Space Battleship Yamato

Zordar's dreadnaught blasts the Argo, then begins to incinerate Earth with its giant plasma cannon. Many of the Star Force crew are killed in this attack (including Orion and Royster) though this is not shown in the American version. Wildstar orders the surviving crew to abandon ship. Dr. Sane's line is, "We have 18 wounded, Wildstar, including Sandor. We're all ready to evacuate them in the rescue ships..." -- Sane This subtly suggests that there are 18 surviving (which happens to be the exact number of crewmembers surviving in the Arrivederci Yamato movie). Wildstar tricks Sane, locks out the controls for the rescue ship, and secretly stays behind intent on driving the Argo into Zordar's ship. Nova appears, apparently realizing what he is planning. Subtle English dialogue indicates that Wildstar plans to jump ship just before the impact, but this is not really so. He plans to go down with the ship, and Nova's unexpected presence does not seem to deter him. Wildstar admits his desire to marry Nova. The two sit down in the Captain's command console (a second chair having mysteriously appeared), and set the Argo on its final mission. The Argo, battered and nearly inoperable, slowly returns to Earth.

Wildstar, badly injured, reaches Desslok's command bridge. At the moment of the inevitable pistol duel, Derek faints and Nova rushes in to catch him. Seeing Derek and Nova's devotion to Earth and themselves, Desslok sees his own nobility. He laments the futility of his battle and vows never to fight (Earth) again. Echoing the advice of Captain Gideon, Desslok tells Nova the secret of how to defeat the Comet Empire from it's bottom side... and simply leaves. We learn that Treleina still lives, and rescues Venture floating dead in space. The Star Force pulls free of the wreck of Desslok's flagship and prepares what meager assortment of weaponry it has left for the final, undersea assault on the Comet Empire.

The Star Force retreats to Ganymede for repairs, and the Comet Empire rejects Earth's attempt at negotiation by blasting the moon into a molten state. Note: Just how much of the moon is blasted is uncertain. It is still in the sky later during the movie, Be Forever Yamato.

This is perhaps one of the most favoured episodes amongst Star Blazers fans. Star Force reaches Earth's solar system and joins the EDF fleet. Captain Gideon commissions the Star Force to lead Gideon's carrier fleet in a surprise attack on the Comet Empire's own advance carrier fleet near Saturn. Thus, this episode gets its title. Sandor and IQ-9 takes a short recon flight to Phoebus, Saturn's 10th moon, to locate the enemy's fleet. The fleet is ambushed and defeated by an Earth carrier fleet led by the Argo. This episode features a really swinging version of the Yamato main theme (often called the "Disco Yamato Theme") played as the EDF squadrons launch.

Despite its setback, the Comet Empire orders its fleets, under the combined command of General Bleak, to gather for full and immediate attack. Captain Gideon, realizing the urgency of the situation, overrides the Earth Defense Committee and calls in all Earth defense forces to rendezvous at Titan. Meanwhile, Princess Invidia knows that she must have Desslok killed before he can talk to Zordar. She arrives to lead him out of his prison cell whereupon she plans to have him shot for trying to escape. But, the perceptive Desslok has already forseen this, and has made real plans to escape. Leaving the cell, he takes Invidia hostage, and ushers her to Talan's awaiting air car. They dump Invidia at the runway and, with skillful piloting, escape the Comet Empire fortress. Prince Zordar realises he was deceived regarding Desslok, and grants him his flagship in return. The Argo warps to join the Earth fleet.

The Star Force prepares to leave Telezart. Mark Venture tries to stay behind. To get him back to the Argo, Treleina agrees to come with the Star Force. But, once Mark is safe onboard, Treleina jumps ship, literally floating back down to Telezart. She leaves a message for Mark explaining her deception and confessing her love for him. She agrees to stand up to the Comet Empire, and stands at Telezart's surface as the Argo pulls away.

The ground war is won and Wildstar, Sandor, Knox, and IQ-9 finally go to meet Treleina, under the ruins of her hollow planet. In the Star Force's herbatarium, Nova picks flowers for Derek to give to Treleina. Back on the Comet Empire, Invidia blames the loss of Scorch's forces on Desslok's alledged retreat, in hopes of souring Prince Zordar's respect for him.

The Star Force spots a conspicuous-looking hollow asteroid, and decides that it would make for a natural repair dock in which they might repair the damage from the starflies. In reality, it is a Gamilon trap (of course), lined with electromagnetic force-fields. Upon entry, the Argo is stuck. Desslok's fleet moves in to destroy the Star Force with the Desslok Cannon. But Desslok's countdown is critically delayed by a phone call from Princess Invidia, and the Star Force manages to propel itself out of the force-field with the recoil force of the Wave Motion gun -- just in time. Invidia orders Desslok back before he can pursue the Argo. She waits to arrest him on false charges, fearing his designs on the Comet Empire throne. The Star Force arives at Telezart.

Leader Desslok has been assigned the task of defeating the Star Force. But, Princess Invidia, ever jealous of Desslok, has convinced her father to send General Torbuck to "aid Desslok... and to watch him." Torbuck, feeling over-confident, decides to show Desslok up by defeating the Star Force by himself. He ambushes the Star Force as it passes through a large cloud of meteors. The magnetic fields in the meteor cloud drain the Argo's energy systems, leaving it vulnerable to Torbuck's waiting fleet. Treleina attempts to contact the Star Force to warn them, but Torbuck jams her transmission. However, Desslok cancels out Torbuck's signal. Sandor employs the asteroid ring defense system used on the mission to Iscandar. This time, he has provided the polarizing units with an energy field that absorbs the energy from the incoming fire they deflect, and redirects it back to the Argo in a useable form. With the energy boost, the Star Force manages to fire the Wave Motion Gun at the on-coming antimatter missles, thus, to Desslok's amusement, destroying the missles and Torbuck's fleet. Mark Venture begins to develop a long-distance crush on the mysterious Treleina.

It is discovered that the encoded distress signal originated from a mysterious woman named Treleina of Telezart, a planet on the extreme edge of the galaxy, about 40,000 light years from Earth.

The forces from the Comet Empire attack the 11th planet, Brumas, and the Star Force picks up the Space Marines, including their leader, the obnoxious Sgt. Knox. With the enemy threat established, the Earth Defense Commander rescends the warrant for the Star Force, and orders them to seek out information on the threat.

Against the wishes of Earth government, the old Star Force is reassembled to answer the distress message that Sandor received. Derek Wildstar summons Dr Sane to join them, telling him not to inform Nova. Nova, however, is keen to what is going on and insists she come along. On their way to the Argo's undersea dock site, they pass the Hero's Hill monument once again, where they encounter Mark Venture. Resigned to the apparent fact that Venture is not joining them on their mutinous journey, Wildstar prepares to take the Argo through the water locks. But, just as he gives the orders, Mark Venture arrives on the bridge to take over. "Boy, Venture, you sure had me worried." They take off from the undersea dock against orders, dodging magnetic missiles, and destroying a battle satellite in the process.

Sandor and Wildstar visit the new shipyards, and discuss many of the new tech improvements going into Earth's new fleet. The Andromeda and other ships have skeleton crews, with most of the central systems controlled by computer. Sandor laments this since he believes that "we must keep control of the machines we create. If we don't, we're doomed." (see episode 1-18). There are improvements for the Argo too: New shock cannons that have an increased range (150% of the original); and, a time radar that is capable to detecting past events in space. Sandor demonstrates it for Wildstar by showing Chief Engineer Orion urinating against a ship-yard wall. Must be getting old, that one. But, all the improvements are not welcome. Sandor reveals to Wildstar that Earth Defense Committee wants the Argo to be adapted to the same kind of computer control system a la Andromeda. Derek flies into a rage and storms off to the Commander's office in protest. He urges, "The Argo's heart and blood is the Star Force. It's people, not machinery!" While pleading his case to the Commander, as if in symmetry to the recent power surge, there is a power blackout over most of Earth, which is an attempt by the new enemy to soften up Earth defenses. During the outage, Wildstar spots an alien spy plane (a horseshoe crab-shaped bomber) flying over the darkened city. Sandor notices a huge comet in the distant sky heading towards Earth. He and Wildstar analyse the radio message received during the power surge but can only determine that it must be "in some unknown language."

The Yamato Returns Home! With the Cosmo Cleaner D, they are ready to save Earth. But one final battle may cost them a crew member closest to Kodai...

The Yamato fights on Gamilas, as the Yamato survival depends on wiping out an entire civilization.

The Yamato battles Domel for the last time.

The Yamato reaches planet Balan, the halfway point in their mission to Iscandar. But Domel is waiting on his base there, and springs a trap that might destroy both the Yamato AND the base...

The Yamato comes across a Gamilas fortress that emits Magnetron waves, which set vibrations into metals and rips them apart. Kodai and Sanada board the fortress using a new seamless plane that Sanada created. They destroy the base, and the Yamato flies on.

Analyzer and Yuki fly down to a planet looking for food for the crew, but are captured by the inhabitants. Analyzer reveals a secret to Yuki that will change both of them.

Tensions mount on the Yamato as she is trapped in a space storm.

Dessler prepares another trap for the Yamato: an energy net that captures them. The only way out is in the direction of a massive sun, as a huge secret is revealed that might affect the crew.

The Yamato says goodbye to their families before leaving the solar system.

The Yamato destroys the Reflective Satellite

The Yamato searches Saturn's moon, Titan, for a rare mineral.

The Yamato 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 Gamilas stop them?

The hope of the Earth lies within an old battleship found at the bottom of what used to be the Great Eastern Sea.