Outlaw Star (Danny's thoughts)
- Danny The UltraSonic Player
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Outer space has always been dubbed as being "The final frontier" in a lot of shows/movies. Heck, the original Star Trek more than coined that term at the start of every episode. As a result it isn't much a surprise as to why the term "Space Western" would be invented.
But could it work as something wholly original?
Well, that’s what the creators behind this show set out to do!
So how exactly does this story start? Well, In the beginning we meet our main character by the name of Gene Starwind and his trusty sidekick/mechanical wizard Jim Hawking, a duo who run a business doing all kinds of odd jobs from fixing vehicles to straight up bounty hunting. Life is pretty simple for these two until they get hired for a bodyguard job. Unfortunately the job ends up going sideways and Gene and Jim end up with a human android named Melfina and a Grappler ship called "The Outlaw Star". Joined by an assassin named Twilight Suzuka and a disgraced officer named Aisha Clanclan of the Ctarl-Ctarl Empire, Gene and Jim set out to find the mysterious Galactic Leyline.
Of course, if only it were that simple for our intrepid crew though. For as they make their way through space Gene and his crew find that searching for the Leyline is much more complicated than what most realized. Plus along the way you start to learn more about our crew and what makes them tick. Not only that but you find that one of the main complications for the crew is trying to avoid a group called the "Kei Pirates" that are tracking Melfina down due to her abilities as a navigator, on top of trying to keep the Outlaw Star in pristine condition, which is not cheap in any way.
Another thing to note is Gene's gun uses special ballistics called "Caster Shells", with each one having the ability to do something different. The part that was also interesting to me is that it isn't so much science that makes up the shells but rather magic, which makes them incredible to use but it also dangerous due to how rare they are, so if Gene has to use one there's that sense of wondering if he won't need a shell like that again next time around, and there is at least one episode or two that emphasize that.
There's also the Outlaw Star itself, because while I've seen quite a few starships in shows/movies that stand out, this one is even more distinct besides the usual weaponry it also has mechanical arms that come in handy in both carrying things and especially in combat against other ships.
(The fact that they also use some nautical terminology like "cast off" just as they are about to leave a spaceport is a nice touch too)
In addition we also start to see the relationship dynamics among the crew, for while Gene's no stranger to a woman's touch - something the first episode didn't shy away from - with Melfina it is very different. And while Melfina is still new to these feelings, the end of the series seems to indicate that it is going to go in that direction.
Not only that but it is nice to see Jim also get a chance to develop feelings for the opposite sex despite his own attitude.
OF course, it also wouldn't be much of a space western without there being a lot of action, and this show has it in spades, from space dogfighting to straight-up shootouts, this show doesn't get boring.
In all, this is a true space-western adventure that has all the trappings of what you'd expect: Action, Adventure, comedic moments, but also heartfelt moments, and a sense of completion at the end but also another feeling of "The adventure continues" for Gene and his friends, but we the audience will just have to fill in those blanks.
So if you haven't had the chance to see this show, go track the DVDs down. Given that it's made by the same folks who did "Cowboy Bebop" you know you are in for a treat.
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