Justice League(-TV Series) - Starcrossed

Template:Member

"**Starcrossed**" is a three-parter episode and the series finale of Template:Jl. It is composed of the 24th, 25th, and 26th episodes, and it first aired back-to-back on May 29, 2004.

## Plot

The Justice League is staking out a conference of world leaders, based on a tip ***Batman*** received that a terrorist incident may occur. Superman, as Clark Kent, is watching the conference from inside, among the press corps. Outside, ***John Stewart*** steals a few seconds to flirt with ***Hawkgirl***.

Suddenly, a greater menace appears in the sky: ***An alien battleship*** that opens fire. None of the U.S. military's weapons can hurt it. The League attempts to counterattack, but even they are no match for the battleship's weapons. As the League regroups, an even larger alien battleship appears and downs the attacking craft, which crashes. Hawkgirl recognizes the victorious ship as one of her people, the ***Thanagarians***.

The ship's commander, ***Hro Talak***, asks to meet with Earth's leaders. He reveals that Hawkgirl has been lying to her teammates all along: She did not arrive on Earth by accident, nor is she a law enforcement officer. Actually, she is a lieutenant in the Thanagarian military, and was sent to Earth as an advance scout, and somewhat of an ambassador, to prepare for their arrival. Talak explains that for decades Thanagar has been at war with a vicious alien race, the ***Gordanians***, who have targeted Earth for invasion. Talak offers to aid Earth with the full might of his army.

John confronts Hawkgirl, asking what else she's kept secret. Before she can answer them, Hro appears and kisses her in front of John; uncomfortably, she admits that she and Talak are engaged. John is heartbroken by this turn of events, but ever the Marine, he keeps a professional demeanor and doesn't react viscerally. Moments later, while Superman and Wonder Woman are speaking with the worlds leaders, Batman finds John and offers words of consolation. John tries to avoid the subject and starts to leave, but J'onn appears and also tries to console him, revealing he knows how hard it is for two people who are so involved. However, Flash interrupts them and much to his surprise and disbelief discovers Green Lantern and Hawkgirl's relationship. J'onn then tries to make them see Hawkgirl's point of view on the situation as she has been alone, far from home all these years. John asks ***J'onn*** why he never read Shayera's mind, to which J'onn replies that he never could and further reveals that he can't read any of the Thanagarians minds, much to Batman's suspicion.

Having seen the power of the Gordanian ship, Earth's leaders feel they have little choice and accept the Thangarians' offer. Immediately, the Thanagarians begin constructing a massive generator with the League's help in the Gobi Desert, which they say will provide a planetary defense shield.

Batman, suspicious of their sudden circumstances, examines the remains of a dead Gordanian. He finds that all the Gordanians were dead long before the ship appeared on Earth, meaning the attack was a ruse to gain Earth's trust and thus, Talak likely has a secret agenda. Batman sneaks on board the Thanagarian mothership disguised as a delegate before diverting away from the main group and entering the command center. Batman overhears a communication between Talak and the leaders on Thanagar that that the Gordanians are closing in on their homeworld and actually nowhere near Earth. Kragger finds Batman and a brief tussle ensues between Batman and some Thanagarian soldiers. Kragger manages to knock Batman out, but Batman can inform Wonder Woman as to what's going on. Diana contacts Superman to warn him but then the Watchtower is attacked. They enter through the landing bay, having opened it using access codes. Wonder Woman fights them but she is defeated.

In the Gobi Desert, the Thanagarians officially turn on the Justice League, destroying the Javelin. Hawkgirl sees ***Paran Dul*** firing on them and stops her. A nearby construction worker warns ***General Wells*** who then orders an attack. Unfortunately the Thanagarians disable their missiles, tanks and rifles with no problem.

Superman, Flash, J'onn and Green Lantern battle the Thanagarians who defeat all except G.L.: Paran Dul shocks J'onn unconscious; Superman is downed by a Kryptonite energy beam; and Flash is hit with a gravity beam which severely weakens him. GL tries to fly away with his teammates but Kragger seals them in with a force field. John tries to fight his way free, but Hawkgirl shows up, tricking him into lowering his ***power ring***, then knocks him out with her mace and takes his ring. The last thing John sees before losing consciousness is Shayera triumphantly side by side with Talak.

A Thanagarian unit takes control of the ***Watchtower***, while the rest of their forces occupy Earth.

The League is taken prisoner and are to be transported to a holding facility aboard a prison shuttle, each specially restrained in a cell according to Hawkgirl's info: Flash in a heavy gravity field, J'onn in a stasis field to nullify his powers, Superman bathed in red sun radiation, and Wonder Woman's torso lashed to a retractable pillar with her own golden lasso. John and Batman's hands and wrists are encased in a restraint handcuff-style, but Batman's are notably held behind his back.

After Talak warns Earth that the Thanagarians are occupying the planet and the Justice League is in custody, he commends Hawkgirl on a job well done. He has his subordinate, ***Kragger***, show her the League aboard the shuttle when she asks about them. Kragger is suspicious of her sympathies with the League and the humans and suggests Shayera kill them, but she says this would cause a planet-wide revolt. The whole point is to build the shield and leave. She orders that the prisoners be properly cared for.

After Hawkgirl watches the shuttle take off for its destination, a guard delivers prison food to Diana, who goads him into assisting her in eating it as her arms are tied and reminding him of Hawkgirl's orders. He holds out a piece speared on his dagger; she bites his hand, snatching the dagger in her teeth. He charges but she grabs him in a crushing leg lock and headbutts him out cold. The thrown dagger hits the wall panel's button for the pillar and retracts it. She rushes out as the alarm is raised; Batman has her open his cell and the Amazon warrior battles the guards as he frees the others. Batman downs a guard by Flash's cell, and once released Flash finds the guard's keys and unlocks Batman's wrists. Batman and Flash help the weakened Superman and J'onn respectively out of their cells, and once they pick up fallen weapons to even the odds on Batman's suggestion, Flash frees John, who uses his restraint as a convenient bludgeon. A newly arrived guard tries to shoot Diana with a powerful rifle, but is struck with Superman's thrown weapon and the misfire carves a destructive gash through the shuttle's hull. Having recovered enough strength to fly, Superman takes Batman and grabs Flash while Diana takes J'onn and Lantern, and they escape through the breach above Metropolis. The shuttle crash lands in the harbor.

The League elude the Thanagarians patrolling the city searching for them. They decide to stay hidden, and finding themselves in a department store, discard their costumes and don civilian clothes. Flash protests for "secret identity" reasons, but Batman cuts him off, revealing that he (always the detective) already found out Flash's alter ego as Wally West, and unmasks both Superman and himself (J'onn, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern do not have secret identities). The League split into pairs and on Bruce's suggestion, head for ***Gotham City*** 30 miles away to rendezvous at ***Wayne Manor***. The Thanagarians figure out that they have disguised themselves as civilians and hold checkpoints for city-to-city travel.

A confrontation between some young men and Thanagarian soldiers incidentally endangers a couple in front of Bruce and Diana, and she is forced to fly in order to save them. Exposed, she uses her strength to delay pursuers. Recognizing they are Leaguers, an East Indian restaurant owner assists Bruce and Diana. They are quickly ushered into his restaurant and disguised as a pair of lovers having an intimate meal while sharing a passionate kiss. The owner tells the Thanagarians nobody had entered recently, most of the other diners match their basic descriptions, and that the "lovebirds" have been there for hours, so they leave. Bruce and Diana thank the owner after he escorts them to his delivery entrance through the kitchen.

At the train station, Wally and John are in line to board a train. Wally admits his surprise that Batman is Bruce Wayne, while John is surprised of how quickly the Thanagarians have taken over Earth. Wally tries to comfort John, pointing out it isn't his fault for what's happened as Hawkgirl fooled everyone. However, John reveals he doesn't blame himself but Hawkgirl for everything that's happened, but admits he blames himself for caring about her. They soon spot that there's a checkpoint at the head of their line. While it's not clear if Wally has his wallet on him, John is publicly known: they'll be exposed if they stay, but if they run they'll draw too much attention. Clark and J'onn arrive in time to see the problem. J'onn points out if they help them, the civilians could get hurt but Clark has an alternative. Just as it's Wally and John's turn, John prepares himself to attack until Clark appears and pretends to try and get an interview (with J'onn posing as his photographer) to distract the Thanagarian guards while Wally and John slip aboard the train undetected.

Aboard the mothership, Hro reveals the Thanagarians' true plan: the force field generator is actually a ***hyperspace bypass generator***, the last in a series of wormhole relays that will allow the Thanagarians to bypass the Gordanians' defenses and attack their homeworld directly, finally ending the war. Hawkgirl points out that Earth will be destroyed in the process – but to Talak and the others, it is a sad but necessary sacrifice. Hawkgirl is horrified and tries to convince Talak to build it on a desolate planet or moon but he says that it will throw off their calculations for more than five years. He tells her that their obligation is to Thanagar and reminds her of the scars he received from years in a Gordanian prison camp. She hasn't forgotten of course, but protests that a war is no excuse to destroy an innocent world. He angrily cuts her off and demands she obey as her superior officer, to which she says that she doesn't even know him anymore. Kragger interrupts, reporting that they've lost the League, but then smiling at Shayera suggests she would know where they are. She angrily slams him against a console by the neck, warns him to tread lightly around her if he wants to go home and then leaves, but Kragger again smiles and notes to Talak that she didn't really answer the question.

Later, Wally and John arrive at Wayne Manor and meet ***Alfred Pennyworth***, who leads them to the ***Batcave*** as everyone else is present. The rest of the League bring John and Wally up to speed: they are trying to figure out why the Thanagarians are really on Earth. Clark points out it's obviously not to protect them, but Wonder Woman is confused, if Earth isn't in any danger than why are they building the force field. Bruce mentions it might not be a force field and John begins wondering what they are really building. Suddenly, much to everyone's surprise, Hawkgirl reveals herself and admits she can tell them the Thanagarians plan.

Everyone is furious and almost get ready to attack her until Hawkgirl says she only came to help. Wally points out that she hasn't been "helping" considering everything that's happened, but Hawkgirl explains that the Thanagarians are really building a hyperspace bypass, which will destroy the entire planet and gives Bruce the data on the project, while also revealing she didn't know of their true plan. Bruce accepts the information, then coldly orders her out. Everyone then turns their backs, leaving only Hawkgirl and John together. She asks John why isn't he leaving, he replies that the last time he let his guard down, she sucker-punched him. Hawkgirl reveals it wasn't personal, but John doesn't believe her. Hawkgirl only admits she did what she thought was right then, just as she feels that warning them is the right thing to do now, and returns his ***power ring***. Hawkgirl then flies out of the Batcave.

Unfortunately, Kragger has planted a bug on Shayera, allowing him to track her to the League's hideout.

As soon as Shayera returns to the mothership, Kragger has her arrested. He plays the recording of her conversation with the League for Hro, revealing both her treachery and her affection for John. A heartbroken Hro orders her locked up. He assaults Kragger for the devastating evidence, and then orders an attack on Wayne Manor. He wants her to admit it was a mistake, but she says he has changed.

Kragger leads a strike team to Wayne Manor to eliminate the League. Fully powered now, the League beats back the attack and takes several prisoners. Unfortunately, J'onn is unable to figure out how to pilot Kragger's ship, so he goes deeper into his mind to find out. However, Kragger's mental defenses, manifesting in the form of hawks, attack J'onn with such ferocity, his wounds appear on his body in reality. However, J'onn is able to topple the mental flame inside Kragger, gaining the information he sought while leaving Kragger temporarily catatonic.

Meanwhile, back at the mothership, Hro visits Shayera's cell, asking her why she betrayed them and told the League about the bypass. She replies that she wanted to save lives, while Hro then says that he wanted to save the Thanagarian race. Shayera replies that her love would have found a different solution, and Hro then says if she was talking about him or John. He then says that he could forgive her and make all of this go away if she admits he's the one she loves. Shayera tells him to spare the Earth and its people, but Hro refuses and walks away.

Batman is in command of their strategy: Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern attack the command ship to shut down the force field protecting the hyperspace generator; Batman, Flash, and J'onn infiltrate the Watchtower using the strike team's shuttle (with J'onn masquerading as Kragger) and incapacitate the occupation force. With the Watchtower taken back, Batman explains that he plans to take the Watchtower out of orbit and use it as a missile to destroy the generator. The Leaguers load the unconscious Thanagarians into the escape pods, but Batman sneaks out to launch the pod with Flash and J'onn still inside, sparing them from his kamikaze mission. Batman explains that he has to guide the Tower in manually in case it burns on re-entry, even if it means sacrificing himself. He bids his comrades farewell.

While Superman and Wonder Woman battle the Thanagarian fighters, Lantern breaks into the ship to reach the force field controls. Talak is waiting for him, determined not to let Batman succeed in his suicide mission and also desiring revenge on Lantern for his "stolen" love.

As Wonder Woman fights her way through another part of the ship, she passes Hawkgirl's cell. Though bitter, she releases Hawkgirl, who takes up a convenient Nth metal mace from an unconscious soldier. With the generator complete, the Thanagarians begin the activation to open the hyperspace gate. The Watchtower travels down through the atmosphere, piloted by Batman, having strapped himself into the seat. As the heat increases, the Tower begins to break up. He checks in with Superman on how they're doing with the shield, revealing his current location. On hearing this, Superman breaks off from the battle and flies to intercept him.

In the control room, Lantern fights hard against Talak, but loses after Talak slices his ring in half which seriously injures his hand and wrist, and is knocked out. Talak raises his battle axe for the kill, and Hawkgirl appears to do battle with her ex-fiancée, who beats her and renounces his love for her. Lantern regains consciousness, and attacks Talak again, but is very weak from the previous fight. As Talak punches him, Lantern taunts him, and an enraged Talak swings his axe. Lantern dodges away from the force field control he was standing in front of and Talak inadvertently hits the shield surrounding it. In the resulting explosion, Talak is knocked out and the shield drops, allowing Lantern to deactivate the force field with Shayera's help. Superman streaks after the Watchtower as Batman, overcome by the heat and smoke, finally passes out. As the station is low enough inside the atmosphere, Superman breaks in and pulls Batman free just before it hits, destroying the generator. Superman and Batman share a smile, saluting each other's bravery.

Aboard the ship, Lantern and Hawkgirl are confronted by more Thanagarian soldiers. Wonder Woman arrives to help, but Talak orders his men to stand down – their mission has failed and further occupation of Earth is pointless. He tells Hawkgirl it will take years to rebuild: she notes that he should get started right away, and leaves with the League.

At Wayne Manor, Hawkgirl watches a news report with obvious heartache, as her people have ended the occupation and are leaving the planet, thanks to the Justice League. She is waiting while the League debates whether to allow her to remain. Serving her some tea, Alfred tells her that regardless of what the others decide, the fact is her actions saved Earth at great personal sacrifice and he will always consider her a hero for that. She returns his smile with a small one of her own, finding some comfort in that.

In the conference room, Flash and Wonder Woman are the strongest for and against votes. Wonder Woman votes against Hawkgirl, reminding everyone that she betrayed them and revealed their weaknesses. However Flash votes to allow her to stay, pointing out Hawkgirl came through in the end, as she has always done, and was stuck with the ultimate no-win situation. J'onn agrees with Flash to allow her to stay while mentioning they are all Hawkgirl has left. Superman feels for Hawkgirl, but reveals that after everything that's happened he doesn't know if he could ever completely trust her again. Lantern is quiet while appearing upset. Batman speaks up, pointing out they're arguing in circles, and that it's time they voted. Hawgirl is still waiting nervously until Alfred appears and tells Hawkgirl they want to see her.

In the conference room, Superman is about to announce the League's decision, but Hawkgirl interrupts, deciding to resign from the League. As she goes, Flash stops her momentarily and hugs her warmly. J'onn and Superman say that it's their duty to rebuild the League.

Outside Wayne Manor, John shares a brief, emotional moment with Hawkgirl before she leaves; she's not sure where, just as long as the weight of the world is not on her shoulders, with "no secrets and no lies." On his question of her love, she one last time tells him that she does indeed love him. After she flies away, John tearfully and quietly replies that he loves her too.

## Continuity

* ***Hawkgirl*** explained to ***J'onn J'onzz*** in "Twilight" that she was a Thanagarian law officer stranded on Earth when a group of criminals she was pursuing managed to catch her in a teleporter beam. This finale revealed that the true story along with the reasons for her previous duplicity. This also explains why Hawkgirl looked uneasy regarding the topic of Thanagar:
	+ In "Part I", she looked worried that J'onn could read her mind, when he asked her if she was thinking of home.
	+ In "Part II", she dismissed J'onn suggestion to search through Brainiac's data banks for information about Thanagar.
	+ In "**The Terror Beyond**", she recognized some Thanagarian runes while fighting ***Doctor Fate*** and instantly demanded him to disclose what he knew about Thanagar in a very aggressive demeanor.
* J'onn says he never could read Hawkgirl's mind, having previous issues entering her dreamworld in "***Only A Dream***".
* The kiss shared by Bruce Wayne and ***Wonder Woman*** while on the run from Thanagarians continued the recurring subplot of the growing attraction between the two Leaguers, as seen in "***The Brave and the Bold***" and "***Maid of Honor***".
* Before this episode, the other Justice League members are unaware of ***Batman***'s secret identity, except for Superman having been aware since the Template:Stas and Template:Tnba crossover "World's Finest", and Wonder Woman caught on in "***Maid of Honor***". Although not explicitly stated Hawkgirl also presumably learned of it before this episode as well due to her somehow knowing the location of and entering the Batcave, surprising Batman, probably due to having files on him and the other members of the League.
	+ While waiting for ***John Stewart*** and Wally West in the ***Batcave***, Clark Kent is the only visitor casually leaning against the Batcomputer, demonstrating his ease and familiarity. Bruce sits in his usual chair and apparently didn't object either.
* During the fight in the Batcave, ***Kragger*** attempts to use one of ***Mr. Freeze***'s ***freeze guns*** on Superman. Despite Kragger's tactic backfiring, the gun remained intact, setting up its future use by ***Batman II*** in the Template:Bb episodes "***Black Out***" and "***Disappearing Inque***".
* Batman using the ***original Watchtower*** to destroy the hyperspace generator is the second time that Batman has nearly gotten himself killed saving the world, with the first in "***Maid of Honor***". A third time is when he'll take a similarly suicidal risk in the Template:Jlu episode "***The Doomsday Sanction***".
* Before Shayera Hol leaves the League, the ***Flash*** gives her a hug. Similarly in the Template:Jlu episode "***To Another Shore***", Flash hugs J'onn right before the latter leaves the League for an indefinite period of time to live amongst the people of earth and try to find some way to connect with humanity.
* The results of the vote are revealed in the Template:Jlu episode "***Wake the Dead***": John recused himself due to his personal feelings, and Superman 'broke the tie' in favor of allowing Shayera to remain because Superman believes in second chances and he believes in his friends. How the others voted is not explicitly revealed, but their perspectives during the pre-vote debate and process of elimination would indicate that Flash and J'onn voted in Shayera's favor while Wonder Woman and Batman voted against her.
* The crisis involving the hyperspace generator was one of the main reasons for the installation of the ***second Watchtower***'s powerful laser cannon, as revealed in the Template:Jlu episode "Flashpoint".
* This finale's events are referenced again in several episodes of Template:Jlu ("***The Return***", "***Wake the Dead***", "***The Once and Future Thing Part One: Weird Western Tales***", "***The Once and Future Thing Part Two: Time, Warped***", "***Task Force X***", "***The Balance***", "***Hunter's Moon***", and "Divided We Fall").

## Background information

### Home video releases

* ***Justice League - Starcrossed: The Movie (VHS)***
* ***Justice League - Starcrossed: The Movie (DVD)***
* ***Justice League Triple Feature (DVD)***
* Template:Jldvd2
* ***Justice League - Season Two (Blu-ray)***
* ***Justice League - Starcrossed: The Movie (Mini-DVD)***
* ***Justice League - The Complete Series (DVD)***

### Production notes

* At the time it was made, the producers were unsure whether the series would continue, so they wanted to make this finale as spectacular as possible. However, ***Cartoon Network*** ordered the production of Template:Jlu, which extended the series.
* ***Maria Canals*** was originally cast as ***Hawkgirl*** because of her Hispanic accent as the producers wanted her character to sound subtly different from the rest. Most actors playing Thanagarians were Hispanic; others used a Hispanic accent for the few lines of select Thanagarians.
* When the other six Justice Leaguers are disguising themselves, Superman poses as Clark Kent while ***Batman***'s appearance as Bruce Wayne is an amalgam of his Template:Btas and Template:Tnba design which is later recycled for ***Terry McGinnis*** in the Template:Jlu episode "***Epilogue***" due to their kinship.
* When Superman and ***Wonder Woman*** throw a Thanagarian craft through the control center, the ensuing explosion of the ship is inverted footage from ***Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker*** when the Jolly Jack Candy Factory's door is blown up.
* The film's single disc release included a full orchestral version of the Justice League theme, with titles showing the evolution of the relationship between ***John Stewart*** and Shayera Hol.
* ***Victor Rivers*** is a leading crusader against domestic violence and on behalf of abused women. According to Part III's commentary, he was uncomfortable doing the battle scene between ***Hro Talak*** and Hawkgirl.
* During the original fight between Hro and Hawkgirl, the script called for him to grab her by the hair and slam her face into the wall; instead, he shocks her with his battle axe.
* During Part III's Template:Jldvd2, ***Bruce Timm*** claims that the creative team made a special white frame for the fans which can be seen when Hawkgirl gets smacked in the face by Hro.

 File:Special White Frame.png
* The commentary for the Template:Jlu episode "***The Return***" mentioned that the Thanagarians were going to be shown destroying ***Oa***.
* According to Part III's commentary, the producers were impressed with the late ***Elizabeth Peña***'s voice work in particular, and one of the primary reasons the Template:Jlu episode "***Hunter's Moon***" was written was to give her an opportunity to do more.
* After this finale and before the production of Template:Jlu, the producers started the development of a DTV entitled ***Justice League: Worlds Collide***. However, the production was finally wrapped due the lack of production team.

### Production inconsistencies

* The jets that are scrambled to go after the ***Gordanian Class-7 Cruiser*** have "VA 010" on their tail. In the US Air Force, "VA" is used by units from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. The second part is used to denote the unit number (in the case of VA, "182 FG"). Two-digit numbered units do not receive an extra zero in front of them.
* When J'onn J'onzz fell unconscious in the end of Part I, he reverts to his assumed semi-human form and doesn't revert to his natural Martian appearance until later (though this may be due to his semi-human form becoming a default form like in comics).
* General Wells refers to the NATO leaders as "gentlemen" despite one being a woman.
* When Kragger brings Shayera Hol in for her treason, Hro Talak is wearing the top of his armor. But when Kragger passes Hro to put in the holographic video, it disappears.
* When the League fights the Thanagarians in the Batcave, the Template:Bb background is used as one can see Batman II's ***Batsuit*** (albeit a yellow emblem instead of the red one).
* Shayera hands the ***power ring*** to John with her left hand, but Kragger's holographic video depicts her handing the ring to him with her right (the ring's insignia is also sideways). Also, Wally West and J'onn switch sides with Clark and John with Diana and Bruce remaining down the middle. Within each pair, they remain in their positions and the emblem on Kragger's holo-cam is always facing Shayera's right (so there are still inconsistencies even if the video was meant to be in reverse).
* Batman closes the shutters over the Watchtower's viewports when he takes the Watchtower out of orbit. But in the next scene, they are open again.
* During the final round of his fight with Hro in Part III, the slash on John's uniform and chest disappears then reappears from one shot to the next.
* The ***Hyperspace Bypass Generator*** is said to be in the Gobi Desert, which is in Mongolia and northern China. However, the Watchtower diagram when Batman is guiding it to impact pinpoints a location in northern Nigeria, which has a Sahal/tropical savannah climate, not a full desert.

### Trivia

* Thanks to Hawkgirl's spying, each of the Leaguers are held prisoner by the Thanagarians by a method that neutralizes their powers:
	+ Wonder Woman is tied to a pole by her Golden Lasso;
	+ Superman is exposed to red solar lamps that drain his powers;
	+ Flash is held in an artificial gravity field that makes his limbs too heavy to move;
	+ Batman and Green Lantern are deprived of their equipment and held in restraints;
	+ J'onn is likewise held in an energy field that makes him too weak to move, and unable to phase through his restraints.
* Though it is not established in the ***DC Animated Universe***, Green Lanterns are traditionally vulnerable to the color yellow. The shield that a Thanagarian Soldier uses to absorb John's blast and send it back turned the energy yellow and bypassed John's shield with ease, though this may have simply been because energy blasts are traditionally colored yellow and it pierced John's shield because it was charged and focused into hitting him.
* This marks ***Alfred Pennyworth***'s last appearance in the ***DCAU***.
* This is the second of three instances in the series when J'onn appears in his human guise.
* This is the first time Flash's face is seen under his mask; it also confirms that he is based on Wally West, the third Flash (after Jay Garrick and Barry Allen).
* During the fight in the ***Batcave***, Batman uses a set of sonic batarangs to sic a swarm of bats onto the Thanagarians; on the commentary, ***Dwayne McDuffie*** admits that he "happily stole" this trick from the comics story "Batman: Year One", which was likewise copied in the live-action films *Batman Begins* and *Batman Returns*. In *The Batman* episode "The End Of The Batman", the Batcave is virtually destroyed and Batman is forced to call on the 'home field advantage' of the bats living in the cave to help in the fight like Batman did in this episode.
* The episode shares many similar elements with the 2000 storyline *Tower of Babel*. Hawkgirl's countermeasures against her teammates being exploited by the Thanagarians is reminiscent to Batman's countermeasures in the event the Justice League goes rogue being stolen by ***Ra's al Ghul*** in order to prevent the group from interfering with his plans for the world's population. In addition, the final scene in ***Wayne Manor*** is very similar to the final scene in the comics storyline as the League debates and votes on whether or not to dismiss a member that was (at least partially) responsible for their recent enemy knowing how to take each of them down. In *Tower of Babel*, the League debates whether or not to expel Batman due to a perceived breach-of-trust in developing the failsafes. In both debates, Wonder Woman is upset at the member in question and states she can't trust them anymore (for a while at least). Both votes come to a tie leaving Superman to cast the deciding vote, which he doesn't get to voice in either situation due to the member in question voluntarily leaving before the League's decision was announced (although it is shown in the comic that Superman would have voted for Batman's expulsion, while in this continuity it would be revealed that he voted for Hawkgirl's permanence). Also in both cases, the outcast Leaguer was eventually readmitted to the League.
* The title is a reference to the phrase "star-crossed lovers" from Shakespeare's *Romeo and Juliet*. The phrase "star-crossed" indicates predestination — i.e., that certain fates are written in the stars and in Romeo and Juliet's case, their love was doomed.
* Similar to that play, this finale features two people — John and Shayera — who are genuinely in love with each other, but are tragically forced to be apart by their conflicting loyalties to two warring sides.
* Also similar to that play, the part in the prologue "Both alike in dignity" about having the same rank, Shayera Hol and Kragger are both Lieutenants. The "from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean" can also refer to the Thanagarian-Gordanian war which (according to Hro Talak) lasted for generations and was bloody. The "a pair of star-crossed lovers" also refers to John and Shayera, like it does Romeo and Juliet.
* Flash jokingly refers to Alfred as "Jeeves", after P.G. Wodehouse's famous valet character.
* Hro Talak is an anagram of Katar Hol, the real name of the Silver Age version of ***Hawkman***. This seems to be the result of Carter Hall having been originally planned as the villain of the story. According to James Tucker, despite having held off on the character for that purpose, ultimately it was decided "fans would have screamed that they felt cheated."
* On the commentary, Bruce Timm jokes that Batman seems to have a death wish.
* The scene when Hro swings his axe into the force field is reminiscent of the James Bond film *Goldfinger*, when Bond defeats the seemingly invincible thug Oddjob by tricking him into touching an electrified set of bars.
* When Hro displays the atrocities of the Gordanians, one visual depicts one crushing a skull stomping the ground while firing its weapon on a devastated battlefield. This scene mirrors James Cameron's film *Terminator 2*, where a Terminator robot does the exact same act.
* When Batman infiltrated the Thanagarian command ship, his disguise is made to make him look like the late Alan Napier (Alfred Pennyworth in the 1966 *Batman* TV Show starring ***Adam West***). Batman even uses a voice similar in sound to Alan Napier.
* This is Shayera Hol's final appearance in her "Hawkgirl" guise. When she returns in Template:Jlu, she is helmetless and is wearing more civilian clothing, though there is some old footage of her as Hawkgirl shown on the Template:Jlu episode "***Shadow of the Hawk***".
* While gloating over the League's defeat, Kragger refers to Batman as "broken" despite the latter being simply imprisoned, a likely reference to Batman's most infamous defeat in the comics storyline "Knightfall" where ***Bane*** 'broke the bat'. Ironically, Hector Elizondo (Kragger's voice actor) had previously voiced Bane in ***Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman***.
* According to ***Dwayne McDuffie***, this episode is somewhere between a week to a couple months after ***Wild Cards***. He's also stated that the events of the episode take place over the course of "a few weeks".

## References

Template:Reflist

1. ↑ [1]
2. ↑ DOING THE LEAGUE JUSTICE: Timm & Tucker Talk About New Season…And Just What’s Up With WB Animation? by Steve Fritz
3. ↑ DCAU Resource - Dwayne McDuffie Quotes Archive