Malfunction

Ace McCloud, Amber, Crystal Kane, Doctor Terror, Hacker, Jake Rockwell, Max Ray, Dr. Wu, Rex Charger, Shadow, Lucy, Sarge, Jimmy Squeaks, Wheels Willie

A rarity in the action cartoon world, The Centurions had a brainy, independent female character as its lead.

Crystal Kane, computer scientist, and her team of top-secret computer-operated warriors called Centurions try saving the world from destruction at the hands of Doctor Terror's Doom Drones. The Centurions each have unique exoframe armor and weapons. The air combat expert, Ace McCloud, has flying exoframes: Sky Night, Skybolt and Orbital Interceptor; Jake Rockwell, the surface combat expert, had the Wild Weasel, Hornet, Detonator and Fire Force; The aquatic expert, Max Ray had the Tidal Blast, Crusier and Depth Charge. They fight Dr. Terror and Hacker- cyborgs bent on taking over the world. The Centurions' headquarters, SkyVault, is a ship orbiting the earth, from which they transport to the surface when needed. When the Centurions shout "PowerXTreme!" their Assault Weapon System is charged to their ExoFrames. Crystal Kane also beams it down from SkyVault.

Putting the emphasis on sci-fi action, The Centurions always featured fast-paced battles, dogfighting vehicles, and cool gadgets. Crystal outfitted her team with super-powered "exoframes," body suits geared up with helicopter parts, tank treads, deep sea jet engines, and other useful tricks.

Each episode of The Centurions also included a short lesson about astronomy and space travel, presented in a 30-second blurb at the end of the episode. The show managed a respectable run in its original syndication, winning enough of a fan base to spark a revival on The Cartoon Network in the 1990's.