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Duck Dodgers: Difference between revisions
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'''''Duck Dodgers''''' was a 2003-2005 animated TV series based off the classic 1953 [[Looney Tunes]] short, ''[[Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century]]'', by [[Chuck Jones]]. The series aired on [[Cartoon Network]].
It was especially notable among [[Looney Tunes]] properties as the main star was not [[Bugs Bunny]], but [[Daffy Duck]], as Captain Duck Dodgers: a [[Ted Baxter]] now forced into full-on [[Genius Ditz]] mode as the noble defender of the Galactic Protectorate... while still being kind of a [[Jerkass]]. All of which led to the unusual situation of the main character filling the role of both [[The Hero]] and [[The Millstone]], as nearly half the situations to be resolved were directly Dodgers' fault to begin with.
He is paired with [[Porky Pig]], who reprises his role as the sensible competent and [[Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"|Eager Young Space Cadet]]. The show also stars returning opponent Marvin the Martian as [[Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain]] Commander X-2.
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''Duck Dodgers'' also had several cameos by established Looney Tunes stars with appropriate science fiction trappings ([[Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner|Wile E. Coyote]] played a very obvious ''[[Predator]]'' [[Homage]] in one episode), often using them to lampoon or satirize the very genre they were portraying in classic Looney Tunes style. The episode "The Green Loontern" is notable for featuring the [[Green Lantern]] characters from [[DC Comics]] after Duck Dodgers accidentally gets Hal Jordan's outfit at the cleaners.
Despite its short shelf life, this show managed to gain a widespread and devoted fanbase, largely for pulling off exactly what more ambitious attempts at modernising the [[Looney Tunes]] could not: Convey their distinctive brand of, well, looniness into an entirely different genre.
{{tropelist}}
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* [[Animated Actors]]: Kind of. The opening credits establish that Daffy, Porky and Marvin are "playing" Dodgers, the Cadet, and the Martian Commander. It gets weirder in the final clip of the show, where Dodgers and Cadet meet their very own real-life voice actors.
* [[As Himself]] - [[Beach Boys|Brian Wilson]], the members of [[Megadeth]]...
* [[Audience? What Audience?]]: In one episode, after X-2 engages in some expositon, the Centurions ask who he's talking to. When X-2 says the audience watching them, the Centurions think he's crazy and mock him.
* [[Green-Skinned Space Babe|Black Skinned Space Babe]] - Queen Tyr'ahnee.
** The Cadet's disguise in "Duck Deception" (mentioned above) plays this trope straighter by name.
* [[Axe Crazy]]: Cadet, under the influence of [[Green Rocks|moognesium]] in "Pig of Action".
* [[Baleful Polymorph]]: "Pig of Action" - The effect of [[Green Rocks|elephantanium]].
* [[Bilingual Bonus]]: The planet "The Menace Of Maninsuit" takes place on is called "Ipponno", pig latin for "Nippon" (itself Japanese for, well, ''Japan'').
* [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]]: Lots, including this gem from "Invictus Interruptus":
{{quote|''*Dodgers has just been sat on by EYSC*''
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* [[Four-Fingered Hands]]: Even [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] in [[The Mask of Zorro|The Mark of Xero]].
* [[Friendly Enemy]]: Dodgers and Commander X-2 seem to have this relationship at certain times.
* [[Gender Blender Name]]: A [[Drill Sergeant Nasty]] named [[Emily Dickinson]]. In the 24th and 1/2 Century, there's apparently no such thing as gender-specific naming...which doesn't stop Dodgers from laughing hysterically at the guy.
* [[Genre Savvy]]: Surprisingly, Dodgers himself has several moments of this. The Space Cadet has this most of the time, though.
* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]: "There is nothing I enjoy more than frolicking in an empty room full of plastic balls." Keep in mind the line is spoken by Marvin to an in-drag Porky.
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** Also from Duck Deception, this comment where Dodgers says "just have fun with this and let nature take its course" (considering the Cadet is in drag by this point) reaches a new level of "how'd that get through".
** '''X-2:'''"I do hope he shoots me before he mounts me..."
* [[Grand Finale]]: The "Of Course You Know This Means War and Peace" two-parter was written to be this. "Bonafide Hero: Duck Dodgers," too, and ultimately was.
* [[Green Rocks]]: Seem to be common on the Klunkin homeworld, with the appearance of moognesium (turns the holder into an [[Axe Crazy]] musclebound berserker) and [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|elephant]][[Baleful Polymorph|anium]].
* [[Hey, It's That Voice!]] - Michael Dorn is every Centurion. And, in a [[Casting Gag]], all the Klunkins except Sa'am.
** And [[Star Trek: The Next Generation|Q]] is Sinestro! Sholy hit!
** Not to mention [[John Dimaggio]] as Kilowogg, Tara Strong as Katma Tui and [[Grey DeLisle]] as Boodika.
** Quentin Tarantino and Bruce Campbell have had guest appearances too (as an old kung-fu master and a super-buff version of E.Y.S. cadet, respectively)
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* [[Jerkass]]: Dodgers, though he occasionally strays into [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] territory (not that said heart of gold is particularly ''large''), such as in "The Love of a Father."
** He sometimes even veers into [[Villain Protagonist]]. What kind of hero tries to start a war just because "peace is boring"?!
* [[Legion of Doom]]: Roboto, angry over Dodger's callous treatment of him, forms "the Legion of Duck Doom" in ''Til Doom do us Part'' consisting of several villains from past episodes... and Black Eel, who joined because he thought they were going to help defeat his nemesis [[Captain Ersatz|Seaman]].
* [[Lord Error-Prone]]: Dodgers, possibly a trope namer (in the episode MMORPD- Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Duck.)
* [[Meaningful Name]]: The Martian Queen Tyr'ahnee. Though, to be fair she's never shown doing anything especially tyrannical, and is actually quite popular with her subjects.
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* [[Post Script Season]]: The "Of Course You Know This Means War and Peace" was written to wrap up the series if need be (hence, say, Dodgers learning to appreciate the Cadet), but more episodes were ordered.
* [[The Power of Rock]]: Dave Mustaine and Megadeth defeat the Martian Force in "In Space No-One Can Hear You Rock" at the rhythm of "Back In The Day", which is every bit as awesome as it sounds.
** Hell,even the Centurions looked ready to throw up some horns if they could actually do so.
* [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeGnQTQOURY&feature=fvwrel Now I remember...]
* [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]: K'Chutha Sa'am (Yosemite Sam as a cameo) and the Klunkins (very transparent homage to [[Star Trek|the Klingons]]).
{{quote|'''Motto:''' ''"No surrender, no prisoners, no kiddin'."''}}
* [[Public Domain Character]]: Long John Silver XXIII (a fact actually [[Lampshaded]] in the episode).
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* [[RPG Episode]]: MMORPD.
* [[Rubber Forehead Aliens]]: Used hilariously often given that the animated medium makes this trope completely unnecessary. The best example of which is in the depictions of Martian wildlife, which is basically Earth wildlife with a green tint and some goofy antennae... sometimes an extra arm or two.
** "Goofy" is the word: apart from Agent K-9, who's a holdover from the original Marvin/Bugs cartoons, the most prominent examples are Martian gophers. Who are, of course, just the Goofy Gophers with the above alterations.
* [[Screwed by the Network]]: The last episodes of Season 3 didn't even air on [[Cartoon Network]], as the series was abruptly pulled.
* [[Shout-Out]]: The second-to-last scene of "The Fowl Friend" is nearly a word-for-word copy of the second-to-last scene of ''[[The Iron Giant]]''. It's then repeated in a later episode just to rub it in.
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** The skins of some classic [[Hanna-Barbera]] characters are among Wile E. Coyote's trophies. Also a [[Take That]].
** And we can't forget: "[[Samurai Jack|Samurai Quack]]"
*** Including the main villain being a near-perfect expy of Aku, down to the same voice actor, the now-late Iwamatsu Mako.
*** ''Samurai Jack'' creator, Genndy Tartakovsky, also provided a short cameo for that episode.
** In the episode Green Loontern, itself a shout out, a shot of the captured members of Green Lantern Corps has a brief cameo of what appears to be ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'''s Raiden (which becomes [[Hilarious in Hindsight|hilarity in hindsight]] after ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'').
** There's also [[Halo|The Fudd.]]
** The only Martian commander shares a voice actor with [[Futurama|Zapp Brannigan]].
** In ''Trial of Duck Dodgers'', Dodgers attacks a Martian ship and "has only one pass at this." The Cadet tells him "[[Star Wars|T-t-trust your feelings, Captain.]]" - Dodgers: "Nah, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna use this expensive targeting computer."
** One episode has a space prison called "Wantannaguannamo Bay".
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** The episode "The Mark of Xero" is a shout out to both [[Zorro]] and Daffy's previous role as [[The Scarlet Pumpernickel]].
** The intro began with the famous [[Looney Tunes]] rings.
** In ''Til Doom do us Part'' the introduction of the Legion of Duck Doom is an exact copy of the opening credits to [[Challenge Of The Superfriends]].
* [[Space Sailing]]
* [[Spot the Imposter]]: Parodied when it comes up.
* [[Space Pirates]]: Long John Silver XXIII
* [[Stalker with a Crush]]: A female cadet who "replaces" the real cadet and has a rather [[Yandere (disambiguation)|unhealthy obsession]] with Dodgers himself.
* [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]]: [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] at the end of the episode "Duck Departure":
{{quote|'''Cadet:''' I was hoping to invite you back to the Protectorate. It hasn't been the same without you.
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* [[Villainesses Want Heroes]]: Tyr'ahnee, the Martian Queen to Duck Dogers
* [[Visual Pun]]: In the theme song, the line, "Duck Dodgers, he's fighting tyranny," is timed with an image of the Martian Queen. Her name? Tyr'ahnee.
* [[We Can Rule Together]]
{{quote|'''Sinestro''': There may even be a place for someone like you in my new reality. Join forces with me...or be obliterated.
'''Dodgers''': Okay.
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