Starcom: The U.S. Space Force

Toys

The Starcom toy line included 23 figures, 6 playsets, and 13 vehicles for the U.S. Space Force, while the Shadow Force had 15 figures and 11 vehicles. The two-inch action figures came with a backpack, weapon, and an identification card profiling the character and equipment. A Magna Lock feature used small magnets in the figures' feet to help them stand on playsets and vehicles and to activate mechanisms like an elevator or rocket cannon. Playsets and vehicles also had a Power Deploy feature with wind-up mechanisms that performed actions such as deploying wings or extending weapons at the touch of a button.

The line was unsuccessful in the U.S. due to poor promotion and the short-lived series, and was discontinued after two years. It fared better in Europe and Southeast Asia, where Mattel took over production, removed U.S. flag and NASA details, and relaunched the toys with a second promotion line in the early 1990s.

Episodes

The series pilot, "The Long Fall," was not broadcast first, as most episodes aired out of production order. In 2003, Sterling Entertainment put out a DVD called Starcom: The Search for Aliens with three episodes. Mill Creek Entertainment released the complete series on DVD for Region 1 in 2015. Golden Books published a 24-page picture book, Starcom: Doom in Space, in 1998, written by Dwight Jon Zimmerman with art by Gene Biggs.

Reception

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction noted the show emphasized tactical space combat and incorporated quasi-realistic space physics, partly tied to toy features like magnetic boots. Stylistically and thematically, it reflected a technocratic, US-centric late-Cold-War optimism about space-based military power, unlike the mythic or cosmic framing of contemporary Japanese anime. Despite modest U.S. success leading to early cancellation, the series achieved greater popularity overseas and occupies an intermediate position between episodic action cartoons and later serialized Western military science-fiction animation.