"Battle of the Planets" (1978) TV series 1978-1985

Director:

David E. Hanson

Writers:

William Bloom (writer) (1978)
Kevin Paul Coates (writer) (1978)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

18 September 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A five-member superhero team called G-Force fights to defend Earth and its space colonies from the threat of the planet Spectra.

Plot Keywords:

Leader | Superhero | Robot | Friend | Manga

Cast

Alan Young

...

7-Zark-7 / ... (unknown episodes)

Also Known As:

G-Force (USA) (informal alternative title)

Runtime:

Argentina:30 min

Country:

Japan | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | USA:TV-Y7 | Australia:PG (DVD rating)

Company:

Gallerie International Films Ltd.

Trivia:

Most footage comes from an existing Japanese anime show known predominantly as "Gatchaman", but the show content was tweaked for an American audience, including a reduction in violent scenes. To offset the removed content, the character of 7-Zark-7 was added and had a role that tied the altered story together.

Quotes:

[opening narration]
Narrator: Battle of the Planets! G-Force, five incredible young people with superpowers! And watching over them from Centre Neptune, 7-Zark-7! Watching, warning against surprise attacks by alien galaxies from beyond space. G-Force! Fearless young orphans, protecting Earth's entire galaxy. Always five, acting as one. Dedicated! Inseparable! Invincible!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Megas XLR: S-Force S.O.S. (#2.5)" (2004)

A classic!

Wow, what happened to cartoons like this one?? This certainly wasn't the best in anime-ish art, nor did it have a particularly great plot. So why did we love it? Somehow, it tapped perfectly into the mind of a 6-12 year old! As someone who still watches cartoons (shhh..don't tell!) I look back at these types of cartoons and wish they still made them in America. It seems sad to me that kids today do not have these kinds of fun entertainment to wake up to on Saturday morning. Just about everyone I know who is my age remembers this cartoon and others like it with fond memories! Just say to anyone in their late 20's.."Hey do you remember G-Force? The cartoon with the guys in spacesuits that look like birds?" and you will surely get: "Oh yeah!!..." and probably a story of how when THEY were a kid, cartoons were good! Maybe it's just nostalgia, or maybe I'm just getting old and cranky, I don't know. I just wish they still had cartoons like this.