Starship Operators


Starship Operators is a Japanese light novel series written by Ryo Mizuno. Six volumes were published by MediaWorks between 2001 and 2005. An anime television series adaptation animated by J.C.Staff aired on TV Tokyo from January to March 2005. Starship Operators is licensed in North America by Geneon.

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 Amaterasu, they find that their home planet, Kibi, has been taken over by one of the Henrietta region's superpowers, the 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 program.
The novel's storyline also features Amaterasu finding its way through space to reach the control zone of another regional superpower, 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 Kouzuki
Alley Hisaka
Miyuri Akisato
'''Cisca Kanzaki'''

Secondary (Fire Control) Bridge

Operator uniform color: orange
Sanri Wakana
Imari Kamiya
Yukino Nanase
'''Takai Kiryu'''

Tertiary (Navigation) Bridge

Operator uniform color: red
Akiho Maya
Renna Satomi
Rio Mamiya
'''Shinto Mikami'''

Other ''Amaterasu'' Crew Members

Operator uniform color: purple
Shimei Yuuki
Minase Shinohara
Sei Ogino
'''Kouki Sakakibara'''

Henrietta Planetary Alliance

Admiral Dul Elroy
'''Hans Georg Hermann'''

Civilians

Dita Mirkov
Peter Spikes
'''President Rau'''

Ships

Amaterasu - 3rd Freedom Guard Ship, Kibi Planetary NationTrafalgar - 21st Battleship, Henrietta Alliance Maizuru - 2nd Freedom Guard Ship, Kibi Planetary Nation Aboukir - Stealth Ship, Henrietta Alliance Actium - Stealth Ship, Henrietta AllianceSolomon - Flagship, Henrietta AllianceShenlong - Battleship, Shu Planetary Nation, Conquistador - Battleship, Henrietta Alliance, Gordova Planetary Nation Lissa - Warship, Henrietta Alliance Leyte - Armored Battleship, Henrietta Alliance Mariana - High Speed Warship, Henrietta Alliance Levant, Recon Ship, Henrietta Alliance Earth Federation Warship Unknown Henrietta Alliance warship
Additional info - First names of ship captains from

Organizations

;Henrietta Alliance of Planetary Nations
;Planetary Nation of Kibi
;Planetary Nation of Shu
;Galaxy Network
;Arima General Industrial Corp.
;Henrietta Independent Federation
;Earth Federation

Places

;Kibi
;Phoenicia
;Shu
;Gordova
;Palmia

Theme songs

Opening theme
  • Radiance
Ending theme
  • '''Chi ni Kaeru ~on the Earth~'''

Staff

Japanese Companies

Reception

Luke Carroll who reviewed the series for the Anime News Network, felt that while the premise was promising and the battles were well thought out, making it "very much a thinking fan's anime", Starship Operators suffered from stiff dialogue, thin characterization, and sluggish pacing, which often left the audience disengaged. He noted that the series improved in later episodes with stronger dramatic weight and an effective conclusion, but overall fell short of its potential. Carroll praised the visual design, particularly the computer-generated spacecraft and tactical detail, though he criticized Kenji Kawai’s subdued score and considered the English dub average at best. Ultimately, he judged the anime “a show with a great concept that never quite pulls itself together”.