Shadow
Arch enemy of the Galactic Patrol and Mighty Orbots, Shadow is a sinister organization led
by Umbra, which intends to take over the galaxy. Whether Shadow is a crime syndicate or a
sovereign foreign government is not clear, but they do seem to have vast resources, as
well as spies and agents placed nearly everywhere. Hamstrung in their attempts at galactic
domination by the forces of the United Panets, Shadow must resort to terrorism and covert
operations, in which they are continually thwarted by Mighty Orbots.
The Shadow Star
The
headquarters of Shadow is the mysterious and deadly Shadow Star, which is essentially a
Dyson Sphere, or a shell around a star that can capture all of the available light. The
weaponry and defensive systems of the Shadow Star are so ominous that a direct assault by
Galactic Patrol forces is considered to be out of the question. The Shadow Star can
generate so much power that it is able to move under Umbra's direction, and any sector of
space it occupies will be totally under Shadow control.
Umbra
The master
of Shadow, Umbra is a massive, powerful biological computer bent on galactic domination.
Self-described as a "cyborg," Umbra's origins and true nature are unknown. In
his cavernous reception hall deep within the Shadow Fortress, Umbra appears as a macabre,
disembodied five-eyed face in a fluid tank. Whatever the biological element of Umbra might
be, he is mostly a mechanical computer, serving as the central nervous system of the
Shadow Fortress, and as the brains of Shadow itself. Umbra's memory banks stretch for
miles within the Fortress. Umbra has become obsessed with the destruction of the Galactic
Patrol, specifically Mighty Orbots. He has placed all of the resources of Shadow into the
sole task of destroying Mighty Orbots, and each episode he has a new plot to accomplish
this end.
(Spoiler Alert!): Defeated time after time, Umbra ultimately resorted to luring the Orbots
to the Shadow Star in a final attempt to destroy them. This battle ultimately resulted in
the destruction of the Shadow Star, but as Umbra's image boiled away into space, he vowed
that he would return to final victory. So, it is fairly certain that somewhere, in some
form, Umbra is still alive.
(Unfortunately, the series was canceled, eliminating any chance for Umbra to keep his
promise.)
The Shadow Fortress
Floating on the surface of the inner shell of the Shadow Star is the Shadow Fortress, a
mammoth military installation the size of a continent. The Fortress is essentially a
mechanical body for Umbra's formidable brain, complete with internal defense mechanisms.
Shadow Agents
Umbra's agents are a mishmash of humans, robots, and various aliens, so Shadow appears to
be more of a terrorist organization than a sovereign nation. Shadow agents seem to be
infiltrated nearly everywhere; if something strange is going on, you can bet there's a
Shadow agent somewhere about. They even go so far as to take over entire organizations,
including circuses, mining companies, and even prison facilities.
Dragos & Drax (Magnetic Menace)
A pair of robotic agents posing as rock superstars. They can use their music both to
brainwash listeners as well as to create a fearsome magnetic-field entity. They were captured by Dia attempting to escape the
Moon after creating the monster.
Doctor Phoenix
(The Phoenix Factor)
A cyborg scientist from ancient Earth, Doctor Phoenix was awakened and enlisted by Umbra
to continue work on his mechanical virus, Mechanogen. Always uncomfortable with Umbra's
motives, Phoenix turned on Shadow and helped Rob find an antidote. However, he still went
to trial for his crimes.
Drennan (Operation Eclipse)
A school friend of Rondu's (and of the same elfin race), Drennan's mental, physical and
psionic powers are impressive. Unfortunately, he became so jealous of Rondu's success that
he defected to Shadow, allowing Umbra to cripple the United Planets fleet at Centris. This
ultimately led to a mental duel between Drennan and Rondu, which Rondu won.
Kattron (The Wish World)
A generic Shadow warrior in gigantic samurai-esque armor, Kattron was defeated by Mighty
Orbots in the Emerald Nebula. Bo heated his armor to the point where it fused into a
single piece, and the Orbots merely hauled him off to prison. Kattron's primary weapon was
the "Multi-Beam," projected from a shield-like device.
Plasmus (The
Wish World)
One of Umbra's most formidable agents, Plasmus is a shape-shifter with the ability to fly
and to absorb energy. Plasmus was successful in tricking Ohno into becoming human, and
discovered the secret of the Orbots' true identities. So, the Orbots tossed him into a
hyper-warp, and he's currently lost somewhere on the other side of the galaxy.
Torkus (Leviathan)
A member of an aquatic race, Torkus ran the entire mining operation on Aquarius. The whole
thing was just a front to cover the company's real goal: the discovery of the Solar
Sphere. His plans were discovered and thwarted by Mighty Orbots, and he was captured
before he could escape Aquarious.
The Ringmaster (The Cosmic Circus)
The Ringmaster's entire circus works for Shadow. They were sent to Earth to capture and
duplicate key Galactic Patrol officers in an attempt to disable Earth's
computer-controlled defense system. As usual, Ringmaster and his cohorts were captured by
Mighty Orbots.
Draconis (Devil's Asteroid)
An agent who managed not only to infiltrate the prison planet of Devil's Asteroid, but
also to bring it almost totally under Shadow control. After Umbra's Orbot-clone Tobor has
successfully framed Mighty Orbots for assault, Draconis delighted in torturing the Orbots
in Devil's Asteroid.
Mentalis (Trapped
on the Prehistoric Planet)
The most intelligent of Umbra's agents, Mentalis used his helmet to mind-control the
various creatures of Evilon, and send them after Mighty Orbots. Mentalis was captured by
Dia, but not before he sent a huge asteroid hurtling towards Earth.
Nordak (Trapped on the Prehistoric
Planet)
Another generic Shadow monster, whose defeat by Mighty Orbots was shown on television,
much to Umbra's chagrin.
Darra (Jewel of Targon)
Sent to Targon to place a trap for the Orbots, Darra's reward from Umbra was to be left
there to die. Not surprisingly, Darra made a deal with the Orbots in return for transport
off Targon.
Werag (Invasion of the Shadow Star)
Umbra's chief scientist, Werag developed the ultimate weapon, the Sun Smasher. Capable of
destroying entire solar systems from extreme range, this weapon triggered the invasion and
ultimate destruction of the Shadow Star. Werag is presumed to have perished along with the
Shadow Star. |