Whilst there have been infrequent encounters with the Zentraedi on the SDF-1’s long journey home the attacks on the giant battle-fortress have been nowhere as large as the crew would have expected having seen firsthand the vast armada that broke out of hyperspace near Earth’s Moon shortly before the SDF-1 made the space-fold which took it to Pluto. This all changes as the SDF-1 enters orbit around the ringed planet Saturn. Massed formations of Zentraedi fighters fall on the combat air patrol’s surrounding the SDF-1 in an attempt by the aliens to destroy the veritech fighter squadrons which ensure that a direct incursion cannot be made by the aliens into the heart of the huge battle-fortress. After deploying even more fighters in an attempt to protect itself from the swarms of attacking aliens the SDF-1 moves to the rear of the conflict the allow its fighter squadrons the chance to deal with the alien formations.