Birdman and the Galaxy Trio

Did You Know?

• The series was rebroadcast on NBC from September 1968 through December 28, 1968.
• Cartoon Network rebroadcast the series from October 1, 1992 to July 29, 1995.
• A spin-off series, Birdgirl, premiered on April 5, 2021.

Segments

Birdman (voiced by Keith Andes) is an ordinary human endowed by the sun god Ra with the ability to shoot solar rays from his fists and project quasi-solid solar shields. His real name is given as Raymond "Ray" Randall. He was recruited by a top-secret government agency, Inter-Nation Security, and works full-time fighting crime, assisted by his pet eagle named Avenger. Birdman possesses the power of flight via giant wings from his back and may be fireproof, as being forced into an incinerator recharged rather than hurt him. His sole weakness is the need to periodically recharge his powers through exposure to sunlight or a comparable heat or light source, such as a desk lamp or incinerator. His battle cry is "Biiiiirdman!!!" He is supported by Falcon 7 (voiced by Don Messick), his eye patch-wearing contact with Inter-Nation Security who gives him missions; Birdboy (voiced by Dick Beals), a sidekick revived by Birdman's energy who uses mechanical wings to fly and searches for his lost father; and General Stone (voiced by Don Messick), a military leader who appears in several episodes. The Galaxy Trio segment follows a patrol of interstellar superheroes. The two segments are independent except for a bumper showing all four heroes defeating a prehistoric monster.

Production

Originally conceived as The Gang from G.A.L.A.X.Y., a Star Trek-like sci-fi adventure, NBC demanded a superhero retool to rival ABC's The Fantastic Four. The resulting show became a top-rated NBC hit, but was cancelled mid-season alongside other action cartoons when the network shifted to lighter, tamer programming, incurring a $750,000 loss.

In other media

Birdman first appeared in the first seven issues of the Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes comic from Gold Key Comics, running from 1968 to 1969. The Galaxy Trio joined him starting with the second issue. Decades later, in 1997, Birdman turned up in the fifth issue of DC Comics' Cartoon Network Presents: Toonami series. The character was brought back in 2000 for the satirical Adult Swim show Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, which also included other characters from his original series. In 2016, both Birdman and the Galaxy Trio were key figures in DC's Future Quest, a series that crossed over with other Hanna-Barbera heroes. By 2021, Gravity Girl appeared in Jellystone! as a referee in a flashback, while Birdman was shown as a deceased figure in a picture during season three. Another episode featured Space Ghost's villains Brak, Zorak, and Moltar dressing up as the Galaxy Trio to sneak into a convention.

Home media

Warner Home Video released Birdman and the Galaxy Trio: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 on July 17, 2007. The company's Warner Archive division re-released it as a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release on January 10, 2017. Birdman accidentally appeared on the menu screen for the DVD set DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures in 2008; Warner Home Video stated this was a mistake and that Hawkman was supposed to be in Birdman's place.