How It Began

* 2019
* 2018
* Mid/Late
* 2017bloody1

How It Begin is the first episode of Object Trek. In this episode, the teams are formed, and the contestants cross a river.

## Synopsis

The episode begins with Megaphone having gathered the contestants together. He explains that he is hosting an object show called Object Trek. After some confusion regarding where the show will take place, Megaphone explains that the contestants will compete while looking for the island of Objectoo. However, if they do not reach Objectoo before Megaphone's sister Loudspeaker does, Object Trek will be cancelled. Before the intro, Megaphone says, "So get ready to boldly go where no object has gone before!"

### Picking teams

Baskety asks how the teams will be picked. Megaphone shows the contestants a ball pit to pick the team captains from. Music Note walks over to the ball pit and picks Water Balloon. Pie is worried about this, because she doesn't get along with Water Balloon. She thinks he'll pick her onto his team. But when Music Note picks Pie as the other team captain, Pie is relieved.

Water Balloon picks first, having been picked first from the ball pit. He chooses Soccer Ball because his painting skills would make him useful in an art contest. Soccer Ball is excited, because he doesn't usually get picked first. Pie picks Swim Trunks because getting to Objectoo will probably involve swimming, and Swim Trunks is a good swimmer. Water Balloon wants to pick Beach Ball next because, like Soccer Ball, he's a ball. But he can't see Beach Ball anywhere. Stethoscope gets out a red platform for Beach Ball to land on. She explains to Pipey that it's a landing pad, and Beach Ball stops bouncing when he lands on it. Flight Helmet informs Beach Ball that he was picked onto Water Balloon's team. He says "Yihoo!", and Baskety tells him that's *her* line. Pie picks Swim Trunks' twin sister, Bathing Suit, having picked Swim Trunks already.

Water Balloon thinks for a moment and picks Rake. Pie takes Flasky, because Flasky likes going on adventures. Water Balloon doesn't want to take Scrolly because he thinks he and Flasky should be on the same team, so he picks Horn instead. Pie likes Water Balloon's suggestion and picks Scrolly for her team. Water Balloon picks Pipey, because she is friends with Rake and Horn. Pie picks Snowflake, mistakenly calling her "the silent type". When Snowflake corrects Pie, Pie remembers that Snowflake *does* talk. Just not much because she doesn't speak English. Broccoli calls Snowflake stupid for not knowing how to speak English. When Baskety tells her to be nice, Broccoli calls her a "little basket of goodies", causing Baskety to explode. Baskety gets recovered in the Object Restoration Device and confirms what Pie said about Snowflake not talking much because she doesn't speak English. Dictionary explains that Snowflake speaks real Korean and Mock Korean, both of which he understands.

Water Balloon picks Music Note, who tells him that was a good choice, because she's a good swimmer herself. Pie picks Dictionary because he understands the two languages Snowflake speaks. Water Balloon picks Flight Helmet, saying "She's tons of fun!" Pie picks Rope. Water Balloon picks Stethoscope because she's usually the one with the landing pad. Pie has trouble picking from the last three, and explains why. She ultimately settles on Rolling Pin. Water Balloon picks Baskety because he thinks she is a better choice than Broccoli. That leaves Pie with Broccoli, who is disgusted at getting picked last. Water Balloon names his team the Squeezy Foxes, and Pie names her team the Floppy Rabbits.

### Team boards

Megaphone gives each team a team board, which is a light blue square board that is five spaces by five spaces. Each space has a different number on it, and ten random spaces on each board get covered up. Megaphone explains that at the end of each contest, two members of the winning team will pick one ball each from the ball pit. When a ball is picked, the space with its number gets covered. Megaphone shows the teams their boards, which were made as Megaphone was explaining them.

### The contest

Music Note asks what the first contest is. Megaphone says that the first contest is to cross a river. All contestants must swim, unless they are not good swimmers. If that is the case, they may find another way to get across. The first team completely across wins.

Megaphone says, "Ready, set, go!", and all the contestants are off. Well, except Pie and Rope. Pie explains that she's been trying to get swimming lessons from Music Note, but it never works out for some reason. She also realizes Rope can't swim because he's limbless. Baskety swims over to them and, despite being on the other team, offers to help them get to the finish line.

Meanwhile, Music Note is the first contestant to cross the river. She sees Megaphone there and asks how he got across. Megaphone explains that there's a bridge nearby, which Pie and Rope could have used to cross. The strategy they used, however, is also effective. Rope, Pie, and Baskety make it across the river, tying the score. It doesn't stay tied for long, because Water Balloon arrives at the finish line shortly afterward.

Rake tells Horn and Pipey that they should form an alliance, which Horn and Pipey both agree to, even though, as Horn points out, nearly every object show has an alliance in it. Pipey points out that Snowflake and Dictionary are ahead of them. Snowflake and Dictionary make it across, making the score 4-3, in favor of the Rabbits. Water Balloon gets nervous because the numbers on the scoreboard look like the number 43, which he is afraid of. Baskety explains that it's only the scoreboard showing that the Rabbits have four members across, while the Foxes have three.

The newly formed alliance crosses the finish line, making the score 6-4 in favor of the Foxes, to Water Balloon's relief. Music Note asks Pie who they're still waiting for, and Pie answers that they're still waiting for Soccer Ball, Beach Ball, Flight Helmet, and Stethoscope for the Foxes, and Swim Trunks, Bathing Suit, Flasky, Scrolly, Rolling Pin, and Broccoli for the Rabbits. Swim Trunks and Bathing Suit make it across, followed by Beach Ball and Stethoscope. Water Balloon, seeing that the score is now 8-6, asks if someone's shoe is ringing.

Flasky, Scrolly, Rolling Pin, and Flight Helmet cross the finish line, tying the score, which is now 9-9. Water Balloon asks if someone's shoe is ringing again. This time, Megaphone answers Water Balloon's question with a "no", and he adds that now it's down to Soccer Ball and Broccoli. Broccoli makes fun of Soccer Ball's indecisiveness, saying she's clearly going to win. Soccer Ball says, "That's what you think!", and dives down under the water and resurfaces at the finish line, winning the contest for the Foxes.

### After the contest

Music Note and Baskety each pick a ball from the ball pit. To Water Balloon's dismay, Music Note picks 43. Baskety picks 35. After they each pick their ball, Megaphone gives Music Note and Rope one Winning Ball each. He explains that if a contestant has a Winning Ball and they're up for elimination, they can use their ball to convert half their dislikes to likes. Music Note says this sounds useful.

After the end credits, Pie asks Music Note when is a good time for the swimming lessons. Music Note says she should be ready to give Pie swimming lessons by the next episode.

## Trivia

* Rolling Pin is the only contestant who did not speak in this episode.
* The episode's name is a play on "How It Begins", a song by Kevin MacLeod (which plays in the episode).

### Cultural References

* Flasky initially thinks the show will take place in space because the show's name was based on *Star Trek*.
* The "boldly going where no object has gone before" phrase is another *Star Trek* reference.
* When Flasky finds out that the show will not take place in space, she says, "Oh, come on!" This is a reference to Balloon from *Inanimate Insanity*.
* Baskety exploding when Broccoli calls her a "little basket of goodies" is a reference to "Riding Hoods Anonymous", a Fractured Fairy Tale from *Rocky and Bullwinkle*.
* Broccoli calls Snowflake stupid for not knowing how to speak English. Baskety then tells Broccoli to be nice. This is a reference to BFDI 1b. Another reference to that is when Pie chose Snowflake and called her silent, Snowflake wasn’t happy.
* The "team boards" aspect of the show comes from the game show *Lingo*.
* Water Balloon's fear of the number 43 is based on *Odd Squad*. 43 was the badge number of Odd Todd, a former Odd Squad agent who became a villain.
* Water Balloon's inquiries about ringing shoes are a reference to the 1960s TV show *Get Smart*. The main character, Maxwell Smart, was a secret agent with a phone hidden in his shoe. His agent number was 86, and another main character was Agent 99.
* During the team board demonstration, two light yellow circles with gold hair each pick a ball from the ball pit. They are labeled as "Weenas". This is a reference to Weena from H. G. Wells' *The Time Machine*. It is also a pun on "winners".
* The maroon balls in the ball pit are based on the maroon balls in the contest of BFDI 13.

## Deaths

* Baskety explodes when Broccoli calls her a "little basket of goodies".

## Music

(All music in this list is by Kevin MacLeod unless stated otherwise.)

* New Friendly - Played at the beginning.
* How It Begins - Played after the intro.
* Pixel Peeker Polka - slower - Played when Water Balloon and Pie were picking teams.
* Move Forward (pitch raised) - "I think I've come up with mine: the Squeezy Foxes."
* Four Beers' Polka - Played during the contest.
* Overworld - "No, Water Balloon. No one's shoe is ringing."
* Digital Lemonade (pitch raised) - "And the Squeezy Foxes win!"