Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Season 1

January 1, 796 U.C. / 487 R.C.: in the Astarte star system, a 20,000 spaceships Imperial fleet under Reinhard von Lohengramm's command is about to be cornered by three Alliance fleets of 13,000 spaceships each. Against the advice of his subordinates, Reinhard decides to strike first in order to defeat each fleet before they can join. The Allied commanders, trusting the overall odds of 2 to 1, don't anticipate this and rebuff Yang Wen-li's advice to quickly regroup their forces.

After the destruction of the 4th and 6th fleets, Reinhard's fleet engages the 2nd Fleet. When its commander is wounded, Yang takes command and manages to escape utter destruction. In Fezzanland, Adrian Rubinsky the Landesherr and Nikolas Boltik, his aide, comment on the battle and note that it won't change the strategic situation.

In Heinessen (capital planet of the Free Planets Alliance), a memorial for the soldiers who died at the battle of Astarte is held. The warmongering speech of Job Trüniht, Chairman of the Defence Committee, is interrupted by Jessica Edwards, whose fiancé was killed in the battle: she asks him why the advocates of war always sacrifice the lives of others while hiding in safer places. While going home, she is attacked by members of the Patriotic Knights Corps (P.K.C.), a nationalistic organization

In Odin (capital planet of the Galactic Empire), Reinhard is promoted to Grand Admiral after his victory at Astarte. With his friend Siegfried Kircheis, he pays a visit to his elder sister Annerose, the Kaiser's favorite. In a flashback, Kircheis remembers how he and Reinhard became friends, how Annerose was taken away from her home to be the Kaiser's favorite and how they came to hate the high nobles and the Goldenbaum dynasty.

A new admiralty is created for Reinhard. He chooses commoners and lesser nobles to command his fleets: August Samuel Wahlen, Cornelius Lutz, Karl Gustav Kempf, Fritz Josef Bittenfeld, Ernest Mecklinger, Wolfgang Mittermeyer and Oskar von Reuenthal. Meanwhile, Maximilian von Castrop has rebelled against the Empire. He thinks he is safe because of the "Artemis Necklace", a system of powerfully armed satellites built with the help of Fezzan. Reinhard sends a fleet under Kircheis' command to put an

Yang decides to take Iserlohn by a ruse. The Rosen Ritter (Knights of the rose), a ground combat unit made of Imperial exiles, will pose as an imperial crew and infiltrate the fortress. Yang's staff is introduced: Murai, Patrichev, Fischer (a master of fleet maneuvers) and Frederica Greenhill, daughter of Admiral Dwight Greenhill. The Iserlohn fleet is lured away from the fortress by decoys. When a damaged imperial spaceship asks for help, the commander of Iserlohn, who doesn't know where his fl

May, 14, 796 U.C. / 487 R.C.: a fake imperial spaceship docks into Iserlohn. Walter von Schönkopf, commander of the Rosen Ritter, pretends to have important information and takes control of the center of command. The Iserlohn fleet comes back, only to be destroyed by the fortress' main weapon, the "Thor's Hammer". The fall of Iserlohn dramatically changes the strategic balance: Yang hopes it will lead to a peace treaty. Back in Heinessen, he wants to resign, but is promoted to vice-admiral inste

Paul von Oberstein, staff officer to the commander of Iserlohn fleet, is in trouble. He saw through Yang's plan, but his commander didn't listen to him, and he fled before the destruction of the fleet. The three chiefs of the Imperial fleet resign, but want to make him responsible of the defeat. Oberstein meets Reinhard and explains how, like him, he hates the high nobles and the Goldenbaum dynasty, and offer his help. Reinhard agrees and obtains his pardon by advising the Kaiser to refuse the c

Thirty years ago, Prince von Klopstock was exiled from the imperial court. He asks Duke von Braunschweig, the Kaiser's son-in-law, to ask forgiveness on his behalf. Braunschweig invites him to his daughter's birthday party. Klopstock's real goal is to bring a bomb in order to kill the Kaiser, who will be there. At the party, Reinhard clashes with baron Flegel. The bomb is taken away by accident and makes little damage. Klopstock commits suicide and the incident is kept secret.

Yang is sent to Thernussen (Heinessen's second largest city) with his ward, Julian Mintz, to attend a ceremony at the Military Academy. He meets Jessica Edwards, who is campaigning for the Peace Party candidate in an upcoming election. We learn that Yang, while being loyal to democracy, has no love for the current politicians. The P.K.C. sets a bomb in the Peace Party's headquarters, killing the candidate, but their plan backfires when Jessica, who is the new Peace Party candidate, wins a landsl

Susanna von Benemünde, a former favorite of the Kaiser, wants to get rid of Annerose and win back the Kaiser's love. She teams up with Flegel, who hopes that a scandal involving Annerose will lead to Reinhard's downfall. Annerose is abducted: she is to be killed and found with a supposed lover from the lower class. She is rescued by Kircheis, Reuenthal, Mittermeyer and Oberstein. Benemünde is forced to commit suicide. Flegel has been smart enough to leave no proof of his involvement, but Oberste

In the Free Planets Alliance, the capture of Iserlohn has intoxicated the public, the military and the politicians. It is possible to invade the Empire from Iserlohn, and many people think it's time to conclude the crusade against tyranny. In the High Council, Joan Lebello (Chairman of Treasury Committee) and Hwan Lewi (Chairman of Human Resources Committee) think it's better to sign a peace treaty because the economy is on the verge of collapsing, but the Chairman explains that they will lose t

August, 22, 796 U.C. /487 R.C.: the invasion of the Empire has begun. Reinhard implements a scorched earth strategy: all food is taken from the frontier zone, so the "Liberation force" of the Free Planets Alliance will be forced to feed the inhabitants. Reinhard plans to attack the invading fleets when their supply lines will be overstretched. Commodore Ulrich Kesler carries out the orders but, in the process, has to face someone from his past.

The Free Planets Alliance fleet has conquered more than 200 star systems (50 million inhabitants) without fighting. In Iserlohn, vice-admiral Casselnes drafts a supply plan, but he is worried about such a heavy burden: for him, Reinhard clearly wants the Free Planets Alliance to exhaust its resources on behalf of the liberated planets. The supply fleet is destroyed by Kircheis because Fork didn't think such an attack was possible. Yang, fearing a scorched earth policy, convinces his fellow fleet

The Free Planets Alliance's withdrawal request came too late to avoid heavy losses. The Empire attacks, destroying the 3rd, 7th and 12th fleets and heavily damaging the 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th fleets; only the 13th Fleet commanded by Yang manages to escape without absorbing serious damage. Fleet Admiral Lobos orders the fleets to regroup in the Amritsar Starzone. Reinhard orders his admirals to regroup in the same area in order to destroy the remaining fleets. The Free Planets Alliance Fleet suff

End of the battle of Amritsar: Yang's 13th Fleet keeps the Imperial Fleet at bay, allowing admiral Bucock to withdraw the remaining fleets. After that, Yang manages to escape destruction (once again). Meanwhile, the Kaiser dies without appointing an heir. Reinhard teams up with Reichsminister Lichtenlade in order to crown Erwin Josef II, one of the late emperor's three grandchildren. Duke von Brauschweig and Prince von Littenheim, fathers of the two others, prepare to seek revenge. Back in the F

Julian Mintz asks Frederica Greenhill how Yang became the "Hero of El Facil": 9 years ago. The Free Planets Alliance fleet, led by Arthur Lynch, fled the approaching Imperial Fleet, leaving 3 million people behind; Yang, one of the few officers left behind, organized the evacuation while the Alliance Fleet was defeated. Meanwhile, in the Empire, Reinhard thinks a civil war is about to break out; in order to avoid an intervention from the Alliance, he decides to infiltrate Lynch in the Alliance t

Duke von Brauschweig and Prince von Littenheim team up to overthrow the young Kaiser and get rid of Reinhard. Count Franz von Mariendorf wants to join the conspiracy, but his daughter, Hildegard persuade him not to do so because a new order is rising under Reinhard. She goes to Reinhard and offer her family's allegiance. The high nobles create the Lippstadt League, led by Braunschweig and Littenheim; Generaladmiral von Merkatz agrees (although reluctantly) to command their military forces. April

Andrew Fork is released from the Hospital. Fork attempts to assassinate HQ chief Kubersly. Reinhard decides to lead the main fleet against Geiersburg while Kircheis, helped by vice-admirals Lutz and Wahlen, will take control of the other areas. Meanwhile, in the Free Planets Alliance, a military uprising begins (April 3, 797 U.C. / 488 R.C.). In Heinessen, a military coup overthrows the High Council (April, 13): the National Salvation Military Council, led by admiral Greenhill, suspends the demo

The Lippstadt League plans to draw Reinhard to Geiersburg in order to defeat him in a decisive battle. As a part of this plan, Admiral Staaden has to lead a fleet to Odin in order to cut Reinhard's fleet from its base. Mittermeyer is sent to intercept Staaden, whose fleet is crushed during the battle of Altener and withdraws to the Rentenberg fortress. Reinhard decides to take the fortress, but the boarding parties are repelled by the garrison, led by Generaladmiral Ovlesser. An assault led by M

Schönkopf takes control of the rebel planets on behalf of the Yang fleet. The National Salvation Military Council sends commodore Bagdash to Yang to pose as a traitor to the coup in order to kill him, but Schönkopf manages to take him away. Yang's 13th Fleet meets the 11th Fleet in the Doria star system; the 11th Fleet is destroyed because its commanders turn down Yang's proposal of surrender. After the battle, Bagdash decides to join Yang because his victory is certain. Meanwhile, in Heinessen,

Littenheim leaves Geiersburg with his fleet to recover the territories conquered by Kircheis. Because of its lack of discipline and overconfidence of its commanders, the Littenheim Fleet is defeated; while running away, Littenheim's spaceship opens fire on allies who are in the way. In the Garmisch fortress, Littenheim is killed by his men, enraged by such an attitude. Meanwhile, Reinhard's fleet arrives in the area of Geiersburg. The Lippstadt Fleet attacks him but is utterly beaten and barely

An uprising takes place in Westerland, one of Braunschweig's territories. He decides to kill all the inhabitants by a nuclear strike. Reinhard hears about the plan and wants to send a fleet to stop it, but Oberstein thinks it's better to let it happen, record it and use this monstrous act as a propaganda tool against the high nobles. Reinhard is against it, but Oberstein's plan succeeds because he lied about the time of the strike. The images are nevertheless broadcast in all the Empire: Reinhar

After Yang's victory, the National Salvation Military Council loses its supporters and only controls Heinessen, well protected by the Artemis Necklace. Yang decides to use propaganda and asks Bagdash to publicly admit that the Empire is behind the coup. Bagdash's speech is widely broadcast in Heinessen. The leaders of the coup are astonished, but Lynch, who helped them, says that's the truth. Meanwhile, Yang manages to destroy the Artemis Necklace. Hopeless, the leaders of the National Salvation

Kircheis arrives at Geiersburg. He has an argument with Reinhard about the handling of the Westerland events. Reinhard assumes full responsibility for Oberstein's actions. A message is sent from Odin: Lichtenlade is plotting to get rid of Reinhard. Reinhard receives some rebel commanders. Adalbert von Fahrenheit joins Reinhard's team. Ansbach comes in with Braunschweig's coffin, but takes out a weapon and aims at Reinhard...

Ansbach misses; Oberstein protects Reinhard with his body while Kircheis grabs the weapons, but is killed in the process. Reinhard is devastated by his friend's death and is unable to make any decisions for several days. His admirals go back to Odin, arrest Reich Chancellor Lichtenlade for the murder attempt on Reinhard. Reinhard finally recovers and speaks to Annerose, who decides to retire to a small cottage; Reinhard feels left alone. Meanwhile, in Fezzan, Rubinsky decides to change his strat