Kyonan University had successfully launched a scientific satellite for educational use, but the Terrestrial Defense Forces had strong doubts about this. Soga finds out that a boy named Ichinomiya is involved in this through his fiancé, Saeko, who is enrolled at the college.
The aim of physics Professor Niwa, who Ichinomiya admires, was to bring back the strategy document to his home planet. Ultraseven and Alien Prote battles at the midnight campus.
Ichikawa revealed that the character of Ichinomiya was, to some extent, a reflection of himself at the time. When he was writing this episode, he was struggling as a novice screenwriter, tirelessly pitching scripts to television networks and film studios, only to face constant rejection. "You're not talented," and "Give up and go back home"—he had heard such harsh words countless times. Yet, despite the setbacks, he held onto the dream that "one day" he would succeed, refusing to give up.
This sense of uncertainty and struggle was not unique to him but resonated with many young dreamers. "I know I have talent—why won't the world recognize it?" "If it were me, I'd do it better..." Such youthful arrogance and frustration, combined with an immature yet unshakable confidence, led him to pour his emotions into Ichinomiya's character, drafting the story in one go.
The core of the episode: the despair of being betrayed by someone he trusted, which ultimately pushes Ichinomiya to choose to protect Earth on his own rather than rely on Seven or the Ultra Guard—is something Ichikawa now looks back on with a wry smile. "That ending was almost too straightforward. I don't think I could write something like that anymore. Reading the script now, it feels like revisiting old wounds from my youth—bittersweet, yet nostalgic."
Motor Boating magazine read by Furuhashi.
The magazine that Furuhashi was reading in this episode is actually the August 1962 issue of "Motor Boating" magazine published by Hearst Magazines in the United States.[2]
The early draft title was "Escape from Earth"(地球脱出便, Chikyū Dasshutsu Bin). In the early draft, Alien Prote's human disguise was named Professor Prussia, later changed to Professor Niwa in the final version. Saeko was originally written as Soga's younger sister but was later reworked into his fiancée, a university student.
The script's opening and ending were both crafted with strong literary symbolism. In the initial draft, the episode began with Saeko wandering through an empty university campus on a quiet Sunday afternoon. The scene included a shot of Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam on the academy hall's wall, as well as Saeko passing beneath Greek sculptures before disappearing from view. This imagery was retained in both the draft and the finalized script, suggesting that the writer sought to reinforce the episode's themes through references to classical art. However, in the final production, The Creation of Adam was not directly used.
The closing narration also underwent several revisions. In the draft, it originally read "the May wind", which was changed to "the first wind of spring" in the revised script. The final version ultimately settled on "Perhaps it was merely spring's prank."
The original prop of Alien Prote's saucer used in this episode has been confirmed to still be preserved.[3]
The setting of this episode, Keinan University, was actually filmed at Gakushuin University, particularly in its central lecture hall. In the script, the clock tower that collapses during the battle between Seven and Alien Prote was described as a structure “resembling Tokyo University.” The central lecture hall was eventually demolished in 2008, leaving only a commemorative monument.[4][5][6]
On September 13, 2008, Gakushuin University hosted a talk show themed around this episode, with Kazuho Mitsuta as a guest speaker. The event coincided with a commemorative lecture featuring a guest appearance by a visiting researcher from the history museum. As a result, Crown Prince Naruhito (now Emperor Naruhito), who was attending as a guest, ended up taking a photo with Ultraseven during the event.[7][8][9][10]
According to Yuriko Hishimi, Naruhito mentioned that he had watched Ultraseven.[11]
This episode is called "Hijacked Satellite" in the first dub of Ultraseven.
