Buzz Lightyear-of-Star Command - Rookie Of-The Year

**Rookie of the Year** is the fifty-first episode of *Buzz Lightyear of Star Command*. It first aired on October 21, 2000, and is the fifty-second episode in production.

## Synopsis

Mira, Booster and XR compete to be named "Rookie of the Year" while trying to protect the LGMs' latest invention, a matter transport ray.

## Plot

From his ship, Zurg watches a live broadcast taking place in front of Luma 9. According to Brent Starkisser, the Galactic Alliance is hosting its latest top secret summit there and because of this, Space Rangers are patrolling the space station like crazy to keep out intruders and protect the Galactic Alliance from any attacks. This gives Zurg the idea to launch a Hornet attack to destroy the space station.
 **The Hornets approach the station, only to be met with laser fire from every Space Ranger present. Rangers and Hornets fly to and fro, as the Rangers shoot them down like flies while the Hornets try to get to the station. Meanwhile many Galactic Alliance representatives are watching the action behind a large window, and almost end up fried. But they are saved, thanks to Buzz coming to the rescue.**
 After watching Booster and XR take out many Hornets, Buzz alerts his team that two Hornets plan to blow up the space station with a plasma bomb, or in Booster's words, "blow up the whole space station sky-high". XR remarks the redundancy of the situation.
 **While the two would-be bombers are trying to set up the bomb, another two Hornets act as their backup, firing upon Team Lightyear. Every attack misses the team. Buzz decides to enact a team move, known as "Team Formation Zeta". The team lines up together and all of them, save XR, fire at the Hornets and blast them to bits.**
 Once that's done, the team moves out of the way for XR to make his move. He dives down and then upwards in between the two Hornet bombers to push the bomb out of the way. As he dives back down, Mira grabs it and flies off with it. Hornets try to block her path, but she throws it to Booster instead. He tries to fly off with it, but his path is blocked by Hornets, both of which try to shoot him down. But something forces them to turn their weapons onto each other, and as they find, it's Buzz and XR who grabbed their feet and made them face one another before blowing each other's arms off. Using their remaining arms, the Hornets aim to shoot down the Rangers, but they manage to get away safely.
 **Booster holds the bomb in his hands and entices the Hornets to come to him by asking, "What should I do with the bomb, Buzz?" This draws them away from the other Rangers as they close in on Booster and try to retrieve the weapon. Somehow, Booster flies out of the newly founded circle the Hornets have made and ends up back with his team, proclaiming his love for the team move. Upon closer inspection, if one notices, one of Booster's rockets for his jet pack is missing.**
 It turns out Booster attached it to the bomb, all in an attempt to blast the Hornets into nothing. Pressing the red button on his space suit, Booster does just that: the rocket on his command flies upwards to a safe distance away from Luma 9 and the Rangers before blowing up into a spectacular display of firepower. The attack is over and the space station is safe.

To celebrate their victory, the team heads to Cosmo's diner and make a team toast for their latest victory against Zurg. As soon as they're done with their toast, Ed pops by to make a special delivery. Buzz assumes the delivery is for himself. But Ed, despite his uncanny ability to track down Buzz no matter where he might be in the universe, clarifies that the package is not for him, but for Mira. Mira opens up her package, a manila envelope, and takes out a piece of paper. Mira gasps with excitement; it's revealed that she has been selected as a finalist for the Star Command "Rookie of the Year" Award. Buzz reminisces proudly over this, as he won the award when he was a rookie.
 **Just as he's about to praise her, he notices Booster and XR glowering at him, immediately switches gears and praises all of them to ensure nobody feels left out. Booster earnestly attempts to assure Buzz's concern and congratulates Mira. XR, on the other hand, hints that although he's proud, he's mainly jealous of her big honor. Mira teases the two, bragging about her accomplishment. Ed begs to differ and hands out similar envelopes to Booster and XR. He takes off, his job done, while Booster and XR open up their envelopes to reveal that they, too, have been selected as finalists for the award.**
 XR challenges Mira, stating that she's in for some competition. Mira states she can handle it, and in response, XR states he can handle it too. Booster states he can handle it, before growing confused and asking Buzz what he's supposed to be handling. Buzz tells them to stop and remember why they were nominated in the first place. XR sarcastically answers that it was due to anonymous bribes. Buzz isn't impressed.
 **Buzz's communicator goes off with a series of beeps. He answers it, and on the small communicator screen is Commander Nebula. Nebula reports that he has two missions for Buzz and his team.**
 The first mission: Nebula needs reinforcements at Luma 9 for the summit, just in case Zurg strikes again. Hearing this news, Buzz's team all pipe up in excitement, all of them begging and yearning to go to the summit with Buzz. He snaps at them, telling them he's busy talking on the communicator. They grow quiet after that. The second mission: security details with the LGMs. Nebula doesn't really know what the LGMs are up to, other than they're on a moon and doing some sort of experiment, but Buzz assures him that both missions are in good hands. He hangs up. **Mira then asks Buzz who's going where. Buzz reminds them that both missions are very important in the battle of good vs. evil, which prompts Mira to agree and subtly suggest that Buzz sends her to the summit with him. Booster and XR get in on the act and beg Buzz to send them instead. Buzz gets so irritated by his team's begging that he sends all three of them to the moon where the LGMs are working.** Booster wonders if the reason Buzz sent the team there was because he's mad at them, to which XR remarks that he hopes that Buzz won't be voting for who should win the award. Mira and Booster both attempt to try and put their competitiveness behind them, stating that they would be glad for whoever won the award if they lost. XR makes his own effort, although it's not as effective as he cheers himself on to win that award. Mira and Booster glare daggers at him and he quickly retracts his statement. **The LGMs inform the team that they're about to test the first phase of their latest creation, a matter transport device. Curious, the team watches to see what will happen. One of the LGMs places a red test object on a round red disk; the test is ready to begin. They power up the device, aim it at the object and fire a blue laser at it. The object seems to have disappeared, but after an LGM readjusts the machine by rotating the machine's rotary dial-like mechanism, the LGMs fire the laser again and aim it at a green disk, and this time, the red object has reappeared on the disk.** Booster marvels over the device's power, but XR doesn't believe that the machine's power to move objects is not a breakthrough and tries to prove his point by returning the red object back to the other disk. One of the LGMs protests, taking the red object away from XR and returning it to the other disk. XR believes this proves his point and that what the LGMs are up to isn't any major breakthrough. For his troubles, he leans on the disk, causing it to flip upwards and fall onto his head. But Mira seems much more certain of this potentially revolutionary discovery, with Booster adding on that it could be possible and amazing to send objects across the galaxy. One of the LGMs agrees, but this is only a theory. That part of the experiment won't be reached and tested for months.
Booster then excitedly asks if it would be possible to use the device on a person, thus beaming them across space and time. The same LGM laughs this off, calling this notion crazy. Another LGM clarifies that the device hasn't been tested on organic lifeforms, and the conversation ends there. But unbeknownst to everyone, a little yellow spy drone has been watching them from afar - one of Zurg's spies. And he's seen the whole thing; he immediately wants his Grubs to send for Warp Darkmatter (after he chides them for thinking of using the device to zap Zurg's laundry baskets from location to location).
 **The aforementioned agent is cruising through the cosmos when one of the Grubs informs him Zurg is online on the ship's vid-phone. Once Zurg is on the screen, he informs him what he wants. Warp initially assumes it has something to do with moving some laundry baskets, but Zurg, after making some aside remark about never hearing the end of the laundry issue, tells him about the matter transport device from Star Command. Excited about this assignment, Warp confidently tells his boss he's on the case and flies towards the moon where the Rangers and LGMs are located.**
 Back on the moon, while the LGMs are working, the three rookies complain about their boring situation, wishing they could be at the summit where there is probably more action. XR questions how they're supposed to win the coveted Rookie of the Year award if nothing is happening on the moon. His wish has been granted, for a giant shadow covers everyone. The team looks up and realizes that the shadow belongs to Warp's ship.
 **Warp wastes no time in trying to blast at everyone. The LGMs take cover while the Rangers follow suit, except for one: Mira. She stands her ground and tries to fight back with her wrist laser, all in an attempt to boost her efforts and win the award.**
 Booster is shocked to see Mira taking such a drastic action, but XR sees right through her act and leaves his hiding place to fight by her side with the same goal in mind.

## Characters

* Brent Starkisser
* Evil Emperor Zurg
* Grubs
* Buzz Lightyear
* Booster Munchapper
* XR
* Mira Nova
* Ed the Courier
* Commander Nebula
* LGMs
* Warp Darkmatter

## Trivia

* When the LGMs marvel at the claw on Warp's ship, it is an homage to the first *Toy Story* film, where the LGMs in the film regard it as their master in the claw machine.

## Voice Actors

* Diedrich Bader as Warp Darkmatter
* Corey Burton as Brent Starkisser
* Adam Carolla as Commander Nebula
* Neil Flynn as XR
* Stephen Furst as Booster Munchapper
* Wayne Knight as Evil Emperor Zurg
* Clyde Kusatsu as *Ranger #1*
* Paul Rugg as Ed the Courier
* Nicole Sullivan as Mira Nova
* Patrick Warburton as Buzz Lightyear and LGMs
* Frank Welker as Grubs