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"I am happy to see her. But Blackfire rules the videogames and she is able to share very depressing poems and she knows the cool moves and she always knows when people are not talking about shovels"
- StarfireOriginally aired: July 26, 2003 Written by Amy Wolfram
Directed by Alex Soto
When a mysterious alien probe shows up to haul Starfire away, sweet-natured Star has no idea why it came. And when Starfire's sister Blackfire shows up to visit, Starfire just wishes she would leave. Blackfire's wild, cool, and hip -- everything Starfire's not. And the other Titans seem to like Blackfire so much, Starfire thinks they won't need her around anymore. But just as Star's thinking about leaving, a couple of alien thugs (Kai and Cron) show up to haul her away. Can Robin save Starfire? Will Starfire find out why these nasty aliens are after her anyway?
Hynden Walch, who does the voice of Starfire, also provides the voice of Blackfire
Rino Romano as Kai
David Sobolov as Cron
First appearance of Blackfire, Starfire's sister
Producer Glen Murakami on SISTERS: "Besides action and humor, interaction will be an important part of the series. "Every story has a moral that I think kids can relate to," said Mr. Murakami. "The third episode, 'Final Exam,' is kind of about being bullied. 'Sisters' is about sibling rivalry and Starfire learning about herself. And I think the Titans' problems are something that kids have to deal with."Producer Glen Murakami on Blackfire: "I was glad that we did Blackfire. And I thought it was funny to do it in that kind of "I Dream Of Jeannie"/"Bewitched" way. I thought it was cool to do that with the characters. And again, it’s like, how do we take this big dramatic Blackfire story arc – how do we do that and distill it all down into one episode? And I think we did it. I think you get it; You instantly understand their relationship. I think we held true to the character – but we just crammed it all into 22 minutes [laughs]."
Producer/Story Editor David Slack on SISTERS: "On the script side, we thought SISTERS really came together. I remember in the story break for that one. Glen [Murakami] and I were talking about plot points.. what Blackfire was up to and where the aliens were coming from... then Amy [Wolfram] said, "I think we just need a scene where they sit down and talk about how they feel." And Glen and I were like "Aha." So Amy wrote that scene in addition to doing a really great script. There's just a nice fun, heartfelt simplicity to SISTERS. And we also got really nice animation on that one, which always helps. There's a really nice feel to that episode... I think it's one of the best we've done. I think at that point, we knew something about this was really working. "
"[...] One of the reasons the first season was so difficult was the way me and Glen had approached it. Rather than let the style of the show dictate what types of stories we would tell, we would instead let the stories we wanted to tell dictate the episode. So SISTERS is our "I Dream of Jeannie" episode."
"[...] SISTERS set a lot as far as tone. We were lucky to get that as a second episode. It gave us something to refer to. There was that scene where we got to the emotional issue of the episode. So we have those scenes in there now - those emotional moments. "
Writer/Stort Editor Amy Wolfram on SISTERS: " I think everyone - at some point in their lives - feels like they don't fit in. And that someone else has it easier. And that's where that came from. I mean, I was never the "head cheerleader" or anything like that. I felt I was someone just trying to figure out who I was. I think when you put Starfire in this environment, she doesn't see all the wonderful things about herself. Then put her sister next to her - a sister that can do everything! It's interesting to see a superhero have a sibling she feels inferior to. And that's really how we approached that one. It's about siblings. And how you sometimes feel inadequate next to them."
"[...] There's that scene where Starfire is in the disco club. And she's really not getting it. And meanwhile, her sister is dancing and having a great time. I think a lot of people have felt that. We always wanted it to be something that would feel real. Something that people would 'get.' "
Starfire's sister Blackfire was even more vicious in the comic book tales. Blackfire was born without the power of flight, and was passed over as heir to Tamaran - which was bestowed on her younger sister, Starfire. For this, she hated Starfire. She killed her pet, betrayed her planet to the evil Gordanians and sold her sister into slavery. When they met again, Blackfire and Starfire fought viciously - almost to the death.Years later, Blackfire returned and ruled Tamaran but learned to soften her ways. But the sisters always seem to remain at odds with each other.Blackfire and Starfire's history is detailed in Tales of the New Teen Titans mini-series #4 [1982] which shows the origin of Starfire.
Starfire mentions that on her planet fireworks may mean "The Gordanians are attacking." The Gordanians were a lizard race of aliens that would enslave anyone they conquered. In the comic books, the Titans rescued Starfire from her enslavement by the Gordanians in New Teen Titans #1 [1980]. That's how she met the team.
For more information on the comic book versions of the characters - including many images - visit titanstower.com's meeting room page.
This episode really hits on everything the series is about. Quite simply, it's a gem... and I'm not talkin' Centauri Moon Diamonds.This episode really discovers the key to the series success: The plot can be simple if the characters and their emotions are something we are invested in. The story is admittedly familiar, but its told so sweetly that you can scarcely complain. Also, the series proves that it's incredibly adept at handling humor. There's some genuine laughs here - both through dialogue and sight gags.
I also appreciated how the characters were handled. Sure, the Titans enjoyed Blackfire's jet-setting lifestyle... but they aren't 'duped' into liking Blackfire. They don't come across as gullible or insensitive to Starfire. And Starfire's assessment of the situation is exaggerated in her own mind. This is much more interesting than, say, Robin being led around by the nose by Blackfire. Even though the series is a kid's cartoon, there's an approach to the characters that show that the people making the show CARE about it.
The comic book fan in me was also glad to see Blackfire used. Taking the entire space saga of the comic books and condensing it into an "I Dream of Jeannie" evil sister riff was a gamble. But it paid off because it was executed so well. (And hey, I'm a sucker for the Jeannie evil sister episodes.) Plus, we see the first hints at a Robin/Starfire romance. And it's done without being treacly or playing it for laughs. Special mention also goes out to Hynden Walch - who provides voices for both Starfire and Blackfire. Both characters remain distinct and the voice actress doesn't miss a beat.
Great characterization. Nice humor bits. An homage to its comic book roots. This is one of the best episodes of the entire series. Remarkable considering it's the second episode out of the gate! Grade: A+
