Imagine if there were a world where you could drive supercars and perhaps develop superpowers. There is such a planet, at least in the fictitious universe. Audiences have experienced shivers because of the 1990s animated series Skeleton Warriors. It depicts the conflicts between the Skeleton Warriors, the evildoers, and the Legion of Light, the guardians. Despite being such a great animated series, it was short-lived and lost its audience not long after it debuted.
They were all humans, but the battle for control of the city started the day they all developed superpowers. They can fly in their armored, super-charged vehicles, which gives them a distinct advantage in combat. But how did they become superheroes and supervillains from being regular people? In this video, we will clarify every enigma surrounding the series. So without further ado, let us watch the video and learn everything there is to know about the Skeleton Warriors.
What is the show all about?
Skeleton Warriors is a science fiction cartoon series that was created by the American producer Gary Goddard. He is also the co founder of the production company Landmark Entertainment Group which brought this series to life. Skeleton Warriors ran for only 13 episodes and was first aired in 1994 on CBS. It was developed by Eric Lewald, Julia Jane Lewald, Len Uhley, and Steve Cuden. In the show, we are introduced to a fictional planet known as “Luminaire,” whose inhabitants have different colored hair since birth.
On this planet, there are some purely good people, some purely evil people, and some who struggle to define the good and bad that exists within them. The show is heavily based on this idea and explores the struggles of the heroes in Luminaire when the evil doers try to take over. The show follows the story of the capital city of Luminicity. It is protected and powered by a unique crystal known as the Lightstar Crystal.
Everything in the city stays balanced due to the power that resides within the Lightstar Crystal. The ones responsible for the safety of the city and the protection of the Lightstar Crystal are the Royal family of Steele. We are introduced to the Steele siblings, Justin, Jennifer, and Joshua, who are the heroes in the series. After the death of their father, the oldest son, Justin Steele, assumed the responsibility of making all decisions regarding the well being of Luminicity.
But soon, his authority is about to get challenged. The main villain of the series is another Luminicity resident, Baron Dark. He is a man who previously served under Justin’s father, but he was never trusted by them. Likewise, Justin does not trust him either. However, things are about to get pretty ugly in Luminicity because Baron will bring an unimaginable threat to the city and its people.
Exploring the initial episodes and the overall story arc of the show
Now let us take a look at what happens in the first episode of the show that is titled “Flesh and Bone.” It begins with the oldest and the youngest brothers, Justin and Joshua Steele, sparing with each other due to opposing ideas. Joshua wants to bring back Baron Dark to their Lightstar Castle because he trusts him. On the other hand, Justin is entirely against it and refuses to understand anything that Joshua has to say. He often treats his younger brother as a child, and it makes Joshua feel neglected.
Being the hot headed guy that he is, Joshua storms off saying that Justin needs to stop acting as if he is the king. Their sister, Jennifer, tries to explain to Justin that he needs to be more respectful of Joshua; otherwise, he will continue to defy him. As a result of Justin’s behavior, Joshua goes to Baron Dark for help, who tries to feed Joshua’s ego by telling him that the people of Luminicity need him as their King and not his older brother.
The next day, Joshua goes to the Lightstar chamber along with Baron Dark in order to remove the Lightstar crystal from its place long enough for him to successfully defeat his brother. However, it looks like Baron has other plans for the crystal. When Joshua tries to stop Baron from disturbing the crystal, he attacks him and takes hold of the Lightstar crystal. Due to the alarms going off, Justin and Jennifer soon arrive and Justin tries to take back the crystal from Baron. Both of them refuse to let go of the crystal, and as a result, the Lightstar crystal splits in half.
One half is in the hands of Justin Steele, and the other is with Baron Dark. A surge of power is released from the Lightstar crystal and several explosions occur all over Luminicity.
At the Lightstar Castle, the power of the crystal has somehow transformed Baron Dark’s body into a living, speaking skeleton. On the other hand, its effects on Joshua have resulted in a deformed face. His eye balls are gone and he kind of looks like a gorilla.
Back at Baron’s house, he shows his transformed version to his minions. A pink light seems to be coming out of his skeleton hands and with just a touch, he is able to transform the scientist on his team, Dr. Cyborn, into a Skeleton as well. Dr. Cyborn feels a rush of darkness growing within him and relishes in it. Next, he transforms his other followers, Dagger the dwarf, Aracula the six legged creature, and Shriek. Now that they have all turned into skeletons with powers received from half of the Lightstar Crystal, they call themselves Skeleton Warriors.
Now, at the Lightstar Castle, it looks like the three siblings have also received the power of the Lightstar crystal within them. Justin is able to shoot from the tip of his hand. Jennifer is suddenly able to fly. And Joshua somehow knew that the castle was under siege even before the sirens went off. But could these be the only powers they have? Baron Dark along with his skeleton warriors, appear in their flying vehicles and attack the castle. At the same time, Justin and Jennifer also get their super powered flying vehicles to fight back against the enemy.
Jennifer goes straight after Baron, and now that she has some new powers, she crashes her vehicle into Baron’s and flies away in order to save herself. However, Baron still stands straight. Just then, Joshua arrives to confront Baron and tells him that he betrayed him. Baron suggests that Joshua’s heart is as dark as his own and asks him to join the Skeleton Warriors. He refuses, and when Baron shoots them with his weapon, he takes Justin and Jennifer and runs into the shadows.
When they come out of the shadows, it looks like they have somehow reached the Sky Cycle Hanger and none of them know how they got there. Without giving it a second thought, the three siblings head toward the only person they can go to for some help, that is, their father’s brother and their uncle, Ursak. Upon reaching his house, we discover some new information about the Lightstar Crystal. Apparently, long ago, forces of darkness had stolen the crystal from the people of Luminicity and they had a hard time getting it back. There is a legend that says during that battle, a portion of the crystal was chipped, and the energy that was unleashed affected the warrior nearest to it in a manner that no one had ever seen before.
They realize that it is the same thing that happened to them. Now, while Uncle Ursak is handing them some new weapons, Joshua feels a ting of pain in his mind and knows that Baron Dark is now on his way to their safe place to find him. It looks like Joshua and Baron share a kind of psychic link through the powers of the Lightstar Crystal. The two can tap into each other’s minds. This is because Joshua’s heart was once in the wrong place when he was about to betray his brother but stopped at the right time. But since there is good inside of him, that is why he did not completely turn into a skeleton.
Jennifer flies outside to check their situation, and she spots the skeleton warriors heading toward them from far away. So, it looks like she is now able to look to great distances with ease. Uncle Ursak checks their defenses when Joshua has another headache and it seems like he is now being controlled by Baron Dark. As if under hypnosis, he is about to attack Uncle Ursak but is stopped just in time. Another battle begins and this time, Jennifer attacks Baron Dark and Dr. Cybron from behind and they explode.
Their skeleton body gets shattered into pieces. But suddenly, Baron’s eyes glow pink, their bones begin to come together, and their bodies are restored to normal. So, the enemies seem to have gained immortality. They attack the defenses of the heroes and destroy their main generator line, and rush inside. Joshua uses his powers of hiding in the shadows and destroys Aracula, the six legged skeleton warrior. But Aracula survives, and Joshua is stopped by Shriek, Baron’s female warrior. Jennifer comes to the rescue, and Joshua safely takes a wounded Justin out of there through the shadows.
The siblings then head toward Uncle Ursak’s underground battle station as he blows up his house with the skeleton warriors inside it. Ursak guides them to protect the half lightstar crystal that is still with them because Baron Dark cannot be allowed to get his hands on it. He tells them to become the warriors of the light. So, with the fire of the crystal in his blood, Justin is named Prince Lightstar. The crystal has given Jennifer the ability to fly, so she is now named Talyn. And since Joshua is able to move within the shadows of darkness, he is named Grimskull. Uncle Ursak is named guardian since he provides wisdom to the three siblings in order to fight the enemy. Together they make the Legion of Light.
The episode comes to an end with Baron Dark waking up after the explosion and promising the heroes that he will not back down and achieve all the power of the lightstar crystal and soon rule over their planet. Now, in the second episode of the series, things are about to get a little more serious. This episode is titled “Trust and Betrayal.” The people of Luminicity have now heard rumors that the three siblings are the ones who got them in danger. So, they are not ready to listen to anything Justin says.
However, the born leader makes a compelling argument, and one by one the citizens agree to stand with the Legion of Light. Now, at Baron Dark’s base of operations, Dr. Cyborn has reconnected their systems to the Royal security and communication systems in order to find out about the plans of the Legion of Light. Apparently, the heroes have a traitor among them because someone is leaking information to Baron Dark. Now, it looks like the Legion of Light plan to get into the storehouse in order to be able to feed the refugees.
So, without bringing much attention to them, Talyn, a.k.a. Jennifer flies on top of the storehouse and busts the lock. However, from inside the storehouse Aracula appears in his flying vehicle. He tries to attack Talyn but she blasts him with her rocket. In an instant, the skeleton warriors attack the legion of light. They are caught off guard since the enemies already know they are coming. During the fight, Dr. Cyborn and Shriek purposely don’t fire at Grimskull, a.k.a. Joshua. This raises suspicions among the new members of the Legion of Light.
Prince Lightstar, a.k.a Justin, asks their team to fall back because they are getting their ass handed to them in the fight. When the Legion of Light holds a meeting after retreating, the new members start accusing Grimskull of being the betrayer even though they have no concrete proof. He looks half like a skeleton and the psychic link he shares with Baron Dark is common knowledge. Selkirk, another member of the Legion of Light thinks that he could have signaled Baron Dark without even realizing it, so he is a threat to their mission.
However, Justin silences them because there is no evidence that these allegations are true. And after all, Prince Joshua is his brother. Now, in order to try and prove Joshua’s innocence, Justin decides not to share his new plan against the skeleton warriors with his brother. Selkirk informs Prince Lightstar and Guardian about the new defense parameters that the Skeleton Warriors are building. So, the heroes decide to ambush them without Grimskull.
The plan works in their favor and the Skeleton Warriors are clearly outnumbered, so they decide to retreat. However, this victory brings an issue regarding the suspicions of Grimskull being the betrayer. When Jennifer goes to talk to Joshua and show him that she is on his side, he suggests that if this psychic link is not under his control, then he will have to leave them forever. But it looks like Uncle Ursak thinks the refugees could ask to put Grimskull on trial.
Now, the next day, Selkirk takes Prince Lightstar, Talyn, and Uncle Ursak to meet a few rebels from skeleton warriors. He tells them they are ready to side with the Legion of Light because they want to save Luminicity. And since Prince Lightstar trusts Selkirk, they go along with him while Uncle Ursak stands outside to guard. This ends up being a mistake for the prince since it is a trap laid by the skeleton warriors. Prince Lightstar and Talyn get attacked and captured, and Uncle Ursak successfully escapes to bring reinforcements.
At Baron Dark’s new lair, he tells Prince Lightstar and Talyn that they planned for the Legion of Light to win the last encounter so that it could prove that their brother was the informer. However, it was Selkirk who betrayed them. He did this so that Baron Dark would give him jewels and diamonds from the crown’s vault. But how do you expect an evil soul to be honest with you? Baron immediately transforms Selkirk into a skeleton warrior.
Now, when Prince Lightstar refuses to give Baron their half of the Lightstar Crystal, he decides to turn the prince into a skeleton warrior as well. But somehow, Baron’s powers did not work on him, and Justin is alright. He asks Dr. Cyborn to find out why did his powers fail him. As it turns out, he can only transform those people into skeleton warriors who are already evil at heart. So, it is clear why he will never be able to turn Prince Lightstar into a skeleton warrior.
Back at their hiding place, Uncle Ursak informs Grimskull that he did not subconsciously contact Baron Dark. In fact, Selkirk was the mole in the Legion of Light. So, they decide to go after Baron together using Grimskull’s psychic link with him. He has taken control of the Lightstar castle. So, in order to reach quickly, Joshua channels himself and Uncle Ursak from one shadow to another.
After arriving inside the castle, Joshua frees Justin and Jennifer. Then he blasts Selkirk with his weapon in order to take his revenge. The skeleton warriors sure put up a good fight but the episode comes to an end with the victory being on the side of the Legion of Light.
Looking back at some of the memorable characters
Now, let us explore the main characters from the Legion of Light and the Skeleton Warriors.
Justin Steele, a.k.a Prince Lightstar
The character of Justine Steele is voiced by Jeff Bennett. As the eldest child of the king, after his death, Justin took the responsibilities that once belonged to his father. He kept himself brave for the sake of his younger siblings, Jennifer and Joshua. He also had to make a lot of tough decisions since the safety of the lightstar crystal was his duty. Perhaps, that is why after Baron Dark stole half of it, he felt as if he had failed in keeping his promise to his dead father.
After becoming Prince Lightstar, due to the powers achieved from the lightstar crystal, he was able to shoot beams from his hand. He quickly adapted to his new abilities and fought with a great desire for victory in every battle against the Skeleton Warriors. His quick judgment and decision making is also what makes him such a fit leader for the city of Luminicity.
Jennifer Steele, a.k.a. Talyn
The character of Jennifer Steele is voiced by Jennifer Hale. From the beginning, Jennifer has been the calmest and most collected sibling. When her brothers fight, she is often the one who is able to stop them. She knows how to make the other person understand a certain point. Along with that, she also has exceptional battle skills. The powers she gained from the lightstar crystal enhanced her fighting skills even more.
After becoming Talyn, she went after Baron Dark during multi fights and with her strength and wit, she overpowered him every single time. She has an immense dedication to fighting evil and restoring balance in her city. She also constantly makes sure that the Legion of light focus on fighting the enemy instead of fighting themselves.
Joshua Steele, a.k.a. Grimskull
The character of Joshua Steele is voiced by Kevin Schon. Joshua has been the most troubled character because he goes through an identity crisis. A part of him is good, but evil also lives inside him. Initially, when he tried to go against his brother, he noticed their family portrait and was reminded of a time when they understood each other. This made him reflect upon his actions, and he decided to stop his fight against Justin.
However, he is also often misunderstood and questioned by his own people. Jennifer is the only one who seems to have a good relationship with him throughout. She also trusted him even when the entire Legion of Light stood against him. Joshua can also be considered the rescue guy since he has rescued his siblings on multiple occasions during the fights. Despite sharing a strong psychic link with Baron Dark, Grimskull manages to shut him out of his mind every time and successfully plays Baron’s own tactics against him.
Uncle Ursak, the Guardian
The character of Uncle Ursak is voiced by Danny Mann. Although he does not live with the siblings, he cares for them deeply. The moment they come to him for help, he leaves everything and devotes himself to fighting for the good side. Well, he also has more experience than the three skilled royal children. We saw earlier that Ursak had been a part of the lightstar crystal retrieving battle in the past.
That is why Justin trusts his wisdom and advice despite being the leader. Ursak is also a skilled scientist since he built an entire battle station as well as several weapons all by himself.
Now, let us take a look at some of the most prominent members of the Skeleton Warriors.
Baron Dark
The character of Baron Dark is voiced by Philip L. Clarke. Even before Baron Dark turned into a skeleton warrior, he was evil to the very core of his existence. He betrayed Joshua when the prince put all of his trust in him because he had only one goal, and that was to rule over Luminicity and have control of all the power of the Lightstar crystal. To some extent, he achieved the latter when he gained half of the Lightstar crystal. It transformed him into a skeleton because his soul is entirely evil, and that is how he is able to transform other evil souls into skeleton warriors.
He also constantly aims to increase his army of skeleton warriors. He even transformed a violent dog into a skeleton warrior and named him Bad Dog. He is also the only one who has the power to transform others into skeleton warriors. So, if he were converted back into his mortal form, no one would be able to make him a skeleton warrior again.
Dr. Cyborn
The character of Dr. Cyborn is voiced by Nathan Carlson. He is Baron’s second in command and the only scientist and weapon maker on his team. Baron certainly trusts him the most among the other members of the Skeleton Legion. Dr. Cyborn often crosses his limits and ridicules Baron Dark but is soon put into his place by his master. As a scientist, he is quite talented, but he is also known to be the most deranged scientific genius. While he was still human, he used his knowledge and expertise in order to implant cybernetic pieces into his own body.
He conducts numerous experiments in his laboratory and has a solution for almost anything that Baron wants. After transforming into a skeleton warrior, he could feel the darkness of evil rushing inside him. It made him feel more powerful than before because now he could use his scientific knowledge to an even more malicious extent.
Some of the other most seen members of the Skeleton Legion are Shriek, who is voiced by Valery Pappas. She is the first female whom Baron transformed into a skeleton warrior. She is skilled at the tasks Baron assigns her and often tries to make Prince Joshua her primary target during the battles. Next is Aracula, who is voiced by Michael Corbett. He is a six legged creature who does not speak much but knows how to put up a fight. And lastly, Dagger, who is voiced by Danny Mann. He is Baron’s dwarfish slave and someone who never uses his brain.
Marvelous Verdict: The show presents a super cool futuristic universe and is addictive!
At the time when Skeleton Warriors was released, there were not a lot of fantasy science fiction animated shows. So, the show gained a huge amount of popularity very quickly. The audience would be looking forward to watching new episodes, but sadly it only lasted for 13 episodes. The plot is quite unique, and a story about a different planet in a cartoon series was not that common during that time. It even has variety in its characters because the core elements of each of them are different.
Through its different plot build ups, it has shown a variety of themes. We have seen the betrayal of a team member, the royal family being questioned, the characters having an identity crisis, and so much more. The characters are also built with a lot of depth because each of them has its own inner demons that torment them. This show leaves us in shock, from costume designs to building an entirely new nation. Everything looks pretty advanced for its time. In fact, the most awesome thing are the fight sequences. Every battle leaves us wondering which side is going to emerge victorious. And we also discover new battle tactics that the characters come up with. So, all in all, Skeleton Warriors is a great watch and definitely addictive. You will not be able to get enough of it.
Well, guys, that is all for today; we hope you enjoyed watching this video as much as we enjoyed making it for you. Have a fantastic day ahead!