The origin of the series can be traced back to 1977. Gerry Anderson could no longer look forward to commissions from ITC (following Lew Grade reaching ITV's mandatory retirement age and his decision to move into film production). Lew Grade had backed every Anderson series since the days of Supercar. It was this reason that prompted Space: 1999's cancellations as no more funding to the series was given. As such, Anderson began to look for funding elsewhere to back his shows. Aware that his shows had always been very popular in Japan, he met with producer Banjiro Uemura looking to produce a new animated science fiction television series; Thunderhawks. Uemura was one of the founders of the film distributor Tohokushinsha.
The idea for the series would undergo much revision (including a new title; Terrahawks: Order to Recapture Earth) as various ideas were thrown around, but ultimately the project went nowhere due to the belief among Japanese networks that science fiction was no longer marketable. With the Japanese release of Star Wars however came a sudden urgent need for science fiction on film and television – and one man was ready for it.
Uemura returned to the ideas he had devised while in consultation with Anderson and revised them into a concept that would essentially follow the format of Thunderbirds (a series he enjoyed and had homaged in previous works) as closely as he dare. This was to be a twenty-four episode animated series by the name of Kagaku Kyūjo Tai Tekunoboijā, or Scientific Rescue Team Technoboyager. The series would follow the adventures of the agents of a futuristic global rescue service and their fleet of seventeen rescue vehicles, the Technoboyager craft.
Sadly the series was not a hit in Japan when it first aired in 1982. Only eighteen of its twenty-four episodes were broadcast in its original run. The series's sponsor MBS would not be renewing the series for any more episodes. However, it was to find an afterlife thanks to Uemura's connections at ITC. Presented with a ready-made series featuring various futuristic craft saving the day with the letters 'TB' (for Technoboyager) on their hulls, it was obvious that an English language dub could be produced that would capitalise on the already-established Thunderbirds name. It was here where the series began to be adopted to the Thunderbirds format...
Japanese voice cast;
Hiroko Maruyama as Pawl Junichi Takeoka as Hidaka Raiji Kei Tominyama (Tiger Mask) as Eric Joans Kiyoshi Kobayashi (Lupin III) as Gerald Simpson Manami Ito as Catharine Hayward Ryusei Nakao (Topo Gigo) as Sammy Edkins Jr. Takeshi Aono (Galaxy Express 999) as Gran Hansen
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The Complete Book Of Thunderbirds 2086
Ikke FiktionThunderbirds 2086 was originally a Japanese anime series entitled Science Rescue Team Techno Voyager created by Banjiro Uemura. Through his fascination and love for the original Gerry Anderson productions for ITC that he created his own Thunderbirds...
