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General

Andross's super defense satellite, Bolse, is the last line of defense before you reach Venom. We don't have a lot of information about this satellite since none of the scout ships we've sent there have ever returned. A powerful force field protects it from remote scanning and makes the weapons of a large capital ship useless against it. A small strike team of fighters, such as your Star Fox team, might be able to bring down the force field and attack the core. Watch out for the Star Wolf team - they are sure to be on the prowl this close to Venom.
—General Pepper's Flight Log, pg 56

Bolse is an artificial defense satellite in orbit of the world of Venom.

Overview

Created for the defense of Venom, Bolse is a massive artificial satellite in orbit of Andross's capital planet. It is protected by a force field that makes it immune to remote scanning and allowed it to shrug off capital ship weaponry. The sheer size of the station and the amount of magnetic energy generated by its force field give Bolse a strong gravitational field. Besides its laser cannons, Bolse also houses missiles and Bolse Fighters, along with armies to be used for the invasion of Corneria.

The power needed for the operation of Bolse is generated by a bionuclear core. The fusion of biomutated energy and nuclear power gives the station the immense power needed to battle entire fleets of enemy ships. However, this reaction is also incredibly unstable, turning the defense satellite into a ticking time bomb. Six reactor pylons were needed to cool and stabilize the generator, otherwise the core would undergo bionuclear meltdown.

Astronomical Data

Bolse is an artificial satellite created by Andross to defend Venom. Due to the size of this structure, and the magnetic energy generated by its forcefield, it is surrounded by a strong gravitational field. A classified design document obtained from Andross's archives reveals that destroying the six generator pylons will neutralize its forcefield.
—Star Fox 64.com
Bolse is Andross's last bastion of defence that keeps watch over Venom while still keeping its sights aimed at Corneria. Stockpiled with missiles and Venom armies, the artificial planet orbits around Venom, recklessly blasting away any oncoming fleets. Powering the massive space station is Bolse's bionuclear core. While the core generates immeasurable power, its unstable fusion of biomutateed energy and nuclear power turns Bolse into a ticking time bomb. Therefore, six reactor pylons must constantly cool and stabilise the generator, or else Bolse's core will undergo bionuclear meltdown.
—Lylat Datalink; Inside the bulwarks of Bolse, pg 58

History

A prototype to Bolse originally existed around Corneria, although it ended up destroyed when its core underwent a meltdown and resulted in the creation of Sector Y.

Sector Y is a mysterious zone haunted by conflicting storms of radiation and magnetic energy. The space dust that ionises the sector tends to cause the equipment of most space craft to malfunction or fail. Sector Y renders most ships helpless, leaving them victims to space pirates and Venom's armies. Usually, pilots wisely steer clear of the eerie vacuum, but those who dare to enter rarely escape. Scientists attribute much of the existence of the Sector Y phenomenon on a failed Bolse satellite prototype that underwent a nuclear meltdown and polluted the zone with its radioactive remains.
—Lylat Datalink; The battleship graveyard, pg 63

Bolse came under attack by the Star Fox Team as they headed the invasion of Venom. Fox McCloud and his team, aware of Bolse' weakness from stolen design documents, were able to destroy the six generator pylons and expose the core to attack. Not even the arrival of the Star Wolf Team was able to prevent Star Fox from destroying the station and opening the way for Venom's invasion.

In the Manga

Bolse appears in the Star Fox 64 manga, filling the exact role as it does in its game appearances. After Peppy suggests using charged blasts at the energy towers and shooting down all the Bolse fighters, the satellites core is revealed, leaving it open to the combined Arwing firepower. The reactor goes into meltdown, destroying the satellite and leaving the air space open to the Star Fox Team. But Andross's elite Acedevil fighters block their flight path. Ordering to execute plan 9 on Fox's command, the team create somersault loops and evade the fleet, allowing them to enter Venom's airspace.

Trivia

  • Like Saucerer on the Katina stage, Bolse's force field and protection of its own fighters draws inspiration from the 1996 film Independance Day. Slippy's announcement about the Bolse Fighter's extra shields are also references a quote made in the same film.
  • In Star Fox 64 3D, Bolse was significantly redesigned to resemble a more typical satellite. In addition, a turntable like device was also spotted in the latter game, explaining why the towers seemed to be moving against the Star Fox team.

Names in Other Languages

Language Name
Japanese (ボルス, Borusu)

References

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