Sunday, September 29, 2019

Episode 29 - Where No Sprite Has Gone Before



It's pretty obvious based on the various references scattered throughout the series so far that the creators of ReBoot are pretty big Star Trek fans, so it was only a matter of time for them to get around to making a full blown Star Trek parody episode. Having already collaborated with comic book writers Marv Wolfman and Len Wein on several episodes this season, for this episode, they worked alongside D.C. Fontana, who was best known for her work writing episodes of the original Star Trek.

The episode begins with the same shot that starts the opening credits that pans over a tall building surrounded by a futuristic city. It seems the majority of this world is comprised of rock, but there is another civilisation similar to this one in the distance. As the camera pans round the building, we see that a game is in progress within the system, which then leaves soon after with Matrix, AndrAIa, and Frisket emerging in the system as it leaves. We hear AndrAIa narrating over the next sequence in a manner similar to the 'Captain's Log' from Star Trek. Matrix is clearly frustrated that this system is not Mainframe to the extent that he throws Glitch to the ground.



As soon as AndrAIa finishes recording her log, there's an explosion behind them. We then see some orb like beings being pursued by a team of sprites, some of whom are able to fly without the use of zip boards. Matrix draws his weapon, and prepares to join in the skirmish, but AndrAIa tells him to wait so they can see which side they're on. We see one of the sprites has Bob's hairstyle, and some of these orbs are coming up behind him, prompting one of his teammates to shout 'Rob, look out!', which leads Matrix into thinking that this is in fact, Bob.



Rob orders two of his teammates, Gigagirl and Email to perform a net manoeuvre. Gigagirl then throws Email, who's a stretchy sprite with spiky hair. Email then turns himself into a net and then a giant ball in order to contain the orbs, known as spectrals. Rob lands, and then Matrix gets involved. Rob initially seems hostile, drawing his lightsaber and questioning Matrix on what he's doing. However, upon realising that Matrix isn't one of them, he becomes more friendly and introduces himself as 'Captain Robert Cursor, leader of the Heroes Selective'. Matrix then introduces himself and AndrAIa, saying they entered their system via the last game. This angers Powerlock, an overly muscular sprite with lots of guns who says no one should play the games since that's the only way the spectrals will listen to them, which perplexes AndrAIa based on the damage that losing games causes. Cursor calms down Powerlock, telling him that Matrix and AndrAIa are visitors to the system, and should be treated with respect. Pixel, a green sprite with long pointy ears points out to Cursor that the spectrals will shortly return in force. Cursor then tells Matrix and AndrAIa to follow them to the hard drive where he'll explain everything. Matrix enquires with Cursor if their system has a Guardian, but Cursor claims to not be familiar with the term.



The heroes all arrive in the hard drive, which is a high tech base filled with several computer monitors. Upon arrival, Email deposits the captured spectrals within a containment system. Here, Cursor explains that while he agrees that not playing games is damaging the system, it's the only way they can get the spectrals can listen to their demands. It turns out that the Heroes Selective were once spectrals themselves, but since spectrals can't ReBoot, there was no defence from the games when they first arrived. After a method to convert spectrals into sprites was found, the heroes volunteered, with their mission being to seek out new game cubes and new applications, boldly going where no spectral has gone before. Gigagirl, who has now reverted to a more slender form, rants about how that was five cycles ago, and now they want to return to being spectrals. However, they are very reluctant to do so.



After this heated discussion, the heroes go over to a bar which is manned by a sprite with a strong Scottish accent. Matrix tries to sit down, but nearly sits on Email who has turned himself into a chair. He then nearly walks into Gigagirl, who transforms herself into her more muscular form, joking that she should call Matrix 'Slim'. Soon after this, Copy Girl, the sprite manning the computer systems, points out the spectrals are gone. This confuses the heroes since there's no way they could have escaped, but then AndrAIa admits to letting them free since no one deserves to be hunted and caged. Powerlock threatens to cage AndrAIa instead, but she goes to leave only to be surrounded by Copy Girl who has created a circle of duplicates of herself. However, AndrAIa strikes something with her trident and suddenly vanishes. A sprite who appears to be a female, more feline inspired Wolverine suggests that they go on a hunt. Cursor agrees, so the heroes all suit up and prepare to leave. Cursor asks Matrix if he's with them or against them, and he replies saying that while he's with them, he's against the hunt.

After the heroes leave, AndrAIa comes out of hiding. When Matrix asks her why she freed the spectrals, she says she wasn't taking sides. Matrix refers to Cursor as Bob, but AndrAIa corrects him. This starts an argument between the two, culminating in AndrAIa leaving the hard drive. Outside, AndrAIa runs into the spectrals. Soon after this, an alarm sounds off, meaning that there's a tear within the system. The spectrals seem to believe that the heroes have caused this, and AndrAIa offers to help them mend the tear.

Back in the hard drive, Matrix is rejoined by the heroes, who are also aware of the tear. Matrix sarcastically remarks that it will solve all their problems. Powerlock points out that if the system goes down, he goes with it, including his 'little witch'. Matrix then grabs Powerlock by the throat and holds his gun to his head. This situation is dispelled by Copy Girl and then Cursor reminding them not to fight amongst themselves. Matrix asks why they don't just mend the tear, but Cursor says he's unable to do so in this form. Matrix enquires whether Guardian is the form he's referring to, but Cursor says it was spectral that he was referring to.



At the Principle Office, AndrAIa is working on a computer system attempting to fix the tears. One of the spectrals seems incredibly paranoid, trying to tell everyone that she's going to destroy them all. AndrAIa is able to route a path around the sector in order for the spectrals to repair it. However, soon after, an alarms sounds and AndrAIa points out that tears have begun to open all over the system. The paranoid spectral flees, blaming AndrAIa for the tears. When AndrAIa asks, the lead spectral tells her that the tears began after their first game. AndrAIa points out one of the tears on the holographic globe in the room, and one of the spectrals asks if he wants them to take her there, to which she responds 'make it so'.



At the Hard Drive, Cursor asks Matrix why he keeps referring to him as 'Guardian', so Matrix tells him that Cursor reminds him of someone he once knew and trusted that he has since lost. Cursor says while he may not be the friend he lost, he's someone who can be trusted. Matrix then asks if the tears were caused by them deliberately losing games. Cursor says that while they're angry at the spectrals, they wouldn't purposefully damage the system. Matrix then uses Glitch to scan the system, then tells Cursor to get the troops together for a hunt, but for something worse than spectrals.

AndrAIa and the spectrals are heading for the tear, and the lead spectral enquire about why AndrAIa is helping them since she isn't from their system. She says that preserving her lives and systems is what Matrix does best. The spectral then asks what she will do now she's no longer with Matrix, but AndrAIa simply explains that they've been through much worse than that, that love and respect is what binds them together and nothing can keep them apart. Soon after, they reach the tear, and the spectrals quickly mend it. AndrAIa then says that while this tear has been mended, hundreds of tears are opening throughout the system, but they all start here since these tears are unnatural, being created by someone else. The paranoid spectral believes that the heroes created them, and she's trying to destroy them all. The spectrals then begin attacking AndrAIa, but she says that the tears are neither spectral or hero in nature. This is when they're joined by Matrix, who says that these tears are viral.

Matrix believes that the virus entered the system via a download, which AndrAIa agrees with since the tears began after the system's first game. Both the spectrals and heroes swear that they have no viruses within their ranks, with one spectral enquiring why no viruses has been detected by the system's virus checks. Matrix theorises that the virus is using a cloaking device, but Glitch might be able to detect it at close range. However, the paranoid spectral believes this is a weapon, and flies at Matrix before he can use it, starting a skirmish between the two sides.

We then get a quick montage showcasing all the different heroes battling the spectrals with their powers. Matrix and AndrAIa reconcile in the midst of the battle, and Cursor meets with the head spectral to call a truce in order to defend the system from the virus. The paranoid spectral feels that they've been doomed, but Matrix checks Glitch and finds out that this spectral is a virus. The spectral attempts to flee, but he is crystallised by the ice powers of Booty, the barman sprite from eariler. In this form, he begins ranting, but is soon silenced by Pixel using a vulcan nerve grip. The head spectral says he sent a team of spectrals to the Principle Office to oversee all repairs to the system. Then a small earthquake begins, signalling another tear. AndrAIa tells Matrix that the program for the tears originates from the Principle Office, so the team heads there immediately.



The Principle Office is in ruin, with the spectrals sent to the Principle Office lying lifeless on the floor. Powerlock is trying to hold off Frisket, who is barking at him aggressively. They are soon joined by Matrix knocking down the doors, allowing the heroes to enter. Matrix calls of Frisket, and Powerlock explains that he followed the spectrals to the Principle Office, and caught them trying to open a tear. The head spectral theorises that they were viruses, too. Matrix isn't convinced, so gets Frisket to sniff the dead spectrals. After doing so, Frisket growls at Powerlock, revealing that Powerlock is the virus. Powerlock then threatens to press a button that will cause the entire system to crash.



One of the spectrals flies straight at Powerlock, causing him to shoot the support above the entrance to the room, which then falls on and crushes Cursor, who was pushing Matrix out of the way. Matrix then shoots Powerlock, deleting him. He then goes over to Cursor, who asks if the system is out of danger. Once Matrix tells him yes, his body fades away, and Gigagirl tells Matrix 'He's deleted, Slim'. AndrAIa reminds Matrix that Cursor wasn't Bob, and Matrix says that while he wasn't Bob, he was a friend. The system voice then announces an Incoming Game. The head spectral tells Matrix and AndrAIa to take the game in order to find their way home. AndrAIa feels they can do more to help the system, but Pixel says that thanks to them, they've made great strides forward, and will continue to do so in Cursor's name. Matrix tells them they need to work together to mend and defend, or all this will be for nothing. The head spectral assures Matrix that there will be peace, if not now, then by 'The Next Generation' as we see a game cube land on Matrix and AndrAIa.



This is quite a hard episode for me to explain my thoughts on. It's easily my least favourite episode of this season, but not because it's a bad episode. It's simply just not as good as the rest of the season. There is certainly a lot to like about this episode, which I will explain in the paragraphs below, but it doesn't quite hit the highs that other episodes do this season.

The biggest point of this episode is that's a reference to the original Star Trek series, with the characters of Cursor, Pixel, and Gigagirl being parodies of the trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy from Star Trek. Cursor is obviously Captain Kirk, with voice actor Ian James Corlett giving him speech mannerisms similar to those of William Shatner. Pixel is Spock, having large ears and acting a lot like Spock, even using a vulcan nerve grip to subdue the viral spectral. Gigagirl as McCoy is a bit more of a stretch since she mainly just paraphrases some of McCoy's dialogue, notably at the end when she says 'He's deleted, Slim', obviously a play on McCoy's phrase 'He's dead, Jim'. It's a little contrived how this is a reference to a joke earlier in the episode where she jokes about calling Matrix 'Slim'.

There is other small references to Trek in the episode, with AndrAIa giving a log similar to a 'Captain's Log' at the beginning of the episode, Booty the barman being a parody of Scotty, and the spectrals being floating orbs being similar to some of the alien beings encountered by the crew of The Enterprise. Of course, me being a casual Trekkie, there's probably a lot more references to Star Trek that I haven't quite picked up on. As well as Star Trek, there's also references to several super heroes. Powerlock is a parody of The Punisher and the overly muscular and violent anti heroes seen in comics at the time and the feline character being similar to Wolverine.

One of the best things about this arc is how it gives us a look at systems outside of Mainframe where we spent most of the series up until the previous episode. This system has an interesting aesthetic of various futuristic looking cities scattered around a rocky landscape. What interests me is that the area of the system where the episode takes place is only a portion of the system, and that there's similar settlements elsewhere in the system. The heroes' headquarters at the hard drive seems like a perfect superhero lair, much like the batcave. If the Heroes Selective was it's own show with an action figure line, I can imagine the hard drive headquarters would make for a really cool playset.

Having Matrix and AndrAIa argue and take sides in this conflict they've found themselves in is a good way to get us to spend equal amounts of time with the heroes and the spectrals, allowing us to see both sides of the conflict and that neither side is good or evil. Of course, the purpose of the episode is for both sides to see the error of their ways and stop fighting each other. This is achieved through the presence of viruses hiding on each side forcing them to work together to stop this threat.

Cursor having a passing resemblance to Bob is an interesting idea, but it doesn't really amount to much asides from Matrix having to realise that he wasn't Bob but that he can be trusted, and for starting the initial friction between Matrix and AndrAIa over his identity.

This is probably the only episode of the season that can be considered as 'filler'. Some might argue that the previous episode and the next episode could also be considered as such, but I disagree. The previous episode establishes how Matrix and AndrAIa have changed since losing the Mortal Kombat game in Game Over, and I'll make the case for the next episode next week. This episode, however, can be skipped and you'll still be able to follow the plot since this episode is never referred to again. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it can make this episode feel a little pointless in the context of the rest of the season. However, this episode still has plenty to enjoy in it (especially if you're a Star Trek fan) making it a worthy watch.

Next week: We take a look into Matrix's psyche in 'Number 7'

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