The Zeta Project
Encyclopedia
The Zeta Project is a science fiction
American
animated series produced by Warner Bros. Animation
. It first aired on Kids' WB
in January 2001. It is a spin-off series based on the character Zeta from the Batman Beyond
episode of the same name. The show was created by Robert Goodman and Warner Bros. Animation
.
The story's main character, Infiltration Unit Zeta, is a humanoid robot (synthoid) designed to carry out covert assassinations on the behalf of the NSA. However, when Zeta discovers that one of his targets is innocent, he experiences a kind of existential crisis
about goodness and the value of life; following this epiphany, Zeta finds he can no longer kill. The newly enlightened Zeta refuses to continue on as an infiltration unit and abandons his mission, going rogue. Zeta is pursued by a team of NSA agents, led by the obsessed Agent Bennett, and is aided by a 15-year-old runaway, Rosali "Ro" Rowen.
Warner Home Video released The Zeta Project: The Complete First Season DVD on March 17, 2009. This two-disc DVD set contains 12 episodes from the first season of The Zeta Project, as well as the two episodes of Batman Beyond featuring Zeta.
Season 2
A DVD release for Season 2 has not yet been announced.
Brazil
Canada
France
Latin America
Middle East
United States
United Kingdom
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animated series produced by Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation is the animation division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Time Warner. The studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. The studio is the successor to Warner Bros...
. It first aired on Kids' WB
Kids' WB
Kids' WB! was Warner Bros. American childrens programing division brand for The WB Television Network. In September 2006, the block moved to The CW Television Network. The CW is the result of The WB's merger with UPN in 2006...
in January 2001. It is a spin-off series based on the character Zeta from the Batman Beyond
Batman Beyond
Batman Beyond is an American animated television series created by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy...
episode of the same name. The show was created by Robert Goodman and Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation is the animation division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Time Warner. The studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. The studio is the successor to Warner Bros...
.
The story's main character, Infiltration Unit Zeta, is a humanoid robot (synthoid) designed to carry out covert assassinations on the behalf of the NSA. However, when Zeta discovers that one of his targets is innocent, he experiences a kind of existential crisis
Existential crisis
An existential crisis is a stage of development at which an individual questions the very foundations of his or her life: whether his or her life has any meaning, purpose or value...
about goodness and the value of life; following this epiphany, Zeta finds he can no longer kill. The newly enlightened Zeta refuses to continue on as an infiltration unit and abandons his mission, going rogue. Zeta is pursued by a team of NSA agents, led by the obsessed Agent Bennett, and is aided by a 15-year-old runaway, Rosali "Ro" Rowen.
Plot
The Zeta Project follows the exploits of Zeta and Ro as they attempt to prove that he is genuinely non-violent, whereas the NSA agents pursuing him believe that the terrorists he was investigating before going rogue have reprogrammed him for some unknown purpose. To prove his innocence, Zeta and Ro search for his creator, the elusive Dr. Selig.Characters
- Infiltration Unit Zeta (Diedrich BaderDiedrich BaderKarl Diedrich Bader , better known as Diedrich Bader, is an American actor, voice artist and comedian. Many know him for his roles as Oswald Lee Harvey on The Drew Carey Show, Lawrence from the film Office Space, the Tae Kwon Do instructor Rex from Napoleon Dynamite, Tank "Shredder" Evans in Surf's...
), the titular character. As an infiltration unit designed to seek and destroy specific people, Zeta has the ability to holographically disguise himself as any individual he has seen, as well as create custom appearances through mixing and matching various physical traits. Though Zeta no longer possesses the vast array of weapons he originally came equipped with, his arms are equipped with saw blades and cutting lasers. He also possesses a wide array of other non-lethal tools such as handheld welding lasers and a computer interface. In addition, Zeta possesses great mechanical strength, has extensible limbs, and is capable of self-repair. - Ro Rowen (Julie Nathanson), a 15-year-old orphan who before joining Zeta in his quest to prove his innocence. She usually acts as a wiser older sister to Zeta, who is often clueless about how to properly blend in with humans. She sees Zeta as family, and refuses to abandon him since she owes him her life.
- Bucky Buenaventura (Ulises CuadraUlises CuadraUlysses Cuadra Jr. is an American actor and voice actor involved in cinema, television, and animation. English-language TV audiences may recognize him as the voice of Vaz on Clifford the Big Red Dog, and of Twister Rodriguez on the Nickelodeon animated series Rocket Power and Segura on Disney...
-Season 1, Blaine Barbosa-Season 2), a child genius who occasionally aids Zeta and Ro. - Infiltration Unit 7, a later model of infiltration unit who Zeta comes into conflict with after foiling one of his missions. Infiltration Unit 7 possesses all of Zeta's abilities, greater strength and durability, and a much larger arsenal. It is much less subtle in the execution of its duties than Zeta, and hence, from Zeta's viewpoint, it is evil.
- Dr. Selig, Zeta's hard-to-find creator.
- Agent James Bennet (Kurtwood SmithKurtwood SmithKurtwood Larson Smith is an American television and film actor. He is best known for playing Clarence Boddicker in RoboCop and stern parental characters , and for his appearances in the genre of science fiction...
), the leader of the NSA team sent to capture Zeta. He vehemently believes that, regardless of Zeta's behavior, there is some sinister motive behind Zeta's sudden change in attitude and believes he is working with the terrorist organization Brother's Day. - Agent West (Michael RosenbaumMichael RosenbaumMichael Owen Rosenbaum is an American actor and director. He is best known for portraying Lex Luthor on the Superman-inspired television series Smallville and Dutch on FOX's Breaking In, and for providing the voice for the Flash in the DC animated universe...
), an incompetent agent whose desire to prove himself only results in annoying his superiors, coworkers, and virtually anyone else he meets to the point Ro no longer even considers him a threat. He shares a last name and is similar in appearance to Wally WestWally WestThe Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
, DCAU's current version of the Flash. Both characters are also voiced by Michael Rosenbaum. - Agent Lee (Lauren TomLauren TomLauren Tom is an American actress and voice actress perhaps best known for her roles as Lena St Clair in The Joy Luck Club, Julie in the TV series Friends, and for providing the voices for both mother and daughter characters on two animated TV comedy series: on Futurama she voices Amy Wong and her...
), a more-level headed agent who comes to see Zeta in a more redeeming light as he continues to go out of his way to help people. She later quits the team, and in some cases helps Zeta escape from the people she works for. - Agent Rush (Erika AlexanderErika AlexanderErika Alexander is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Pam Tucker on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and as Maxine Shaw on the FOX sitcom Living Single. She has won numerous awards for her work on Living Single, including two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a...
and later Dominique JenningsDominique JenningsDominique Jennings is an actress most notably recognized from her role as Virginia Harrison in NBC's soap opera Sunset Beach. Dominique is the daughter of Anchelot of Swedish descent and Richard "Prophet" Jennings, a renowned African American Artist. She married her husband Lonnie Brandon, a...
), a by-the-book agent who replaces Lee after she quits the team.
Episode list
Season 1Warner Home Video released The Zeta Project: The Complete First Season DVD on March 17, 2009. This two-disc DVD set contains 12 episodes from the first season of The Zeta Project, as well as the two episodes of Batman Beyond featuring Zeta.
- "The Accomplice"
- "His Maker's Name"
- "Remote Control"
- "Change of Heart"
- "The Next Gen"
- "West Bound"
- "Hicksburg"
- "Shadows"
- "Crime Waves"
- "Taffy Time"
- "Kid Genius"
- "Ro's Reunion"
Season 2
A DVD release for Season 2 has not yet been announced.
- "Absolute Zero"
- "Wired: Part 1"
- "Wired: Part 2"
- "Resume Mission"
- "Hunt in the Hub"
- "Ro's Gift"
- "Lost and Found"
- "Eye of the Storm"
- "Quality Time"
- "On the Wire"
- "Cabin Pressure"
- "The River Rising"
- "The Hologram Man"
- "The Wrong Morph"
Airing history
Australia- Cartoon NetworkCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
(2000–2008)
Brazil
- Cartoon NetworkCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
(2001–2007) - BoomerangCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
(2007–present) - SBT (2003–2006)
Canada
- YTV (2001–2008)
France
- Cartoon NetworkCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
(2001–present)
Latin America
- BoomerangCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
(2007–present) - Cartoon NetworkCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
(2001–2007)
Middle East
- MBC 3MBC 3MBC 3 is a free-to-air children channel that hosts by Dania al-Shafii and Hassan al-Mula and belongs to the Middle East Broadcasting Center . It was launched on 8 December 2004...
(2007–present)
United States
- Kids' WBKids' WBKids' WB! was Warner Bros. American childrens programing division brand for The WB Television Network. In September 2006, the block moved to The CW Television Network. The CW is the result of The WB's merger with UPN in 2006...
(2001–2002)
United Kingdom
- Cartoon NetworkCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
(2001–2008) - BoomerangCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
(2008) - Sky1 (2001–2002)