Fireball Xl5 goes to uncharted space after hearing a distress call SDC--Space Distress Call--a call they stopped using 20 years ago.
To get to the source of the call, they have to go through the middle of a meteor shower--a highly dangerous proposition. Despite Matt's pleas they turn back, Steve is determined to rescue whoever is in trouble and manages to get the XL5 through the meteor shower safely.
The source of the distress call proves to be Aphros, the Queen of the Amazons who has been marooned on this planet by her own people for 5 years. She shamelessly flirts with Steve (5 years is a long time to be alone on a planet!) but when Steve explains he cannot take her off the planet because she was prosecuted and sentenced to this planet fairly and taking her off the planet would violate the treaty between Earth and Amazonia, Aphros turns on him and threatens to destroy Fireball Junior with lava that she can control from a dangerous volcano.
On board Fireball Jr. Matt and Venus have been listening to the whole thing via Steve's radio. But just as the lava comes down, they find they discover Junior will not fire retros and lift off! Nor will the hatch open to allow them to fly away in jet mobiles! They face being baked to death by lava while trapped inside Junior! There's a lot of jeopardy and action in this one and thankfully this episode is Zoony-free. Steve comes off very heroic (though a bit sexist and patronizing when he discovers WHY Junior would not take off "just like a woman...") and director Bill Harris keeps things moving and looking good throughout.
They never did explain why Aphros used a SOS call that went out of fashion 20 years ago when she's only been stranded on the planet for 5 years, but in the end its a small problem in a generally good episode.
To get to the source of the call, they have to go through the middle of a meteor shower--a highly dangerous proposition. Despite Matt's pleas they turn back, Steve is determined to rescue whoever is in trouble and manages to get the XL5 through the meteor shower safely.
The source of the distress call proves to be Aphros, the Queen of the Amazons who has been marooned on this planet by her own people for 5 years. She shamelessly flirts with Steve (5 years is a long time to be alone on a planet!) but when Steve explains he cannot take her off the planet because she was prosecuted and sentenced to this planet fairly and taking her off the planet would violate the treaty between Earth and Amazonia, Aphros turns on him and threatens to destroy Fireball Junior with lava that she can control from a dangerous volcano.
On board Fireball Jr. Matt and Venus have been listening to the whole thing via Steve's radio. But just as the lava comes down, they find they discover Junior will not fire retros and lift off! Nor will the hatch open to allow them to fly away in jet mobiles! They face being baked to death by lava while trapped inside Junior! There's a lot of jeopardy and action in this one and thankfully this episode is Zoony-free. Steve comes off very heroic (though a bit sexist and patronizing when he discovers WHY Junior would not take off "just like a woman...") and director Bill Harris keeps things moving and looking good throughout.
They never did explain why Aphros used a SOS call that went out of fashion 20 years ago when she's only been stranded on the planet for 5 years, but in the end its a small problem in a generally good episode.