Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs
Screenshot of the title screen from Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs
Genre	Space western, Mecha
Created by	World Events Productions
Directed by	Franklin Cofod
Voices of	Pat Musick Patrick Fraley Rob Paulsen Townsend Coleman Peter Cullen
Music by	Dale Schacker
Country of origin	United States Japan
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	52 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Peter Keefe
Producer(s)	Franklin Cofod Courtney Leigh Kimberly Frances
Release
Original network	First-run syndication
Original release	September 14, 1987 (1987-09-14) – September 2, 1988 (1988-09-02)

Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs is an exciting animated TV show that mixes space western and mecha (giant robot) action. It first aired in the United States in 1987 and had 52 episodes.

The show was based on a Japanese anime series called Star Musketeer Bismarck. An American company, World Events Productions (WEP), bought the rights to the Japanese show. WEP also created the English version of Voltron. They changed and rewrote the series, using most of the original episodes and adding 6 new ones. Then, they released it as Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs.

Story of the Star Sheriffs

The story takes place far in the future. Humans have moved beyond Earth and built new homes on planets all over the universe. This new area is called the New Frontier. To keep these new settlers safe and maintain order, a group called Earth's Cavalry Command was formed.

Cavalry Command is a military group with an army and spaceships. Their job is to protect the New Frontier and the people living there, known as Settlers. Inside Cavalry Command, there's a special team called the Star Sheriffs. They are like super-agents who investigate crimes and threats to the New Frontier.

The main enemies of the Star Sheriffs are non-human creatures called Vapor Beings or Outriders. They come from another dimension and want to take over our universe. They attack Settlers, destroy towns, and kidnap humans to mine valuable metals or crystals from planets.

Outriders have better battle technology than humans. They control huge robots called "Renegade Units" that are much stronger than Cavalry Command's ships. To fight back, Cavalry Command developed a special spaceship called the "Ramrod Equalizer Unit," or simply Ramrod. This amazing ship can change from a spaceship into a powerful robot that can fight the Outriders' Renegade Units equally.

Meet the Characters

The Heroes

• Saber Rider (Original name: Richard Lancelot)

Saber Rider is the leader of the Star Sheriffs and the captain of the Ramrod. He's known for his amazing sword skills and marksmanship. Saber Rider comes from the Scottish Highlands and is a true gentleman. He's always calm and good at making plans. He often rides a robotic horse named "Steed." Steed can fly and run in space, and he's smart enough to understand Saber Rider's commands.

• Fireball (Original name: Shinji Hikari)

Fireball was the youngest race car driver champion ever. Now, he pilots the Ramrod and controls its heavy weapons. He drives his own car, the "Red Fury Turbo Racer," which is packed with weapons. Fireball can be a bit hot-headed, but he's a skilled pilot. He later finds out his father was a fighter pilot who fought the Outriders years ago.

• Colt (Original name: William "Bill" Willcox)

Colt is a skilled bounty hunter and the gunner on the Ramrod. He's incredibly accurate with his firearms. Colt is a bit of a lone wolf and likes to flirt! His parents were attacked by Outriders, which led him to become a bounty hunter. He flies his own blue and white spaceship called the "Bronco Buster."

• Commander Eagle (Original name: Charles Louvre)

Commander Eagle leads Cavalry Command, which protects all the United Star Systems. He takes his job very seriously, but he also has a kind heart.

• April Eagle (Original name: Marianne Louvre)

April is Commander Eagle's daughter and the brilliant engineer who designed the Ramrod. Before joining the Star Sheriffs, she was a professional tennis player. She also has a robotic horse named "Nova," similar to Saber Rider's Steed. April is involved in a few romantic storylines in the series. She eventually starts a relationship with Fireball.

• Ramrod (Original name: Bismark)

The Ramrod (voiced by Peter Cullen, who sounds like John Wayne) was designed by April Eagle to fight the Outriders. It needs four people to operate it: April for navigation, Colt for weapons, Fireball for piloting, and Saber Rider as the commander.

A cool part of almost every episode is when Ramrod changes from a spaceship into a giant fighting robot! When it transforms, it shouts, "Head 'em up, move 'em out...power stride, and ready to ride!" In its robot form, Ramrod looks like a cowboy with a big six-shooter and a cowboy hat. It uses this form to fight the Outriders' giant robots. It can also deploy powerful cannons from its chest to finish off enemies. The Star Sheriffs sometimes call Ramrod's robot form the "Big Sheriff."

In the final episodes, the original Ramrod was taken apart for a peace treaty. But when the Outriders broke the treaty, the Star Sheriffs got an even stronger version called "Ramrod 2," which had double the power!

The Villains

The main bad guys are the Outriders. They are human-like creatures from another dimension called the Vapor Zone. They don't need oxygen but need a lot of water. They can even pretend to be human, and it's almost impossible to tell the difference.

Their home dimension is a sad, empty place because they used up all its resources. Their goal is to conquer our dimension because it has much more to offer. When an Outrider is shot, they don't die. Instead, they dimension jump back to their home dimension, leaving behind a wisp of green gas. If they are shot in their own dimension, or if something stops them from jumping, they turn into a human!

• Nemesis (Original name: Hyuza)

Nemesis is a huge, masked, and dark figure. He's the evil leader of the Outriders. He created the Vapor Trail that lets Outriders travel between dimensions. He wants to invade the New Frontier because he's incredibly bored in the Vapor Dimension. Later in the series, it's revealed that Nemesis is a cyborg, and his mind is also part of a powerful computer. Saber Rider is the only Star Sheriff to fight Nemesis one-on-one.

• Jesse Blue (Original name: Perios)

Jesse Blue has blue-green hair and a sarcastic personality. He was a promising cadet at Cavalry Command until he fell in love with April Eagle. When April turned him down and accidentally embarrassed him, he turned against the Star Sheriffs. Jesse became obsessed with defeating the Star Sheriffs and taking over the New Frontier. He even tried to blow up Ramrod to get rid of Saber Rider.

• Gattler (Original name: Zatora)

Gattler wears a scary, fanged mask. When his mask is off, he looks like a dark, angry villain. He's a tough and heartless leader who only answers to Nemesis.

• Vanquo

Vanquo is a ghostly Outrider with empty eyes and a pale face. He's a creepy character with a chilling laugh, dressed in a serape and sombrero. He's incredibly fast with his gun. Vanquo has a very unusual fate: he becomes human! Saber Rider shoots him in the Vapor Zone, which prevents him from dimension jumping and turns him into a human. Vanquo actually seems happy about it!

Music of the Show

The music for Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs was created by Dale Schacker. He had complete freedom to compose the entire score. The music has a fast, rhythmic, and stylish Country Western feel, mostly using electric guitars. Even though it uses some electronic sounds, the guitar is the main instrument, giving it a unique sound. Just like in a Western movie, the music sometimes includes sounds like whip cracks, rattlesnakes, or harmonicas.

The show's music also has a repeating main theme, so you can easily recognize it and feel familiar with the show every time you watch it. But it doesn't sound boring because only key parts of the music are repeated. Dale Schacker also sang the opening and closing songs himself!

Two music collections are available on CD:

• Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs – Soundtrack I
• Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs – Soundtrack II

Other Adventures

Video Game Fun

A video game called Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs - The Game is being developed by a German group called "Team Saber Rider." They are working with both World Events Productions and Studio Pierrot. The game is planned for many different game systems.

Comic Book Stories

A comic book series based on the show came out on March 16, 2016. This four-issue series reimagines the show's story to appeal to a new generation of fans. Mairghread Scott wrote the comic, and Sendol Arts created the drawings.

Cast List

Here are some of the talented people who lent their voices to the characters:

• Rob Paulsen – Saber Rider, Jesse Blue
• Pat Fraley – Fireball
• Pat Musick – April Eagle
• Townsend Coleman – Colt
• Peter Cullen – Narrator, Commander Eagle, Nemesis, Ramrod
• B.J. Ward – Emily Wyeth, Sincia
• Cam Clarke – Philip
• Lennie Weinrib – Colonel Wyatt
• Neil Ross – Buck, Grimmer
• Tress MacNeille – Robin
• Michael Bell – Snake Eyes

Episode Guide

The show has 52 episodes. The table below shows how the episodes of Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs match up with the original Japanese Star Musketeer Bismark episodes. An "X" means the episode was either added in the US version or was a "lost" episode from the Japanese version.

Where to Watch

You can find Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs on DVD and Blu-ray. The entire series has been released in different sets. In 2016, the TV channel Toku started airing the series, and it was also added to their Amazon Prime channel.

See also

In Spanish: Jinete sable y los comisarios estrella para niños