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Duck Dodgers (TV series)

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Duck Dodgers
File:Duck Dodgers.jpg
Martian Commander X-2 (Marvin the Martian), Duck Dodgers and Eager Young Space Cadet.
StarringJoe Alaskey
Bob Bergen
Tia Carrere
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes39
Production
Running time30 minutes (15 minutes per segment) (approx. per episode)
Original release
NetworkCartoon Network
ReleaseAugust 23, 2003 –
November 11, 2005

Duck Dodgers was an American animated television series based on the classic cartoon short Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century produced by Warner Bros. from 2003 to 2005. The series aired on Cartoon Network and it starred Daffy Duck as the titular character.

Concept

Though primarily based around the original Duck Dodgers short, the series has also taken many visual and thematic cues from classic Looney Tunes shorts unrelated to the Dodgers character and its science fiction premise. Also, many other familiar characters from the Looney Tunes pantheon are featured in the series, often given traits to fit within Duck Dodgers's own universe. For example, Yosemite Sam becomes "K'chutha Sa'am," a parody of Klingons in Star Trek, Elmer Fudd becomes a parasitic mind-altering alien disease known as "The Fudd" (a take-off of The Flood in Halo, though more closely resembling The Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation), Witch Hazel was Leezah the Witch in one episode, Count Blood Count was Count Muerte in two episodes, and Wile E. Coyote was a Predator-like alien hunter in one episode where Martian Commander X-2 and K-9 were hunting. Nasty Canasta, Taz, Rocky and Mugsy, and The Crusher also made appearances on this series. In addition to these pop culture references, the show's theme (arranged by The Flaming Lips) is sung by Tom Jones, in a style reminiscent of Jones' performance of the theme from the James Bond film Thunderball. Jones also appeared in caricature form in the second season episode "Talent Show A Go-Go," to sing his signature song, "It's Not Unusual." The episode "In Space, No One Can Hear You Rock" feature Dave Mustaine of heavy metal band Megadeth, and the band performed "Back in the Day."

Duck Dodgers was nominated in the 2004 Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production Produced For Children, Music in an Animated Television Production, Production Design in an Animated Television Production, and Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production. It was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of SPECIAL CLASS ANIMATED PROGRAM in 2004 and again in 2005. This series ended production in 2005 after its third season.

The series starred a number of Looney Tunes characters, as well as new faces such as Queen Tyr'ahnee and Captain Star Johnson. However, this is the first TV series to spin-off from a Looney Tunes cartoon that stars Daffy Duck but doesn't feature Bugs Bunny at all.

Characters

Galactic Protectorate

  • Duck Dodgers - A poor, hapless soul-Daffy-that was accidentally frozen for over 300 years. He was later revived by Professor I.Q. Hi in the 24th and one half century. Through scheming and lies he managed to trick everyone into believing he was a twenty-first-century hero. In reality, he was only a water-boy for a football team. He is selfish, gullible, and not particularly intelligent. However, he occasionally displays surprisingly high levels of heroism and competence, suggesting that he is not quite as daft as he appears to be, although he mostly succeeds through dumb luck and the work of the Eager, Young Space Cadet. He is played by Looney Tunes staple character Daffy Duck.
  • The Eager, Young Space Cadet - Looks up to Dodgers, seeing him as a father-figure in many ways. He is utterly loyal to Dodgers and doesn't doubt a word he says. Despite this, he is much smarter than his so-called hero. Dodgers cares deeply for his cadet though he rarely shows it, and often tries to take credit for the cadet's work. Dodgers relies heavily on the cadet's assistance and would likely fail most missions without it. It should be noted that the cadet is also fairly successful as a ladies man, often being the one who gets the girl Dodgers swoons over. He graduated suma cum laude from the Protectorate Academy. Very little else is known about his past, though one episode portrays him as being the Prince and Ruler of his home planet of Swinus, with his own set of villains trying to dethrone or otherwise eliminate him. Since this was revealed in a story the Cadet told while babysitting his overly rambuctious neice and nephews, and they expressed no prior knowledge of this, it is unknown whether or not this is true or just his attempt to impress his impressionable relatives. He has claimed to have ended world hunger to Count Muerte, although this could be seen as bragging to a stranger. The cadet is played by Porky Pig.
  • Professor Ignatius Q "I.Q." Hi - Hi is the scientist that revived Dodgers after being frozen for 350 years. Nervous and hard-working, he is often irritated and frustrated with Dodger's incompetence, and doubts that Dodgers truly was a twenty-first-century hero. In addition to being a hard-working scientist, he constantly wears gloves that streches up his arm, ending at his elbow.
  • Captain Star Johnson - Johnson is a rival captain of Dodger's in the Galactic Protectorate. Gifted with a University education, Johnson has a Flash Gordon-like personality about him, and once took Dodgers to court over his incompetence. Since then, Johnson has been involved in freeing Mars from the military coup by General Z9, and searching for gangsters when Dodgers went missing for a brief period of time.

Martians

  • Martian Commander X-2 The confident commander of the Martian military who is Dodgers' arch enemy. He is infatuated with the Martian Queen that he serves, and considers Dodgers more of a nuisance than a true enemy. Though in reality, he is almost as incompetent as Dodgers, evinced by the fact that he essentially created Duck Dodgers by going back in time and making him a hero. He is played by Marvin the Martian.
  • The Martian Queen (AKA: Queen Tyr'ahnee, pronounced "tyranny") The beautiful ruler of Mars. She is in love with Dodgers and, just like Cadet, believes him to be a true hero. She wears Ancient Egyptian outfits.
  • Commander K-9 - Martian Commander X-2's dog.
  • Martian Centurion Robots - The faithful robotic servants of the Mars Empire. They appear to be sentient, and make up a large portion of the Imperial Army, while the organic Martians act as officers. This is a homage to the Cyclon Centurions of Battlestar Galactica.
  • Instant Martians Strange bird-like Martian beings with purple hair. They were used briefly as an escape ploy by Commander X2. They emerge from minuscule seeds that are activated when they come in contact with water.

Other Villains

  • Alien Hunter - An alien hunter who hunted Martian Commander X-2 and Commander K-9 when they were on their hunting trip. He is played by Wile E. Coyote.
  • Baby-Faced Moonbeam -
  • Black Eel - He first appeared when Agent Roboto formed the Legion of Duck Doom. He is a Seaman villain.
  • Catapoids - Catepillar-like aliens who take the form of girls when Duck Dodgers first encounters them.
  • Commandante Hilgalgo -
  • Count Muerte - A fat-sucking vampire who plotted to suck the fat out of the Eager Young Space Cadet. He is played by Count Blood Count.
  • Crusher -
  • Fudd - A parasetic mind-altering alien disease based off the Flood and the Borg. Anyone exposed to it resembles the person who plays it....Elmer Fudd.
  • K'Chutha Sa'am - Leader of an alien race that is a parody of the Klingons. He is played by Yosemite Sam.
  • Long John Silver the 23rd - A descendant of Long John Silver who leads a band of Space Pirates.
  • Maninsuit -
  • Nasty Canasta - An intergalactic bounty hunter.
  • New Cadet -
  • Tasmanian Warior - A lifeform Tasmanian Devil living on the talking planet Masativo. He is played by Taz!

Other Characters

Episode list

Season 1 (2003) Season 2 (2004) Season 3 (2005)
01 "Duck Deception / The Spy Who Didn't Love Me" 14 "Pig Planet" 27 "Till Doom Do Us Part"
02 "The Fast and the Feathery / The Fowl Friend" 15 "Invictus Interruptus / Pet Peeved" 28 "Villainstruck / Just the Two of Us"
03 "The Trial of Duck Dodgers / Big Bug Mamas" 16 "The Menace of Maninsuit / K-9 Quarry" 29 "The Kids Are All Wrong / Win, Lose of a Duck"
04 "Duck Codgers / Where's Baby Smarty Pants" 17 "Talent Show A-Go-Go / The Love of a Father" 30 "Boar to Be Riled / Clean Bill of Health"
05 "I'm Gonna Get You, Fat Sucka / Detained Duck" 18 "The New Cadet / The Love Duck" 31 "Best of Captains, Worst of Captains / That's Lifomatica"
06 "K-9 Kaddy / Pig of Action" 19 "The Fudd" 32 "Diamond Boogie / Corporate Pigfall"
07 "Shiver Me Dodgers" 20 "The Mark of Xero / I See Duck People" 33 "The Six Wazillion Dollar Duck"
08 "They Stole Dodgers' Brain / The Wrath of Canasta" 21 "Deathmatch Duck / Deconstructing Dodgers" 34 "Too Close for Combat / Fins of War"
09 "The Green Loontern" 22 "MMORD / Old McDodgers" 35 "Good Duck Hunting / Consumption Overruled"
10 "Quarterback Quack / To Love a Duck" 23 "Diva Delivery / Castle High" 36 "Lame Duck Mind"
11 "Hooray for Hollywood Planet" 24 "Surf the Stars / Samurai Quack" 37 "Master & Disaster / All in the Crime Family"
12 "The Queen is Wild / Back to the Academy" 25 "Of Course You Know This Means War and Peace Part 1" 38 "In Space, No One Can Hear You Rock / Ridealong Calamity"
13 "Enemy Yours / Duck Departure" 26 "Of Course You Know This Means War and Peace Part 2" 39 "Bonafide Hero: Captain Duck Dodgers"

Cast

Guest Casts

Trivia

In blackest day or brightest night
Watermelon, cantaloupe, yadda yadda
Erm...superstitious and cowardly lot
With liberty and justice for all!
  • In "Till Doom Do Us Part," Agent Roboto assembles some of Duck Dodgers' old enemies to form the Legion of Duck Doom (parody of the Legion of Doom). It's made up of Crusher, Fudd, Catapoid, Count Muerte, New Cadet, Black Eel, Nasty Canasta, Commandante Hilgalo, Baby-Faced Moonbeam, Beaky Buzzard, Long John Silver the 23rd, Kchutha Sa'am, and Taz.
  • Though he is briefly referenced in two episodes, Bugs Bunny does not make a single appearance in the series.
  • In "Surf the Stars," Duck Dodgers eats a can of pineapples and instantly becomes stronger, possibly a reference to Popeye and his spinach.
  • In "Samurai Quack," Duck Dodgers eats a poisonous blowfish, and falls into a coma. In the coma, Dodgers dreams that he is Samurai Quack, a parody of Samurai Jack
  • "Pig Planet" features an appearance by the Cadet's nephews and niece, named Porko, Puerco, and Sow. These particular characters' personalities and voices were based off of those of (and possibly a tribute to) Yakko, Wakko and Dot from Animaniacs. They were even voiced by the same actors.

External links

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