When I was in the 7-8th grade I watched a show called Star Blazers. I think its original Japanese name was Star Cruiser or Battle Cruiser Yamato. I loved that show when I was a kid. I am curious if anyone knows when it was originally made? I saw it around 1980-1981 that would put it within a couple years of Battlestar Galactica. With hindsight some of the basic themes are very similar to Battlestar Galactica, a futuristic space battleship/aircraft carrier goes on a multi episode quest to save humanity from total destruction from an alien race guided by a quasi mystical figure. Wasn't there a Starbuck/Apollo type figure who's nickname was Wildstar? I remember there was a subplot of love with a female warrior named Nova. I would be very curious to see the timelines on this show versus Battlestar Galactica. It would seem to me that the creator of the second may have been inspired by seeing the first.
On that same subject I have read mention that some of the things Larson wanted to do in his continuation including "walking vipers" come straight out of the Japanese anime Robotech. I wonder if Larson is/was simply modifying the Japanese anime shows he was familar with to a real actor film.
This subject has my mind moving. I remember as a little kid living in Japan and Okinawa watching a Japanese superhero show where the main character had a flying motorcycle that is eerily similar to the ones in BSG1980.
What if TOS and BSG1980 is Larson's adaptation of Japanese scifi that he is aware of and not really that original? It would explain the rapid burn off of Larson's good ideas. He may not have had an original thought in the series!
