Category: Linux
I was more of a Raiders of the Lost Ark and Ghostbusters fan than I was of sci-fi movies and shows back in the 80s. I loved the Back to the Future trilogy but preferred Indy over Han Solo and Spidey over Flash Gordon (the only part I remember from the 1980 film was sexy Princess Aura). I'm often surprised that my younger self was a devoted fan and toy collector of the controversial, short-lived, "children's" show, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. The show, which aired during the fantastic 80s (1986-1987 and then reruns), was ahead of its time and probably would have been successful if it had a one hour running time, didn't come off as a shill for the toy set, and was aired today. Like the 1980s Spider-Man animated series (which was poorly written but awesome nonetheless), 20 minutes of air time just wasn't have enough for convincing action or dialogue. Captain Power's writers, to their credit, did attempt to squeeze as much plot in the series without losing sight of its more commercial aim of billing itself as an "interactive show." This scheme of using the toys to take part in the show was ultimately detrimental to the success of both the Mattel toys and the TV show - both the series and the show famously became a target for groups that fought against violence on TV. Landmark Entertainment Group, the production company behind Power, eventually folded.
As a fan, I owned and kept most of the toys and the manuals. Scan from the author's own collection.
Strangely enough, the 80s was not as conservative as most people recall it to be. There were plenty of sex and violence on both the tube and in films at the time. For those too young to remember (or who are only mostly aware of events in the U.S.), the brilliant albeit very violent original Dragon Ball animated series aired in 1986 in Japan and was widely successful to children both in print and on television. The criticisms over the post-apocalyptic background of Power and the idea of "digitization" of human beings seemed misplaced compared to the material being published in Asia and Europe. Socialism, propaganda, war, technology, and the fear of machines taking over the world figured prominently in Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. The series also paid homage to themes discussed in more well-known media such as the original Star Wars trilogy and the classic Star Trek series.
One of the widely advertised aspects of the show was the Bio Dread creature Soaron Sky Sentry, who was a computer generated flying entity that (based on the action figure's file) could destroy whole cities and had the human weakness of being vain. Soaron was a cross between a humanoid falcon and a prehistoric lizard. I had two action figures of this character and thought it had the best design and accessories in the whole set (Soaron came with a Digitizer Staff, a pair of detachable wings, and a detachable "tail"). Soaron was one of the first creatures modeled using computers to ever convincingly appear on television. Among other things, Soaron could shoot blasts from his eyes and had mounted blasters on his forearm along with his retractable "Digitizer," which Soaron gleefully used on humans in the episodes. Soaron could also replicate damaged parts of his body and could replace/repair himself after battle (a very original take on the now-overused "healing factor" concept). I had to write a lengthy description of Soaron because as of this writing, "Soaron Sky Sentry" doesn't even have an entry in Wikipedia.
Most of the set and costumes on Power were exceptionally well-designed and were much, much, much better than those you found in more recent shows like Smallville. Although Soaron and a later computer animated character, Blastarr Ground Guardian (I have his action figure too), are choppy and visually unappealing by today's high standards, they were wholly original designs and were real characters rather than ornaments or superficial embellishments in the show. For the Terminator (1984) fans out there (me being one of them), Terminator 2: Judgement Day, came out in 1991 and was lauded for its CGI despite its predecessor winning accolades for make-up.
For those looking for screencaps of Soaron or Blastarr, buy the complete series on DVD. Scan of Blastarr's profile from author's collection.
Was Unix or Unix-like operating systems behind some of the early CGI scenes and instrumental in producing Captain Power? Considering the dearth of information of this obscure show, it is still easy to conclude that customized systems were used for the computer modelling rather than commercial software (which wasn't widely available yet). There's a strong possibility Unix was involved in producing Soaron and Blastarr. For those interested in the history of computer animation, there's a well-researched paper by a gentleman named Judson Rosebush published in 1992 and available online .
I have mixed feelings about the possible "reboot" of the largely forgotten Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. The new series, which would be aptly retitled Phoenix Rising according to show creator Gary Goddard , would begin where the first series left off. The ending of the show culminated with the death of a primary character, the destruction of the Power Base (the abandoned NORAD station that was the team's headquarters), and a victory on the side of Lord Dread's forces. The climax left room for a more satisfying conclusion with a Power Suit now available after the death of their team member. I certainly would like to follow the continuation of the series though more for sentimental reasons and curiosity than anything else. However, like most well-written productions made in the 80s (the aforementioned Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, and MacGyver come to mind), Power is best viewed during its original milieu rather than today, when audiences are over-saturated with science fiction in every format (gaming, movies, film). Although Power was a failed series, it was unique in an endless line of sci-fi shows and it would be a shame to see a half-baked unoriginal reboot of the stories and a quick cancellation. One thing I'm hoping though is that they don't hire Justin Bieber or Gossip Girl-looking actors and actresses - the original unglamorous and enthusiastic (except for Jessica Stein) cast were clearly not spring chickens.
Scan of one of the four Captain Power activity books from author's collection.
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