ThunderCats was Rankin/Bass’s first foray into the world of cel-animated, action-adventure TV series, a market that was largely dominated by shows like Filmation’s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. But before the pilot episode of ThunderCats had even been broadcast, R/B decided to develop a second series in the same vein.

This new show, entitled SilverHawks, was the brainchild of Jules Bass, who developed a basic concept that was fleshed out by ThunderCats story editor, Peter Lawrence. The series, set in the distant future, would focus on the adventures of a group of humans who had volunteered to have parts of their bodies replaced with mechanical equivalents so that they could fight crime in the Galaxy of Limbo.

Just like ThunderCats, all the animation of SilverHawks was done in Japan by Pacific Animation Corporation (PAC). Many of the screenwriters and voice actors of ThunderCats were also involved in SilverHawks, the most notable exceptions being Lynne Lipton and Gerrianne Raphael—female characters on SilverHawks were voiced by Maggie Wheeler (née Jakobson).

While SilverHawks did not scale the same heights of success as ThunderCats, it has nevertheless maintained a cult following.