The Yamato isn't just a ship anymore, it's a monument to the dead, and this special forces you to sit with that weight before anything else happens. New cadets drown while staring at the legend. That's not poetry. That's the cost of being the crew nobody else can replace.

In the year 2201, the Yamato is back from its devastating battle with Emperor Zordar and the Comet Empire. Sanada, Aihara and Shima leave the hospital and visit Okita's memorial to honor their fallen crewmates. There they meet Tasuke, Tokugawa's son, who plans to join the crew once he finishes cadet school. At his graduation the next day, he tips over a boat of new cadets who are too busy gazing at the Yamato to watch where they are going. The ship's launch goes badly when the new engine crew flips the wrong switches and stalls it, but the Yamato finally sets out on what is meant to be a simple training mission. The special is a sci-fi drama.