tell him that the Voltron force is here. The robot sets Twyla down and go to ambush Voltron.

Jeff and Ginger encounter the robots, and realize real fast that they're no friendly scientists.  The rest of the team finds them and the tide turns.  The robot leader orders a retreat and then turns to hold back the Air team.  He, um, doesn't make it.  Then Ginger sees the injured Twyla crawling on the valley floor.  The team lands just as she reloses consciousness.

Bardo is mad at the troops, and they see the Voltron force lifting her back to the Explorer.

Hawkins is unsure on how to handle the situation.  He sends Cliff on patrol.

Hutch and Marvin try to get Rocky to tell them how hot the Drule captive is.  Ginger, Lisa, Cinda, and Chip are not amused.  Hilarity ensues.  Then the land team gets the order to launch.  Ginger trips Hutch.  I guess that's payback for sexual harassment.

Twyla awakens as Professor Page watches over her.

Borgam is convinced the Earth forces captured Twyla, not that she was trying to ambush them.

Hawkins tries to reason with Twyla, but she's all snarly and gross. 

The land team is surveying the planet.  Bardo detects them (though it looks like they're now on a moon or in the mountains).  The Land Team arrives and faces off.  The ships launch and attack.  Cliff evades and calls Hawkins for help.  All teams are scrambled.  Lisa leaves Debbie with Twyla.  As soon as Lisa is gone, Twyla knocks Debbie out and takes a shuttle.  On the bridge, Hawkins order the launch gates closed.  Twyla, bleeding profusely, gets out before they close the gate and makes it to her own fleet.  Hawkins gives the order to attack and launches the rest of the Voltron force, sending them to find Cliff.

Twyla contacts Bardo and orders him to deploy the robeast (the last couple battle attacker designs, including this one, have been pretty bad-ass).  Twyla docks with her ship.

Hazar contacts them and orders them to disengage.  She refuses, desiring to prove herself.

The land team evades the robeast, and gets grazed by a sword hit.  The Turbo Terrain Fighter crashlands on a planetoid as the rest of the Voltron force arrives.  Cliff separates just before getting cleaved, and they form Voltron. 

Voltron tries the solar combat spear, but the robeast deflects it with the sword.  Then they try the spinning laser blades, which also get deflected.

The Drule and GG fleets are tearing each other apart.

Voltron hits the robeast with the electro blasters and damages it.  Then they form the blazing sword and finish him.  As the robeast explodes, Hawkins calls for help.  Voltron launches to join the fleet.

Twyla and Bardo are down to only a few ships.  Voltron hacks his way through several of them as Hawkins and the allied fleet close it.  Twyla orders Bardo to ram the Explorer.  Hawkins tries to dissuade her, bu she refuses.  Bardo is, um, hurt real bad when the bridge takes damage.  Voltron is finishing off another cruiser when Lisa warns him of the Explorer's plight.  voltron approaches, but they won't be in time.  Hawkins orders all batteries to open up, and the ship is destroy.  Jeff tells us that Twyla got away safely in the shuttle, and we get a recycled shot of her earlier escape.  Hawkins hopes she'll change her mind about peace.  He orders them to return to the planet for the survey.

Lisa and Cinda talk like 20-something Japanese animators in the 80s thought girls talked.  "Blue's not the answer."

Emma, the Female Captain

The Rugger Guard and fleet are following the Aki team to the next target planet.  Captain Asimov hails him with the status of the fleet.  He is dividing the fleet up to find the Galveston homeworld using three different routes.

Teles and Raucher determine that the Rugger Guard is heading to a planet they have not yet investigated fully.  Raucher urges Tees to give Emma the authority to stop the Rugger Guard.  He does so.  (It's interesting that just as WEP figures out Hazar's really for peace, in the Japanese version, Teles is convinced peace is impossible (due to Luciano's actions) at this point. Emma's fleet and the Air Rugger both arrive at the planet.  Emma orders her adjutant, Samus, to prepare a recon group that she will personally lead.  The fleet is to stand by at the satellite.

The Galveston forces fly over primordial jungles while the Air Rugger is near lava plains.  Ise wants regular reports from Aki, in an effort to avoid the capture that happened in last episode.

Emma's recon team is in a canyon she thinks might work for her plans, and they are surround by giant birds, who all grab Emma and cause her to crash.

Mutsu complains that the planet is too damp.  Aki splits the team up to cover more ground. 

The scout leader is carrying Emma back to his chariot fighter when he receives word of Aki and Patty's presence.  He sets Emma back down and leads the attack.  Emma regains consciousness during the battle.  The rest of the Air team arrives just in time and turns the tide of the battle.  The scout leader is dismayed when his troops retreat.  He turns to die.  Aki is about to order the rest of his team to pursue when Patty sees Emma.  Kai can somehow tell that she's a fleet leader.

Samus punches one of the surviving soldiers, and then sees the Rugger mecha lift off.

Ise reflects on the situation on the bridge.  He sends Walter to finish the survey.  Izu and Nagato bother Kai about Emma.  Yawn.  Fortunately, the land team gets the order to deploy. 

At Galveston HQ, Raucher is enraged that Emma is captured.  On the Rugger Guard, Ise questions her on her motives and presence, but gets nowhere.  She at least thanks him for saving her life.

The Land Rugger is investigating the planet while Samus is in charge of the fleet--on the moon, or where?  Walter sees the fleet and advises the fleet.  They do not engage, but Samus gives the order to attack.

The Rugger teams are scramble.  Kaga leaves the nurse alone with Emma, who punches her and escapes in a shuttle.  Ise tries to stop her but they miss.  When Emma shows no sign of returning, Ise orders the fleet to attack and the other Rugger Teams to link up with Walter.  She orders him to launch the battle attacker.  Her fleet crew rejoices that she's returned.  She contacts Teles, who orders her to suspend the operation and have her wounds tended to.  Raucher smirks.  Teles is aghast.  Still heavily bleeding (all over the floor of the bridge!) Emma watches the two fleets close in.

The battle attacker damages the Land Rugger.  They crash land on a moon, and the rest of the teams get there just in time to form Dairugger.  The battle attacker manages to counter every one of Diarugger's attacks and has him on the run.  Unlike Emma's fleet, which is quickly falling to the Alliance fleet.  The battle attacker gets its sword stuck in a rock, and then Dairugger disables its beam weapons before finishing it off with the sword.  They then get word to assist the Rugger Guard. 

Emma and Samus here the news as one fleet group after another is lost, and the battle attacker is destroyed.  Ise hopes Emma will just surrender, but she decides to ram the Rugger Guard instead.  Samus is killed in the barrage, and Ise warns her to break off.  Dairugger is too late to stop her ship.  The Ise has all guns open fire and destroy her ship.  Emma dies in flames.  Both Dairugger and the Rugger Guard are buggeted in the explosion--and we're teased with the Rugger Guard's potential destruction for just a couple of seconds.  Ise is depressed that war has led to this.  Then he orders the ships to begin repairs and the Rugger teams to find a planet for anchoring.