| Target: the Captain | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by |
Michio Mikami |
| Produced by | |
| Written by | |
| Air Date (JP) |
December 6, 1980 |
| Air Date (UK) |
December 18, 1982 |
| Previous episode | |
| Next episode | |
Target: the Captain, or The Targeted Captain (追いつめられた司令官! oitsumerareta shireikan!) in original Japanese, is the ninth episode of Star Fleet. It aired on December 6, 1980 on Fuji TV in Japan, and December 18, 1982 on ITV in the UK.
Plot Summary[]
 Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
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The Alliance Battlecruiser has failed to defeat X-Bomber on the planet Alloria. The Imperial Master is angered and summons Commander Makara and Captain Orion to return to the Thalian Zone for trial and execution.
In the barren landscape of the Imperial home planet, Makara and Orion report for debriefing. Approaching the execution chamber, Orion is frightened. The Imperial Master demands to know the location of F-01. Makara and her symbiotic eyepiece speak to the Master, tells the Imperial Master that they had not taken the X-Bomber into account, and that it is a powerful ship. The Imperial Master angrily arises from the skyline, 50 feet tall. He tells Makara that failure means death in the eyes of the Imperial Master, and tells her to step up to the guillotine. Makara pleads that she is not using X-Bomber as an excuse and is not afraid of death.
The Imperial Master agrees to review her battles in detail. A flashback appears to their first battle in their solar system, showing Makara and Orion destroying Star Fleet cruisers and then proceeding to attack Pluto Base (Episode 1). Back on the Imperial Battlecruiser, Makara interrogates Captain Carter, to no avail. (Episode 2)
The Imperial Battlecruiser heads toward Earth, and the Imperial carriers are confronted by X-Bomber, which they are successfully able to shoot down (Episode 1). The Imperial Fighters are launched and attack the grounded X-Bomber. The crew of X-Bomber use neck cannons to return fire, destroying two carriers. Orion orders a retreat (Episode 2). The Battlecruiser proceeds to the Headquarters of Star Fleet command, demanding the handover of F-01. When they refused, Makara destroyed their defenses. X-Bomber then launches from the moon after Lamia claims herself as F-01. X-Bomber fires X-Impulse at Makara's Battlecruiser (Episode 3).
Makara directs the blame toward Orion, but the Imperial Master knows well that it is her who underestimated the abilities of the X-Bomber, citing their attack on X-Bomber during their base construction on Pluto and their initial ambush on her in the asteroid belt. (Episode 4)
Makara still insists that Orion's useless attack is what allowed X-Bomber to escape them and follow them to their base. The Flashback goes to the base attack on X-Bomber in the Methane Sea and the launching of the Dai-X fighters as well as the assembly of the Dai-X and its destruction of their base, leaving Makara with no option but to retreat (Episode 4).
Makara insists to the Imperial Master that their battle tactics in the Methane Sea were more than sound, but the Dai-X fighters were completely unexpected, so they couldn't handle them in battle. Makara implies that if the Masters Intelligence system had warned them of the possibility, then things would have gone differently. The Imperial Master becomes outraged by Makara's implications that her failures are the fault of his intelligence staff, and he grabs onto Orion.
Makara pleads for mercy, citing the fact she believes Lamia on X-Bomber is the F-01, and concedes that she will revise her tactic plans. The Imperial Master finally gives both Makara and Orion a second chance, but states that they must find F-01 in 6 months or else it will be lost for another millennium. The Imperial Master disappears, and Makara and Orion leave in the Alliance Cruiser. Makara's life is spared so that she can locate F-01, but from now on she is battling for her own life, if she fails she will die.
Voice Cast[]
Main Cast[]
Secondary Cast[]
| Character | Japanese Voice | English Voice | French Voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Termoids | Masaharu Satō | Jacob Witkin | Frédéric Pieretti |
| Makara's Symbiote | Annie Balestra |
Equipment Used[]
Earth Defence Forces[]
- X-Bomber (flashback only)
- Dai-X (flashback only)
- Pluto Astrofighters (flashback only)
Imperial Alliance[]
- Imperial Fortress Planet
- Imperial Battlecruiser
- Imperial Carrier Craft (flashback only)
- Imperial Fighters (flashback only)
Trivia[]
- Excluding flashback scenes, stock footage from The Mysterious Ship, Skull is used
- Instead of reusing the original dialogue and sound effects recorded for the original episodes, the flashbacks are given new voice recordings which differ greatly from the original.
- The French dub of this episode, however, uses the original tracks recorded for the respective episodes. Though certain lines for characters such as the Termoids are sometimes left unaltered (in the original episodes they are edited to sound robotic). And on one occasion, a line originally attributed to Lee was inaccurately attributed to Hercules.
- This episode is the last shown during Star Fleet's initial run in the UK before taking two weeks off for the Christmas Holidays.
- The Imperial Master says that F-01 must be found within 6 Earth months, implying that this episode takes place in June 2999.