Captain Power

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future was a 1987 television series that ran for 22 episodes. It was produced with the release of a set of interactive toys. 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.

The storyline was set on Earth in the 22nd century following the Metal Wars, which had resulted in the subjugation of humanity by intelligent machines. Captain Jonathan Power and a small group of guerilla fighters battle the evil machine forces that dominate a future Earth.

Story

By the year 2132 advanced robotic soldiers known as Biomechs replaced human soldiers in the armed forces of the world´s nations. The existence of Biomechs meant that wars could be fought without significant loss of human lives, thus transforming the concept of war into a nearly harmless battle between machines. Wars became an every-day event. A group of scientists, led by Dr. Stuart Gordon Power, began working on an advanced supercomputer capable of overriding the control systems employed by the militaries of the world to operate the Biomechs, and stop them, bringing an end to war.

This supercomputer, known as OverMind, required an equivalent to human brain patterns to become operational. Dr. Power´s closest associate, Lyman Taggart, became impatient with the slow pace of the project and hooked himself up to OverMind, using his own brain patterns to bring the supercomputer to operational status.

Both Taggart and OverMind were changed by the experience. Taggart became obsessed with the precision and ¨perfection¨ of machines, and convinced himself that the next step in human evolution involved the merging of human consciousness in perfect mechanic bodies. OverMind became sentient, and shared Taggart´s beliefs. Using OverMind to take control of Biomech armies throughout the world, Taggart launched a crusade to bring his vision to life. In mere months, the world was devastated by the Metal Wars, an apocalyptic conflict between Taggart´s machine legions and the rest of humanity.

Desperate, the world governments turned to Dr. Power to find a way to stop Taggart. He developed the ¨Power Suits¨, exoskeletal armors coupled with advanced weapons. But before testing this new weapon, Dr. Power died trying to rescue his son Jonathan from Taggart. Taggart himself was severely wounded, and OverMind ¨repaired¨ him by transforming Taggart into a cyborg. Discarding his previous identity, Lyman Taggart became Lord Dread.

The year is 2147. Fifteen years have passed since the beginning of the Metal Wars. Humanity was largely annihilated by Lord Dread´s forces. Those who survived live miserable existences hiding from Dread´s forces. To bring his ideal, Dread turned to ¨digitize¨ human beings, storing them within OverMind. His armies roam the world seeking humans to digitize. These Biomech armies are usually led by BioDreads, advanced sentient machines, or by human officers and troopers loyal to Dread, who controls the world from his headquarters in Volcania, somewhere in North America.

There are still human resistance groups that battle Dread´s empire. Some are mere bands, and there is at least one major resistance network (the East Coast Resistance). The most famous of these groups is the one known as the ¨Soldiers of the Future¨, led by Dr. Power´s son Jonathan.

Holding the rank of Captain, Jonathan Power leads a group of five soldiers against Dread´s forces. His soldiers use the Power Suits developed by the late Dr. Power, making them far more effective in dealing with the Biomechs.

During the first (and only) season of the show there was an ongoing story arc involving ¨Project New Order¨; Lord Dread´s plan to eradicate human life and develop his ideal world. This plan consisted of four stages: Styx (the release of a powerful toxin into the human population), Charon (the creation of an army of advanced BioDreads), Icarus (the construction of a massive orbital platform capable of digitizing the population of entire continents at once) and Prometheus (the release of a plasma storm capable of scorching the surface of Earth).

The cast

• Tim Dunigan .... Capt. Jonathan Power
  • Master of the incredible powersuits, which transform each soldier into a one-man attack force.
• Peter MacNeill .... Maj. Matthew 'Hawk' Masterson
  • Fighter in the sky.
• Sven-Ole Thorsen .... Lt. Michael 'Tank' Ellis
  • Ground assault unit.
• Maurice Dean Wint .... Sgt. Robert 'Scout' Baker
  • Espionage and communications.
• Jessica Steen .... Cpl. Jennifer 'Pilot' Chase
  • Tactical systems expert.