Fire Ship

Season 2, Episode 22
Air date	1994
Episode guide
Previous	No Surrender
Next	Martian Luck

"Fire Ship" is the 22nd episode of the second season of Exosquad.

Summary

An attempt by the ExoFleet to covertly land e-frames on Mars to investigate a gigantic complex fails miserably, with most of the e-frames destroyed and pilots killed, because a spy tipped off the Neos to their arrival. That spy is Barca, who has Able Squad (the only survivors) captured, and proceeds to plot with Typhonus. The plan is to load a Neo ship, which Barca will claim to have captured, with explosives and then get it close enough to the Resolute II that it will be caught in the explosion. Hallas helps Able Squad escape, and the Neo ship destroys Barca's own ship rather than the Resolute II.

Synopsis

Click HERE of a detailed synopsis of "Fire Ship"

Quotes

• During Commander DeSoto's briefing on their mission:

DeSoto: "There's only one way to discover the extent and purpose of this installation.
Bronski: "Here it comes."
DeSoto: "We have to put people on the ground. A recon enforced with e-frames."
Bronski: "What'd I tell yah?"
DeSoto: "If we can get in and out fast enough we can accomplish the mission with minimum casualties."
Bronski: "One's too many, if you're the one."
Torres: "Swallow it, Bronski."

• When Thyphonus' Neo mega assistant warns that a traitor can change sides more than once, Typhonus responds,:

"All of Venus that Barca will see is a six-foot hole in the ground."

• When Hallas complains to Barca that he should decide Nara Burns' fate, since he was the one who captured her, Barca says,:

"Are you sure she hasn't captured you?"

• Nara Burns, as Hallas tries to get her out of the brig:

"Am I missing something, or weren't you the guy who got me in?"

Significant events, revelations, and other notes

• The title comes from the fire ship and the hellburners.
• In the below 3 episodes, the flagships are the only targets that truly matter. Once the flagship is destroyed, it is assumed or proven that the rest of the fleet will retreat.
  • "Miracle"
  • "Fire Ship"
  • "The Price of Courage"
• For all of the anti-Terran propaganda spoken by the Neosapien leadership, many of them have studied terran history.
  • “A Traitor Among Us”: the shuttle pilots ridicule beliefs such as the sun god and the Tooth Fairy.
  • “Mindset”: Marsala quotes Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (it should have been Georges Clemenceau).
  • “The Dream War”, “No Surrender”: Marsala and J.T. Marsh tell Sean Napier about Douglas MacArthur's “I came through and I shall return.” speech after his escape from the Philippines.
  • “Fire Ship”: Typhonus tells Barca the history of the fire ship and the hellburners.
  • “The Price of Courage”: Phaeton tells Shiva the story of Julius Caesar and his decision to cross the Rubicon River and march against the capital of Rome. Both Phaeton and Shiva say the quote “The die is cast.”
  • “The Art of War”: Livia sees art as useful for understanding Terran psychology and psychiatry.
  • “Fifth Column”, “Abandon Hope”: Phaeton’s bunker has the phrase “Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate” (“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”), which is from Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy”.
• Why is Barca still working for Phaeton? As seen in "Miracle" and "Fire Ship", he is promised Venus instead of Mars. However, Exofleet's victory at Venus and Phaeton's severe losses should have made him reconsider the military power of the Neosapien Commonwealth. Barca's motives seem to be more about personal hatred towards Simbacca and Exofleet than concern for the clans.
• In the opening minutes a Neo spy for the ExoFleet discovers a gigantic complex in the Martian desert. This is the first evidence that we ever see of an alien civilization in the series.
• As Typhonus said, "Phaeton has lost a spy." But Barca was more than just any spy. He had attained a high position, had a crew that supported him, and performed acts of sabotage as well as espionage. His loss was more of a blow to the Neo sapien cause than any Neo would likely admit.
• In this epsiode, we see that both sides in the war have informants.
• Hallas' injuries mean we don't see him for the rest of the war.
• Hallas finally stops following Barca.

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"