SilverHawks

In 1986, Rankin-Bass decided that they wanted to capitalize on the popularity of their smash hit cartoon, Thundercats. They came up with the Silverhawks. Debuted in September, 1986, the Silverhawks lasted for one season of 65 episodes. Marvel Comics also created an ill-fated comic based on the show as part of its Star Comics imprint, which lasted for all of six issues. Kenner produced the official action figures for the SilverHawks in 1986 and 1987.

Silverhawks took place in a galaxy known as Limbo. Limbo works differently than normal space - the planets are closer together than planets normally should be, and don't appear to orbit any star. In addition, the space between planets appears to contain breathable air.

The story began in the year 2839 with the escape of Mon*Star from Penal Planet 10. Mon*Star, a mob boss, quickly regrouped his mob, comprised of Melodia, Pokerface, Mumbo Jumbo, Mo-lec-U-lar, Hardware, Yes-Man, and several other occasional villains. Commander Stargazer, the only real representative of the local space police and the person who had previously captured Mon*Star, called Earth for help with the threat. Earth was willing to send help, but as the transfer process was lethal to normal humans, several people volunteered to undergo a process to become cyborgs. This resulted in Lt. Jonathan Quick becoming Quicksilver, twins Emily and Will Heart became Steelheart and Steelwill, and one other person (whose name was never stated, as far as I can find) became Bluegrass. These four were then transported to Limbo, where they began their fight against the mob. Quicksilver was given a sidekick in the form of a cyborg hawk named TallyHawk. They were quickly joined by The Copper Kidd, a volunteer from "The Planet of Mimes."

The cast of major characters:

Heroes:

• Commander Stargazer: The commander of the Silverhawks, he is the person who directs the Silverhawks on where to go. He is the person who originally put Mon*Star in jail, and requested help when Mon*star broke out.
• Quicksilver: Lt. Jonathan Quick, better known as Quicksilver, is the field leader of the Silverhawks. Quicksilver is also the "owner" of the team's mascot, TallyHawk, a cyborg hawk.
• Steelheart: Sgt. Emily Heart is Steelheart, the strongest fighter in the group. She and her twin brother Will had a problem when they went through the process that changed them into Silverhawks - their hearts rejected the surgery, and they nearly died on the table. However, their hearts were replaced with cybernetic hearts, solving the problem.
• Steelwill: Sgt. Will Heart is Steelwill, Steelheart's twin brother. He is the mechanic for the Silverhawks, and nearly as strong as his sister.
• Bluegrass: No name was ever given for Bluegrass, although it is known that his rank is Colonel. He is the pilot of the Mirage, the jet that the Silverhawks used for long flights. Bluegrass is the only Silverhawk who does not have wings, and cannot fly unassisted.
• The Copper Kidd: Unlike the rest of the Silverhawks, The Copper Kidd is a volunteer from "The Planet of Mimes." Unable to speak normally, he "speaks" through whistles and synthesized speech. At the end of each episode, The Copper Kidd was quizzed by Hawk Haven's computers on Earthly science.

• Mon*Star: The main villain of the series, Mon*Star is the leader of an "Intergalactic mob." His escape from Penal Planet 10 is the start of the series, and the reason for Commander Stargazer's call for help that brought the Silverhawks. Mon*Star's base of operations is on Brin*Star, which is apparently orbited by the Moon*Star. When the Moon*Star's light shines through the star-shaped hole in the ceiling of Mon*Star's base on Brin*Star, Mon*Star transforms into a powerful, armored form that is nigh-invincible.
• Yes-Man: Yes-Man was a snake-like lackey to Mon*star who was incapable of doing anything right. He was always being abused by Mon*Star.
• Hardware: Hardware was a trollish creature with an impressive arsenal of weaponry stowed in a huge backpack that he always wore. He was one of Mon*Star's most reliable henchmen.
• Melodia: Melodia was the bad-guy counterpart to Bluegrass. She carried an oversized keyboard that doubled as a weapon. For some reason, her sunglasses shaped like a musical note and her haircut always made me think of Elton John.
• Poker Face: Pokerface was an android with roulette wheels for eyes. He was the Mob's gambling expert. He ran the Starship Casino, which was run outside of the "Lightyear Limit," which was the extent of the Silverhawks' jurisdiction.
• Mumbo Jumbo: Mumbo Jumbo was a bull-headed strong man for the Mob, and often worked as bodyguard for Poker Face. Long on strength, short on brains.
• Buzzsaw: Another Mob goon, this guy had a circular saw mounted through the center of his head vertically, and had two buzzsaw launchers for hands.