X-бомбер: Жапон қуыршақ театры және ғарыш ерліктері

Japanese marionette tokusatsu TV series
Japanese marionette television series

X Bomber (Ｘボンバー) (released as Star Fleet in the UK) is a Japanese marionette tokusatsu TV series created by manga artist Go Nagai, and produced by Cosmo Productions and Jin Productions. The show aired on Fuji TV from 1980 10 04 to , with a total of 25 episodes (including the pre series pilot episode), and was billed in Japan as being filmed in "Sūpāmariorama" (スーパーマリオラマ), a puppeteering process similar to Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation works.

This show can be considered somewhat of a cross between the work of Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa's Getter Robo and Star Wars. As in Getter Robo, the show's protagonists ride three vehicles that combine into a giant robot. Big Dai X, the robot in X Bomber, is more similar to the kind seen in the popular Super Sentai series than a regular Nagai robot. The show's opening and ending theme songs ("Soldier in the Space" and "The Drifting Galaxy", respectively) were performed by the Japanese hard rock group Bow Wow, while Kazutaka Tazaki (of The Bach Revolution) and Nakayuki Sakuraba (of Adbaloon) provided additional music for the show. The puppets of X Bomber were controlled from below the set using rods, and as a consequence were generally seen only from the waist up. Whereas Gerry Anderson's series were episodic in nature, X Bomber had an overall story arc, with sub plots and new characters being introduced as the series progressed, leading to a definite end. Similarly, rod puppets were used in Gerry Anderson's 1967 series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons canned as "under control" puppets due to their inability to walk whereas everywhere else they were marionettes. Anderson would later use Rod puppets in Terrahawks.

X Bomber was dubbed by English speaking actors and renamed Star Fleet for broadcast in the United Kingdom on ITV. The show was broadcast there on Saturday mornings, first airing on 1982 10 23, the day before Star Wars aired for the first time on British television. Due to its broadcast slot, the advertisements shown before, during and after each episode frequently included children's Public Information Films. The series was also broadcast as such on first run syndication in the United States. Drawing heavily on diverse influences such as Star Wars, Japanese Anime and Gerry Anderson's various "Supermarionation" series, the show ran for twenty four half hour episodes (twenty five in Japan the eighteenth episode, titled Bloody Mary's Promotion, was not included in the English version, as it consisted mainly of flashbacks). The English version's theme song was composed by Paul Bliss, and was later covered by Queen member Brian May and Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen. This was released under the name "Star Fleet Project". The screenplay was adapted for English by Michael Sloan, who in later years would create the popular TV series The Master and The Equalizer. Actress Denise Bryer ("Commander Makara") and editor Tony Lenny both went on to collaborate with Gerry Anderson and Christopher Burr making another memorable sci fi series, Terrahawks.

The year is 2999 and the Earth is at peace following the Space Wars. The safety of the human race is ensured by Earth Defense Force (EDF). Shortly before the turn of the fourth millennium, the peace is broken by the appearance of a gigantic alien battle cruiser. Powerless to defend itself, the EDF's Pluto base is completely destroyed and the evil Commander Makara reveals that the same fate awaits the Earth unless the mysterious F Zero One is handed over to her. Unaware of the nature of F Zero One and fearing retribution, the EDF presses into action an untested, incomplete weapon, codenamed X Project, from its hidden moon base. The X Project is revealed to be a powerfully armed spacecraft named X Bomber. The series then follows the adventures of the crew of the X Bomber, namely Doctor Benn, Shiro Hagen, Barry Hercules and John Lee who are joined by PPA, Lamia and her guardian Kirara. They set off to discover the nature of the F Zero One and try to protect it from the increasingly desperate Commander Makara and her menacing overlord, the Imperial Master. Eventually it is revealed that Lamia herself is the mysterious F Zero One, a powerful alien destined to bring peace to the galaxy at the turn of the millennium. The series continues with Lamia gradually discovering her true nature and powers while the Imperial Alliance attempts to capture her and destroy the X Bomber. The series climaxes with the X Bomber crew destroying Commander Makara and Lamia finally confronting and defeating the Imperial Master and bringing peace to the universe.

Two relatively unknown manga were also created in 1980. One was drawn by Naoki Kamohara and published in the magazine Monthly Shōnen Jump by Shueisha from to and the other was drawn by Makoto Ono in the magazine TV kun by Shogakukan from to Both sets also contained one of two compilation movies created from Star Fleet, in English with Japanese subtitles. Both sets have since gone out of print. On April 24, 2013, Bandai Visual released a Remastered DVD Box of the series featuring enhanced and remastered scenes. In Bulgaria The Thalian Space Wars and Space Quest For F 01 tapes were released by Multi Video Center with Bulgarian dub. In the US, eight video tapes were released which also contained compilations of the series' episodes, albeit in a less drastically edited format. In the UK, only three Star Fleet video tapes were ever released. The first and rarest contained episodes 4 and 5 of the series. The other two were compilation movies entitled The Thalian Space Wars and Space Quest For F 01. The series has not been repeated on UK television since the late 1980s. A DVD set of Star Fleet was released in the UK on 2009 02 09 by Fabulous Films. Included in the DVD set are all 24 episodes, remastered, and restored to their original UK broadcast format. Beyond the episodes, the set also includes stills and a double sided poster, as well as a comicbook and a comprehensive 'making of' documentary, which includes contributions from series creator Go Nagai, Dr Benn voice artist Peter Marinker, Brian May, Paul Bliss and Gerry Anderson. Further to the DVD release, Paul Bliss' soundtrack has been released on CD and is available via mail order. Discotek Media announced in June 2016 that they will release the dubbed series on DVD in the United States on December 20, 2016. It was later delayed for a February 2017 release. They later announced in January 2019 that they will release both that version and the original version on SD Blu ray in the United States on March 26, 2019.