X-Bomber facts for kids
Quick facts for kids X Bomber |
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Cover for the Remastered DVD-Box set
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| Genre | Tokusatsu, Science fiction, Fantasy |
| Created by | Go Nagai |
| Developed by | Keisuke Fujikawa |
| Written by | Keisuke Fujikawa (eps 1-25) |
| Directed by | Michio Mikami |
| Voices of | Toshio Furukawa Shigeru Chiba Mami Koyama Banjo Ginga Hidekatsu Shibata Mikio Terashima Naoki Tatsuta Norio Wakamoto Reizo Nomoto Rihoko Yoshida Katsuji Mori Yūji Mitsuya |
| Narrated by | Yuzuru Fujimoto |
| Theme music composer | Kyoji Yamamoto |
| Opening theme | Soldier in the Space |
| Ending theme | The Drifting Galaxy |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language(s) | Japanese |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 25 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Kimio Ikeda Keisuke Fujikawa |
| Producer(s) | Kimio Ikeda |
| Camera setup | Ryuji Kawasaki |
| Running time | 22–26 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fuji TV (Japan) ITV (UK) Syndication (United States) |
| Picture format | NTSC 4:3 PAL 4:3 |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | October 4, 1980 – March 28, 1981 |
X Bomber (Ｘボンバー, Ekkusu Bonbā) is a cool Japanese TV show that uses puppets! In the UK, it was called Star Fleet. It's a tokusatsu (special effects) sci-fi series. The famous manga artist Go Nagai created it. The show first aired in Japan on Fuji TV from October 1980 to March 1981. There were 26 episodes, including a special pilot. The show used a special puppet technique called "Sūpāmariorama." This was similar to the "Supermarionation" method used by Gerry Anderson for shows like Thunderbirds.
Contents
What is X Bomber About?
This show mixes ideas from Go Nagai's other works and Star Wars. Like in Nagai's Getter Robo, the heroes fly three vehicles. These vehicles can combine to form a giant robot called Big Dai X. This robot is like the ones you might see in the popular Super Sentai series.
The opening song, "Soldier in the Space," and the ending song, "The Drifting Galaxy," were performed by the Japanese rock band Bow Wow.
The puppets in X Bomber were controlled from below the set using rods. This meant you usually only saw them from the waist up. Unlike some puppet shows that have separate stories in each episode, X Bomber had one big story. New characters and smaller plots were added as the series went on, leading to a clear ending.
Star Fleet: The UK Version
X Bomber was renamed Star Fleet when it came to the United Kingdom. English actors provided the voices. It was shown on ITV on Saturday mornings, starting on October 23, 1982. This was just one day before the movie Star Wars first aired on British TV! Because it was on Saturday mornings, it often showed public service announcements for kids. The show also aired in the United States.
Star Fleet took ideas from Star Wars, Japanese Anime, and Gerry Anderson's puppet shows. The English version had 24 episodes. The original Japanese version had 25 episodes. One episode, "Bloody Mary's Promotion," was mostly flashbacks and was not included in the English version.
The theme song for the English version was created by Paul Bliss. Later, Queen guitarist Brian May and Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen covered it. They released it as "Star Fleet Project."
Michael Sloan wrote the English script. He later created popular TV shows like The Master and The Equalizer.
The Story of X Bomber
The year is 2999. Earth is peaceful after some big space wars. The Earth Defense Force (EDF) keeps everyone safe. But then, a giant alien spaceship appears. The evil Commander Makara destroys the EDF's base on Pluto. She threatens to destroy Earth too, unless they give her something called F-Zero-One.
The EDF doesn't know what F-Zero-One is. They decide to use a secret, unfinished weapon from their moon-base. This weapon is called X-Project, which turns out to be a powerful spaceship named X-Bomber.
The story follows the adventures of the X-Bomber crew. This includes Doctor Benn, Shiro Hagen, Barry Hercules, and John Lee. They are joined by PPA, Lamia, and her protector Kirara. Their mission is to find out what F-Zero-One is. They must protect it from Commander Makara and her scary boss, the Imperial Master.
Eventually, they discover that Lamia herself is F-Zero-One! She is a powerful alien meant to bring peace to the galaxy. The series shows Lamia learning about her true powers. Meanwhile, the Imperial Alliance tries to capture her and destroy the X-Bomber. The show ends with the X-Bomber crew defeating Commander Makara. Lamia then faces and beats the Imperial Master, bringing peace to the universe.
Episodes
| Ep# | Eng Ep# | Title | Director | Original air date | First English air date |
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| SP | n–a | "Super Space Machine X Bomber - Takeoff Preparation Complete (TV Pilot Presentation)" "chō uchū mashīn X bonbā hasshin junbi kanryō" (超宇宙マシーンＸボンバー 発進準備完了) |
Unknown | October 4, 1980 | n/a |
| 1 | 1 | "Scramble, X-Bomber" "sukuranburu X bonbā" (スクランブル・Xボンバー) |
Michio Mikami | October 11, 1980 | October 23, 1982 |
| 2 | 2 | "Super Powerful Imperial Alliance Fleet" "kishū geruma kantai!" (奇襲ゲルマ艦隊!) |
Michio Mikami | October 18, 1980 | TBA |
| 3 | 3 | "Find F-01!" "F-01 o sagashidase!" (F-01を探し出せ!) |
Michio Mikami | October 25, 1980 | TBA |
| 4 | 4 | "Wipe Out the Transport Fleet" "yusō sendan shōmetsu su!" (輸送船団消滅す!) |
Akira Takahashi | November 1, 1980 | TBA |
| 5 | 5 | "The Mysterious Ship Skull!" "nazo no hansen dokuro gō!" (謎の帆船ドクロ号!) |
Akira Takahashi | November 8, 1980 | TBA |
| 6 | 6 | "X-Bomber Goes Forth!" "tabidatsu X bonbā!" (旅立つXボンバー!) |
Michio Mikami | November 15, 1980 | TBA |
| 7 | 7 | "Mortal Combat In The Gravity Graveyard!" "jūryoku hakaba no shitō!" (重力墓場の死闘!) |
Michio Mikami | November 22, 1980 | TBA |
| 8 | 8 | "An Attack Beyond Tears!" "namida o koete jūgeki seyo!" (涙を越えて銃撃せよ!) |
Michio Mikami | November 29, 1980 | TBA |
| 9 | 9 | "Target: the Commander" "oitsumerareta shireikan!" (追いつめられた司令官!) |
Michio Mikami | December 6, 1980 | TBA |
| 10 | 10 | "Galaxy Adrift" "ginga hyōryū" (銀河漂流) |
Michio Mikami | December 13, 1980 | TBA |
| 11 | 11 | "Farewell, the Eternal Battlefield" "sayonara eien no senjō!" (サヨナラ永遠の戦場!) |
Akira Takahashi | December 20, 1980 | TBA |
| 12 | 12 | "Our Mortal Enemy Is Captain Carter" "shukuteki wa kasutā taii" (宿敵はカスター大尉) |
Akira Takahashi | December 27, 1980 | TBA |
| 13 | 13 | "Battle To The Death: X Bomber Vs. the Imperial Alliance" "gekitō! X bonbā tai geruma gundan" (激闘! Xボンバー対ゲルマ軍団) |
Michio Mikami | January 3, 1981 | TBA |
| 14 | 14 | "Lamia, Girl Of Destiny" "shukumei no shōjo ramia" (宿命の少女ラミア) |
Akira Takahashi | January 10, 1981 | TBA |
| 15 | 15 | "X-Bomber: Death on Planet M" "X bonbā M boshi ni shisu!" (XボンバーM星に死す!) |
Michio Mikami | January 17, 1981 | TBA |
| 16 | 16 | "Lamia Kidnapped" "tsuresarareta ramia" (連れ去られたラミア) |
Michio Mikami | January 24, 1981 | TBA |
| 17 | 17 | "Asleep In The Ice Prison" "kōri no rōgoku de nemure!" (氷の牢獄で眠れ!) |
Noriyasu Ogami | January 31, 1981 | TBA |
| 18 | n–a | "Bloody Mary's Promotion!" "buradi marī shōshin!" (ブラディマリー昇進!) |
Noriyasu Ogami | February 7, 1981 | n/a |
| 19 | 18 | "Destroy the Prison Planet" "rōgoku wakusei o bakuha seyo!" (牢獄惑星を爆破せよ!) |
Kiyotaka Matsumoto | February 14, 1981 | TBA |
| 20 | 19 | "F-01 Assassination Plot" "F-01 ansatsu sakusen" (F-01暗殺作戦) |
Kiyotaka Matsumoto | February 21, 1981 | TBA |
| 21 | 20 | "Callanean: Full Frontal Attack Begins!" "M13 sōkōgeki kaishi!" (M13総攻撃開始!) |
Kiyotaka Matsumoto | February 28, 1981 | TBA |
| 22 | 21 | "Callanean: A Battle with No Tomorrow" "M13 ashita naki tatakai!" (M13明日なき戦い!) |
Kiyotaka Matsumoto | March 7, 1981 | TBA |
| 23 | 22 | "Board the Imperial Alliance Mothership" "geruma bokan e totsunyū seyo!" (ゲルマ母艦へ突入せよ!) |
Noriyasu Ogami | March 14, 1981 | TBA |
| 24 | 23 | "The End of Earth" "chikyū zettaizetsumei!" (地球絶体絶命!) |
Michio Mikami Noriyasu Ogami |
March 21, 1981 | TBA |
| 25 | 24 | "A New Beginning For the Galaxy" "ginga shinseiki gannen" (銀河新世紀元年) |
Michio Mikami Noriyasu Ogami |
March 28, 1981 | April 16, 1983 |
Some episode titles for the English version were changed. This was to match the story changes or due to translation differences. The English DVD release later confirmed these titles.
Who Voiced the Characters in English?
Here are some of the actors who lent their voices to the English version of Star Fleet:
- Jay Benedict as Shirō Hagen
- Constantine Gregory as Barry Hercules
- Mark Rolston as John Lee
- Peter Marinker as Dr. Benn Robinson
- Liza Ross as Princess Lamia
- John Baddeley as PPA (Perfectly Programmed Android)
- Kevin Brennan as General Kyle
- Garrick Hagon as Captain Carter
- Denise Bryer as Commander Makara
- Sean Barrett as Captain Orion
- Jacob Witkin as The Imperial Master
- Al Matthews as Caliban and Professor Hagen
The English voice cast was quite small. Many actors voiced more than one character. Only the main characters from the first episode were listed in the credits.
X Bomber in Comics
Two manga (Japanese comics) based on X Bomber were made in 1980.
- One was drawn by Naoki Kamohara. It appeared in Monthly Shōnen Jump magazine from June to August 1980.
- The other was drawn by Makoto Ono. It was in TV-kun magazine from November 1980 to April 1981.
In the UK, the comic magazine Look-In also featured comic strips based on Star Fleet. These ran for 32 weeks, starting in January 1983.
Where Can You Watch It?
The original Japanese version of X Bomber was released on LD in 1993. Later, it came out on DVD in 2002. Both sets included one of two movies made from Star Fleet. These movies were in English with Japanese subtitles. These sets are now hard to find. In 2013, Bandai Visual released a new, improved DVD set with better scenes.
In the UK, only three Star Fleet video tapes were released. The first had episodes 4 and 5. The other two were movies called The Thalian Space Wars and Space Quest For F-01. The show has not been shown on UK television since the late 1980s.
A DVD set of Star Fleet was released in the UK on February 9, 2009, by Fabulous Films. This set has all 24 episodes. They were improved and restored to how they looked when first broadcast in the UK. The set also includes pictures, a poster, a comic book, and a "making of" documentary. This documentary features interviews with the creator Go Nagai, voice actor Peter Marinker, and musicians Brian May and Paul Bliss.
Because of this DVD release, some fan-made videos were removed from YouTube. A free fan game called "X-Bomber The Game" was also asked to be removed from its website.
In the US, Discotek Media released the dubbed series on DVD in December 2016 (later delayed to February 2017). In 2019, they also released both the dubbed and original Japanese versions on Blu-ray.
