Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince facts for kids

Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince
DVD cover
Based on	Benji created by Joe Camp
Starring	Benjean (as Benji) Christopher Burton
Voices of	Ric Spiegel
Composer(s)	Euel Box
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer(s)	Joseph Barbera Margaret Loesch
Producer(s)	Carolyn Camp
Editor(s)	Scott Fillingham
Running time	20 minutes
Production company(s)	Hanna-Barbera Productions Mulberry Square Productions
Distributor	Taft Broadcasting
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 17 (1983-09-17) – December 17, 1983 (1983-12-17)

Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince is an exciting live-action children's science fiction TV show. It was created by Joe Camp, who also made the popular Benji movies about a lovable dog. The show was made by Hanna-Barbera and Mulberry Square. It first aired on CBS in 1983 on Saturday mornings. For many years in the 1980s, people in the United States and other countries watched reruns.

In the story, the clever dog Benji helps an alien prince and his robot friend. They are trying to escape from bad guys sent by a mean ruler who wants to capture the prince.

The series was filmed in different places around the Dallas–Fort Worth area in Texas. The indoor scenes were shot at the Las Colinas studios in Irving, Texas. You can find all 13 episodes of the show on DVD.

Story of the Show

A cruel ruler named Zanu has taken over a faraway red planet called Antars. Prince Yubi, who is the son of the king and queen of Antars, explains that his father was killed and his mother was put in prison by Zanu.

The show begins by showing how Prince Yubi (played by Christopher Burton) escaped to Earth. He came with his droid Zax (voiced by Ric Spiegel). When Yubi and Zax land on Earth, they meet a friendly stray dog named Benji. Benji becomes their loyal friend and helps them throughout the series.

Two alien bounty hunters from Antars, named Darah and Khyber, are sent to Earth. They have a powerful droid named Zord. Their mission is to find and capture Prince Yubi. Most of the show is about Darah and Khyber chasing Benji, Zax, and Yubi in a black van. But they almost always fail! This is usually because they make mistakes, and Benji is super smart and always helps his friends. Benji is a true hero in the show, often doing a better job protecting the prince than Zax!

To stay healthy on Earth, Antarians need to wear a special bracelet called a cipher. If they take it off, they get very sick quickly. This suggests the cipher helps them breathe in Earth's air, which is different from Antars. Every Antarian in the show protects their cipher very carefully.

Besides Darah and Khyber, other hunters appear. In one episode, a hunter named Harwell Thompson tries to capture Yubi. Another episode features Tanya, a girl sent by Zanu, who actually becomes friends with Yubi.

Characters

Main Characters

• Benji - He is the main hero of the show. Benji is a stray dog who lives in Texas. He becomes friends with Yubi and Zax when they crash-land on Earth. Benji is very protective of Yubi. He often comes up with clever plans to help them escape and outsmart the hunters. The aliens call him a "quadruped" because he walks on four legs.
• Zax - This is a special robot (Level 2 droid) who is assigned to protect Yubi. Zax can understand what Benji "says." He can also receive video and audio messages.
• Prince Yubi - He is a young prince from the planet Antars. Yubi had to escape to Earth because of Zanu's mean rule. With Benji and Zax by his side, he tries to avoid being captured by the hunters.

Other Important Characters

• Lucy - She is a kind bag lady who meets Benji in the first episode. She accidentally takes Zax when he is damaged. She also helps Yubi escape from the hunters.
• Trask - An old Antarian who used to work for Zanu. He escaped to Earth and pretended to be a man named Montana. He helps Yubi and his friends, and they help him fix his spaceship to return to Antars.
• The Queen - Yubi's mother and the former queen of Antars. Zanu put her in prison. She appears in one episode to send Yubi a birthday message.
• The King - Yubi's father and the former king of Antars. He was killed by Zanu.
• Joey - A boy who is part of a gang called "The Vikings." He is forced to steal Yubi's cipher, which makes Yubi very sick. But Joey later helps Benji get the cipher back and leaves the gang.
• Tanya - A young girl from Antars sent by Zanu to capture Yubi. However, she starts to like Yubi. She eventually decides to stop her mission to capture him.
• Dr. Len Janson - A kind veterinarian who helps the trio. His horse, Sugarfoot, gets hurt by the hunters. The trio helps him fly Sugarfoot to a faraway animal shelter in an old plane.
• Tiffany - A female Maltese dog who Benji likes. She appears in one episode and gets adopted by a man named Jenkins.

Villains

• Zanu - He is the cruel leader who took over Antars. He forced Yubi and Zax to flee to Earth. Zanu sends his top hunters, Darah and Khyber, to capture Yubi.
• Darah and Khyber - These are Zanu's main hunters and the bad guys of the show. They come to Earth to capture Yubi. But they are almost always stopped by Benji's smart plans and loyalty. They chase Yubi in a black van and have a powerful robot helper named Zord.
• Zord - Darah and Khyber's strong robot (Level 10 droid). He was sent by Zanu to help catch Yubi. Zord was destroyed once but came back later. He often tries to trick Benji.
• Will - The leader of "The Vikings" gang. He tries to use Yubi's cipher to get rich.
• TJ Parker - A mischievous boy who looks just like Yubi. He shoplifts from a store, which causes Yubi to get arrested by mistake. The hunters also confuse TJ for the prince.

Episode List