Episode
The Centurions: Firecracker
Overview
The countries of Quisto and Montenegro are close to all out war due to a recent attack on Quisto, apparently by Montenegro forces. The Centurions become involved due to the prospect of war threatening to involve the whole world. Max, Ace and Jake go to Quisto, while John and Rex go to Montenegro, where President Cordano tells them that it was impossible for his country to attack Quisto due to their defenses being run by the Def-3000 computer. John recons a supposedly abandoned Montenegran base, but is attacked and captured, while Rex is also abducted. They find that they are now prisoners of Lady Fang, who is in charge of the Def-3000 and wishes to start a war between the two countries, from which she will make a profit as an arms supplier. John and Rex are left to escape from Lady Fang's clutches, and the other Centurions beam to Montenegro in order to prevent war from breaking out. Science Lesson: Spider wart plants by Jake.
Details
- Series
- The Centurions
- Season
- Season 1
- Episode
- Episode 42
- Air date
- 1986-11-11
- Runtime
- 22 min
Episode context
Firecracker is Episode 42 in Season 1 of The Centurions. It aired on 1986-11-11. The runtime is 22 min.
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Episode 41: Zone Dancer
In Chicago, a traditional private eye by the name of Gabriel Knight is asked for help by Crystal Kane, to find out who framed her for Zone Dancing-illegal tapping into corporate computers by connecting people's minds into them. Having seen that Crystal was wearing a real droud (the skull plate allowing connection with computers), Knight seeks out Gibson, a former Zone Dancer who tells him about a dancer in the Zone named Neon who is reputed to have stolen data from Skyvault's computers. Meanwhile, Dr. Wu informs the Centurions that Megacorp, the company that designed Skyvault's beaming program, has had the program illegally duplicated by a Zone Dancer, who now has access to Skyvault's beaming files. Ace is sent to Chicago, along with John Thunder, who is specially recalled for the assignment. At Megacorp, Ace and John find Crystal stealing the data and wearing a droud. After escaping from her trap, they return to Skyvault and deduce that whoever stole the beaming program created a beam
Episode 43: Traitors Three
The Mesa Verde space testing station comes under attack by Terror's borgs. The Centurions arrive and battle his forces, but a nearby dam is destroyed, and a clifftop school pleads for help. Leaving Terror's forces to capture a new experimental space shuttle, the Centurions save the school, only to find it empty. Later, at a hearing, Centurions are blamed for causing property damage and suspended from active duty by Mr. Lomax on behalf of the World Council of Scientists. An investigation committee from the council look around Skyvault while the Centurions investigate the school's site. One of the committee members places a bomb on Skyvault at Terror's request, while the Centurions investigate the three committee members themselves. The Centurions must figure out who the real traitor is before Skyvault is destroyed by the bomb.
Science Lesson: Natural heating & cooling by Jake.
More episodes from this season
Episode 40: The Road Devils
Jake, whilst testing out a new land hopper in Australia developed by Skyvault scientists, gets caught up in a dispute between a heavily armed bike gang called the Road Devils, and a small convoy of gypsies. He defends the convoy and later is attacked by the bikers, who are looking for a stolen microchip intended for Doc Terror that one of the gypsies, Mitch took from a power plant and kept for himself. They kidnap Mitch's girlfriend, Cathy, and it's up to the Centurions to rescue her.
Science Lesson: Marsupials by Jake.
Episode 44: You Only Love Twice
A man claiming to be the deceased General Harding accesses security files on Crystal Kane's former fiance, Colonel Chuck Bates who disappeared in a rocket explosion five years ago, and transmits the information to Doc Terror. Harding was a hologram, and Terror also creates a hologram of Bates to lure out Crystal, while the Centurions are kept busy with Terror's forces on a space shuttle, Sealab and in Siberia. Crystal detects the wreck of Bates' old ship in Laos, and leaves Skyvault to find him. There she is captured by Bates' hologram and taken to Doc Terror. As the hologram of Bates begins to have second thoughts about assisting Terror, the Centurions stand ready to make their move and rescue their commander.
Science Lesson: Holograms by Ace.
Episode 39: The Monsters from Below
Dr. Nathan Romalus is hired to create a new type of lifeform that can take on the appearance of anyone. After hearing of Terror's plan to replace the World Council of Scientists, he has second thoughts and informs Crystal of the experiment. The Centurions are sent to deal with the creatures, but Terror manages to escape with them and Romalus himself. Faced with enemies that can alter their appearance, the Centurions must figure out a way to stop Terror's plan before the Council can be replaced.
Science Lesson: Skyscrapers by Crystal.
Episode 45: Sungrazer
As Doc Terror's borg Mutron attempts to steal an experimental virus, the canister is accidentally damaged when the Centurions apprehend him. The Z-80 virus then begins spreading over the Earth. The only one able to stop the virus is its creator, Professor Manfred Owell, who left with other scientists twenty years ago to live inside a sungrazer comet under the leadership of Dr. Daimon Zemo, intending to create a utopia. Crystal and the Centurions use the Starfire, a prototype ion drive ship to get to the comet in time. Inside the comet, the Centurions meet up with Owell and Zemo, who distrusts them. As the comet is now on a course straight for the Sun, Owell requests the help of the Centurions to save the comet against Zemo's objections. As the virus spreads over the Earth, the Centurions must deal with Zemo's sabotage and save the comet as well as their homeworld.
Science Lesson: Genetic modification by Crystal.
Episode 38: Merlin
Crystal and the Centurions meet Professor Hartman at a medieval festival. He claims to have discovered the location of Merlin's tomb on an ancient map. They soon come under attack by Doc Terror's forces, who want Hartman's map. Terror wants Merlin's powers, and journeys to his tomb at Stonehenge to reawaken him. The Centurions arrive and protect Merlin from Terror, but he steals King Arthur's crown from the tomb. With the Crown, he summons the sword Excalibur, but it is taken by Hartman's assistant, who is descended from Morgan Le Fay. With Merlin's help, the Centurions try to retrieve Excalibur and defeat Terror.
Science Lesson: Stonehenge by Jake.
Episode 46: Novice
Jake is testing out his new Swing-Shot weapon system with Ace, under observation by Klaus, the designer of the Centurions' weapon systems. Crystal detects activity from Doc Terror in the Andes mountains, and Klaus tells the team that they'll need Swing-Shot's abilities under his observation. Once there, the Centurions fight Terror's robot insects, but Swing-Shot freezes up in the middle of the battle. Blaming himself for the malfunction, Klaus later attempts to find out Terror's plan for himself, but ends up being captured. Terror informs him that he wants an Incan emerald to power his mega-laser that will be aimed at Skyvault. He also forces Klaus to improve his ground-borg designs to use against the Centurions. Fighting against their own technology, the Centurions must stop Terror and rescue their friend.
Science Lesson: Hydro-electric power by Max.
Episode 37: Night On Terror Mountain
Doc Terror attacks the Navigation Control Centre for the East European sector in Transylvania, wanting to cause air traffic chaos. The Centurions successfully defend the installation, and manage to down Terror's ship in a mountain range. Doc Terror and Hacker escape the from wreckage of their ship and seek refuge in an old castle. There, they find a sarcophagus of Count Dracula, and free him from suspended animation. Now free, Dracula is told of the Centurions, and attempts to defeat them himself by hypnotising Max and using him against Ace and Jake. The Centurions soon regroup and launch an attack on Dracula's castle.
Episode 47: Breakout
Dr. Harriman, a scientist who used to cut corners with building materials, and now an inmate at the Lunar Penitentiary is broken out by Doc Terror, who wants to use his knowledge of . Rex and John investigate Harriman's daughter Alexis, at her research lab. Terror then attacks the lab, and despite the Centurions' efforts, succeeds in stealing Alexis' new sonic ray. Suspecting Terror had an insider, Rex discovers that Alexis herself is helping him and her father in getting revenge on the World Council of Scientists. John discovers that Terror intends to use the sonic ray to destroy a new dam, but is captured by Hacker. John must figure out a way of escaping and warning the other Centurions before Terror can use the ray to destroy the dam.
Science Lesson: Agricultural methods by Jake.
Episode 36: Return of Cassandra
While conducting a training exercise, the Centurions come under attack from Doc Terror's forces. Ace is rescued by his old acquaintance, Cassandra Cross, the witch. The Centurions decide to attempt to duplicate her powerful abilities by studying her on board Skyvault. But once connected to Skyvault's computers, she turns off the defense systems and introduces herself as Lilith Cross, Cassandra's twin sister. With no defense systems operative, Doc Terror beams on board Skyvault. Ace manages to escape using the magical white rose given to him by Cassandra, and beams to Earth. He finds Cassandra trapped by Lilith's magic, and frees her. Together, they go back to Skyvault, and attempt to free the other Centurions.
Science Lesson: Herbal medicine by Crystal.
Episode 48: Atlantis Adventure (1)
Mei Lee and her colleague Jason from Sealab, are exploring a recently-discovered underwater trench, the deepest ever found. Their sea-bubble comes under attack by a giant squid and loses contact with Sealab. Max is sent to rescue them, but he too is attacked and loses contact with Sealab. Ace and Jake are sent to NASA to use an experimental Venus Probe, as only the probe can withstand the pressure at that depth. Meanwhile Max awakens to find himself in the undersea city of Atlantis, ruled by Princess Diana. At NASA, Ace is reunited with his old Air Academy comrade Sean O'Connor, who still holds a grudge against him since they had an argument over a girl. Diana tells Max her civilization has survived for many centuries since the city sank, and that they want no contact with the surface world, so he, Mei Lee and Jason are to remain there forever. Seeking control over Atlantis himself, Diana's cousin Naro attempts to steal the Venus Probe, leaving Ace to defend the ship underwater, where