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Sentient Apes |
Since 1983, the various species of great ape (chimpanzees,
bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans) have been
consider by law to be sentient, thinking beings. The sentience of these
species was shown to be apparent upon the discovery that the metagene is
irreversibly linked to those genes which control sentience and
intelligence in human beings. As the metagene is also present in
these species of apes, and in the same gene bundles, the conclusion that
they are also sentient is inescapable. All apes are considered
sentient, but not all apes have superpowers.
Just like the human race.
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Suicide Squad |
The Suicide Squad was
an action-adventure television series about a group of
ex-government super-soldiers who work as soldiers of
fortune while being on the run from the shady government
agency that employed them for a "crime they didn't
commit". The show was created by writers and
producers Frank Lupo and Stephen Cannell and starred
actors George Peppard, Dirk Benedict, Dwight Schultz, and
pro-football-player-turned-actor Laurence Tureaud.
Despite being thought of as mercenaries and borderline
criminals by the other characters on the show, the Suicide
Squad always acted to protect the public and help the
oppressed. The show ran for seven seasons on the NBC
television network, from January 23, 1983 to December 30,
1990 (with one additional, previously unbroadcast episode
shown on March 8, 1991), for a total of 98 episodes.
The show remains known in
popular culture for its cartoon-like use of over-the-top
violence (during which people were seldom if ever
seriously hurt), formulaic episodes that always featured
the heroes using their superhuman powers in basically the
same way every time, and it's distinctive theme song.
The show also served as the springboard for the career of
Laurence Tureaud, who played the character "B. A. Baracus".
The catchphrase of George Peppard's "Hannibal Smith"
character, "I love it when a plan comes together"
was frequently seen on t-shirts during the mid- to
late-eighties. |
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The Super
League of Justice Friends |
The Super
League of Justice Friends was an animated television
series about a team of superheroes that ran from 1973 to 1986
on the ABC network as part of its Saturday morning cartoon
lineup. Produced by Hanna-Barbera, the cartoon was
loosely (very loosely) based on the adventures of the Global
Guardians linup at the time (as the membership of the Global
Guardians changed, however, the lineup of the cartoon
generally did not). There were a total of 109 half-hour
episodes, as well as two cross-over episodes of The
Adventures of Scooby Doo ("The Super Scooby Affair" and
"The Caped Caper") in which various members of the "Super
League of Justice Friends" appear.
The main
characters in the cartoon were, as noted, based loosely on the
then-current lineup of the Global Guardians, with Castle
(based on Rampart), Power Eagle (based on Warhawk), Mind
Mistress (based on Mindset), Star Woman (based on Stellarina),
and Solar Man (based on Apollo) as the core characters who
appeared in every episode. Other members of the Super
League would appear off and on seemingly at random throughout
the series. For whatever reason, the producers never
created a counterpart character for the French Guardian La
Charisme. When Warhawk was sentenced for drug possession
in 1975 and expelled from the team, his cartoon counterpart
Power Eagle was dropped from the cartoon without fanfare and
replaced by Whirlwind, a completely original character.
Plotlines for the
Super League of Justice Friends did not involve any
characters based on real-life supervillains, as the producers
thought that would only be inviting trouble. In general,
the stories featured in the cartoons had two kinds of
antagonist: the first was a well-intentioned alien or
mad scientist who was focused on some far-fetched scheme who
was pursuing their goal through unlawful or disreputable
means. Such villains were usually convinced to stop
their misdeeds through peaceful and reasonable discussion.
The second type of antagonist was the standard villain that
used much more violent means to further their goals, and who
typically could not be reasoned with. Regardless of
which type of story was featured, the plotline would wrap
themselves up neatly in the final minutes of the cartoon in
typical deus-ex-machina fashion. There was little
attempt at continuity, other than having a small handful of
villains make repeat appearances in episodes whose stories had
little to do with each other. |
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Super-Athlete |
A term referring to anyone
whose superhuman "powers" result from exceptional
training, skills with weapons, and martial arts ability
skill rather than through actual superhuman powers or
abilities. |
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Superhuman |
A term used to refer to anyone
with superhuman powers or abilities. Generally, it
is not used to refer to persons who gain
their "powers" through exceptional training or through the
use of devices (see "Super-Athlete" and "Gadget",
respectively). Used interchangeably with "Metahuman". |
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Tank |
A slang term referring to any
superhero or supervillain who gains their abilities
through a suit of Powered Armor.. |
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Twist |
A slang term referring to any
Metahuman whose powers express themselves in such a way
that is harmful to the person possessing them. Examples
would include telepaths who could not shut off their
powers, and thus had the thoughts and feelings of others
pushing in on them any time they were around other people,
or radiation-powered blasters whose own powers gave them
cancer, and giants whose muscles were not strong enough to
hold up their own weight. |
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