ARCHIVE OPEN FILE ROOM 04 · CHEYENNE MTN DTG · 211734Z SEP 26 UNCLASSIFIED · CIVILIAN ACCESS
G.I. JOE: ARMY
SUNBOW SEASON 1

The Germ

Written by Roger Slifer. Directed by John Gibbs and Terry Lennon.

The Germ title card
G.I. JOE - S01E38
* 1985-10-23

Official Synopsis Synopsis adapted from the Wikipedia List of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero episodes (CC BY-SA 4.0), composed for gijoe.army 2026-05-27.

Cobra steals a dangerous bacteria that causes a strong bacterium and growth serum to form a living germ monster that consumes everything in its path.

Morals Sunbow series closing public-service announcement format, 1983 to 1987

"Now you know. And knowing is half the battle." The Sunbow run closed every episode with a public-service spot delivered by a Joe character, addressing kids on a real-world hazard or virtue. The cartoon's deeper ethic, threaded into the writing across the run, was that Cobra's worldview was based on fear and the Joes' was based on responsibility.

Notes of Interest

  1. Sunbow Season 1 daily run (1985). 55 episodes aired Monday through Friday in afternoon syndication, September to December 1985.
  2. Production code: 600-26
  3. Studio: Marvel Productions / Sunbow Productions / Toei Doga
  4. Originally aired: October 23, 1985 in afternoon syndication.

★ DISCUSSION

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