Exosquad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Exosquad |
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Title screen of the first season
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| Genre |
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| Created by | Jeff Segal |
| Developed by | Eric Lewald (season 1) Michael Edens (season 2) |
| Directed by | Graham Morris |
| Voices of |
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| Composer(s) | Michael Tavera |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 52 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Will Meugniot Jeff Segal |
| Producer(s) | Dennis Woodyward |
| Running time | 21 min (per episode) |
| Production company(s) | Universal Cartoon Studios |
| Animation services | AKOM Sunrise (additional storyboards) |
| Release | |
| Original network | syndication (Universal Family Network) |
| Original release | September 18, 1993 – November 3, 1994 |
Exosquad is an animated TV show. It was made by Universal Cartoon Studios. The show first aired in 1993 and ran for two seasons until 1994.
The story takes place in the early 22nd century. It's about a big war between humans, called "Terrans," and a group called "Neosapiens." Neosapiens are an artificial race. They were created to be workers or slaves for the Terrans.
The show mainly follows a special human team called Able Squad. They are elite pilots who use powerful suits called "exoframes." Their missions take them all over the Solar System. Other stories happen too, showing different parts of the war.
Contents
Story of the War
The series is set around the years 2119 to 2121 AD. By this time, humans have moved beyond Earth. They have changed planets like Venus and Mars to make them livable. These three planets are called "the Homeworlds." They are the main planets of the human government.
Not all humans are part of the Homeworlds. There are also independent Pirate Clans. These are descendants of criminals sent to outer planets. They survive by stealing from human cargo ships. The show starts with the human space military, called the Exofleet, going to fight these Pirates.
The Neosapien Uprising
While the Exofleet is away, a rebellion begins. It's led by the Neosapiens. Neosapiens are human-like beings. They were created to be stronger than humans. This was so they could work in harsh environments on Mars and Venus.
Humans treated Neosapiens badly. This led to a first revolt 50 years before the show. That revolt was stopped. But it did bring some small improvements for Neosapiens.
The Neosapien Governor of Mars, Phaeton, starts a new rebellion. It's called "Operation Destiny." He plans it for when the Exofleet is gone. This allows the Neosapiens to take over the Homeworlds easily.
Able Squad's Missions
The show follows Able Squad. This is a special team of exoframe pilots. The team includes J.T. Marsh, Nara Burns, Maggie Weston, Kaz Takagi, Alec DeLeon, Rita Torres, Wolf Bronsky, and Marsala.
Their adventures happen during the Neosapien War. The squad often takes part in important events that change the war. The show tries to be realistic about war. Characters face dangers, and military plans are shown. It also explores how war affects people.
For example, some episodes show how the Exofleet plans to take back Venus. Then, they show the actual fight to free Venus. Even after Venus is taken back, some Neosapien forces hide. They refuse to give up and wait for help.
The End of the Series
The second season ends with the Neosapiens being defeated. Earth is freed. But the show ends with a "cliffhanger." This means it leaves you wondering what happens next. It hinted at a new war against an alien race. Humans and Neosapiens would have to team up.
Also, a clone of Phaeton was found. Humans didn't know what to do with him. They didn't want another Phaeton causing trouble. But they also didn't want to punish the clone for what the original Phaeton did.
However, the show was canceled after the second season. So, a third season was never made.
Voice Actors
- Kathleen Barr - Lt. Colleen O'Reilly, Cmdr. DeSoto, Doc, Medusa
- Lisa Ann Beley - Lt. Nara Burns, Cruiser
- Michael Benyaer - Kaz Takagi, Praetorius, Exial
- Robby Benson - Lt. J.T. Marsh, Jonas Simbacca
- Sylvia Biller - Linda
- A.J. Bond - Exoscout
- Garry Chalk - Marsala, General Shiva, Nick Tyree, Charles McKenna, Pirate XO, Kruger, Albrecht Ketzer (1st voice)
- Ewan Sutherland Clark - Jinx Madison (1st voice)
- Allen Stewart-Coates - Glycon
- Ian James Corlett - Enleal
- Paul Dobson - Thrax
- Michael Donovan - Wolf Bronski, Professor Algernon, Picasso (1st voice), James Burns, Jubail, Minister Guidas, Voodoo, General Drusus, Sulla, Albrecht Ketzer (2nd voice)
- David Kaye - General Draconis (2nd voice), Hallas, Vince Pellegrino
- Terry Klassen - Picasso (2nd voice), George, Kor, Turner, Cates
- Karin Konoval - Livia (1st voice), Cpt. Levitch
- Janyse Jaud - Sgt. Rita Torres
- Campbell Lane - Lysander
- Wally Marsh - Admiral Winfield
- Scott McNeil - Jinx Madison (2nd voice), Lt. Yuri Stavrogan, Lucullus, Sullust, Denny Bourigum, Neo Lord
- Rob Morton - Typhonus, Peter Tanaka, Cpt. Furlong, J.J. Grimley, Sgt. Felson, Gracchus, Wotan
- Richard Newman - Phaeton, Cpt. Marcus, Barca, Ramon Longfeather, Pirate Base Commander, President Jonathan Perion, Sharos, Sidney, Stentor
- John Payne - Lt. Alec DeLeon, Sean Napier, Xenobius
- Teryl Rothery - Lt. Maggie Weston, Diana, Livia (2nd voice), Eve Hanley, Amanda Connor, E-Frame Computer
- Tony Sampson - Pirate
- Alvin Sanders - Cpt. Avery Butler
- Ken Camroux-Taylor - General Draconis (1st voice), Court-martial judge
- Marcus Turner - Pirate
- Stevie Vallance - Lt. Alice Noretti
- Cathy Weseluck - Red
- Dale Wilson - Galba
How the Show Was Made
Jeff Segal first thought of the show in 1989. He wanted to create a new action show with robots. It was first called Exoforce. In 1993, the name changed to Exosquad because of a toy company deal. Will Meugniot helped a lot with the show's look. Michael Edens helped guide the story.
Exosquad was one of the first animated shows by Universal Animation Studios. It was inspired by Japanese anime. Because of this, it had a complex story. It covered many topics, like war, romance, and genetic engineering. This helped it appeal to many different viewers.
The first season had only 13 episodes in 1993. But the show became very popular. So, Universal made the second season three times longer. The animation for the series was done by AKOM in South Korea.
Changes During Production
As the second season went on, some characters became more important. For example, Nara Burns killing Phaeton was not planned from the start. Also, the Neosapien Thrax became a major character.
One character, Alec DeLeon, was supposed to die. But Universal executives didn't want that. So he died later on the Moon. But then he was quickly brought back to life in a new body.
Why the Show Ended
The show was canceled after 52 episodes. At that time, many smaller production companies were being bought by bigger TV networks. These networks wanted to make their own shows.
Exosquad was moved to bad time slots, like 4 a.m. Because of this, not enough people watched it. So, the ratings were too low to keep it going.
The last episode showed the world after the war. It ended with J.T. Marsh fighting alien spaceships. The creators had planned for these aliens to be like insects. They also planned for other things to help fight them. These included the Pirates' dark matter and a clone of Phaeton.
There were ideas for an Exosquad movie. There was also a plan for a spin-off show called Exo-Pirates. But all these ideas were stopped when the third season was canceled.
Where to Watch It
The first season of Exosquad was released on VHS tapes. This happened soon after it first aired. In 2007, it became available on Hulu, a video streaming service. The complete second season was added to Hulu in 2009.
The first season was also available on Zune Marketplace. Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the first season on DVD in 2009. It was a two-disc set with 13 episodes. The series also became available on Peacock in 2020.
Toys and Other Fun Stuff
Between 1993 and 1996, Playmates Toys made action figures and model kits. These were of the exoframes and spaceships from the show. The descriptions on the toys gave more details about the Exosquad world.
The toys were often compared to the popular Robotech toys. Playmates Toys even got the license for Robotech. This led to rumors that Exosquad and Robotech might have a crossover story. The creators thought about it but decided not to do it. Today, Exosquad toys are popular with collectors.
A Sega Genesis video game called Exosquad was released in 1995. The show was also made into a comic book by Topps Comics in 1994. There was also an interactive movie book and a board game.
See also
In Spanish: Exosquad para niños
