» Where can I can find copies of the episodes, on VHS or DVD?
» Is there a place where I can download the episodes online?
» Will you e-mail or IM me the episodes, or upload them to some filesharing site?
» What is Pirates of Dark Water?
» Is it "Dark Water" or "Darkwater?"
» What's this about a UOL guild and a band?
» Did they ever finish the series? Will they ever?
» How many episodes were produced?
» How can we contact Hanna-Barbera about the series/__ about __?
» Do you work for Hanna-Barbera/Warner Brothers/David Kirschner?
» Where can I find the action figures?/Why the hell wasn't there a Tula action figure?
» How do you have so much detailed information up?/Are you sure ___ is spelled like that?
» Your site rocks, man!
» Can I use ___ off your site in my RPG/website/etc.? Can I link to your site?
» Will you collaborate with me on a script/fanfic/etc.?
» Which character was Andorus?
» Who are you?
» Why is your photo up on starwarschicks.com...?
Q. Where can I can find copies of the episodes, on VHS or DVD?
These days, fan (as in, bootleg/illegal) DVDs and VCDs are far more prevalent than VHS, though there are some VHS copies floating around. There are places online that offer copies of the episodes either for money or as part of a trade, as well as frequent eBay auctions...check the links page.
FYI, these are all fan creations. The show has not been released officially on DVD.
Additionally, there are a few older but official VHS releases. "The Saga Begins" is the one you'll find most easily; it's a 90-minute version of episodes 1-5, with edits to the music and the content. I believe this is available in NTSC as well as PAL. There are also a few PAL-only releases in the UK--at least 2 videos, titled "Andorus" and "The Beast and the Bell," with 2 episodes each. Keep an eye out online or in your local used retailer for them.
Q. Is there a place where I can download the episodes online?
There's a list of torrents of the episodes, and sites streaming the episodes, on the index page. You can also find copies via DejaToons on IRC. If you've found any other links that don't appear on this site, let me know!
Q. Will you e-mail or IM me the episodes, or upload them to some filesharing site?
No. With all due respect, you've got to be kidding me--the hi-res files are 170-200 MB apiece! Even uploading would take far more time than I have these days. However, if you're having major problems getting the big episodes and would like to somehow get the much smaller ASF/WMV/RM copies, ask me and I'll get those to you. If you can't get the torrent files to work and are willing to pay for international shipping, I can burn the episodes to a DVD and mail them to you.
Q. What is Pirates of Dark Water?
I'd assume you're asking because you've seen me mention it on another website somewhere, or know me from somewhere and have heard me talk about it before. In that case, hi! Here's a description.
Q. Is it "Dark Water" or "Darkwater?"
As far as I know, it's personal preference. I use "Dark Water" because that's how it looks on the logo, the characters almost always pronounce it as if it's two words, and this way is more grammatically correct. ;P The original miniseries was named "Dark Water" (two words), and when it was renamed with the release of the next episodes, different TV stations named it as either "Pirates of Dark Water" or "Pirates of Darkwater." It seems like it's interchangeable.
Q. What's this about a UOL guild and a band?
Neither of them have any affiliation with the show. The roleplaying guild is a completely separate group that borrowed the name "from the video game" (I guess they didn't realize the game was based on a show?) and conducts campaigns that have no relation to the series. There's also an indie rock band out of Austin, Texas of the same name. They used to own piratesofdarkwater.com, which is why this site is at a .net address.
Q. Did they ever finish the series? Will they ever?
(This is the really juicy question that everybody's been asking for years.)
The show was never finished. Only 21 episodes were created and aired (though many TV stations only showed the first 5 or 13), and these only took us up to the 8th Treasure of Rule. There are various reasons, stated and speculated, for the cancelation of the show:
- The show was extremely expensive for its time, and was slated to be canceled after episode 13 because there wasn't enough of an audience to justify the high production costs. The last 8 were only produced after David Kirschner and Cos Anzilotti, the creator and producer respectively, fought like crazy to keep them from ending the series that early.
- The original scriptwriter died, and the new one that wrote episodes 14-21 had a different style, which turned people off from the show and made its ratings drop.
- Hanna-Barbera itself might be to blame, for failing to meet promised air dates on episodes past the first 5 episodes, thus leading to huge gaps of time in the initial airing of the episodes and, therefore, lower ratings.
- The studio itself was undergoing management issues, with a disconnect between the creative concepts and how the production was handled, and the time when PoDW was produced was the start of some rocky times that ultimately led to the end of the studio when Warner Bros. took it over several years later.
These are all hypotheses, with various degrees of credibility...no official reason has been given for the show's cancelation.
Many people remember the "Ask Cartoon Network" clip series, including a particularly infamous one where somebody wrote in asking about the ending of the show. CN "responded" saying that there were 15 episodes left, but the episodes were "accidentally" taped over with a cat lapping up milk. It was a fake segment, obviously, but sadly, it's the closest we've ever come to having a real answer.
In short--nobody knows for sure. I'm pretty sure there were no more episodes produced, so I don't think there's a specific number of remaining episodes. How the show really was meant to end, and in what format, we probably will never know.
As for whether or not the show will be continued/finished...my answer has been "no" for years. The series has been "dead" for over 10 years, with the last new merchandise coming out in 1994 or so. There was a mention in Wizard Magazine in 2003 that Wildstorm Comics is interested in doing a PoDW comic, but according to my comic aficionado friends, that's no guarantee of anything, and nothing's happened thus far. More recently, there have been rumors floating around for some time of a possible revival/continuation of the series, either animated or live-action, but there's nothing definitive. It doesn't hurt to keep an open mind, but it's also not good to expect/assume that it'll happen.
Somebody did very shrewdly point out that Titan A.E., an animated film which was executive-produced by Kirschner but did poorly at the box office, shares many striking similarities to PoDW, and it's been suggested that Titan is Kirschner's way of finishing the PoDW story. That's something to think about.
However, 80s/90s cartoons and pop culture, pirates, and animation in general are regaining the spotlight, and the fans are out there, more than willing to make their voices heard to bring the show back, to have it released on DVD or to have a completely new release created, or in any other way. If the chance is there, and if anyone's listening...we're ready and waiting.
Q. How many episodes were produced?
Only 21. The first 5 were released in 1991, with two subsequent releases of 8 episodes each (not quite "seasons" of the show, since the plot was continuous) released during 1992-93. There are rumors that further episodes were produced and never released, and even rumors that they actually finished the series. These are completely unsubstantiated, and probably untrue as well, based on the info I've found over the years, and on the state of the studio at the time the show was produced. They fought to release each batch of episodes, and due to various reasons, production on the show halted after episode 21.
Q. How can we contact Hanna-Barbera about the series/__ about __?
Firstly, Hanna-Barbera doesn't exist anymore. A few years after PoDW's untimely end, the studio itself was absorbed into Warner Brothers, and now exists as Cartoon Network Studios, part of AOL Time Warner. Additionally, both William Hanna and Joseph Barbera have passed away (2001 and 2007, respectively), so the name is simply a legendary relic.
Secondly...to be honest, I've never really tried, though I know people who have. (My main "priority" all these years has just been tracking down any information I can find--I haven't been much of an activist in finding a way to continue the show or really rallying fans together to get something done.) Several major names from the production side of the show have web presences, so contacting them about their time on the show would be your best bet.
The "__ about __" part is in regards to other e-mails I've gotten recently, asking who to get in touch with about the action figure line and other things. I really don't know where to start with those--my first guess would be with the companies that produced the products you're inquiring about.
Q. Do you work for Hanna-Barbera/Warner Bros./David Kirschner?
Nope. This is simply a fan site.
Q. Where can I find the action figures?/Why the hell wasn't there a Tula action figure
There are almost always action figures for sale on eBay, either via auctions or eBay Stores. Search for "pirates of dark water" or "pirates of darkwater." Other websites offer them if you search for them, but eBay's by far the easiest way to acquire them.
There are only 8 action figures in existence, of major and minor characters--Joat was supposed to be a recurring character (the way Zoolie was) who kept pursuing Ren and company to try to get the Wraith back, but ultimately he only showed up very briefly in episode 1 before his major appearance in episode 20. And yes, Tula is indeed conspicuously absent. The only 8 action figures that exist are Ren, Ioz, Niddler, Bloth, Konk, Zoolie, Mantus, and Joat--either major characters, or minor-but-(intended-to-be-)recurring characters. I heard a rumor that there was slated to be a second series of action figures, in which Tula would have been included, if the show had continued. In fact, there are images available online of prototypes of never-produced PoDW figures, which lends some truth to the news of a second line of toys.
I also heard that someone completely lucked out and found 4 figures plus the Wraith at a flea market. Ask around, check around...they may be somewhere near you, tucked away somewhere kind of obscure, just begging to be bought.
Q. How do you have so much detailed information up?/Are you sure ___ is spelled like that?
The content on this site is by no means completely mine. Over the years, people have mailed me to clarify things I have up that may be wrong or unclear, and to give me information I didn't have--a lot of the information I have up is what I was able to find from networking and digging a bit, and getting lucky with who I managed to talk to. I've also almost always had access to the episodes, especially in recent years, now that older animation is making a comeback via online downloads.
I should mention, though, that the spellings, for the most part, are not set in stone: while I've tried my hardest to get the "real" spellings of as many terms as possible from products, close-captioning, and so forth, many terms (especially the more obscure ones) are just spelled the way I think they are spelled. Don't necessarily take everything on this site as sheer canon, and if you're really unsure or think I'm wrong, just tell me about it. :o)
Q. Your site rocks, man!
Thank you! But I'm female. ;o)
Q. Can I use ___ off your site in my RPG/website/etc.? Can I link to your site?
Sure! You don't have to ask before linking or borrowing, but if you're borrowing content, please just cite the website URL. And if you want, there's a page of banners and buttons if you'd like to use one when linking to this site.
Q. Would you be interested in collaborating with me on a script/fanfic/written PoDW piece I'm working on?
I actually have been getting this one a lot lately, and it's really awesome to see how many people are working on their own continuations/completions of the storyline, especially since many want to pitch these scripts to different production groups! I'm totally there with you in spirit, but I unfortunately don't have the time to assist actively as a co-writer. You're of course welcome to anything on this site as long as you just cite the source, and feel free to run questions or ideas by me, but that's all I can do. I'm sorry! Good luck!
Q. Which character was Andorus?
Andorus actually isn't a character--it's the island that Tula is from, and it's home to the ecomancers. I always thought it was an awesome name, and have been fascinated by the ecomancers, and adopted it years ago when I made a Sailor Moon crossover character named Sailor Andorus (being Tula...I do feel quite embarrassed to admit that now), and from there, it's just evolved. Now I use the name for a character in my original work, and as my online handle/screen name. (Pretty much all my friends associate the name with me now--I've been using it for over 10 years, so for better or worse, it's here to stay.)
Q. Who are you?
This ought to answer that for you, though it's unfortunately outdated--"about me" pages are by far the hardest to design and the quickest to change.
Q. Why is your photo up on starwarschicks.com...?
Yeah, that does seem pretty random, doesn't it? ;o) I've been a die-hard Pirates of Dark Water fan for many years, but I've been a die-hard Star Wars fan for even longer, and I'm a proud member and strong supporter of the Star Wars Chicks and the Fight for the Cure campaign. It also helps that I'm pretty good friends with the ladies who head SWC, Crysta and JediGirl. I'm good friends with Crysta in particular, and since she's the current webmistress, she figured that she had the right to put up whatever she wanted, so she put up one of her photos from Dragon*Con 2004, when I was on the Classic Cartoons panel. There you have it.