This rollicking adventure takes place in the distant future, when interstellar space is divided among Pirates, the Space Forces, and Outlaws, who live by their personal codes. Self-proclaimed Outlaw Gene Starwind is a crack shot, a ferocious brawler, and a dashing ladies' man. But he suffers from a fear of space rooted in his troubled past. He lives on the two-bit planet Sentinel III with his friend and business partner Jim Hawking, a kid who looks a bit like Duo in "Gundam Wing". Jim and Gene are drawn into a web of intrigue by the rebel pirate Hot Ice Hilda. They acquire a supership, the Outlaw Star, and learn of a fabulous treasure hidden at the mysterious Galactic Leyline. They befriend the beautiful assassin Suzuka; Malfina, an android who bonds with the ship's fussy computer; and effete arms dealer Fred Lou. They also pick up some nasty enemies: the Kei Pirates, Aisha Clanclan of the Ctarl-Ctarl Empire, and the amoral MacDougall. Some fans have compared "Outlaw Star" to "Cowboy Bebop", but it lacks "Bebop"'s noir atmosphere and gritty fascination. Gene displays a rough-and-tumble charm, but Katsuhiko Chiba's screenplay rambles aimlessly at times, and some of these first nine episodes are little more than filler. Contains these episodes: 1. "Outlaw World," 2. "Star of Desire," 3. "Into Burning Space," 4. "When the Hot Ice Melts," 5. "Beast Girl, Ready to Spring," 6. "Beautiful Assassin," 7. "Creeping Evil," 8. "Forced Departure," 9. "A Journey of Adventure"! Huh? This uncut version is rated 13 Up for nudity, sexual situations, profanity, and violence. An edited version of "Outlaw Star" started airing on the Cartoon Network in January 2001. "--Charles Solomon"