This week in Galactic Hunter Video Theater, it's more fun out-of-print goodness! Back in 1985, Saturday morning TV had The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour on ABC. You got 22 minutes of Ewoks, and 22 minutes of robots. Today, we look at The White Witch, the first normal-length episode of Droids which introduced us to things like Tig Fromm, Vlix, and a strange need of R2-D2 and C-3PO to be "owned." (There's a metaphor for a bad marriage in there somewhere.) Check out the full episode after the break.

For whatever reason, the first four episodes of Droids have been out-of-print on home video for years. While much of the rest of the run was re-edited into "movies" with altered music and no theme song, The White Witch appears below in its J2 video cassette release format... which is, so far as I can tell, as good as it will ever get unless Lucasfilm decides to put out new DVDs. And it probably won't, so sit back and enjoy one of my most favorite memories from childhood. Also, Vlix.

The "Fromm Gang" cycle lasted four episodes, the last of which included the first-ever Boonta Race and an appearance by Boba Fett. Which those who watch for continuity will no doubt find things to pick apart, it's a fascinating peek into what is, for all intents and purposes, a large and alternate Star Wars Universe.

The coolest thing about the show is it sort of doesn't fit into the continuity too well, as it folds upon itself. According to the comics based on the cartoons, Ewoks and Droids take place about a century apart. (This seems unlikely.) Droids features what is probably a 17-year-old Boba Fett, plus makes mentions of things like Rebels which may or may not quite fit in with the story as we've been told it, or as it's been revised over the years to make room for new expanded universe products. I'm really fond of the whole "Early Empire" thing, and the vehicle and robot designs are quite cool. With the mandates of reducing "guns" in shows, there are some odd substitute firearms but it's still fun to watch these old shows for what they are. I mean, for a few of us, this was our last hurrah with Star Wars until the 1991 publishing really kicked off, especially if you weren't the right demo for the 1987 role-playing game stuff.