Riegel

Riegel,LEGO Mania Magazine January-February 2001, page 3LEGO.com Life on Mars character bios and radio log transcriptions (as archived by Biodium Vault)Shop At Home January 2001 - Page 4LEGO Racers 2Life On Mars Mini-Poster - Assistant with Altair, Antares, Arcturus, Cassiopeia, Riegel and Vega alternatively spelled as Rigel7317 Aero Tube Hangar building instructions or Reigel,5784 Soccer Mania is a Martian minifigure who appeared in the Life on Mars theme. He is the leader of the Martians. He has appeared as a physical minifigure in just one set, although he has appeared in two video games.
== Description ==
Riegel uses the standard Martian build, with black torso and legs and dark green arms and head. His head is printed with eyes and drooping eyelids, small yellow freckles, and what appears to be a cybernetic augment or possibly a crown on his forehead. He has a black tile with a printed insignia on his chest.
In the PC and PlayStation 2 versions of LEGO Racers 2, Riegel has bright bluish green skin and legs, and no insignia on his chest. Interestingly, two variants of Riegel appear in the GBA version of LEGO Racers 2, with the first having green skin like in the set and the second having bright bluish green skin like in the PC/PS2 version; however, only the latter is explicitly named Riegel.
== Background ==
Riegel is the current royal leader of the Martians, succeeding Arcturus. He has a daughter, Cassiopeia. As the Martian General, he tries his best to motivate all the Martians, and he dislikes laziness and disorder. His favorite foods are Space Slugs and Caviack.
When the Solar Explorer and its crew land on Mars, Riegel is in the midst of fighting against the rebellious canyon Martians, who are stealing all the Biodium and plotting to overthrow Riegel and take over Mars. Initially, Riegel is suspicious of the humans and puts them through tests, as he first believed that they may be invaders, spies, or dumb "test animals". They are able to prove themselves in the end by finding a formula for synthetic Biodium, exposing Arcturus as a spy, and stopping the canyon Martians. Riegel recognizes the humans as allies and friends, even allowing his daughter to return to Earth with them.
In Лёгкое потрясение! (Slight shock!), Riegel works with Doc to investigate an enormous meteorite, although their research is interrupted by BB and Altair playing with Aero Tubes. Riegel and Doc's Excavation Searcher falls through unstable ground and into a deep chasm, leaving them trapped until BB and Altair send for help. They are rescued by a Recon-Mech RP. In Силы Природы (Forces of Nature), Riegel seeks the astronauts' help dealing with a meteor shower. He and Cassiopeia pilot the Excavation Searcher to set up a force field around the Aero Tube Hangar.
=== LEGO Racers 2 ===
Riegel appears as the boss of the Mars world in LEGO Racers 2. Notably, instead of driving a car, Riegel drives an enormous Red Planet Protector mech in his race against the player, saying that he didn't actually mention that his vehicle was a car. The Red Planet Protector has a shield generator that makes Riegel completely invulnerable to all power-ups, but in turn he cannot use power-ups himself.
After being defeated by the player, Riegel storms off, kicking his mech in frustration. The shield generator then falls off of the mech, and Sparky tells the player that "Riegel probably won't mind if we borrow this". This allows the player to advance to the next world.
Despite his outburst at the end of the race, Riegel returns on Xalax when the player defeats Rocket Racer, where he (along with all of the other racers that the player has defeated one-on-one) congratulates the player for their achievements.
In the GBA version of the game, Riegel drives a small UFO instead of the Red Planet Protector.
=== Soccer Mania ===
Reigel also appears in the video game Soccer Mania. He appears as an unlockable footballer if the player completes the final stage in the Skill Zone mode, "Skills And Chills". His stats (out of a maximum of 272) are 160 speed, 176 shooting, 160 passing, 176 tackling, and 48 goalkeeping.Soccer Mania ALL Character Stats (Official Numbers) - Game Discussion - Rock Raiders United
== LEGO Description ==
== Appearances ==
* 7317 Aero Tube Hangar
=== Comic Appearances ===
* First Contact
* Тайна Красной Планеты
* Робот Против Робота
* Лёгкое потрясение!
* Силы Природы
=== Online Story Appearances ===
* Sabotage!
* The Test
* A Message From the Past
* Bye Bye, Biodium
* Search for the Solar Explorer
* Time To Say Goodbye
=== Video Game Appearances ===
* 5778 LEGO Racers 2
* 5779 LEGO Racers 2
* 5780 LEGO Racers 2
* 5784 Soccer Mania
== Notes ==
* "Riegel" is the most common spelling of his name across LEGO media. However, the star he is named after is spelled Rigel, although this spelling is rarely used for the character.
* Riegel is one of only two Martians to have a different skin colour than bright bluish green, the other being Arcturus. However, his skin is bright bluish green in LEGO Racers 2.
* Many blue-coloured Riegel minifigures appear in LEGO Racers 2, representing generic Martians rather than Riegel himself. They are found throughout Mars as spectators in the Martian rejuvenator; guarding the warp tubes above the Martian base; and as pilots of the Red Planet Cruiser; the Excavation Searcher; the Recon-Mech RP; and the Jet Propelled Air Cruiser. Similarly, Лёгкое потрясение! shows a second Martian with Riegel's appearance as the pilot of the Recon-Mech RP rescuing Riegel.
== Gallery ==
Rigel.PNG|Riegel in LEGO Racers 2
Protector.PNG|Riegel's Red Planet Protector in LEGO Racers 2
Rigel gba.png|The unnamed green-skinned version of Riegel in the GBA version of LEGO Racers 2
Rigel gba1.png|Riegel in the GBA version of LEGO Racers 2
LSM Riegel.jpg|Reigel in Soccer Mania
== References ==
Category:Life on Mars minifigures
Category:Life on Mars
Category:Minifigures introduced in 2001
Category:Racers minifigures