Terrahawks - The 1984 animated puppet series
Terrahawks by Gerry Anderson and Christopher Burr, usually referred to simply as Terrahawks, is a British science fiction television series from the 80s produced by Anderson Burr Pictures and created by the production team of Gerry Anderson and Christopher Burr. The show was Anderson's first in over a decade to use puppets for his characters, and also the last. Previous TV series focusing on Anderson's puppets included Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.
Set in 2020, the series follows the adventures of the Terrahawks, a task force responsible for protecting the Earth from the invasion of a group of androids and extraterrestrial aliens led by Zelda. Like Anderson's previous puppet series, futuristic vehicles and technology featured prominently in every episode.
History
The series is set in 2020, after an alien force destroyed NASA's Martian base and Earth is in danger. A small organization, the Terrahawks, is created to defend the planet. From Hawknest, their secret base in South America, they develop sophisticated weapons to prepare for the battles to come.
Terrahawks was less outspoken than any of Anderson's previous series, featuring ironic, wry humor and dramatic drama. The ensemble cast, with each member assigned a vehicle, had many similarities to Anderson's Thunderbirds, while the alien invasion storyline was reminiscent of Captain Scarlet, the Mysterons, and the live UFO.
Before Terrahawks and throughout the 60s, Anderson's series were known for using his patented Supermarionation technique, which made use of electronically augmented puppets (the last series using this technique was the live action hybrid / Supermarionation The Secret Service in 1969; Anderson switched to live action production starting with UFOs of the 70s). Instead, the Terrahawks producers made use of muppet-style latex puppets to animate the characters, in a process that Anderson dubbed Supermacromation.
This was partly dictated by the relatively low budget (latex puppets are much cheaper to produce than the carved wooden puppets from previous series), but the absence of strings allowed for much smoother movement and could be used for more easily produce the illusion of walking puppets. The necessarily static puppets of the previous series had been a source of frustration for Anderson during his Supermarionation days.
Production
The series' most prolific collaborator, Tony Barwick, constantly used ironic aliases every time he wrote a different episode, calling himself, for example, "Anne Teakstein" and "Felix Catstein". (He wasn't alone in that; Donald James wrote the episodes "From Here To Infinity" and "The Sporilla" under the names "Katz Stein" and "Leo Pardstein, respectively.) in "-stein" are "The Midas Touch", scripted by Trevor Lansdowne and Tony Barwick, the latter announced under his real name for the only time in the series, and the two-part opener "Expect The Unexpected" , written by Gerry Anderson.
The first 13 episodes were shot on a £ 3 million budget at Bray Studios with a crew of 65.
A fourth season would further develop the characters of Stew Dapples (“Stewed Apples”) and Kate Kestrel. This was explained in a documentary on the series special content disc, Gerry Anderson's book Supermarionation and Terrahawks DVDs. Two of the scripts were called “101 Seed” (a parody of the title “Number One Seed”), written by Anderson himself (as “Gerry Anderstein”), and Tony Barwick's “Attempted MOIDer” (aka DI Skeistein in this case).
In the UK, six specially prepared Terrahawks compilations have been released on videotape, covering 24 of the 26 episodes of the first season. The first tape contained some scenes from the first episode that were deleted from the broadcast master due to time constraints (those scenes are not on DVD). The final volume, titled 'Zero Strikes Back' had a smaller run than the rest of the tapes, and was quite a collector's item, with copies generally costing around £ 100 on eBay until the series began running on DVD. The series is available on DVD in the UK and North America. A Blu-ray version of the first series was released in June 2016.
Characters
The Terrahawks
Terrahawks (technically, the Earth Defense Squadron) is an elite task force that protects Earth from alien invasion.
Doctor "Tiger" Ninestein : Terrahawk pilot and team leader, so named as he is the ninth clone created by Dr. Gerhard Stein. A little bloodthirsty, his first reaction to alien contact is often to blow it up. In between alien attacks, he is often seen trying (and failing) to beat the highest score of 750 points in his favorite video game. Ninestein's catchphrases are "Expect the unexpected", "I have a theory ..." and, when frustrated, he often shouts "Fiery Lightning!" He also has a love-hate relationship with the Zeroids, most notably Sergeant Major Zero, and tends to push Hawkeye. If killed, he can be replaced within 24 hours by another of the nine clones; his nickname of "Tiger" derives from the myth of cats who likewise have "nine lives". Tiger's voice was provided by Jeremy Hitchen, who claimed to have provided that voice in some way an imitation of Jack Nicholson.
Captain Mary Falconer: Battlehawk pilot. He acts as Ninestein's second-in-command, weighing his offensive tendencies with his own regard for the value of life, both towards one of Zelda's henchmen, and towards the Zeroids. She was voiced by Denise Bryer. Bryer used his normal voice for the role, unlike many of his other famous roles in which he normally tended to use a more "crackling" tone typical of the voice of Terrahawks character Zelda, which Bryer also voiced.
Captain Kate Kestrel (real name: Katherine Westley): Hawkwing fighter pilot and number three in the Terrahawks chain of command. Kate is also an internationally acclaimed pop singer. His record company is "Anderburr Records" - a portmanteau of "Anderson" and "Burr". His colleagues at the record company have no idea that he also works for Terrahawks, and he often disappears on a mission in the middle of a recording session. She has been voiced by Anne Ridler when speaking; Moya Griffiths (now Moya Ruskin) provided her singing voice. Beth Chalmers provides Kate's voice in audio productions, following Ridler's death in 2011.
lieutenant Hawkeye (real name: Hedley Howard Henderson III): Hawkwing gunner. Due to an accident on the track, his eyes have been replaced with microcomputers that improve his aiming skills. When given an order, he always replies "aye-aye" as a pun on his name. He is number four in Terrahawk's chain of command. The voice of Hawkeye was provided by Jeremy Hitchen.
Lieutenant Hiro : The commander of Spacehawk, Hiro keeps a large collection of flowers to which he names and reads poetry. As number five in the Terrahawks chain of command, his strong Japanese accent is sometimes a source of humor. Like Ninestein, Hiro was voiced by Jeremy Hitchen.
Action figure of Sergeant Major Zero from Bandai
Zeroids: Spherical robots that perform ground operations and act as firepower for the Spacehawk. There are two leaders among the Zeroids who display a human-like capacity for thought and emotion, much to the annoyance of the mechanophobic Ninestein, who believes they should be numb, numb machines that blindly follow orders;
Sergeant Major Zero (voiced by Windsor Davies in a characterization not unlike his portrayal of Sergeant Major Williams in It Ain't Half Hot, Mum), commands the Zeroids stationed on Earth, while Space Sergeant 101 (voiced by Ben Stevens) directs the Zeroids stationed aboard the Spacehawk; 101 and Zero often have discussions about Spacehawk's command. Other Zeroids are given distinctive personality traits, such as Zeroid Dix-Huit, whose name is French for his number, eighteen, and who speaks French and has a handlebar mustache, 55, which rhymes up and down, 21. , who stutters, and 66, who has a strong Scottish accent. These accents irritate Dr. Ninestein to the point that he requested that they all be voiced in "The Gun", only for Zero to take revenge on him by giving them his own voice. They can increase their mass (becoming as heavy as a black hole), which allows them to perform devastating body bump maneuvers. This is often accompanied by a cry of "St-roll on!" Sergeant Major Zero, for his part, launching into action, often launched the war cry of "GERONIMO !!!" Unlike the other cast members, Windsor Davies usually voiced only Sergeant Major Zero and The Sporilla (although in a couple of episodes he also provided the voice of another Zeroid, Dr. Killjoy), and in the Big Finish audio series. the role of Zero was taken over by Jeremy Hitchen.
Colonel Johnson the head of WASA (World Aeronautics & Space Administration). Although he is apparently the co-director of Terrahawks, in reality, Ninestein constantly prevails over his authority. Jeremy Hitchen provided the voice of Colonel Johnson, as well as those of Hiro and Ninestein.
Terrahawks vehicles
Terrahawk - A flying command center, which can detach itself from the main body of the Battlehawk. This is Dr. Ninestein's personal ship which can be seen in the pilot's seat and Terrahawk is 95 feet long.
Battlehawks - A heavy transport aircraft carrying the Zeroids, the Megazoid manned Battletank for heavy support and other ancillary equipment. Battlehawk is 265 feet long and is part of Terrahawk.
Hawkwing - A fighter plane with a separate top wing, which can be released to act as a flying impact bomb. Hawkwing has a 70-foot body and a 100-foot wingspan.
treehawks - A single-stage spaceship in orbit, carrying personnel, such as Lieutenant Hiro, to the Spacehawk. Treehawk is also 80 feet long and flies in a space hawk part for entry and exit.
spacehawks - An orbital battle station, usually manned by Lieutenant Hiro, which provides the first line of defense against an attack. Spacehawk is 1600 feet in diameter and has a giant laser that can exit from the base.
Overlander - A three-segment land vehicle used for the transport of goods. In all its appearances, it was hijacked and subsequently destroyed.
Battle tank - A tank manned by a pair of Megazoids, usually used for main combat operations. It is carried by the Battlehawk and dropped to the ground from its bay.
space tank - A tank designed for vacuum operations. He only appeared in one episode, manned by Zero and Dix Huit.
Hudson - Rolls-Royce of Ninestein of indeterminate model, equipped with artificial intelligence and the ability to change its color. A Ninestein is particularly fond of, although Kate seems to use it more.
Hawkheads - A small two-seater spaceship that is stationed in the Spacehawk hangar. It appears only in the episodes "First Strike" and "Jolly Roger One".
SEM - A spaceship stationed aboard Spacehawk. It is equipped with tracks for crossing the ground and a gripping arm equipped with a cannon.
Groundhawks - A bomb squad and a demolition vehicle that appears only in the episodes "Child's Play" and "Space Giant".
Aliens
The robots ("androids") of the planet Guk revolted when their creators and masters deteriorated into a state of apathy. Zelda and companions are modeled on the oldest and wisest citizens of their planet, explaining their gray hair and wrinkled skin. Zelda hopes to conquer the Earth and make it a home for her Family of Androids and NON-Human Beings. They only need to consume small amounts of silicate minerals per month to support their functions.
Zelda. The main villain of the series, Zelda is the evil and intriguing aspiring conqueror of Earth. He has power over matter, mainly used to teleport his minions to and from Earth and to manipulate the size of any of his ships or aliens. "Zelda claims hers," Dr. Ninestein often says whenever Zelda teleports a defeated minion to the base of Mars. She was created as a bodyguard for Prince Zegar of Guk, but her inherently planned ambition has led to a revolt by herself and her fellow android. It is known to refer to humans as "Earth-scum", "Earth-pukes" and "Earth-Wretches". She believes that humans are evil and that she is there to rid the universe of their evil and destructive ways. Her voice was provided by Denise Bryer.
Cy star, pronounced "Sister". Zelda's "sister" is not very bright, but she is infinitely bubbly and optimistic. She often gets so excited that her hair slips around her head, leading Zelda to yell, in one episode, "One of these days I'm going to nail it to your skull!" She gives birth to It-star around the start of the third season. Its slogan is "I don't understand" and "WONNNNNNDERFUL!" Her voice was provided on television by Anne Ridler and on audio by Beth Chalmers.
Yung-Star. Zelda's "son" Yung-Star is, like her "aunt", not very intelligent - she mistakes the word "dick" for a compliment. However, he is also cowardly, lazy and greedy, although he is occasionally sent to accompany a monster. His slogan, spoken slowly in a sickening throaty voice, was "Great Steaming Lava!" Oddly enough, despite being an android, Yung-Star has a penchant for bowls of "granite chips" - rocks in a slimy green slime; he consumes them frequently, leading Zelda to call him greedy since, as stated, Guk androids only need to consume small amounts of silicate minerals to support their functions. He was voiced by Ben Stevens.
It-Star it is also known as "Goybirl" or "Birlgoy", as Cy-Star never decided what the genre of this construct was. It-Star is a “baby” android generated by Cy-Star towards the end of the series.
It-Star is clearly a hermaphrodite with two minds and two voices, the voice of a young girl when "innocent" and a male voice with a German accent when plotting. His conspiracy personality is highly ferocious and intelligent, compared to his infantile and childlike personality. The female voice was done by Denise Bryer while the male voice was by Jeremy Hitchen.
I cubes are the response of the aliens to the Zeroids. They can combine into large constructs such as guns and force field cubicles. Their different sides are marked differently, indicating their different functions, such as that which acts as a gun. Cy-Star keeps one, Pluto, as a pet.
The monsters of Zelda
Zelda has a collection of monstrous, outcast minions from various worlds or civilizations, which she keeps in a cryogenic vault until needed.
Sram is a reptilian beast with a devastating roar, capable of shattering mountains and destroying Hawkwing's shots before they can get close enough to hit him. His blood emits fumes that are highly toxic to humans. In his first appearance Sram is quite articulate, but he does not speak in other apparitions. Sram appears in "Thunder-Roar", "Thunder Path", as Zelda's drummer in "Play it Again, Sram", a member of Zelda's war group in "First Strike", and a hallucination of him is seen in "Mind Monster". He also makes a brief cameo in the audio episode “The Prisoner of Zelda”.
The Sporilla is a wildly powerful beast that Zelda controls with a signal device. After the device is destroyed, however, the Terrahawks discover that the Sporilla is able to stop the word and has no desire to fight them. Appears in "La Sporilla". In "Space Giant", another Sporilla appears. The Sporilla is a 7 foot tall metal-eating space gorilla (SPace gORILLA), covered in whitish fur, a black gorilla face with horns and fangs. One fictional Sporilla appears in "Mind Monster", while another (real) Sporilla is Cystar's co-pilot in "My Enemy's Enemy".
MOID: The master of the infinite disguise. He is a skeleton-like alien with almost non-existent facial features and gifted with the ability to take on anyone's physical appearance. “I have many faces, but I have none,” he once said to describe himself. The Terrahawks seem to find him pitiful and seem to regret having lived a life of servitude in Zelda. Although he works for her, he is unwilling to take anyone's life. He appears in "Happy Madeday", "Unseen Menace" and briefly in "Play it Again, Sram" as Mozart before returning in the audio episode "The Prisoner of Zelda", where his origins are finally explored. He seems to have feelings for Kate Kestrel. A hallucination of him is seen in "Mind Monster".
Yuri is a teddy bear-like creature that aliens find hideous and scary. He possesses the power to mentally control metal (his name appears to be a reference to Uri Geller, who claims to have similar powers in real life). Zelda sometimes refers to him as "the furry Napoleon". He appears in "The Ugliest Monster of All", "Operation SAS", "Terratomb" and as a member of the Zelda war group in "First Strike". He is back in the “Living Legend” audio episode.
Lord Time. The master of time, Tempo can travel back and forth in time at will and alter its flow locally. Lord Tempo appears in "My Kingdom for a ZEAF!", "Time Warp", "Timesplit" and as a member of the Zelda war group in "First Strike".
Tamura the space Samurai is a good and honorable alien with a powerful space cruiser, the "Ishimo". He intervenes in the dispute between Zelda and the Terrahawks with the aim of resolving the dispute. He is tricked by Zelda who plans to trick him into destroying the Terrahawks. He finds out in time and Zelda's plan fails. Refers to Hiro is his "kindred spirit". It appears in the episode "Space Samurai".
Il krell is a hairy creature with an eye stem that can fire a laser beam powerful enough to knock down objects in orbit. It appears only in “The Midas Touch”.
Cyclops is a black and red creeping creature with a giant eye. The cyclops absorbs metal. It appears only in "Space Cyclops".
Captain Goat is a space buccaneer who captained a pirate radio ship. It appears in "Jolly Roger One" and "Set Sail for Misadventure".
Cold finger is an alien skilled in arming water and ice. His entire ship was made of ice. It appears only in Cold Finger.
Technical data
Gender Science fiction for children
Authors Gerry Anderson, Christopher Burr
Written by Gerry Anderson, Tony Barwick, Donald James, Trevor Lansdown
Directed by Tony Bell, Tony Lenny, Alan Pattillo, Desmond Saunders
Voices of Denise Bryer, Windsor Davis, Jeremy Hitchen, Anne Ridler, Ben Stevens
Composers Richard Harvey, Lionel Robinson, Gerry Anderson, Christopher Burr
country of origin UK
Original language English
Serial No. 3
No. episodes 39 (list of episodes)
Manufacturers Gerry Anderson, Christopher Burr
Editor Tony Lenny
Duration 25 minutes approx.
Production company Anderson Burr Pictures
Original network ITV
Image format Film (16 and 35 mm)
Format Mono audio
Original release October 3, 1983 - July 26, 1986
