When it comes to science fiction the ’90s were a legendary time. Star Trek was reaching its peak and Babylon 5 was giving space opera fans plenty to talk about. Some cartoons gave us heroic space explorers. Others had robots, aliens, and enough weird creatures to keep a toy store busy for years. There were also plenty of awesome fantasy cartoons that had their time in the sun. And then there were the shows that seemed to disappear almost as soon as they arrived.
That’s a shame, because the decade had plenty of forgotten gems that deserved a longer life. One of them had an unusually clever premise, a cast of memorable characters, and a sense of humor that didn’t take its own science-fiction adventures too seriously. It also featured a few familiar voices that genre fans would recognize immediately. Nearly three decades later, the idea still has plenty of potential. So why did this particular space adventure never become the franchise it probably should have been?
The series ran for 26 episodes before ending in June 1997. That’s a pretty short run for a show with such a wonderfully weird premise. Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys had plenty of room to explore its ridiculous setup. The writers could make fun of classic sci-fi tropes one minute and send the crew into a full-blown space adventure the next. And the best part was that the show never seemed too worried about taking itself seriously.
Some episodes even borrowed ideas from the horror genre. One featured a creature that hatches from an egg and starts hunting the crew. If you’ve seen Alien, you probably know where this is going. The setup was familiar, but it gave the series a chance to have some fun with one of science fiction’s most recognizable nightmares. After all, a spacefaring monkey crew was never going to handle a monster outbreak quite like the crew of the Nostromo.
The show in question is Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys, an animated series that premiered in September 1996. Its setup was wonderfully ridiculous. A monkey gets lost in space during a NASA mission, encounters an alien civilization, and receives enhanced intelligence. Before long, he’s leading a crew of spacefaring primates against an evil lord named Nebula. Because apparently sending ordinary astronauts into space wasn’t complicated enough.
The voice cast was another pleasant surprise. Jerry Doyle, who played Michael Garibaldi on Babylon 5, voiced Captain Simian. Michael Dorn, best known as Worf on Star Trek: The Next Generation, played the villainous Nebula. That’s a pretty impressive pair of sci-fi veterans for a cartoon about monkeys in space. The show might not have lasted long, but it had a good cast, a playful sense of humor, and plenty of strange ideas to work with. This might not have been a prestigious sci-fi series, but that wasn’t the point. Honestly, what more could you ask for?
Here’s the thing about Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys: its premise could easily support much more than a single season of television. You’ve got a crew of eccentric characters, a galaxy full of strange civilizations, and an ongoing conflict with a villain who gives the heroes plenty of trouble. That’s a pretty good foundation for a science-fiction franchise. The series could have explored new planets, introduced stranger enemies, and sent its crew on adventures that went well beyond the original 26 episodes. There was no shortage of material to work with. If not a reboot, I’d want to see a TV special animated movie at the very least.
The voice cast only makes the missed opportunity more interesting. Alongside Doyle and Dorn, the series featured James Avery, Maurice LaMarche, Malcolm McDowell, and Jeff Bennett. That’s a terrific collection of performers for an animated space adventure. The show also had a natural advantage over more serious science-fiction series. It could parody familiar genre tropes while still telling its own stories. Imagine a modern revival with sharper animation, bigger cosmic adventures, and the same willingness to make fun of itself. There’s no guarantee it would become the next Futurama or Rick and Morty. But the ingredients are there. Plenty of forgotten cartoons have received second lives in recent years, and this one has a concept that’s still easy to pitch. Space is enormous, after all. Surely there’s room for a few more monkeys.
Did you watch this show growing up? If you did, or if you’ve recently watched the entire series, share in the comments what your favorite episode is!
