Number one in the category of space depictions
“There are no dreams or hopes in today’s society, but this movie has dreams and roman.”
(Comment from a 23-year-old salaryman in Kanagawa Prefecture, Hochi Shimbun [Newspaper], August 7, 1977 issue)
It is a story of a space journey, not a battle. This structure of Space Battleship Yamato is supported both inside and out by the most detailed depiction of the universe at the time.
A Martian snowfield with a blizzard dancing in the air. The dense atmosphere of Jupiter and its floating continent. The airless, frozen ice fields of Saturn’s moon Titan and its deposits of a special metal, golden Cosmonite. Pluto’s methane oceans and amoeba-like protozoa. An asteroid belt at the outermost edge of the solar system, where almost no light reaches. The Oort cloud, a nursery of comets, is widely known as a hypothesis, but it has not yet been confirmed by observation.
When leaving the solar system, we will encounter various star systems and celestial bodies. In the red-giant star Orion is a writhing, violent prominence. The fictional Octopus proto-cluster consists of eight gas-like solids in the process of star formation. It is a tidal storm of gas and atomic clouds surrounded by a vast dark nebula. When these gases accumulate, a star is born. Yamato encounters a storm of gas clouds in the preliminary stage star formation and runs into trouble.
The Magellanic Stream, also called the Magellanic Current, connects the Large Magellanic Cloud with our galaxy. This is a real hydrogen gas belt. Yamato experiences trouble here, too. It is also an interdimensional fault line. The Magellanic Current was discovered in 1972, and its connection with the Magellanic Clouds was elucidated in 1974, so this was the latest topic for those in the know.
Beemela is a jungle-covered planet inhabited by deformed humanoids (humanoid life forms). Beemelans are the only humanoids in the story in addition to Earthlings, Gamilas, and Iscandar.
There are several reasons why so few humanoids appear in Yamato compared to Star Trek. First, Yamato navigates in a region between the Milky Way Galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud, where there are almost no star systems. It would be strange to encounter them frequently.
“How many days has it been since we went to outer space? There’s been no change in our surroundings, so I have no idea. The number of stars has decreased completely.” (Episode 15)
The main reason, however, is that the number of alien societies is limited to a certain extent, so that the nature of each can be clearly conveyed.
Planet Balan is about twice the diameter of the Earth, and its solar counterpart is smaller than the planet. Susumu Kodai observes the composition of this planetary system and the ecosystem on the planet’s surface and determines that the sun is an artificial celestial body.
Unlike plants on Earth, which have leaves facing the sun, the leaves of plants on Balan face the surface. Since the ecosystem uses geothermal energy as its source, it is possible to infer that the sun is not part of the natural environment. This led to the realization that this artificial sun could be used against Yamato.
As the name suggests, the Cluster of Seven Stars [Rainbow Star Cluster] is composed of seven stars, each of which has a different color. The difference in color is due to their spectrum (i.e., surface temperature).
This was the first time that the Large Magellanic Cloud appeared in a science-fiction film. Although there are elements of a spiral nebula shape, it is more of an irregular type composed of scattered stars. It is said that the nebula was originally spiral-shaped, but collapsed due to the tidal forces of our galaxy, transforming it into an irregular shape.
Yamato‘s destination, Iscandar, is the eighth planet in the Sanzar star system, and is a double planet with Gamilas. It is 148,000 light-years from Earth.
The actual distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud is 157,000 light-years. This is because Leiji Matsumoto intentionally stuck to the nuance of 1, 4, and 8. The diameter of the Large Magellanic Cloud is 15,000 light-years. The distance between the outermost edge of the galaxy and Earth is 149,500,000 light years. This would not be far off the mark.
At that time, 148,000 light-years was an unprecedentedly long journey.
Except for novels, SF movies and dramas were still in their infancy, represented by Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Tarkovsky’s Solaris (1972), and others. However, these films had a speculative flavor and were not quite to the taste of science-fiction fans.
Although there were not many science-fiction films, those set in the future of Earth stood out, such as Planet of the Apes (1968), Westworld (1973) and Zardoz (1974). The only science-fiction films set in space were TV’s Star Trek (1966) and Trumbull’s Silent Running (1972).
Among these, the scale of Yamato, which navigates to the Magellanic Clouds, was outstanding. The appeal of Yamato was its detailed depiction of the planets, and was supported by the latest information (at such a level of research that it did not seem unscientific). In 1975, Yamato won the Nebula Award, which is given to the outstanding science-fiction work of the year.
It is somewhat strange to think about it now, but it may have been due to the spirit of dealing with space extensively in the social environment of the time, which did not understand science-fiction.
Yamato‘s roots were in Journey to the West
In the past, it was often said that science-fiction is cold and inorganic. By contrast, Space Battleship Yamato is characterized by its warmth. In other words, a sense of familiarity. This was the intention of the producer, Yoshinobu Nishizaki, who originated Yamato from the concept of a flying black iron warship. It may also be due to the Japanese naming, such as Okita and Nanbu.
This is also because of the old and new character of the story on which this work is based. Aritsune Toyota, who was in charge of science-fiction research, explained the secret hidden in Yamato‘s core plot.
“Pollution and environmental issues were becoming more and more familiar to the public at the time. So I came up with the idea of the ultimate environmental pollution. Earth has been exposed to a nuclear attack by an alien invasion, and is now contaminated by radiation. Extinction is approaching. With no way to save the planet, I set the stage for a journey to retrieve a device to remove the radiation.”
“In fact, there is a story that was used as a model for this concept.”
“The world is in turmoil. If things continue as they are, the end of the world is near. However, if you go to India and collect the blessed sutras, everyone will be saved. Yes, the model is Journey to the West.”
(Aritsune Toyota, The Genesis of Japanese SF anime, TBS Brittanica, 2000)
The political struggles that erupted in the 1960s, including school protests, ended, roughly speaking, in “disillusionment.” The dream of revolution was extinguished. But this does not mean that the utopian dream of a different society has also disappeared.
Some abandoned the “struggle,” turned their backs on urban society, and went deep into mountain villages and isolated islands. They became hippies in the true sense of the word and entrusted their dreams to the creation of communes. Not only these radicals, but also many others shared the awareness of turning their backs on the city, the symbol of progress.
One such example is the popular 1970s buzzword, “Discover Japan.” This was also a way of looking to one’s roots in a time of confusion. Beyond the roots of Japan, there was a continent and a silk road. A few years later, this longing was expressed in the TV drama Journey to the West (1978), which led to the NHK special Silk Road (1980).
At that time, Haruomi Hosono, who would later form Yellow Magic Orchestra, sang a song about escaping from the times:
“The road goes on / To the western capital / Even if I run out of strength / I’ll cross paths with you / By the way, I’ll call the clouds / I’ll fly a hundred thousand miles along a silken road forever / to the end of the road / even to the marketplace of Hasu.”
(Haruomi Hosono, Silk Road, Tropical Dandy, 1975)
Yamato was also created with this awareness of the times. The destination Iscandar means Alexander the Great in the ancient Indian language. In other words, something Indian. Thus, Yamato sets out on a journey of salvation to the West.
And not only Journey to the West and Silk Road, but George Harrison of the Beatles, Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones, and other cultural figures longed for the great wisdom of India. Those in the hippy movements of Europe, America, and Japan also left for India at this time.
Yamato inherited the Journey to the West, a journey in search of a means of salvation from an apocalyptic situation. There is no one who corresponds to the famous characters Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, or Sha Wujing, but there is an important character who watches over them from the shadows: Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. This role overlaps with that of Starsha of Iscandar.
In the planning stage of Yamato, Starsha did not appear in the third draft proposal. She was created with the participation of Leiji Matsumoto. Someone who can save the Earth from crisis must surpass even human knowledge of the Earth. Starsha must have been born from the demands of this story.
The story asks the question, “What is the teaching that will save the world in the Latter Day of the Law?” It is the same story structure that requires Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, who transcends human wisdom.
To begin with, Yamato‘s Wave-Motion Engine was not invented on Earth, it was assembled based on the blueprints sent by Starsha. The message capsule containing the blueprint is, perhaps coincidentally, very similar to the vajra used in esoteric and Tibetan Buddhism as a means of destroying worldly desires.
The over-technology that transcends human knowledge comes as close as possible to mystery. In Yamato‘s worldview, set in a future that is an extension of the present, the structure is that science and technology are external, separate from the notion that science equals progress.
In Episode 15, Yamato accidentally enters an interdimensional fault within the Magellanic Stream. It is a cosmic graveyard, where the wreckage of many spaceships is adrift. When Domel and Goeru hear the news that Yamato is in the fault, they cannot hide their surprise.
“Earth’s spaceships have the ability to navigate the fourth-dimensional void?”
But the truth is different. Yamato suffers from unexplained trouble and its Wave Engine has stopped. They have no choice but to switch over to the auxiliary eninges. Domel fires a volley of shots at the destroyers that approach Yamato and orders them to keep their distance. Susumu Kodai insists on returning fire, but Captain Okita judges the situation unfavorable and orders them to flee.
Yamato tries its best to escape, but before long, a strange luminous phenomenon occurs on the ship’s hull. At the same time, the ship begins to lose energy. This is an unknown natural phenomenon.
Behind Yamato, a fleet of 3,000 ships led by Domel is in hot pursuit. Next, Yamato‘s auxiliary engines stop. The first bridge is enveloped in a silent darkness. All seems lost. Captain Okita sinks deeply into his seat.
Then, in the darkness, something flashes faintly. The dimensional compass. Then a voice comes from the speaker of the video panel.
“People of Earth, I am Starsha of Iscandar. I have been watching Yamato since your departure from Earth. You must overcome every ordeal. I am counting on your love, courage and energy. Now, drive Yamato in the direction indicated by the dimensional compass. I am Starsha of Iscandar.”
With Starsha’s voice, Yamato‘s gauges light up one by one. Starsha’s face is shown on the video panel, as if she is watching the situation on the first bridge. The famous music of the female scat, The Infinite Universe, begins to play. It is perhaps the most “pious” moment in the Yamato series.
It is not the power of science that will open up the future. It is the indomitable fighting spirit that never gives up in the face of difficulties. It is Tenshu, the heavenly fortune, that brings us luck. This is something different from the values of modern society, in which nature and destiny are always to be conquered and overcome. In “Part 1” as well as in the sequels, Yamato is often aided by chance and luck.
It is said that Journey to the West is a compilation of myths and folklore from around the world. Myths allow the human imagination to fly to other worlds, and sometimes to see truth by going back and forth between life and death.
The universe Yamato travels through is also another world. This is because Yamato itself is the dead. The Magellanic Stream is the river of the three paths, where we encounter monsters and ghosts. They barely escape with the help of the goddess.
The planet Gamilas is also a subterranean land, leading to Hell. Iscandar is a glittering paradise. This motif of death and rebirth plays out throughout the series in various forms, such as the resurrection of a once-dead person.
Gamilas: Belief in Science Leads to Cosmic Imperialism
The ancient Greek Plato called Atlantis a utopia that existed long ago. Atlantis left detailed records of its existence. It was an island in the Atlantic Ocean, rich in resources, abundant in agricultural products, and prosperous through active trade. It is said to have been an idealized version of a utopia, or based on actual folklore.
There are two types of unexplored utopia: remote mountainous areas and isolated islands in the ocean.
The former includes Togenkyo, Shamballa and El Dorado. The latter is an island in the middle of the ocean, probably more popular because of its scale and romantic qualities.
In addition to Atlantis, other well-known examples are Avalon, where King Arthur is said to sleep, Elysium in ancient Greek folklore, Thomas More’s Utopia, and Niraikanai in Okinawa. In any case, a utopia is an ideal world because it is beyond our reach.
Plato’s Atlantis, like the biblical Garden of Eden, is a utopia of the past. The idea of utopia is to idealize the lost past as a critique of the present. Sometimes it is a distant place. One such example is Thomas More’s Utopia, which is said to be modeled after America, a new land just discovered by Westerners. In today’s world of advanced science, however, this image is projected to a faraway alien planet, outer space.
The progress of science that has led to advancement into space can be considered the very reason for humanity’s existence. The industrial revolution, which dramatically expanded the wealth of mankind and gave humans the idea that we should aim for expansion of the biosphere, was born in the 20th century.
In his 1928 publication The Last Judgment, Scientist J.B.S. Haldane presents a grand cosmic picture scroll that reaches 4,000 years into the future. In it, the human race, whose life span has been extended to 3,000 years, destroys the Earth by its own mistakes and seeks a new home and heaven on Venus.
The new human race has modified itself and migrates to Venus in large numbers. They create a suitable ecosystem, and indigenous life on Venus is exterminated. Humanity then leaps forward to new frontiers.
The Haldane-inspired philosopher Olaf Stapledon, who wrote Last and First Men in 1930, also created a similar vision of a future in which the indigenous intelligence of Venus would be obliterated in the event of migration. The scientist Freeman Dyson has also stated that humanity should enter space, even if it has to recreate itself.
Terraforming, a technology for modifying planetary environments, is beginning to be considered as a “realistic option.” The NSS (National Space Society, formerly known as the L5 Association), a pressure group that promotes America’s space program from the private sector, asserts that bioethics is unnecessary in space exploration.
“I think the majority of people think that a planet is a canvas to be painted on. Eventually, Venus or Mars will become livable planets, just like Earth, and this will not change even if very primitive life forms are discovered there.”
(Comment by Tom Jaquish, President of the Tucson Space Society, Arizona Chapter of the NSS. L5 Association report, Beyond, No. 5).
Here I would like to recall the thought of Dessler of Gamilas. He is blamed by Starsha for the invasion of Earth, and he expresses his own philosophy: ”
“They deserve to be destroyed. They are barbarians.”
“They may be inferior in science, but they are still human beings. They have the right to live.”
“The Gamilas have the right to survive.”
“Even if it means destroying others?”
“That’s right.”
Dessler’s thought is very close to that of Haldane and the NSS. Yes, he is another form of Earthling.
One of Gamilas’ models is Nazi Germany. One of the utopian novels of the 19th century is Bulwer-Lytton’s The Coming Race (1871). In this novel, a subterranean world appears as a utopia. As Europeans expanded their sphere of activity, utopias moved to the most remote areas, from El Dorado in South America to Shamballa in Tibet. When they had conquered all parts of the world, they turned their imagination to the depths of the Earth. In the land of the Vril-Ya, a subterranean race uses a super energy called Vril and boasts an advanced civilization. What is surprising is that they share the same roots as the Aryan race.
“If they should emerge from the depths of the underground into the light of day, they will, in the light of their ancient and inherited destiny, exterminate the present human race and rule over the earth as the New Humanity.”
(Hiroshi Aramata, The Wisdom of 990,000 Years, Hirakawa Press, 1985).
Lytton’s ideas had a great influence on Theosophist Madame Blavatsky, who gave rise to Karl Haushofer‘s variations on the theory of the Kingdom of Agartha, which became a source of inspiration for Hitler.
Gamilas has a special structure, which was originally subterranean, but has been greatly expanded and hollowed out by erosion over the years. The Gamilas reside not in the outer skin of their planet, but on the subsurface, which used to be subterranean. It is truly an underground kingdom. The essence of Aryanism, an ideology of ethnic superiority, can be seen in the Gamilas.
Iscandar: C.S. Lewis and the Idea of Love as Natural Law
Compared to the Aryanistic Gamilas, Iscandar is the planet of peaceful thought. It seems to follow the image of a utopia as enshrined in various legends.
The city of Iscandar is all crystal craftsmanship, delicate and transparent. The hall favored by Queen Starsha is set atop a crystal tower. When seen from the outside, it is shaped like a diamond. In fact, there is a continent made entirely of diamonds.
This setting is similar to that of Atlantis. The temple of Poseidon was covered with silver plates, the gables in gold plates, and the ceiling with ivory. There were gold and silver ornaments in various places. Most of the legends of the ideal world mention palaces decorated with gold, silver, and jewelry.
Yamato destroys the Gamilas that stands before them and makes for Iscandar, one half of a dual planet. When they emerge from the ruined surface of the dead planet Gamilas, they find the shining blue planet Iscandar.
Iscandar is a water planet with oceans covering 80% of its surface. There is an elongated continent in the center and vast oceans around it. From outside, the water is so rich it seems like the oceans are 90% of the planet. The prototype of Iscandar may be a utopia surrounded by the sea.
The shape of the building is an organic rounded form with transparent colors. Except for the clean design, there are similarities with the design of Gamilas. Although the two planets have contrasting values, they are twins and have many similarities. The same is true of their life spans, both nearing their end.
Iscandar has only one inhabitant, Starsha. The number of inhabitants seems to have decreased with the life of the planet, but I don’t know how this is related. There was another sister, Sasha, but she was killed in a Gamilas attack when she was sent to Earth. Starsha does not know this until Susumu Kodai tells her. If she had known earlier, her questioning of Dessler would have been much more ruthless.
“Everything has its own fated lifespan. This planet, Iscandar, and Planet Gamilas are twins, both of which are reaching their final moments. Gamilas tried to conquer Earth, but they ended up destroying themselves in the end. We the people of Iscandar, didn’t want to bother the people of other planets, and quietly accepted our fate.”
This philosophy is in contrast to Gamilas, which seeks prosperity at the expense of others. If the values of Gamilas are in common with those of Haldane and Stapledon, there is also a philosophy in common with the opposite, the values of Iscandar.
C.S. Lewis, known for his Chronicles of Narnia, stressed the importance of ethics in science. His argument was developed in a trilogy of novels called The Space Trilogy.
In prehistoric times, Earth (Sarkandra), Mars (Malacandra), and Venus (Perelandra) were united, and humans from each planet came and went. However, because of the fall of Earth, the gate to the other planets was closed by the gods. The scientist Weston, who broke the blockade and traveled between the planets, justified his wicked act as follows: “Life is greater than any system of morality.”
(C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet, 1938)
He evaluates the significance of the interplanetary travel he had made possible as something that will eventually lead to “life reaching a realm beyond the reach of death.” He declares his intention to invade Mars. This will be the beginning of a heroic leap, not only into the solar system, but also into other solar systems and the universe at large.
Mars is older than Earth and is slowly dying out. But the Martian people sought a new home on another planet and accepted their fate, never considering emigration. “All worlds eventually die.”
Weston’s plan for human settlement on Earth is to wipe out the indigenous life forms. But he is not thinking of “invasion” for his own personal gain, he thinks of humanity. The Martian angel, the Oyarsa, argues with him.
“You do not love anyone of your race. It is not a perfected creature that you truly love. It seems to be the seed of life itself.”
The Oyarsa then asserts the law that all life in the solar system must uphold: “compassion, fairness to others, and honor.” Oyarsa’s words encapsulate Lewis’s philosophy. He is also known as a Christian religious thinker.
Natural law, which has long been at the core of European thought and philosophy, is reflected in these words. St. Augustine succinctly defines this natural law as “Do good and avoid evil.”
(A.P. Dantrave, Natural Law, Iwanami Shoten, 1952).
This is a universal philosophy shared by all religions of the world.
Without blind faith in scientific progress, Oyarsa’s wisdom of the laws that universally exist in the universe overlaps with that of Starsha of Iscandar. Incidentally, Lewis’s philosophy invited objections from scientism. Haldane, whom I mentioned earlier, criticized Lewis for his unscientific nature. Lewis, on the other hand, argued against the managerial aspect of science, citing Nazism as an example. This is because their positions are so fundamentally opposed. This is also the fundamental difference between Iscandar and Gamilas.
Iscandar or Gamilas? Yamato wavers between the two.
Starsha is like a god who puts Yamato to the test. Why didn’t Sasha send the Cosmo Cleaner D to Earth? In her message, Starsha says, “Unfortunately, it is no longer in my power to deliver it to Earth.” However, an explanation for this has not been revealed. It seems to be that Iscandar no longer has a spacecraft large enough to carry it. However, her next words may be more true:
“In the end, it is you who will save the Earth. I apologize for testing your determination and strength by asking you to come all this way. However, only you can open the way to your own future.”
Even if she actually had the power to deliver the Cosmo Cleaner D, she may still have imposed a test to see if the people of Earth were truly worth helping. But Iscandar is not perfectly sanctified or idealized. Susumu Kodai and Yuki Mori encourage Starsha to emigrate to Earth, but as the queen of Iscandar, she is unable to leave and refuses.
On Iscandar there is an Earthling who preceded Yamato. It is Mamoru, the brother of Susumu Kodai, who was thought to have been killed in battle in the first episode. He was on his way to be taken as a prisoner of war by the Gamilas, but his ship was wrecked and he drifted to Iscandar. He was rescued when he drifted ashore on Iscandar.
The short time Starsha spent with Mamoru Kodai was the happiest she had ever experienced. However, Mamoru Kodai would eventually return to Earth with Yamato. Her heart was closed in sadness. Yuki Mori says to Starsha, “You told us that we should open the way to the future ourselves.”
These words touch her heart. She turns to Mamoru Kodai and says, “Mamoru, I love you,” confessing her feelings for the first time. Mamoru then chooses to remain on Iscandar of his own volition.
Gamilas’ desire to survive is shared by Yamato, which traveled all the way to Iscandar in search of the Cosmo Cleaner D. They hold something in common with the thoughts of Earthlings. Gamilas is not simply evil.
In the midst of the battle for the mainland, Vice President Hyss tells Dessler,
“We must belatedly make peace with Yamato. We must talk and find a way to coexist with Earth.”
This may have been a calculated idea, but it was an act that could be accepted as humane. However, Dessler responded to this appeal by shooting him dead on the spot. The Gamilas did not change their ways at this point. Their path to a fresh start would have to wait.
And Starsha, too, changed her mind a bit when she met Yamato, and started walking a new path. This, too, is not an idealized existence.
Yamato accepted Iscandar’s path for a while. However, in the sequel, Yamato 2, when Earth is on the verge of destruction by the hand of Zordar, Shiro Sanada says to Susumu Kodai, “We should follow Dessler’s example, Kodai. Earth may no longer function as a planet. But we must live. The human race must survive, even if we have to find another planet to settle on. Let us strive for that.”
Alternatively, in Yamato III, Earth is once again on the verge of destruction due to abnormal nuclear fusion on the sun. Yamato sets out on a search for a second Earth, but it ends in vain. By chance, Yamato finds a peaceful planet that looks exactly like Earth, but is inhabited by non-resistance activists.
Ryusuke Domon approaches Susumu Kodai and says, “Let’s take over this planet. There’s no reason we can’t. Shalbart is the second Earth.”
“I’m ashamed to admit it,” Kodai answers, “but that’s what I was thinking. But that would make us no better than the Bolar Federation or the Galman-Gamilas.”
In the sequel, Yamato swings like a pendulum between the roads of Iscandar and Gamilas, asking again and again a question that cannot be answered. Or, perhaps, the answer is not to follow either of them.
Star Trek: a story of hope for the future
The story of space travel is said to have originated in the 17th century. First, Galileo Galilei invented a telescope and observed the moon, and found that the topography of the moon was the same as that of the Earth. This captured the imagination of many people.
Next, after the Age of Discovery came to an end, Europeans had encircled the entire globe and spread their wings of imagination to other celestial bodies as unexplored lands. The story of such an era was told in the books Somnium (1634), written by the astronomer Johannes Kepler, Cyrano de Bergerac’s Voyages to the Moon and the Sun (1656), and John Wilkins’ A Discovery of a New World (1638).
The Protestant movement, which was gaining momentum at the time, did not perceive God’s presence in the depths of phenomena, but rather in the manifestations of everyday life, and praised it as grace. The search for the New World led to the search for God, and so did other celestial bodies.
In Mad Orlando (1532), Ludovico Ariosto wrote, the moon is portrayed as a society that still retains a spirituality that Europeans of that time had lost. It is akin to the biblical Garden of Eden, where man was still good.
It is said that Thomas More’s Utopia (1516) was inspired by the new continent of America. However, it is impossible to talk about it without mentioning the Garden of Eden and ancient Greece, which are the benchmarks of European civilization. The utopia beyond space is equal to the utopia beyond time.
In the science-fiction that emerged in the 20th century, aliens are rarely depicted as overtly ideal. The expansion of humanity (Westerners) is not a quest for God’s work, but a result of scientific progress.
In Max Weber’s terms, the Protestants prepared capitalism and modern society. The science generated by the Protestant’s positivism has furthered the exploration of the universe. The human race’s crossing of the universe is the very proof of our existence. What lies beyond that is of secondary importance.
In other words, the main theme is expansion of man’s sphere of existence. The best example of this idea is Star Trek.
“Space…the final frontier.”
From this famous narration at the beginning, you can see the image of America’s western frontier. Gene Roddenberry first pitched the project to a TV station as “a wagon train in space.” (Della Van Hise, Star Trek: A Look at American Society, Japan Mix, 1995).
Gene Roddenberry is the creator and producer of Star Trek. At the time this story was produced, America was experiencing the height of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, the assassinations of President Kennedy and Reverend Martin Luther King, the Vietnam War, and school protests. Star Trek raised hope by depicting a future humanity that would challenge the unknown with wisdom and courage.
“Intolerance in the 23rd century? Improbable! If man survives that long, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life’s exciting variety, not something to fear. It’s a manifestation of the greatness that God, or whatever it is, gave us. This infinite variation and delight, this is part of the optimism we built into Star Trek.”
(Roddenberry’s comment, Stephan E. Whitfield & Gene Roddenberry, The Making of Star Trek, 1973.)
The heroes who rode in wagons through the wilderness and paved the way for the American dream were transformed into the crew of the starship Enterprise. Captain James T. Kirk, a man of courage and determination, the intelligent Spock, the compassionate Leonard McCoy, and the rest of the crew are an exquisite combination. They face various difficulties and open up new paths.
And not only Spock, a Vulcan/Earth hybrid, but also Montgomery Scott, a Scottish man; Hikaru Sulu, a Japanese-Philippino hybrid; an African-Bantu woman Uhura, Russian Pavel Chekov, a Russian, and many others. The Enterprise is an open and harmonious society. A faith in humanity and the optimism of American society are clearly expressed.
By borrowing allegories in the form of science-fiction to address the Cold War and issues of racial discrimination, this work was the first social commentary presented on American TV. Meanwhile, progress itself is innocently affirmed. Although Native Americans appear in a sequel, we do not see shadows of their genocide, nor the fact that the country pioneered as a new land was built by black slaves. Incidentally, Star Fleet, the main setting of Star Trek, is also not a military force in the strict sense of the word.
Star Wars, a story of seeking “new hope” in the past
The 1960s were a time of despair for many, but it was still possible to dream of the future. In the 1970s, however, times became more pessimistic. The story of Star Wars, released in 1977, begins with the caption, “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” Here the universe is not the future, but the past.
“I think the biggest thing that destroys culture is boys and girls growing up without dreams… [we need] fairy tales, myths, and stories from once upon a time. For example, the odyssey stories, or fairy tales that we listened to as children…what we really need is to colonize the next galaxy, to escape the harsh facts of science, and to enter a romantic world.”
(George Lucas’s comment, Ko Omura, “George Lucas, the man who succeeded in creating fantasy.” Kinejun, early July 1978 issue).
In the 1960s, youth resistance took place in various places and fields, as exemplified by school protests. However, like the tragic ending of the movie Easy Rider, it ultimately ended in the collapse of the youth resistance, crushed by a strong regime.
The story of Star Wars does not present a social message like that of Star Trek. Lucas drew on myths and fairy tales from around the world, including Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. The resulting cosmic fairy tale is a message to a society that has lost its dreams. The supernatural powers and The Force wielded by the Jedi Knights are hippy charisma, said to be inspired by the “life force” used by the sorcerer Don Juan in The Teachings of Don Juan.
It was not a reaction to an earlier era, but rather a new development that inherited its essence. The science-fiction format was chosen to reimagine the fairy tale in a form suitable for the modern age.
Star Wars is a collage of various narrative essences. Han Solo, with his barroom brawling and outward masculinity, is reminiscent of a Western. Obi-Wan Kenobi is Merlin, the sorcerer in the legend of King Arthur (who also appears in Lewis’s Space Trilogy). The samurai of Japanese period dramas are also projected.
The film also depicts an epic battle between the Galactic Empire and the Republican forces. This is not a mechanical battle, but a showcase of “human power” (in the first film Episode IV: A New Hope). The lightsabers are evocative of Shamballa. A manual machine gun intercepts attacking fighters. The attack on the Death Star, a huge fortress, is a pinpoint bombardment by only 30 fighters. In the final phase, a mysterious force, not a machine, takes an active part. The dynamism of the human body and spirit is what creates a catharsis.
What was novel about Star Wars as a science-fiction film was that the spaceships were dirty. Many scenes are somewhat familiar, with North African costumes, a seedy tavern, a secret base built under ruins, and others. The Senate of the Galactic Republic is reminiscent of the ancient Roman Republic. The controlled, sanitary view of the future that had dominated science-fiction up to that point was carefully eliminated.
Lucas told the art director in his briefing, “Forget the clean, immaculate space of 2001.” His keyword was “a used universe.”
(Garry Jenkins, Empire Building, 1997)
Talking about the aim of Yamato, Yoshinobu Nishizaki said, “Space Battleship Yamato is a story set 200 years in the future. For the adult audience, I would like them to find the so-called “Naniwa-bushi” spirit; obligation and humanity. For the younger audience, I wanted them to find dreams and passion.”
(Kinejun, late September 1977 issue).
In the same issue, he cited specific examples, such as the scene of a (manual) machine-gun firefight. “Another feature in common with Star Wars is the intensity of the space battles, which work well.”
The common points between Yamato and Star Wars include not only battle scenes, mecha, and the world view, but also the importance of the elder. Obi-Wan Kenobi is a man of wisdom that has been lost in the age of science, and he teaches Luke about the existence of an invisible power. He teaches him to become a Jedi Knight.
In Yamato, the guidance of old men such as Juzo Okita and Dr. Sado and others helps Susumu Kodai and his friends grow and develop. It emphasizes the importance of not only youth and energy embodied by progress, but also wisdom and experience.
Luke Skywalker, the protagonist of Star Wars, does not fight for the future, but to restore the good government that has been lost, the ideal republic.
So, what does Space Battleship Yamato, the Battleship Yamato reborn, aim for and what is its journey?
Scientist Shiro Sanada hates science
One of the popular motifs in subculture is the apocalyptic doomsday theory that the earth is doomed. Space Battleship Yamato is also a pioneer in this area.
To begin with, Eschatology (doomsday theory) emerges from the idea that everything circulates, like the movement of celestial bodies. The idea originated in the ancient Orient and is called “eternal recurrence.” With this at their core, Iran’s Zoroastrianism and ancient Greece gained a cosmic view that the world changes in accordance with a certain purpose..
Vergilius in the first century B.C. stated it in the form of a pastoral poem:
“Now has come the last period in the course of the old world, the rule of Apollo. The change of the times is at hand. Now the golden age has returned, and a child has been born who will usher in a new human generation. With it will come peace and welfare.”
(R.K. Bultmann, History and Eschatology, 1955)
Judaism also shares this view. The Christian apocalypse is one of perfection, but its fundamentals remain the same: humanity lived in the Garden of Eden, an ideal world, but was exiled due to the Fall. However, at the end of times, corruption will reach its peak and the end of the world will come. God’s judgment will give birth to the Eternal Kingdom.
Eschatology is always set as the rebirth of humanity and utopia. In recent years, we have seen apocalyptic stories of the end of the world in Devilman (manga), Harmagedon (novel, manga, anime), Fist of the North Star (manga, anime), Akira (manga, anime), Future Boy Conan (novel, anime), Battle mecha Xabungle (anime), Neon Genesis Evangelion (anime), The Big O (anime), Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (anime), Casshern Sins (anime), and many others. Among them, Yamato is not only a pioneer but also has unique characteristics.
One reason is that it is not just a tale of apocalypse, but also a journey in search of salvation/utopia. It inherits the structure of Journey to the West, Gilgamesh of Mesopotamia, King Arthur’s Grail Legend, and others. It is a more fundamental and mythological story.
Another is that while other subculture systems are postwar in their values and ideological spaces, Yamato was born against the backdrop of the prewar and postwar periods. As is often pointed out, the reddish-brown earth on which the rusted battleship Yamato lies overlaps with the burnt ruins of Japan immediately after the war’s defeat. This, too, overlaps with the crisis of the 1970s; the financial collapse of the postwar nation and the values that supported it.
Therefore, Yamato is not necessarily the same as the revival of the Empire of Japan. There is a deeper problem hidden here than the superficial picture of nationalism.
Isao Takahata is the director of Studio Ghibli’s films Grave of the Fireflies and Heisei Raccoon War Ponpoko. Through Ponpoko, he expresses the denial of the postwar period. Grave of the Fireflies is set during the war. In the last scene, the protagonist, who has lost his sister, is suddenly confronted by buildings filled with light. This is an indictment of postwar society, which has forgotten the war and still craves prosperity.
In Ponpoko, a young urban woman feels a sense of emptiness and finds the meaning of life and community in a Showa-era farming village. Young women = consumer civilization = postwar society. Many, including this author, felt uncomfortable with this expression, which could be seen as derogatory toward women.
Post-war denial can also be seen in Isao Takahata himself, who is considered a so-called leftist. It does not lead to nationalism or right-wing ideology. Takahata’s orientation is shared by Hayao Miyazaki in the form of anti-modernism.
In Mobile Suit Gundam, the closed nature of the Earth Federation’s organization is described as absolute democracy. The incompetence of the military can be seen as a projection of postwar society. In other words, the history-making anime by Ghibli, Gundam and Yamato all contain a denial of the postwar period in their works.
Until around the 1960s, both the left and the right wing denounced the post-war denial of abandoning the pursuit of ideals. From the 1970s onward, as society became more affluent, the right wing shifted away from pragmatic nationalism and the left wing shifted away from pragmatic liberalism. It is a rough trend of the times that we have begun to affirm (in part) Japan’s current situation. The question is what to deny in the postwar period.
I mentioned earlier that Yamato‘s wave engine is a black box technology for the people of Earth. What this technology suggests is the future of our time and its disconnection from science.
Shiro Sanada, the head of Yamato‘s engineering team, is a scientist. He has a critical eye toward science. When the test firing of the Wave-Motion Gun unintentionally obliterates the entire floating continent of Jupiter, he expresses his doubts:
“We should only have destroyed the Gamilas base.”
Episode 18 shines a spotlight on Sanada. Gamilas’ Space Fortress appears in Yamato‘s path. It radiates a magnetron wave that disintegrates metal machines from their seams, tormenting Yamato. Shiro Sanada and Susumu Kodai approach in a seamless plane to infiltrate and destroy the fortress.
At this point, alone with Kodai, Shiro Sanada reveals his true feelings. Susumu Kodai’s brother, Mamoru, was his best friend. When Mamoru’s ship Yukikaze sailed to Pluto for the battle that unfolded at the beginning of the first episode, Sanada was in charge of maintenance.
“Mamoru Kodai’s Yukikaze was used as a shield to help Captain Okita escape from the enemy and met a heroic end. But I knew. Yukikaze had no choice but to do so. That ship was no more. I couldn’t maintain Yukikaze enough for it to return to Earth alive. I feel like it was me who sent your brother, Mamoru Kodai, to the afterlife.”
Shiro Sanada continues to talk. When he was a child, he wanted to be a painter. However, he chose the path of science because of his own mistake that led to a rocket coaster accident that caused the death of his older sister. There was no safety system to correct a child’s simple mistake.
“Machines kill human beings. Is that what we want? Science is for the happiness of human beings, and human beings are beyond science. I became a scientist to confirm this belief. Science is an enemy to whom I must surrender.”
For Shiro Sanada, science did not bring him happiness. Rather, it was a source of unhappiness. Even after becoming a scientist, he was tormented by a sense of helplessness that he could not achieve “happiness” through science. He was unable to bring Mamoru Kodai back alive. He was unable to stop the Gamilas invasion from overrunning the earth. The Wave-Motion Gun destroyed the precious ecosystem of the floating continent (which was inhabited by plants). And now the magnetron wave causes damage to the ship.
There are no Gamilas deployed on the Space Fortress. It is an automatic facility controlled by computer. Kodai and Sanada plant bombs, but then they hear a high, witch-like laugh. Kodai is hit with a robot arm and passes out. Sanada finds himself entangled and unable to move. The bombs appear to have been defused. But he has a trump card; he orders Kodai to cut off his own limbs.
His hands and feet were lost in the accident when he was a child and have been mechanized. And there are bombs in them.
Kodai escapes with Sanada on his back, who has lost both arms and legs. However, they cannot get onto the seamless plane together. The outer edge of the fortress is the range limit for Sanada’s radio control. He detonates the limb-bombs as soon as Kodai leaves.
The central part of the fortress is destroyed. When Kodai returns, he sees a man in a cloud of black smoke, smiling fearlessly.
What Shiro Sanada was truly seeking was a kind of utopia where science, man, and nature are in harmony. After World War II, many bonds between nature, human beings, and life culture that should have been inherited were lost. The more things that have been lost, the more precious they are, the more deeply we feel sorrow for them.
“I hate the arrogance of science,” Sanada says. Until it is brought to its knees, he will live until he fulfills his purpose, even if his limbs are ripped off. He is not a half-human being, but a true Ashura. In the postwar era, in the shadow of prosperity, various curses and grudges festered. He may be one of them.
“I, who take the words of the dead and living spirits still lost in my hometown as the original language of class, I must combine my animism and preanimism to become a sorcerer for the modern age.”
(Michiko Ishimure, Bitter Sea, Pure Land, Kodansha, 1972, paperback edition).
Is Iwate the place Yoshikazu Aihara should return to?
After the war, more people fled their hometowns and moved to big cities, even more than before the war. In Space Battleship Yamato, not only Japan, but the entire Earth itself has been scorched, and everyone has lost their homeland. There is another episode set against the backdrop of this era of homelessness.
In Episode 19, Domel’s tactics are ingenious, not only in terms of physical maneuvers and clever traps, but also in psychological warfare. He places a communications satellite at Yamato‘s rear to restore communication with Earth. He wants to break the morale and unity of the crew by letting them see the devastation on Earth.
When communication with Earth is restored, Yoshikazu Aihara, the head of the communications team, secretly communicates with his family. When he learns of horrific conditions on Earth, he experiences a mental breakdown. He falls for Domel’s trick.
In an attempt to calm his unstable mind, Yuki Mori treats him with a 3D projection of the landscape of his hometown, Iwate Prefecture, in the image room. In front of his eyes is an old wooden house with dancing snow and a laughing mother holding a piece of firewood. The background music is Kitakami Nocturne. However, he denies this is as an illusion and goes berserk. To him, who knows the reality, virtual reality is meaningless.
In the year 2199, old houses, firewood, and Kitakami Nocturne seem unnatural. Even at this time in the 1970s, it was already a vanishing landscape.
“It is well known that there is a genre of Japanese songs called ‘Enka style,’ but one should not assume that this is an old style. The term was not widely used until the late 1950s. Hachiro Kasuga, Michiya Mihashi, Haruo Samba, and others sang many nostalgic songs, in a strongly traditional style, set against the backdrop of the collapse of rural society. In other words, it was during the period of rapid economic growth.”
(Toyo Nakamura, A Century of Popular Music, Iwanami Shoten, 1999).
The story of Aihara and his friends, who lost their hometown due to radioactive contamination, is exactly the same as that of the postwar period, when they were driven away, and wept through the “artificial tradition” of Enka. The fact that Yamato is a science-fiction story, yet denies postwar/progress, can be seen in these nostalgic episodes. Is it the prewar Japan to which they should return?
A deranged Aihara steps off Yamato and out into space. After drifting for a while, he encounters the Gamilas communications satellite. As the head of the communications team, he discovers the satellite’s function, realizes its purpose, and comes to his senses. He has fallen for the enemy’s ruse.
Susumu Kodai, who was out searching for him, rescues him. Aihara, with Kodai’s help, destroys the communication satellite.
“I’ve caused trouble for everyone,” he says to Kodai. “But will my friends forgive me?
“Of course. They’re your friends.”
Aihara believes that it is Yamato to which he must return, and while cherishing his roots, he will continue to work for the future of the earth, which will be reborn anew.
The journey of Yamato itself is the answer to his search. At the center of this community is a young man named Susumu Kodai, who is moving forward into ancient times.
[Translator’s note: one of the poetic elements lost in translation here is that “Kodai” is both the character’s name and the word “ancient” in Japanese.]