If you never saw Bravestarr the first time round, then make sutre you buy the DVD - you're in for a treat! Bravestarr was made by Filmation, the same company that created He-Man and She-Ra Princess of Power.
BraveStarr is a very unique cartoon! A cross between Tron, Rawhide and Judge Dredd, it's been fantastic to re-watch, I really only remembered the theme tune until I re-watched the series. BraveStarr is based on the Planet of New Texas which is approx 2000 light years distant from us and 200 years into the future (23rd Century). There are the good guys who live in Fort Kerium and they try to live their lives peacefully but they are always getting harangued by the troublesome Carrion Bunch who basically want to steal their precious Kerium (a mineral that is three times more precious than gold!)
In many ways BraveStarr is similar to He-Man and She-Ra in that there is a large cast of characters (both good guys and bad), there are a large number of episodes (65) with explicit moral tales at the end of each for children to learn.
BraveStarr was the last cartoon made by Filmation before they closed, a spin-off cartoon called Bravo was being developed (based on the prairie people of New Texas) when Filmation closed for good. BraveStarr was aired in 1987, and Mattel BraveStarr action figures were released to the world in 1986, there was also a Commodore 64 computer, some children's storybooks (published by LadyBird) and the usual sticker albums, bed-covers, pillows, posters etc!
Marshall BraveStarr
The tag-line for BraveStarr is fantastic - 'We needed a hundred lawmen to tame New Texas. We got one. You know something? He was enough!'
Marshall BraveStarr is a Galactic Marshall responsible for keeping peace on the planet of 'New Texas'. Most notably BraveStarr is of Native American descent and he has mystical powers he can call on to help him i.e. Eyes of the Hawk, Strenth of the Bear, Speed of the Puma and Ears fo the Wolf. He deosn't actually turn into an animal or anything, instead he basically gets the ability to hear very well, be very strong and run very fast etc. He's not even too flashy about it - like most superheroes! He just touches his temple and says e.g. eyes of the hawk and before you know it he can either see really far, or even better he gets a kind of out of body power where he can see distant events!
Thirty-Thirty
30-30 is a cyber-horse! Perhaps the only cyber-horse in cartoon history? He basically can run around as a normal horse carrying BraveStar etc. but he is also BraveStarr's partner and transform into a talking, two-legged fighting machine when needed!
30-30 race are native to New Texas and they are called Equestrides, 30-30 is incredibly strong he literally has the strength of a horse (and then some).
Although BraveStarr carries two weapons a neutra-laser pistol and a trans-freeze rifle, he doesn't really use them alot going generally for the brains over brawn approach. Whereas 30-30 is a lot more gung-ho, he's got a huge bazooka/rifle thing that he calls Mary-Jane and is generally of the shoot first ask questions later way of thinking.
Judge J.B. McBride
Judge McBride is BraveStarr's sweetheart, she is also the Judge of Fort Kerium. Although she is a judeg, she does occassionally get stuck into the action using a special gavel/hammer weaponthat she was given as a gift by the native prairie people of New Texas.
We find out throughout the series that Judge McBride's father is the owner of the Fort Kerium newspaper and used to be a miner on New Texas, until his mining partner, Tex Hex turned evil!
Deputy Fuzz
The prairie people are native to New Texas, and in Deputy Fuzz we find the best example of their kind, whereas in his cousin Outlaw Skuzz we see the worst! Fuzz as you can tell just by looking at him is the comic relief character that gets thrown into every cartoon!
He often helps BraveStarr and 30-30 by fixing and repairing thingsthat break and like all of his race he is a fast digger!
Stampede
Ok so Stampede is the real bad-guy within BraveStarr. I never quite worked out what Stampede was, but basically he looks like a huge dragon, with a bull/bison skull for a head - anyway as you can see he is big and mean. He basically wants to cause havoc across New Texas and sees BraveStarr and the do-gooders at Fort Kerium as undermining his power base.
Stampede basically uses Tex-Hex's stupidty and greed to manipulate th eCarrion bunch and use them as his goons, to carry out his nefarious schemes. Stampede represents th emagical force for evil in New Texas, which is constantly seeking to thwart BraveStarr and his mentor the Shaman (who lives in the Starr Ranch and is the power for good & for whom I also don't have a picture!).
Tex-Hex
Tex-Hex is the leader of the Carrion Bunch. Something I should have mentioend before, New Texas as th ename suggests is basically a planet whose culture is incredibly similar to Earth's wild west. Instead of gold there is kerium, in stead of cows and ranches, there are animals called SolarCows which the residents of Fort Kerium raise as stock. then finally instead of the Hole in the Wall gang there is the Carrion Bunch. Tex-hex just wants money! He sees robbing Fort Kerium as an easy way to get this. He and his bunch are easily manipulated through their greed into working for Stanpede, to serve his ends and rid New Texas of BraveStarr and Fort Kerium! In additon to Vipra and Outlaw Skuzz below, the Carrion bunch also includes Sandstorm (a red alien that can create sandstorms by blowing), Dingo Dan and Australian accented Shape-Shifter, GoldTooth (a large Coyote), Howler (another Shape-Shifter) and Hog-Tie ( a human-like pig that was very strong) to name but a few!
Outlaw Skuzz
He's basically Tex-Hex's side-kick who gets th eblame when all the baddies schemes go wrong. He's the anti-Fuzz! he's lazy, mean, greedy and he smokes!
Vipra
Vipra is the baddy version of Judge J.B. McBride. Vipra is a reptile woman who has th eability to hypnotise people and if this doesn't work she always has her freeze gun! This is of course a snake-shaped gun that paralyzes anyone it hits.
BraveStarr: The Lyrics
Bravestarr, Bravestarr
In a distant time, and far away place,
The planet New Texas floats deep in space.
Sky of three suns, land of precious ore
The Kerium brought outlaws by the score.
Bravestarr, Bravestarr
Then one day, a lawman appeared
With powers of hawk, wolf, puma and bear
Protecter of peace, mystic man from afar
Champion of Justice, Marshall Bravestarr!!!
Bravestarr - Bravestarr!!!
Eyes of the hawk, ears of the wolf
Bravestarr - Bravestarr!!!
Strength of the bear, speed of the puma
Bravestarr . . . . BRAVESTARR!
BraveStarr: Resources
This is the best BraveStarr resource I could find on the web, it's got newspaper reviews, interviews, an episode guide for all 65 episodes - really goood! BraveStarr.Org
BraveStarr Morals
At the end of most episodes 30-30 and BraveStarr would often sit in HandleBar's bar (Handle-Bar being a green lizard bar-tender with a handlebar moustache). They would order SweetWater from Handle-Bar and reflect on the moral tale form the day's events!
BraveStarr: Facts and Trivia
Originally Aired: Sept 1997 - Feb 1998
Distributor: Group W Productions
Voices:Pat Fraley (BraveStarr), Charlie Adler(Deputy Fuzz, Tex-Hex), Lou Scheimer (various baddies), Alan Oppenheimer (HandleBar, Outlaw Skuzz and Stampede), Susan Blu (Judge McBride, Vipra), Ed Gilbert (30-30, Shaman)
Produced By: Filmation (exec produce Lou Scheimer)
Number of Episodes: 65
Episode Length: 25mins
BraveStarr Episodes
001. The Disappearance of Thirty-Thirty
002. Fallen Idol
003. The Taking of Thistledown 123
004. Skuzz and Fuzz
005. A Day in the Life of a New Texas Judge
006. Rampage
007. To Walk A Mile
008. Big Thirty and Little Wimble
009. BraveStarr and the Law
010. Kerium Fever
011. Memories
012. Eyewitness
013. The Vigilantes
014. Wild Child
015. Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here
016. Eye of the Beholder
017. The Wrong Hands
018. An Older Hand
019. Showdown at Sawtooth
020. Unsung Hero
021. Lost Mountain
022. Trouble Wears a Badge
023. Who Am I?
024. BraveStarr and the Treaty
025. Thoren the Slavemaster
026. The Price
027. Revolt of the Prairie People
028. Hostage
029. Tunnel of Terror
030. The Good, the Bad, and the Clumsy
031. Balance of Power
032. Call to Arms
033. BraveStarr and the Three Suns
034. The Witnesses
035. Handlebar and Rampage
036. Runaway Planet
037. The Bounty Hunter
038. Buddy
039. The Day the Town Was Taken
040. BraveStarr and the Medallion
041. Legend of a Pretty Lady
042. Sunrise, Sunset
043. Call of the Wild
044. Tex But No Hex
045. Space Zoo
046. Tex's Terrible Night
047. Running Wild
048. Thirty-Thirty Goes Camping
049. The Haunted Shield
050. Ship of No Return
051. Little Lie That Grew
052. Brothers In Crime
053. Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century Part 1
054. Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century Part 2
055. New Texas Blues
056. Jeremiah and the Prairie People
057. The Ballad of Sara Jane
058. Brother's Keeper
059. BraveStarr and the Empress
060. Night of the Bronco-Tank
061. Nomad is an Island
062. The Blockade
063. No Drums, No Trumpets
064. Shake Hands with Long Arm John
065. Strength of the Bear [aka The Power Within]
