Farewell, The Eternal Battleground - Part One

Star Fleet - Episode Eleven

Wow! Look at that! We’ve made it all the way to episode eleven– a beloved fan favorite! Thank you to those of you who have followed me on this journey so far. If you want to support, you can do so in the usual ways:

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Now, on with the show!

The narrator gives us an impassioned recap of last week’s events. Apparently, all’s well that ends well but Shiro is having difficulty processing last week’s events.

This is our first glance into the cadet’s crew quarters and it looks like a dormitory. We’ve got a dart board, some Thunderbirds images tacked up alongside pictures of girls and race cars, and some bunk beds because who doesn’t want to share a bedroom and living space with their co-workers after spending the whole day battling hostile alien lifeforms together?

No, it’s not wearing a helmet to bed that’s giving him insomnia (although I’m sure that doesn’t help) he’s plagued by wondering how things would be “if only Captain Carter were here with us.”

Captain Carter, Shiro’s former instructor and commander of Pluto Alpha Base, has been transformed by the Imperial Alliance into an enemy. Despite his thin disguise nobody recognized him. Shiro clearly knows something is up subconsciously since he’s lying awake thinking about his old mentor.

These thoughts give way to a dreamlike vision. “That voice!” Shiro cries. He may be putting the pieces together at last.

Carter, for his part, gives the same advice he always gives. The best description would be ‘tough love.’ He refuses to show Shiro his face.

At the apex of the dream, Shiro reaches out to a departing Carter, only to be shot. He falls to the floor!

“It was just a dream!”

…And awakens back in the reality of his day to day life.

Hercules and Lee are on the bridge reporting that the ship’s systems are in bad shape. As they make a plan to tackle it, Shiro enters. Evidently, he’s late again and everyone is concerned. Lee shuffles off for his rest period as Shiro takes his station.

As Doctor Benn lights up a pipe, Shiro asks if the Imperial Commander they encountered could have been Captain Carter.

That voice sure was familiar!

Hercules is feeling the same way. “Tactics right out of the Academy!” Benn is incredulous, but seems to disappear into thought.

This PPA puppet is looking a bit damaged around the ear flap!

PPA interrupts this musing to bring in the action. There’s been a distress call in the region.

Shiro immediately pegs this as another trap. Hercules agrees and adds that repairs aren’t done. But Benn, true to form, refuses to ignore a call for help. Waving his pipe at them, he orders an investigation via the Dai X. This is a nice beginning to the story, laden with mystery and a lovely promise that we will, at last, get some more Dai X action!

As PPA sounds off for launching, Shiro and Hercules get up to leave. Lamia visits Lee in his quarters, where he appears to have come down with a nasty cold since we last saw him.

This is a great set and a great use of composition to tell this story. Even though his cadets are seated above him, the camera angle and blocking make Benn appear to be the commanding presence.

A nice shot of the hallway as PPA’s voice echoes across the ship. Very nice!

Check out that homemade CONTENPORARY MUSIC book! I bet that belongs to Hercules. This rather shaky handheld shot follows Lamia into the room.

As Lamia attempts to awaken him, Lee blows disgusting snot bubbles out his nose– a fantastic and unexpected practical gag! Lee also calls Lamia “babe"– something I’m not sure I would do if I were in his shoes.

A powerful sneeze and Lamia’s urging are enough to get the ginger cadet out of his bunk and it is now time for Dai X launch– even if he’s not quite 100%.

We’ve all had days like this. Especially when we’ve used up our sick days for the year.

Anyway, he makes it to the cockpit of Legtrax and the three fighters, unseen for ages and ages, get to launch!¹

The wide shot of the planet looks suspiciously like previously seen planets in the series. It looks like an earlier matte painting was simply retouched. However, the closer up version looks substantially different to anything seen earlier.

Down on the surface, they fly through a sandy landscape littered with burned out ruins. There also appears to be the remains of an ancient battle.

An abandoned tank, covered in dirt and brush.

Hercules speculates that the place must have been used for “war games.” As they fly through, a female voice calls out for help over an open channel. “You must stop the war,” she cries.

Shiro tries to gather more information, but the voice isn’t forthcoming. Lee gets a fix and they move in to investigate.

The heroes land at a kind of alien Parthenon. There is a very creepy vibe to this place that only the likes of X Bomber could capture.

We cut to our heroes outside their ships– no idea how they enter or exit since they don’t have ladders, hatches, or anything like that. Maybe they reverse out the way they came in?

Hercules has got a big rifle and the voice is now calling out to them audibly.

This aesthetic that owes as much to high fantasy as sci-fi would come to rule the 80s with the Dungeons and Dragons phenomenon and

She leads them through the rubble to a door… mysteriously marked with a spider. What will they find inside?

Check out Hercules' weapon! This predates the sci-fi obsession with huge guns kicked off by James Cameron's Aliens in 1986. I admit, I tried to render this in 3D at one point in my life. It did not go well with me!

1. There’s a bit of a Mandela effect with Dai X. People usually cite it as one of their favorites memories of the show but it doesn’t appear in 50-60 percent of episodes outside the credits. It does make a strong impression and will appear more frequently in the coming weeks.