Flash Gordon (1996 TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = Flash Gordon


caption =
format = Animated series
Children's
Science fiction
camera =
picture_format =
runtime = 30 mins
creator =
developer = David J. Corbett
Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Judith Reeves-Stevens
executive_producer = Carol Monroe/David J. Corbett
starring = The voices of Toby Proctor
Lexa Doig
Paul Shaffer
narrated =
opentheme =
endtheme =
country = USA/France/Canada
network = Syndicated by Hearst Entertainment Productions Channel 4, YTV, TCC
first_aired = September, 1996
last_aired = 1997
num_episodes = 26
website = http://www.hearstent.com/flashgordonnew.html
imdb_id = 0236899
tv_com_id = 19705

"Flash Gordon" is a 1996 animated television series based on the science fiction comic strip of the same name. The character, who had been around in the comics pages since Alex Raymond created him in 1934, had already starred in several movie serials, a 1980 feature, and two earlier cartoon series — "The New Adventures of Flash Gordon" and "Defenders of the Earth".

ynopsis

For this series, the dashing blond hero was regressed to his teenage years, and he employed a hoverboard. As in previous versions, he teamed up with Dale Arden (also a teen) and balding, bespectacled scientist Hans Zarkov. Flash's parents were American astronauts who got sucked into a dimensional hole just outside the earth’s atmosphere. The trans-dimensional portal was placed there by Ming the Merciless, emperor of the planet Mongo, who hoped to provide open access for his invading armies. In this series, Ming resembled and showed characteristics of a lizard and seemed to have a wife who was long dead. (It was implied in some episodes that she had gone to Earth).

Flash, Dale, and Zarkov followed Flash's parents in their own space vehicle, rescuing them and closing the dimensional hole. Unfortunately, Flash and crew were stuck on the Mongo side. The earthlings discovered other nearby planets with anti-Ming factions and put together a loose coalition, determined to overthrow Mongo’s evil emperor and return, Princess Thundar, Flash, Dale, and Zarkov to their native planet.

Production and series run

A multinational co-production, "Flash Gordon" came into weekly YTV, syndication And Channel 4 in the fall of 1996. 26 episodes were produced.

Episode List

*Episode 01 "Marooned on Mongo"
*Episode 02 "Jaws of the Jungle"
*Episode 03 "The Caves of Doom"
*Episode 04 "Vandals from the Void"
*Episode 05 "Fangs of Fury"
*Episode 06 "Terror Beneath the Waves"
*Episode 07 "Wings of Destruction"
*Episode 08 "The Invisible Claw"
*Episode 09 "Pit of the Tigrons"
*Episode 10 "Cry of the Pantheron"
*Episode 11 "The Dragon Strikes"
*Episode 12 "The Wrath of Ming"
*Episode 13 "Rocket to Oblivion"
*Episode 14 "Ambush in Arboria"
*Episode 15 "Moon of Mystery"
*Episode 16 "Revenge of the Dragon!"
*Episode 17 "The Fiendish Experiment!"
*Episode 18 "The Dungeons of Despair!"
*Episode 19 "Treasure of the Depths!"
*Episode 20 "Fortress of Fear!"
*Episode 21 "Palace of Peril!"
*Episode 22 "Shadow of the Shark!"
*Episode 23 "Double Disaster"
*Episode 24 "The Fur Flies"
*Episode 25 "Enemy Ming"
*Episode 26 "Escape to Earth!

External links

* [http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue29/movie.html#fg SciFi.com]
* [http://www.hearstent.com/flashgordonnew.html Hearst Entertainment Animation]