Tuesday 6 November 2012

15 X-Bomber Dies on Planet Malphane!

"We must take the girl Lamia away from X-Bomber somehow"

Episode 15: X-Bomber Dies on Planet Malphane!
UK Video: -
US Video: Volume 5: Kidnapped
DVD: Star Fleet - The Complete Series - Disc 3

Lamia is contacted by Halley telepathically over the vast distance of space. Her response is detected by X-Bomber's crew and she insists that they should make for a planet which Halley is on. The Imperial Alliance believe they have tracked the Skull to the Collusion Cluster and decide to intercept X-Bomber on it's way. Lee notices the differences in Lamia but Hercules dismisses it as her being distressed by her encounter with the Skull. Shiro believes the beam fired at Lamia has triggered her powers and Doctor Benn agrees. Lamia detects the Alliance warship approaching but Hercules dismisses her concerns and storms out. After he leaves the Battlecruiser is detected by X-Bomber's instruments but Hercules refuses to return to the bridge. The ship is shaken by the Alliance's assault and the Oxygen system severely damaged causing the crew to collapse. PPA activates the auxiliary system but finds that's damaged too and attempts to repair it. Lamia & Kirara come to the bridge and find the unconscious crew. Captain Halley contacts her and tells her to set a course for the planet Malphane. Lamia manages to land X-Bomber by herself but Commander Makara demands her surrender as the Imperial Alliance battlecruiser traps them. PPA refuses to let her surrender and gets her to help treat the crew. When Lamia does not surrender Makara has fighters attack X-Bomber. Lamia and Kirara operate the turret lasers and repel the fighters. Makara recalls the remaining fighters and has the carriers land ground vehicles crewed by Termoids who start cutting their way through X-Bomber's hull....

Lamia's sudden telepathic powers emerge from nowhere but Shiro's assumption that they've been triggered by the energy blast fired at the Lamia's pendant the previous episode would seem correct. Hercules is especially sceptical here, but there's little to explain quite why especially as he has seen the lengths the Alliance have gone to to seize Lamia in previous episodes.

Weapons: turret lasers for the 7th time, but it's the first time we see them used by someone other than Shiro & Hercules as Lamia & Kirara use them. This isn't the last time we'll see Kirara's gunnery skills either.

I have to ask how is Lamia breathing OK in such a thin atmosphere in X-Bomber? Is this another change as a result of the exposure to the ray Halley fired at her.

Barry Hercules is voiced by actor Constantine Gregory. He's not got many roles you'll have seen him in, the most prominent being as the Computer Store Manager in James Bond: Goldeneye. He was also in CI5: The New Professionals, Space Race & Spooks. I'm not 100% sure but I believe he also provides Kirara's grunting noises for Star Fleet.

This episode's Japanese title is X-Bomber Dies on Planet M! None of the episode appears on the UK Compilation tapes but it is on the US Video Volume 5: Kidnapped which we've got to the end of without seeing a kidnapping.....

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