The Unaired Pilot is a previously unreleased preview episode, most likely used by Go Nagai to attract funding for a full series. The Pilot is 15 minutes of length and basically a first draft of Episode 1 with different sequences. The pilots existence was unknown until it was released on the Japanese Complete Series set on April 24, 2013.
The Pilot only exists in Japanese and was never dubbed for English
Plot[]
An Alien Cruiser is spotted entering the range of Pluto Base, spotted by a Pluto cruiser. Captain Custer orders a fleet of Fighters to intercept the enemy. The Cruiser easily destroys the entire fleet of fighters.
Captain Custer contacts General Kuroda and requests that their secret X-Project be launched immediately. At Moonbase, Dr. Benn briefs the pilots for X-Project, Shiro Ginga, Bongo Heracles and Bigman Lee. The crew are introduced to PP Adamsky, Dr. Benn's robot along with his beautiful secretary Lamia and her guardian Kirara.
Dr. Benn is called by another secretary who alerts him that Captain Custer is on the screen, Custer briefs Dr. Benn on the situation and tells him to launch X-Project immediately. X-Bomber is launched, however it is too late as the Alien Forces fighters attack Pluto Base.
X-Bomber intercepts the fighters and diverts their attention from Pluto Base to them. The inexperienced crew attempts to fight the Fighters, but the ship is hammered with lasers. Dr. Benn tells the crew to launch the Dai-X components to take on the enemy.
Meanwhile, Bloody Mary, Commander of the Alien Cruiser, notices the new fighter and confers with Emporer Gelma who orders her to divert course and take the Pilots head on at Pluto. The Pilots notice the Cruiser heading way and they decide to Dai-X Junction. Dai-X lands on Pluto and raises its arms as the camera pans out.
The screen then switches to a screen stating "To be continued on the TV Series. See it please" and the Pilot ends.
Voice Cast[]
- Kōji Yada as Dr. Benn Robinson
- Hideyuki Tanaka as Shiro Ginga
- Keiichi Noda as Bongo Heracles
- Toshio Furukawa as Bigman Lee, Pluto Base Communications Officer
- Chiyoko Kawashima as Lamia
- Isamu Tanonaka as P.P. Adamsky
- Hidekatsu Shibata as General Kuroda
- Michihiro Ikemizu as Captain Custer
- Sachiko Chijimatsu as Bloody Mary
- Masashi Amenomori as Emperor Gelma
- Masaharu Satō as Mary's Symbiote, Pluto Astrofighter Pilot
Differences from Series[]
The pilot is basically a first working of the first episode and many scenes shown in the Pilot are reused in Episode 1 as well as the Japanese End Credits.
The puppets are much less refined looking. Captain Custer's puppet seems to be blockier and lacking eyebrows, Lamia's puppet has a slightly different face with a completely different and messier hairstyle, General Kuroda has a completely different outfit, PP Adamsky lacks arms and Shiro's puppet has much larger eyes.
Emporer Gelma is not depicted as a puppet but as a still silhouette drawing with a moving mouth on Bloody Mary's screen. The depiction looks nothing like his final depiction.
The Interior of the Imperial Battlecruiser is much darker in appearance and more stylisticly intimidating. The Termoid puppets eyes are different in appearance, and don't seem to talk but screech in dolphin-like chatters.
X-Bomber's interior is similar, but it is different in that it has X-001 painted on the door instead of XB as in the series. This would imply the original intention in the series was for X-Bomber to be a fleet of ships most likely.
Much of the voice cast is different from the final series, with the lone exceptions being Hidekatsu Shibata as General Kuroda and Masaharu Satō as Bloody Mary's symbiote. Also of note, Toshio Furukawa, the voice of Shiro in the main series, voices Lee here instead. Shiro's voice actor here would be given the role of Officer A among many additional voices in the main series.
Trivia[]
- The pilot did not use the same sound effects as used in the series, many sounds are different.
- Many scenes would reappear in Episode 1, differences can be made out in the scenes used along with the footage with the final puppets.
- In Episode 1, the storyline used in the Pilot is re-written. Many changes are made, mainly X-Bomber isn't launched until after Pluto Base is attacked, and General Kuroda is the one who orders it to be launched, along with the addition of Lieutenant Kozlo as Bloody Mary's assistant.
- Kirara accompanies the crew on X-Bomber for some reason.
- PPA joins Shiro in Brainder.
- The screeching sound effects used for the Termoids were originally used for Minilla in the 1967 movie Son of Godzilla
External Links[]
- Watch the Pilot from xbomber.co.uk