Dir 05 / Record 002
1986: The Fifteen-Part Saga
Wave 1B. The fifteen-part Gate War Saga.
Abstract
Wave 1B was shown to retailers in February 1986. First cases shipped in June, with broad shelf availability by July and August. The associated fifteen episodes aired as a daily weekday first-run block from Monday September 15 through Friday October 3, 1986. Dale Harmon's creative gamble: a dense, serialized saga across three arcs that rewarded viewers who watched every day. After October 3, the twenty-episode library entered daily rerun rotation through summer 1987.
Archive Notes
Official first-run dates: Episodes 6 through 20 aired Monday September 15 through Friday October 3, 1986.
Three movements within the Gate War Saga: Ghosts (Keepers and first gate), HELIX (enhancement and Vesper), and the Asterion Index crisis (multi-front operations and Viceroy's first contact).
Wave 1B products: Ridgeline, Cipher Keeper Clues, Volker, Nitro, Ashen Gate, Deepcut, Switchback Scout Runner, The Threshold, Wakefinder Field Gear Pack, Gate Keys and Power Cells Pack.
Wave 1B products reached shelves one to three months before their supporting episodes aired. Kids saw Ashen Gate and the Threshold without story context. The September episodes created demand.
The saga helped C.H.A.O.S. stand out with older viewers aging beyond simpler formats.