Star Date

Star Date
Star Date (スター·デイト, Sutā Deito)
Episode Data
Episode	Macross Frontier: #5
Airing
Japanese	May 1, 2008
← Previous	Miss Macross
Next →	Bye Bye Sheryl

Star Date (スター·デイト, Sutā Deito) is the fifth episode of Macross Frontier. It first aired on MBS and TBS in Japan on May 1, 2008.

Synopsis

Sheryl Nome seeks out Alto Saotome again in her quest to find the Fold Quartz earring she lost during her first concert at the colony, which is a keepsake from her mother Sally Nome. She orders Alto to guide her around the Macross Frontier fleet, and the two end up on a date of sorts. Elsewhere, Ozma Lee and Ranka Lee argue about her decision of becoming a singer. Ranka runs away from home and Alto's classmate/superior officer Mikhail Blanc finds her on the street. Somehow, Alto, Sheryl and Ranka all end up in the Zentradi Mall where their paths cross once again and Ranka's future is changed forever.

Plot

Ozma Lee is watching Ranka Lee on television singing at the Miss Macross Frontier competition. She has been suspended from school, an all-girls school which Ozma spent a lot of trouble getting her in to, because of that, it angers Ozma. But Ranka makes it clear that she wants to be a singer but Ozma says there's no way a shy girl like her can become a singer. She bursts into tears, chucks the cooking utensils she was using to make breakfast at her brother then leaves her residence and runs off into the streets.

Sheryl Nome is with Alto Saotome by some lockers in Mihoshi Academy, hoping to find her Fold Quartz earring. Alto hears some students and quickly gets in a locker, taking Sheryl with him to avoid everyone else discovering that a celebrity is there. The two students enter discuss Mikhail Blanc, one of them says this is where he changes, while the other ponders about her friend's creepiness. They then move to Alto's locker. Alto and Sheryl are trying to avoid being discovered, but Alto's phone rings (it was Ranka calling him) and Sheryl gets mildly aroused as the phone is vibrating against her, but a teacher calls the other students and they leave the lockers.

1/1

Ranka's phone rings, hoping it's Alto, but it is a call demanding where she is (as she is not in school), Ranka gets suspended.

Sighing, she squeezes her phone. Alto and Sheryl get out, Sheryl tells Alto not to leave his phone in weird places. Luca Angelloni notices Alto. Catherine Glass visits Ozma's house, when he opens the door, he thinks is Ranka. In a limousine with Catherine, he calls Mikhail to find Ranka. Leon Mishima is on the phone to Mr. Birler.

Sheryl's earring is still not found, even after several calls to where the concert took place. Sheryl demands that Alto hands his phone over to her so she can talk to the lost property person there, but he refuses. Sheryl shows the tag around Alto's neck she saw while he was in the locker and drops it into her bosom, daring Alto to get it. Alto blushes and chickens out, so Sheryl giggles and agrees to give it back under one condition.

Nanase Matsuura is upset at Ranka's suspension as well as her being missing in the first place, she asks Luca to help her find her friend. Mikhail turns down the offer as he has somewhere else to go and tells Luca to find "princess" (Alto, who's playing Hooky as Mikhail puts it) if he wants more help finding Ranka, withholding that Ozma told Mikhail personally to look for Ranka.

Luca calls Alto, but he doesn't know where Ranka is either, hearing a sound on the phone Luca asks who is with him. Being informed that Ranka has been suspended from school, Alto wonders that she is doing. Sheryl turns off his phone in the middle of the call, suggesting he misses his "girlfriend", but Alto says they aren't going out and that she's completely wrong. Alto reads the miss call he got in the locker from Ranka, she got suspended as she took part in Miss Macross and asking if they can talk in private later, Alto tries to call her back but he can't connect to her. so he runs off with Sheryl.

Mikhail discovers Ranka while wondering the streets, Alto is also downtown and he is surrounded by holograms and advertising boards featuring Sheryl. Sheryl explains she knew the earring was lost during her first encounter with Alto due to Grace O'Connor's implants recording visual data but Alto knows that they are illegal in the Frontier colony but Sheryl says they are all over the place in the Galaxy colony. Sheryl and Alto continue hanging out where he wonders if she is a cyborg like Grace, but Sheryl assures him that she is completely natural which is one of her selling points, as she explains, this causes Alto to blush.

Ranka refuses to return home until Ozma accepts her for what she is and Mikhail continues following her. Sheryl sees the beauty of the Frontier at an observation area, although Alto find nothing special about this domed colony, Sheryl tells him the Galaxy colony and most other colonies on her tours are full of chemical plants. Alto also spots Mikhail and Ranka getting on a train.

Sheryl telling Alto that she likes how he doesn't treat her differently just because of her fame.

Sheryl grabs Alto's hand and runs as people at the observation area wonder if the woman running is Sheryl. They get on a train and Alto tells her that he wants to take her somewhere.

The S.M.S. and New U.N. Spacy discuss the Vajra, present are survivors of the 117th Research Fleet such as Ozma. Leon shows them a Vajra specimen. A large cow roars at Sheryl, a giant farmer picks it up, Alto has taken Sheryl to a Zentradi area of the colony, it is the first time see she them in their macronized forms. Sheryl hears some music coming from a building, Alto says it is a Zentradi mall. Inside the mall, a mall called The Folmo (フォルモ, The Folmo), Mikhail asks Ranka where she's going as the macronized Pixie team watch a Zentradi sing. Ranka refuses to talk until Mikhail buys Ranka some ice cream.

Sheryl compares the giant Zentradi buildings, the giant shoes, plates etc. to a land of fairy tales. Sheryl suddenly pulls down some female Zentradi underwear off a display and begins writing on it, the macronized Klan Klang wonders that she is doing. Sheryl has in fact thought up some new song lyrics. Ranka tells Mikhail that her reason for going to Mihoshi was to meet Alto because he listens to what she has to unlike Mikhail or her brother. Mikhail tells Ranka that the Major, Ozma is really worried but she still refuses to return as her brother treats her like a kid and lied about still being a fighter pilot. Mikhail says what she is saying is childish.

Mikhail offers Ranka an ice cream to get her to talk.

The Vajra specimen that the New United Nations Spacy have been dissecting is not dead as Leon correct Ozma when he calls it a corpse. Leon shows that the exoskeleton of the Vajra is similar to a Valkyrie's energy conversion armour, are able to fold at will and construct missile-like objects internally, the brain of the Vajra, however is quite small, almost non-existent, Leon even suspects it to be a "bioweapon".

Mikhail tries to make Ranka understand why Ozma fights but fails. He dares Ranka to sing out loud. At first, she considers it not to be a problem as she sang at Miss Macross Frontier but now, no one really intends hear her sing, Mikhail asks if she noticed the macronized Zentradi singing at the mall's entrance.

Ranka accepts Mikhail's challenge, seeing another of Alto's paper aeroplanes (but not Alto himself) flying across the mall, she instantly remembers the moment Alto heard her sing Aimo, she gains her confidence and she begins singing the song "What 'bout my star?". a Zentradi guitar player begins jamming, soon she gets musicians playing drum and bass, many shoppers (including Alto who notices the voice as belonging to Ranka's) hear the singing. The Vajra specimen being examined suddenly activates.

Sheryl and Alto come see who is singing, and they confirm it is Ranka, Sheryl tells Alto that Ranka has finally come into the spotlight on her own. A talent agent, Elmo Kridanik, at the mall sees Ranka's brilliance as the audience clap and cheer.

As Leon talks, the Vajra specimen, now awoken, tries to break the glass and escape, but they close the shielded doors. Ranka and Mikhail see Sheryl and Alto talking in the distance. Sheryl returns the red label back to Alto, and offers him a free ticket to her Good-bye concert at the frontier, while he promises to find her earring. As a sign of gratitude she kisses him on the cheek as Ranka watches in despair. The talent agent approaches Ranka and Sheryl waves Alto goodbye.

In space, a variable fighter makes a hyperspace jump. Captain Uran from the Macross Galaxy (Where Sheryl is suppose to return to after touring the Frontier) sends a distress call, informing that the Macross Galaxy has been attacked by a horde of Vajra and they are requesting immediate assistance.

Stats

Characters

1. Ozma Lee
2. Ranka Lee
3. Alto Saotome
4. Sheryl Nome
5. Unnamed Mihoshi Academy Students
6. Luca Angelloni
7. Catherine Glass
8. Leon Mishima
9. Mr. Birler
10. Nanase Matsuura
11. Mikhail Blanc
12. Unnamed S.M.S. Members
13. Unnamed New U.N. Spacy Members
14. Zentradi Farmer
15. Macronized Zentradi Singer
16. Klan Klang
17. Raramia Rerenia
18. Nene Rora
19. Zentradi Guitarist
20. Zentradi Drummer
21. Zentradi Keyboardist
22. Zentradi Bass Guitarist
23. Elmo Kridanik
24. Captain Uran

Trivia

• The name of the mall is a reference to the Super Dimension Fortress Macross character Exsedol Folmo.
• The title is a pun on the term "Stardate" from Star Trek, the episode's plot of Alto Saotome on a "date" with Sheryl Nome (who has stardom) and the fact that their "date" it is in space.