Flash Forward: A Defenders of the Earth Retrospective
Join me as I revisit each episode of Defenders of the Earth, the King Features Syndicate crossover that united Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Lothar, and Mandrake the Magician. Along the way, I’ll explore the stories and the lore that powered this gloriously ’80s action-adventure series.
For more information, visit my companion website @ https://www.flashforward.social/. Also join the Facebook group @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/defendersoftheearth.
Episodes
22 episodes
Podshare: Back of the Cereal Box: Better Than The X-Men? Defenders of the Earth!
Hey listeners, sorry but no new episode for this week. Instead, I scoured the internet and found a discussion about the Defenders of the Earth from 2024 at the Back of the Cereal Box podcast. Back of the Cereal Box is a fun, family-friendly pop...
Trailer: The Mind Warriors Pt. 1
This is Flash Forward: A Defenders of the Earth Retrospective. Join me in one week's time as I cover episode 11: The Mind Warriors Pt. 1! Until then…
Defenders of the Earth Ep. 10 The Hall of Wisdom
Join host Patrick Cadigan as he discusses episode ten of Defenders of the Earth, “The Hall of Wisdom." The Defenders battle Ming's forces to protect the universe's greatest store of knowledge before it disappears for 2,000 years. Rick and Jedda...
Trailer: The Hall of Wisdom
This is Flash Forward: A Defenders of the Earth Retrospective. Join me in one week's time as I cover episode 10: The Hall of Wisdom! Until then…
Defenders of the Earth Ep. 09 The Revenge of Astra
Join host Patrick Cadigan as he discusses episode nine of Defenders of the Earth, “The Revenge of Astra." Flash Gordon narrowly avoids crashing his spacecraft into an unseen object, leading the Defenders to discover that a mysterious ship has a...
Trailer: The Revenge of Astra
This is Flash Forward: A Defenders of the Earth Retrospective. Join me in one week's time as I cover episode 09: The Revenge of Astra! Until then…
Defenders of the Earth Ep. 08 The Sleeper Awakes
Join host Patrick Cadigan as he discusses episode eight of Defenders of the Earth, “The Sleeper Awakes." Ming learns of the ancient Annihilator, a powerful buried war machine, and devises a plan to awaken it and destroy the Defenders. Whi...
Trailer: The Sleeper Awakes
This is Flash Forward: A Defenders of the Earth Retrospective. Join me in one week's time as I cover episode 08: The Sleeper Awakes! Until then…
Defenders of the Earth Ep. 07 Cold War
Join host Patrick Cadigan as he discusses episode seven of Defenders of the Earth, “Cold War." Ming captures Flash Gordon and tricks Rick into launching a reckless solo rescue mission to steal his communicator ring and power a device capable of...
Trailer: Cold War
This is Flash Forward: A Defenders of the Earth Retrospective. Join me in one week's time as I cover episode 07: Cold War! Until then…
Defenders of the Earth Ep. 06 The Root of Evil
Join host Patrick Cadigan as he discusses episode six of Defenders of the Earth, "The Root of Evil," where a scientist’s breakthrough accidentally reveals a terrifying side effect. When Ming the Merciless learns of the formula, he kidnaps the s...
Trailer: The Root of Evil
This is Flash Forward: A Defenders of the Earth Retrospective. Join me in one week's time as I cover episode 06: The Root of Evil! Until then…
Defenders of the Earth Ep. 05 Bits and Chips
Join host Patrick Cadigan as he discusses episode five of Defenders of the Earth, "Bits and Chips," where Ming lures the team to a chess tournament in Paris to infect their computer ally Dynak X with a digital virus, gaining access to Earth's w...
Trailer: Bits and Chips
This is Flash Forward: A Defenders of the Earth Retrospective. Join me in one week's time as I cover episode 05: Bits and Chips! Until then…
Defenders of the Earth Ep. 04 A House Divided
Join host Patrick Cadigan as he discusses episode 4 of Defenders of the Earth "A House Divided." Written by Jeremy Griffin and Dave Weathers, the story introduces Kurt Walker, the Phantom's brother, who seeks to usurp the Phantom's mantle with ...
Trailer: A House Divided
This is Flash Forward: A Defenders of the Earth Retrospective. Join me in one week's time as I cover episode 04: A House Divided! Until then…
Defenders of the Earth Ep. 03 A Demon in His Pocket
Join host Patrick Cadigan as he discusses "A Demon in His Pocket," episode 3 of Defenders of the Earth. Written by Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men & The Big Bang Theory) this story finds Kshin summoning the demon Shogoth to deal with school...
Trailer: A Demon in His Pocket
This is Flash Forward: A Defenders of the Earth Retrospective. Join me in one week's time as I cover episode 03: A Demon in his Pocket! Until then…
Defenders of the Earth Ep. 02 The Creation of Monitor
Join host Patrick Cadigan as he discusses "The Creation of Monitor," episode 2 of Defenders of the Earth. Patrick covers characters like Flash Gordon, the Phantom, and Lothar, and the introduction Dynak X, a computer with the essence of Flash's...
Trailer: The Creation of Monitor
This is Flash Forward: A Defenders of the Earth Retrospective. Join me in one week's time as I cover episode 02: The Creation of Monitor! Until then…
Defenders of the Earth Ep. 01 Escape from Mongo
Updated audio 6/08/2026!Join host Patrick Cadigan as he covers the pilot episode “Escape from Mongo,” providing a structured breakdown of the story, characters, and themes while offering context about the show’s origins and production. P...
Trailer: Escape from Mongo (Pilot Episode)
Introducing Flash Forward: A Defenders of the Earth Retrospective. I'll review each episode of the series, breaking down the stories, characters, themes, and digging (just a bit) into the lore that gave this series its' moment in 80s animated t...