Sky Commanders

Quality 0.50 · 2 views · Updated 2 months ago

title: "Sky Commanders" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1980s-american-animated-television-series", "1980s-american-children's-television-series", "1980s-japanese-television-series", "1980s-toys", "1987-american-animated-television-series-debuts", "1987-american-television-series-endings", "american-children's-animated-action-television-series", "american-children's-animated-adventure-television-series", "american-children's-animated-superhero-television-series", "american-children's-animated-science-fiction-television-series", "1987-japanese-television-series-debuts", "1987-japanese-television-series-endings", "japanese-children's-animated-action-television-series", "japanese-children's-animated-adventure-television-series", "japanese-children's-animated-superhero-television-series", "japanese-children's-animated-science-fiction-television-series", "american-anime-influenced-animated-television-series", "american-english-language-television-shows", "japanese-english-language-television-shows", "animated-television-series-set-on-fictional-planets", "fictional-special-forces-personnel", "fictional-military-organizations", "fictional-soldiers", "first-run-syndicated-animated-television-series", "the-funtastic-world-of-hanna-barbera", "television-series-by-hanna-barbera", "television-shows-based-on-hasbro-toys", "television-shows-set-in-san-francisco", "toei-animation-television"] topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Commanders" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox television"]

Field	Value
image	Sky commanders logo.jpg
image_upright	1.1
caption	Title screen
genre	Adventure
Action
Science fiction
Superhero
developer	Jeff Segal
director	Ray Patterson
composer	Hoyt Curtin
country	United States
Japan
language	English
network	First-run syndication
executive_producer	William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
producer	Kay Wright
editor	Gil Iverson
company	Hanna-Barbera Productions
Toei Animation
num_episodes	13
runtime	22 minutes
first_aired
last_aired
::

Sky Commanders is an American animated television series co-produced by Hanna-Barbera and Toei Animation. It premiered in July 1987 as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera and lasted for thirteen episodes. It was based on the action figure line from Kenner Toys.

Plot

::quote[attribution="- opening narration."] "Deep in the South Pacific, a tumultuous and untamed new continent has erupted. Spawned by a highly unstable new element, known as Theta Seven. If this powerful new element could be controlled, whoever possessed it would be the undisputed ruler of the world. One man, General Lucas Plague, is determined to hold that title. And it's up to a rugged team of mountaineering experts, led by commander Mike Summit to stop him. Employing revolutionary new gravity-lock and laser-cable technology to traverse the ever-changing terrain of the High Frontier, Mike Summit's Sky Commanders and General Plague's Raiders are locked in mortal combat with the fate of the entire world hanging in the balance!" ::

The storyline of Sky Commanders comprises the daily adventures of a multi-national group of soldiers and mountaineering specialists from all over the world who battle the evil General Lucas Plague and his goon squad of villainous mercenaries and miscreants, "The Raiders", whose aim is to seize control of the planet. The series is set on a new continent deep in the South Pacific, which was created by the emergence to the surface world of a new and powerful, unstable radioactive element, called "Theta Seven" (θ-7).

This lethal energy source can only be stabilized for containment by exposure to temperatures of −200 °F (−128.89 °C). It is known that whoever can control the element and harness its enormous power would be the ruler of the world; a goal that the amoral General Plague wants strongly. It is up to General Mike Summit and his highly trained soldiers to stop him.

Complicating the Sky Commanders' objective of stopping the criminal ambitions of the Raiders is the fact the new continent (collectively referred to in the series as "The High Frontier") is routinely beset by sporadic, unstable and highly dangerous weather conditions and environmental hazards, such as: landslides, earthquakes, cave-ins, whirlpools, etc. There is also the need for monthly shipments of fresh supplies, new advanced technology and weapon systems. Constant attack by the scheming and underhanded Raiders and the aforementioned environmental dangers make the Sky Commanders's mission only that much more dangerous.

Travel throughout the new continent is only possible by means of high-altitude flight, or by using Laser Cables: a specialized version of a rappelling cord emitted from combat backpacks worn by both Raider and Sky Commander. When used, the cables shoot out from the combat backpacks in the form of energy beams. When contact is made with a solid object, the Laser Cable solidifies into a solid metal cable line upon which travel is possible.

Theta Seven, the radioactive element that both sides fight to control, came from the deepest subterranean recesses of Earth itself, and it has brought with it, on its rise to the surface of Earth, not only the new continent itself, but also a wild and voracious, bizarre menagerie of utterly horrific creatures to inhabit it. These lifeforms are either the products of long-term mutative exposure to Phaeta Seven's radiation, or were just naturally brought about the way that they are. Occasional violent encounters with these monstrosities is yet another danger waiting for both sides of this battle for the future freedom or enslavement of the world.

List of episodes

Characters

Sky Commanders

Bob Ridgely as General Mike Summit, leader of the Sky Commanders
William Windom as "Cutter" Kling, a man whose daughter is missing and is reportedly on the new continent.
Soon-Tek Oh as Kodiak, an Eskimo man
Tristan Rogers as "Spider" Reilly, an Australian man
Richard Doyle as "Books" Baxter, a Canadian man and electronics expert
Dorian Harewood as Jim Stryker, a Jamaican man
Lauren Tewes as Red McCullough, an Irish woman
Darryl Hickman as R.J. Scott, the youngest Sky Commander

Raiders

Bernard Erhard as General Lucas Plague, leader of the Raiders
B.J. Ward as Dr. Erica Slade, the scientist of the Raiders
Charlie Adler as Kreeg, the green-haired Raider
Paul Eiding as Raider Rath, the black-haired Raider
Dick Gautier as Mordax, the stout Raider and Plague's brother-in-law

Home media

Warner Archive released Sky Commanders: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 on August 28, 2012 as part of their Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.

References

(2005). "Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003". McFarland & Co.
(2018). "The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows". Rowman & Littlefield.
"Sky Commanders - 'The Complete Animated Series' Now Available: Box Art, Cost, More".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::