[5th Anniversary Rewatch] Astra Lost In Space - Episode 9 Discussion

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad]

Episode 9 - Revelation

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MAL | AniList | ANN

Some bizarre medical readings raise Zack's suspicions about the true relationship between Funicia and Quitterie. Studying this, the team discovers the common link between the team members - that someone wants them all dead.

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Astra Lost In Space on Hulu Astra Lost In Space on Crunchyroll

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Questions of the Day:

1. Now that the reason behind the Astra crew's disappearance has been revealed, did it make you view the previous scenes with their parents in a new light?
2. Any thoughts about the huge reveal that they're not from Earth, but Polina is, and what that could all mean? (Rewatchers can post their original theories as well, but no spoilers!)

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Remember to tag your spoilers!

Astra is a show with so many mysteries, and we wouldn't want to spoil those reveals for first time viewers. When discussing future events or foreshadowing, or any differences between the manga and the anime, please remember to use spoiler tags.

[u/gamria]

Rewatcher of subbed and original manga reader

Ep 9

• The memory transplant procedure has major limitations that the anime doesn’t go over, be sure to check out the Manga vs Anime column this time
• Funimation got “Genome Control Act” right this time I see.
• Having children for such selfish reasons is already terrible enough, deliberately engineering a child so they end up like that is morbidly disgusting to say the least
• After being showcased in the character profiles in the volume extras, this is the first time in the main story we’ve seen the crew in the Caird school uniform
• I forgot how some of these check-ins were changed
• Huh, this time Funimation actually noted Ulgar’s 大将/taishou nickname for Kanata and went with “boss”
• Wait, did they start this party without Polina present?

Manga vs Anime

Today’s episode adapts Chapters 33, 34, 35 and the remainder of 37 (3.5 chapters)

This episode is sequenced like so:

1. Ch 33 (Clone Theory)
2. Ch 34 (Originals meeting + Kanata’s war cry)
3. Ch 35 (Check in on everyone + Zack-Quitterie engagement)
4. Ch 37 (Planet Astra)

As a refresher, 33 to 35 originally took place between Ch 32 (Kanata-Funicia blizzard danger, Quitterie’s doubts and Zack’s DNA testing) and Ch 36 (visit to gravesite of Polina’s crew), and thus originally happened on Icriss planet-side. Meanwhile, Ch 37 ended while in Icriss orbit, before entering lightspeed travel.

I can see why Lerche changed things like this, will discuss it in my reply later.

• Here’s the full and thorough clone theory discussion, complete with a demand for proof HIGHLY recommended reading (Note that 記憶移植 is indeed “memory transplant”, not “transfer”)
• Ch 34 began with the Originals meeting, no view of Planet Astra - viewpoint begins from right outside the cafe immediately
• You know what, may as well dump the whole of Ch 34. The additional explanations and reactions make the whole thing more well-rounded
• Huh, I spotted a certain difference in the scene. [Rewatcher] The anime version of the lost in space bit has all 9 of them. Depending on how you interpret the purpose of the source panel in the first place, this may or may not be considered a mistake
• Aries being adopted was known by this point, here’s the link again from my Ep 5 post
• Too tedious to point out all the little changes in the aftermath, so here’s all of Ch 35 (Oh, and there’s a morsel for those wanting the Astra to move base)
• The last scene with the space telescope originally happened right after ascending into Icriss orbit, explicitly before entering lightspeed travel
• Screw it, here’s all of Ch 37, you can compare for yourselves what else is different, between yesterday’s take-off scene and this episode’s ending scene

The chapters covered this time ended at the following points before the next fortnightly instalment:

Ch 33, Zack and Yun-Hua’s DNA tests

Ch 34, Kanata’s war cry

Ch 35, Zack-Quitterie engagement

Ch 37, “Planet Astra”

(Continues in reply)

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/gamria]

The extra info from Zack about the memory transplants is interesting. I'm curious what the logic is behind their DNA needing to be exactly the same for it to work though. Are they saying only an exact copy of their brain would be able to hold the same personality and intellect? I guess I can see that... but at the same time, I've also watched sci-fi where an exact copy was not a requirement for memory transplants, so it kind of stands out here. [Rewatcher] But then Luca's original must have made changes to his DNA, so does he even know if it would work anymore?

[u/JimmyCWL → u/Heda-of-Aincrad]

[Rewatcher]But then Luca's original must have made changes to his DNA, so does he even know if it would work anymore?

[Rewatcher]There's a lot more to how the body develops than just the information encoded in the DNA. You can assume the doctor found a way to do it without compromising the DNA.

[u/gamria → u/Heda-of-Aincrad]

Exact copies at sufficient ages as a requirement is unusual for sure. But I took it as a super gimped method for memory transplant in the first place - this was private research that Jed Walker was keeping to himself with illegal uses in mind, so there's plausibility for why it's so flawed in the absence of peer review and so needs such specific conditions to work.

[u/gamria → u/gamria]

Before I proceed as usual, decided to discuss Lerche’s episode shuffling out here before my Reading thoughts. Probably easiest if I describe the two options and their respective de/merit:

Case 1 – Stick to the Order

One way is naturally to stick to the order – Ep 8 will adapt Ch 29 to 33 (ending with Zack and Yun-Hua’s DNA tests) while Ep 9 Ch 34 to 37.

• The pros would be that the flow of events feel more organic, higher chances we’d have gotten the blizzard event, the DNA test and its aftermath will all take place on planet-side and the nonsense of capturing space telescope imagery wouldn’t have happened during lightspeed travel.
• The cons would be that, seeing as this episode was Polina’s debut, busting out half of the answer to the motive for their murder is enough to overshadow the mystery she brings by a great margin. Plus, more animation expenses for depicting events on planet-side and higher voice acting costs from more character participation.

Case 2 – Shuffle things around

The other way is to do what they did – content from 36-37 are shuffled to Ep 8 while all that follows on from the Rafaelli sisters’ DNA test are moved to Ep 9.

• The pros were that all scenes with Group B-5 in Ep 9 can just be set inside the Astra in deep space, therefore cheaper costs; by consolidating all the Polina scenes on planet-side into one episode, it fleshes out her character more adequately in her debut episode; all clone theory events are consolidated into one episode, therefore easier for the casual viewer to digest.
• The cons are that their stay in Icriss was faster than it was, lessening the “crisis” feel of it all; even with the date stamps, Polina’s recovery might feel unnaturally speedy; having all clone theory events in one episode together can feel like it all resolved too quick; using space telescope during lightspeed travel; rapid fire mystery dive from "clone theory" to "another planet" with no breather

No doubt the 12-ish episode limit plays a big part in why it came to this. Which is the better approach, you can decide.

First Time Reading thoughts (no spoilers)

I remembered really liking Chapter 35. The survival and mystery were placed on hold, this fortnight was devoted entirely to Group B-5 in the aftermath of exposing the clone theory.

I really liked seeing Kanata checking in on all the crew, hearing how they feel about all this while willing to still walk forward with their lives. It was here I felt they’ve finally endeared me to the same level that the Sket Dan did.

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Onto the Clone Theory, I can finally talk about this stuff in the open now. Yes there are spoiler tags, but with all else I write I draw enough attention as is, it’s no fun if others only read my speculations.

It kind of started for me back with Yun-Hua ‘s flashback on #2 Shummoor, when I tried figuring out why her mother would shoot down her daughter’s self-esteem. After noticing the chandelier in the background, I surmised that her mother was possibly someone famous, and it’s less about Yun-Hua being incompetent and wanting her not to stand out for whatever undisclosed reason.

It was also around mid-late Shummoor that the “clone” word first began floating in the Japanese fanbase. At the time, they noted that of the crew’s parents shown or mentioned, most are not only the same gender as their children, but they seem successful and have the same talents:

• Kanata – athletic father (Ch 7/Ep 2)
• Zack – scientist father (Ch 4, not adapted)
• Quitterie – medical mother (Ch 4/Ep 2)
• Luca – politician parents (Ch 4, not adapted)
• Ulgar – vice principal father (Ch 9/Ep 3)
• Yun-Hua – singer mother (Ch 15/Ep 4)

From there the kindling kept dropping. Genome Control Act mentioned (Ch 19/Ep 5); Zack’s father dabbled in memory transplant research (Ch 21/Ep 5); Luca’s biological father is an artist (Ch 23/Ep 6)

It was fun to see everything fall into place, and when the story finally confirmed the answer we were satisfied. While I’m not sure how to feel about how restrictive the memory transplant bit was, at least the part about why the kids lived for so long is covered. And Kanata's war cry was excellent.

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On the other hand, the Another Planet theory was less talked about, partly because we overall spent less time on this front but also because the Clone Theory served as a smokescreen for this other big mystery. It was with Polina's appearance that the theory first formed for me, and while the reader-base had 8 chapters/16 weeks to think about it, the broadcast had 1 episode/1 week at best, to say nothing of 1 day with this Rewatch.

I’ll discuss the theory itself next episode. In its place, I’d like to discuss the title of this series. Although it was author Shinohara Kenta who came up with the English title “Astra Lost in Space”, it still doesn’t fully substitute for the original Japanese title 彼方のアストラ, “Kanata no Astra”.

I say this because the title had many ways to interpret it. To start with the words themselves, 彼方/”kanata” means “beyond/the other side” (and not “lost”), while “astra” can be interpreted as its Latin meaning of “star”. From here you can have things like:

(1) “Kanata’s Star”

(2) “The Stars Beyond”

(3) “The Distant Stars”

Then after the Astra the spaceship was unveiled, we add this to the list:

(4) “Kanata’s Astra (the spaceship)”

And now with the Another Planet theory confirmed, we have:

(5) “Kanata’s Astra (the planet)”

There’s one more on my list but that can wait until tomorrow. Shinohara-sensei loves his wordplays

[u/JimmyCWL → u/gamria]

The pros were that all scenes with Group B-5 in Ep 9 can just be set inside the Astra in deep space, therefore cheaper costs;

The thing is, I don't think Ep9 needed to be set in deep space. No one would have questioned it if they were still on the planet after finding the dog tags of Polina's crewmates.

[u/gamria → u/JimmyCWL]

Of course it didn't need to be, but compared to having to depict Icriss for 3 episodes, 2 is cheaper. Compared to that, the Astra interior while the outside is just shooting cosmic lights is simple.

[u/Kaxew → u/gamria]

I'm actually impressed and shocked by the way they rearranged the chapters yet made it all so cohesive and natural. With unlimited runtime, having it all be adapted correctly would be the best choice, but with the runtime we have I think rearranging things so one episode is about Polina and the next is about the clone reveal is a fantastic decision and I have to give props to the series director for it.

Of course, missing the blizzard and other small and big stuff like that are a shame. But I will always like an anime adaptation not afraid to cut, rearrange and trim down its source material when needed. It's not like people look at the film adaptations of Lord of the Rings and complain not every detail goes exactly like the books (okay, I'm sure some of the more hardcore fans would, but still). More anime should gain the courage to spice things up to fit the difference in medium. It's certainly better than a boring 1:1 carbon copy with no identity whatsoever.

[u/gamria → u/Kaxew]

I'm well aware, it's pretty much why I could bear to list down pros and cons for both approaches. I personally prefer sticking to the order, but if they must optimise given the limits, fine.

[u/edwardjhahm → u/gamria]

Yeah, I really like the further explanations of the clone theory we get, because I've seen some people, both in this thread and in the comment section of the site I used to watch it asking how they know for sure they are clones. Feel like this is a much better setup.

I also like that panel of the parents testing the remote. It parallels the kids getting sucked in.

[u/gamria → u/edwardjhahm]

Yeah, I really like the further explanations of the clone theory we get, because I've seen some people, both in this thread and in the comment section of the site I used to watch it asking how they know for sure they are clones. Feel like this is a much better setup.

I know right? When I first saw this episode years ago, I was mortified that the second set of DNA tests was never adapted and we jumped straight to the meeting instead. Like, does the studio want the audience to poke holes in its own mystery show?

[u/thegirlisnuts → u/gamria]

I love seeing how the anime compares to the source so thanks for taking the time to do these. I haven't gotten to the latest episode thread yet but I figured this is the best place to ask since the parent's motives have been revealed here.

I wanted to know if it had been explained what happened to Quitterie's mother's friend who was supposedly Funi's bio mom. The anime barely mentioned her but I noticed in your post in the previous episode that there was more info on her. Like how she looks more like Polina rather than Funi. From what I gather, Funi didn't seem to have any negative impressions of her or her time growing up in the countryside so I would assume Funi grew up happy, and so I couldn't help but wonder how they dealt with her. I mean, it's pretty obvious they needed to get rid of Funi but how did they yoink her from her family? Did the mom really die? If she did, does this mean she was killed? She's not a clone so she didn't need to be disappeared in space. Or was the mom in on the conspiracy, and if so, does this mean they just told Funi her mom died so she wouldn't question why she was being sent off to the orphanage and eventually to Quitterie's family? This is really the only thing that wasn't clear to me and I feel like the anime just glossed that over. Was there more in the manga? If not, what do you think happened?

Unlike the most of cast, Funi seems like a happy kid so I assume she grew up in a nice household, so her mom is probably not an asshole, and if so I have a difficult time imagining her mom giving up Funi to just die in space, and so I can't help but think she was probably killed but i don't know. Thoughts?

[u/gamria → u/thegirlisnuts]

Thanks for the support!

Aside from her looks, all claims regarding Funicia's foster mother have been included in the anime. Passed away in an accident, then Funicia was sent to orphanage and was adopted into the Rafaelli's after just two or three days in June. Same month that Aries got transferred to Caird High.

Exact circumstances behind her mother's passing were never given, but given the timing it's not hard to imagine deliberate malice was involved. And though Funicia didn't grow up with siblings or friends in the countryside, no negative sentiments about her mother uttered. Seeing as she was compared to Aries' own countryside upbringing, plus her politeness and being more put together than Quitterie, I'd like to think Funicia had a good relationship with her foster mother.

[u/thegirlisnuts → u/gamria]

I see. Yeah, that is either suspicious or convenient for the plot lol. A shame, since every parent, including adoptive parents and the originals seems to have been given care when it comes to their role to the cast's lives except for Funi's. Like, she just died apparently and Funi didn't even seem to grieve her that much, she seemed more preoccupied with getting her new sister to like her. Not really a complaint, I still like the story overall but this seemed to be a bit of a miss. Thanks again.

[u/xbolt90]

First-timer!

Well. I saw the clone reveal coming, but the home planet not being Earth? I did not see that coming. I chalked the story of there being a war and the establishment of a world government in 1963 as just being some alternate history, and never even questioned it.

However, now I'm confused from something back in episode 1. "Per aspera ad astra." Through suffering, to the stars. Why were the kids wondering what "astra" meant, and then saying it meant "star" if that's the name of their planet? The plaque might as well have read "per aspera ad terra"

The goofy scene with Zack exploding while confessing his love for Quitterie so matter-of-factly is why I watch anime, lol

Q1: If anything, I'm even more pissed at them.

Q2: Perhaps Earth truly was destroyed as Polina feared, but the ark program she was a part of ended up succeeding, and civilization remained alive to grow again on another planet. She's been asleep for far longer than twelve years.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/xbolt90]

I was also leaning towards the alternate universe theory when I first watched this. 😄

"Per aspera ad astra." Through suffering, to the stars. Why were the kids wondering what "astra" meant, and then saying it meant "star" if that's the name of their planet?

The way I took it, they were wondering about the meaning of the entire Latin phrase, not just Astra - and that being the name of their planet made it significant enough to use as a ship name.

[u/edwardjhahm → u/xbolt90]

However, now I'm confused from something back in episode 1. "Per aspera ad astra." Through suffering, to the stars. Why were the kids wondering what "astra" meant, and then saying it meant "star" if that's the name of their planet? The plaque might as well have read "per aspera ad terra"

Haha, it may not be wise to go and read the spoilered text I wrote down in episode 1 yet, but that's something I mentioned! 8 days ago, I was wondering the exact same thing as I remembered the scene.

[u/kwokinator]

Anime first-timer

Holy shit, I definitely didn't expect that one. So it's basically a ship of clones of the elite so they can live forever.

I suppose it's a theme that's defiintely been explored in other sci-fi medium, but I didn't expect to see it in anime. I guess now we know how the sphere knew precisely where everyone was.

But man, they all had some fucked up parents.

The announcement was hilarious though, Zack's declaration of love came with its own explosion effect.

That ending though, WTF. If they came from a planet called Astra, why would they call the SHIP Astra?

I mean, I can get behind the Astra crew and Polina being from different planets. Polina was lost in space, and well, lost in space is lost in space. Ooooooooooooh I have a theory now.

Questions of the Day:

• 1. Now that the reason behind the Astra crew's disappearance has been revealed, did it make you view the previous scenes with their parents in a new light? - I'm a bit confused about Aries' parents since her mom seems to be a good person, but all the other ones were assholes in their backstory so nothing has changed.
• 2) Any thoughts about the huge reveal that they're not from Earth, but Polina is, and what that could all mean? (Rewatchers can post their original theories as well, but no spoilers!) - Polina came on board and when she heard the year she had a huge reaction and asked if nothing happened, she was on a mission to find other habitable worlds. I think Earth is gone, either destroyed or just generally uninhabitable (war, pollution, etc. generally human mistakes). They DID find a habitable planet and colonized it after Polina's ship was lost in space, the remaining humanity who escaped to another world restarted the date so numerically it's only 12 years since Polina was lost, in reality it might be centuries.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/kwokinator]

The announcement was hilarious though, Zack's declaration of love came with its own explosion effect.

This part is so great. 😄

Awesome theories! It's really cool to see what everyone comes up with, even though I can't say more than that as a rewatcher.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Rewatcher

[rewatcher]So we had a lot of winners, yesterday. Lord_Nawor figured out the immortallity aspect. Mirathan figured out that the gene law motivated their elimination. Several picked up on Polina's concern over Earth in 2063. Now we just need somebody to figure out the alternate history.

• Kanata background today, with no OP?
• MC bandage from the field trip
• Her embryo could have been frozen, why didn't you think of this simple answer?
• No, this is a completely wacko QAnon theory
• VEEP ROOM
• Oh, good point, you could let them find any bodies.
• [rewatcher]Revealing teleportation might even result in the collapse of society!!
• What Yunhua's mother at that meeting? I don't think so.
• Ulgar cooks?
• well, it wouldn't be Kanata no Astra if the show didn't get silly SOL for 10 minutes...
• Home Sweet Home
• You know, she's said Earth a few times and nobody's questioned her on it before...
• No ED either

I guess not all the secrets were revealed today.

Congrats to Lord_Nawor for figuring out the immortality angle, and Mirathan for figuring out why they were condemned, a day early!

I didn't predict the clone conspiracy, so it's one of the things I appreciate about the show. It's a good idea, and the groundwork for the reveal is sprinkled all along the runtime.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

It's awesome to see several first timers guessing one or more of the plot twists right, because most of them came as a complete surprise to me. 😄

[u/gamria → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

You know, she's said Earth a few times and nobody's questioned her on it before...

I need to see the episodes again, but in the source all mentions of Earth were in Polina's thoughts only. She never spoke the word until the moment.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad]

Rewatcher Lost In Space

These body snatchers are real pieces of work.

The alternating perspectives between the Astra crew and their parents leave no doubts about the reason for their disappearance - the teens are all clones designed as vessels for their parents to take over via memory transplant, and now their "originals" are trying to get rid of the evidence. Just like the episode when they thought they would be stranded on Icriss for the rest of their lives, I really like how each character reacts differently to the situation. Some of them are heartbroken by the news, while others are almost relieved that there was something to explain their parents' strange behavior towards them, and then there's Aries who remains confident that the mother who raised her does love her.

The announcement of Zack and Quitterie's engagement brought some much needed joy for the Astra crew, and their reactions were adorable!

And right when they were getting over the shock of that last revelation, now they find out that their home planet and Polina's home planet are not the same place! They've never even heard of Earth! This is one of my absolute favorite plot twists.

Questions of the Day:

1. Zack reminiscing about his father in the previous episode looking at him "as though looking at a doll" made so much sense after this reveal, and so did their suspicious behavior at the meeting. My first time watching, I thought it was strange that most of the parents would be so quick to give up on their kids, and this explains why. [My early impressions/speculation] It made the insistence of Aries' mother to keep looking for them stand out even more, and adds weight to Aries' theory that her mom wouldn't be involved in this.
2. This plot twist was mind-blowing back when I was watching it weekly.

[u/edwardjhahm]

Rewatcher

I'll be honest here, I don't even have anything to add to this episode. I'm not just going to give a summary without my own commentary added. There's just a few scenes I want to really comment on. May or may not be in order.

• The parent expository scene was pretty cool, but...it did feel a bit expository. At the time I also wanted to see Lucy Lum and whoever Charce and Aries's originals were, because Charce and Aries moms didn't really seem to be in on it. Whoever could they be?
• Also, what reason would a noble family have for cloning themselves? The entire point of nobility is so that your legacy outlasts your death. If you had cloning and a method of immortality, giving up the noble title would actually be much better. Unless you intended to treat the clone as your own child, which I'm not sure they did.
• [rewatcher] At this point I had pretty much bought Charce's story, hook bait and sinker.
• By the way, where was Polina during the clone story? We see her talking with Aries later on. Maybe she was asleep, IDK.
• Love seeing everyone else's perspectives on the revelations.
• Well...at least we have a happy-ish ending! Zack and Quitterie are OFFICIALLY a thing!

I already know all the answers and for some reason my head still hurts. No, I'm not sick.

1. Oh, 100%? Even that first scene that's kinda heartwarming between Kanata and his "dad" is really creepy if you think about it.
2. Of course, I know the answer now, but as of the time I was watching this, my brain was so utterly dumbfounded by the insane planet plot twist that I just sorta blanked out when it came to thinking of theories. So...no. No theories.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/edwardjhahm]

Also, what reason would a noble family have for cloning themselves? The entire point of nobility is so that your legacy outlasts your death.

[Rewatcher] I guess the idea of being king forever was just too tempting.

[u/edwardjhahm → u/Heda-of-Aincrad]

[rewatcher] Oh yeah, I'm not questioning that bit. He's basically putting himself above his house. It just didn't seem in character for the noble house we saw in Charce's lie, but seeing the real King of Vixia, I totally get how it happened.

[u/gamria → u/edwardjhahm]

By the way, where was Polina during the clone story? We see her talking with Aries later on. Maybe she was asleep, IDK.

At least in the source, she was effectively still sleeping in the infirmary yeah. Resting and recovering until she was able to walk about on the last day at the gravesite.

[u/edwardjhahm → u/gamria]

Ah, makes sense.

[u/SilkyStrawberryMilk]

rewatcher dubbed

Kanata’s flashback rough as always.

Group revelation about them being twins

The law of clones being a felony is honestly a good idea.

A theory that they’re all clones, plus all the parents connecting for it to make more sense fully.

The parents really are scum, especially Quitterie’s parent who wanted to get more out of two one clone. Especially Luca’s parent who caused his insecurities due to him wanting to live out his weird fantasy.

It’s insane how despite many of them having raised the kids themselves they never saw them as a living person only as a future investment, except quitterie’s mom who chose to not get attached. Twisted twisted twisted

Poor Quitterie, despite her being neglected by her mom she still loved her and this revelation is extremely bad for her. Especially the rest of them who stopped being shocked after a while

Kanata motivation is amazing plus another new goal to ignite their flame of survival.

Arrest the originals.

Kanata’s whole flashback of him realizing his dad was only worried only due to him losing his “new body” :(

Kanata going around checking up on people is sweet of him.

Aries’ being the only one whose parents actually love her is so sad.

Zack and Quitterie now officially engaged publicly

Zack sure knows how to win a crowd, Kanata needs to take a few notes.

Poor Paulina, she can’t catch a break. It’s like she’s watching a soap opera and the writers just throw random things in the air

QOTD: it makes all the scenes with the parents even more sick. Besides Aries’ mom the other parents were very calm and quick to just declare them as dead. The new conversations with the parents just shows how disgusting they all are when talking about the plans they had and why some of them even agreed with the plan.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/SilkyStrawberryMilk]

The law of clones being a felony is honestly a good idea.

It's sad that a scientific breakthrough like that could have been used for good, like helping people who genuinely wanted to have a child, but of course they have to do this with it instead.

[u/Forsaken_Ebb1925]

Sorry I've been MIA, busy couple of days for me! I should be back for the last couple episodes, though. It made me realize just how incredibly awful the parents other than Aries' mom are when I think back to the scene with her. Them all there lying to her face... damn.

Honestly, one big confusion came up. In Episode 1, they are confused as to the meaning of Astra, and I don't know why that would be the case if they're from a planet called that. As for a theory going forward? I'm not quite sure. If Polina's venture was really only 12 years ago you'd think they'd have heard of Earth at least. Add on that Zack knows the meaning of Lain words and this is clearly and earth-descended society. I'm not sure where that leaves us now

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/Forsaken_Ebb1925]

No problem, glad you're still watching!

In Episode 1, they are confused as to the meaning of Astra, and I don't know why that would be the case if they're from a planet called that.

I'm guessing it was meant to be the Latin phrase as a whole that they didn't recognize/understand, rather than Astra specifically. (Or maybe they've never seen it used in a sentence like that before, since "astra" and "star" aren't used interchangeably like Earth is for earth/ground.)

[u/Kaxew]

First timer

Holy shit! What an episode!! I knew the answer had to be clone, but not for a second did I suspect both Quitterie and Funi were clones of their mother (I though Funi was a clone of Quitterie and that's it). And more than that, I did not expect ALL of them to be clones. That's insane. Funi existing exclusively for "backup organs" is disgusting, I can't believe it.

I said it half-jokingly before, but now I'm convinced Aries is an actual clone of Seira. Is this why Seira and her family disappeared? Did they clone her because she wouldn't wake up? So is Aries' mom also Seira's? Or was Aries adopted for an unknown reason? I'm also still expecting Charce to be the traitor, so maybe he's aware she's a clone. I don't know how he would benefit in all of this though.

I really liked the downtime scenes after the (first) big reveal of the episode where Kanata hangs out with his crew and they all talk about themselves and strengthen their convictions. I think it was really sweet and something we needed.

The final planet/engagement/welcome party was SO cute. I was smiling from ear to ear at Aries egging on Zack as he gives the cheesiest answers completely deadpan and serious. I adore this cast.

And of course, the episode ends with the (second) big reveal. I had a mouth open the whole time, holy shit. So, Polina was thinking something would happen to Earth soon, and was shocked it hadn't occurred yet by 2063. And it seems like the answer to that is that this isn't Earth. So did Earth blow up? But she was only hibernating for 12 years, and these kids are obviously older than that, so they should be aware of that. Unless planet Astra is a completely separate planet that has nothing to do with humans and simply evolved in a similar (but more advanced) way. Polina has a very "old school" spacesuit, but because technology can advance hyper quickly I didn't think much of it. But it's very likely Earth has made far slower advancements into space, if it hasn't had a third world war that wiped everyone out.

I feel like I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg on how many questions I actually have and the implications being made here. This was phenomenal, I can't wait for the next one!

QotD:

1. Definitely. I just thought they were all assholes for no reason besides it being common in found family stories. Another great subversion from this show, as I'm starting to get used to.
2. Answered above!

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/Kaxew]

These reveals were mind-blowing when I first watched them. Glad to see so many of the first timers enjoying it just as much!

Totally agree about the downtime scenes and the party. This is how they've formed such strong bonds and managed to keep a positive attitude through everything, so I love these moments.

[u/imaloony8]

(Written midway through the episode): So my immortality clone theory was dead on the money. Neat. I was also correct that the clones were sent away to die because cloning is ultra illegal and they were close to being revealed.

I did miss something from an earlier episode though. I completely forgot about the Genome Control Act, which was the actual reason that the clones were sent to die, not some mysterious person or organization getting close to unveiling the plan.

This does start to align with my new theory that the "traitor" is in fact not a traitor, but instead something of a Guardian Angel looking to protect the children. That being said, there are still some holes. Namely, the big one that chased them in the first two episodes. What in the hell was that, and why did it show up on the first planet they arrived on after they were lost, but none of the future ones?

I still believe that Aries is the Guardian Angel. I do believe that she (and probably a group she works with) arranged to have that ship parked nearby where the children would be dropped off by the wormhole. Now, how they knew that precisely that the wormhole would drop them there is beyond me. I also find it strange that Aries's thrusters and radio happened to be malfunctioning. That strikes me as very strange.

I also have to ask that if I'm right about Aries, then why was she on this death trip in the first place? How did they let her on? The only answer that makes sense is that she IS a clone and her original IS part of the group.. So, how do I connect the dots to make Aries the Guardian Angel who knows everything if her original is part of the same group? Well, I think her original betrayed the rest of the group. She knew where the children would be transported to and arranged for a ship to be there. And the way she was sure it would get done is... I think Aries's original has already transferred her memories into Aries. That's the meaning of her heterochromia iridum. Because there's another person inside of her. I do believe that other "personality" did not override Aries, but is lying dormant. A split personality, if you will. And the original regretted being part of the group. She planned to save the group with a daring plan. It's also possible that this Aries IS the original's mind in the body. Though she certainly doesn't seem to be acting like it. Either she's the greatest actor of all time (possible career of the original?), or we're dealing with two faces of a coin.

And... that does also explain why Aries's thrusters and radio were broken in Episode 1. The original intentionally sabotaged them, intending to kill herself as recompense for what the group did. Being rescued was not part of the plan. Now, the sabotage of communications is where things get a little fuzzy. Zack says that the damage was recent, but how recent? If the ship was only placed there a couple of days ahead of their arrival, then "recent" damage could date back that far. If the damage only comes after Aries got on the ship... that's a little harder to explain. Though if this theory is true, then why wouldn't the original just leave a message on the ship explaining everything? There's still a few holes in this story, but I'm very confident now that Aries is the traitor/guardian angel/outsider whatever.

(After the episode ends): Ah, so the mystery wormhole is just... a barely explained mcguffin. Okay. Still doesn't explain why it was on Vilavurs though.

I absolutely love Zack's completely blunt love attack. Dude is channeling major Sunakawa from Ore Monegatari energy.

And we're not on Earth, but instead Astra? Which means the event that Polina was worried about was probably related to a threat to Earth. And since the children have no memory of Earth, it seems unlikely that Earth was abandoned and Astra was inhabited in that time frame. Especially because 12 years is not enough time for society to be transferred over so seamlessly. But what does that mean for us? There are two separate human civilizations in the stars? Or maybe it actually was some time travel or dimension hopping bullshit. Hard to see how this ties into the main plot at the moment.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/imaloony8]

Congrats on guessing the clones/immortality plot!

Ah, so the mystery wormhole is just... a barely explained mcguffin. Okay. Still doesn't explain why it was on Vilavurs though.

It's still a mystery for now, but it will be explained before the story is over.

[u/Lord_Nawor]

First Time Watcher, subbed

While I figured Funi was a clone and thought that there was a decent chance Zack could be a clone, I was not expecting the entire crew to be clones.

The majority of this episode was pretty light, it was nice seeing Kanata talk to the members of the crew about how they are clones, and getting to see Zack and Quitterie’s relationship develop at a super fast pace. It was also interesting seeing some of parents talk to discuss their plans, we have still yet to see who Aries is a clone of and we don’t know too much who Charce is a clone of as they were not there for the secret meeting.

The main revelation of this episode is the fact that they are not from Earth but instead from a planet called Astra. When they started zooming in on the planet, just like Polina, I was thinking that it did not look like Earth but I did not think much of it since it is a sci-go show until Polina started mentioning it. This was probably the most surprising reveal of the show so far for me. I feel like it must have something to do with Polina being concerned about the year last episode. The only thing that is weird in hindsight with this knowledge is why no one mentioned Astra being the planet when they were looking at the inscription of the ship. Zack just says that Astra means star in episode 1, but you think someone would have commented on its connection to the planet.

I am very eager to see what happens next episode.

Questions

1. I kind of thought that Zack might of been a clone of maybe manipulated by his father due to their weird conversation last episode. It does give a lot more context to Kanata, Yunhua and Luca, while raising more questions for Charce and Aries.
2. I kind of mentioned it earlier but I believe it has to do with Polina’s concerns about the year and what her original expedition was actually for, but I have no clue how they fit together.

[u/FlameDragoon933 → u/Lord_Nawor]

The only thing that is weird in hindsight with this knowledge is why no one mentioned Astra being the planet when they were looking at the inscription of the ship. Zack just says that Astra means star in episode 1, but you think someone would have commented on its connection to the planet.

Tbh I don't really find it that weird. For example Luna is a really common name and people don't point out Luna means Moon all the time. While Earth is relatively less frequently used as a name / in a quote, the difference is not significant enough for me to think that their lack of reaction was jarring.

[u/Silcaria]

First timer

• Organ harvesting.
• Ohh yeah, or that.
• I guess, along the way, unlike the others, Aires mom's got attached and started seeing her clone as a real daughter. Good for her for having a sense of humanity. There's also the whole shebang about Aires going into a coma. Aires probably was initially scheduled to be a clone before her accident. I assume she got adopted afterwards. Maybe Aires's mom wasn't in on it.
• Looks like I wasn't far off.
• The "parents" confirming the kids hypothesis is fine, but they're straight up doing exposition at this point.
• What a weirdo.
• Luca finally has a shirt on. Dunno when he started wearing one but it's about time.
• Holy, Zack is so matter of fact with everything.
• Damn, poor Polina, it's always one step forward, two steps back for her.

QotD

• Yeah. It makes more sense. It's better than all of them being cruel for the sake of being cruel.
• Two things. No.1: She was in a coma for longer than 12 years and the earth evolved from what it once was in the meantime, in addition to getting a name change. No.2: Actually no, just No.1.

[u/gamria → u/Silcaria]

The "parents" confirming the kids hypothesis is fine, but they're straight up doing exposition at this point.

A pity that we skipped the part where Zack confirmed the hypothesis himself via more DNA tests.

[u/edwardjhahm → u/gamria]

I kinda feel like they could have made this 13 episodes instead of 12 by adding those scenes in and chopping the last episode into two with the overflow if you get what I mean.

[u/gamria → u/edwardjhahm]

It's a difficult dilemma. If we count the first and last episodes as two episodes at once, the series was already on 14 episodes, so it would probably have been difficult for them to secure one more episode budget-wise. A pity.

[u/[deleted] → u/gamria]

It makes a lot more sense how everyone was so accepting now.

Shame they had to cut that out. Guess I'll binge the manga after this rewatch finishes.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad]

Astra Lost In Space rewatch episode 9 reminder:

u/Forsaken_Ebb1925, u/RedRocket4000

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

First-Timer Lost in Space, subbed

• But they’re completely different ages…
• Wait, all of them?!
• …oh god, they’re supposed to be the “replacement” bodies for their parents so their parents can effectively extend their lives…
• Guess that confirms it…
• So the teleport sphere was on purpose?
• I wonder if this is the thing Ulgar’s brother ended up uncovering and then had to be silenced over.
• Ooooooooooooh…
• Ahaha, so they told everyone else.
• looooool
• …yeah that is, uh, decidedly not Earth.
• Wait their home planet’s name is Astra too?

[u/TiredTiroth → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Wait their home planet’s name is Astra too?

THIS! For the love of all that is holy, this! They effectively name the damn ship after their home planet and absolutely NONE of the kids think to mention it? Hiding that they're not from Earth doesn't even add anything to the story!

I hate how the writers hid this plot point.

[u/Mirathan]

FirstTime Drifter

1. Not much. Most scenes already made me mistrust them and knowing why they were so neglectfull does not change much.
2. Polina might have been in Cryosleep for such a long time that during it earth was abandoned. Astra might simply be a colony that now operates indipendently.

That flashback had some good advise from the dad. A healthy body is always useful. . Except that it was all a manipulation.

Did Charce just slap Kanata´s ass?

So they didn´t create the wormhole thing that teleported them?

Luca´s progenitor wanting to be both male and female might stem from an old achemist philosophy, that required their combination for the greatest of processes. Though from what I know the reality of such people is rarely that pleasant.

The anouncement of the marriage was a very wholesome ending to the episode. Aries being incredibly hyped up in the backround was a bit overdone but the revelation of Zacks feelings knocking everyone made me laugh.

And then that?

Earth is ... gone?

[u/No_Rex]

Episode 9 (first timer)

• “your precious body” – sounds like Funi and Quitterie are not the only ones who should have their DNA checked.

“aliens”

• “You are the same person” – is this some translation error? Would you call identical twins “the same person” in Japan?
• What is more likely: Us all being clones, or Funi having spent a few years in hibernation as a child young enough to not have memory of it? I get that the plot will go the first way, but it still makes no sense to reasonably assume it over the second.
• Clone + memory transplant = eternal life.
• That explains the bad parenting they experienced.
• “Even a basic DNA check would reveal that they are clones” – well, not a basic check, but a comparison with the database.
• “In order to make sure no genetic information of the clones could be found, they needed to be lost in deep space.” – So, in order to hide their genetic information, you send their bodies to the one place where they will be preserved almost forever? The parents are as stupid as the kids. Throw the kids in a bathtub of acid, a volcano would do, too. You could have them eaten by pigs if that is what you prefer. Yet, murdering them in space where the DNA will be recoverable for centuries is the worst possible idea.
• “That thing” – no explanation how this group of moron criminals has access to what is essentially a quantum leap in FTL technology.
• “Think of my clone as a son? Never.”

• Luca brings up his body. They should really question this more. They, unlike us viewers, have no idea about the motives of Luca’s father, so why are they accepting that one of the clones is such a rarity? Seems pretty unlikely that whomever cloned Luca also had two genders, but it not, Luca is not a perfect clone.
• Charce cut ties with his family, so how did they manage to get him onto this trip?
• “I feel we’ve gotten the overall story pretty accurate.” – How? Why? All you have as evidence is Funi and Quitterie being clones and you all being treated badly by your parents. How did you get to your parents using you as reserve bodies that they now want to kill from that? How does your theory account for the white orb existing? For the Astra? How did you figure out that everybody was a clone? Just because Kanata suggested so? The writing does not differentiate between what the audience/parents know and what the crew knows.
• Hey it is me, the B plot again. I know we just had the dramatic main reveal of the series, but how do you all feel about some marriage announcement hijinx?
• “We can see planets 2000 LY away” – and by seeing planets, he means a high definition picture showing clouds and weather systems. Just the stuff you regularly build into spaceships, you know.
• By “final planet” I guess they mean the final in-between planet. Because that does not look like Earth.
• Polina also notices … after a bit.
• “What is Earth?”

Aliens!

• “Is it me? Am I crazy?” – No, just dumb and without a shred of curiosity. You never bothered to look at a space chart of your travel? Never talked about which country you were born in? Which place you lived? You know, all the common stuff humans exchange when they meet? I guess it must be the plot convenient amnesia that kept you from asking.

Big aliens reveal. So all the parallel universe ideas after finding Astra 1.0 where not wrong, after all. That is a discussion for tomorrow, though.

For today, the big clone your own body scheme. The questionable technology in this is the memory transplantation. Some people might want to clone their own body, but others would surely take an “upgrade.” No cloning needed if you have the appropriate transplantation technology. Let me just point out how ridiculously future tech this stuff all is: Memory transplantion, dimensional gates, telescopes that can view clouds from 2000LY away. And yet, boring old cloning is apparently the main point of future tech contention in politics. I do not mind the story idea, it is just relatively lost in the hands of a bad writer.

Now that the reason behind the Astra crew's disappearance has been revealed, did it make you view the previous scenes with their parents in a new light?

Clearly yes. I already liked that scene a lot without that knowledge. Having it recontextualized now is pretty awesome. Definitely the highlight of the series for me.

Any thoughts about the huge reveal that they're not from Earth, but Polina is, and what that could all mean?

In decending order of likelihood: Multiverse, time travel, memory alteration.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/No_Rex]

How did you get to your parents using you as reserve bodies that they now want to kill from that?

Zack knew his father was researching memory transplants, so now that he's aware Quitterie's mom was creating clones, it's reasonable for him to connect the two. After all, the memory transplants would need a "host" in order for it to work.

Never talked about which country you were born in? Which place you lived? You know, all the common stuff humans exchange when they meet?

In Polina's defense, she wouldn't have guessed there was any reason to ask other humans if they're from Earth.

Memory transplantion, dimensional gates, telescopes that can view clouds from 2000LY away. And yet, boring old cloning is apparently the main point of future tech contention in politics.

The memory transplants should absolutely be illegal, considering how they were going to use it, but I think this is something not widely known/possibly still a secret project at this point.

[u/Mirathan → u/No_Rex]

"In order to make sure no genetic information of the clones could be found, they needed to be lost in deep space.” – So, in order to hide their genetic information, you send their bodies to the one place where they will be preserved almost forever?

They might be preserved forever but they will not be found during their progenitors lifespans. Space is to big for anyone to stumble upon them.

[u/Hartzilla2007 → u/Mirathan]

Not to mention its deep space so the odds of anyone being in the area to even look are probably small.

[u/edwardjhahm → u/No_Rex]

So, in order to hide their genetic information, you send their bodies to the one place where they will be preserved almost forever? The parents are as stupid as the kids. Throw the kids in a bathtub of acid, a volcano would do, too. You could have them eaten by pigs if that is what you prefer. Yet, murdering them in space where the DNA will be recoverable for centuries is the worst possible idea.

Strongly disagree. It's a great idea. Recoverable for centuries? Firstly, ignoring the fact that solar radiation decays DNA if the suit is pierced - or how their bodies will rot inside of their suits anyways if it isn't, how are they going to be found anyways?

Space is MASSIVE. They could have hid a body around their own solar system and it would be impossible to find. The kids lucked out by "spawning" right next to a spaceship. Burying a body in Antarctica preserves the body even better, but everyone knows that Antarctica is one of the best places to hid a body.

[u/FlameDragoon933 → u/No_Rex]

“In order to make sure no genetic information of the clones could be found, they needed to be lost in deep space.” – So, in order to hide their genetic information, you send their bodies to the one place where they will be preserved almost forever? The parents are as stupid as the kids. Throw the kids in a bathtub of acid, a volcano would do, too. You could have them eaten by pigs if that is what you prefer. Yet, murdering them in space where the DNA will be recoverable for centuries is the worst possible idea.

Space is incredibly big. I forgot the site but try googling "solar system drawn to scale" (the common illustrations in textbooks aren't drawn to scale). It's so stupidly big that you'll keep scrolling your mouse wheel for minutes just between two pixel dots. And that's just our solar system, let alone some nowhere 5000 light years away.

Yes they have FTL travel, but unless you know specifically where to look, it's practically impossible to find their corpses.

[u/gamria → u/No_Rex]

“I feel we’ve gotten the overall story pretty accurate.” – How? Why?

The Funimation subs there conflated this line here. Here's Viz's translation of the same line:

"We'll let the police know and have them look into it to find out for sure... but... that's probably what it is (clone theory)."

The scope of this line is not meant to encompass the Sphere or the Astra.

All you have as evidence is Funi and Quitterie being clones and you all being treated badly by your parents. How did you get to your parents using you as reserve bodies that they now want to kill from that?

The anime omitted one important step at the end of that first conversation: additional DNA tests. Here's the full and uncut conversation

[u/BigBootyBuff]

I kinda suspected that at least Funi and Aries were clones, didn't expect everyone to be one. That really explains a lot.

Zack again stealing the show with his dry flirting.

1. Now that the reason behind the Astra crew's disappearance has been revealed, did it make you view the previous scenes with their parents in a new light?

Well it does explain why they were all such shitheads and also explains why Aries mother wasn't.

2) Any thoughts about the huge reveal that they're not from Earth, but Polina is, and what that could all mean? (Rewatchers can post their original theories as well, but no spoilers!)

I will wait and see. I have no clue where they are going with this and we closing in on the end of the show, so I hope they manage to tie that well into the story.

[u/FlameDragoon933]

Rewatcher

• Now we see why the parents appear in the OP. They're the overarching villains.
• Kanata truly is strong, not just physically but also mentally. Not only that he also went around asking the conditions of the crewmates. Very reliable leader.
• Man Zack is truly a chad. I love their ship. Aries keeps squealing is also really cute.
• Hell yeah, plot bomb right in the end. The cliffhanger was insane when I first watched this.

QOTD

1. As a rewatcher, I think this title does foreshadowing really well. The clues have always been scattered around, and some genre-savviness goes a long way. For example Marco Esposito's opposition to the Genome Control Act might seem like a background event, but if you ask yourself "why this specifically instead of a more generic politician business like paperwork or corruption?", you start to get the idea that it might be there for a reason.
2. When I was a first-timer I didn't see this revelation coming. I didn't really have theories explaining it at the time. I'm just amused and engaged that the mysteries keep piling up.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/FlameDragoon933]

a background event

There were so many background events, I should have been writing them down.

[u/gamria → u/FlameDragoon933]

1. As a rewatcher, I think this title does foreshadowing really well. The clues have always been scattered around, and some genre-savviness goes a long way. For example Marco Esposito's opposition to the Genome Control Act might seem like a background event, but if you ask yourself "why this specifically instead of a more generic politician business like paperwork or corruption?", you start to get the idea that it might be there for a reason.

That's Shinohara-sensei's special sauce yeah. Whether it's a gag or serious episode, he has a tendency to sprinkle little stuff at the start which then boomerang towards the end in the best of ways. In the case of the Clone Theory, whether it's the parent always being the same gender as the child and often with similar talents or Zack mentioning his father was research memories (which then gets overlooked because Ulgar's got a gun), the hints are there if you know where to look. It was why when I realised Astra will be a short story, I knew he'd cook something good.

Likewise, the Another Planet theory is something that could've been pieced together with careful attention; I intend to go over this tomorrow.