by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Welcome to Cross-Platform Partners. In honor of a new movie release, I have selected a TV show to watch to pair with the movie. Think of it as a way to get hyped for the new movie, a preview of things to come, a means to tide you over if the movie won’t be released where you live for a little while, or a change of pace if you’ve run out of related movies or sequels.
When I was younger, my cousin Billy and his girlfriend (now wife) Karen took my sister and I to a lot of movies. They were our de facto babysitters, especially since my mom worked multiple jobs while we were growing up. We saw a lot of kids movies, but the one that stood out the most was the original Toy Story. I loved everything about the movie and I played the game on Sega Genesis until the cartridge stopped working. Toy Story is starting to become borderline underrated and doesn’t get the credit it deserves for being the first fully computer animated movie. It helped usher in a new era of movies, while also introducing us to the powerhouse that became Pixar. There are so many great moments and characters that spawned from Toy Story that it was only inevitable that there would be spinoffs. There were numerous characters that could have done well with a spinoff series, and there were a lot of options to choose from. So in honor of Lightyear being released 27 years after the original Toy Story that introduced him, I watched the show Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is about Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Patrick Warbutron) as he travels around the galaxy to aid those in need. He is assisted by fellow Star Command members Booster (Stephen Furst) and Mira Nova (Nicole Sullivan) as they resolve conflict and defeat villains. Evil Emperor Zurg (Wayne Knight) comes into focus on the galaxy’s main threat, and he and Buzz come to blows many times throughout the course of the series. Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is shockingly not available anywhere in physical media, nor is it available on Disney+ or any other streaming platform. It ran for two seasons originally on ABC and UPN.
My eldest daughter is a big fan of Disney Channel shows, and one show she loves is Sofia The First. They didn’t really do a pilot episode but rather a pilot “movie” where they set up the show and introduce all the main characters. I was five episodes deep into Buzz Lightyear of Star Command when I realized how lost I was about some of the characters. I did find that they did have a movie that outlines the origins of the show. For completionists and those interested in the show, watch the movie Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins. I was semi-familiar with the movie, but it’s super helpful to watch before diving into the show.
This is Buzz Lightyear’s show from start to finish. He is an idol and famous for being an elite space ranger. He gets the bulk of the cool missions, and rarely does he take a backseat or listen to anyone else about a situation. His team follows up almost blindly, but they still push back on him when they think he’s being steered in the wrong direction. There are a lot of problems around the galaxy, ranging from diplomatic issues to straight up criminals causing havoc. What’s nice about the show is that it tries to talk about real problems and make them palatable and relatable to kids so they can understand. It injects enough humor and lightheartedness in, but parents should understand what the show is trying to do.
The voice cast does pretty well together. The only difference in the cast between the movie and the show is Tim Allen’s absence as Buzz. Allen voiced Lightyear in all the movies, including The Adventure Begins,and his presence is sorely missed even though Warburton does a great job. It’s just different. The team as a whole works well together, with Booster bringing some great comedy and slapstick humor, but also brings the muscle to the team. Mira in turn offers some much needed no-nonsense and straightforward space ranger work to the team. She’s just as talented as Buzz, but doesn’t always get the same chances to shine. Other characters pop in and out of the series, like XR (Larry Miller and Neil Flynn) a robot that assists the team, and Commander Nebula (Adam Corolla), who’s in charge of Star Command.
The main villain is Evil Emperor Zurg, and he pops up every now and again. I’m glad it wasn’t a situation where Zurg was the only villain for the show and every henchman works for him. A few people show up from time to time that are allies with Zurg, but they don’t show up enough to be a consistent threat. For instance, Warp Darkmatter (Diedrich Bader) comes up in about 10 episodes and presents a real challenge to the team. It was nice to see other one-off villains that appear in a variety of different systems. Most villains show up in a creature-of-the-week format, where there’s a specific threat and Star Command has to solve the problem. It’s a very crime procedural type of show, but for kids. Making it non-serialized helps the show be pretty straightforward and easy to follow for kids and adults alike.
The aliens from Toy Story make appearances as well, and make for a fun connection to the original franchise. I’m glad that there weren’t any other attempts to jam in more references to the original toys from Toy Story,as it wouldn’t have made a lot of sense for them to show up.
Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command is a fun show that is worth the watch if you can find it somewhere. Again, make sure to watch the movie first, as it’s essential to understanding the team and what’s at stake. Disney+ made a mistake by not adding this to its lineup in time for Lightyear’s release. I’m wondering if Lightyear will spawn a franchise, and if this will eventually introduce elements of the show in the movies. I’m also very curious to see how Chris Evans will pan out as Buzz, or if we collectively will be missing Allen. I’m looking forward to watching this one with my daughter, who’s already excited about a talking cat named Sox. It will be interesting to explain where all the other toys are and why Buzz is on his own. I’m just hoping for a fun adventure with a motley crew for Buzz to whip into shape. Fingers crossed that this will be the first of many outings for the space ranger and his team.
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