The greatest show ever is ...Space Battleship Yamato! Way over better than anything else out there, not because of its science fiction, but also for many other concepts:

1) character development. In Star Trek, characters are never developed. They are just an excuse for the story. Star Wars is very short.

2) romantic love affair. The way the relationship between Derek and Nova is so memorable, so romantic, that I've been remembering it from the time I saw Star Blazers as a kid. In Star Trek, romance is very superficial. In Star Wars, Han Solo just wants to touch the boobs of princess Leia, and that's it. The love affair between Derek and Nova is ideal, a model affair, one that is unlike anything else seen in any other show.

3) true heroism and sacrifice. Star Blazer characters always had to make decisions that would affect the course of the universe. And they did not hesitate to risk their lifes, even dying, for the grand cause. In Star Trek, there is never a main character that dies. The same goes for Star Wars.

4) really clever weaponry. Both parties (Earthlings and aliens) are usually using primitive weapons like missiles and lazers. Ships don't have shields, and a single shot can never do much damage. This gives plenty of room for dramatic moments and 'difficult' to digest scenes. The big guns (the wave motion gun and others), although can destroy entire planets with a single hit, also have many disadvantages: they take time to charge, and they leave the ship helpless and without energy for some important amount of time. Again, this leaves plenty of room for drama. In Star Trek, ships can go down too fast or too slow, especially with shields. In Star Wars, weapons are silly and serve no purpose at all.

5) no 'deux ex machina'. In Star Trek, in many episodes, something or someone gives an unxpected solution right at the end of the show (Q for example). There is not such thing in Star Blazers: all winnings are the result of the hard work on the part of the Star Force.

6) a rivalry that turns to a great friendship throughout the show. No such luck for ST.

7) the greatest ship of all times: the Yamato. No matter how cool the NCC Enterprise might look like, the Yamato is a true mighty battleship, with the batteries visible on deck, and its pagoda main tower. Not only that, but by being a sea vessel it allows the viewers to really connect with the concept of 'sea of space', the nostalgia of returning home, etc etc. It also has 3 bridges, giving enough room for some dramatic moments. It is also very small inside, unlike the NCC Enterprise's luxurious spaces.

8) very cool technology: warp technology, the wave motion engine and gun, the holodeck (yes 15 years before STTNG), the human-like robot that acted as a universal translator (before R2D2 & C3PO!), the cyborg mechanic with artificial members (before Lt Data!), artificial gravity (that sometimes had a problem!) etc. Of course ST has great technology too, especially the latest series.

9) the greatest music of all times. It is the only show that the music was also a character. I never stopped remembering the music, from the time I saw SB as a kid. There has never been a day that I did not sing the 'we're off to outer space...' song that gave me hope and strength to go on!

10) the greatest villain of all times: Leader Desslok. He started as the average nasty emperor and ended with a complete 180 degree turn to be a friend of Earth! His speech about love while confronting wounded Wildstar is memorable! Darth Vader looks plain silly in front of him. And Desslok had no Force to back him up.

11) continuation. Sub plots that started on the 1st episode run in parallel with the main story, and concluded at the last episodes, greatly affecting the overall outcome! The Yamato was on a specific mission, unlike the cloudy concept of a 'mission' of the Enterprise (there was no mission really, they just went a nice trip in space).

12) no time travel. Time travel was a poor excuse from ST writers because they did not know how to evolve each storyline. SBY does not have time travel. The Yamato warps, and although it is implied that it can time travel, it is never used as an excuse for something.

13) truly cosmic scale. In SBY 3rd series, a space-time anomaly brings a whole galaxy in collision course with the Milky Way. The Yamato travels 248,000 light years across in another galaxy to bring the Cosmo DNA to Earth. Did the Enterprise ever leave this galaxy?

SBY also had many goofy moments, and quite a lot of glitches and errors especially in the first episodes, but that does not distract from the show. Overall, Space Battleship Yamato is the best show ever. It has soul and spirit, unlike all the other shows.

Good stuff, good stuff. I was introduced to this awesome series, by way of the insanely cut up American versions. Even then the crew of the Argo has earned a special place in my brains.

From IQ-9 to Wildstar, and of course the great Deslok, I eagerly anticipated watching the next episode.

Anyone recall any particular episode or scene that has been ingrained into the mind?

"We're off to outer space, we're leaving mother Earth, to save the human race!"

-PPS

There are tens of scenes in my mind:

From the Quest to Iscandar series:

1) the moment Wildstar and Venture see the upper rusty portion of IJN Yamato.
2) the moment the Yamato rises from the ocean floor.
3) the first time Wildstar orders the Black Tigers to take off.
4) the Yamato sinking in the ocean of Pluto.
5) the Yamato being hit by the Reflex Gun; the asteroid belt protection.
6) the moment Desslok turns to ...blue and gets rid of one of his officers because the guy laughted at his own jokes.
7) the moment the artificial sun was about to crash the Yamato.
8) the subsequent destruction of the artificial sun by the Wave Motion Gun.
9) the all out attack of Lysis against the Yamato.
10) the Gamilon planet and the battle with the Yamato.
11) the moment Wildstar met his brother.
12) the moment captain Avatar died.
13) the moment they saw Earth!

From the Comet Empire series:

1) the salute to captain Avatar's memorial.
2) the Yamato taking off from the undersea base.
3) the moment where the Yamato breaks free from the 'natural dock' trap.
4) the meeting of Venture and Trelaina.
5) the breaking up of Venture and Trelaina and the Yamato salute.
6) the suprise attack of Yamato on the 2nd wave of the Comet Empire fleet.
7) the warp of the Comet Empire in the Saturn area.
8) the battle of Saturn.
9) the heroism of the Andromeda.
10) the speech Wildstar gave before attacking the Comet Empire.
11) the Comet Empire's attack on Earth and Moon (especially the moon).
12) The moment where Wildstar faces Desslok.
13) the self-denial of Nova at that moment.
14) the change of hurt of Desslok and the speech he gave.
15) the attack at the Comet Empire.
16) the sacrifice of Sgt Knoxx.
17) the 'death' of Venture.
18) Wildstar saying 'for the last time, all guns! fire at the Comet empire! all guns!' and the Zordar's dreadnaught coming out of the Comet.
19) the determination of Wildstar to die with the Yamato in a suicide attack against Zordar's ship.
20) the decision of Nova to die with him.

For me, the single most important moment and the definitive moment for the whole series is the change of heart of Desslok. The realisation of what war is, of what love means, in the moment he waited for all his life, at the last battle ('it's only the last battle that counts'). Desslok was a great man, in contrast with Zordar, who was a beast.

Every other space opera show is left behind by Star Blazers. Not only space operas, but any show. Space Battleship Yamato is the most romantic, moving, dramatic, breathtaking, awesome incredible show ever done, either in anime or real actors. It is simply the best audio-visual experience ever.

Originally posted by Particlespersecond
"We're off to outer space, we're leaving mother Earth, to save the human race!"

My favorite was when they fired the Wave Motion gun. Great show. I also liked when they torpedoed the bottom of the comet empire ship. Classic battle scene with the dramatic music etc.

Ah to be 10 again

Coming off the whole Voltron thing (which left me wanting) I really wasn't ready for an anime, especially one that raised an sunk ship? Why not build new one? I mean ... come on already! However, I sat and watched and I was really impressed with SBY. Dang good writing there! Then it just vanished from my viewing area to be replaced by G-Force or ThunderCats or some other "color team" show..... Nah.... I really liked SBY. Gonna have to shop around for the DVDs, if there are any out there.....

[edit on 20-6-2005 by smadewell]

Coming off the whole Voltron thing (which left me wanting) I really wasn't ready for an anime, especially one that raised an sunk ship? Why not build new one? I mean ... come on already! However, I sat and watched and I was really impressed with SBY. Dang good writing there! Then it just vanished from my viewing area to be replaced by G-Force or ThunderCats or some other "color team" show..... Nah.... I really liked SBY. Gonna have to shop around for the DVDs, if there are any out there.....


Battle of the Planets i think it was called

I loved Starblazers when I was a kid and I still do. I have the complete series one Volume on DVD and I am looking for the others.

But it is by far one of the best shows ever.