X Bomber
Encyclopedia
is a marionette
tokusatsu
TV series. It was created by manga
master Go Nagai
, and produced by Cosmo Productions and Jin Productions. The show aired on Fuji TV from to , with a total of 26 episodes (including the pre-series pilot episode), and was billed in Japan as being filmed in "Sūpāmariorama" (スーパーマリオラマ), a puppeteering process similar to Gerry Anderson
's Supermarionation
works.
and Star Wars
. As in Getter Robo, the show's protagonists ride three vehicles that combine into a giant robot. Big Dai X, the robot in X-Bomber, is more similar to the kind seen in the popular Super Sentai
series than a regular Nagai robot.
The show's opening and ending theme songs ("Soldier in the Space" and "The Drifting Galaxy", respectively) were performed by the Japanese hard rock group Bow Wow, while Kazutaka Tazaki (of Baja Revolution) and Nakayuki Sakuraba (of Adbaloon) provided additional music for the show.
In common with Gerry Anderson
's 1967 series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
, the puppets of X-Bomber were controlled from below the set using rods, and as a consequence were generally seen only from the waist up. Whereas Gerry Anderson's series were episodic in nature, X-Bomber had an overall story arc, with sub-plots and new characters being introduced as the series progressed, leading to a definite end.
speaking actor
s for broadcast in the UK
on ITV. The show was broadcast there on Saturday mornings, first airing on . Due to its broadcast slot, the advertisements shown before, during and after each episode frequently included children's Public Information Film
s.
Drawing heavily on diverse influences such as Star Wars
, Japanese Anime
and Gerry Anderson
's various "Supermarionation
" series, the show ran for twenty-four half hour episodes (twenty-five in Japan - two of the episodes being edited together for the English version). The English version's theme song was composed by Paul Bliss, and was later covered by Queen
member Brian May
and Van Halen
guitarist Eddie Van Halen
. This was released under the name "Star Fleet Project
".
Pluto
base is completely destroyed and the evil Commander Makara reveals that the same fate awaits the Earth unless the mysterious F-Zero-One is handed over to her.
Unaware of the nature of F-Zero-One and fearing retribution, the EDF presses into action an untested, incomplete weapon, codenamed X-Project, from its hidden moon-base. The X-Project is revealed to be a powerfully-armed spacecraft named X-Bomber.
The series then follows the adventures of the crew of the X-Bomber, namely Doctor Benn, Shiro Hagen, Barry Hercules and John Lee who are joined by PPA, Lamia and her guardian Kirara. They set off to discover the nature of the F-Zero-One and try to protect it from the increasingly desperate Commander Makara and her menacing overlord, the Imperial Master.
Eventually it is revealed that Lamia herself is the mysterious F-Zero-One, a powerful alien destined to bring peace to the galaxy at the turn of the millennium. The series continues with Lamia gradually discovering her true nature and powers while the Imperial Alliance attempts to capture her and destroy the X-Bomber. The series climaxes with the X-Bomber crew destroying Commander Makara and Lamia finally confronting and defeating the Imperial Master and bringing peace to the universe.
Source(s)
and Star Wars
series. The cast was relatively slim, with most voice actors doing the extra voices in the series as well. Credits were only made based on the main characters who appeared in the first episode, with the credits being reused each episode afterwards. Thanks to that fact, fans are left to speculate whether or not any new voice actors were brought in for characters as the series progressed or if a member of the main cast provided them.
by Shueisha
from to and the other was drawn by Makoto Ono in the magazine TV-kun by Shogakukan
from to .
British comic magazine Look-In
ran strips based on Star Fleet for 32 weeks beginning in January 1983.
in . Both sets also contained one of two compilation movies created from Star Fleet, in English with Japanese subtitles. Both sets have since gone out of print.
In Bulgaria the The Thalian Space Wars and Space Quest For F-01 tapes were released by Multi Video Center with Bulgarian dub.
In the US, eight video tapes were released which also contained compilations of the series' episodes, albeit in a less-drastically edited format.
It is possible to obtain VCD copies on Ebay. These are usually taken from the American Tapes and tend to be of poor quality.
In the UK, only three Star Fleet video tapes were ever released. The first and rarest contained episodes 4 and 5 of the series. The other two were compilation movies entitled The Thalian Space Wars and Space Quest For F-01. The series has not been repeated on UK television since the late 1980s.
A DVD set of Star Fleet was released in the UK on by Fabulous Films. Included in the DVD set are all 24 episodes, remastered, and restored to their original UK broadcast format. Beyond the episodes, the set also includes stills and a double-sided poster, as well as a comicbook and a comprehensive 'making of' documentary, which includes contributions from series creater Go Nagai, Dr Benn voice artist Peter Marinker, Brian May, Paul Bliss and Gerry Anderson.
As a result of this release, several videos have been removed from Youtube. X-Bomber The Game, the freeware fan project, was issued with a request to remove the game from its website.
Further to the DVD release, Paul Bliss' soundtrack has been released on CD and is available via mail order.
Marionette
A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a manipulator. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar in different forms...
tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
TV series. It was created by manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
master Go Nagai
Go Nagai
, better known by the penname , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with Meakashi Polikichi, but is best known for creating Cutie Honey, Devilman, and Mazinger Z in the 1970s. In 2005, he became a...
, and produced by Cosmo Productions and Jin Productions. The show aired on Fuji TV from to , with a total of 26 episodes (including the pre-series pilot episode), and was billed in Japan as being filmed in "Sūpāmariorama" (スーパーマリオラマ), a puppeteering process similar to Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
's Supermarionation
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
works.
Background
This show can be considered somewhat of a cross between Nagai's Getter RoboGetter Robo
is a Super Robot manga series created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa, as well as an anime series produced by Toei Animation. The series was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 4, 1974 to May 8, 1975, with a total of 51 episodes.- Plot :...
and Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
. As in Getter Robo, the show's protagonists ride three vehicles that combine into a giant robot. Big Dai X, the robot in X-Bomber, is more similar to the kind seen in the popular Super Sentai
Super Sentai
The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
series than a regular Nagai robot.
The show's opening and ending theme songs ("Soldier in the Space" and "The Drifting Galaxy", respectively) were performed by the Japanese hard rock group Bow Wow, while Kazutaka Tazaki (of Baja Revolution) and Nakayuki Sakuraba (of Adbaloon) provided additional music for the show.
In common with Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
's 1967 series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill...
, the puppets of X-Bomber were controlled from below the set using rods, and as a consequence were generally seen only from the waist up. Whereas Gerry Anderson's series were episodic in nature, X-Bomber had an overall story arc, with sub-plots and new characters being introduced as the series progressed, leading to a definite end.
Star Fleet
X-Bomber was renamed Star Fleet and dubbed by EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
speaking actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s for broadcast in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on ITV. The show was broadcast there on Saturday mornings, first airing on . Due to its broadcast slot, the advertisements shown before, during and after each episode frequently included children's Public Information Film
Public information film
Public Information Films are a series of government commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the UK. The US equivalent is the Public Service Announcement .-Subjects:...
s.
Drawing heavily on diverse influences such as Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
, Japanese Anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
's various "Supermarionation
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
" series, the show ran for twenty-four half hour episodes (twenty-five in Japan - two of the episodes being edited together for the English version). The English version's theme song was composed by Paul Bliss, and was later covered by Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
member Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
and Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
guitarist Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
. This was released under the name "Star Fleet Project
Star Fleet Project
Star Fleet Project is a project of Brian May, most famous as the guitarist from Queen, which resulted in an album with the same name. The project was released as the work of "Brian May + Friends", consisting of May, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alan Gratzer , Phil Chen , and Fred Mandel Star...
".
Plot outline
The year is 2999 and the Earth is at peace following the Space Wars. The safety of the human race is ensured by Earth Defense Force (EDF). Shortly before the turn of the fourth millennium, the peace is broken by the appearance of a gigantic alien battle cruiser. Powerless to defend itself, the EDF'sPluto
Pluto
Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...
base is completely destroyed and the evil Commander Makara reveals that the same fate awaits the Earth unless the mysterious F-Zero-One is handed over to her.
Unaware of the nature of F-Zero-One and fearing retribution, the EDF presses into action an untested, incomplete weapon, codenamed X-Project, from its hidden moon-base. The X-Project is revealed to be a powerfully-armed spacecraft named X-Bomber.
The series then follows the adventures of the crew of the X-Bomber, namely Doctor Benn, Shiro Hagen, Barry Hercules and John Lee who are joined by PPA, Lamia and her guardian Kirara. They set off to discover the nature of the F-Zero-One and try to protect it from the increasingly desperate Commander Makara and her menacing overlord, the Imperial Master.
Eventually it is revealed that Lamia herself is the mysterious F-Zero-One, a powerful alien destined to bring peace to the galaxy at the turn of the millennium. The series continues with Lamia gradually discovering her true nature and powers while the Imperial Alliance attempts to capture her and destroy the X-Bomber. The series climaxes with the X-Bomber crew destroying Commander Makara and Lamia finally confronting and defeating the Imperial Master and bringing peace to the universe.
Episodes
| Ep# | Eng Ep# | Title | Director | Original air date | First English air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Source(s)
English voice cast
The English voice cast had shown a lot of voice actors with previous sci-fi cridentials, some of them having been pulled from the AliensAliens (film)
Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...
and Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
series. The cast was relatively slim, with most voice actors doing the extra voices in the series as well. Credits were only made based on the main characters who appeared in the first episode, with the credits being reused each episode afterwards. Thanks to that fact, fans are left to speculate whether or not any new voice actors were brought in for characters as the series progressed or if a member of the main cast provided them.
- Jay BenedictJay BenedictJay Benedict is an American actor, best known in the United Kingdom for his role as Captain John Kieffer in Foyle's War .He has lived and worked in Europe since the 1960s...
- Shiro Hagen - Constantine GregoryConstantine GregoryConstantine Gregory is an actor and dialect coach. Gregory was born in New York City in 1942 as Constantine Liebert, or Leebaert, of a Dutch father and Russian–born mother. On their divorce, he was given his mother's surname of de Goguel...
- Barry Hercules - Mark RolstonMark Rolston-Career:Rolston played PFC M. Drake in Aliens , Hans in Lethal Weapon 2 , Stef in RoboCop 2 , Bogs Diamond in The Shawshank Redemption , J. Scar in Eraser , Chief Dennis Wilson in Daylight , Wayne Bryce in Hard Rain and Special Agent in Charge Warren Russ in Rush Hour...
- John Lee - Peter MarinkerPeter MarinkerPeter Marinker is a Canadian actor well known for his role as Kiichi Goto in the Patlabor series and his many audio book recordings. He currently resides in the UK.-Filmography:*A Wind Named Amnesia as Simpson*Angel Cop as Dr...
- Dr. Benn Robinson - Liza Ross - Princess Lamia
- John BaddeleyJohn Baddeley (actor)Edward John Baddeley is a British actor. Apart from his work in the theatre in the provinces and the West End, he is also notable for his work with the BBC and as voice-over artist...
- PPA (Perfectly Programmed Android) - Kevin BrennanKevin Brennan (actor)Kevin Martin Brennan was a British film and television actor.-Selected filmography:* On the Beach * The Punch and Judy Man * The Small World of Sammy Lee...
- General Kyle - Garrick HagonGarrick HagonGarrick Hagon is a film, stage, television and radio actor best known for his role as Biggs Darklighter in Star Wars: A New Hope. His many films include Batman, Spy Game, Me and Orson Welles and The Message...
- Captain Carter - Denise BryerDenise BryerDenise Bryer is an English voice actress.Bryer voiced Billina in Disney's 1985 film Return to Oz, as well as The Junk Lady in the 1986 movie Labyrinth, and many other films. In addition to her work voice acting in film and television she also worked extensively on UK radio and children's recordings...
- Commander Makara - Sean BarrettSean BarrettSean Barrett may refer to:*Sean Barrett , British actor whose credits include Z-Cars*Sean Barrett , Irish transport economist and Senator...
- Captain Orion - Jacob Witkin - The Imperial Master
In comics
Two relatively unknown manga were also created in 1980. One was drawn by Naoki Kamohara and published in the magazine Monthly Shōnen JumpMonthly Shonen Jump
is a now defunct monthly shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Shueisha from 1970 to 2007 under the Jump line of magazines. It was the sister magazine to Weekly Shōnen Jump.- History :...
by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
from to and the other was drawn by Makoto Ono in the magazine TV-kun by Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
from to .
British comic magazine Look-In
Look-in
Look-in was a long running children's magazine centred around ITV's television programmes in the United Kingdom, and subtitled "The Junior TVTimes". It ran from 9 January 1971 to 12 March 1994...
ran strips based on Star Fleet for 32 weeks beginning in January 1983.
Home video
The original Japanese version of the series was released in its entirety in a LD-box in 1993 and by Pioneer LDC in a DVD-boxDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in . Both sets also contained one of two compilation movies created from Star Fleet, in English with Japanese subtitles. Both sets have since gone out of print.
In Bulgaria the The Thalian Space Wars and Space Quest For F-01 tapes were released by Multi Video Center with Bulgarian dub.
In the US, eight video tapes were released which also contained compilations of the series' episodes, albeit in a less-drastically edited format.
It is possible to obtain VCD copies on Ebay. These are usually taken from the American Tapes and tend to be of poor quality.
In the UK, only three Star Fleet video tapes were ever released. The first and rarest contained episodes 4 and 5 of the series. The other two were compilation movies entitled The Thalian Space Wars and Space Quest For F-01. The series has not been repeated on UK television since the late 1980s.
A DVD set of Star Fleet was released in the UK on by Fabulous Films. Included in the DVD set are all 24 episodes, remastered, and restored to their original UK broadcast format. Beyond the episodes, the set also includes stills and a double-sided poster, as well as a comicbook and a comprehensive 'making of' documentary, which includes contributions from series creater Go Nagai, Dr Benn voice artist Peter Marinker, Brian May, Paul Bliss and Gerry Anderson.
As a result of this release, several videos have been removed from Youtube. X-Bomber The Game, the freeware fan project, was issued with a request to remove the game from its website.
Further to the DVD release, Paul Bliss' soundtrack has been released on CD and is available via mail order.
External links
- SFXB: Star Fleet / X-Bomber Homepage
- X-Bomber Game Project
- F-Zero-One: Star Fleet / X-Bomber site
- Fabulous Films-the distributors site
- X Bomber at allcinema
- X Bomber at the World of Go Nagai webpage