A Cosmo Tiger leads supply carrier Asuka through an asteroid filed, presumably en route to Icarus base.
Alphon turns from a window to look at something; Yuki grabs Isidore from behind, freshly revived in captivity. She’s still wearing her engagement ring, incidentally.
Alphon: I’m Alphon. One who seeks the fragment(s) of Iscandar.
She holds a pen to Isidore’s neck. In the cinema teaser for Chapter 2, this moment goes a bit longer, showing his eyes flickering from red to something closer to reptilian, like what we see Deda do with his eyes in 2205. It’s possible that’s a protective measure taken by their cyborg bodies.
Elsewhere, a Bolar carrier bursts out of warp near a trio of other Bolar ships. These four are the same types seen at the beginning of Episode 1. Their designations are Ganonda (Patriotism), Kurotoga (Heroic Action), and Amanga (Massive Destruction).
The Ganonda manifests from within a pink-hued galaxy, which based on what we know from Yamato III indicates it’s coming directly from the Bolar homeworld. It’s most likely Boroze returning from a reprimand after possibly losing most of his allotted fleet against Dezarium.
Our first shot of Bolar leader Bemlayze leads to a shot of Dezarium Captain Lambell enthusiastically giving an order.
Though the trailer implies that Bemlayze is aboard this Ganonda, it’s very unlikely. In Yamato III, our first look at Bemlayze came in Episode 13, where he captained a unique red ship of his own. At the end of the show, he appeared in a giant Bolar fortress capable of creating black holes. So he probably wouldn’t settle for a mere carrier ship.
Lambell is listed as the captain of Dezarium battleship Grodez, which is destined to become Yamato‘s rival in the series. And we’re probably seeing its Infinite Beta Cannon being fired here.
Lambell: I’ll let you go after it…the fragment(s) of Iscandar!
Dezarium Supreme Commander Skaldart makes a proclamation, and we see the Cosmo Tiger circle around Icarus base.
If “Yamato is the enemy” as the tagline for 3199 says, and most of Earth is subjugated at this point, Lambell is most likely firing at Yamato. As for who he issues his orders to? Anyone’s guess. He’s said to be best friends with Alphon, so maybe that’s him giving the man his work duties? Or, he’s sending forth those Balanodon-esque dimensional worms, siccing them on the fragment of Iscandar, which is probably Sasha.
Based on the previous trailers, Skaldart is most likely speaking to military commanders Todo and Serizawa from inside the Grand Reverse, with Sada and Todo’s sister both present.
Kodai is in deep contemplation (three guesses…). Asuka takes a shot at an offscreen target.
Domon: A Bomb? Shima: Deuteron…? (or) Concealed gun…?
Though the obvious intent here is to have audiences combine Domon’s words with Shima’s to form “Deuteron Bomb,” it’s also possible that their lines are structured with the aim to mislead. Domon could be referring to a different bomb, while Shima refers to the concealed Beta Cannon aboard Grodez. But a deuteron bomb and a concealed gun are two different things right? In Japanese, the two sentences sound exactly the same: 重核子 (juu kakushi) / 銃隠し (juu kakushi).
Grodez dodges the shots. On Earth, Nagakura and Raiden size up the Grand Reverse.
Sanada: It could even initialize the brains of all humanity.
Sanada’s line harkens back to the original Be Forever, where he explains what the Double Nucleon/Hyperon Bomb was capable of doing. This time, it’s anyone’s guess what he means.
Captain Yamanami gives the order and Yamato‘s main engine fires up.
Yamanami: Yamato, launch! We, the human race, will never bend the knee to those who force us to give in.
Yamato emerges from its asteroid cocoon, revealing itself one part at a time.
Yamanami: Take a good look Dezarium…this is Yamato!
Chapter 2: Burning Sun Sortie, coming to theaters November 22!
Commentary by Anton Mei Brandt:
With Yamanami as the new Captain, it does give Kodai that cooldown period he desperately wanted at the start of 2202, what with all his self-doubt. But there’s also room for concern, given Yamanami’s fate in the original work is to follow Okita and Hijikata by the end. Hopefully Hijikata’s plea about “live, no matter what” still rings true in his ears.
As for stuff we didn’t get to see or hear this time but showed up in the cinema teaser for Chapter 2?
(1) Our first proper look at Kazan, the Dezarium officer in charge of Earth’s occupation in Be Forever Yamato, who we briefly got a glimpse of (from behind) at the end of Episode 2. Like Meldarz, he’s incredibly expressive for his people.
(2) Yuki wakes up from her injuries in bed, possibly at the mansion.
(3) A dozen or so warp-out signatures appear behind Grodez as it prepares to face off against an enemy.
(4) A mystery voice, proclaiming “Yamato…you’re already intriguing.” The voice is a bit too deep to be Lambell, meaning it’s most likely either Kazan or Bemlayze.
Music note: Throughout this teaser, we hear the 2202 track (based on a Yamato 2 track) Yamato, Dyed in Red. This track only ever played in one scene prior, where Yamanami saves Yamato from Zemulia’s destruction, only for the ship to crash and burn on Mars. This is a very fitting choice for two reasons.
(1) Yamanami’s secretly been helping to refit Yamato in preparation for the Dezarium invasion, becoming its new captain in a time of great peril and need.
(2) Chapter 2’s name is Burning Sun Sortie.
Finally, from what we’ve seen so far, we can no longer assess how far the next chapter will take us. Some scenes are expected (like Alphon meeting Yuki), but others are a complete twist. In the Chapter 1 pamphlet for 3199, directors Fukui and Naomichi explained that, other than Chapter 1, 3199 will take a completely deviating course from the works it is based on, yet somehow retain “what we expect to happen,” while also providing a new spin on classic moments. Strap yourselves in for a wild ride!