TDF communication officer Nogawa was captured by a mysterious spaceship at Lake Asahi in the morning. Alien Borg implanted a hypnotic plate in Nogawa's brain and equipped him with a powerful bomb to return to the base.
Alien Borg's objective was to detonate the base at 6 a.m. when TDF members were gathered. Fortunately, Ultraseven managed to thwart the situation and will engage in an intense confrontation with Alien Borg!
The production of this episode was influenced by tight scheduling. During this period, Tsuburaya Productions had also begun work on Mighty Jack, which added pressure to the production team.[1]
An early version of the script existed, titled "Half-human"(半人間, Han-ningen).[2]
In this version, the alien race was the Alien Zamba (ザンバ星人, Zanba Seijin). This race had a strong need for human blood to save their species, which had degenerated due to endogamy. In order to prevent their species from dying out, they proposed a plan to integrate human blood into their genetic pool. However, when their daughter failed in her marriage, they abandoned the idea of marrying Earthlings and instead sought to resurrect dying young people, intending to turn them into their subordinates to rule Earth.
In this early script, the Alien Zamba' daughter attempted to execute the conspiracy by luring Soga, nearly taking his life, but was ultimately killed by Dan's gun. Additionally, in the draft, the invasion's purpose was more clearly defined, with Alien Zamba destroying a building and claiming the lives of 1,000 office workers.
In their conversation with Ultraseven, Alien Zamba declares, "We no longer discuss theory; the time has come for the dead to be resurrected as cyborgs to help us rule Earth. Ultimately, Earth will become Planet Zamba." Ultraseven firmly opposes this plan, stating, "You cannot jeopardize the lives of other planets just to save your own."
In the early draft of this episode, the story centered on the tragic love between Nogawa and Sanae. Nogawa, saved by a demonic contract and transformed into a cyborg, was still deeply in love with Sanae despite being ordered to carry out certain tasks.
A notable scene in this version involved Nogawa urging Sanae with the words: "Sanae, if you love me, you must die. If we don't do this, we can't live together! You will surely run away." To which Sanae responded: "Please forgive me. I can't betray humanity." The Alien Borg then declared, "Do you still think of yourself as human? You are both human and not human, a half-human now. You are no longer one of them. If you wish to see your beloved or close friends again, you must make them half-human too."
In the finale, Nogawa chose to leave Earth, believing that his departure was the best option for both Sanae and humanity. He wrote Sanae a letter, explaining that he would be working at a space station, and that he would say a final farewell, accepting his identity as the first "Cyborg" of humanity.
In the final version, the ending was completely changed, with Nogawa choosing not to be alone but instead marrying Sanae and living a happy life together.
According to an interview with episode writer Keisuke Fujikawa by Yoichi Iwasa:[3]
Fujikawa mentioned that his primary responsibility in Ultraseven was writing action scenes. When intense battles between aliens and Ultraseven were needed, it was usually his task to write those segments. During the initial discussions of this script, the team decided to take inspiration from Mission: Impossible, creating a storyline where an alien transforms a team member into a spy, and added the suspense of a time bomb element.
As for the design of the Alien Borg, Fujikawa revealed that it was inspired by Joan of Arc, which is why her human form was female, and the intention was to introduce different variations and creative elements in every episode.
The Alien Borg's costume was actually a reused prop from the abandoned script of episode 23, "Revenge of 300 Years," where it was originally intended to be worn by the "Armored Human."[4]
The location for Sanae's home was filmed in Den-en-chofu.[5]
