The third episode of the animated science fiction series Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman airs on Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV. This series will later be heavily edited – primarily for violence – and dubbed into English as Battle Of The Planets. 
A trans-Pacific jetliner returning to Japan encounters a strange cloud, blinding its instruments and buffeting the plane with severe turbulence. The pilot sends out an SOS and reports sighting something huge before the plane goes down. It’s not the only sighting, which means the Science Ninja Team is called into action. On this occasion, however, Ken takes it upon himself to investigate since he’s a skilled solo pilot with his own plane. Sure enough, Ken has his own sighting – a huge mummified hand that tries to swat his plane out of the sky. The sensors built into his plane (which also doubles as the G-1 jet fighter, part of the God Phoenix) detect a form of plutonium whose use is forbidden around the world – meaning that Galactor has acquired some of it. But when the downed plane’s pilot mysteriously reappears, Ken knows something is amiss – especially when he learns that the pilot’s brother helped Dr. Nambu develop the dangerous form of plutonium. When an enormous robotic mummy lands at the airport and begins wreaking havoc, there’s no question what Galactor wants the Gatchaman team to surrender.
written by Jinzo Toriumi
directed by Hisayuki Toriumi
music by Bob SakumaVoice Cast: Katsuji Mori (Ken Washio), Isao Sasaki (Joe Asakura), Kazuko Sugiyama (Jun), Yoku Shioya (Jinpei), Shingo Kanemoto (Ryu), Toru Ohira (Kozaburo Nambu), Mikio Terashima (Berg Katse), Nobuo Tanaka (Sosai X), Teiji Omiya (Director Anderson)
Note: This synopsis is for the original Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman episode, and appears under its original Japanese premiere date. For the corresponding episode of Battle Of The Planets, click here. Makoto can sleep through anything.
LogBook entry by Earl Green