Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO - Droids Adventures
Droid Adventures (in the original English: Star Wars: Droids - The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO) is a 1985 animated series spin-off from the original Star Wars trilogy. It focuses on the exploits of the R2-D2 and C-3PO droids between the events of Revenge of the Sith e Star Wars. The series was produced by Nelvana on behalf of Lucasfilm and aired on ABC with its sister series Ewok (as part of The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour).
The series ran for a 13-episode half-hour season; a one-hour special broadcast in 1986 serves as the finale.
The opening theme, "In Trouble Again," was performed by Stewart Copeland of The Police. During their adventures, the droids find themselves in the service of successive new masters. Characters from the original trilogy Boba Fett and IG-88 appear in one episode each.
History
Droids follows the adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO as they take on gangsters, criminals, pirates, bounty hunters, the Galactic Empire and other threats. During their adventures, the droids find themselves in the service of successive new masters and consequently find themselves in difficult situations.
The series was placed retroactively four years later Revenge of the Sith and fifteen years before the events of Star Wars - A New Hope. In the latter film, C-3PO tells Luke Skywalker that "his and R2-D2's last master was Captain Antilles". The droids are placed in the care of Antilles by Bail Organa at the end of Revenge of the Sith, creating an apparent continuity error. This is explained by the fact that the droids were accidentally separated from the Antilles during the events of the animated series.
Production
The series was produced by Canadian company Nelvana for Lucasfilm. Several episodes were written by Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt. Hanho Heung-Up Co. was the Korean company hired to animate the series.
In the UK, BBC Television bought the rights to screen the series in its entirety between 1986 and 1991 as part of the BBC children's programming strand. The entire series was shown twice in this time frame (in 1986 and 1988 to coincide with the full release of the Star Wars trilogy and Droids on VHS). The Great Heep only did one screening in 1989 on BBC Going Live !, which was a Saturday morning children's show, which was split into two parts for two weeks. licensed, with the Trigon cycle being shown in full in early 1991 at another Saturday morning children's show called The 8:15 from Manchester.
The series aired on ABC with its sister series Ewok (as part of The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour). It debuted in 1985 as part of a fitness special presented by Tony Danza and live-action versions of the droids. It ran for a 13-episode, half-hour season; a one-hour special broadcast in 1986 serves as the finale. Droids and Ewok were later shown in reruns on Sci-Fi Channel's Cartoon Quest in 1996, albeit somewhat modified for time.
Episodes
1 "The White Witch”Ken Stephenson and Raymond Jafelice Peter Sauder September 7, 1985
After being thrown into the deserts of Ingo by an unscrupulous former master, C-3PO and R2-D2 are greeted by speeder bikers Jord Dusat and Thall Joben. Kea Moll sees them accidentally walk through a restricted area and helps protect them from several deadly droids. One of gangster Tig Fromm's droids kidnaps Jord and the droids help Thall and Kea rescue Jord from Fromm's secret base, destroying much of his droid army in the process.
2 "The secret weapon”Ken Stephenson and Raymond Jafelice Peter Sauder September 14, 1985
After C-3PO lets Kea's spaceship hyperdrive move off into space, he, R2-D2, Jord and Thall stay with Kea and her mother, Demma, on Annoo as they try to secure a new hyperdrive. The droids discover that Kea is a member of the Rebel Alliance. While Jord stays with Demma, Thall, Kea and the droids sneak onto Fromm's gang ship to infiltrate the secret base on Ingo. There they capture Trigon One, an armed satellite created by the Fromm gang to conquer the galactic quadrant.
3 "The Trigon Unleashed”Ken Stephenson and Raymond Jafelice Peter Sauder and Richard Beban September 21, 1985
After the Fromm gang raids the speeder shop on Ingo and captures Thall, Kea, and the droids, Tig reveals that he has kidnapped Jord and Demma, refusing to release them unless Thall reveals the location of Trigon One. Thall does so, but the group is imprisoned with Jord, until the droids outsmart the guard. When Tig returns the space weapon to his father's base, Sise, he discovers that his controls have been sabotaged and programmed to crash into the base. Jord goes to commandeer an escape ship while Thall and Kea rescue Demma and the droids do what they can to help.
4 "An explosive race"(A Race to the Finish) ”Ken Stephenson and Raymond Jafelice Peter Sauder and Steven Wright September 28, 1985
The team goes to Boonta to take part in a speed race, but is chased by Fromm's gang and forced to crash. Sise hires Boba Fett to get revenge, despite Jabba the Hutt putting a bounty on the crime lord. Tig places a thermal detonator on the White Witch and Fett chases Thall in the race. In the melee, the explosive is used to destroy Fett's speeder. The disheartened bounty hunter gathers the Fromms to bring them to Jabba. Thall, Jord, and Kea are offered careers with a faster company, but refuse when they realize R2-D2 and C-3PO should be rescheduled. The droids leave their masters so they can take the job.
The pirates and the prince
5 "The lost prince (The Lost Prince) ”Ken Stephenson and Raymond Jafelice Peter Sauder October 5, 1985
C-3PO, R2-D2 and their new master, Jann Tosh, befriend a mysterious alien disguised as a droid. Captured by crime lord Kleb Zellock, they are forced to mine Nergon-14, a precious unstable mineral used in proton torpedoes, which Zellock intends to sell to the Empire. In the mines they meet Sollag, who identifies their friend as Mon Julpa, prince of the Tammuz-an. Together they defeat the crime lord and escape the mines before being destroyed in a Nergon-14 explosion.
6 “The New King” Ken Stephenson and Raymond Jafelice Peter Sauder 12 October 1985
The droids, Jann, Mon Julpa and Sollag, along with the freighter pilot Jessica Meade, travel to Tammuz-an to counter Ko Zatec-Cha, an evil vizier with the ambition to seize the throne of the planet Tammuz-an. To carry out his sinister plans, Zatec-Cha hires the IG-88 bounty hunter to capture Mon Julpa and his royal scepter, but the heroes manage to retrieve him and Mon Julpa is made king of Tammuz-an.
7 "The Pirates of Tarnoonga”Ken Stephenson and Raymond Jafelice Peter Sauder October 19, 1985
While delivering fuel to Tammuz-an, Jann, Jessica and the droids are captured by the pirate Kybo Ren-Cha. Aboard his stolen Star Destroyer, Kybo Ren takes them to the water planet Tarnoonga. After the heroes escape a giant sea monster, Jann and the droids distract the pirates by chasing a lure while Jessica reclaims the real fuel. After Jann and the droids have escaped, Mon Julpa sends forces to capture Ren.
8 "Kybo Ren's Revenge”Ken Stephenson and Raymond Jafelice Peter Sauder October 26, 1985
Kybo Ren is released and kidnaps Gerin, the daughter of Lord Toda, Mon Julpa's political rival. The droids, Jann and Jessica go to the planet Bogden to rescue Gerin before Mon Julpa is delivered as a ransom. Ren's men arrive with Julpa, but Lord Toda and a squad of Tammuz-an soldiers have smuggled aboard Ren's ship. Ren is sent back to prison and an alliance is forged between Julpa and Toda. Jessica decides to return to her freighter business and greets her friends.
9 "Coby and the StarhuntersKen Stephenson and Raymond Jafelice Joe Johnston and Peter Sauder November 2, 1985
C-3PO and R2-D2 are assigned to Lord Toda's young son, Coby, only to be captured by smugglers. They are eventually saved by Jann, only for the droids to learn this has been accepted into the Imperial Space Academy, leaving them once again without a master and alone.
Unexplored space
10 "Tail of the Roon comets”Ken Stephenson and Raymond Jafelice Story by: Ben Burtt
Screenplay by: Michael Reaves November 9, 1985
Mungo Baobab, with R2-D2 and C-3PO in tow, begins to search for the mighty Roonstones, but stumbles upon an imperial entanglement.
11 "The Roon Games”Ken Stephenson and Raymond Jafelice Story by: Ben Burtt
Screenplay by: Gordon Kent and Peter Sauder November 16, 1985
Having escaped, Mungo, C-3PO, and R2-D2 once again make their way to planet Roon, but it turns out they haven't seen the last of General Koong, a de facto governor desperate for the Empire's support.
12 "Across the Roon Sea”Ken Stephenson and Raymond Jafelice Story by: Ben Burtt
Screenplay by: Sharman DiVono November 23, 1985
Mungo has nearly lost hope of finding Roonstones and, accompanied by the droids, is on his way back to his homeworld, Manda.
13 "The frozen citadel”Ken Stephenson and Raymond Jafelice Story by: Ben Burtt
Screenplay by: Paul Dini November 30, 1985
Mungo and the droids continue their search for the Roonstones, but Koong creates problems for them.
One hour special
SP "The Great Heep"Clive A. Smith Ben Burtt June 7, 1986
C-3PO and R2-D2 travel to Biitu with their new master, Mungo Baobab, and face off against an Abominor-class droid called Great Heep, who builds himself from the remains of other droids.
Technical data
Original title Star Wars: Droids - The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO
Original language English
Country United States, Canada
Regia Ken Stephenson
Producer Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, Clive A. Smith, Lenora Hume (supervisor)
Music Patricia Cullen, David Greene, David W. Shaw
STUDIO Nelvana
Network ABC
1st TV 7 September - 30 November 1985
Episodes 13 (complete)
Relationship 4:3
Episode duration 22 minutes
Italian network Italia 1
1st Italian TV 1987
Gender adventure, science fiction
