NEW ADVENTURES - 1990

A New Beginning

A New Beginning title card
E01

Official Synopsis

A shirtless blond man swings a sword overhead as the travelers and the elder group behind him.

Primus has hidden behind a protective shield for centuries, and the shield is failing under attack by Flogg's Mutants. Master Sebrian's answer is a time vessel and a mission to the distant past, where Captain Hydron and the young pilot Flipshot are to find the power of the good and the way of the magic. They arrive on Eternia and are grabbed by Skeletor's men, and Skeletor gleefully poses as the very hero they came for. The Sorceress sends Prince Adam after them, the two claimants end up face to face as the time hole closes, and the travelers take both men back to Primus because they cannot tell which is real. Adam keeps his identity quiet on the new world, while Skeletor, free in orbit, strikes a bargain with Flogg.

Morals by Closing safety lesson spoken at the end of the episode. Paraphrased from the audio.

In the closing scene, Hydron and Flipshot are stuck, and their lesson to the viewer is to stay calm in an emergency: the first rule is not to panic, because it is easier to work things out when you keep your head.

heman.org Episode Review

Every story about a rescue mission has a moment where the rescuers decide whom to trust, and "A New Beginning" builds its whole premiere out of the fact that Hydron and Flipshot get that moment wrong. They travel across time to find the power of the good and the way of the magic, and the first man who says he has both is Skeletor, who is delighted to oblige. The episode is about vetting, or the lack of it, and it is a better idea than the five-part serial built on top of it ever quite admits.

The first act belongs to Primus, and it works harder than it looks. Caz plays at fighting Mutants while his sister Drissi tells him the shield will always keep them safe, and the line lands because the audience is about to watch the shield stop being safe. Master Sebrian's announcement that he has solved the time portal is staged as quiet relief, a tired man in a lab being told by Mara to rest, and then the attack comes. The Inner Council scene that follows is the series' thesis in one room: a people who outlawed weapons long ago, now asked to send two pilots and a half-tested machine into the past. Gepple, the inventor, spends the launch squabbling over who deserves credit for the vessel, a bit of comic business that is also the first sign this show will cast scientists as vain and soldiers as brave.

The middle is where the premiere earns its keep. Skeletor is at his best when he has to pretend to be nice, and watching him tell Andros to apologise to the guests, then tell his own men they may breathe again, is the most fun in the half hour. The Sorceress, for her part, gets one of the weaker scenes: a vision, a few sentences of destiny, a farewell to his parents, all in the time it takes to reach the next set piece. Adam leaves home and the audience barely has the chance to register that he is leaving. The cost is real, because the series wants us to believe Adam has given up a family and a throne, and the script treats that as a transit stop.

The best structural choice is the stand-off at the closing time hole. Two men each claim to be the good, Hydron and Flipshot cannot tell them apart, and the time hole starts closing on the decision, so both come through. It is a neat way to land Skeletor on Primus, and it gives the cartoon its first honest mystery: only one of them has the good and the magic, but which?

The weakness is volume. The premiere introduces Sebrian, Mara, Caz, Drissi, Hydron, Flipshot, Gepple and the Mutants in the space of a single episode, and the names arrive faster than the faces. A viewer coming from Filmation will notice that nobody on Primus has the sort of instant shorthand Teela or Man-At-Arms had, so the cast is a list until the later episodes fill them in. The recap narration also spends a good while telling us what we are about to see.

Even so, the closing scenes recover the point. Skeletor, back in orbit, sizes up the planet below and strikes a deal with Flogg: teach me your galaxy and I will teach you how to beat He-Man. The Mutants are opportunists rather than pushovers, and the villain has just found a new set of subordinates. Adam, for his part, is told to pose as a trader named Adam from Levitan, so the hero begins in disguise while Skeletor begins as a partner who is happy to call Flogg Your Majesty. That setup is the real engine of the series.

Verdict: a crowded, uneven premiere that understands what its story is about. The vetting failure is the episode's best idea, and it is the reason the rest of the run has something to chase.

Notes of Interest

  1. Voice cast: Adam and He-Man are voiced by two different actors here, Doug Parker as Adam and Garry Chalk as He-Man, where the 1983 and 2002 series each used one actor for both, according to the He-Man wiki.
  2. Voice cast: Garry Chalk also voices Andros, one of Skeletor's goat-like henchmen in this episode, so hero and goon share an actor, per the wiki's cast list.
  3. Behind the scenes: Per the He-Man wiki, the series bible had Skeletor seize command of the Mutants outright, but the finished script has him pledge loyalty to Flogg as an advisor, which the wiki calls unique across He-Man media.
  4. Behind the scenes: The wiki says the bible planned an in-story reason for Adam's Primus outfit, a gift from Master Sebrian with a hood to hide his face from Skeletor, and the episode does not use it.
  5. Behind the scenes: Andros and his warriors exist because Mattel would not allow classic characters such as Beast Man, and Jack Olesker has said Mattel wanted an entirely new cast to sell new figures, according to the He-Man wiki.
  6. Continuity: The cartoon never explains Skeletor's cyborg-style armour. Wikipedia notes that the toy minicomics have a blast injure him after Adam transforms in front of him, which is where the cybernetic parts come from.
  7. Fan theory: Fans long argued that Primus is Eternia in the far future, because Snake Mountain crumbles and the land turns green once Skeletor leaves, a reading the wiki records as theory, not canon.
  8. Behind the scenes: Flipshot began as a character called Icarius in the abandoned He-Ro: Son of He-Man bible and was renamed to sound more toy-friendly, though European releases kept the name Icarius, per the wiki.
  9. Home video: The He-Man Adventure Video that came with the toys contained this episode along with toy commercials, according to Wikipedia.
  10. Air date: Sources disagree. Wikipedia lists December 4, 1989 for the early-clearance run, TVDB lists September 17, 1990 and TVmaze lists September 1, 1990.

Cast Appearances

Full roster →
He-Man
Good

He-Man
Skeletor
Evil

Skeletor
Prince Adam
Good

Prince Adam
The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull
Good

The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull
Flogg
Evil

Flogg

Episode screenshots

A boy in an orange cap faces a blonde woman holding a small blue creature.
A boy in an orange cap faces a blonde woman holding a small blue creature.
A blonde woman holding a blue creature talks to the boy in the orange cap.
A blonde woman holding a blue creature talks to the boy in the orange cap.
A green armored mutant ship hangs in a dark cavern lit by red beams.
Armored soldiers run past rows of winged flying craft in a pink-lit hangar.
A black sphere with looping lines sits beside a dark armored figure with a glowing round head.
A purple-skinned mutant in a pale hood glares with a stern frown.
Small craft fly along a long grey ship deck with teal tentacle shapes curling around it.
The purple-skinned hooded mutant grins, showing sharp teeth.
A small group sits on grass inside a transparent dome that curves over a green landscape.
The boy in the orange cap hugs a small orange creature against his chest.
The boy in the orange cap looks worried while holding the orange creature.
A dark-haired woman in a white robe smiles softly indoors.
An elderly man sits at a control desk holding a wooden staff in a large purple chamber.
A dark-haired woman in white presses a hand to her chest while talking to a grey-haired man.
A domed saucer-shaped building stands on a grassy plain with tall rock spires behind it.
The hooded purple-skinned mutant scowls with his mouth slightly open.
A tall pink crystal spire rises from a cloud-wrapped planet seen from space.
Green crystals hang in glowing rings inside a blue chamber, with a wooden staff in the foreground.
Rows of crystals hover in rings along the curved wall of the blue council chamber.
A grey-haired elder in blue robes grips a wooden staff and speaks to the council.
The long-haired elder in blue robes looks to the side, holding his staff.
The elder speaks urgently, his mouth open and brows raised.
The elder frowns with a worried look beside his staff.
The elder raises both arms before a ring of glowing pillars.
A red-haired man in green and a brown-haired man in blue sit side by side in a cockpit.
A blank purple viewscreen on a stand shows only a dark glass panel.
The dark-haired woman in white appears on a small viewscreen and smiles.
A grey rounded landing craft sits in a meadow with a small crowd at its door.
A dark-haired man with glasses holds his chest as a woman in red stands beside him.
A small bearded man with round glasses and tall orange hair flashes a peace sign.
Three older men crowd together in robes, one bald and gesturing with both hands.
The dark-haired woman in white stands beside the grey-haired elder with his wooden staff outdoors.
A brown-haired man in blue armor and a masked man in green gear look ahead beside the craft.
The grey-haired elder smiles warmly in front of a tree.
The elder and the woman in white face the two armored travelers in a clearing.
A man in white and blue armor runs up the ramp into the grey craft.
A purple whirlpool of light swirls across the whole frame.
Two dark seats face a cockpit window filled with blue cloudy light.
The man in the green suit and red breathing mask looks ahead with a hard stare.
A man in green with an orange backpack walks toward distant figures in brown.
The two travelers stand in tall grass as a large brown boot enters the foreground.
A green-suited figure with a dagger on his leg crouches and runs across a muddy pink path.
The two travelers in helmets and breathing gear crouch low, looking out warily.
A shirtless blond man with a strap across his chest stands under a tree looking slightly amused.
A shirtless blond man with a strap across his chest stands under a tree looking slightly amused.
A woman in a winged silver helmet appears in a glowing blue circle.
A woman in a winged silver helmet appears in a glowing blue circle.
The woman in the winged helmet speaks inside the blue circle with her lips parted.
The woman in the winged helmet speaks inside the blue circle with her lips parted.
A faded blue image of the helmeted woman fills a dark blue circle.
A skull-faced figure in a red vest sits on a throne framed by spider-leg bones.
A skull-faced figure in a red vest sits on a throne framed by spider-leg bones.
The skull-faced figure leans on one hand and grins with wide eyes on the bone throne.
The skull-faced figure leans on one hand and grins with wide eyes on the bone throne.
The skull-faced figure in a pink cape walks through an open door between two guards holding axes.
The skull-faced figure grins and rests a hand on the shoulder of a shocked red-haired guard.
A red-haired guard screams in fear while a faint image of a backpacked traveler overlaps his face.
The two travelers stand behind a barred window with worried faces.
The skull-faced figure gestures toward the travelers as a horned figure in fur watches.
The skull-faced figure grins broadly in front of a carved skull staff.
The skull-faced figure holds a skull-topped staff beside a horned figure in fur clothes.
The skull-faced figure stands between the brown-haired traveler and the red-haired man in green.
A blond young man with a red headband and a grey tunic speaks calmly.
A blond young man with a red headband and a grey tunic speaks calmly.
A bearded king and a dark-haired queen in white sit on golden thrones.
A woman in a winged helmet is reflected in a large blue eye.
A shirtless blond man with a sword on his back faces a king and queen on their thrones.
A shirtless blond man with a sword on his back faces a king and queen on their thrones.
A shirtless blond man looks ahead with a calm half-smile.
A swirl of purple and white clouds fills the frame.
A shirtless blond man stands alone on a grassy hilltop at dusk.
The skull-faced figure holds his hand near the masked traveler beside the man in white armor.
The skull-faced figure grins and raises a skull-topped staff.
A brown boulder glows with a pink aura among trees.
The helmeted traveler speaks with his mouth open beside the masked man in green.
A green machine head with glowing white eyes looms in a haze of light.
An empty meadow edged with autumn trees sits under a pale sky.
A small craft tumbles through a blue swirling energy tunnel.
The elder, a blonde woman in pink and a dark-haired woman in white stand together under a tree.
The elder and the two women stand on a grassy rise, looking out.
The two travelers stand with the elder, who frowns and holds his staff.
Four dark flying craft with orange exhausts cross a blue sky.
A purple blast erupts on the ground as two figures face each other and a group watches.
The skull-faced figure lunges forward with one arm thrown out and a wide grin.
A bald figure and a woman in a straw hat huddle low in a bright flash.
A purple-skinned mutant in a grey helmet snarls from the cockpit of a craft.
A purple-skinned mutant in a grey helmet snarls from the cockpit of a craft.
The helmeted purple-skinned mutant clenches a red fist and looks to the side from the cockpit.
The helmeted purple-skinned mutant clenches a red fist and looks to the side from the cockpit.
The masked man in green and the helmeted man in blue look on with tense faces.
The elder smiles knowingly, holding his wooden staff against a blue sky.
A thin streak of purple light cuts across a pale sky.
A leg in brown armor and a green boot swings through the air above a hillside.
A mutant in red armor with a purple face hangs from a grapple line high in the air.
A shirtless blond man stands over a crouching mutant with a hooked cable as others watch.
A red-armored mutant stands before a pink smoke cloud beside a parked craft.
Four small glowing craft fly across an orange cloud bank.
A shirtless blond man smiles under a sunset sky.
The blond man shrugs with an open hand and a smile at sunset.
A blond young man in a headband and a cloak talks with the grey-haired elder at sunset.
A blond young man in a headband and a cloak talks with the grey-haired elder at sunset.
The elder smiles with a hint of satisfaction against an orange sky.
The blond young man in a headband looks up at the elder, who holds his staff.
The young man with the red headband smiles gently beside the wooden staff.
A cloaked skull-faced figure stands in a dark chamber surrounded by purple lightning.
A yellow spotted creature with cables on his head flexes his arms on top of a purple machine.
The skull-faced figure kneels with a fist raised beside a helmeted mutant sitting in a pit.
The skull-faced figure stands with his staff over the helmeted mutant sitting at his feet.
The helmeted purple-skinned mutant clenches a fist and glances to the side.
The skull-faced figure glares with clenched teeth in a dark hood.
A brown-haired man in blue armor cups his hands to his mouth in front of a tower.

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