Gatchman Episode 92: “The End of the Crescent Base”

[Thank you, Saturn, for the screen caps!]

Gatchman Episode 92: “The End of the Crescent Base”

BOTP Episode: “Invasion of Space Center, Part II”





Picking right up from episode 91, we start with a view of sun shining through a blue sea, but it quickly becomes apparent that we’re seeing an incoming barrage of torpedoes.

“Torpedoes detected! Distance 500!” cries an anxious voice as we see the torpedoes all registering as dots of light on a radar screen.





“Fire rocket engines! Move the base!” orders another anxious voice –this one belonging to Dr. Nambu- as we see a view of the Crescent Coral Base’s engine room.

And the base’s engines fire up, but the torpedoes are zooming in fast (and besides, they’re attracted to the homing beacon the Galactor agents planted so I doubt they’ll be evaded much by moving the base).

Indeed it is too late.





Torpedoes strike and pierce the lower section of the base, where the engines are located. There’s a massive explosion that sends flames shooting out of the sea and into the air above, and a second one, and we briefly get an aerial view of the coral reef, with smoke and flames rising from the sea on either side of it.




Inside an engine room, water is now pouring in. “Damage in Engine Room One!” reports a voice, “Flooding in Engine Room One! All maintenance personnel report immediately!”

Water continues to pour in, and as frightened scientists and technicians look on, a vast wave of water sweeps towards them and washes them away. Elsewhere, another explosion erupts near another group and unleashes a new flood of water to whisk them away as they cry out in horror.





A piece of one of the damaged engines breaks off and falls into another part of the engine, and yet another explosion results, sending flames shooting out into the water that surrounds the underwater base and more water now rushes in through this new breach in the base’s exterior.

We’re getting a view of the whole base, from below looking up, and it’s not looking good! Flames are emanating from the lower half of the base in multiple locations, and especially from near the engines, and explosions are continuing to break out.





The “camera” now zooms in on the round windows at the very top of the base and in one window, we see Ken and Jun looking out it while Dr. Nambu is busy at a console in the background.





Inside, Dr. Nambu is calling “Abandon Engine Room One!” into a microphone, as Ken watches him, eyes wide in concern, “Close the shutters to prevent further flooding.”

But still more torpedoes are incoming, “At distance 300!” reports a frightened voice. These torpedoes all hit and pierce one of the base’s engines.



Another massive explosion results, leaving the engine reduced to mangled wreckage barely attached to the base anymore.

“Having discovered the Science Ninja Team’s secret base, the Crescent Coral Reef, Galactor has ordered a full scale attack,” says the narrator, as we see still more explosions occurring inside the base’s engine rooms, “led by a homing device planted in Engine Room One, a barrage of torpedoes hit their target without fail and destroy the base.”

Explosions are causing metal girders and frames to collapse inside, as some technicians (or scientists, or engineers) frantically try to keep more of the machinery from breaking apart, while one cries “Fire in the main engine room!” as flames draw near.

We cut back to an external view of the entire base, still pouring flaming smoke from numerous areas. With the destruction of one of the engines, the base now appears to be off balance, and the entire thing begins to pitch. Up on the top level, Jun and Ken both cry out as the floor suddenly tilts, and they have to lean against the wall to stay upright.





“Detach us from the Coral Reef!” says Dr. Nambu, “Or the base will be crushed and fall in the trench!”

So, a technician says, “Understood, abandoning the camouflage reef!” and he presses a red button. Immediately, the girders that hold the reef onto the base itself fire up with small rockets, detach from the base and begin to move away from it.

But one girder doesn’t detach correctly. “Rocket number two failed –the camouflage coral reef won’t detach!” calls out the alarmed technician. And as the coral reef begins to tilt askew, because the base is now only attached to it on one side, one of the detached girders swings towards a large undersea window in the upper section of the base and smashes right through it.





Technicians scream before being hit with torrents of incoming sea water, and the base and the semi-attached coral reef tip even further askew, sinking deeper into the sea.

Fortunately, the base, still dragging the now-steeply tilted reef along with it, hits a rocky ledge, at the edge of the trench, and comes to a halt there, still spewing smoke and flames.



We get an aerial view and all that can be seen is flaming smoke rising up into the air from the sea and one pointy end of the reef, sticking up awkwardly from the water.

“Unless we burn through the pillar and detach it, the base will fall on its side!” says Ken now, looking out the window of the upper level room that he, Jun and Dr. Nambu are still in.

“Let’s call back the God Phoenix and cut it off by using the rocket gun,” suggests Jun.





“We can’t!” snaps a sweating Dr. Nambu. When Jun asks why, he goes on “Galactor will be waiting for the God Phoenix and blow it right out of the sky, that’s why!”

Ken and Jun look at each other in dismay. Meanwhile, more explosions continue to erupt throughout the base. An undersea window is smashed as a result, and still more water comes flooding in.

“Computer Room Two is damaged! It’s started flooding!” cries a voice from a speaker and Ken and Jun turn to stare, aghast.

We get a look at the room, and it’s completely full of water and the table and chairs are floating near its ceiling. Another explosion rips through the room.

Back where Ken, Jun and the Doctor are, Ken is snarling in anger and frustration and pressing his clenched fists against the window as his shoulders tremble.

Dr. Nambu is calling “Attention all personnel!” and ordering an immediate evacuation of the base. We see some scientists/technicians standing in a room, waist-deep in water with more coming in, listening to his words.





Another explosion rocks the room.

“There’s no way we can leave right now,” insists one of the men, responding back to Dr. Nambu. Dr. Nambu yells that the base will be “obliterated” in a matter of minutes but the man insists “We’re not leaving now –we’ve got to save the Mantle Project for world peace, don’t you see, man?”

I guess you have to admire his dedication, if not his instincts for self-preservation.

Another explosion hits the room and flames rush across the water’s surface.

An anguished looking Dr. Nambu is clutching his microphone. “What stubborn idiots!” he says, before turning and telling Ken to evacuate everyone. “All we can do now is reduce the casualties as much as possible! That’s it.”

“What about you?” demands Ken.

“I’ll dispose of our secret documents so that Galactor won’t get their hands on them,” he replies, “Now hurry!” Does this involve computer hard drives or servers? No -he runs over to some tall cabinets by the wall, opens them and begins pulling out and throwing binders full of documents into a pile on the floor.

Ooh, how high-tech.





“If anyone disobeys,” he snarls, “Throw them into the mini-submarine by force!”

“Let’s go!” calls Ken to Jun and they both run from the room as Dr. Nambu continues to heave more binders from the cabinets. I guess he’s planning to make a document bonfire.
Ken and Jun run down a flight of stairs.





And then we get another external view of the base. The situation’s not good –explosions are still ripping through the base and it’s continued to tilt as it sits on the ledge overlooking the trench, and now it looks like it’s going to fall down into the trench… very soon.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, the God Phoenix is speeding along underwater.

We cut to Dr. Nambu and the lighter he dropped has caught the pile of documents on fire and it’s burning away vigorously, but the massive computer that slid away from the wall has fallen on top of Dr. Nambu’s leg and he’s unable to pull himself free despite strenuous efforts, sweating heavily from, no doubt, both stress and the heat from the fire.





The God Phoenix is still heading back to the base, underwater, and it goes right over the Galactor ship that’s hidden in the sand on the sea’s floor.

On board the Galactor ship, two goons observe the God Phoenix, and note that it doesn’t seem to have detected them.





Meanwhile, a happy Berg Katse is listening to harpsichord music, drinking wine and playing chess (my, such cultured pastimes).

The goons inform him of the latest development and ask him if they should fire on the God Phoenix.

“Nah,” says Katse merrily, advancing a white pawn (not sure who he’s playing against), “Lets savor the moment. It’ll be neat to feel their anguish as they watch their base collapse into the deep!”





He reaches for a glass of wine from a server-goon and laughs. “Our cloaking device is on anyway,” he adds, sniffing his wine appreciatively, “So they’re no threat to us.”





As the God Phoenix approaches the Crescent Coral base, the base is mangled, burning and teetering on the edge of a deep trench, about to fall in.





Ryu sees it first and gasps in horror, followed immediately by Joe and Jinpei.





“What happened to our base?” whispers Ryu in shock as a wide-eyed Jinpei gasps “It’s wasted…”

Sweating, Ryu hits some buttons as he mutters “It’ll be a real tricky docking.”





The docking bay he’s aiming for is partially behind the reef, and tilted on an odd angle –as is the entire base. On his initial attempt to get the God Phoenix inside the bay, one of its wing pods hits the side of the bay entrance, and the whole base shifts slightly, and the girder that’s still holding the reef against the base tears some more.

“The base has lost its balance,” says Joe, frowning and sweating as he stands right beside Ryu, “The slightest shock will make it fall.”

But it hasn’t fallen quite yet, and Ryu takes a relieved breath. On his second try, he gets the God Phoenix in smoothly.

Back on the Galactor ship, Katse advances a white bishop. “What’s that?” he asks, “So the God Phoenix has just entered the base?” And, for some reason, he now sweeps all the chess pieces off the board and onto the floor (I guess his imaginary opponent was winning) and stands up.

“Very well!” he says, with a dramatic arm gesture, “The Science Ninja Team is trapped like rats now. Ready all torpedo tubes! Destroy the Crescent Coral base! Aim!”

The Galactor ship rises up now from its concealed position beneath sand and muck on the sea floor.

“Fire!” yells Katse, and more torpedoes are sent on their way.





Inside the base, Ken is banging with his hands on the door of the room that Dr. Nambu is in, yelling “Doctor! Doctor Nambu! Open the door!”

But inside the room, Dr. Nambu’s leg is still pinned beneath the massive computer, the fire is still burning and he’s unconscious now.





Ken’s looking frightened. “Doctor, Doctor Nambu…”

“Ken, you don’t think-” gasps Jun.

“This stupid automatic door’s had it, Jun,” says Ken, eyes closed as he shakes in frustration.





But then Joe’s voice comes over their bracelets. “Ken, can you hear me, Ken?”

Ken quickly asks “Where are you?” and Joe informs him he’s in the God Phoenix’s hangar. “What happened? We can’t get the shutter open?”

Ken tells him the generator room’s been destroyed. “All systems are down –doors and all.”

Hmm, that’s a design flaw, having doors that can’t open in the event of a power failure!

“Fabulous,” groans Ryu, “We shouldn’t have tried so hard to get in.”

And it gets worse. Jinpei sees the new barrage of incoming torpedoes on the radar screen.





“What?” says Joe, as does Ken, who’s listening in on his bracelet. He asks Jinpei their distance and is told “200 –they’re way too close!”





“Damn!” snarls Joe, banging a fist down on the console, “They must have been hiding nearby, just waiting!”

Ryu can’t understand why they didn’t pick up some sign of them on their radar.

“A cloaking shield,” answers Joe disgustedly. “100!” calls out Jinpei.

Jun looks at Ken, who’s closed his eyes in resignation and leaned back against the door that will not open, arms folded.

“This is it,” he says, “This is the end for us.”





The Galactor ship is incoming too, follow in the torpedoes’ wake –no doubt so that Berg Katse can watch the fun when they reach their target.


On this grim note…

Commercial Break!


The torpedoes draw still closer. Inside the God Phoenix’s hangar, Ryu closes his eyes and thinks “Here goes,” before pressing some buttons and banging the God Phoenix against the shutter door –presumably in the hopes of bashing it open.

The whole base tilts even more precariously…

Even as it tilts, Ryu keeps up with the banging and the torpedoes get ever closer.





Now the whole base really tips, going nearly horizontal.





Ken and Jun fall against the wall as it becomes their new floor, and the torpedoes all strike their target.

There’s a huge explosion, witnessed by the Galactor ship. “Did it work?” demands Katse eagerly as more and more torpedoes explode.

When the smoke and fire finally clear, it sure doesn’t look like there’s much of the base left intact at all –just a bunch of mangled chunks!





“Well, I’ll be damned. It actually worked. Didn’t see this coming,” says one of the several happy goons who are observing all this with Katse. Katse brushes them all aside, ignoring the implied insult in the goon’s words, to get closer to the view screen.

“We’ve done it at last,” Katse is saying, as if he too can’t quite believe they’ve actually pulled it off.

Now dozens of triumphant goons are gathered together, and they’re all raising their arms in the air in a group cheer and yelling “Banzai!” over and over, while others are clapping their hands together or dancing in circles, arm in arm.

Jun also cries out in surprise and she and Ken go tumbling too.

But as the base falls deeper into the trench, Ryu is able now to get the God Phoenix out of the hangar –I guess they did turn right side up in there!





“Right on!” Joe is saying, energized by this chance to finally do something, “It looks like God hasn’t abandoned us yet. Ryu, bring us about and ram through the hangar room.”

A grim looking Ryu seems keen to try just that, answering “Yeah!”

And with some triumphant-sounding trumpet music, he brings the God Phoenix about, fast, and succeeds in bashing it through the hangar, just like he’s done with many a Galactor mecha.





“Ken, we got the God Phoenix in,” Joe is saying as he watches the docking bay room they’re in fill with water from the hole they just bashed in its door. “We’ll head over your way now.”

Ken and Jun are standing up now, and Ken tells him to bring something that can burn through the automatic door to Dr. Nambu’s room.

“Will gunpowder do?” asks Joe. Hee, it figures he’d want to blow the door up!

Ken ruins his fun though by pointing out that since they don’t know where in the room Dr. Nambu might be, they have to be more cautious.

“Got it, I’ll figure something out,” answers Joe. He asks Ryu what their current depth is and Ryu tells him “1200.”

“You stay here and stand by so we can be ready to get out of this joint,” he instructs Ryu, and calls “Come on, kid!” to Jinpei before running to leave the God Phoenix. Jinpei says “Yeah!” and follows on his heels.

However, the entire docking bay is flooded with water.

Now, I know that what follows is dramatic and all, but there’s been plenty of episodes that demonstrate that they have scuba gear on board the God Phoenix. Why didn’t they take a minute here to go and get some of it?


I will assume that Joe felt that it was essential to get to Ken and Jun and rescue Dr. Nambu as soon as absolutely possible, and that he didn’t anticipate any trouble in the underwater swim that would be required to accomplish that.

When Joe and Jinpei get to the dome, Joe tells Ryu to open it as Jinpei takes a deep breath in preparation for holding his breath for a while.

Once immersed in the water, they begin to swim towards a stairway leading out of the docking bay.





Ken and Jun are waiting pensively.





But the sound of gurgling water gets their attention and they both look over at the top of a nearby stairway, flooded with water, where some air bubbles are now rising to the surface.

“Ken, the water’s coming in!” cries Jun.

“Great!” says Ken angrily, “Pretty soon the water pressure will twist this base apart!”

And indeed that’s what appears to be happening, as we get a look at the exterior of the base, still sinking deeper into the trench.

Meanwhile, Joe and Jinpei are still swimming underwater. They come up through a hatch, still underwater, and keep on swimming through another room, where furniture is floating around, but Jinpei is in some distress now –clearly running out of oxygen.





Beginning to black out, he stops swimming and sinks towards the floor.

Joe sees this and swims after Jinpei. He catches hold of him, putting a hand over Jinpei’s mouth to keep him from inhaling water.





But the base’s twisting, due to the increasing water pressure as it sinks still deeper, is causing chunks of it to break apart now. With large pieces of debris falling towards them, Joe starts swimming out of the way, bringing Jinpei with him.

Unfortunately, a very large and heavy piece of debris lands right behind them and pins the corner of Jinpei’s cape to the floor.

Joe yanks as hard as he can to pull Jinpei’s cape away, but it’s no use, and then Joe himself starts to run out of oxygen. Still he clearly has no intention of abandoning Jinpei to save himself, and he keeps trying to pull Jinpei’s cape clear of the debris.

That’s some damned strong fabric their birdstyles are made from -unfortunately, in this case.





Joe’s is still holding Jinpei and trying to free him when he too runs out of oxygen and collapses…





But, thank goodness, Ken is now in birdstyle and he’s swimming towards them from the opposite direction.






Up above, Jun is waiting anxiously near the water’s surface at the top of the flight of stairs. She gasps as the whole base shakes and rumbles, its top section slowly being crushed by the increasing water pressure. But just then, Ken breaks the water’s surface and he’s pulled Joe and Jinpei along with him.





Jun is initially thrilled they’ve all made it, but then is worried when she sees that Jinpei is unconscious (though Joe is showing signs of reviving).

“Don’t worry –he hallucinated because of the water pressure and blacked out, right Joe?”

Joe doesn’t say anything but he gives Ken a penetrating glare, frowning.

Is Ken trying to cover for Joe here? Why doesn’t he want to say that Jinpei’s cape got pinned under a piece of falling debris? It’s not like Joe can be blamed for that happening. Does Ken think that Joe would be embarrassed if everyone knew that he’d been ready to drown alongside Jinpei rather than leave him, or that he’d be embarrassed if everyone knew that he couldn’t figure out how to get Jinpei’s cape free (something which Ken, apparently, did figure out how to do –perhaps he sliced a piece of the cape off with his boomerang) and that he’d needed to be rescued too along with Jinpei?

I’m guessing that’s it –that Ken’s covering up the fact that Joe had needed to be rescued too. But is there also a silent reproach, “Next time –take scuba gear! ” here too? Perhaps he doesn’t want Jun to get upset at how close Jinpei came to drowning on Joe’s watch.

Ken carries Jinpei, still limp, out of the water, and Joe walks up the remaining stairs and out of the water too. Immediately he pulls a small gas canister from his belt and attaches it to the back of his cablegun.

It turns out that his cablegun can also function as a welding and cutting torch, and Joe starts cutting through the door to the room where Dr. Nambu is, as Jun watches.





Meanwhile, Ken instructs Ryu to bring the God Phoenix up near the observation room and to have first aid ready too

BOTP Episode: “Invasion of Space Center, Part II”

We open with a view of Center Neptune, where fish are swimming past serenely. I guess no one’s told them that there are incoming missiles.

“Things are very hectic down here at Center Neptune” Zark is saying, “Since Zoltar and the eeevil forces of planet Spectra are attacking our entire Space Complex.”

Yes, don’t forget that there’s an entire “Space Complex” here, even if all we’re currently seeing is Center Neptune.

“I still can’t get through to G-Force,” says a fretfully pacing Zark, as 1-Rover-1 sits nearby, “But my sensitive cosmic probes tell me that Mark, Princess and Chief Anderson are trapped inside the Research Center. I’ve got to find a way to rescue them before Zoltar’s missiles penetrate the electronic force shield that protects us from invasion.”

He stops pacing now.

“G-Force is still trying to find the targeting device that the Spectra missiles are homing in on. I’m counting on them, but those Spectra spies could have planted the homing transmitters in any number of places!”

And he flaps his cape vigorously and flies over to his monitors.

“I’d better check with Susan, out on planet Pluto just to make certain this attack by Spectra isn’t a total galactic invasion.”

And now Susan’s voice is coming through…

“Hello Zark, this is Susan, out on planet Pluto,” she says.

Susan, Zark knows where you are!

“You wanted to speak to me?” she continues.

“Susan!” exclaims Zark, “Sometimes your ESP is uncanny.”

“All of my paranormal receptors,” she replies, “Are perfectly attuned to your supramodulators, Zark. I am sensitive to your every component.”

Ick.

“You mean you know everything I think?” asks Zark, sounding a bit nervous.

“Sometimes before you think of it,” she claims.

“But we’re light years apart,” points out Zark, “How could you know?”

“I think we are the same sign,” replies Susan.

Oh that is just too “seventies”!

“Aries?” asks Zark. Makes sense –aren’t Aries people supposed to be bossy? Unless that’s Taurus…

“No, my sign says ‘Made by Quanto-Tobor Labs,’” explains Susan.

“That’s mine!” says Zark happily, “We are the same sign!”

“Anyway, I’m afraid I don’t have good news,” says Susan, finally getting around to telling Zark about an imminent galactic invasion, “There are more and more rockets coming from Spectra and headed towards Center Neptune.”

That’s interesting news –I wonder if we’ll get to see any of these “more and more” rockets from Spectra when they show up at Center Neptune.

“Thanks, Susan. I’ll try to reach G-Force again,” sighs Zark.

Now, other than Princess supposedly not having her communicator turned on, has there been any explanation as to why Zark hasn’t been able to contact them or any of the dozens or even hundreds of personnel throughout the entire Space Complex who might be able to convey a message to them even if Zark himself can’t?

And people actually tell this robot that he’s a genius…

If and how Zark tries, we don’t get to see. What we do see are all the missiles that are currently heading towards the Research Center, lured by a homing transmitter.

Inside the Research Center, Chief Anderson’s voice is broadcasting orders for everyone to evacuate the power complex and “Clear the Center! Clear the Center!”

“Thank heavens,” voice-overs Zark as we see the missiles again, “All of the personnel at Research Center are getting away just in time!”

So Zark knows this and yet he can’t contact anyone at Research Center –like Mark or Princess? It just doesn’t make sense…

But now all the missiles start hitting the lower part of the Research Center, where its engines are located. There’s lots of explosions and flames and smoke go shooting up, right past the coral reef (Hey, just like the one at Center Neptune!) and into the air.

In an engine room, water is gushing in and Chief Anderson’s voice is still ordering a complete evacuation as a piece of massive engine crumbles and falls into the rest of the engine, causing another explosion and a new breach in the Center’s exterior for water to flood in through.

We see the Research Center from a distance and smoke and flames are pouring from it while explosions are erupting all throughout.

Up close and near its upper level, Mark and Princess are staring out of a large round window while Chief Anderson is busy at a computer console behind them.

“Security Chief Anderson calling Center Neptune defense units,” Anderson is saying into a microphone, “Activate all anti-missile shields. Seal off Space Center!”

Great, so Zark is safe.

Missiles are still incoming, and they hit another of the Research Center’s engines, destroying it.

“Space Center’s anti-missile shields are working,” says Zark, happy that he at least won’t get blown up, no doubt, “But the Research Building is taking a terrible beating! I’m trying to get through to G-Force in the Phoenix, to warn them!”

Meanwhile, the interior of the Research Center is mostly flooded, on fire, wracked with explosions or “all the above.”

“Section D personnel –head for your escape hatch!” says Chief Anderson’s voice as we see the personnel in question doing something that suggest they’re trying to save one of the engines.

Does this mean that Zark lied? He said everyone was getting away safely. These guys appear to be neither safe (there’s a fire raging just ten feet away from them) nor away.

I’m so disillusioned.

Meanwhile, the Research Center continues explode and belch flames and smoke into the sea around it. And now it’s also starting to tip sideways.

He is indeed in trouble. The heap of top secret files is burning away vigorously and his leg is pinned beneath that massive computer that was careening towards him the last time we saw him.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix has returned and the sight that greets Tiny, Jason and Keyop is that of the battered and burning Research Center, its reef dangling vertically beside it, teetering on the edge of a deep trench. All three of them gasp in horror.

“Research Center!” cries Tiny. “Bombed out!” gasps Keyop. But Tiny guides the Phoenix towards one of the Research Center’s hangars, despite the fact that getting there, past the reef, is “like moving through a maze.” His first attempt to get the Phoenix inside the hangar causes one of its wing pods to bang into the exterior of the Center (which makes the whole thing shake and teeter that much more). “You can do it, Tiny,” says Jason encouragingly, “Just wiggle us in there somehow.”

It’s not entirely clear to me why they want to go in there. Shouldn’t they be attempting to contact Zark or, heck, somebody –even a sub full of evacuating personnel- to find out what’s going on before they go rushing in? And it’s not like they even know that Anderson, Mark and Princess are in there, since their attempts to contact those three were “ignored.”

Tiny’s next attempt is successful.

Meanwhile, Zoltar is playing chess, apparently by himself. Who knew that Earth board games were popular on Spectra? He advances a white bishop, muttering “Now, all my chess pieces have been played!” So, he sweeps them all onto the floor with his arm.

I don’t think Zoltar really understands how to play chess.

But, he stands up and declaims “With one final assault, I will wipe out Earth’s key installation and G-Force as well! All hands to battle stations!” He points dramatically with one arm.

So his missile base ship rises up from the sand or muck on the sea floor that’s been concealing it from detection. “Fire!” yells Zoltar, as the ship heads towards the Research Center and more missiles are sent on their way.

At Research Center, Mark is banging on the door of the room where Chief Anderson is, calling his name. “Are you still in there, Chief?”

Anderson is still in there but he unconscious now (overcome by the heat and smoke from the top secret files bonfire, I imagine) and his leg looks like it’s still pinned beneath the massive computer.

“We’ve got to get the Chief out of there,” says Mark as he and Princess stare anxiously. “We need help to get in there,” declares Princess. Mark is shaking with frustration, saying “There’s no one left in the Center except us.”

I don’t know, you said that before Mark, and you were wrong. In fact, you’re wrong now too, but then there’s no way you could know that the Phoenix has arrived. Still, that’s what you get for keeping Jason, Tiny and Keyop out of the loop.

In fact, Mark seems shocked when Jason’s voice now comes through on his communicator, “Mark! Can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” replies Mark. “We’re inside the Center, Mark. Are you and Princess okay?”

“We’re all right but the Chief’s in trouble,” says Mark, “We need help!” Princess glances over at Mark and then looks down, closing her eyes.

Meanwhile, over at Center Neptune, Zark is “Calling all defense units! Center Neptune is in terrible danger. Alert all shore batteries.”

Zark has to back away from his console now, as it’s shooting out sparks all over the place.

Research Center is taking a terrible battering! Some of Zoltar’s missiles are heading this way!”

And then his whole room shakes.

“Uh oh, one or two of them have gotten through to us! I think we’re getting a leak in here. Full power on anti-missile shields! Crews shore up all breaks!”

I wonder if anyone, is even listening to all these orders he’s giving.

“I’ve tried every way to get through to G-Force,” says Zark now, throwing up his hands briefly, “But they don’t answer.”

What ways have you tried, Zark? It wouldn’t have been that hard to give Zark a line here to the effect that his communication systems are malfunctioning or damaged (I mean, they are emitting sparks now), just so there’s a rational explanation for his inability to contact anyone on G-Force and so he can stop acting like it’s all their fault.

“Commander’s in B Section,” Tiny is telling Jason, over on the Phoenix.

“More trouble coming!” says Keyop, seeing the new barrage of incoming missiles on the radar screen. “Where?” demands Jason.

“What’s wrong?” Mark is asking, via his communicator.

“Oh… million missiles,” says Keyop, with (I hope) some exaggeration.

Well, there certainly is a goodly number of them. Jason bangs a fist on the console, scowling, as says “We’ve got to stop them, Tiny! Blast them!”

“No way, Jason,” responds Tiny, “Sorry, can’t maneuver in here. Looks like we’re trapped too.”

“Try anyway!” snaps Jason. “Too late,” says Keyop, scrutinizing the radar screen.

“We’ll just have to wait, Princess,” says Mark, closing his eyes, folding his arms and leaning back against the door to Chief Anderson’s room.

The missiles continue to head their way…

Suddenly Tiny looks up, saying “I’m going blast through.” He starts pressing buttons and begins ramming one of the Phoenix’s wing pods against the hangar’s inner door that leads to the docking bay. However, by do doing, he’s also sending tremors through the already precariously-perched Research Center.

The Research Center slides off the ledge where it’s been sitting and begins sinking into the trench. It’s also tipping fully onto its side now, and Princess and Mark both fall over as the wall beside them starts becoming the floor.

And the missiles hit the Research Center, and there’s a massive explosion.

“We’ve won, Sire!” says an exultant Spectran soldier, watching this from the missile base ship with some fellow soldiers, “We’ve destroyed their Center!”

Zoltar comes rushing up behind them to see for himself.

“It is time for celebration!” declares Zoltar, and next we see a whole room full of soldiers raising their arms up and down in the air as they cheer enthusiastically.

But the Research Center is still sinking into the trench. However, it soon comes to a rest on another ledge, only part way down, but it’s still lying on its side and looks like it wouldn’t take much to dislodge it and get it sinking again.

Inside, Mark and Princess are now sitting on top of the door to Chief Anderson’s room, as it’s now the floor. Both are silent and morose-looking.

The Phoenix is inside the hangar still, but looks like it’s resting on its nose now.

Mark looks back, saying “He’ll be okay, Jason,” as if he thinks Jason needs special reassurance as to the Chief’s wellbeing.

Now Tiny smashes the Phoenix’s dome up against a round window in the secret files room and this enables the four of them to cross over into the Phoenix, Mark carrying the Chief and Jason carrying the still-unconscious Keyop.

And the Phoenix flies away, as the mangled and battered Research Center continues to sink ever deeper in their wake.

On the bridge of the Phoenix, Chief Anderson opens his eyes. “You gave us a scare, Chief,” says Mark, who along with Princess and Jason is staring intently at him, relieved to see he’s awake.

“Commander, I don’t remember what happened after the missiles hit,” says Anderson, as Keyop continues to slump inertly in a chair beside his, “What happened to Keyop?”

“He swallowed a little too much ocean, but he’ll be all right, Chief,” replies Jason.

“Research Center?” he asks next.

“Not much left I’m afraid,” answers Mark.

“Turn back,” says Anderson grimly, “We can’t let it fall into Zoltar’s hands.”

Tiny looks unhappy to hear this. “That’s a tall order, Chief.”

“We can’t!” cries Princess.

“There’s top secret equipment in that complex,” continues Chief Anderson, his face stern.

“But we can’t turn back now,” argues Mark, “We barely got out of there in one piece.”

“The secret files must not be captured by Spectra,” says Anderson, “We’ve got to destroy Research Center.”

Jason has turned his back, but his and Mark’s slumped shoulders and Mark’s sad expression suggest they know he’s right, though they hate the idea.

“Well, since Zark has duplicates of all the files,” concludes Mark, “What’s your vote, Jason?”

Oh, of course, marvelous Zark has back-ups of everything.

“I’m with the Chief,” he replies (perhaps because he can’t resist a chance to blow something up?)

So, Mark instructs Tiny to take them back and they head for that trench where the Research Center was sinking.

They’re in such a deep dive, the Phoenix is vertical (yet when we cut to the bridge, Mark is standing upright with no problem –maybe there’re magnets on his boots.)

“There it is,” says Mark, but it’s his hand, not Jason’s, that’s reaching for the red button.

“Hate to do this to Research Center,” says Mark, frowning, “But the Chief’s right.”

We get a last look at the mangled Research Center as it sinks.

Now Keyop is muttering, though his eyes are still closed, “All wet… never drink… water again.”

“Keyop!” says Princess.

“Well, here goes,” says Mark, and he pushes the button.

The missile heads for the Research Center while the Phoenix turns to speed back up and out of the trench. Mark and Princess, both with bowed heads, are in front of the view screen and we see the light and flames from the explosion rush past when the missile strikes its target.

It’s a massive explosion, one that will certainly obliterate all secret files!

“Well, Research Center has been destroyed,” voice-overs Zark as we see bits of debris from the desctruction sinking into the sea’s depths, “But the Chief and G-Force will get back to Center Neptune safely, and Zoltar has been thwarted in his plan to steal our top secret files.”

Um, did Zoltar ever say that that was his plan?

“Research Center will be a great loss,” admits Zark, as the Phoenix continues to speed towards Center Neptune, “But only temporarily. I’m already beginning to compute the design for a new and even more modern Research Complex.”

As he’s saying this, the Phoenix breaks the sea’s surface and takes to the air –not to Center Neptune. I guess they’re avoiding Zark. I don’t blame them.

The last shot of the Phoenix coming out of the sea is very cool –all dramatic oranges and purples.

“Well, that one really put me through the wringer,” Zark is saying now to 1-Rover-1, “I can tell you. I’m a bundle of burned out resistors and shattered sensitrons.”

1-Rover-1 yaps.

“Thanks, 1-Rover-1, it always helps to have you standing by for comfort and reassurance. But our day isn’t done. My work is only starting now. Over-taxed as my trigatron is, I’ve got to put it to work at once to conceive plans for the new Research Center.”

Weird electronic warbles and bleeps are now heard, apparently coming from Zark’s head.

But in walk Mark and Princess! (I guess these two always do get stuck with the job of visiting him.)

“Hello, Zark!” says Mark, as Princess adds “We’re back safely!”

“What’s the matter, Zark, are you having a short circuit?” asks Mark.

“Do you suppose he might have gotten hit in that attack?” asks Princess.

“Oohh,” she coos, “Poor Zark.”

But now Zark stops electronically warbling and bleeping. “Oh!” he exclaims, “Commander! Princess! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you come in. I was just doing some very deep thinking. I’ve almost completed the plans for a new and better Research Center.”

Mark laughs, saying “Zark, you’re the greatest. We’re sure lucky to have you on our Team.”

“You’re a wizard and a genius,” adds Princess, “And myyy hero!”

And she kisses Zark on the head.

Zark, somehow, actually blushes, and then emits some more weird electronic noises and his lights blink rapidly.

“I guess we’d better go, Mark,” says Princess, “He’s doing some deep thinking again.”

She starts walking away, and as she does her facial expression changes, as if she’s scowling. Is she inwardly appalled at all the gushy praise she and Mark have to dish out to a silly robot who was really no help to them in this episode and who couldn’t even manage to contact them most of the time? She ought to be.

I guess we’re supposed to think she’s put out by Zark not saying anything in response to her compliments and kiss.

But Zark says, “No, now I am having a short circuit!”

The End.

It's a common assumption that Nambu raised the team, and yet there are clues that this isn't the case.

There's the dialogue in this episode. If Jun had come into Nambu's household as a child about two years younger than Ken, she would have to have done so after his mother died, and be about 9 years old. It's unlikely nobody would have mentioned the death.

In the upcoming 'Giant Demon Man' episode, Ryu teases Jinpei about his birthday in a manner which suggests he wasn't all that familiar with Jinpei's past.

Jinpei remembers Jun finding him, so he had to have been 3 or 4 years old (or else he made the memory out of what he had been told). Since Jun is 16 at the start of the show, and he's 10, she would have been 9 when she found him. Unless I screwed up the math.

Ryu has a family. Although we don't see his mother, we can assume she's alive. Anyway, no reason for him to be in the household.

I'm sure there are other clues, but I can't think of any right now.


OTOH, it does seem the writers occasionally pulled stuff out of thin air when they needed to.

And everything in the show moves at the speed of plot.

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Benefits, not features; benefits, not features

LB, as always, you did a fantastic job recapping, and Saturn certainly got some great screencaps!

This episode is so poignant... since it's Part II, we already know the backstory, and we open in the thick of it. The entire episode is simply spent trying to survive, and acknowledging that they have lost. The sacrifice is great... not just for the Team, but for the viewers, who have lost that familiar fixture they have seen in every episode since nearly the beginning of the series.

It's an interesting comparison though... when a Galactor base is exploding, the goons are running in droves, but here, the Crescent Base personnel demonstrate in many ways that they're ready to lay down their lives to save the information that could defeat Galactor and help world peace (via the Mantle Plan). It say a lot about the 'heart' of the 'good guys' and really shows why the Science Ninja Team is the side we're rooting for... even if they do have to punch out one guy to get him out of there.

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LOL... that bit is from one of my fics... I haven't written that scene in Gatch... *yet*....

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