Battle for Bright Moon

The Battle for Bright Moon is a first season episode of the animated television series She-Ra Princess of Power, produced in 1985. Written by Larry DiTillio, directed by Ed Friedman.

Synopsis
King Randor, Queen Marlena, Adam, Adora, and Cringer enjoy a lively discussion about the wayward magicians in their lives, Madame Razz and Orko. The latter is away visiting his uncle Montork in Trolla, so is missing the reunion. Meanwhile, Webstor and Kobra Khan assault a pair of guards within the palace. Skeletor and Beast Man follow, bringing with them a large cake on a wheeled cart. Skeletor uses his magic to disguise all of his allies; himself pretending to be Chef Alan, and introduces the cake to the royal family. Without warning, the cake turns into Hordak and the rest of the villains are revealed.

Hordak blasts the royal family, knocking them all unconscious, and carries Adora out of the palace. Tri-Klops is waiting with the Collector, and all of the villains escape successfully. Man-At-Arms tries to console the devastated King and Queen over losing their daughter for a second time. He suggests that a small party would have the best chance to rescue Adora, and so He-Man, Man-At-Arms, Battle Cat, and Teela head for Snake Mountain.

Meanwhile, Hordak prepares to re-enter Etheria through a portal, but before he is ready, Trap Jaw and Webstor push him through, betrayed by Skeletor who then demands Adora locked up as he prepares to hold the Princess for ransom and also orders the Sword of Protection to be examined, knowing Shadow Weaver had particular interest in it. Adora pretends to faint, and when Beast Man carries her to a prison cell, she tricks him and locks him inside. She quickly retrieves the Sword of Protection and transforms into She-Ra, then finds Skeletor, who is trying to contact King Randor to demand a ransom for Adora. She-Ra quickly dispenses of Webstor and Kobra Khan, then defeats Skeletor.

The Heroic Warriors arrive to find the triumphant She-Ra, who assures them that Adora is safe. Teela is frustrated to find that none of them were needed. Back at the Royal Palace, Adora tells her mother and father that she must return to Etheria and free her planet from the Horde. Both Randor and Marlena are heartbroken that they will once again be without their daughter, but accept Adora's decision and tell her how proud they are of her. Adora promises to return once Etheria is free, and until then she will still come back to visit. Returning to Castle Greyskull, Adora thanks the Sorceress for giving her back her family and showing her a destiny worth fighting for. The Sorceress hugs Adora, looking forward to the day she can return home for good. The Sorceress sends Adora and Spirit back to Etheria, and Adam and Cringer surprise them by following them to help the Great Rebellion get off to a good start.

When they see a fleet of Horde fliers the twins transform into He-Man and She-Ra and join the rebels in Whispering Woods, where they plan to drive the Horde out of Castle Bright Moon. Queen Angella launches the attack, but the Horde fights back with Destructo Tanks, Batmeks, and stun beams. One of the blasts hits Swift Wind, and he falls to the ground, but She-Ra is able to heal him using her magical powers. He-Man and She-Ra enter Bright Moon, and the frustrated Hordak flees.

As the rebels celebrate the liberation of Bright Moon, He-Man and She-Ra watch from a distance. She-Ra is now more certain than ever that it is her destiny to stay on Etheria and fight for freedom. He-Man understands that she cannot come back to Eternia, knowing that just as he fights to protect his home from evil so must She-Ra. The two bid each other a fond farewell, promising to always be there to help the other if needed. As his newly-found sister flies away on Swift Wind, He-Man (unable to hold back his tears) calls "Farewell, She-Ra, Princess of Power!"

Characters

 * Great Rebellion
 * Princess Adora / She-Ra
 * Queen Angella
 * Bow
 * Broom
 * Glimmer
 * Kowl
 * Madame Razz
 * Spirit / Swift Wind
 * Sprag
 * Spritina
 * Sprocker


 * Heroic Warriors
 * Prince Adam / He-Man
 * Cringer / Battle Cat
 * Man-At-Arms
 * Queen Marlena
 * Orko (mentioned)
 * King Randor
 * Sorceress
 * Teela
 * Allies
 * Montork (mentioned)
 * Evil Horde
 * Hordak
 * Horde Troopers
 * Shadow Weaver


 * Evil Warriors
 * Beast Man
 * Kobra Khan (final Filmation appearance)
 * Skeletor
 * Trap Jaw
 * Tri-Klops (final Filmation appearance)
 * Webstor (final Filmation speaking role)

Objects

 * Vehicles
 * Batmek
 * Collector
 * Destructo Tank

Locations

 * Etheria
 * Castle Bright Moon
 * Whispering Woods

(mentioned only)
 * Eternia
 * Castle Grayskull
 * Eternos - Royal Palace
 * Snake Mountain
 * Trolla

Cast

 * Melendy Britt as She-Ra/Princess Adora
 * George DiCenzo as Hordak and Bow
 * Linda Gary as The Sorceress, Teela, Queen Marlena, Glimmer, Shadow Weaver and Madame Razz
 * John Erwin as He-Man/Prince Adam, Beast Man and Webstor
 * Alan Oppenheimer as Skeletor, Man-At-Arms, Battle Cat/Cringer, Chef Alan and Announcer
 * Erika Scheimer as Queen Angella
 * Lou Scheimer (credited as Erik Gunden) as King Randor, Trap Jaw, Tri-Klops, Kobra Khan, Kowl, Swift Wind, Sprag, Sprocker and Horde Computer

Behind the Scenes

 * Script was approved June 21, 1984 and final script revision took place September 18, 1984.
 * The full, original title as seen on the shooting script was “The Sword of She-Ra Part V: Battle for Bright Moon”. The unused part of the title is still spoken by the announcer (Alan Oppenheimer), although he refers to ‘chapters’ instead of ‘parts’.
 * The music score was restructured for The Secret of the Sword to compensate for the numerous edits to the original five episodes and is completely different in many scenes.
 * Scenes from "Battle for Bright Moon" which were cut out of The Secret of the Sword:
 * While having dinner with her parents and brother, Adora tells an anecdote about one of Madame Razz's spells misfiring. King Randor mentions that "this Madame Razz sounds a lot like our Orko" and Adam explains Orko is visiting his Uncle in Trolla at the moment.
 * She-Ra has an extra line while fighting Skeletor's warriors at Snake Mountain. After Trap Jaw says "I'll stop her", she replies "All right, that's it. No one around here knows how to treat a lady!"
 * Arriving at Snake Mountain to find She-Ra has already defeated all of Skeletor's men, Teela wonders "What are we doing here?" to which He-Man replies "Nothing much, so what say we all leave?" and She-Ra agrees. Teela says "I don't believe this" and Skeletor, sitting on the ground, concurs.
 * King Randor and Queen Marlena have more dialogue after Adora tells them she's going back to Etheria.
 * Adora thanks the Sorceress for giving her the happiest moments she's ever had in her life and a destiny worth fulfilling. They hug and the Sorceress wipes away a tear.
 * Glimmer and Queen Angella have more dialogue during the victory celebration, and wonder where He-Man and She-Ra are.
 * During their goodbyes, He-Man reflects that he feels maybe things were meant to happen like this, with him becoming He-Man to protect Eternia and Adora becoming She-Ra to do the same on Etheria.
 * Sequences that were cut from the original shooting script:
 * Just before the Rebels arrive at Bright Moon, two Horde Troopers atop a high-tech telescope device say to each other how crazy it would be if teh Rebels attacked them because of the Horde's impressive firepower.

Continuity

 * The animation of Hordak aiming his arm cannon at the Royal family is reused in Of Shadows and Skulls.
 * The animated sequence of She-Ra using telepathy on the bear is seen again in The Sea Hawk when she connects her mind with Swen.
 * The sequence of She-Ra communicating telepathically with the bear is used again in Black Snow, in which she used this power to communicate with a Snow Howler.s.
 * When Skeletor is sitting on his defeated henchmen and saying his “female He-Man” line, Trap Jaw’s jaw is colored green instead of it’s usual magenta.
 * Part of the battle scene is reused in Huntara when Hordak shows false holo-vid footage that makes the Rebels look to be the villains.
 * The animated sequence of Adora with her sword already unsheathed before she begins her transformation into She-Ra was first used in the episodes She-Ra Unchained and will be seen again in Friendship, Horde Prime Takes a Holiday, The Stone in the Sword and Book Burning.
 * The background image used for the doorway to Skeletor's vault in the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe episode Golden Disks of Knowledge is seen again when She-Ra first appears in Snake Mountain.
 * The background plate of Dragosaur Isle from the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe episode The Time Corridor is visible when Skeletor, Hordak and the Evil Warrors are standing in front of the dimensional gate.
 * The animation model of the bear that She-Ra befriends is based on that of the Grazzler as seen in the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe episode Fisto's Forest.

Errors

 * Adora amuses the parents with an anecdote about one of Madame Razz's spells misfiring, as if she's been with the Great Rebellion for some time. But according to the previous chapter, she joined the Rebellion, went to free Queen Angella with He-Man (in the guise of She-Ra) and then immediately departed for Eternia to meet her parents, leaving no time for her to witness any misadventures from Madame Razz.
 * Beast Man carries Adora to the dungeon, his right arm supporting her legs and left holding her body. However, when he enters the dungeon and places Adora down she is now being carried the opposite way (i.e. her legs being supported by the carrier's left arm and the body with the right arm).
 * During Adora’s transformation into She-Ra with Castle Grayskull in the background, its jaw-bridge is missing. The entire transformation sequence was re-animated and the corrected version used in each episode following the five part origin story, but the incorrect version is still shown during the opening credits of all those episodes.
 * As the Rebels gather outside Bright Moon and Queen Angella makes her demands, it is night time, but all following scenes are set in daylight. This is corrected in The Secret of the Sword.

Quotes
Skeletor: (after being beaten by She-Ra) "A female He-Man! This is the worst day of my life!"