This is truly one of my most favorite shows of all time. Sure it might have been a little cheesy, but it was great. You learn what's happening in the opening monologue:
"Earth 2147. The legacy of the Metal Wars, when man fought machine and machines won. Bio-Dreads. Monstrous creations that hunt down human survivors... and digitize them. Volcania. Center of the Bio-Dread empire, stronghold and fortress of Lord Dread, feared ruler of this new order. But from the fires of the Metal Wars arose a new breed or warrior-born and trained to bring down Lord Dread and his Bio-Dread empire. They were soldiers of the future, mankind's last hope. Their leader, Captain Jonathan Power; master of the incredible powersuits, which transform each soldier into a one-man attack force.
Major Matthew "Hawk" Masterson, fighter in the sky. Lt. Michael "Tank" Ellis, ground assault unit. Sgt. Robert "Scout" Baker, espionage and communications. And Corporal Jennifer "Pilot" Chase, tactical systems expert. Together, they form the most powerful fighting force in Earth's history. Their creed: to protect all life. Their promise: to end Lord Dread's rule. Their name? Captain Power and the Soliders of the Future!"
I loved this show. Sure it was a little intense but when it was on, I was hooked. Jonathan Power was just a great 80's sci-fi hero. Soaron Sky Sentry used to scare the hell out of me when he'd show up and digitize people into pixels. Lord Dread was also very creepy. When I was kid, I had all the toys from Captain Power's fighter jet to Interlocker, and the videos which you could use with the ships. You had to try to see how many enemies you could kill by shooting the flashing 3D-ish flashing areas of enemies. You could also take damage too if enemies were shooting at you on the screen. If you took too much damage, the figure in the cockpit would be ejected! You could also use the ship to shoot at bad guys during the actual show, too.
It's too bad they only got one season out of it. More could have been done with it but I read that since the toys didn't sell that well during Christmas, they pulled the series. It was obviously aimed at kids as it was on Saturday Mornings, but kids may not have liked it because it was too serious or intense for them. I'd like to see it come back. They could probably do some great things and fix it up from the areas is lacked in the first time.
