ROAR

FIRST THINGS FIRST: DISCLAIMER~
This in an UnOfficial ROAR MySpace page dedicated to the TV Series ROAR that first aired in 1997. Besides having spoken to John Saint Ryan (Fergus) I have no other affiliations to any other cast members, directors, producers, yadda, yadda, yadda...
ABOUT ROAR~
Created by Shaun Cassidy & Ron Koslow, ROAR's very first episode "Pilot" aired in the United States. The date was July 14th, 1997. In the United States only 8 episodes aired (every Monday night at 9:00 EST) although there were 13 total episodes taped. In other countries they are seeing the full 13 episodes. It continues to air in many countries and in some still, for the very first time. It has continued to gain a cult following.
The TV Series starred some of the most talented (yet mostly unheard of then) actors and actresses in most of the show's fan's opinion. A few of them are finally getting the notice they deserve. Among the main actors and actresses are Heath Ledger (Conor), John Saint Ryan (Fergus), Vera Farmiga (Catlin), Alonzo Greer (Tully), Lisa Zane (Queen Diana), Sebastian Roche (Longinus) and Melissa George (Molly).
ROAR is an action-adventure T.V. Series set in 400 A.D that chronicles the life of a reluctant 20-year-old hero named Conor (Heath Ledger) in the land filled with magic and mythology, a land later known as Ireland. When Conor's family and Love are brutally murdered by a marauding clan led by King Gar (guest star Leo Taylor) and Queen Diana (Lisa Zane), an emissary of the evil Romans, Conor is forced to take up the mythic sword of his dead father and unite his people in the name of peace.
Conor takes on a band of ragtag allies that include Tully (Alonzo Greer), a teenage apprentice magician; Catlin (Vera Farmiga), a beautiful former slave; and Fergus (John Saint Ryan), Conor's big-hearted ebullient protector. This group is held together by Conor's trusted advisor, Galen, a wizened man who possesses the secrets of magic and power that the young warrior must ultimately unlock within himself. Galen's nemesis is Longinus (Sebastian Roche), a supernatural creature whose true essence is that of a 400-year-old man ready to do Queen Diana's evil bidding against Conor and what he stands for, all the while searching desperately for the spear that he plunged into the ribs of Christ, which caused Longinus to be cursed. By finding and plunging the spear into himself Longinus believes he will die ending his eternal shame and Diana, with the spear, will lead the legions of Rome and rule the world.
In this fight for freedom, what's at stake for Conor and his people is the "ROAR." The roar of the land, the roar of the people- a voice that echoes through every living thing and is the power of life. ROAR is rich in Celtic culture, mythology and magic. If you love anything Celtic...you are sure to love this show. And if your a Christian it beautifully intergrates it as only the Celtic culture can.
ROAR is one of the most deep and inspiring T.V. Series to date. Nothing has compared to it and frankly with all honesty nothing ever will. It would be a miracle if it was ever surpassed. It actually touched the spirit of all who have or ever will see it.
Good thing for everyone it is Due for a Sept. 19th 2006 release on DVD.

THE EPISODES~ (SPOILERS! Don't read unless you want to know)
Episode One: "Pilot"
(U.S. Air Date: July 14, 1997)
After Conor's family and his love, Claire, are mudered by Gar, life enemy of Derek, Conor's father, and King of a neighboring tribe, Conor must find it in himself and in his destiny to raise his people against Gar. When he finds his father's mythic sword in the ashes of his once home, he knows what he has to do and in a fury battles Gar. Conor and his people win the battle but Gar is killed by his new wife Queen Diana in her hopes to gain power, with Longinus at her side in his search for the spear he peirced Christ in the side with 400 years earlier. He thinks it is the only thing that will bring him death and Rome gathers at the borders of the island.
Episode Two: "The Projector"
(U.S. Air Date: July 21, 1997)
A man shows up in a village to which Conor and his friends are trying to win over to the side of unity against the Romans. He brings with him material that is known as gun powder today but to them called atmos. Longinus gets a hold of this same material which he calls science and both sides wage war in a mass of explosions. Losing half his army, Conor and his friends must race against the future to find the last of the atmos and destroy it before it destroys them.
Episode Three: The Chosen
(U.S. Air Date: July 28, 1997)
Druids come to a village to receive the Druid King known as the Father whom's spirit has been reincarnated into that of a 6 year old boy (named Glas) of awesome power. While the Druids, who are escorting him to be crowned are murdered by assasins, Conor and his friends must get the Father to Kobod (the Druid Temple) to receive his crown before the assasins get to the boy first, but Queen Diana has other plans and the assasins are not far behind.
Episode Four: "Banshee"
(U.S. Air Date: August 4, 1997)
While Conor is making a pledge to a tribe which is joining him in is quest for unity, the Banshee wail is heard. A man from the tribe is obsessed with killing it because he feels that it was the Banshee's wail that caused his father to die at the hands of Roman assasins. What Conor and his friends come to find is that the Banshee is not a creature but a woman who is cursed with seeing other's deaths. Conor and his friends take her in all the while she is being hunted. But when the vision turns to being that of Conors death, the race is on to find out how to stop it from happening. But the vision isn't what it seems.
Episode Five: "Doyle's Solution"
(U.S. Air Date: August 11, 1997)
Conor and his friends run into a man named Doyal who is a cult leader of children. While Conor takes him in, it soon comes to light Doyal's true intentions and his madness goes into full gear has he commands his children followers to "kill to live". Fergus's long lost daughter, Molly, is among them. While the children attack, Doyle takes Fergus's daughter (thinking in his madness that she is his dead wife), Conor and Fergus must fight to save her in a ending that will make you hold your breath in suspense.
Episode Six: Red Boot
(U.S. Air Date: August 18, 1997)
A member of Conor's people is found by Conor and Catlin running through the woods....as he brushes past them and falls to the ground they see he has been shot with arrows. He has with him a scroll that he gives to Catlin and tells her to take it to the rock tower. Conor is curious as to why their friend wishes to only speak to Catlin but she says nothing as she takes the scroll. Conor later takes the scroll to the Druid King who tells Conor that the scroll holds more life than he has ever felt and that Conor will be betrayed. As time goes on Conor becomes suspicious of Catlin and follows her as she takes the scroll into the woods. Catlin finds that the man she is going to meet (a Roman gaurd) has been killed. Conor grabs her. At first Catlin believes Conor killed the man. But Conor says he found him that way. They are then surrounded by Romans and taken to Queen Diana's castle. While there Conor finds out the real truth behind Catlin's betrayl and about her love for the Roman God Jesus. Her faith leads her and Conor closer to each other, the rock tower and the truth.
Episode Seven: The Spear Of Destiny
(U.S. Air Date: August 25, 1997)
Conor and his friends are chased by bully tibesmen when trying to talk with them about uniting the tribes. They run into a cave and find the Spear Of Destiny. The very one that Longinus has been seeking. Ignoring the pleas of Catlin not to touch the spear, Conor does. Now with the spear in hand Conor accomplishes what he thinks is right by uniting all the tribes of the land behind him, for they feel the power of the Spear that Conor weilds. But it is changing Conor into something far worse than the Romans and it is up to his friends to save him. Longinus is not too far behind and as Fergus is about to place the spear back on the alter Longinus takes it from him by force. Longinus then prepares to kill himself with it but the spear will not allow him. The spear drops from his hands and Conor having just arrived, picks it up. Longinus lays paralyzed on the ground and pleads for Conor to kill him but Conor knows if he gives in and kills Longinus he has served the Spear and will be it's slave forever. What concludes leaves both Conor and Longinus changed forever.
Episode Eight: The Eternal
(U.S. Air Date: September 1, 1997)
Longinus has gone mad and is bent on destroying everything in his wake. He brands his followers with his mark and is out to destroy Conor. Meanwhile Fergus's daughter Molly comes home, not as the girl she left as, but as a druid novice. The Druid King (The Father, Glas) wishes for her and Conor to marry to unite the Druids with the people. But before the wedding is to take place Longinus kills the Father and sends Conor over the edge and to a show down with him. But Conor does not succeed and Conor sends the Druids and their Novices to go to every tribe of the land to spread the word of unity to them all, and the Father is reborn again.
Episode Nine: TASH
(U.S. Air Date: Did not air in the U.S.)
Catlin becomes posessed by her dead sister Amalia who is bent on revenge. As Catlin's life begins to fade Conor must seek out his immortal enemy Longinus to save her life when he fears only Longinus can desifer a scroll which can save her. Longinus asks him what he is willing to sacrifice in return for Catlin's life and Conor replies that he is willing to sacrifice everything. Longinus is pleased and asks him to join him, Conor agrees. Longinus has more in his plans then merely getting Conor to join his side but wishes to have Amalia's spirit to come out of Catlin and take her place inside Diana... not to kill Diana but to keep her with him forever but ruled by Amalia. Fergus and Tully are angry that Conor has betrayed the cause as he has and all Conor can do is stand... numb. In the end though Conor learns the truth behind the scroll and unites the two sisters in a bond that is forged together by Amalia's hunger to be with her sister once more, Catlin's forgivness of herself, and Conor's confession of his love for her. (::sniff sniff:: one of my FAVORITE episodes of ROAR...still cry everytime I watch it ::sniff sniff::)
Episode Ten: TRAPS
(U.S. Air Date: Did not air in the U.S.)
In this episode Conor, Fergus and Catlin go to a small nieghboring island in which Molly and Tully had been dispatched to three days before in response to a letter they had recieved of the tribe on the island wanting to join the Confederation against the Romans. They soon find that the island is full of deadly traps and Tully has become a vitim of one. Longinus is behind it all of course ;o) A really great episode with some humorous comments from Conor, Fergus and Catlin. The ending also brings you to see how much Longinus no longer cares for Diana and it is in this episode she really finds out how much.
Episode Eleven: DayBreak
(U.S. Air Date: Did not air in the U.S.)
Conor gets the remains of his family and makes plans to bury them at the village his father grew up because it is on that land many generations of Conor's family lies. But the village won't let him because Longinus has spead rumors of Conor and his father's cowardice. None of it is true of course but Conor can't covince them. Diana also tries to leave Longinus in this episode as well. Longinus finds out the village has let Conor and Fergus enter and threatens to destroy it. Everyone leaves, Conor and Fergus though stay to fight. One of my fave episodes with some very touching and humorous dialoge between Conor and Fergus and an ending that makes me cry everytime I see it.
Episode Twelve: CAGE
(U.S. Air Date: Did not air in the U.S.)
I really don't want to tell too much here but the basics because this episode has so many twists and turns you don't know what is going on till the end. Some really great Conor, Catlin, Fergus and Molly moments as they go to Molly's villiage to welcome the village's help in the Confederation. Just a really great episode all round!!! If I say any more than that it will ruin it!
Episode Thirteen: Sweet Brigid
(U.S. Air Date: Did not air in the U.S.)
Conor and Fergus help a crazy man out of a hole only to uncover a mysterious "mute" woman they name Brigid (after she likes Fergus' "Sweet Brigid" comment when she appears). Diana is offering a peaceful alliance with the tribes of the island and Conor has been invited to the confrence. They take the mysterous woman with them and as the story goes on and Molly joins them they find Brigid isn't a ordinary woman at all. What happens in the end takes a part of Conor's heart into the land forever.
GET ROAR ON DVD~
ROAR on DVD at Amazon.com:
You can pre-order the complete DVD set before Sept. 19th 2006 and save $10.00. After Sept. 19th it goes back to regular price. To order ROAR just CLICK HERE!!!!!!
THE NOVELS~
Yes, there were/are novels. Here are the pics and info about them and how to obtain any that might still be out there since they are no longer in circulation. Can anyone say COLLECTORS ITEMS!
ABOUT THE FIRST NOVEL
This Novel featured above (released August 1997) takes you through the journey starting at a time of Christ's crucixtion and how Longinus come to be cursed, to just before Conor's birth. The book then follows through from all the character's beginnings to the end of the first episode that aired. The twists and turns in this book are to numerous for me to give details, plus I don't want to ruin it. It is also a must for those interested in the show who have not seen it or for those of us who have seen it and were a fan but wish to know greater details about the characters and the events leading up to and through the end of the first episode.
About the second novel, called ROAR: The Cauldron
There is also a third novel that was written since May of 1998 but has not been delivered by the publisher yet (nor do I think it will). It is called, ROAR: The Talisman. I had hope to see this one. It will be a waste if we never do. The author of all three books is W.T. Quick aka SEAN KIERNAN. He was contracted to write just three books on the series. I have here a link to his home page. He is most popular for his prehistoric novels. You can visit the site by clicking this link: W.T. Quick's Home Page.
As far as the other two ROAR books that are out there... you will only be able to get them from used and out of print book stores. Doing a search engine search on the web under "out of print books" or even "used books" will bring up a list of used and out of print books book stores. Go through the list and when you use their search options just type in the name Sean Kiernan. You'll have the best luck of pulling up the ROAR Novels by using the author's name. The books are more than worth the effort to find them and not only that they will undoubtably be major collectors items soon. WARNING: Don't try to get these books through Amazon.com or Barnes And Nobles. You'll be waiting months only to find out later they don't have them any longer.
Happy seaching!
ABOUT THE CREATOR OF THIS PAGE~
I have been a fan of ROAR from the first day it aired and once ran the website ROARLivesOn.com which I am reviving again beginning with this page. I was also one of the first to set petitions for the DVD release of ROAR to Universal Studios as well (online petitions... when used the right way WORK btw!) This page is for EVERY fan of any character, cast member and of any subtext as well. For personal Information on me you can visit my personal MySpace page at www.myspace.com/arasiriel