Retro Sci Fi TV: A look at shows from the past that may not have stood the test of time and/or that are relegated to their era, but many of us still have fond memories of them.
What Is It? In the 22nd century, the Metal Wars bring desolation over the planet and lead to intelligent machines subjugating humanity. But Captain Jonathan Power and his group of rebel fighters known as the Soldiers of the Future fight against the machines to retake the Earth using the power suits created by his father.
Aired: 1987-88, Syndicated, 1 Season Totaling 22 Episodes
Starring: Tim Dunigan, Peter MacNeill, Sven Thorsen, Maurice Dean Wint, Jessica Steen
Created By: Gary Goddard, Tony Christopher
Is It Must Watch Sci Fi? No. But it was better than the average kids show at the time with some interesting sci fi concepts and some decent stories and it had the potential to turn into a sleeper series if it could have overcome its limitations.
The Skinny: This sci fi soap opera showed up in syndication in the late-80’s, but never quite found its audience. It arrived with the gimmick of toys that interacted with the show (they fired “invisible beams” that reacted to specific images on screen and kept score during the episode), but it also had more adult storylines, a higher level of violence, and an ongoing story arc. So the kids who were mostly interested in the toys may not have been as engaged by the story, and older audiences may have been turned off by the obvious attempts to cater to the merchandising. The show also had a rather cheesy look and feel with its early use of CGI intermixed with practical sfx, and it did not have a large enough budget to realize is more ambitious storylines (even though it cost $1 million per episode to produce).
But Captain Power had its moments and that is largely because of the writing team that penned most of the scripts. Bablyon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski was one of the main writers as was frequent collaborator Larry DiTillio. They put together a story arc that would have carried the show across multiple seasons and that had some interesting sci fi concepts and also more mature stories than you typically found on a kid’s show. Their commitment to telling a good story helped this one rise above the crowded syndication output of kid-oriented programming in the 80’s, but not enough for the show count as classic sci fi TV. It was more of an interesting curio of its age. It’s worth a look, especially for those who would be interested in seeing how Straczynski developed as a writer. But it never quite rises above its limitations to become the sleeper series it could have been.
>Buy Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future the Complete Series on DVD from Amazon.com
Cancelled Too Soon? Yes. The toys did not sell well for this, in part because they did not quite interact with the show as advertised. And toys have been the key to the survival of kids shows since the early 80’s. On top of that, Captain Power was criticized for its violence and more adult themes, and it tended to get placed in poor timeslots. The show was also quite expensive to produce, and Landmark Entertainment Group ultimately decided not to produce a second season even though all of the scripts had been written. J. Michael Straczynski had this to say about the series coming to an end:
That’s a show that is an example of what to strive for, and how sometimes good intentions can get derailed. We genuinely wanted to come up with a long-term story, and by and large, we succeeded. The problem was the marketing in front of the show, and the merchandising behind the show…we got killed from both sides.
Should It Be Rebooted? Yes. This could have been quite a good show if not for the budget limitations and the fact that it was hamstrung by the merchandising tie-ins. And in fact, a revival has been announced. Titled Phoenix Rising–based on the original symbol from the power suits–co-creator Gary Goddard indicated back in 2012 that an hour-long weekly drama that would act as a sequel to the original series was in the works. A teaser was produced and played at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con (you can see it on YouTube at this link), but there has been no word on the production since then. This could actually turn into a decent series, especially if they could get Straczynski involved with it again, and hopefully it will find some traction.
Interesting Facts: This was the first TV series to integrate live-action, CGI and digital effects. A short-lived comic book was produced by Continuity Comics at the same time the series was airing with comics legend Neal Adams providing the art and J. Michael Straczynski contributing to the scripts. Only two issues were produced.
Where Can You Watch It? The complete series has been released on DVD. It is not currently streaming on any of the major services, but episodes do show up on YouTube.
Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com
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