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The Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future television series aired in 1987.
Introduction
Each episode opened with this introduction:
Earth 2147. The legacy of the Metal Wars, when man fought machines and machines won.
BioDreads. Monstrous creations that hunt down human survivors and digitize them.
Volcania. Center of the BioDread Empire. Stronghold and fortress of Lord Dread, feared ruler of this "new order."
But from the fires of the Metal Wars arose a new breed of warrior. Born and trained to bring down Lord Dread and his BioDread Empire. They were soldiers of the future. Mankind's last hope.
Their leader, Captain Jonathan Power. Master of the incredible power suits which transform each soldier into a one-man attack force.
Major Matthew "Hawk" Masterson, fighter in the sky.
Lieutenant Michael "Tank" Ellis, ground assault unit.
Sergeant Robert "Scout" Baker, espionage and communications.
And Corporal Jennifer "Pilot" Chase, tactical systems expert.
Together they form the most powerful fighting force in Earth's history.
Their creed: To protect all life.
Their promise: To end Lord Dread's rule.
Their name: Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future.
Series Production
The original arc for the story was intended for three, and possibly four or five seasons. The first and only season consisted of 24 scripts, with only 22 episodes that were actually created.
Captain Power's Saturday morning time slot raised the brows of several parental watchdog groups concerned with the show's violence. As a result, Mattel dropped its support of the toy line and the show before the beginning of the second season, forcing Landmark Entertainment to abandon it, as well. This left the fans hanging with several stories in the balance and the writers with a full second season of scripts never filmed.
Series Creators
Created by Gary Goddard and Tony Christopher (Landmark Entertainment), the show featured storylines that were more complex than was standard for other live-action shows at the time. Notably, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future enjoyed the writing talents of J. Michael Straczynski, who would later go on to create sci-fi hits such as Babylon 5 and Jeremiah.
The show was a playground for a bevy of actors who would go on to bigger shows, including William B. Davis (Cigarette-Smoking Man of The X-Files), David James Elliott (Captain Harmon Rabb of J.A.G.), Graham Green (Kicking Bird of Dances with Wolves), and Laurie Holden (Marita Covarrubias of The X-Files).
Tie-In Toy Line
The show was intended for boys aged 8–12 and had a line of toys from Mattel that interacted with certain aspects of each episode. Captain Power's ship, the XT-7, and Lord Dread's ship, the Phantom Striker, could be used to "shoot" at various targets on the screen. Targets included, but were not limited to, BioMechs, BioDreads, and vehicles and locations within Volcania itself. When a successful "hit" occurred, the toy registered it as a point. The show could, in turn, "fire" at the toys; when three "hits" were registered, the pilot was ejected from the cockpit. The ships could then be reset for additional play.
The toy line included action figures for each main character, including two that were not part of the series once it aired. One, Colonel Nathan "Stingray" Johnson, was part of Power's team. The other was a BioDread named Tritor. Other toys included the Power Base, the Power-On Energizer, and various vehicles.
Along with the interactivity between the toys and the show, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future was the first television series to use CGI for two of its main characters, the BioDreads Soaron and Blastarr. Along with the BioDreads was the repository of their digitizing human beings, Overmind. Combating Overmind on a cybernetic level was Mentor, the incarnation of Captain Power's father, Doctor Stuart Gordon Power. Mentor was a holographic projection in a holotank within the Power Base.
Awards
In 1988, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future was nominated for one Emmy and six Gemini Awards, winning the Gemini for Outstanding Technical Achievement for the show's groundbreaking CGI work. In 1989, it won the International Monitor Awards for Audio Design in an Entertainment Series.
Also See
The Captain Power Episode Guide lists all 22 episodes of the Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future television series.
2008, SCI FI. All rights reserved.
