Hypernauts
Encyclopedia
Hypernauts was a proof of concept
show produced by Foundation Imaging
and Netter Digital Entertainment
. To further prove that the computer-generated imagery
and visual effects
created in Babylon 5
were easily applied to other venues, the Hypernauts were born. ABC
purchased thirteen episodes of the show from DIC Entertainment
, six of which ran on Saturday mornings for a single season in 1996 at 10:00 AM. ABC decided not to pick up the series for a second season, and did not air the seven remaining episodes. The show was created and produced by Ron Thornton and Douglas Netter
, its executive story editor was Christy Marx
who also wrote four episodes. Marx had previously written for both Babylon 5
and Captain Power. Another series writer was Katherine Lawrence
who was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
due to her script for Ice Bound.
(hyperspace) mid-jump and must band together with an alien named Kulai in order to survive in an unfamiliar part of the galaxy. Kulai (unbeknownst to the cadets) is a Chalim priestess from a planet called Pyria, a planet that was strip-mined by a warlike race called the Triiad, led by the Pyran traitor, Paiyin. The sole purpose of the Triiad is to wipe out intelligent races, and in the process acquire raw materials from their destroyed planets to continually create new war machines using automated self-replicating factory ships
called "Makers."
The Hypernauts, as they name themselves, cannot match the Triiad's firepower with their own so they must rely on stealth, wits and (occasionally) their modified 'mech
suits' in order to escape the Triiad. They are based in an ancient abandoned exploration ship called the Star Ranger which is hidden in an asteroid field, the Star Ranger's obsolete AI
is named Horten. For long range missions they use a four person shuttle called the Flapjack which like the Star Ranger is Hyper Bubble capable but has a much shorter range.
The Triiad have englobed the central region of the Milky Way Galaxy in a sensor net that can identify the destination point of any hyperspace jump passing out of it, so returning home would lead the Triiad directly to Earth. The Hypernauts must keep the location of Earth a secret and somehow try to warn Earth of the Triiad's existence.
) the team medic, was sent on the disciplinary mission that stranded the three Hypernauts because of unauthorized calls to her sister. Legally separated from her family to join the Academy, Max joined the Academy in defiance of the wishes and beliefs of her people, the isolationist and xenophobic Caduceus Enclave.
Ricardo 'Sharkey' Alvarez (Marc Brandon Daniel) the team's engineer and computer technician, was placed on the disciplinary mission after hacking into the Academy's mainframe. As a child, Sharkey was injured in an accident that killed his parents. Unresolved trauma from this incident led to Sharkey's claustrophobia
.
) is the Star Ranger's discrete AI
. He is used to control and monitor the systems of the ship.
) is the last Chalim (spiritual leader) from Pyrus. She joined the Hypernauts as a friend and mentor due to the help they provided in the conflict with Paiyin. The average Pyran lives about 300 years. Kulai is 342 and has an extended lifespan which is a part of the unique abilities with which she was born and which make her a Chalim, so she will probably live another 200 years. Pyrans share a common psychic bond, a sense of shared existence. The presence of a Chalim generates a critical element of the bond which keeps the race strong, healthy and able to procreate. Without a Chalim, the Pyran race would lack a crucial psychic catalyst. No matter where she is, Kulai can sense whether or not her people continue to exist, and they, to a lesser degree, can sense her existence.
titles for Hypernauts, in original broadcast
order. The broadcasts aired on successive Saturday mornings on ABC
. Episode descriptions courtesy of Hypernauts On the Net and Christy Marx.com.
, Japan
and Germany
. In Japan Hypernauts was released as "Voyager" on VHS
.
The show is currently has an unreleased rank of 2505 and overall rank of 3512 at tvshowsondvd.
Proof of concept
A proof of concept or a proof of principle is a realization of a certain method or idea to demonstrate its feasibility, or a demonstration in principle, whose purpose is to verify that some concept or theory that has the potential of being used...
show produced by Foundation Imaging
Foundation Imaging
Foundation Imaging was a CGI visual effects studio, computer animation studio, and post-production editing facility that pioneered digital imaging for television programming using Newtek's LightWave 3D on Commodore Amiga based Video Toaster workstations. Founded by Paul Beigle-Bryant and Ron...
and Netter Digital Entertainment
Netter Digital
'Netter Digital Entertainment was a company created by Douglas Netter in 1995. The company produced the show Hypernauts before moving to digital EFX work and replacing Foundation Imaging in the final two seasons of Babylon 5 as the sole producer of CGI special effects for that series as well as...
. To further prove that the computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
and visual effects
Visual effects
Visual effects are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shoot. Visual effects involve the integration of live-action footage and generated imagery to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or...
created in Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
were easily applied to other venues, the Hypernauts were born. ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
purchased thirteen episodes of the show from DIC Entertainment
DiC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
, six of which ran on Saturday mornings for a single season in 1996 at 10:00 AM. ABC decided not to pick up the series for a second season, and did not air the seven remaining episodes. The show was created and produced by Ron Thornton and Douglas Netter
Douglas Netter
Douglas Netter is a United States television industry executive, his credits largely being in the field of science fiction. He is first credited as associate producer of the 1967 Matt Helm movie The Ambushers which involved a US-government built flying saucer.Between 1970 and 1975 Netter was the...
, its executive story editor was Christy Marx
Christy Marx
Christy Marx grew up in Danville, Illinois and is an American writer and a photographer. She has written scripts for various episodes of TV-series, mainly for kids' shows, including Jem, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Conan the Adventurer, G.I. Joe, Hypernauts, Captain Power and others...
who also wrote four episodes. Marx had previously written for both Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
and Captain Power. Another series writer was Katherine Lawrence
Katherine Lawrence
Katherine Lawrence was a television series screenwriter and a short story science fiction and children's non-fiction educational books and video game writer.-Biography:...
who was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
due to her script for Ice Bound.
Plot
Due to its lineage, Hypernauts featured relatively detailed designs of its technology and its aliens, as well as a fairly intricate plot; especially for a Saturday morning children's series. The premise of the series was that three cadets from the Academy of Galactic Exploration become lost in a Hyper BubbleHyperspace (science fiction)
Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
(hyperspace) mid-jump and must band together with an alien named Kulai in order to survive in an unfamiliar part of the galaxy. Kulai (unbeknownst to the cadets) is a Chalim priestess from a planet called Pyria, a planet that was strip-mined by a warlike race called the Triiad, led by the Pyran traitor, Paiyin. The sole purpose of the Triiad is to wipe out intelligent races, and in the process acquire raw materials from their destroyed planets to continually create new war machines using automated self-replicating factory ships
Von Neumann probe
The idea of self-replicating spacecraft has been applied — in theory — to several distinct "tasks". The particular variant of this idea applied to the idea of space exploration is known as a von Neumann probe...
called "Makers."
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
suits' in order to escape the Triiad. They are based in an ancient abandoned exploration ship called the Star Ranger which is hidden in an asteroid field, the Star Ranger's obsolete AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
is named Horten. For long range missions they use a four person shuttle called the Flapjack which like the Star Ranger is Hyper Bubble capable but has a much shorter range.
The Triiad have englobed the central region of the Milky Way Galaxy in a sensor net that can identify the destination point of any hyperspace jump passing out of it, so returning home would lead the Triiad directly to Earth. The Hypernauts must keep the location of Earth a secret and somehow try to warn Earth of the Triiad's existence.
Ace
Russell 'Ace' Antonov (Glenn Herman) the team's "ace' pilot joined Max and Sharkey on the discipline mission as a punishment for using the Academy of Galactic Exploration's sim trainer to play war games. Ace pilots the team's shuttle known as the "Flapjack" on excursions away from the Star Ranger, he's also the team's best mech pilot.Max
Noriko 'Max' Matsuda (Heidi LucasHeidi Lucas
-Biography:During the early 1990s, she played Dina Alexander on Nickelodeon's Salute Your Shorts, which ran from 1991-1992. In 1992 she appeared in the 'Fantasy Dating Game' Girls' Club. Created for the Philip's CD-I, Imagination Machine, it allowed girls to go on interactive dates with thirty of...
) the team medic, was sent on the disciplinary mission that stranded the three Hypernauts because of unauthorized calls to her sister. Legally separated from her family to join the Academy, Max joined the Academy in defiance of the wishes and beliefs of her people, the isolationist and xenophobic Caduceus Enclave.
Sharkey
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms...
.
Gloose
A three legged alien found on a planet decimated by the Triiad and kept as a pet on board the Star Ranger.Horten
Horten (Lewis ArquetteLewis Arquette
Lewis Michael Arquette was an American film actor, writer and producer. Arquette was known for playing "J.D. Pickett" on the TV series, The Waltons, where he worked from 1978–1981.-Life and career:...
) is the Star Ranger's discrete AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
. He is used to control and monitor the systems of the ship.
Kulai
Kulai (Carrie DobroCarrie Dobro
Carrie Dobro is an American actress. She is best known for her leading role as Dureena Nafeel in the Babylon 5 feature-length film A Call To Arms and its short-lived spin-off TV series Crusade. Carrie played the character of Kulai on the ABC TV series Hypernauts...
) is the last Chalim (spiritual leader) from Pyrus. She joined the Hypernauts as a friend and mentor due to the help they provided in the conflict with Paiyin. The average Pyran lives about 300 years. Kulai is 342 and has an extended lifespan which is a part of the unique abilities with which she was born and which make her a Chalim, so she will probably live another 200 years. Pyrans share a common psychic bond, a sense of shared existence. The presence of a Chalim generates a critical element of the bond which keeps the race strong, healthy and able to procreate. Without a Chalim, the Pyran race would lack a crucial psychic catalyst. No matter where she is, Kulai can sense whether or not her people continue to exist, and they, to a lesser degree, can sense her existence.
Paiyin
Paiyin (Ron Campbell) was decreed a traitor after he betrayed his people to the Triiad, and facilitated the destruction of his own homeworld. He now serves the Triiad.Episode listing
The following is a complete list of episodeEpisode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
titles for Hypernauts, in original broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
order. The broadcasts aired on successive Saturday mornings on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. Episode descriptions courtesy of Hypernauts On the Net and Christy Marx.com.
| Pic | Title | Original Airdate | Director / Writer(s) | # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
"First Contact" | March 1, 1996 | Jim Johnston Jim Johnston (director) Jim Johnston is American television director and producer. For much of the 1980s and 1990s, he directed a number of notable television series, some of them were Miami Vice, Just the Ten of Us, Tour of Duty, JAG, Sliders and Babylon 5.... / Christy Marx Christy Marx Christy Marx grew up in Danville, Illinois and is an American writer and a photographer. She has written scripts for various episodes of TV-series, mainly for kids' shows, including Jem, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Conan the Adventurer, G.I. Joe, Hypernauts, Captain Power and others... |
101 |
| Max, Ace and Sharkey are accidentally catapulted into the galactic core where they rescue Kulai and the Gloose from Kulai's enemy, Paiyin. | ||||
| |
"The Star Ranger" | March 9, 1996 | Leslie Hill / Christy Marx Christy Marx Christy Marx grew up in Danville, Illinois and is an American writer and a photographer. She has written scripts for various episodes of TV-series, mainly for kids' shows, including Jem, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Conan the Adventurer, G.I. Joe, Hypernauts, Captain Power and others... |
102 |
| The kids and Kulai locate a long-abandoned, deep space Earth science station which they make their base. Ace has a very close and dangerous encounter with the Triiad Armada. | ||||
| |
"Icebound" | March 9, 1996 | Janet Greek Janet Greek Janet Greek is an American director and writer of film and television. She best known for her directorial work on the science fiction series Babylon 5.-Career:... / Katherine Lawrence Katherine Lawrence Katherine Lawrence was a television series screenwriter and a short story science fiction and children's non-fiction educational books and video game writer.-Biography:... |
103 |
| The Star Ranger begins to run low on water, so the Hypernauts land on a nearby ice moon where they discover an ancient space craft, and giant heat seeking worms. | ||||
| |
"Battle at Vekara" | March 16, 1996 | Jon Kroll Jon Kroll Jon Kroll is an American Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer, Director, and Writer who has done significant work in film and both scripted and non-scripted television. He is notable for his prolific output, which also includes publishing, theme parks, radio and stage work.-Early life:Jon was... / Larry DiTillio Larry DiTillio Lawrence G. "Larry" DiTillio is an American film and TV series writer. He is most famous for his role as executive story editor of the science-fiction series Babylon 5, and for writing or co-writing most of the episodes in the animated series Beast Wars... |
104 |
| The Hypernauts go to the local trade planet, Vekara, to repair and update the ship and mechsuits after a conflict with the Triiad. | ||||
| |
"Cloudholm" | March 23, 1996 | Jon Kroll Jon Kroll Jon Kroll is an American Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer, Director, and Writer who has done significant work in film and both scripted and non-scripted television. He is notable for his prolific output, which also includes publishing, theme parks, radio and stage work.-Early life:Jon was... / Richard Mueller |
105 |
| A low tech world named Cloudholm is in the path of a Triiad prospector probe. The Hypernauts and Kulai attempt to warn the planet's inhabitants the Hokita, who live in gas powered zeppelin platforms. | ||||
| |
"A Walk in the Garden" | March 30, 1996 | Leslie Hill / David Carren, J. Larry Carroll | 106 |
| The Hypernauts, unwilling to tolerate the processed rations stored on the Star Ranger, land on an earthlike world in order to collect clippings for Max so that she may begin a garden. | ||||
| |
"Into the Dark So Deep" | April 6, 1996 | Ron Thornton / Larry DiTillio Larry DiTillio Lawrence G. "Larry" DiTillio is an American film and TV series writer. He is most famous for his role as executive story editor of the science-fiction series Babylon 5, and for writing or co-writing most of the episodes in the animated series Beast Wars... |
107 |
| The Hypernauts and Kulai go to rescue survivors of a maker attack. Sharkey learns to confront his fear of enclosed spaces. | ||||
| |
"Gone to Meet the Maker" | April 13, 1996 | Adam Weissman Adam Weissman Adam Weissman is an American television director.-Career:Weissman is from New York City beginning is career as a production assistant in the 1980s before directing television commercials... / David Carren, J. Larry Carroll |
108 |
| The Star Ranger is in danger of being discovered when a maker begins to process the asteroid field the station is hiding in. | ||||
| |
"Reunion" | Unaired | Christen Harty Schaefer / D.C. Fontana | 109 |
| Kulai joins her people the Pyrans in order to perform a regeneration ceremony to renew her race and create new Chalim (spiritual leaders). Ace and Sharkey remain on the Star Ranger in order to work on the robot Sharkey took from the maker in "Gone to Meet the Maker". A watcher inside the robot attempts to escape and broadcast the Star Ranger's location to the Triiad. | ||||
| |
"Hole in the Sky" | Unaired | Jon Kroll Jon Kroll Jon Kroll is an American Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer, Director, and Writer who has done significant work in film and both scripted and non-scripted television. He is notable for his prolific output, which also includes publishing, theme parks, radio and stage work.-Early life:Jon was... / Larry DiTillio Larry DiTillio Lawrence G. "Larry" DiTillio is an American film and TV series writer. He is most famous for his role as executive story editor of the science-fiction series Babylon 5, and for writing or co-writing most of the episodes in the animated series Beast Wars... |
110 |
| Vekara falls under attack from the Triiad forces. The Hypernauts manage to keep the Triiad at bay until a group of refugees are able to escape. | ||||
| |
"New Alliances" | Unaired | Jon Kroll Jon Kroll Jon Kroll is an American Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer, Director, and Writer who has done significant work in film and both scripted and non-scripted television. He is notable for his prolific output, which also includes publishing, theme parks, radio and stage work.-Early life:Jon was... / Katherine Lawrence Katherine Lawrence Katherine Lawrence was a television series screenwriter and a short story science fiction and children's non-fiction educational books and video game writer.-Biography:... |
111 |
| Kulai brings the Hypernauts to meet the Sacul, an ancient race powerful enough to hold back the Triiad. | ||||
| |
"The Challenge: Part One" | Unaired | Adam Weissman Adam Weissman Adam Weissman is an American television director.-Career:Weissman is from New York City beginning is career as a production assistant in the 1980s before directing television commercials... / Christy Marx Christy Marx Christy Marx grew up in Danville, Illinois and is an American writer and a photographer. She has written scripts for various episodes of TV-series, mainly for kids' shows, including Jem, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Conan the Adventurer, G.I. Joe, Hypernauts, Captain Power and others... |
112 |
| Some of the aliens races blame their woes with the Triiad on the Hypernauts. Stung by this, the Hypernauts set out to destroy one of the largest ships in the Triiad fleet in order to prove their worth. While they're making plans, Kulai accepts a secret challenge from Paiyin to a duel of honor. Kulai is taken hostage, but she places herself into a special Chalim trance called the endless sleep that shuts down her mind. | ||||
| |
"The Challenge: Part Two" | Unaired | John Vulich / Christy Marx Christy Marx Christy Marx grew up in Danville, Illinois and is an American writer and a photographer. She has written scripts for various episodes of TV-series, mainly for kids' shows, including Jem, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Conan the Adventurer, G.I. Joe, Hypernauts, Captain Power and others... |
113 |
| The Hypernauts seek the help of the Sacul to get revenge for what has been done to Kulai. They give the Hypernauts a weapon capable of generating power equivalent to a small star. The Hypernauts manage enter the main Triiad fortress ship and activate the Sacul weapon before escaping. The explosion destroys the fortress, the Triiad aliens and the fleet, Paiyin also escapes. Later Kulai is woken with the aid of a telepath. | ||||
Multimedia
Reunion, Hole in the Sky, New Alliances, and the Challenge parts one and two never aired in the United States, but were available on various media in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In Japan Hypernauts was released as "Voyager" on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
.
The show is currently has an unreleased rank of 2505 and overall rank of 3512 at tvshowsondvd.
See also
- 1995-96 Saturday morning television schedule1995-96 United States network television schedule (Saturday morning)This was the United States broadcast television schedule on all four commercial television networks on Saturday mornings for the season beginning in the fall of 1995 and ending in the spring of 1996. All times are Eastern and Pacific.-Fall 1995:-Spring 1996:...
Production credits
- Executive Producers: Andy Heyward, Michael Malliani, Robby Longon
- Story Editors: John Sandford
- Live Action Produced by: Marsha Goodman
- Executive in charge of production: Brain A. Miller
- CastCasting (performing arts)In the performing arts, casting is a pre-production process for selecting a cast of actors, dancers, singers, models and other talent for a live or recorded performance.-Casting process:...
: Jan Knoots, Marsha Goodman, Jabeel White, Phil Harnage - International Executive Producers: Jean Chaplon
- Created byCreated ByCreated By is a 1993 horror novel by Richard Christian Matheson....
: Danny Florman - Based on the Hypernauts book by: Maranget Goodman