Shadow Raiders facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shadow Raiders |
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| Genre | Action Science fiction |
| Developed by | Len Wein Dan DiDio |
| Starring | Donna Yamamoto Paul Dobson Mark Oliver Enuka Okuma Matt Hill Scott McNeil Jim Byrnes Garry Chalk |
| Composer(s) | Robert Buckley |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Christopher Brough Ian Pearson |
| Producer(s) | Mark Ralston B.F. Painter |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Mainframe Entertainment Alliance Atlantis |
| Distributor | The Summit Media Group |
| Release | |
| Original network | YTV (Canada) First-run syndication (US) Sky One (UK) |
| Original release | September 16, 1998 – June 23, 1999 |
Shadow Raiders is a Canadian animated TV show. It was made by Mainframe Entertainment. The show aired from September 1998 to June 1999. It was based on a toy line called War Planets. The story is about four planets that are always fighting. They live in a star system called the Cluster. But then, a huge threat appears. They must stop fighting and team up against the evil Beast Planet.
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Story of the Shadow Raiders
Shadow Raiders takes place in a five-planet system called the Cluster. Four planets have people living on them: Fire, Rock, Bone, and Ice. They are always at war, stealing resources from each other. Each planet has unique things they need.
The Beast Planet Threat
An alien named Tekla arrives from another star system. She brings a scary warning. Her home, Planet Tek, was eaten by the Beast Planet. Now, the Beast Planet is coming for the Cluster. Graveheart, a simple miner from Planet Rock, must convince the leaders of all four planets to unite. They need to fight together against this new enemy.
Tekla and her robot friend, Voxx, escape to the Cluster. They crash-land on Planet Ice. Graveheart rescues Tekla. Beast drones attack and kill many soldiers from Rock and Ice. Only Tekla, Graveheart, and Ice King Cryos survive. This danger makes Cryos and Graveheart decide to form an alliance.
Forming the Alliance
The first season shows Graveheart trying to get other planets to join his Alliance. He becomes the leader. First, they visit his home, Planet Rock. But Lord Mantel, Rock's leader, refuses to join. He thinks Rock's Battle Moons can protect them.
Graveheart's friend, Jade, joins him. She is a captain in the Royal Guard. Together, they convince Planet Fire and Planet Bone to join the Alliance.
The Beast forces are found on a dead world called Remora. The Beast drones turned it into a fortress. The Alliance attacks Remora. Rock's Battle Moons help destroy it. But this only makes the Beast Planet angry. It comes out from inside the Cluster's star. It destroys a Battle Moon easily. Then, it attacks Planet Fire.
Fighting the Beast Planet
The second season is about the Alliance trying to escape the Beast Planet. They find out that each planet has "World Engines." These are huge systems that can move planets through space. The Cluster worlds use these engines to flee the Beast.
Planet Fire's engine is broken. It is sacrificed to try and stop the Beast. But it doesn't work. Fire's people move to the remaining Battle Moons. The Alliance also finds Planet Sand, which joins them. They blow up Planet Jungle to stop the Beast from eating it. This also fails. But a piece of Planet Jungle's life is saved by Emperor Femur of Bone.
The Final Battle
The last episodes introduce the Prison Planet. It's a world that can teleport. Graveheart and Cryos are captured by criminals led by Jewelia. Femur and Jade are captured by Sternum, Femur's brother. Sternum was the true ruler of Bone.
Lord Mantel takes control of the Alliance. He thinks his forces are better than the Beast. His pride almost destroys the Alliance. Blokk, a Beast leader, invades Rock and kills Mantel. As the Beast Planet is about to eat Planet Rock, the Prison Planet teleports in its way. Graveheart and his friends use a Telepod to get to Rock. Sternum then teleports the Prison Planet, taking the Beast Planet with it, far away.
Graveheart fights Blokk and defeats him. Jade becomes the new ruler of Planet Rock. The Alliance enters a new time of peace. But the show ends with the Beast Planet eating another planet far away. The show ended after two seasons. A third season would have explained where the Beast Planet came from.
Where the Story Happens
The main place in Shadow Raiders is the Cluster. It has four main planets: Fire, Rock, Bone, and Ice. They have fought for a long time over their natural resources. Fire makes energy, Rock has metals, Bone produces food, and Ice has water. All four planets need each other to survive.
World Engines Explained
A big part of the second season is about the World Engines. These are huge systems built inside the planets. An ancient alien race made them. Five mountain-sized thrusters come out of a planet's surface. They can move a planet through space very fast. Special shields and gravity generators keep everyone safe during the journey.
The Prison Planet has "Teleport Engines." These can instantly move the planet to different places. The same technology protects its people. Each set of engines is deep inside its world. You can reach them using "Telepods." These are small platforms on the surface. Telepods send people to the planet's core to control the engines. They can also move people between planets.
The World Engines have sensors that can find threats. They can suggest what to do. Tekla used Telepod technology to create a force field. This lets people fight Beast beings without being destroyed.
Episode List
Season 1 Episodes
| Episode | Title | Director | Script | Premiere | |
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| 1 | "Behold, the Beast" | Colin Davies, Phil Mitchell |
Len Wein | September 16, 1998 | |
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Tekla escapes her destroyed home planet and warns the Cluster about the Beast. She crashes on Planet Ice and is rescued by Graveheart. After a Beast attack, Graveheart and King Cryos form an alliance.
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| 2 | "On the Rocks" | Mark Sawers | Christy Marx | September 23, 1998 | |
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Graveheart tries to get Planet Rock to join the Alliance. Lord Mantle refuses and jails Graveheart. With help from Jade, Graveheart activates Rock's defenses. Lord Mantle still banishes him, but Jade joins the Alliance.
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| 3 | "Born in Fire" | Mark Schiemann | Marv Wolfman | September 30, 1998 | |
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The Alliance visits Planet Fire. Graveheart and Cryos must pass a dangerous test. After a Beast attack, Planet Fire agrees to join the Alliance.
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| 4 | "Bad to the Bone" | Dwayne John Beaver | Ken Pontac | October 7, 1998 | |
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The Alliance goes to Planet Bone, but the Beast is already there. Emperor Femur is tricked by the Beast. After realizing his mistake, Femur helps the Alliance fight the invaders. Bone then joins the Alliance.
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| 5 | "Wolf in the Fold" | Anthony Atkins | Christy Marx | October 14, 1998 | |
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The Beast agent Lamprey takes over Tekla's body. She tries to destroy the Alliance by harming Graveheart. Her plan fails, and she escapes.
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| 6 | "Mind War" | Owen M. Hurley | Ken Pontac | October 21, 1998 | |
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Tekla fights Lamprey for control of her own mind and body. Tekla wins and gets herself back.
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| 7 | "J'Accuse" | Andrew Duncan | Katherine Lawrence | October 28, 1998 | |
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Jade is framed for a crime on Planet Fire. Graveheart investigates and proves her innocence. The heroes save the day when Lamprey attacks.
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| 8 | "Blood is Thicker..." | Vladmir Stetoff | Marv Wolfman | November 4, 1998 | |
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Lady Zera, the Ice princess, is kidnapped by Blokk. King Cryos must choose between his family and his duty. Cryos and Jade rescue Zera.
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| 9 | "Rock and Ruin" | George Samilski | Christy Marx | November 11, 1998 | |
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The Alliance returns to Planet Rock. Emperor Femur tries to steal Rock's Battle Moons. Blokk attacks Planet Rock while its defenses are gone. Graveheart and Tekla save the day.
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| 10 | "Against all Odds" | Raul Inglis | Marv Wolfman | November 18, 1998 | |
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Prince Pyrus and Lady Zera crash-land on Remora, a dead world. They must escape Blokk and his many warriors.
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| 11 | "Uneasy Hangs the Head" | Craig McEwen | Len Wein | November 25, 1998 | |
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Graveheart doubts his leadership. He remembers a past failure. Jade helps him believe in himself again.
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| 12 | "Ragnarok, Part One" | James E. Taylor | Steve Cuden | December 2, 1998 | |
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The Alliance attacks Remora. Tekla and Voxx search for a weapon. Blokk unleashes Remora's power, destroying many Alliance ships.
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| 13 | "Ragnarok, Part Two" | James Boshier | Len Wein | December 9, 1998 | |
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The Alliance continues to fight Remora. Jade and the Battle Moons save the day, destroying Remora. But then, the Beast Planet appears and destroys a Battle Moon.
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Season 2 Episodes
| Episode | Title | Director | Script | Premiere | |
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| 14 | "Worlds within Worlds" | Owen Hurley | Christy Marx | March 31, 1999 | |
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The Beast Planet attacks Fire and the Battle Moons. Tekla and Zera discover hidden world engines inside Planet Ice. They use them to move Ice out of the Beast's path.
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| 15 | "This is the Way the World Ends..." | Steve Ball | Marv Wolfman | April 7, 1999 | |
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The Beast Planet targets Planet Fire. Graveheart and Tekla search for its world engines. Graveheart saves Prince Pyrus. The Grand Vizier sacrifices himself, ramming Planet Fire into the Beast Planet.
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| 16 | "Period of Adjustment" | J. Falconer | Ken Pontac | April 14, 1999 | |
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Emperor Femur and Pelvus agree to rejoin the Alliance. They promise to provide food from Bone for all the Alliance people.
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| 17 | "Blaze of Glory" | Andrew Duncan | Dan DiDio | April 21, 1999 | |
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Captain Blaze steals a Battle Moon to fight the Beast alone. He returns to save Prince Pyrus from Blokk. Lord Mantle contacts Jade about a deal.
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| 18 | "Sandstorm" | Craig McEwen | E. Bull and W. Shetterly | April 28, 1999 | |
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The Alliance travels to Planet Sand. Lady Zera meets Zuma, a Sand Person with mind powers. The Sand People help the Alliance.
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| 19 | "Girls Night Out" | George Roman Samilski | Brooks Wachtel | May 5, 1999 | |
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Jade, Tekla, Zera, Pelvus, and Zuma go out for fun. They are attacked by pirates and Lamprey. Tekla gives Jade the key to the Cluster's defenses.
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| 20 | "Timebomb" | Raul Inglis | Art Holcomb | May 12, 1999 | |
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The Alliance finds Planet Jungle. They plan to use it to trap the Beast. They plant explosives, but the planet's plants ask for help. Planet Jungle explodes, but the Beast is unharmed.
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| 21 | "Embers of the Past" | Mark Sawers | Gillian Horvath | May 19, 1999 | |
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Planet Fire seems to reappear, and the Grand Vizier is alive but different. It turns out to be a Beast creation. The Alliance hides in a nebula to escape Blokk.
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| 22 | "Divided We Stand" | Owen Hurley | Christy Marx | May 26, 1999 | |
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The Alliance finds a mysterious planet. Graveheart and Cryos crash-land and meet Jewelia's criminals. Jade and Femur meet Sternum, Femur's brother.
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| 23 | "Nor Iron Bars a Cage" | Steve Ball and Sebastian Brodin | Marv Wolfman | June 2, 1999 | |
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The prison planet can teleport. Sternum was the rightful ruler of Bone. Lord Mantle takes control of the Alliance and endangers the fleet. Jade is set to fight Femur on the prison planet.
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| 24 | "Death of a King" | James E. Taylor | Christy Marx | June 9, 1999 | |
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The prison planet factions prepare for battle. Lord Mantle attacks the Beast with the Battle Moons, but it fails. Blokk invades Rock and kills Lord Mantle.
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| 25 | "The Long Road Home" | Anthony Atkins | Marv Wolfman | June 16, 1999 | |
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The Beast captures Planet Rock. Graveheart, Cryos, Jade, and Femur reunite on the Prison Planet. The Prison Planet teleports between the Beast and Rock, taking the Beast with it.
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| 26 | "Ascension" | George Roman Samilski | Ken Pontac Dan DiDio |
June 23, 1999 | |
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Lord Mantle's funeral is held. Graveheart asks Jade to rule Rock. Graveheart battles Blokk in the World Engine. Jade passes her royalty test and steers the planet to safety. Graveheart defeats Blokk. The series ends with the Beast Planet attacking another world.
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DVD Releases and Availability
The full series was released on DVD in 2000. It came out in six volumes. These DVDs included extra features like character info and animation details. Like other shows from Mainframe Entertainment, these DVDs are now hard to find.
| Volume Number | Volume Title | Episodes Contained |
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| 1 | Uncommon Hero | Behold the Beast, On the Rocks, Born in Fire, Bad to the Bone |
| 2 | A Dangerous Enemy | Wolf in the Fold, Mind War, J'Accuse, Blood is Thicker... |
| 3 | Final Hours | Rock and Ruin, Against All Odds, Uneasy Hangs the Head, Ragnarok parts 1 and 2 |
| 4 | Alliance Attacks! | Worlds Within Worlds, This Is The Way The World Ends..., Period of Adjustment, Blaze of Glory |
| 5 | New Worlds! | Sandstorm, Girls Night Out, Timebomb, Embers of the Past |
| 6 | Final Conflict | Divided We Stand, Nor Iron Bars a Cage, Death of a King, The Long Road Home, Ascension |
Both seasons are also available in two sets in the United Kingdom. Other countries like Germany and Russia also released the full series on DVD.
Voice Cast
Here are the main actors who lent their voices to the characters:
- Donna Yamamoto – Tekla
- Paul Dobson – Graveheart
- Mark Oliver – King Cryos
- Enuka Okuma – Jade
- Matt Hill – Prince Pyrus
- Scott McNeil – Pelvus and Blokk
- Jim Byrnes – Grand Vizier
- Garry Chalk – Emperor Femur
- Tasha Simms – Lamprey
- Blu Mankuma – Lord Mantle
- Tegan Moss – Lady Zera
- Janyse Jaud – Jewelia
- Ellen Kennedy – Zuma
- John Payne – Sternum
War Planets Toy Line
The Shadow Raiders TV show was based on the War Planets toys by Trendmasters. Toys were made for planets like Ice, Fire, Bone, Rock, Sand, Tek, Water, Reptizar, Remora, and the Beast Planet. There were also Battle Moons and different tanks. The show also inspired toys of the main characters and their ships.
See also
In Spanish: Shadow Raiders para niños
