Inspired by He-Man.org’s Roast Gooble Dinner podcast, welcome to PGPoA’s latest MOTUC Bio Discussion!
Optikkâ„¢ Bio
Real Name: (pronounced through a series of blinks)
A Space Mutant spy from the foggy polar region of the planet Denebria™, the spyeye eyeball of Optikk™ is specially adapted to see through the dense Denebrain fog of his homeworld, making him an ideal spy. He carries a Photon Neutralizer, which has made him one of the most feared of the Space Mutants in the Tri-Solar System. Optikk™ allied himself with Skeletor® shortly after the Lord of Destruction™ defeated Hordak™ and turned his ambition to the Horde Empire, forming a coalition of mutants and outcasts to conquer the universe. Optikk™ serves Skeletor® by keeping an eye on He-Man® and all of the Galactic Protectors of the planet Primus.
Portrait art source: Original card art
There was never any question that Optikk was going to have an interesting bio. While technically the New Adventures of He-Man, the cartoon series Optikk appeared in, was in the same continuity as the earlier show (and toy line), the overall series style and concept were drastically different; except for He-Man and Skeletor there were no characters carried over into the new toy line or show. In many ways, it was more a reboot than a sequel series. So seeing how the Bio Writer fit Optikk in amongst King Randor, Stratos, Man-At-Arms, Whiplash, Faker and the rest was going to be interesting.
As it turns out, what the Bio Writer seems to have done is taken the basic premise of the New Adventures, mixed in just a smidgen of the new canon they’re building, and then more or less left it intact. Optikk doesn’t meet Skeletor until after Skeletor has defeated Hordak and is attempting to conquer the galactic Horde Empire. This is obviously long after, say, Adam’s quest to unite the swords, or Skeletor bringing down the Mystic Wall. In fact, while the bios of King Grayskull, He-Ro, the Goddess and Wun-Dar are clearly “set in the past,” it’s harder to say Optikk’s is “set in the future,” because it raises the question, what is the “present” of MOTUC? I think we’ve all just assumed the present represents the vague period where Adam is on Eternia, fighting Skeletor, and maybe also a bit later when he fights Hordak and the resurrected Snake Men. But in some ways it seems like we’re just arbitrarily deciding that’s the “present.”
Setting that issue aside, there’s also the question of where, exactly, the Horde Empire is. Hordak was banished to Despondos, the dimension where Etheria lies. Did the entire Horde go with him, or was it just Hordak and a few henchmen? If so, who ran the Horde while Hordak was gone–Horde Supreme? If so, that means Horde Supreme was in the Eternian dimension the entire time–a major difference from the Filmation series, where the Horde were solely based in Etheria and only made extradimensional forays into Eternia now and then.
In the last sentence we find out that both the planet Primus and the notion of the Galactic Protectors are officially part of MOTUC canon. So…how will that work? Does He-Man still abandon everyone on Eternia, even though that’s no longer required by any “reboot” demands? Or can Man-At-Arms, Zodac & the rest come with?
Oh, and you may remember my thoughts on the “Photon Neutralizer”–that’s all I have to say on the subject.
Snarf! Snarf!
There isn't anything to complain about Optikk.
I DO like his real name, but the joke will start to run thin the moment they claim that Clawful's real name is a series of clicks with his right claw, or Buzz Off with a name that can only be pronounced by using a Vuvuzela.
small rant aside. I am curious about the REST of the Evil Horde. We know that Hordak and a few of his henchmen were trapped in Despondos. Did they conquer any planets BEFORE settling on Etheria? What about Horde Supreme and the other dimensions?
Coptur
I'm big big fan of Optikks bio it opens so many doors for the NA. I'm a big fan Queen Marlena being a lost fighter pilot from Primus and not Earth (of course that is just an idea of mine). Also the real names thing isn't an issue with me they're alien/animal lifeforms why should they have 'normal' names. Everyone would kick up a fuss if Buzz-Off's name was Gary or something like that lol.
Dead Man Walking
If Optikk's real name is pronounced through a series of blinks, doesn't that mean he can't say his own name, on account of having no eyelid?
MldMnrdReporter
Poe, I had an idea on how He-Man and Skeletor get brought into the future and how the Horde can take over Eternia.
He-Man and Skeletor are brought to the future from different time periods. Skeletor from after he defeats the Horde and He-Man at an earlier time, allowing the Horde to take over.
Basically the time line would go:
1. He-Man vanishes. Those close to him know he's been taken to the future to fight some sort of threat. His absence allows Skeletor and then the Horde to put different plans in motion to take over the planet.
2. The Horde wins the power struggle and takes over the planet. She-Ra and the other members of the Great Rebellion arrive on Eternia to help fight Hordak and the Horde Empire.
3. He-Man returns from the future when they realize what's happened in the past. Adam, along with the Galactic Guardians…er…Protectors join forces with the Masters (I hate calling the good guys that) to defeat the Horde.
4. Skeletor, who has allied himself with his former master sees and opportunity to defeat Hordak by exiling the Horde forces back to Etheria. Skeletor defeat of the Horde is vital in the reclaiming of Eternia.
5. Wayward Galactic Protectors journey back in time after being told the legend of He-Man by the Overlords of Trolla. Confused by their journey they recruit Skeletor by mistake, bringing him into the future.
6. Quickly realizing their mistake the Galactic Protectors journey back in time again to bring the real He-Man to the future (see #1.)
MldMnrdReporter
@Coptur: I think Buzz-Off's name should be Eric deHalfabee.
Thomas B
absolutely LOVE this figure. I loved the original as a kid as it had an AWESOME design.
PrfktTear
I’m glad the majority of people seem to like Optikk and his bio. I never quite got into NA like I did the Filmation series, but it was certainly original. I wish that it went on to a second season and they were able to return to Eternia and He-Man having to deal with the consequences of his absence. I think if people accepted it as a reboot rather than a continuation of the Filmation series, they might have been able to get into it more.
Without actually sending He-Man three thousand years into the future, this is probably the best choice, maybe Denebria is hanging out in the same solar system as Eternia.
People think of time in a linear sense, past, present, and future. I think MOTUC bios are trying to present a mosaic of sorts where you have to step back and look at the big picture. In my mind’s eye, I see the present probably the same as everyone else, Adam on Eternia, fighting Skeletor. Its arbitrary, but I think its what we’re all used to thinking of the “present” as. But if we were to catch the story in progress, perhaps it is after Skeletor defeated the Horde, etc.
I know how to fit it into the canon! He-Man is lost in time following a time travel experiment conducted by Man-At-Arms, temporarily taking the places of other people to “put right what once went wrong”. Man-At-Arms appears as a hologram that only He-Man can see or hear.
Thrawn
I love this bio. Optikk's real name was funny.
The actual figure is great too.
I'm fine with Mattel setting NA not in the future, but instead just after the Horde and Snakemen are defeated. Merely as the next adventure for He-Man and Skeletor.
Since Optikk is just a space mutant, there can be other big eyeball freaks like him. I bought a second Optikk to use the second head as a different character.
The single best part of this bio is that Skeletor defeats Hordak. That's important. Masters of the Universe is He-Man and Skeletor. You can take away Man at Arms, Teela, Sorceress, Orko, Hordak, and even Grayskull. As long as you have He-Man and Skeletor, it's motu.
He-Man is the most powerful man in the universe, and Skeletor is the most powerful villain.
I love this bio.
FakeEyes22
I love his real name.
Damien
Great bio, in my opinion.
The real name thing should, at this point, basically not even factor in. It's obvious that it's not to be taken seriously in most cases. I mean, a guy with no eyelids that speaks via blinks?
Either the BW was stoned, or joking. Those are the only options.
This is the first we see, if I'm not mistaken, of Skeletor apparently defeating Hordak. Personally, I think that's the best part of the bio. I've always imagined that Skeletor is the true power of evil, and hated Hordak. So this whole thing works very well for me.
I'm really interested to see where they go with incorporating the NA story into MOTUC. But at this point, with only one figure, I don't think we have anywhere near enough tidbits to even really comment on how it's being done.
As for continuity – I actually view the entire MOTUC bio as sort of a 'historical document' type of thing. Like how Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings to be a history of something that actually happened.
Same deal here, for me. There is no 'MOTUC present.' The entire story is relating events that transpired in the past. I know the bios aren't all written in past tense, but thinking of it this way allows me to look at it as a whole rather than try to place my own point of view somewhere 'inside' the timeline.
Coptur
@MldMnrdReporter monty python you legend.