G-Force: Guardians of Space
G-Force: Guardians of Space (1986) is the second American adaptation of the anime Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972), following Sandy Frank Entertainment's Battle of the Planets (1978) and preceding ADV Films' 2005 Gatchaman. Five teenagers, Ace Goodheart, Dirk Daring, Agatha June, Pee Wee and Hoot Owl, battle Galactor and Computor to defend Earth.
As Battle of the Planets wound down in the mid-1980s, Sandy Frank Entertainment partnered with Turner Broadcasting to make a more faithful Gatchaman adaptation, feasible thanks to the relaxed television standards of the Reagan era. Turner brought in Fred Ladd (known for Astro Boy, Gigantor, Kimba the White Lion) to produce it through his company Sparklin' Entertainment. Two test pilots were approved and production began in autumn 1986. Sandy Frank kept the copyright and international rights; Turner Program Services and King Features Entertainment held limited distribution and syndication rights.
Unlike Battle of the Planets, none of its American additions (7-Zark-7, 1-Rover-1, space-travel framing) were kept. Most plot, violence and deaths were retained, only softened where too explicit. Composer Dean Andre wrote a new score, kept some original 1970s music, and filled silent stretches with new cues, chiefly a repetitive synth instrumental derived from the theme song.
G-Force followed the original Gatchaman order, skipping only episodes 81 and 86, for 85 dubbed episodes. It never adapted the final 18, darker episodes, leaving no proper ending; reasons are unclear (contract limits, budget, or unsuitability for children). The two pilot episodes (Gatchaman #18 and #87) uniquely used all-new Dean Andre music rather than the original score, later abandoned. Between both US dubs, 99 of 105 Gatchaman episodes were adapted; ADV's 2005 release finally covered all 105.
Character names were newly Americanised rather than reused from Battle of the Planets. The heroes became Ace Goodheart (Mark), Dirk Daring (Jason), Agatha June (Princess), Pee Wee (Keyop), Hoot Owl (Tiny), and Dr. Brighthead (Chief Anderson); the villains became Galactor (Zoltar) and Computor (The Great Spirit). Only "G-Force" and "Phoenix" carried over from the earlier dub.
Pee Wee stayed close to the original child character Jinpei, unlike Battle of the Planets's altered Keyop. The Galactor–Computor relationship shifted from subordinate/master to master/consultant, partly due to religious objections to the "Great Spirit" framing. G-Force also had no episode title cards, unlike its predecessors.
It was produced and voice-directed by Fred Ladd; additional music by Dean Andre; post-production by Bruce Austin Productions; edited by Kurt Tiegs. Rights now belong to Sandy Frank Entertainment.
The voice cast is Sam Fontana (Ace Goodheart), Cam Clarke (Dirk Daring/Red Impulse), Barbara Goodson (Agatha June/Pee Wee), Jan Rabson and Gregg Berger (Hoot Owl/Dr. Brighthead/Computor, split), Bill Capizzi (Galactor), Norm Prescott (announcer).
TBS run (1986): G-Force quietly premiered on WTBS in July 1987, airing for only a week before disappearing, likely to satisfy a contractual requirement ahead of international sales. It was then syndicated abroad while the US had no Gatchaman adaptation for eight years.
Cartoon Network run (1995–1997; 2000; 2004): buoyed by the success of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, G-Force properly debuted on Cartoon Network on 2 January 1995 alongside James Bond Jr., airing all 85 episodes. It was Cartoon Network's first anime, ahead of Robot Carnival, Vampire Hunter D and Twilight of the Cockroaches, and, with Speed Racer, helped pave the way for Toonami (1997). It moved to late-night/weekend slots in 1996 and was cancelled in mid-1997 for Toonami. Brief reruns followed in 2000 and 2004.
Since ADV's uncut Gatchaman is now the more accurate adaptation, a full G-Force boxset is considered unlikely. Sandy Frank Entertainment lost distribution rights around 2007; these were reacquired by Sentai Filmworks, which has released the ADV dub and streamed Battle of the Planets, but has no plans to reissue G-Force. Only 13 of the 85 episodes have appeared on home video, across The Best of G-Force (Rhino, 2004, seven uncut episodes out of order), the eponymous G-Force: Guardians of Space (PAL DVD, 2003, first three episodes), and Battle of the Planets Volumes 1–6 (Rhino, 2001–02, one G-Force episode per volume as an extra).
