Exosquad
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Phaeton_exosquad.jpg
Exosquad was a science fiction cartoon that ran on the USA network from September 1993 to May 1994. It was created as a response to anime. Although it was advertised and marketed as a Saturday morning cartoon for children, it found most acclaim among teenagers and young adults. Because of this misdirected marketing, the ratings never lived up to their potential, and the show was cancelled after only two seasons.
The premise of the series
The series takes place in the 22nd century (around 2118-2120). Humans have expanded their presence beyond Earth, colonizing Venus and Mars ("the homeworlds"). At the start of the series the homeworlds were in conflict with the Pirate Clans, a group of rebel humans occupying parts of the outer solar system. After the Clans raided one too many unarmed homeworld freighters, the Earth Congress dispatched the entire Exofleet, humanity's space-based military, against them.
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While war with the Pirate Clans loomed, a revolt was about to begin among the Neosapiens. The Neosapiens are a group of genetically engineered beings, bred to be physically stronger and smarter than Humans. They were created as slave labor to help build Mars and Venus for colonization. The maltreatment of the Neosapiens led to their revolt 50 years earlier, but that rebellion was crushed. The new insurrection is planned by the Governor of Mars, Phaeton, and began shortly after the Exofleet went after the Pirate Clans. The Neosapiens captured the homeworlds in short order.
The two seasons that the show was on the air followed the progress of the war, as seen through the eyes of Able squad. The squad is a group of elite soldiers, composed of J.T. Marsh, Nara Burns, Maggie Weston, Kaz Takagi, Alec Deleon, Rita Torres, Wolf Bronski, and Marsala (a Neosapien).
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The second season ends with the defeat of the Neosapiens and the liberation of the homeworlds. The series was cancelled soon afterwards. However, Exosquad ended with a cliffhanger, suggesting that the third season would have been about a war against a new alien race, and that the Terrans and Neosapiens would have been forced to ally with each other.
Response to anime
Many recent American cartoon shows have anime styling without the dramatic punch that made anime a serious contender for U.S. entertainment dollars. Exosquad was too early to be a part of that trend.
Exosquad was drawn in the traditional American realistic fashion, but it had a serious tone with several ongoing storylines. This dramatic combination is credited with making Robotech a success in America, and later made Disney's Gargoyles a fan favorite.
Interplanetary politics and space war were presented with an assumption of the history of the solar system up to that point. The squad's duties became more spread out as the second season unfolded. There were story arcs on Mars, Venus, and Earth, and in space, running simultaneously. Espionage and intrigue were often featured instead of full-out battles.
The exo-suits were the main MacGuffin of the series. They were personal mecha, big armored space suits with weapons. Sources of inspiration may have been Robotech, Battletech, and most likely Heinlein's Starship Troopers.
External links
- Template:Imdb title
- Episode Guide (TvTome) (http://tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-7632/Exosquad/#intro)