Initially canceled in Japan due to low ratings, the series gained a new lease of life there after Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) was released.
In the first episode, Captain Avatar's defiant reply to the Gamilons' demand of surrender - "Idiots!" - is clearly inspired by General McAuliffe's reply to the German surrender ultimatum in World War II: "Nuts!"
Released in the United States to cash in on Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), the series actually predates the film by three years.
The voice actors for the English language dubs were uncredited as all the performers were non-union. A fan-based effort spanning several years uncovered the majority of the actors' names which now appear in the IMDb listing.
The wreck of the sunken Yamato was shown as having settled upright and intact on the ocean floor, while being partially buried in sediment with the passage of time. In 1974, no one knew what the wreckage looked like. It was not until 1985 that a submersible would discover the Yamato wreck and it would be revealed that the ship broke in two prior to its settling on the ocean floor, quite different from its appearance at the beginning of the series.