Saturday – 26 May 2007
I just finished watching today’s Legion of Super Heroes episode, a rebroadcast of “Chain of Command.” Having already seen this episode, I could get past the “Wow… it’s an LSH toon” factor (a bit) and more fully appreciate the episode and some of its more subtle points.

The big one was a comment that Lightning Lad makes to Ferro Lad about not being able to trust him because he wore a mask. That got me thinking: How many Legionnaires have worn masks? Three… although, you could make a possible, though weak, argument for four:

Ferro Lad wore a mask because of horrible disfiguration. Wildfire’s “mask” was part of his containment suit – he was a being composed of energy and, outside of the suit, had no humanoid form. Sensor Girl’s mask was actually used to conceal her identity… from other Legionnaires and from enemies; she later revealed her identity to her teammates. Quislet was also an energy being, but his “mask” was actually a small “exploration vehicle.” And, in an interesting note: Although Quislet could not exist outside of his exploration vehicle for extended periods of time, he was able to teach Wildfire how to shape his energy into a humanoid form, without the need for a containment suit.

The rest of the Legion went maskless. Their identities were, as far as I can tell, common knowledge. They were not only deputized members of the United Planets’ Science Police – they were also seen somewhat as celebrities. I recall some issues showing panels of Legionnaires “out on the town” and being approached for autographs or holographic pictures. Legionnaires were also points of pride for their homeworlds. There were issues when a Legionnaire would lead a team on a mission to his/her home… and the world would roll out the red carpet, much in the way that Smallville (in DC’s original continuity) had sign at the town limits announcing it as “the home of Superboy.”

Another interesting point was how determined Lightning Lad was to save his homeworld. He was very take-charge and headstrong in his quest to see to it that Winath was saved… even to the point of ignoring all of the obvious signs around him. I don’t think that I had really registered the resignation in his character when his family farm was destroyed… and the only thing that he was able to save was one family “photo.” (It’s the 31st Century, it was probably a holo or some other digital image, but why quibble?)

I also liked the exchange between Superman and Lightning Lad, after Superman discovers that Winath is a farm world:

Superman: *surprised* “You’re a farm boy?!”
Lightning Lad: *indignant look and tone* “An industrial agrarian technician.”

I thought that it was nice to see Superman try to find some common ground with a teammate, only to have his comment sneered at because being called “a farmer” was insulting. As I posted in my previous look at this episode, some of Lightning Lad’s characterization was a little off… but I thought this was a nice – and amusing – touch.

All-in-all, I think that this was a solid episode.