It’s rare enough that a series over 40 years old finds new life in the present, with The Golden Girls being one of only a handful of series that come to mind. Rarer still is a Saturday morning TV staple of the same vintage that, likewise, finds a resurgence in the present. Yet She-Ra: Princess of Power has done just that, with the two-season animated series finding new life on the Apple TV store 41 years after its September 1985 premiere. And it’s not hard to see why.
‘She-Ra: Princess of Power’ Was a Series First
She-Ra: Princess of Power is a spin-off from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which itself was a spin-off of Mattel’s Masters of the Universe toy line. Unlike its parent, though, She-Ra: Princess of Power was developed as a series first, with Filmation and Mattel working together to create the show, with Mattel footing the bill. Writers Larry DiTillio and J. Michael Straczynski created the initial group of characters, which included She-Ra, sister of He-Man, her alter-ego Princess Adora, and her nemesis, the evil Hordak. They also came up with the premise, with Mattel releasing the accompanying toys after the series had begun production (but before the premiere).
Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek
Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🚀Star Wars
💍Lord of the Rings
🧙Harry Potter
👑Game of Thrones
🖖Star Trek
01
What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.
02
Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.
03
How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world’s conflicts tells you everything about its soul.
04
Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.
05
What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.
06
How does your universe treat good and evil? A world’s moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.
07
What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?
08
What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.
Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.
You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
You’d find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.
Middle-earth
Lord of the Rings
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world’s beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
Tolkien’s universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.
The Wizarding World
Harry Potter
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what’s right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
Harry Potter’s universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.
Westeros · The Known World
Game of Thrones
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.
Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don’t confuse the world as it is with the world as you’d like it to be.
Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
Winter always comes. You are already prepared.
The United Federation of Planets
Star Trek
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.
Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
The Federation is the universe’s most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
You don’t just hope that’s possible. You think it’s the only thing worth working toward.
Released at a time when the most empowering female protagonist on Saturday morning was Smurfette, She-Ra: Princess of Power stood apart from its Saturday morning kin. The series is set on the planet Etheria, where Princess Adora (Melendy Britt) has lived ever since being kidnapped at birth by Hordak from Queen Marlena and King Randor of Eternia. Raised by Shadow Weaver (Linda Gary), Adora grew up believing the Horde kept peace in Etheria and served as a Horde Force Captain. That changed while on a mission in the Whispering Woods, where she encountered He-Man (John Erwin).
He has been tasked by the Sorceress (Linda Gary) to find the one who is destined to wield the Sword of Protection, a sword similar to that of his own Sword of Power. That just so happens to be Adora, who, after touching the jewel on the hilt, is contacted by the Sorceress. She reveals the truths that Adora has long been denied: her kidnapping as a baby, the true atrocities of Hordak and his Evil Horde, and that He-Man is her brother, Adam. The Sorceress then instructs her to exclaim, “For the Honor of Grayskull!” transforming Adora into She-Ra for the first time, and transforming her horse, Spirit, into Swift Wind (Erik Gunden), a flying unicorn. Together, they foil Hordak’s attack against the rebels, with Adora breaking rank and joining the Great Rebellion as their leader.
‘She-Ra: Princess of Power’ Is Groundbreaking and Still Relevant Today
She-Ra: Princess of Power may have been a spin-off, but it differs significantly in tone and thematically from its He-Man. The setting allows for a more fantastical tone, not the medieval sci-fi feel of its predecessor. There are wielders of magic like the absent-minded Madame Razz (Gary), imaginative characters like Swift Wind and Kowl (Gunden), a flying creature that looks like a cross between a koala and an owl with bright, rainbow ears, and more adult themes, like Adora’s arc of guilt and redemption, not unlike the struggle of another Warrior Princess that would appear 10 years later in live-action.
There’s also a key difference in the intentions of the two main characters. It’s as clear as the difference in the phrases used in their respective transformations, “I have the Power” versus “For the honor of Grayskull.” He-Man uses the Sword of Power as a weapon for conflict almost exclusively. She-Ra, on the other hand, bears the Sword of Protection, and while she does use it in combat, it also magically transforms into a shield, nets, or helmets as needed to protect. Her purpose to protect is never seen as less than He-Man’s purpose to fight: she is his equal, a strong, heroic protagonist in her own right, and the leader of a rebellion that boasts heroic protagonists.
1985 also happened to be the year that another series centered around a female protagonist, Jem and the Holograms, premiered, making the year a touchstone for female representation on television. The two series, as a result, were ahead of their time. With female representation on television as good as it’s ever been now, it’s clear She-Ra: Princess of Power was far ahead of its time. Morally, it’s positive, with a clear delineation between good and evil. It’s a clever blend of sci-fi and fantasy, has diverse characters, and, like Xena: Warrior Princess after it, bears hints of queer representation that was decidedly against what was allowed on TV at the time (and definitely not on Saturday morning). All told, these elements and more make it unsurprising that this 41-year-old animated classic has found a renewed popularity on Apple TV. Turns out she has the power, too.
