Cavern of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) (TV Movie Review)

  Star Wars is undeniably one of my favorite long running, and ever expanding franchises of all time, and my love for it all began in 1997, when I saw the original “Star Wars” trilogy for the first time, during the theatrical run of the special additions. However, upon watching "Return of the Jedi" for the first time, and noticing the Ewok's in the film, I was surprised to discover that I had actually been introduced to the universe of Star Wars before I even knew what Star Wars was. That’s right, before I saw any of the original trilogy, I saw the 1984, live action, made for TV movie titled “Cavern of Courage: An Ewok Adventure”. 

At the time, I was introduced to several cult favorite fantasy films including “The Never Ending Story”, “Labyrinth” and “The Dark Crystal”, and this film didn’t feel all that different. “Cavern of Courage: An Ewok Adventure” premiered on ABC back in 1984, and as the title would suggest, it stars the furry Ewok characters that were previously featured in "Return of the Jedi". Lucas had allowed his Star Wars Universe to be produced for TV 6 years earlier with “The Star Wars Holiday Special”, which was a huge embarrassment to him. So, Lucas assumed full control over the content and production in “The Ewok Adventure” to ensure that it had good quality. The result is a film that’s far more like a fantasy adventure, and aimed more to little kids than any of the theatrical Star Wars movies. Back when I was a kid, I adored this movie and rented it from my local video store all the time. However, it hasn't exactly aged as well as other gems from my childhood. So, let’s take a look back, and see how much of it holds up today.

  The film is supposedly set between the events of the animated “Star Wars Ewoks” TV series and “Return of the Jedi”, however, there really isn’t much continuity between the two. Here’s the set-up, after a family crashes their ship on the forest moon of Endor, two siblings named Cyndal and Mace find themselves separated from their parents, who’ve been captured by a giant monster called the Gorax. The two kids are soon approached by the fun loving Ewoks, who take pity on the two, and welcome them into their tribe. After Cyndal and Mace befriend the Ewoks, they set out on a quest across the planet to rescue their missing parents. Along the way they encounter savage beasts, and other magical obstacles. It’s more or less what you’d expect from a fantasy adventure, just with a an unfortunate lack of real epic excitement.   

  It’s interesting that of all the different Star Wars characters that could have gotten a standalone movie, they’d make one staring the Ewoks, who most fans were really annoyed with back in “Return of the Jedi”. Personally, I kind of liked the Ewoks, mostly due to my nostalgia for this film. The most recognizable of them obviously is Wicket (that’s the Ewok who helped Princess Leia) played once again by Warwick Davis. Technically, he’s the closest we get to having an iconic Star Wars character in the film. Surprisingly, Wicket is actually given less attention than some of the other Ewoks. If your one of the few people who liked the Ewok characters, than the film does provide a good incite on their culture, their weapons, magic talismans and life style, which is kind of neat. There’s actually a nice variety of different Ewok characters, some of which were featured in the animated “Star Wars Ewoks” TV series that ran around the same time. There’s a warrior Ewok that wealds an ax, and there’s even an Ewok wizard with a magic scepter.  

  The main human characters unfortunately are nothing special, and can be a little irritating at times. If there was anything more wooden then the forest setting ... it would be these performances. The child actress playing Cyndal is arguably the best of the bunch, as she's a kid acting for the first time, so I can excuse some of her more awkward moments. The actor playing her older brother Mace unfortunately is really obnoxious. To be fare, he’s at least tying to emote, and kudos to him for keeping it together while surrounded by actors dressed in teddy bear costumes, but he just goes way too over the top on his delivery, and his voice isn’t the most pleasing to listen to. There are also a few little nods to Star Wars that are welcome additions. Maces gun for example makes the same sound effect the storm trooper weapons made, and his outfit is an obvious nod to Luke Skywalker's X-Wing uniform.   

  The movie itself moves at a slow and simple pace, which can be really boring if you’re not in the right mind set ... or if you didn't grow-up with it. The film was shot on location in the California Red Woods, which dose provide some nice scenery, and I do like that we see more of the Endor planet, including a barren desert, caves and a mountain range, as opposed to just the woods. As for the actual adventure that our hero’s impark on ... well, don’t expect “Lord of the Rings”. To be fair, some of the locations and obstacles they encounter are pretty inventive. There’s a lake that traps people under water, they have to cross a giant spider’s web, and a lot of the creatures they encounter are a lot of fun, in that cheap B movie fashion. We have saber-tooth wolves, an Eel living in a tree, a little flying Pixie creature that reminds me of Tinkerbell, and some of these creature effects are actually quite impressive by TV standards. The production overall honestly looks quiet decent for it's time and budget. However, there are still plenty of cheap effects and silly monsters, including these giant spiders that look unbelievably fake. These spiders actually have cool alien designs, but their so cheap looking, and they move like marionettes.

  The highlight of the whole movie by far is the climax, when our hero’s battle the giant cave creature called the Gorax, who’s holding the parents captive. This monster is awesome, in fact he’s easily one of the coolest creatures to come from the Star Wars franchise. I love the design, the creature makeup is fantastic, and it effectively looks and feels like a giant monster. While most of the monsters in this film look obviously fake, this Gorax still holds-up very well, and it’s a genuine thrill whenever it’s on screen. In the end, the family all comes together, and decent, albeit basic life-lessons are shared. 

  So, that’s “Cavern of Courage: An Ewok Adventure”, and while I honestly have a soft, little nostalgic spot for it, I can’t really call it a great movie either. A lot of it is dated, with its silly overtone, standard story, mediocre impressive effects, and less then stealer acting. It’s not a film that that I’d highly recommend, but it’s still a perfectly harmless family film all the same. I think kids can still enjoy it on some level, I know I loved this when I was younger, and it’s not without some highlights. It can get a little imaginative, the creatures are still cool, and it's always a treat on some surface level to see the universe of "Star Wars" explored further. I'd say it's the "Star Wars" movie I love the least, and doesn't have as much re-watch value in my adult years ... but it's not a terrible movie either. If your a little kid, or a fan determined to watch every "Star Wars" spin-off under the sun, then give it a single viewing ... I'd say it's worth that much. 

 

Thanks for reading my review of the 1984 spin-off  “Cavern of Courage: An Ewok Adventure” ... and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!  

    Stay Tuned because next I'll review the 1985 squeal titled "Ewoks: The Battle for Endor".

Star Wars Ewoks (1985 - 1886) (TV Show Review)

      Continuing Star Wars month on my site, we’ll be picking up where my last post left off and looking at the second animated Star Wars series titled “Star Wars Ewoks”. This show also premiered in 1985, but it lasted till 1986, it had two full seasons, and a total of 35 episodes, so this show got to stick around longer than its predecessor. Now do to its lack of popular characters, obvious look and tone that’s geared more to little children and coming off the heels of “Star Wars Droids”, you’d probably think this show is inferior or one of the worst things to come from the Star Wars universe, right? Well, surprise, this show isn’t just better then “Star Wars Droids”, it’s actually a pretty good cartoon on its own. Obviously of all the Star Wars spin off’s, this show has the least to do with Star Wars. It honestly feels like its own stand alone series, it has to be viewed on its own because if you compare it to anything else in the Star Wars universe, you’ll probably hate this. It’s no masterpiece or anything really timeless, but in regards to what kind of shows are good for kids to watch, this Ewok show is perfectly harmless.   

     The series takes place before the events of “Star Wars 6: Return of the Jedi”, and supposedly it takes place before the events of the two live action Ewok movies from the 80’s because many of the Ewok characters that died in those films are featured in this show, also the Ewoks have had no contact with humans yet. On that note, if you’ve seen either of the live action Ewok movies, you may recognize some of the creatures, magical talismans and characters featured in those films. Also this show sticks closer to a fantasy setting, with creatures that seem more fitting for a fairy tale rather than an alien word. There’s also a lot more magic in this world, including mystical items, prophecies, and there’s even a wizard character named Master Logray, who's kind of like the Ewok version of Gandalf the Grey from “Lord of the Rings”. I love the animation in this show, it’s colorful and detailed which only livens up its magical setting. Everything still takes place on the forest moon of Endor, the only difference is that this series takes full advantage of its setting by showing us far more then what the movies delivered. Every episode is a new adventure for four young Ewok hero’s who are the focus of the show. That’s basically the premise of the series in a nutshell, the four young Ewoks will be having a regular day at home, than another adventure will start up before they know it, usually with some kind of moral or life lesson involved. Other times, they need to protect the forest from danger and subtly tie in a “Protect the Environment” message. Think of “Gummy Bears” meets “Ferngully: The Last Rainforest”, that’s more of less what you get with this show.   

     The Ewok characters are your classic childish arc types, but very likable in their own simplistic way. There the kind of characters that most kids love to fantasize themselves as, which is adventurous, brave, innocent and going on a new adventure every day. Our lead hero is none other than Wicket, who was featured as the main Ewok in both live action movies, and of course in “Return of the Jedi”. He’s a high spirited youth who wants nothing more than to be a great warrior like his older family members. As you’d expect, his love for adventure usually gets him and his friends into trouble, but he’s still an innocent, and knows how to make amends for his actions. It’s interesting to note that this show addresses his full name, Wicket W. Warrick. I’d like to think that his last name Warrick is a tribute to Warwick Davis, the actor who played Wicket in “Return of the Jedi”. At his side is Wicket’s best friend named Teebo, he’s the voice of reason that balances out Wickets recklessness, but he somehow gets himself into just as much trouble. As the series progresses, he becomes an apprentice to the wizard Logray, making him the only one of the four young Ewok cubs that knows magic. 

   

       Of course we need to have a village princess, and in this show it’s Princess Kneesaa who has an albino fur coat, and is always dressed in bright pink. As you’d expect, she’s the heart and soul of the group, always conveying words of wisdom to her friends, and is always there for moral support. I have to say, I really like that she and Wicket are best friends, but they have no romantic interest in one another. That’s so rare to just have a boy and girl be friends, while most other shows feel the need to force their characters into complicated relationships. Throughout the first season she was voiced by Cree Summer, who had previously supplied the voice of Princess Gerin in “Star Wars Droids”, and would later be the voice of Jedi master Luminara on “Star Wars Clone Wars”. She certainly has a voice that’s just fitting for a dignified princess, in fact she was also the voice of Princess Kida from Disney’s “Atlantis: The Lost Empire”. Our fourth and final Ewok cub is another girl named Latara, who’s the polar opposite of the Princess. She’s more of a stick in the mud, mostly thinks of herself and her own greedy interests. But, like all the other characters, she still has her shining moments which prove that she has a good heart, despite her short comings.

      The villains in the show changed frequently, more often than not the adversary is an evil witch or a phantasm with a color scheme of purple and black. The most frequent reoccurring villains in the show were a rival tribe called the Duloks, who kind of look like the Grinch if he was a cannibal. Needless to say, their pretty stupid villains, their voices are annoying, their antics are silly, heck they actually make those stupid battle droids from “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” look threatening by comparison, which I don’t say lightly.  

     It’s probably best to look at each season on its own and highlight some of the episodes, as well as changes between the two seasons. Unlike “Star Wars Droids”, this show really didn’t have any story arch’s, it was mostly just self contained episodes. However, there were a series of episodes that revolved around an evil Tulgah Witch named Morag, who’s an old rival of the wizard Logray. She’s actually a pretty cool villain, with a sinister voice and awesome shape-shifting powers. Morag became the main villain of season 1, however, at the end of the season, she challenges Logray to a wizard dual, which was actually really cool. In the end, Logray is victories and Morag is killed, yes, a villain actually dies in a children’s program, that doesn’t happen to often. All her episodes were edited together to make an animated movie titled “Ewoks: The Haunted Village”, which was definitely season one’s biggest highlight. The worst thing about this season by far was the opening theme song, my gosh, it was terrible. The lyrics were bad, the melody was annoying, and it’s one of those openings that would more likely turn people away from the show rather then entice them to sit down and watch an episode.        

                                   

     Season 2 made some huge changes with the show, some changes were for the better, while others weren’t as good. The first positive change to note is that the new opening theme song was a huge improvement, it’s not one of the best intro theme songs or anything that special, but at least the melody was charming, I like how the characters were introduced, and the clip montage definitely got me excited for the episode to come. I especially like the new design changes that the characters went through, for example, back in season one, Wicket wore an orange hood like the one he had in the live action movies, but now his hood is a bright green color. Other characters like Teebo and Latara went through some major design changes, originally Teebo had a brown fur coat, and Latara’s coat was dark grey, but for this season both their fur coats have a white creamy look. Another big change is that most episodes went from a run time of twenty minutes to ten minutes in length, which meant featuring two back to back episodes in the half hour time slot. The biggest change was the new voice cast, seriously hardly any of the same voice actors reprised their roles from the previous season. Some of the new voice actors were really good replacements, while others were inferior by comparison. One voice change I didn’t like at all was with Princess Kneesaa, back in season one Cree Summer supplied her with a voice that was sweet but it also made her sound smarter than her age would suggest. In this season, she has a much softer, Mini-Mouse like voice which wasn’t terrible, but definitely a step back from before.     

    I must confess, some of the ideas in this show were rather creative, and dare I say a little exciting. For example, in the episode titled “A Gift for Shodu”, Wicket needs to get a special birthday present for her mother, which sounds like a simple, boring premise at first, but then things suddenly get interesting. Wicket and friends soon find themselves exploring a temple right out of an Indiana Jones adventure, complete with booby traps and a treasure chamber guarded by a dragon. At first they seem successful in getting some treasure for Wicket’s mother, but the diamonds are later revealed to be dragon eggs, which also get the attention of the enemy tribe, the Duloks. That’s just one example of how this show could take a basic concept, and turn it into something fun. Another really great episode is the season 1 finally titled “Asha”. In this episode we learn that Princess Kneesaa actually has quite a tragic back story, her mother was murdered by a savage forest creature, and her sister was lost in the woods for years, that’s not the kind of content you usually get in a children’s program. The princess soon learns that her sister is still alive in the woods, so she and her best friend Wicket set out on a journey to find her. It all leads to a surprisingly touching ending, in fact, it might just be the most heartwarming episode of the whole series.    

       My favorite episode is titled “Battle for the Sunstar”, which set the stage for the events to come in “Return of the Jedi”. In other words, the Empire make their first and only appearance in the series. In this exciting episode, an evil doctor seeks to steal the Ewoks magical sun stone in order to defeat the Emperor and rule the Empire. Now Wicket and his friends join forces with a little robot to reclaim their stolen talisman, and along the way they learn a valuable lesson in helping others. That’s all good, but it’s really my favorite episode because it’s the closest the show ever gets to feeling like classic Star Wars. Seeing storm troopers, Ti-Fighters and star destroyers in the Ewoks series is thrilling, and it’s also a real treat to have an episode set in outer space, and on a space ship. One minor complaint is that the Emperor is mentioned throughout the episode, there’s even a moment when an officer says he arrived on a shuttle, but we never actually see him. Wouldn’t that have been awesome if the Emperor made an appearance in this show, oh well, this is still a great episode, with a subtle message and lots of battles with the Empire.       

     Now for every good episode in this series, there was also a really boring one, or one that might have been a little too silly for its own good. However, when this show was bad, it’s was bad in a rather harmless and forgettable way. When the show was good, it was actually quiet good. It’s very important to remember who the target audience is for this show, and to only judge it on those terms. Obviously “Star Wars Ewoks” is geared directly to children more than anything else in the Star Wars saga, and many long time fans can get really picky about that. For example, when Disney bought out Star Wars, there was an outcry from fans who thought that the series was going to be far more child friendly then it already was. Well, in my defense for “Star Wars Ewoks”, this show really isn’t targeted to fans to the series, this is a TV show aimed for kids that just happens to take place in the Star Wars universe. But then again, I think most people would know what to expect from a show like this. It’s not on the same level of the original Star Wars trilogy or the new Clone Wars series, but being targeted to young viewers doesn’t make a show bad either. On the level of children’s programming, this is a perfectly good show, in fact I really wish kids had more shows like this today.    

    Overall, the show was nothing out of the box, but considering how bad children’s TV shows have gotten, this is the kind of series I’d prefer my kids to be watching. It’s not brain food for the mind or anything, but at the very least it can still spark the imagination in children, which is always great. It’s not one of my absolute favorite animated shows, nor is it one of the best things to come from the Star Wars expanded universe, but I do still like it. It’s cute, the characters are very likable, and it’s honestly fun to go on adventures with them. I suppose I do still have a warm little nostalgic spot for this show, but I don’t know how to recommend it. You really just need to be either young at heart or a long time Star Wars fan to appreciate this. Personally, even if I wasn’t a Star Wars fan, I’d still enjoy this on some level. Just know what you’re getting yourself into because this show can come off as really irritating, silly and annoying for some viewers, but for all the reasons stated above, I think it's good.  

                                          I give the TV show “Star Wars Ewoks” 3 stars out of 5.

    So those were the two 1980’s Star Wars cartoons, they were simple, enjoyable and harmless, however, things are going to improve immensely when I review the next stage of animated Star Wars TV shows.  

Star Wars Droids (1985-1986) (TV show Review)

  Continuing my “Star Wars” month, we’ll be looking at the franchises very first animated TV series titled “Star Wars Droids”. This show debuted in 1985, alongside another animated series titled “Star Wars Ewoks”, but I’ll talk about that one in a different review. This show first aired on ABC as part of the “Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour”, and is one of the more underrated, and less-known entries in the “Star Wars” cannon. I remember being really excited as a kid to see a “Star Wars” cartoon show, because that’s how it always was for me, if anything involved “Star Wars”, I was hipped. I can’t make a compelling argument that “Star Wars Droids” is a great show, or anything super-special, but for any hard core “Star Wars” fan, it’s worth a look. I do remember watching this show every now and then, and liking it okay, but let’s see how much of it really holds up after all these years.

  The series only ran for one season, with a total of 13 episodes, and one TV movie special. This makes it one of the shortest-running of all the “Star Wars” TV shows. The timeline setting is apparently prior to the events of “Star Wars 4: A New Hope”, because the Empire are still featured as villains, and there’s no sign of Rebels fighting them back. 

The show fallows the adventures of C-3PO and R2-D2 as they get themselves into one crazy space adventure after another. C-3PO and R2-D2 were already two of my favorite “Star Wars” characters, and I’m pleased to say that they were just as great in this show as they were in the movies. Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in the movies continued to provide the voice for C-3PO throughout the shows run. He has such a perfect voice for the character, and his friendship with R2-D2 is still a real joy that held this show together. There banter is still funny, and their bonding moments are genuinely touching. Even when an episode is bad, these two characters still made it worthwhile. 

The opening theme song of the series was called “Trouble Again”, and it perfectly sums up what C-3PO and R2-D2 go through in every episode. The song itself is one of those tunes you either love for nostalgic reasons, or you hate for its silly, kid friendly melody. Personally, I’m somewhere in the middle, as I find the song to be incredibly cheesy, yet kind of delightful in its own simplistic way. Actually, the general music featured in this cartoon is so distinctly 80's, that it's hard not to find some appeal in it. Also, I'd swear some select music ques and sound designs were lifted straight out of 1983's "Rock and Rule", as their synthesized music tracks are eerily similar. Actually, this show was produced by Nelvana, the same Canadian Animation studio that produced "Rock and Rule".         

  None of the other classic “Star Wars” characters are featured, which is kind of annoying. Some characters like Jabba the Hutt and The Emperor are mentioned in passing, but are never featured. 

There are however some cameo appearances from minor characters in the “Star Wars” universe, including the Max Rebo band, and bounty hunters like Boba Fett and IG88. The Jedi aren’t even acknowledged, however there is an episode when a character uses a light saber as a cutting tool. While the Empire isn’t the primary threat of the series, they are still enemies that our hero’s occasionally have to deal with. Episodes featuring Storm troopers, Ti-Fighters, and Star Destroyers definitely made it feel a little more like classic “Star Wars”, which the show needed a lot more of. There really isn’t a whole lot of continuity either, in fact, the show was removed from cannon after the primer of “Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace”. 

The most striking thing to note is that C-3PO was revealed to be created from someone else in this series, which was obviously changed to Anakin Skywalker in the movies. As such, it’s probably best to view this series as its own self-contained story, with no real barring on the films. However, it is worth noting that the prequel trilogy made several small references to locations and events from this series, and even the show’s creator Ben Burtt had a small cameo in “Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace”. The animation on display is nothing special by today's standards, but this was quite impressive looking back in the mid-80’s. Also, being a kid’s show, the action scenes are very basic, with minimal stakes, yet it can still be enjoyed by those standards. 

  Over the course of the series, our pair of droid’s team-up with different sets of masters, who each have their own story arc that’s covered over the course of four episodes. With the Empire present as villains, their figurehead leader for this show came in the form of an officer called Admiral Screed. 

He had a unique alien design, with a metal eye-patch, and made the most appearances of any villain in the series. However, there was no real main villain, as they kept changing with each story arc. At the beginning of each cycle, the droids usually run into their new masters in an accidental way, and at the end of each cycle, they usually are forced to leave their masters for one reason or another. One cycle involves a group of young speeder-racers, and their struggles with the criminal Fromm gang. Another cycle features the droids teaming-up with a treasure hunter, who goes on a quest to find valuable stones that are buried on his home planet, which happen to be under the control of the Empire. 

The biggest cycle revolved around an alien prince who needed to reclaim his thrown, and protect his planet from an invading legion of space pirates. These episodes have the most nostalgia value, as they were released on home-video back in the 90’s under the title “Star Wars Droids: The Pirates and the Prince”. This just happened to be the very first thing under the “Star Wars” banner that I ever owned on home-video, even before the original trilogy … so I can’t help but look back fondly on this as the figurative “One that started it all”. 

The first episode titled “The Lost Prince” bears a striking resemblance to the movie “A New Hope”, in which our droids are lost on a desert planet and are sold to a young farm boy with a cranky uncle. The opposition comes in the form of an over-sized crime lord, who also has a unique design. This cycle also featured the most memorable hero characters, including C-3PO's new master named Jann Tosh … clearly modeled after Luke Skywalker, if he was designed like a “Street Fighter” character … and his girl-friend Jessica was chalk-full of charisma. I think the easiest way to cover the show from here is to keep things simple, and count down my personal top 5 favorite episodes of the show.  

#5 “The Great Heap” (Ep. 14) 

This marked the series finale, and was a special hour-long episode that aired in 1986, after the series initially ended in 1985 ... the same year it premiered. Chronologically, this episode leads into the third cycle of the show, as it features our droids meeting their new master “the treasure hunter”, and marks the point where Admiral Screed becomes their main reoccurring enemy. In this venture, our pair of droids are on their way to a farming colony in hopes to meet their new master. During this time, a feud begins to build between C-3PO and R2-D2, as they start arguing, and they even doubt their own friendship. 

Upon arrival, our heroes discover that the community is being trampled underfoot by the Empires legion of robots, under the command of a giant supper robot called The Great Heap, who’s melting down other robots to build on his tremendous body. Thus, in the face of this situation, both of our heroes have to put differences aside, and find a way to defeat The Great Heap. While this special is burdened with some annoying jokes, and dumb little detours … like R2-D2 in a droid love spa … this is still the most cinematic the show ever got. The animation was more detailed then before, the stakes were higher, and the malevolent Great Heap made for a worthy foe. It’s actually kind of refreshing to see a robot as a main villain for once, and it’s something I’d like to see more of in “Star Wars”.

#4 “The Pirates of Tarnoonga” (Ep. 7) 

After becoming advisors to the newly crowned King of the planet Tammuz-an, our droids and their current masters find themselves in the custody of a band of pirate’s, lead by the nefarious Kybo Ren. Using stolen weapons and space-ships from the Empire, these pirates aim to overthrow the royal family, and become conquerors as opposed to low-life scavengers. 

This episode feels the most in tune with a classic Sinbad adventure, as all the action is set on a water planet with giant monsters, and it features subtle nods to the Jabba sequence from “Return of the Jedi”. Most notable is a sequence when our heroes are sentenced to death by walking on a plank, and fed to a giant monster … except this time it’s a sea serpent. This is also when Kybo Ren left his mark as one of the show’s most memorable reoccurring villains. There’s also a lot packed in this twenty-minuet episode, including dog-fights in spaceships, different locations, and a few nice twists in the plot.

#3 “A Race to the Finish” (Ep. 4) 

At the end of the first cycle, the team of Speeder Racers are preparing for their biggest race yet. Unfortunately for them, the From Gang is out for revenge, after our hero’s demolished their wealthy crime syndicate. As such, the gang higher a familiar looking Bounty Hunter to do away with the racers. Meanwhile, C-3PO has made friends with a shady new droid, who R2 is leery about, and it once again drives a spike between their friendship. 

Let’s just jump to the main appeal of this episode … it’s the only time we see Boba Fett as a main villain in the show. His look and design in this series is just like his appearance in the cartoon portion of “The Star Wars Holiday Special”. In fact, it’s also the exact same voice actor Don Francks reprising the role. While this isn’t exactly one of Boba Fett’s greatest appearances in the “Star Wars” franchise, he never the less shines in this episode, and has some cool moments. I love his introduction scene as a shadowy silhouette in a doorway before revealing his identity, and it was cool to see him take part in the episodes climactic race sequence. The ending of this episode also marks the most touching departure the droids ever had from any of their masters, and closes the first cycle on an emotional high-note.

#2 “The Revenge of Kybo Ren” (Ep. 8) 

During heated negotiations between Tammuz-an’s King Julpa, and a War Lord named Toda, the sinister pirate Kybo Ren escapes from prison, and kidnaps the Princess Gerin … which only further ignites conflicts between the two opposing sides. 

Our heroes set-out to a swamp moon to rescue the Princess, battling waves of monsters and pirates along the way. The Princess Gerin was voiced by special guest actress Cree Summer, who was also voicing another Princess on the “Star Wars: Ewoks” cartoon at this time, and would later voice a Disney Princess in “Atlantis: The Lost Empire”. Like Princess Leia, this Princess Gerin may be held captive for the duration of the episode, but she’s not a one-note damsel, and can put-up a good fight. The final laser-shoot out, punch out brawl made for a fun action highlight, and a fitting close to Kybo Ren’s rain as a main stay villain. It also brought a fine close to the arc of King Julpa, even though there was still one more episode in the cycle. 

I suppose I’ll give quick honorable mentions to these episodes …

"Across the Roon Sea" (Ep.12)

"The Lost Prince" (Ep. 5)

"The Frozen Citadel" (Ep. 13)

#1 “The New King” (Ep. 6) 

After the discovery of the lost Prince Julpa, our hero’s embark on a quest to reclaim his kingdom from the tyranny of an evil Vizier, who usurped his rightful thrown. 

This episode has all the good stuff, including giant monsters, epic space battles, exciting chases, a menacing villain, a castle full of booby traps, and it was an exciting adventure story that felt reminiscent of classic Medieval fables, the same way the original trilogy paid tribute to classic Medieval tales. The evil vizier in this episode has one of my favorite villain designs, as he looks like a mix between Jafar from Disney's "Aladdin", and Lo Pan from "Big Trouble in Little China". All our heroes get proper screen time, and there’s some funny moments, mostly amusing quips from C-3PO … “Don’t follow R2 sir, he’s likely to get himself lost in an elevator”. This episode also marks the first appearance of Kybo Ren, and a cameo from the bounty hunter IG88.

  Looking back at this show, I was pleasantly surprised that it still had some genuine high lights, although nothing spectacular in terms of what the “Star Wars” franchise has produced. It’s important to remember that unlike most “Star Wars”, this is a program aimed for little children, and needs to be judged as such. While it probably appealed more to kids from the 80’s, as opposed to contemporary young viewers, I still think it’s okay by kid shows standards. It’s certainly not on-par with the mature animated programs in the vain of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels”, but for what it is and all it aims to be … I think this show is fine. I definitely have my nostalgic ties to this series, and will occasionally look back on it, but I’d never call it one of my absolute favorites either. I don’t know if I’d recommend this show to everyone, as it’s an acquired taste for either the young at heart, or kids who grew-up with it. Not one of the best animated “Star Wars” programs, but certainly not terrible ... it falls in a middle ground, so take it for what it is.  

Thanks for reading my review of the 80’s animated TV series “Star Wars: Droids” … and continue to enjoy the shows you Love!                          

Stay Tuned, a review of the 80’s TV show “Star Wars: Ewoks” is up next.