Saber Rider and The Star Sheriffs

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Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs was an animated TV series, aired from 1986 to 1989. During it's 52 episodes, it introduced us to another possible future for mankind.

In the late 21st Century (or early 22nd Century), humankind has reached the stars. Many outposts and settlements have been made for several planets, and the modern space-age has merged with the legacy of Old West. There are villans, outlaws, bounty hunters...and sheriffs. The Star Sheriffs are the special operatives of Cavalry Command, Earth's law enforcement and defense patrol out in space, and along the New Frontier. They are also ambassadors of good will to other planets in space. But the main assignment of the Star Sheriffs is to protect the Galaxy from the growing threat of the Outriders.

The Outriders are not from our dimension, and they are not human, altough they look and act like ones. They are beings from the Vapor Zone Dimension, who have the ability to travel between dimensions. Their universe is described as "extremely boring", and they lack the ability to create and imagine, and to "have fun".

The Star Sheriffs have been successfully defending outposts, settlements, cargo ships and so on from Outrider attacks, but the growing threat of giant enemy Renegade Units forced the Cavalry Command to answer to the threat by creating RAMROD, designed and constructed by Commander Eagle (the commander of Cavalry Command), and his daughter, April Eagle, one of our heroes.

Ramrod Equalizer Unit is an impressive creation, mostly used by our heroes as a large spaceship (Vehicle Mode), but it can transform into a shape of 250' high robot (Challenge Phase), giving the Outrider Renegade Units a good run for their money. Much of Ramrod's arsenal of weapons consists of energy beam weapons, but his fists alone can shatter weaker Outrider forces. Ramrod can also operate on any kind of environment, on land, on space, even under the sea, making it the best Defensive System Earth has. Oddly enough, only one Ramrod unit has been constructed so far, and the control of that unit has been given to our heroes, Saber Rider, April Eagle, Fireball, and Colt.

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SABER RIDER
The Commander of the Ramrod unit, the leader of the Star Sheriffs, Saber Rider has become a living legend in the Galaxy for his heroic deeds. History of this highlander from Earth is not totally clear, but seeing he is always cool-headed, calculative and calm, he has seen some action before he went to the Star Sheriff Academy, possibly travelling and living away from home around and across the Galaxy. This way he got to know the New Frontier, and also received experience in combat, especially fencing (what is it with Highlanders and swords? Wink ).

He knew April before he met Colt and Fireball, because he worked on the Ramrod project with her and her father. Their friendship, as the friendship of all of the four Star Sheriffs, is unbreakable.

Helping Saber there is a metallic horse called Steed. He is a well-equipped assistant, with high-powered thrusters, and the capability to work in space. However, he is not capable for long space travels, so he is usually stored in Ramrod, and let out when needed. Steed seems to have a powerful computer, as he is capable of recognizing his master's voice and work independantly when Saber is too occupied.

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COLT
Colt is a show-off, girl- and a treasure hunter. But when it's time to get serious, he does. Before Saber Rider and April recruited him and Fireball to the Star Sheriffs, he was a bounty hunter, but a "good" bounty hunter, not like Boba Fett from Star Wars. Because the laws of Old West are active in the community again, most of the bounties are placed on criminals the long arm of law can not reach. This is where bounty hunters come in.

Colt's history is a rather sad one. His parents were killed in an Outrider attack, and because of this, he gives up his life in a circus to become a ruthless Outrider hunter, so that nobody would have to go through what he did when he lost his parents.

His skills with guns are unmatched in the New Frontier. He is the fastest and most accurate draw ever, giving the Star Sheriffs a sharp edge against the Outrider forces. He has also teached Cadets in the Academy to the proper use of firearms, and has impressed the future Sheriffs with his abilities.

Colt's ship, the Bronco Buster, is another good help for the Star Sheriffs.

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FIREBALL
One word can describe Fireball pretty well: Hotshot. He is always rushing into things, and taking unnecessary risks, leading him to many dangerous events that could've been avoided. But, he is also a friendly and a sensitive person, if you give him a chance.

Before joining the Star Sheriffs, he was a race driver. As a matter of fact, he had just won a Grand Prix race before he met Saber Rider on the lobby of his hotel. He wishes to become a high-ranked officer one day, so Saber Rider gives him the command every now and then.

Fireball owns a racing car, the Red Fury Turbo. It's fast, sleek, and equipped with missles, laser cannons, and an advanced targeting system, giving the Outriders a good fight.

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APRIL EAGLE
A trained Star Sheriff, designer of Ramrod along with her father, Commander Eagle, April is truly a girl with many talents. She also practices Martial Arts, which adds to her strong personality. She is beautiful in every sense of the word, both at outside and inside. Luckily, her long, blond hair and blue eyes haven't gotten to her head, thus not making her any less effective in the conflict against the Outriders.

Whether April has a romantic relationship with one of the Star Sheriffs, is not certain, but there has been hinting to the directions of Saber Rider and Fireball.

April, like Saber Rider, has a metallic horse. Her name is Nova, and has the same abilities as Steed. The only difference seems to be in the color of the two robotic horses

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RAMROD
Ramrod was constructed by the Earth's Cavalry Command to battle the Outrider Renegade Units and defend the inhabitants of the New Frontier, and is doing a good job at both of the tasks. It's official name is "Ramrod Equalizer Unit", but everyone calls it "Ramrod" for short.

The unit is equipped with a fearsome arsenal. On Vehicle Mode, missiles and energy weapons are his mostly used weapons. On Challenge Phase, he has a powerful revolver on his side, planned to destroy the weakened Renegade Unit. But when it's time to really put up a show, Ramrod puts up his large fists, and usually smashes the opponent into pieces with punches and kicks.

Thanks to Ramrod's capability to travel across large distances in space fast, it is truly a valuable help for the Star Sheriffs. In Ramrod's hangar, there is plenty of room for Star Sheriffs' personal vehicles, like Steed, Nova, Bronco Buster and the Red Fury Turbo. All of these can be let out in to the heat of battle in seconds.

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OUTRIDERS
The Outriders came from the Vapor Zone Dimension. They have the ability to jump between dimensions. When they do this, they look like they "vaporize" into thin air. They use this power to come to our dimension, and escape when they are killed. Somehow, their wounds, even critical ones, are healed when they go back to their own, boring dimension.

The Outriders are led by the evil Nemesis, who is the most bored of all. The Outriders lack the ability to have fun, they simply do not know how to do it. This is another reason why they are so interested in our dimension.

The Renegade Units the Outriders use are powerful. Carrying almost the same weaponry as Ramrod, they have missiles, lasers, and huge, electrofied claws, but there are different types of Renegade Units.