Star Blazers

As a war rages on between two factions outside of Earth's solar system, Cadet Jason Jetter sees his parents off on a sightseeing tour of space. However, a stray missile from the war strikes and destroys the space tour bus and also hits the sun. On Earth, Jason learns that he will be assigned to the rebuilt Argo. He meets Captain Derek Wildstar, who assigns him to KP duty, much to his chagrin. Wildstar learns that he will be in command of the rebuilt Argo and is reunited with former shipmates Sandor and Mark Venture. He is also given an assignment: the activity on the sun has ramped up so much that, left unchecked, it will destroy the Earth in one year and the entire solar system in three. The Star Force is charged with finding a new planet for Earth's inhabitants. Knowing Jason is unhappy with the assignment, Derek goads the cadet into sparring with him to vent his frustrations. He then consoles Jason on the loss of his parents, saying he too lost his family a long time ago. Derek also says he assigned Jason to such a lowly position so the cadet could prove himself to him and the rest of the crew. Jason accepts the assignment and the challenge, and he and Derek become like brothers.

On board the Argo, Commander Wildstar meets former shipmate Cory Conroy. Derek shows Conroy the new Cosmo Tiger fighter, being piloted by Cadet Flash Contrail. In the mess hall, they meet Flash briefly before Derek receives orders to send Flash back home. Mark Venture briefs the crew on where they plan to look for a new planet, but Derek says that beyond a certain point they don't know what to expect. The ongoing war between the two factions intrudes into Earth's solar system, prompting the Earth Defense Force commander to order the Argo to launch sooner than the six days Wildstar said he needed to prepare for departure. Meanwhile, the increasing solar activity creates more havoc on the Earth. When Flash gets home, he argues with his father, who wants him to take over the family business. Flash's ill mother implores his father to let him return to the Star Force so he can be happy.

During the ongoing war outside of Earth's solar system, one of the ships mistakenly warps to Earth's atmosphere, heading directly for the Argo's location. The Earth Defense Force alerts Commander Wildstar, who sends the Cosmo Tigers to investigate. The ship attacks the Tigers, but they dispatch it. Wildstar briefs his crew on the mission, offering those who wish to remain on Earth a chance to leave. Chief Communications Officer Homer Glitchman is the only one who does so, wanting to find a girl who had given him a flower, but whose name he didn't get. Derek discovers that the girl in question is Wendy, the EDF's commander's granddaughter, and sends out the Cosmo Tigers to bring Homer back. Just then, he finds Homer still on board and brings him back to meet Wendy, who wishes him luck. As the Argo launches into space, 329 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

Commander Wildstar orders a warp to the planet Mars to test the crew. As soon as the ship comes out of warp, he has the crew go through sixteen hours of drills, including a simulated attack on Mars and the Argo taking damage and casualties. While the exhausted cadets rest, Jason discovers that the section commanders continue to train even after drills are completed. He also learns that Wildstar trains harder than anyone else, even in his spare time. Just then, the crew are summoned to their battle stations when the ship's radar picks up enemy missiles approaching. The Argo destroys all the missiles and continues on its journey. 328 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

When the Argo picks up an unidentified spaceship, Commander Wildstar orders all hands to their battle stations. He makes radio contact with the spaceship, which identifies itself as the Legendra, says it is heavily damaged, and requests time to make repairs. After consulting with the Earth Defense Force's commander, Wildstar gives the Legendra 24 hours to make repairs and offers to provide any necessary supplies. He meets with the Legendra's captain, Captain Ram of the planet Berth, who tells him about their war with the Galman Empire. Just then, one fleet of the Galman's Eastern Task Force appears. Sandor recognizes the ships as the same type they fought just before the Argo left Earth. General Dagon, the Galman commander in command of the fleet, demands the Legendra, but Ram negotiates more time with Dagon and completes repairs. Just as Ram leaves the Argo, however, Dagon orders an attack on both ships. Wildstar launches a counterattack, plunging the Argo into the middle of the war. 326 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

Dagon continues his attack on the Argo and the Legendra near Planet Brumus. The Cosmo Tigers destroy several Galman ships, and Dagon ramps up the attack. Ram sends one final message thanking the Argo for its help before the Legendra is destroyed. Commander Wildstar orders the Cosmo Tigers back before continuing the counterattack on the Galman fleet. Dagon orders his flagship and two others to warp while the remaining ships continue to engage the Argo. One ship crashes into the Argo, inflicting heavy damage. A Galman boarding party engages the Argo's KP crew, mortally wounding Jason's supervisor. Jason grabs several weapons and helps hold off the boarding party. Wildstar leads a team to help, and Jason kills his first combatant -- a Galman robot. The Argo pulls free from the Galman ship before the latter explodes. On the Argo's main deck, Wildstar offers a space burial to those who died in the attack, including Jason's supervisor and several non-robotic Galmanians. 325 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

On the Argo's main deck, the bridge crew tosses coins into space as a custom for luck. The Argo then receives a distress call from the planet Alpha. After arguing over whether to land or continue their mission, Derek and Sandor finally convince Mark to take the ship down. Meanwhile, on the Galman's repair base near Neptune, Dagon orders his fleet to find the Argo. As half the crew repairs the Argo, the other half is given shore leave. When Derek sees some of the new crew members getting into a brawl, he asks Mark, who is watching, why he isn't stopping the fighting. Mark says it's better they blow off steam there than on the ship. Just then, Galman missiles attack the planet, and Sandor has Jason and Flash man the Argo's guns until the rest of the crew can return. On the Argo's bridge, Mark apologizes to Derek, saying he was jealous of him having been made skipper, but now appreciates his judgment because he supported Mark's decision on the planet. Derek says he'd be nothing without Mark's ability and knowledge, and the two reaffirm their friendship. Meanwhile, Dagon waits to ambush the Argo as it approaches. 310 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

As the Argo approaches one of Neptune's moons, which is similar to Earth, an attempt on Earth to use the sun's energy to cool it off fails. Meanwhile, Commander Wildstar heads a landing party to locate the source of several radio transmissions coming from the planet. Just then, the party encounters fire from a lone gunman, and they pursue the man, who appears to be from Earth. They find the man, his daughter, and her husband, the latter of whom is seriously ill and eventually dies. When the man collapses, the team transports him and his daughter back to the Argo. On the other side of the planet, Dagon prepares to attack the Star Force with an array of ships designed to reflect lasers fired from the planet's surface at their target. He activates the weapon, attacking the Argo from all sides. Wildstar heads off to locate the base and destroy it. 308 days remain before the sun destroys Earth..

As Dagon continues his attack on the Argo, Derek Wildstar tries to locate the Galman base. He discovers that Galman ships, not satellites, are reflecting the lasers toward the Argo, and launches an attack on them. The Cosmo Tigers provide additional support, destroying the ships. Derek locates the relay stations and orders a surprise attack. Dagon launches a proton missile at the Argo, but the Star Force fires the Wave Motion Gun, destroying both the missile and the base. Dr. Sane tries his best to save the old man rescued from the planet, but is unsuccessful. Derek then learns that the woman he rescued from the planet is four months pregnant and decides to send all the women on the ship, except for Nova, back to Earth. 306 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

Commander Wildstar answers a distress call from Captain Hammer, a stranded meteorologist, who says he spotted a large fleet of Galman vessels and requests an escort to a nearby space station. Derek consults with his staff and offers to escort Hammer halfway, but having heard of the Star Force's mission, Hammer refuses the escort, saying the mission is far more important. As Dagon's fleet attacks the space station, Hammer sends a warning message to the Argo advising it to leave the area immediately. Hammer leaves the station in a ship which is attacked, causing him to crash on a nearby planet. Derek sends Flash to investigate. Flash finds Hammer, who again warns him of the danger, then dies. Dagon's fleet attacks the Argo, and a direct hit to the ship's port engine causes the Argo to drift toward the planet Cygnus and a space current. There, it encounters several space tornadoes, any of which could destroy it. 285 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

Near the planet Cygnus, the Argo is caught in a space current containing several space tornadoes, and its port engine is malfunctioning. Engineer Orion suggests that IQ-9 help with diagnosing the problem. The engineers repair the engine, but too late for the ship to avoid going through the tornadoes. As soon as the Argo emerges from the space current, Galman forces drop out of warp, surrounding the ship. Commander Wildstar orders a counterattack, but the main guns are jammed, while Galman ships disable the fighter launch deck. Derek orders that the main guns be operated manually. To buy some time to complete repairs, Mark takes the Argo behind an asteroid. Dagon contacts the Star Force, demanding unconditional surrender. The Argo responds by firing on the Galman ships, destroying most of them. Dagon has his flagship and one other do a space warp, and the Argo warps in pursuit. Upon leaving warp, the Galman ships catch the Argo in tractor beams and pull it toward a black hole. To escape, the Argo fires the Wave Motion Gun, causing both Galman ships to be pulled into the black hole and destroyed. 283 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

As the Argo approaches a planet, two ships drop out of warp and begin attacking it. Commander Wildstar radios one of the ships, identifying his vessel. The ships immediately cease their attack, saying they are from Berth and had heard of the Argo's helping the Legendra. Derek asks for permission to land to make repairs and collect food. While gathering supplies, Nova and Jason see what appears to be a penal colony but are unable to investigate further. The Star Force attends a reception given by Brozof, Berth's governor general. Brozof says Berth is part of the Bolar Federation, which wants to extend an offer of protection to the Earth, although many of the crew are suspicious of Brozof's words. Meanwhile, Jason and Flash go back to look at the prison camp. Suddenly, a group of prisoners breaks out of the prison camp and boards the Argo. The prisoners demand the Argo blast off or they will kill the engine crew. 228 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

As the hijackers take over the Argo's engine room, Jason and Flash discover they are carrying stun rifles and report this to Commander Wildstar. The hijackers demand to be taken to the planet Guardiana and its Queen, who is said to be a legendary space goddess. Leading a team into the engine room, Derek overpowers the hijackers, turning them over to the Bolars. Bemlayze, the Bolar Prime Minister, arranges for Derek to meet him on Berth. Enroute, Derek discovers the hijackers are being executed. He then learns that Bemlayze had ordered their execution. When Derek says he'll rescue the prisoners, the meeting turns sour, forcing Derek and his crew to fight their way out of the meeting and off the planet. In space, Bemlayze's ships attack the Argo but miss and end up destroying Berth. Derek vows to never forget Bemlayze's cruelty. 227 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

Commander Wildstar makes a report to Earth, saying the Argo has investigated several planets, but all are uninhabitable. Meanwhile, Galman Eastern Task Force commander Admiral Smeardom summons Commander Lugna von Feral, who is in charge of the "Wolf Pack," a fleet of space submarines. Smeardom tells Feral what happened to Dagon and charges him with destroying the Argo. Feral locates the Argo and launches an attack with space torpedoes, but the Argo is unable to locate the Galman ships. From an observation window, Jason sees a periscope. He reports this to Derek, saying he thinks the rest of the ship could be hiding in subspace. Impressed with the cadet's knowledge, Derek reassigns him to the bridge. The Argo warps at the same time the Galman ships enter normal space. Feral orders his ships to again submerge into subspace. Sandor works on a subspace sonar to help locate the Galmans while the Argo damages some of the Galman ships. Feral then launches another attack that injures Derek. 207 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

On board the Argo, Dr. Sane operates on Commander Wildstar to remove shrapnel from his arm. When Derek wakes up, he tries to go to the bridge, but Nova orders him to rest, saying she'll take care of him. Meanwhile, Sandor finishes the subspace sonar and installs it on the ship. In space, Feral has two of his ships move into position so they can be detected. The Argo destroys both ships, but the rest of the fleet then lures it to Admiral Smeardom's fortress. With Derek incapacitated, Jason orders an attack, but Smeardom captures the Argo. Upset at the result, Jason visits Derek in the infirmary to apologize. Derek, however, consoles the cadet, telling him not to be discouraged. He then asks Jason to help him to the bridge. Smeardom reports the Argo's capture to Galman Emperor Desslok, but when Desslok hears the Argo's name for the first time, he berates Smeardom for disobeying orders. Desslok radios the Argo and apologizes for Smeardom's actions. He invites the Star Force to visit him at the center of the Galman Empire, not as a prisoner, but as a guest. 207 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

Released from Smeardom's ship, the Argo warps directly into the center of the Galman Empire. The arrival brings back memories for Commander Wildstar, who recalls the Argo's first journey to Iscandar to help save Earth. Enroute, the Star Force battled and defeated Desslok. When the Comet Empire attacked, however, Desslok sided with the Argo. Heavily damaged from the earlier war, Gamilon exploded. Queen Starsha of Iscandar also sacrificed her planet to save both Desslok and the Star Force. When the Star Force meets Desslok, they notice twin planets, one looking like Gamilon and the other like Iscandar. Desslok says he named the Iscandar-like planet after Starsha in memory of her sacrifice and also because he loved her. Desslok had also built the Galman Empire by liberating Galman, the ancestral planet of Gamilon, and several other planets from the Bolar Federation. He then built up a powerful armed force and amassed great wealth to ensure the planets would remain liberated. The news leaves Derek puzzled and worrying about whether Desslok plans to conquer Earth. If so, it means the end of their friendship. 183 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

Desslok visits the Argo, where he pays his respects to the late Captain Avatar, who had commanded the ship on her first voyage. Commander Wildstar explains what happened to Earth's sun and the Argo's mission. Desslok offers his help to help make amends for the Galmans' part of the tragedy. Desslok's scientists offer a plan, which the Earth Defense Force agrees to use. Desslok then says that he built his weapons to maintain peace, and his ultimate goal is to unify all the planets to ensure peace. Just then the Bolar Federation attacks. Galman activates its defenses, and all but one missile is destroyed. The Argo launches to destroy the last missile. Unable to fire the Wave Gun himself as his arm is still healing, Derek has Jason fire the weapon. Jason does so, destroying the missile, and Derek cautions Desslok about the danger of relying so heavily on weaponry. 182 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

Sandor and Homer travel to Earth with Major Cranshaw, one of Desslok's scientists. After meeting the Earth Defense Force's commander, Cranshaw takes one ship to Saturn while Sandor and Homer follow in a second ship. Sandor explains the plan: first, Cranshaw will launch specially designed missiles to form a magnetic shield around the sun. Then Sandor's group will launch special missiles to gather asteroid fragments and send them into the sun. Finally, Cranshaw will launch proton missiles, and the resulting reaction will return the sun to normal. At first the plan appears to succeed, with the sun's temperature falling, but it then rapidly rises, forcing both ships to immediately retreat. Humiliated by the failure, Cranshaw orders his men to abandon his ship, then commits suicide by flying it into the sun. Derek and Nova offer their condolences to Desslok on the loss of Major Cranshaw. Desslok wishes Derek and Nova success on their mission. As Derek and Nova leave, they see several of Queen Guardiana's worshippers. Derek asks Desslok about the worshippers, and Desslok simply says Galman doesn't need two gods. He then tells the Star Force about another planet -- Phantom -- which is similar to Earth and supposedly uninhabited. 153 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

The Argo begins the first of three warps to Planet Phantom, a distant planet of which little is known other than that it resembles Earth. At Bolar Headquarters, Belmayze orders a fleet to attack and destroy the Argo. Meanwhile, the Star Force receives a distress call from a small planet. Commander Wildstar sends Jason, Flash and IQ-9 to investigate, but just as they leave the Argo, the transmission stops. Derek decides to allow the mission to continue. On the planet, Jason and Flash discover several followers of Queen Guardiana who were on a pilgrimage when their ship became disabled and they had to land. Derek has a team repair the pilgrims' ship, but Bolar ships appear just after the pilgrims take off. Derek tries to negotiate with the Bolar fleet, but the fleet attacks both the Argo and the pilgrims' ship. Derek has the Cosmo Tigers launch to protect the pilgrims' ship. Just then, Queen Guardiana appears before the Argo in the direction of Phantom. The Star Force wonders if she might perhaps be guiding them toward the planet. 139 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

Approaching Planet Phantom, the Star Force notices that it looks just like Earth. The ship erupts into near-chaos as the crew celebrates. Initial surveys indicate the planet is almost exactly like Earth in every way. Commander Wildstar relays the discovery of Phantom to Earth and Desslok, intending to send a landing party to investigate further. Suddenly, IQ-9 tells Derek that there is danger on Phantom, but can't pinpoint exactly what it is. Without any details, Derek orders the landing party to proceed. Meanwhile, Desslok contacts Belmayze and warns him to leave the Argo alone, but Belmayze refuses. On Phantom's surface, the Argo's crew suddenly see people that either died or they had left behind. Jason, Flash and Nova see their parents, Derek sees Captain Avatar, and Sandor sees Derek's brother Alex and Queen Starsha of Iscandar. Just then the entire crew sees Avatar's memorial, and they wonder if what they are seeing are real or merely illusions. 118 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

On Planet Phantom, the Argo's crew see Avatar's monument and run to it, only to have it disappear in front of their eyes. Derek reports his findings to Desslok, who is just as puzzled and sends a survey team to the planet. Meanwhile, a Bolar Federation ship warps to Phantom with intent to engage and destroy the Argo. Derek and Sandor have IQ-9 reanalyze the planet. Meanwhile, Desslok's survey ship reports that Phantom looks like Galmania. Derek meets with the Galman ship's crew and discovers that the planet appears differently to each person depending on their experiences. IQ-9 and Sandor conclude that the planet is a living entity and could be creating the illusions to protect itself. When Desslok hears about the planet, he orders his men to destroy it as soon as the Argo is clear. On the planet, Jason and Flash are trapped in what appears to be a tunnel. 113 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

On board the Argo, Derek, Nova and Sandor are unable to locate Flash and Jason, who are trapped in a tunnel on the planet. Suddenly, Flash and Jason meet the planet's life center, who asks them to take care of Queen Mariposa. Phantom says that Mariposa has the secret to the planet Guardiana and must be taken somewhere safe. Phantom then returns Flash, Jason and Mariposa to the planet's surface, where a rescue ship from the Argo picks them up. They describe their findings to Derek, who assigns Flash to be Mariposa's escort. After the Star Force leaves, they see Galmanian ships materialize. Mariposa says that the Galmans will attack Phantom. Flash warns Derek, who sends an urgent message to the Galmans asking them not to attack. The message is ignored, however, and the Galmans destroy Phantom. Derek asks Desslok why he ordered Phantom destroyed. Desslok says that he punished Phantom for embarrassing him and Derek by deceiving them. Having lost much time, the Star Force resumes its search for a new Earth. Meanwhile, Belmayze and Desslok learn that Mariposa is now on board the Argo and dispatch war fleets after the ship. 111 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

The Star Force approaches Beta in the Scalageck Star Cluster, the last possible planet the Argo is scheduled to survey. Although the planet is uninhabitable, the crew discovers the remains of the U.S. spaceship Arizona, which was apparently attacked by the Bolar Federation. Just then, both a Galman and a Bolar fleet materialize and both demand Queen Mariposa. Derek refuses, ordering Flash to look after Mariposa. Meanwhile, Desslok orders the Galmans to defend the Argo. The Bolar fleet attacks the Argo, which -- along with the Galmans -- returns fire. Several ships are destroyed, along with that of the Galmans' fleet commander, Admiral Gustaf. The Bolar main fleet radios the Argo, again demanding Mariposa. Derek refuses, and the Bolars attack. Using asteroids for cover, the Argo launches a counterattack with its wave cartridges, finally ending the battle. Flash begs Queen Guardiana for help, prompting Mariposa to help by inviting the Argo to Guardiana. Even though the Star Force didn't find a second Earth, Derek decides on one final mission -- to take Mariposa to Guardiana. 51 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

The Star Force approaches a planet, which Mariposa says is the gateway to a different dimension. As Mariposa opens the gateway, Desslok's fleet materializes behind the Argo. As the ship approaches Guardiana, the sensors indicate that it's just like Earth. Jason suggests that they take Guardiana for a second Earth, but Derek says that if they did, they'd be no better than the Galmans or the Bolars. Meanwhile, both Galman and Bolar ships follow the Argo. Derek orders the Star Force to defend Guardiana. While Desslok destroys the Bolar fleet in space, the Argo's crew defeats the troops on Guardiana. Derek learns that Guardiana had a powerful array of weapons, but swore them off long ago, only wishing for peace. He tells Desslok, who decides not to conquer Guardiana. Meanwhile, Mariposa offers an extremely powerful cannon that she says can restore the sun. She bids the Star Force goodbye, then becomes the new Queen Guardiana. The Star Force returns to Earth with a renewed hope. 46 days remain before the sun destroys Earth.

Earth is one month from the end when the Argo arrives with the cannon from Guardiana. Just as the Star Force is about to fire the cannon into the sun, the Bolar Federation launches a surprise attack which damages the cannon. As Desslok joins the fight, Jason runs out to repair the cannon and is hit. Flash avenges him by crashing his fighter into the Bolar fortress, heavily damaging it. To ensure that Flash's sacrifice isn't in vain, Desslok fires his cannon, destroying the fortress. Although critically wounded, Jason manages to repair the gun so Derek and Nova can fire it. Their attempt succeeds, and the sun -- and Earth -- are saved. Jason thanks Derek and Nova, wishing them happiness. He then dies from his injuries. As the bridge crew holds a memorial for Jason, Queen Guardiana appears carrying Flash's body and declares that war leaves no winners. She also says the Star Force should never fight to obtain peace, for it could be worse than fighting an enemy. Desslok congratulates Wildstar, wishing him luck in rebuilding. As they again part ways, the series ends.