Year: 1978

A space capsule returns from Mars with orbital photos pinpointing every secret Spectra base on the red planet’s surface. Before that information can be returned to Center Neptune, however, a huge Spectra submarine snags the capsule moments after its ocean splashdown. Mark and the Phoenix crew discover an underwater base where the capsule’s two-man crew is being held hostage, and Mark sets out alone to rescue them. But once he’s inside the base, Mark discovers that his arrival has been expected – and unless his teammates can rescue him, he’s just become Spectra’s third hostage.

written by Jameson Brewer
directed by David E. Hanson
music by Hoyt Curtin and Bob Sakuma

Voice Cast: Casey Kasem (Mark), Ronnie Schell (Jason), Janet Waldo (Princess / Susan), Alan Young (7-Zark-7 / Keyop), Alan Dinehart Jr. (Tiny / Chief Anderson), Keye Luke (Zoltar / The Luminous One)

Note: Casey Kasem doubles as the voice of the flight controller for the space mission, using the “radio voice” that made him famous as the longtime host of the weekly syndicated radio show, American Top 40. The most significant plot alteration in this episode is the complete avoidance of the original Gatchaman scenes in which it is revealed that the captured astronauts have already been killed before their would-be rescuer arrived (!). In the scene where Mark yells a somewhat out-of-place “Tarzan” sound, the original Japanese episode had the character issuing a fierce war cry. For the corresponding episode of Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman, click here.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Plane crashes and sightings of mysterious phenomena abound on the recently-discovered planet Zarkadia (named after its discoverer, 7-Zark-7), a new ally of Earth. Chief Anderson and G-Force travel there in the Phoenix to investigate, discovering that Spectra has created a giant robotic mummy to terrorize the planet. The plutonium-powered robot’s target is Dr. Sweet, who has discovered and refined a plutonium-neutralizing mineral called anti-pluton. Silencing the scientist will allow Spectra’s plutonium-powered terrors to rampage across the galaxy unchecked. The mummy has only one vulnerable point, and Mark has to find it with little time to spare.

written by Jameson Brewer
directed by Hisayuki Toriumi
music by Hoyt Curtin and Bob Sakuma

Voice Cast: Casey Kasem (Mark), Ronnie Schell (Jason), Janet Waldo (Princess / Susan), Alan Young (7-Zark-7 / Keyop), Alan Dinehart Jr. (Tiny / Chief Anderson), Keye Luke (Zoltar)

Note: This is the first episode to feature new animation of the existing Gatchaman characters created expressly for Battle Of The Planets, namely, Mark on 7-Zark-7’s viewscreen (the difference between the Japanese animation and the American animation is instantly recognizable to any anime afficionado). Chief Anderson is said to be aboard the Phoenix for its interplanetary flight to Zarkadia (presumably the people of this planet didn’t already have a more dignified name for their homeworld), but since Dr. Nambu seldom, if ever, boarded the God Phoenix in Gatchaman, he is not seen there. Another thing not seen here is the entire opening teaser from the original Japanese episode, completely cut due to its violent images. The Zarkadians (really?) are apparently immune to the common cold. For the corresponding episode of Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman, click here. The airdate listed here is approximate, not exact; see the bottom of this page for information on Battle Of The Planets airdates.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

A recent series of earthquakes gets Chief Anderson’s attention. One of the leading seismologists in the country, Dr. Harlon, talks to his old student Mark about the unusual quakes, which are occurring far away from known fault lines. But before they can catch up on old times, another quake strikes, and Dr. Harlon falls into the resulting crack in the ground and is killed. Mark takes his teacher’s death hard, but not as hard as Harlon’s daughter Debbie. Taking it upon himself to personally find the cause of the earthquakes and prevent them from happening again, Mark goes rogue, leaving the rest of G-Force out of the action as he searches for Spectra’s latest monstrous creation – a giant metallic serpent burrowing under the surface of Earth. This foe is more than Mark can handle alone, though – and the rest of his colleagues have to break out the big guns to save the world from Zoltar’s latest scheme.

written by Jameson Brewer
directed by Hisayuki Toriumi
music by Hoyt Curtin and Bob Sakuma

Voice Cast: Casey Kasem (Mark), Ronnie Schell (Jason), Janet Waldo (Princess / Susan), Alan Young (7-Zark-7 / Keyop), Alan Dinehart Jr. (Tiny / Chief Anderson), Keye Luke (Zoltar)

Note: Astonishingly by today’s standards, the scenes of the seismologist lighting up and smoking a cigarette are left in; then again, it was the 1970s. At any point past the early 1980s, the scenes would’ve been edited to avoid the smoking, or the conversation would’ve been cut altogether, or – as often happened when people were seen to meet grisly ends in Battle Of The Planets – 7-Zark-7 would’ve mentioned that it’s okay for him to smoke because he’s a robot. (Okay, maybe not.) The U.N. fighter jets – all of which have canopies for pilots – are said to be “robot controlled fighters.” Other lessons learned in this episode: it’s okay to put the firing switch for nuclear weapons in the hands of an untrained (and possibly teenage) civilian, so long as she refuses to fire them because seeking revenge is bad. (The scene of her firing the weapon – as actually happened in the original Gatchaman episode – is skipped, and we hear via voice-over that Jason lets the nukes fly instead. Which is perfectly acceptable.) For the corresponding episode of Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman, click here.

LogBook entry by Earl Green