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Gatchaman Episode 53 – Farewell Red Impulse

 

The missile that Galactor launched (in the previous episode) caused a powerful explosion inside the Earth’s magnetosphere, about 3,000 km above the Earth’s surface. This explosion caused the radioactivity surrounding the Earth to descend. As it descended, it then collided with the air and then burst into flames. These flames covered the sky over the Arctic Ocean and the melting icebergs formed tsunamis that moved south.

Yes, tsunamis. No global warming fears or flooding or anything like that. Tsunamis. Not to say that tsunamis aren’t dangerous, but they’re not the first thing I think of when I hear about the polar ice caps melting.

The unusually high temperatures caused a series of natural disasters all over the world: lightning strikes, volcanic eruptions, the extinction of species from radioactive pollutants. Wow, that’s fast. How long does it take an entire species to die from radioactive pollutants?

Giant tornadoes… the spontaneous combustion of large forests due to sudden Foehn phenomena. And all of this to point out to us that ‘the Earth was facing the possible crisis of human extinction’. Well, they did a pretty good job scaring me, what with the ‘we’re doomed’ music, and the images of destruction all over the planet. Even the usually peaceful image of the Crescent Coral Base is tarnished with a harsh red glare from the sun, and the absence of the Daily Fish Parade.

The remnants of the Science Ninja Team stare miserably out of the Crescent Base’s windows, facing the end of life as they know it.

 

“Looks like Big Brother never made it back.” Jinpei says sadly.

 

“I wonder where he is, and what he’s doing…” Jun sighs.

 

The door opens, revealing Dr. Nambu.

“Listen everyone,” he says, holding up a high tech cassette player, “the ISO received a taped message from Galactor this morning.”

 

And look It’s even a Galactor tape player! I wonder if it comes with a free Murder Music cassette? Wink

 

“Here we go.” Joe grimaces.

“What is it?” asks Ryu. Nambu plays the tape.

“Good morning, dear friends in the ISO!” It’s clearly Katse’s voice on the tape.

“It’s that rat-faced bastard!” Ryu groans.

 

“I hate that jerk’s voice!” Jinpei whines.
Everyone listens to Katse’s recording.

 

“Now you’ve all beheld our true power.” Katse’s voice says triumphantly. “In six months, the Earth will be fully enveloped by radioactivity. You should surrender at once. Only Galactor is capable of returning the Van Allen Belt to its proper position. All we’re asking for is the Earth’s unconditional surrender. We’ll wait twenty-four hours for your response. Buh-bye.”

Joe seems angered by the message.

 

While the others are simply shocked. Well, what did they expect from Galactor?

 

“It makes me sick!” Joe scowls, punching his hand.

 

“Isn’t there anything we can do to prevent this from happening?” Jun asks anxiously.

 

“I don’t know.” Nambu replies. “We’re at a disadvantage. We don’t have enough time.”

“Katse said Galactor could return the Van Allen Belt to its regular position.” Ryu reminds them. “But how?”

 

“Obviously they have a missile.” Nambu replies. “Theoretically speaking, all we’d have to do is blow the Van Allen Belt out of the atmosphere with a violent blast. But it would need a very powerful missile. That being said, the ISO still doesn’t have the resources to create one in time.”

 

“Aw, man! Are we gonna surrender?” Ryu asks, rubbing his nose.

 

“They’ll just wait until we do, then launch their missile to save the planet!” Jinpei shouts angrily.

“Hey!” Joe exclaims “Why don’t we just steal some of their thunder, then?” He turns to look at Jun.

 

“Before we surrender, we could sneak into Galactor’s base and steal their missile!” the Swan finishes the Condor’s thought. I should point out that in the ADV version, it seems like Jun is the one to come up with the idea, but in the subs, it’s clear that Joe thought of it before she said anything.

 

“Then all we’ve got to do is launch it ourselves!” Jinpei cries happily. “Solid!”

 

“I have to go back to the ISO right away.” Nambu says. “I’ll be counting on all of you to make this happen. Now, go!”

“Roger!”

 
As they’re running out of the room, Nambu calls Jun back for a moment.

 

“If you meet up with Ken somewhere, tell him there’s no need to worry, and to come back right away.” Dr. Nambu says calmly. WTF? No need to worry? The Earth is going to be destroyed, and there’s no need to worry? Dr. Nambu sure has some messed up set of priorities.

“Sure thing, Doc!” Jun smiles, before running out of the room.

Meanwhile, back in Hontwal…

Katse and the Hontwal Defense Minister (Or is he the President now? I can’t recall.) are opening up the vault in the Defense Minister’s office. Yep, that vault. The one that Ken and Red Impulse tried to blow up.

 

“I must say, Sir, I was terrified when Gatchaman and that spy attacked us.” the Defense Minister admits.

“It took Galactor a decade to build this missile.” Katse replies confidently. “We won’t let it be stolen without a bloodbath.”

 

The other side of the vault door leads to a hallway. The two men step through the door, and then the panel of floor on which they are standing begins to lower. It is an elevator, taking them down into a huge room where a giant missile is being constructed.

 

When the platform finally reaches the ground, Katse and the Defense Minister approach our CotW. I guess he knows that it’s just after to Halloween, because his theme seems to be ‘undead’. The Captain is completely bald, with white skin, and has that pasty ‘I’m not alive’ look to his skin. Huge, evil red eyes add to the effect. But his actual costume is some kind of orange/aqua skintight superhero jumpsuit (albeit with a Galactor devil logo on the chest) combined with one of Katse’s old capes.

 

Hmmm… I just thought… maybe it’s not just undead. The pasty white head looks like a dead fish. Maybe this is representative of the effect the V2 Plan is having on the planet, killing all of the animal species?

Also, I’m saying ‘he’, but this CotW might be female. It’s hard to tell by looking. Perhaps this CotW is someone after Katse’s own ‘bent’?

“How quickly can you finish the missile?” Katse wants to know.

“Sire, it will be at least two more days.” says Captain Undead-Fish. Yep, he’s definitely undead. He’s got fangs, giant red fish eyes, and an evil snake voice. And it’s clearly a masculine voice, at least in the ADV dubs.

 

“Too late! I want it finished in ten hours!” Katse demands. Sheesh, you’d think that if it took ten years to build the V2 Plan missile, that Katse would have made sure that the V2 Plan counter missile was ready before the initial V2 missile launch? But I guess that’s asking for a bit too much forethought from our favorite Galactor Leader.

“No dice.” Undead-Fish responds. “I’m sorry, Sir, but the computer which acts as the missile’s brain must be set up without any operator errors. Even with all of our scientists working on it, it will take at least two days to finish.”

 

And of course, we know how difficult it is for goons to set up anything without operator error. As if to prove this, we see a large group of goons working on this very task. Some of these must even be ‘smart goons’, because they’re wearing white lab coats.

 

Heck, look at the one on the lower left! He’s wearing a shirt and tie! He’s got to be smart!

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“Fine! Then disable the computer systems and switch it over to manual.” Katse orders.

“You mean you’re going to launch with someone at the helm?” Undead-Fish hisses in disbelief.

“To me at this point, sacrificing a pilot or two is unimportant.” Katse brushes Undead-Fish off. “Those are your orders! Any longer and it will be harder to blow the Van Allen Belt. And an Earth covered with radioactive fallout would be useless to us!”

 

I find this an interesting speech on many levels. First, it shows how little Katse truly cares for his men. He doesn’t even pretend to show any regret that his pilots are being ordered to die. Secondly, we can see that Katse is thinking logically. Galactor doesn’t want the Earth destroyed any more than the ISO does. And they’re going to launch the missile to reverse the effect of the V2 Plan in 10 hours. So even if the SNT does nothing, the threat will be stopped. Of course, the Team and the ISO don’t know that.

Most importantly, this is a huge differnce from Galactor’s (Sosai X’s) attitude toward the end of the series. X actually wants to destroy the Earth in episode 105, although Katse is still convinced that they’re only ‘roughing up’ the planet, and that he’ll still get to rule it. But that’s for another time. Back to the episode at hand!

Katse and the Defense Minister step back onto the platform, preparing to leave.

“Now we just wait for the ISO’s response.” the Defense Minister says.

This time, the platform doesn’t go up through the ceiling, but stops toward the top of the room, where it gets pulled on a cord across the room and over the missile, so that the two men can observe its construction progress.

“By the way,” Katse asks casually, “what did you do with the President?”

“Him? He’s locked up in the Presidential Mansion!” the Defense Minister replies. “He’ll be executed tomorrow morning.”

How can the President be locked up in the Presidential Mansion? Wasn’t it destroyed by Cataroller (crushed between its claws) in Episode 51? Oh wait, maybe that was the Presidential Palace. I’m so confused!

Katse and the Defense Minister observe the work on the V2 Plan counter-missile.

 

Two goons are working on the missile, and one of them looks familiar…

 

“Hey, let’s move on.” the familiar-looking goon says to his partner, in a familiar voice.

“All right.” agrees the other goon, but as he does, he slips and falls off of the missile, along with a welding machine. It’s a loooong way down. The familiar goon tries to pull the other man back by yanking on the cord of the welding machine. Katse and the Defense Minister casually observe the scene from above.

 

“You two over there, what’s going on?” Katse demands angrily.

“Sire, my partner has fallen!” reports the familiar goon.

 

Katse hmphs, then casually pulls out a pistol from beneath his cape and shoots the cord on the welding machine. The other goon falls to his death, much to the familiar goon’s horror.

“You idiot!” Katse berates the familiar goon. “Getting the task done on time is more important than a life or two. Do you understand? Have you forgotten Galactor’s Code? Your comrades should not be a distraction. You job is to follow orders faithfully!”

 

The familiar goon isn’t too happy to hear this. He snarls, and his fist tightens on his welding rod.

 

“Do you have a problem with that?” Katse sneers.

Just as it seems that the familiar goon might do something, a third goon (also familiar) approaches, grabbing the angry familiar goon on the arm. This second familiar goon has a Ricardo Montalban mustache.

“You want a hand, friend?” asks the Ricardo Montalban mustache goon, in another familiar voice.

 

Okay, I know, too many vague descriptions here, but from the above picture, it should be clear who’s who.

“That’s right! Get to work!” Katse snarls. “Insolence will be met with death!”

The familiar goons get back to work.

“Listen, Comrade,” the mustached one says, “if you’ve even got the slightest bit of humanity left, you should get out of Galactor.” As an aside, I don’t think the mustached goon is supposed to ‘recognize’ the other one.

 

The first familiar goon seems surprised to hear this.

 

Meanwhile, citizens of the Northern Hemisphere begin escaping to the south in droves. We see more natural disasters causing massive casualties across the planet. In one scene, a ship crashes into another ship, and hapless people are drowned by the rushing water. In another, a train falls into a gorge, and its passengers die. Floods wash through a city, washing away cars and people.

Cut from BOTP:

 

 

 

But Nature, having been thrown out of balance, was a terrible force: a force that pushed the escaping citizens, and slowly began encroaching upon the Southern Hemisphere.

I guess this is where the Australians really get lucky! They’re last in the path of the approaching destruction.

Finally, with nowhere else to go, the people of the Earth began descending upon the homes of their leaders. However, their leader’s gates were shut tight. They too were awaiting the decision of their last hope: the ISO.

Director Anderson is briefing world representatives.

“These photos are sent to us every twelve hours, via satellite.” he says. “As you can see, the fire is slowly spreading.”

 

“Representatives of the world, you’ve heard the arguments. Let us now decide!” Anderson says. “Shall we just wait for the end of the world, or surrender?”

Dr. Nambu is attending this meeting, and he stands up to speak.

“Wait! It’s too soon to make a decision.” Nambu says. “We still have half a day left, Director Anderson.”

“But even so,” asks a representative with a bad French accent, “what could possibly be done? It doesn’t matter whether we make the decision now, or wait.”

“He’s right! But I’ve been asked to return to my country at once, and report our decision to our President!” says another man. He looks very British, especially as he’s wearing a monocle, but strangely he has a middle-eastern style accent.

“There’s no question.” says a third representative with a very vague British accent. “ If we must surrender to Galactor to save the Earth, then so be it!”

“Dr. Namboo,” says the badly-accented French representative (and yes, he says ‘Namboo’, not Nambu) “is it not our duty to make a decision and calm our terrified citizens?”

 

In response, Dr. Nambu runs up the stairs to the door, and locks it!

 

“Sacre bleu! What is the meaning of this?” asks the ‘French’ representative.

“I’ve activated the security system’s autolocks.” Dr. Nambu replies. “These doors aren’t opening for the next 12 hours.”

12 hours? Yikes! I hope those guys didn’t have too much to drink before they entered the room…

Everyone begins shouting, and someone says that they need to calm down and make a decision. But the only calm person in the room is Nambu, who is standing by the door lock.

“If we surrender to Galactor now, we may be able to save the Earth,” Nambu says, “but it may as well be the end of the human race. Please, I just need you to wait 12 hours. I know this seems crazy, but I’m just asking that you wait until the morning before you go back to your countries and report to your leaders!”

“I understand your feelings, Dr. Nambu,” says Director Anderson, “but don’t we still have other options?”

“We have the Science Ninja Team!” Nambu declares.

“Well, I’ve never been one to doubt the competence of the Science Ninja Team.” Anderson sighs. “But… consider this…” He takes down the viewscreen and opens the blinds, showing the men inside what the world outside really looks like. The sky is a mass of fiery light. Everyone gasps in dismay.

“The sun will set soon,” Anderson reminds them, “and our proposition from Galactor is only valid until the next sunrise. Doctor, can the Science Ninja Team avert this crisis? There’s so little time left.”

Come on everyone, let’s give a rousing cheer of ‘Yes they can!’.

“I know they can.” Nambu replies in our stead.

__________________
 

This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by Transmute Jun on 02-11-2009 at 04:13.
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To cheer us all up, we get a ‘money shot’ of the God Phoenix sailing through the clouds, accompanied by triumphant trumpet music. But onboard, the Team doesn’t look triumphant. They look grim.

 

Joe is sitting in Ken’s seat, and he grimaces as a large number of planes come into view.

 

“There they are, the entire Hontwal Air Force.” Joe says grimly.

“Well, at least Dr. Nambu fixed the wiring for us,” Ryu points out, “so we can use the Bird Missiles.” Too bad this isn’t a permanent ‘fix’!

 

The Hontwal Air Force chases the God Phoenix and fires on them, but Ryu easily dodges the missiles.

“Let’s do this.” the Condor says, retracting the cover over the infamous red button. But just as he is about to fire, his bracelet lights up with a familiar, colorful symbol.

 

Joe is startled.

 

“Hey, it’s a Birdscramble!” Ryu exclaims.

“It’s Ken!” Jun cries happily. “It’s got to be Ken!”

 

“Jun, use your radar and pinpoint his location!” the Condor orders the Swan, even as more Hontwal Air Force missiles are flying by.

 

“The cavalry’s coming, my man.” Joe says quietly. The God Phoenix rises up into the middle of the Air Force jets, sending them tumbling around in the sky. They crash into each other and explode.

Cut from BOTP:

 

“He’s at ten o’clock! Distance, sixty thousand!” Jun reports. Notice how she can track this Birdscramble without taking the bracelet off of her wrist and placing it in the wall?

 

And since we’ve been discussing where Hontwal is, can you tell from this map?

 

Commercial break!

After a quick flash of Solid Gold Ken, we’re back at the Hontwal Galactor base, where the V2 Plan counter-missile appears to be complete. The goons are all resting, but one appears to be playing with his wrist… He has a Science Ninja Team bracelet! It’s Ken, sending out a Birdscramble.

But Katse’s shadow appears on Ken’s head, and he looks up to see the Galactor Leader standing there. He stands slowly.

 

“What are you doing?” Katse asks. “Everyone else is exhausted and sleeping, yet you’re going strong. You’re the wise guy with the attitude, aren’t you? The only reason I didn’t empty my clip then was because I had to complete the missile. Guess what? I’m done! Execution is the punishment for all who would defy me!”

 

Katse pulls the trigger… and Ken is shot to bits!

 

Or is he?

The goon uniform falls to the ground, much to Katse’s shock. Other goons and the Defense Minister-cum-President come running.

 

A familiar laugh sounds, but it’s a good laugh. Katse and his men all look up in shock.

“Over here, Berg Katse!” The White Shadow is standing up in the rafters of the room.

 

“Gatchaman!” Katse spits. “How the hell were you able to get in here?”

“You forget?” Ken laughs. “The White Shadow steals close without showing its true form!” He leaps down from his perch, taking out a few of the goons as he lands.

 

 

“Time for your world to come crashing down, Rat.” Ken threatens.

 

“Watch your mouth, Gatchaman!” Katse rages, aiming his reloaded pistol at Ken. “Soon the entire world will surrender to Galactor, and then I win!”

“That’s not going to happen, Katse.” Ken assures Katse. “I’m taking your missile with me!”

“What?” Katse cries, just as Ken’s boot connects with his face.

 

And for good measure, Ken kicks Katse again.

 

But this isn’t enough to bring Katse down.

“What are you waiting for?” the Galactor Leader shouts at the remaining goons in the area. “Get him!” A horde of goons runs up, and Ken goes at it.

 

 

“That’s it!” Ken says coldly. “I’ve never hated you bastards more than I do now. Don’t any of you have families of your own? You took advantage of my desire to see my father. You’re not even human!” He gets more and more angry as he speaks.

 

“Don’t come near me!” Ken rages, his anger out of control. “Don’t even think about it! If you do, you’re dead men!”

But they don’t need to think much, because the God Phoenix is on its way! It crashes through the Hontwal border and sends Hontwal military vehicles flying.

“Aren’t you getting a little rough?” Jun asks Joe. Um, it’s not Joe who’s doing the flying here.

 

“Who cares?” Joe asks. “They’re just being used by Galactor. Maybe this’ll wake ‘em up a little.” Well, I guess if they’re not puppies, Joe doesn’t have much sympathy for them. Wink

 

The God Phoenix flies over Hontwal, on its way to meet up with Ken. It turns sideways, and flies through some skyscrapers.

 

But Ken’s still busy beating up goons. In desperation, they pull out some strange pink and yellow shields with spikes. Ken just grabs the spikes and launches another attack.

 

 

“What are you idiots doing?” Katse rants. “It’s all of you against one! Even Gatchaman has got to have weaknesses!”

 

“Wait! Don’t shoot!” A green hand is holding a gun to Katse’s head.

“What are you doing?” Katse asks uneasily. I guess he’s not used to goons turning allegiances on him?

“Don’t you know what happens to traitors?” Katse asks.

“You know, Berg Katse, you’re not the only one with a talent for disguise.” the mutineer goon smirks. Does he look familiar?

 

“That voice…” Katse is shocked.

“That’s right! I’m Red Impulse!” the man declares, pulling off his goon uniform like it’s a piece of paper.

 

“And I’m taking you down!” Red Impulse says confidently. “My men have rescued the President and helped him to a top-secret location. All right, Katse! How about you take off your mask now?”

“Do you want to see my face that much?” Katse cackles. He reaches toward his mouth, and spits something into his fingers.

 

“Take a look!” Katse screeches, throwing the object to the ground. A swirl of blue smoke and flames fills the air.

 

Back on the God Phoenix, Jun is reporting that they’re at a distance of 1,000. I guess it’s kilometers, but she doesn’t say.

“Switching to IFR!” Jinpei announces. Now I thought he meant ‘Instrument Flight Reading’, but I guess not, because of what Joe says next.

“Get the infrared filter ready!” Joe orders. “Zoon in!”

 

“Roger!” Ryu replies, and on the viewscreen we can see that the God Phoenix is approaching the Defense Minister’s residence from Episode 51.

 

The infrared filter shows the Defense Minister’s office and vault.

“The signal’s coming from inside that vault!” Jinpei says.

 

“Okay, let’s go ahead and charge right in.” Joe decides. This is the Condor we know and love!

__________________
 

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Meanwhile, inside the Galactor base, Katse and the Defense Minister are getting away on the elevation platform.

“I have no problem giving you that missile, Gatchaman.” Katse smirks, rising upward on the platform. “But you should know that it won’t go anywhere without a pilot. So unless one of you decides to sacrifice yourself, the Earth is doomed!”

Ken and Red Impulse are shocked to hear this!

 

But the Galactor Leader’s triumphant laughter is interrupted by the sound of screeching metal, and the nose of the God Phoenix bursts into the room, tearing through the walls as if they were made of paper.

 

The Defense Minister is knocked off of the elevation platform, and Ken turns his head away rather as the man hits the metal floor.

 

Berg Katse throws himself away from the God Phoenix, grabbing ahold of a tiny ledge on the wall. He clings to the small handhold, a potentially fatal drop below him.

 

“Damn meddling mongrels!” Katse swears.

The other four members of the Science Ninja Team stand on the nose of the God Phoenix, staring down at Katse as he struggles to hold onto his precarious perch.

 

“This time, Galactor will prevail!” Katse cries, catapulting his body across the short distance to another platform passing by. “Gatchaman, Galactor has not given up on conquering the Earth. We’ll be back! We’ll be back no matter what!!”

 

Aaaaannnndd…. Katse gets away. Did you expect any less?

“Listen up, Team,” Red Impulse says loudly, taking control of the mission, “it’s just as that pointy-eared freak said. The missile can’t possibly launch without somebody piloting it. So, I’ll count on you to carry on.”

 

“Hey!” Ken shouts. “Wait just a minute! What do you think you’re doing?”

 

“If giving my life will save the Earth, then so be it.” Red Impulse says.

“No, please!” Ken protests. “Let me go, instead! After all, it’s my fault that everything has to come to this!”

Of course in a way, Ken is right. The Science Ninja Team would have stopped Berg Katse from launching the V2 Missile in the first place had Ken been with them, instead of running off with Sabu. But now is hardly the time for finger-pointing.

“Stay out of this, young man!” Red Impulse orders imperiously.

“What the hell?” Ken screams angrily, suddenly lunging at Red Impulse and pulling on his uniform. “Why do you always treat me like a child? I’m a grown man!” Uh, screaming and tantruming isn’t exactly behaving like an adult, Ken.

 

“Ken! Stop it! That man is your father!” Jun shouts.

 

“You mean that he’s…?” Ken’s mouth falls open in astonishment. Red Impulse raises his goggles, and we can see his face.

“Dr. Nambu told us everything, Ken.” Jun tells him. “The man in front of you, the Commander of Red Impulse, is your father! He’s your Dad!”

 

 

“You’re… my Dad?” Ken asks hopefully.

 

“Ken…” Red Impulse sighs.

“It was you… all this time… right in front of me…” Ken whispers, his eyes filling with tears.

 

“Ken, I thought it would be for the best if I left without letting you know.” Red Impulse says firmly. “I couldn’t have done anything for you as a father. But now there’s something I can do.”
So does Red Impulse embrace his only child? Show any sign of affection?

No. He reaches out, grabs Ken by the shoulder and the leg, and lifts him up above his head.

 

Needless to say, the others are shocked!

 

Red Impulse starts turning around with Ken on his shoulders, spinning again and again, building up momentum.

 

Okay… just what kind of father is Red Impulse? Why is he grabbing Ken here?

 

He stretches out his arms and releasing his son, sending Ken flying across the room, only to land in an undignified heap on the floor.

 

 

“I didn’t want this kind of goodbye.” Red Impulse says, as if nothing untoward has happened. “It hurts to leave you like this, but I’ve got no choice.” It hurts him? Heck, Ken’s the one who just got thrown across the room, by his own father, and in front of his Team! Gee, Red Impulse, sure you couldn’t have just pushed Ken back?

IMHO, Red Impulse is really out of line here. I understand that he wants to prevent Ken from getting on the missile, but he really doesn’t need to do this in the way that it’s presented here. Everyone knows how I feel about Red Impulse, and this is one of the scenes that fuels my dislike for the man. ‘Nuff said.

“Stay healthy, and be strong, my son.” Red Impulse says, pulling on his goggles.

“No, Dad, wait!” Ken cries out, but Red Impulse ignores his son as he runs up the ramp and into the cockpit of the missile.

“Don’t leave me now!” Ken pleads. “Dad! Please don’t go!”

 

 

“Farewell, Ken!” the Colonel says as the hatch closes.

 

“Come back! Please!” Ken calls, his voice anguished.

 

Everyone watches silently as the missile launches, moving slowly into the ocean around Hontwal. As it goes, the Science Ninja Team runs to the edge of the launch area. Ken can hardly believe what’s happening as the tears stream down his face.

 

Inside the missile, Red Impulse pilots stoically.

 

He thinks about Ken.

“Ken, do you remember that day?” he thinks to himself. “The day I left for the Southern Skies after leaving you with Nambu?”

 

“You were only small, but you kept running after me.”

 

“You would run and then fall, but every time you’d fall you’d get back up. You were stained with tears and mud, but you kept running after me…”

“Ken!” Red Impulse shouts out loud.

 

The missile explodes in the sky. Ken gasps as he realizes that his father has just died.

 

The skies and waters are now blue again, signifying that the counter-missile was successful in its attempt to blow the Van Allen Belt back into place. But Ken is screaming out for his father.

 

Does this remind you of the shot where Ken screams out for Jun at the end of the Jigokillers Part I episode?

The rest of the Team mourns for Red Impulse.

 

Skies around the world clear, just as Dr. Nambu’s 12 hour confinement at the ISO comes to an end. Nambu pulls a high tech cell phone out of his jacket for a report.

 

He hears about the fate of Red Impulse, and tears fall down his cheeks.

 

But he composes himself and goes on with his job.

“Everyone, I have just received word from the Science Ninja Team that the Earth has been saved, thanks to a dear friend’s sacrifice.”

“I’m sorry, Doctor.” is all Director Anderson can say.

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The doors to the conference room open, and the sun rises across the city. Tinkling music reminds us that this is a new day, fresh with hope, and that all is now well.

“Look, it’s the sun!” says one tired, recently incarcerated ISO world representative.

Nambu leaves the conference room, ignore Director Anderson calling after him.

“Farewell, Red Impulse.” he thinks. “How can I apologize to you? Or to Ken?”

The narrator comes on to tell us that the missile that Red Impulse piloted exploded 1,000 km above the Earth. Its blast blew the descending Van Allen Belt back out of the atmosphere, and the Earth was saved. We see images of destruction caused by the V2 Plan.

But the narrator reminds us that doesn’t mean that the battle between the Science Ninja Team and Galactor is over! Oh no, there are another 53 episodes yet to come!


Onboard the God Phoenix, everyone is back.

 

“Ken, you look much better sitting in that seat than I ever did.” Joe admits. “Welcome back.” Personally, I think this is pretty big of the Condor. He’s admitting that Ken is a better leader, and not faulting Ken at all for all of the problems the Team had after Ken ran off.

But Ken ignores Joe.

“Berg Katse, it’s your fault that my father is dead!” Ken growls. “I’ll chase you to the ends of the Earth, and finish you off with my own bare hands!”

 

And on that cheery note, the episode ends.

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BOTP Episode 80 – The Sky Is Falling, Part II


Here at Center Neptune, many fathoms beneath the sea, Zark’s interstellar probes and scanners have been working overtime. And why?

It’s all because Mark, the Commander of G-Force, took leave without permission. This is so terrifying that Zark feels the need to pace!

 

So why did Mark do this? He went up to Planet Riga to search for his father.

“We need him badly right now!” Zark whines. “Spectra is imperiling the Earth with an awesome new weapon! It’s called their X3 Plan!”

Gee, this makes me wonder if at this late stage in BOTP’s development, if the Sandy Frank people were actually paying attention to the Gatch plots! They figured out about Ken’s relationship with RI, and the similarity of the names V2 and X3… It’s like HAL and IBM!

“They’ve launched rockets into the Van Allen Belt, high above the Earth, and if their plan is successful, the Belt will be lowered, and finally, disintegrated, allowing ionizing radiation to contaminate this globe!” Zark recaps for us. “It’s as though the sky were falling on us!”

But such a disaster doesn’t preclude Zark from flying over to his control monitors.

“I’ve been on red alert for two days!” Zark exclaims, clearly looking for sympathy. “Earth, and all the intergalactic planets of the Federation are depending on me to find a way to stop the Spectra doomsday machine.”

 

“I’ve just got to try and locate Mark!” Zark says, but he is interrupted in this task.

“Oh dear!” he exclaims. “I’m picking up another Spectra rocket on its way to the Van Allen Belt! The first missile was bad enough, but what will this one do?”

Yes, the footage we are seeing is not (repeat not) a recap of the previous episode, but rather we are seeing a second missile hitting the Van Allen Belt.

“I must find a way to help G-Force to stop it, before it’s too late!” Zark voices over.

“The rocket has exploded!” Zark exclaims, and I seriously wonder if he’s about the have whatever the robot version of a heart attack is.

“Radioactive rays are already penetrating the protective belt around the Earth.” Zark informs us, somewhat more calmly. “Flames are causing icebergs to melt, and tidal waves to erupt! Lightning bolts are striking, and Lava flows from volcanoes!” His voice is getting more worried again.

Honestly, Zark has never sounded this upset before. He seriously sounds terrified. I’m wondering if they stopped to wonder what Zark’s terror would do to young children who had always been assured by said robot that everything would be ‘just fine’.

“The radical change in the Earth’s atmosphere has spawned tornadoes, and forest fires!” Zark reports. “Worried people meet to fight the scourge.”

Interestingly enough, we see a lot of footage of these disasters, but absolutely no one appears to be getting hurt.

Deep in Center Neptune, far beneath the sea (oh wait, that’s Zark’s line) the G-Force Team are glumly waiting for Chief Anderson.

“Yech! Looks awful!” Keyop burbles.

“We’ll think of something.” Princess says, but her facial expression isn’t too confident. The door opens and Chief Anderson walks in.

“We have just received a message from Spectra.” he announces, holding up a tape player. “I will play it. You will recognize the voice.”

Everyone gathers around to listen, and is shocked to hear Zoltar’s voice coming from the cassette, despite Anderson’s strong hint.

“Good morning Chief Anderson and my friends at G-Force.” the tape says.

“The purple party pooper!” Tiny exclaims.

“Some friend!” Keyop broops.

“By now you are aware of the power we have unleashed.” Zoltar’s taped message goes on. “Within 6 months, the Earth will become completely contaminated. You have one choice left. Surrender! Or be destroyed. We can still stop the X3 Plan and replace the Van Allen Belt, but I warn you, you must act in 24 hours or face destruction!”

As an aside, I’m blown away here. Other than taking out the shots of people dying, this episode is pretty closely following the Gatchaman plot. It’s amazing!

“He’s so cocky!” Jason says, punching his hand.

“There must be something we can do to stop him.” Princess offers weakly.

“There might be… if we only had time.” Anderson replies.

“He said he could replace the Van Allen Belt.” Tiny observes. “But how?”

“He would use a missile.” Anderson explains. “This is a map of the Earth showing the Van Allen Radiation Band. Theoretically it is possible to blow up the Band by causing a huge explosive wind. But to perform this feat, we would need a missile of extraordinary strength.”

“And we don’t have one.” Tiny says glumly, rubbing his nose.

“But Spectra does have one!” Keyop broops.

“In that case, why don’t we use theirs?” Jason asks slyly.

“Good thinking!” Princess smiles. “We’ll infiltrate the Spectra base on Riga!”

“Snatch their missile!” Keyop burbles happily.

“A maneuver like that would take all of your skill and daring.” Anderson says emotionlessly. “I wish you good luck.”

“G-Force!”

As the Team runs out of the room, Anderson calls back Princess.

“With Mark still missing, Jason is technically in command of G-Force.” the Chief says. “Help him out.”

“Sure, Chief!” Princess grins, before leaving.

IMHO, this is pretty insulting. Anderson isn’t really expressing any confidence in Jason with a statement like that.

We cut to a scene of Zoltar and another man opening a vault door.

“I am concerned that Anderson isn’t giving us any indication of surrendering!” the man says. Why, it’s the Chief of the Secret Spectra Forces on Riga! And it is most assuredly not Chief Alban from Planet Odin. Even though the two men look absolutely identical, and have identical offices, and were/are both in cahoots with Zoltar, they are not the same. Got it?

“Don’t worry, when the pressure gets strong enough, he’ll submit!” Zoltar assures the man. “They all will!”

The two men step through the vault door and onto a platform which lowers them down into a massive base, where a rocket is being constructed.

“Give me a progress report!” Zoltar demands of Captain Undead-Fish.

“We need more time, Sire!” Undead-Fish tells him.

“We are already behind schedule! Have it ready tonight!” Zoltar insists.

“Impossible, Sir! It will take at least 2 days for experts to install the missile’s computer brain.” Undead-Fish explains. “Without the computer brain, the missile is useless!”

“Do not tell me what is useless. Just do what I ask without any more delay!” Zoltar shouts.

“For you, Sire, we shall achieve the impossible.” Undead-Fish assures Zoltar.

“I want the Doomsday Missile ready for launching, and I want it now!” Zoltar rants like a tantruming child. “Do it!”

Zoltar and the Chief of the Secret Spectra Forces on Riga get onto the elevation platform, which moves across the room so they can observe the progress of the missile’s construction. Two goons are working on the missile and one looks familiar…

But rather than explore that, we cut to a scene of a burning planet. Zark comes on in a voiceover to tell us that ‘Zoltar’s fiendish plan is creating panic everywhere’. We see natural disasters, but no one gets hurt.

“Desperate people are demanding help from their officials!” Zark informs us.

“Save us!”

“Surrender to Spectra!”

“Stop the disasters!” yell people outside one government building.

“The people don’t know what to do!” Zark explains. “They are suffering and they want peace, at any price. The officials want peace too, but they don’t know how to get it without surrendering.”

This is an interesting message Zark is sending to the viewers: peace is good, but only if you’re the winner, not the loser.

“The photos you see behind me tell the story.” says President Kane, speaking to an assembly. “As you can see, the flames are spreading. The time has come to stop talking. We must reach a decision! Shall we let the Earth die, or shall we surrender to Spectra?”

“Sir, we are not yet compelled to make a final decision.” says Chief Anderson, standing up. “We still have a few hours.”

“What can we do with a few hours?” asks one of the other participants. “Our people demand answers at once!”

“I agree. To wait is to invite a disaster that’s even worse.” says another delegate. And he sounds suspiciously like Zoltar. Coincidence? Wink

“We must save the Earth at all costs, even if it means surrender!” says a third delegate.

“I insist that we make an immediate decision, and ease the panic of the people.” says the first delegate. This is so similar to the line from the Gatchaman episode that I’m nearly falling out of my chair in shock!

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Chief Anderson runs up the stairs and locks the door.

“Anderson, what are you doing?” the first delegate cries in dismay.

“These doors have an automatic lock system. They will not be opened for 12 hours.” the Chief replies.

“Are you mad?”

“Ridiculous!”

“Outrageous!”

“My dear friends, please remain calm.” Anderson says. “Surrender to Spectra means extermination for us, even if Earth is saved. I am asking you to be patient for 12 hours. You will therefore postpone all your reports for that length of time.”

And here, boys and girls, is our other moral for the day: if you can’t get your way, force everyone to do what you want.

“I don’t understand, Anderson.” President Kane says. “What course of action is open to us?”

“You forget: we have G-Force.” the Chief replies.

“We all acknowledge the services of G-Force.” Kane states, taking away the viewscreen and opening the blinds to display the true state of the city outside. “But look! This is one of our greatest cities! It now faces a threat of total annihilation. Can you guarantee that city will be here tomorrow?”

“Yes, I can.” says Anderson, to a burst of triumphant music. And why is it so triumphant? Why, because we see the Phoenix flying through the air, ready to save the Earth! But everyone onboard looks grim. Perhaps because a number of jets are approaching.

“Remote-controlled fighters at eleven o’clock!” Jason announces.

“Hold onto your hats! I’ll just give those jets a flying lesson!” Tiny says. He avoids the jets, and the missiles they shoot at the Phoenix.

“It’s out turn!” declares Jason, reaching for the red button. But his communicator flashes as he is about to press it.

“Hey, somebody’s calling!” Tiny exclaims.

“It’s Mark! He’s close by!” Princess says.

“If we don’t lose these bogeys, we’ll be down there with him!” Jason retorts. So Tiny flies straight up, confusing the fighters and destroying them. Remember, they were remote-controlled, and therefore pilotless.

“Mark has transmitted his location!” Princess reports, tracking it at her station. “Let’s just hope that we can find our Commander before Spectra launches another attack!”

“Tiny, just keep tracking the signal that Mark is sending out!” Jason orders.

“Big ten, Jason!” Tiny agrees.

“I hope Mark is okay. We sure need his leadership now!” Princess exclaims. Way to support Jason, Princess! Is that what you planned when you told the Chief you’d help him out?

After a commercial break, we’re back with Zark.

 

Notice the Zark pennant and 7 sticker on his bulletin board?

“I should be at work downstairs,” Zark admits, “but it’s just too nerve-wracking at Nerve Center Control!” Um… isn’t that why they call it Nerve Center Control?

“If I try to handle all of those emergency calls, my central controls would just burn out!” Zark explains. Now I’m really wishing he would handle all of those calls. Devil1

“So I’ve come up here to relax.” Zark goes on. “There’s not much a robot can do, anyhow!” Wait a minute… this is Zark, the robot who takes credit for practically everything. And he’s saying that there’s not much he can do? Who messed with his modesty programming?

“The fate of the Earth is in the hands of G-Force.” Zark says reverently. And that makes this episode different from every other episode, where the fate of the Earth is in the hands of G-Force? I’m confused…

“They’d better do something pretty quick, or I’m liable to end up working for Zoltar!” Zark moans. I guess the idea of working for Zoltar distressed him so much that his grammar subroutines broke down.

 

1-Rover-1 barks in distress.

“And I’ll bet he doesn’t even have an employee retirement plan.” Zark sighs.

 

Fortunately, we now cut back to the Spectran missile. Its construction is complete, and we see goons sleeping against the walls. But one goon is tapping onto a G-Force communicator. Zoltar’s shadow appears on his mask.

“What have we here?” Zoltar asks, and the goon is startled. Hey, he looks familiar…

“Do you have a permit for that radio, or is it your hobby?” Zoltar asks. “There’s something strangely familiar about you… something I don’t like at all!”

Suddenly the goon’s uniform drops to the floor for no reason at all.

“He’s gone!” Zoltar exclaims, holding up the uniform.

A familiar laugh causes everyone to look up, and they see Mark standing up near the rafters.

“G-Force!” Zoltar shouts. “How did you get in here?”

“This time you’ve gone too far, Zoltar!” Mark replies grimly. “In your hunger for power, you’ve launched the X3 Plan. The Earth is facing extinction! You believe we’ll give up, but you’re wrong! We will never surrender to Spectra!” Mark gets progressively angrier, and appears to be furious by the time he is finished speaking.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix is approaching the area.

“Mark is directly beneath us!” Princess reports.

“Okay, Tiny,” Jason orders, “make like a teddy bear and squeeze us through that opening between the buildings.”

Huh? I’m confused again….

Tanks shoot at the Phoenix, but the ship just turns sideways and flies through the buildings. It does knock over a few tanks in its wake, but they don’t seem to be manned by anyone.

“Steady!” advises Princess.

“Dead ahead!” reports Keyop.

“Go down about 5 degrees.” Jason instructs Tiny.

“Let’s crash the party!” Keyop broops.

“Kick in Electron Blast Turbos!” Jason orders.

The ship crashes thought the building, and suddenly Zoltar is hanging off of the wall, and the Team is standing on the hull of the Phoenix.

“So you think you have me.” Zoltar says. “You will soon find out differently!” He leaps from his perch to the elevation platform.

“I will be free, but you will not be!” Zoltar declares. “And the X3 Plan will go forward as I have decreed. Farewell!” And he escapes. Did you really expect any less?

I’ll admit that it’s very strange. It looks like G-Force turned up, and the very sight of them caused Zoltar to abandon his missile, and his plan.

And suddenly Colonel Cronus is there! How he got there, I don’t know. He just appeared. But he tells the Team that ‘there is still work to do’. He turns to enter the missile.

“Wait! We have much to talk about.” Mark says.

“In this crisis, we have no time to talk.” Cronus replies.

“I’m grateful to you for saving my life,” Mark says, “but I am in command here.”

“Is that so?” Cronus laughs.

“Yes.” Mark says calmly. Then he grabs Cronus by the collar, for apparently no reason at all. “I am the Commander of rank, and you will follow my orders.”

“Mark, don’t! That man is your father!” cries Princess.

“Cronus, my father?” Mark asks, surprised. He doesn’t seem to be too emotional about this. Cronus removes his goggles.

“Chief Anderson told us everything!” Princess explains. “How your father was sent on a special mission when you were only a child.”

“I thought you were only a good friend.” Mark whispers. Okay, now he’s emotional.

“My son.” Cronus says simply.

“We worked together…” Mark says quietly, tears in his eyes. “So many times… why…?”

“I wanted to tell you so often.” Cronus admits. “But my work kept me silent and away from you. How often I’d hoped for this reunion. But it’s going to be brief.”

Aaaannnnddd…. Cronus picks up Mark, spins him around, and throws him across the room. Yep, you’re watching BOTP here. I can’t believe it either.

This seems even less in character for Cronus than it does for Red Impulse.

“Fourteen years ago I was given this task, and neither you, nor anyone else, can stop me.” Cronus says. “I have to destroy the X3 Plan!” He turns and goes up the ramp to the missile.

“Father…” Mark protests. “Don’t go…”

“Take me with you!” Mark cries out, as it becomes clear that Cronus is, indeed, leaving him behind.

“Goodbye!” Cronus says, as the door to the missile closes.

“Don’t go!” Mark cries again. But the missile does go, out into the water. It shoots into space, and Cronus remembers Mark as a child, and then as a young man. The missile explodes, and Mark cries in shock. He raises his chin, and looks like he’s about to shout out, but instead we cut to the rest of the G-Force Team, who all look very sad. Keep in mind that there’s nothing here to actually indicate that any harm has come to Cronus.

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The Van Allen Belt moves back into place, and the Earth is saved. Chief Anderson’s timed lock opens. The Chief gets a phone call. We’re not sure what he’s told, but he tells the caller ‘thank you’, and a tear falls down his face.

“Gentlemen, I have just received a report from G-Force!” Anderson announces. “They succeeded, thanks to the bravery of Mark’s father.”

“Open the doors!” orders President Kane, and it is so. The sun rises over the city.

“The Earth is born again!” calls out one of the delegates. Anderson leaves the conference room.

“The nightmare is over and Earth is safe once again for humans and robots!” Zark’s voiceover tells us. “That’s because of one man. Sad as he is, Mark must be very proud of his father.” So, it seems like they are actually implying that Cronus died, although that wasn’t entirely obvious in the scene.

Onboard the Phoenix, everyone is flying home.

“I couldn’t feel worse if I’d lost my own father, Mark.” Jason says.

“He sacrificed himself to stop a madman on the loose.” Mark says angrily, clenching his fist. “I won’t rest until that madman is apprehended and brought to justice!”

But as it looks like the episode is fading out, we get our usual dose of Zark.

“I’ve got to get in touch with Susan out on Planet Pluto.” he says. “I have a hunch about something!” Smug, thy name is Zark.

“Your hunch was absolutely right, Zark.” says Susan, speaking from a dangling transmitter today.

 

“Are you sure, Susan?” Zark asks excitedly. He sounds like he’s about to pee his pants. Or whatever is the equivalent for robots.

“I checked it out carefully.” Susan breathes huskily. “You are always right, Zark.”

“Well, whoever heard of a wrong robot?” Zark says giddily. Um, I would guess that all of those Spectran robots are technically ‘wrong’, but that’s just me.

“You can’t confuse a computer, you know!” Zark says. “Thanks, Susan. That’s really good news, and I appreciate it.”

“Always my pleasure.” Susan breathes, as her transmitter rises up toward the ceiling. “Bye.”

And horribly drawn Mark and Princess arrive!

 

“Hello, Zark.” Mark says, but his voice sounds subdued.

“Hi, Zark! 1-Rover-1!” chirps Princess. Yep, she’s sounding pretty chipper.

1-Rover-1 barks.

“Commander, I’m certainly glad you dropped in!” Zark exclaims. “I have some wonderful news for you! Your father is safe!”

“That’s impossible!” Mark declares. I saw…”

 

You can tell by his face that he’s in shock. Wink

“My electron viewfinders photographed the X3 missile moment before it was detonated.” Zark explains. “And I detected an escape capsule being jettisoned!”

“You think it was Mark’s father?” Princess asks. No, Princess, Cronus jettisoned an empty escape capsule, just for kicks before he bought the farm. Doh2

 

“I’m positive!” Zark is sure. “Susan checked, and the escape pod is heading back toward Planet Riga.”

“Mark, I’m so happy for you!” says Princess.

“Thanks, Princess, and thank you, Zark.” Mark says.

“Zark, you’re brilliant! You always come up with the most wonderful answers to everything!” Princess gushes. Okay, I’m going to have to take a momentary break here… Puke2

Oh yeah, and she kisses Zark. Ewwwwww…. no matter how any times I see it, it still makes me ill. Puke3

 

“Susan really flicks my button.” says Zark. “But she’s away out there on Pluto, and Princess is so close! I’m torn. Which one am I most fond of? There’s an answer I can’t come up with!”

Ugh… I think Princess should be really scared now!

“I’m just not programmed to make difficult choices like that.” Zark sighs. “Oh well. My first and last love will always be G-Force!”

And he salutes.

 

1-Rover-1 salutes and barks too.

“Yes, of course, and you too, 1-Rover-1.” Zark adds just before we fade out.

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The scene where Ken discovers Red Impulse is his father was also used in the Eagle Riders series, as a flashback. In that series, Hunter knew all along that Harley Harris was his father, but the two of them didn’t always see eye to eye. Here is the scene. (in two pieces)

*****

Excerpts from Eagle Riders Episode X14 – Abduction and Return

Harley Harris picks up his son, spins him in a circle, and throws him across the room. The rest of the Eagle Riders Team is horrified.

“No, Father, you can’t do this!” Hunter screams as he spins.

“I’m sorry about this, Son.” Harley says. “But there’s only one way to destroy that radiation band. I can pilot the missile. It’s my job.” he turns and climbs up the ramp into the missile.

“Dad, let me help you!” Hunter calls out.

“You can help me by understanding!” Harley shouts.

“No, Dad, I don’t understand!” Hunter protests. “Please!”

“You’ll make a fine soldier, Hunter.” Harley says, as the ramp rises up to seal the missile. “You’re brave, and you’re smart.”

“Father, don’t leave me!” Hunter cries. “Come back!”

“Goodbye, son.” Harley says, as the door closes. “I love you!”

While I’m not impressed with this scene in this version either, I have to admit I like the ‘I love you.’ touch. It’s important, especially as Harley knows he’s going to his death.

“You won’t make it!” cries out Hunter, realizing the truth.

“Father!” Hunter calls, racing down to the end of the launching platform.

“You have to let him go. He knows what he’s doing.” says Joe.

“As everyone at the International Science Organization already knows, my father was Harley Harris, former Head of the Global Security Force.” Hunter says, in voiceover as we watch the missile moving through the ocean and launching into space. “The last time I saw him, he was leaving to pilot a manned missile, and knew he wasn’t coming home again.”

As the missile launches, Harley Harris records a goodbye message. Interestingly, he is doing it telepathically, as his lips aren’t moving.

“Our engineers have revealed that there was one weak spot in the Vorak radiation band.” Harley says. “If my cluster bomb doesn’t hit it at the precise point, the damage they will cause to the Earth’s atmosphere is unthinkable. Though I now give my life to defend the Global Good, I do so willingly, and with pride. But my final thoughts are only with Hunter, and how lucky I was to have him as a son.”

Wow… this is one Eagle (uh… Hawk) that was truly loved by his Dad!

“Farewell!” Harley shouts, just before the missile explodes.

Hunter cries in shock as he sees the explosion in the sky.

“Vorak, you destroyed my Father!” Hunter shouts into the sky, doing his best ‘Wrath of Khan’ tribute. The other Eagle Riders mourn.

“That was the longest day of my life.” Hunter says, via voiceover. “The idea of sacrifice was no longer glamorous. The planet was saved, but my world had just been blown away.”

*****

Later on in the same episode, Hunter has another flashback about his father. Keep in mind that in Gatchaman/BOTP, this scene comes immediately before RI/Cronus spinning and throwing his son across the room, but in Eagle Riders the two scenes are supposed to be completely separate memories.

“We had some tough times during my initial training to be the leader of the Eagle Riders.” Hunter recalls. “He meant well. He was trying to be protective. It was just after the Eagle Riders had finished training. We thought we were going on our first combat assignment, but when we got to the base, we got a rude awakening.”

Cutting into the scene…

“You’ll provide support from here.” Harley says, turning to go up a ramp.

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Hunter says, rushing up. “We’ve been trained to be professional pilots!”

“That may be true, but you’re not ready to fight the Vorak.” Harley says harshly.

“I beg your pardon, Commander, but how can you be sure, when we haven’t been given a chance to prove ourselves?” Hunter asks.

“You’re questioning my judgment.” Harley says.

“You bet!” Hunter replies, grabbing his father by his uniform. “We came here to defend the planet, and no fathead’s gonna dismiss us!”

“Hunter, stop!” Kelly cries. “We still have to follow military protocol!”

“Not if it’s a personal problem!” Hunter disagrees.

“You shouldn’t be here!” Harley lectures.

“But we’re ready to fly!” Hunter protests. Harley takes off his goggles, and Hunter gasps.

“You’ve been the reason we aren’t getting any missions!” Hunter exclaims.

“He never intended for us to fight!” Kelly is shocked.

“All this time he’s been extending our training,” says Ollie, “keeping us from going into battle!”

Hunter and Harley hold each other’s arms in a stalemate. Both have expressions of disbelief on their faces.

“Sorry, but Father, you taught me about duty!” Hunter reminds Harley.

“Yes, but I never thought you would dedicate your life to the Cause.” Harley admits.

“I understand, Father.” Hunter says. “I understand everything, now. Since Mother died, you’ve been all alone and worried about me.”

“Yes.” Harley agrees. “I loved your mother very much, and you represent her hopes and dreams. She would have been so proud of you. Son, if something happened to you, I’d have nothing to live for! Forgive me! I couldn’t put you in harm’s way…”

The flashback fades out.

“He gave up everything for me. He was really something.” Hunter reminisces.

*****

I have to say, of all of the Eagle (Hawk) fathers, I like Harley Harris the best.

And as an aside, you guys have to know how dedicated I am to this episode writeup job, because I watched the scene where Ken is thrown across the room three times! I had a hard time eating dinner the day I wrote this up.

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And to finish off... I just had to add this. It’s a great animation Raggletag made from this episode.

 

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I wonder if the writers laid RI on a bit thick because he had so little air-time, or if there's some 1970s cultural thing we're missing.

Of course, we all know that Ken had to be tossed across the room because that was the only way RI could have a clear path into the missile. If they'd established the character a little better, this could have been powerful. As it is, we have to fill in the gaps ourselves.

I don't have my atlas handy, so I can't really say where Hontwarl might be. The scenes are drawn to look like somewhere in or around Switzerland. (I'm still trying to figure out where that very nicely decorated base we see in 'Duel on Galactor Island' and 'The Iron Beast Matangar' might be. Hontwarl?)

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TJ, you did a great job with this write-up and I thank you for giving us also the BOTP version together with that of the Eagle Riders ... your dedication to this episode is highlighted here!

I am always bugged with the fact of how the Eagle is so easily overthrown and defeated by RI without showing any effort in fighting against him! RI's throwing Ken in that matter is simply unjustified, especially after the very moment that he identified himself as Ken's father ... there could have been some father-and-son tenderness in some way! But I think that was the only way for RI to get Ken out of his way! I would have been glad if RI spoke out loud his thoughts about the flashback of Ken running after him when he was just a boy to Ken in person ... at least Ken could have had those last few words of his father left to remember! The last actions and words of a beloved one are very important to those left behind after their demise, believe me I know the feeling!

Correct me if I'm wrong but when Ken transformed himself into Gatchaman and told Galactor that what they did was wrong, taking advantage of his longing to meet his father, in that way didn't he just unmask his true identity?

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How about a different view of RI's actions? Maybe he was so impersonal with Ken because he knew that he would be sacrificing himself in just a few short minutes. Ken knew nothing about his father; maybe, in RI's mind, he thought it would be better if that mystery remained as it was. Don't give Ken any chance to know anything about him - this way his death would still be that of a stranger, rather than someone Ken got to know and love. I'm not saying that I agree with this theory, but it is another theory. Especially when you take into consideration the idea of dedication to duty.

Just some thoughts... Plus it's really early here, so if my thoughts may be a little disjointed. I reserve the right to come back later and make a better argument. Big Grin

Gatchamarie - good point about revealing his true identity. I often wondered that too. But I chalked it up to how many times before did they pretty much blow their identities? Or the whole Gatcha-science idea... If it works for the ep, let it go.... Big Grin

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quote:
Originally posted by Hinotori
How about a different view of RI's actions? Maybe he was so impersonal with Ken because he knew that he would be sacrificing himself in just a few short minutes. Ken knew nothing about his father; maybe, in RI's mind, he thought it would be better if that mystery remained as it was. Don't give Ken any chance to know anything about him - this way his death would still be that of a stranger, rather than someone Ken got to know and love. I'm not saying that I agree with this theory, but it is another theory. Especially when you take into consideration the idea of dedication to duty.


That's not valid, IMHO, because Ken is standing there crying and clearly emotional already. Also, Ken had abandoned his Team to go find his father in the previous episode, and RI knew it.

As for revealing his identity... there's one thing you missed. Galactor knows that Ken Washio is the son of Kentaro Washio. And (if they were listening, which they weren't, because otherwise we'd never have episode 61) all Gatchaman is revealing is that wanted to see his father. Even if they associate that with Red Impulse (which they don't, see aforementioned episode 61) they would then know of Gatchaman's relationship to RI. As long as BOTH secret identities are kept, then they haven't made that connection.

But the real answer is... Katse was looking for a way to get out of there and wasn't paying too much to Gatchaman's rantings. After all, usually he's not saying much that Katse would be interested in. Wink

ETA I can see it now... all Ken has to do is say, 'The White Shadow steals close...' and Katse starts to fall asleep! ROFL 2

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TJ, you always do such a great job on these.

I have Eagle Riders and will have to go back and rewatch that episode, as I don't remember some of it.

I've always had mixed feeling about RI, mostly because I have father issues of my own.

Some of the commanders used by Katse seem to be alien even for them, like fish face in this one. Are they robots/cyborgs?

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Gatch captains/commanders: I was inspired to make some of them mutants in my fics after the 'Little Gatchamans' episode. The captain has that great line about having only one eye. So, I thought, if Katse is a mutant, how about some of these other captains are also lab experiments? Where are they going to go? What are they going to do? They HAVE to stay with Galactor.

TJ: BotP does get a bit anvilicious, and it is simpleminded too many times. But most of us would agree that peace based on surrender to a brutal invader is not necessarily desireable. What we would do if faced with a REAL brutal invader is another matter. (Me: shit myself and turn into a quivering mass of goo. I am not an action hero.) Of course, if said invader could drop the Van Allen belt on our heads, even the most rebellious survivalist anti-goverment paranoids might drop their guns and surrender. Especially after seeing a few dozen giant metal monsters stomping things flat before then.

(Another thing to notice: after this, the world gets back into shape pretty quickly. There's some lovely scenery in places that should have been fried.)

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quote:
Originally posted by Becky Rock
TJ, you always do such a great job on these.

I have Eagle Riders and will have to go back and rewatch that episode, as I don't remember some of it.


Thank you, Becky! The ER episode was based on the 'Red Impulse on a spaceship' episode of Gatchaman II. You can see my ER writeup (for the entire episode) here:

http://www.junsjoint.net/eagleriders/eagleriders14.html

UW, I love the idea that Galactor is experimenting and some of these CotW 'costumes' were actually their real faces! And your'e right about BOTP, but they don't explain the concept in that manner. They dumb everything down, to the point where they seem to be contradicting themselves.

And yeah, I'd be a quivering pile of goo too.Spooked

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Hi all!

quote:
That's not valid, IMHO, because Ken is standing there crying and clearly emotional already. Also, Ken had abandoned his Team to go find his father in the previous episode, and RI knew it.


Try looking at this from the perspective of Red Impulse. If he seems hard and cold, it could easily be because he knew what was coming, and if he let his emotions out at the moment, he might not have been able to do what needed to be done.

James

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Of course. It's difficult to throw your son across the room when you're all gushy with emotion for him. Wink

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Hi all!

quote:
IMHO, Red Impulse is really out of line here. I understand that he wants to prevent Ken from getting on the missile, but he really doesn’t need to do this in the way that it’s presented here. Everyone knows how I feel about Red Impulse, and this is one of the scenes that fuels my dislike for the man. ‘Nuff said.


My opinion of this scene differs greatly from yours. Merely pushing Ken away would not likely have provided the physical distance needed for Red Impulse to have boarded the rocket, and from a dramatic perspective, the events as shown have far more emotional impact. For me, the scene works. For you, it obviously does not.

I also prefer the original Japanese for this scene, with Ken calling out "Father!" instead of all of the ADV "Don't go" lines. Katsuji Mori did it far better than Leraldo Anzaldua.

James

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