Galtar and the Golden Lance

Galtar and the Golden Lance is a 1985 American, animated, sword and planet television series. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was one of the premier three shows that featured on The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera block, the two others being Yogi's Treasure Hunt and Paw Paws. It is notable for its similarity to the first He-Man cartoon and that show is the source of inspiration for this.

Plot
This series revolves around the quest of a young man named Galtar and his two companions: Princess Goleeta and her little brother Zorn, who has mind control powers. After a tyrannical villain named Tormack took over the kingdom of Bandisar and murdered Galtar's parents, as well as Goleeta's and Zorn's relatives, they have the goal in mind of avenging their families and taking back their kingdom. To accomplish this along the way, Galtar possesses the Golden Lance, which contains enchanted powers. Tormack wants to obtain it for himself and combine it with the Sacred Shield, for anyone who has it gains invincibility. Galtar and Goleeta are the rightful owners of each of those items. By its standard, the Golden Lance is a short staff. But once Galtar holds it over his head, it extends at both ends and can be split into two swords for dueling. Not only does the enchantment give the lance its potency, but it protects it by releasing a source of energy known as the Fury of the Golden Lance, which occurs whenever it's held by an unworthy wielder.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Despite its similarity to the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, it's still just as good as that show in its own right. In fact, it still would be great even without the influence or inspiration of He-Man.
 * 2) While the art style looks as great as several of Hanna-Barbera's other shows, this may be one of the better animated shows by H-B and in contrast to He-Man.
 * 3) Many great characters, both protagonists and antagonists alike.
 * 4) Exciting action-packed sequences.
 * 5) Comedic moments provided by the father-and-son dwarf duo, Rak and Tuk.
 * 6) The episodes' storylines are some of the finest ever written by writers of the H-B studio or any others in general.
 * 7) Nicely made scenery and backgrounds.
 * 8) Engaging, epic theme song.
 * 9) Well-sounding and performed voice-acting by the cast, which included the likes of the late Brock Peters as Tormack and Helen Hunt as Tormack's niece, Rava.
 * 10) Fantastic use of world-building.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) It is among several shows that was dropped too soon and never got a proper ending, as it's unknown how the final conflict between Galtar and Tormack would've taken place.
 * 2) Another unresolved issue is that there was never a follow-up that revealed the fate of Marin and her pet lion-like creature from "Zorn Meets Marin" nor if they would've had any recurring roles if it had turned out that they somehow survived. Spoiler alert: Towards the end of that episode, they fall after a cliff collapses.

Trivia

 * Galtar makes a silent cameo in the Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law episode, "SPF". Galtar, who brought his Golden Lance to the stand, is called to testify about a cybersquatting case.