Synopsis of Saturday Morning Show

Only Japanese anime could believably render intergalactic wars of the 21st century, evil spider-crab monsters, and the chiseled, doe-eyed Space Knights who fought them.

Set in the year 2087, the show opened with an invasion by a hoard of mutant spider-crabs, under the control of the Venemoid Warlord Darkon. No one, not even the Space Knights, earth's military, could stop them. Then, one day, a young man named Slade emerged unscathed from a spacecraft that crash landed on earth. Slade possessed a strange crystal that suddenly empowered him with impenetrable armor, quantum energy weapons, and superhuman abilities, transforming him into a mysterious cyborg-like space hero named Teknoman.

Along with Slade/Teknoman, the legions of the Space Knights set off in the spaceship, Blue Earth, to battle the forces of Darkon and the Venemoids. Slade's best friend, Ringo Richards, was the ship's pilot, and the rest of the crew included communications officer Tina, navigator Star, engineers Mac and Maggie, and Commander Jamison, the albino leader of the Space Knights.

Over the course of the show's run, Teknoman's mysterious history came to light. His real name, unbeknownst to him, was Ness Carter. The Carter family spacecraft was ambushed by Venemoids, who turned the entire crew into biochemical warrior slaves called "Teknomen." Most did not survive the process, but Ness/Slade was among the lucky few. Thanks to the efforts of his father, Slade was able to escape after the transformation.

Slade could only transform into Teknoman for 30 minutes at a time. After that, the Venemoid programming made him lose control over himself. This increasing fear of losing his humanity kept the hero aloof to the Space Knights and especially to the navigator of the Blue Earth, Star Summers, with whom he found himself falling in love.

Originally airing in Japan as Tekkaman Blade (the name changed to "Slade" for the U.S. release), Teknoman first aired on the UPN in 1995, riding a wave of anime popularity that continued through the 90's. The show delivered a sleek, tortured superhero, complex character relationships, and flashy action that epitomized all the best that Japanese animation had to offer.

Release History

9/10/95 UPN

TV Sub Categories

animated
sci-fi/fantasy
action/adventure

TV Studio

Saban Entertainment

Television Cast

Slade David A. Thomas Jr.
Ringo Richards Kerrigan Mahan
Tina Corman Julie Maddalena
Star Summers  Barbara Goodson
Mac  Richard Epcar
Maggie Mari Devon
Commander Jamison Michael Forest
Balzac Steve Bulen
Darkon Simon Prescott
Galt Mike Reynolds
Sabre Paul Schrier
Narrator Tom Wyner

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