is a Japanese
light novel
A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging.
The abbr ...
series written by
Ryo Mizuno
is a Japanese author and game designer. Mizuno created '' Record of Lodoss War'', ''Sword World RPG'', '' Legend of Crystania'', '' Rune Soldier'', '' Starship Operators'', '' Record of Grancrest War'', and was the general supervisor of '' Gal ...
. Six volumes were published by
MediaWorks (now
ASCII Media Works
, formerly , is a Japanese Publishing, publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing headquartered in Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. It originally formed on April 1, 2008, as a result of a Mergers and acquisitions, merger bet ...
) between 2001 and 2005. An
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
television series adaptation animated by
J.C.Staff aired on
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.[Geneon
(abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise that is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, owned by American telecommunications/media company Comcast headquartered in Akasaka, Tokyo ...]
.
Plot
''Starship Operators'' is about the 73rd class of the Defense University of the Planet Kibi. As they are returning home after the maiden voyage of the , they find that their home planet, Kibi, has been taken over by one of the Henrietta region's super powers, Henrietta Alliance of Planetary Nations.
The original command crew all abandon ship, as per the conquerors' demands. Left alone on the ship, the cadets decide to keep their command and fight on. To this end, they have decided to ask Galaxy Network to fund the operation of ''Amaterasu'' as a fleeing self-governed nation in exchange for letting them broadcast the ship's adventures live - as a
reality TV
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 199 ...
program.
The novel's storyline also features ''Amaterasu'' finding its way through space to reach the control zone of another super power, the Henrietta Independent Federation, for protection.
Characters
The ''Amaterasu'' command structure is divided into three bridges. If the first bridge is inoperable or unavailable, any of the other two may assume command. The Operators' uniform color signifies their station.
Primary (Command) Bridge
''Operator uniform color: blue''
:
:Sinon is the main protagonist and executive officer of the ''Amaterasu''. She is a brilliant strategist in combat, often providing CO Kanzaki with a voice of reason. She is also one of the most resistant in fighting with the ''Amaterasu'' against the kingdom. Sinon has some problems when it comes to understanding feelings and thus may appear cold.
:
:Alley is quiet and reserved, and often handles the ship-to-ship communications. She is fighting to avenge the destruction of the ''Maizuru'' that her father commanded. This hatred results in her being one of the most driven members of the crew to the point of near recklessness at times.
:
:Miyuri is one of Sinon's close friends, and the chief astronomer. She joined the Defense Forces because the starships, in particular the ''Amaterasu'', carry the best observatories in the galaxy. Miyuri has some of the best eyes on the ship and spends most of her free time observing the stars.
:
:The commanding officer of the ''Amaterasu''. He is an excellent administrator but easily cracks under the pressures of battle. The only thing that prevents him from totally folding under the pressure at times is his pride as a man and officer. Captain Kanzaki is slightly pessimistic but he and the others use that nature to find flaws in combat plans and ways of improving the plans for maximum efficiency. Cisca is considered to be one of the leaders by the Kingdom. He was one of the two people on the ship that is aware that someone else is pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Secondary (Fire Control) Bridge
''Operator uniform color: orange''
:
:The shy and relaxed teenage daughter of the president of a Kibi corporation called "Wakana Rare Metals". She has a two year crush on Takai Kiryu but has not acted on it all.
:
:Although she is one of the youngest members on board, she acts as the crew's "big sister".
:
:A short cadet who is cheerful and lackadaisical.
:
:The fire control chief, and commander of the second bridge. Nicknamed the "King of Fighters" among the cadets, he is also an accomplished marksman. A very laid back young man with a strong will that doesn't give into peer pressure and doesn't believe that others should either, thus he gets frustrated with the other crew members who feel forced into staying on the ship. Takai also lost a father on the Guard Ship ''Maizuru'' but rather than fighting for vengeance like Alley Hisaka, he is more concerned about the justice of the Kingdom’s actions and uses the battles as a form of protest. Takai is considered third in command of the ship even though he directly states that he is unsuited for full leadership.
Tertiary (Navigation) Bridge
''Operator uniform color: red''
:
:An easygoing cadet who has a good sense of humor.
:
:Text-message pals with Sinon, but an otherwise quiet young woman. Renna is an agent of Kibi Intelligence that was to keep and eye on the ship. She dies from gunshots from soldiers while on the planet of Shu. Renna desperately wanted to be a full member of the crew but was unable due to her job as spy.
:
:She is from a family of diplomats and politicians, and brought her uncle, former Kibi Prime Minister Tatsuma Mamiya, on board as head of the government-in-exile. She is a very politically intelligent woman who at times acts as the public face of the crew. Rio is one of the two people who knows that someone else is pulling the strings behind the scenes. While she puts on a strong face, Rio is afraid of dying in the fighting. She only ever allows this vulnerability to be shown around Cisca Kanzaki. She was head of the debate team while in the academy.
:
:The navigation control chief, and commander of the third bridge. In addition to being the
helmsman
A helmsman or helm (sometimes driver or steersman) is a person who steering, steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, other type of maritime vessel, airship, or spacecraft. The rank and seniority of the helmsman may vary: on small vessels such as fis ...
of the ''Amaterasu'', Shinto also pilots the ''Amaterasu''s small shuttle, and is among the best flight controllers in the Defense Forces. He was given officer status due to his high grades and the fact he is one of the few males on the ship. That was done for the Network. Shinto's piloting skills have allowed him to save a number of his fellow crew's lives.
Other ''Amaterasu'' Crew Members
''Operator uniform color: purple''
Shimei Yuuki
:
:A child prodigy, he holds mathematics and theoretical physics degrees at the age of 15. He is also the systems administrator of the AESOP computer, and is the only commissioned officer who remained on board the ''Amaterasu''. Shimei spends most of his time away from the rest of the crew because of the need to work in a sealed room with AESOP. He always seems to smile even when in the face of imminent doom. Shimei dies in the final episode piloting the ''Amaterasu'' as a
fireship
A fire ship or fireship is a large wooden vessel set on fire to be used against enemy ships during a ramming attack or similar maneuver. Fireships were used to great effect against wooden ships throughout naval military history up until the adv ...
, asserting his official rank as superior to the cadets'.
Minase Shinohara
:
:The ship's only medical staff, who was a trainee during the shakedown cruise. She is highly pressed for her medical skills.
Sei Ogino
:
:The ship's supply chief, and an expert economist.
Kouki Sakakibara
:
:The chief engineer of the ''Amaterasu''. He is nicknamed ''Oyassan'' (Old Man) by fellow crew mates, to his annoyance. Kouki does his best to keep the engineering crew from panicking but due to the high demand for his level of skill, the chief engineer can not always break up every dispute. Kouki tries to act like a father to the young crew, especially Sinon.
Henrietta Planetary Alliance
Admiral Dul Elroy
:
:The commanding officer of the Alliance heavy cruiser ''Conquistador''. He is the first to start treating the ''Amaterasu'' as a real threat while his constitutions cannot see beyond the fact that the ''Amaterasu''s is made up of mostly children. The Admiral believes that only a three to one advantage over the ''Amaterasu'' will have a chance of beating the warship and its cunning crew. Elroy was responsible for sinking the Shenlong. While he is an officer of the Alliance, this man is willing to directly challenge orders if they go in the face of destroying the ''Amaterasu''.
Hans Georg Hermann
:
:An intelligence officer in the Alliance military.
Civilians
Dita Mirkov
:
:The enthusiastic reporter for the Galaxy Network reality show ''Starship Channel''. She starts to sympathize with the crew and at times forgets that she isn’t officially part of the crew itself.
Peter Spikes
:
:The cynical, sarcastic producer for ''Starship Channel'' that heads the show and provided funds for the ship. He cares more about the ratings than the lives of the crew and only cares about the show.
President Rau
:
Episodes
Ships
* ''Amaterasu'' - 3rd Freedom Guard Ship, Kibi Planetary Nation
: (name origin:
Amaterasu
, often called Amaterasu () for short, also known as and , is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. Often considered the chief deity (''kami'') of the Shinto pantheon, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the () ...
(天照), a
sun goddess and a principal
Shinto
, also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
deity)
: CO: Cisca Kanzaki
: XO: Shinon Kouzuki
: Crew: 46
: Length: 310 m
: Width: 105 m
: Primary Armament: 4600 mm Plasma Cannon
::(possibly derived from the
460 mm naval guns mounted on the
''Yamato''-class battleships)
: Secondary Armament: Torpedoes/Missiles
: Tertiary Armament: one "Revolver" - 5 chamber LASER cannon, one Pulse LASER, one Plasma Coil Gun
: Defensive Munitions: Anti-Laser Defensive Systems
:::::: Kasumi (霞, "misty") - Magnetic wave reflection plate
:::::: Ikasumi (烏賊墨, "squid ink")- Magnetic wave absorption fiber
: Armor: Hotaru (蛍, "Firefly") Heat Protection Plates
: Sensor: Kamioka (神岡) -
Neutrino emission Sensor
::: (origin:
Kamioka Observatory)
: Onboard
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
(AI): AESOP (Artificial Encephalon System by Optical Processor)
::: (name origin:
Aesop
Aesop ( ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE; formerly rendered as Æsop) was a Greeks, Greek wikt:fabulist, fabulist and Oral storytelling, storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence re ...
, an ancient Greek story teller)
: Propulsion: 2 main thrusters
::: 6 sub thrusters
: Max acceleration 5G+ (with auxiliary boosters)
: Destroyed: EP 13
* ''Trafalgar'' - 21st Battleship (Destroyer Class), Henrietta Alliance (15:50 Ep 2)
: (name origin:
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...
, British naval victory over combined French and Spanish fleets, 1805)
: CO: Captain Joseph Meyer
: Primary Armament: Laser cannons
: Defensive Armament: 10000 mm Plasma cannon
: Destroyed: EP 2
* ''Maizuru'' - 2nd Freedom Guard Ship, Kibi Planetary Nation (07:52 Ep 3)
: (name origin:
Maizuru
is a city in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 78,644 in 34,817 households and a population density of 230 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Maizuru is located in northern Kyoto Prefectu ...
(舞鶴市 ''Maizuru-shi''), a city in
Kyōto Prefecture 京都府, headquarters of the
JMSDF Western District fleet)
: CO: Captain Hisaka Jin
: Destroyed: EP 1
* ''Aboukir'' - Stealth Ship, Henrietta Alliance (7:30 Ep 4)
: (name origin: Battle of Aboukir Bay, Japanese name for
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay; ) was fought between the Royal Navy and the French Navy at Abu Qir Bay, Aboukir Bay in Ottoman Egypt, Egypt between 1–3 August 1798. It was the climax of the Mediterranean ca ...
, British naval victory over French fleet, 1798)
: CO: Admiral Ricardo Fares
: Destroyed: EP 4
* ''Actium'' - Stealth Ship, Henrietta Alliance
: (name origin:
Battle of Actium
The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between Octavian's maritime fleet, led by Marcus Agrippa, and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, near the former R ...
, Naval victory of
Gaius Octavius' over
Marcus Antonius
Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the ...
and
Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...
, 31 BC)
: Primary Armament: Laser Cannon
: Defenses: Invisible to active and passive sensors
: Destroyed: EP 12
* ''Solomon'' - Flagship, Henrietta Alliance
: (name origin: Battles of the Solomon Sea, Japanese name for a series of naval engagements during the
Guadalcanal Campaign
The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during th ...
, 1942.
: CO: Fleet Admiral August Perry
: Appeared in novel
* ''Shenlong'' - Battleship, Shu Planetary Nation, (12:35 EP 7)
:(name origin:
Shenlong, (神龍, ''Shénlóng'', lit. "Divine Dragon"), a spiritual dragon from Chinese mythology)
: CO: Captain Wong
: Primary Armament: 1 Plasma Cannon
: Secondary Armaments: 4 missile launchers
: Tertiary Armaments: 4 pulse lasers, 2 pulse beams
: Propulsion: 1 main thruster
::: 2 sub thrusters
: Max Acceleration: 7 G
: Destroyed: EP 8
* ''Conquistador'' - Battleship, Henrietta Alliance, Gordova Planetary Nation (13:03 EP 7)
:(name origin:
Conquistador
Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...
, a term used for Spanish and Portuguese explorer-soldiers during
Spanish conquest of Americas)
: CO: Admiral Dulle Elroy
: Primary Armament: 1x 4000 calibre Plasma Cannon
: Secondary Armament: 1x 300PM class LASER Cannon
: Propulsion: 2 Main thrusters
::: 8 sub-thrusters
: Max Acceleration: 10 G
: Destroyed: EP 13
* ''Lissa'' (Dragonfly) - Warship (Skipper Class), Henrietta Alliance (13:10 EP 7)
: (name origin:
Battle of Lissa (1866)
The Battle of Lissa (or Battle of Vis) () was a naval battle between an Kingdom of Italy, Italian and an Austrian Empire, Austrian fleet during the Third Italian War of Independence. It took place on July 20, 1866, near the island of Vis (island) ...
, Austrian naval victory over Italy;
Battle of Lissa (1811)
The Battle of Lissa, also known as the Battle of Vis (; ; ), was a naval action fought between a British frigate squadron and a much larger squadron of French and Italian frigates and smaller vessels on Wednesday, 13 March on 1811 during the Ad ...
, British naval victory over combined French and Venetian squadron)
: CO: Captain Harrel Naja
: Primary Armament: Lisa2 - Assault Module (pulse laser), capable of precision short-warp
: Propulsion: 1 Main thruster
::: 4 sub-thrusters
: Max acceleration: 8 G
: Destroyed: EP 11
* ''Leyte'' (Hammerhead) - Armored Battleship (Corvette Class), Henrietta Alliance (13:28 EP 7)
:(name origin: Battle of Leyte, Japanese name for the
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf () 23–26 October 1944, was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved.
By late 1944, Japan possessed fewer capital sh ...
, October 1944)
: CO: Captain Yun-suk Lee
: Primary Armament: 4 Separating turrets (1 plasma cannon, 3 laser cannons)
: Propulsion: 1 Main thruster
::: 4 sub-thrusters
: Max Acceleration: 7 G
: Destroyed: EP 8
* ''Mariana'' (Hedgehog) - High Speed Warship (Frigate Class), Henrietta Alliance (13:35 EP 7)
:(name origin: Battle of the Marianas, Japanese name for the
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a major naval battle of World War II on 19–20 June 1944 that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious r ...
near the
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st pa ...
, June 1944)
: CO: Admiral Louis Belmont
: Primary Armaments: 4 LASER Cannons
: Propulsion: 2 main thrusters
::: 6 sub-thrusters
: Max Acceleration: 9.5 G
: Destroyed: EP 11
* ''Levant'', Recon Ship, Henrietta Alliance (19:27 EP 9)
:(name origin: Battle of the Levant, Japanese name for
Battle of Navarino
The Battle of Navarino was a naval battle fought on 20 October (O.S. 8 October) 1827, during the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829), in Navarino Bay (modern Pylos), on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Ionian Sea. Allied ...
, 1827)
: CO: Captain Tiet Langa
: Incapacitated: EP 11
* ''Earth Federation Warship'' (EP 12)
: CO: Captain Josef Truman
::(possibly a reference to former American President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
)
: Primary Armament: 4 LASER Cannons
* Unknown Henrietta Alliance warship (EP 1)
:Primary Armaments: 1 Railgun
:Support facilities: Onboard refinery capable for producing ammunition from nearby Asteroids
:Destroyed: EP 1
Additional info - First names of ship captains fro
Organizations
;
:(Name origin:
Henrietta (given name), Henrietta, a feminine given name ultimately derived from the Germanic name ''
Henrik
Henrik is a male given name of Germanic origin, primarily used in Scandinavia, Finland, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia. In Poland, the name is spelt Henryk but pronounced similarly. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Heiki (Estoni ...
'', which means "Ruler of the home" or "Lord of the house.")
:Militaristic alliance of nations within Henrietta region of known space. It has forced several neighbouring planetary nations into submission, and after securing nonaggression treaties, purchases their weaponry at ridiculous bargains. Because of such practices, this alliance is nicknamed the "Kingdom".
;Planetary Nation of Kibi
:(Name origin:
Kingdom of Kibi (吉備国, ''Kibi no kuni''), a kingdom based in Western Japan during the 4th century)
:Home of crew of ''Amaterasu''. Currently has a pacifist administration. Surrenders to Henrietta Alliance after destruction of 2nd Guard Ship, ''Maizuru''.
;Planetary Nation of Shu
:(Name origin:
Kingdom of Shu (蜀國), an ancient state based in what is now
Sichuan
Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.)
:Government which used to be closer to Henrietta Alliance before the ''Amaterasu'' incidents. The ''Amaterasu'' and its crew have many fans in Planet Shu.
;Galaxy Network
:Large media corporation that finances the purchase of the ''Amaterasu'' and its crew's fight against the Henrietta Alliance, by creating a reality show based on it. Starship Channel broadcasting is based in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
.
;Arima General Industrial (AGI) Corp.
:(Name origin:
Arima clan
The is a Japanese samurai family. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)">DF 6-7 of 80">"Arima," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', pp. 2-3 retrieved 2013-5- ...
(有馬氏, ''Arima-shi''), a Japanese kin group.)
:Large conglomerate that is equivalent to today's Boeing">DF 6-7 of 80/nowiki> retrieved 2013-5- ...
(有馬氏, ''Arima-shi''), a Japanese kin group.)
:Large conglomerate that is equivalent to today's Boeing, and the company that developed and built the ''Amaterasu''. AGI also acts as an intermediary for sale of military hardware.
;
:Alliance of planetary nations that competes for power with the Kingdom.
:Appeared in novel.
;Earth Federation (Originally
Earth Alliance Planetary Nation)
:A political power centered on Earth, rivalling or surpassing in power all others.
, 4th century western Japanese kingdom that acted as cultural bridge between Korea and Yamato, conquered by Yamato)
:Home planet of ''Amaterasu'' and its crew.
;Phoenicia
(name origin: ancient Phoenicia, located north of the Canaan, enterprising maritime culture, conquered by Persia)
:Neutral system where ''Amaterasu'' sought temporary sanctuary. It is located near Kibi.
;Shu
(name origin: Shu (state), one of major states during China's warring states era, conquered by Qin)
:Planet of origin for Captain Wong and Shenlong
;Gordova
(name origin:
, Spanish city conquered by Moors)
:Planet of origin for the Conquistador and its original crew.
;Palmia
(name origin:
, Ancient Syrian city, conquered by Romans)
:Location of Arima General Industry (AGI) Headquarter
* Character Design - Fumio Matsumoto
* Mech Design - Kimitoshi Matsumoto
* Sound Director - Toru Nakano