Buzz Lightyear

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Buzz Lightyear is a fictional character appearing in the Toy Story franchise. He is a space ranger and is one of the main protagonists (the other being Sheriff Woody). He has also appeared in the movie Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins and the television series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, as well as the two film sequels. His often repeated catchphrase is “To infinity … and beyond!” Tim Allen voiced the character in the Toy Story film trilogy and the TV movie, while Patrick Warburton provided his voice for the TV series, and Pat Fraley voiced Buzz Lightyear for the video games and the attractions in Disney Parks.

Characteristics

Buzz is a space ranger from the Intergalactic Alliance and is stationed in the Gamma Quadrant of Sector 4. He is the captain of the Alliance’s Team. Lightyear is known for his bravery and courage. Buzz believes that following rules is the way people should live their life. Though a great leader, at times he can be rather unemotional, one of his biggest character flaws. Buzz is said to be Emperor Zurg’s son (à la Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back) as mentioned in Toy Story 2, but in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, this is revealed to be a taunt intended to catch Buzz off guard.[episode needed] Either way, this shows that Buzz does not know his father (although as mentioned in Toy Story 2, he was indeed killed, possibly by Zurg, as neither of these facts have been refuted). Buzz is trained in several forms of martial arts and is a highly skilled warrior in hand to hand combat. Being in peak physical condition, Buzz makes a perfect space ranger and is an example to many. He has blue eyes and brown eyebrows, hinting that he might have brown hair.

Buzz’s suit

Buzz wears a high-tech space suit, similar to those of modern-day astronauts though more streamlined and iconic. The suit chest features a control panel. On the left hand side of the suit, a large red button activates the suit’s flight system. When activated, the wings on the suit’s backpack will unfold, and the boosters at the bottom of the pack will ignite, allowing the wearer to fly. It’s stated that his wings are made up of a carbonic alloy. The sides of the wings carry lights that blink red and green, indicating port and starboard sides, in order to prevent any in-air collisions.

The buttons on the right of the suit have numerous functions. Though it is unknown which button does what, when pressed the wearer will be able to contact Star Command, the headquarters of Buzz Lightyear and his allies. On the toy Buzz of movies however, all they do is make Buzz say different catch phrases. The suit also has a liquid adamantium-nitrogen layer which allows Buzz to withstand virtually any physical attack and, in special circumstances, can be used to repel telepaths.

Buzz’s suit also protects against the vacuum and cold of space. It can also translate all he says into any language even an outer space dialect. A retractable helmet, when activated, covers Buzz’s head and allows him to breathe in space or on planets lacking a sufficient supply of oxygen. The helmet is activated by pressing the purple button on the side of the chest armor. When pressed once, the helmet automatically swings up and seals; when pressed again the helmet flips back down. To protect against the heat of re-entry, the suit contains a shield generator.

The left arm of the suit has a panel that flips open to reveal a display that contains a mission log in the wrist area to record history and provide records. It is also where a “Made In Taiwan” wording is embossed and it is[citation needed]one of the critical pieces of evidence that made him realize he was really a toy. Also located in this area are oxygen gauges, a fuel gauge for the jet pack, and a speaker (all on a sticker, which Buzz peels off in Toy Story 1 after realizing he is a toy.) The right arm contains the weapon system which projects a powerful laser out of the small cannon on the back of the wrist. It is unknown how long the laser’s battery life lasts, but it is known that it requires a recharge after some time.

Utility belt

As seen in Toy Story 2, Buzz has a utility belt as an upgrade to his already powerful suit. The buckle of the belt activates the anti-gravity servos stored around the belt. When pressed, a blue beam shoots out before completely covering the wearer in a bubble which allows them to, as the name suggests, defy gravity and fly without the aid of the jet pack. On the sides of the belt, two magnets are stored for climbing purposes. The magnets are shown to be able to support up to three pounds (1.3 kg) before slipping, making them rather strong for toy magnets. At the back of the belt a compartment contains a grappling hook which can easily fold up. The string of the grappling hook is estimated to be about 12 inches (30 cm) long and strong, being able to hold four toys without fraying.