 Blackstar promotional poster - For other uses, see Black Star.
The animated television series Blackstar was a science fantasy epic, sometimes reported as a product inspired by the immense popularity of the 1980s Thundarr the Barbarian. It was produced by Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott for Filmation. The series was Filmation's second fantasy epic, the first being tucked neatly in as a segment of Tarzan and Tarzan and the Super 7, The Freedom Force. Image File history File links BlackStarPoster. ...
Image File history File links BlackStarPoster. ...
Black Star could mean the following; Black star is another name for the phenomenon known as dark stars or black holes. ...
Animation refers to the process in which each frame of a film or movie is produced individually, whether generated as a computer graphic, or by photographing a drawn image, or by repeatedly making small changes to a model (see claymation and stop motion), and then photographing the result. ...
The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ...
Thundarr the Barbarian was a Saturday morning animated cartoon show, produced by Ruby-Spears Productions. ...
Lou Scheimer was one of the original founders of Filmation animation-company and also an executive producer of many of its cartoons (though only by name due to standardized crediting in most toons, Hal Sutherland received similar treatment). ...
Norman Prescott, was co-founder and executive producer at Filmation Studios. ...
The first Filmation logo. ...
The Super 7 is a well known, and sponsored, group of individuals who are hardcore and never bring that weak shit. ...
Story
John Blackstar was an astronaut from a future version of Earth who had been swept through a black hole and stranded on the planet Sagar, where magic and sword and sorcery still ruled the day. Together with his allies, the Trobbits, Klone (a shape-shifting elfin companion), the dragon Warlock, and Mara the Sorceress, Blackstar battled the cruel Overlord, a ruthless Ming-like oppressor, who ruled by the might of the Powersword, one half of the Powerstar, an immensely powerful weapon. Fortunately, Blackstar possessed its other half, the Starsword, which kept the Overlord and his dark minions in check. Ming the Merciless is a fictional character appearing in the Flash Gordon comic strip. ...
(From the opening sequence):
| | John Blackstar, astronaut, is swept through a black hole, into an ancient alien universe. Trapped on the planet Sagar, Blackstar is rescued by the tiny Trobbit people. In turn he joins their fight for freedom against the cruel Overlord who rules by the might of the Powerstar. The Powerstar is split into the Powersword and the Starsword. And so with Starsword in hand, Blackstar together with his allies, sets out to save the planet Sagar. This is his destiny. "I am John Blackstar". | | Image File history File links Cquote1. ...
Image File history File links Cquote2. ...
Future Earth Very little is known about Blackstar's Earth. The technology is quite advanced, as evidenced by Blackstar's "photon-based" ship and Katana's "fusion-drive" timeship capable of multidimensional travel. At this point, it seems that NASA was taken over by a new organization since neither Blackstar nor Katana bear any such insignia. The word light is defined here as electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength; thus, X-rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet light, microwaves, radio waves, and visible light are all forms of light. ...
Fusion typically refers to the merging of two or more entities into a single one: In physics and technology nuclear fusion is the combination of two atomic nuclei into a single nucleus, usually the isotopes of hydrogen, Deuterium and Tritium. ...
NASA Insignia Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ...
Planet Sagar Beyond the supposed black hole (which acts more like an interdimensional wormhole of some sort), there's an "alternative" universe where planet Sagar is located. Despite its atmospheric similarity with Earth, the world is also very different from ours, inhabited by many alien species. A black hole is an object predicted by general relativity[1] with a gravitational field so strong that nothing can escape it — not even light. ...
analogy to a wormhole in a curved 2D space (see Embedding Diagram) Artists impression of a wormhole as seen by an observer crossing the event horizon of a Schwarzschild wormhole, which is similar to a Schwarzschild black hole but with the singularity replaced by an unstable path to a...
The Sagar Tree, a mystical place, is ruled by the peaceful pink-skinned Trobbits (tree hobbits): Balkar - The king and the mentor; also a great alchemist. Rif - the grumpy, flame capped one. Terra - the gardener. Burbil - the babbler. Carpo - the carpenter. Poulo - the mute whistler Gossamer - the huge-eared flying one, resembling Dumbo. This is one fans idea of a typical Hobbit. ...
Dumbo is the fourth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. ...
It seems that the Trobbits can tap their magic into the forcefield which lies behind the Sagar Tree. Likely, many sorcerers and magical creatures on Sagar can draw energy from a mysterious source set in a parallel plane.
Blackstar John's race is not specified in the series, though often speculated that he could have Native American heritage (predating the other popular Filmation series Bravestarr by roughly six years). Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ...
Bravestarr and his sidekick Thirty/Thirty BraveStarr was an animated space western made for children. ...
As an astronaut, Blackstar might have been extensively trained in many fields. He's very witty and intelligent to the point where he often prefers to outsmart his opponent rather than rely only on physical talents, although his constant contact with the Starsword gives him superhuman athletic abilities and invulnerability for when all else fails. U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit (MMU) outside the Challenger in 1984. ...
Blackstar has no apparent problems adapting to the alien environment, sporting barbarian-fashioned clothes and developing a special "affinity" with the Starsword.
Starsword, Powersword, and the Powerstar The Starsword is able to absorb, store and reflect any external form of energy attack and, as the other half of the Powerstar, is virtually indestructible. It can also produce blasts of pure energy which, adequately focused on the target, can result in its destruction.
The weapon generates an invisible "aura" which imbues Blackstar with superhuman senses, strength, endurance, reflexes, speed, agility and to a certain extent also invulnerability to harm and extreme temperatures, as seen in several episodes. Presumably the Overlord's Powersword confers similar abilities, but as he is a powerful magician in his own right, this is not clear.
For a brief time in the episode 'Spacewrecked', the Starsword and the Powersword are re-united into the Powerstar.
Blackstar's fate In the sixth episode, 'Spacewrecked', Blackstar was briefly reached by his former Earth girlfriend, Lieutenant Katana, who managed to locate him through traces of the "photonic particles" left by the ship. She spent some time on Sagar before a misadventure with the Overlord forced her to leave the planet without having a chance to rescue Blackstar. No further attempts were depicted on the show, and as such Katana did not appear in any other episodes, although the story ended with her asking a superior for permission to organize an armed rescue mission.
Tidbits and Trivia - Originally conceived as an African American character, CBS decided that audiences were not quite ready for this and imposed a number of additional changes to the initial concept.
- The pink-skinned Trobbits were originally intended to be blue, until the producers got wind of the then-upcoming Smurfs series.
- The premiere was on September 12th, 1981 and the entire series original run lasted until 1982. After its cancellation, it was re-run in 1983-1984 on the heels of He-Man's popularity. Despite favorable ratings, plans for a second season were scrapped.
An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ...
CBS (an abbreviation for Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name) is one of the largest television networks, and formerly one of the largest radio networks, in the United States. ...
The Smurfs (Les Schtroumpfs in French) are a fictional race of small blue creatures who live in a forest somewhere in Europe. ...
Portal:Currentevents September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ...
He-Man as seen in a DC comic from December, 1982, one of his earliest appearances and preceding the debut of his animated series. ...
Episode guide - Search for the Starsword (the first episode to air, though not the first episode scripted).
- City of the Ancient Ones
- The Lord of Time
- The Mermaid of the Serpent Sea
- The Quest
- Spacewrecked
- Lightning City of the Clouds
- The Kingdom of Neptul
- Tree of Evil
- The Air Whales of Anchar
- The Overlord's Big Spell
- The Crown of the Sorceress
- The Zombie Master
Toys Galoob brought out action figures in 1983-1985, after the show's cancellation, attempting to tap into the He-Man boom, even adding "laser lights" versions with stone-sparking action. Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. ...
Each of the figures in the line was available with or without the "laser light" action. Evil characters were packaged with demons; good characters were packaged with Trobbits. The Trobbit Gossamear was the hardest to find.
Voice cast John Blackstar - George DiCenzo; Mara - Linda Gary; The Overlord/Carpo - Alan Oppenheimer; Klone/Balkar/Terra - Patrick Pinney; Gossamear/Burble/Rif - Frank Welker. George DiCenzo is a character actor and once associate producer for Dark Shadows. ...
Linda Gary (November 4, 1944-October 5, 1995) was a voice-over artist for countless animated projects. ...
Alan Oppenheimer (born April 23, 1930 in New York City, New York) is an American voice-actor who has had an active career in cartoons since the 1940s. ...
Patrick Pinney has done voice-overs for animated cartoons, including Mighty Mouse in the short-lived Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures (1987-1988), Chico the Bouncer in Cool World (1992) and Painty the Pirate in SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-present). ...
Frank Welker Franklin W. Welker (born February 16, 1945) is an American voice actor. ...
DVD release Blackstar was released on DVD on August 22, 2006, under the name Blackstar: The Complete Series. The package features all the 13 episodes (restored and remastered), plus other extras.
External links - Blackstar Unlimited - Extensive fansite.
- The Unofficial Sagarese Gift Catalog - Fansite, featuring episode reviews, screen captures, storyboards, deleted scenes, special files, and much more.
- Blackstar: Return to Sagar - The one and only message board devoted to the hero and his world.
- Blackstar at the Internet Movie Database
- Entertainment Rights - Rights holder of Blackstar
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