Blitzkrieg

Season 1, Episode 4
Air date	October 9, 1993
Written by	Michael Edens
Storyboards by	Gerry Acerno
Episode guide
Previous	Hidden Terrors
Next	Resist!

"Blitzkrieg" is the 4th episode of season one of Exosquad.

Summary

Exofleet cancels the attack on Tethys and sets course for the Homeworlds at full speed. Captain Marcus, in charge of the fleet, makes the decision that the faster Exocarriers should return as quickly as possible, resulting in half of Exofleet's firepower being left behind. Marsh considers this decision to be suicidal, and tells the rest of the bridge crew to ignore Marcus' order. However, Marcus is obeyed and during the journey to the Homeworlds, Marsh is charged with mutiny, found guilty, and sentenced to be executed. The ExoCarriers engage the Neosapien Fleet, commanded by Phaeton aboard the Neosapien flagship, The Olympus Mons.

Synopsis

Click HERE of a detailed synopsis of "Blitzkrieg"

Characters

• J.T. Marsh
• Alec DeLeon
• Marsala
• Phaeton
• Typhonus

Quotes

"No Typhonus. The birth of the Neosapien age is a thing of beauty. It would be unthinkable not to witness the most important event in history...the moment Neosapiens seize their destiny. The reign of the old humanity ends this day. We, the stepchildren of mankind, are now its rulers. Think, Typhonus, what the rule of Neosapiens means. Justice, at last. Logic, at last. Order, at last. Our laws will prevail. What glories the Homeworlds will see, governed by our even hand!" -- Another fine megalomaniac speech from Phaeton.

Significant events, revelations, and other notes

• This episode shows the ending of the Pirate Clans War.
• The behavior shown by Marsh and the ship's captain is reversed in "Blitzkrieg" and "The Price of Courage".
  • In "Blitzkrieg" Marsh tells Marcus, the Resolute's captain, that attacking the Neosapien fleet without the Exocruisers and Exofrigates is suicide and openly contradicts his orders. Marcus has him arrested and charged with mutiny. In this episode Marsh's combat experience consists of 2-3 battles against the pirates, who have a medium military.
  • In "The Price of Courage" Jonas Simbacca, the Resolute II's captain, places Marsh in command of the counterattack. Marsh tells Simbacca that a senior commander should be given the assignment. In this episode Marsh's combat experience consists of multiple battles against the Neosapiens, who have a large military.
• All organized resistance on Earth and Venus has collapsed.
  • There is no mention of combat on Mars or Mercury.
    • Mars was likely under complete Neosapien control before Phaeton attacked.
    • Did Mercury have an Exofleet base or was it devoid of any Terran presence?
  • Why were the Homeworlds conquered so easily? It there no equivalant to the real-life military reserve force of the National Guard? Is Exofleet the only military available?
  • In "Hidden Terrors" and "Blitzkrieg" many of the targets seem to be chosen for their symbolic value or to terrorize the population. There is minimal combat between the Neosapien navy and the remnants of Exofleet.
• Rangoon Station was probably not destroyed in the first wave of attacks since it lacked military value. Only after the important targets were seized was Rangoon attacked.
  • Admiral Romero ("Hidden Terrors") was certainly at Exofleet command and thus his location would have been one of the first locations destroyed.
• Will the Pirate Clans rebuild the base on Enceladus? In "The Embassy" Simbacca meets Marsh and DeLeon on Tethys.
• Why were 6 Exocarriers reported to be en-route to Earth? The Defiant was destroyed in "Pirate Scourge".
• Marcus' tendency to rush into a battle at full speed costs the Exofleet half its firepower in the battle with the Neo Fleet.
• Marcus's reaction to having his orders questioned by another officer (i.e. charging Marsh with mutiny and having him sentenced to death) no doubt discouraged anyone else from questioning him in the future.
• Marsh's court martial was extremely fast and could be considered a show trial. One officer shows disdain that Marcus is broadcasting the trial across the fleet. The only person to testify in Marsh's defense was Marsh. The prosecution consisted of Marcus's accusations and the bridge logs. In addition, Marcus could easily have been charged with contempt of court. Finally, the judges only took a few seconds to decide on a guilty verdict.
• We see the genesis of Sean Napier's Earth Resistance cell.
  • Napier's resentment of Exofleet is the first of many examples seen in the series where the leaders of the Earth Resistance (Nick Tyree) and the Venus Resistance (James Burns) must be persuaded and/or forced to cooperate with Exofleet.
• Winfield has still not recovered from his injuries.
• Draconis's behavior foreshadows his later attempts to overthrow Phaeton. It also shows that Phaeton does not have absolute control of his military. Such behavior on Draconis's part may be the reason Phaeton decides he must "rule through fear", as stated by Marsala in "Miracle".
• The Homeworlds Congress is dissolved.

Season 2

"The Gathering" • "The Embassy" • "Pirate's Ransom" • "Ultimate Weapon" • "Expendable" • "Mindset" • "The Last Man" • "Dragon's Rock" • "Inner Dark" • "The Dogs of War" • "The First Step" • "The Greatest Fear" • "Flesh Crawls" • "Behind the Shield" • "Venus Rising" • "Miracle" • "Under the Skin" • "Ultimatum" • "Warrior Brood" • "The Dream War" • "No Surrender" • "Fire Ship" • "Martian Luck" • "The Lost Patrol" • "Call of the Unknown" • "Heart of Mars" • "Winged Fury" • "Night of the Traitor" • "Trial by Combat" • "The Perfect Warrior" • "The Price of Courage" • "Dark River" • "The Art of War" The Fall of the Neosapien Empire "One Small Step" • "Fifth Column" • "The Last Jump" • "The Night Before Doomsday" • "Abandon Hope" "Beyond Chaos"