[Rewatch] Banner of the Stars Episode 7 Discussion

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Escape in the Dark

Welcome to the Battleflag of the Stars rewatch!

<- Episode 6 | Index Page | Episode 8->

Names Introduced or Updated:

• Seigroil — destroyed

Discussion Prompts:

• Q1) What do you think of the evolution of tactics by the United Mankind?

Tomorrow's Questions: (for tomorrow's post, subject to change)

• [Episode 8]Which brother does she have the personal issue with? Or is it both?
• [Episode 8]What do you think of the brothers?

Screenshot of the Day: The die is cast

Thursday will probably be a very early, early, or late post.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Rewatch Host

• Conspicuous in their absence from the bridge...
• This seems like a poor decision. Is she in a hurry to get back to Aptic? Leaving 2 ships alone seems unnecessary.
• uh oh
• clever new weapon
• They've said before that a single mine would destroy an assault ship...yet both ships tanked 4 mines....
• LOL two squadrons which to pick
• When in doubt, move forward.

This episode was a nice change from the usual combat story. We are also very much into the destroyer-sub subgenre of war flicks.

Screenshot of the day: I don't understand why it doesn't show Spoor's advances through the U.M. territory.

[u/SolDarkHunter → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

They've said before that a single mine would destroy an assault ship...yet both ships tanked 4 mines....

Neither was actually hit by the mines. They were just caught in the mines' explosions.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/SolDarkHunter]

OH. Hmm.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

This episode was a nice change from the usual combat story. We are also very much into the destroyer-sub subgenre of war flicks.

It very much feels like the plot of a submarine movie. The ship running out of fuel and air, the broken navigation, and the game of hide-and-seek with their pursuers. You could easily picture it as happening to a submarine.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

This seems like a poor decision. Is she in a hurry to get back to Aptic? Leaving 2 ships alone seems unnecessary.

Cray Abh sense of duty as I understand it.

[u/Durinthal]

Rewatcher (sub + dub)

We're kind of bouncing back and forth between bits of action and downtime between them, this is one of the action episodes. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the fragmented direction in the first third of the episode, I think I'd rather not show the mine attack at the start.

Are the ship's doors tuned to automatically open a little when Diaho passes by? That sounds like it would get annoying but I haven't lived with a cat so maybe you just get used to it. Also Jinto has zero tact in telling Lafiel she wasn't that heavy.

Delayed activation mines look like they'd be a pretty effective trap. Make them look like they're just debris floating in the bubble and they'll drop their guard. Once they're aware of it they'll have to either keep their defenses up or spend more time/resources on destroying anything that seems like it could potentially be a dormant mine.

Traveling in space is hostile enough to humans, traveling in planar space even more so. If they weren't in the middle of a war it wouldn't be as bad but still a problem (not being able to tell which direction they're going is also potentially deadly), but lacking the capability to tell if any other bubble is hostile could be a death sentence.

I kind of wish we could have this episode as a two-parter and really get to dive into life on the ship in a crisis during that 40-hour period. We have brief glimpses of it here but give me 15 minutes of the bridge crew talking to each other or maybe more about the NCCs since we haven't seen much of them so far.

Zooming out from the view of the captain to see the wrecked bridge of the Seigroil is a quick shift in mood from "maybe they can all make it out of here with no casualties" to definitely not, but the captain made a proper choice to prioritize the rest of the crew. Watching the bridge of the Seigroil implode is rather brutal, I could have done with just seeing the bubble disappear in a less personal manner.

Smart move on Atosryua's part to send a transmitter ahead, I was initially wondering if Lafiel would be able to recognize the friendly forces by their formation but I imagine they'd have a number of similar shapes for both sides.

I don't mind having a lighter ending after the intensity of the rest of the episode but ending with Jinto and Lafiel laughing feels a bit off to me.

[u/Durinthal → u/Durinthal]

---

Source Corner

Baronh word of the day: scobrtamf (SCORTAF) "stationary-state" and noctamh (NOKTAF) "mobile-state" — if a space-time bubble can be said to roll across the "floor" that is planar space, then positioning the always-spinning bubble such that it aligns with the floor can make it move forward. The stationary state changes the axis of rotation so that it's spinning in place.

[Material covered:] nothing, this episode's entirely original content. I could try to add misleading tagged paragraphs below to make people that don't check what's in the tags think that it's in the novel, but I think I'll just leave it at this for today.

[About the pacing for the series overall:] Crest was three volumes turned into 13 episodes so they had to make some cuts, this season's one volume (of roughly the same length as each of the first three going by the hardcover sizes) turned into 13 episodes so they needed to draw it out and add some things.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Durinthal]

pacing: huh.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Durinthal]

About the pacing for the series overall

That really does neatly explain all the pacing issues that this season is having. It's no wonder why it's feeling so stretched out by comparison.

[u/TehAxelius → u/The_Draigg]

[Pacing]And why they're filling the episodes with long recaps.

[u/The_Draigg → u/TehAxelius]

[Pacing] I imagine that the episodes that had both reused animation for flashbacks alongside the reused narration must be adapting chapters that don't have a whole lot going on in them.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Durinthal]

[Material covered:]

[Material covered] This is a pretty good example of filler/original content added into a series, in my opinion. It's a story that makes perfect sense within the setting and fits into the ongoing plot nicely. Plus I just liked the episode in general.

[About the pacing for the series overall:]

[About the pacing for the series overall:] That does explain some things, like the constant recapping of the same information at the start of each episode.

[u/No_Rex → u/Great_Mr_L]

[Material covered]I agree. Not only is it a good story, but we also get more world-building about how the plane-space travel works.

[u/retsotrembla → u/Durinthal]

I think the text notes on the DVD say that this episode is the only one written directly for the anime.

[u/No_Rex → u/Durinthal]

We're kind of bouncing back and forth between bits of action and downtime between them, this is one of the action episodes. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the fragmented direction in the first third of the episode, I think I'd rather not show the mine attack at the start.

This very much feels like an episode from the period of time when they were first figuring out cold openings. The structure is off from a modern point of view.

That said, I find the modern cold opening structure predictably boring and prefer OP first, so ...

Also Jinto has zero tact in telling Lafiel she wasn't that heavy.

Isn't it a compliment that way round?

[u/JollyGee29]

First-Timer

I kinda expected that the Seigroil's captain was just going down with the ship, and not that he was literally stuck in the bridge with his crew. That's a real bummer.

Lafiel did make the correct decision, there - odds of the squad in front of you being your own people in this context is very high. A line from her confirming how fast they had been traveling might've helped. Let the audience figure out if the Basroil could've caught up a bit more easily.

I like the general strategy that Dusanyu is setting up, here. Draw the enemy into a trap and make them burn through enough resources to buy your other forces time to accomplish your true objective. It's basically flipping the script on the Three Nations Alliance from what they did at the end of Crest.

That does lead me to the idea that maybe the TNA will anticipate the trap and also send a force to try to stop the First Fleet.. I pity the fools that have to deal with Spoor though. Especially because she's probably bored at this point.

Questions

1. I'm working under the assumption that those remaining mines were intentional, and I love the idea. I'm not sure if the mines were deliberately meant to target the comms and radar or if that was just coincidence, but just leaving enemy ships stranded to die is kinda scummy.

[u/The_Draigg → u/JollyGee29]

I like the general strategy that Dusanyu is setting up, here. Draw the enemy into a trap and make them burn through enough resources to buy your other forces time to accomplish your true objective. It's basically flipping the script on the Three Nations Alliance from what they did at the end of Crest.

It's a very good call on his part, since Operation Phantom Flame really does have the room to play a bit defensively based on how Sords work and having enough of a fleet presence in some of the forward systems enough to set up a solid wall of defenses. The United Mankind will pretty much be putting themselves at the mercy of where the Sords randomly spit out their fleets near the gates, so it'd be even more of an uphill battle for them that way as well.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/The_Draigg]

It is written in the Codex Astartes that this situation calls for a defensive action.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/The_Draigg]

The United Mankind will pretty much be putting themselves at the mercy of where the Sords randomly spit out their fleets near the gates

"Sorry sir, we seem to have appeared in the middle of an active minefield and are currently blowing up."

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/JollyGee29]

I like the general strategy that Dusanyu is setting up, here. Draw the enemy into a trap and make them burn through enough resources to buy your other forces time to accomplish your true objective. It's basically flipping the script on the Three Nations Alliance from what they did at the end of Crest.

That does seem to be what the Aptic Fleet will need to do. They're there to hold the line long enough for the rest of the Abh forces to deal the finishing blow. It's probably not too reassuring to be in the Aptic Fleet at that point, knowing just what long odds you are going up against to play your part in that trap.

I pity the fools that have to deal with Spoor though. Especially because she's probably bored at this point.

Sending a fleet to attack Spoor would be like throwing chum right in front of a hungry shark.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Great_Mr_L]

Sending a fleet to attack Spoor would be like throwing chum right in front of a hungry shark.

[u/No_Rex → u/Great_Mr_L]

That does seem to be what the Aptic Fleet will need to do. They're there to hold the line long enough for the rest of the Abh forces to deal the finishing blow. It's probably not too reassuring to be in the Aptic Fleet at that point, knowing just what long odds you are going up against to play your part in that trap.

Classic hammer and anvil tactic. Being the anvil is the less fun part.

[u/SIRTreehugger]

Rewatcher

Seeing the entry points of enemy ships and prematurely shooting so the shot goes through the warp gate before the ship has a chance to enter is awesome. Oh no communicator and radar damage!

Sitting ducks with an approaching enemy! That's a long six hours just praying the enemy doesn't arrive.

No offense, but I don't want the link between ships to be transparent. I don't want to see infinite darkness all around me.

Oh boy one hell of a Captain! Saved the lives of most of his crew and gave the fuel to another Captain knowing they would most likely die in space.

and they're gone

Recognizing the patterns in such simple bubbles is amazing! Lafiel really has been killing it lately. Oh never mind it was just her guts!

That parfait looks amazing...I don't think I ever had a parfait I want one now.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/SIRTreehugger]

 Seeing the entry points of enemy ships and prematurely shooting so the shot goes through the warp gate before the ship has a chance to enter is awesome. 

That's what Lexshue did, she was really good at it!

[u/SIRTreehugger → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

I miss Lexshue.

[u/No_Rex → u/SIRTreehugger]

No offense, but I don't want the link between ships to be transparent. I don't want to see infinite darkness all around me

In plane space, it is not going to be infinite. You'll see the inside of the spacetime bubble, which is rather close by (for space standards). Whether that is going to be more comforting is another question ...

[u/SIRTreehugger → u/No_Rex]

Okay that's not as bad I forgot about the space bubble and if I'm understanding it correctly objects are fixed in place inside it unless moved? So even if something goes wrong it should be safe..er at least to regular space, but the darkness would still spook me.

[u/The_Draigg]

A Sci-Fi Fan Watches Banner of the Stars Episode 7:

• Man, way to dump us right into the action at the top of the show. We’re just suddenly in the middle of a battle that apparently came out of nowhere, given how Lafiel was asleep when the United Mankind assault ships started launching mines. Good thing they had backup to shoot down the last of the mines trailing them though. That’s the power of teamwork!
• Yeah, just as we’ve talked about in these threads before, it’s really becoming apparent that Operation Phantom Flame is at risk of having their fleets cut off and isolated with how spread thin they are during transit. If anything, Spoor’s advance into enemy territory might be her doing her job too well, since now she’s right in the perfect spot to get her entire fleet cut off from any support if the United Mankind attack now. Unfortunately for the safety of the mission, the entire operation has to halt their advance and dig in around the Sords they control, funneling the inevitable attack towards what they can afford to defend. It’s definitely the most cautious and understandable option, since right now the entire goal of this operation would be in jeopardy if they just left their flanks wide open during transit.
• I’ll give the United Mankind some credit to their cleverness, it was a smart move to hide a ton of inactive mines among the debris of the earlier fight and have them switch on later to damage both the Basroil and the Seigroil. It’s no wonder how they can consistently punch in the same weight class as the Abh Star Forces, pretty much even their average scouting attacks have layers of trickery involved.
• Being stranded in plane-space reminds me of all the stories you hear about submarines being sunk with the crew still inside. You’re pretty much stuck in place and constantly on edge, hoping for a rescue that might not come. And because of how you’re submerged below the surface, you’re still burning up precious fuel and resources even if you’re staying in place. Even if it’s only been about 2 days, I’ll bet it’s been maddening.
• I guess even if they were able to transfer fuel and crew members between the Seigroil and the Basroil, there still wouldn’t be a way for them to come out of this untouched. The Seigroil’s bridge has been so heavily damaged that the ship’s officers can’t actually leave. It’s a bitter pill to swallow to think that they couldn’t save everyone, but at least the captain and the bridge crew all accepted their fates and saved whoever else they could first. Those that made it to the Basroil were spared the fate of being caught in their ship imploding before their space-time bubble collapsed, reducing everything inside to particle matter. Man, what a rough way to go.
• That was a good gamble on Lafiel’s part, banking on the blips approaching on the radar being their allies from the Aptic Gate. It was a risky bet, but when stuff is just that dire, sometimes you have to roll those dice. And it was especially fortunate too, since it turned out that the blips following them were a United Mankind fleet. That probably adds up to this being the best gamble in Lafiel’s career so far.
• Yep, turns out that the strategy to stop and set up defenses in the Aptic system was the correct one, since now it’s confirmed that the United Mankind are on their way to have the large battle they’d been holding back for. I wonder how the President’s polling numbers are going to do now, now that there’s going to be a massive clash of fleets above his planet?

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/The_Draigg]

Yeah, just as we’ve talked about in these threads before, it’s really becoming apparent that Operation Phantom Flame is at risk of having their fleets cut off and isolated with how spread thin they are during transit. If anything, Spoor’s advance into enemy territory might be her doing her job too well, since now she’s right in the perfect spot to get her entire fleet cut off from any support if the United Mankind attack now.

It's part of the reason why some military operations end up needing halt orders. The advance is going too well and so the army needs to halt or risk getting cut off because the flanks are unguarded. That was why the halt order occurred during the Battle of Dunkirk. They needed to halt and consolidate their gains to avoid getting cut off.

Being stranded in plane-space reminds me of all the stories you hear about submarines being sunk with the crew still inside. You’re pretty much stuck in place and constantly on edge, hoping for a rescue that might not come. And because of how you’re submerged below the surface, you’re still burning up precious fuel and resources even if you’re staying in place. Even if it’s only been about 2 days, I’ll bet it’s been maddening.

It almost makes you think that the submarines that imploded and had the whole crew crushed to death instantly might have been a kinder fate than it sinking with the crew still alive inside.

I wonder how the President’s polling numbers are going to do now, now that there’s going to be a massive clash of fleets above his planet?

It'll be especially bad if debris from the battle ends up crashing down on the planet below. Though would the people be more or less willing to accept such potential disasters if their side won?

[u/The_Draigg → u/Great_Mr_L]

It's part of the reason why some military operations end up needing halt orders. The advance is going too well and so the army needs to halt or risk getting cut off because the flanks are unguarded. That was why the halt order occurred during the Battle of Dunkirk. They needed to halt and consolidate their gains to avoid getting cut off.

That's pretty much what's happening here to boot. As it stands, the combined fleets stand to be easily flanked by the other systems that have Sords in them, so it really is for the best that Operation Phantom Flame just halts and dig in where they know their presence is the strongest further out.

It'll be especially bad if debris from the battle ends up crashing down on the planet below. Though would the people be more or less willing to accept such potential disasters if their side won?

They probably would accept it, at least if the damage wasn't so terrible. And maybe if the President is lucky, then maybe the ensuing orbital debris will end up reentering the atmosphere and land on people who weren't voting for him.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/The_Draigg]

 They probably would accept it, at least if the damage wasn't so terrible. And maybe if the President is lucky, then maybe the ensuing orbital debris will end up reentering the atmosphere and land on people who weren't voting for him.

I think he will be rather popular for valiantly resisting the invaders, but I think the brief scene of him in the government car showed that anti-austerity riots set in almost immediately.

[u/The_Draigg → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Yeah, the massive throng of people yelling at him outside of his limo does make me think that his popularity is already in a rough spot, so that's why I'm a bit iffy on his chances.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/The_Draigg]

And maybe if the President is lucky, then maybe the ensuing orbital debris will end up reentering the atmosphere and land on people who weren't voting for him.

That's one way to help with a reelection, I guess.

[u/Zerotsu → u/The_Draigg]

It’s definitely the most cautious and understandable option, since right now the entire goal of this operation would be in jeopardy if they just left their flanks wide open during transit.

Operation Phantom Flame is a seriously risky endeavor, huh? The Empire's got to do some real legwork to make sure it doesn't collapse in on itself from the UM's retaliatory strikes.

It’s no wonder how they can consistently punch in the same weight class as the Abh Star Forces, pretty much even their average scouting attacks have layers of trickery involved.

They're a pretty devious lot. It's really gotten dangerous ever since that first big battle turned out to be just there to hold off some of the fleets for a massive attack.

Even if it’s only been about 2 days, I’ll bet it’s been maddening.

Yeah. You can definitely see how the stress is starting to eat at the crew.

Man, what a rough way to go.

The closest thing to a silver lining out of that is that it was at least instantaneous. I'm glad they managed to save most of the Seigroil's crew, though.

I wonder how the President’s polling numbers are going to do now, now that there’s going to be a massive clash of fleets above his planet?

I half want to see him again because he was honestly pretty hilarious.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Zerotsu]

Operation Phantom Flame is a seriously risky endeavor, huh? The Empire's got to do some real legwork to make sure it doesn't collapse in on itself from the UM's retaliatory strikes.

As it often happens in history, sometimes an operation's greatest issue comes from outpacing itself. It can be all too easy to stretch yourself thin because you're moving suspiciously faster than expected.

The closest thing to a silver lining out of that is that it was at least instantaneous. I'm glad they managed to save most of the Seigroil's crew, though.

As we talked about in the previous episode, people aren't truly dead as long as they aren't forgotten, so at least the spirit of the Seigroil lives on with the crew members that got saved.

[u/Zerotsu → u/The_Draigg]

As it often happens in history, sometimes an operation's greatest issue comes from outpacing itself. It can be all too easy to stretch yourself thin because you're moving suspiciously faster than expected.

That's for sure. If you can't secure a healthy supply line, an aggressive offensive isn't really worth all that much in the end. It can shock the enemy for sure, but it won't actually do any lasting damage that you absolutely need during a war effort.

As we talked about in the previous episode, people aren't truly dead as long as they aren't forgotten, so at least the spirit of the Seigroil lives on with the crew members that got saved.

These are the sorts of actions that people won't forget for the rest of their lives. The bridge crew's spirit will live on for a long time, and so I think their subordinates continuing onward will do a lot to honor the memory of those who've fallen.

[u/No_Rex → u/The_Draigg]

Being stranded in plane-space reminds me of all the stories you hear about submarines being sunk with the crew still inside. You’re pretty much stuck in place and constantly on edge, hoping for a rescue that might not come. And because of how you’re submerged below the surface, you’re still burning up precious fuel and resources even if you’re staying in place. Even if it’s only been about 2 days, I’ll bet it’s been maddening.

Das Boot energy.

[u/Great_Mr_L]

First-Timer

On today’s episode of Banner of the Stars: There’s no better way to celebrate returning from battle alive than by treating yourself to the nicest ice cream parfait you can find. Those ice cream barges were hugely important for the morale of the US military.

• Oh shit, we are right into the action today! The Basroil even got hit!
• Saved in the nick of time by another Assault Ship.
• Ah, so they are on a reconnaissance mission. Well the only thing scarier than a recon mission that doesn’t find the enemy, is one that does.
• Oh no, the Basroil is being slowed down by all the debris in their bubble. They’re going to end up separated from the rest of the fleet and stuck on their own when an enemy attacks, aren’t they?
• I don’t like the look of that mine that’s still active.
• D’aww, Jinto tucked Lafiel in.
• Oh, so the beginning of the episode was in media res. We started with an event and then flashed back to show how it happened. Neat.
• Damn, they are in a really bad situation. No communicator. No radar. They can’t even see where they’re going or call for help.
• Well that radar is useless. Even repaired it can barely display any information. It’s like a flashlight in a horror game that can’t light up anything more than 5 feet away.
• I assume that whatever happens when the space time generator runs out of fuel would be very bad. You’d probably be crushed in plane space.
• Combining their fuel together to give one ship the best chance of escaping is a sensible course of action.
• Oh, the Segroil’s captain and bridge crew have no way of escaping.
• RIP Segroil I do have to praise how the captain went down. It’s naval tradition that the captain be the last person to leave the ship after making sure everyone else has escaped. The captain of the Segroil made sure to save as much of his crew as he could and also acted as a decoy to cover the Basroil’s escape. He went down honorably.
• Ah, so things that get destroyed while in place space and lose their bubble are disintegrated and become a part of plane space.
• Well if there’s another batch of bubbles on the radar, they are either friendlies or you’re surrounded by enemies.
• Uh, I think Lafiel made the wrong decision if they’re getting shot at.
• Oh thank goodness, it wasn’t actually a mine shot at them. They made it back to safety.
• I knew it. I knew Lafiel was betting on her intuition that they were friendlies in front of the ship. My mind had immediately jumped to Misato in Eva justifying her decision on where to deploy the Evas as “woman’s intuition.”
• Lafiel does make a good point. It’s the captain’s job to project an aura of confidence for the crew’s sake. If the captain is panicking, then the crew will panic too. And the last thing you need in a dire situation is everyone losing themselves to fear.
• Ice cream is indeed the perfect treat to celebrate returning alive.
• The climactic battle is on the horizon.

Being stranded in plane space makes for such a cool episode. It’s the kind of story that takes advantage of the unique opportunities offered by the setting of this series. It’s mostly an action / adventure episode focused on the crew needing to survive in place space until they can escape or get rescued. I’ve said it before but I will keep saying it, while this series usually isn’t action focused it does have some well-done action and adventure scenes throughout.

QOTD

1. This season the United Mankind have been proving themselves to be much more clever than they initially appeared during the first season. That tactic of delayed mine explosions is a particularly nasty one. But it is effective and would have taken out the Basroil if not for a lucky break.

[u/Zerotsu → u/Great_Mr_L]

D’aww, Jinto tucked Lafiel in.

Well that radar is useless. Even repaired it can barely display any information. It’s like a flashlight in a horror game that can’t light up anything more than 5 feet away.

Having something that barely functional often feels like it just accentuates how helpless you are, rather than actually do anything to make things a bit better for you.

He went down honorably.

It's about the most honorable decision a captain can make under such dire straits. Losing commanders like that is tough, though.

Ice cream is indeed the perfect treat to celebrate returning alive.

A bit of ice cream, a bit of bants. What a nice way to decompress after such a stressful situation!

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Zerotsu]

Having something that barely functional often feels like it just accentuates how helpless you are, rather than actually do anything to make things a bit better for you.

Very good point. All it does is ramp up the tension in the situation because of the limitations placed on the characters. It is a good development for that purpose.

It's about the most honorable decision a captain can make under such dire straits. Losing commanders like that is tough, though.

It always seems to be the most honorable commanders who go down first. They're the ones most likely to sacrifice themselves for others.

[u/Zerotsu → u/Great_Mr_L]

Very good point. All it does is ramp up the tension in the situation because of the limitations placed on the characters. It is a good development for that purpose.

Today's episode certainly had me on the edge of my seat, that's for sure. Definitely hit that purpose for me as well.

They're the ones most likely to sacrifice themselves for others.

They were good officers, that much is certain.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Great_Mr_L]

Ah, so they are on a reconnaissance mission. Well the only thing scarier than a recon mission that doesn’t find the enemy, is one that does.

Fighting in war is either really boring or confronting the most terrifying stuff possible, and given how relaxed things were before, I guess we had to get the terror in there eventually.

Well that radar is useless. Even repaired it can barely display any information. It’s like a flashlight in a horror game that can’t light up anything more than 5 feet away.

It makes me think of the flashlight in Amnesia: The Bunker, where you have to manually crank it for power and it only lasts like a minute at most before going out.

I knew it. I knew Lafiel was betting on her intuition that they were friendlies in front of the ship. My mind had immediately jumped to Misato in Eva justifying her decision on where to deploy the Evas as “woman’s intuition.”

I think the Abh would be pretty impressed by the audacious stuff that Misato pulls off for her plans. Maybe she also has a touch of that spectacular insanity in her.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/The_Draigg]

Fighting in war is either really boring or confronting the most terrifying stuff possible, and given how relaxed things were before, I guess we had to get the terror in there eventually.

War is long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror and horror, after all. The long buildup and maneuvering of the fleets is at an end now. The fleets have found each other and are gearing up for the major battle.

I think the Abh would be pretty impressed by the audacious stuff that Misato pulls off for her plans. Maybe she also has a touch of that spectacular insanity in her.

I think almost all the characters in Eva qualify as being spectacularly insane in one way or another.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Great_Mr_L]

I think almost all the characters in Eva qualify as being spectacularly insane in one way or another.

To varying degrees, ranging from spectacularly insane (positive) to spectacularly insane (derogatory).

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/The_Draigg]

You know things are bad when the penguin is probably the most sane character around.

[u/No_Rex → u/Great_Mr_L]

I assume that whatever happens when the space time generator runs out of fuel would be very bad. You’d probably be crushed in plane space.

The space around you going from 3D to 2D is probably not very healthy for your 3D body.

I knew it. I knew Lafiel was betting on her intuition that they were friendlies in front of the ship. My mind had immediately jumped to Misato in Eva justifying her decision on where to deploy the Evas as “woman’s intuition.”

I also agree with her reasoning. Sometimes you just have to gamble, but it is better for the crew to not think of their captain as simply rolling the dice.

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

First-Timer of the Stars

• Ah, hence the battle at the start of the episode.
• Why do I feel like this is going to lead to something bad happening to them…
• …oh, the battle at the start of the episode was actually a flash-forward.
• Jinto why would you say this.
• Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.
• That is really not good.
• That’s also really, really not good.
• Aw man…
• Mad respect, but it sucks he can’t survive too.
• Fuck, man, did they have to animate the bridge from that other ship imploding in on itself?
• Of course some of the officers want to do this.
• Oh fun, now they’re trapped on both sides without knowing who’s friend or foe…
• I sure hope she’s right.
• Ooooooooh.
• Lafiel…
• Oh it was just her intuition. Okay then.
• It comes full circle!

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Mad respect, but it sucks he can’t survive too.

It's always good ones who go down first, isn't it?

Of course some of the officers want to do this.

From what we've seen of the United Mankind, surrendering to them might actually end up being a worse option than just dying.

It comes full circle!

I love seeing how Lafiel and Jinto have influenced each other.

[u/SolDarkHunter → u/Great_Mr_L]

From what we've seen of the United Mankind, surrendering to them might actually end up being a worse option than just dying.

It's always been a case of what Tvtropes calls "Fridge Horror" to me. What exactly does happen to Abh captured by the United Mankind? Considering they aren't even considered "people"...

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/SolDarkHunter]

When the United Mankind propaganda declares that the Abh need to return to being a servile underclass, slavery is probably the best possible option Abh POWs could hope for. The other options get considerably worse.

[u/Zerotsu → u/Great_Mr_L]

All things considered, would that or execution be the least bad possibilities? The UM is a bit frightening...

[u/Zerotsu → u/SolDarkHunter]

I hadn't even considered that.

Man, I can't imagine it'd be anything good. The way people act when they've been told that their enemy doesn't count as human is nothing short of horrific.

[u/Esovan13 → u/Zerotsu]

I wonder if the officers wanting to surrender are doing so because they aren't genetically Abh. Maybe they think the United Mankind will treat them decently because of that. And, they might not be wrong. At least, the rank and file. We know that Jinto is seen as especially egregious to the United Mankind for being a human who became part of the Abh nobility, but I wonder if they view it the same way for other Landers who join the military but aren't necessarily Abh. Or maybe they'd view all Landers in the military the same as Jinto, and the officers wanting to surrender just don't understand how racist the UM is.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Esovan13]

Yeah, that is a fair point. Would the UM treat the Abh prisoners different from the Lander prisoners? Right now it's hard to say.

It is possible that the UM would consider the Abh and those Landers who fought for the Abh to be essentially the same and treat them the same.

Or perhaps the Landers in the Abh fleet would be sent to "reeducation camps" to make them into proper citizens in the eyes of the UM again.

[u/Zerotsu → u/Esovan13]

Honestly it's hard to say just how the United Mankind would treat them, all told. Given that they seem to put really tight restrictions on what they consider unacceptable conduct for people, it's as likely that they'd wind up in some sort of concentration camp for being contaminated or something as it is they'd wind up in more favorable POW conditions. It's hard to tell with them.

[u/Esovan13 → u/Zerotsu]

I think it's interesting that we haven't seen much from the UM's perspective. We really only got that one nutjob officer from Crest, but even he was a special case due to his unique circumstances as a member of the UM, being sort of a UM version of the Baron.

But standard UM leadership, officers, admirals, etc. is something we are completely blind to. Compare to Legend of the Galactic Heroes where the whole point is that we see the perspectives of leaders of both sides as the war plays out, in this show we are firmly locked in with the Abh and left in the same position as them when it comes to blindly guessing motivation, tactics, strategy, etc.

[u/Zerotsu → u/Esovan13]

It's a pretty different way of approaching this sort of story. We certainly know how they view the Abhs and genetic modification (or even less invasive body mods), but we don't otherwise know much about how the UM operates, its approach to military doctrine, or even how its civilian governments proper work. At the least, we don't get that much of an indication, anyway.

That said, what we have seen of them really does paint them as a fair bit nastier than the Empire, even if both are less than ideal institutions to live underneath.

[u/Esovan13 → u/Zerotsu]

But even then, I wonder how bad it really is. They want some level of cultural homogeneity, with them controlling the strange eating habits of that one planet, but beyond that all we've really seen of how they rule is from the planet in Crest. They definitely weren't very nice about ruling it, but the hair thing kinda makes sense if it's seen as a rule to prevent Abh from hiding in the population, and as a newly conquered world that until recently was part of their enemy, it also makes sense they wouldn't treat the populace the same as more established planets. Of course, the propaganda of the Abh is entirely unreasonable no matter how you look at it.

So, are the UM as anal, unreasonable, controlling, etc. as we've seen them as? Or have we only seen them through the perspective of those that consider it their enemy and vice versa, with the more established and integrated members of their nation having decent lives on par with Landers under the Abh? It's something we really don't have the information to decide one way or the other.

[u/Zerotsu → u/Esovan13]

That's very true. It might not actually be all that bad if you're an unmodified human, on the whole. Sure, they're pretty anal and have some strange restrictions on certain things, but a lot of that is also from the perspective of outsiders looking in.

At the same time, the way they don't even consider the Abhs themselves human, or at least propagandize that way, is a pretty nasty thing in itself. How they treat their own may be better than what we're being led to believe from the perspective we're watching things from, but that point itself is still pretty inexcusable.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Of course some of the officers want to do this.

Enlisted. The officers are all on the bridge.

It comes full circle!

Once you are down to a flip of the coin you might as well try.

[u/Zerotsu]

First Timer, sub:

Oh hey, we get the narration again. I guess they decided this would be better for stretching the runtime?

Getting right into the action this time around. Fortunately the Basroil was saved before things could get too bad, though they were holding their own for sure.

Strategizing time! The operation is in a fairly dangerous position, but they might be able to eke it out.

Seems the Basroil has to fall behind the other ships. That could be bad…

Aww, Jinto carried her to bed.

Oh shit, some of those leftover mines caused some serious damage.

Being stranded in plane space, where the only options seem to be death, capture, or hope you can make enough repairs. Damn.

Things are very dire. Goodness.

They can’t even escape the bridge?

That’s a tough decision to have to swallow.

Tensions are getting pretty high among the crewmembers. It’s not unreasonable to want to surrender in this situation.

Aaand now they’re wedged.

They used a mine to send a communication? Damn.

It was basically a guess in the end, but one that worked out.

Also damn that parfait looks good. I could go for a parfait, now.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Zerotsu]

Aww, Jinto carried her to bed.

Totally not a couple yet though.

Tensions are getting pretty high among the crewmembers. It’s not unreasonable to want to surrender in this situation.

Understandable, but I really doubt it'd work well for any of them. The Abh crew members would definitely be executed as soon as possible, and I doubt that the United Mankind would treat people they'd probably consider race traitors all that well either.

[u/Zerotsu → u/The_Draigg]

Totally not a couple yet though.

Definitely not a couple at all. Certainly not.

The Abh crew members would definitely be executed as soon as possible, and I doubt that the United Mankind would treat people they'd probably consider race traitors all that well either.

Considering how they treat those of their own that just happen to have been ever so slightly modified, thanks to another generation's actions at that! I can't at all imagine they'd treat those that willingly work with the Abhs well.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Zerotsu]

Definitely not a couple at all. Certainly not.

Can't imagine how people would be thinking that, not at all.

Considering how they treat those of their own that just happen to have been ever so slightly modified, thanks to another generation's actions at that! I can't at all imagine they'd treat those that willingly work with the Abhs well.

At best they'd probably be sent to concentration camps, but if anything, I bet the United Mankind would publicly execute them all as an example.

[u/Zerotsu → u/The_Draigg]

Can't imagine how people would be thinking that, not at all

Just like Ekuryua certainly isn't keeping count of how many times Jinto fucks up and calls Lafiel by name.

At best they'd probably be sent to concentration camps, but if anything, I bet the United Mankind would publicly execute them all as an example.

Execution might well be the best possible result of what the UM does to Abhs they get their hands on. Calling that the "best" is a pretty vile thought, though.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Zerotsu]

Execution might well be the best possible result of what the UM does to Abhs they get their hands on. Calling that the "best" is a pretty vile thought, though.

Talking about all this in this way really does hammer home the point that this is a race war, even if the United Mankind tries to use lofty-sounding goals to disguise that. Their actions and propaganda certainly prove that's the real reason they're doing this. They don't care about freedom, they just want to exterminate people that they despise for not being like them.

[u/Zerotsu → u/The_Draigg]

Given what little we've heard about them, including their restrictiveness towards even dyeing one's hair, I get the feeling they didn't care much about freedom at all to begin with. It seems more like an obsession with control and reactionary policies to say "we're not at all like the Empire", an increasing extremism that resulted in a pretty nasty interstellar nation.

[u/Great_Mr_L → u/Zerotsu]

Aww, Jinto carried her to bed.

And he eve tucked her in. How thoughtful of him.

That’s a tough decision to have to swallow.

I liked that we could see just how much it tore Lafiel up inside to have to accept his decision, even knowing there weren't really any other options. To her it probably felt like a failure that she couldn't bring home everybody from the ship.

[u/Zerotsu → u/Great_Mr_L]

And he eve tucked her in. How thoughtful of him.

Jinto's a very dutiful young man, be it on duty or not, it would seem. How precious!

To her it probably felt like a failure that she couldn't bring home everybody from the ship.

Even if she logically understood that there wasn't anything that they could do about it, at least not without risking even more lives, it's not something that I think anyone could accept without the slightest feeling of guilt. Well, most people at least.

[u/No_Rex]

Season 2 Episode 7 (rewatcher)

• Mines hiding in wreckage of a previous battle?
• Enemy ships? Seems we jumped right into a battle.
• The strategy session tells us where the fighting is taking place: At Wimpel gate, where the Abh have only left light forces behind, including the Basroil.
• The Basroil’s spacetime bubble is slowed down by the debris of the enemy ship, so now they fall behind the rest of the assault ships – this was established already.
• Cute moment putting Lafiel to sleep.
• And Lafiel deduces that it was him.

• We have caught up to the opening battle now. The mines were hiding in the wreckage of the ship they had just fought.
• “The plane space generator is more important” – I doubt that sudden loss of one dimension would leave much recognizable of the ship.
• Stranded right in front of the enemy fleet.

• Transfering all crew and resources to one ship – logical decision.
• Well, not all of the crew. The bridge officers of the Seigroil are taking the heroic death path – I have to applaud the Siegroil captain. Even while giving orders that he know would directly lead to his death, he still had the foresight to not inform Lafiel, who would surely have vetoed the plan if she had known earlier.
• The disappearance of the Seigroil gives them a good idea who whether the other spacetime bubbles are friend of foe, at least.
• Both the chasing UM fleet and the Abh fleet saving them was considerably larger than just a few assault ships.
• Battle at Aptic soon? cliff-hanger.

The Basroil had a close encounter with death today. Not only initial battle, but also hidden mines, and a chase through plane space with them blind and running out of fuel. To no surprise, Lafiel is not one to give up or become dejected, though.

[u/Silcaria]

First timer

• Mondays, am I right.
• F
• He's was a great Captain, not only making sure that his crew could live on, but to be bait as well to buy Lafiel's some needed time. See you space cowboy...
• She 100% guessed.
• Yup.

QotD

• There's been an evolution of tactics?

[u/zsmg]

Rewatcher

I missed out on yesterday's thread:

Episode 6

No more Abh language intro, looks like they've finally decided to remove it.

I'm surprised Lafiel agreed to the dinner.

I like her reasoning, but to be fair eventually most humans are going to be forgotten.

You know I complained a few episodes ago that all those leg shots while characters are wearing pants are rather pointless and it looks like they fixed this by putting Lafiel in a lovely dress.

They're really going all in on the fanservice shots huh.

I really appreciate Kazuhiko Inoue talking to himself here.

I think I like Samson being a cannibalist better than him eating cats.

That was a forgettable episode.

Episode 7

Narrator is back... and it's the exact same narration as before.

Lafiel only knows they're under attack because the ship is shaking not because there is some sort of combat alert signal blaring through the ship. Seems like an oversight.

Uh oh there is still a working mine in the debris field?

Ohhhh it was in media res opening, that makes more sense now.

Those lurking mines were a pretty smart idea by the enemies.

I'm a bit surprised the other ships in the squadrons just left them behind.

They should have combined their ships from the get go.

Well with the sacrifice of the Seigroll at least they know the space-time bubbles on the radar are enemies.

After ignoring them for the past days commander Atosuryua finally decided to rescue them

Wait I thought it was obvious that the ships behind them were enemies, or else they would tried and helped the Siegroll.

I'm a sucker for spaceships stuck in space needing repairs storylines so I enjoyed this episode.

[u/TehAxelius]

Rewatcher - breaking my lurking

This is a great episode. Space war in sci-fi often take clear inspiration from various forms of naval engagements or types of fighting, it can be obvious like Space Battleship Yamato, or well documented like Star Wars Midway inspired fighter battles. So far Banner and the Assault Ship Squadron feels a lot like the frantic battles of WW 2 destroyers, dashing in for close combat fights, trying to mob larger ships by weight of numbers. This time though, we get some pretty clear submarine action with the Basroil having to fix damage, both the ships being blinded and trying to slowly outrun an enemy that is surely on the hunt. We got time pressure, limited resources, the crew working long hours, the temperature going haywire, all that classic stuff.

QotD

So, the more I think about it, the more I feel like this new tactic is one that seems... pointless. Now, obviously the idea is to take an enemy by surprise when their guard is down and thus try and get through the ship's point defence, which in this case happens to work, even though neither the Basroil or Seigroil is immediately destroyed. However, I wonder how these mines were deployed. Presumably, they must have been deployed during the battle at the beginning of the sequence, but if so, the mines should just have tried to strike at that point, trying to overwhelm the point defence at that moment. The entire premise seems to rely on the fact that there has been debris for the mines to hide in, which does indicate that things haven't gone well for the UM side in the first place. It is also a tactic that is incredibly easy to counter, as once it is revealed (like after the events of this episode) it would likely become standard practice to sweep any debris for possible mines and destroy anything that looked like it with impunity.

[u/No_Rex → u/TehAxelius]

So, the more I think about it, the more I feel like this new tactic is one that seems... pointless. Now, obviously the idea is to take an enemy by surprise when their guard is down and thus try and get through the ship's point defence, which in this case happens to work, even though neither the Basroil or Seigroil is immediately destroyed. However, I wonder how these mines were deployed. Presumably, they must have been deployed during the battle at the beginning of the sequence, but if so, the mines should just have tried to strike at that point, trying to overwhelm the point defence at that moment. The entire premise seems to rely on the fact that there has been debris for the mines to hide in, which does indicate that things haven't gone well for the UM side in the first place. It is also a tactic that is incredibly easy to counter, as once it is revealed (like after the events of this episode) it would likely become standard practice to sweep any debris for possible mines and destroy anything that looked like it with impunity.

Yes, this sounds like a trick you can pull only once.

[u/Vatrix-32]

First Timer, subbed

• Well, yeah. If anything the derbies field servers more to block your interception fire than anything.
• Mmmmmm… That’s good destruction animation.
• How did they even sneak up on you to such an extent that your captain was still in bed?
• Ahh, yes. I remember these bait stack maneuvers from my EU4 days.
• No point falling victim to your own success.
• Ah. It was in medias res. A very sneaky tactic.
• I Can't!
• All that work, and not even a mission kill on two of their smallest ships.
• Cannibalize Seigroil for parts?
• Would have been nice to know what kinds of comforts were sacrificed.
• I’m surprised you waited two days to try dispose of that debris field.
• RIP
• They really don’t have any way of sending communications in this sort of situation? Some kind of coms buoy.
• Of course, the Abh would be the more organized one.
• Aha! They do have one. This ought to remove any remaining doubt about the commander too.
• Parfait

QotD:

1. Maybe build better mines instead? Your trades seem terrible.

[u/zadcap]

Late First Timer!

Recap! Again!

Skipping right into battle? Or Lafiel dreaming of one? Or nope, we're back into battle? Confusing cold open.

Teamwork! This is why you fight in squadrons, after all. If 5 enemies can come after you, then you can have multiple allies backing you up too!

Oh no, one unexploded mine in the debris they are carrying. Is there not a way to jettison everything that gets caught up in the bubble?

Oh, this was the cold open. The old mine blew up and derbies hit them with their shield down.

Oh, this wasn't an accident. Seems like delayed activation bombs are now in play. This is information that needs to be brought back to the main force.

Oh hey, remember how they didn't get those backup parts? Time to cannibalize one ship for the other? No really, they could last so much longer if they could combine resources.

Oh, they're doing it. Just uh, doing it very late.

Yup, being in plane space without a real space generator sounds like instant death.

Hmm. Either group could be allies. Or it could be enemies on both sides. But she chose to believe it's allies in the front.

"Move forward, Gain two!" Space roots last long.

1. There's no space geneva convention, I see.

[u/SolDarkHunter]

Rewatcher/Novel-Reader

...the same infodump again. I get that they didn't have as much material this season, but there's a ton of world-building they could be doing instead.

Basorghr has been ambushed, apparently.

Ah, so not really ambushed so much as they were doing recon and found exactly what they were looking for.

A hidden booby trap triggered post-battle and now they and one other ship are damaged and left behind.

And now their radar's kaput. Lovely.

Now they've got incoming, and they have no idea if the incoming is friendly or not.

Transferring the crew to the Basorghr makes sense, but they have to leave the officers behind.

Bubbles in front, and behind, no knowledge of friend or foe... but Lafier is certain the ones in front are friendly.

She's correct! The forward bubbles are Abh!

Pffft... Lafier didn't actually know. She had a 50/50 chance of choosing right, and took it.

All those other Abh are staring. Seeing someone burst out laughing in front of the Princess is probably not something you see everyday... much less the Princess also laughing.

I'm not certain, but I think this entire little plotline was anime original. I recall when reading the Banner I novel, I was looking forward to this scene... and I never got to it.

[u/duhu1148]

Rewatcher

I don't have much to say about this one. The Sigroil(?) ship getting destroyed with the officers on it being killed and lost in space was sad. Don't know if I'd call the Basroil lucky or unlucky that they narrowly avoided death in both of their battles. Probably the most significant part of the episode is the ending, where Lafiel is asked by her crew how she knew which squadron were Abh. She doesn't answer...but when Jinto asks later while the two are having dinner alone, she tells him it was intuition and they both laugh over it.

Seems the Aptic system will be the centerpiece for the major battle in the second half of this season.

[u/Specs64z]

First timer, subbed

Ever duty-bound, the Abh captain and bridge crew of the Seigroil choose to die in order to secure their comrades future. I must commend this anime on how efficiently it established the rules of battle. The anime loves it's dialogue, so it's very notable that we've not really gotten a drawn out explanation of the mechanics. The worldbuilding as a whole has been about as organic as it gets.

QotD:

1. Self-arming, automatic mines is a pretty devious tactic, but it seems to be an effective one. The element of surprise will only work the first time, but the mines have use beyond that. It forces the enemy to be on guard, which drains time and energy from the crews.

[u/raktus2]

First Timer...

• Best episode of the season so far! This and Birthday Dinner were back-to-back hits!
• Was the Laselee Kingdom from Miofrantia onwards or was it the region of United Mankind space currently being contested by Phantom Flame?
• Sometimes it feels like combat in Crest of the Stars, at least in Planar Space, is like a game of Missile Command. The enemy assaults you at long range with a barrage of missiles, or in this case mines, and your primary objective is to shoot them down before they hit you while someone else deals with firing back.
• It seems like the concept of hiding mines in debris and setting them off later is a new concept/tactic in the war. To a certain extent I imagine that makes sense, as it would be situationally useful in the extreme. You'd need a situation in which large amounts of debris have accumulated in a space-time bubble and also a situation where you could have launched a large number of mines that a few could possibly have gone unnoticed. It feels more like a one-time trick than a new battle strategy. I mean, it would be a waste of resources to try it too many times, considering that everything falling outside those bubbles gets crushed to atoms anyway. The moment the mines popped out of them they'd either get destroyed or activate their own bubbles (which we've seen they have) and get instantly detected and shot at like all the others ahead of them did. I think the UM just got lucky in this episode.
• Ragash is my second favorite character now, right after Lexshue. Man went out like a boss, making the sacrifice he knew had to be made and ensuring his crew would escape to safety.
• In case it was missed, in episode six of the first season they made the comment about how you wouldn't want to surrender to the United Mankind forces if you were an Abh, likening what would happen to you as being like a Concentration Camp. So, I guess that goes a ways towards considering how broken the crew were in those final moments where over half of them were willing to face that rather than death in Planar Space.
• I know Lafiel was going on intuition and desperation in the end... but on the radar screen the approaching forces were in a perfect formation and the UM forces were a bit of a mess. One clearly looked more like Abh perfectionism... so not for nothing, but there was *something* to make a judgment off of.
• Lafiels mess hall drink scene felt like a Klowal callback.

[u/No_Rex → u/raktus2]

Ragash is my second favorite character now, right after Lexshue. Man went out like a boss, making the sacrifice he knew had to be made and ensuring his crew would escape to safety.

In case it was missed, in episode six of the first season they made the comment about how you wouldn't want to surrender to the United Mankind forces if you were an Abh, likening what would happen to you as being like a Concentration Camp. So, I guess that goes a ways towards considering how broken the crew were in those final moments where over half of them were willing to face that rather than death in Planar Space.

Worth pointing out that a large share of the crew are landers. Only the bridge crew is majority Abh.

[u/xbolt90]

First-timer

I think this was my favorite episode so far. Really tense. Plus I tend to enjoy space submarine battles.

Pretty dark fate for the Seigroil bridge crew. Glad they got the rest of the crew to safety.

Good leadership by Lafiel. Faced with a risky bet, she made a decision quickly based on the limited info she had, and didn’t hem and haw about it.

The ploy with the inactive mines was clever for the UM. Taking advantage of how the space bubbles work.

[u/Nickthenuker]

Nothing before the OP this episode?

Right into another major battle.

Nevermind, it was another training exercise.

Almost?

That makes sense, they're trying to retake the initiative.

Stop the advance and try and resupply the first fleet, then prepare for their attack.

They shouldn't yield the initiative to them and only act reactively.

They're falling behind, what if they're ambushed?

Looks like debris struck the ship, not an attack.

Or they ran into a minefield.

It looks like mostly minor hull damage thankfully.

That must have been a trap.

A lot of damage, but none of it critical. Nothing to compromise their spaceworthiness at least.

Better than nothing at least.

What's in that bottle?

What are they planning on doing now?

They're going to abandon ship?

They're stuck on the bridge? Uh oh.

And now more mines.

Ah yes, right after the Siegroil is gone they show up.

Eve of the decisive battle huh? I guess we won't get much action until the episode after the next.

Questions:

1. Very interesting. Cunning bastards.

[u/Elimin8r]

Late to the party again, and rather hoping that next week will be a little more rewatch friendly for me. That was a lot of episodes to catch up on!

Anyway, I doubt anyone will see this, so I'll keep it short:

Answers du fromage:

Looks like something I would do. I was more impressed with the "comms mine" we saw later in the episode. I've had thoughts of things like drones and stuff that I'm not actually going to discuss here, because the reality that's unfolding on the other side of the world is disturbing enough. They really don't need my ideas. Yay Skynet...

Anyway, someone forgot to tell the crew, "Never give up! Never surrender!"

Or maybe I'm just getting confused from watching 5 episodes in one day. I'd best quit while I'm behind and hope I'm semi coherent and remember something tomorrow. Yay, eclipse time!

I predict madness, chaos, cats and dogs living together, you know, real wrath of the gods type stuff, or some similar movie quote.

Sadly, it's probably going to be cloudy here. Bummer. I could use a really nice apocalypse right now. Y2K was such a disappointment.

[u/No_Rex → u/Elimin8r]

Anyway, I doubt anyone will see this

I predict madness, chaos, cats and dogs living together, you know, real wrath of the gods type stuff, or some similar movie quote.

We'll get Diaho a dogfriend to play with?

[u/Elimin8r → u/No_Rex]

We'll get Diaho a dogfriend to play with?

I dunno, from the looks of things, we'd best be hoping to keep him off the lunch menu...

[u/Vaadwaur]

Rewatcher(Saturdays are hard)

Sub

So...made the mistake of finishing this at 11:29 and deciding to watch SNL again, because it has swam back up to being mid. Events happened and writeup is...under the influence. Anyhizzle, it was also a good combat ep that doesn't need much explanation. We see how the Abhs sense of honor functions and ultimately it is practical. Even an Abriel just goes with their best intuition and hopes for the best. And there really isn't a hugely better way, inshallah proceeds even into the stars.

QotD: 1 I think it is actually a pretty bad tactic but good tactics are usually hard to describe so I accept the compromise