Defenders of the Earth

Defenders of the Earth is an animated television series produced in 1986, narrated by Corey Burton and featuring characters from three comic strips distributed by King Features Syndicate—Flash Gordon, the Phantom, and Mandrake the Magician—battling the Flash Gordon villain Ming the Merciless in the year 2015. Supporting characters include their children Rick Gordon, Jedda Walker (daughter of the Phantom), Kshin (adopted son of Mandrake), Mandrake's assistant Lothar, and Lothar's son L.J. The show lasted for 65 episodes; there was also a short-lived comic book series published by Star Comics (an imprint of Marvel Comics), created by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru and John Romita, Sr.. The closing credits credit Rob Walsh and Tony Pastor for the main title music, and Stan Lee for the lyrics. The series was later shown in reruns on the Sci Fi Channel as part of Sci Fi Cartoon Quest.

Premise

The plot begins with Flash Gordon and his son Rick escaping from Ming the Merciless. Ming has exhausted all the natural resources of his home planet Mongo and has set his sights on Earth. Flash's wife Dale Arden is captured and Ming tries to brainwash her. She resists to the point of death.^[1]

Stations

• WKAQ Telemundo 2 - San Juan, PR
• WNYW Fox 5 - NYC
• WTTG Fox 5 - Washington, DC
• KPLR 11 - St. Louis, MO
• KSTW 11 - Seattle, WA
• KTTV Fox 11 - Los Angeles, CA
• WFXT Fox 25 - Boston, MA
• KRIV Fox 26 - Houston, TX
• KDVR Fox 31 - Denver, CO
• WFLD Fox 32 - Chicago, IL
• WBFS 33 - Miami, FL

Characters

Protagonists

• Flash Gordon (voiced by Lou Richards)—Flash Gordon is the legendary space hero and leader of the Defenders of the Earth. He is an ace space fighter pilot and the father of Rick Gordon.

• The Phantom (voiced by Peter Mark Richman)—The Phantom is the legendary "Ghost Who Walks" and his true name is Kit Walker. According to a note in the end credits, this is the 27th Phantom. This version of the Phantom is different from how he is portrayed in the comics. By chanting "By jungle law, the ghost who walks calls forth the power of ten tigers," he is temporarily given superhuman strength. In the comics, the Phantom does not have any supernatural powers. In the show his horse Hero and his wolf Devil also make brief appearances.

• Mandrake the Magician (voiced by Peter Renaday)—Mandrake is a cultured man of mystery who has magical powers and knowledge of mysticism. He frequently uses illusions both in and out of combat to achieve his goals.

• Lothar (voiced by Buster Jones)—He is superhumanly strong, an excellent hand to hand fighter and a close friend of Mandrake. He is also portrayed as a mechanical wizard and a master tactician. The action figure's packaging describes Lothar as a "Caribbean Ninja".

• Richard "Rick" Gordon (voiced by Loren Lester)—Richard is an impulsive computer genius and the son of Flash Gordon. Rick, along with many of the other teenagers of the show, attended Central High located in Central City. Rick Gordon was initially intended to be Kit Walker, the son of the Phantom.

• L.J.—Short for Lothar Jr., L.J. is the street-wise martial arts expert son of Lothar, as well as Rick's best friend. In one episode, the Defenders locate a crystal which shows them their greatest desire; LJ's ambition to defeat the mighty Octon is thus revealed.

• Jedda Walker (voiced by Sara Partridge)—Jedda is the daughter of the Phantom and displays telepathic and limited psychic powers. She has a pet black panther named Kisa. There is little-to-no mention of a maternal presence in her life, though in one episode, she becomes the resistant foster daughter of Queen Hadea. Some installments imply a romantic relationship between her and Rick Gordon. Jedda Walker was initially intended to be Jedda Gordon, daughter of Flash Gordon.

• Kshin (voiced by Adam Carl)—Kshin is an orphaned Asian boy adopted by Mandrake, who is training him as his apprentice. As the youngster of the group, he is always trying to prove he is worthy of being a true hero. His country of origin was never specifically identified in the series. Kshin has a pet alien called Zuffy—an orphaned Zuffoid found by Rick Gordon on the planet Mongo.

• Dynak X (voiced by Diane Pershing)—Dynak X is the central computer based in the Defenders' Headquarters, formerly Flash's wife and Rick's mother (though she is never referred to by name in the series, the comic book adaptation of the first two episodes does specify that she is Flash's longtime romantic interest Dale Arden). In the first episode, Ming the Merciless kidnaps and attempts to brainwash her to reveal Flash Gordon's location, but the enormous physical and mental anguish ends up killing her. Before she dies, however, her "essence" is saved in a crystal that is eventually used to power the Defenders' computer.

Antagonists

• Ming the Merciless (voiced by William Callaway and Ron Feinberg)—Ming is bent on world domination and operates from Ice Station Earth, his hideout located in the Arctic. This version is made more grotesque in appearance than his traditional Asian appearance to avoid racial stereotyping; a similar treatment would be used on The Mandarin in the Iron Man animated series and on Dr. No in James Bond Jr., as all three characters were given green skin and pointed ears.
  • Prince Kro-Tan (voiced by Hal Rayle)—Ming the Merciless' son.
  • Princess Castra—Ming the Merciless' daughter.

• Octon—Octon is a metallic octopus-like machine which advises Ming the Merciless on how to conquer the Earth or defeat Flash Gordon and Co., equivalent to and evil version of Dynak X.

• Garax—Garax is the robot leader of Ming's mechanical soldiers, the Ice Robots.

• Mongor—Mongor is a giant serpent-like pet of Ming the Merciless.

• Kurt Walker (voiced by William Callaway)—Under his alias "N'Dama the Weather Demon," Kurt is the older brother of the Phantom. Kurt is a character specifically created for the series, and has never appeared in a Phantom comic book or comic strip story. Indeed in the Phantom legend, the firstborn son in the Walker family is always named "Kit" and becomes the Phantom. However, Kurt does appear in issue #3 of the Marvel Comics Defenders of the Earth mini-series.

• The Sky Band—They are one of the Phantom's oldest foes. In the series, they are space-pirates while in the comic strips, they are sky-pirates.

• Queen Hadea—Hadea is the ruler of the Netherworld, a desolate place without sunlight. Her original character design, visible during a brief error, included a regal, golden outfit, but this was abandoned for a more domestic look featuring a casual dress. She is the latest in a dynasty of monarchs who eventually choose mates, and is served by pale, barely distinguishable humanoid creatures. Hadea possesses healing powers; when Jedda is injured in an experiment, the queen, while working with Ming, briefly captures several Defenders and offers to revive the girl in exchange for the Phantom's loyalty. Afterward, she displays a brief interest in being a mother to Jedda. An ambitious ruler, her hidden agenda is to blindside Ming, incapacitate half the Defenders, and seize the powerful Necklace of Oros. She succeeds during the first half of "The Golden Queen."

Theme Song

The series' introductory theme song lyrics were written by Marvel Comics' Stan Lee, who also wrote some "Defenders of the Earth" comic-book stories.

(Defenders!)

Out of the sky, his rockets ignite, Jets into battle flying faster than light! Flash Gordon!

Lord of the Jungle, the hero who stalks, The beasts call him brother, the ghost who walks! Phantom!

Defenders of The Earth!

Master of magic spells and illusion, Enemies crumble in fear and confusion! Mandrake!

Defenders of The Earth!

His strength is a legend, his skills conquer all, Armed with his power, we never will fall! Lothar!

Defenders of the Earth!

With our new young heroes proving their worth, Four become eight, defending the Earth!

Defenders of The Earth! (Defenders!) Defenders of The Earth!

Episode titles

1. "Escape from Mongo"
2. "The Creation of Monitor"
3. "A Demon in His Pocket"
4. "A House Divided"
5. "Bits 'n' Chips"
6. "Root of Evil"
7. "Cold War"
8. "The Sleeper Awakes"
9. "The Revenge of Astra"
10. "Hall of Wisdom"
11. "The Mind Warriors"
12. "The Mind Warriors II"
13. "The Lost Jewels of Tibet"
14. "The Evil of Doctor Dark"
15. "Diamonds Are a Ming's Best Friend"
16. "The Men of Frost"
17. "Battleground"
18. "The Panther Peril"
19. "Fury of the Deep"
20. "Family Reunion"
21. "The Defense Never Rests"
22. "Like Father, Like Daughter?"
23. "The Would-Be Defender"
24. "Doorways into Darkness"
25. "Deal with the Devil"
26. "Terror in Time"
27. "Ming's Household Helpers"
28. "The Starboy"
29. "The Gods Awake"
30. "The Ghost Walks Again"
31. "The Book of Mysteries"
32. "The Future Comes But Once"
33. "Kshin and the Ghost Ship"
34. "The Carnival of Doctor Kalihari"
35. "The Mystery of the Book"
36. "Flash Times Four"
37. "The Frozen Heart"
38. "Rick Gordon, One-Man Army"
39. "The Rites of Zesnan"
40. "Audie and Tweak"
41. "Return of the Skyband"
42. "Dracula's Potion"
43. "One of the Guys"
44. "100 Proof Highway"
45. "The Time Freezer"
46. "The Prince Makes His Move" (1)
47. "The Prince Triumphant" (2)
48. "The Prince Weds" (3)
49. "The Prince's Royal Hunt" (4)
50. "The Prince Dethroned" (5)
51. "Lothar's Homecoming"
52. "Suspended Sabotage"
53. "Call of the Eternals"
54. "The Return of Doctor Dark"
55. "The Deadliest Battle"
56. "The Necklace of Oros"
57. "Torn Space"
58. "Ming Winter"
59. "The Golden Queen" (1)
60. "The Gravity of Ming" (2)
61. "Flesh and Blood"
62. "The Drowning World"
63. "The Adoption of Kshin"
64. "Street Smarts"
65. "The Thunder Lizards of Ming"

DVD releases

Roughly two decades after production was completed, the series was released around the world on DVD, featuring various episodes and packaging depending on region. The US release includes interviews with story editor Bryce Malek, writer David Wise, and artist Michael Swanigan—each of whom reflect on various points of the creative process, including the origins of the characters, legal issues surrounding the properties, controversial content, and ways in which the production differed from others of its time was narrated by Corey Burton.

Force Entertainment has released the series in Australia:

• Defenders of Earth (6-disc set)

The first episode appears on the BCI Eclipse DVD releases for:

• Animated All-Stars collection
• The New Adventures of Flash Gordon: The Complete Series

BCI has also released two 5-Disc sets that cover the entire series:

• Defenders of the Earth—Complete Series Volume 1 (5-Discs) 33 Episodes^[2][3]
• Defenders of the Earth—Complete Series Volume 2 (5-Discs) 32 Episodes (April 3, 2007)^[3][4]

Mill Creek Entertainment re-released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 on May 18, 2010.^[5]

Selected episodes are available in the UK, in compilations including:
Hollywood DVD LTD

• Defenders Of The Earth—The Story Begins

Delta Music PLC

• Defenders of the Earth vol 1
• Defenders of the Earth vol 2
• Defenders of the Earth vol 3
  • The above volumes include three episodes each, covering the first eight episodes of the series and the series finale, "Ming's Thunder Lizards".
• Defenders of the Earth Movie—"The Book of Mysteries"
  • "The Book of Mysteries" combines episodes 31-35
• Defenders of the Earth Movie—"Prince Kro-Tan"
  • "Prince of Kro-Tan" combines episodes 46-50
• Defenders of the Earth Movie—"Necklace Of Oros"
  • "Necklace of Oros" combines episodes 56-60

Other media

In 1987, Star Comics (Marvel Comics' children's imprint) published a comic book series which only lasted four issues. It was written by Stan Lee (#1) and Michael Higgins (#2–4) with art by Alex Saviuk. The last issue featured a "next issue" caption but, #5 was never published.

There have been DOE-related books, including The Creation of Monitor, A House Divided, The Sun-Stealers and Computer Checkmate.

A line of action figures produced by Galoob included Flash Gordon, Mandrake, Lothar, the Phantom, Ming and Garax.^[6]

A video game for home computers was also made. It featured the various heroes from the series on a quest to defeat Ming.

A parody, called Protectors of the Earth, is made up of comic strip characters Rex Morgan, Mary Worth, Garfield, and Mark Trail.^[7]

References

External links

• Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Defenders of the Earth, defenders
• Defenders of the Earth at the Internet Movie Database
• Defenders of the Earth at TV.com
• Official Episode guide