Episode 57: Snowblind
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"Do not worry, my friends. I have no more need to be alone." - Red Star Originally aired: October 28, 2005 Written by Rob Hoegee Directed by Ben Jones While battling a mysterious creature in the wilds of Siberia, Starfire is lost in a blinding snowstorm. A reclusive young soldier named Red Star comes to her aid and the two become fast friends. When Robin and the rest of the Titans arrive, they discover Red Star hides not only a tragic past, but a destructive secret. Jason Marsden as Red Star Ed O'Ross as Raskov Jason Marsden - the voice of Red Star - also played Billy Numerous in the episode, OVERDRIVE. Red Star's origins are very similar to Marvel's Captain America. Frail enlisted man Steve Rogers was given the super-soldier formula and became the legendary hero, Captain America, who fought on behalf of his country. One of the scientists that created Red Star was Professor Chang - the evil inventor who appeared in X and TITANS EAST [part two]. In the comic books, Red Star was originally known as Starfire in 1968 - twelve years before a certain orange-skinned alien was introduced in 1980. He later changed his name to Red Star to avoid confusion. Story Editor/Writer Rob Hoegee on Red Star: “I did read up a little about Red Star [in the comic books]. He’s coming up in an episode called SNOWBLIND. We wanted to create our own take on that character. Other than his name and his costume and a bit of his backstory, he is very much a new take on that character. But he is still from Russia, like in the comics.” Leonid Kovar first appeared in TEEN TITANS #18 [1968]. Leonid's exposure to a meteorite gave him powers - enabling him to become Russia's first young hero as Starfire. Starfire team up with the Titans several times and changed his name to Red Star [no doubt to avoid confusion with a certain alien female hero]. Leonid later joined the team as Red Star and developed fiery new abilities in NEW TITANS #77 [1991]. General Raskov is based on Red Star's surrogate father in the comic book series. Red Star's father, Konstantin, seemingly perished under the service of the Soviet Union. Through much of his adult life, Russian scientist Pyotr Raskov looked after Leonid and became his surrogate father. Red Star was also estranged from his own people in NEW TEEN TITANS (second series) #49 [1988]. He was forced to gain political asylum in the United States after a political incident with Russia. For more information on the comic book versions of the characters - including many images - visit titanstower.com's meeting room page. The Titans World Tour continues! This time, the Titans travel to Russia, and meet another character pulled from the comics: Red Star. Like other episodes in season five, this is a bit of a change of pace episode. It's a little more thoughtful than a typical Teen Titans outing. If you truly think about Red Star's plight, it's a tragic tale. He accidentally destroyed his own city. He's estranged from his own people. And his powers are more a curse than a blessing. That makes Starfire the perfect entry character for this episode, since she is so sympathetic. There's another neat irony to this, since Red Star's original codename was Starfire. Their final moments - where Red Star almost literally becomes a red star in a blaze of sacrifice - are touching. The end of the episode is bittersweet - and you can't help but hope this isn't the end of Red Star. Grade: B+ << back to season five episode guide list EPISODE SCREEN CAPS provided by John The Artist