Ulysses 31 Ulysses 31 is an 80’s Children’s TV cartoon that had kids glued to their TV's. Since then it has become part of Children's TV folklore. Just start a conversion with friends...'Do you remember the cartoon Ulysses 31'. 3 hours later you will have found you have talked about loads of programmes you grew up with. It wasn't originally a English show and was in fact a French show animated by a Japanese company. The show was based on a book that was set in ancient Greece called 'The Odyssey' which was written by Homer (no, not the Simpson one!). The series continued with the Greek Mythology theme, but instead it was based in the 31st century (even the space station looked like a Greek helmet). Only 26 episodes of Ulysses 31 were made, which surprises a lot of people as everyone thinks there were more. The Intro music was very catchy (you will hum it for hours), plus the music during the show was very atmospheric and set the mood for each story. One thing I do know is that the title sequence (below) from the Videos/DVDs has been cut short, which is a shame as the intro had sections that Nono sang. I'd love to see the original titles again. Plus the DVD's have missed the swoosh effect right at the end of them. I used to love this bit when I was a kid!   Story  Each Episode began with these immortal lines: 'It is the 31st Century, Ulysses killed the Giant Cyclops when he rescued the children and his son Telemachus. But the Ancient Gods of Olympus are angry and threaten a terrible revenge. Mortals you defy the Gods, I sentence you to travel among unknown stars, until you find the Kingdom of Hades, your bodies will stay as lifeless as stone. Ulysseee-eee-eees, no-one else can do the things you do. Ulysseee-eee-eees, always fighting all the evil forces, bringing peace and justice to all.'   This set the scene for anyone who had missed a few episodes and wanted to get into it. The full story begins on a space station which orbits the planet Troy. The situation on Earth is bad, impatient princes threaten the peace and if Ulysses doesn't return before the next comet streaks across the sky, his wife Penelope must choose another husband for herself!   So Ulysses waves a fond farewell to Pryam, as he departs for Earth aboard his spaceship - The Odyssey . He isn't alone on this journey, he is joined by his son Telemachus (and his robot Nono), his friends Nester and Uriclae, and his companions (the ships crew). There is one other aboard the ship...Shirka, the ships computer. On this journey home, Shirka detects an unknown planet in its trajectory. As they move closer towards it, a ball of vapour shoots from the planet and heads for the ship. The protection screen was activated, but it penetrated the shield and transports Telemachus back to the planet. It seems he has become a prisoner of the Disciples of the Cyclops, who worship the Cyclops which gives them the light of life. The Cyclops is a creature of Poseidon and it steals energy from children, which feeds it back to the Disciples. They would be blind without the Cyclops. Ulysses and Nono go down to the planet to rescue the children and in the process destroys the Cyclops, which in turn destroys the planet. Poseidon wasn't happy about this and called upon the king of the gods, Zeus, to reek a terrible revenge.   Shirka and the energy drive of the Odyssey stops working, so Ulysses goes to the ship's core to see if he can reactivate it and the Iris, but during this time a creature materialised on the Odyssey and the crews bodies became as lifeless as stone. Zeus tells Ulysses that they will have to travel through the universe of Olympus searching for the Kingdom of Hades. They would wander among worlds unknown and undergo many tasks before they could be reunited with their loved ones.   After Ulysses returns from reactivating Shirka and the energy drive, he finds himself alone, he can't find any of his companions. His despair turns to joy, when his son Telemachus, Umi and Nono appear. It seems that only the robots, Umi and Telemachus (as they were unconscious) were spared from becoming lifeless. They also find that the route back to Earth has been wiped from Shirka's memory. So begins their great journey and adventure... Ulysses 31 Characters      Ulysses     (voiced by Matt Berman) He is a honourable man, who has a clear cut view of good/bad, justice/injustice. He will help anyone that is in distress, which is his weakness, so the Gods set traps for him. On his journey he finds out that the Gods are not good, as they commit terrible crimes against humanity. They even helped the Shark Men take over the planet Nerriopolis and enslave its people, using mind control devices. Luckily Ulysses and King Narayus helped them overthrow their captives. He even found a second love called Calypso who he tried to help, but again it was a trap set by the Gods. When she defied them by not killing him, they sought their revenge by killing her and her planet (I told you they weren't nice!). He has some great gadgets, a laser sword which trebles as a personal energy shield and a laser gun. The medallion that keeps his cape on (no he hasn't got a Batman fetish!) is also a communication device. He also has a utility belt (maybe he does like Batman?) that allows him to fly.     Telemachus     (voiced by Adrian Knight) Telemachus is the son of Ulysses and loves his father dearly. Ulysses gave him Nono as a birthday present. Also he takes charge on the Odyssey when Ulysses is not on board and comes to his father's rescue if needed. He is a fantastic pilot and can hold his own against the Shark Men's Trident Ships (who were built by the people of Lemnos until they helped them rebel).   He caused some trouble when he went into the palace of time and angered the gods. He was sent back in time, but his arrival in the past had upset the balance of time and threatened their descendants in the past. Ulysses was told by the gods that the only way to return Telemachus to the 31st century was to help the Ulysses that lived in the past regain his throne and his wife Penelope. So Yumi, Nono and Ulysses followed Telemachus into the past to save their future and came face to face with another Ulysses and Telemachus. Luckily they all met up and devised a plan of putting Ulysses from the past back on the throne. Once this plan worked, they all returned to their correct time, without any knowledge of what happened. He wears a metal laurel leaf headband, a modern version of the ones worn in Ancient Greece.     Yumi     (voiced by Anick Faris) Yumi and her brother Numinor were forcibly taken from the planet Zotra (the White Planet) so their life force could be taken by the Giant Cyclops. After Ulysses, Telemachus and Nono rescued them, Numinor's body became as lifeless as stone, much to the horror of Yumi who depended upon him. Her rescuers then became like an extended family for her, and she became great friends with Telemachus.   On their journey, Numinor came to life as they approached a planet that looked like Zotra (even though Zotra was light years away). It wasn't Zotra, but it was the 7th satellite planet of Zotra, the holiday planet. The power Zotra and its satellites reaches out to all Zotrans and heals all.   But when Yumi and friends went to the planet, they found Zotrans frozen like stone. It didn't take long to find out what had happened. The satellite had broken its orbit and the children that had played on the Holiday planet had been evacuated. The friendly witch who played with the children couldn't take this and in her sadness had given her unicorn the power to turn the adults into stone as a punishment.   Luckily Yumi and Telemachus changed her mind and explained the Zotrans were only trying to protect their children. The witch then released the Zotrans from their frozen state. Also Yumi has special telepathic powers, which she can use to contact others.     Nono     (voiced by Howard Ryshpan) Nono is Telemachus's small robot.  He was given to Telemachus as a birthday present from Ulysses, and came bursting out of the birthday cake (to everyone's amusement). He is very loyal to Telemachus, Ulysses and Yumi, who he classes as his friends.  If he really likes you, then he will offer you a nut or bolt for you to eat (most people kindly decline this offer - mostly to do with indigestion or something like that!). He is always thinking of his stomach.   It was Nono, who actually destroyed the giant Cyclops, when he used a mirror to deflect its beam back into its eye and blowing it up (shame on you Ulysses for taking the credit!). Nono found his true love on a planet full of robots (a female version of himself), but she gave her life for him and his friends, to allow them to escape.   Ulysses 31 T-Shirts - NONE Ulysses 31 DVDs Region 2 (Europe) - Ulysses 31 DVDs Region 1 (USA) - Ulysses 31 DVDs Ulysses 31 Video Ulysses 31 Episodes Series 1 (1981)  1. Vengeance Of The Gods  2. The Lost Planet  3. The Black Sphere  4. Guardian Of The Cosmic Winds  5. The Eternal Punishment  6. Flowers Of Fear  7. Mutiny On Board  8. Secret of The Sphinx  9. Cronus, Father Of Time  10. The Temple Of The Lestrigones  11. The Seat Of Forgetfulness  12. Trapped Between Fire & Ice  13. Phantoms From The Swamp  14. Song Of Danger  15. Before The Flood  16. The Magic Spells Of Circe  17. Lost In The Labyrinth  18. At The Heart Of The Universe  19. Hidden Truth  20. The Magician In Black  21. Rebellion Of Lemnos  22. The City Of Cortex  23. Calypso  24. Strange Meeting  25. The Lotus Eaters  26. The Kingdom Of Hades Ulysses 31 Images (click to enlarge) © JedisParadise.com Toys & Gifts T-Shirts Bargain DVDs