Episode
Defenders of the Earth: Terror In Time
Overview
After retrieving a vat of deadly mutant slime from Ming's laboratory, six of the Defenders (LJ and Kshin do not appear in this episode) are chased through a time warp and go back to the days of King Arthur. There, they meet and join forces with Prince Valiant who tells them that his wife, Alita, is being held prisoner by the evil Warlock who has stolen the fabled Eternity Stone. And, to further complicate matters, the mutant slime - which has already infected Mandrake - escaped from the Shuttle when the Defenders crashed into the sea and begins to spread.
Details
- Series
- Defenders of the Earth
- Season
- Season 1
- Episode
- Episode 26
- Air date
- 1986-10-15
- Runtime
- 30 min
Episode context
Terror In Time is Episode 26 in Season 1 of Defenders of the Earth. It aired on 1986-10-15. The runtime is 30 min.
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Episode 25: Deal With The Devil
While captives in Ming's jail, Rick and Jedda overhear Octon and Garax's plans to revolt against Ming. In exchange for their freedom, the Defenders offer to help in the scheme. When the uprising begins, Octon contacts Monitor in a plea for help, however Flash and the other Defenders recognize this as another in a long line of Ming's vile attempts to destroy the Defenders. Rick, L.J. and Jedda disagree and with Kshin and Zuffy as stowaways, the three fly off to Ice Station Earth to help defeat Ming. They arrive at Ming's devastated headquarters to discover that it is indeed another of Ming's schemes- the Three Sorcerers Of Teros created the illusion of a battle torn command center explicitly to lure the young Defenders there so that Ming can probe Rick's mind for the plans to Monitor's defense system. When Flash, Mandrake, Lothar and the Phantom arrive to rescue the kids they engage the Sorcerers in combat. Flash uses his sonic-ray blaster to destroy the crystals encircling the Sorcerers, while Mandrake and Lothar unstrap Rick from Ming's mind-draining device. United with Jedda and L.J., the Defenders of the Earth destabilize the shifting ice flow under Ice Station Earth before mounting their ships for the flight back to Monitor, once again victorious in battle- but yet to win the war.
Episode 27: Ming's Household Helpers
The household helper robot, designed by Ming the Merciless in another of his evil schemes, is the hottest selling item on the market, deployed in over one million homes worldwide- including Monitor. Ming plans to use a space satellite to direct a hypno-beam through the robots to hypnotize their owners and make them slaves of the evil emperor. At the behest of Jedda, Rick examines his robot and discovers the plot, alerting the Defenders. When Flash flies out to space to destroy the satellite, he discovers Ming has a few tricks up his sleeve- a tractor beam renders his ship powerless and drags him towards Ice Station Earth!! Splitting up, Lothar, Mandrake and the Phantom penetrate Ming's fortress to save Flash. While Ming captures the Jamaican and the Magician, the Phantom wreaks havoc on the robot production lab. Ming activates his hypno-beam and sets the final stages of his plan into motion, however back at Monitor Rick mobilizes his frequency inhibitor, overloading the household helper robots and rendering them useless. Back at Ming's fortress, Mandrake uses telekenesis to overload the main generator, enabling he, Lothar and Flash to escape with the Phantom. As the robot production lab blows, Ming evacuates safely- surviving to return and fight another day.
More episodes from this season
Episode 24: Doorways into Darkness
Deep in Africa Ming locates an anti-energy source enabling him to open the Nightgiant Doorway and unleash 7-story tall nightgiants to destroy the earth. Flash flies out to space to destroy a Ming satellite, but his ship is immoblized by the Merciless One's roboships, while the Phantom goes to Africa to terminate Ming's activities in the Forgotten City. As the nightgiants terrorize various parts of the globe Rick intercepts a transmission from Ming to Garax and discovers that a transport invertor will eliminate the monsters. Mandrake, Lothar, Rick, L.J., Jedda, Kshin and Zuffy take on two nightgiants outside of Central City while racing to the stadium to retrieve the saving invertordevice. As they recover the device, Rick is captured by one of the creatures. Jedda departs for Africa, where her father will use the transport invertor to close the nightgiant doorway, while the other Defenders save Rick. Out in space Flash finally fights off all of Ming's minions and blows the satellite. Jedda delivers the transport invertor to the Phantom and they battle Ming's troops before employing the device and sending the nightgiants back to their own world.
Episode 28: The Starboy
While transporting Starchild, a child-like alien who has landed on earth, through the woods around Monitor, the young Defenders encounter two alien scouts who attempt to destroy their new acquaintance. With the help of the elder Defenders the scouts are run from the planet, but not before identifying the alien as an evil monster and promising to return. Back at Monitor, Dynak X informs our heroes that an armada of 200 alien ships are on their way to Earth, prompting Flash, Mandrake, Lothar and the Phantom to fly into space to investigate. Meanwhile, Starchild blasts his way out of Monitor and rampages through Central City, with the young heroes on his trail. Amongst the stars, the senior Defenders talk to Roarke, a reptile-like alien, who tells them that Starchild is a genetically engineered being created by the great scientist Shoar Koron, and he has limitless powers- which he has previously used to wipe out entire civilizations. The aliens intend to destroy Earth, thereby ridding the galaxy of the child. The young Defenders learn that Starchild is not really evil, but like any child he requires love and attention. Mandrake impersonates Koron to explain to Starchild that he must use his powers for good, not bad, and the little alien makes peace with all the space ships, before streaking away into the star system.
Episode 23: The Would be Defender
At the dedication ceremony for a new courthouse built in honor of our heroes, 13 year-old Earl Sump, bespectacled and dressed in a homemade superhero suit, captures two pick-pockets in the crowd. His reward- a day spent at Monitor with his idols, the Defenders of the Earth. Immediately Earl's overzealous nature endangers our heroes --he almost causes the Defender ship to crash, and when the Defenders fly out to a distant planet to investigate some strange behavior, Earl stows away, his antics on board causing Flash's ship to run aground and nearly be destroyed. Back on Monitor Earl locks Jedda in a storage compartment and hijacks a ship which he pilots to Ice Station Earth. Unintentionally he rewires Octon, turning the evil computer into his amicable sidekick, and brings him back to Monitor. Earl then plans a day of celebration in his honor, inviting all of Central City to take part. This all invokes the wrath of Ming, who invades the party. Earl unintentionally turns Octon back into his old self, and it looks as if Ming will destroy the residents of Central City, however the Defenders arrive in the nick of time to drive Ming away and save the populace.
Episode 29: The Gods Awake
When statues of ancient gods mysteriously come to life the Defenders are summoned to the Himalayas by Mandrake's old magic teacher, Theron. Our heroes learn that Ming and a mystic are behind the bizarre occurances, another element in a plan to recover a sacred dorje which will bestow upon Ming the power to rule the world. When Ming gains control of the sacred dorje, Mandrake tries to warn him about the danger of his mystic collaborator, but to no avail. The mystic snatches the dorje from Ming and uses it to turn himself back into Shiva- the destroyer god- who was banished from his dimension of Bodhidarma ages ago. As Shiva proclaims "Let the time of destruction begin" and he fades into his other dimension, Mandrake must follow. Ming, true to his cowardly nature, flees the scene, leaving the Defenders to amend the world-threatening situation he brought about. In the other dimension Mandrake battles valiantly against Shiva, however it appears his efforts are not enough to defeat the god, until an image of Theron appears and informs Mandrake that in Bodhidarma his illusory powers are REAL, not products of his imagination. Mandrake uses this nifty piece of information to conquer Shiva, and Lothar manages to open up the portal back to our earthly dimension just in time for Mandrake to slip through- with the powerful dorje.
Episode 22: Like Father, Like Daughter
Ming's estranged daughter, Aura, crash lands her ship on Monitor and informs the Defenders of her father's latest scheme to enslave the population of earth with his Mind Neutralizer. Flash, an old friend of Aura's who once saved her and her husband, Barin, from destruction at the hands of Ming, immediately sets out for Grand Junction with Aura, Rick, Jedda and L.J. Upon arriving they discover that all the city's officials are already under Ming's hypnosis and that Aura's motivation is revenge- pure and simple. As Mandrake, the Phantom and Lothar rush to the rescue, the Defenders escape and convince Aura that she is an unwitting dupe in Ming's evil scheme. Briefly captured but now free, Mandrake and Lothar, with the Phantom set to work on reversing the polarity of Ming's neutralizer before he hypnotizes the entire world, while Flash, Rick, L.J., Jedda and Aura fly to an alien planet to rescue Barin. Seconds before Ming's scheme enslaves the world Dynak X completes the reversal, and all those previously under Ming's spell are once again free-thinkers.
Episode 30: The Ghost Walks Again
When industrial tycoon/hypochondriac Kent Madden's plan to buy a magic health elixer from Partha, son of Chief Ajuna of the of r ican Fallu tribe, goes awry, he makes a deal to obtain use of Ming's forces to steal the potion. The Phantom and Jedda learn of the plot and immediately fly to Africa in the skullcopter. On the way the Phantom is shot out of the sky by Madden and is believed killed. The Fallu implore Jedda to take up where her father left off- as Phantom, protector of their tribe- and after some heavy soul searching she does just that. As Madden and Ming invade in full force, Jedda valiantly leads the Fallu in counter-attack. Unbeknownst to her, the Phantom raises himself from the jungle- he is alive- and must call forth the strength of ten tigers just to muster the power to fly the skullcopter. With the father-daughter team together again Ming and Madden flee for their lives. The Fallu people are saved, however the sanctity of their location is violated, forcing them to abandon their obscurity and join civilization.
Episode 21: The Defense Never Rests
The Defenders fly into space to investigate a mysterious comet and discover, too late to break from the tractor beams dragging them toward the comet, that in reality it is an Ilyrian spaceship. Inside the ship the Defenders are informed that they will be tried as the greatest criminals in the galaxy, with Ming as the accuser!! In exchange for his irrefutable evidence against the Defenders, the Evil One receives, under the pretense of "tools to rebuild the Earth", an anti-gravity device, a space warp drive, a machine to quadruple food harvests, and an energy shield to make all weapons obsolete, but these "tools" will actually serve to help Ming conquer the world. When the evidence is presented in court- film of the Defenders (actually Ming's Android Clones)- committing heinous crimes against the people of earth, things look bleak for our heroes. Rick, L.J. and Jedda manage to escape and invade Ice Station Earth, where they locate the androids and uncover Ming's plan. Back on the Ilyrian ship the Defenders are found guilty and sentenced to banishment to a galaxy 300 light years from earth, however just prior to their transport the young Defenders burst into the courtroom with the androids and save the day.
Episode 31: The Book of Mysteries
When a two-hundred square mile area of Morocco mysteriously disappears, the Defenders investigate- sans Kshin, who is instructed to choose any book from Mandrake's library for a book report. While Kshin flips through the blank pages of a book titled "Enigmas", Flash, Rick, L.J. and Jedda enter the unexplained area and discover a primitive wall with a door in it. Suddenly the wall image appears in Kshin's book, along with an inscription telling how to get inside. As our heroes are nearly crushed by falling rocks, Kshin relays the information and stops the avalanche. Kshin, once again reading from the book, instructs the Defenders, who are now inside the shrine, to push the gold keys on the control panel, revealing the lost city and removing the jamming field surrounding the area. Mean-while Mandrake and Lothar track down a notorious jewel thief and recover the Eye of the Dragon which is missing from the wall. Back inside the shrine our heroes awaken the Sleeping God before Kshin warns them that he is unstoppable, and it looks like certain death for the Defenders. As Flash, Rick, L.J. and Jedda are about to be boiled in oil, Kshin arrives on the scene and convinces the creature that they are here to help; while Mandrake produces the crystal which will allow the Sleeping God to return home, thereby saving our Champions.
Episode 20: Family Reunion
Ming captures the Phantom and Jedda as they return from the race against N'Dama (really the Phantom's brother Kurt Walker) for the Jewel of Zandoon. Once again his old self, Kurt Walker stows away on Ming's ship, and back at Ice Station Earth he watches as Ming places the Phantom in the Deep Freeze Chamber. Small Fry, a monkey the Phantom and Jedda picked up in Africa, sabotages the wiring of the Freeze Chamber, buying the Phantom more time and allowing Jedda and Kurt to escape into the corridors of Ming's hideout. Jedda saves Kurt's life more than once before he finds the Golden Chamber and turns himself back into N'Dama; however, he refuses to help Jedda save the Phantom until she promises to reject the Phantom's birthright and becomes his protege. Using his skull ring the Phantom escapes the Freeze Chamber and is horrified to find Jedda in the uniform of the Weather Demon. N'Dama steals the valuable mineral Thalacitrate, which will allow him to remain N'Dama forever, from Ming. The Phantom and Jedda, poised for take-off from Ice Station Earth, benevolently save N'Dama's life, prompting the Spirit of the Winds to restore her birthright before he disappears in a mysterious flash of light.
Episode 32: The Future Comes But Once
While engaging Ming's roboships in battle over the North African Desert, Flash discovers the remains of an ancient pyramid, where he finds an obelisk that produces visions when touched. The other Defenders arrive on the scene and Mandrake informs Flash that the sacred obelisk was believed to foretell the future. Unbeknownst to our heroes, Ming is in the area- in search of the very same obelisk, which he needs to tell the future so that he may propel his time drive device four-times the speed of light. When Rick and L.J. touch the obelisk they see themselves defeat Octon, giving them the confidence to set out for Ice Station Earth. They get as far as Ming's desert hideout, where they are taken prisoner. Mandrake informs our heroes that the obelisk cannot foretell the future, but rather what a person fears or desires for the future. Scavenger, the desert Arab whose home Ming commandeered as a base for his search, breaks free and sends for the Defenders, who raid Ming's headquarters. Mandrake destroys the evil emperor's time drive device, sending the obelisk beyond the reach of mortal men and Ming fleeing for the coolness of Ice Station Earth.