Cybergirl
Encyclopedia
Cybergirl is an Australian children's television series
that first screened on Network Ten
in Australia
. The 26 episode series was created by Jonathan M. Shiff
, whose previous series include the BAFTA-award-winning Ocean Girl
. Cybergirl has also screened on ABC1
on 6:00am, Thursday and on other networks outside Australia
. In 2007 it aired as Cy-An 6000 on the Kabillion
on-demand network but no reason is given for the name change.
of ordinary teenage girl Ashley Campbell. In reality, she is a "Human Prototype 6000" from a distant planet.
Her powers include super-human strength, super-human speed, and the ability to interface directly with electronic devices and computers; she is also able to physically change her appearance between that of the blue-haired, ethereal-looking Cybergirl and the less conspicuous, mousy-haired Ashley, and can alter her clothing at will.
She was originally known as the Cyber
Replicant
Human
Prototype
6000, the only one of her model to be built. Not only are her powers far and above that of earlier models, she has a much wider emotional scope than her predecessors. She ran away from her planet of origin in order to explore the beings she was modeled after, namely humans.
Two other Evil Red Replicants called Xanda and Isaac are sent after her and their sole mission is to destroy her. She lands on Earth
in the fictional city of River City, Australia
which is modeled on and filmed in Brisbane
. She meets Jackson and Hugh Campbell, who take her in, and she adopts the name Cybergirl as her superheroine identity. Jackson calls her "Cy" and she later uses her powers to make herself look more human; this identity is called Ashley, in which she poses as Jackson's cousin and Hugh's niece. The only other person besides Hugh and Jackson to know her identity is Kat, her friend and neighbour.
She is pursued not only by Xanda and Isaac but also by a powerful software mogul named Rhyss. She is well-loved by the populace of River City, however and she enjoys the approval of Mayor Buxton, whose twin
daughters Emerald and Sapphire are big fans of the superheroine. Ironically they snub her, as Ashley, at school.
on 4 December 2006 as "CyberGirl: The superhero for a new generation - The Complete Series." The set includes all 26 episodes on 4 DVDs and is Region 0
. The release includes making of/behind-the-scenes featurettes created from a period Electronic Press Kit
and the packaging makes frequent references to the fact that the series features "before they were famous" appearances by The Veronicas
.
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
that first screened on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The 26 episode series was created by Jonathan M. Shiff
Jonathan M. Shiff
Jonathan M. Shiff is an Australian television producer of children's television series. His production company, Jonathan M. Shiff Productions, was founded in 1988 and produces programs for children and families, which are screened in 130 countries....
, whose previous series include the BAFTA-award-winning Ocean Girl
Ocean Girl
Ocean Girl is an Australian science fiction TV series aimed for family audiences and starring Marzena Godecki as the lead character...
. Cybergirl has also screened on ABC1
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
on 6:00am, Thursday and on other networks outside Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In 2007 it aired as Cy-An 6000 on the Kabillion
Kabillion
Kabillion is an interactive, multi-platform kids' entertainment channel, owned in part by The MoonScoop Group, REMIX Entertainment Ventures, and Belgium-based Studio 100...
on-demand network but no reason is given for the name change.
Plot
Cybergirl is a Blue superheroine Human Prototype 6000 living under the secret identitySecret identity
A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate persona , while keeping their true identity hidden. The character also may wear a disguise...
of ordinary teenage girl Ashley Campbell. In reality, she is a "Human Prototype 6000" from a distant planet.
Her powers include super-human strength, super-human speed, and the ability to interface directly with electronic devices and computers; she is also able to physically change her appearance between that of the blue-haired, ethereal-looking Cybergirl and the less conspicuous, mousy-haired Ashley, and can alter her clothing at will.
She was originally known as the Cyber
Cyber
Cyber may refer to:* Cyber-, a common prefix* Cybergoth* CDC Cyber, a range of mainframe computers* Cyber Acoustics, a brand of computer hardware* Cyber Missionary* Cybersex * Cyberitis * Cyber...
Replicant
Replicant
A replicant is a bioengineered or biorobotic being created in the film Blade Runner . The Nexus series—genetically designed by the Tyrell Corporation—are virtually identical to an adult human, but have superior strength, agility, and variable intelligence depending on the model...
Human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
Prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
6000, the only one of her model to be built. Not only are her powers far and above that of earlier models, she has a much wider emotional scope than her predecessors. She ran away from her planet of origin in order to explore the beings she was modeled after, namely humans.
Two other Evil Red Replicants called Xanda and Isaac are sent after her and their sole mission is to destroy her. She lands on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
in the fictional city of River City, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
which is modeled on and filmed in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. She meets Jackson and Hugh Campbell, who take her in, and she adopts the name Cybergirl as her superheroine identity. Jackson calls her "Cy" and she later uses her powers to make herself look more human; this identity is called Ashley, in which she poses as Jackson's cousin and Hugh's niece. The only other person besides Hugh and Jackson to know her identity is Kat, her friend and neighbour.
She is pursued not only by Xanda and Isaac but also by a powerful software mogul named Rhyss. She is well-loved by the populace of River City, however and she enjoys the approval of Mayor Buxton, whose twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
daughters Emerald and Sapphire are big fans of the superheroine. Ironically they snub her, as Ashley, at school.
Cast
- Ania Stepien as Ashley/Cybergirl
- Craig HornerCraig HornerCraig Horner is an Australian actor who first appeared in the Australian television program Cybergirl. He is best known for his role as Richard Cypher on the television series Legend of the Seeker.-Biography:...
as Jackson Campbell - Jovita Lee Shaw as Kat Fontaine
- Mark Owen-Taylor as Hugh Campbell
- Septimus Caton as Rhyss
- Jennifer Congram as Xanda
- Ric Anderson as Isaac
- Peter MochriePeter MochriePeter Mochrie is an actor who has appeared in various Australian television programs during his 25-year career. Since 2006 Mochrie has starred in the New Zealand soap Shortland Street as Dr Callum McKay....
as Rick Fontaine - Christine AmorChristine AmorChristine Amor is an Australian actress mostly remembered for her television work.She has acted extensively in television guest roles and in Australian film starting in 1973. Film roles include Alvin Purple , Petersen , Snapshot...
as Mayor Buxton - Winston Cooper as Giorgio
- David Vallon as Romirez
- Jessica OrigliassoJessica OrigliassoJessica Louise Origliasso is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer. Born and raised in Albany Creek, Queensland she, along side twin sister Lisa Origliasso, performed in show business at a young age. Origliasso rose to fame in 2000's when she and her sister formed a pop duo...
as Emerald Buxton - Lisa OrigliassoLisa OrigliassoLisa Marie Origliasso is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer. Born and raised in Albany Creek, Queensland she, along side twin sister Jessica Origliasso, performed in show business at a young age. Origliasso rose to fame in 2000's when she and her sister formed a pop duo...
as Sapphire Buxton - Michelle Atkinson as Anthea
DVD release
Cybergirl was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on 4 December 2006 as "CyberGirl: The superhero for a new generation - The Complete Series." The set includes all 26 episodes on 4 DVDs and is Region 0
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
. The release includes making of/behind-the-scenes featurettes created from a period Electronic Press Kit
Electronic Press Kit
An electronic press kit is a press kit equivalent in electronic form. An EPK usually takes the form of a website or e-mail, though they are also known to exist in CD and DVD form....
and the packaging makes frequent references to the fact that the series features "before they were famous" appearances by The Veronicas
The Veronicas
The Veronicas are an Australian electrorock, pop-punk and rock band. Twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso formed the band in 1999 in Brisbane. They have their own line of clothing which was released in 2007....
.
External links
- Jonathan M. Shiff Productions - the official website for Jonathan M. Shiff productions, has a Cybergirl section
- Cybergirl at the National Film and Sound Archive