Flash Gordon (1996 TV series)

Flash Gordon is a 1996 animated television series based on the science fiction comic strip of the same name. The character, who had been around in the comics pages since Alex Raymond created him in 1934, had already starred in several movie serials, a 1980 feature, and two earlier cartoon series — The New Adventures of Flash Gordon and Defenders of the Earth.^[1]

Synopsis

For this series, the dashing blond hero was regressed to his teenage years, and he employed a hoverboard. As in previous versions, he teamed up with Dale Arden (also a teen) and balding, bespectacled scientist Hans Zarkov. Flash's parents were American astronauts who got sucked into a dimensional hole just outside the earth’s atmosphere. The trans-dimensional portal was placed there by Ming the Merciless, emperor of the planet Mongo, who hoped to provide open access for his invading armies. In this series, Ming resembled and showed characteristics of a lizard and seemed to have a wife who was long dead (it was implied in some episodes that she had gone to Earth).

Flash, Dale, and Zarkov followed Flash's parents in their own space vehicle, rescuing them and closing the dimensional hole. Unfortunately, Flash and crew were stuck on the Mongo side. The earthlings discovered other nearby planets with anti-Ming factions and put together a loose coalition, determined to overthrow Mongo’s evil emperor and return, Princess Thundar, Flash, Dale, and Zarkov to their native planet.

Characters

• Alex "Flash" Gordon: The blonde, teenage hero of the series. He is charismatic, daring, and always willing to impress Dale Arden (which doesn't always succeed). He met Dale during a skateboard contest, shortly before Ming's army attempted its first invasion on Earth.
• Dale Arden: Flash's partner and love interest, she is far removed from the classic damsel in distress, being on the contrary courageous and sarcastic. She does have feelings for Flash, but also tends to rebuff him just as much when things don't go her way. Like Flash, she is quite adept at skateboarding.
• Doctor Hans Zarkov: Flash and Dale's elderly, balding scientist ally. He met the pair during Ming's first invasion attempt of Earth and traveled with them to Mongo to try and close the trans-dimensional portal. Zarkov is brilliant, but extremely pessimistic and cowardly. He is usually reluctant to put himself in danger, no matter what. He is in direct rivalry with Sulpha, Ming's head scientist.
• Ming the Merciless: The indisputable ruler of Mongo, he supposedly has already conquered many neighbour worlds, and now wants to invade Earth. Ming bears the characteristics of a lizard, just like the rest of his army, and whether or not his species was indigenous to Mongo is unclear. His ruthless temper contrasts with his unconditional love for his daughter Aura. Once had a wife named Rosaura, supposedly dead since long ago.
• General Lynch: Ming's sniveling, incompetent second-in-command. Lynch doesn't have much to say in Ming's decisions, and just carries out the orders, attempting to have the job done by brute force and failing most of the time. Still, he is no less evil than his Emperor, and if Ming wasn't here, his schemes would be just as bad, if not worse.
• Kobalt: Ming's top mercenary. Kobalt is a Pantheron. He has a sort of rivalry with Lynch.
• Sulpha: Ming's female Dragon head scientist, charged with designing his weapons and ships. She is extremely brilliant due to a binary brain, and is in a fierce rivalry with Doctor Zarkov for being the greatest scientist on Mongo. Sulpha is the last of her species, which was more than likely exterminated by Ming. She has a soft side in spite of her grumpy attitude, with ambiguous loyalties, serving Ming but all the same hating him, and often helping out Flash and his allies when they're in a pinch.
• Talon: Flash's most prominent and gung-ho ally and Prince of the Birdmen of Hawk City, a species of winged human-like beings. Talon is a brave and enthusiastic man.
• Thundarr: Another one of Flash's loyal allies, Thundarr is a female Leonid, coming from a species of felinoids. She is an impetuous and excellent fighter, expert at hand-to-hand combat.
• Prince Barin: Renegade Prince of Arboria, first hostile to Flash and his friends. He nonetheless ends up joining them in their battle against Ming.

Production and series run

A multinational co-production, Flash Gordon came into weekly YTV, syndication and Channel 4 in the fall of 1996. 26 episodes were produced.

Episode list

References

External links

• Hearst Entertainment Animation
• Flash Gordon at the Internet Movie Database
• Flash Gordon at TV.com