Message from Space: Galactic Wars (Uchu kara no Messeji: Ginga Taisen) was proceeded by the movie Message from Space (Uchu kara no Messeji
Message from Space: Galactic Wars (Uchu kara no Messeji: Ginga Taisen) aired in Japan from July 8, 1978 to January 27, 1979 (27 episdes + 1 movie)
"Striking down evil in many forms...Messanger of Peace... Phantom!"
"I come from the ends of the galaxy, Fighter for Justice...Shooting Star!"
Opening Theme: Bravemen Across the Galaxy
| Character |
|
Actor/Actress |
| Gen, Hayato/Phantom (voice) |
|
Sanada, Hiroyuki |
| Ryū/Shooting Star (voice) |
|
Oda, Akira |
| Ape-Man Balu |
|
Nishida, Ryo |
| Tonto |
|
Tabuchi, Iwao |
| Sofia |
|
Akitani, Yoko |
| Captain Kogar |
|
Hotta, Shinzo |
| Vice Captain Igar |
|
Shirai, Jiro |
| Kunoi |
|
Fujiyama, Ritsuko |
| Narrator |
|
Koike, Asao |
Suit Actors:
In the 70th year of the Star Calendar, the 15th solar system, consisting of the sun Glora and its three planets Cita, Analys and Belda, colonized by humans whos ancestors came from the first solar system's, 3rd planet, Earth, is invaded by the evil Gavanas Empire, lead by Roxair XIII. The inexperienced 15th Solar System Defense Force (their system has always been at peace) is no match for the alien fighter ships and are quickly wiped out. The Analys ground troops dont fare any better. Colonists on Analys attempt to transmit a distress signal to the Earth Alliance but the signal is traced to the home of Gen, Shin. His son Hayato arrives home to find his father, mother and younger sister have been murdered [sound familar Kamen Rider V3 fans?] Gen, Hayato hijacks the cargo ship that brought him to Analys to make a sucidal attack on the Gavanas. He ejects the pilot and copolit so they wont die with him. A mysterous woman, Sofia, recues Gen, Hayato from the exploding cargo ship and gives him the battle ship Liabe with which to fight the Gavanas Empire. Hayato will joined by the human Ryū and the inteligent space ape Balu as well as the robot Tonto. It will turn out that the Earth Alliance received the distree signal but the High Council declines to intervene afraid the Gavanas Empire would target Earth if they got involved. What they don't know is that the Gavanas are as equally afraid that Earth Alliance will get involved.
Cita, the planet closest to the star Glora, is a planet of jungles and deserts. The second planet Analys, is a green planet of properous cities. The third planet Belda is rich in natural resources. The Gavanas Empire will strip the bare leaving them dead worlds if not stopped, as they have many other planets
Gen, Hayato is young (17) and hotheaded always wanting to charge into battle, often without thinking. The older, more cool headed Ryu often has to stop him from just rushing into trouble. Hayato and Ryu attended the same pilot school but at different times and Ryu has actual combat experince which Hayato lacks. Ryu is also an orphan having never known his biological parents though apparently at some time, which Hayato is unware of, Ryu was taught ninja skills by Hayato's father and he looked up to the man as if he was his father too, and so he considers Hayato to be his younger brother, however he does not tell Hayato any of this.
Ape-Man Balu comes from Cita, like Ryu has experience piloting both cargo ships and fighters. Ryu wins the robot Tonto in knife throwing contest and tries to set it free, but Tonto chooses to join the Liabe crew. Also claims to be a better pilot than Hayato.
Shooting Star a mysterious masked ninja who appears after Ryu seems to have been killed by the evil ninja Hibito who targets Hayato next, after Hibito dies, Shooting Star vanishes and Ryu appears alive and well (episode 4).Shooting Star appears again to fight Mebito to save Hayato's friends who under its control (episode 6). Shooting Star vanishes just before Ryu boards Liabe. Shooting Star having fallen into a trap set by Emperor Roxair XIII, a second masked ninja appears to save Balu and Tonto and stop Liabe from being blown up, Shooting Star's right hand, Phantom (episode 6). Maybe they could fool a very young child but it is fairly obvious from the start that Shooting Star is Ryu and that when Phantom appears it is Hayato who choose to become Phantom without consulting Ryu first. After Phaontom's introduction in episode 6 at least one of them appears in every following episode. Ryu is actually seen becomg Phantom to save the king of the underground Mongo clan (episode 11). Shooting Star starts refering to himself as "Fighter for Justice" and Phantom calls himself "Messanger of Peace" (episode 13). Together they develope a twin bladed attack "Lightning Double-Strike" requiring them to both hit the same target with their swords crossed (episode 15).
Balu decides to get in on the action but he just calls himself "Mighty Balu" (episode 17).
Mysterious woman who comes and goes in an equally mysterious space ship, resembling an Earth sailing vessel. One moment she is there, the next she is gone. Is she a ghost? A holographic projection? An alien? When Sofia finally shows herself to Ryu, Balu is frozen in place, apparently so he doesn't see her (episode 4). Balu preusambly sees her when she appears during a space burial (episode 7). Then she appears specifically to bring Balu bad news that his people on Cita are being hunted by the Gavanas who tell them its to put them to work but actually its to exterminate the race by dumping them into space (episode 8). The answer to Sofia's appearing and disappearing is revealed when she falls into a Gavanas trap to rescue Hayato and they target her ship's "dimensional masts" keeping her from return to the alternate dimension she comes from (episode 9). . Her life is tied to her ship when it "sleeps" she sleeps. To escape Emperor Roxair XIII's attempt to trick Sofia into sending him monsters from other dimensions which he would use to conquer the galaxy, she destroys the dimensional gateway, cutting herself off from her own universe (episode 21).
Liabe is an ancient war ship given to Gen, Hayato by the mysterious woman Sofia. Liabe carries two smaller fighter ships. When Hayato decides to go on a practie flight in Balu fighter he nearly gets the figher destroyed and himself killed until Sofia transports Ryu to Liabe and the more experiened fighter pilot radios Hayato instructions on how to defeat Igar (episode 4). Unfortunanly Igar survives in an escape capsule. With Balu wouned Hayato pilots the Balu Fighter to save a cargo vessel full of Delans (episode 8), taking part in his first real space battle. With Balu once again wounded Hayato pilots Balu fighter again (episode 13). Even though Balu is not wounded, Hayato once again pilots Balu Fighter and Balu Liabe (episode 19).
Tonto travels between Liabe and which ever of the three planets are featured in an episode in his own small space craft which fits inside Liabe which Hayato finally named "Space Saucer" in episode 7.
The Episodes
Gavanas Empire
There was a 21 minute 33 second Message from Space: Galactic Wars (Uchū kara no Messēji: Ginga Taisen) movie but I have not been able to find any information on except it was from 1978 so I do not know if he was shown before the TV series began or some time after it had began. The movie plot does not fit the series time line. It has the ninja who was Shooting Stars nemesis in episode 4, Shooting Star and Phantom though Phantom wasnt introduced until episode 6, after the eisode 4 ninja was already dead, Hayato pilots one of the fighters but he and Balu dont switch piloting roles until episode 13 and it has Kamiji leave on a long jounry to Earth which s never mentioned in the series and Kamiji is actually killed in episode 26. So the movie is impossible to place within the series timeline.
Trivia:
At a cost of 10 million yen per episode (compared to 5 million for Supaidaman [Spider-Man] ) Uchu kara no Messeji: Ginga Taisen was one of the most expensive tokusatsu series of the Showa Era. It begain with 10,9% of the audience viewing the first episode but dropped to 5.2% for the second episode with an over all average of 6%. While considered a failure in Japan it had a larger following in Europe under the title "Sankukai".
On October 29, 2019 Discotek Media released Message from Space: Galactic Wars in a single standard definition Blu Ray disc, in Japanese with English subtitles.
Ending Theme: Love Is Beyond The Starry Sky