So I recently got into ExoSquad, I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about this show and finally decided to try and track down some eps about a week back and I’ve just finished watching the whole series all the way through. I was up to almost 5:00 AM last night because I just couldn’t sleep with only the last few eps to go. It truly is a fantastically gripping series.
For those who are unfamiliar with the show, ExoSquad was basically WWII In Space! The series was set in the early 22nd century and chronicled a solar system wide conflict between Humanity and the Neo-Sapiens, a race of genetically engineered slaves originally created to aid in the colonisation and terraforming of Venus and Mars. By the time of the series pilot one Neo-Sapien uprising had already been brutally put down by Earth 50 years previously and Man and Neo have been at a begrudging but seemingly stable peace ever since.
Little does anyone suspect that Phaeton, the charismatic, megalomaniacal leader of the Neo-Sapiens and governor of Mars, has been secretly amassing an army with which to conqueror mankind once and for all. Phaeton seizes his opportunity while Earth’s main line of defence, the Exo-Fleet is occupied hunting pirates in the outer solar system. Phaeton’s forces strike without hesitation or mercy, quickly overwhelming the defences of both Earth and Venus. With the core worlds under Pheaton’s control, it’s up to the ExoFleet to somehow liberate humanity while there’s still a humanity left.
This is probably the best and most realistic depiction of war in western animation I’ve ever seen. Even with the inevitable constraints of S&P, the show wasn’t afraid to tackle the cruel and senseless nature of war. Not everybody makes it to the series finale and it’s made very clear from the start that Pheaton’s plans for humanity go far beyond mere conquest. He’s out for nothing less then the complete and utter genocide of the human race.
Speaking of Phaeton, he is by far my favourite character on the show. I don’t know what that says about me since he’s basically Space Hitler. Normally, I roll my eyes whenever someone starts pulling Nazi comparisons out of their butts, but in Phaeton’s case it’s entirely justified. Everything about his character arc from his start as a lowly grunt in the first Neo-Sapien revolt, to his rise to power upon the anger and despair of the Neo-Sapiens, to his final act of suicidal nihilism in a secret underground bunker mirrors the life of history’s most hated man so eerily. In much the same way, the overall plot of the series mirrors the event off WWII. In fact the whole series is littered with historical references, from Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon to the Battle of Gettysburg. The whole series draws from military history in much the same way Gargoyles drew from Shakespeare and world mythology.
I believe the first season is out on DVD and the entire series is up on hulu.com. I’d heartily recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a good sci-fi ‘toon.
For those who are unfamiliar with the show, ExoSquad was basically WWII In Space! The series was set in the early 22nd century and chronicled a solar system wide conflict between Humanity and the Neo-Sapiens, a race of genetically engineered slaves originally created to aid in the colonisation and terraforming of Venus and Mars. By the time of the series pilot one Neo-Sapien uprising had already been brutally put down by Earth 50 years previously and Man and Neo have been at a begrudging but seemingly stable peace ever since.
Little does anyone suspect that Phaeton, the charismatic, megalomaniacal leader of the Neo-Sapiens and governor of Mars, has been secretly amassing an army with which to conqueror mankind once and for all. Phaeton seizes his opportunity while Earth’s main line of defence, the Exo-Fleet is occupied hunting pirates in the outer solar system. Phaeton’s forces strike without hesitation or mercy, quickly overwhelming the defences of both Earth and Venus. With the core worlds under Pheaton’s control, it’s up to the ExoFleet to somehow liberate humanity while there’s still a humanity left.
This is probably the best and most realistic depiction of war in western animation I’ve ever seen. Even with the inevitable constraints of S&P, the show wasn’t afraid to tackle the cruel and senseless nature of war. Not everybody makes it to the series finale and it’s made very clear from the start that Pheaton’s plans for humanity go far beyond mere conquest. He’s out for nothing less then the complete and utter genocide of the human race.
Speaking of Phaeton, he is by far my favourite character on the show. I don’t know what that says about me since he’s basically Space Hitler. Normally, I roll my eyes whenever someone starts pulling Nazi comparisons out of their butts, but in Phaeton’s case it’s entirely justified. Everything about his character arc from his start as a lowly grunt in the first Neo-Sapien revolt, to his rise to power upon the anger and despair of the Neo-Sapiens, to his final act of suicidal nihilism in a secret underground bunker mirrors the life of history’s most hated man so eerily. In much the same way, the overall plot of the series mirrors the event off WWII. In fact the whole series is littered with historical references, from Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon to the Battle of Gettysburg. The whole series draws from military history in much the same way Gargoyles drew from Shakespeare and world mythology.
I believe the first season is out on DVD and the entire series is up on hulu.com. I’d heartily recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a good sci-fi ‘toon.