"The Shining Shooting Star: Saturn and the Messiah" is the 36th episode of the third season of the Sailor Moon anime, and the 125th episode overall. It aired in Japan on February 11, 1995. The CWi English dub title for this episode is "Darkness, My Old Friend!" and it aired in North America on July 28, 2000.
Summary
Mistress 9 steals the Holy Grail, allowing Pharaoh 90 to pass through the portal from the Tau Star System to Earth. Hotaru expels Mistress 9 from her and finally awakens as Sailor Saturn herself, who had taken possession Hotaru's body and mind, and is ready to obliterate Pharaoh 90 once and for with her immeasurably strong powers of death and destruction, ruin and annihilation.
Plot
Mistress 9 attempts to trick Sailor Moon into giving up the Holy Grail by pretending to be Hotaru. Sailor Uranus and Neptune senses a trap set up and warns her to protect the Grail. Believing Hotaru is still inside, Sailor Moon ignores their warning and is tricked into giving Mistress 9 the Holy Grail, which she uses to summon Pharaoh 90 to Earth. In that moment, Hotaru regains conscious with the assistance of Sailor Moon and her father and also remembering her happy moments with her father and her friendship with Chibiusa as Hotaru angrily states towards Mistress 9 in her subconscious, "I have people that I cared about a lot!", she destroys the mark within Mistress 9 to replace the Saturn symbol on her forehead thus destroying her in the process, and fully awakening the spirit of Sailor Saturn within her at last. In the ghostly form of Sailor Saturn, she gives back Chibiusa's pure heart and thanks her for being her one and only true friend. Both Luna and Artemis also noticed Sailor Saturn's presence, as does Mamoru.
Sailor Saturn herself appears (who has taken possession of Hotaru's mind and body) before Sailor Moon and thanks her for protecting her and Hotaru, but she can only stop Pharaoh 90 once and for all. To do so, she must make the ultimate sacrifice and destroy Pharaoh 90 from within the core with her vastly powerful destructive abilities. As Super Sailor Moon, Usagi could have been a great assistance to Sailor Saturn, but as she stands right now, she'll have to wait it out. When Sailor Moon tries to stop her, Sailor Saturn points her Silence Glaive in front of her to prevent her from coming any closer. She enters the core and supposedly in the process of destroying Pharaoh 90. In anger, Sailor Uranus yells at Sailor Moon for being careless in giving up the Grail and forcing them to rely on Saturn to save the planet which would likely mean the end of Earth's existence. As Sailor Moon struggles to transform into Super Sailor Moon, she gains the help of the other six Sailor Senshi to become Super Sailor Moon for the last time, which causes her own pure heart crystal to burst forth. With that, she enters Pharaoh 90's core and successfully defeats him.
After the fight, a bunch of butteries float the daylight, revealing a weakened and wounded Super Sailor Moon holding a newborn baby in her arms. She has managed to save both Hotaru and Sailor Saturn, whose spirit is reborn as a baby immediately afterward as Hotaru Tomoe.
Changes
Changes From the Manga
- Mistress 9 never coveted the Holy Grail. Her ultimate objective was the Silver Crystal from Chibiusa's Moon Prism Compact, which she eventually snatched from Chibiusa, killing her.
- Sailor Chibi Moon and Tuxedo Mask were involved in direct combat, along with the Inner Senshi against Pharaoh 90, while the Outer Senshi held the barrier trying to contain him.
- The damage Pharaoh 90 caused (after the barrier was broken and prior to his defeat) was spread around the planet.
- Sailor Saturn is awakened by the three Talismans and uses Death Reborn Revolution attack to exterminate Pharaoh 90 by sending him back to where him originated from and destroying the entire world in the process.
- Neo-Queen Serenity appears to restore the planet and revive the citizens.
- When Hotaru breaks free of Mistress 9, Mistress 9 takes on a monstrous appearance, rather than being destroyed. Pharaoh 90 merges with Mistress 9 to infect the planet.
- Sailor Pluto is present during the fight, and uses Dark Dome Close to close the portal between Earth and the Tau Nebula.
- Super Sailor Chibi Moon, Tuxedo Mask, and Sailor Pluto were involved in the final battle, and bore witness to the fully reawakened Sailor Saturn's strongest and most destructive Death Reborn Revolution attack to destroy Pharaoh 90.
First Appearances
Trivia
- This is the last time the mighty power of the Holy Grail is seen and used.
- This is the last time Sailor Moon uses Crisis, Make Up to transform into Super Sailor Moon, albeit without the Holy Grail.
- The English dub's episode title is a reference to the Simon & Garfunkel song The Sound of Silence.
