Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion was a 1986 animated miniseries produced by Ruby-Spears, based on a toyline by Coleco.
Created by Lawrence Mass, Tim Clarke, and Maureen Trotto, the Sectaurs world blended humanoids with insects and arachnids.
On a faraway planet called Symbion, a genetic experiment took place. However, the experiment failed. Which resulted in a world where insects and arachnids grew to gigantic size. Now Prince Dargon, ruler of the peaceful Shining Realm of Prosperon, and his allies are in conflict with the Evil Sectaurs of the Dark Domain. Fighting for possession of the Hyves, fortresses of an ancient civilization holding the key to ultimate power.
Sectaurs provides examples of:
- After the End: The opening narration explains that the world in which the Sectaurs live is still recovering from a global catastrophe. One that nearly destroyed most of the old civilization. Leaving only some few ruins and some Lost Technology behind.
- Big Bad: Spidrax
- Bittersweet Ending: At the end of the animated series. Dargon is able to prevent the Lost Technology of the ancients from falling into the hands of the Evil Sectaurs. However, the Hyve and all valuable technology and history of ancient Symbion is lost in the resulting explosion.
- Bond Creatures: Each character is "tele-bonded" with an intelligent, non-anthropomorphic insect creature called an Insectoid.
- Bug War: It's there, though the war is fought by both humanoid and non-humanoid insect-based lifeforms.
- Cut Short: The series only lasted five episodes.
- Dark Is Evil: The Evil Sectuars of the Dark Domain are very evil, and completely unashamed about it.
- Evil Minions: The Evil Sectaurs, led by General Spidrax.
- Fantastic Racism: Between the heroic and evil Sectaurs.
- I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: The evil Sectaurs live in an area called the Dark Domain. There are also places called the Desert of the Lost and the Lake of Blood.
- Karma Houdini: By the end of the final episode. All of the villains manage to escape the collapse of the ruins of the Hyve.
- Lost Technology: The Hyve, ruins built by an ancient and mysterious people. The power it contains is sought by both the good and evil Sectaurs.
- Meaningful Name: Many of the giant, mutated insectoids have fairly straightforward names. Such as Dargon's flying mount, called Dragonflyer. Or General Spidrax's Spider-Flyer.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Any of the Insectoid creatures who the heroes and villains use as mounts.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Dargon, Prince of Prosperon. He's brave, compassionate and usually levelheaded in a crisis.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Prince Dargon of Prosperon.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: The show takes this trope very seriously in the episode, "Trapped in the Acid Desert". When it is revealed that Pinsor was once captured by Crawla, leader of the Laser Bug bandits of the Acid Desert. Crawla's raiders destroyed Pinsor's homeland of Kornap. Then after capturing Pinsor, Crawla tortured Pinsor half to death, before leaving him alive just to further his suffering.
- Shrines and Temples: The mysterious fortress known as, the Hyve was built by the "Ancients". Which is protected by guardian monsters and booby-traps.
