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In its short, single-season run,
only thirteen Orbots episodes were aired. The show first aired on ABC on
September 8, 1984, and last aired on August 31, 1985. Here is a list of setup synopses: 1. The Magnetic Menace (Story by
Michael Reaves & Kimme Ringwald) This episode introduces the Orbots. Bo and Boo are delighted to discover that the ship they have just rescued from a meteor shower belongs to Dragos and Drax, a pair of popular robot rock musicians en route to a concert on the Moon. Bo convinces Boo to use her invisibility power to allow the two of them to sneak backstage before the concert to get "acquainted" with Dragos and Drax. Unfortunately, the musicians are really Shadow agents in disguise, and they lull Bo and Boo into a trance with their hypnotic music. During the concert, Dragos and Drax perform the function for which Umbra sent them; their music creates a magnetic monster, which begins a rampage. Dia, who was also at the concert, captures the Shadow agents and frees Bo and Boo, but the monster is already attacking Earth, where it attracts metal and steadily grows stronger. The Orbots attempt to intercede, but the creature is made of magnetic fields and the Orbots are made of metal; this is, as Tor puts it, "a bad combination." They are themselves absorbed into the growing monster. As the monster continues to attract metal, Earth will soon be defenseless, and open to Shadow invasion! 2. The Wish World (Story
by Michael Reaves) Umbra, after suffering yet another defeat at the hands of the Orbots against Kattron in the Emerald nebula, devises a plan to use Ohno's insecurity about being "only a robot" against them. His shape-shifting agent Plasmus lures Ohno to the Wish World, where (at her request) she is transformed into a human. Meanwhile, Umbra has opened a hyper-warp in the orbital path of the moon Doranis, a key United Planets defense location. Dia is sent to investigate, but the storms caused by the hyper-warp force her to crash-land her cruiser on Doranis. Mighty Orbots is called in to help; unfortunately, Ohno in her human form can’t provide the ignition key the Orbots need to successfully unite. They head back to the Emerald nebula in the hopes of using the nebula’s energies (channeled through Bo and Bort) to return Ohno to her robot form; but they are waylaid by Plasmus, who has also absorbed the nebula's energy, and grown to a gigantic size. All the while, Doranis’ orbit carries it (and Dia) ever deeper into the hyper-warp and oblivion… 3. Trapped on the Prehistoric Planet (Story by Marc Scott Zicree) After enduring a television broadcast of Mighty Orbots’ latest victory over Shadow (this time against Nordak), Umbra hatches an elaborate scheme to destroy both Mighty Orbots and Galactic Patrol Headquarters. Umbra’s agent Mentalis launches a massive asteroid toward Earth, then steals the Deflectron (Earth's defense satellite) and uses it to lure Mighty Orbots to Evilon (the "vilest and most dangerous planet in the galaxy") and trap them there. Mighty Orbots attempts to escape but is drained of power by the force field. Ohno's toolkit is lost in the crash, and Crunch can’t recharge them by eating because Bo’s latest practical joke has robbed Crunch of his appetite chip. Mentalis uses his mind control powers to send Evilon’s gigantic hostile life forms after the Orbots, while the asteroid hurtles ever closer to Earth… 4. The Dremloks (Story
by Michael Reaves) The peaceful planet of Idylla comes under unexpected attack by Shadow forces, and the primitive native Dremloks are enslaved and sent to work mining Energite ore, the most powerful energy source in the galaxy. Mighty Orbots, passing through the area to deliver a new energy scanner invention of Rob’s, is sent to investigate the unusual power emanations from Idylla. The Dremloks, now under Shadow mind-control, lead the Orbots into ambush where Tor, Bort, Crunch, Bo and Boo also fall under Shadow control. Rob and Ono escape alone to try to figure out a way to liberate the other Orbots and the Dremloks themselves. 5. Devil's Asteroid (Story
by Buzz Dixon) Umbra has created a duplicate of Mighty Orbots (called "Tobor"), and sends it on a destructive rampage, causing warrants to be issued for the real Orbots' arrest. In order to uncover the Shadow conspiracy, Rob and Rondu allow the Orbots to be convicted and sentenced to Devil's Asteroid for 999 years at hard labor. Dia, unaware of the plan, sets out to clear the Orbots' names. Meanwhile, the Orbots must endure terrible hardships on Devil's Asteroid, which has been infiltrated by Shadow agents and is under Umbra's control. Tor must carry tons of huge blocks from one place to another; Bo must wash mountains of dishes with her elemental powers; Crunch is force-fed and hooked up to the main generator; Bort becomes a replacement for a piston, and Boo is put in charge of a garden of predatory plants. With the Orbots out of the way, Tobor's disguise is dropped, and stands ready to strike directly at Galactic Patrol headquarters. 6. Raid on the Stellar Queen (Story by Marc Scott Zicree) Rondu boards the new luxury spaceliner Stellar Queen with Dia, bound for a crucial summit on Altair 6. While passing the Sargasso Cluster (a cluster of planetary bodies so dense that few ships can escape its gravitational field), the Stellar Queen is attacked by star pirates and dragged into the cluster where there is a pirate base among the derelict wreckage. Dia manages to get a warning message to Patrol HQ before she and Rondu are captured, and the Orbots hurry to the rescue. The pirate leader, Captain Shrike, captured the Queen only to get her experimental antimatter engine, which he connects through his master computer to Rondu's life-force to create a Thetan, a creature of awesome power. Dia escapes to warn Mighty Orbots of the situation, but how can the Orbots defeat the Thetan without harming Rondu's life-force? To complicate matters, since Shrike has removed the anti-matter engine from its dampers, a chain reaction and explosion is now inevitable. Even if they can deal with these problems, how can the Orbots escape from the Sargasso Cluster? 7. The Jewel of Targon (Story by David Wise) Passing the ancient world of Targon while returning from a mission, the Orbots detect a life form on the the supposedly dead planet. Bort, Crunch and Bo descend to investigate, but can't find any trace of a life for. Instead, Bo finds an enormous jewel which she decides to take home with her. Sensing something odd about the jewel, Rondu and Rob have it placed in a museum for study. That evening, a reptilian creature hatches out of the crystal "egg", and begins to devour other crystals in the lab, growing all the while. After growing into a huge, winged dragon, the creature breaks out of the museum and heads for Mars in search of more crystals. Can the Orbots discover the creature's secret and prevent catastrophe? 8. The Phoenix Factor (Story by Donald F. Glut & Douglas Booth) Umbra awakens the cyborg scientist Doctor Phoenix, exiled from Earth 200 years ago. Wary of Umbra but hungry for revenge, Dr. Phoenix agrees to use his outlawed Mechanogen energy virus to help Shadow. Phoenix is surprised by Mighty Orbots in the Danger Zone (where outlawed devices are dumped) while trying to retrieve his Mechanogen; in the encounter, Ohno is infected with the virus. While Rob struggles to cure Ohno, Dr. Phoenix releases a mutated version of the virus on Earth, where it begins to take control of everything mechanical. Rondu orders the evacuation of the city, and it is quaratined by erecting a force field dome... but this is only a temporary measure; the dome can't hold for long. Galactic Patrol sensors detect Phoenix's cloaked vessel in orbit, and Mighty Orbots (including ailing Ohno) head out in pursuit. By using Boo to match wavelengths with the cloaking field, they neutralize it and soon work their way inside the massive ship. They confront Dr. Phoenix and are on the verge of convicing him to switch sides (he has been chafing against Umbra's control, and Ohno assures him that the anti-cyborg fears of 200 years ago are gone, and now "humans and robots work together") when an eavesdropping Umbra releases the last of the Mechanogen inside Phoenix's ship... and all over Phoenix and the Orbots! 9. Leviathan (Story
by David Wise) On the watery planet of Reilos, the mining operations of valuable Aquarius ore are being disrupted by the attacks of Leviathan, a monstrous whale-creature over a kilometer in length. Mighty Orbots is dispatched to investigate. They discover that Leviathan is under the control of a local oceanographer named Aymon, but he is only trying to protect the ecosystem from administrator Torkus’ mining operations. In truth, Torkus is a Shadow agent, and the mining operations are just a cover to search for the Solar Sphere, an artifact with the power-generating capability of a star. Leviathan has swallowed the Sphere, and when Torkus steals Aymon’s psi helmet used to control Leviathan, it seems that Shadow holds all the cards… 10. The Cosmic Circus (Story by Douglas Booth and Donald F. Glut) The Orbots get their chance for fame when the Cosmic Circus arrives on Earth and the Orbots are sent undercover to sniff out suspected Shadow activity. Under the guise of an acrobatic team ("The Flying Robotties"), the Orbots discover that the circus Ringmaster is indeed working for Shadow; he is using his Hall of Mirrors to trap and duplicate the five Galactic Patrol officers (including Dia) responsible for the planetary defense system. But the Orbots’ cover is blown; they must withstand the onslaught of the circus performers and their alien zoo while the duplicate officers deactivate Earth’s defenses, and Umbra begins to assimilate the Galactic Patrol defense computer… 11. A Tale of Two Thieves (Story by Buzz Dixon) Transporting a dangerous Protean pod to Urbanos (the most densely populated planet in the galaxy), Crunch’s brainless actions allow the pod to be stolen by two local thieves (Kleptos and The Kid). Umbra also wants the Protean; Shadow agent Belladonna and her fearsome robot Mutron join the chase. In the tussle for the pod, it is opened; the amoeba-like Protean, once exposed to oxygen, grows at a frightening pace, consuming everything in its path. Can Mighty Orbots stop it before it covers the entire planet? 12. Operation Eclipse (Story by Marc Scott Zicree) Rondu's old friend Drennan unexpectedly shows up while the Orbots are escorting a convoy to Centris, where the Galactic Council of the United Planets government meets. Rondu welcomes Drennan and permits him to speak before the Council regarding his new invention, the Drennan Device (very similar in function to the Deflectron). Rob is uncomfortable with the free access Rondu is allowing Drennan, but Drennan is well-liked, even by Dia and the Orbots (Bort quips, "Lighten up, Rob. Not everyone's a space villain in disguise.") Unfortunately, Rob's fears are justified; Drennan has become a Shadow agent, and his treachery allows the Shadow fleet to destroy the UP convoy on the ground and surround Centris. Drennan uses his mental powers to put a "mental lock" on the Orbots which prevents them from joining together, and they are captured and imprisoned. However, Dia steals Drennan's fighter and her spectacular piloting skills allow her run the Shadow blockade and bring Rondu to safety. The Orbots subsequently also escape, but until Drennan’s mental lock can be broken, Mighty Orbots is powerless to prevent Umbra from moving the Shadow Star to Centris and taking control of the entire galaxy. To break the lock, Rondu himself must confront Drennan in a psionic battle which will determine the fate of the galaxy… 13. The Invasion of the Shadow Star (Story by Michael Reaves) Umbra's minion Werag develops the ultimate weapon, the Sun Smasher. It is a mighty cannon that can fire a projectile into a star from apparently any range, causing it to go supernova, destroying the entire system. After testing it on a remote system, Umbra issues an ultimatum to the Galactic Patrol; they must surrender within six hours, or Earth's sun will be the next target! Rondu briefs Rob on the situation, but does not yet send the Orbots into action; the Shadow Star is the most heavily defended location in the galaxy, a target not to be engaged without a specific plan of action. The Orbots, meanwhile are worried about another issue. On the eve of the Orbots' first birthday, Rob has secluded himself to work on a secret project. Expecting a birthday present, Bo convinces Ohno to hack into the computer to find out what it might be. What they find is a set of blueprints for what appears to be a new line of Orbots. Convinced that they are about to be replaced, the Orbots attempt to prove their worth (or die trying) by assaulting the Shadow Star themselves -- alone. They use the lab's Transmat to transport themselves directly to the Shadow Star, where they fight their way through Umbra's robotic minions to reach the Shadow Fortress, Umbra's continent-sized base of operations. Rob, discovering what the Orbots have done, rashly follows them through the Transmat; Umbra intercepts the beam and transports Rob directly into his own inner sanctum, where Rob is imprisoned in a force field. Umbra informs Rondu that he now holds all the cards and again demands surrender, but Rondu refuses. Can the Orbots overcome impossible odds and defeat Umbra on his own home turf, without Rob's aid? |
