The Centurions (TV series)


Centurions: Power Xtreme is a syndicated 30 minute American science fiction animated television series produced by Ruby-Spears and was animated in Japan by Sunrise's Studio 7 division. Comic book artists Jack Kirby and Gil Kane contributed to the design and concepts of the show while Norio Shioyama did the character designs. The series began in 1986 as a five-part miniseries and was followed with a 60 episode series. The series was story edited by Ted Pedersen and written by several authors, including prolific science fiction writers Michael Reaves, Marc Scott Zicree, Larry DiTillio and Gerry Conway.
The series theme and soundtrack were composed by Udi Harpaz. There was also a line of tie-in toys by Kenner and a comic book series by DC Comics. The show revolves around the conflict between Doc Terror's cyborgs and the Centurions.

Premise

In the near future of the 21st century, the cyborg mad scientist Doc Terror, seeks to conquer the Earth and turn its inhabitants into robot slaves. He is assisted by his cyborg companion Hacker and an army of robots. There were many types of cyborgs:
Later, a wheeled Drone with a large screen and cannons as well as a submarine drone were added. They are joined on many occasions, starting with the first episode, by Doc Terror's daughter Amber.
At each turn, their evil plans are thwarted by the heroic Centurions. The Centurions are a team of men dressed in specially created exo-frames that allow them to fuse with 'incredible' assault weapon systems, becoming what the show calls man and machine, Power Xtreme! The end result is a weapons platform somewhere between a hard-suit and a mecha. Originally, there are three Centurions but two other Centurions are later added:
Original Team:
Extended Team :
The Centurions are based on an orbiting space station called Sky Vault where its operator, Crystal Kane, uses a transporter to send the Centurions, and the requested weapon systems, to where they are needed. Crystal is always in the company of either Jake Rockwell's dog Shadow or Lucy the orangutan, or in most cases both. Shadow is usually more involved with the Centurions' battles than Lucy and sports a harness with dual missile launchers. Crystal suggests tactics and sends equipment as required. The Centurions also have a hidden base in New York City called "Centrum". Its entrance is hidden in a book store and must be reached via an underground railcar. "Centrum" serves as the Centurions land base of operations and also has a beaming pod for rapid transport to "Sky Vault". In addition to "Sky Vault" and "Centrum" there is also a "Centurion Academy" whose location is kept completely secret and only seen in the last 5 episodes.
Much like the Super Friends' additions of Black Vulcan, Apache Chief, Samurai, and El Dorado to introduce racial diversity into the series, The Centurions saw the addition of Rex Charger, the energy expert, and John Thunder, the Apache infiltration expert.

Themes

As well as the adventure side of the show, the series considered various science-fiction themes. In particular, the fusion or relationship between humans and technology is a focus throughout the show's run. A number of episodes also revolved around ecological themes such as Doc Terror's attempts to extort money from the governments of the world by threatening to destroy some aspect of the environment. The subject of magic is explored in "That Old Black Magic", when Ace becomes involved with a woman named Cassandra Cross, who is a practitioner of white magic. Her evil twin sister, Lilith joins forces with Doc Terror in "Return of Cassandra". Both characters are voiced by B.J. Ward.
Ace also has other romantic interests, some of them reappear in later episodes, such as television reporter Jenny Rivers and Sealab technician Mei Lee. Ace's most elusive romantic pursuit is Crystal Kane, who later reveals she had lost a fiancé in action. Ace has a romantic dream involving Crystal at the beginning of the episode "Firecracker". Crystal often resists Ace's advances either firmly or jokingly, but sometimes demonstrates she has affection and love for him. The two finally kiss at the conclusion of the two-part story "The Better Half"
Doc Terror is sometimes assisted by his daughter Amber. Like the Batman character Talia al Ghul, she sometimes shows affection for an enemy of her father and even betrays him when he goes too far.
The series also sometimes leaves an episode's ending up to viewer interpretation. In the two-part story "The Better Half", Doc Terror and Hacker's robotic halves, Syntax and Legion, join together after a freak accident and become "Uniborg", they turn on the two, forcing Terror and Hacker to ally with the Centurions. Upon breaking into Dominion and defeating their robotic counterparts, Terror is poised to destroy them, when they argue that he cannot kill them because they are his creations, and an extension of himself and Hacker. Terror screams in anguish as he fires his disruptor cannon, and the episode ends with a scene on Skyvault, not revealing whether or not Terror intentionally misses or destroys Uniborg. In "To Dare Dominion", Terror unleashes a time/space vortex consumer within Dominion that plays havoc with reality. The Centurions are able to destroy it, but not before it wrecks Dominion's power generators, causing a violent explosion that seemingly kills Doc Terror and Hacker. The Centurions are beamed out before they suffer the same fate. Terror and Hacker's fate remains unresolved at the episode's conclusion, with Jake believing that they are finished, and Max arguing that they may not be.
The series episodes were produced and broadcast in an anachronistic order. For example, the episodes which showcase the recruitment drive for the two extra Centurions were produced long after several episodes showcasing the new additions.

Cast

Main voices

Five-part mini-series

  1. "The Sky Is on Fire" : written by Ted Pedersen
  2. "Battle Beneath the Sea" : written by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry
  3. "An Alien Affair" : written by Ted Pedersen
  4. "Found: One Lost World" : written by Don Glut
  5. "Sand Doom" : written by Ted Pedersen

    Season One

  6. "Whalesong" : written by Gerry Conway and Carla Conway
  7. "Tornado of Terror" : written by Gerry Conway and Carla Conway
  8. "Denver Is Down" : written by Matt Uitz
  9. "Micro Menace" : written by Jack Bornoff
  10. "Attack of the Plant-Borg" : written by Don Goodman
  11. "Battle Beneath the Ice" : written by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry
  12. "Operation Starfall" : written by Michael Reaves
  13. "Let the Games Begin" : written by Marc Scott Zicree
  14. "Firebird" : written by Matt Uitz
  15. "Cold Calculations" : written by Kayte Kuch
  16. "Return of Captain Steele" : written by Michael Reaves
  17. "Three Strikes and You're Dead" : written by Larry DiTillio
  18. "Double Agent" : written by Creighton Barnes
  19. "Child's Play" : written by Kayte Kuch
  20. "Terror on Ice" : written by Herb Engelhardt
  21. "That Old Black Magic" : written by Gerry Conway and Carla Conway
  22. "Max Ray...Traitor" : written by Marc Scott Zicree
  23. "Crack the World" : written by Gerry Conway and Carla Conway
  24. "The Incredible Shrinking Centurions" : written by Michael Cassutt and Mark Cassutt
  25. "Live at Five" : written by Michael Charles Hill
  26. "The Mummy's Curse" : written by Gerry Conway and Carla Conway
  27. "Counterclock Crisis" : written by Gerry Conway and Carla Conway
  28. "Zombie Master" : written by Creighton Barnes
  29. "Malfunction" : written by Creighton Barnes and Matt Uitz
  30. "Broken Beams" : written by Herb Engelhardt
  31. "The Chameleon's Sting" : written by Kayte Kuch
  32. "Film at Eleven" : written by Michael Charles Hill
  33. "Hacker Must Be Destroyed" : written by Don Glut
  34. "Showdown at Skystalk" : written by Michael Reaves
  35. "The Warrior" : written by Mark Edens
  36. "Return of Cassandra" : written by Gerry Conway and Carla Conway
  37. "Night on Terror Mountain" : written by Mel Gilden
  38. "Merlin" : written by Kip Gordy
  39. "The Monsters from Below" : written by Gary Greenfield
  40. "The Road Devils" : written by Gary Greenfield
  41. "Zone Dancer" : written by Michael Reaves
  42. "Firecracker" : written by Larry DiTillio
  43. "Traitors Three" : written by Barbara Hambly
  44. "You Only Love Twice" : written by Martha Humphreys
  45. "Sungrazer" : written by Michael Reaves
  46. "Novice" : written by Herb Engelhardt
  47. "Breakout" : written by Antoni Zalewski
  48. "Atlantis Adventure, Part I" : written by Steve Perry and Ted Pedersen
  49. "Atlantis Adventure, Part II" : written by Steve Perry and Ted Pedersen
  50. "Ghost Warrior" : written by Gerry Conway and Carla Conway
  51. "Let the Lightning Fall" : written by Gerry Conway and Carla Conway
  52. "Cyborg Centurion" : written by Michael Charles Hill
  53. "Day of the Animals" : written by Steve Perry
  54. "To Dare Dominion, Part I" : written by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry
  55. "To Dare Dominion, Part II" : written by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry
  56. "Hole in the Ocean, Part I" : written by Herb Engelhardt
  57. "Hole in the Ocean, Part II" : written by Herb Engelhardt
  58. "The Better Half, Part I" : written by Larry Huber
  59. "The Better Half, Part II" : written by Larry Huber
  60. "Revenge" : written by Kayte Kuch
  61. "Man or Machine, Part 1" : written by Ted Pedersen and Steve Perry
  62. "Man or Machine, Part 2" : written by Ted Pedersen and Steve Perry
  63. "Man or Machine, Part 3" : written by Ted Pedersen and Steve Perry
  64. "Man or Machine, Part 4" : written by Ted Pedersen and Steve Perry
  65. "Man or Machine, Part 5" : written by Ted Pedersen and Steve Perry

    Home Media releases

On December 6, 2011, Warner Home Video released The Centurions: The Original Miniseries on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US. On July 21, 2015, Warner Archive released The Centurions: Part One on DVD in Region 1 which contains the first thirty episodes of the regular series. On March 15, 2016, Warner Archive released The Centurions: Part Two on DVD, which contains the remaining thirty episodes of the series.