Starcom: The U.S. Space Force

Last updated
Starcom: The U.S. Space Force
StarcomIntro.JPG
StarCom: The U.S. Space Force title card
Created by Brynne Stephens
Developed byBrynne Stephens
Written by
Directed byMarek Buchwald
Voices of
Country of origin
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producer Andy Heyward
Producer Richard Raynis
Running time25 minutes
Production company DIC Animation City
Original release
Network Syndication
Release20 September (1987-09-20) 
13 December 1987 (1987-12-13)

Starcom: The U.S. Space Force is a 13-episode animated syndicated television series inspired by a motorized toy franchise manufactured by Coleco. [2] The characters were adapted for animation by series creator Brynne Stephens, who also story edited the show. Starcom was produced by DIC Animation City and distributed by Coca-Cola Telecommunications. The toy line was popular in Europe and Asia, but was unsuccessful in the North American domestic market.

Contents

The show was developed with the help of the Young Astronauts' Council, with the original intention of sparking young viewers’ interest in the NASA Space Program. [3]

The show earned poor ratings, and was cancelled after 13 episodes. [4] The series was rerun in the late 1990s as part of DIC and Pax TV's "Cloud Nine" programming strand, and on KBHK in the fall of 1994.

Plot

The plot detailed the adventures of an American astronaut brigade as they fought off attempted invasions by Shadow Force, a nasty collection of humans and robots led by the nefarious Emperor Dark.

Toys

Like many 1980s toys, the development of the Starcom toy line preceded the development of the cartoon series.

Starcom: The U.S. Space Force debuted on television screens in 1987, and the toy line hit stores around the same time. There was plenty of variety for the pint-sized empire builder to choose from: the complete series of Starcom toys offered 23 figures, 6 playsets, and 13 vehicles on the Starcom side, while the Shadow Force was represented by 15 action figures and 11 vehicles. The action figures were two inches tall and came packaged with a backpack, a weapon, and identification cards that explained who they were and what their equipment could do. Like the figures, the vehicles and playsets benefited from a sleek, attractive design.

The most unusual aspect of the Starcom toy line was its use of Magna Lock technology. The action figures had tiny magnets implanted in their feet. Not only did this allow them to stand on the vehicles and playsets without falling off, but it also activated devices in the playsets. For instance, if one placed a figure in the elevator of the Starbase Station playset, its Magna Lock magnets would cause the elevator to rise to the top by itself. On the same playset, if one put a figure within a cannon, the Magna Lock magnets would activate a mechanism that made it turn and fire its rockets.

The vehicles and playsets also delivered Power Deploy features, which uses automatic wind up mechanisms that allows them to perform multiple actions all in a touch of a button, without the use of batteries. For example, with the touch of a button, the Starcom StarWolf unfolds its front, and both its wings. All in all, they offered plenty of moving parts (hidden compartments, cannons, folding wings, etc.). Starcom toys never caught on in the U.S. due to poor promotion and the fact that its parent show only lasted a year in syndication. They were discontinued after two years but ended up doing very well in Europe, where both the show and the toys continued to be popular long after the American toys. The toys were successful and hugely popular in Europe and Southeast Asia only after coming under the production and promotion of Mattel. That company removed the US flag and NASA details from the Coleco originals and launched the toys with a second line of promotions in the early 1990s.

Cast

Colonels: John "Slim" Griffin (Starbase Command), Paul "Crowbar" Corbin (Astro Marines), James "Dash" Derringer (Star Wing) Starcom.JPG
Colonels: John "Slim" Griffin (Starbase Command), Paul "Crowbar" Corbin (Astro Marines), James "Dash" Derringer (Star Wing)

Starcom

Shadow Force

Episode List

EpisodeAiredTitleWriter
120 September 1987"Nantucket Sleighride"Richard Mueller
227 September 1987"Trojan Crowbar" Steve Perry
34 October 1987"The Long Fall" Brynne Stephens
411 October 1987"Caverns of Mars" Michael Reaves
518 October 1987"Fire and Ice"Michael Reaves
625 October 1987"Galactic Heartbeat"Steve Perry
71 November 1987"The Boys Who Cried Dark"Richard Mueller
88 November 1987"Dark Harvest"Lydia Marano and Arthur Byron Cover
915 November 1987"A Few Bugs in the System" Barbara Hambly
1022 November 1987"Turnabout" Marv Wolfman
1129 November 1987"Hot Enough for You?"Steve Perry
126 December 1987"Flash Moskowitz, Space Cadet" David Wise
1313 December 1987"The Last Star Ranger"Steve Perry

NOTE: Most of the episodes were not broadcast in order of production; "The Long Fall" is actually the series pilot.

Home video releases

In 2003, Sterling Entertainment released Starcom: The Search for Aliens on DVD containing 3 episodes.

In February 2015, Mill Creek Entertainment released Starcom: The U.S. Space Force- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. [5] [6]

United System (of Sol) Space Force

The USSF is divided into three categories: [7]

Astro Marines

Starbase Command

Star Wing

Vehicles

Astro-Marines

  • Laser RAT (#) - Rapid Assault Tracker / (Capt. Vic "Dakota" Hayes; Sgt. Bill Travers)
  • M-6 "Railgunner" GAV (#) - Ground Attack Vehicle / (Capt. Rick Ruffing; PFC John "Cowboy" Jefferson)
  • HARV-7 - Heavy Armored Recovery Vehicle / (Staff Sgt. Neil "Champ" O`Ryan; PFC Al "Cannon" Evans)
  • Missile Fox (#) - Tactical Launching Vehicle / (Capt. Tim "Ranger" Murphy; Sgt. Otis "Bear" Ogden)
  • Skyroller - High-Rising Supertank / (Sgt. James "Hammer" Hatch; PFC Demi Dennis)

(#) - transportable by larger vehicles.

Star Wing

  • Starmax Bomber TMC - Transport & Missile Cruiser / (Capt. Rip Malone; Lt. Bob T. Rogers; Sgt. Red Baker)
  • Starhawk SFB - Strategic Fighter-Bomber / (Lt. Jeff "Bronx" Carrier; Sgt. Ed Kramer)
  • F-1400 Starwolf (#) - Flexwing Astro Fighter / (Lt. Tom "Bandit" Waldron)
  • Battlecrane (#) - Combat Cargo Lifter / (Sgt. Bob Anders)
  • Double Fighter - Massive Attack Jet / (Lt. Walter "Bomber" Thompson; Sgt. Buzz Corey)
  • Sidewinder (#) - High-Speed "Jackknife" Fighter / (Capt. Zeke Brett "Secret" Swofford)
  • Six-Shooter - Multi-Deployment Fighter / (Capt. Steve "Hotshot" Stockton)
  • Tornado Gunship (#) - Aerospace Transcopter / (Capt. Brad "Yank" Corrado; Sgt. Roger "Speed" Manning)

(#) - transportable by larger vehicles.

Playsets

(#) - transportable by larger vehicles.

"Shadow Force" Enemy

The Shadow Forces are divided into three groups:

Invasion Force

Starmada

Robot-Drone Force

Vehicles

Invasion

  • Shadow Invader (#) - Rapid Strike Vehicle / (Maj. Romak; Cpl. Storn)
  • Shadow Blast-Track - Enemy Tank/Transport / (Lt. Vasor)
  • Shadow Upriser - Elevating Land Vehicle / (Capt. Pannok)
  • Shadow Mini-Tank (#) / (Lt. Gorn)

(#) - transportable by larger vehicles.

Starmada

  • Shadowbat - Battle Cruiser / (Maj. Klag; Sgt. Ramor)
  • Shadow Parasite (#) - Attack Fighter / (Lt. Magg)
  • Shadow Vampire - Enemy V.T.O.L. Fighter / (Capt. Mace; Sgt. Von Rodd)
  • Shadow Spy (#) - Disguised Enemy Fighter / (Capt. Howl)

(#) - transportable by larger vehicles.

Robot-Drone

  • Shadow Raider - Sneak Attack Vehicle / (Capt. Battlecron-9; Sgt. Hack; Cpl. Agon-6)
  • Shadow Bandit - Enemy Pod Lifter / (Lt. Zortek)
  • Shadow Attack-Trike (#) / (Sgt. Maj. Ivok)

(#) - transportable by larger vehicles.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harlon Block</span> US Marine Corps corporal (1924–1945)

Harlon Henry Block was a United States Marine Corps corporal who was killed in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheney Award</span> Aviation award presented by the US Air Force

The Cheney Award is an aviation award presented by the United States Air Force in memory of 1st Lt. William H. Cheney, who was killed in an air collision over Foggia, Italy on January 20, 1918. It was established in 1927, and is awarded to an airman for an act of valor, extreme fortitude or self-sacrifice in a humanitarian interest, performed in connection with aircraft, but not necessarily of a military nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Full House (aircraft)</span>

Full House was the name of a B-29 Superfortress participating in the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War Cross (Norway)</span> Highest ranking Norwegian gallantry award

The War Cross with Sword is the highest ranking Norwegian gallantry decoration. It is awarded for extraordinary brave actions or extraordinary leadership during combat. A recipient deemed worthy of additional citations will receive up to an additional two swords on the medal ribbon in addition to the "standard" single sword. Additional citations are rare: Gunnar Sønsteby is the only person to have received the War Cross with three swords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero 25th Anniversary</span>

2007 marked the 25th anniversary of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline. To commemorate the event, Hasbro released a G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero 25th Anniversary collection of newly sculpted 3¾" figures based on classic and new designs of many of the line's best known and most popular characters. The 25th Anniversary figures added a swivel chest feature to replace the traditional O-ring construction, and they added swivel wrists, ankles, and double-hinged knees in addition to the usual shoulder, elbow, and knee articulations.

To date, the United States Medal of Honor has been awarded on 103 occasions for actions involving the use of aircraft. Awards for actions that took place in a single flight are the norm, with 74 individual aircraft accounting for 82 of the 93 medals awarded for actions while in flight. Of those 75 planes, 41 were destroyed during the MoH action, while others were lost later. In a few cases the MoH recipient survived while the plane did not. The reverse also occurred: Lts. Jack W. Mathis and Robert E. Femoyer received posthumous awards while their respective Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses survived, only to be scrapped later.

Eagle Force was a 2+34-inch-high (70 mm) die-cast action figure military-themed toy line marketed by Mego Corporation in the 1980s in the United States. Produced during Ronald Reagan's first term as president, the Eagle Force toy line was marketed to send the message that the United States was not going to be "pushed around" anymore. Designed by Bill Baron and Paul Kirchner, Eagle Force was similar to the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy line, which was being developed by Hasbro during the same period.

Battle of Chosin Reservoir order of battle is a list of the significant units that fought in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir between November 27, 1950 and December 13, 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Power Flite</span> US Air Force circumnavigation mission

Operation Power Flite was a United States Air Force mission in which three Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses became the first jet aircraft to circle the world nonstop, when they made the journey in January 1957 in 45 hours and 19 minutes, using in-flight refueling to stay aloft. The mission was intended to demonstrate that the United States had the ability to drop a hydrogen bomb anywhere in the world.

Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles is a line of military-themed toys produced by Hasbro that was sold between 1994 and 1995. It was intended to be a companion line to G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Comic book artist Joe Kubert provided the packaging artwork for the toys and also drew the mini-comics included with certain figures. The line was short-lived due to the cancellation of the entire A Real American Hero line in favor of the Kenner-produced G.I. Joe Extreme series.

The Last Blitzkrieg is a 1959 American war film directed Arthur Dreifuss and filmed at Veluwe and the Cinetone Studios in Amsterdam for a Columbia Pictures release.

This is a partial list of accidents and incidents involving the Boeing-designed B-17 Flying Fortress. Combat losses are not included except for a very few cases denoted by singular circumstances. A few documented drone attrition cases are also included.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Deception (Alaska)</span> Mountain in Alaska, United States

Mount Deception is a 11,539-foot (3,517 m) mountain in the Alaska Range, in Denali National Park and Preserve. Mount Deception lies 16 miles (26 km) east-southeast of Denali, overlooking Brooks Glacier. The glacier-covered mountain was named by a U.S. Army crash investigation party on November 13, 1944, who were the first to ascend the mountain while investigating an airplane crash that happened in September 1944.

The 1916 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were published in The London Gazette and in The Times on 3 June 1916.

The 1918 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in The London Gazette and The Times in January, February and March 1918.

<i>Red Snow</i> (1952 film) 1952 film by Boris Petroff and Harry S. Franklin

Red Snow is a 1952 American adventure film directed by Boris Petroff and Harry S. Franklin and starring Guy Madison, Mala, Carole Mathews, Gloria Saunders and Lee Frederick. The film's action takes place in Alaska. It was part of a string of anti-communist films made around this time.

References

  1. "LUMIERE". Starcom: The U.S. Space Force; Director(s): Marek Buchwald; Co-producing countries: CA,US; Production year: 1987
  2. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 587. ISBN   978-1538103739.
  3. John J. Kao (2010-08-17). The entrepreneurial organization. Prentice Hall. ISBN   9780132823289 . Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  4. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 789. ISBN   978-1476665993.
  5. David Lambert (5 December 2014). "Starcom: The U.S. Space Force DVD news: Announcement for The Complete Series". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  6. "Starcom: The U.S. Space Force - The Complete Series". TV Shows on DVD. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  7. "StarCom: The U.S. Space Force - S1E04 - Caverns of Mars". YouTube . 6 November 2021.
  8. "Vintage 1980's Starcom Toys ~ "ADM. FRANKLIN BRICKLEY" ~ Starcom Commander ~ *CUSTOM FIGURE".
  9. "Vintage 1980's Starcom Toys ~ "RANGER" ~ Astro Marines ~ *CUSTOM FIGURE".
  10. ":: STARCOM :: The U.S. Space Force Website: H I S T O R y ::".
  11. "Vintage 1980's Starcom Toys ~ "HAMMER" Astro Marines *EUROPEAN EXCLUSIVE".
  12. "Vintage 1980's Starcom Toys ~ "BEAR" ~ Astro Marines ~ *CUSTOM FIGURE".
  13. "StarCom: The U.S. Space Force - S1E07 - the Boys Who Cried Dark". YouTube . 6 November 2021.
  14. ":: STARCOM :: The U.S. Space Force Website: H I S T O R y ::".
  15. "Vintage 1980's Starcom Toys ~ "HAWK" ~ Starbase Command ~ *CUSTOM FIGURE".
  16. ":: STARCOM :: The U.S. Space Force Website: H I S T O R y ::".
  17. ":: STARCOM :: The U.S. Space Force Website: H I S T O R y ::".
  18. https://www.angelfire.com/sc2/SHADOWREALM/starcom.html [ bare URL ]
  19. "Vintage 1980's Starcom Toys ~ "LONE WOLF" Astro Marines *EUROPEAN EXCLUSIVE".
  20. "StarCom: The U.S. Space Force - S1E12 - Flash Moskowitz, Space Cadet". YouTube . 6 November 2021.
  21. "Talking Point Episode 19: Unreleased Starcom Toys". YouTube . 30 January 2021.
  22. ":: STARCOM :: The U.S. Space Force Website: H I S T O R y ::".
  23. "The Starcom Collection".
  24. "StarCom: The U.S. Space Force - S1E12 - Flash Moskowitz, Space Cadet". YouTube . 6 November 2021.
  25. "Vintage 1980's Starcom Toys ~ "CAPT. PANNOK" ~ Invasion ~ *CUSTOM FIGURE".
  26. "Talking Point Episode 19: Unreleased Starcom Toys". YouTube . 30 January 2021.
  27. "1980's Coleco Toys - Starcom ~ PROF. MALVANNA WILDE ~ Carded *Custom Figure".
  28. "Vintage 1980's Starcom Toys ~ "CAPT. HOWL" Starmada *EUROPEAN EXCLUSIVE".
  29. "Talking Point Episode 19: Unreleased Starcom Toys". YouTube . 30 January 2021.
  30. "Vintage 1980's Starcom Toys ~ "LT. ZORTEK" ~ Robot Drones ~ *CUSTOM FIGURE".
  31. "Vintage 1980's Starcom Toys ~ "SGT MAJ. IVOK" ~ Robot Drones ~ *CUSTOM FIGURE".
  32. "Vintage 1980's Starcom Toys ~ "SGT MAJ. TARGON" ~ Robot Drones ~ *CUSTOM FIGURE".