Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!

Optikkâ„¢ Bio

Real Name: (pronounced through a series of blinks)

A Space Mutant spy from the foggy polar region of the planet Denebriaâ„¢, the spyeye eyeball of Optikkâ„¢ is specially adapted to see through the dense Denebrain fog of his homeworld, making him an ideal spy. He carries a Photon Neutralizer, which has made him one of the most feared of the Space Mutants in the Tri-Solar System. Optikkâ„¢ allied himself with Skeletor shortly after the Lord of Destructionâ„¢ defeated Hordakâ„¢ and turned his ambition to the Horde Empire, forming a coalition of mutants and outcasts to conquer the universe. Optikkâ„¢ serves Skeletor by keeping an eye on He-Man and all of the Galactic Protectors of the planet Primus.

Portrait art source: Original card art

There was never any question that Optikk was going to have an interesting bio. While technically the New Adventures of He-Man, the cartoon series Optikk appeared in, was in the same continuity as the earlier show (and toy line), the overall series style and concept were drastically different; except for He-Man and Skeletor there were no characters carried over into the new toy line or show. In many ways, it was more a reboot than a sequel series. So seeing how the Bio Writer fit Optikk in amongst King Randor, Stratos, Man-At-Arms, Whiplash, Faker and the rest was going to be interesting.

As it turns out, what the Bio Writer seems to have done is taken the basic premise of the New Adventures, mixed in just a smidgen of the new canon they’re building, and then more or less left it intact. Optikk doesn’t meet Skeletor until after Skeletor has defeated Hordak and is attempting to conquer the galactic Horde Empire. This is obviously long after, say, Adam’s quest to unite the swords, or Skeletor bringing down the Mystic Wall. In fact, while the bios of King Grayskull, He-Ro, the Goddess and Wun-Dar are clearly “set in the past,” it’s harder to say Optikk’s is “set in the future,” because it raises the question, what is the “present” of MOTUC? I think we’ve all just assumed the present represents the vague period where Adam is on Eternia, fighting Skeletor, and maybe also a bit later when he fights Hordak and the resurrected Snake Men. But in some ways it seems like we’re just arbitrarily deciding that’s the “present.”

Setting that issue aside, there’s also the question of where, exactly, the Horde Empire is. Hordak was banished to Despondos, the dimension where Etheria lies. Did the entire Horde go with him, or was it just Hordak and a few henchmen? If so, who ran the Horde while Hordak was gone–Horde Supreme? If so, that means Horde Supreme was in the Eternian dimension the entire time–a major difference from the Filmation series, where the Horde were solely based in Etheria and only made extradimensional forays into Eternia now and then.

In the last sentence we find out that both the planet Primus and the notion of the Galactic Protectors are officially part of MOTUC canon. So…how will that work? Does He-Man still abandon everyone on Eternia, even though that’s no longer required by any “reboot” demands? Or can Man-At-Arms, Zodac & the rest come with?

Oh, and you may remember my thoughts on the “Photon Neutralizer”–that’s all I have to say on the subject.