1993’s Exosquad brought an Anime-style series to the American market and delivered an epic saga populated with well-developed characters and intriguing storylines.
What Is It?
This animated series takes place in the 22nd century when humans (referred to as Terrans) have terra-formed Venus and Mars with the use of exo-skeletons known as E-Frames as well as an artificial race known as Neosapiens that were created as workers/slaves. The Neosapiens eventually rebel against the humans, though, and conquer Earth, Venus, and Mars. The main focus of the series is on Able Squad, an elite unit of mecha pilots comprised of humans–and one Neosapien who is loyal to the Terran cause–as it aids in the fight to restore balance in the solar system. The humans must align with the Pirate Clans from the outer planets in order to create a force that can challenge the Neosapien domination.
Aired 1993-94, 2 Seasons Totaling 52 Episodes
Cast: Lisa Ann Beley, Robby Benson, Michael Benyaer, Garry Chalk, Michael Donovan
Crew: Jeff Segal (Creator/Executive Producer), Will Meuginot (Executive Producer), Michael Edens (Writer)
Legacy:
This series delivered an Anime-style sci fi epic with well-developed characters and engaging storylines that was unlike any American cartoon on television at the time, and it still holds up as a strong genre entry today.
A Closer Look:
There was an explosion of interest in Anime in the States during the ’80s and into the ’90s, and Exosquad sought to capitalize on that popularity and bring a similar type of series to the American audiences. The epic story focused on a war that had broken out across the solar system between humans and the Neosapiens they had genetically created. As with classic Anime, the series introduced sprawling storylines with more mature themes than typically kid-focused animation, and it also populated the show with well-developed characters. The story combined politics with human drama and gave us flawed characters that struggled with their own biases and weaknesses while they were also fighting a war for survival. And while at times it could revert to the formulas of American animation as well as copy-and-paste dialogue, it managed to transcend that more often than not and deliver an engaging, serialized tale that fully tapped into the potential of the animated medium.
Sadly, due to poor distribution, the show did not have as wide of an audience as it could have (more on that below) and has since been mostly overlooked and/or forgotten by fans of sci fi and animation. This one may not reach the heights of some of the all-time classic Anime entries, but it was definitely a gem among American animation and it is worth searching out, especially for fans of this genre.
Cancelled Too Soon?
Sort of. When Exosquad first debuted, it proved popular and was picked up for a second, extended season. However, due to a change in the syndication market in the mid-90’s, the show ended up getting pushed to poor timeslots. Its second season did wrap up the Neosapien war, but the first episode of a proposed third season ended on a cliffhanger that suggested an alien threat was headed to the Earth system. The hopes were that the story would be continued into a new season or a movie, but the low ratings from the show’s second year resulted in Exosquad getting axed.
Should It Be Rebooted?
A complete reboot would seem like a bad idea because that basically throws out the 52 episodes already completed for the show. But a revival certainly would be welcome. The second season ended with a new threat headed to the solar system, so the revival could just pick up at that point. I don’t know whether any of the original actors would be up for returning (it has been over thirty years), but I am sure they could find a voice cast up to the challenge. Since this one never developed much of a following, the chances of a revival are slim. But if fans were to make a push, perhaps one of the networks or streaming services would take a flyer on the show.
Interesting Facts:
At the end of most episodes, a short segment was included that was referred to as a “video trading card” and it focused on one of the characters from the show. Fifteen total of those were produced.
The series was originally titled Exoforce but that was changed to Exosquad due to a trademark conflict with the toys. Playmates produced toys related to the show from 1993 to 1996.
One installment of an Exosquad comic (referred to as Issue #0) was released by Tops Comics as a companion to the television series and was written by Len Wein with artwork by E-Man co-creator Joe Staton. This was supposed to lead into a three-issue mini-series, but that ended up never happening. (You can read the pdf version of that issue at this link.)
A Sega Genesis video game based on the series was produced in 1995. The player had the option of playing one of three members from Able Squad: Lt. J.T. Marsh, Sgt. Rita Torres and Wolf Bronsky. The gameplay alternated between shooter, platformer, and fighting game styles.
Retro Toys
In addition to the original Exosquad toys, a joint line with Robotech was released in the mid-90s suggesting the two properties might crossover. According to Ron McPherson who provided the artwork for some of the toy boxes, the reason was: “MONEY and Story extensions for the animated series. PLAYMATES Toys needed line extensions and Universal needed more stories so they licensed the old ROBOTECH characters to add to EXOSQUAD because they were an acceptably close match up.” Exosquad was already cancelled by that point, though, so the crossover only occurred with that short-lived line of toys.
Where Can You Watch It?
The first season is available on DVD and also on VOD, but unfortunately the second season has never received an official release on home video. The entire series is currently available for streaming on Peacock.
