Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars
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Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars is an episode of the television series Invader Zim, originally produced as episode 21. While not airing on Nickelodeon in the US, it aired on the Nicktoons Network in the US on June 10, 2006.
[edit] Plot
Zim notices the Almighty Tallest are closer than ever to Earth. He wants them to view his newest scheme to destroy the humans, a monster that sucks out and eats the brains of human beings that Zim has in stasis waiting for release. The Tallest, of course, don't care.
During this time the Tallest run into a Vort cruiser filled with a resistance movement against the Irkens, the "Resisty." The cruiser is obviously no match for the Tallest's ship, the Massive and the Tallest fire on the ship, strangely missing the Vort ship. The Massive goes out of control and starts crashing into things. The "Resisty" follow, firing on the ship as it goes on its crazy course.
It turns out that Zim is the source of the problem and has used his computer to lock onto the Massive's power core to steer the Tallest to Earth. However, Dib uses Tak's ship, with the signal relayed Zim's base, to also take control of the Massive. He is able to do this as while inside Zim's base, because in Tak, the Hideous New Girl (you don't see this happen directly in the episode) placed a probe inside ZIM's base. The probe in conjunction with Tak's ship, which crashed on Dib's lawn at the end of Tak, lets Dib control the Massive.
Zim fights with Dib over control over the Massive. Later, however, the robo parents escape and wreck havoc when someone visits Zim's house, and the Brain-eating parasite starts to break free. In the end, the Tallests use a teleporter to switch their power core with the Resisties, resulting in them getting dragged towards the planet.
[edit] Trivia
- "Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars" is Jhonen Vasquez's favourite episode, next to "Bolognius Maximus", as mentioned on the DVD commentary.
- In the episode, we discover that Invader Larb completed his mission.
- There is a reference to The Terminator when Dib runs from Tak's ship at the end, the ship gets stuck in a garage door. [1]
- When Red says, "You! Save the donuts!" Purple looks into the "camera" in an odd way. Originally, a donut was going to hit the "camera", leaving crumbs on the lens. Purple was going to lick the donut crumbs off the lens. This part was cut, but can still be seen on the DVD with animatics turned on.
- Olivia d'Abo guest stars again as Tak (or more accurately, Tak's personality) in this episode.
- This episode has a Bloody Gir image hidden in it.
- It is revealed that during "Tak: The Hideous New Girl", Dib placed a spybug in Zim's base. This scene was originally going to be during "Tak: The Hideous New Girl" but was cut.
- When Zim attempts to finish off Dib with Tak's ship, he yells out "Dun Dun DUNNNNNN", which was something of a catchphrase with Dag from Angry Beavers, who was also voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz.
