Birdman and the Galaxy Trio
Encyclopedia
Birdman and the Galaxy Trio is an animated science fiction TV series created by Alex Toth
and produced by Hanna-Barbera
. It debuted on NBC
on September 9, 1967, and ran on Saturday mornings
until September 6, 1969. The program consists of two segments: Birdman, depicting the adventures of a winged superhero powered by the sun, and The Galaxy Trio, centering around the exploits of three extraterrestrial superheroes. NBC ran two new segments of Birdman each Saturday, separated by a segment of The Galaxy Trio.
The character of Birdman was revived three decades later in the Cartoon Network
/Adult Swim
TV series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
.
, which was a contemporary show.
Birdman appeared in issues 1 through 7 (April 1968-October 1969) of the Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes comic book
, published by Gold Key Comics
. He was joined in issue 2 by the Galaxy Trio (their first appearance together).
released Birdman & The Galaxy Trio - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. Birdman accidentally appeared on the menu screen for the DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures
, a DVD set which featured DC Comics
based superhero cartoons produced by Filmation
, in 2008. Warner Home Video
has stated that this was a mistake, and that Hawkman
was supposed to be in Birdman's place.
Alex Toth
Alexander Toth was an American professional cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but is known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout the 1960s and 1970s. His work included Super Friends, Space Ghost, The...
and produced by Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
. It debuted on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
on September 9, 1967, and ran on Saturday mornings
Saturday morning cartoon
A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming that has typically been scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the present; the genre's peak in popularity mostly ended in the 1990s while the popularity of...
until September 6, 1969. The program consists of two segments: Birdman, depicting the adventures of a winged superhero powered by the sun, and The Galaxy Trio, centering around the exploits of three extraterrestrial superheroes. NBC ran two new segments of Birdman each Saturday, separated by a segment of The Galaxy Trio.
The character of Birdman was revived three decades later in the Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
/Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
TV series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is an American animated television series comedy created by Williams Street and produced by Cartoon Network Studios that aired on Cartoon Network during its Adult Swim late night programming block. The series' pilot first aired in 2000, and later became a series in...
.
Birdman
- Birdman (voiced by Keith AndesKeith AndesKeith Andes was an American film, radio, musical theatre, stage and television actor.-Early life:John Charles Andes was born in Ocean City, New Jersey on July 12, 1920. By the age of 12, he was featured on the radio....
) - An ordinary human endowed by the sun god RaRaRa is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...
(although this origin is only vaguely and briefly hinted at during the series; his real name is never mentioned) with the ability to shoot solar rays from his fists and project “solar shields” to defend himself against attacks. He was recruited by a top-secret government agency, Inter-Nation Security, and now works full-time fighting crime, assisted by his eagle sidekick Avenger. In addition to the abilities he received from Ra, Birdman also possesses the power of flight, thanks to the giant wings which sprout from his back. His sole weakness is that he must periodically recharge his super powers through exposure to the sun’s rays. His trademark is his battle cry of "Biiiiirdman!!" when he goes into battle.
- Falcon 7 (voiced by Don MessickDon MessickDonald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
) - Birdman's eye patch-wearing contact with Inter-Nation Security, and the person from whom Birdman typically receives his missions.
- Birdboy (voiced by Dick BealsDick BealsRichard "Dick" Beals is an American voice actor. He has performed many voices in his career, which spans from the early 1950s into the 21st century...
) - A sidekick for Birdman. The two first met when Birdman happened upon a shipwreck, of which Birdboy was the only apparent survivor. Since the boy was near death from exposure, Birdman transferred some of his own super energy to him, reviving him and giving powers similar to Birdman’s, and he went on to aid him in several episodes. Birdboy lacks the natural feathered wings sported by Birdman, however, and is only able to fly with the assistance of the mechanical wings strapped to his back. He spends much of his time searching for his father, who was lost in the wreck, but this was never resolved. In Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Birdboy reappeared as Peanut, Birdman's erratic, scheming legal clerk.
- General Stone: General Stone appears several times in Birdman with other military leaders, and tends to find himself on the receiving end of the villains' schemes.
- Number One (voiced by Vic PerrinVic PerrinVic Perrin was an American actor and voice artist. He is best remembered as the "Control Voice" in the original version of the TV series The Outer Limits ....
) - The leader of the sinister organisation F.E.A.R. and Birdman's "number one" enemy. F.E.A.R. is behind many plots over the course of the series, frequently employing supervillains to perform nefarious tasks. The organisation was seemingly defeated for good and its leader arrested in "The Wings of FEAR", but it occasionally resurfaced without any explanation.
Minor villains
- Dr. Millennium (voiced by Hal SmithHal Smith (actor)Harold John "Hal" Smith was an American character actor and voice actor. Smith is best known as Otis Campbell, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show, and was the voice of many characters on various animated cartoon shorts...
): A super-villain who appeared in "The Menace of Dr. Millennium", using a time-manipulating machine to commit crimes, and "The Revenge of Dr. Millennium", where he tried to exact his revenge on Birdman and take over the world from the past. - X the Eliminator: A mercenary hired by F.E.A.R. to eliminate Birdman. He is charged with bringing back Birdman's crest from his helmet as proof of his accomplishment. He makes his reappearance as a regular character still trying to kill Birdman and get the crest as proof, though he's now more of a stalking fanboy obsessed with Birdman.
- Ringmaster: Agent of F.E.A.R.
- Morto the Marauder: A criminal genius and evidently once a significant threat to the world, Morto twice escaped from prison with his mechanical know-how and wreaked havoc in "Morto the Marauder" and "Morto Rides Again".
- Cumulus the Storm King: A supervillain who can control the weather.
- Nitron The Human Bomb: A scientist who got the capabilities and powers of a chemical called NITRON. He is eager to join "F.E.A.R", for which Number One tells him to finish the atomic reactor, USS-CO-BOLT and Birdman but fails.
- Mummer: A supervillain who is a master of disguise. Unlike most of his enemies, Mummer was able to escape from him thanks to his disguises.
- Kiroff: A supervillain who was responsible for causing worldwide earthquakes.
- Zardo: A supervillain who one time captured Avenger.
- Constrictor: Dressed like a snake and has two boa constrictors as his pets, this supervillain captures Avenger and tries to use him in order to capture Birdman. Birdman finds Avenger and burns Constrictor's headquarters down. Constrictor realizes Birdman is too powerful to be defeated and manages to escape, Birdman never caught The Constrictor.
- Reducto: A supervillain who wields a shrink ray. He uses this ray to demand money from Central City or he will shrink its size. After being defeated by Birdman, he is shrunken down to microscopic size.
- Doctor Shark: A supervillain who fought Birdman underwater and had the face of a shark, but the body of a man. Birdman had to constantly regain his strength by battling Doctor Shark in small increments so that he did not lose his energy from being away from the sun. Doctor Shark was eventually defeated.
- Hannibal the Hunter: A big game hunter who is determined to hunt down Birdman.
- Mentok the Mind-TakerMentok the Mind-TakerMentok the Mind-Taker is a fictional alien in the 1960s television program Birdman and the Galaxy Trio. His character re-appeared in the send-up series, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. Mentok uses his powers of telepathy or "Mind-Taking", for his own purposes.- Appearance :Mentok is an alien, with...
: Mentok has the ability to send cerebral messages to a person or animal to do his bidding. He uses this ability to get Birdman to steal missiles from the United States Government. He plans on using these missiles to start a war between two countries. - Dr. Freezoid: Dr. Freezoid has a weapon that can turn an entire city block into ice. He has a retreat in the North Pole. Birdman causes him to self-destruct his base of operations with his own weapons. In Birdman: The Legend of the Bird, he used to be president Calvin CoolidgeCalvin CoolidgeJohn Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
but suffered a disease that caused him to be cold-blooded and him turning into an ice demon. - Deadly Duplicator: An old man with large glasses, Deadly Duplicator uses his glasses to create duplicates of the people that he zaps. Deadly Duplicator has full control over the twin and uses them to help him in his plans to take over the world, but of course is thwarted by Birdman.
- Professor Nightshade: An Agent of F.E.A.R., he steals a solar box that has the power to send entire cities into a 4th dimension. Professor Nightshade traps Birdman and tries to use the solar box on him, but it reacts differently to Birdman, instead of sending Birdman into the 4th dimension it gives him energy to become strong. When Prof. Nightshade tries to use it again on him it reflects off of Birdman and Nightshade accidentally sends himself into the 4th dimension. Birdman then destroys the machine. He later appears as a witness
- Chameleon: A scientist who created a transformation serum that gave him the ability to shapeshift into whatever he wants, whether it's people, animals, or even inanimate objects. In the end the serum in his body ran out and Birdman handed him over the police.
- Moray of the Deep: Captain Moray abducts his seventh scientist. He forces them to develop a nuclear reactor. Birdman disguises himself as a scientist and gets abducted by Moray, but Moray knew it was him and a great battle ensues. Birdman is then captured for real. He sends a signal to Birdboy to find him. As Birdman is about to enter a nuclear reactor (which should have killed him) his energy is instead restored. Thus ending the villainy of Captain Moray.
- Aliens of the Purple Moss: These were aliens who came to earth to take it over. Fortunately Birdman was informed and stopped the aliens in a heated battle.
- The Brain Thief: A scientist who captured four other scientists and used their minds to try and defeat Birdman.
- Dr. Mentaur: A scientist who turned a woman into Birdgirl through hypnosis, a super serum, and some metal wings. Eventually he was defeated and Birdgirl became normal again.
- Birdgirl: Created by Dr. Mentaur through hypnosis, a super serum, and some metal wings Birdgirl was created. She was an aerialist before she met Dr. Mentaur. While under hypnosis, she was used to defeat Birdman. While captured, Birdman tricked her into letting him go outside as a last request. Regaining his strength from the sun, this allowed Birdman to defeat Dr. Mentaur and save Birdgirl.
- The Incredible Magnatroid This was a robot created by a scientist to destroy Birdman.
- Medusa: Aka "The Empress of Evil" captures the Prince of the Maja Raja and then captures Birdman. The Prince gives Birdman a diamond from his turbin that he says came from the sun god, Ra. After giving it to Birdman, Birdman is able to regain his strength and defeat Medusa.
- Spyro: Head of a master spy syndicate, he hijacked the atomic city supply train to do some evil bidding.
- Dr. Claw: He is a scientist that used an Ant serum to inject his creation Ant Ape. When he injects his robot creation the Ant Ape becomes super strong and nearly unstoppable, but Birdman defeats them. NOTE: This Dr. Claw is much different from the one in Inspector GadgetInspector GadgetInspector Gadget is an animated television series that revolves around the adventures of a clumsy, simple-witted cyborg detective named Inspector Gadget – a human being with various bionic gadgets built into his body. Gadget's arch-nemesis is Dr...
. - The Speed Demon: A convicted felon already put away by Birdman retaliates by creating a potion that gives him super speed. He runs around stealing money and jewels from various places. He then realizes that with his new power he cannot be defeated. Speed Demon captures Birdman and almost defeats him, but Birman comes out on top. In the end Speed Demon's speed causes his aging process to speed up rapidly and he becomes an old man, losing the battle.
- VulturoVulturoVulturo is a Hanna-Barbera super-villain who first appeared in a 1967 episode of Birdman and the Galaxy Trio titled Vulturo, Prince Of Darkness. The character reappeared in another classic episode titled Return Of Vulturo....
: Dr. Vult is an evil scientist who made a vulture-like costume to combat Birdman. He appeared in two episodes of Birdman and the Galaxy Trio: in "Vulturo, Prince Of Darkness", where he was hired by F.E.A.R. to destroy Birdman, and "Return Of Vulturo", in which he tried to exact his revenge. Like many other characters . - Murro (sic) the Marauder: This evil villain can commandeer the shadows of unsuspecting victims. Although the episode title card identifies the character as Murro, he is referred to "Murko" throughout the segment.
Galaxy Trio
The Galaxy Trio is a group of three extraterrestrial superheroes, Vapor Man, Meteor Man, and Gravity Girl, who patrol space in their cruiser Condor One maintaining order and fighting evildoers in the name of the Galactic Patrol law enforcement agency. The ship was equipped with a "displacer" very similar to the transporter device on Star TrekStar Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, which was a contemporary show.
- Vapor Man (voiced by Don MessickDon MessickDonald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
) - He has the ability to transform part or all of his body into gaseous form (a power shared by at least some residents of his home planet of Vaporus), enabling him to fly, escape from physical bonds, and squeeze through very small spaces, as well as producing various forms of "vapor" (such as "freeze vapor") from his hands.
- Meteor Man (voiced by Ted CassidyTed CassidyTheodore Crawford Cassidy , known as Ted Cassidy, was an American actor who performed in television and films. At 6 ft 9 in in height, he tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie...
) - A native of the planet Meteorus. Meteor Man is distinguished by his ability to increase or decrease the size of any part of his body. He gains superhuman strength in any limb that he chooses to enlarge.
- Gravity Girl (voiced by Virginia Eiler) - She has the ability to bend the laws of gravity to her will, allowing her to fly and lift very heavy objects with her mind. The daughter of the king of the planet Gravitas, she left her luxurious home and life of privilege at an early age to fight crime with the Galactic Patrol and was subsequently assigned to the Galaxy Trio team, with whom she has served ever since.
Minor characters
- Chief: A man referred to only as "Chief" is a recurring character in Galaxy Trio. He fulfills a similar role to that of Falcon 7 in Birdman.
Birdman
- The Menace Of Dr. Millennium
- X The Eliminator
- The Ruthless Ringmaster
- Morto the Marauder
- Birdman Vs Cumulus the Storm King
- Nitron the Human Bomb
- Birdman vs the Mummer
- The Quake Threat
- Avenger for Ransom
- The Brain Thief
- Birdman vs the Constrictor
- Birdman meets Birdgirl
- Birdman meets Reducto
- Serpents of the Deep
- Hannibal the Hunter
- The Purple Moss
- The Incredible Magnatroid
- Mentok, the Mind Taker
- The Wings of Fear
- Birdman vs Dr. Freezoids
- Train Trek
- Number One
- The Deadly Duplicator
- The Deadly Trio
- Professor Nightshade
- The Chameleon
- The Empress of Evil
- Birdman meets Birdboy
- Birdman meets Moray of the Deep
- Birdman and the Monster of the Mountains
- The Return of Vulturo
- Birdman in the Revenge of Dr. Millennium
- The Wild Weird West
- The Ant Ape
- Morto Rides Again
- Vulturo: Prince of Darkness
- Murro (sic; should be Murko) the Marauder
- Birdman vs the Speed Demon
- The Pirate Plot
- Skon of Space -
Galaxy Trio
- Revolt of the Robots
- The Battle of Aquatrons
- Galaxy Trio Versus the Moltens of Meteorus
- Galaxy Trio Versus Growliath
- Galaxy Trio & the Sleeping Planet
- Galaxy Trio & the Cave Men of Primevia
- Titan the Titanium Man
- Computron Lives
- Space Fugitives
- The Eye of Time
- The Duplitrons
- The Demon Raiders
- The Rock Men
- Return to Aqueous
- Space Slaves
- Invasion of the Sporoids
- Gralik of Gravitas
- Plastus the Pirate Planet
- Drakmore the Despot
- The Peril of the Prison Planet -
Birdman and the Galaxy Trio in other media
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
, published by Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
. He was joined in issue 2 by the Galaxy Trio (their first appearance together).
DVD release
On July 17, 2007, Warner Home VideoWarner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
released Birdman & The Galaxy Trio - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. Birdman accidentally appeared on the menu screen for the DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures
The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure
The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure is a Filmation animated series that aired on CBS from 1967 to 1968. Premiering on September 9, 1967, this 60-minute program included a series of six-minute adventures featuring various DC Comics superheroes....
, a DVD set which featured DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
based superhero cartoons produced by Filmation
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
, in 2008. Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
has stated that this was a mistake, and that Hawkman
Hawkman
Hawkman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, published by All-American Publications in 1940....
was supposed to be in Birdman's place.
| Cover Art | DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
The Complete Series | 20 | July 17, 2007 |
Birdman and the Galaxy Trio in other languages
- FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Solaris - JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
: 電子鳥人Ｕバード/銀河トリオ (Denshi Chōjin Yū-Bādo; Electronic Birdhuman U-Bird/Ginga Torio; Galaxy Trio) - PolishPolish languagePolish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
: Birdman i Trio z galaktyki - PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
: Homem-Pássaro e o Galaxy Trio - SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Birdman y el Trío Galaxia