She-Ra ran for 93 episodes from 1985-1986, it was basically a carbon copy of He-man aimed at bringing in the female audience and capturing their imagination in the same way that He-Man had captured the imagination of legions of boys. Both She-Ra and her alter-ego Princess Adora had traditionally female traits of compassion, tenderness etc. but she was also depicted as brave, clever and strong in character.
She-Ra was based on the planet of Etheria, where princess Adora (Prince Adam’s sister) could use the power of the Crystal within her Sword of Protection to transform into She-RA by holding it aloft and shouting ‘For the Honour of Grayskull. I am SHE-RA!’. Unlike He-Man’s sword, She-Ra sword could also transform itself into a whip and a shield. She-RA was battling to overthrow the Horde, and had the help of a number of friends who all knew her secret.
The only other thing that really stands out about this cartoon was that there was character in it called Loo-Kee, who was a Concealer (a bit like an imp). With the exception of two episodes Loo-Kee was never part of the main stroy-line, but rather was hidden in the background of a scene. At the end of the show he arrived to deliver the moral of the show to the children (a bit like Orko or Teela did at the end of He-Man) and then he would also reveal where he was hidden during the show. I can't really remember any other show doing something like this!
Adora
Unlike Adam from He-Man who pretents to be a lay-about, Adora starts life as the force captain for Hordak on Etheria. Adora then realises with the help of her twin-brother Adam that Hordak needs over-throwing and so she joins the rebellion. At no time does she try to conceal her physical or mental abilities as a determined, capable young woman. As a child Adora was kidnapped from Eternia, Hordak arranged this with Skeletor, he was due to take both Adam and Adora, but only managed to get Adora before the alarms went off.
A small number of friends know Adora's secret, these are mainly (but not limited to) Madame Razz, Kowl and LightHope.
She-Ra
Adora transforms into She-Ra by holding aloft the Sword of Protection and saying 'For the Honour of Grayskull! I am She-Ra!'. All that then really happens other than her getting super-strength is that her hair grows a bit longer and she gets a deeper voice! Apparently the cartoon makers were worried it would confuse children if she changed appearance too much. She-Ra also has telepathic abilities, she can communicate with animals and can heal with her touch.
Unlike He-Man, She-Ra's sword is not the source of power, but rather the crystal embedded in the sword which she often uses to shoot a 'laser' beam at things. This also means that unlike He-Man's sword, She-Ra can transform her sword into other useful objects such as a lasso, shield etc. She-Ra's horse, Spirit, also transforms into a unicorn with wings called Swift Wind.
Shadow-Weaver and Hordak
Ok, so the bad guys are the rulers of Etheria, it is She-ra's friends that are the rebels. The bad guys are part of the Horde Empire, ruled by the Horde Prime, although we hardly ever see him. Instead we see Hordak, who is the guy on the right above.
Hordak is often helped by Shadow Weaver a sorceress (who used to be known as Light Spinner before she turned evil). Hordak has lots of troopers that work for him, and he has a huge technological base in the Fright Zone! in Etheria, he also has a prison island called Beast Island where he sends the rebels. Unlike Skeletor, he is already the ruler of Etheria and so he sees the rebels more of an annoyance he wants to squash, rather than a major threat.
You may also remember Catra who was able to turn into a panther at will. Originally she was going to be She-Ra's main enemy, but instead the producers decided to use the Horde (due to toy sales etc.) and just include Catra as one of Hordak's key baddies, alongside the likes of Scorpia, Entrapta and Imp.
The Great Rebellion
So these are the good guys, trying to rid Etheria of the Evil Horde. The above is Kowl, a clever owl thing that helps Adora and knows her secret. There is also Madame Razz a Twigget witch that know Adora's secret and can sometimes use magic to assist. However, generally Madame Razz, who is quite old forgets the words to the spells or mis-casts the spells. However it is the Twigget forest called the Whispering Woods, in whic the rebels are based and so they owe alot to Madame Razz and her kin.
There is also Bow, the only male member of the rebellion! He is in love with Adora, and often embarasses himself trying to impress her. You may have guessed by the name, he is the best archer in Etheria! Finally we've got Ligh Hope, Light Hope is some sort of weird light entitiy that is both She-ra's mentor and the Guardian of the Crystal Castle. Light Hope was actually voiced by the series executive producer, Lou Scheimer! The Crystal Castle is a bit of a mystery, it is a refuge for She-Ra (like Castle Grayskull in He-Man) but it's location is always changing or hidden - I can't remember I wasn't really a major fan of the show! But this generally means that Hordak can't attack the castle directly and has to go after the rebels in the Whispering Woods instead.
She-Ra: The Lyrics
I am Adora, He-man's twin sister, and defender of the Crystal Castle.
This is Spirit, my beloved steed.
Fabulous secrets were revealed to me the day I held aloft my sword and said: "For the Honor of Greyskull!"
She-ra, . . . I am She-ra!
Only a few others share this secret.
Among them are Light Hope, Madame Razz, and Kowl. Together, we and my friends of the Great Rebellion strive to free Esteria from the evil forces of Horde!
She-Ra Theme Tune 
