Lazer Tag Academy

Lazer Tag Academy
Genre	Animation
Voices of	Booker Bradshaw Pat Fraley Noelle Harling Billy Jayne Christina MacGregor Tress MacNeille Sid McCoy Frank Welker R.J. Williams
Narrated by	Don LaFontaine (Opening Narration)
Country of origin	USA
Original language(s)	English
Production
Executive producer(s)	Joe Ruby Ken Spears
Running time	30 minutes
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 13, 1986 (1986-09-13) – December 6, 1986 (1986-12-06)

Lazer Tag Academy is an animated television series inspired by Worlds of Wonder's Lazer Tag (their branded version of the pursuit game referred to generically as "laser tag") that was created by Ruby-Spears Productions.^[1] The series aired on NBC from September 13 to December 6, 1986. It was later shown in reruns under the new title Lazer Patrol on the Sci Fi Channel as part of Sci Fi Cartoon Quest.

At the same time, another laser tag related series, DiC's live-action Photon series aired the same year in syndication.

Synposis

The premise of the show is Jamie Jaren, the Lazer Tag Champion of that era traveled back in time from the year 3010 to the 1980s to help her ancestors, teenagers Tom and Beth and toddler Nicky. The kids needed protection from Draxon Drear, a master criminal from the year 2935 who was unwittingly revived from suspended animation by Jamie's teacher Professor Olanga after he ended up in that state following a spaceship hijacking accident that caused the spaceship to crash into the Atlantic and was kept in suspended animation due to the gas that was accidentally set off. During Draxon's resurrection, Jamie learned from Professor Olanga about the info the computers stated which identified that Draxon was related to Jamie.

Draxon led a group of genetically engineered humanoids called Skugs who were also in suspended animation from the same accident when one of the Skugs ended up setting off the suspended animation gas. The Skugs were genetically engineered to serve man back in 2935, but didn't work out well and eventually came into the services of Draxon Drear.

Draxon has traveled back in time to destroy Beth because she would eventually create the Starlyte gun and Starsensor (two real-life Lazer Tag products) worn by Jamie. These machines enabled Jamie to compete in the Lazer Tag tournaments of her time period, but in the hands of certain individuals, a Starlyte is capable of producing effects that enable the wielder to manipulate matter and energy on a molecular scale and with the aid of the Starsensor, travel through time.

Beth and Tom's parents, Andrew and Genna Jaren, were mostly ignorant to the battles with Draxon Drear and the Skugs and believed Jamie was a foreign exchange student.

Episodes

The Beginning – September 13, 1986
Skugg Duggery – September 20, 1986
Yamoto's Curse – September 27, 1986
Pay Dirt – October 4, 1986
Charles' Science Project – October 11, 1986
The Witch Switch – October 18, 1986
The Olanga Story – October 25, 1986
Battle Hymn of Jaren's – November 1, 1986
Sir Tom Of Jaren – November 8, 1986
Redbeard's Treasure – November 15, 1986
Drear's Doll – November 22, 1986
StarLyte on the Orient Express – November 29, 1986
Jamie and the Spitfires – December 6, 1986

Cast

Booker Bradshaw - Draxon Drear
Pat Fraley - Charlie Ferguson, Skugs
Noelle Harling - Jamie Jaren
Billy Jayne - Tom Jaren
Don LaFontaine - Opening Narration
Christina MacGregor - Beth Jaren
Tress MacNeille - Genna Jaren
Sid McCoy - Professor Olanga
Frank Welker - Andrew Jaren, Skugs, Ralphie
R.J. Williams - Nicky Jaren

Additional voices

Crew

Michael Hack - Voice Director

Home video and syndication

Three VHS tapes were released by Celebrity Home Entertainment:

Laser Tag Academy: The Movie was released in 1989 (95 minutes)
Lazer Tag Academy: Champion's Biggest Challenge was released March 21, 1989 (110 minutes)
The third tape was released on June 19, 1991 with a single episode, The Battle Hymn of the Jarens.

Lazer Tag Academy was later rerun in syndication under the name Laser Patrol. This version was also shown briefly on the Sci-Fi Channel.

References

↑ "Saturday Morning: Good And Bad". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-10-15.

External links

Children's programming on NBC in the 1980s

First-run animated series	Casper and the Angels (1979–80) Fred and Barney Meet The Thing (1979–80) The Super Globetrotters (1979–80) The New Shmoo (1979–80) The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979–80) Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo (1979–80) Godzilla (1978–81) The Flintstone Comedy Show (1980–82) The Smurfs (1981–90) The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!/Hero High (1981–82) Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981–83) Space Stars (1981–82) The Flintstone Funnies (1982–84) Shirt Tales (1982–84) The Gary Coleman Show (1982–83) The Incredible Hulk (1982–83) Alvin and the Chipmunks (1983–91) Mister T (1983–85) Snorks (1984–90) Pink Panther and Sons (1984–85) Kidd Video (1984–87) Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985–89) It's Punky Brewster (1985–87) Kissyfur (1986–87) Foofur (1986–88) Lazer Tag Academy (1986–87) Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series (1987–88) ALF: The Animated Series (1987–89) ALF Tales (1988–89) The New Archies (1987) The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley (1988–89) Camp Candy (1989–90) Captain N: The Game Master (1989–92) The Karate Kid (1989–90)

First-run live-action series	One to Grow On (1983–89) Going Bananas (1984) I'm Telling! (1987–88) 2 Hip 4 TV (1988) Saved by the Bell (1989–93)

Rebroadcasts	The Daffy Duck Show (The Daffy/Speedy Show) Jonny Quest The Jetsons Dynomutt, Dog Wonder Hong Kong Phooey Batman and the Super 7 Bullwinkle (1981–82) Thundarr the Barbarian Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

Schedules	1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90

Related topics	Animation in the United States in the television era Modern animation in the United States

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