Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future



Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future was a syndicated 1987-88 television series that ran for 22 episodes. During each episode there was a segment that included visual and audio material intended for the toys. Viewers could purchase the toys and then play a sort of video game interacting with the television program. Though billed primarily as a children's show, it gained more than its share of adult fans through its serious storyline, elaborate special-effects and combat themed action.



In the 22nd century, war was waged with mechanized warriors. Man had finally found a way to make war with minimal loss of human life. It was a good concept until the machines united and turned their fury on their creators. It is the year 2148 - the METAL WARS have ended - machines battled man, and the machines won. Out of the ashes of defeat came JONATHAN POWER, humanity's last hope of defeating the BIO-DREAD warriors led by the evil LORD DREAD. Captain Jonathan Power and a devoted band of freedom fighters are all that stands between Dread and the final destruction of mankind.



Lord Dread's most recent campaigns have left Power's fortress destroyed and one of his most trusted soldiers dead. Power and his team search for Eden II, the last bastion of humanity. Dread taunts Power over his failure to save his team member.



Now, the fight has become personal for Jonathan. With the fate of mankind hanging in the balance, Dread and Power are on an all out collision course and only one can survive.....

Captain Power attempted to appeal to both children and adult audiences. Ultimately, this became the show's undoing after coming under fire for being too violent for children (e.g. toys for shooting at the television, live-action violence) as well as driving away adult audiences with its more childish aspects (e.g. the show's title). Other major contributing factors included the higher cost of a children's live-action show (each episode cost an estimated $1 million to produce) compared to the cheaper production costs of a cartoon, as well as the fact that the gameplay between the show and the toys was extremely poor. Poor timeslot choices also contributed to the show's undoing -- it was sold to syndication as opposed to a regular network timeslot, which resulted in some television stations airing it in the 5-6am timeslot on Sunday mornings. The subsequent poor ratings hastened the show's demise. In an article from Starlog #128 written by Marc Shapiro with quotes from one of the writers of the show, Larry DiTillio, there are the following statements:



But for all those noble sentiments, Captain Power, to the public at large, is perceived as just another excuse to sell toys. It is a notion that rubs story editor Larry DiTillio the wrong way.







Captain Power was an attempt to cash in on the interactive television game market by Mattel. Some ships and playsets, when firing at the screen, would interact during various segments of the Saturday morning TV program. Video releases were available as well.

In 1988, a second and slightly more scarce series was released. The Dread Trooper and Dread Commander are still unconfirmed if they were ever released. Pictures of these figures were shown in the Mattel dealer catalog.



The first interactive toy and game for the series was a toy XT-7 jet with a video cassette. There were three tapes in all. "Future Force Training", "Bio Dread Strike Mission", and "Raid on Volcania". The tapes had openings and closings in live action with the cast of the television show. The actual mission itself was animated and took place in the jet cockpit from the pilot/player's point of view. Players would hold the toy jet and face the screen. The toy was actually a sort of light gun that responded to signals from the television playing the tape. The more you fired at appropriate targets on the screen, the more points the toy jet would rack up. The more times the sensor on the toy jet got "hit", the more points the jet would lose. Upon reaching zero points, the cockpit would eject automatically. The XT-7 also could interact with the live action television broadcast in the same manner. Since the "game" was only a VHS tape, the missions played out the same way all the time. Other interactive objects in this series were the "Phantom Stryker" Bio Dread ship, the "Interlocker Throne" for Lord Dred which consisted of a stationary tank on a tripod and an optional target viewer that could be taken on and off, and the "Power On" platform which one could plug the Captain Power figure into and whenever the transformation was triggered on screen or the base was fired at by one of the other vehicles, the toy would immediately trigger the "Power On" sequence causing the chest of the figure to glow.



Future Force Training

As you prepare for your flight training as one of the Soldiers of the Future, Captain Power himself takes you on a simulated flight mission aboard the PowerJet XT-7. This tape was included in some editions of the XT-7.



Bio Dread Strike Mission

This is the real thing ! Your target is a massive Bio Dread military industrial complex - which is manufacturing robotic troopers. Corporal Jennifer "Pilot" Chase and Captain Jonathan Power will be flying with you. Human survivors are depending on you!



Raid on Volcania

Soaron is leading the attack, backed up by hundreds of Interlockers and Phantom Striker jets ! Captain Power, Major Hawk Masterson, Corporal Pilot Chase and you - seem to be hopelessly outnumbered. In desperation, the team targets the battle computers in Volcania.