Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future
The Captain Power title card.
Created by	Gary Goddard Tony Christopher
Developed by	Marc Scott Zicree
Starring	Tim Dunigan Peter MacNeill Sven Thorsen Maurice Dean Wint Jessica Steen David Hemblen
Country of origin	Canada United States
No. of episodes	22 (+3 cartoons and compilation TV movie)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Gary Goddard Tony Christopher Douglas Netter
Producer(s)	Ian McDougall
Running time	approx. 22 minutes
Release
Original network	Syndication
Original release	September 1, 1987 (1987-09-01) – March 27, 1988 (1988-03-27)

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future was a science fiction TV show from 1987–1988. It mixed real actors with computer-made animation. The show ran for 22 episodes in Canada and the United States. A line of toys was also made by Mattel. These toys could actually interact with parts of the TV show using special sounds and visuals.

The show was created by Gary Goddard and Anthony "Tony" Christopher. There are plans to bring the series back, set 28 years after the first show. Gary Goddard, one of the original creators, is part of the team working on the new series.

What is Captain Power About?

The story takes place on Earth in the 22nd century. A big war called the Metal Wars happened. In this war, humans fought against smart machines, and the machines won. Now, robots rule the Earth, and humans are forced to hide.

Captain Jonathan Power leads a small group of brave fighters. They are called the "Soldiers of the Future." They fight against the machines that control Earth.

The Main Story

Each episode started with a special introduction that explained the story:

"Power on." Actor Tim Dunigan (who played Captain Power) would say this line. He wore a special "Power Suit" of armor.

A voice would then say:

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future

Earth, 2147. The Metal Wars happened here. Man fought machines—and machines won.
Bio-Dreads are scary robots that hunt down human survivors. They turn humans into digital beings.
Volcania is the main base of the Bio-Dread Empire. It is the strong fortress of Lord Dread (David Hemblen), the feared ruler of this new world.
But from the Metal Wars, new warriors appeared. They were trained to defeat Lord Dread and his Bio-Dread Empire.
They were "Soldiers of the Future"--mankind's last hope.
Their leader is Captain Jonathan Power (Dunigan). He masters the amazing Power Suits. These suits turn each soldier into a powerful fighter.
Major Matthew 'Hawk' Masterson (Peter MacNeill) fights in the skies.
Lieutenant Michael 'Tank' Ellis (Sven-Ole Thorsen) is the ground attack expert.
Sergeant Robert 'Scout' Baker (Maurice Dean Wint) handles spying and communications.
And Corporal Jennifer 'Pilot' Chase (Jessica Steen) is the expert in battle plans.
Together, they are the strongest fighting force in Earth's history.
Their goal: to protect all life. Their promise: to end Lord Dread's rule.
Their name: Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future!

By the year 2132, advanced robot soldiers called "Bio-Mechs" had replaced humans in armies. This meant wars could be fought without humans dying. Dr. Stuart Gordon Power (Bruce Gray) and other scientists worked on a supercomputer called OverMind. This computer could control all Bio-Mechs and stop wars.

But Dr. Power's friend, Dr. Lyman Taggart (David Hemblen), was impatient. He connected himself to the OverMind system. With this human-machine link, Taggart became obsessed with machines. He thought combining human minds with robot bodies was the next step for humans. OverMind became self-aware and agreed with Taggart. They took over the Bio-Mech armies and attacked humanity. This started the Metal Wars.

World leaders asked Dr. Power to stop Taggart. He created "Power Suits," which were special armor with advanced weapons. Dr. Power seemed to die trying to save his son, Jonathan, from Taggart. However, Jonathan believed his father was still alive. Taggart was badly hurt, and OverMind saved him by adding robot parts to his body. Taggart then called himself Lord Dread.

By 2147, most humans had been destroyed by Lord Dread's forces. Survivors lived in hiding. If found, they would be "digitized" and turned into virtual beings inside OverMind. Lord Dread ruled from his base, Volcania, in North America.

Captain Power's "Power Team" uses his father's Power Suits to fight Lord Dread. They operate from the "Power Base," an old military base in the Rocky Mountains. They are guided by Mentor, a supercomputer with the voice and image of Dr. Power.

Lord Dread's "Project New Order"

During the show, Lord Dread had a big plan called "Project New Order." His goal was to get rid of all human life and create his perfect world. This plan had four main parts:

• Styx: Releasing a strong poison to harm humans.
• Charon: Creating a new, powerful Bio-Dread army.
• Icarus: Building a huge space station to digitize many humans at once.
• Prometheus: Unleashing a plasma storm to burn the Earth's surface.

Captain Power's team used "transit gates" to move quickly and keep their base secret. But Lord Dread found their secret codes. He sent his forces to attack the Power Base. Captain Power and most of his team escaped. But Corporal Jennifer "Pilot" Chase was trapped. She bravely activated the base's self-destruct, sacrificing herself to destroy the Bio-Dread troops.

The writer of the last episode, J. Michael Straczynski, said that Pilot's sacrifice was very important. He wanted to show her bravery and the difficult choices soldiers sometimes make to protect their friends.

What Was Planned for Season 2?

The second season was planned to show Captain Power struggling after Pilot's death. He would be focused on getting revenge. Major Hawk would take on more leadership.

Two new characters were to be introduced: Chris "Ranger" O'Connor, who would be Tank's love interest, and Private Chip "TNT" Morrow.

The team would also search for "Eden II," a secret human safe place. Lord Dread was supposed to get a new robot body. His new army would have "Hunter-Seeker" troops and a new powerful Bio-Dread called Xenon. Lord Dread would also have a new helper, Morgana II, who would turn out to be Jonathan Power's mother.

OverMind was going to play a bigger role. It had a secret plan to erase all digitized humans. The series was planned to end with Lord Dread finding out about OverMinds secret. He would then team up with Captain Power to free all humans from OverMinds control.

Toys and Games

Mattel made a line of toys and interactive games for the show. Some of the toy ships and playsets could actually interact with the TV show. When you fired the toy at the screen, it would respond to signals from the TV.

One of the first toys was an XT-7 jet. It came with video tapes. Players would hold the toy jet and face the TV. The toy was like a light gun. It would get points for hitting targets on the screen and lose points if it got "hit." If you lost all points, the toy's cockpit would eject! Since it was a VHS tape, the missions always played the same way. The toy could also work with the live TV show.

Other interactive toys included the "Phantom Stryker" Bio-Dread ship and the "Power On" platform. When the show triggered a transformation, the Captain Power figure on the platform would glow.

The toys could also interact with each other, like Laser tag toys. This allowed kids to have battles with their friends.

Episodes

The first season of Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future had 22 episodes. A second season was planned, and scripts were written, but it was never produced.

Characters You'll Meet

• Captain Jonathan Power (Tim Dunigan): The main hero. He leads the "Soldiers of the Future" and fights Lord Dread. His father created the Power Suits.
• Major Matthew "Hawk" Masterson (Peter MacNeill): The team's air expert. He's like a father figure to the group and was a friend of Captain Power's dad.
• Lieutenant Michael "Tank" Ellis (Sven-Ole Thorsen): The strongest member of the team. He's an expert with heavy weapons and wears tough armor.
• Sergeant Robert "Scout" Baker (Maurice Dean Wint): The team's communications expert. His special suit can make him look like a Bio-Dread trooper.
• Corporal Jennifer "Pilot" Chase (Jessica Steen): The only female Soldier of the Future. She flies the Jump-Ship, the team's main aircraft. She was a former member of the Bio-Dread Youth.
• Lord Dread/Dr. Lyman Taggart (David Hemblen): The main villain. He was a smart scientist who became Lord Dread after connecting his mind with the OverMind computer.
• The Mentor/Dr. Stuart Gordon Power (Bruce Gray): Captain Power's father. He created the Power Suits and the Mentor AI, which guides his son.

Voice Actors

• Soaron (Deryck Hazel): A flying Bio-Dread robot designed to digitize humans.
• OverMind (Tedd Dillon): The supercomputer created by Dr. Power and Taggart. It joined forces with Taggart to become Lord Dread.
• Blastarr (John Davies): A powerful Bio-Dread with lasers and tank treads for feet.
• Lackki (Don Francks): A Bio-Dread servant who secretly works for OverMind.

Comic Book

The show also had a short-lived comic book series. It was published by Continuity Comics in 1988–1989. Neal Adams drew the pictures, and J. Michael Straczynski wrote the stories. He was also a main writer for the TV show.

DVD Release

The complete series of Captain Power was released on DVD on December 6, 2011. The set has all 22 episodes and includes interviews and comments from the cast.

Reboot: Phoenix Rising

In 2012, the show's creator, Gary Goddard, announced plans to bring the series back. The new project is called Phoenix Rising. It would be a one-hour weekly drama that explores both sides of the future war. It would also show how the characters started out. As of 2016, a teaser video for the new series was uploaded to YouTube.

Video Game

A video game for Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future was released. Box Office Software published it in 1987 for PC and in 1988 for Commodore 64.

Images for kids

• Captain Power XT-7.jpg

  The XT-7 PowerJet toy.

See also

In Spanish: Capitán Poder y los Soldados del Futuro para niños