Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension was a science fiction television show created by tween television writer Tom Lynch, produced by CinéGroupe, aired by Fox Kids (the last show to premiere on that programming block before it was replaced by the Fox Box) and later ABC Family in 2002, as well as YTV, and merchandised with its own LEGO action figure line in exchange for Lego partially funding the series.
The show follows Nick Bluetooth, who awakens on his birthday to find a floating tablet that, with the help of his best friend Allegra Zane, leads to an egg-shaped transport that sends them into the Outer Dimension, a series of alternate universes where the evil Gorm seeks to take over. Nick learns he's the one destined to free the realms from Gorm's tyranny, and he has a special power called Glinching. Glinching allows Outer Dimension residents to swap body parts with each other, but Nick can Glinch without having a swapping partner.
Allying with a neurotic genius cyborg, a sage frog-man, and a temperamental short yeti, the teens travel in the "Egg" spacecraft to find the MacGuffin of key fragments that will lead them to the lost city of Galidor, which will provide them the means to save the Outer Dimension, and maybe even solve the mystery of Nick's Disappeared Dad, who it seems had a history with this strange alternate dimension.
The series had a short, two-season run of 26 episodes, dying just seven months after its debut, due in part to the death of the Fox Kids block itself, and in part to its Lego toy line being a huge critical and commercial flop (because its pieces were action-figure–like pieces that couldn't be used with other Lego brands). The series quickly faded into obscurity afterwards, and it has received no official release on DVD or Blu-Ray.
Three video games were also made as tie-ins for the series: a Flash game for the Fox Kids website, and games for the Game Boy Advance and PC. A comic book tie-in was also released.
No relation to Galador, homeworld of Rom: Spaceknight.
Tropes used in this TV series and toy line:
- Applied Phlebotinum: Glinch Energy, responsible for Nick Bluetooth's Glinching ability. Individuals with high concentrations of it can shapeshift parts of their body at will, whereas even those of lesser concentrations can swap out body parts.
- Aliens Speaking English: Not really explained or touched on. Possibly handwaved, depending on how much influence The Stranger had on the Outer Dimension. It's remotely possible that English caught on because he introduced it.
- Area 51: The plot of the episode "Area 51" involves Nick rescuing Euripides from a secret government laboratory on Earth.
- Another Dimension: Most of the series takes place in the Outer Dimension.
- Bigger on the Inside: The Egg, the space ship used for interdimensional travel used by the heroes.
- Clip Show: The episode just before the finale is a clip show.
- Cold Flames: Nepol's species use these for fire, using them to cool their bodies in the same way that humans warm theirs.
- Cut Short: The series ended on Gorm vowing revenge on Nick Bluetooth and revealing that his father was alive all along.
- Disappeared Dad: Nick Bluetooth's father.
- Engineered Public Confession: Gorm gets the receiving end of one after he gloats to Nick that he created a computer virus that destroyed Dreejal-Vin's maps to the Outer Dimension.
- Gotta Catch 'Em All: The plot behind the first season involved finding the pieces to the key to Galidor by locating them in realms in the Outer Dimension.
- Involuntary Shapeshifting: Nick's special ability, called glinching, allows him to transform his limbs into those of other beings, an ability which works properly a very small percentage of the time.
- Kid Hero: Main character Nick Bluetooth is 15 years old.
- Left Hanging: See Cut Short above.
- Mars Needs Water: The Aquarts feed upon the moisture of other living beings due to the extreme drought on their home world.
- Merchandise-Driven: The show is mostly remembered for the infamous series of LEGO figures made to promote it, and was helped by McDonald's Happy Meal toys and video game tie-ins for the PC, Game Boy Advance and a flash game on the Fox Kids website. Certainly could give the impression that the show was running on toy promotion, and considering the factor of the toy line's disastrous reception, might not be inconceivable.
- Multiversal Conqueror: Gorm, conqueror of a thousand realms.
- Physical Attribute Swap: One of the central aspects the show is that the inhabitants of the Outer Dimension have an ability called Glinching that allows them to swap body parts with another person. For example, at one point Euripides is Strapped to an Operating Table on Earth, so he briefly Glinches with the much shorter Nepol's body below the neck in order to hop out of his restraints. Various character also swap arms at different points. Part of what makes Nick Bluetooth special as The Chosen One is that he doesn't need to swap with other characters to copy their body parts.
- Reality Warping Is Not a Toy: The episode "Escape from Kek" deal@ with Nick Bluetooth getting a hold of Gorm's power suit.
- Shapeshifter Weapon: Nick Bluetooth's glinching ability when properly used.
- Shout-Out: The spaceship that Nick Bluetooth finds is practically a TARDIS: it's Bigger on the Inside, has an unusual control console (four sides instead of six)...
- Shrink Ray: Nepol's backstory explains he was once a much taller warrior until Gorm used a weapon that destroyed his fellow warriors. He survived, but shrank to about a third of his size.
- Stock Weapon Names: Nepol's ice spear is called a Luka.
- Un-Robotic Reveal: Jens. He was originally a peaceful, plant-like being, until Gorm burned his body and he was forced to become a machine.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Gorm. When he conquered the city realm of Dreejal-Vin, he destroyed all Maps (the one the heroes use is the last one), and blamed it on The Stranger.
- White Male Lead: Nick Bluetooth, the protagonist, is a white boy.
- You Watch Too Much X: This is Allegra's reaction to Nicholas' ideas that the Map is an alien device.
