For the honor of Grayskull! This week we’re telling you all about She-Ra and her fellow Princesses of Power.
She-Ra has been around since the 80s. She is one of those classic Saturday morning cartoon characters that make all of the 80s kids feel that bone-deep nostalgia. And since her first introduction, She-Ra and her fellow power princesses have made a return for the younger generation. But who is She-Ra? How is the connected to the He-Man universe? And how powerful are the princesses?
Original She-Ra
Adora, also known as her superheroine pseudonym, She-Ra, was first introduced in a 1984 minicomic called The Story of She-Ra and then again a year later in the 1985 animated series, She-Ra: Princess of Power. In both Adora is revealed to be the long-lost twin sister of He-Man after being kidnapped by Hordak in her infancy. Her addition to the He-Man universe was intended to draw in young girls and sell them similar-but-different toys to the boys they had already been marketing toward.
In this series, Adora is raised in the Evil Horde and was trained from a very young age and eventually became a Force Captain. Eventually it is revealed to Adora who she is and the existence of her brother, and in learning this Adora immediately defects, saves Adam/He-Man from the Horde, and joins the rebels. Her extensive training grant her success in the rebellion as well as a fast leadership role, and her Sword of Protection allows her to transform into She-Ra, Princess of Power.
“For the honor of Grayskull!”
– She-Ra
She-Ra: Princess of Power ran for two seasons, from 1985 to 1987, and lasted for 93 episodes plus a Christmas special. Overall, the series was well-liked and Adora was seen as a generally positive role model for young women and girls.
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She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: The 2018 Series
In 2018 Dreamworks Animation and Netflix released a reboot of the She-Ra series which was exclusively produced by author ND Stevenson (Nimona and Lumberjanes). Many aspects of the original series stayed true in the reboot. Adora started her story as a recently appointed Horde Force Captain after being raised by the Horde. After finding the Sword of Protection—the circumstances of her finding the sword differ between shows—she learned that the Horde hadn’t been the good guys and joined the rebels, quickly seeing success and leadership.
In the reboot though, there was no mention at all of He-Man as a member of Adora’s long-lost family. Instead she meets Glimmer and Bow and is made aware of the truth of things by them. For a while, fans thought there may be a later introduced revelation or Easter Eggs nodding towards Prince Adam. But throughout the entire series it it clear that this version of She-Ra is entirely it’s own story and not connected to the Masters of the Universe storyline at all.
Princesses of Power ran for five seasons and 52 episodes. And despite a lukewarm critical response, the show became a hit with viewers, especially finding viewership with young women and the LGBT community and the costume redesigns were especially popular amongst the cosplay community
Powers and Abilities
In both series, She-Ra is known for her incredible physical strength and dexterity when transformed. In the 2018 reboot, she becomes much taller at 8 feet in her transformed state while un-transformed Adora is considerably shorter. But in both, when the Sword of Protection is damaged or destroyed, she cannot transform into She-Ra. And at times she is forcibly transformed back into Adora, showing that her powers have limits. Both versions use the sword as her primary weapon.
Is She-Ra LGBTQ?
The original was not. It was a spin-off of He-Man in the 80s, LGBT themes weren’t portrayed much if at all. Adora’s main love interest was the (male) pirate Sea Hawk.
The 2018 reboot had many, many LGBT themes. That’s including the tense and complicated but clearly romantic relationship between Adora and Catra. A number of other characters and relationships show up throughout the series, both in the main plot and background. But the ongoing dynamic between Adora and Catra is one of the show’s main driving forces.
Sea Hawk does show up in the She-Ra reboot. But he is a somewhat different character and is romantically linked with Mermista.
Are She-Ra and He-Man Related?
In the original series they are twin siblings, separated at a young age.
In the reboot, it is unclear if Prince Adam even exists at all. He simply isn’t mentioned or brought up.
Was She-Ra Canceled?
No. The show ran for its full 52-episode order and ended. The final season and series finale wrapped the story up and completed the character arcs. To my knowledge there hasn’t ever been talk of a sixth season or movie. Neither would be necessary as the story is finished.
How Old are the Characters in She-Ra?
There are a lot of characters and they don’t tend to state their ages explicitly in conversation. But most of the cast is likely in their late teens early in the series and early twenties later in the series.
Happy adventuring!
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