Defenders of the Earth - The 1986 animated series

Defenders of the Earth (original title: Defenders of the Earth ) is an American animated series produced in 1986, with characters from three comic books distributed by King Features Syndicate: Flash Gordon, Phantom (the masked man), Mandrake the magician and Mandrake Lothar's assistant - who oppose the emperor Ming the relentless (in the original "Ming the Merciless") in the year 2015. Supporting characters include their son Rick Gordon (son of Flash Gordon), LJ (son of Lothar), Kshin (adopted son of Mandrake) and Jedda Walker ( daughter of Phantom the masked man).

The show lasted 65 episodes; there was also a short-lived comic series published by Star Comics (by Marvel Comics). The credits credit Rob Walsh and Tony Pastor for the main title music and Stan Lee for the lyrics. The series was later shown in reruns on the Sci Fi Channel as part of the Sci Fi animation block, Cartoon Quest.

Flash Gordon was also seen in two other animated series: The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979–82) and Flash Gordon (1996–97).

History

Flash Gordon and his son Rick escape from Ming the relentless who has depleted the natural resources of his home planet Mongo and wishes to exploit the Earth. Ming tries to brainwash Flash's wife, Dale Arden, but she resists to death, after which her psyche is later included in the Defenders' Dynac X supercomputer. Later, Flash and Mandrake organize the defenders against Ming

Characters

Flash Gordon- Leader of the Defenders of the Earth: space pilot and father of Rick Gordon.

Phantom (the masked man) - Essentially identical to the character of Lee Falk, but different from the original in that by singing "By the Law of the Jungle, the Walking Ghost Calls for the Power of Ten Tigers", he momentarily receives superhuman strength. His real name is Kit Walker. His horse Hero and the wolf Devil make brief appearances. The credits describe this ghost by saying "This is the 27th ghost".

Mandrake the magician - A hypnotist and mystic capable of manipulating the perceptions of others almost at will. He is often portrayed as a secondary leader of the Defenders and sometimes the narrator of their decisions.

Lothar - Mandrake's assistant and bodyguard, depicted as a powerful fighter, skilled mechanic and tactical master. The action figure packaging describes Lothar as a "Caribbean Ninja".

Richard "Rick" Gordon - Richard is an impulsive computer genius and the son of Flash Gordon. Rick, along with several other teenagers from the show, attended Central High located in Central City. Rick Gordon was originally supposed to be Kit Walker, the son of the Phantom.

LJ - Short for “Lothar Jr.”, LJ is street martial artist, Lothar's son and Rick's best friend. When in one episode, the Defenders spot a crystal that shows them their greatest wishes, LJ's is to defeat the antagonist Octon.

Jeddah Walker - Jedda is the daughter of the Phantom and exhibits limited telepathy and extrasensory powers, usually expressed by communication with her black panther Kisa. There is little or no mention of her mother, although in one episode she is Queen Hadea's reluctant stepdaughter. Some episodes involve a relationship with Rick Gordon. Jedda Walker was originally supposed to be Jedda Gordon, daughter of Flash Gordon.

Kshin - Kshin is an orphan boy adopted by Mandrake and trained as his apprentice. His origins are revealed in the end-of-season episode "The Adoption of Kshin", where he is shown to be a young street orphan found by Mandrake after a gang of boys tried to use him as a distraction in a failed pickpocket attempt. . He is usually accompanied by the extraterrestrial "Zuffy", initially found by Rick Gordon on the planet Mongo.

Dynac - Dynac X is the central computer of the Defenders headquarters, whose operating system is said to contain the psyche of Flash Gordon's wife. Although never called by name in the series, the comic book adaptation of the first two episodes identifies the slain “Mrs. Gordon ”as Dale Arden. Diane Pershing is the only actress from the cartoon Filmation who reprized her role.

antagonists

Ming the relentless (in the original "Ming the Merciless") - A warlord or supervillain bent on exploiting Earth's natural resources, based on 'Ice Station Earth'. This version is made more grotesque than its traditional aspect to avoid racial stereotypes; a similar treatment would have been used on Mandarin in the Iron Man animated series and on Dr. No in James Bond Jr., as all three characters received green skin and pointy ears.
Prince Kro-Tan (voiced by Hal Rayle) - The son of Ming the Merciless

Princess Castra - The daughter of Ming the Merciless

Octon - an octopus-like artificial intelligence equivalent to an "evil version" of Dynac X, which advises Ming the Ruthless about ways to conquer Earth or defeat the Defenders. His name derives from that of an opponent of Mandrake in the latter's comic of the same name, in which he identifies a crime lord also known as Cobra.

Garax - the leader of Ming's mechanical soldiers, the Ice Robots. He is the only one of these to reappear, and the only one who has been given any distinction from the others, who are often killed en masse by the Defenders.

Mongoose - a giant snake-like pet from Ming the Unforgiven

Kurt Walker - Nicknamed "N'Dama the Weather Demon", Kurt is the Ghost's older brother. When competing in a trial with Kit for the right to be the next Phantom, Kurt won, but was abandoned in favor of Kit because his father knew he had lied and cheated, as well as abandoning his brother after causing a rockfall that caused him. had hurt. This results in him being disinherited by his father and the contempt he has for Kit. Kurt was created specifically for the series and has never appeared anywhere else.

The Sky Band - A coalition of marauders depicted in the Phantom comics; pictured here as space pirates.

Queen Hadea - ruler of the underground "Netherworld", where she is the latest in a dynasty of monarchs served by pale and deformed humanoids. In her first appearance, Hadea wishes to take the Phantom as her consort. After offering to treat the injured Jedda Walker, she shows a brief interest in taking on a maternal role in the girl's life. Its great ambition is to capture the powerful "Necklace of Oros", which gives control of others in the presence of the user.

Graviton - the original owner of the Oros Necklace, and implied that he dwelt among the Moai of Rapa Nui, Graviton is an extradimensional being of unknown origin, seeking to retrieve the Necklace from Earth and establish himself as a dictator.

Production

Marvel Productions and King Features Syndicate worked together to develop the show. Marvel Productions had brought in consultancy Q5 Corporation to help develop the show. Q5 consultants are made up of PhDs in psychology and advertising, marketing and research professionals.

The animation for the series was shot overseas at Daewon Media and Sei Young Animation (now merged with Dong Woo Animation) and AKOM in Seoul, South Korea, and Toei Animation in Tokyo, Japan.

Episodes

1. Escape from Mongo
2. The Creation of Monitors
3. A Demon in His Pocket
4. A House Divided
5. Bits and Chips
6. The Root of Evil
7. Cold War
8. The Sleeper Awakers
9. The Revenge of Astra
10. The Hall of Wisdom
11. The Mind Warriors (Part 1)
12. The Mind Warriors (Part 2)
13. The Lost Jewels of Tibet
14. The Evil of Doctor Dark
15. Diamonds Are Ming's Best Friends
16. The Men of Frost
17. Battleground
18. The Panther Peril
19. Fury of the Deep
20. Family Reunion
21. The Defense Never Rests
22. Like Father, Like Daughter
23. The Would Be Defender
24. Doorways into Darkness
25. Deal with the Devil
26. Terror in Time
27. Ming's Household Help
28. The Starboy
29. The Gods Awake
30. The Ghost Walks Again
31. The Book of Mysteries
32. The Future Comes But Once
33. Kshin and the Ghost Ship
34. The Carnival of Dr Kalihari
35. The Mystery of the Book
36. Flash Times Four
37. The Frozen Heart
38. Rick Gordon, One Man Army
39. The Rites of Zesnan
40. Audie the Tweak
41. Return of the Sky Band
42. Dracula's Potion
43. One of the Guys
44. 100 Proof Highways
45. The Time Freezer
46. The Prince Makes His Move
47. Prince Triumphant
48. The Prince Weds
49. The Prince's Royal Hunt
50. The Prince Is Dethroned
51. Lothar's Homecoming
52. Suspended Sabotage
53. The Call of the Eternals
54. The Return of Doctor Dark
55. The Deadliest Battle
56. The Necklace of Oros
57. TornSpace
58. Ming Winter
59. The Golden Queen (Part 1)
60. The Golden Queen (Part 2)
61. flesh and blood
62. Drowning World
63. The Adoption of Kshin
64. Street Smarts
65. Ming's Thunder Lizards

Technical data

Original title Defenders of the Earth
Original language English
Country United States
Film script Allan Cole, Evelyn Gabai
Music Robert J. Walsh
Studio Marvel Productions, King Features Entertainment
Network syndicated
1st TV 8 September 1986 - 1 May 1987
Episodes 65 (complete)
Episode duration 30 min
Italian network Italy7, Cooltoon
1st Italian TV 1990
Italian episode length 22'
Gender adventure, science fiction

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defenders_of_the_Earth