Battle of the Planets (1978) is the American dub of the 1972 television anime known as Kagaku ninja tai Gatchaman. Of the 105 original Gatchaman episodes, 85 were used in the Battle of the Planets adaptation, produced by Sandy Frank Entertainment. The adaptation is generally faithful to the plot and character development of the original Gatchaman series, but significant additions and reductions were made in order to increase appeal to the North American juvenile television market of the late 1970s.[1]
As of February 2007, Sandy Frank's 30-year license to Battle of the Planets is expired. It is not clear how this will affect the future of the series.
Summary
Battle of the Planets casts five young people as G-Force, consisting of Mark, Jason, Princess, Keyop, and Tiny. The question has been raised whether or not the characters were cyborgs due to their super-human agility and demonstrations of power such as the whirlwind pyramid. G-Force protects Earth from planet Spectra and other attacks from 'beyond space'. Their main ship is the Phoenix, which can deploy four smaller vehicles, each operated by one team member. A regularly featured plot device was the transformation of the Phoenix into a flaming bird-shaped craft able to handle virtually any exceptional situation by functioning as something like a giant blowtorch (called the "Fiery Phoenix"). The Phoenix’s primary weapon was a large supply of rockets. It also occasionally flaunted a powerful solar-powered energy blaster, although the team had the misfortune of choosing very cloudy days to use it.
MarkMark is often referred to as 'Commander', and is, obviously, Commander of the G-Force team. He has been known to get 'feelings' about trouble coming, leaving one to suspect he has some unrealised mental gifts ("Invasion of Space Centre", "The Fierce Flowers, Pt. 2"). He has amazing mimicry abilities, and at one time passed himself off as Zoltar ("Prisoner in Space"). At some time in his past he attended the Space Academy, possibly during his training for the team, and he now rents a shack on a small airfield ("The Sky is Falling"). When not fighting invaders he is a test pilot ("Ace from Outer Space"). He believes his father is missing, until the episode "The Sky is Falling". In that episode we also found out that Colonel Cronus (not his real name) had given Mark to Chief Anderson for safe keeping when Mark was 4 years old. This gives one of the shows few time frames, indicating that Mark is 18 years old as of this episode. He and Princess have a special fondness for each other, and in one episode he decides not to pursue a relationship with a woman he is attracted to because of "my affection for Princess" ("Defector to Spectra", "Magnetic Attraction"). There is a possibility that he may have a stepmother and half brother (see the description of "Colonel Cronus"). Favourite weapon is a Sonic Boomerang. His plane is called a Summit Jet.
JasonSometimes called 'Jase' for short by Princess. Jason is second-in-command of the G-Force team, and has shown a longing to be the leader ("Magnetic Attraction"), at times coming head to head with Mark and his decisions. He has a temper and is often referred to as a hot-head ("Rage of the Robotoids"), yet he still cares deeply for his fellow teammates. He has the reputation of being one of the best race car drivers on Earth ("Race Against Disaster"), and has competed in many interplanetary racing events. He also is the most likely of the team to be interested in pretty women, but they have an annoying tendency to somehow be affiliated with Spectra ("Race Against Disaster", "Rage of the Robotoids"). Jason operates the weapons of the Phoenix and his vehicle is called the Space mobile (real imaginative). He is knowledgeable about the defence systems of planets and facilities ("Ghost Ship of Planet Mir", "Prisoners In Space")
PrincessPrincess is an orphan, and in "Peril of the Pyramids", she indicates she remembers when it happened. She is smart, capable, and accomplished in a number of sciences. She is more than able to hold her own in a fight. She is able to pilot the Phoenix ("Beast with a Sweet Tooth"), is known to bring along little gadgets that may help them on their missions ("Silent City"), and is often chosen by Mark to accompany him on missions ("Attack of the Space Terrapin", "Secret Island", "Race Against Disaster", "Conway Tape Tap"). She at one time studied meditation in the Himalayas ("Charioteers of Changu"), and has also studied Spectra on her own. In "Prisoners of Space" she had amassed many Spectran voices on tape recorder. Princess has an emotional attachment to Mark, which he acknowledges. Her favourite weapon is a specialized yo-yo and excels at placing small bombs in Spectra bases for optimal effect ("Curse of the Cuttlefish", "Attack of the Space Terrapin", "Perilous Pleasure Cruise"). Her motorcycle is called a Galacticycle.
KeyopHe is the youngest on the team, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous than the others as a fighter. He is agile, quick thinking, and at times, something of a smart-mouth. Several times he is mentioned to be laboratory grown specifically for the team. As is mentioned in the Production Notes (found elsewhere in this page), he has a speech impediment that may have been caused by a mistake in his manufacture. He has a fondness for animals and insects, at times bringing them home with him ("Alien Beetles", "A Whale Joins G-Force", "Seals of Sytron"). He gets into trouble often, and sometimes feels the need to prove himself ("Fearful Sea Anemone"). His favourite weapon is a Bolo. His vehicle is called a Star Buggy (in "The Bat-Ray Bombers" it's called a Widget).
TinyTiny is the pilot of the Phoenix and is often left behind with the ship while the others go out on missions. He is an excellent pilot who can make the Phoenix do just about anything. He has a habit of falling asleep on the job, a habit that one time gets him put on suspension ("The Bat-Ray Bombers"). He is easy going and sometimes a little slow, but very lovable with a big heart. He originally comes from a small fishing village, and is adept at scuba diving ("The Bat-Ray Bombers"). At one time he was in the South Sea where a girl once did a hula just for him ("Big Robot Gold Grab"). He's a sucker for pretty girls ("Super Space Spies"), and in "Raid on Riga" has a girlfriend named Alice. He is always promising to go on a diet, but never seems to follow through, consuming massive quantities of his favourite food, Space burgers. In "The Bat-Ray Bombers", Tommy, who is a friend, knows that Tiny is with G-Force (perhaps meaning Tommy knows he's with the program).
7Zark7A character not in Gatchaman, Zark was added by Sandy Frank to pad episodes of Battle of the Planets due to the amount of material that was cut. He looks much like R2-D2, possibly to cash in on the Star Wars craze at that time. Over time, he eventually gained the ability to "fly" by flapping his cape (though why he had to fly two feet to the other side of his monitoring station is beyond me). He spent much of his time cleaning the deep-space monitors.
Opening scene
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