Defenders of the Earth — Season 1

Flash Gordon's wife's life force is drained in Ming's Inquisitor but her essence is saved for her son's, Rick, new supercomputer Dynak X. Ming sets a trap for the Defender at an abandoned fortress prison. He tries to execute them.

A huge cavern located in a dormant volcano is chosen as the new home for the Defenders of the Earth and their supercomputer Dyna X. The Defenders call their new base, Monitor.

Kshin is fretted when his experiments with Mandrake's sorcery books produce Shogoth, a demon. The Defenders must defeat this creature. Kshin learns what it takes to be a Defender of the Earth.

Ming employs Kurt Walker, the older brother of Kit Walker, the man known as the Phantom, in an effort to destroy his hated enemy. He gives Kurt temporary powers as the weather demon N'Dama. N'Dama wants to destroy his brother and gain revenge on him for beating him in a test when he was a child. Jedda comes to learn of the unfortunate family history and has to help her father out.

Ming tricks the Defenders into granting him access to Dynak X and then unleashes an Electronic Maggot inside it. The Maggot could easily destroy the supercomputer, so the young Defenders have to use Rick's new Micronizer in order to shrink in size, get inside the computer, and stop the Maggot.  

Doctor Whitestead's experiment to create a new food source goes awry and he starts turning into a plant. Ming sees the possibility of using this awful formula on the people of Earth, so he kidnaps Doctor Whitestead and his daughter Bridget, forcing her to betray the Defenders and trick them into aiding him. Flash tries to recreate one of Kshin's science experiments on plants in order to change the people back to normal, but will it work?  

Ming has created a new weather controlling satellite, but he needs the special circuity in Rick's communicator ring in order to get it to function properly. Relying upon Rick's impulsiveness, he capture Flash Gordon in order to draw Rick to him. Rick rushes off on his own to save his father and plays right into Ming's hands. The other Defenders must rescue the pair and stop Ming before the villain can control the weather!  

Ming forces an alien to reveal to him the secret of the Annihilator, an ancient robot capable of terrible destruction. The deadly construct lies in stasis underneath Central City. Ming attempts to resurrect it from the depths in order to destroy the Earth. Flash receives a tip-off about Ming's plot and attempts to stop it. However, for once the best suited to stop the Annihilator appears to be the smallest hero, Kshin!  

Princess Astra forms an uneasy alliance with Ming the Merciless so that she can get revenge on Flash Gordon, whom she believes is responsible for her mother's death. She reveals to Ming the secret of her people; clay that turn people into mindless zombies. The only place it can be found is the Bandar village in Africa, the home of the Phantom! Princes Astra captures the Phantom and uses him to lure Flash Gordon to her base of operations.   

When the awesome intergalactic of storehouse of knowledge, the Hall of Wisdom, makes a once-in-a-lifetime visit to the galaxy, Ming raids it in order to gain possession of the Quasar Weapon, with which he can conquer the Earth. The Defenders battle through Ming's forces and reach the Hall first, but tragedy strikes when one of them is severely hurt. As a Defender's life hangs in the balance, the Hall of Wisdom is revealed to house a remedy, but the price itself may be too much for the heroes!     

The Defenders have a new practice system for training purposes. Powered by Kshin's creations, the simulations are realistic and challenging. Ming taps into this in order to plunge the Defenders into a nightmare world that does not really exist so that he can do away with them and get his hands on the dreadful Doomsday Device, a weapon that could wipe out all life on Earth,  

Unsuccessful in his last attempt at defeating the Defenders in their battle simulation room, Ming orders Garax to capture Kshin so that he  can tap into his mind and pick out awful creations to defeat the Defenders. These are dark, twisted versions of the heroes themselves, so are doubly hard to defeat as it is almost like they are fighting themselves. The Defenders have to defeat these terrible duplicates so that they can stop Ming from finally gaining access to the Doomsday Device.

Late one night, Mandrake the Magician and Lothar rescue the beautiful adventurer Atascadero from the clutches of Garax, Ming's warlord. With an ancient map of Tibet showing the location of the isolated Valley of Ubris, the trio set out to stop Ming from obtaining the Jewels of Power that are rumored to reside there. When the three heroes locate the jewels, they soon learn that they are very powerful eggs that when moved release a huge dragon from outer space! 

Doctor Dark, an old enemy of Mandrake the Magician, is sprung from prison by Ming and brings with him three psychic warriors. Ming sends Doctor Dark on a mission with the goal of finding the Orb of Konos, which will bestow upon him the power to grant Ming immortality! Mandrake learns of Dark's plan through Vandar, his former mentor. When the Defenders arrive, they discover that Doctor Dark has captured Vandar.  

When Ming captures and delivers the Phantom to the Beastmaster, he learns the secret of growing invincible crystal soldiers from diamonds. Immediately. Ming sets in motion a plot to steal the largest jewels from the Jewels of the Universe collection! When the Defenders learn of Ming's latest scheme Flash sets out to find Orkite, the only mineral which can convert crystal soldiers back into diamonds. 

Ming seeks to bring about a new ice age on Earth. To power his Frost Satellite he requires the strength of a Starblue Crystal, so he sends his Men of Frost, once humans known as Elgar and Zikry, to steal it from the Central City Museum. The Defenders successfully prevent the theft and capture the two Men of Frost. Making good use of Rick's new invention they re-humanize the Men of Frost. Elgar tells the Defenders of Ming's plan to conquer Earth, but Zikry, ever loyal to Ming the Merciless. plans to overthrow the Defenders.     

From the planet Gruber come the Cave Slugs, invincible alien creatures the size of semi-trucks that can eat anything. Ming lets loose these normally peaceful creatures in six major cities on Earth and incites them to cause destruction. One of the cities they are placed in is Central City, meaning that sooner or later, they are going to get to Monitor and destroy it. The Defenders make the costly mistake of attacking the Cave Slug, sending it on a rampage. It is up to Jedda, using her animal telepathic contact abilities, to make peace with the alien monster.

Ming seeks a new way to conquer Earth in the homeland of the Ghost Who Walks himself, the Phantom. Ming kidnaps  the Chief of the Bandar tribe after destroying their village, and forces him to lead the way to the hidden Temple of Pantheria. With the sacred panther tooth in his possession, Ming can control the world's panthers, ordering them to wreak havoc across the Earth. As Kisa is freed by the young Defenders, Ming commands Kisa to attack and destroy the Defenders. Kisa obeys, wreaking havoc all over Central City. Can Kisa be saved from herself?   

Ming's attack on Earth extends to the seas, as he plans to create the greatest ocean disaster the planet has ever seen. Ming allies himself with the world's foremost marine biologist, Doctor Maurice Koram, and appeals to his love of the sea world, convincing him to join forces in battling the ocean-destructive forces of modern society. With Koram operating out of his sea platform, all the ocean's inhabitants obey his orders, joining together to attack mankind!  

Ming captures the Phantom and Jedda as they prepare to return home after defeating N'Dama. 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. Jedda saves Kurt's life more than once as he finds the Golden Chamber and turns himself back into N'Dama. Could the legacy of the Phantom be coming to an end just as the legacy of N'Dama begins?  

The Defenders fly into space to investigate a mysterious comet and discover too late that in reality it is an Illyrian spaceship. Captured, the Defenders are informed that they will be tried for planning to overthrow the Earth, with Ming as the accuser. If convicted, they will be imprisoned, and Ming will be able to wreak havoc on Earth. The heroes are shown film footage of themselves committing crimes across the Earth. Will they be able to find evidence that will save them and Earth before judgment is passed?  

Ming's daughter, the lovely Princes Castra, 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. However, her apparent desire to see Ming's downfall is motivated by revenge; Castra believes that Flash murdered her husband. The Defenders must prove to Castra that she is an unwitting dupe in Ming's evil scheme. Will she see the error of her ways, or will she unwittingly help Ming conquer Earth?

An over-zealous superfan named Earl joins the Defenders on a mission and causes all sorts of trouble for them. Unintentionally, he rewires Octon, turning the evil computer into his amicable sidekick, and brings him back to the Defenders. Central City recognizes Earl's victory and plans a day of celebration in his honor. This all invokes the wrath of Ming, who invades the party. Earl unintentionally turns Octon back into his old self, and it soon appears as if Ming will destroy the residents of Central City.       

Deep in Africa, Ming locates an anti-energy source enabling him to open the Night Giant doorway and unleash the Night Giants to destroy the Earth. As the Night Giants terrorize various parts of the globe, Rick intercepts a transmission from Ming to Garax and discovers that a transport inverter will eliminate the monsters. The Defenders obtain the device, but Rick is captured by one of the creatures! The Phantom attempts to use the transport inverter to close the Night Giant doorway, as the Defenders' battle goes across the world and into outer space.

While captives in Ming's jail, Rick and Jedda overhear Octon and Garax's plans to revolt against Ming. In exchange their freedom, the Defenders offer to help in the scheme. When the uprising begins, Octon contacts Monitor in a plea for help. The Defenders show footage of Octon and Garax's victory over Ming. Flash Gordon and the Defenders recognize this as another in a long line of Ming's vile attempts to destroy the Defenders, but the young Defenders go on to help defeat the forces of Ming.

Playing into Ming's hands, the Defenders steal a mutant life form from Ice Station Earth which they believe Ming will use to destroy all life on Earth. Ming then lures them into a vortex which sends them reeling back in time. The Defenders have to find a way back to the future, they have to help a hero from the past rescue his wife and bring stability to his kingdom. A most valiant effort, indeed! Guest-starring legendary comic strip adventure hero Prince Valiant!

The Household Helper robot is a new invention for cleaning and taking care of the regular home and is a big hit all over the world with consumers. However, they are creations of Ming the Merciless and are able to hypnotize their owners when Ming activates a satellite that triggers them. Rick tries to understand how the robot works and then put a stop to Ming's production line!

An alien child lands on Earth, and others from space are after him. The Defenders try to keep him safe from these would-be kidnappers, and are successful in doing so,  but not before the alien scouts identify the alien. Back at Monitor, Dynak X informs our heroes that an armada of alien ships are on their way to Earth, prompting the Defenders to fly into space to investigate. They soon discover that the Starboy has great power and could cause a great deal of damage on Earth. They have to appeal to his better nature in order to stop him. 

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 occurrences, but Ming is betrayed as the mystic reveals himself to be the powerful Shiva, the destroyer god! Ming flees the scene, leaving the Defenders to amend the world-threatening situation he brought about. Mandrake travels into Shiva's dimension, and as he does battle with the destroyer god he learns that illusion is the ultimate weapon!

A wealth psychosomatic, Kent Madden, attempts to bargain with the Fallu tribe in an effort to drink their magical potion which grants longer life. When they refuse, Madden makes a pact with Ming, and with access to the villain's technology attacks the Fallu! When the Phantom and Jedda learn of this they rush to protect the tribe, but during the battle the Phantom is believed to be killed. The Fallu implore Jedda to take up where he father left off, and the Phantom is reborn!    

When a 200 square mile area of Morocco mysteriously disappears, the Defenders investigate. Kshin stays behind in order to complete a book report, and flips through the blank pages of a tome called the Book of Enigmas. When the Defenders enter the unexplained area, it soon becomes apparent that the events are unfolding themselves in the very book Kshin possesses!  

While engaging Ming's roboships in battle over the North African desert, Flash discovers the reminds 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, and gain the advantage over the heroes.

While on vacation in Jamaica with the Defenders, Kshin sees a ghost ship; however, no one believes him. Determined to get proof of the ship's existence, Kshin rows a dinghy out into the bay one night, and he not only finds the ship, but is taken on board by its ghost pirates! As the Defenders try to figure out where Min's Roboships are in the area, Mins searches for Morgan's Compass, which he will use to turn the ghost pirates into his unconquerable slaves. 

Doctor Kalihari's carnival is in town and the Defenders are on hand to see the show. However, Kalihari has taken over the carnival from its owners and populated it with collaborators in his get-rich-quick scheme. Kalihari is infuriated when the Defenders embarrass his mediocre performers, so to get revenge he dupes Kshin into unleashing a magic shrinking potion on them. Flash Gordon, Lothar, Mandrake and the Phantom are shrunk down to three inches, and Kalihari's carnival poses many significant obstacles.   

Dynak X picks up a bizarre energy transmission from Stonehenge, prompting the older Defenders to investigate. Kshin consults the Book of Enigmas, which shows him a blueprint of the ancient stone circle. In England, Flash, Lothar and the Phantom are lured inside Stonehenge by Kronos, a mysterious dark cloud, and turned into statues. Mandrake consults his old magic teacher, Theron, who informs him that Kronos is an evil monster who drove the great magician, Enigma, out of the Land of Magic, destroying the dimension.

Ming captures Flash and places him into the Inquisitor with the goal of transferring his piloting knowledge into the minds of four clones he has created of Flash. However, Flash is able to sabotage the machine so that the clones only pick up different parts of his personality. The Defenders come to rescue Flash, but Ming places one of the clones in his place, the clone set to self-destruct. Can Flash and escape and warn his allies in time?

L.J. has a fallout with his girlfriend Kate, and Kate goes off her own, only to be kidnapped by Ming's operatives. She returns the next say, appears to be normal, makes up with L.J., and proceeds to set up a double date with Rick and Jedda. She convinces them to let her into the Defenders' new space station, but once inside she reveals a secret identity to her erstwhile friends an allows entry for the Defenders' greatest enemy!

Rick makes a new friend at school called Carlotta who asks for his help against Ming the Merciless. Ming has backed revolutionaries who want to dethrone her father, the King of Esmerelda, while plundering the island for blue orchids which will allow him to turn everyone into Frost People. Rick travels to Esmerelda with Carlotta in order to stop Ming, but there he is captured by El Jefe, and the Defenders must come and liberate him and stop Ming's plan before it is too late. 

In order to teach the young Defenders to be less rash and to work better as a team, their parents take them to the Amazon to compete in the Rites of Zesnan, a competition devised to create the greatest of warriors. Ming learns of this sojourn and poses as a god in order to trap and destroy them. Will the Defenders realize the trick Ming has played on them in time?

Octon has created a new computer system which will stop all machines and computers on Earth. At the same time, Kshin makes friends with a shy boy named Audie, whose only real friend is his robot Tweak, who he has created using synthetic parts. Soon, Octon's device is put into action, an the only thing that does not shut down is Tweak. Audie. a reluctant hero if ever there was one, may be the only person who can help the Defenders, and the price he pays will be dear.

The Sky Band, a legendary gang of evil female air pirates, rises from the ashes and begins to loot and plunder once more. A previous Phantom fought with the Sky Band in the past, which resulted in their then-leader dying in battle with him. Kristina, the new leader of the Sky Band and granddaughter of the previous leader, is looking for revenge, and the current Phantom is the unwilling recipient.

On a mission in Transylvania, the Defenders are drawn to the castle of a strange man named Vlad, who offers them a meal and a drink. The Phantom is the only one who refuses, and he finds the next day that his friends begun to change into animals. Who is Vlad, and what does he want? Will the Phantom be able to restore his friends, or will they be trapped as animals forever?

On a school trip to the Amazon, Kshin is exposed to some plant that render him paralyzed below the waist. Kshin and a classmate, Marty, are captured by Ming, the evil emperor believing them to little threat to his plans. Taking inspiration from his friend Marty, who is himself in a wheelchair, Kshin and Marty use their brains and make the most of the abilities they do have in attempt to thwart Ming's plans.

Jedda meets a boy called Eric, who is an alcoholic. Despite her better judgment, she falls for Eric, and in the course of their relationship, she comes to see just what a dangerous path he is headed down, and tries to make him see the error of his ways before something tragic happens.

During a magic competition in Monaco, a series of robberies occur, and Kshin, with his lock-opening routine, is the number one suspect. However, the real culprit is Bruton, an alien who has stolen a time freeze device off of a gentle alien called Akimbo. Kshin sets out to clear his name and stop Bruton before he can commit any more crimes.

Ming summons his son Kro-Tan to Earth, but instead of obeying his father's orders the youngster plots to use the Defenders to destroy his father in an effort to become ruler of Mongo. Disguised as a handsome earthling, Kro-Tan befriends Jedda, who shows him around Monitor. When Rick admonishes Jedda for bringing a stranger into Monitor, Kro-Tan tells her that he is an inhabitant of Mongo and that his destiny is to destroy Ming.     

With Ming seemingly destroyed, the Defenders take a break. Mandrake, Kshin, Lothar and L.J. take a world cruise, the Phantom and Jedda journey to Africa to help a friend, Rick concentrates on school and Flash roams the galaxy looking for adventure. The peaceful times are deceptive, however, as Prince Kro-Tan implements a plan to dupe a young scientist working in Africa, Tad Walton, into aiding him to transport the Earth to Mongo!

On Mongo, Price Kro-Tan orders Jedda to marry him, or watch the mind bombs planted on her fellow heroes explode at his very thought! The Defenders search for her at Ice Station Earth, where they discover, via an uneasy pact with Octon, Kro-Tan's devious plans. An ancient pact within the marriage dictates that the evil Prince will receive a weapon of ultimate power from the Weapon Masters of Beta Two as his wedding gift!

Lothar and L.J., amidst the snowy wastes of Mongo, learn from Zorelda, Kro-Tan's sorceress, of the Prince's plan to launch to a missile towards Earth so that the Defenders will surrender. While Mandrake, the Phantom and Jedda are attacked by snowbeasts in the Arctic region, Kshin and Zuffy are hunted by Zuffoid-killing robots. Flash and Rick find themselves inside the Beta Two ship, which carries the missile! Can the Defenders reunite in time to save their friends? 

In his frenzy to gain revenge against the Defenders, Kro-Tan dives the molecules of his father to Zorelda, who uses them to unleash Suramong, an evil ex-overlord of Mongo. The Defenders locate Kshin and Zuffy amongst a battalion of friendly Zuffoids, little knowing that the Zuffoids hold the key to defeating Suramong! However, when the Defenders are transported to the palace dungeons via Zorelda's magic powers, all appears to be lost until they make an unlikely ally.

Lothar returns to Jamaica to attend a ceremony in his honor where a children's ward of a hospital will be named after him. However, he is informed of mysterious events going on related to a new medicine that can cure children. The Defenders learn that it is being stolen by a sea serpent, worshipped by the evil Papa Duke. Papa Duke wants to brainwash the children of the island in order to take it over. The Defenders must try and stop him.

While Rick and L.J. test out Rick's new invention, Rick is kidnapped by Ming, who then places an implant on L.J.'s head which will monitor his thought patterns. In exchange for Rick's safety, Ming blackmails L.J. into sabotaging Flash's spaceship the night before the Defenders plan to battle Ming's minions. During the fight our heroes are forced to retreat to Monitor, where they begin to suspect something wrong.

The Beacon of the Eternals is a computer-managed ship that belongs to an ancient civilization. Ming provokes the ire of the Beacon by sending a ship to attack it that is disguised as the Defenders' ship. The Beacon then proceeds to return fire by sending three Guardian Robots to neutralize the Defenders. Not knowing why they are being attacked, the heroes must fight back, but the battle against the robots proves to be a near endless one! 

Doctor Dark returns to help Ming in his mission to find the three shards of the Orb of Konos.Together they succeed, but Dark is devious and proceeds to overthrow his master in order to try become the supreme ruler of the universe. The Defenders must rely upon the help of an old friend to stop him.  

Rick feel the pressure that comes from his efforts to live up to Flash's reputation, and all aspects of Rick's life are suffering. A classmate gives Rick a vial of drugs, which he takes in an effort to better perform. They give him a temporary boost, bur soon wear off, leading to withdrawals and anxiety for Rick. When Ming, supercharged by an electrode machine, invades Monitor, Rick not only conquers his demons, but also is victorious over Ming!  

For her birthday, Jedda enters the family treasure of the Skull Cave to choose her present. Influenced by the telekinetic powers of Graviton, an evil alien of pure energy from a cruel dimension, she picks the Necklace of Oros, the necklace giving Graviton the ability to harness his vile power. The villain contacts the evil emperor from Ice Station Earth Ming, and pact is made in which he will turn over the secret of his anti-gravity device when Ming delivers Jedda and the Necklace of Oros to him!   

The fabric of the universe is weak and stretching under the stress of Graviton's bridge, and the evil alien must have the Necklace of Oros if he is to survive. When he corners Jedda in Monitor, demanding the powerful necklace, Ming uses the opportunity to attack the Defenders' headquarters. an inter-dimensional rift materializes above Monitor, threatening to destroy the world, as Jedda is caught between two dimensions!

Flash receives a distress call from Prince Barin, summoning him to Mongo to save the planet from Ming's evil son Kro-Tan. Kro-Tan has turned the population of Mongo into slaves who mine the planet of Oceanite, which is being used by Ming to encircle the Earth, thereby blocking out all sunlight  and plunging the planet into endless winter. As Flaah and Barin start a slave uprising on Mongo, the remaining Defenders attack Ice Station Earth, but L.J. is seriously injured during the battle.

Graviton returns to his cave on Easter Island to discover it has been ransacked by Ming's minions. As Rick and the Phantom assist Jedda in testing the Necklace of Oros' power, they are horrified when she collapses from the strain. Ming makes a pact with Hadea, goddess of the Underworld, to maintain his anti-gravity device in the heart of Earth while he seeks out Jedda's prized necklace. But will the Phantom's daughter ever emerge from her coma?

At Ice Station Earth Ming imprisons Flash, Mandrake, Lothar, Rick and L.J. in his ice dungeon and turns Jedda into a Frost Person. Graviton arrives, furious that Ming does not have the Necklace of Oros, as he promised. The Phantom breaks free from Hadea's netherworld, steals the necklace and invades Ming's headquarters, but is quickly captured -- and the powerful piece of jewelry falls into the evil emperor's hands! With ultimate power in his hand, Ming begins to unleash his anti-gravity device onto an unsuspecting Earth.

A group of humans with extraordinary abilities who call themselves the League of Flesh and Blood attack a space station governed by robots and then infiltrate a robot factory in order to fulfill their mission; the destruction of all robots and machines! Flash investigates and finds himself falling in love with Kala, the female member of the League. He soon realizes that those who hate others often loathe a part of themselves, and in this lies the secret behind the Leafue, for whom more runs beneath the skin than just blood.  

Ming plans to melt the polar ice cap in order to drown the entire world. The Defenders go to investigate when they discover blocks of ice drifting away. The adult Defenders land in the Arctic and have to fend for themselves. The Phantom goes to help them while the young Defenders try to ebb the flow in Central City.   

Mandrake is in the process of legally adopting Kshin when suddenly Hal, an old Asian man, shows up claiming to be Kshin's grandfather. He reminds Kshin of the moment as an infant when his parents died while searching for the Lost City of Dreams, which seems to validate his claim. They join together to go on a search  for the city with a now complete map, but along the way they encounter the Dragon Queen, the evil being who killed Kshin's mother and father. 

Ming takes advantage of L.J.'s immaturity so that he gain possession of Sun Medallions, which could aid Moriag, the leader of the resistance movement on Ming's home planet of Mongo. Ming invades Monitor and takes over Dynak X so that he can capture Moriag and Jedda. L.J. refuses to believe what he is seeing is anything other than a battle simulation, but when he realizes the truth, he prepares to invade Ice Station Earth so that he can rescue his friends and make up for the mistake.

The Defenders fly to Alaska and discover that a long-dormant volcano, with an artificial dome placed over it, is mysteriously heating up. After a narrow escape in a mountain cave, the group that discovers that Ming has used a drill to thaw out tens of thousands of beasts buried in the frozen tundra, and intends to release them all over Earth so that they can destroy all the world's cities!