Robotix facts for kids

Robotix is an animated TV series from 1985. It's based on a toy line by Milton Bradley, which featured building sets with motors and tools. The show tells the story of a big conflict on the alien planet Skalorr. On one side are the peaceful Protectons, and on the other are the warlike Terrakors. A group of humans gets caught in the middle of their fight.

The series was made by Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions. It was animated in Japan by Toei Animation, the same studio that worked on other popular cartoons from that time.

Characters

Protectons

• Argus: The brave leader of the Protectons. He was once the chief of their capital city, Zanadon. He cares deeply for others and tries to help the humans. He hates violence and would rather hurt himself than let anyone use him to harm another. His robot body, called the R-2000, is humanoid with a long neck and a curved blade hand. He can change into a car or use laser cannons from his chest. His human partner is Exeter Galaxon.
• Bront: The strongest Protecton. He helped activate Zanadon's battle mode. He is good friends with Jerrok. His robot body, the R-1500, has a humanoid top and four wheeled legs. He can turn into a car with a grabber or extend his body like a ladder. His human partner is Tauron.
• Jerrok: A fast and clever Protecton, and Bront's friend. He has the smallest and quickest Robotix body, which is a torso with arms and head on a giant wheel. He enjoys outsmarting his enemies in battle. His hands have built-in laser cannons. His human partner is Sphero.
• Nara: The only female Protecton. She was Argus's assistant and is very caring, especially towards the fragile humans. She is also very smart. Her Robotix body is a small dome on four strong legs that can also be used as hands. She can transform into a hover-jet and has laser cannons in her feet. Her human partner is Steth.
• Boltar: A kind and supportive Protecton, but also a strong fighter. He often talks about himself in the third person. His Robotix body is bulky and bear-like with six thin legs. He can change into a humanoid combat form or a helicopter, and has many weapons like flamethrowers. His human partner is Flexor.
• Kontor: He was Zanadon's main architect. He had a very short appearance in his robot body before being replaced by Venturak. His Robotix form looks like a bear or dog with shovel-like feet.

Terrakors

• Nemesis: The cruel leader of the Terrakors. He wants to take over Skalorr and is obsessed with controlling the Terrastar spaceship. He sees his new robot body as a way to escape the planet and conquer space. His blue humanoid robot form has a lizard-like head. His left hand can extend very far and turn into a laser gun or buzz saw. His human partner is Kanawk.
• Tyrannix: The cold and smart second-in-command of the Terrakors. He has the most weapons and is an expert in communications. His robot body, the R-1100, is skeletal with wing-like radar panels and plasma engines for legs and an arm. He usually hovers or flies. His arm engine can also be a flamethrower. His human partner is Gaxon.
• Steggor: A tricky, snake-like Terrakor. He often battles Bront. His human partner is Nomo.
• Goon: A not-very-smart Terrakor grunt. He looks like a tank with two arms and is very strong. He is sometimes used as a battering ram. His human partner is Lupus.
• Venturak: A spy for the Terrakors. He took over Kontor's robot body, the R-1000. He is the weakest Robotix in fights without help. His human partner is Traxis.
• Terragar: Briefly seen when Nemesis tries to change Argus's mind into a Terrakor.

Humans

• Captain Exeter Galaxon: The brave and smart leader of the human crew. He always tries to do what's right, even in tough situations.
• Tauron: A logical and wise older crew member. He believes they should help the Protectons.
• Kanawk: A human who often disagrees with Captain Galaxon. He joins the Terrakors to try and leave the planet.
• Gaxon: A quiet officer who is not very kind. He joins the Terrakors and is Tyrannix's partner.
• Lupus Kerr: A human who often complains. He is Goon's partner.
• Nomo: A pessimistic human who often argues with his Robotix partner, Steggor.
• Traxis: A secret agent working for the Terrakors. He is Venturak's partner.
• Steth: The medical officer. He discovers that some food on Skalorr is poisonous to humans.
• Flexor: A bold crew member who becomes Boltar's partner.
• Sphero: A portly crew member.
• Zarru: The only human child. He is sometimes a bit reckless but tries to prove himself.

Episode Summaries

Battle of the Titans

Captain Exeter Galaxon's spaceship crashes on the ruined planet Skalorr. His crew survives and finds themselves in a battle between huge robot creatures: the Protectons and the Terrakors. The Protectons become friends with the humans and help them fix their ship. During repairs, Nara and Zarru discover that humans can connect with the Robotix to make them stronger.

Paradise Lost

With humans connected to them, the Protectons fight off the Terrakors. Argus takes the humans to their underground base. There, Compu-Core, the planet's main computer, tells them Skalorr's history. Millions of years ago, the Protectons and Terrakors had to stop fighting because their sun was about to explode. Compu-Core suggested they go into underground stasis tubes to survive.

Traitor In Our Midst

The story of Skalorr continues. Everyone went into stasis tubes, but radiation damaged their bodies. Compu-Core had to save their minds instead. Millions of years later, Compu-Core put the minds of four Protectons and four Terrakors into new robot bodies to rebuild the planet. This led to the current battle. Meanwhile, some humans, unhappy with Galaxon, decide to find the Terrakors' ship, the Terrastar.

A Spy Is Born

Nemesis, the Terrakor leader, accepts the humans' offer, and they connect with the Terrakors. The Protectons create a new Robotix body for Kontor. But the Terrakors trick the Protectons, and Nemesis replaces Kontor's mind with Venturak, a Terrakor spy. Venturak then connects with the human Traxis. Venturak tells the Terrakors that the humans are low on food, leading to an attack and theft of their supplies.

Crash Landing

The humans finally fix their ship and take off. However, the Terrakors attack the Protectons. Galaxon's crew returns to help, but they find the Terrakors stole their ship's guidance system. The humans crash-land back onto the planet.

Firestorm at the Oasis

With their connections restored, the Protectons fight off the Terrakors. The human ship is now beyond repair, and they still need food. Compu-Core finds an oasis with plants. While most head there, Argus and Venturak guard Compu-Core. The Terrakors burn the oasis, and Nemesis, with Venturak's help, captures Argus and tries to erase his mind.

Captured

The Protectons and humans at the oasis escape by digging. Bront returns to the base when Argus doesn't respond. Nemesis puts a Terrakor's mind, Terragar, into Argus's body and escapes with Compu-Core. Bront chases them, but Terragar, pretending to be Argus, almost tricks him. Bront takes Compu-Core and flees into the Crystalline Desert, but Terragar corners him.

The Lost Cities

Nara and Jerrok help Bront, and the Terrakors run away, leaving Terragar's body. Compu-Core restores Argus using a backup of his mind. The Protectons search for their old city, Zanadon. The Terrakors search for their city, Terrakordia, but find it destroyed. Tyrannix gets angry and takes over leadership from Nemesis. The Protectons try to reactivate Zanadon, but Venturak, still disguised, tries to sabotage it and blames Bront.

Bront Stands Accused

The Protectons barely escape Zanadon as Compu-Core seals the city to contain an explosion. Venturak blames Bront, and the Protectons imprison him. Tyrannix and Goon try to steal Compu-Core, but Venturak fights them. Nemesis and Steggor join the fight. Zarru frees Bront, who proves his loyalty by helping the Protectons win. Inside Zanadon, Zarru finds an unfinished Robotix body. Venturak sends them to a factory for parts, but it's a trap.

The Factory of Death

The Protectons fight the factory's machines. Zarru and Flexor try to put together the unfinished Robotix. A distress call from Argus forces them to activate the new Robotix, putting Boltar's mind into it. Boltar helps rescue the captive Protectons. Galaxon chooses Flexor to be Boltar's pilot. Zarru, wanting to prove himself, goes to find the Terrakors.

Zarru Takes the Plunge

Zarru crash-lands in an icy area where the Terrakors found the Terrastar spaceship in a lake. As they try to start the ship, the Protectons, low on energy, search for Zarru. Goon loses control of the Terrastar, burying it. Zarru briefly takes control of Goon's capsule but is thrown out and rescued by the Protectons. Both sides are low on energy and head to Siliton Mountain for crystals. The Terrakors get a head start and cause a flash flood.

Attack of the Rock Creatures

Boltar protects the Protectons from the flood. Both the Protectons and Terrakors are captured by rock creatures who also eat the crystals. The creatures separate the humans from their Robotix partners and imprison them in a volcano. The humans watch as their ship is melted. The Robotix are next, with Jerrok about to be destroyed.

All for One

Held captive, the humans are threatened by a large, many-eyed creature. Galaxon uses it to escape and grabs a Siliton crystal. He recharges Jerrok, who saves himself and fights the rock creatures. The humans then recharge the other Robotix and connect with the nearest ones. This leads to some strange partnerships. Argus even throws Gaxon out of his cockpit for trying to kill a rock creature. Goon and Bront combine to break a path to freedom. When Tyrannix fires, he triggers the volcano. All the Robotix and humans must work together to save themselves and the rock creatures. The rock creatures lead the Protectons to safety, but the Terrakors escape on their own and attack Zanadon again, burying it in a rockslide.

Battle for Zanadon

After the rockslide, Zanadon becomes airborne, and the Protectons try to move it away. Argus realizes that "Kontor" (Venturak) opened the city's dome, letting the Terrakors in. Tyrannix and Bront fight, while Steggor chases Nara. Nara defeats Steggor and finds Venturak trying to escape with Compu-Core. Nara is defeated, and Nemesis and the Terrakors escape with Compu-Core. Without Compu-Core, the Protectons struggle to close the city's domes. The Terrastar, now flying, begins its attack.

The Final Attack

The Terrastar attacks Zanadon. The Protectons try to break into the ship. Nemesis flies the ship into space, towards an asteroid belt. Most Protectons are knocked off, leaving only Argus and Nara. They break into the ship, but Nara is knocked into space. Argus and Galaxon are left alone to face the Terrakors. In the airless ship, Galaxon steers the Terrastar towards a giant asteroid. Argus defeats the Terrakors and helps Galaxon. They escape with Compu-Core as the ship crashes into the asteroid and explodes.

The other Protectons, who survived by combining, pick up Argus. They return to Skalorr and plan to rebuild their world with the humans' help. Everyone agrees to stay.

But somewhere in space, Nemesis is still alive...

Robotix: The Movie

In 1987, the fifteen short episodes were put together and released as a 90-minute movie called Robotix: The Movie. It was re-released on DVD in the UK and Ireland on July 28, 2003.

Comic book

Marvel Comics also made a single comic book in February 1986. It was written and drawn by Herb Trimpe and followed the story of the first three episodes of the TV series. A commercial for the comic was shown on Saturday mornings.