Green Lantern: The Animated Series

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
Beware his power.

The CGI animated series based on the DC Comics superhero Green Lantern, made by Bruce Timm. Made to cash in on the movie that aired early in the year, it's the first CGI series Bruce Timm has ever worked on.

The plot revolves around the Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Josh Keaton) and Kilowog (Kevin Michael Richardson) going out, against the wishes of the Guardians, with the help of their A.I. ship Aya (Grey De Lisle) to find out who has been killing Green Lanterns on the edge of their system.

The Red Lanterns are the Big Bads of the series for the first season, with plans to also bring in Saint Walker (a Blue Lantern) and Larfleeze (Agent Orange) in the season as well. Sinestro will not make an appearance until the second season, due to his role in the movie.

The 44 minute pilot premiered on Cartoon Network on November 11, 2011, and the show made its official premiere as part of CN's DC Nation block on March 3, 2012.

Has a recap page.


Tropes used in Green Lantern: The Animated Series include:
  • Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Hal tousles Amaya's head (she has no hair) when telling her it's okay to miss her father, who died in a Heroic Sacrifice against the Red Lanterns.
    • A jellyfish alien does this to a little pig girl after taking away the yellow crystals which were making her violent.
  • A.I. Is a Crapshoot: The Manhunters, who came before the Green Lantern Corps, were flawed because they couldn't see the subtleties of right and wrong, only the absolutes. They decided the best course of action was a bloody rampage, hence the destruction of Atrocitus' homeworld and countless others. The Guardians named the entire area "the Forgotten Zone" in response, and suppressed all knowledge of the Manhunters.
    • Averted by Aya. She is consistently a welcome and loyal, if inexperienced, member of the team. Even when she's taken over by the Red Lanterns and forced to help them infiltrate Oa, it's made quite clear that she is doing so against her will.
  • Alien Lunch: Kilowog is shown dining on a bowl of worm-like creatures. Later he begins eating a crab-like creature, shell and all. (Inverted in the same scene, where he expresses such revulsion over the concept of cheese he asks Hal to eat in a storage closet.)
    • In a less extreme example, Razer is shown to be eating a grey steak at one point.
  • Amplifier Artifact: Ganthet's prototype Blue Lantern battery supercharges all nearby Green Lantern rings while shutting down the Red Lantern rings (a welcome side effect). Saint Walker's ring is similar, but doesn't carry the nullification effect and lacks the massive range (he could boost Kilowog's ring, but Mogo's was too far underground for his power to reach). This is pretty similar, if not identical, to the Blue Lantern Corps' abilities in the comics.
  • Anti-Villain: Razer, pre-Heel Face Turn.
  • Armor-Piercing Question: Given to Razer:

Kilowog: We know what you're fighting against, kid, but what're you fighting for?

  • As You Know: Used by the Guardians to introduce the basic concept of the Green Lantern Corps (space cops, 3600 sectors, etc.) before introducing the previously-unknown concept of Frontier Lanterns to Hal and Kilowog. The first bit is lampshaded by Hal.
  • Asteroid Thicket: The Interceptor chases the Red Lantern probe through one. The Maelstrom is a much larger one that acts as a barrier between the Forgotten Zone and the rest of Guardian-controlled space.
  • Ax Crazy: Zilius, cemented when he flies above Hal shouting "DIE DIE DIE!"
  • Back-to-Back Badasses: Razer and Aya in "In Love and War".
  • Badass Boast: Atrocitus delivers one while fighting Hal in the pilot.

Atrocitus: I am Atrocitus, lord and master of the Red Lantern Corps. I am the one who will destroy the Guardians and all they stand for. I am wrath; I am hate; I am righteous vengeance.

    • Let us not forget Razer, who made one not even one minute into the premier.

Razer: I am not a friend. I am rage. I am vengeance. I am death!

"With blood and rage of crimson red,
We fill men's souls with darkest dread,
And twist your minds to pain and hate,
We'll burn you all--That is your fate!"

    • Compare to the original:

"With blood and rage of crimson red,
Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead,
Together with our hellish hate...,
We'll burn you all--That is your fate!"

      • It is logically assumed that the second and third lines of the oath were changed because of the graphic imagery of the lines in the original, and how they would be inappropriate in the context of the show. (Not to mention the show version making more sense. Darker and Edgier is cool and all, but... rage is something that is both difficult to rip out of anything, and is also not present in most corpses. Or any of 'em. Blood also doesn't rip very easily due to being liquid...)
    • And, of course, the Green Lantern Oath:

"In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight,
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power, Green Lantern's LIGHT!"

  • Badass Normal: Saint Walker goes toe-to-toe with Razer and Razer can't land a hit. Then he hits a single pressure point on Razer's neck and instantly paralyzes him. He doesn't have a ring at this point.
    • In the first season finale, a ringless Carol singlehandedly cures Hal of his Laser-Guided Amnesia (see below) using only a deduction gained from remembering something Green Lantern told her well before she ever found out he was Hal.
    • Badass Abnormal: In the same episode, Saint Walker debuts as the first ever Blue Lantern, and his badassery increases exponentially.
  • Batman Can Breathe in Space: Thanagarians can breathe in space.
  • Batman Gambit: Hal plays the Thanagarian leader in "Flight Club" perfectly, because he knows the guy is going to betray them whenever it'll benefit him.
  • Beehive Barrier: Shard has one. It tanks a Wave Motion Gun undamaged.
  • BFG: Kilowog manifests a pair of them to use against the Red Lantern fleet. Didn't work, but it was a nice effort. His second, even bigger version works a lot better.
  • Big Bad: Atrocitus.
  • Big Damn Heroes:
    • Razer rescues Hal and Kilowog (who can't use their rings) in the third episode.
    • Heroes don't get much damn bigger than Mogo, who aids Saint Walker in backing up Kilowog in the season finale.
    • Razer saving Aya from having her emotions/"higher functions" being deleted by Drusa in "Homecoming"
  • Bizarre Alien Biology: Razer can go without food for months at a time.
  • Blessed Are the Cheesemakers: Kilowog finds the concept of what cheese is so revolting he insists Hal eat his grilled cheese sandwiches in the closet where no one can see it.
  • Blue Eyes: Razer. His can be classified as Midnight Blue Eyes.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: Kilowog.
  • Bowel-Breaking Bricks: Gaagan, a squid-like alien, releases a bluish ink cloud whenever frightened.
  • Brain Bleach: Kilowog's reaction when Agapo mentions that her race, the Zamerons, used to be one people with the Oans.

Kilowog: You and the Guardians?! Thanks for putting that in my head.

  • Brainwashed and Crazy: Kilowog's Love Interest, Galaea, after being inducted into the Star Sapphire Corps. It's not clear how widespread this is in the Corps; the Queen and her niece, at least, are clearly of sound mind (relatively speaking).
    • In the same episode, done in a slightly different way with Carol Ferris. The portal which transfers her to Zamora messes with her mind, resulting in Carol seeming relatively normal but quickly and easily going into an insane rage that she had no memory of afterwards. Her brainwashing then wears off very quickly, unlike the other Star Sapphires.
    • Aya gets hit with this in "Invasion". Drusa, the convict who shut her down in "Lost Planet", uses a similar device to hijack her motor functions. Aya's still in there somewhere, but her body is under Drusa's control. Drusa even plans to take it a step further, completely erasing Aya's higher functions so she'll be just a nav computer, but Razer stepped in to put a stop to that.
  • Breath Weapon: The Red Lanterns fall back on their rings more in this adaptation, but they still have this ability.
  • Brought Down to Badass: Even with their power rings nullified by yellow crystals, Hal and Kilowog manage to defeat numerous prison guards in "Razer's Edge."

Hal: I was kicking butt long before I ever got this ring!

  • Butt Monkey: Zox seemed to take the brunt of the damage in the premiere.
  • Canon Foreigner: The Red Lantern Razer.
  • Canon Immigrant: Aya's ship debuted in the comic before the series aired - flying backwards compared to its animated counterpart.
  • Cephalothorax: Zox.
  • Chair Reveal: Ragnar does this in "Regime Change".
  • Charm Person: Star Sapphire rings can do this, though it appears to be more effective on animals than people.
  • Colony Drop: "Lost Planet" has the crew Race Against the Clock to find the Lantern on a planet about to be hit by a massive asteroid. Once they discover the planet is actually Mogo, the living planet, Mogo destroys it immediately with his new Lantern powers.
  • Cool Old Guy: Ganthet, to contrast with Appa Ali Apsa.
  • Cool Starship: The Interceptor, a ship faster than anything in the known universe and powered by a giant Lantern battery. Then there's Aya, its AI nav system who can inhabit a robot body.
  • Could Say It, But...: Ganthet is certainly not advocating that Hal and Kilowog steal the new ship and use it to rescue the Frontier Lanterns, he is simply taking them on the "scenic route."
    • Unfortunately, it's still enough to get him the banhammer from the other Guardians in "Regime Change".
  • Crazy Enough to Work:
    • Hal charges his ring off the Interceptor's engine, even though this is kind of like trying to directly jump-start a cell phone with a car battery. Kilowog later chastises him for doing something that could well have blown his arm off if it didn't work.
    • Upon learning that Saint Walker's Blue Lantern ring can't amplify Mogo's power, since Mogo's ring is many miles underground, Kilowog gets an idea: toss Saint Walker into the path of Mogo's Wave Motion Gun and hope it works. It does.
  • Cruel Mercy: Hal refuses to kill Razer, despite the latter's insistence, and instead captures and depowers him to force him to face responsibility for destroying an inhabited world.
  • Curse Cut Short: Hal has one of these in "In Love and War"
  • Darker and Edgier: Surprisingly, Atrocitus. The comic version is a ruthless Anti-Hero who still displays compassion for innocents. The cartoon version is a full-fledged villain, especially once it's revealed he murdered Razer's wife to push him over the edge into becoming a Red Lantern. This after starting the war on Razer's planet in hopes to inspire enough rage to make some more Reds. "Twist your minds to pain and hate," indeed.
  • Darkest Hour: Just before Ganthet activates the Blue Lantern battery in "Regime Change", all the heroes are shown being overcome one by one.
    • The end of "Invasion" has and some of his men brainwash Aya and steal the Interceptor, which they're taking to Oa. Atrocitus also used his planet-killers to blow a passage through the Maelstrom for his fleet. The look on Hal's face says it all.
  • Dark Secret: Tha Manhunters are this to the Guardians. Such is the scope of their utter failure as protectors.
  • Defiant to the End: When Razer and Aya are subdued by Aga'po and her guards, Razer still demands that she surrender Kilowog as if nothing has changed.
  • Disney Death: Kilowog, albeit very briefly, in "Heir Apparent."
  • Distress Call: The Lanterns receive one from a space freighter at the beginning of "Into the Abyss."
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: In "Regime Change", when Razer's ring malfunctions, he falls out of the sky and Aya catches him. His line after he is saved doesn't help much since it makes it sound like an impotence joke.

"That's... never happened before."

    • Earlier, in 'Fear Itself', Razer was alone in his room, recharging his ring. Aya walks in on him, provoking him to hold it against his chest as if to hide it. Almost as if he were trying to hide a Porn Stash.
  • The Dragon: Zox appears to be this to Atrocitus.
  • Dramatic Drop: In his torture-induced flashback, Razer drops his shield and weapon when he returns home from war to find his home destroyed and his wife killed.
  • Dressing as the Enemy: Played straight and subverted. When infiltrating Shard, Hal and Kilowog ambush two guards for their uniforms. It fits Hal just fine, but the burly Kilowog can't even put the helmet on.
  • Drop the Hammer: Kilowog's construct of choice. He even lampshades it.

(After Aya just described an incredibly complicated construct needed to fix the warp drive)
Hal Jordan: Uh, can either of you make that?
Kilowog: ...I make hammers.

  • Earthshattering Kaboom: The Red Lanterns threaten to destroy Rev's homeworld if the Green Lanterns don't surrender within the hour. They make good on their word, but Rev makes a Heroic Sacrifice to delay the actual destruction long enough for Kilowog to save most of the colonists.
    • Iolande's planet nearly shares the same fate, but luckily they managed to chuck the bomb into space.
  • Emotion Eater: The Star Sapphires gain strength from the love of those they trap on their homeworld. Green Lanterns provide a bigger boost than normal people in this regard thanks to their rings.
  • Evil Plan: Atrocitus has one of revenge against the Green Lanterns for the slaughter of his homeworld.
  • Face Stealer: Aya's face is modeled on that of Razer's dead wife, the last humanoid female she had an image of. Though the viewer might note the resemblance, this doesn't become a plot point until the queen of the Star Sapphires points it out to Razer. He is quite upset at first, even though she insists she meant no harm by it. He seems to get over it quickly.
  • Fantastically Indifferent: In "Razer's Edge", Razer is shown as being this when being held in captivity by Hal and Kilowog. He doesn't even seem to care when Kilowog yells in his face, picks him up off the ground and shakes him, slams him against the wall, or even when he is tossed on the ground by the aforementioned character.
  • Fantastic Light Source: Power rings make good flashlights.
  • Gatling Good: Kilowog busts out quadruple gatling gun constructs to take out some Red Lanterns. And their armada.
  • Genius Loci: Mogo.
  • God Save Us From the Queen: The Queen of the Star Sapphires, who's hellbent on kidnapping men and imprisoning them on her home planet out of a twisted desire to preserve the love in their hearts.
    • Gieta shows her the error of her ways, and the next time we see her she's perfectly content with helping the Green Lanterns.
  • Good Cop, Bad Cop: Hal attempts a variation of this when interrogating Goggan:

Hal Jordan: Okay, squid, start talking. Kilowog here loves seafood and has a big appetite.
Kilowog: What?
Hal: It's an old interrogation method from Earth: Good cop, hungry cop.

  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: Atrocitus.
  • Gravity Sucks: The pinhole in "Into the Abyss" sucks down spaceships, as well as Hal's ring constructs.
  • Happily Married: Razer and Ilana are shown to be this. Or, at least they WERE until Atrocitous killed her to make Razer angry enough to become a Red Lantern.
  • Heel Face Turn: Razer starts out as an enemy but soon joins The Interceptor's crew.
    • Gieta, followed by the entire Star Sapphire corps.
  • He Knows Too Much: After Hal and Kilowog discover the true nature of the Spider Guild prison, Myglom captures (and tries to eat) them to prevent them from exposing his ruse.
  • He Who Fights Monsters: The Red Lanterns claim to be fighting against the tyranny of the Guardians, who have destroyed worlds and killed millions, but they do so by destroying worlds and killing millions.
  • He's Dead, Jim: One unique to the corps. When you see a ring traveling through space under its own power, you know the Lantern wearing it is no more.
  • Hey, That's My Line!: Hal steals Kilowog's "Let's blow this mungtar stand" line in "Regime Change", prompting the trope response.
  • Hope Springs Eternal: And if mixed with Heroic Willpower will own you six ways from Sunday.
  • Hulk Speak: Hal playfully does this for Carol Ferris, when she chides him for whooping with joy while test piloting a prototype plane.
  • Humanity Ensues: Aya constructs herself a humanoid body, if only so that she can be a "real" Green Lantern, at the end of "Into the Abyss".
  • Hypocritical Humor: Aya ignores Hal's orders to save the day, which he complains about. Kilowog immediately calls him on the Double Standard.
  • I Always Wanted to Say That: Hal concerning the phrase "We come in peace." Kilowog doesn't understand why.
  • Informed Ability: Kilowog. He's portrayed as the veteran Big Guy yet every villain/threat in the show has their way with him.
  • "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Hal has to do this with Kilowog in "Fear Itself", since the yellow crystal soup he's been eating has driven him mad. Kilowog comes just short of killing Hal before regaining his mind.
    • He has to do this again with Carol during "In Love And War" when she becomes a Star Sapphire. He manages to get through to her, and she gives up her power.
  • Imagination-Based Superpower: The obvious normal version of the trope, but also subverted when Aya needs repairs. Hal asks if a ring construct would suffice until they could get back to Oa for proper repairs. Aya replies that the construct would have to be an exact duplicate of the coil and its 56 moving parts to within a 0.8162 micron tolerance, which none of the Lanterns have the skill to replicate.
  • Impairment Shot: The eye-shaped one as Hal regains consciousness after being knocked out in "Beware My Power".
  • I'm Standing Right Here: When Kilowog is trying to convince Hal in private to side with him against Aya considering herself a Green Lantern, he forgets about Aya's transceiver mounted on the console. She helpfully reminds him that she can hear every noise on the ship.
  • In Memoriam: "Regime Change" is dedicated to the memory of Ian Abercrombie, the voice of Ganthet.
  • Instant Expert: Anyone who gets a power ring is able to use its basic powers immediately. This might be justified: Green Lantern rings are outright said to provide a basic tutorial of sorts for the recipient, making them competent in their use if not up to par with a formally-trained Lantern. The rings of the other Corps may provide similar instruction.
  • It Has Been an Honor: Kilowog to Rev.
  • Jet Pack: Kilowog creates one with his ring in an attempt to escape the pinhole.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: When the Star Sapphires transport Hal to Earth, his memory of being a Green Lantern is blocked out until Carol makes him charge his ring.
  • Lighter and Softer: The Red Lantern power rings. In the comics, the ring essentially takes over the user's heart, replacing their blood with rage energy. This has the effect of making removing the ring a fatal prospect in most cases. Red rings also drive their users into a berserker rage, with most except Atrocitus being incapable of basic reasoning (though, to be fair, Atrocitus made them do that intentionally). Finally, the red light itself burns like napalm, and looks a lot like blood. In the cartoon, the ring is merely a more powerful, slightly more unstable version of the Green Lantern ring, and the personality effects are minimal by comparison. Most of the Lanterns shown are in possession of their faculties, albeit perpetually angry.
  • Like Cannot Cut Like: Things powered by Green Lantern energy seem to work this way. The Interceptor's prison cells allow Green Lanterns to walk through with no trouble, but block everything else. When trying to catch a squid-like alien, Kilowog traps it in a box construct when it latches onto Hal's arm. Hal then pulls his arm out with no difficulty. Finally, when Hal attacks Aya's robotic drones (not knowing what they were at the time), his constructs can't even touch them.
    • This appears to be selective, since Hal and Kilowog prove capable of fighting each other with Lantern constructs without it being completely pointless.
  • Loophole Abuse: Razer takes advantage of a minor contradiction in Hal's orders and leaves the Interceptor in "Heir Apparent". After all, he was told to stay with Aya, and that's exactly what he did.
  • The Lost Lenore: Razer's wife, Elana. Her death was the reason he joined the Red Lanterns. Invoked by Atrocitus, who not only started the war on Razer's planet in hopes of creating some Red Lantern material, but murdered his wife to achieve precisely this effect, pushing him over the edge.
  • Love Makes You Crazy: The Star Sapphire rings cause this in the uninitiated, which happened to Carol. To a lesser extent, the Star Sapphires appear to have been indoctrinated into believing men are the source of all evil, and are doing them a service by putting them in stasis to be eternally happy.
    • This is later explained in the finale. Due to the extreme distance between Earth and Zamora, Carol's mind was temporarily messed up by the transport. When Hal does the same in reverse, he ends up with Laser-Guided Amnesia.
  • Macross Missile Massacre: Yet another of the weapons Kilowog manifests in the finale.
  • Madness Mantra: Razer, after finding his wife's body:

Razer: But... I came back for you. I came back for you. I came back... I CAME BACK FOR YOU!!

    • Played with a bit with "Gaagan" the escaped squid creature from the Spider Guild Prison. "Gaagan will not go back. Cannot go back! Destroy me but do not take me back to the Grim Rock!"
  • Magic A Is Magic A: The Red Lantern battery only charges a ring when the correct oath is used, a source of much frustration for Razer. Aya tried devising an alternative oath that followed the same pattern, but Razer just humored her without admitting that it was useless.
  • Male Gaze: The Zamarons. The first time we see them walk it's from the back, and with lots of hip sway.
  • Meaningful Name: Agapo the Star Sapphire probably comes from Agape, one of the three types of love according to the Greeks, the others being Eros and Philia. She doesn't really demonstrate it (thoughtful and self-sacrificing), though. Razer gets two meanings, being both a homophone for razor (a cutting implement) and the active form of the verb to raze, as in "tear to the ground". Then there's Atrocitus...
  • Mercy Kill: The leader of the Star Sapphire Corps attempts this on Razer, claiming that he is dead inside and would be useless anyway. Luckily Hal comes in at the last minute and blasts her away, saving Razer from being stabbed.
  • Moment Killer: So far two have happened between Hal and Carol. The first episode has a rather tender moment between the two where just as they're in the middle of a kiss, Hal notices his ring flashing, meaning he's needed on the job as a Green Lantern. He quickly makes up the excuse that he forgot to retrieve the hard drive from the plane he crashed earlier and shouldn't let any of Ferris Air's competitors get their hands on it. She disappointedly tells him to go with him promising to pick her up for dinner after work. Unfortunately, his business offworld proves to be so important that it takes nine more episodes before they see each other again. During that time, Hal is declared missing, and much to the upset of Carol, thought dead. So when the Zamarons make her a Star Sapphire and transport her to see Hal (who she discovers is a Green Lantern for the first time), they have a rather overjoyed reunion... until Carol notices Gi'ata bringing back drinks and, thanks in part to the power of the Sapphire affecting her mind, assumes that all the time she had thought Hal was dead, he had been fooling around and cheating on her. Fortunately they end up parting on much better terms after that one.
  • Ms. Fanservice:
    • For an navigational computer, Aya designs herself an oddly hot humanoid form. This is because she just modeled her form after Razer's wife, who was fairly attractive herself.
    • The Star Sapphire Corps is a whole group of Ms. Fanservice.
  • Mugged for Disguise: Hal and Kilowog do this to two Red Lantern guards. Works fine for Hal, not so much for Kilowog.
  • Mythology Gag: In full force with the origin of the Red Lantern Corps and Atrocitus, when it was revealed that the Manhunters destroyed Atrocitus' homeworld.
    • There's a lesser example in the episode "Lost Planet": Saint Walker running around on a world that's doomed to total destruction via natural disaster—now where have we seen that before?
    • Kilowog's comment in "Love and War" is a good one.

Kilowog: How many lantern colors are there?

    • Saint Walker climbs a mountain in search of a savior, only to find nothing on the top. Then he sees his reflection. Only this time, his entire family doesn't die on the way up with him, and the reflection is in the Blue Lantern battery.
  • Names to Run Away From Really Fast: The Red Lanterns' leader is named "Atrocitus".
  • Never Say "Die": Averted, hard. The words "death" and "die" are said quite often in the first episode alone. The Red Lantern oath was changed, but that's likely because the whole heart-ripping thing was probably pushing it. In addition, some characters are explicitly killed, if not onscreen.
  • New Content Countdown Clock: The countdown to the premiere ran during Generator Rex and Young Justice.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
    • Hal insisting on fighting a drone in episode 2 results in damage to the Interceptor's engines that leaves both Kilowog and himself stranded without backup outside Guardian-controlled space for the estimated nine months repairs will take.
    • In "Invasion", Mogo could have stopped the entire Red lantern invasion cold if he felt like it. Instead, he lets Atrocitus land on his surface and pick up the computer expert who later reprograms Aya, only making a really half-assed attempt to stop him after Atrocitus has already made it into orbit. We've seen Mogo blow up a planet-killing asteroid, so one scout ship, even of Red Lantern design, should have been nothing by comparison. Especially notable because he proves to be exactly this powerful in the finale, only having trouble shooting down Shard.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Zox expresses concern about Atrocitus using his personal Lantern battery as a power source for Razer's torture. Guess what Razer steals by the end of the episode.
  • No Except Yes: When called to Oa to answer for punching a diplomat in the face, Hal immediately denies it. He punched the diplomat in the stomach, then headbutted him in the face. Said diplomat was involved in slave-trafficking.
    • When the crew travels through a small pathway in a heavily dense asteroid field, Kilowog gets nervous and we get this gem:

Razer: What's wrong Bolovaxian, claustrophobic?
Kilowog: No, I just don't like small, closed spaces, okay?

  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Hal delivers one to Razer after Rev's homeworld is destroyed by the Red Lanterns, thanks to Razer. Hal stops just short of killing him, letting him live with what he's done. Razer basically let him do it, though, since he wanted to die.
  • Not Distracted by the Sexy: Razer proves quite immune to the charms of the Star Sapphire queen.
  • Not What It Looks Like: Hal and Carol's happy reunion on Zamaron is cut short when Carol notices Gi'ata bringing back drinks for them, leading her to assume that whilst she thought Hal was dead back on Earth, that he'd actually been cheating on her out in space. Hal attempts to explain, but unfortunately Carol is under the influence that comes with being a Star Sapphire, leading her to attack them.
  • Oh Crap: The Red Lanterns have a fleet of warships.
  • Only the Chosen May Wield:
    • In "Heir Apparent", Hal Jordan explains how the rings work to an admirer. Said admirer proceeds to kill the local Green Lantern, clearly not understanding that cold-blooded murder sorta invalidates the whole point of being worthy. He tried again with Hal (which failed) and later Kilowog, but by that point they were on to him and faked Kilowog's death so he'd implicate himself.
    • This also comes up with regards to Razer. Even though he's turned his back on the Red Lanterns, the ring hasn't abandoned him, meaning the rage that initially drew it to him hasn't subsided. It's not a fact he's proud of. Having recently learned of the truth behind his wife's death certainly isn't helping.
  • Pietà Plagiarism: Razer does this with Aya, while she is temporarily incapacitated by a device designed to shut down her artificial intelligence. She gets up as soon as Razer crushes it. Then again in "Reckoning".
  • Power Nullifier: The yellow crystals in the Spider Guild's prison prevent Green Lantern rings from working. They exist on other worlds, too, and in greater concentrations cause humanoid species to become violently paranoid.
    • The light of hope shuts down the rage-based Red Lantern rings.
  • The Power of Hate: Essentially the power source of the Red Lanterns, though rage is a more accurate description. Atrocitus pretty much states this outright when fighting Hal in episode 2.
  • The Power of Love: The power source of the Star Sapphire Corps, though their ideas on the subject are somewhat skewed.
    • More conventionally, Hal manages to get through to Carol, who's been driven insane by her Star Sapphire ring, by demonstrating his love for her, allowing her to regain control and reject the ring.
  • Pressure Point: Used by Saint Walker on Razer.
  • Properly Paranoid: A minor case. Hal mentions that the Spider Guild prison "gives him the creeps" and is initially uncomfortable leaving Razer there, but Kilowog convinces him to let it go. Turns out that the Spider Guild prison is a facade to lure in hapless prisoners, who are then tortured and eaten.
  • Psycho Serum: Kilowog is fed a soup that contains a powder version of the Power Nullifier yellow crystals. A few bowls send him into a murderous fury.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Ganthet.
  • Reincarnation Romance: The series seems to hint at this. The queen of the Star Sapphires states outright that Aya's physical form is a reincarnation of Ilana, Razer's lost love. Aya offers the much more mundane explanation that she just used his wife's form as a base for her own, it being the last image of a female that she possessed in her memory.
  • Reliable Traitor: The Thanagarian leader in "Flight Club". Hal plays him like a fiddle.
  • Ride the Lightning: Aya transmits her intelligence from the Interceptor to the Spider Guild prison via green bolts of lightning.
  • Room 101: The torture devices in "Razer's Edge" force the victim to relive their worst memories. Subverted in that Razer actually enjoys it, since he gets to see his dead wife again.
  • Sapient Ship: Aya
  • Sarcasm Mode: Razer enters this constantly, mostly in response to the other crew members.
  • Series Continuity Error: Possibly. Aya can hear every noise made on the ship, which would make Razer's attempt to spare her feelings in "Fear Itself" completely pointless. Either Razer forgot this or Aya can't hear him, but the latter can't be true since she heard him speak the first half of his oath with the door closed.
  • Ship Tease: Between Razer and Aya. Try to ignore the pun in that.
  • Shout-Out:
    • The priest of the rage temple has what looks to be Sauron's eye on his staff. It's evidently how he sees.
    • The same priest recites can also be heard reciting "It is by rage alone that I set my mind in motion." This is an altered version of the Mentat mantra in Dune, the original using "will".
      • Which is a Continuity Nod in itself, considering in the show, as in the comics, Red Lanterns are powered by rage and Green Lanterns are powered by will.
    • Razer says "Must go faster!" as the Interceptor races toward an ever-narrowing exit.
    • "Meet the New Boss, same as the old boss." Spoken by Hal in the season finale, referring to Zillius Zox replacing Atrocitus as leader of the Red Lanterns.
    • Gieta refers to the Star Sapphires' teleportation method as a "Jaunt", a term made popular by "The Stars My Destination". More darkly, given its detrimental effects on the one using it, it could be a reference to Stephen King's short story "The Jaunt".
  • Single Tear: While being forced to help the Red Lanterns infiltrate Oa, Aya does this.
    • Also Tears From a Stone, because no matter how cute and engaging she is, a collection of parts that wouldn't look out of place in an Apple Store, held together by metal tentacles and Green Lantern energy, really shouldn't be able to cry...
  • Skyward Scream: Razer does this in his flashback, turning his Madness Mantra into a heartbroken scream.
  • The Snark Knight: Razer.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: Iolande's brother Ragnar. In the comics he is sentenced for execution after murdering his brother, a Green Lantern, and other warriors in his quest to be a Lantern. In the show, he is jailed for murdering one Lantern and attempted murder of two others and his sister. He even gets recruited by the Red Lanterns, which in hindsight means Iolande kinda dropped the ball there.
  • Spiteful Spit: Razer does this to Zox. Hilarity Ensues as he tries (and fails) to reach it with his tiny arms.
  • Stood Up: Carol Ferris. Hal makes a dinner date with her, and then promptly has an emergency in space that requires him to miss his date. She apparently spent a long time searching for him after he went AWOL, eventually discovering the truth about his absence AND his being a Green Lantern after she herself is turned into a Star Sapphire. After regaining her sanity, she forgives him.
  • Stripperific: The Star Sapphire Corps, to varying degrees. The queen and her guards take the cake.
  • Suicide by Cop: Razer tries this against Hal. He fails.
  • Swirly Energy Thingy: The "pinhole" from "Into the Abyss."
  • Technology Porn: When Aya is first shown putting herself together into a human form.
  • Tempting Fate: Hal boasts about being an ace test pilot just before trying to fly one of Iolande's hovercraft. Guess what happens.
  • They Were Holding You Back: Atrocitus killed Razer's fiance to give him the final nudge into becoming the perfect Red Lantern.
  • This Is a Drill: Hal seems to have a knack for these. He creates large conical drills in the first and fifth episodes, as well as a power drill in the second.
  • The Thunderdome: The jousting arena on Betrassus.
  • Timm Style: A 3D CGI version of it.
    • This is emphasized by the 2D artwork they show in some of the segments during commercial breaks, which make them look like something from the original DCAU.
  • Too Kinky to Torture: Somewhat. Razer is dropped off at a prison and forced to relive his darkest memories as a form of torture. Razer, however, is merely grateful for the chance to see his dead wife again.
  • Tractor Beam: The Interceptor is equipped with one.
  • Trailers Always Spoil: You can very clearly see Razer working alongside Hal and Kilowog in the early previews. This doesn't actually happen until the fourth episode.
  • Translator Microbes: It is noted that the Green Lantern ring has a built-in Universal Translator function, thereby allowing Hal Jordan (and the viewers) to understand what the different alien races are saying.
  • Universal Driver's License: Subverted for laughs. When presented with an alien hovering motorcycle, Hal claims that his experience as a test pilot will make him a natural. It throws him off in three seconds.
  • You Shall Not Pass: While Hal and Razer rush to save the Guardians from Atrocitus, Kilowog stays behind to hold back the Red Lantern aramada. He's fully aware it's a suicide mission but believes Hal will need every minute he can get. Lucky for him, Saint Walker and Mogo show up.
  • Wave Motion Gun: Mogo, being a living planet, is capable of firing one. In the finale, Saint Walker's Blue Lantern ring is used as an amplifier, and together they wipe out the entire Red Lantern armada in one shot.
  • Wham! Episode: "Invasion". The Ultra-Warp drive is repaired, just in time for Aya to get brain-jacked by the Red Lanterns and take Atrocitus to Oa, while Atrocitus detonates a series of bombs to create a path through the Asteroid Thicket separating the Forgotten Zone from the rest of the universe. Now his fleet can move through unimpeded, while Hal, Kilowog and Razer are trapped in space with just one Green Lantern battery to their name. On the bright side, Saint Walker is a Blue Lantern now.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Hal and Kilowog don't hesitate to call the Guardians on seemingly ignoring the deaths of dozens of Frontier Lanterns, a fact which they didn't even bother to advertise to the Corps proper (for that matter, the mere existence of these Lanterns was kept from them).
    • Hal calls Razer out on trying to assassinate Atrocitus, forcing the others to rescue him, as his actions alerted the Red Lanterns to their survival.
  • The Worf Effect: Just to demonstrate that the Red Lanterns are dangerous, they kill one Lantern and nearly beat three more (including Hal and Kilowog) when outnumbered three to two. This is consistent with the comics, though; the other lights of the Emotional Spectrum are usually depicted as more powerful, but at the cost of stability. See also, Kilowog himself. The big guy gets trounced in almost every episode just to advance the plot.
  • Written by the Winners: Ganthet points out this trope when one of the Guardians asks if information about the Red Lanterns would be in the "Book of Oa".
  • You Wouldn't Shoot Me: Hal uses this to get through to Carol Ferris, who's currently unstable after being recruited as a Star Sapphire.