Time Squad

Time Squad
File:Time-Squad.jpg Time Squad's main theme logo.
Created by	David Wasson
Voices of	Pamela Segall Mark Hamill Bob Joles Rob Paulsen
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	26
Production
Running time	30 minutes (15 minutes per segment) (approx. per episode)
Original release
Network	Cartoon Network
Release	June 8, 2001 – November 26, 2003

Time Squad is an American animated television series created in 2001 by David Wasson, following the adventures of a trio of hapless "time cops" from the year 100,000,000 AD, who travel back in time attempting to correct the course of history.

Plot

The show is set in the year 100,000,000 (one hundred million) AD, on a satellite which orbits Earth. This future Earth is never visited directly, though it is referred to in dialogue as a peaceful utopia where there are no longer any problems to solve. All nations of the world have merged into one, and, according to the character Tuddrussel, there are "no wars, no pollution, and bacon is good for your heart."

Despite this cheerful vision of the future, the space station on which the characters live and from which they travel to the past is remarkably dystopic. It features a shooting range, a terrarium, and a prison for repeat offenders, but it is dank, outdated (for the time) and unclean. Mostly this seems to be down to Officer Buck Tuddrussel, a scruffy and immature perennial bachelor, who nevertheless happens to be the station's most senior officer. There were also several accidents aboard the Time Squad Space Station; most notable of which is the terrarium being broken after Tuddrussel plays golf and breaks the glass shell of the station. This action seems to have no consequences in future episodes.

The only other official member of Buck's unit is Larry 3000, a now more or less obsolete robot who would rather be cleaning up than going on missions. Buck's mindless machismo clashes with Larry's effete sensibilities, and the two bicker terribly. Added to this the fact that neither of them has any great knowledge of history, and they are officially the worst unit in Time Squad history.

However, when they encounter Otto Osworth, an eight-year-old orphan who happens to be a history genius from the 21st century, he is quickly recruited and added to the team. Otto is shown to be the only one on the team with any enthusiasm or competence for the job. The problem is, neither of the other two are particularly willing to listen to his advice, and he must often resort to trickery to make sure the mission is completed.

Premise

According to Larry 3000, an effete android time cop, "time is like a rope", and, as it is woven at one end, ages and gradually unravels and frays at the other. In the context of the show, this often means that historical figures have made different, and often anachronistic, choices in life (see free will), and as such will not be able to fulfill the role that history says they fulfilled. An early example of this shows Eli Whitney failing to invent the cotton gin, instead creating a horde of flesh-eating robots. The Time Squad organization was set up to ensure that history was maintained, and the future protected. Only three units of Time Squad are introduced on the show - one of which is that of Tuddrussel and Larry. All three have a single human officer and a robotic assistant, so it can be assumed that every unit follows the same formula.

Characters

File:Time Squad.JPG

Time Squad from up to down, Otto, Buck Tudd Rusell and Larry 3000

Beauregard "Buck" Tuddrussel (Rob Paulsen)

A burly time cop in the peak of physical condition, Buck is less like a father to Otto and more like a carefree uncle. His obsessions are guns and beating people up, although he has a generally nice disposition. Tuddrussel is a total fanatic when it comes to justice, which is why he had a "Maximum Security" prison installed on the station for people in history who refused to set history right. He takes every opportunity on a mission to shout out his catchphrase: "IT'S GO TIME!" He frequently bickers with Larry, whose gentlemanly behavior and seriousness often clash with Tuddrussel's immature machismo. Tuddrussel's facemask and goggles seem to be permanently stuck to his head, (his goggles resemble those of the X-men's Cyclops) as it is the only part of his uniform he has never removed. He takes immense pride in his Southern heritage, most of his history knowledge centered around events such as the Alamo and Western characters such as Billy the Kid. His intellect seems to fluctuate depending on the situation, as he has expressed scientific knowledge from time to time. However, for a man whose job involves the stability of time, Tuddrussel has shown an ironic disinterest and ignorance to the historical events he maintains.

Laurrence "Larry" 3000 (Mark Hamill)

Originally designed as a diplomat, Larry was put into Time Squad service when the world's nations all joined together in the year one million (which means that Larry is at least 99 million years old!), an event which turned out to be the worst thing to ever happen to him, second only to being saddled in Tuddrussel's unit. He is the only one capable of operating the time-traveling technology and most of the technology aboard the space station. Although Otto is smart, he does not know how to operate the actual console. He often expresses feminine tendencies, although he does show his masculine-side from time to time. He hates pranks and is an expert chef, although Otto is the only one who seems to appreciate his rare delicacies. He is also skilled at needlepoint, computers, and household chores, though he gets little to no appreciation from Tuddrussel. Although Larry expresses deep disdain for Tuddrussel, deep down he does value his friendship. David Wasson, the series creator, admits that Larry is a parody on Star Wars' C-3PO (and is in fact voiced by the actor who played Luke Skywalker).

Otto Osworth (Pamela Segall)

Otto was "adopted" (admittedly kidnapped) by Larry and Buck when they miscalculated a mission to the 21st century. He was more than willing to leave the orphanage and became an unofficial member of the team. Although Otto has an enormous memory of history in nearly every field, deep down he is still a child, and easily gets along with Tuddrussel's immature, childlike attitude. In truth, he is the only member of the team to actually enjoy the history aspect of his job.

Guest stars

Sheila Sternwell (Mari Weiss)

Sheila is a capable and effective lieutenant in the Time Squad ranks. In truth however, she was married to Tuddrussel at one point. After realizing he was an utter moron, she got a divorce, which Tuddrussel seems to both regret and appreciate. She has more skill than Tuddrussel and takes her job far more seriously, and has more than once been called in to save Tuddrussel when he screws up. Whether Sheila still has feelings for Tuddrussel or not is debatable, she seems to be unsure of it herself.

XJ5

XJ5 is Sheila's robotic partner. As Sheila is the exact opposite of Tuddrussel, XJ5 is Larry's opposite. He is cool, calm and collected, and rarely complains about his job. He is also much more technologically advanced, not to mention capable, than Larry and enjoys rubbing it in his face. When Sheila displayed interest in Tuddrussel, he became concerned.

J. T. Laser (Jim Wise)

Time Squad's snobbish poster boy and best agent, J. T. and his robotic assistant, the Lance 9,000,000,000,000 are Tuddrussel and Larry's heroes respectively, although deep down they are true jerks. Their behaviour can best be described as the "cool kids" of the Time Squad, and refer to Larry and Tuddrussel as "nerds".

Sister Thornley (Dee Dee Rescher)

The cruel head nun at the School for Wayward Tots, which was Otto's home before being adopted by the Time Squad. She antagonizes Otto for reading history books and tries to get his mind off them especially by punishing him by giving him long lists of chores in Episode 1, Eli Whitney's Flesh Eating Mistake.

Historic figures

Eli Whitney

Whitney is the inventor of the cotton gin, but before he invented it he created a horde of flesh eating robots that he thought would help his fellow man. It's never explained why he thought they would help, though many of the historical figures seen on the show tends to act in incredibly illogical ways.

Sigmund Freud

Freud is one of the most famous psychiatrists of history, and was known for tinkering in hypnosis. But he began hypnotizing people into thinking they were animals until Time Squad came along. He is one of a few re-occurring historical figures in the show.

Blackbeard

Instead of being the notorious pirate, he's the notorious animal rights activist (he even got annoyed with Ghandi when Ghandi wouldn't stop flushing down the toilet). Also one of two "repeat offenders" seen on the show, the other being Mahatma Ghandi.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig was one of the world's greatest composers. But before Time Squad came along, he was a wrestler, beating up people that mocked him and yawned at his music until he eventually made a career out of it. He was challenged by Tuddrussel and easily dominated the officer, until Otto played him a part of the 9th Symphony, putting him straight again.

Nostradamus (Brian Hamilton)

He's the most renowned of futurists. However, in one of "history's funniest home bloopers", poor old Nostradamus is accosted and cited for making "bogus predictions". When he pleads for a reason, in his native French, he's then arrested and ticketed for using profanity!

Betsy Ross

Betsy is the creator of the American flag, but instead she and a number of other people became hippies protesting the Revolutionary War, until she was introduced to coffee.

Winston Churchill

Churchill, the Prime Minister of Britain, became a nudist when Time Squad came along, and had his soldiers follow suit.

Edgar Allan Poe

Poe is one of the most famous authors/poets in history, known for his dark and depressing composure. But when Time Squad arrives, he has a bright and sunny dispositon, and is living in a bright pink house. He invites them in for tea, and they unwittingly cause a lot of destruction, including blowing up his house and leaving it a charred black color. Observing the results, he quotes lines from his famous poem "The Raven".

Kublai Khan

Khan, the tyrannical conqueror, lived at home reading comic books when he should have been conquering Asia much to his grandfather's displeasure ("I've had it with you Kublai! When I was your age, I conquered half the known world, you're still living at home").

Earl of Sandwich

Earl of Sandwich created the world-famous sandwich. Before he could sell the sandwich and become famous for it, he used his mother's maiden name, Stinky pile o' poo. The only reason why it doesn't get out is because of its grossly unappetizing name, but is later changed to sandwich.

Cleopatra

Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, neglected her priorities by replacing the Egyptian sacred pyramids with shopping malls, until Julius Caesar came along.

Episode list

Seasons 1 and 2: 2001-2003

Episode Number	Title	Airdate
01	Eli Whitney's Flesh Eating Mistake / Never Look a Trojan in the Gift Horse	June 8, 2001
02	Napoleon the Conquered / Confucius Say... Way Too Much	June 15, 2001
03	The Island of Doctor Freud / Daddio Da Vinci	June 22, 2001
04	To Hail with Caesar / Robin' and Stealin' With Mr. Hood	June 29, 2001
05	Dishonest Abe / Blackbeard, Warm Heart	July 6, 2001
06	Ludwig van Bone-Crusher / Tea Time For Time Squad	July 13, 2001
07	If It's Wright, It's Wrong / Recruitment Ad / Killing Time	July 20, 2001
08	Big Al's Big Secret / Larry Upgrade	August 25, 2001
09	Betsy Ross Flies Her Freak Flag / Every Poe Has a Silver Lining	September 21, 2001
10	The Prime Minister Has No Clothes / Nutorius	September 28, 2001
11	Kubla Khan't / Lewis & Clark & Larry	October 26, 2001
12	Ivan the Untrainable / Where the Buffalo Bill Roams	November 2, 2001
13	A Sandwich by Any Other Name / Shop Like an Egyptian	February 1, 2002
14	Planet of the Flies / Keeping It Real with Sitting Bull	March 1, 2002
15	Houdini Whodunit?! / Feud for Thought	March 29, 2002
16	A Thrilla at Attila's / Cabin Fever	April 5, 2002
17	Pasteur Packs O' Punch / Floundering Fathers	April 12, 2002
18	The Clownfather / Hate and Let Hate	April 19, 2002
19	Love at First Flight / Forget the Alamo	June 7, 2002
20	Repeat Offender / Ladies and Gentlemen, Monty Zuma	June 14, 2002
21	Whitehouse Weirdness / Nobel Peace Surprise	November 8, 2002
22	Out with the In Crowd / Child's Play	March 14, 2003
23	Day of the Larrys / Old Timers Squad	March 21, 2003
24	Billy the Baby / Father Figure of our Country	March 28, 2003
25	Ex Marks the Spot / Horse of Horrors	April 4, 2003
26	Floral Patton / Orphan Substitute	November 26, 2003

Historical accuracy

Time Squad is not intended as an educational cartoon, like Liberty's Kids or Histeria!, but instead light-hearted entertainment. It is only loosely tied to the truth, and the inaccuracies range from the deliberately comical (such as Eli Whitney building flesh-eating robots) to the subtly misleading (such as Julius Caesar facing down Tuddrussel in the Coliseum of Rome, which would not be built for decades after Caesar's death or the insertion of fictional characters such as Clint Eastwoods the Man with No Name and the into actual historical events (as well as the Earl of Sandwich's mother's maiden name being Stinky pile o' poo)). In some ways it is reminiscent of the "Improbable History" with Mr. Peabody from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (in fact Cartoon Network once aired a group of "bloopers" based on its Cartoon Cartoons one featuring Larry claiming "we did not copy their show"), in that it is comical and any errors in historical accuracy are reflective of a need to entertain, not educate. Nevertheless, there is some educational and historically accurate information; before a mission, Otto would state who the person was and what s/he was famous for.

External links

• Time Squad at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• Time Squad at IMDb