Defenders of the Earth: Season 1
Episode Guide
Season 1 Progress Shield
Escape from Mongo
Sep 8, 1986
When Ming the Merciless leaves Mongo to invade Earth, his old enemy Flash Gordon and the latter's son, Rick, join forces with six others - the youngest a pre-teenaged boy named Ksh
The Creation of Monitor
Sep 9, 1986
Aided by Flash's Krell allies, the Defenders begin building their base. But Ming has learned of their existence and resolved to put an end to them.
A Demon In His Pocket
Sep 10, 1986
Some boys try to pick a fight with Kshin so, rather than break the Defenders' Code of Honour, he reads up on summoning spells - against Mandrake's orders - and calls forth a demon
A House Divided
Sep 11, 1986
When Africa suffers a sudden and unexplained climate change, the Phantom and Jedda head there to investigate. In the process, the Phantom learns that his estranged brother, Kurt -
Bits and Chips
Sep 12, 1986
When the Defenders receive an invitation to pit Dynak-X against a chess-playing computer, they little suspect that it is part of Ming's plot to implant an electronic maggot into Dy
The Root of Evil
Sep 15, 1986
Dr. Whitestead's plant food formula goes haywire--spilling on him and turning him into a plant! Ming seizes the scientist, the fomula, and his daughter. Lothar and Mandrake use th
Cold War
Sep 16, 1986
Ming needs Rick Gordon's ring to complete a weather control machine, and having caught Flash in a battle, uses him as bait to lure the impulsive Rick to Ice Station Earth. It is u
The Sleeper Awakes
Sep 17, 1986
Eaons ago, a giant robot crash landed on Earth. Ming learns of The Annihilator, which now sleeps beneath Central City, and distracts all but one of The Defenders long enough to act
The Revenge of Astra
Sep 18, 1986
The vengeful space princess Astra creates an army of clay soldiers. The daughter of Princess Aura, Astra is convinced by Ming that Flash Gordon was behind her mother's death. She u
The Hall of Wisdom
Sep 19, 1986
The incredible Hall of Wisdom pays its-2000-year, 24-hour visit to the Galaxy. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Ming to get his hands on the dreaded Quasar Weapon, with which h
The Mind Warriors, Part I
Sep 24, 1986
Ming lures Kshin to Ice Station Earth by kidnapping Zuffy, then probes the dark side of Kshin's imagination to create fearsome warriors capable of destroying the Defenders. While t
The Mind Warriors, Part II
Sep 22, 1986
The Defenders add a new twist to the Battle Simulation Room--a Thought-Transference Cap. It transmits the wearer's imagination directly into the simulation; Kshin loves to use it t
The Lost Jewels of Tibet
Sep 23, 1986
Ming is seeking the Jewels of Power, but a female archeologist named Atuskedero is also after them and travels to Tibet with Lothar and Mandrake (the latter worked with her in his
The Evil of Doctor Dark
Sep 25, 1986
Mandrake's old enemy, Damian Dark, and the latter's Psychic Warrior cohorts escape from jail and join forces with Ming's troops to search for the legendary Well of Essence.
Diamonds are Ming's Best Friends
Sep 26, 1986
Ming enlists the aid of the ruthless Beastmaster to create an army of Crystal Soldiers, beings grown from diamonds and invulnerable to everything except an extremely rare mineral c
The Men of Frost
Sep 29, 1986
For Ming's plan to blanket the earth with a veneer of frost to be successful, the satellite requires the strength of a Starblue Crystal, of which only three exist. During a ceremon
Battleground
Sep 30, 1986
Ming's forces travel to the planet Grubor, where they use his freeze-ray weapon to capture six Cave Slugs- invincible alien creatures the size of semi-trucks who can and do eat any
The Panther Peril
Oct 1, 1986
When the famous explorer Andrew Huxley encounters the wrath of Ming the Merciless while on expedition in Africa, he immediately calls in the Defenders. Ming kidnaps the Chief of th
Fury of the Deep
Oct 2, 1986
Ming's attack on an oil platform, to capture a main computer containing the earth's entire energy network, is foiled by the Defenders, but all is not lost as he spots oceanographer
Family Reunion
Oct 3, 1986
Ming captures the Phantom and Jedda as they return from the race against N'Dama (really the Phantom's brother Kurt Walker) for the Jewel of Zandoon. Once again his old self, Kurt W
The Defense Never Rests
Oct 6, 1986
The Defenders fly into space to investigate a mysterious comet and discover, too late to break from the tractor beams dragging them toward the comet, that in reality it is an Ilyri
Like Father, Like Daughter
Oct 9, 1986
Ming's estranged daughter, Aura, crash lands her ship on Monitor and informs the Defenders of her father's latest scheme to enslave the population of earth with his Mind Neutralize
The Would be Defender
Oct 10, 1986
At the dedication ceremony for a new courthouse built in honor of our heroes, 13 year-old Earl Sump, bespectacled and dressed in a homemade superhero suit, captures two pick-pocket
Doorways into Darkness
Oct 13, 1986
Deep in Africa Ming locates an anti-energy source enabling him to open the Nightgiant Doorway and unleash 7-story tall nightgiants to destroy the earth. Flash flies out to space to
Deal With The Devil
Oct 14, 1986
While captives in Ming's jail, Rick and Jedda overhear Octon and Garax's plans to revolt against Ming. In exchange for their freedom, the Defenders offer to help in the scheme. Whe
Terror In Time
Oct 15, 1986
After retrieving a vat of deadly mutant slime from Ming's laboratory, six of the Defenders (LJ and Kshin do not appear in this episode) are chased through a time warp and go back t
Ming's Household Helpers
Oct 16, 1986
The household helper robot, designed by Ming the Merciless in another of his evil schemes, is the hottest selling item on the market, deployed in over one million homes worldwide-
The Starboy
Oct 17, 1986
While transporting Starchild, a child-like alien who has landed on earth, through the woods around Monitor, the young Defenders encounter two alien scouts who attempt to destroy th
The Gods Awake
Oct 20, 1986
When statues of ancient gods mysteriously come to life the Defenders are summoned to the Himalayas by Mandrake's old magic teacher, Theron. Our heroes learn that Ming and a mystic
The Ghost Walks Again
Oct 21, 1986
When industrial tycoon/hypochondriac Kent Madden's plan to buy a magic health elixer from Partha, son of Chief Ajuna of the of r ican Fallu tribe, goes awry, he makes a deal to obt
The Book of Mysteries
Oct 20, 1986
When a two-hundred square mile area of Morocco mysteriously disappears, the Defenders investigate- sans Kshin, who is instructed to choose any book from Mandrake's library for a bo
The Future Comes But Once
Oct 21, 1986
While engaging Ming's roboships in battle over the North African Desert, Flash discovers the remains of an ancient pyramid, where he finds an obelisk that produces visions when tou
Kshin And The Ghost Ship
Oct 22, 1986
While on vacation in Jamaica with the Defenders, Kshin sees a ghost ship; however, no one believes him. Determined to get proof of the ship's existence, Kshin rows a dinghy out int
The Carnival of Dr. Kalihari
Oct 23, 1986
Dr. Kalihari's carnival is in town and the Defenders are on hand to see the show. What they don't know is that Dr. Kalihari has taken over the carnival from its owners and populate
The Mystery of the Book
Oct 24, 1986
Dynak X picks up a bizarre energy transmission from Stonehenge prompting the elder Defenders to investigate. Kshin consults the book of enigma which shows him a blueprint of the an
Flash Times Four
Oct 27, 1986
Ming knows that Flash Gordon is the only man alive who could effectively fly his state-of-the-art warplane The Scorpion, so he lures our hero to Ice Station Earth, where he has cre
The Frozen Heart
Oct 28, 1986
Ming's forces kidnap LJ's girlfriend, Kate, turning her into a Frost Person, and have her trick LJ, Rick and Jedda into handing the Defenders' Space Station - now armed with a leth
Rick Gordon, One Man Army
Oct 29, 1986
Rick Gordon's new friend at Central City High ! Carlotta Vallejo- requires his help when Ming backs revolutionary forces to dethrone her father from the Presidency of the tropical
The Rites of Zesnan
Oct 30, 1986
While trying to prove their individual prowess during an obstacle course competition, Rick, Jedda and L.J. get a bit too serious, endangering themselves individually and as a flyin
Audie and Tweak
Oct 31, 1986
Ming's computer, Octon, has created the ultimate trap- Tycos, a machine designed by a machine, completely devoid of human flaws- which the evil leader will use to destroy the Defen
Return of the Skyband
Nov 3, 1986
When an ore transport ship in deep space is looted and notes are found announcing the RETURN OF THE SKY BAND, the Phantom is apprehensive. He recounts the story of his grandfather,
Dracula's Potion
Nov 4, 1986
The Defenders set out for Transylvania to investigate the disappearance of John Harker, a young archeologist doing re-search in the area. Upon arrival, they are invited to the cast
One of the Guys
Nov 5, 1986
Rick and L.J. accompany Kshin's class, which includes Marty, a wheelchair-bound boy, on a field trip to the Amazon where they encounter hostile natives. When Kshin and Marty are se
100 Proof Highway
Nov 6, 1986
At school, Jedda is invited to a party by Eric, who freely admits that, "Everything looks better with a little vodka". At first a bit hesitant, Jedda eventually agrees- she thinks
The Time Freezer
Nov 7, 1986
The Defenders attend an inter-galactic science convention in Monaco which coincides with a junior magician's competition that Kshin enters. Mandrake tells the boy the secret to ope
The Prince Makes His Move (1)
Nov 10, 1986
Prince Kro-Tan reduces his father to nothing more than a microbe and seizes control of his empire, determined to conquer earth and destroy the Defenders himself....
The Prince Triumphant (2)
Nov 11, 1986
Pursuing Kro-Tan to a small kingdom in india, Flash and Rick are astonished to find that Kro-Tan is revered as a benevolant and trusting being, deemed worthy of ruling earth
The Prince Weds (3)
Nov 12, 1986
Continuing his power play, Kro-Tan's next step is to secretly attach miniature, mind-controled explosives to the Defenders and take Jedda captive. They arrive in Mongo, where he an
The Prince's Royal Hunt (4)
Nov 13, 1986
Locked in the prince's palace, Jedda uses her gift to communicate with animals as a means of escape before the wedding. In a subterranean area, Kshin discovers a race of small, pea
The Prince Dethroned (5)
Nov 14, 1986
The witch who's aided Kro-Tan from the start manages to revive the original King of Mongo, and is revealed to be his Queen while having her youth restored. They lock Kro-Tan away a
Lothar's Homecoming
Nov 17, 1986
The Defenders accompany Lothar to his hometown in Jamaica, where the new children?s wing of a hospital will be dedicated in his honor. While there, Dr. Barbeau informs then that a
Suspended Sabotage
Nov 18, 1986
While Rick and L.J. test out Rick's new invention- a wave interference device that scrambles any signal transmitted through the air- Rick is kidnapped by Ming, who then places an i
Call of the Eternals
Nov 19, 1986
Ming sends a look-alike Defender ship to provoke the Beacon of the Eternals- a computer operated ship searching for a long lost benevolent society- which thereby releases its three
The Return of Doctor Dark
Nov 20, 1986
Ming sets out to rule the entire universe by stealing the first of the three shards of the Orb of Konos from the Yucatan rain forest. At Monitor, Mandrake picks up telepathic signa
The Deadliest Battle
Nov 21, 1986
Rick feels the pressure that results from his efforts to live up to Flash's reputation, and all aspects of Rick's life are suffering- school, personal and Defender work. A "friend"
The Necklace of Oros
Nov 24, 1986
As part of Jedda's coming of age, the Phantom takes her to the Skull Cave to choose a gift from among the family treasures. She is drawn to the mysterious Necklace of Oros, but an
Torn Space
Nov 25, 1986
The fabric of the universe is weak and stretching under the stress of Graviton's bridge, and the evil alien must have the Necklace of Oros if he is to survive. When the reptile/hum
Ming Winter
Nov 26, 1986
Flash receives a distress call from Prince Barin, summoning him to Mongo to save the planet from Ming's evil son Kro-Tan. Back at Monitor our heroes uncover Ming's plan- Kro-Tan ha
The Golden Queen (1)
Nov 26, 1986
As Ming teams up with Queen Hadea of the Netherworld, elsewhere, Jedda suffers injury from an experiment intended to examine the Neckless of Oros. The Phantom takes her to a villag
The Gravity of Ming (2)
Nov 27, 1986
Graviton discovers that the neckless Jedda's wearing is a fake, and Ming vows to punish Hadea. The Phantom escapes from Hadea's palace with the real neckless and heads for Ming's f
Flesh and Blood
Dec 1, 1986
The Defenders must fight a fanatic cult calling themselves the ""Leauge of Flesh and Blood"" who are opposed to the existence of robots, beleivng that they are crippling human inde
Drowning World
Dec 2, 1986
Ming constructs a dam near the sea of Japan. This diverts the warm currents of the Japenease oceans towards the antartic, causing the polar Ice caps to melt, which results in major
The Adoption of Kshin
Dec 3, 1986
During the court proceedings of Mandrake's adoption of Kshin, Hai, an old Asian man, enters with proof that he Is the boy's grandfather. Hai's return sparks Kshin's memory- he was
Street Smarts
Dec 4, 1986
In battle simulation with Jedda, L.J. refuses to take part- he thinks it is only "kid stuff". Flash transports Morlag, a lizard-like leader of the rebellion on Mongo to Monitor, wh
Ming's Thunder Lizards
Dec 5, 1986
The Defenders fly to Alaska to inspect a dinosaur alert. While following dinosaur tracks, Rick and L.J. discover that a long-dormant volcano, with an artificial dome placed over it