Starship Operators

Starship Operators (スターシップ・オペレーターズ) is an anime series based upon science fiction novels written by Ryo Mizuno. The series, animated by J.C.Staff, was aired on TV Tokyo in Japan. Starship Operators is licensed in English in the United States by Geneon.

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 (アマテラス), they find that their home planet, Kibi, has been taken over by one of the Henrietta region's super powers, 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 super power, 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 (香月シノン)
 * Sinon is the main protagonist and executive officer of the Amaterasu. She is a brilliant strategist in combat, often providing CO Kanzaki with a voice of reason. She is also one of the most resistant in fighting with the "Amaterasu" against the kingdom. Sinon has some problems when is comes to understanding feelings and thus may appear cold.
 * Voiced by: Shizuka Itou (Japanese), Kelly Sheridan (English)

Alley Hisaka (氷坂アレイ)
 * Alley is quiet and reserved, and often handles the ship-to-ship communications. She is fighting to avenge the destruction of the Maizuru that her father commanded. This hatred results in her being one of the most driven members of the crew to the point of near recklessness at times.
 * Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe (Japanese), Paula Lindberg (English)

Miyuri Akisato (秋里ミユリ)
 * Miyuri is one of Sinon's close friends, and the chief astronomer. She joined the Defense Forces because the starships, in particular the Amaterasu, carry the best observatories in the galaxy. Miyuri has some of the best eyes on the ship and spends most of her free time observing the stars.
 * Voiced by: Masumi Asano (Japanese), Nicole Bouma (English)

Cisca Kanzaki (神崎キスカ)
 * The commanding officer of the Amaterasu. He is an excellent administrator but easily cracks under the pressures of battle. The only thing that prevents him from totally folding under the pressure at times is his pride as a man and officer. Captain Kanzaki is slightly pessimistic but he and the others use that nature to find flaws in combat plans and ways of improving the plans for maximum efficiency. Cisca is considered to be one of the leaders by the Kingdom. He was one of the two people on the ship that is aware that someone else is pulling the strings behind the scenes.
 * Voiced by: Yukimasa Obi (Japanese), Andy Toth (English)

Secondary (Fire Control) Bridge
Operator uniform color: orange

Sanri Wakana (若菜サンリ)
 * The shy daughter of the president of a Kibi corporation called "Wakana Rare Metals". She has a two year crush on Takai Kiryu but has not acted on it all.
 * Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese), Ashleigh Ball (English)

Imari Kamiya (神谷イマリ)
 * Although she is one of the youngest members on board, she acts as the crew's "big sister".
 * Voiced by: Yuko Kaida (Japanese), Laura Drummond (English)

Yukino Nanase (七瀬ユキノ)
 * A short cadet who is cheerful and lackadaisical.
 * Voiced by: Satomi Arai (Japanese), Tabitha St. Germain (English)

Takai Kiryu (桐生タカイ)
 * The fire control chief, and commander of the second bridge. Nicknamed the "King of Fighters" among the cadets, he is also an accomplished marksman. A very laid back young man with a strong will that doesn't give into peer pressure and doesn't believe that others should either, thus he gets frustrated with the other crew members who feel forced into staying on the ship. Takai also lost a father on the Guard Ship Maizuru but rather than fighting for vengeance like Alley Hisaka, he is more concerned about the justice of the Kingdom’s actions and uses the battles as a form of protest.  Takai is considered third in command of the ship even though he directly states that he is unsuted for full leadership.
 * Voiced by: Masayuki Katou (Japanese), Kirby Morrow (English)

Tertiary (Conning) Bridge
Operator uniform color: red

Akiho Maya (摩耶アキホ)
 * An easygoing cadet who has a good sense of humor.
 * Voiced by: Atsuko Enomoto (Japanese), Leah Breen (English)

Renna Satomi (里見レンナ)
 * Text-message pals with Sinon, but an otherwise quiet young woman. Renna is an agent of Kibi Intelligence that was to keep and eye on the ship. She dies from gunshots from soldiers while on the planet of Shu. Renna desperately wanted to be a full member of the crew but was unable to due to her job as spy.
 * Voiced by: Yuu Asakawa (Japanese), Holly Eccleston (English)

Rio Mamiya (間宮リオ)
 * She is from a family of diplomats and politicians, and brought her uncle, former Kibi Prime Minister Tatsuma Mamiya, on board as head of the government-in-exile. She is a very politically intelligent woman who at times acts as the public face of the crew.  Rio is one of the two people who knows that someone else is pulling the strings behind the scenes.  While she puts on a strong face, Rio is afraid of dying in the fighting.  She only ever allows this vulnerability to be shown around Cisca Kanzaki.  She was head of the debate team while in the academy.
 * Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese), Anna Cummer (English)

Shinto Mikami (三上シント)
 * The navigation control chief, and commander of the third bridge. In addition to being the helmsman of the Amaterasu, Shinto also pilots the Amaterasu's small shuttle, and is among the best flight controllers in the Defense Forces. He was given officer status due to his high grades and the fact he is one of the few males on the ship. That was done for the Network.  Shinto's piloting skills have allowed him to save a number of his fellow crew's lives.
 * Voiced by: Tomohiro Tsuboi (Japanese), Michael Coleman (English)

Other Amaterasu Crew Members
Operator uniform color: purple

Shimei Yuuki
 * A child prodigy, he holds mathematics and theoretical physics degrees at the age of 15. He is also the systems administrator of the AESOP computer, and is the only commissioned officer who remained on board the Amaterasu. Shimei spends most of his time away from the rest of the crew because of the need to work in a sealed room with AESOP.  He always seems to smile even when in the face of imminent doom.
 * Voiced by: Miyu Irino (Japanese), Samuel Vincent (English)

Minase Shinohara
 * The ship's only medical staff, who was a trainee during the shakedown cruise. She is highly pressed for her medical skills.
 * Voiced by: Yu Kobayashi (Japanese), Rebecca Shoichet (English)

Sei Ogino
 * The ship's supply chief, and an expert economist.
 * Voiced by: Kaori Shimizu (Japanese), Sylvia Zaradic (English)

Kouki Sakakibara
 * The chief engineer of the Amaterasu. He is nicknamed Oyassan (Old Man) by fellow crew mates, to his annoyance. Kouki does his best to keep the engineering crew from panicking but due to the high demand for his level of skill, the chief engineer can not always break up every dispute.  Kouki tries to act like a father to the young crew, especially Sinon.
 * Voiced by: Shinji Kawada (Japanese), Brian Drummond (English)

Henrietta Planetary Alliance
Admiral Dul Elroy
 * The commanding officer of the Alliance heavy cruiser Conquistador. He is the first to start treating the Amaterasu as a real threat while his constitutions cannot see beyond the fact that the Amaterasu’s is made up of mostly children.  The Admiral believes that only a three to one advantage over the Amaterasu will have a chance of beating the warship and it’s cunning crew. Elroy was responsible for sinking the Shenlong.  While he is an officer of the Alliance, this man is willing to directly challenge orders if they go in the face of destroying the Amaterasu.
 * Voiced by: Hiroshi Matsumoto (Japanese), Michael Dobson (English)

Hans Georg Hermann
 * An intelligence officer in the Alliance military.
 * Voiced by: Kan Tanaka (Japanese), Alec Willows (English)

Civilians
Dita Mirkov
 * The enthusiastic reporter for the Galaxy Network reality show Starship Channel. She starts to sympathize with the crew and at times forgets that she isn’t officially part of the crew itself.
 * Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame (Japanese), Rebecca Shoichet (English)

Peter Spikes
 * The cynical, sarcastic producer for Starship Channel that heads the show and provided funds for the ship. He cares more about the ratings then the lives of the crew and only cares about the show.
 * Voiced by: Tomoyuki Shimura (Japanese), Paul Dobson (English)

President Rau
 * Voiced by: Hiroshi Ito
 * Voiced by: Hiroshi Ito

Ships

 * Amaterasu - 3rd Freedom Guard Ship, Kibi Planetary Nation
 * (name origin: Amaterasu, Chief Shinto deity)
 * CO: Cisca Kanzaki
 * XO: Shinon Kouzuki
 * Crew: 46
 * Length: 310 m
 * Width: 105 m
 * Primary Armament: 4600 mm Plasma Cannon
 * Secondary Armament: Torpedoes/Missiles
 * Tertiary Armament: one "Revolver" - 5 chamber LASER cannon, one Pulse LASER, one Plasma Coil Gun
 * Defensive Munitions: Anti-Laser Defensive Systems
 * Kasumi - Magnetic wave reflection plate
 * (from kasumi (霞) is the Japanese word for "misty")
 * Ikasumi - Magnetic wave absorption fiber
 * Armor: Hotaru Heat Protection Plates
 * Sensor: Kamioka - Neutrino emission Sensor
 * (origin: Kamioka Observatory)
 * Onboard AI: AESOP (Artificial Encephalon System by Optical Processor)
 * Propulsion: 2 main thruster
 * 6 sub thruster
 * Max acceleration 5+ G (with aux boosters)


 * Trafalgar - 21st Battleship (Destroyer Class), Henrietta Alliance (15:50 Ep 2)
 * (name origin: Battle of Trafalgar, British naval victory over combined French and Spanish fleets, 1805)
 * CO: Captain Joseph Meyer
 * Primary Armament: LASER cannons
 * Defensive Armament: 10000 mm Plasma cannon
 * Destroyed: EP 2


 * Maizuru - 2nd Freedom Guard Ship, Kibi Planetary Nation (07:52 Ep 3)
 * (name origin: Maizuru 舞鶴, JMSDF Western District fleet headquarters)
 * CO: Captain Hisaka Jin
 * Destroyed: EP 1


 * Aboukir - Stealth Ship, Henrietta Alliance (7:30 Ep 4)
 * (name origin: Battle of Aboukir Bay, Japanese name for Battle of the Nile British naval victory over French fleet, 1798)
 * CO: Admiral Ricardo Fares
 * Destroyed: EP 4


 * Actium - Stealth Ship, Henrietta Alliance
 * (name origin: Battle of Actium, Gaius Octavius' victory over Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra, 31 BC)
 * Primary Armament: LASER Cannon
 * Defenses: Invisible to active and passive sensors
 * Destroyed: EP 12


 * Solomon - Flagship, Henrietta Alliance
 * (name origin: Battles of the Solomons Sea, Japanese name for naval battles around Guadalcanal, 1942)
 * CO: Fleet Admiral August Perry
 * Appeared in novel


 * Shenlong - Battleship, Shu Planetary Nation, (12:35 EP 7)
 * (name origin: Shenlong, a spiritual dragon from Chinese myth or a style of Kung Fu)
 * CO: Captain Wong
 * Primary Armament: 1 Plasma Cannon
 * Secondary Armaments: 4 missiles
 * Tertiary Armaments: 4 pulse lasers, 2 pulse beams
 * Propulsion: 1 main thruster
 * 2 sub thrusters
 * Max Acceleration: 7 G
 * Destroyed: EP 8


 * Conquistador - Heavy Cruiser, Henrietta Alliance, Gordova Planetary Nation (13:03 EP 7)
 * (name origin: Conquistador, a term used for Spanish explorer-soldiers during Spanish conquest of Americas)
 * CO: Admiral Dulle Elroy
 * Primary Armament: 1x 4000 calibre Plasma Cannon
 * Secondary Armament: 1x 300PM class LASER Cannon
 * Propulsion: 2 Main thrusters
 * 8 sub-thrusters
 * Max Acceleration: 10 G
 * Destroyed: EP 13


 * Lissa (Dragonfly) - Warship (Skipper Class), Henrietta Alliance (13:10 EP 7)
 * (name origin: Battle of Lissa, Austrian naval victory over Italians, 1866)
 * CO: Captain Harrel Naja
 * Primary Armament: Lisa2 - Assault Module (pulse laser), capable of precision short-warp
 * Propulsion: 1 Main thruster
 * 4 sub-thrusters
 * Max acceleration: 8 G
 * Destroyed: EP 11


 * Leyte (Hammerhead) - Armored Battleship (Corvette Class), Henrietta Alliance (13:28 EP 7)
 * (name origin: Battle of Leyte, Japanese name for Battle of Leyte Gulf, US naval victory 1944)
 * CO: Captain Yun-suk Lee
 * Primary Armament: 4 Separating turrets (1 plasma cannon, 3 laser cannons)
 * Propulsion: 1 Main thruster
 * 4 sub-thrusters
 * Max Acceleration: 7 G
 * Destroyed: EP 8


 * Mariana (Hedgehog) - High Speed Warship (Frigate Class), Henrietta Alliance (13:35 EP 7)
 * (name origin: Battle of the Marianas, Japanese name for Battle of the Philippines Sea, US naval victory 1944)
 * CO: Admiral Louis Belmont
 * Primary Armaments: 4 LASER Cannons
 * Propulsion: 2 main thrusters
 * 6 sub-thrusters
 * Max Acceleration: 9.5 G
 * Destroyed: EP 11


 * Levant, Recon Ship, Henrietta Alliance (19:27 EP 9)
 * (name origin: Battle of the Levant, Japanese name for Battle of Navarino where an Allied fleet defeated the Turkish fleet 1827)
 * CO: Captain Tiet Langa
 * Incapacitated: EP 11


 * Earth Federation Warship (EP 12)
 * Primary Armament: 4 LASER Cannons


 * Unknown Henrietta Alliance warship (EP 1)
 * Primary Armaments: 1 Railgun

also had a refinery for making ammunition out of Asteroid
 * Destroyed: EP 1

Additional info - First names of ship captains from

Organizations

 * Henrietta Alliance of Planetary Nations (ヘンリエッタ星域惑星国家同盟)
 * Militaristic alliance of nations within Henrietta region of known space. It has forced several neighbouring planetary nations into submission, and after securing nonagression treaties, purchases their weaponry at ridiculous bargains. Because of such practices, this alliance is nicknamed the "Kingdom".


 * Planetary Nation of Kibi
 * Home of crew of Amaterasu. Currently has a pacifist administration. Surrenders to Henrietta Alliance after destruction of 2nd Guard Ship, Maizuru.


 * Planetary Nation of Shu
 * Government which used to be closer to Henrietta Alliance before the Amaterasu incidents. The Amaterasu and its crew have many fans in Planet Shu.


 * Galaxy Network
 * Large media corporation that finances the purchase of the Amaterasu and its crew's fight against the Henrietta Alliance, by creating a reality show based on it. Starship Channel broadcasting is based in Hollywood.


 * Arima General Industrial (AGI) Corp.
 * Large conglomerate that is equivalent to today's Boeing, and the company that developed and built the Amaterasu. AGI also acts as an intermediary for sale of military hardware.


 * Henrietta Independent Federation (ヘンリエッタ星域自治連合)
 * Alliance of planetary nations that competes for power with the Kingdom.
 * Appeared in novel.


 * Earth Federation
 * A political power centered on Earth, rivalling or surpassing in power all others.

Places
(name origin: Kingdom of Kibi, 4th century western Japanese kingdom that acted as cultural bridge between Korea and Yamato, conquered by Buyeo invaders) 
 * Kibi
 * Home planet of Amaterasu and its crew.

(name origin: ancient Phoenicia, located north of the Canaan, enterprising maritime culture, conquered by Persia)
 * Phoenicia
 * Neutral system where Amaterasu sought temporary sanctuary. It is located near Kiba.

(name origin: Shu (state), one of major states during China's warring states era, conquered by Qin)
 * Shu
 * Planet of origin for Captain Wong and Shenlong

(name origin: Cordoba, Spain, Spanish city conquered by Moors)
 * Gordova
 * Planet of origin for the Conquistador and its original crew.

(name origin: Palmyra, Ancient Syrian city, conquered by Romans)
 * Palmia
 * Location of Arima General Industry (AGI) Headquarter

Theme songs
Opening theme
 * Radiance
 * by Mami Kawada
 * arranged by Tomoyuki Nakazawa

Ending theme
 * Chi ni Kaeru ~on the Earth~
 * by Kotoko
 * arranged by Yoichi Shimada

Staff

 * Director - Takashi Watanabe
 * Screenplay - Yoshiko Tomizawa
 * Music - Kenji Kawai
 * Original Work - Ryo Mizuno
 * Character Design - Fumio Matsumoto
 * Mech Design - Kimitoshi Matsumoto
 * Sound Director - Toru Nakano

Japanese Companies

 * Geneon Entertainment, Inc.: - Production
 * J.C.Staff - Animation Production
 * MediaWorks - Production
 * TV Tokyo - Broadcaster/Production