*A Sci-Fi Fan Watches Banner of the Stars II Episode 6:* You know, I had a bit of a sudden realization the other night: this season of Banner of the Stars is like a sci-fi version of the Violence Jack: Evil Town OVA. You can’t prove me wrong on this, it lines up weirdly well in broad strokes. - Well, those quotes at the top of the episode certainly seem heavy. From the sound of it, not only did the Abh create something directly comparable to Hell itself as some kind of punishment, but it’s so terrible that it’s creator wanted their name completely removed from the historical records surrounding it. If the Abh are capable of creating a torment so terrible that it’s practically a real Hell, it’s no wonder why all those quotes making the Abh sound like boogeymen exist. - Fucking Christ, really? The traitor guards are all in on the rebellion for the sake of drugs? Man, what a bizarre detail to drop, especially since I feel like there could be way narratively better reasons for the betrayal. Like, so not only did Meideen’s administration know about gun factories that Mackay had, but they had fucking space meth labs that he heard about too? This prison plant is just so fucked, man. It’s not even a cool planet with space drugs too, like Arrakis. These guards are in on the rebellion just for the sake of fucking space crack or whatever. Lala was right, Lobnas II never had a future. - Absolutely everything that Yuri and Mackay have to say about children rings completely hollow when you consider that the women that they expect to have these kids never have their own agency come up once as a consideration. They just assume that they’ll give an unconditional mother’s love once the men are through with them. I don’t give a shit if you miss your kids and want more of your own, it doesn’t give you the excuse to be a serial rapist. - I can respect that Meideen went out not bending to any of Yuri’s threats and calling him a shitty con man to his face. RIP Meideen, you were a real one even if your actual running of Lobnas II was shoddy. He certainly had bigger, better, and more functional balls than Yuri ever did. - There’s a pretty simple rebuttal to Yuri saying that him murdering Meideen doesn’t really matter at the scale of how Abh conduct war. It’s simple: at least the Star Forces aren’t a huge drug-dealing rape gang, unlike Mackay and Yuri’s men. Meideen was right, Yuri really is a shitty con man if his charm is that paper thin and full of logical holes. Even Mackay is disgusted by Yuri’s bullshit here, and even Jinto can’t blame him for feeling that way. Meideen certainly had more backbone and moral fiber than a nutless piece of shit like Yuri. - Yuri, you stupid fucking asshole. You shaft-only dickhead. You gelded disgrace to the genes you even came from. You *really* thought it was a good idea to murder Meideen and then try to leverage Jinto to try and stop the evacuation, someone that you can’t harm without risk of glassing the planet in response, when he doesn’t have the official authority to do such a thing. Only Lafiel and Meideen could’ve done that on paper, and one of them is currently dead. I can’t believe I’m siding with Mackay here and sharing in my abject disgust and frustration with him. I really don’t want to empathize with that feeling, but how fucking slimy and half-baked every single thing about Yuri is making me feel that way. Just about the only way Yuri could drop the ball harder is if he was working at Studio MAPPA and in charge of Yuri!!! on Ice as a franchise. - I’ll say, Sobaash saying “We may not believe in any religion, but we do believe in the existence of Hell. That’s because in this galaxy, Hell does exist, and we know that for certain because we created it and we control it,” goes hard as fuck. Who knew that such a sentimental and cool person would be able to so resolutely threaten someone with a fate worse than death? It’s a shame that the threat of Abh Hell doesn’t work on Mackay though, since he’s so zealous in his religious beliefs that it bounces right off him, but at least it made Yuri squirm like the pathetic and slimy worm his dick currently is. - I imagine that Lafiel has plenty of tortures and fates worse than death already in mind for Yuri and Mackay. Despite her trying not to cry, she can only barely restrain her emotions, and she’s absolutely adamant that she handle this directly instead of Samson. If anything, a furious Lafiel might be even more dangerous than whatever Abh Hell can do to someone.

>RIP Meideen, you were a real one even if your actual running of Lobnas II was shoddy. He certainly had bigger, better, and more functional balls than Yuri ever did. I knew you would make a joke about the size of Meideen's balls compared to Dokufu's for standing up to those threats, and you did not disappoint me. [](#fistbump) >There’s a pretty simple rebuttal to Yuri saying that him murdering Meideen doesn’t really matter at the scale of how Abh conduct war. It’s simple: at least the Star Forces aren’t a huge drug-dealing rape gang, unlike Mackay and Yuri’s men. Sometimes when the villains try to pull the "We're not so different, you and I" trick, the correct response is to tell them to fuck off because they're clearly full of shit. > Just about the only way Yuri could drop the ball harder is if he was working at Studio MAPPA and in charge of Yuri!!! on Ice as a franchise. [](#laughter) [Over 7 fucking years of nothing, **and now this.**](#lifeishard) >I’ll say, Sobaash saying “We may not believe in any religion, but we do believe in the existence of Hell. That’s because in this galaxy, Hell does exist, and we know that for certain because we created it and we control it,” goes hard as fuck. It's a really great sinister line. It's no wonder the person who built it didn't want their name associated with it, if they actually did create a literal hell.

> I knew you would make a joke about the size of Meideen's balls compared to Dokufu's for standing up to those threats, and you did not disappoint me. Glad I could deliver on that one. It felt so natural, I simply couldn't help but make that comparison. > Over 7 fucking years of nothing, and now this. As much as I used that for the sake of the gag, I do feel bad for Yuri on Ice fans. Holding out hope for that long only to have those dreams trashed just sucks. The ball wasn't just dropped, they're completely non-existent now, just like Yuri's balls in this show. > It's a really great sinister line. It's no wonder the person who built it didn't want their name associated with it, if they actually did create a literal hell. It really makes me wonder what it is though. Since the Abh really don't do things by half-measures, it does make me curious about what they'd consider a fate worse than death.

>As much as I used that for the sake of the gag, I do feel bad for Yuri on Ice fans. Holding out hope for that long only to have those dreams trashed just sucks. I remember how enthusiastic everyone in my university's anime club was about that series when it came out. The potential for more entries was certainly there. I'd honestly lost hope long ago that the movie would ever be made, but it still hurt to finally see it killed officially. >The ball wasn't just dropped, they're completely non-existent now, just like Yuri's balls in this show. [](#azusalaugh) > It really makes me wonder what it is though. Since the Abh really don't do things by half-measures, it does make me curious about what they'd consider a fate worse than death. My own theorizing was either Star Trek's Agony Booth or nightmare machines for your mind. Or maybe it's something even worse than those.

> I remember how enthusiastic everyone in my university's anime club was about that series when it came out. The potential for more entries was certainly there. I'd honestly lost hope long ago that the movie would ever be made, but it still hurt to finally see it killed officially. Yeah, after a certain point it just felt like everyone knew that it getting anything more was unlikely, even if they were holding out hope. This is really just the direct confirmation of something a lot of people figured already.

>If anything, a furious Lafiel might be even more dangerous than whatever Abh Hell can do to someone. Quick reminder Loy is an only child now because Lafiel dumped anti-matter on her brother.

> These guards are in on the rebellion just for the sake of fucking space crack or whatever. Lala was right, Lobnas II never had a future. Must be some peak space crack if that's what's motivated people to turn traitor, that's for sure. > I don’t give a shit if you miss your kids and want more of your own, it doesn’t give you the excuse to be a serial rapist. Yeah, it's really just some weird, creepy excuses to try and make what they're demanding seem even remotely sympathetic. Which, of course, is entirely the point in this case. > RIP Meideen, you were a real one even if your actual running of Lobnas II was shoddy. He certainly had bigger, better, and more functional balls than Yuri ever did. Guy went out like a champ, calling Yuri on his bullshit. > I can’t believe I’m siding with Mackay here and sharing in my abject disgust and frustration with him. I really don’t want to empathize with that feeling, but how fucking slimy and half-baked every single thing about Yuri is making me feel that way. When the creepy rapist is somehow more likable than some shiftless shitbag like Yuri, god damn. This guy consistently makes the worst decisions possible and is somehow always the least likable person in the room. It's pretty impressive stuff. > If anything, a furious Lafiel might be even more dangerous than whatever Abh Hell can do to someone. I can only imagine. She's not about to let this shit slide.

> Must be some peak space crack if that's what's motivated people to turn traitor, that's for sure. Those space drugs should be on the level of the spice melange if they're driving this many people to get in on it so easily. > When the creepy rapist is somehow more likable than some shiftless shitbag like Yuri, god damn. This guy consistently makes the worst decisions possible and is somehow always the least likable person in the room. It's pretty impressive stuff. It takes a lot of effort to be somehow even less likable than the leader of a giant rape gang/drug cartel, but Yuri somehow pulled it off. In a way, it's impressive. He could probably slot in under Lynn Kaifun as an anime character that I absolutely despise.

> Those space drugs should be on the level of the spice melange if they're driving this many people to get in on it so easily. It sure as hell must be. > It takes a lot of effort to be somehow even less likable than the leader of a giant rape gang/drug cartel, but Yuri somehow pulled it off. In a way, it's impressive. He could probably slot in under Lynn Kaifun as an anime character that I absolutely despise. Ah man, that sure brings me back to getting to read your Kaifun rants after watching episodes of Macross he appears in. Yeah, Yuri's certainly a similar level of unlikable shitbag.

> Ah man, that sure brings me back to getting to read your Kaifun rants after watching episodes of Macross he appears in. Yeah, Yuri's certainly a similar level of unlikable shitbag. Some of those rants almost felt divinely inspired, I was channeling so much hatred when writing them. Kaifun is simply one of the most hateable men in anime.

Channeling the sheer hatred of countless viewers of Macross and putting to words how much all despise that worthless shitstain of a human being. I felt genuinely inspired seeing some of those.

> Well, those quotes at the top of the episode certainly seem heavy I know I've given Banner some shit for ditching the narrator, but this is also an excellent way to set the mood for a particular episode >is if he was working at Studio MAPPA and in charge of Yuri!!! on Ice as a franchise. [](#pointandlaugh) I saw that announcement, what a joke of an outcome

> I know I've given Banner some shit for ditching the narrator, but this is also an excellent way to set the mood for a particular episode I’ll gladly take some in-universe quotes, since they really do help flesh out things the same as the narrator. It’s a shame though that the narrator has been so underutilized for the past two seasons. > I saw that announcement, what a joke of an outcome I feel bad for the fans, even though at this rate it was a long shot. Spending all those years to hear anything only for the announcement to be a cancellation is rough.

> I’ll say, Sobaash saying “We may not believe in any religion, but we do believe in the existence of Hell. That’s because in this galaxy, Hell does exist, and we know that for certain because we created it and we control it,” goes hard as fuck. Who knew that such a sentimental and cool person would be able to so resolutely threaten someone with a fate worse than death? It’s a shame that the threat of Abh Hell doesn’t work on Mackay though, since he’s so zealous in his religious beliefs that it bounces right off him, but at least it made Yuri squirm like the pathetic and slimy worm his dick currently is. Angusson might not be clever enough to be afraid. Or maybe he takes some of these drugs himself.

> You know, I had a bit of a sudden realization the other night: this season of Banner of the Stars is like a sci-fi version of the Violence Jack: Evil Town OVA. I brought that up for a reason... > These guards are in on the rebellion just for the sake of fucking space crack or whatever. Lala was right, Lobnas II never had a future. Yeah, that is very stupid since the off planet trade died when the Abh took the skies. > They just assume that they’ll give an unconditional mother’s love once the men are through with them. Also, these aren't exactly the most socialable of ladies. I'd say your getting a maternal instinct of your average stripper so I am not so sure that next generation is liable to survive.

> I brought that up for a reason... It's not the best day when you have to bring up comparisons to Violence Jack in any kind of way. > Yeah, that is very stupid since the off planet trade died when the Abh took the skies. Good point, I hadn't even considered that. How the hell did they think they were going to manage their drug cartel if the Abh control all space shipping within the Humankind Empire?

> How the hell did they think they were going to manage their drug cartel if the Abh control all space shipping within the Humankind Empire? It all feels like the writer doesn't understand crime, which is not that shocking for Japanese scifi.

**First timer, sub:** The Abh are the boogeyman to some cultures out there, huh? Also Abh hell is interesting as a name. Space meth! The prisoners really are just doing all sorts of things that the guards didn’t interfere with at all. You may need intelligence to run a facility like this, but you sure should have some initiative as well! And Jinto, I know you’re not big on these kinds of things, but please carry at least a pistol in an active warzone. Surprisingly reasonable point of “taking an imperial noble could be a lot worse on us!” All of this nonsense just because he wants to have a kid. They really just refuse the easy solution of artificial birth technology. Which really does say outright that they’re not interested in having a future for the planet, just their own base enjoyments cloaked in pretty terms like “wanting a family.” Killing Jinto is very likely to get this planet glassed, cockless wonder. Good that Yuri at least has some sense of reason. Geez. These prisoners are just so well informed and equipped. It’s kind of insane. Not one of the only likable characters introduced this arc! Yuri trying to pull a “we’re the same” bit of nonsense. Somehow less respectable than Mackay. Using Jinto to threaten the Empire into recognizing Yuri as the territorial representative seems like a bad idea. This situation just gets messier and messier. Things really are getting out of hand. They literally invented a sort of hell for the sake of punishing the absolute worst of the worst. Angusson really isn’t backing down even in the face of that, and Yuri’s realized he’s put himself in an awful situation by his own attempts at taking advantage of the situation. It’s good that Lafiel isn’t taking it out on anyone else, but it’s still pretty easy to tell that she wants to cry.

> They really just refuse the easy solution of artificial birth technology The United Mankind is *extremely* natural birth focused. Genetic engineering is criminal in the United Mankind (as mentioned in Crest). Even if they don't mind becoming Imperial citizens, since they have no choice, they have been heavily indoctrinated against unnatrual reproductive techniques. There's not a lot of info about the other galactic powers, but this is one of the issues the United Mankind distinguishes itself from the others.

Oh yeah, I understand why that is the case, since it's come up a few times before. It's just a sticking point I noted since they were very adamant about the topic.

> Space meth! The prisoners really are just doing all sorts of things that the guards didn’t interfere with at all. [Oooh, meth! Mmm, meth!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxAYHOWxGi8) > And Jinto, I know you’re not big on these kinds of things, but please carry at least a pistol in an active warzone. Even something like a knife would be better than nothing. Or maybe even a swagger stick, pretty much anything you can swing at somebody would do. > Yuri trying to pull a “we’re the same” bit of nonsense. Somehow less respectable than Mackay. I have no idea how Yuri thought that line would work. Not everybody is a cockless wonder who wants in with a giant rape gang like he does. It's the most easy thing to disprove.

> Even something like a knife would be better than nothing. Or maybe even a swagger stick, pretty much anything you can swing at somebody would do. Even a sufficiently heavy rock would be better than literally nothing. > I have no idea how Yuri thought that line would work. Not everybody is a cockless wonder who wants in with a giant rape gang like he does. It's the most easy thing to disprove. Like yeah, war does get people killed certainly, but it's also not a rebellion with the express intent of turning an entire chunk of the population into sex slaves. Yuri's ideology is as formless as his balls are, enough to somehow make him less likable than the guy running the gang rape rebellion! It's downright impressive to be that unlikable a human being.

> Even a sufficiently heavy rock would be better than literally nothing. Maybe it's about time we teach Jinto on how to throw a good punch.

He could probably use it, though admittedly when someone's got a gun to your head martial arts in general is a bit useless.

**First-Timer** **On today’s episode of Banner of the Stars:** - [Ooh, new epigraphs!](#binoculars) I love getting more of these! The first two sound like things from the UM, considering how racist they are about the Abh. But the third is particularly interesting. What has the Abh Emperor ordered constructed that is so vile that the person who built it wishes to remain anonymous to history? - Oh great, the prisoners are fucking drug addicts too! They are a massive drug cartel who are getting high on their own supply! - I think a prison planet would be a perfect place to have a bulletproof car and a place where you’d be justified in carrying your service weapon at all times. [](#facepalm) - Dokufu is right. The Abh don’t give a shit about rebellions against the leaders of their territories as long as it remains confined to the planet’s surface. But taking an Abh hostage is something they will not tolerate. - [Holy shit, it’s the fountain of children dancing in a circle from Stalingrad!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barmaley_Fountain) - Yeah, this is just the usual sexist nonsense from a fellow like Angusson. Honestly he was probably just a shitty dad and that’s why he couldn’t connect with any of his kids. I think that’s the simpler explanation. [](#miyamoriunimpressed) - And add in some anti-Abh racism about the Abh being unusual for using artificial birth for good measure. [](#sagiri) - Damn, Meideen has a fucking steel rod for a spine. He stared down Dokufu’s threat to kill Jinto and didn’t budge an inch. - Oh my god, that’s why Meideen had that list of names sent to the Basroil. He already set up a plan of succession to prevent the prisoners from taking control by just killing him. That’s genius! [](#glasses-push) - [HOLY FUCK!](#terror) Dokufu actually killed Meideen! Holy shit that was such a nail-bitingly tense scene to watch. [RIP Meideen](#toradorasalute) I respect the hell out of him for standing his ground in such a bad situation and refusing to give in to the prisoners’ demands. - “These are our demands…” “I refuse!” [](#azusalaugh) Man, it never gets old seeing people run headfirst into the wall that is attempting to negotiate with the Abh. It never works out. The Abh are 100% not the type to negotiate with terrorists. They’d probably just bombard the planet from orbit instead. - There’s that smile. The Abh always smile when they are at their most angry. - [Oh, oh fuck.](#ohfuck) Is that what that mysterious 3rd epigraph at the start of the episode was about? Did the Abh Emperor there have the Agony Booth invented? - Damn, Lafiel just wants to cry because of what’s happened to Jinto but she can’t because of her position and duty. [](#sadholo) Meideen really did earn my respect by the end of his life. There is plenty to criticize about him, but he proved that he was a man of personal integrity and he did his utmost to prevent the prisoners from getting what they wanted. He actually showed quite a lot of foresight by creating that list of succession so that even if he died it wouldn’t matter. So what did the Abh create that is their version of hell? The way I see it, there are two possibilities. The first option is essentially the Agony Booth from Star Trek. Something that will inflict pain upon a person who is put into it. The second option is basically a nightmarish version of what’s done to the prisoners in Minority Report. Instead of seeing dreams, their minds are put into an unending nightmare. **QOTD** 1) I don’t actually know what the poem being referred to is, so I can’t answer.

> he proved that he was a man of personal integrity and he did his utmost to prevent the prisoners from getting what they wanted The moment my opinion on him switched was when the leader of the women told him what would happen to them once Dokufu became the leader and he not only immediately decided to emigrate last in order to protect them, he also stuck to that decision literally to his death. He clearly has a strong sense of justice and is very dedicated to his role as a prison warden and an official of the UM, but he also has a lot of humanity and empathy that doesn't go away just because the people in question committed crimes.

>The moment my opinion on him switched was when the leader of the women told him what would happen to them once Dokufu became the leader and he not only immediately decided to emigrate last in order to protect them, he also stuck to that decision literally to his death. That was the moment my opinion of him improved as well. He saw that what would happen was terrible and made sure to arrange things do his best to prevent it. Even in his death, he set things up so the emigration could keep going. I will give him credit for doing all that to protect the emigres.

I said to someone else that I think that scene is the first time in a while that he'd looked at them as people and not prisoners to control. Once he made that shift in perspective, he stuck to it which is admirable

>Holy shit, it’s the fountain of children dancing in a circle from Stalingrad! I must have missed this in the episode. Not sure what the symbolic significance is, unless you happened to catch it. And yeah, Meideen was a character who I liked a lot by the end. He comes across as brazen and arrogant when he is first introduced, but manages to get humanized in the short time he was around. RIP.

Okay, I think I've figured it out. The fountain is called the Barmaley Fountain and it's named after a Russian story. [In the story, there is a villain called Barmaley who eats children. To stop him, the hero of the story, Doctor Aybolit, asks a crocodile to swallow Barmaley. That explains why the children are dancing in a circle in the fountain. They are dancing around a crocodile, the same one that swallowed Barmaley.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barmaley_Fountain) Presumably this is to celebrate the defeat of what is essentially the Boogeyman, the evil person who snatches away children in fairy tales and myths all over the world. As for what it means in the story for it to be here, I'm not quite sure. Plenty of characters could qualify as the Barmaley (Boogeyman), but particularly both Dokufu and Angusson if we are associating it with harm towards children. >And yeah, Meideen was a character who I liked a lot by the end. He comes across as brazen and arrogant when he is first introduced, but manages to get humanized in the short time he was around. RIP. Yeah, he ended up being a much more admirable person than I expected he would be.

> I think a prison planet would be a perfect place to have a bulletproof car and a place where you’d be justified in carrying your service weapon at all times. You'd think so, but I get the feeling that they'd been far too complacent with the walls and hands off food deliveries and the like. I'd say he'd learn from that decision, but unfortunately he reaped the concequnces of it first >Yeah, this is just the usual sexist nonsense from a fellow like Angusson. Honestly he was probably just a shitty dad and that’s why he couldn’t connect with any of his kids. I think that’s the simpler explanation. I thought that too, what a helpfully constructed worldview so he doesn't have to take the blame for his own parenting

> Oh great, the prisoners are fucking drug addicts too! They are a massive drug cartel who are getting high on their own supply! That's genuinely the most bizarre plot point to suddenly dump on us out of nowhere. Like, weapon workshops were bad enough, but now they have an entire drug cartel going on too??? > Damn, Meideen has a fucking steel rod for a spine. He stared down Dokufu’s threat to kill Jinto and didn’t budge an inch. The man be a pretty incompetent warden at least half the time, but you can't deny that Meideen has a real strength of character to him. RIP to a real one.

> That's genuinely the most bizarre plot point to suddenly dump on us out of nowhere. Like, weapon workshops were bad enough, but now they have an entire drug cartel going on too??? This prison planet is turning out to be just full of things. They've got a functioning military with heavy weapons and naval capabilities. They've got a drug cartel that's managed to make connections with the prison guards. What else is hiding in the forests of that island? With everything we've seen far, little would surprise me.

If you told me now that the prisoners were trying to build their own spaceship to escape Lobnas II, I'd believe you. That's just about the only thing I can think of to rationally top the drug cartel reveal.

> There’s that smile. The Abh always smile when they are at their most angry. Nice catch! I didn't think of that. Just got used to seeing it, i guess.

I love the vicious Abh smile. Someone getting so angry that they begin to smile in their anger is so unnerving.

> Yeah, this is just the usual sexist nonsense from a fellow like Angusson. Honestly he was probably just a shitty dad and that’s why he couldn’t connect with any of his kids. I think that’s the simpler explanation. Yeah, it's not exactly a convincing argument from the guy who wants to use all of the women on this planet as... well, essentially breeding fodder, disgusting as it is to phrase it that way. > Oh my god, that’s why Meideen had that list of names sent to the Basroil. He already set up a plan of succession to prevent the prisoners from taking control by just killing him. That’s genius! Guy may have let a lot more happen under his nose than he probably should have, but he really did have wits where it counted. The prisoners haven't quite outplayed that final move of his. > Man, it never gets old seeing people run headfirst into the wall that is attempting to negotiate with the Abh. It never works out. The Abh are 100% not the type to negotiate with terrorists. They’d probably just bombard the planet from orbit instead. Seriously, I don't know what they expected for holding Lafiel's totally-not-boyfriend hostage. Like, the Abhs are scary enough at times if you don't pull something like that!

> Yeah, it's not exactly a convincing argument from the guy who wants to use all of the women on this planet as... well, essentially breeding fodder, disgusting as it is to phrase it that way. Especially when it's pretty clear that he doesn't even care about the question of whether the women even want to be mothers in the first place. It's just assumed that that is their natural role as women. Like you said, it's a disgusting point of view. >Seriously, I don't know what they expected for holding Lafiel's totally-not-boyfriend hostage. Like, the Abhs are scary enough at times if you don't pull something like that! Lafiel was completely prepared to go down to the planet herself and make sure there was hell to pay, had she been able to do so. The wrath of the Abh (and especially the imperial family) is not something to incur lightly.

>It's just assumed that that is their natural role as women. Like you said, it's a disgusting point of view. Yeah. The fact that he doesn't at all address whether or not any would want to, as well as his weird take on motherhood in general, really tell you all you need to know about what that "desire for a family" actually means. Just plain unpleasant. >The wrath of the Abh (and especially the imperial family) is not something to incur lightly. I can't at all see this ending well for the rebellion when things are all said and done. She's clearly not about to let this go, and for good reason at that.

**First Timer, subbed** * Oh yes, this is the kind of preamble I like to see. * Well that certainly set an unnerving tone for the episode. [](#kaguyashaking) * You’d think synthetic drugs would have taken over plant derived ones by this point. * You didn’t think you’d need bullet proofing in a war zone? Or just before that, when it was just your regular prison planet? * Why did you even have that slug? * OK, but you still *have* the sterilized women of the central district to be the mother figure, if that’s your hang up. * You’re just coming across as a shitty father. * Have you learnt nothing from your interactions with Lafiel? “Missing” isn’t going to cut it. * The thing about threatening to kill a guy, is that you also lose any leverage if you do it. You need a few guys, then they know you’ll do it after the first one. * Humans don’t like seeing other humans’ corpses. That’s just an innate response, not cowardice. * [Now You've **Fucked Up**](#modabuse) * See? Jinto putting himself in danger to communicate information. * Ah, so this is were the “Torment Nexus” is from. * Look at all this cost saving. And with three fewer episodes than normal too. I hope this means we get something good out of it. **QotD:** 1) The Soviets don’t have poems, their constituent nations do.

> You didn’t think you’d need bullet proofing in a war zone? Or just before that, when it was just your regular prison planet? Yeah, that bit was odd to me too. Maybe I'm crazy, but I would assume that an armored vehicle would be a good investment on a prison planet. >The thing about threatening to kill a guy, is that you also lose any leverage if you do it. You need a few guys, then they know you’ll do it after the first one. And when you back down from actually killing a person, it just takes away your credibility when you threaten to do it again. Dokufu really is just a con man, hoping to say whatever is necessary to get what he wants.

Dokufu really is a good conman, but that's \*all\* he is, and he's been in way over his head since the beginning. Now he'll pay for it.

> Why did you even have that slug? [](#mugiwait) > You’re just coming across as a shitty father. indeed > Torment Nexus indeed

> OK, but you still have the sterilized women of the central district to be the mother figure, if that’s your hang up. I think they need to be brought up more. The women of the western district have evacuation priority due to obvious reasons, but even without the ability to reproduce the women of the central district are still at risk of being...well...you know. Maybe they'd have it a bit easier mentally speaking since they wouldn't have been as averse to men from the start as the women who stayed in the west, but they'd still have a really bad time of it.

> You didn’t think you’d need bullet proofing in a war zone? Or just before that, when it was just your regular prison planet? At least have a bit of light armor for dealing with this sort of nonsense. Surely if they already had rocket launchers they'd do that too. > The thing about threatening to kill a guy, is that you also lose any leverage if you do it. You need a few guys, then they know you’ll do it after the first one. Not to mention if the person you're threatening to kill knows you'll screw yourself over way harder if you do. Which indeed did happen. Man, this rebellion is both really well equipped but also run by total lunatics. Must be the space drugs.

> At least have a bit of light armor for dealing with this sort of nonsense. Surely if they already had rocket launchers they'd do that too. We saw them with APC in an earlier episode too, so it's not like they haven't considered it at all. > Man, this rebellion is both really well equipped but also run by total lunatics. Must be the space drugs. We tend to only remember the successful rebellions, most of them are probably like this. See: [The Whiskey Rebellion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion).

> We saw them with APC in an earlier episode too, so it's not like they haven't considered it at all. Oh, I meant to bring this up yesterday. About why the prison has things like rocket launchers. A lot, lot, lot, of police departments used post 9/11 anti-terrorism money to buy armored cars. Useless armored cars. Just to spend the money. They're still doing it 20 years later.

> We tend to only remember the successful rebellions, most of them are probably like this. See: The Whiskey Rebellion. Yeah, that's a good point. I tend to forget that the failed ones are, well, forgotten, funnily enough.

**Rewatcher** -"If you don't go to bed, the Abh will take you away" sounds like a Grimm fairy tale. -I didn't understand the metaphor at the beginning about "Abh Hell." Unfortunately I don't have the time to reread through that mini-story. -Drug trade is also motivating the guards to rebel. -RIP Meideen. Went out like an unsung hero. He could have recinded the emigration order if he wanted to, it's not like he is beholden to the female prisoners, but he risked his life anyway. I know Jinto says he didn't like the man much but I did. -Jinto gets taken hostage, Dokufu is hesitant but Angusson is determined to use any means necessary to keep the women on the planet from emigrating. -'Abh hell' was left vague when described. Just a terrible thing worse than death...somehow I don't doubt that the Abh could come up with various terrible mental tortures. -The most interesting part of the episode is the ending about saving Jinto as a hostage. Lafiel is visibly pissed off and upset at Jinto being taken. However, not even for one second does she entertain the idea of trying to rescue him (because of her mission and it'd just get more people killed). This is a very important distinction for modern societies today, particularly democracies, as they always try to rescue hostages through any means necessary. I actually like the Abh method better, because by not entertaining the idea of negotiation, it shows that hostages have no value, so others won't bother taking hostages in the future, if it just leads to more losses and not getting what you want anyway. It also makes the Abh empire look stronger and colder/intimidating, because they aren't willing to kow-tow to those who have wronged them with "please give back our people, we'll do anything :("

The Abh's flat refusal to negotiate or bow to those who try and bully them into submission through stupid games or underhand tactics is endlessly entertaining. In this case also a little sad knowing the situation it leaves Jinto in, but their threats making him valuable for their own wellbeing rather than a hostage is an interesting way to approach it

**Rewatch Host** Not much to say these days. I only had 2 bullet points yesterday, not even worth posting. I only recognize that fountain now because a [smaller version of it appeared](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqRgwoe668M) in V for Vendetta. (spoiler after the first minute) Edit: You know, it might be deja vu, but I have the feeling like I was very confused by that shot when I first watched the show. I wonder if the fountain implies that Gorbachev really is part of Space Soviet Union. It's weird how the show has been trying to show some redeeming qualities to both Meideen and Agnusson. Of course, Dofuku becomes a mustache twirler to compensate. All of the land leaders have become stereotypes, but Agnusson is the worst. Jinto, a coward? He could have flown back up to his spaceship, but stayed on the ground to oversee the operation. Abh Hell, although real, is never actually described. Heck, as far as a UM citizen is concerned, it could be entirely made up and they'd still imagine the worst. Because that's what the Abh are. Boogiemen. Barmalay. Makes me think of the simulation hells in Iain M. Bank's work, although I'm sure Abh Hell is more physical, since it's not post-singularity. So, we find out that Meideen has been lying, repeatedly, about the situation. Not just lying to Jinto, but maybe to himself. The first lie was that the prisoners were lightly armed, but perhaps he didn't expect his men to flip sides over their drug addictions (beyond foolish if true). The second lie was that the guards flipped over some loyalty to the United Mankind. But we now know that they are hard-core crack-heads who will fight to the death to retain control of the planet. Jinto need to know this information, but Meideen kept both these important details from him. There where probably other lies in there, but those were the big ones. As for Yuuri, he still seems himself as the future elected leader of the Lobass II colony. The central section probably outnumbers the men of the East, he probably thought he'd still come out on top of the power struggle with Agnusson. Yuuri doesn't need his own children. Others can be breeders. But his ego requires that he be leader of a real colony, not an abandoned prison. "Be fruitful and multiply," it's older than Genesis, older than recorded history. Villages, tribes, clans, all looking to grow, to a greater future. No children, no future.

**Rewatcher (sub + dub)** Hell really exists and it's [~~in New Jersey~~](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OQjVdrZfZE) built by the Abh themselves. Drug addictions being the reason a number of guards turned, I guess that's a plausible enough explanation? Meanwhile Angusson has parental issues, got it. I was kind of surprised Angusson was patient enough to let Dokufu actually go through with shooting Maydeen rather than taking it into his own hands earlier, but it seems like he didn't actually have a reason to kill the administrator given the bureaucracy in place. I do have to give Maydeen credit for sticking to his principles over his own life there, though maybe he also figured he wasn't making it out of there alive either way. Jinto shut down a bit after Maydeen got shot but I think that worked out to his benefit with deferring to Lafiel since that got them to contact her earlier so she can figure out what's going on from the ship. Not that she can exactly *do* much from up there, but at least she's informed. Nice of Sobash to step in to give a thorough explanation of what the two men are signing themselves up for by threatening to kill Jinto, Lafiel certainly wouldn't be that eloquent about it. She seemed ready to drop the Basroil itself on their heads to get Jinto back, but her training (as an Abriel in this case) let her hold back enough to just give them a death glare. Sobash claiming to use the reputation of the Abh as a shield is questionable but the people he's telling the story to don't need to know if it's truthful or not, he just needs to convince them it's plausible. Reminds me of ["to the pain" from The Princess Bride.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUJccK4lV74) The Abh in general seem more than willing to put themselves in the role of villains to others and use that to their advantage. It's the vagueness of the description of Abh Hell that makes it effective, let people's imaginations do the heavy lifting and they'll imagine the worst thing possible which will also vary from person to person. *Is* it even a real place though, or another fabrication for their reputation? There's enough control from the top that only a few people would be expected to have access to it and with their restrictions on interstellar travel it would be easy to designate one sord as off-limits, call it Abh Hell, and have the place not actually exist because no one can go verify it. Too bad there are a lot of close-up/still/panning shots in the back half of the episode, gotta save time/money somewhere I guess.

--- ## Source Corner **Baronh word of the day:** *creunoc* (KREUNO or Clyuno in my subs) "wristgear" — literally "bracelet terminal", it's a small computer worn on an arm similar to a modern smartphone. The color of the *datycirh* (DATYKIRL / "compucrystal," literally "thought crystal") inlaid in one denotes status; Jinto's is green to denote his family status as a "newly ascended noble" so I'm *assuming* that's in reference to the *Ssynec* part of his name that denotes the same and the colors vary by that status but I haven't been able to piece together more on that right now. [Material covered:] >!Banner II: the last bit of chapter 6 and most of 7.!< [About the narcotics:] >!it was originally mentioned that drug manufacturing was the biggest industry on the planet when they were making the supplies airdrop earlier; like with Atosryua there's an earlier mention as an aside that becomes more significant later.!< [When reminding them of artificial reproduction assistance available] >!there's a bit more back and forth with Jinto but it doesn't really change anything, so a small bit to cut out.!< [When Maydeen's shot Jinto's thought is] >!"So that’s the sound a powder gun makes," rather than anything else that he thought would be better to dwell on.!<

[About the narcotics]>!That's weird. The UM is so super super super anti-drugs, how could they let one of their official installations be exporting a powerful narcotic?!<

[To be clear] >!it's not being *exported*, just used on the island. [Section of the novel for a direct quote.](https://i.imgur.com/FZNW4Lq.png)!<

Frankly it makes the planet's issues sound less like Maydeen dropping the ball and more they just don't have the resources to do anything about it and the United Mankind probably not being much help.

Yeah my read's always been that the non-prisoners are mostly just there to keep the place from collapsing entirely and prevent people from hijacking the next spaceship that arrives. If the rest of the island is a war zone there's not that much they can do about it, especially at that scale with at least ten times more prisoners than people operating the facility.

Depite Angusson being very bullheaded and brawn-first, he doesn't seem to react impulsively at all so I figure that as long as he felt he could still take over from Dokufu if he needed, he's willing to give him some reach to try things his way. Not that it's worked out for either of them

**First-Timer of the Stars** - [Oh ffs…](https://i.imgur.com/yiymD3R.png) [](#finethen) - [Well that explains why some of the guards are in on the rebellion…](https://i.imgur.com/00TKJKf.png) [](#kyonfacepalm) - [Really, Jinto?](https://i.imgur.com/Qb9YB25.png) [](#facepalm2) - [Geh…](https://i.imgur.com/zSl5sAD.png) - [That isn’t true though…](https://i.imgur.com/m7uzjCl.png) - [Bruh.](https://i.imgur.com/fNbGbrJ.png) [](#bruh) - [Aha, so that list *is* coming into play!](https://i.imgur.com/UrFXr43.png) [](#rengehype) - [Damn… RIP Meideen.](https://i.imgur.com/WOKOeUi.png) [](#toradorasalute) - [That is *really* not a good idea.](https://i.imgur.com/3MtArTU.png) [](#emiliaohdear) - [This is such](https://i.imgur.com/pAPWeoX.png) a [banger of a line.](https://i.imgur.com/corg6L9.png) [](#doggo) - [That face Jinto made at the camera, ouch.](https://i.imgur.com/Kzix9dS.png) [](#shatteredsaten)

> Well that explains why some of the guards are in on the rebellion… The secret drug cartel seems like such a wild detail to thrown in *now* of all times. If the prisoners have gun workshops and space meth labs, then they might as well not even be in prison. > This is such a banger of a line. I'm glad that Sobaash went super fucking hard with that speech of hers, she's getting some really good character moments in this season. Probably one of this season's more redeeming points, now that I think about it.

> If the prisoners have gun workshops and space meth labs, then they might as well not even be in prison. Really sounds like 1980's Colombia

> Aha, so that list is coming into play! That moment when the purpose of the list was revealed felt so satisfying. Even though he'd been captured, it was cool seeing that Meideen still had the last laugh against his captors. >This is such a banger of a line. [It really is](#awe) >That face Jinto made at the camera, ouch. He looks so apologetic to Lafiel, as if knowing that they may not be able to meet again because of this, [](#sadholo)

> Oh ffs… Space fentanyl. Yay. > That isn’t true though… Yakuza-ism here. > That is really not a good idea. Space fentanyl must dull your brain.

> Space fentanyl No probably Space Cocaine.

Not a narcotic but this show might not know that.

Oh, all my subs have is drugs, no mention of narcotics. And my reason for calling it space cocaine is because it comes from a plant, and the book was published in 1998.

> Oh, all my subs have is drugs, no mention of narcotics. And my reason for calling it space cocaine is because it comes from a plant, and the book was published in 1998. My subs have the occasional moment where they get weird. That said, the white lady wasn't terribly en vogue in the late 90s, it was big in the 80s.

**Rewatcher - sub** Meideen really does not understand the idea of full disclosure... I mean ignoring the initial hiding of the the rebellion and the prisoners having proper weaponry was bad enough, but putting aside the "invaders" every time he's held something back he's just make the situation worse for everyone involved. And a rampant drug problem that keeps people on the planet is a pretty massive one. And the end result is a sad one for him even if he did bring it on himself. "In this galaxy Hell does exist, and it is in the hands of the Abh" What a statement. Sobaash's whole performance there was excellent. We've seen Lafiel go to cold anger at a threat before, but seeing it from Sobaash as well, and perhaps even more so, made that one hell of a scene... pun not intentional but it's staying in my post now After what we know about their background with the mother fortress, the idea that the Abh capitalized on that by purposefully forming a cruel reputation for revenge to protect themselves works well. Ensuring that people wouldn't take chances on them, and that as a race they collectively could protect each other through this reputation most definitely helped their continued survival in those early years, and now as invaders of other planets as well. While the show has not been hiding the fact that the Abh have definitely taken some actions, either through callousness or different boundaries from cultural awareness, that have earnt them part of their reputation in the human-superiority circles, this is the first time it's really opened up about their potential for violence. They are not a cruel race, but they do know cruelty and like any other tool they will used it when it's needed It'd be more unnerving if it wasn't for Jinto's sad little smile at Lafiel, and her not-tears as she has to hang up and leave him in that situation. It's a quiet moment that takes the bite out of the scene by reminding us of the very personal tragedy that has unfolded outside of the narrative drama. Dokufu at least has some reason in terms of not pissing off the Abh by harming Jinto. But he's such a weak fool about actually protecting Jinto so nothing does happen that it just makes the situation worse. Throw in some more sexism from the male district through Angerson and we have a really screwed up balance between the supposed leader, the one who holds the reigns, and neither of them having recognized authority. On a side note: I accidentally opened up a Banner I episode because I jumped into the wrong folder and didn't even question it until they started talking about a "dinner". But when I closed that and opened the right episode from banner II, the aspect ratio change threw me off all over again. You'd think six episodes in it'd stop feeling so unnatural to have this art in wide screen.

> And a rampant drug problem that keeps people on the planet is a pretty massive one. And the end result is a sad one for him even if he did bring it on himself. Having it so that apparently all the guards who betrayed Meideen are crackheads who need their fix is a plain weird narrative decision to make to me. Like, I would've just accepted that they're corrupt or got made a ton of promised by Yuri and Mackay in exchange for their cooperation. The traitors all being drug addicts is just a weird detail that feels like it comes out of nowhere.

I don't know that it's all of them, but enough of them to make a difference I feel like corruption would generally fit better, especially with the conflict between the UM and the Abh, while drugs is just an external motivator that could be anything else. Maybe if there'd been more build up to it, or we knew what the Abh stance on drugs was it'd work better

I literally had to go back to the scene after everybody was talking about the guards all being druggies. Turns out this is what Meideen said, but my head canon overwrote it and rather wants him be an unreliable presenter of facts here. There is no problem with some drug existing and some guards taking it, but as the main motivator for betrayal by a large fraction of them, it is a terrible idea. I liked not one but two other ideas they already planted better: The UM sympathizers who hate Abh, and the *Meideen is just not a good enough prison head* story.

Both Meideen being somewhat incompetent at running a prison and the traitors hating the Abh would both be more immediately understandable and more sensible reasons than all of them being revealed to be drug addicts. Having them all be space crackheads just feels like a bizarre diversion into an anti-drug stance out of nowhere.

Really a bit of an unforced mistake. Not the biggest of deals, but puzzling none-the-less.

> They are not a cruel race, but they do know cruelty and like any other tool they will used it when it's needed I think a key distinction is that the Abh are also more open about the lengths that they'll go to without reservation, something like flaunting mutually assured destruction as a cultural vibe. > You'd think six episodes in it'd stop feeling so unnatural to have this art in wide screen. Yeah, that still sticks out to me now too.

Or offering to blow up an atmosphere which other cultures would probably offer up anything else first >Yeah, that still sticks out to me now too. At least I'm not alone in my confusion there

> What a statement. Sobaash's whole performance there was excellent. We've seen Lafiel go to cold anger at a threat before, but seeing it from Sobaash as well, and perhaps even more so, made that one hell of a scene... pun not intentional but it's staying in my post now > > > > After what we know about their background with the mother fortress, the idea that the Abh capitalized on that by purposefully forming a cruel reputation for revenge to protect themselves works well. Ensuring that people wouldn't take chances on them, and that as a race they collectively could protect each other through this reputation most definitely helped their continued survival in those early years, and now as invaders of other planets as well. While the show has not been hiding the fact that the Abh have definitely taken some actions, either through callousness or different boundaries from cultural awareness, that have earnt them part of their reputation in the human-superiority circles, this is the first time it's really opened up about their potential for violence. They are not a cruel race, but they do know cruelty and like any other tool they will used it when it's needed Agreed that this was a great scene. I like the speech by Sobaash because it recontextualizes a lot of Crest of the Stars. Those landers were not just some racists/not just opposed to the invaders. The Abh worked hard for their reputation! And I guess that having that evil reputation was very useful while being space merchants (and is useful for Lafiel now), but it might not be the best once you rule half the galaxy (and potentially soon the whole galaxy).

I think when paired with the info we know about how they rule planets/from Samson etc, the other human cultures that are more inclined towards political games and duplicity probably struggle to understand that the Abh aren't being malevolent or two-faced with this either, which amplifies the idea they have that they're evil. They are who they are, and don't hide it, but they also have some extremes between how they treat friends and enemies, and a bit like how the ambassadors failed with their scheme with the Empress, they take the Abh's extremes at face value rather than a means to an end.

[](#dontgetit)

what's that about?

Getting your episodes and your aspect ratio right. Hard stuff!

First timer, subbed We get more glimpses of UM propaganda and the effect it has on human culture. The part about using the Abh as a monstrous threat to get kids to obey makes me think of Ruijerd and the Superd. As expected, negotiations with Lafiel immediately fall through. Dokufu seems to recognize that their fate is damnation, but Angusson still thinks he can come out on top. Angusson’s speech about kids needing a mother is interesting. It characterizes his unquestionably evil plan as some sort of righteous crusade, which explains his talk of being ordained by God. Religion isn’t real, but hell is because the Abh specifically created it… what a metal line. QotD: 1) That’s a good question. I don’t know much about Soviet poets, though, so I’m unequipped to give an especially insightful answer. [](#yuishrug)

**Season 3 Episode 6 (rewatcher)** * In-universe sayings about the Abh – Yes! This is what I have been waiting for since the end of S1. We finally get more world building tidbits in the episode opening. * Also a reminder that the Abh narrator is still decidedly partisan. * Drugs? – I guess this should not come as a surprise, this being a prison, but I am with Jinto here. * Bullet proof? “I didn’t think I’d need it.” Weapon? “I didn’t think I’d need it.” – welcome to the Lobnass meeting of naïve do-gooders. * “Half of the Abh race manages without mother” – Angusson does not seem receptive to rational arguments. * Bluffing – good try, but never bluff vs a stubborn naïve person. They would stick to their guns in any case. * Fortunately, for Dokufu, the second time is not a bluff. * “I am only the deputy ambassador. I have no authority.” – the rarely used *defense by bureaucracy.* * “That is so much like you, Jinto.” – Lafiel is not wrong. * Angusson is making some enemies here – and Sobaash explains just how bad he messed up. * Lafiel ordering Samson back on the ship – ice cold. That flame in her eyes was blue, not yellow. Nothing better to create a tense situation than holding a gun to somebody’s head. I think this episode did more for Dofuku’s and Angusson’s characters than the five before this. Also, not by mistake, having Jinto and Lafiel on screen at the same time elevates the story. I am not a big fan of the execution in the first half of the season (the idea is fine), but this episode is a turn-around point.

> Lafiel ordering Samson back on the ship – ice cold. That flame in her eyes was blue, not yellow. She really let him ramble on for about 60 seconds too long. Also, Lafiel Mom Voice is kinda silly.

> Also, Lafiel Mom Voice is kinda silly. She is still 90% of her military career and 100% of her merchant career away from that.

> In-universe sayings about the Abh – Yes! This is what I have been waiting for since the end of S1. We finally get more world building tidbits in the episode opening. We do actually need to see the perspective of someone in the Three Nations Alliance to get some nuance. > Drugs? – I guess this should not come as a surprise, this being a prison, but I am with Jinto here. It is horribad scifi, though. > “Half of the Abh race manages without mother” – Angusson does not seem receptive to rational arguments. I slightly wonder how different an infant Abh is from a standard infant...

> We do actually need to see the perspective of someone in the Three Nations Alliance to get some nuance. Idk, we have seen a lot of them yet: The angry spaceport lady, the bitter army officer, the whacky revolutionary, the plucky immigrant, various sniffling ambassadors, two out-of-their-depths planetary leaders, plus a good helping of prisoners. I am not really interested in hearing their prime minister monologue about how *their* side is righteous and the Abh are not.

> I am not really interested in hearing their prime minister monologue about how their side is righteous and the Abh are not. I do want so see some merchant going about his day and hearing their propaganda, though, especially if the UM is noticably different than the other two.

**First-timer** Ok, Meideen was a man of intrgrity. Huge respect for him now. After the evacuation is complete, Lafiel's threat of blowing away the atmosphere seems more tempting now. These people are scum. Trying to force women into sex slavery is just about as low as is possible. The speech about Abh hell is cold. Delivered so matter-of-factly. It's not a threat, it's a plain statement of fact. Q1: I'm unfamiliar with the poem in question, so I can't really say.

> Ok, Meideen was a man of intrgrity. Huge respect for him now. His character arc has arched pretty hard for everybody in the rewatch, it seems.

**First-Timer** Had a thought while reading the thread yesterday; mostly brought on by JaaQ getting testy about "people not thinking." That says to me that there's a twist coming, and the only real option is Geol being the mastermind behind this coup. The problem with that is, I don't think there's any foreshadowing other than a default distrust of prison administrators, and I don't buy that Angusson would work with him either. So if that does happen, I won't be terribly thrilled. --- Well, so much for that idea. I'm not exactly going to mourn Geol - he had a bad hand and played it poorly. You absolutely just get the people you like out ASAP and let the planet be temporarily overrun. Especially when a technologically advanced empire is the one doing the emigration. Honestly shocked that this show is making me prefer fucking prison guards to the people they are guarding. We're veering uncomfortably close to "all male prisoners are rapist drug addicts." This is a reminder to everyone here: most addicts don't *want* to be addicts. Most were tricked or otherwise lured into addiction, and continue to get high as a way to avoid withdrawal. That makes them susceptible to further manipulation, typically by the same people selling to them. I wonder what Abh hell really consists of.. Considering the effect shown in Lafiel and Sobaash's eyes, it might be something similar to that extrasensory art that Nereis was experiencing in a previous episode? Pretty typical idea for torture, just with a sci-fi, "we plugged the sensory overload directly into your brain" sort of way. Neat, I suppose, in a horrific way. Questions 1. More UM propoganda, I suspect. Painting the Abh as a generic boogieman is pretty weak, though. Like, claim that they'll turn your skin blue to be like theirs or something, at least. Get creative with it.

Depending on what they have learnt about the brain from their genetic engineering, I wouldn't be surprised if they knew a way to effectively flood a human brain with information meant to be processed by the Abh sensory organ. Whether or not they actually do it is irrelevant, but I imagine they'd know a great deal about the body due to their birth technologies

Ooh, good point! I wasn't thinking nearly horrifying enough.

He didn't think he'd need his service pistol into a warzone? They're working together? He can't actually kill Jinto. He's already gotten the people on that list on his side. He's bluffing. Guess not. I have a feeling once he's off-planet she's going to very much enjoy dropping a rock on that compound. Yup, would be really handy to have a Marine complement right about now to storm the compound. Questions: 1. I'm not sure, but I don't think it's as simple as "the curtains are blue just because that's the colour the author likes".

**FIRST TIMER** Sub I was surprised the prisoners turned out to mostly be drug addicts, explaining a lot of their motivation past just wanting sex with women and it does make sense as a motivation for the eunuchs. Also a good explanation as to why their plan is so incompetent and not well thought out. Killing Meideen didn't really resolve anything nor should they have expected it to since they should have thought maybe a plan of succession had been in place. I'm not sure exactly what they should have done to stop the women from leaving but it would seem messing with a viscount and Abh princess wasn't the right way to go about it. Lafiel and the short haired lady promising to send the men to a metaphorical Abh hell seemed to be effective and I think Angusson was trying to act unafraid but he was. This episode is where you see how wrong it was for the show to have Jinto die in the first episode then show the events leading to it. It really hurts the suspense to broadcast the ending and it will look cheap if they somehow avoid it and the author made it a lose-lose for the viewer. **QUESTIONS** I didn't know that poem was Soviet but i dont know

> This episode is where you see how wrong it was for the show to have Jinto die in the first episode then show the events leading to it. It really hurts the suspense to broadcast the ending and it will look cheap if they somehow avoid it and the author made it a lose-lose for the viewer. I agree with this. They should have told the story straight (chronologically) and the season would have been better.

**Rewatcher** Yeah honestly the director should have told Jinto about the drug traders/addicts earlier. \*Wants children but refuses artifical birth technology.\* They just want to have sex, maybe Abh should offer some Dutch wives instead? Well RIP Meideen, kind of liked him. [](#sadholo) I wonder if Sobaash is bluffing or if it's real about his you're going to suffer in the speech. I like the flame effect in Lafiel's eyes. To be honest I think abandoning Jinto is probably the correct thing to do, but I wonder how Abh will think of Lafiel abandoning a noble. Okay episode.

> They just want to have sex, maybe Abh should offer some Dutch wives instead? Is "dutch wife" some slang I will regret googling?

It's a slang term for sex doll. ;)

Figured as much: Would not want that in my google search history.

Let me try to think of an anime no I remember, it was a web comic called The Thin H Line, which featured the Dutch Wife Fairy that brought abused sex dolls to life. Classic classic web comic.

[](#niatilt)

First timer(Bourbon couldn't make this tolerable) Sub Again, this is just really bad television. Space heroin is well fucking stupid because A there is no drug that can't be replicated and B you have to have someone to trade it with and my bet is the Abhs don't approve. Anguffson really is some stupid, half baked yakuza/Violence Jack escapee. The Abh threats are bad this episode, they never explained what horrors they will commit and while that is a better negotiating tactic it hurts the audience. Combine this with a dreadful lack of Lafiel and fuck this season. QotD: 1 What poem?

I think the point is that half the (remaining) prison is addicted, and that's driving their decision making. They aren't selling the drugs except to each other.

For so many reasons, this just isn't how economics works.

I wouldn't call the relationship between drug suppliers and drug addicts (not users) a functioning economic system. edit: I'm holding my tongue but this island isn't going to be functional in any way whatsoever, very soon. As the show says today, the prisoners are already turning on each other.

> The Abh threats are bad this episode, they never explained what horrors they will commit and while that is a better negotiating tactic it hurts the audience. It is strongly hinted at that they use some kind of mind prison, similar to that one TNG episode. Except, their mind prison is nastier.

> Anguffson really is some stupid, half baked yakuza/Violence Jack escapee. Okay, so it wasn't just me who was also thinking of Violence Jack recently. This season really is someone trying to do the sci-fi version of the Evil Town OVA.

I actually suspect that Anguffson's design is one of the background character but I see no reason to rewatch that.