The Greatest Story Never Told
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| Justice League Unlimited episode | |
|---|---|
| |
| "The Greatest Story Never Told" | |
| Airdate: | September 11th, 2004 |
| Production Number: | 8 |
| Airdate Order: | 7 |
| Animation Services by: | Dong Yang Animation |
| Written by: | Andrew Kreisberg |
| Directed by: | Dan Riba |
| Episode images (6) | |
"The Greatest Story Never Told" is the seventh episode of Justice League Unlimited, and originally aired on September 11th, 2004. The Justice League is in epic battle with Mordru in downtown Metropolis, but the real story is what happens to Booster Gold while he's supposed to be on "crowd control".
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Booster Gold has a problem. He's a hero from the future who can't seem to catch a break. Nobody seems to view him as a top-tier hero, and sometimes they don't notice him at all. Between getting snubbed by J'onn J'onzz for high-profile League missions and being mistaken for Green Lantern by autograph seekers, Booster is sick of being treated like a second-stringer.
After practically begging J'onn for more work, he is dispatched with the Justice League reserves to aid the first team during a battle with the powerful sorcerer Mordru. However, upon arrival, Booster and Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man are relegated to crowd control duties by Batman. Booster and Ralph jaw for a bit about their perceived lower status just as Wonder Woman arrives asking for help--but only from Elongated Man.
Booster and his robot sidekick/cheerleader Skeets attempt to make the most of their position, however the closest thing to action Booster finds is the rescue of a child's ant farm from a burning building. His reward for this is once again being called "Green Lantern."
However, there is an accident at a local S.T.A.R. Labs facility; a young and attractive physicist informs Booster that one of her colleagues was caught in a power surge while working on an experiment. As a result, the man is now a miniature black hole. Booster is excited by a chance to save the world and maybe even get the girl, so he and Skeets agree to try and stop the black hole with a special disruptor collar. But Booster becomes discouraged as his plans go awry for various reasons:
- Booster is almost flattened by a car hurled from the scene of the main battle, miles away.
- A wild cast of Mordu's magic accidentally brings a ten-story building in Booster's vicinity to life--with an appetite.
- Skeets is sucked into the mini-black hole
In the middle of all this, Booster somehow finds time to deliver a baby to a woman stuck in an abandoned ambulance. ("Thank you, Green Lantern.")
A dejected Booster admits to the young woman that in the future he was actually a failure, and that he essentially ran away to the 21st century in a desperate attempt to be somebody. However, with the encouragement of his "damsel-in-distress," Booster is able to attach the disruptor collar and save the world. All of the consumed matter--Skeets included--is ejected back into the world.
Naturally, no one outside of the parties involved know what's happened. A few miles downtown, the Justice League has just wrapped up the Mordru situation, primarily thanks to the Elongated Man. Batman lectures Booster for leaving his crowd control post, but the would-be Justice League superstar can't put an explanation into words and instead simply sulks.
However, Booster Gold is greatly cheered by the re-appearance of a certain former "damsel-in-distress," who wants to take her hero out on a date...
[edit] Background Information
[edit] Trivia
- This episode was originally going to focus on superhero Firestorm but it was changed to Booster Gold.
- At one point Booster Gold talks with a Superman/Batman hybrid with Wonder Woman's voice, this form resembles Composite Superman.
- Skeets' line, "My gosh! It was full of stars!" after being ejected from the black hole is a reference to a similar comment made by David Bowman on the Stargate in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- His Milton quote "They also serve who only stand and wait" comes from Sonnet XIX.
- Plastic Man is mentioned in this episode but is never seen in the DCAU. Whether his non-depiction is simply an oversight or due to legal issues is not clear. But consider: the Elongated Man is recruited to take his place, and Plastic Man is nowhere to be seen in the aftermath...perhaps Mordu's evil rampage claimed a victim from the Justice League? Doubtful considering how cheerful the JL seems at the end of the episode. Plastic Man is merely a dropped name and a rare "name only" cameo by a DC Comics superhero.
- Skeets is voiced by Billy West, the voice of space delivery boy Fry (and other characters) on Futurama; in that series, West plays a human whose best friend is a robot; in this series he plays the robotic best friend of a human.
- Chris Cox replaces George Eads as the voice of Captain Atom.
- Lori Laughlin played Carolyn Lance, a former Black Canary, and the mother of one of the main heroes, on the short-lived Birds of Prey TV series.
- Booster says "Energize!" on the transporter pad, in tribute to Star Trek.
[edit] Cast
[edit] Uncredited Appearances
[edit] References
[edit] Quotes
J'onn J'onzz: I have never sensed such malevolent magic in one being. Unless Mordru can be defeated, I fear for every living creature on the planet. |
Booster Gold: Energize! |
Elongated Man: "We don't need two stretchy guys." This is so not fair! I mean, okay, I realize that Plastic Man is in the League too, I'm not dissing the guy's skills, but come on! I have it all over that guy! Once I disguised myself as a vase for like, three days! |
Booster Gold: Is there a chance you could stop complaining for five minutes? |
Skeets: "They also serve who only stand and wait." John Milton. |
Booster Gold: I have officially hit rock bottom. |
Booster Gold: She's beautiful, and in distress! My favorite kind of damsel. |
Tracy Simmons: (her first words upon waking) We're all gonna die! |
Booster Gold: Oh, man, we are so lucky! All I have to do is pop this collar onto Mr. Black Hole, save the world, and then it's champagne and strawberries for me and the hot doctor! |
Booster Gold: If they knew... if she knew the truth... |
Booster Gold: I blew it! |
Skeets: Sir, according to my thermal sensor readings of Dr. Simmons, you just missed a prime opportunity to... well, I believe the phrase is, "kiss the girl." |
Tracy Simmons: (offscreen) Excuse me, Green Lantern? |
Booster Gold: Squeaky wheel, buddy. Squeaky wheel. |
| Previously produced episode: "The Return" | Episodes of Justice League Unlimited | Next produced episode: "Ultimatum" |
| Previously aired episode: "Fearful Symmetry" | Next aired episode: "The Return" |
