| This article is written from the Real World perspective |  |
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| Series | Silver Surfer | ||||||||
| Release Date | March 14, 1998 | ||||||||
| Episode Number | 6 of 13 | ||||||||
| Story Arc | Learning Curve | ||||||||
| Story Arc Number | 2 of 2 | ||||||||
| Writer | Larry Brody | ||||||||
| Director | Roy Allen Smith | ||||||||
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Silver Surfer and his allies arrive at the Universal Library, the homeworld of the Watchers and depository of all knowledge in the universe. But Nebula and her crew of pirates soon become the least of their worries. When the truth of the Watchers comes to light, Silver Surfer will have to decide between his life and his world.
Story[]
The Watcher stands near a star. Asteroids float nearby. He explains that for millenia the beacons of the Watchers were the most coveted treasures in the universe.
He notes that a scholar known as Mentor and his android companion Drax discovered one of these keys to the Universal Library. They believed that they would soon be heading to the vast depository of all knowledge.
One beacon shined brightly on a planet of jagged rocks. Mentor slipped down a slope and fell off a cliff. Drax flew in to save him and they landed nearby. They then flew over large creatures that roared and grabbed the beacon as numerous projectiles were fired up at them. They flew into the air and teleported away. Above the planet, a beam of light returned to a red ship.
The Watcher continues to explain that their joy was short lived when the beacon was stolen by the infamous space pirate Nebula.
A larger blue ship rose and fired a beam at Mentor's vessel. The beacon disappeared from Drax's hands. A beam of energy returned to Nebula's ship and she held the beacon in her arms. She activated a console and her ship fired down at the other.
The Watcher notes the two searchers were left helpless in the void. They then encountered Silver Surfer and Pip the Troll.
Drax and the ship were hit by the barrage. They began tumbling helplessly through space. Elsewhere, Silver Surfer grabbed Pip and flew out of the way as Drax floated by and Mentor's ship crashed into an asteroid. Silver Surfer raised his hand and glowed with energy. Pip sat in a bubble digging himself out from debris.
The Watcher claims Silver Surfer agreed to help Mentor so he could find his lost planet of Zenn-La.
Silver Surfer lead Mentor's ship through space. The ship blasted forward and they entered the plasma jump.
The Watcher explains that the journey was dangerous.
Drax struggled to pull a lever on the console. The ship hit an energy field and slammed against the side. The cockpit was shocked by electricity. The engines sparked as the ship tumbled about. A large energy ball formed at the end and Silver Surfer protected Pip.
Eventually, the Watcher notes that Silver Surfer and his companions reached the home of the Watchers.
Both ships made their way out of the jump and into normal space. They made their way past numerous images of the Watchers. Mentor's ship sails past the enormous figures.
However, the last remaining Watcher admits that even he does not know if he will survive.
A beam of light hits the ship pulling it towards the Universal Library. Silver Surfer stands alone in the ship.
The ship tumbles out of control.
Inside, Mentor flops around unconscious and Silver Surfer's board flies around.
Outside, explosions rock the ship.
Silver Surfer fires beams out of his eyes. As the others wake, he encases them in a bubble. The console behind them explodes.
Outside, the ship glows with heat. Silver Surfer takes the others out. The ship flies off and explodes.
Silver Surfer flies through space followed by the others. They fly down towards the Library where the ship's remains is engulfed in flames.
They near the surface and the bubble lands then dissipates. Silver Surfer flies around the area. He lands and tells Mentor that they appeared to have survived.
Pip complains that his ears are still ringing and claims his eyes are numb.
Mentor looks around at the buildings. He claims that the entire structure is like a giant computer and claims the buildings are actually memory chips. He theorizes that each one must hold more data than any one being could comprehend.
Silver Surfer asks what happened to them and how they became ruins. Mentor responds that he cannot imagine. He claims that in all the time spent searching, he and Drax never expected to find this.
Pip interrupts saying he hates to break it to them but he doesn't think Drax cares. They look over and see him standing motionless.
Pip and Mentor walk over to him. Mentor calls him his poor old friend, saying he has always given so much more than a crazy old man like him deserves. He takes a device and waves it around Drax.
Silver Surfer suddenly understands the lapses Mentor spoke of before. He notes that Drax is like a machine that has shut down. Mentor worries that this may be the final shut down, all because of Thanos.
Silver Surfer recognizes the name and states that he has had his own encounter with him. Mentor says he will then understand the true purpose of his quest: to obtain the knowledge to destroy him.
Mentor reluctantly admits that Thanos is his brother. Silver Surfer is shocked to hear this.
Just then, their attention is drawn to noises nearby. They look and see Geatar and Nebula running around a corner and firing at something behind them.
They look and an enormous mouth snaps around.
Silver Surfer flies forward and an enormous green, slimy creature moves over a structure. The creature's mouth snaps at him.
Silver Surfer flies up and notes how primitive the life form is on a planet of such advanced technology. The creature moves towards him. Silver Surfer wonders if it is responsible for the wreckage done to the planet.
Behind him, another creature rises up to surround him. Silver Surfer wonders if it would destroy the information he needs to return to Shalla-Bal.
The two creatures surround him and fire tendrils at his arms and legs. The board drops down as he is trapped. One creature grabs the board trying to eat it while the other covers him in itself.
Silver Surfer struggles to free himself. He notes that the creature is stronger than him. Soon he punches his hand through the creature to the air. He frees another hand and thinks that it cannot stand the Power Cosmic.
Those on the ground look up to see Silver Surfer firing at the creature. The creature roars. Silver Surfer fires another blast but it ricochets off and nearly hits the others.
Silver Surfer realizes it has adapted to his attack. He watches as one surrounds a structure and tears it apart, but does not attack the others. He considers them more curious than malicious.
He wonders if he can use that curiosity to his benefit. He charges his hands and fires at the second creature. The attack causes a large found below the mouth. He fires again and it soon collapses into the other creature.
Silver Surfer and his board are freed. He lands on the board and flies away. The two creatures are entangled in each other as Silver Surfer returns to the others.
Nebula is impressed by his pecs and his brains. Pip doesn't know which is worse, the welcoming committee or the other clientele.
The pirate leader walks up to Silver Surfer and he guesses she is the infamous Nebula. She smiles and looks at him, scanning him with her mechanical eye. She notes the silver skin, Power Cosmic, and board. She claims he is equally infamous as the Herald of Galactus.
Silver Surfer's eyes glow as he says he is no longer in that position. Geatar is amused that he is out of a job. Nebula says that he shouldn't mind doing something for her.
She claims she needs the help of Silver Surfer and Mentor. She notes that all the knowledge of the universe doesn't help if she cannot access it. Pip retorts that they haven't figured that out either.
Mentor responds that they don't know if any data is left or if it's been lost in space. Nebula points her pistol at them saying they will get it. She claims that once she has enough military knowledge to sell to the Kree and Skrulls then she and Geatar will leave them.
Behind her, the creatures begin moving towards the group.
Silver Surfer notes that if he were her he would keep the weapons ready but pointed at the creatures. The group turns and sees that they have become surrounded on all sides by eight of the enormous creatures.
She says he has a point and readies her weapon. Silver Silver points out that in order for any of them to get the information they want they need to learn the secrets of the Library. Pip points out the old saying about safety first.
Silver Surfer's eyes glow as he says he will do what he can. He fires down at the others encasing them in a bubble. The group rises above the creatures.
The creatures snap at the bubble as Silver Surfer flies up. He stops and looks down at the Library below seeing it filled with the green creatures and smoke pouring out of some areas. Off to one side is a large circular area.
He notes that in his travels he has seen many structures with this form. He circles back and lifts the others as the creatures rise around them. Together, they all fly towards the circular area.
They land and Silver Surfer gets off his board. Mentor realizes that Silver Surfer found the index to the Library. He realizes that the Watchers were nothing if not efficient. He looks around noting that the controls can be operated by almost any form of life.
Nebula urges him to move on saying she has a profit to make. Silver Surfer agrees noting he wants to find his way home. Mentor looks around, rests his walking stick, and starts working.
Pip introduces himself to Nebula saying he is a troll. He then asks if she is a pirate where her crew is. Nebula responds that she doesn't know. She explains that when they landed she sent her boys off to scout the area but no one returned. She thinks the creatures got them.
Suddenly, the air above them begins sparking. It forms into a holographic image of a female Watcher. The image welcomes them to the Universal Library and offers instructions on accessing the index. However, the computer shorts out and she disappears.
Nebula wonders what is happening. Gaetar wonders where she went. Silver Surfer urges him to persist noting they are all so close to their greatest desires. Mentor works hard on the console saying that after all that he and Drax have been through nothing would stop him.
A light flashes overhead and the image reappears. This time it is the last remaining Watcher. The image welcomes the courageous questers of knowledge and truths but warns that if they have arrived now they are too late.
The group looks shocked.
The Watcher explains that the Watchers have always held themselves to a strict code of non-interference. However, an intergalactic plague struck the Arad Nebula destroying the food supply for thousands of habited worlds.
The image changes to a far distant planet. Creatures threw nets over the side of a ship to catch fish.
In a field, other creatures picked vegetables off the ground.
Later, a creature stood with food in its hand, but it soon crumbled to dust and disappeared. Other slumped on a nearby rock.
Back at the water, the fisherman look out to see the waters filled with dead creatures.
The Watcher says that even they were moved. They used all the biological knowledge their race had gathered and worked towards a cure.
On their world, dozens of Watchers work in a lab. Some type on consoles while others carry papers. Eventually, a group stand smiling as one holds up a glowing vial.
Back at the planet, the creatures looked up to see ships in the sky dropping a substance into the air. They fly around spreading the substance.
It descends down on the waters. The fisherman pull up their full nets.
In a field, the creatures pick their fruit once again.
The Watcher explains that incalculable lives were saved. However, despite the Watchers's rejoicing they paid a terrible price.
Back on their planet, two Watchers look out over the city. One grabs his head.
Down in the streets, several Watchers stumble about. One falls down next to another. Both begin morphing into the green creatures. The two merge forming one larger green creature. It moves around then latches onto the nearby wall destroying it.
The Watcher explains that they failed to stabilize the genetic material that formed the basis of the cure. This then created a new infection.
Numerous other green creatures move about. Several merge into one. The entire area becomes covered with them. Several begin destroying the nearby structures.
The Watcher continues to say that the illness mutated everyone on the planet into creatures he dubbed Virals. He notes that only he, Uatu, was immune to the infection.
As the creatures swarmed the street, Uatu watched from a tower high above. He looked down as tears formed in his eyes and streamed down his face.
He says that when the Watchers created the beacons they never believed that the Universal Library would be damaged or that it would become a trap for anyone who found it.
On a distant planet, the beacon lights up.
Meanwhile, virals swarm over the Library destroying everything in sight.
Back in the present, the group looked horrified. Uatu says that anyone watching this has his apology for they are also doomed. The image disappears.
Mentor says this cannot be. Pip wonders if Uatu was telling the truth. Nebula claims it is a bluff to scare them away. Silver Surfer wonders if he has come this far only to encounter a wall of stone.
Suddenly, Gaetar cries out for help. They look and see him morphing into a Viral. He reaches for Nebula who leaps away. However, she soon transforms as well.
Pip points out that Nebula was wrong. The Virals did not get her crew, they are the crew. Pip watches in horror as the Gaetar Viral and Nebula Viral merge together.
Elsehwere, a fleet of ship wander through the cosmos. They are guided by the enormous ship belonging to Lord Glenn. A small ship races from the enormous one towards a smaller, but still sizable, ship.
It enters the hanger and hovers. A door opens underneath revealing a landing pad and the ship descends. A woman announces to the ship's occupant, Lord Glenn, that this is a momentous occasion.
The side hatch opens and Glenn steps out. A woman with yellow patches over her eyes walks up. She welcomes Glenn to the Wanderers. Flanked by four others from different species, the woman introduces herself as Gamora. She calls herself the first citizen of this league of intergalactic survivors.
She says she is pleased that their illustrious people have chosen to join them. The much large Glenn approaches saying it is appropriate since they, the Draconians, like the others have had to flee their home planet.
She assumes that they will have his help in achieving their goal, to get vengeance on Galactus and his lackey Silver Surfer. Her eyes flash as she says this.
She raises her hand and Glenn shakes it with one of his.
Back at the Universal Library, the group watches the two pirate Virals flop around. Mentor explains that all his life he sought knowledge so he could have some control. But he notes that things like this keep happening and there is nothing he can do.
Silver Surfer suggests there may be something and fires beams from his eyes at the Viral. It morphs briefly showing the faces of Nebula and Gaetar. They plead for help before they change back.
Silver Surfer fears it is too late for them as they are hopelessly intertwined. The Viral lashes out at them so Pip and Silver Surfer back up.
Pip then points out the other Virals surrounding them. Silver Surfer theorizes they are summoning their new "brother." They watch as the Viral that was Nebula and Gaetar merge with the others. They intertwine forming one big Viral.
Mentor watches noting that there seems to be some method to this behavior but he cannot quite figure it out. Pip jokes that he will find out soon enough as they will be following in the pirates's footsteps.
Silver Surfer retorts that they cannot give in as he will not accept this fate. He notes that the Watcher is not always wrong and, in fact, everything he has said points to the Watchers being wrong.
Just then, Silver Surfer begins morphing into a viral. Mentor cries out but he too begins transforming. Silver Surfer falls to the ground and struggles to reform himself.
Pip looks around at the two new Virals as they move towards each other. They try to touch but static occurs when they try. They look around and move towards the other Virals.
Pip looks over at the still unconscious Drax lying on the ground noting now its their turn. He looks up at the sky and says good bye to Kili. He notes that he never knew how good he had it back home.
Meanwhile, the Mentor Viral moves amongst the others and merges with them. The Silver Surfer Viral moves closer but static keeps it apart.
Pip opens his eyes and looks down realizing he is not transforming. He looks down at Drax to see he is fine as well. He looks around thinking something must have gone wrong, or right.
The Silver Surfer Viral thrashes about. He suddenly thinks to himself that he was Silver Surfer. He realizes he still thinks and feels but does not know as what. The Viral wraps in on himself.
He looks around at the Library realizing that he has no eyes but sees clearly. A Viral comes towards him and calls out for him to join them. It says that oneness and knowledge await. The mouths form together then separate once again.
The Silver Surfer Viral realizes it is Nebula and Gaetar. The Viral says they are the same and yet more as they are also the rest of the crew. They become surrounded by the other Virals. The Mentor Viral speaks up as does a Watcher Viral.
The Silver Surfer Viral realizes they are all one, united in a community mind. He wonders how this has happened.
Pip looks over at the group of Virals all wiggling about. He thinks they are trying to talk to each other, then immediately doubts that.
A Watcher Viral explains that others cannot know but becoming a Viral is not descending into mindlessness but rising to knowledge of all things.
The Silver Surfer Viral moves closer. He thinks that every fiber in him wants to join them. However, static keeps him away and he realizes he cannot. He wonders what is stopping him. The Virals say it is that which stops him from everything.
They look up to the sky. A vision of Galactus rises above them. Galactus looks around and fires beams from his eyes. The Virals explain that part of Galactus that resides in him, the part he hates and fears yet continue to use.
The Silver Surfer Viral recalls times when he flew around space and fired blasts from his hands.
He has a vision of himself flying through space only to be caught by Galactus's mighty grip. The Virals say it is the Power Cosmic itself. The vision of Galactus brings his former herald to him. The Mentor Viral states that as long as he keeps that power he belongs to the devourer.
A Watcher Viral say his heart and soul still belong to Galactus. The vision of the mighty world eater looks down at Silver Surfer smiling. He opens his hand and Silver Surfer collapses down. The Watcher Viral says that if he still has his dream then he must renounce the power.
The Virals urge him to give it up. The Silver Surfer Viral wonders how he can get to Zenn-La without the Power Cosmic. The Virals say that he will have knowledge and knowledge is its own end.
The Virals claim they can control their own evolution. They form together and transform into an enormous figure of Silver Surfer calling themselves as the evolutionary ultimate.
Pip looks up in shock at the enormous figure of his friend.
The Silver Surfer figure looks down and the Virals tell him to fulfill his destiny. The Silver Surfer Viral says that knowledge is useless if it cannot be acted upon. He claims that if he remains a Viral then everything he learns will be for nothing.
The Silver Surfer figure fires a blast down at the Silver Surfer Viral saying that he must renounce the power and give it up. The Silver Surfer Viral is knocked to the side. The figure charges its hand to fire.
The entire area shakes. Pip struggles to stand joking that now he's seen everything. Suddenly, the ground beneath him cracks and he falls over.
The figure fires again and the Silver Surfer Viral leaps away to dodge. When he lands, he realizes the Virals are trying to force him to give up the very essence of who he is.
The figure fires again. It strikes near the Silver Surfer Viral who is knocked away. He realizes he needs to summon all the Power Cosmic within him to recreate what the Virals would destroy.
The figure fires once more and the Silver Surfer Viral leaps away. He says that he must be the Silver Surfer now and forever.
Suddenly, hands form out of the Viral soon followed by his face. He struggles up screaming in pain. He soon stands and his body forms into himself once again.
The reformed Silver Surfer calls his board. It flies out of some debris and soars over Drax. Silver Surfer gets on and flies away. He fires down at the Viral mass as he dodges its attacks.
He turns calling for the Virals to hear him. He says that he belongs to no one, neither Galactus nor them. He raises his fists calling himself a free man.
He forms an energy ball in his hands and fires it. The blast knocks the Viral figure down. Silver Surfer continues firing as he loops around it.
The figure deforms back into the Viral mass. The enormous green mass approaches him saying that the Power Cosmic purged him of the virus. It claims he has won but at the same time he has lost.
Silver Surfer flies over the various Virals. He calls out to Pip. The troll calls out to him that he is safe. Silver Surfer sees Drax flying Pip over to him. He says he is glad to see Drax recovered.
Drax wonders where Mentor is as he must help him. He flies down and drops Pip off but Silver Surfer stops him. He explains that Drax can no longer help Mentor, but assures him with the fact that Mentor finally found what he was looking for.
Later, the three are aboard Nebula's ship. Drax says that everything checks out. Pip looks at the beacon and wonders about one thing. He asks why everyone turned into a Viral except he and Drax.
Silver Surfer reasons that everyone except them were there for selfish reasons. Pip presses controls on the container holding the beacon. Silver Surfer explains that Nebula and her crew wanted financial gain, Mentor wanted vengeance against Thanos, and he was willing to do anything to find his planet.
He notes that those two were the only ones who were helping others. Drax notes that the original Watchers were also selfish, wanting knowledge for its own sake not as a tool to be used. He claims that attitude triggered the virus.
The beacon suddenly sparks and lights up.
The ship powers on and lifts off the ground.
Pip notes that the beacon is ready to guide them someplace but wonders where. Silver Surfer claims there is only one way to find out. He asks if they should go.
Drax looks grim feeling sorrow for Mentor. He claims he is not ready for anything saying he is purposeless and empty. Silver Surfer responds that he has earned the right to his own life.
He looks down at Pip saying that his experiences has taught him he is not worthy of the troll's friendship.
The ship blasts off and rises into the sky.
Pip asks if he is not going with them. Silver Surfer gives them the decision. He reminds them that his obsession with Zenn-La almost cost them their lives and he has much to think about.
He wonders what value finding Zenn-La would be if he abandons all the teachings Zenn-La holds dear. Pip grabs his arm and thanks him for everything. Drax grabs his arm saying they will meet again.
Drax and Silver Surfer shake hands with Pip putting his on top. Silver Surfer says he does not doubt that.
Silver Surfer flies away from the ship as it sails through the cosmos. He thinks to himself that he will miss Pip more than he could say. He notes that as Pip was willing to give up everything for him he must give up everything for Pip's good.
He flies past a planet and moon. He recalls that the Virals showed him key points of Zenn-La's history. He thinks that with that knowledge he can continue his search as he ponders its true meaning.
He flies past the images of the lost Watchers.
Nearby, Eternity reminds Uatu that his shame remains unrevealed. He explains that no one knows it was him who created the Virals by convincing them to act. Uatu says this is why he continues bringing them new knowledge, a responsibility he cannot deny.
Silver Surfer fly past his image.
Eternity then asks his sister what she thinks of Silver Surfer. She claims he has surprised her with his capacity to grow as a person.
They watch him fly away. She claims that if he can live up to his potential then when the crisis comes the universe just may survive.
Eternity urges him to fly well. He claims that one day the future of all creation will be in his hands.
Silver Surfer glows as he opens a wormhole. He speeds up and enters before it disappears.
Quotes[]
"Ow. My ringing ears. My eyes feel numb."
- -Pip
"The Universal Library. It's like a giant computer. These buildings must be memory chips. Each designed to hold more data than any one being could comprehend."
"But what has happened to them? How have they become such ruins?"
"I cannot imagine. In half a millennium of searching, Drax and I never expected to find this."
- -Mentor and Silver Surfer
"Drax, my old friend. You've always given so much more than a crazy old man like me deserves."
- -Mentor
"And this, I'm afraid, may be the final shut down. All because of Thanos."
"Thanos!? He and I have had our own encounter."
"Then you will understand the true purpose of my quest. To obtain the knowledge to destroy him. Even though Thanos is, I shudder to admit, my brother."
"You're brother!?"
- -Mentor and Silver Surfer
"Hmm, not bad. Great pecs and a brain."
- -Nebula
"I don't which is worse, the welcoming committee at this dump or the rest of the clientele."
- -Pip
"You must be the infamous Nebula."
"Silver skin. Power Cosmic. That board. You must be the equally infamous Herald of Galactus."
"No more."
- -Silver Surfer and Nebula
"All the knowledge in the universe doesn't mean zip to me unless I can access it."
- -Nebula
"Were I you, Nebula, I would keep my weapons ready but pointed that way."
"Silver Surfer, you've got a point."
- -Silver Surfer and Nebula
"For any of us to get the information we seek we must find a way to ferret out the Library's secrets."
"Yeah, and in the meantime isn't there some old saying about safety first?"
- -Silver Surfer and Pip
"So, you're a pirate, huh. I'm a troll. Where's the rest of your crew?"
"I don't know. After the beacon guided us down I sent the boys to check out the lay of the land. Nobody came back. Those things must have gotten them."
- -Pip and Nebula
"Welcome to Universal Library. Do access the index press..."
- -Universal Library Computer
"Mentor, you must persist. We are all so near to satisfying our greatest desires."
"After all that Drax and I have gone through, nothing can stop me now."
- -Silver Surfer and Mentor
"Alas, courageous quester of knowledge and truths. If you are accessing the Universal Library now you have arrived too late. Always have the Watchers held themselves to a strict code of non-interference. But, when an intergalactic plague struck Arad Nebula, destroying the food supply for thousands of habited worlds, even we were moved. Utilizing all the biological knowledge our race ever gathered, we worked feverishly and developed a cure. Incalculable lives were saved. But amidst all the rejoicing the civilization of the Watchers paid a terrible price. We had not sufficiently stabilized the genetic material forming the basis of the cure. And it created a new illness. It mutated everyone on the planet into bizarre Virals. Only I, Uatu, was immune to the infection. When we the Watchers created the beacons, never did we believe the Universal Library would be damaged or become a trap for anyone who found it. You, watching this, have my apology. For you, too, are doomed."
- -Uatu Recording
"No! It can't be!"
- -Mentor
"It's a bluff to scare us away."
- -Nebula, last line
"Have I come this far only to strike a wall of stone!?"
- -Silver Surfer
"Help me."
- -Gaetar, last line
"Lord Glenn, this is indeed a momentous occasion. Welcome to the Wanderers. I am Gamora, first citizen of this league of intergalactic survivors. We are pleased that a people of your stature have chosen to join us."
"It is appropriate. Like all of you, we Draconians the annihilation of our planet."
"We will count on your help, then, in achieving our goal. Vengeance on Galactus, devourer of worlds, and on his lackey, the Silver Surfer."
- -Gamora, first lines, and Lord Glenn
"All my life I have strived for knowledge so I could have some control over events. But then things like this occur and there's nothing I can do."
- -Mentor, last line
"Surfer, please help us."
- -Nebula/Gaetar Viral
"No, Pip. We cannot give in. Never will I accept such a fate. The Watcher is not always right. Indeed, everything he has said points to the fact that the Watchers have been wrong."
- -Silver Surfer
"Looks like it's our turn now, Draxy old kid."
- -Pip
"Bye Kili. Funny how I never knew how good I had it back home."
- -Pip
"I don't get it. Something must've gone wrong. I mean right. I mean...what in the name of creed do I mean!?"
- -Pip
"Surfer, come join us. Oneness and knowledge await."
"Nebula. Gaetar."
"The same, and yet more. For we are also the rest of the crew."
"And Mentor."
"And all of us, the lost Watchers as well."
"All the Virals are one. You are united in a community mind? How has this come to be?"
- -Nebula/Gaetar Viral, Silver Surfer Viral, Mentor Viral, and Watcher Viral
"Although others cannot perceive it, to become a Viral is not to devolve to mindlessness but to move up to the knowledge of all things."
- -Watcher Viral
"Every fiber of my being reaches out to join you, yet I cannot. What is stopping me?"
"That which stops you from everything, Silver Surfer. Your creator."
"Galactus."
"That part of him which resides within you, the power you hate and fear yet continue to use. The Power Cosmic itself. As long as you possess it you belong to the devourer. Your very heart and soul are still his. If you retain your dream, then you must renounce the power. Give it up."
"But without the Power Cosmic, how will I get to Zenn-La?"
"It will be knowledge, and knowledge is its own end."
- -Silver Surfer Viral and Viral Community Mind
"No matter the consequences, now and forever, I must be the Silver Surfer"
- -Silver Surfer Viral
"Virals, hear me. I belong to no one. Not to Galactus. Not to you. I am a free man!"
- -Silver Surfer
"The Power Cosmic has purged you of the virus, Silver Surfer. You have won, but so do you lose."
- -Viral Community Mind
"Where is Mentor? I must help him."
"I am afraid that is not possible. But you can take comfort in the fact that he found what he was looking for all those long years."
- -Drax and Silver Surfer
"There's one thing I still don't get. How come everyone turned into a Viral except Drax and me?"
"I believe it was because, with the exception of the two of you, everyone had a selfish reason for being at the Universal Library. Nebula and her men wanted financial gain. Mentor wanted vengeance on Thanos. And I was willing to do anything to find my way home. But you and Drax came here only because you were aiding others."
- -Pip and Silver Surfer
"So filled am I with sorrow for Mentor that I do not feel ready for anything. I am purposeless. Empty."
"Drax, you have earned the right to your own life."
- -Drax and Silver Surfer
"Pip, my experience here has shown me I am not worthy of your loyalty."
- -Silver Surfer
"I have much to think about. Of what value is it to gain Zenn-La if I lose the beliefs Zenn-La hold dear."
- -Silver Surfer
"Thanks, Surfer. For everything."
"We will meet again, Silver Surfer."
"Of that, there can be no doubt."
- -Pip, Drax, and Silver Surfer
"Watcher, your shame remains unrevealed. No one knows it was you who created the Virals by convincing your people to act."
"Which is why I continue to bring them new knowledge. It is a responsibility I cannot deny."
- -Eternity and Uatu
"And now, dear sister, what think you of the Silver Surfer?"
"He has surprised me with his capacity to grow as a man. If he lives up to his potential, when the crisis comes, the universe just may survive."
"Fly well, Silver Surfer. Someday, the future of all creation will be in your hands."
- -Eternity and Infinity
Trivia[]
- The Arad Nebula is named after producer Avi Arad.
- Given the reveal at the end, Uatu's story on the history of the Virals is an example of unreliable narrator.
- Though the two never meet in the series, Nebula and Gamora are both connected in the comics. Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos while Nebula believes he is her grandfather.
Goofs[]
- The way Alison Sealy-Smith pronounces Gamora sounds more like Gamera, like the Japanese monster.
- In one shot of Silver Surfer reforming himself, the background is the sky rather than the Universal Library buildings.
- The shot of the Virals coming towards Silver Surfer after he knocked his giant duplicate down is reused from earlier when he first got a look at the city.
Continuity[]
- Picks up directly after "Learning Curve, Part One".
- Only appearance of the Virals.
- While they appeared in images in the previous episode, this is the only appearance of actual Watchers.
- Uatu is named beyond just Watcher.
- First appearance of Gamora.
- Lord Glenn's species is named.
- Gamora next appears in "Antibody".
- Last appearance of Nebula, Geatar, and Mentor.
- Silver Surfer ends his partnership with Pip that started in "The Planet of Dr. Moreau".
- Drax and Pip next appear in "The End of Eternity".
Cast[]
Background[]
The concept of the Universal Library comes from the Ultimate Machine that was in Tales to Astonish #73 and #74. In those issues, Leader learns of the Watchers and the Ultimate Machine, a collection of all knowledge in the universe, on their home planet. Leader tricked Hulk into bringing it to him. Uatu allowed him to take it and Hulk brought it to Earth. Leader used it but it overwhelmed his mind with information apparently killing him, though he was later revived. Hulk used it and fought through the pain and learned that Rick Jones was in trouble. Uatu then took it back to his planet.
In the comics, Mentor is Thanos' father not brother. This was based on an error in the script that the producers then became stuck with.[1] Thanos does have a brother named Starfox, who has been a member of the Avengers.
The idea that Uatu is the last remaining Watcher is original to Silver Surfer. In the comics, his species is alive and well. In fact, when he does interfere the others have put him on trial and stripped him of his powers.
The Watcher's backstory is vastly different from the comics for the previously stated reasons. In the comics, Uatu's father interfered by trying to bestow the Watchers's knowledge on a young civilization. These people used that knowledge to create weapons and destroy themselves. When the Watchers returned to the planet the survivors blamed them. That is why the Watchers do not interfere with events.
The episode originally aired March 14th, 1998.
Reception[]
"Arsenal" of Marvel Animation Age said the episode suffered from the same problems as the first. He felt that Silver Surfer's monologues interrupted the tension and that the dialogue was ham-handed. He felt the episode contradicted its own theme by having Silver Surfer learn a lesson that was contrary to what happened to the Watchers. He did appreciate that the show tried to be more than dumb action, but felt the concepts distracted from the action. He noted problems with the script like Drax and Pip doing nothing and Pip being unfunny. He once again praised Nebula calling her the scene-stealer. "The two-parter ends with a nonsensical conclusion. It makes me think these episodes were rushed and there was next to no time for rewrites."
The episode has an 8.5 on TV.com and 7.9 on the Internet Movie Database.
References[]
- ↑ Interview with Larry Brody at Marvelite
External Links[]
| Silver Surfer Episodes | |
|---|---|
| "The Origin of the Silver Surfer, Part One" • "The Origin of the Silver Surfer, Part Two" • "The Origin of the Silver Surfer, Part Three" • "The Planet of Dr. Moreau" • "Learning Curve, Part One" • "Learning Curve, Part Two" • "Innervisions" • "Antibody" • "Second Foundation" • "Radical Justice" • "The Forever War" • "Return to Zenn-La" • "The End of Eternity" | |