1986’s The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers stood out among 80s animated shows as a decent sci fi entry with interesting characters and a well-developed universe, and it delivered more than just a vehicle to sell toys.
What Is It?
This cosmic sci fi/western follows the Galaxy Rangers who are fronted by a team that consists of the bionically enhanced Zachary Foxx, the super trooper Shane Gooseman, the psychic Niko, and the computer genius Walter Hartford. They all also have an experimental piece of tech called the Series-5 Brain Implant which boosts their natural abilities. They fight against the evil Crown Empire as well as other threats to those who have ventured into the frontiers of space. The opening voice-over pretty much sets up the premise of the series:
In 2086, two peaceful aliens journeyed to Earth, seeking our help. In return, they gave us the plans for our first hyperdrive, allowing mankind to open the door to stars. We have assembled a team of unique individuals to protect Earth and our allies. Courageous pioneers committed to the highest ideals of justice. And dedicated to preserving law and order across the New Frontier, these are the Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers!
Aired: Syndication, 1986, 1 Season Totaling 65 Episodes
Starring: Robert Bottone, Alexander Marshall, Maia Danziger, Corinne Orr, Laura Dean
Created By: Robert Mandell
Legacy:
This animated series mixed sci fi and western elements while bringing the spirit of Anime to U.S. television in the mid-80s, and it stood out as more than just another cartoon schilling toys to the afternoon viewing crowd, though sadly it has since been mostly forgotten.
A Closer Look:
The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers arrived on afternoon television in the mid-80s when there was a glut of animated shows attempting to attract the attention of younger viewers. The standards for children’s television had been relaxed earlier in the decade with product placement allowed, and that led to an explosion of animated shows based on toy lines like Transformers, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe, and more. The Galaxy Rangers joined that fray in 1986, but it set out to do more than just act as an extended commercial that also delivers a nice, tidy moral at the end of each episode. It offered a grand sci fi adventure with stories that stepped it up a notch or two and appealed to adults as well as younger viewers. The animation was also better than the average afternoon entry at that time, coming closer to the look and feel of Anime. And its mixture of western and sci fi elements, with a bit of noir as well, gave it a unique, atmospheric quality.
The characters had better development than the typical animated series in the 80s, and the show delivered a rather complete universe of worlds and races to build its stories around. And unlike its competition, it mostly avoided cute kids and cuddly characters (though the wise-cracking Memory Bird should have become a regular). It also had a good sense of imagination while not taking itself too seriously. It did become a bit formulaic with its episodic, villain-of-the-week plots, and it could slip into 80s excesses and copy-and-paste at times. But at its best, the Galaxy Rangers delivered a fun sci fi adventure with its fair share of strong genre tales. And it had that very 80s intro theme song “No Guts, No Glory” which instantly gets stuck in your head when you hear it.
Amidst the overload of animated entries on afternoon television that were bolstered mainly by their toy sales, The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers stood out for its quality of animation and more sophisticated stories. For that reason, it appealed to and inspired sci fi fans just as Robotech and other Anime entries in the decade did. Sadly, it did not stick around long (more on that below), but those who did catch it in its original run have fond memories of the series as the genre gem it truly is.
Cancelled Too Soon?
Perhaps. The show delivered a notable sixty-five-episode run (about standard for an animated series at the time), and it aired in syndication until 1989. But it arrived at a time when the animation market was over-saturated with other shows vying for the attention of young viewers. In addition, the animated shows that were most successful at that time were the ones that were regularly ringing up toy sales in the stores. And while Galoob did put out a toyline for The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers (more on that below), it received little to no exposure in the United States. If the show had drawn higher viewership and delivered more toy sales, perhaps more episodes would have followed. But it at least had a full initial run even if it did mostly disappear from the small screen after 1989.
Should It Be Rebooted?
Yes, though really it should have more of a revival than a reboot. This show could be picked up right where it left off with new actors voicing the original characters. Or a sequel series could be made that introduces new Galaxy Rangers while still acknowledging the original team. It had a well-developed universe with many interesting characters, and there are plenty more storylines that could be explored. And while there may not be a lot of nostalgia for this 80s series, a revival has a lot of potential, and it would almost certainly find an audience in the current market. With sixty-five quality episodes already in existence, viewers could enjoy those along with new adventures and this could represent a strong addition to the lineup for one of the linear networks or streaming services.
Retro Toys:
As mentioned above, Galoob did put out a toyline to support the show, but it was never as expansive as the ones for He-Man, G.I. Joe, Transformers, and some of the other popular 80s animated shows. Plus, it received little to no release in the United States which is one of the biggest toy markets. The set consisted of 3.75 inch action figures for the three male rangers (a prototype of Niko was apparently made but not released) as well as the Queen of the Crown and some of her henchmen. Horses for the heroes were released as well along with some accessories. In addition, two Galaxy Ranger blaster toys were available, one which shot water and another which had light and sound action. The toyline was released in the UK and Canada and may have made it to a few shelves in the U.S., but it did not find much success. These days, the Galaxy Ranger toys are considered quite collectible and are fetching pretty high prices and you can read more about them over at The Toy Box.
Interesting Facts:
The animation was done by the Japanese studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha which is known for Anime entries such as Lupin the Third, Detective Conan, Monster Rancher, and Magic Knight Rayearth. That studio would go on to produce more animated shows targeted at the American market such as The Real Ghostbusters, Batman: The Animated Series, Animaniacs, and Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers was released three months after Top Gun became a hit in the theaters and it contains multiple references to that action film. The theme song “No Guts, No Glory” certainly channeled “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins. Some of the flight sequences from the intro segment follow very closely to scenes from the Top Gun movie. Shane Gooseman is usually referred to as “Goose” in the series, and there are several other notable references sprinkled throughout the episodes.
Corinne Orr, who voiced the Queen of the Crown in the series, has a long history of voice work and had previously provided the English dubbing for Akiko Fuji in the 1966 Ultraman series, Mom Racer in Speed Racer, and Queen Mariposa in Star Blazers. Jerry Orbach, who voiced Zachary Foxx, is much better known to American audiences for playing NYPD Detective Lennie Briscoe for over a decade on Law & Order.
Where Can You Watch It?
The show did receive a partial DVD release, though each volume contained only four episodes and I believe only four total were released. Some single episodes were also released on VHS, but those and the DVDs are out of print and fetching high prices from third-party sellers. The series is available for purchase VOD, but that only includes sixteen episodes. The entire series is currently available to stream for free (with ads) on YouTube. But that is not an official release and the video quality is not great.
Read More About the Show:
Wikipedia
IMDb.com
And for a fascinating look at the animation explosion of the ’80s, I highly recommend Rise and Fall of the 80s Toon Empire: A Behind the Scenes Look at When He-Man, G.I. Joe and Transformers Ruled the Airwaves
