Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future (1987): Gone But Not Forgotten

You might remember Captain Power‘s name if you grew up in the eighties, as so many of us here on JoBlo did. Indeed, this Saturday morning live-action show, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, was a favourite of many eighties kids for one unique reason. The show had a cool collection of toys, and they interacted with what was up on screen in a bizarre way. How was this possible in 1987? We dig into it in this week’s Gone But Not Forgotten, but here’s the thing – this gimmick barely worked.

That said, the show was an entertaining piece of sci-fi that, as it went on, got pretty heavy and dark, leading to an infamously dark final episode which killed off a main character. It was supposed to lead into a second season that never happened, but the initial run of 22 episodes has a cult following that lasts to this day. Why is that? Because the writing by J. Michael Straczynski paved the way for his own Babylon 5 and set an elevated tone that kept the show from getting too schlocky. Plus, the performances by leads Timothy Dunigan (as Jonathan Power – the hero) and David Hemblen (Lord Dread – the villain) were on-point. So join us as we revisit this neglected eighties “classic” in an episode written and edited by David Arroyo and narrated by the one and only Jesse Shade.

Power On!

Do you remember Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future? Let us know in the comments!