Almost anything that can happen to a cranefly is better than being a cranefly. They are worse at evasive flying than thistledown- their survival strategy seems to be to blunder into a predator’s face so it goes “Aaaaaah! Legs everywhere! Get it off!”
Ma-ti’s “Heart” power sounded lame, sure, but in practice it seemed to mostly have the effect of spontaneously generating vegetation. I would think that Virginia, of all people would appreciate the applications of a ring that had a light beam that caused plants to sprout wherever it hit. Point that baby at a human, you create an instant Brundletree.
Which goes to show what a chump Captain Planet was. If he had given Heart to Virginia, New York City would be a beautiful rainforest utterly hostile to human life.
From the sound of it, he had very broadly defined control over life in general, which has pretty terrifying implications. Tracking DNA, mind control, control over others’ bodily functions, probably even the ability to freely modify any living organism.
Or to put it another way, he could’ve made every organism on earth immune to the effects of pollution and effortlessly resolved the sole conflict of the series on day 1, but he didn’t.
I remember Ma-Ti directly controlled people’s free will on at least one occasion. When Wheeler used time travel to never join the Planeteers in the first place, Ma’Ti was begging on the street when a man scoffed at his request for money. Heart Ring, and the guy walked back and gave some money.
That suggests mind-control to me. Ma-Ti was basically a Jean Grey who never realized their full power.
Yes but even Mati didn’t know how to weaponize it. The kid could talk to anyone around the world at any time via telepathy, could mind control animals, could read thoughts, AND could knock people out with his brain and yet got written off as the shitty Planeteer. Try hiring someone over 12, Gaia…..
Sure, but that’s a pretty specific weakness. If you’re designing a bioweapon in the 1990s and you find out that it could be stopped by Adolf Hitler, that’s probably not a huge concern because Hitler didn’t get out and about much that decade.
Heart is always overpowered. Considering that we’re dealing with Virginia, I’d say the chances are equally divided between “causes people to squee at everything” and “spontaneous heart attacks”.
I have to agree with you on your second point. It doesn’t say much for the engineers who built her specifically, or for the rest of us in general. Maybe knowing Dr. Lee might help with that (up until Ginny finds a way to install a cloned brain in her).
Nothing wrong with the show, Ma-Ti on the other foot…
He was only chosen because Whoopi Goldberg needed a fifth power to summon CeePee, and ‘heart’ was all she could think of
My thought exactly. I know there is a certain level of pop culture knowledge necessary for the pop-reference-a-holics but some things are best left forgotten. Says the crusty old man whose age at the time of Captain Planet was NOT the show’s demographic.
Seriously, the problem was the inconsistent writing of what the Heart power was, I think. Even the writers couldn’t understand the concept or keep it straight.
The concept did make me wonder what would happen if you used the power on an A.I., though.
I grew up watching that show on Nick at Nite. Great episode of a great show. Any time Danny Thomas comes up in conversation, I reflexively intone, “What is a Danny Thomas?”
(“Uhny Uftz” was a different great episode, though, outworldcats. And I find myself quoting “Kind of like being the last living cell in a dead building” a lot.)
It’s easy to rag on “the power of Heart,” especially given what Ginny is riffing on in panel four. But perhaps Heart deserves re-consideration. After all, what about love?
Empathy allowed Milton Erickson to become so effective. Derren Brown uses techniques taken directly from the Milton Erickson playbook to create “Assassination” and “Paper Trick” and other demonstrations. These two examples show that a clear and deep enough understanding of empathy can allow one to create an assassin who will kill upon command and not even know he did so, or one can walk into a fish store in New York City and get the clerk to accept a blank piece of paper as a twenty dollar bill and give change back. Or you could just releive suffering and help people. That is what Milton did.
Sometimes I have sad feelings when I’m watching a spider bind up the crane-fly I stuck in its web.
Almost anything that can happen to a cranefly is better than being a cranefly. They are worse at evasive flying than thistledown- their survival strategy seems to be to blunder into a predator’s face so it goes “Aaaaaah! Legs everywhere! Get it off!”
I’d still rather be the crane fly than the mosquito the crane fly eats.
Crane flies are actually purely herbivorous. The thing about them eating mosquitos is a myth.
Ma-ti’s “Heart” power sounded lame, sure, but in practice it seemed to mostly have the effect of spontaneously generating vegetation. I would think that Virginia, of all people would appreciate the applications of a ring that had a light beam that caused plants to sprout wherever it hit. Point that baby at a human, you create an instant Brundletree.
Really? The only time I remember it used it had the power of making all the mooks stop what they’re doing and go “wait, what am I doing?”
Which is pretty amazing when you think about it. Even if you skip the ‘grow plants’ bit, empathy and universal communication is an amazing power.
Not very good for blowing stuff up though.
He had the powers of mass distraction
Yeah, the power had great potential, Ma-Ti was what made it suck major ozone
I seem to remember that the Heart power was given to Ma-Ti specifically because he was the person least likely to abuse it.
Which goes to show what a chump Captain Planet was. If he had given Heart to Virginia, New York City would be a beautiful rainforest utterly hostile to human life.
So, only difference it being green?
From the sound of it, he had very broadly defined control over life in general, which has pretty terrifying implications. Tracking DNA, mind control, control over others’ bodily functions, probably even the ability to freely modify any living organism.
Or to put it another way, he could’ve made every organism on earth immune to the effects of pollution and effortlessly resolved the sole conflict of the series on day 1, but he didn’t.
I remember Ma-Ti directly controlled people’s free will on at least one occasion. When Wheeler used time travel to never join the Planeteers in the first place, Ma’Ti was begging on the street when a man scoffed at his request for money. Heart Ring, and the guy walked back and gave some money.
That suggests mind-control to me. Ma-Ti was basically a Jean Grey who never realized their full power.
The most common use for his power was animal empathy, which is a pretty useful skill.
…I think that Death might have been the soft option.
Wasn’t Heart ridiculously overpowered when you looked at the functions pragmatically?
Yes but even Mati didn’t know how to weaponize it. The kid could talk to anyone around the world at any time via telepathy, could mind control animals, could read thoughts, AND could knock people out with his brain and yet got written off as the shitty Planeteer. Try hiring someone over 12, Gaia…..
On the other hand, the vulnerabilities it created made Captain Planet feel pain if Hitler so much as looked at him.
Sure, but that’s a pretty specific weakness. If you’re designing a bioweapon in the 1990s and you find out that it could be stopped by Adolf Hitler, that’s probably not a huge concern because Hitler didn’t get out and about much that decade.
Heart is always overpowered. Considering that we’re dealing with Virginia, I’d say the chances are equally divided between “causes people to squee at everything” and “spontaneous heart attacks”.
That’s an obscure punchline, or so it seems to me, but rather amusing now that I know what it refers to.
Also, Hitty’s last line has a certain poignancy, in light of her upbringing.
Well, it’s a TVTrope: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway
Which, of course, has the already discussed counterpart Heart is an Awesome Power
I have to agree with you on your second point. It doesn’t say much for the engineers who built her specifically, or for the rest of us in general. Maybe knowing Dr. Lee might help with that (up until Ginny finds a way to install a cloned brain in her).
Well, she’s already disqualified herself from the “voice of reason” role. http://skin-horse.com/comic/2016-04-28/
I am digging Hitty for having a simple and easy to understand plan of action.
Please, please, please… Hittystachio vs. Dork Knight!
My guess: Tactical espionage action is not flashy enough for saturday morning cartoons.
Ew. Somebody actually *likes* that show…
Nothing wrong with the show, Ma-Ti on the other foot…
He was only chosen because Whoopi Goldberg needed a fifth power to summon CeePee, and ‘heart’ was all she could think of
My thought exactly. I know there is a certain level of pop culture knowledge necessary for the pop-reference-a-holics but some things are best left forgotten. Says the crusty old man whose age at the time of Captain Planet was NOT the show’s demographic.
Well, I just thought it was so *awful*, the little of it I saw…I was above their demographic at that point, too.
The second I hear some kid yell “heart!” I was turned off.
Virginia has *THUMBS*.
Guess the walnuts haven’t taken her over yet…
Sorry, VERY obscure OTTV reference no one else will “get”…
Wrong.
Wrong x2. 😀
Ooony-oops *glurgle*
“It may LOOK like a walnut…”
Seriously, the problem was the inconsistent writing of what the Heart power was, I think. Even the writers couldn’t understand the concept or keep it straight.
The concept did make me wonder what would happen if you used the power on an A.I., though.
I grew up watching that show on Nick at Nite. Great episode of a great show. Any time Danny Thomas comes up in conversation, I reflexively intone, “What is a Danny Thomas?”
(“Uhny Uftz” was a different great episode, though, outworldcats. And I find myself quoting “Kind of like being the last living cell in a dead building” a lot.)
I just Wikied the Ma-Ti reference and found out all about the Captain Planet etc. show. And all I can say is thank God I was too old for that cartoon.
If there’s anyone around here who can wangle the Power of Heart into becoming Death, Destroyer of Worlds, it’s Dr. Lee.
It’s easy to rag on “the power of Heart,” especially given what Ginny is riffing on in panel four. But perhaps Heart deserves re-consideration. After all, what about love?
Empathy allowed Milton Erickson to become so effective. Derren Brown uses techniques taken directly from the Milton Erickson playbook to create “Assassination” and “Paper Trick” and other demonstrations. These two examples show that a clear and deep enough understanding of empathy can allow one to create an assassin who will kill upon command and not even know he did so, or one can walk into a fish store in New York City and get the clerk to accept a blank piece of paper as a twenty dollar bill and give change back. Or you could just releive suffering and help people. That is what Milton did.