Silverhawks

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (November 2007)
SilverHawks

The official logo for Silverhawks.
Format Animated television series
Voices of Bob McFadden
Earl Hammond
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of episodes 65 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time 22 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel first-run syndication
Original run September 8, 1986 – December 5, 1986
External links
IMDb profile

Silverhawks was an animated children's television series developed by Rankin/Bass and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures in 1986. In total, 65 episodes were made. It was created as a space-bound equivalent to their previous series, ThunderCats.

There was also a Silverhawks comic book series put out by Star Comics (an imprint of Marvel Comics).

Currently, Warner Bros. (who purchased Lorimar in 1989) owns the rights to Silverhawks, however there are no plans for a DVD release at this time.

Contents

[edit] Overview

[edit] Production and Development

Rankin/Bass followed up their successful Thundercats series with this series about a team of human heroes in the 29th century who were given metal bodies and hawk wings to stop organized crime in the Galaxy of Limbo. Silverhawks featured many of the same voice actors who had worked on Thundercats, including Larry Kenney, Peter Newman, Earl Hammond, Doug Preis and Bob McFadden.

[edit] Story

Bionic policeman Commander Stargazer recruited the SilverHawks, heroes who are "partly metal, partly real," to fight the evil Mon*Star, an escaped alien mob boss who transforms into an enormous armor-plated creature with the aid of Limbo’s Moonstar. Joining Mon*Star in his villainy is an intergalactic mob: the snakelike Yessman, the blade-armed Buzz-Saw, the "bull"-headed Mumbo-Jumbo, weather controller Windhammer, shapeshifter Mo-Lec-U-Lar, robotic card shark Pokerface, weapons-heavy Hardware, and "the musical madness of" Melodia (uses a "keytar" that fires musical notes)

Quicksilver (formerly Jonathan Quick) leads the SilverHawks, with his metal bird companion TallyHawk at his side. Twins Emily and Will Hart became Steelheart and Steelwill, the Silverhawks’ technician and strongman respectively. Country-singing Col. Bluegrass played a sonic guitar and piloted the team’s ship, the Maraj (pronounced "mirage" on the series, but given that spelling on the Kenner toy). Rounding out the group is a youngster “from the planet of the mimes,” named Copper Kidd (usually called "Kidd" for short), a mathematical genius who spoke in whistles and computerized tones. At the end of every episode, Copper Kidd was quizzed (along with the home audience) on various space facts.

Launching from their satellite base, Hawk Haven, the SilverHawks flew into battle five days a week for one season. The fictitious Galaxy of Limbo in which the series takes place apparently has an atmosphere; characters speak in space and operate "open-air" vehicles, and Windhammer's powers work even when he is not on an actual planet. There is also gravity; characters not "flying" tend to fall downward relative to whatever vehicle, satellite, or other platform with which they lost footing.

The Silverhawks in the show's title sequence.
The Silverhawks in the show's title sequence.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Heroes

[edit] Original Silverhawks

  • Comdr. Stargazer, a tough and grizzled old cop with bionic capabilities. He captured Mon*Star several years ago, and had him imprisoned. Older than the other Silverhawks, he longs to return to Earth for either a vacation or for retirement. He chiefly serves as the Silverhawks "eyes and ears", keeping them apprised of their current situation. His first name is apparently Burt. Stargazer's weapon-bird is Sly-bird. (Voiced by Bob McFadden)
  • Quicksilver (Jonathan Quick), was the former head of the Interplanetary Force H, and is the field leader of the Silverhawks. He has a cyborg/bird companion called Tally Hawk. Known for his quick reflexes (and even quicker thinking), Quicksilver is an accomplished tactician and athlete. (Voiced by Peter Newman)
  • Bluegrass is second-in-command of the Silverhawks, and the chief pilot of the group, as well as a cowboy at heart. He is the only Silverhawk who can not fly (other than Comdr. Stargazer), but he is the one that flies the team transport vehicle, the Maraj. He likes to use his weapon/instrument (portrayed in the toyline as his weapon-bird with the name Sideman) as an interface with the Maraj's advanced dynamic piloting system, which he has affectionately dubbed "Hot Licks." (Voiced by Larry Kenney)
  • Steelheart & Steelwill (Emily and Will Hart), are twin siblings. They are the "gearheads" of the team. They share an empathic bond in that when one sibling feels something, the other feels it as well. They are the only Silverhawks who have had real stainless steel hearts implanted during their transformation. Their weapon-birds are Rayzor (for Emily) and Stronghold (for Will). (Voiced by Bob McFadden and Maggie Wheeler)
  • The Copper Kid is the youngest member of the Silverhawks, and the only one not a Terran (Earthling). A mathematical genius from the Planet of the Mimes, he "speaks" in mathematically calculated tones and whistles. At the end of each episode, he was quizzed in several astronomy lessons by Bluegrass as training to become the reserve Maraj pilot. (Sure enough, he was called in to fill Bluegrass's shoes, albeit infrequently). A natural acrobat, the Copper Kid has two razor-edged discs (one mounted on each hip) which he throws like Frisbees. His weapon-bird is Mayday.

[edit] New Silverhawks

  • Hotwing, a gold Silverhawk of African American heritage who was added in mid-season. He is a magician, and skilled illusionist. He receives his powers from a mystical energy force that 'chose' him to bear the powers to fight against injustice. He has to recharge these powers every few years, otherwise he will die. One notable time was when Zeek the Beak tricked the mystic force into giving him these powers, which would have resulted in Hotwing's death. Hotwing has a weapon-bird named Gyro. (Voiced by Adolph Caesar)
  • Flashback, a green time-traveling Silverhawk from the far future. When he meets the 'much older' Stargazer, who tells him of the fateful day the Silverhawks died, Flashback travels back in time to save them from an exploding sun. He also traveled back in time to stop Hardware from destroying the Silverhawks (when the mad inventor sabotaged the Maraj during the S-Hawks hyperspace-sleep to Hawk-Haven from Earth, which would have caused the autopilot to fly them straight into the sun.) Flashback's weapon-bird is Backlash.
  • Moonstryker, a turquoise Silverhawk. He can propel himself through space by a powerful cyclone generated from propellers that emerge from his waist. He is cocky but an expert marksman, as demonstrated when he shot a pen out of Stargazer's hand when they first met in the episode "Battle Cruiser".
  • Condor. An old ally of Commander Stargazer, whom Condor calls "Gaze". Condor is a lone operative, believed to be either a bounty hunter or federal marshal. Instead of wings, he has cybernetic bodyparts similar to Stargazer's, and also a jetpack.

[edit] Other supporting characters

  • Zeek the Beak, Seymour's pal, is a green bird-like alien. He often accompanies Seymour on cab rides. His catch phrases are "You wanna buy a fish?" and the interjection "Zeek!"

(It must be noted that only TallyHawk appeared in almost all of the episodes in the series. All the other "weapon-birds" only appeared only in a handful of episodes. Sideman has made an appearance and Gyro was killed by Melodia's instrument)

[edit] Villains

  • Mon*Star, an alien mob boss who escaped from his cell, located on Penal Planet 10. He uses the power of Limbo's Moonstar to transform into an armor-plated, spiked creature with rocket boosters in his elbows. Mon*Star rides a giant "space-squid" called Sky-Runner, and has a weapon-bird (more like a vampire-bat) named Sky Shadow. He has some bad blood with Stargazer due to their past conflicts, and extends that animosity to the Silverhawks. Like Thundercats's Mumm-Ra who transforms by saying “Ancient spirits of evil, transform this decayed form to Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living!” Mon*Star transforms into his alternate form by calling on the Moonstar to "Give me the might, the muscle, the menace, of MON*STAR!". (Voiced by Earl Hammond)
  • Yess-man is a snake-like creature. He's basically Mon*Star's all-purpose lackey, thrall, and/or sycophant. As his name suggests, he is notorious for constantly saying "Oh yess, Boss...yess." Once used the powers of the moonstar alongside Mon*Star but did not change form. The Moonstar primarily gave him increased mental abilities and ambition. This led to a feud between himself and his boss until the powers faded. (Voiced by Bob McFadden)
  • Hardware, an extremely intelligent creature who carries an over-sized rucksack full of self-engineered weapons and equipment. Hardware has the uniquely honed talent for invention, and can devise devilishly effective machines. Mon*Star considers Hardware his most dangerous minion because of this talent. (Voiced by Bob McFadden)
  • Melodia, a musical mistress who serves as a nemesis and counterpart to the Silverhawks' Bluegrass. Melodia is usually seen cruising around in a roadster, causing havoc and assorted acts of terror as diversions. Melodia almost always carries a musical synthesizer as a weapon. (Voiced by Maggie Wheeler)
  • Buzz-Saw, a totally cybernetic (and independently sentient) war machine with razor sharp circular saw cutting blades that can be used as projectile weapons. His weapon-bird is Shredator.
  • Windhammer, an environmental terrorist with a huge tuning fork that enables him to manipulate or generate destructive weather patterns. (Voiced by Doug Preis)
  • Mo-Lec-U-Lar is a unique creature with the ability to shift into any shape, form, or state of matter. He is Mon*Star's master of disguise, and leading hitman. His weapon-bird is Volt-ure. (Voiced by Doug Preis)
  • Zero the Memory Thief, a long-nosed shady character who steals memories using a cattle prod-like weapon and records them on cassettes. He occasionally did business with Mon*Star's gang when the opportunity suited him.
  • Mumbo Jumbo, a robotic minotaur who is basically the grunt for the Mob. He speaks in metallic grunts which his associates seem to understand (though he usually pronounces Mon*Star's name properly) and appears to be on the low scale of the intellectual spectrum. His signature attack is a quadrupedal charge at an opponent. He is a sworn enemy of Steelheart because of Steelheart's strength and skill which takes him down easily. Mumbo's weapon-bird is Airshock. (Voiced by Peter Newman)
  • Poker-Face, owner of the Starship Casino, who has slot machines for his eyes and carries a cane with playing card suits decorated on it. (Voiced by Larry Kenney)
  • Timestopper, a cocky juvenile delinquent nyctophobe with the ability to suspend all ambient motion and kinetic energy around him (freeze time, as it were) for a minute. (Voiced by Peter Newman)
  • Bounty Hunter, was imprisoned by Comdr. Stargazer for 200 years. He is broken out by Mon*Star and now wants revenge. He can absorb energy directed at him, and use it to sustain his physical form as well as to grow larger.

[edit] List of episodes

  1. The Origin Story 09/08/1986
  2. Journey To Limbo 09/09/1986
  3. The Planet Eater 09/10/1986
  4. Save The Sun 09/11/1986
  5. Stop Timestopper 09/12/1986
  6. Darkbird 09/15/1986
  7. The Backroom 09/16/1986
  8. The Threat of Dritt 09/17/1986
  9. Sky-Shadow (09/18/1986)
  10. Magnetic Attraction 09/19/1986
  11. Gold Shield 09/22/1986
  12. Zero The Memory Thief 09/23/1986
  13. The Milk Run 09/24/1986
  14. The Hardware Trap, Part 1 09/25/1986
  15. The Hardware Trap, Part 2 09/26/1986
  16. Race Against Time 09/29/1986
  17. Operation Big Freeze 09/30/1986
  18. The Ghost Ship 10/01/1986
  19. The Great Galaxy Race 10/02/1986
  20. Fantascreen 10/03/1986
  21. Hotwing Hits Limbo 10/06/1986
  22. The Bounty Hunter 10/07/1986
  23. Zeek's Fumble 10/08/1986
  24. The Fighting Hawks 10/09/1986
  25. The Rengade Hero 10/10/1986
  26. One on One 10/13/1986
  27. No More Mr. Nice Guy 10/14/1986
  28. Music of the Spheres 10/15/1986
  29. Limbo Gold Rush 10/16/1986
  30. Countdown to Zero 10/17/1986
  31. The Amber Amplifier 10/20/1986
  32. The Saviour Stone 10/21/1986
  33. Smiley 10/22/1986
  34. Gotbucks 10/23/1986
  35. Melodia's Siren Song 10/24/1986
  36. Tally-Hawk Returns 10/27/1986
  37. Undercover 10/28/1986
  38. Eye of Infinity 10/29/1986
  39. A Piece of the Action 10/30/1986
  40. Flashback 10/31/1986
  41. Super Birds 11/03/1986
  42. The Blue Door 11/04/1986
  43. The Star of Bedlama 11/05/1986
  44. The Illusionist 11/06/1986
  45. The Bounty Hunter Returns 11/07/1986
  46. The Chase 11/10/1986
  47. Switch 11/11/1986
  48. Junkyard Dog 11/12/1986
  49. Window in Time 11/13/1986
  50. Gangwar, Part 1 11/14/1986
  51. Gangwar, Part 2 11/17/1986
  52. Sneak Attack, Part 1 11/18/1986
  53. Sneak Attack, Part 2 11/19/1986
  54. Moon*Star 11/20/1986
  55. The Diamond Stick-Pin 11/21/1986
  56. Burnout 11/24/1986
  57. Battle Cruiser 11/25/1986
  58. Small World 11/26/1986
  59. Match-Up 11/27/1986
  60. Stargazer's Refit 11/28/1986
  61. The Invisible Destroyer 12/01/1986
  62. The Harder They Fall 12/02/1986
  63. Uncle Rattler 12/03/1986
  64. Zeek's Power 12/04/1986
  65. Airshow 12/05/1986

[edit] Action Figures & Merchandise

The Silverhawks action figure line by Kenner was based on the animated television series and was first released in 1987. Each figure was packaged with a companion bird and had an action feature of some type. The second series of figures is generally harder to find than the first with Ultrasonic Quicksilver being the most difficult. The MonStar with Laser Lance, Copper Kid with Laser Discs and the Copper Racer vehicle were not produced but were shown in the 1988 Kenner toy catalog. The series 1 Hawk Haven Fortress was never produced either, due to the high production costs it would incur.

There was also a lot of other Silverhawks merchandise released in the 1980s including a board game, puzzles and a plastic pencil pouch with the main characters on one side with a very sturdy metal zipper. They also released a set of pajamas which included wing flaps under the arms to more resemble the characters while wearing them.

[edit] Cultural references

  • In the South Park episode "Imaginationland," The Copper Kid is one of the many fictional characters present in Imaginationland. He can be seen running toward the "Imagination Flying Machine" as it lands.

[edit] External links