#exo-squad

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The ExoCarrier Resolute (5) by DM Phoenix

[titanomancy]

While this is primarily a Warhammer blog, I loved Exo-Squad as a kid and I unironically adore this printable Aerial Attack E-Frame.

Skull Forge Studios continues to knock it out of the park every single time.

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Space pirate Jonas Simbacca by Vladimir Kafanov

[hasbr0mniverse]

Tooniversary Month! This day Exo-Squad was released

[salmonthestoryteller]

Exo-Squad

Exo-Squad (1993-1994) is another show I haven't had the opportunity to see in years.  It remains among my favorite shows because it did some amazing storytelling. Given that it technically was considered a children’s cartoon, it surprisingly did not shy from serious subjects.  Which definitely works in its favor.

Set in the years 2119-2131 AD, against the backdrop of a war between Terrans (Humans) and Neosapians (An artificially created race), Exo-Squad is a very character-driven story that managed to both be somewhat episodic and carry a story arc that definitely had a beginning, middle, and (sort-of) end. (We'll get to the sort-of later.)

The series doesn't actually start with the Neosapian War. It starts with the idea of there being Space Pirates marauding from a base on Saturn’s moons, and the decision by the leaders of the Homeworlds (Earth, Venus, and Mars) to send most of their defense force (The Exo-Fleet) to get rid of the pirates once and for all.  Partly at the encouragement of Phaeton, the Neosapian Governor of Mars.

We spend the first few episodes of the series on the battles against the pirates, introducing the main set of characters - the members of Able Squad, an E-frame unit belonging to the Exo-Fleet, including; J.T. Marsh, Nara Burns, Maggie Weston, Kaz Takagi, Alec DeLeon, Rita Torres, Wolf Bronsky, and Marsala.  

Phaeton, meanwhile, is revealed to have secretly funded the creation of a fleet and weapons of his own - allowing him to seize control of the Homeworlds while the Terran’s own forces are busy with the Pirates.  When what is happening on the Homeworlds is discovered, the Exo-Fleet ceases its attack on the pirates and heads back to stop the Neosapian fleet. However, due in large part to a tactical error by Captain Marcus, temporarily in charge of the fleet because the actual leader Admiral Winfield was injured during the battle with the Pirates, the Exo-Fleet is forced to retreat - leaving the Homeworlds in Phaeton’s hands.

Does that sound like I might be hating on Marcus?  Wait, let me fix that.

Due to Marcus being an absolute imbecile who couldn't figure out how to direct his forces to fight their way out of a paper bag and opting to split his forces in half while facing a force of unknown numbers and power, the Exo-Fleet is handed their asses and forced to retreat.

There, now you know I am definitely hating on Marcus. Trust me, if you watch the series, you will share my feelings on the windbag.

Anyhow, you basically start the show under the notion “Space Pirates are evil, and Phaeton’s army is evil.”

Then the series spends the rest of the seasons explaining that, hm… maybe things aren't that clear cut.

Because as it turns out, the Terrans have kinda been dicks the last 100 years or so.

The Neosapians were used as slaves to help the humans terraform Venus and Mars.  Unsurprisingly, this eventually led to the first Neosapian War.  While they were finally granted their freedom, Terran prejudice and general shitty treatment of Neosapians continued.

(Anyone sensing an allegory?)

Apparently not having learned their lesson, the Terrans then used prisoners as slave labor in their mining operations on… Saturn. Until the prisoners rebelled and - oh, yeah - became the Pirates they were having such trouble with at the start of the series.

(Anyone potentially sensing a second allegory?)

The idea that maybe things wouldn't have come to this point if the Terrans weren't generally being assholes manages to co-exist in the series along with the fact that Phaeton is still a megalomaniac set on genocide, who doesn't honestly care about the well-being of his own people half as much as his own power.

In time, the remaining Exo-Fleet does manage to forge an alliance with the Pirates.  Which plays no small part in how they eventually win the war - which is told over the course of 51 of the series' 52 episodes.

Do its episodic plots occasionally veer into the wild side? Yes.  (I'm honestly not bothered by the alien plotline.  It's the destruction and reformation of Mars that has me scratching my head a bit.)

Are there plots you really wish the series explored further? Yes. (Are we seriously ending the series without anyone in Able Squad knowing Marsala led the first Neosapian War??)

Does it do a perfect job of addressing all the rather serious subjects it dredges up? No, of course not.

But overall, it tells a solid story and offers characters you can easily get attached to. Some that may surprise you as the story unfolds. (Simbacca for me. And Shiva. Someone please tell me how I ended up such a fan of Shiva, gdi.)

Episode 52 is actually the start of a new season that never occurred. (Which is why I said it sort of ends.). It was going to delve further into the alien plot.  I'm guessing it was also likely to start a new war, one where all the survivors of the previous war had to work together. Which definitely would have been a challenging plot, but one I was up for seeing what they did with.

Sadly, the series was canceled.  Leaving us with the start of a plot that was never finished.

If you don't mind watching animated series, and don't mind older series, I would definitely recommend checking out Exo-Squad if you have the chance.

[headspacedad]

Exosquad Opening

[majingojira]

Super Robot Wars US

After doing the previous post, I want to note that there were a few things that I’m STILL debating whether or not they should be included.

Shin Getter Robo/Getter Robo/Getter Robo G - It feels wrong to have a Super Robot entry without a Getter. But I couldn’t think of a way to fit it in.

Tekkaman Blade - I forgot about this one’s release in the US and would include it again. 

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Another one I wasn’t sure to include or not, because I still haven’t seen 3.0, and choosing between the series or the movies is hard!

Martian Successor Nadesico - stretching things to Mars and Jupiter with the conflict when the Innovades are around just doesn’t seem feasible to work with.

Gigantor/The New Adventures of Gigantor/Tetsujin-28/Tetsujin-28 Go - The Granddaddy of Giant Robots is set hard in the 50s, so only the 80s series can be worked with.  Another of the  “I wish I remembered this one.”

Exo-Squad - The size of the mechs, and the Mars conflict makes it hard to work in, but I still sort of want to.

Iron Man: Armored Adventures/The Avengers - C’mon.  How much fun would an “Avengers Assemble” attack be?  But I couldn't work it.

Symbionic Titan - This was a hard one to say no to, but it is just too similar to modern Voltron.

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The ExoCarrier Resolute 02 by D. M. Phoenix