Comics / Cult Favorite

Battle of the Planets Revisited

By Philip Schweier
July 3, 2012 - 13:59

The Phoenix

In the late 1970s, following the big screen debut of Star Wars, science fiction fans were clamoring for more. The most notable follow-ups were Battlestar Galactica on television and Star Trek: The Motion Picture on the big screen. But for fans of animated shows, there was virtually nothing at all until Sandy Frank imported Battle of the Planets from Japan.

The show, originally titled Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, was produced in 1972 by Tatsunoko Production Company. Tatsunoko had enjoyed a healthy track record of success, producing such popular shows as Speed Racer and Kimba the White Lion. Gatchaman ran for two seasons, a total of 105 episodes, and spawned a radio show and a feature film.

The series chronicled the adventures of five teen-age ninja super-heroes – precursors of Power Rangers – against the evil forces of Galactor and its endless supply of giant-sized robots, led by the costumed foe Berg Katse.

In 1977, the company chose to market Gatchaman to the world at the Marché International de Programmes in Cannes, France. This was an international conference created for the marketing of television programs on an international level. In attendance was Sandy Frank, a former NBC executive who had formed his own company marketing syndicated programming to TV stations. He had successfully sold programming to the secondary market in the form of older programs, game shows and variety shows.

Frank saw potential in Gatchaman, and upon his return to the States, he immediately put the wheels in motion to acquire the rights to produce an English language version, as well as broadcast rights throughout much of the world.

However, the series required extensive changes in order to make it marketable. First, the title was change to Battle of the Planets, capitalizing on the wording’s similarity to the title Star Wars. This, of course, required the basic premise of the show to be adjusted. Berg Katse was rechristened Zoltar, commander of the forces of Spectra. Zoltar is determined to take over Earth and control its resources for the benefit of his dying homeworld.

Zoltar’s threats usually came in the form of giant robotic crabs, squids and other threatening creatures wreaking havoc on Earth and its allies. If Zoltar didn’t control the vehicles himself, they were usually under the command of some similarly costumed underling. Meanwhile, the minions of Spectra were clad in two-toned green jumpsuits with bellbottoms and demonic masks, and sported the long hair styles of the early 1970s.

G-Force: Keyop, Mark, Princess, Tiny and Jason

Defending Earth is G-Force, a team of teenagers endowed with enhanced physical abilities due to their cerebonic implants. Their costumes followed a bird motif, complete with wing-like capes and beak-shaped visors on their helmets: Mark (the eagle), Jason (a condor), Princess (the swan), Keyop (a swallow) and Tiny (a horned owl).

Mark was everything desired in a team leader: fearless and level-headed. In contrast, his second-in-command was a bit of a hot-head. Like his costume suggested, Jason was a predator; a crack shot and an expert driver in his race car. Princess, the token female of the group, provided a love interest for Mark, and though their unrequited feelings were reciprocated, they never acted upon them. Both were too dedicated to the team to allow personal interests to interfere.

Keyop was the most junior member of the group. Unlike his teammates, he was created in a lab, resulting in a peculiar speech pattern of chirps and burbles. Tiny was a big-hearted lug who wasn’t as agile as the others, but he compensated with his enormous strength. Supporting G-Force was Security Chief Anderson, the man who cultivated and developed the team and served as their boss.

All the members had their own personal means of transportation – a jet, a race car, a motorcycle or an all-terrain buggy – but none of them compared to the Phoenix, the team’s powerful spaceship, piloted by the husky Tiny. It was heavily armed and in times of extreme danger, it could convert into a fiery bird-like entity, but this would prove draining on the team, both mentally and physically.

Many of the original stories featured what in those days was considered an disagreeable level of violence. In producing a show acceptable to American markets, Frank knew immediately that the episodes would not only have to be translated but often rewritten. The violent portions of the episodes were edited out and replaced with expository footage featuring 7-Zark-7, G-Force’s a robot that served as the team’s “computerized coordinator.”

7-Zark-7, the robotic coordinator of G-Force

Zark’s bulbous configuration was reminiscent of R2D2, though sometimes this resemblance was lessened when he wore his G-Force-style costume, complete with cape and visored helmet. These animated sequences were produced by Hanna-Barbera and provided a sharp contrast to the distinctive Japanese-style animation.

From his control room in the undersea base known as Center Neptune, Zark and his robotic dog, 1-Rover-1, provided a bit of light comedy, often aided by the sultry-voiced early warning system SUSAN, calling from the edge of the solar system. Zark also kept the show family-friendly by making it clear to more impressionable members of the audience that any vehicles destroyed by Spectra were under robotic control, and any cities that suffered mass destruction had been completely evacuated beforehand. Thus, no lives were ever lost.

There was also a stock sequence of the team relaxing in their ready room. Mark and Jason played ping-pong while Princess and Keyop jammed on bass and drums respectively. Tiny enjoyed a feast of “space burgers,” only to be interrupted by Zark’s call to duty.

In addition to the glaring difference in animation provided by the Tatsunoko and Hanna-Barbera companies, it was also obvious that the series was originally intended to be completely Earth-bound. All of the worlds that formed the Intergalactic Federation of Peaceful Planets were Earth-type in environment, right down to the modern cities that easily could have been any metropolitan center on Earth.

Another challenge in the reworking of the show for the English-language market came down to simple timing. In most animated programs, dialogue is recorded prior to production, and animators coordinate the characters lip movement to reflect the dialogue. With Battle of the Planets, dialogue had to be written and performed in sync with the established animation.

Nevertheless, the writing of the series was much more ambitious than most cartoons being produced at the time. Chief among the show’s writers was Jameson Brewer, a veteran of the Hanna-Barbera company. Over the years, he had been a writer, director, producer and a voice director. His experience was just what Frank needed to handle the challange of “re-creating” the successful Japanese cartoon.

Another veteran of the Hanna-Barbera studio was music director Hoyt Curtin, known for composing such jazzy themes as Jonny Quest and The Jetsons. He was hired to create musical cues to compliment the score created by Bob Sakuma, Gatchaman’s original composer. Curtin’s work on Battle of the Planets calls to mind some of the orchestral work he did on such programs as Super Friends and The Herculoids.

Keye Luke, c. 1940

The principal actors for Battle of the Planets were all experienced voice over artists. They were often called on to provide multiple voices for many roles, as well as intermittent peripheral characters. Mark was voiced by animation veteran Casey Kasem, and Ronnie Schell portrayed Jason. Janet Waldo, perhaps most widely known as the voice of Judy Jetson, played Princess, as well as SUSAN and many other female characters. Alan Young, who had starred as Wilbur Post on the classic sit-com Mr. Ed was featured as both Keyop and Zark. Alan Dinehart provided the voices of Tiny and  Security Chief Anderson. Rounding out the cast was Keye Luke, remembered as Charlie Chan’s #1 son, as well as Master Po on the television series Kung Fu. In addition to Zoltar, he also provided the voices of the Luminous One, Spectra’s mysterious ruler, and G-Force’s recurring ally Commander Kronus.

Kronus was a master pilot of the planet Riga. Later it was revealed that Kronus was Mark’s father (The Sky is Falling, parts 1 and 2), just before sacrificing himself to defeat Zoltar’s latest plan to conquer Earth. Such drama was one of the elements that elevated the stories above the usual animated fare of the era. Throughout the series, it wasn’t uncommon for the team to suffer a catastrophic loss at the hands of Zoltar and his forces. The Phoenix was destroyed at least twice, (The Sea Dragon and Raid of the Space Octopus), only to be reborn each time.

Zoltar about to be unmasked by Jason

Perhaps the most dramatic moment in the series was the eventual unmasking of Zoltar, though it only deepened the mystery behind the villain. In the episode The Alien Bigfoot, a mane of long blonde hair is revealed as his cowl is peeled off, but the Luminous One interfered and spirited Zoltar away in a blinding flash of light.

One of the most heart-breaking episodes is one Battle of the Planets fans will never get to see: the death of Jason. Of the 105 episodes of Gatchaman produced, 85 were translated for the English-language market. According to G-Force: Animated (The Official Battle of the Planets Guidebook), this allowed for five episodes a week for 17 weeks

Nevertheless, Jason (named Joe in the original Japanese version) would be resurrected as a cyborg when Tatsunoko produced a sequel Gatchaman series in 1978. A year later, a third series was launched. The team’s costumes were redesigned slightly and Berg Katse was replaced by a new villain, Gel Sadra. Though fans of Battle of the Planets are passionate and eager to see more, the two sequel series were less than satisfying when they were imported to the United States under the title Saban’s Eagle Riders. Eagle Riders has no association with Battle of the Planets other than a shared production heritage.

While the Japanese animation style may seem woefully out of date, especially in view of the early 1970s fashions featured on the series, it is the show’s goal of higher drama that makes it stand out among most cartoons of its time. It is very likely it influenced such popular comic books such X-Men and the New Teen Titans. Unfortunately, only a handful of episodes are currently available on official DVD releases. However, there are no doubt a number of bootleg versions available via the Internet.

Still, Battle of the Planets fandom runs very high, especially in Europe where there were entire lines of merchandise in the form of toys, lunch boxes and coloring books. In 2002, cast members Casey Kasem, Janet Waldo and Ronnie Schell were guests at Comic Con International, held each summer in San Diego, CA. Though no strangers to the fame of show business, they were overwhelmed by the response from fans that fondly remember a show in which they were featured more than 30 years ago. “We were mobbed,” said Schell on the Battle of the Planets Ultimate DVD boxed set.

“It was really a revelation to see the number of people that are into that show,” said Kasem. “It’s nice to know your work is appreciated by so many people.”

It’s easy to assume that a cartoon aimed at the youth market wouldn’t require much effort from the actors. They are professionals, and delivered just as they would for any assignment. The fact that it provided a wonderful opportunity to hone their voice-over skills and enjoy some camaraderie was icing on the cake, and they remember the show with a great deal of fondness.

Echoing the sentiments of Waldo and Kasem “It was really a fun time,” Schell said of his experience. “I’m thinking back on my career and I would have to put Battle of the Planets up there.”

Praise and adulation? Scorn and ridicule? e-mail me at philip@comicbookbin.com

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12