I was recently going through old converted beta to VHS tapes from my childhood and discovered the tapes of this short-lived 5 episode series, Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion. This mini-series follows the typical mutant 80s formula. Man advanced too far in the ways of science on the planet Symbion and a holocaust occurred. (At least that is what I assume from the "preview" of episode one). Man mutated to insect-like creatures. The center of knowledge is The Hive.
Like any sci-fi series, there are the good guys, lead by Prince Dargon, and the bad guys, lead by Spydrax. The villains are mostly spider-like creatures, of course. Episode one begins with Spydrax and his lackeys attacking the peaceful farms and very small town of "The Shining Realm," home of Dargon and his boys. Fire, chaos, you get the idea. They steal Mantor's map to the hive. Mantor is the wise older mentor-type character, with of course salt and pepper hair. Anyway, one of Spydrax's lackeys, a brown tarantula-esque thing, steals the map. A struggle between this thing and Mantor ensues, with Mantor being poisoned.
And so the story is set: the evil Spydrax plans to find his way to the Hive, obtain ultimate knowledge, I assume, and rule the world. (Say this with your pinky in your mouth) Throughout the five episode mini-series, a lot of parallels between this and Greek myth can be seen. But if you're going to borrow, you might as well go with the masters, right? Anyway, the five episode mini-series is pretty decent. There are some mistakes and overlooked writing errors, but it's a fun fare that brought back some joyous nostalgia. Are the characters deep and moving? Not really. But it's fun to remember the good old days.
8/10
Like any sci-fi series, there are the good guys, lead by Prince Dargon, and the bad guys, lead by Spydrax. The villains are mostly spider-like creatures, of course. Episode one begins with Spydrax and his lackeys attacking the peaceful farms and very small town of "The Shining Realm," home of Dargon and his boys. Fire, chaos, you get the idea. They steal Mantor's map to the hive. Mantor is the wise older mentor-type character, with of course salt and pepper hair. Anyway, one of Spydrax's lackeys, a brown tarantula-esque thing, steals the map. A struggle between this thing and Mantor ensues, with Mantor being poisoned.
And so the story is set: the evil Spydrax plans to find his way to the Hive, obtain ultimate knowledge, I assume, and rule the world. (Say this with your pinky in your mouth) Throughout the five episode mini-series, a lot of parallels between this and Greek myth can be seen. But if you're going to borrow, you might as well go with the masters, right? Anyway, the five episode mini-series is pretty decent. There are some mistakes and overlooked writing errors, but it's a fun fare that brought back some joyous nostalgia. Are the characters deep and moving? Not really. But it's fun to remember the good old days.
8/10
