FILMATION - 1983

The Time Corridor

The Time Corridor title card
S01E08

Official Synopsis

The Time Corridor synopsis still

Skeletor travels three thousand years into Eternia's past, sides with the Ape Clan against the Snake Clan, and builds a fortress on the exact spot where Castle Grayskull will one day stand, all to send an artifact called the Wheel of Infinity forward through time to detonate in the present. He-Man and company follow him back to stop it, which means saving the Snake Clan's leader Zilora and fighting on the side of history rather than against it.

Watch the Full Episode

The Time Corridor Official upload, Masters of the Universe channel

Morals by He-Man closing message, original Filmation broadcast

He-Man: As we've just seen, Skeletor went back into the past to make evil things happen. In reality, no one can go back into the past, that's only make-believe. But we can try to learn from the past, from things that have happened to us, and try to apply them toward being better people today. Remember, it's today that counts. So make it the best day possible. Until next time, this is He-Man wishing you good health, and good luck."

Voice Cast

John Erwin as He-Man/Prince Adam and Ollo

Alan Oppenheimer as Skeletor, Man-At-Arms and Battle Cat/Cringer

Linda Gary as Zilora and the Sorceress

Lou Scheimer (credited as Erik Gunden) as Orko, Tri-Klops, Fang Man and Darkspy

heman.org Episode Review

Larry DiTillio's script does something none of the previous seven episodes attempted: it shows Eternia before Castle Grayskull existed. Skeletor travels three thousand years into the past to side with the Ape Clan against the Snake Clan and build a fortress on the spot where Grayskull will one day stand, planning to send an artifact called the Wheel of Infinity forward through time so it arrives, and explodes, in the present. It is an ambitious premise for a show that mostly deals in single-episode threats, and it quietly rewrites the assumption that Grayskull's mythology has always simply existed.

The episode's most confident choice is treating the Snake Clan, whose name alone invites the audience to expect villains given who Skeletor usually allies with, as the heroes of the past instead; He-Man and company save their leader Zilora from a Dragosaur early on and fight alongside her people for the rest of the runtime. It is a small inversion, but it is the kind of thing that makes the ancient-Eternia setting feel like more than scenery borrowed for one adventure.

He-Man's own closing message half-admits the premise does not hold up to scrutiny, clarifying that nobody can really travel into the past and that the lesson is only to learn from it, a strange thing to say directly after an episode built entirely on time travel working. That gap between the plot and the moral it is asked to support is the episode's one real weakness: the Wheel of Infinity, the Window of Time, and the whole ancient-clan war exist to deliver a lesson about self-improvement that has nothing to do with any of it.

What holds the episode together regardless is momentum. He-Man spins the Wheel of Infinity faster rather than trying to stop it outright, a solution that trusts the audience to follow the logic of overloading rather than disabling a device, and throwing the thing into space to detonate harmlessly is a clean, visual way to close out a plot that could easily have collapsed into technobabble. The Time Corridor is minor as a story about its own moral, but as an expansion of what Eternia's history contains, it is one of the more purposeful episodes of the run so far.

Behind the Episode

cereal:geek's commentary on The Time Corridor, with behind-the-scenes detail on how the episode was made.

The Time Corridor: episode commentary cereal:geek TV

Notes of Interest

  1. Script approval came January 26, 1983, with a final revision dated July 14, 1983, and an early outline of the premise appears in Filmation's own series guide as The Time Machine.
  2. Man-At-Arms carries his mace through most of the episode without ever swinging it, a holdover from his original action-figure pose that animators copied straight off his model sheet.
  3. Zilora's character model was designed by Gerald Forton.
  4. Dragosaur Isle gets reused twice more on the network, as the floating island in Island of Fear and as a background during the moral in Search for the VHO.
  5. The unseen character delivering the Wheel of Infinity to Skeletor in the opening scene is named Darkspy in the script but never named on screen.

Cast Appearances

Full roster →
Prince Adam
Good

Prince Adam
Cringer
Good

Cringer
Man-At-Arms
Good

Man-At-Arms
Orko
Good

Orko
The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull
Good

The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull
Fang Man
Evil

Fang Man
Skeletor
Evil

Skeletor
Tri-Klops
Evil

Tri-Klops

Episode screenshots

A sweeping view of the planet Eternia from orbit, its cloud bands streaked in purple, green and orange, with a moon and starfield in the background.
Extreme close-up on Skeletor's blue clawed hand gripping the handle of his ram-skull staff in a dark, shadowy setting.
An odd low angle shot of Skeletor's hooded form reaching along a bony ledge in a dark chamber, with a clawed bat-like silhouette visible nearby.
Close-up of Skeletor's grinning skull face framed by his purple hood, with bony throne spikes rising behind him.
A reddish fortress of towers and domes sits atop a rocky outcrop surrounded by green plains and a winding river, under a cloudy sky.
A distant aerial view of a green meadow with two small silhouetted figures seated on a picnic blanket amid patches of trees.
Prince Adam, Man-At-Arms and Cringer sit together on a picnic blanket in a meadow, with a cake, a plate and a picnic basket laid out.
Prince Adam, Man-At-Arms and Cringer sit together on a picnic blanket in a meadow, with a cake, a plate and a picnic basket laid out.
Prince Adam raises his arms laughing alongside Man-At-Arms, Cringer and a floating Orko reaching out with his hands during the picnic.
Orko hovers in midair, reaching his gloved hands down toward sparkling magic particles below him against a cloudy sky.
Cringer, enclosed in a glowing magical bubble, reaches a paw toward a chocolate cake that has been enlarged and sparkles with Orko's magic.
Cringer, enclosed in a glowing magical bubble, reaches a paw toward a chocolate cake that has been enlarged and sparkles with Orko's magic.
Close-up of Man-At-Arms smiling, his purple helmet catching the light against a green sky background.
Close-up of Man-At-Arms smiling, his purple helmet catching the light against a green sky background.
A close-up of a dark red cake magically enlarged, its frosted top sparkling with magic particles, set against a cloudy sky.
Orko holds his gloved hands to his face, eyes bright yellow, apparently laughing at the chaos of his spell.
Orko holds his gloved hands to his face, eyes bright yellow, apparently laughing at the chaos of his spell.
Close-up of Prince Adam laughing heartily with his eyes nearly shut, a dark reddish shape visible beside him.
A bright white magical burst fills the frame with pink-tinged edges and sparkles, no characters visible.
A bright white magical burst fills the frame with pink-tinged edges and sparkles, no characters visible.
Close-up profile of a tiger's face with orange stripes, mouth open baring fangs, fur appearing green-brown in the dim light.
The exterior of Castle Grayskull, its skull-faced gate flanked by curved claws, glowing against a deep red sunset sky.
A glowing white falcon shape with outstretched wings descends inside a dark cavern, surrounded by a radiant halo of light.
A glowing white falcon shape with outstretched wings descends inside a dark cavern, surrounded by a radiant halo of light.
The Sorceress of Grayskull stands on a rocky ledge inside the castle, in her orange-feathered falcon costume and blue bodysuit.
The Sorceress of Grayskull stands on a rocky ledge inside the castle, in her orange-feathered falcon costume and blue bodysuit.
Close-up of the Sorceress's face, her white hair framing an orange falcon-mask headdress, speaking with a concerned expression.
An unnamed armored guard stands atop a stone fortress wall holding a spear, with a wooden ladder leaning against the wall nearby.
Skeletor stands beside a muscular red-haired warrior wearing a horned silver helmet, both looking off to the side against a cloudy sky.
Close-up of the Sorceress's face in profile, her expression wary, set against the dark stone of Castle Grayskull.
Prince Adam, Man-At-Arms, Orko and Cringer stand together looking at a glowing orange energy field framed by a stone archway, with the Sorceress in the foreground.
The same group -- Prince Adam, Man-At-Arms, Orko and Cringer -- gathered before the glowing orange portal with the Sorceress watching nearby.
Close-up of the Sorceress speaking, her falcon headdress and white hair lit against the dark cave wall.
Close-up profile of Cringer's tiger face, eyes narrowed, set against a dark blue cave backdrop.
Another close-up of Cringer's tiger face in profile against the dark cave wall, nearly identical to the previous frame.
A silhouetted figure raises a glowing sword overhead amid a blinding burst of white and purple light, flanked by the twin towers of Castle Grayskull -- the classic transformation pose.
Extreme close-up of the glowing Sword of Power, its blade catching bright light against a pink-tinted backdrop.
He-Man, Battle Cat, Man-At-Arms and Orko stand together on a rocky ledge inside Grayskull, facing a dark portal where the Sorceress watches from the right.
He-Man, Battle Cat, Man-At-Arms and Orko stand together on a rocky ledge inside Grayskull, facing a dark portal where the Sorceress watches from the right.
Orko, hands on his hips, looks back over his shoulder with wide blue eyes in the dim cave.
He-Man stands in profile at the edge of a glowing orange portal inside a dark cavern, sword sheathed on his back.
He-Man, Battle Cat, Man-At-Arms and Orko stand together in a strange glowing green cavern full of twisting roots, with a stone falcon statue in the foreground.
Close-up of He-Man looking off to the side, with glowing pink moss hanging from the cave ceiling behind him.
He-Man's head is seen from behind in the foreground as three armored figures in red spiked helmets, including a woman carrying a staff, stand facing him in a coral-like cavern.
Orko peers nervously around a large green leaf, eyes wide, hiding in the undergrowth of a dim cave.
Close-up of Zilora, a red-armored woman with a purple-and-red spiral headdress and red lipstick, looking off to the side with a stern expression.
Close-up of Zilora, a red-armored woman with a purple-and-red spiral headdress and red lipstick, looking off to the side with a stern expression.
A purple bat-winged, horned dragon-like creature dives downward through a cloudy sky, jaws open and claws extended.
A purple bat-winged, horned dragon-like creature dives downward through a cloudy sky, jaws open and claws extended.
Close-up of Man-At-Arms, mustache and purple helmet prominent, looking alert against a backdrop of dark green jungle and a glowing portal.
The purple winged dragon-creature flies at a distance across a pale cloudy sky.
He-Man in close-up foreground with Man-At-Arms behind him, both looking off to the side with serious expressions.
He-Man draws his sword facing off against the rearing purple winged creature on icy rocky terrain, with Battle Cat standing nearby.
Extreme close-up of the purple winged creature's roaring head, fangs bared, against a pale cloudy sky.
He-Man stands in a battle-ready crouch on icy rocky ground, sword held defensively, looking tense.
The purple winged creature crouches on all fours amid scattered rocks and snow patches, wings spread wide.
He-Man, seen from behind, looks down at the defeated winged creature lying on icy rock in a shadowed passage.
Close-up of He-Man looking to the side with a stern expression against a blue rock wall and pale sky.
Another close-up of He-Man against the same blue rock wall, nearly identical expression and framing.
Close-up of He-Man smiling faintly, with a rocky icy landscape and distant structures visible behind him.
Skeletor stands beside the red-haired, horned-helmet Ape Clan leader, both looking off camera against a dark leafy backdrop.
Skeletor and the Ape Clan leader stand close together in the same dark leafy chamber, a near-identical pose to the previous frame.
Skeletor is dramatically framed from below, his hooded skull face lit against the dark coils and red underside of a huge serpent-like structure behind him.
The glowing "He-Man" logo bursts with white light against a starry space background, part of the show's title sequence.
He-Man rides Battle Cat at a gallop across green grass, with tall purple rock spires rising in the background.
He-Man rides Battle Cat along a shoreline between tall dark rock walls, with Man-At-Arms visible at the edge of frame holding a staff.
Skeletor stands between two red-haired, fanged Ape Clan warriors, all looking off to the side against a cloudy sky.
Close-up of a red-haired Ape Clan warrior wearing a dark green helmet painted with staring red eyes, frowning against a purple rock backdrop.
Close-up of a red-haired Ape Clan warrior wearing a dark green helmet painted with staring red eyes, frowning against a purple rock backdrop.
He-Man crouches low beside Battle Cat in a narrow stone corridor, reaching out to quiet the cat's open mouth as they sneak past a wall.
Close-up of He-Man in front of a brick fortress wall with a ladder and a stone well visible behind him.
Zilora is shown in profile against a dark stone wall, her purple-and-red headdress and swirl-patterned armor clearly visible.
Zilora crouches defensively on a stone ledge, hands raised, backed against a dark fortress wall.
Skeletor holds up his ram-skull staff, looking at it with a sly expression against a cloudy sky.
Zilora's face is seen through a hazy pink smoke effect, her brow furrowed, against a dark stone wall.
Another close-up of Zilora wreathed in pink smoke, looking off to the side with a stern expression.
Skeletor leans menacingly over Zilora, who lies motionless on the ground beside her dropped staff, against a fortress wall.
Skeletor carries the unconscious Zilora slung over his shoulder, walking past a brick fortress wall with her staff lying on the ground.
Close-up of Skeletor's skull face smiling smugly against a pale cloudy sky.
Another close-up of Skeletor grinning, nearly identical framing to the previous frame.
He-Man, Battle Cat and Man-At-Arms stand on a wooden raft poled across open water, with Man-At-Arms holding a long pole.
Close-up of Man-At-Arms, his purple helmet and mustache prominent, looking off to the side against a pale cloudy sky.
Close-up of an Ape Clan warrior wearing a dark teal helmet with painted red-and-white staring eyes, frowning against a stone wall.
Skeletor's hooded skull face is shown close up, grinning, with the dark coiled body of a huge serpent creature looming behind him.
He-Man, small in frame at left, stands amid strange blue fungal growths and eye-stalked plant creatures in a dim glowing cave.
Man-At-Arms walks cautiously through the eerie blue fungal cave, with Orko peeking out from behind a twisted root at left.
A large blue tentacled creature with a gaping pink toothy mouth fills the frame in the dim fungal cave.
He-Man crouches with sword drawn as blue tentacles wrap around Battle Cat, who snarls in the purple-lit fungal cave.
An abstract swirling blast of red, yellow and blue radiating lines fills the frame, no characters visible.
Orko holds his hands up nervously, yellow eyes wide, standing amid leafy roots in the dim cave.
Orko smiles, hand raised, standing against twisted roots in the glowing purple cave.
Close-up of He-Man looking off to the side in the dim cave, with hanging root growths behind him.
A large orange crab-like creature with long pincer claws scuttles across rocky ground in the dim cave.
He-Man stands with Battle Cat, Orko riding on the cat's back, and Man-At-Arms holding a drawn sword, all together in the dim fungal cave.
An extreme close-up abstract shot of streaked blue texture with faint white drips, likely a waterfall or rock surface.
Skeletor stands beside a single-eyed Ape Clan warrior at the top of a cascading blue waterfall inside a dark cavern.
Close-up of He-Man with his eyes closed, standing near blue rocky formations against a purple-pink cave backdrop.
A blue-skinned, horned reptilian warrior in red armor rides on the back of the purple winged dragon-creature in flight, fist raised.
The purple winged dragon-creature crouches low on rocky ground, wings folded, head lowered.
Orko, riding on Battle Cat, reaches a hand forward pointing into the darkness of a cave, with only his outline visible against the gloom.
Zilora stands inside a spiked metal cage gripping the bars, with Skeletor's broad back visible in the foreground.
Close-up of He-Man lit dramatically from below, looking upward with a determined expression in a dark cave.
Skeletor strides toward the caged Zilora, brandishing his ram-skull staff at her as she grips the bars.
Skeletor strides toward the caged Zilora, brandishing his ram-skull staff at her as she grips the bars.
Extreme close-up of Skeletor's grinning skull face, eyes narrowed menacingly.
Zilora grips the bars of her cage, her form blurred by a shaking motion effect, inside a dim wooden structure.
Zilora continues gripping the shaking cage bars, her expression tense, in the same dim setting.
He-Man grips the bars of a cage, his face tense, with the same shaking motion-blur effect as in the previous frames.
He-Man, shown close in profile, faces Zilora, whose headdress and armor are visible at the bottom of frame, in a dark cave.
Zilora, He-Man, Battle Cat, Orko and Man-At-Arms stand together on a rocky ledge inside a dark cave, all looking tense.
The same group -- Zilora, He-Man, Battle Cat, Orko and Man-At-Arms -- stand together on the rocky ledge, nearly identical to the previous frame.
Close-up of Man-At-Arms and He-Man standing together, both looking off to the side against a dark red stone wall.
Battle Cat crouches low in a dark archway decorated with a red hexagon pattern and a stone skull, peering out into a rocky clearing.
Skeletor stands beside a large golden hexagonal device marked with an infinity symbol, pointing upward triumphantly in a dark cavern -- the Wheel of Infinity.
He-Man crouches in a stone doorway with a red hexagon-patterned wall behind him, sword raised and ready.
Skeletor stands beside the glowing golden Wheel of Infinity, laughing with his staff in hand in the dark cavern.
Close-up of Skeletor's grinning skull face against a dark cave backdrop.
Another close-up of Skeletor's skull face, grinning menacingly.
He-Man is silhouetted against the Wheel of Infinity's spinning golden glow, gripping his own arm as the device radiates energy behind him.
He-Man stands in front of the large spinning, glowing golden Wheel of Infinity, looking determined.
Man-At-Arms stands outdoors among dark pine trees with Orko perched on his shoulder, both looking upward with concern.
Man-At-Arms and Orko on his shoulder look up together, nearly the same pose as the previous frame, among the dark trees.
He-Man, Man-At-Arms and Orko are engulfed in a shower of sparkling golden light, their faces and bodies glittering with the effect.
He-Man, Man-At-Arms and Orko stand together in a dark blue cave, the golden sparkle effect having faded.
Close-up of the Sorceress's face in her falcon headdress, speaking with a serious expression against a dark cave wall.
He-Man, Battle Cat, Man-At-Arms and Orko stand together on a rocky cave floor, looking toward the Sorceress off to the right.
He-Man, Battle Cat, Man-At-Arms and Orko face the Sorceress, seen from behind with her orange-and-white falcon headdress prominent, inside Castle Grayskull.
Close-up of He-Man and Man-At-Arms standing together, both looking ahead with serious expressions in the dark cave.
The Sorceress, transformed into her orange falcon form, flies with wings spread through the dark interior of Castle Grayskull, past rocky spires.
Close-up of He-Man smiling warmly, with glowing pink moss-draped roots arching behind him -- a closing shot of the episode.

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