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Battle of the Planets (1978–2003) — action · adventure · science-fiction on BBC One
About Battle of the Planets
Battle of the Planets is an American adaptation of the Japanese anime series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. Of the 105 original Gatchaman episodes, 85 were used in the Battle of the Planets adaptation, produced by Sandy Frank Entertainment.
Battle of the Planets cast five young people as G-Force, consisting of Mark, Jason, Princess, Keyop, and Tiny. G-Force protects Earth from planet Spectra and other attacks from beyond space. The most prominent field commander of the Spectra forces was a villainous, masked individual known as Zoltar. Zoltar would receive his orders directly from a being he would refer to as "Luminous One". The Luminous One would appear as a ghost-like, disembodied, floating head. Who, or what this being actually was, is never explained in any detail throughout the series.
The main ship of the G-Force team was called the Phoenix, which could carry, transport and deploy four smaller vehicles, each operated by one team member. The four vehicles included a futuristic race car with various hidden weapons driven by Jason; this vehicle was concealed within the Phoenix's nosecone. The "galacti-cycle", a futuristic motor cycle the Princess rode, was stored within the left wing capsule of the Phoenix. Keyop's "Space Bubble", an all-terrain, tank-like vehicle capable of VTOL as well as being a submersible craft, was held in the right storage capsule of the Phoenix. And lastly, a futuristic jet fighter Mark pilots was stored in the top rear section of the Phoenix command island structure, and which used its tail fin to make up the center tail fin of the Phoenix. The fifth crew member, Tiny, was assigned to pilot the Phoenix rather than one of the detachable craft.
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 a sort of giant, super blowtorch called the Fiery Phoenix. The Phoenix's primary weapon was a supply of rockets called "TBX missiles" in the series. It also occasionally flaunted a powerful solar-powered energy blaster, although the team had the misfortune of choosing very cloudy days to use it.
The G-Force team themselves would use a combination of martial arts skill, ninja-like weapons, and their "cerebonic" powers to dispatch hordes of enemy soldiers and overcome other obstacles. Their bird-like costumes include wing-like capes that could fan out and function nearly identically to parachutes and/or wing suits, enabling the G-Force members to drift or glide down to safety from heights which would otherwise prove fatal.
The G-Force members stay in contact through a wrist-band communicator device which also serves as a way for them to change instantly into their G-Force uniforms or back into their civilian clothes. Other weapons seen displayed by various team members include: Mark's sonic boomerang, a bird-shaped boomerang with razor sharp wings; Jason's and Tiny's multi-purpose gadget guns, which can be outfitted with grappling hook and line, drill bits, etc.; and Keyop's and Princess's yo-yo bombs, which could be used as bolas, darts, and explosive devices. Other weapons include feathers with a sharpened steel quill that could be used as deadly throwing darts, and mini-grenades shaped like ball bearings with spike studs.
Battle of the Planets episode schedule
85 aired
Aired · 85
| Date | Ep. | Title |
|---|---|---|
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E85 | Conway Tape Tap |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E84 | G-Force in the Future |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E83 | Strike at Spectra |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E82 | G-Force Defector |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E81 | Rockets Out of Control |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E80 | Vacation on Venus |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E79 | Charioteers of Changu |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E78 | Save the Space Colony |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E77 | Invasion of the Space Center (2) |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E76 | Invasion of the Space Center (1) |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E75 | The Awesome Armadillo |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E74 | Island of Fear |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E73 | Tentacles from Space |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E72 | Cupid Does It to Keyop |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E71 | Super Space Spies |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E70 | Spectra Space Spider |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E69 | Mission to Inner Space |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E68 | Panic of the Peacock |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E67 | Defector of Spectra |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E66 | The Duplicate King |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E65 | The Awesome Ray Force |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E64 | Peril of the Praying Mantis |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E63 | Museum of Mystery |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E62 | Space Safari |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E61 | Invasion of the Locusts |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E60 | The Alien Bigfoot |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E59 | Rage of the Robotoids |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E58 | Peril in the Pyramids |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E57 | Silent City |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E56 | Raid of the Space Octopus |
Show 55 earlier episodes
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E55 | The Great Brain Robbery |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E54 | Zoltar Strikes Out |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E53 | Decoys of Doom |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E52 | Attack of the Alien Wasp |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E51 | Giant Space Bat |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E50 | Secret Island |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E49 | Giant from Planet Zyr |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E48 | Fastest Gun in the Galaxy |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E47 | Mammoth Shark Menace |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E45 | The Sky is Falling (2) |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E44 | The Sky is Falling (1) |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E33 | The Fierce Flowers (2) |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E32 | The Fierce Flowers (1) |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E28 | Curse of the Cuttlefish (2) |
| September 23, 2003 | S1·E27 | Curse of the Cuttlefish (1) |
| August 13, 1979 | S1·E46 | Raid on the Red Scorpion |
| July 23, 1979 | S1·E43 | Peaks of Planet Odin |
| July 16, 1979 | S1·E42 | Keyop Does It All |
| July 9, 1979 | S1·E41 | Raid on a Nearby Planet |
| July 2, 1979 | S1·E40 | The Capture of the Galaxy Code |
| June 25, 1979 | S1·E39 | Giant Gila Monster |
| June 18, 1979 | S1·E38 | Seals of Sytron |
| June 11, 1979 | S1·E37 | Raid on Riga |
| June 4, 1979 | S1·E36 | Victims of the Hawk |
| May 28, 1979 | S1·E35 | Prisoners in Space |
| May 21, 1979 | S1·E34 | The Space Rock Concert |
| April 30, 1979 | S1·E31 | Orion, Wonderdog of Space |
| April 23, 1979 | S1·E30 | Siege of the Squids |
| April 16, 1979 | S1·E29 | Demons of the Desert |
| March 26, 1979 | S1·E26 | The Galaxy Girls |
| March 19, 1979 | S1·E25 | The Ghostly Grasshopper |
| March 12, 1979 | S1·E24 | Race Against Disaster |
| March 5, 1979 | S1·E23 | The Bat-Ray Bombers |
| February 26, 1979 | S1·E22 | The Fiery Lava Giant |
| February 19, 1979 | S1·E21 | The Musical Mummy |
| February 12, 1979 | S1·E20 | Magnetic Attraction |
| February 5, 1979 | S1·E19 | The Sea Dragon |
| January 29, 1979 | S1·E18 | Mad New Ruler of Spectra |
| January 22, 1979 | S1·E17 | A Whale Joins G-Force |
| January 15, 1979 | S1·E16 | The Alien Beetles |
| January 8, 1979 | S1·E15 | Microfilm Mystery |
| December 18, 1978 | S1·E14 | The Thing with 1000 Eyes |
| December 11, 1978 | S1·E13 | Perilous Pleasure Cruise |
| December 4, 1978 | S1·E12 | Beast with a Sweet Tooth |
| November 27, 1978 | S1·E11 | Space Rocket Escort |
| November 20, 1978 | S1·E10 | A Swarm of Robot Ants |
| November 13, 1978 | S1·E9 | The Jupiter Moon Menace |
| November 6, 1978 | S1·E8 | Fearful Sea Anemone |
| October 30, 1978 | S1·E7 | Ace from Outer Space |
| October 23, 1978 | S1·E6 | Big Robot Gold Grab |
| October 16, 1978 | S1·E5 | Ghost Ship of Planet Mir |
| October 9, 1978 | S1·E4 | The Space Serpent |
| October 2, 1978 | S1·E3 | The Space Mummy |
| September 25, 1978 | S1·E2 | Rescue of the Astronauts |
| September 18, 1978 | S1·E1 | Attack of the Space Terrapin |
Battle of the Planets cast
-
Casey Kasemas Mark -
Ronny Schellas Jason -
Janet Waldoas Princess/Susan/Mala -
Alan Youngas 7-Zark-7 -
Keye Lukeas Colonel Cronus - ADAlan Dinehartas Chief Anderson
-
Takayo Fischeras Additional Voices -
David Jolliffeas Additional Voices -
Alan Oppenheimeras Additional Voices -
William Woodsonas Additional Voices