ROJ Episode 14 Notes

RETURN OF JETMAN

"Old Endings, New Beginnings"
(Episode 14)
Production Notes
by Christopher Elam
© 2011 Christopher Elam

 

Episode 14 - "Old Endings, New Beginnings" wrapped principal writing on August 31, 2003. The process of transcribing the rough draft was completed on October 2, 2003, and the final edits were finished on November 8, 2003. This was far longer than it took to complete any other installment of the ROJ series. In fact, the huge lead time I had built up during the process gradually dwindled to almost nothing, and I only put the final touches on this one with about a month to spare.

This story was intended to be sprawling and epic, and it is certainly the former. I can't help but feel today that it might be a bit bloated, but that is probably just hindsight. I tried to bring a certain degree of closure to all the threads instigated in the storyline, with varying success. The title is partially indicative of those mixed feelings - I really liked the finale I had crafted, but was acutely aware that I was essentially mirroring the end of the JETMAN TV series. Ergo, "Old Endings, New Beginnings" was my acknowledgment that I wasn't exactly being original in my wrap-up.

• This story is dedicated to Lewis Smith, the guy who originally created ROJ back in 1995. It's no exaggeration to say that the series would not exist without his numerous contributions in both story and art. I hope I have done his brainchild justice with my efforts.
  
  
  
• The business with the "secret origin" of the Chaos Coalition as revolutionaries was a seriously belated idea of mine that I am unsure worked. It was an attempt to inject some pathos into their plight, but it strikes me as a bit tacked-on now. The "Order Lords" as their adversaries was one of the more inspired bits here, and even that isn't much. The story could've probably benefited from losing this section entirely, but live and learn.
  
  
  
• Green Wyvern's hatred of outer space was first established in ROJ Ep. 3.
  
  
  
• "Turbo Lasers" is a reference to either TURBORANGER or STAR WARS. You decide.
  
  
  
• It had previously been established (as Etsuko notes) that Helldevil itself had no offensive capabilities, so the missile strike itself was bit out of left field. Making them "duds" seemingly added to the pointlessness, but there was an underlying method to this madness.
  
  
  
• Speaking of Etsuko, her knowledge of the ship was gained due to her captivity and mind link with Miira, as established in Ep. 12.
  
  
  
• The true nature of the second Red Kestrel was something I felt would be hidden from her, in order to make her more effective in her role. It seemed logical to me that the Chaos Coalition would create her from Etsuko's memories, rather than just making her up out of whole cloth. Remember, she didn't debut until after the Etsuko/Miira mind link. I also suspected she wouldn't take the news that she was basically a puppet very well.
  
  
  
• I staged a mecha battle inside a spaceship because Lewis really wanted to see something like that for the sheer novelty. That is a pretty good reason, I think.
  
  
  
• I will cop to the fact that the climactic finishing move in the Jet Daedalus/Victory Icarus mecha battle is...unlikely, at best. This is one of those instances where I chose what I thought was dramatic and cool over any other concerns. I have no regrets.
  
  
  
• The confrontation between Green Wyvern and Toranza is somewhat more brutal than average for the ROJ series. The intent was to underscore the personal hatred between the two. And as for Toranza's death wish...this was not something that was planned out from the start. It just made sense to me given the circumstances of his character being marginalized since Episode 8. But more on that shortly.
  
  
  
• "In fact, this is kind of where the game all started for me." - Green Wyvern's reference to the teleportation chamber here is a callback to her origin from Episode 2.
  
  
  
• I did like the notion that Green Wyvern could still be cold-blooded despite being "reformed". Denying Toranza's death wish and removing his visor (established in Ep. 3 as crucial to his revival) seemed a fitting coda to both characters' personal story arcs.
  

  I should also point out that in early drafts of this confrontation, the (logical) conclusion was that Toranza bought it. In fact, he really SHOULD have died with Red Hawk at the end of Ep. 8. However, I wanted to keep him around, despite his not having anything to do. That was what led to his subsequent use in a humiliating supporting role. I ultimately decided to put him back where I found him, so he could technically still be out there if I wanted to use him.
  
  
  

• The sequence with Lord Xenotos' final descent into madness and the killing of Hedes was one I roughed out back in the 1990s. I even used much of the same wording, which was a surprise since I didn't look at the original version until after the fact! I did need sufficient motivation for this to happen, and I think destroying his home planet would prove sufficient to send him over the top. And see? There really WAS an explanation for those "dud" missiles!
  
  
  
• I don't know why I decided I needed "Dystron Junior" in the story, but it proved to be an amusing detour for me. His name is influenced by the usage of "Junior" in Japanese sci-fi, which always strikes me as unintentionally hilarious. I was probably thinking of "Uchu Ninja Baltan Seijin Junior" from an Ultra series at the time.
  
  
  
• The funny thing about the Chaos Claw is that it was just something Lewis drew on Lord Xenotos because he thought it looked cool, without even bothering to give it a name. I decided that I should do something with it if it was there, and the duel with Ken was the first opportunity. I also christened it "Chaos Claw", because all Japanese sci-fi weapons must be named.
  
  
  
• Black Condor's super-overdramatic pronouncements prior to striking down Lord Xenotos are my attempt to capture the flavor of such battles in actual Japanese superhero shows. How'd I do?
  
  
  
• The name Xenotos Hakaijin ("Xenotos Destruction God") for Lord Xenotos' monster form was inspired by a tagline in the Japanese trailers for GODZILLA VS. SPACE GODZILLA. Seriously.
  
  
  
• Intercutting between the action and a countdown to the destruction of Helldevil was an experiment to try to up the ante of dramatic tension. It is perhaps a little forced, but I am relatively happy with the results.
  
  
  
• Given that this was the climactic story, it felt appropriate to find some resolution to the contentious Black Condor/Green Wyvern relationship. There are little moments throughout this last section that hint at mutual respect between the two. I'd say "affection" is pushing it.
  
  
  
• Similarly, I wanted to convey that Yellow Owl and Blue Swallow had both gained a confidence through Jetman that they had lacked when the series began. This is most obvious at the end.
  
  
  
• I now suspect Kei almost drowning is another instance where I was trying too hard to maximize the drama of this finale. Ditto for making the island the same place where Red Hawk had died.
  
  
  
• The Jetmen reverted to their civilian identities so I could have them transform one more time. You guessed that, right?
  
  
  
• I brought the Fire Bazooka back for one more round just so destroying it would prove that Xenotos Hakaijin was an impressive foe.
  
  
  
• Dragon Wyvern/God Wyvern returns for the first time since being shot down in Episode 8 (discounting the dream sequence in Ep. 9). I wanted to take this mecha out of circulation for a bit so that its reappearance here would be somewhat more memorable.
  
  
  
• Super God Icarus mode (Jet Icarus + God Wyvern) was one of those ideas I had in the mid-1990s, and it was not one that Lewis had originally conceived. To me, it felt like an inevitable culmination of how the robot issue was handled in ROJ. Saving it for the end did give it a certain degree of specialness that is often lacking in the crazy combinations seen in the real stuff. Plus, it provided a suitable explanation for Kei and Etsuko's work in the mecha hangar.
  

  The "Chojin Gattai!" command for Super God Icarus can be interpreted at least two ways. "Chojin" could mean "birdman" (as it does in the Jetman team name) or it could mean "super god" (a reference to the English name of the robot). This is one of the few times I pulled off a Japanese-style multi-level reference. Hold your applause, please.
  
  
  

• There was no logical reason why Super God Icarus had a time limit, other than for dramatic effect (and to mimic the many giant hero shows with timers). I just had to justify why it was a "last resort", and that was as good a reason as any.
  
  
  
• Are the weapon names "Sword of Judgment" and "Fire of Heaven" suitably divine-sounding? I was really laying it on thick by this time. Same goes for my clock deciding to start jumping randomly.
  
  
  
• The solution of Jetman channeling their energy through the mecha and using their combined lifeforce to defeat the big bad once and for all is hokey, but somehow fitting to me. I did throw that little twist in at the end about Super God Icarus losing power to emphasize the inherent message. It is pure sentai, and that is why I embrace it.
  
  
  
• Gohan and Reiko's wedding felt like the proper place to wrap the story. As I said, I was all too aware that this was the same situation that concluded JETMAN. I even included a nod to this fact in Jet Phoenix's dialogue.
  
  
  
• Toei is obviously the company that produces the super sentai series, while TV Asahi is the network that has broadcast the many shows since the beginning.
  
  
  
• The obvious choice would have been to have Ken and Etsuko rekindle their love affair at this wedding. That's exactly why I didn't do that. It felt more natural to leave them in a place where they might, but were still trying to feel their way around who they were.
  

  I did, however, change Ken and Etsuko in smaller ways (the eyeglasses, the hair) that reflected moments from the series. And then there are their occupations, which were not obvious at all. (The Rokumeikan Foundation was something hinted at in Ep. 2)
  
  
  

• The appearance by Mötorhead's "Ace of Spades" is because Lewis swears by that song.
  
  
  
• Jet Phoenix's alias "Shinsei Hinotori" is a pun. The "Hinotori" is derived from Hi no tori ("firebird"), a Japanese term for phoenix and the title of a famous manga by Osamu Tezuka. Meanwhile, "Shinsei" is an authentic Japanese name, but can mean "new life" if you use the right kanji. I am not sure the name is ever written that way, but that is a mere technicality for our purposes.
  
  
  
• Speaking of Phoenix, it was quite a switch to give him a happy ending after the original plan was to kill him off. Pairing him up with his longtime admirer Michiru just seemed like the perfect capper for his arc.
  
  
  
• The "akaitaka" in Akaitaka Technologies is Japanese for..."red hawk".
  
  
  
• The signal device had not been mentioned since Ep. 9.
  
  
  
• The group photo angle ending was something that just felt right for the conclusion of this series. It opens the door for many possibilities, especially with Shinsei/Phoenix's revelation of his true identity.
  
  
  
• The closing segment of the story is designed to emulate as closely as possible in prose form the traditional "series in review" type ending of the sentai series that inspired ROJ.
  

 

© Christopher Elam.