Upon returning from investigating a mysterious light source, Dan is called to agent Anne Yuri's quarters after a strange shadow like figure appears there. Claiming to be injured, Dan and Anne sit and talk to the shadow shaped figure, although the alien is equally shadowy about answering questions. Meanwhile, central control receives an alien signal from the planet Pegassa asking that Earth adjust its orbit to avoid a collision that would destroy both the Earth and the Pegassan metropolis. In an effort to avert total annihilation, Commander Manabe orders the city of Pegassa destroyed. But the Pegassas have plans of their own as well.
This episode was actually the third produced after the official start of the series' filming.
In the early stages of preparation for the Redman series, the draft of this episode was titled "The Space City"(宇宙空間都市, Uchū kūkan toshi). According to Yuriko Hishimi, the role of Anne Yuri was still designated to be played by Yoshiko Toyoura at that time.[1]
This episode contains two script versions—Draft 1 and Draft 2—with notable differences from the final version:
In Draft 1, the dialogue between Dan, Anne, and Alien Pegassa covers topics such as the sciences, philosophy, and entertainment of two civilizations. Alien Pegassa's lines feature sharp social critique, reflecting the social climate of the late 1960s and offering a satirical take on the cultural issues of the time. The ending of Script 1 is rather bleak, with the narrator remarking, "...the vast universe, which continues to expand rapidly, had once witnessed the ironic event where there was no place for both Earth and Pegassa City to coexist."
Compared to Draft 1, Draft 2 shifts focus towards exploring the double-edged nature of modern science, highlighting both its infinite possibilities and hidden dangers. In this version, Pegassa City's survival relies on a factory that produces water and air, with citizens entirely dependent on it for their livelihood. This creates a profound cautionary tale about overreliance on technology. The narrator's final lines are altered to: "...the universe still continues to expand at a furious pace. However, within this vast expanse, there was no place where both Earth and Pegassa City could live together."
According to an interview with producer Ken Kumagai by Yoichi Iwasa:[2]
During the script discussions, there was initially a plan for Alien Pegassa to commit suicide by holding a bomb at the end. It's unclear whether Alien Pegassa, holding the bomb, was meant to be directly taken into space by Ultraseven and have the bomb detonated, or if Alien Pegassa, despairing after losing their homeland, was to fly into space with the bomb, exploding as Ultraseven pursued them.
According to reports, TBS found this storyline too "dark," and it was quickly rejected. This led to the final change.
This episode features several promotional photos, including four depicting Anne combing her hair while looking into a mirror, with an Alien Pegassa standing behind her.[5][6]
According to Yuriko Hishimi, fans often ask, "Was this scene in the actual episode?" As she explained, this scene does not appear in the episode itself but was specially staged for promotional purposes. Such photos are frequently taken separately from the main production.[7]
In Anne's room, there is a Licca doll, which was reportedly placed there by the props team. The Licca doll was first released in May 1967, and this episode was filmed around August 1967.[8]
In the August 2015 issue of SF Magazine published by Hayakawa, a short story set 26 years after this episode, titled Transformation Disorder, was featured. The story was also included in the short story collections Return to Tatara Island: Ultra Monster Anthology published by the same company. Set in a parallel world 26 years after this episode, the story diverges from the original series, with Ultraseven still fighting on Earth.[9]
A trailer for this episode was released on October 1, 2023 as part of a series of trailers created to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Ultraseven, that also promoted the episode being made free on TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION for a month.[10][11]
The "What-If" scenario, where Alien Pegassa successfully used a bomb to alter Earth's orbit, avoiding a collision with Pegassa City, became a key theme in the Ultraseven IF Story “The Future 55 Years Ago”.
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