Forgotten Television: Blackstar 1981

Earth astronaut John Blackstar (George DiCenzo) goes through a black hole and gets stranded on the planet Sagar in an ancient alien universe. He is rescued by the Trobbits (combined troll and hobbit), little pink men and becomes friends with a tall green elf-like shapeshifter named Klone (Patrick Pinney) and the purple skinned enchantress Mara (Linda Gary).  He rides Warlock, a winged dragon-like creature who can breathe fire.  Blackstar wields the “Star Sword”, half of a powerful weapon known as the “Powerstar”.  The weapon absorbs, stores, reflects any external energy and can also produce blasts of pure energy as well.  It also imbues Blackstar with strength, endurance, speed, agility and makes him nearly invulnerable.  He uses the “Star Sword” to combat The Overlord (Alan Oppenheimer), a tyrant bent on ruling Sagar and who is in possession of the “Power Sword” the second half of the “Powerstar”.  Each week, Blackstar and his friends battle the Overlord, his minions and other evil characters in an attempt to keep Sagar free from tyranny.

Blackstar is an American animated science fiction fantasy series that ran on CBS in 1981, premiering on September 12^th of that year for one season.  It was rerun during the 1983-84 season due to the popularity of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Even though that second run got favorable ratings, no second season was ever produced.  This was Filmation’s second fantasy show, the first being The Freedom Force, a segment of the Tarzan and the Super 7 series.

I was 11 or 12 when this show came out and although I was beginning to find some cartoons a bit too childish for my liking, I do remember watching and enjoying Blackstar. Watching it now as an adult is a bit different.  It is still enjoyable, but animation has come a long way, especially with he use of computers.  Blackstar’s animation style is simple and on the crude side, but they were hand drawn and that is time-consuming considering that you needed enough material for a show every week.  It is also what we were used to in the early 80s.  Some did it better than others and Blackstar could have stepped up their game a little bit.  I am also now curious as to how far in the future Blackstar’s Earth is.  His ship is advanced, and it seems likely he is from our future.  Blackstar’s race is also never disclosed, but many believe that he is of Native American heritage based on his looks and his last name.  The planet Sagar must be very warm, as Blackstar never needs a shirt or real pants and I would put Blackstar in the running for the sexiest men of 80s cartoons. The show is often compared to He-Man, yet I think it much more resembles Thundarr the Barbarian which predates Blackstar by a year.  Where He-Man and Blackstar all take place on a fantasy style non-earth planet.  I think the storylines and the character grouping of Thundarr is a better comparison.  Thundarr and Blackstar both have special swords and a sorceress best friend with a secondary side kick that is more animalistic or have animal abilities. Overall, the show was fun to watch as a kid and I enjoyed revisiting it as an adult mainly for the nostalgic feelings it produces.  The reminder of a simpler time when we woke up early on Saturday mornings grabbed a bowl of cereal and hunkered down for some good action and magical fun!