Super Force
Encyclopedia
Super Force is an action-adventure TV series about a former astronaut who uses an advanced combat suit and motorcycle to fight crime in the city of Metroplex during the year 2020. Among the features of the suit were enhanced strength and armament, whereas the motorcycle had an array of James Bond
-type gadgets and weapons. Syndicated by Viacom
, Super Force was designed to be a companion series to Superboy
, and the second series in a proposed two-hour block of action programming that also included Lightning Force
. Unusual for a series that only ran 30 minutes per episode, Super Force debuted with a two-hour TV pilot film, which was later split into four episodes for syndication purposes.
) returns from his acclaimed deep-space mission to mars to find that his brother, a police officer, has been murdered and the criminals responsible are still at large. Frustrated at the seeming lack of concern or progress by the police, Zach takes it upon himself to find the killer(s) and bring them to justice, joining the Metroplex Police Department as a detective.
After his first failed attempt almost leads to his death in the Metroplex "Crime Zone," Zach is approached by F.X. Spinner (Larry B. Scott
), a research scientist at Hungerford Industries who has developed a prototype suit of space armor that will never be used due to lack of funding. After the murder of Hungerford Industries founder E. B. Hungerford (Patrick Macnee
), also a close friend of the Stone family, Zach convinces F.X. to modify the suit for combat purposes. Combined with a prototype motorcycle, the two form the backbone of the vigilante
crime-fighting team called "Super Force," ably assisted by the Hungerford Computer (voiced by Macnee), an artificial intelligence
computer created from a blend of Hungerford's personal records, psychological profile and company files.
During Season Two, Zach added limited psychic
powers to his crime-fighting repertoire, the result of his near-death experience in the final episode of Season One. Also joining the Super Force team that season was Esper
Division police officer Zander Tyler (Musetta Vander
).
The Super Force suit was created and built by Robert Short
, who also created the red suit worn by John Wesley Shipp
in the live-action TV series The Flash
.
A recurring villain in Season One, Satori, was played by G. Gordon Liddy
, the man made famous for planning the Watergate break-ins.
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
-type gadgets and weapons. Syndicated by Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
, Super Force was designed to be a companion series to Superboy
Superboy (TV series)
Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictional DC Comics comic book character Kal-El's early years as Superboy. The show ran from 1988–1992 in syndication...
, and the second series in a proposed two-hour block of action programming that also included Lightning Force
Lightning Force
Lightning Force was a short lived action television starring Matthew Walker, Meat Loaf, George Takei and Guylaine St-Onge. The series premiered in 1991 and went off in 1992, in all 22 episodes were produced.-Synopsis:...
. Unusual for a series that only ran 30 minutes per episode, Super Force debuted with a two-hour TV pilot film, which was later split into four episodes for syndication purposes.
Plot summary
Astronaut Zachary Stone (Ken OlandtKen Olandt
Kenneth Andrew "Ken" Olandt is an American actor, producer, and executive producer. He has starred in many feature films and television shows....
) returns from his acclaimed deep-space mission to mars to find that his brother, a police officer, has been murdered and the criminals responsible are still at large. Frustrated at the seeming lack of concern or progress by the police, Zach takes it upon himself to find the killer(s) and bring them to justice, joining the Metroplex Police Department as a detective.
After his first failed attempt almost leads to his death in the Metroplex "Crime Zone," Zach is approached by F.X. Spinner (Larry B. Scott
Larry B. Scott
-Career:Scott's film debut was in the 1978 movie A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich. He is perhaps best known for playing Lamar Latrell, the openly gay fraternity member in the Revenge of the Nerds series of comedy films from 1984 to 1994. In the 1986 film SpaceCamp he played opposite a then-young...
), a research scientist at Hungerford Industries who has developed a prototype suit of space armor that will never be used due to lack of funding. After the murder of Hungerford Industries founder E. B. Hungerford (Patrick Macnee
Patrick Macnee
Patrick Macnee is an English actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the series The Avengers.-Early life:...
), also a close friend of the Stone family, Zach convinces F.X. to modify the suit for combat purposes. Combined with a prototype motorcycle, the two form the backbone of the vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
crime-fighting team called "Super Force," ably assisted by the Hungerford Computer (voiced by Macnee), an artificial intelligence
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...
computer created from a blend of Hungerford's personal records, psychological profile and company files.
During Season Two, Zach added limited psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
powers to his crime-fighting repertoire, the result of his near-death experience in the final episode of Season One. Also joining the Super Force team that season was Esper
Esper
An esper refers to an individual capable of telepathy and other similar paranormal abilities. The term was apparently coined by Alfred Bester in his 1950 short story "Oddy and Id" and is derived from the abbreviation ESP for extrasensory perception....
Division police officer Zander Tyler (Musetta Vander
Musetta Vander
Musetta Vander is a South African actress and model who is best known for her roles in science fiction and fantasy films.-Early life:...
).
The Super Force suit was created and built by Robert Short
Robert Short
Robert Short may refer to:* Bob Short , American sports team owner and politician* Bobby Short , American cabaret singer and pianist* Rob Short , Canadian field hockey player...
, who also created the red suit worn by John Wesley Shipp
John Wesley Shipp
John Wesley Shipp is an American actor best known as Mitch Leery, the title character's father on the television drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2001 and for roles in several daytime soap operas...
in the live-action TV series The Flash
The Flash (TV series)
The Flash is a 1990 American television series that starred John Wesley Shipp as the superhero, the Flash , and co-starred Amanda Pays. The series was developed from the DC Comics characters by the writing team of Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo, and produced by their company, Pet Fly Productions, in...
.
A recurring villain in Season One, Satori, was played by G. Gordon Liddy
G. Gordon Liddy
George Gordon Liddy was the chief operative for the White House Plumbers unit that existed from July–September 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency. Separately, along with E. Howard Hunt, Liddy organized and directed the Watergate burglaries of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in...
, the man made famous for planning the Watergate break-ins.