Star Blazers

Star Blazers is an American animated television series adaptation of the Japanese anime series, Space Battleship Yamato I, II, and III. Star Blazers was first broadcast in the United States in 1979. Significantly, it was the first popular English-translated anime that had an overarching plot and storyline that required the episodes to be shown in order. It dealt with somewhat more mature themes than other productions aimed at the same target audience at the time. As a result, it paved the way for future arc-based, plot-driven anime translations.

Star Blazers (1974-1979) is an American-Japanese animated science fiction series created by Leiji Matsumoto for NBC, adapted from the Japanese anime Space Battleship Yamato. Its engine is a desperate quest: a crew of a restored battleship, led by Captain Derek Wildstar (Kenneth Meseroll) and navigator Nova Forrester (Amy Howard Wilson), must cross the galaxy to retrieve a distant purifying device before radioactive contamination destroys earth. Along the way, young pilot Dashell 'Dash' Jordan (Eddie Allen) and engineer Homer Glitchman (Michael Bertolini) face hostile alien forces, including Queen Starsha (Lydia Leeds) and the Comet Empire under General Dire (Christopher Collins), while every episode advances one continuing storyline across seventy-seven installments over three seasons. Its scope is a serialized space epic rather than a case of the week, and it was the first popular English-translated anime to demand viewing in order. Set in a far-future galaxy, the series blends brisk starship battles with sombre, wartime melancholy and a hopeful sense of duty. Fans of Star Trek: The Original Series, Battlestar Galactica (1978) and Mobile Suit Gundam will find resonance in its mix of cosmic adventure, mature war themes and earnest heroism.

• Star Trek: The Original Seriesspace opera adventure, serialized plot-driven arc, earth in peril
• Battlestar Galactica (1978)serialized space war saga, mature themes in animation, epic episodic arcs
• Mobile Suit Gundamgiant robot anime, Japanese animated science fiction, serialized sci-fi adventure
• Captain Harlockanimated space adventure with a serialized overarching quest

Created by

Leiji Matsumoto

Release Date

1974-10-06

Episode runtime

30 min

Rating

8.4 / 10 (19)

What is Star Blazers about?

An American animated adaptation of the Japanese space epic Space Battleship Yamato, following a battered earth crew on a desperate interstellar voyage to save their dying planet.

What is Star Blazers like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Star Blazers as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Star Blazers violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Star Blazers as moderate.

Which shows are like Star Blazers?

Shows with a similar feel include Star Trek: The Original Series, Battlestar Galactica (1978), Mobile Suit Gundam, and Captain Harlock.

How long is Star Blazers?

Star Blazers: 3 seasons, 77 episodes.

Is Star Blazers still running?

No, Star Blazers has ended.