brennen
/
lurkers-guide


								<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>


								<blockquote><cite>

								Dodgers undertakes a perilous journey to Planet X, where a powerful alien

								force awaits.

								</cite>


								<a href="/lurk/ftp/Pictures/Misc/daffykosh.jpg">Daffy Duck</a> as Duck Dodgers.

								</blockquote>


								<pre>

								Sub-genre: Intrigue

								G5 rating: Second-favorite thing in the universe


								Original air year: 1953


								   Story by Michael Maltese

								Directed by Chuck Jones

								</pre>


								<p>

								<hr size=3>


								<h2><a name="BP">Backplot</a></h2>

								<ul>

								   <li> Shaving cream is made using Alludium Phosdex.


								   <li> Earth has used up valuable natural resources and must look elsewhere

									in the universe for certain mineral needs.

								</ul>


								<h2><a name="UQ">Unanswered Questions</a></h2>

								<ul>

								   <li> How are people able to breathe at an altitude of approximately 32 miles

									(17,000 stories)?


								   <li> How did Marvin Martian manage to land on Planet X immediately after

									Dodgers did?  Has Mars run out of Alludium Phosdex as well?


								   <li> What biological function is responsible for the glow emanated by Dodgers

									when he shouts out his name?


								   <li> Are Duck Dodgers and the infamous Sinclair's Duck one and the same?


								   <li> Was the actual matter of Planet X destroyed, or was its mineral content

									dispersed throughout the galaxy, where it might be found at some future

									date?


								   <li> How do Duck Dodgers, Porky, and Marvin, ever leave the remains of the

									planet?

								</ul>


								<h2><a name="AN">Analysis</a></h2>

								<ul>

								   <li> When Dodgers falls several stories during the first act, he suffers only

									minor injuries.  Perhaps Dodgers, by being DUCK DODGERS IN THE 24-1/2TH

									CENTURY, has powers greater than the average mortal.  Further evidence

									corroborates this when it is considered that Dodgers survives several

									lethal blasts, including one that decimates an entire planet.


								   <li> Marvin Martian's ship, the "Martian Maggot" looks suspiciously like a

									Vorlon cruiser.  And yet, Ambassador Kosh is suspected to actually be

									Duck Dodgers.  So perhaps The Martian Maggot was actually stolen

									Vorlon technology.


								   <li> Duck Dodgers, representing the Earth Alliance, and Marvin Martian,

									representing Mars, do seem to share a great deal of technology. (Both

									sides use machines with brand names such as "A-1" and "Acme" and have

									similarly designed secret weapons.)  It is thus logical that this

									storyline takes place after "A Voice in the Wilderness," in which the

									Mars colony secedes from Earth.  However, this conflicts with the

									timeline in "Midnight on the Firing Line" in which Garibaldi and

									Delenn view this episode, several episodes <em>before</em> the

									revolution on Mars.  Perhaps they just weren't paying attention to

									the signs and portents of an upcoming Mars revolution.


								   <li> JMS has stated that there is no Trek-like "transporter" technology in

									the B5 universe; however, Dodgers uses the Evaporator to transport

									himself to the airport.  This may be an inconsistency in the B5 setting.


								   <li> It is reasonable to assume that the "unknown" area displayed by Dr. I.Q.

									Hi is equivalent to "the rim" (of known space) that the Icarus had been

									exploring when Sheridan's wife dissapeared  (c.f. "In the Shadow of

									Z'ha'dum").  Could Planet X be near Z'ha'dum, or perhaps be controlled

									by the Shadows?  Its markings indicate a long-dead civilization, perhaps

									one of the oldest civilizations in the Galaxy.

								</ul>


								<h2><a name="NO">Notes</a></h2>

								<ul>

								   <li> This is the only Babylon 5 episode to be entirely animated, and using

									absolutely <em>no</em> CGI for special effects.  Considering how well

									the episode turned out, Ron Thornton may have to start working on his

									resume.


								   <li> This episode features no regular B5 cast members.  (Except, perhaps,

									Kosh.)


								   <li> Though the character's name is common knowledge, the name Marvin Martian

									is not actually uttered on-screen.


								   <li> Strangely, this episode was broadcast <em>before</em> the birth of

									JMS.  How this happened is not clear, but it's probably just one of

									those things.

								</ul>


								<h2><a name="JS">jms speaks</a></h2>

								<ul>


								   <li> I *love* "Duck Dodgers." I have virtually all of the WB cartoons on

									tape or disk, and from where I sit, that's wonderful stuff that'll

									be around for a long, long time. No omens, just something I thought

									would be fun. (Again, connecting past/present/future, sort of our B5

									theme.)


								<p>

								   <li> I don't understand...what does Sinclair's duck have to do with

									anything?  We weren't even planning on introducing the duck until late

									in season two.  I suspect a leak.  Nothing worse than a leaky duck.


								<p>

								   <li> "How did Sinclair's duck thing get started?"

									<p>

									Probably by watching an attractive woman walk across the room.


								<p>

								   <li> Me, I'm just waiting for somebody to refer to "The Long Dark" as "The

									Long Duck"....


								<p>

								   <li> It's a duck.  Yes, why, of course it's a ducky.  Why would I think

									anything else?  What a silly question.

									<p>

									It's a duck.

									<a href="/lurk/ftp/Pictures/Misc/starship.gif">A texture mapped metallic

									duck coming out of a jumpgate.</a>

								 	<p>

									A duck.  Of course.  A duck.

								 	<p>

									AAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

								 	<p>

									(I wanna see it...and I wanna see it now.)


								<p>

								   <li> Of the options you listed, only D poses a real problem; A-C are

									more or less okay.  The problem comes not so much from speculating on

									elements already introduced, as introducing *new* plot elements that

									have not been seen in the show to back up speculation or conjecture,

									which may or may not approximate what we're doing.  "The Minbari

									surrendered because in some episode we'll see someday the Earth had

									developed a giant killer space duck hidden on the dark side of the

									moon that would nibble the Minbari homeworld to destruction."  That is

									kind of the dividing line between what's safe and not-safe.


								</ul>