Jump to content

Starcom: The U.S. Space Force

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Starcom: The U.S. Space Force
StarCom: The U.S. Space Force title card
Created byBrynne Stephens
Developed byBrynne Stephens
Written by
Directed byMarek Buchwald
Voices of
Theme music composerUdi Harpaz
Countries of origin
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producerAndy Heyward
ProducerRichard Raynis
Running time25 minutes
Production companyDIC Animation City
Original release
NetworkSyndication
Release20 September (1987-09-20) –
13 December 1987 (1987-12-13)

Starcom: The U.S. Space Force is a 13-episode animated syndicated television series inspired by a motorized toy franchise manufactured by Coleco.[2] The characters were adapted for animation by series creator Brynne Stephens, who also story edited the show. Starcom was produced by DIC Animation City and distributed by Coca-Cola Telecommunications. The toy line was popular in Europe and Asia, but was unsuccessful in the North American domestic market.

The show earned poor ratings and was cancelled after 13 episodes.[3] The series was rerun in the late 1990s as part of DIC and Pax TV's "Cloud Nine" programming strand, and on KBHK in the fall of 1994.

Development

[edit]

The show was developed with the help of the Young Astronauts' Council, with the original intention of sparking young viewers' interest in the NASA Space Program.[4]

Plot

[edit]

Set in the near future, the series details the adventures of the United States Space Force, a military organization engaged in an ongoing conflict with the technologically advanced Shadow Force, led by Emperor Dark.

Toys

[edit]

The Starcom toy line consisted of 23 figures, 6 playsets and 13 vehicles on the U.S. Space Force side, while the Shadow Force was represented by 15 figures and 11 vehicles. The two inch tall action figures were packaged with a backpack, a weapon, and an identification card that profiled the character and explained the capabilities of their equipment.

The action figures were marketed as having a Magna Lock feature, which consisted of small magnets in their feet, allowing them to more easily stand on playsets and vehicles. This feature also allowed for the activation of mechanisms built into the playsets, such as an automatically rising elevator or a rocket firing cannon.

Playsets and vehicles additionally featured wind-up mechanisms advertised as a Power Deploy feature. These mechanisms allowed the toys to perform various actions at the touch of a button, such as deploying wings or extending weapons.

The Starcom toy line was unsuccessful in the U.S. due to poor promotion and the short lived nature of its tie-in series.[5] The line was discontinued after two years in the U.S. but fared better in Europe and Southeast Asia, where both the show and the toys continued to be popular long after the American toys were discontinued.[6] In the non-U.S. regions Mattel took over production and promotion of the line, removing the U.S. flag and NASA details from the Coleco originals and relaunched the toys with a second line of promotions in the early 1990s.[5]

Cast

[edit]
Colonels: John "Slim" Griffin (Starbase Command), Paul "Crowbar" Corbin (Astro Marines), James "Dash" Derringer (Star Wing)

Starcom

[edit]
  • Philip Akin: Colonel John "Slim" Griffin
  • Yank Azman: Shock Troopers
  • Robert Cait: Colonel Paul "Crowbar" Corbin
  • Rob Cowan: Colonel James "Dash" Derringer
  • Don Francks: Admiral Franklin Brickley
  • Susan Roman: Lieutenant Kelsey Carver

Shadow Force

[edit]

Episodes

[edit]
No.TitleWritten byOriginal release date
1"Nantucket Sleighride"Richard MuellerSeptember 20, 1987 (1987-09-20)
2"Trojan Crowbar"Steve PerrySeptember 27, 1987 (1987-09-27)
3"The Long Fall"Brynne StephensOctober 4, 1987 (1987-10-04)
4"Caverns of Mars"Michael ReavesOctober 11, 1987 (1987-10-11)
5"Fire and Ice"Michael ReavesOctober 18, 1987 (1987-10-18)
6"Galactic Heartbeat"Steve PerryOctober 25, 1987 (1987-10-25)
7"The Boys Who Cried Dark"Richard MuellerNovember 1, 1987 (1987-11-01)
8"Dark Harvest"Lydia Marano and Arthur Byron CoverNovember 8, 1987 (1987-11-08)
9"A Few Bugs in the System"Barbara HamblyNovember 15, 1987 (1987-11-15)
10"Turnabout"Marv WolfmanNovember 22, 1987 (1987-11-22)
11"Hot Enough for You?"Steve PerryNovember 29, 1987 (1987-11-29)
12"Flash Moskowitz, Space Cadet"David WiseDecember 26, 1987 (1987-12-26)
13"The Last Star Ranger"Steve Perry and Richard MuellerDecember 13, 1987 (1987-12-13)

Note: Most of the episodes were not broadcast in order of production; "The Long Fall" is actually the series pilot.

Home video releases

[edit]

In 2003, Sterling Entertainment released Starcom: The Search for Aliens on DVD containing three episodes.

In 2015, Mill Creek Entertainment released Starcom: The U.S. Space Force - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.[8][9]

Other media

[edit]

A 24-page long picture book Starcom: Doom in Space was released by Golden Books in 1998 (story by Dwight Jon Zimmerman and art by Gene Biggs).[10]

Reception

[edit]

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction notes that the show emphasized tactical space combat and made a notable effort to incorporate quasi-realistic space physics; the latter was partially tied to the features of the associated toy line (such as magnetic boots of toy figures). Stylistically and thematically, the show reflects a technocratic, US-centric late-Cold-War optimism about space-based military power rather than the mythic or cosmic framing found in contemporary Japanese anime. Despite modest success in the United States which led to its early cancellation after 13 episodes, the series achieved greater popularity overseas, and occupies an intermediate position between purely episodic action cartoons and later serialized Western military science-fiction animation.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "LUMIERE". Starcom: The U.S. Space Force; Director(s): Marek Buchwald; Co-producing countries: CA, US; Production year: 1987
  2. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 587. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  3. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Company. p. 789. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  4. ^ John J. Kao (August 17, 2010). The entrepreneurial organization. Prentice Hall. pp. 153, 159. ISBN 9780132823289. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Starcom". Lexistoyloft.com.
  6. ^ "Starcom HQ". Starcomhq.com.
  7. ^ "Dan Hennessey Dead: Voice Actor For 'Care Bears' 'Inspector Gadget' Was 82". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  8. ^ David Lambert (December 5, 2014). "Starcom: The U.S. Space Force DVD news: Announcement for The Complete Series". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  9. ^ "Starcom: The U.S. Space Force - The Complete Series". TV Shows on DVD. February 17, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  10. ^ "StarCom: Doom in Space". WorldCat. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  11. ^ Konieczny, Piotr (2026). "SFE: Starcom: The U.S. Space Force". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Starcom:_The_U.S._Space_Force&oldid=1348498142"