We shall fight them in space! We shall fight them on the moon! We shall fight them on the earth! We shall never surrender!
Produced by omoyuki Tanaka
Screenplay by Shinichi Sekizawa
Story by Jotaro Okami
Music by Akira Ifukube
Cinematography Hajime Koizumi
Edited by Ichiji Taira
Production company: Toho
Running time: 93 minutes
Cast
Ryô Ikebe: Maj. Ichiro Katsumiya
Kyôko Anzai: Etsuko Shiraishi
Minoru Takada: The Commander
Koreya Senda: Professor Adachi
Len Stanford: Dr. Roger Richardson
Harold Conway: Dr. Immerman
Elise Richter: Sylvia
Hisaya Itô: Kogure
Yoshio Tsuchiya: Iwomura
Nadao Kirino: Gravity Man
Kôzô Nomura: Rocket Commander
Fuyuki Murakami: Inspector Iriake
Ikio Sawamura: Lantern Man
Takuzô Kumagai: Alien
Katsumi Tezuka: Alien
HERE COME THE PLANET
SMASHERS!
The Moon is Captured! The
Earth is Next!
SPACE DECLARES WAR ON
EARTH - OUTLAW PLANET CAPTURES THE MOON!
Space Wages War on Earth!
SEE! Space-shaking last
battle of earth rockets vs. flying war saucers!
SEE! Space saboteurs
juggle earth's bridges...ships...trains...like toys!
SEE! Earth's minds
controlled by rays from outer space!
SEE…
The Biggest Battle Ever
Put On Film!
Trailer
Read on for more......
Spoilers follow below
What if?......
Horiuchi Tokiyo: We interrupt this program to report on a disturbing event that has just occurred in space involving Satellite SK-1. It appears that there has been a Mysterian – yes, Mysterian! - sneak attack in which the space station has been destroyed.
What if?......
Nippon
Television (JOAX-TV) Channel 4 News Bulletin
Horiuchi Tokiyo: We interrupt this program to report on a disturbing event that has just occurred in space involving Satellite SK-1. It appears that there has been a Mysterian – yes, Mysterian! - sneak attack in which the space station has been destroyed.
Shimamura Seiho: Thank you Horiuchi Tokiyo. It has been eight years since the Mysterian invasion and in those eight years, our space travel capabilities and weapons technology has expanded greatly. This has been due largely to our study of captured Mysterian technology left behind by the aliens.
Unfortunately, this was of little help to the manned space station, Satellite SK-1 which was just attacked by three UFOs and sadly destroyed. This happened despite the fact that the space station was armed with a ray gun cannon which apparently was not strong enough to destroy the alien assailants. It appears that the alien fighters are armed with single laser guns that discharge a thin white bolt of energy.
What you see now is vision of the end result of the…
Battle in Outer Space……
[Shot of chunks of debris from the destroyed space station forlornly
floating by.]
********************
NEWS HEADLINES
(Japan)
LEVITATING BRIDGE LEADS TO
TRAIN WRECK IN RAVINE!
(Panama Canal)
LINER LIFTED LIKE TOY!
VISCIOUS FLOOD INNUNDATES VENICE!
**********************
Yomiuri Shinbun
UN MEETING DETERMINES CAUSE OF FREAK GLOBAL DISASTERS!
A UN international conference was held at the Space Research Centre in Tokyo, Japan.
The meeting was opened by Major Ichiro Katsumiya, Professor Adachi and Dr. Richardson and the subject of the strange series of worldwide disasters was discussed.
It was found that the survivors of the disasters suffered from extreme frostbite. Dr. Richardson theorized that some unknown force reduced the temperatures of the objects in order to lower the Earth's gravitational pull, thereby making the objects, regardless of their size and weight, easier to lift.
As explained to those present at the meeting, "the cause of gravity is the motion of atoms, and when the atoms of an object have no movement, its gravity is correspondingly diminished. At the temperature known as absolute zero, the atomic movement of an object is reduced to a state of rest and it becomes weightless. Owning to the centrifugal force of the revolving Earth itself, the object thus affected would rise up into the air."
Major Katsumiya concluded that only a force beyond the earth could achieve such a feat of anti-gravity. Since hostile aliens might be behind the disasters, it was suggested that the Earth prepare itself militarily to defend itself against further potential attacks
……developed in 1965 by scientists at the Space Research Centre’s gun testing laboratory in Tokyo, Japan.
A series of targets made from Belirium 19, then the world’s hardest metal was used to test the weapon’s capabilities.
According to one of the weapon’s developers, the gun was able to "produce a narrow-band energy radiation on the order of 600 megahertz. At maximum output, it can fire continuously for 20,000 hours on a single charge of plutonium."
The gun was developed in response to the Mysterian assault on our planet in 1965 and played a major part in the………
The United Nations has sanctioned the launching of two newly constructed rocket ships in response to the series of strange disasters that have recently occurred both in outer space and around the world.
It has been conjectured that the destruction of the Space Station, Satellite SK-1 and the series of global disasters was the result of alien aggression. This belief has apparently been supported by an unconfirmed incident that occurred at the recent Space Research Centre conference in Tokyo involving an Iranian delegate, Dr. Ahmed and his unusual behaviour.
There are no details forthcoming concerning the incident involving Dr. Ahmed other than the involvement of the aliens who we have come to know from past events in our country as “Mysterians” as well as a planet called, “Natal.”
It has been decided that two ships designated, “SPIP-1" and "SPIP-2" will be sent on a reconnaissance mission to investigate strange radio signals coming from the moon in the region known as the Sea of Rains.
World renown Japanese Professor Atachi will command one ship and American scientist Dr Roger Richardson will command the second ship. Nine astronauts from all over the world will crew each ship.
It is believed that the ultimate plan will be to destroy any alien base of operations and to foil any invasion attempt on Earth.
DREAMING A LITTLE DREAM
One night, astronaut Iwomura dreams a dream about a certain Maj. Ichiro Katsumiya and his girlfriend, Etsuko Shiraishi spending a last night before the rocket launch. In his dream he overhears them talking about the coming mission and the dangers involved. Poor Etsuko looks upset!
Iwomura then sees himself drive up in his open-topped roadster. He then hears himself suggest to the couple that they accompany him to town and have a lively time, but they decline his offer.
Iwomura next sees himself driving off until suddenly a bright and colourful beam showers him in light while an overwhelming surge of pain afflicts his head.
Iwomura then somehow finds himself pulled over at the side of the road, followed by the sound of a thunderous and commanding voice in his head informing him that he is under “their control.”
When Iwomura awakens, he is in his car which is parked in the city, not knowing how he got there and oblivious to what had just occurred!
TV Asahi (JOEX-TV) Channel 5 Outdoor TV Broadcast (Excerpt)
……What you see now are all the assembled astronauts dressed in matching white jumpsuits waving to the cheering and adoring crowds. The two ships are almost ready for take-off. First of all, the two crews will need to enter their ships which are stationed on the gantry pads. After performing pre-flight checks, the two ships will launch…….
The meeting was opened by Major Ichiro Katsumiya, Professor Adachi and Dr. Richardson and the subject of the strange series of worldwide disasters was discussed.
It was found that the survivors of the disasters suffered from extreme frostbite. Dr. Richardson theorized that some unknown force reduced the temperatures of the objects in order to lower the Earth's gravitational pull, thereby making the objects, regardless of their size and weight, easier to lift.
As explained to those present at the meeting, "the cause of gravity is the motion of atoms, and when the atoms of an object have no movement, its gravity is correspondingly diminished. At the temperature known as absolute zero, the atomic movement of an object is reduced to a state of rest and it becomes weightless. Owning to the centrifugal force of the revolving Earth itself, the object thus affected would rise up into the air."
Major Katsumiya concluded that only a force beyond the earth could achieve such a feat of anti-gravity. Since hostile aliens might be behind the disasters, it was suggested that the Earth prepare itself militarily to defend itself against further potential attacks
***************
Security Incident Report
(Note: some information redacted)
(Note: some information redacted)
This report is to be completed as soon as
possible following the detection of a security incident. All items below must
be completed and be based on information that is currently available.
REPORTED BY:
|
DATE OF REPORT:
|
|||
TITLE / ROLE:
|
INCIDENT NO.:
|
|||
SIGNATURE:
|
SECURITY INCIDENT INFORMATION
INCIDENT TYPE:
|
Security breach & attempted sabotage
|
DATE OF INCIDENT:
|
-/
- / 1965
|
SPECIFIC AREA OF LOCATION
|
|
INCIDENT DESCRIPTION:
(Provide a brief description)
Space Research Centre
Conference
· Iranian delegate Dr. Ahmed observed behaving as if suffering from a severe headache · Ahmed seen leaving the meeting. · Dr. Ahmed observed by scientist and astronaut, Etsuko Shiraishi in courtyard being enveloped in a red light descending from the sky. · Ms. Shiraishi informed fellow astronaut, Iwomura of incident. · Ahmed was nowhere to be seen at that point. Heat Ray Test Firing Demonstration · Dr. Ahmed observed by security guards moving in a strange manner and heading toward the ray gun laboratory. · Ahmed attempted to sabotage the heat ray experiments but was prevented before he could complete this task. · Inspector Irake arrived at the central control room seeking Dr. Ahmed. · Security alarms sound. · Ms Etsuko Shiraishi taken hostage by Ahmed. · Ahmed informed witnesses present that quote, "eventually you'll be our slaves! The whole Earth will become a colonial satellite for our glorious planet, Natal!" · Ahmed retreated to the courtyard. · Ahmed observed making contact with alien UFO before being struck by a red beam of light causing him to be vaporized. · A faint pink-coloured residue or smear was located on the ground where Ahmed had been. · A small device was retrieved from the site of Dr. Ahmed’s disappearance. |
IMPACT / POTENTIAL IMPACT OF INCIDENT:
FOLLOW-UP ACTION:
(Outline Steps Taken So Far)
· Tests conducted on the smear indicated that it was the remains of Dr. Ahmed. The small device appears to have been implanted in Ahmed’s brain to control him. · It has been determined that the inhabitants of Natal have constructed a forward base on the Moon. · A reconnaissance mission to the moon will be organized to investigate unusual signals emanating from there.
·
Complete overhaul of
security procedures and security personnel recruitment recommended!!!!
|
This information is private and restricted to
those authorized for access. Unauthorized disclosure of this information will
result in prosecution under the terms of the Official Secrets Act 1965.
*****************
Excerpt from a Google Search result sometime in 2018
History of Energy Weapons Development
(website)
MK 1 Heat Ray Gun
……developed in 1965 by scientists at the Space Research Centre’s gun testing laboratory in Tokyo, Japan.
A series of targets made from Belirium 19, then the world’s hardest metal was used to test the weapon’s capabilities.
According to one of the weapon’s developers, the gun was able to "produce a narrow-band energy radiation on the order of 600 megahertz. At maximum output, it can fire continuously for 20,000 hours on a single charge of plutonium."
The gun was developed in response to the Mysterian assault on our planet in 1965 and played a major part in the………
***********
Tōkyō Daigaku Shinbun
UN RESPONDS TO ALIEN AGGRESSION!!!
It has been conjectured that the destruction of the Space Station, Satellite SK-1 and the series of global disasters was the result of alien aggression. This belief has apparently been supported by an unconfirmed incident that occurred at the recent Space Research Centre conference in Tokyo involving an Iranian delegate, Dr. Ahmed and his unusual behaviour.
There are no details forthcoming concerning the incident involving Dr. Ahmed other than the involvement of the aliens who we have come to know from past events in our country as “Mysterians” as well as a planet called, “Natal.”
It has been decided that two ships designated, “SPIP-1" and "SPIP-2" will be sent on a reconnaissance mission to investigate strange radio signals coming from the moon in the region known as the Sea of Rains.
World renown Japanese Professor Atachi will command one ship and American scientist Dr Roger Richardson will command the second ship. Nine astronauts from all over the world will crew each ship.
It is believed that the ultimate plan will be to destroy any alien base of operations and to foil any invasion attempt on Earth.
********************
One night, astronaut Iwomura dreams a dream about a certain Maj. Ichiro Katsumiya and his girlfriend, Etsuko Shiraishi spending a last night before the rocket launch. In his dream he overhears them talking about the coming mission and the dangers involved. Poor Etsuko looks upset!
Iwomura then sees himself drive up in his open-topped roadster. He then hears himself suggest to the couple that they accompany him to town and have a lively time, but they decline his offer.
Iwomura next sees himself driving off until suddenly a bright and colourful beam showers him in light while an overwhelming surge of pain afflicts his head.
Iwomura then somehow finds himself pulled over at the side of the road, followed by the sound of a thunderous and commanding voice in his head informing him that he is under “their control.”
When Iwomura awakens, he is in his car which is parked in the city, not knowing how he got there and oblivious to what had just occurred!
*************************
TV Asahi (JOEX-TV) Channel 5 Outdoor TV Broadcast (Excerpt)
……What you see now are all the assembled astronauts dressed in matching white jumpsuits waving to the cheering and adoring crowds. The two ships are almost ready for take-off. First of all, the two crews will need to enter their ships which are stationed on the gantry pads. After performing pre-flight checks, the two ships will launch…….
[After more commentary the moment of launch has arrived and the cameras capture both ships taking off at the same time, roaring up into the sky with flaming exhausts of fire and fury.]
************
Commander’s Log Entry:
Commander’s Log Entry:
Mind Control
Iwomura feels as if he is part of some dream in which he has no control over his thoughts and actions. All he can do is witness himself carry out some imperative being transmitted into his mind from somewhere in the form of a disembodied voice. The voice tells Iwomura to turn off the power supply to the Heat Ray Gun. Iwomura no longer has any will of his own as he soon finds himself in engineering turning off the power.
Commander’s Log Entry:
Words Of Warning!
With the immediate danger seemingly over, this message is conveyed to the two ships;
Commander’s Log Entry:
Commander’s Log Entry:
I Hear Voices in My Head……
See Iwomura break through the surface of an inner inky void back to the light of consciousness – but a consciousness shackled by a mysterious force! What’s this? Restraints? The master of his mental shackles orders him to free himself and sabotage the ships. See him struggle to extricate himself by untying the knots with his teeth. Once free and urged on by the incessant commands of the voice in his head, Iwomura has become the alien’s instrument of destruction. Is the fate of the two ships now sealed?
Commander’s Log Entry:
Freedom & Redemption
See how Iwomura has come to his senses and is no longer subject to the alien’s power of mental manipulation. Let us tune into his newly liberated thoughts:
“As my friends and colleagues enter SPIP-2, I will cover them by firing my gun at the alien fighters from my position out here. I feel guilt and regret for having destroyed the other ship even though I was under alien mind control. I feel it is my duty and a point of honour to sacrifice my life to atone for what I was responsible for.”
Witness now the brave Iwomura single-handedly shoot down two of the alien attack craft, until finally and inevitably Fate in the form of a bolt of energy finds Iwomura and strikes him down.
Let us now bow our heads and reflect a moment on Iwomura’s noble act of self-sacrifice which has allowed his shipmates to escape certain death on this silent, sterile satellite we call the Moon.
Radio Japan Broadcast
We all know that the rocket ship SPIP-2, managed to return safely to Earth bringing us the bad news that while the crew successfully destroyed the alien base on the moon, it is only a matter of time before the aliens send reinforcements and launch an all-out attack on the Earth.
The entire world is now united in preparing for a final conflict against the hostile alien aggressors of Natal!
Global industrial capacity has been brought to bear on the alien problem and a new generation of armed scouting craft have been constructed to venture into space to try and counter the threat posed by the aliens. These craft are undergoing trials and will be armed with a single powerful heat ray gun.
Nippon Television (JOAX-TV) Channel 4 Broadcast
Hamacho Tae: Ladies and gentlemen, we now interrupt normal programming to bring you an urgent bulletin. We knew the day would come when the Mysterians would try once again to threaten our planet.
We have just received word that a large force of alien craft has been detected in space headed for Earth. The force consists of about a dozen fighters that appear to be escorting a single large Mothership.
What you are seeing now is a live feed from multiple surveillance mini satellites situated about 5,000 kilometres above the planet’s surface. Units of our new fighter scout craft have been sent out to engage the enemy.
On screen, a wild dog fight is in progress. Half a dozen of the alien fighters remain with the Mothership while the other half of the fighters form to repel the attacking human craft.
During the course of the fierce battle, two of the alien fighters are destroyed while four of the human craft are also lost.
Vision now shifts to the Mothership and her fighter escorts breaking through the defensive line and heading for Earth. The Mothership can be seen launching three space torpedoes while some of the human fighters move in to intercept.
Hamacho Tae: It appears that the Mothership and her escorts have already entered the Earth's atmosphere and are positioned not far from our studios over the downtown Tokyo. We cross now to Yoshifumi Masahide who is at the scene. What is the situation where you are?
\
Masahide Yoshifumi: “What you can see now is some kind of wide blue beam being emitted from the underside of the alien ship. The bottom….”
(Sounds of screams, cracking, ripping and grinding. Suddenly the reporter loses his footing and all we can see is shaky intermittent footage of Tokyo’s buildings crumbling and being lifted into the air like so much cardboard or Papier Mache. Both vehicles and people are caught and lifted upwards as……)
(Excerpt)
…..after a furious battle all the Mysterian ships except the Mothership and one alien fighter was destroyed.
The last two enemy ships proceeded to 30 degrees north of the Space Centre at a height of seven miles. The Space Centre was heavily defended by a battery of energy beam emitters which opened up on the approaching enemy ships.
One alien fighter was disabled causing it to descend and explode in a fiery maelstrom. This was soon followed by the Mothership which was blasted into oblivion after sustaining several hits from our weapons.
The invasion attempt has indeed failed – for now, but there are concerns that…….
Battle in Outer Space was released in Japan on 26 December 1959. An English-dubbed version was released in the United States in 1960 by Columbia Pictures as part of a double feature with 12 to the Moon.Battle in Outer Space is the second in a trilogy of movies directed by the legendary Ishiro Honda. The other films are The Mysterians (1957) and Gorath (1962).
The action in the movie moves at a brisk rollicking pace and combined with (for the time) very good special effects serves to make Battle in Outer Space quite a convincing and entertaining sci-fi extravaganza.
There are also deeper aspects to the film in which the themes of self-sacrifice and achieving unity or common purpose in the face of a common threat are presented.
Made almost two decades before Star Wars, Battle in Outer Space was certainly an outstanding accomplishment by Toho studios. Of particular note is the almost 3-dimensional effect of the space battles in which we have a real sense of space craft maneuvering.
There are some cringe-worthy moments in Battle in Outer Space such as when one of the crew members during take-off places his hands on either side of his face and stretches the skin to illustrate the effects of g-force. There are also the miniature models of the buildings in Tokyo being destroyed and sucked up that don’t look very detailed or realistic. And of course, there’s the nutty techno-babble and pseudo-science that would make a flat-earth proponent sound credible!
Oh my gosh, one could not fail to notice the Ewok-like munchkin aliens on the moon shuffling around, waving their arms and acting like cute squeaky toys! They didn’t look capable of attacking one female astronaut let alone an entire planet!
Please don’t get me started on the Keystone cops chase involving the inept security guards on the tail of the Iranian delegate Dr. Ahmed. All we needed was the theme tune to the Benny Hill Show.
Despite some of its shortcomings, Battle in Outer Space contains an entertaining and well-paced story delivered by a cast who give sincere performances. The effective cinematography, along with a rousing music score and mostly impressive special effects serve to make this film quite enjoyable and will place a smile on your face. Something sorely needed in this current hyper-critical and sneeringly cynical age.
Why do the others attack us?
Why do they hate us so much?
Perhaps they wish to repay us
For a certain slight we made;
Or maybe they are not themselves.
Why do we fear the others?
©Chris Christopoulos 2018
The following is a detailed and full account of our
alien moon incursion reconnaissance mission:
Having entered space, we proceeded to set a course
for the moon. I issued orders to turn off the main engines with a view to using
our momentum to carry us the rest of the way. We have estimated that it will
take us 52 hours to travel the 376,000 kilometres to the moon.
Outside of the Earth's orbit, we began to pick up
strange radar contacts. Our investigation led us to the debris field from the
destroyed Space Station SK-1. No words can adequately convey the sense of shock
and grief at seeing torn, twisted and warped chunks of metal hull floating
along almost serenely in the void of space. We offered up our prayers when we
noticed the presence of a dead astronaut’s body joining this solemn procession.
We are all now more determined than ever to
continue with and complete our mission to put a stop to these alien purveyors of
death and destruction.
Commander’s Log Entry:
42 hours into our mission we picked up a strange
signal from the Moon coming from "100 kilometres north of the Sea of Rains"
the spot from which that radiation was detected. This would be where the alien
base exists, and it was our job to locate and destroy it by any means
possible.
Suddenly a coordinated attack was launched against
us, consisting of missiles fired from the moon's surface and alien fighters deployed
to engage us. Our ships are equipped with a single Heat Ray Gun in the nosecone
which we used to good effect to rain down death upon these alien hell hounds.
**************
Iwomura feels as if he is part of some dream in which he has no control over his thoughts and actions. All he can do is witness himself carry out some imperative being transmitted into his mind from somewhere in the form of a disembodied voice. The voice tells Iwomura to turn off the power supply to the Heat Ray Gun. Iwomura no longer has any will of his own as he soon finds himself in engineering turning off the power.
During the battle it was noticed that Iwomura was
missing from his post as navigator of SPIP-1. He was soon located in
engineering interfering with the power to the heat ray gun. After a brief
struggle with one of the crew, Iwomura was knocked out and dragged back to the
control room where he informed us of what happened. It was decided then to
securely restrain Iwomura.
***********************
Words Of Warning!
With the immediate danger seemingly over, this message is conveyed to the two ships;
"We warned you, do not approach the moon! If you do you will surely die!"
Will this be enough to make the human crew reconsider their mission and turn back?
Or have they come too far to do that?
************
It seems that we have no choice now but to prepare
to land on the moon. There is some disquiet about our method of descent placing
us in danger of attack as we land, but I feel that it will be worth the risk. We
must position ourselves to prevent further attacks by the enemy. We have
decided to keep Iwomura restrained on the ship so that he cannot have any
further opportunity to interfere with our mission.
We managed to land successfully on the moon’s
surface and deploy our armed aarticulated lunar rover vehicles.
We proceeded in the direction of the alien base
whose location we determined from space by the detection of electronic
emissions. The further we ventured, the rockier the terrain became forcing us
to switch to hover mode to avoid damaging the vehicles’ treads.
*********
I Hear Voices in My Head……
See Iwomura break through the surface of an inner inky void back to the light of consciousness – but a consciousness shackled by a mysterious force! What’s this? Restraints? The master of his mental shackles orders him to free himself and sabotage the ships. See him struggle to extricate himself by untying the knots with his teeth. Once free and urged on by the incessant commands of the voice in his head, Iwomura has become the alien’s instrument of destruction. Is the fate of the two ships now sealed?
Commander’s Log Entry:
It was not long, however, before our activities
began to attract the attention of the alien aggressors. Eight of the crew
including myself, the other commander, Etsuko and Katsumiya disembarked and proceeded
on foot. The other 7 men stayed with the vehicles.
After traversing the rocky moonscape for a while,
we eventually located a tunnel through the side of a crater. Once through the
tunnel, we come out high up on the crater's edge where we found our target – the
alien base! Our next step was to work out a way of destroying it.
Etsuko was ordered to return to the rover vehicles to
tell the crew to bring up a Heat Ray Gun. It turned out that as she made her
way back through the tunnel, she was surrounded by a group of diminutive aliens,
quite unlike the Mysterians we have previously encountered!
Katsumiya went back to look for Etsuko. Having
discovered her predicament, Katsumiya opened fire on the aliens with his laser
rifle.
Meanwhile, our presence up in the tunnel entrance
on the crater wall was detected by the aliens in the moon base. Suddenly, a
reverberating voice filled our minds with an ultimatum giving us "ten
seconds of Earth time to surrender" or be killed. Fortunately, Etsuko and
Katsumiya turned up with the Heat Ray Gun.
We were now free to open fire on the alien base
with the Heat Ray Gun. Our gun, however, had very little effect and we were
faced with the possibility of having the tunnel collapsing and trapping us
inside.
Just in the nick of time, the rover vehicles
appeared and discharged their weapons at the base allowing us to retreat
through the tunnel. Despite a number of the brave crew being killed, we did
manage to destroy the base by means of the combined rays of the rover vehicles.
As we made our way back to the lunar rovers, it
became apparent that a number of alien craft had left the base just before it
was destroyed. It was obvious that the alien fighters meant to exact revenge on
us by continuously launching attacks on us.
We raced back to the ships in our rovers running
the gauntlet of a maelstrom energy weapon blasts. One of our rovers was hit and
rendered immobile while we gave a good account of ourselves by dispatching a
couple of the alien fighters.
While the three remaining alien fighters disengaged,
we made it back to the site of our spaceships in the other rover. To our utter
shock and we saw that SPIP-1 had been reduced to a pile of mutilated metal debris.
To our relief, the SPIP-2 was still intact.
******************
Freedom & Redemption
See how Iwomura has come to his senses and is no longer subject to the alien’s power of mental manipulation. Let us tune into his newly liberated thoughts:
“As my friends and colleagues enter SPIP-2, I will cover them by firing my gun at the alien fighters from my position out here. I feel guilt and regret for having destroyed the other ship even though I was under alien mind control. I feel it is my duty and a point of honour to sacrifice my life to atone for what I was responsible for.”
Witness now the brave Iwomura single-handedly shoot down two of the alien attack craft, until finally and inevitably Fate in the form of a bolt of energy finds Iwomura and strikes him down.
Let us now bow our heads and reflect a moment on Iwomura’s noble act of self-sacrifice which has allowed his shipmates to escape certain death on this silent, sterile satellite we call the Moon.
********
We all know that the rocket ship SPIP-2, managed to return safely to Earth bringing us the bad news that while the crew successfully destroyed the alien base on the moon, it is only a matter of time before the aliens send reinforcements and launch an all-out attack on the Earth.
The entire world is now united in preparing for a final conflict against the hostile alien aggressors of Natal!
Global industrial capacity has been brought to bear on the alien problem and a new generation of armed scouting craft have been constructed to venture into space to try and counter the threat posed by the aliens. These craft are undergoing trials and will be armed with a single powerful heat ray gun.
***********
Nippon Television (JOAX-TV) Channel 4 Broadcast
Hamacho Tae: Ladies and gentlemen, we now interrupt normal programming to bring you an urgent bulletin. We knew the day would come when the Mysterians would try once again to threaten our planet.
We have just received word that a large force of alien craft has been detected in space headed for Earth. The force consists of about a dozen fighters that appear to be escorting a single large Mothership.
Vision now shifts to the Mothership and her fighter escorts breaking through the defensive line and heading for Earth. The Mothership can be seen launching three space torpedoes while some of the human fighters move in to intercept.
\Masahide Yoshifumi: “What you can see now is some kind of wide blue beam being emitted from the underside of the alien ship. The bottom….”
(Sounds of screams, cracking, ripping and grinding. Suddenly the reporter loses his footing and all we can see is shaky intermittent footage of Tokyo’s buildings crumbling and being lifted into the air like so much cardboard or Papier Mache. Both vehicles and people are caught and lifted upwards as……)
……JOAX-TV Channel 4 abruptly ceases transmission…..
**********
Yomiuri Shinbun
ALIENS DEFEATED!!!!
…..after a furious battle all the Mysterian ships except the Mothership and one alien fighter was destroyed.
The last two enemy ships proceeded to 30 degrees north of the Space Centre at a height of seven miles. The Space Centre was heavily defended by a battery of energy beam emitters which opened up on the approaching enemy ships.
One alien fighter was disabled causing it to descend and explode in a fiery maelstrom. This was soon followed by the Mothership which was blasted into oblivion after sustaining several hits from our weapons.
The invasion attempt has indeed failed – for now, but there are concerns that…….
*******
Points of Interest
******
There are also deeper aspects to the film in which the themes of self-sacrifice and achieving unity or common purpose in the face of a common threat are presented.
There are some cringe-worthy moments in Battle in Outer Space such as when one of the crew members during take-off places his hands on either side of his face and stretches the skin to illustrate the effects of g-force. There are also the miniature models of the buildings in Tokyo being destroyed and sucked up that don’t look very detailed or realistic. And of course, there’s the nutty techno-babble and pseudo-science that would make a flat-earth proponent sound credible!
Oh my gosh, one could not fail to notice the Ewok-like munchkin aliens on the moon shuffling around, waving their arms and acting like cute squeaky toys! They didn’t look capable of attacking one female astronaut let alone an entire planet!
Please don’t get me started on the Keystone cops chase involving the inept security guards on the tail of the Iranian delegate Dr. Ahmed. All we needed was the theme tune to the Benny Hill Show.
Despite some of its shortcomings, Battle in Outer Space contains an entertaining and well-paced story delivered by a cast who give sincere performances. The effective cinematography, along with a rousing music score and mostly impressive special effects serve to make this film quite enjoyable and will place a smile on your face. Something sorely needed in this current hyper-critical and sneeringly cynical age.
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THE OTHERS
Why do they hate us so much?
Perhaps they wish to repay us
For a certain slight we made;
Or maybe they are not themselves.
Why do we fear the others?
The reasons are many it seems
That rain down on us like confetti
Forcing us to shelter from the stars.
What do we know of the others?
That what ails us is all their fault;
They don’t value the values we value,
But seek to destroy our way of life!
What do the others want from us?
To take from us all that we have,
And leave us strangers in a strange land -
Slaves squeezed by an oppressor’s hand.
What do we do about the others?
Build walls to keep them out!
Build weapons to strike them down!
Get them before they get us!
What else will we learn of the others?
That they are evil and must be wiped out;
That they come from a planet called Earth,
Are called “Hu-man” and are of no worth.
That rain down on us like confetti
Forcing us to shelter from the stars.
What do we know of the others?
That what ails us is all their fault;
They don’t value the values we value,
But seek to destroy our way of life!
What do the others want from us?
To take from us all that we have,
And leave us strangers in a strange land -
Slaves squeezed by an oppressor’s hand.
What do we do about the others?
Build walls to keep them out!
Build weapons to strike them down!
Get them before they get us!
What else will we learn of the others?
That they are evil and must be wiped out;
That they come from a planet called Earth,
Are called “Hu-man” and are of no worth.
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