In June 2021, a dramatic discovery was made on eBay: a large collection of Star Blazers production scripts being offered for sale. Now they reside in the hands of fandom itself, and you can read The Comet Empire from the same documents as the voice actors did in 1979.
In 1997, Star Blazers fandom found its dearest family member: Amy Howard, the voice of our beloved Nova. After years of obscurity, she found her way in via the internet and stayed in the fold for the rest of her life. Presented here are key parts of the actual electronic record of her homecoming.
Few fans have taken their love of anime and Yamato farther than Ardith Carlton. As a teenager, she not only devoured Star Blazers in its first run on American TV, she also made it all the way to Japan to see Be Forever Yamato…on the big screen…on opening day. Hear that story and plenty more in this special audio interview!
In this special audio feature, we meet one of the key members of US anime fandom in the 1980s who helped just about every other fan to get their start. We talk in particular about Robert’s work as the writer of the American Captain Harlock comic books and present several issues from cover to cover!
Cosmo DNA’s first-ever audio article! Few anime fans in general – and Yamato fans in particular – have been at it harder or longer than Mr. Edward Hawkins. In this series of half-hour audio segments, Ed takes us on a journey that shows the lengths one will go to follow the spirit of Yamato. (Part 2 added April 2014)
As Yamato made its way to American TV, it passed through multiple hands and traveled under a different name – but thanks to friend-of-the-website Robert Miller’s treasure trove of vintage Hollywood trade papers, we can take a walk through an almost forgotten part of Star Blazers history.
It’s been a long time since Wildstar, Nova, and Desslok were in a room together, and even longer since their voices were heard live in a room together. But the clock was finally reset when Ken Meseroll, Amy Howard Wilson, and Eddie Allen made their first-ever joint public appearance in March 2010. Read the transcript here.
Despite how it looks in the Star Blazers/Yamato universe, it isn’t often that you get to meet a space goddess. Imagine, then, how rare it is to find two in one body. That’s a claim that can be made by Ms. Lydia Leeds, who portrayed both Queen Starsha and Trelaina of Telezart. Read her interview about the experience here.
It is our supreme pleasure to welcome back into the Star Blazers pantheon Mr. Michael Bertolini, who won all of our hearts as Communications Officer Homer Glitchman! This interview was conducted shortly after Michael first reconnected with his fans via Facebook in August, 2011.
The rarest and most enjoyable part of working on this website is the chance to welcome a Star Blazers voice actor back into the warm embrace of fandom. So meet Frank Pita, better known to Star Blazers fans as the beloved Dr. Sane! This doctor’s appointment was a long time coming, but it’s finally here!
By Tim Eldred. One day I got the go-ahead to interview two men whose work helped change my life and that of many others: Ken Meseroll and Eddie Allen, the voices of Derek Wildstar and Desslok. The arrangements were made and the date was set. Yes, September 11, 2001 was going to be a very special day.
By Tim Eldred. For the first time in over 20 years, actors Ken Meseroll and Eddie Allen reprised their roles as the all-time fan favorite Star Blazers characters Wildstar and Desslok in a special project for Voyager Entertainment. It was my distinct pleasure to help orchestrate this event.
Here we go back to where it all started, with the company that made Star Blazers happen. Westchester Films was the production company run by Mr. Claude S. Hill, the organization that actually went to Japan in 1978 and actually negotiated with Office Academy to bring Space Battleship Yamato to America.
By Dave Merrill. For years, we’d seen references and offhand comments about a “YamatoCon” that was held in the Dallas area years earlier. Our crack team of researchers donned their explorer togs, dusted off their pith helmets, and began the harrowing search for enlightenment. Here’s what we found…
Once upon a time, one of the major anime fandom groups in the United States was based in Dallas, named “Earth Defense Command” after the military organization in Star Blazers, and made up of space battleships devoted to defending the Earth in the late 20th Century. This is their story. By Dave Merrill
Ever wonder what Japan thought of Star Blazers? One place to find out was the magazine of the official Space Battleship Yamato fan club. It featured unique articles on Star Blazers over four consecutive issues in 1986, providing this rare Japanese perspective on what was done with Yamato in the U.S.
An interview with Michael Pinto and Brian Cirulnick! Their mutual love of Star Blazers and their privileged perspective put many opportunities in their path and enriched their lives in ways neither could predict. As you will see, they do far more than fit the category of superfan — they define it.
Star Blazers fan clubs in America didn’t have quite the same numbers as Space Battleship Yamato clubs in Japan, but they were absolutely equal in terms of passion, dedication, and motivation. This unique collection of documents from the early years puts all of that on full display.
Star Blazers fan fiction has been around for decades, but in the spring of 2010 it finally stepped into the next logical medium: a fan-made audio drama produced by superfan Devin Cox and Forward Momentum Productions. Season 1 | Season 2
To most fans, Sasha and Trelaina were classic characters in their favorite anime. But to another group, they were the titles of APAs produced right here in the USA by American fans who wanted to expand the Star Blazers experience beyond their TV screens. Fred Kopetz examines them and much more here.
Superfan Andrea Controzzi writes about the arrival of anime in his home country, the impact of Star Blazers, the evolution of Italian fandom, and his own personal experience as a fan meeting a living legend.
Written by a circle of fans called “The Iscandar Project.” Their work was an attempt to create a history for Star Blazers rather than Space Battleship Yamato, and this gave everyone a freedom of expression they might not have otherwise enjoyed. As you will see, this lead to some fascinating concepts. [5 pages]
