Starcom: The U.S. Space Force

Starcom: The U.S. Space Force
StarCom: The U.S. Space Force title card
Created by	Brynne Stephens
Developed by	Brynne Stephens
Written by	Arthur Byron Cover Barbara Hambly Lydia Marano Richard Mueller Steve Perry Michael Reaves Brynne Stephens David Wise Marv Wolfman
Directed by	Marek Buchwald
Voices of	Philip Akin Yank Azman Robert Cait Rob Cowan Don Francks Susan Roman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer	Andy Heyward
Producer	Richard Raynis
Running time	25 minutes
Production company	DIC Animation City
Distributor	Coca-Cola Telecommunications
Release
Original network	syndication
Original release	20 September (1987-09-20) – 13 December 1987 (1987-12-13)

Starcom: The U.S. Space Force is a 1987 animated syndicated television series inspired by a motorized toy franchise manufactured by Coleco.^[1] 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 plot detailed the adventures of an American astronaut brigade as they fought off attempted invasions by Shadow Force, a nasty collection of humans and robots led by the nefarious Emperor Dark. The toy line was popular in Europe and Asia, but was unsuccessful in the North American domestic market.

The show was developed with the help of the , with the original intention of sparking young viewers’ interest in the NASA Space Program.^[2]

The show earned poor ratings, and it was cancelled after 13 episodes.^[3], however, the series was rerun in the early 1990s as part of DIC and Pax TV's "Cloud Nine" programming strand.

Toys[]

Like many 1980s toys, the development of the Starcom toy line preceded the development of the cartoon series.

Starcom: The U.S. Space Force debuted on television screens in 1987, and the toy line hit stores around the same time. There was plenty of variety for the pint-sized empire builder to choose from: the complete series of Starcom toys offered 23 figures, 6 playsets, and 13 vehicles on the Starcom side, while the Shadow Force was represented by 15 action figures and 11 vehicles. The action figures were two inches tall and came packaged with a backpack, a weapon, and identification cards that explained who they were and what their equipment could do. Like the figures, the vehicles and playsets benefited from a sleek, attractive design.

The most unusual aspect of the Starcom toy line was its use of Magna Lock technology. The action figures had tiny magnets implanted in their feet. Not only did this allow them to stand on the vehicles and playsets without falling off, but it also activated devices in the playsets. For instance, if one placed a figure in the elevator of the Starbase Station playset, its Magna Lock magnets would cause the elevator to rise to the top by itself. On the same playset, if one put a figure within a cannon, the Magna Lock magnets would activate a mechanism that made it turn and fire its rockets.

The vehicles and playsets also delivered Power Deploy features, which uses automatic wind up mechanisms that allows them to perform multiple actions all in a touch of a button, without the use of batteries. For example, with the touch of a button, the Starcom StarWolf unfolds its front, and both its wings. All in all, they offered plenty of moving parts (hidden compartments, cannons, folding wings, etc.). Starcom toys never caught on in the U.S. due to poor promotion and the fact that its parent show only lasted a year in syndication. They were discontinued after two years but ended up doing very well in Europe, where both the show and the toys continued to be popular long after the American toys. The toys were successful and hugely popular in Europe and Southeast Asia only after coming under the production and promotion of Mattel. That company removed the US flag and NASA details from the Coleco originals and launched the toys with a second line of promotions in the early 1990s.

Cast[]

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

Starcom[]

• Philip Akin: Colonel John “Slim” Griffin
• Yank Azman
• Robert Cait: Colonel Paul “Crowbar” Corbin
• : Colonel James "Dash" Derringer
• Don Francks: Admiral Franklin Brickley
• Susan Roman: Lieutenant Kelsey Carver

Shadow Force[]

• : Major Romak
• Marvin Goldhar: General Von Dar
• Dan Hennessey: Major Klag
• Elva Mai Hoover: Malvanna Wilde
• Robert Cait: General Torvek
• Neil Munro: Emperor Dark

Episode list[]

Home video releases[]

In 2003, Sterling Entertainment released Starcom: The Search for Aliens on DVD containing 3 episodes.

On February 17, 2015, Mill Creek Entertainment released Starcom: The U.S. Space Force- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.^[4][5]

Defenders[]

Defenders in StarCom are divided into three categories:

Astro Marines[]

• Col. Paul "Crowbar" Corbin
• Capt. Vic "Dakota" Hayes / Laser R.A.T. Driver
• Capt. Rick Ruffing / M-6 Railgunner Driver
• Staff Sgt. Champ O`Ryan / H.A.R.V.-7 Driver
• Sgt. Bill Travers
• Sgt. Hector Morales
• Sgt. Victor Rivera
• Pfc. John "Cowboy" Jefferson
• Pfc. Al "Cannon" Evans

Starbase Command[]

• Col. John "Slim" Griffin
• Capt. Pete Yablonsky
• Maj. Tony Barona / Starbase Command - Starbase Commander
• Sgt. Maj. Bull Gruff / Starbase Station - Station Chief
• Pfc. Shawn Reed
• Pfc. Rusty Caldwell

Star Wing[]

• Col. James "Dash" Derringer
• Capt. Rip Malone / Starmax Bomber Pilot
• Lt. Bob T. Rogers
• Lt. Tom "Bandit" Waldron / F-1400 Starwolf Pilot
• Lt. Jeff "Bronx" Carrier / SF/B Starhawk Pilot
• Sgt. Red Baker
• Sgt. Ed Kramer
• Sgt. Bob Anders / BattleCrane Pilot

Vehicles[]

• Laser Rat - Rapid Assault Tracker / (Capt. Vic "Dakota" Hayes)
• M-6 Railgunner - Ground Attack Vehicle / (Capt. Rick Ruffing)
• H.A.R.V.-7 - Heavy Armored Recovery Vehicle / (Staff Sgt. Champ O`Ryan)
• Missile Fox - Tactical Launching Vehicle
• SkyRoller - High Rising Supertank
• Starmax Bomber - Transport Missile Cruiser / (Capt. Rip Malone)
• F-1400 Starwolf - Flexwing Astro Fighter / (Lt. Tom "Bandit" Waldron)
• SF/B Starhawk - Strategic Fighter Bomber / (Lt. Jeff "Bronx" Carrier)
• Battlecrane - Combat Cargo Lifter / (Sgt. Bob Anders)
• Sidewinder - High Speed Jackknife Fighter
• Tornado Gunship - Space/Air Transcopter
• Six Shooter
• Double Fighter - Massive Attack Jet

Playsets[]

• Starbase Station - Strategic Deployment Platform
• Starbase Command - Headquarters
• Medical Bay - Mobile Action Pod
• Big Cannon Fortress - Mobile Action Pod
• Command Post - Mobile Action Pod
• Vehicle Repair - Mobile Action Pod
• Laser Artillery - Mobile Action Pod
• Missile Station - Mobile Action Pod

Invaders[]

The Shadow Force is divided into two groups:

Starmada/Invasion[]

• Emperor Dark (Appeared only as a special edition)
• General Von Dar
• Capt. Mace / Shadow Vampire Pilot
• Maj. Klag / Shadow Bat Pilot
• Maj. Romak / Shadow Invader Driver
• Lt. Magg / Shadow Parasite Pilot
• Sgt. Von Rodd
• Sgt. Hack
• Sgt. Ramor
• Sgt. Borek
• Cpl. Slash
• Cpl. Storn

Robot Drones[]

• General Torvek
• Capt. Battlecron-9 / Shadow Raider Driver
• Cpl. Agon-6

Vehicles[]

• Shadow Bat - Battle Cruiser / (Maj. Klag)
• Shadow Parasite - Attack Fighter / (Lt. Magg)
• Shadow Invader - Rapid Strike Vehicle / (Maj. Romak)
• Shadow Raider - Sneak Attack Vehicle / (Capt. Battlecron-9)
• Shadow Vampire - Enemy V.T.O.L. Fighter / (Capt. Mace)
• Shadow Spy - Disguised Enemy
• Shadow Bandit - Enemy Pod Lifter
• Shadow Blast Track - Enemy Tank/Transport
• Shadow Upriser - Elevating Land Vehicle
• Shadow Mini-Tank
• Shadow Attack Trike

References[]

External links[]

• Starcom: The U.S. Space Force at IMDb
• starcomhq.com (StarCom Headquarters: Research Guide & Museum)