Episode Guide
The Macross Saga
Episode 18: Farewell, Big Brother
Rick Hunter comes out of his
delirium and spends a long time recovering form his wounds. He is quickly bored
with having so much time on his hands and so little to do. Lisa Hayes arrives to
visit Rick in the hospital. She is awkwardly apologetic and only stays for a
short time. Claudia Grant is the first to guess the reason for Lisa’s unusual
shyness and confronts her with the fact. Claudia knows Lisa’s in love with
Rick. Her advice? “Stop moping around and act like a woman.”
Zentraedi forces still under
Azonia’s command prepare a new attack. One of her best fighter pilots, a
strikingly beautiful woman named Miriya, takes Khyron to task because of his
inability to defeat the Micronians. Khyron advises caution: “Your ego is going
to become the cause of your ultimate destruction. Because you have never faced a
worthy opponent, you believe that you are something special, but take care,
Miriya – for there is one aboard the alien ship whom even you cannot best.”
Miriya is intrigued by the thought that there might be a fighter pilot better
than herself.
Roy Fokker visits with Lynn Minmei on the set of her first movie before he takes
off for battle. He is concerned about Rick Hunter’s depression and tries to
persuade Minmei to visit her friend. Minmei is as charming as usual. She knows
that if it weren’t for Rick, she wouldn’t be around to fulfill her dreams of
becoming a motion picture actress. She goes to visit Rick but is so exhausted
that she falls asleep across his bed.
Miriya leads the assault against the Veritech fighters. She searches for the
flying ace Khyron warned her about. Geared for conquest, she is especially
ruthless in her action. She discovers her primary foe in – Max Sterling!
Her pursuit of this one pilot becomes obvious to the bridge crew of the SDF-1
and Sterling is recalled from the fight, but Miriya follows Max into the ship
itself. They do battle on the streets of Macross City until an overhead hatch is
opened, forcing her away from her prey.
That evening, after the end of the battle, Roy Fokker visits with his fiancée,
Claudia Grant. As she prepares dinner, she tells him: “I don’t think you
realize how terrified I get every time you fly off on a combat mission. It’s
almost as if you pilots think that it’s all some kind of wonderful game that
you’re playing when you go up in those Veritechs.”
Roy responds, as if to himself: “It isn’t a game, Claudia…it has never
been a game.”
Claudia is amazed when Roy seems to pass out. She thinks he’s simply exhausted
form the fight, but when she cannot wake him, she suspects the worst. A doctor
explains later that when he was wounded in combat Fokker suffered internal
injuries and lost too much blood. It is a terrible tragedy. Fokker will be
sorely missed by his crew and his friends.
Lisa Hayes visits Rick Hunter to personally tell him of his “big
brother’s” death.
Next Episode: Bursting Point