Plot in a nutshell: Think of this as being like an animated version of Joss Whedon's "Firefly" if told from the POV of the Alliance, in this case, the Galaxy Rangers, led by Zachary Fox (Foxx?), fight for truth, justice and freedom in the rough and tumble wild west frontier, which includes, in addition to the usual corrupt corporate types and petty criminals, the evil Queen of the Crown, who seeks to enslave all via her psycho-crystals.
What is there to say about this series that the other reviews haven't said about this space opera inspired by both classic and spaghetti westerns with a little samurai thrown in for good measure? It's certainly not your average 80s cartoon - there aren't as many designated "moral of the story" moments, the characters (telepathic Niko, med-tech Walter "Doc" Hartford and super soldier Shane Gooseman/Goose) aren't quite as interchangeable as they were in say GI Joe or Transformers, the animation is far more consistent in quality than many other cartoons of the time period (even the episodes with weaker animation look better than average), and while the show is not without its goofier moments or elements, there's also a great deal of nightmare fuel for an 80s series, such as Zachary Fox's beloved wife Eliza being imprisoned in a psycho- crystal in the series very pilot (leaving him to raise the kids alone), along with a later episode where his own cyborg arm is corrupted and tries to kill him. Such darker elements help to distinguish the series from the usual "kinder, gentler" fare of the day.
This is not to say the show is flawless. One of its biggest weaknesses, maybe its biggest weakness, is the voice acting. While not as hammy and over the top as other shows of the time period it's also not as nuanced or as natural as many shows made after 1992. Truth be told, it often sounds like the actors are merely reading the dialogue without actually acting it (this is usually most apparent and most jarring in scenes where the characters have to yell or even just raise their voices ever so slightly), like some of the older English dubs of Japanese anime. Apparently this was due to the show's animation being done before the dialogue had actually been recorded, thus forcing the actors to "loop" their dialogue against pre-established lip movements instead of recording for animation that would be timed to match them. The late Jerry Orbach, who voiced Zachary Fox, fares best of the assembled talents (which also included Thundercats/Silverhawk alums Doug Preis as Shane and Earl Hammond as Captain Kidd among others) due to his prior film experience, but even he had moments where his delivery fell flat.
The writing is not without its speed bumps either. Zachary's wife having her life force trapped in a psycho crystal and his quest to free her from it, something that should be a defining aspect of his character, is almost never touched on (though "Psycho-Crypt" goes to some creepy places with it) as Zachary spends much of the series in "just another day at the office mode", and sadly this story-line is never resolved. The C-3P0 style robot, Buzz-Wang, often feels out of place with the tone of the show, some of the sillier episodes (such as one where the Galaxy Rangers infiltrate a battle of the bands contest) are more awkward than funny, and in the last few episodes we're actually expected to believe that the mysterious Shane Gooseman, who looks to be in his mid- 30s (he was based on Clint Eastwood) is only 19. I know that's nitpicking but it's still surprisingly ridiculous given the rest of the show.
I know that devoting two paragraphs to the show's lesser points sounds like I'm trying to tear it down, but I'm not. It's still an interesting relic from a bygone era and still worth a look - if you don't mind each disc being three hours long of course. Did I forget to mention it has some rather awesome music?
What is there to say about this series that the other reviews haven't said about this space opera inspired by both classic and spaghetti westerns with a little samurai thrown in for good measure? It's certainly not your average 80s cartoon - there aren't as many designated "moral of the story" moments, the characters (telepathic Niko, med-tech Walter "Doc" Hartford and super soldier Shane Gooseman/Goose) aren't quite as interchangeable as they were in say GI Joe or Transformers, the animation is far more consistent in quality than many other cartoons of the time period (even the episodes with weaker animation look better than average), and while the show is not without its goofier moments or elements, there's also a great deal of nightmare fuel for an 80s series, such as Zachary Fox's beloved wife Eliza being imprisoned in a psycho- crystal in the series very pilot (leaving him to raise the kids alone), along with a later episode where his own cyborg arm is corrupted and tries to kill him. Such darker elements help to distinguish the series from the usual "kinder, gentler" fare of the day.
This is not to say the show is flawless. One of its biggest weaknesses, maybe its biggest weakness, is the voice acting. While not as hammy and over the top as other shows of the time period it's also not as nuanced or as natural as many shows made after 1992. Truth be told, it often sounds like the actors are merely reading the dialogue without actually acting it (this is usually most apparent and most jarring in scenes where the characters have to yell or even just raise their voices ever so slightly), like some of the older English dubs of Japanese anime. Apparently this was due to the show's animation being done before the dialogue had actually been recorded, thus forcing the actors to "loop" their dialogue against pre-established lip movements instead of recording for animation that would be timed to match them. The late Jerry Orbach, who voiced Zachary Fox, fares best of the assembled talents (which also included Thundercats/Silverhawk alums Doug Preis as Shane and Earl Hammond as Captain Kidd among others) due to his prior film experience, but even he had moments where his delivery fell flat.
The writing is not without its speed bumps either. Zachary's wife having her life force trapped in a psycho crystal and his quest to free her from it, something that should be a defining aspect of his character, is almost never touched on (though "Psycho-Crypt" goes to some creepy places with it) as Zachary spends much of the series in "just another day at the office mode", and sadly this story-line is never resolved. The C-3P0 style robot, Buzz-Wang, often feels out of place with the tone of the show, some of the sillier episodes (such as one where the Galaxy Rangers infiltrate a battle of the bands contest) are more awkward than funny, and in the last few episodes we're actually expected to believe that the mysterious Shane Gooseman, who looks to be in his mid- 30s (he was based on Clint Eastwood) is only 19. I know that's nitpicking but it's still surprisingly ridiculous given the rest of the show.
I know that devoting two paragraphs to the show's lesser points sounds like I'm trying to tear it down, but I'm not. It's still an interesting relic from a bygone era and still worth a look - if you don't mind each disc being three hours long of course. Did I forget to mention it has some rather awesome music?