posted on Sep, 24 2004 @ 05:36 PM
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.