Hearts and Minds

Justice League episode
"Hearts and Minds"
Airdate:	October 25, 2003
Production Number:	35-36
Airdate Order:	35-36
Written by:	Keith Damron
Directed by:	Butch Lukic

"Hearts and Minds" is the thirty fifth and thirty sixth episodes of Justice League. When his trainer and former lover is captured by a new foe, John Stewart heads off to rescue her. But he soon finds that this new enemy may be more powerful than the Justice League and Green Lantern Corps can handle, even together.

Plot

Part I

On Ranstad-7, a squad of four Green Lanterns under the leadership of Katma Tui are fighting an invasion force...and they're losing. Backed into caves, four soldiers surrounded by energy assault them, but the energy from the Lanterns Power Rings is unable to pierce their shields. Galius and Arkkis attempt a break out, but they're killed. Katma orders Kilowog to get escape and warn the Guardians of the Universe of how dangerous the enemy is while she covers his escape. Reluctantly, Kilowog leaves.

On Earth, John Stewart and Hawkgirl are making some repairs to the station, but Hawkgirl made the mistake of telling Lantern to adjust them clock-wise, which is counter clock-wise on Thanagar. Suddenly, an unidentified object is detected on approach towards Earth. Hawkgirl, Flash, and J'onn J'onzz head for the Javelin-7 while John goes to see what it is. Reaching the impact site, he finds Kilowog, barely alive. He manages to tell John that that "they" got Katma, but passes out before he can say anymore. John tells the League to take care of Kilowog, then heads off. J'onn is able to heal Kilowog at the infirmary. Kilowog says that his unit were trying to stop the Legion of the Third Eye, a fanatical cult lead by one Despero of Kalanor. Unfortunately, Despero's forces were powered by something that rivaled even the energy of the Lanterns. He also explains that Katma Tui was John's trainer in the Corps. Kilowog is fit for duty, but he needs to recharge his ring, and the only one available is John's Power Battery.

Meanwhile, John has found Ranstad-7, and the remains of a G-Class Cruiser. His ring is able to track Katma Tui to Kalanor. Arriving, John finds a desert world with a broken people. Two soldiers are detaining a Kalanorian for having books, and John knocks them out, only for the people to run in fear of him. John decides to head undercover.

On Earth, Flash has taken Kilowog to John Stewart's apartment, hoping that the Battery is there. As Kilowog searches, Flash does a little exploring, find a full quart of Bob and Terry's ice cream and a tape of Old Yeller (both of which Kilowog eats by mistake, declaring both delicious). Suddenly, John Stewart's landlady finds them. Aware of John's day job, she assumes that they're aliens and begins attacking Flash with a broom. Kilowog manages to find the battery in a pocket dimension, and the two leave.

On Kalanor, John has tracked down Katma Tui's living quarters. Despite some initial resistance from Radocko, he manages to enter the house and find her power ring. Two guards subdue him and take him to the royal palace. There, he meets Despero, leader of the Legion. Despero explains that once, he was an outcast for his third eye, but while traveling in the desert, he was assaulted by robbers, and was saved by the Flame of Py'tar. The Py'tar foretold that Despero was lead Kalanor into a paradise. Using the Py'tar's powers, Despero took control of Kalanor, and Despero now intends to spread the glory of the Py'tar throughout the universe. John has heard enough and attacks, but Despero's Py'tar given powers are quite formidable, fueled by his own rage and hatred. Defeated, John is knocked to the ground at the feet of the newest priestess - Katma Tui. Despero orders her to sacrifice John to the Py'tar, and she complies. She takes him to the Py'tar's central room, revealing the Py'tar to be a massive fire. Despite John's pleas, Katma throws John into the Py'tar...

In a room underground, Rodocko and another Kalanorian are working on a matter transporter. Despite some technical trouble, they are able to rescue John Stewart from the Py'tar. The older Kalanorian introduces himself as Shifflet, leader of the Anti-Despero resistance. The matter transporter is not much, but is has saved a few. It was also made by their newest member, Green Lantern Katma Tui, who enters to see John. An overjoyed John runs to her - and gets a right hook from Katma, who chastises him for nearly blowing her cover. Katma explains that Shiflet and his people rescued her, and helped her get into the palace as a priestess. She knows that Despero is raising a massive force for conquest, but doesn't know the specific plans. John gives Katma her power ring, and they share a passionate kiss.

At the palace, Despero empowers his soldiers with the power of the Py'tar, which they will use to spread the greatness of Despero and the Py'tar across the universe. The Legion of the Third Eye goes forth, as a horrified Katma watches.

Part II

At the resistance's base, Katma informs the group what is going on, and that Despero will be able to expand his Legion by bringing in new converts. John decides to mobilize the Green Lantern Corps, and prepares to head to Oa. However, a Legion task force breaches the base. As Katma springs into action, John finds that he can't use his ring. Grabbing a weapon, he gives covering fire as the resistance scrambles for the secondary site. Unfortunately, tanks block them off. The resistance is cornered, when the Justice League and Kilowog arrive and help them escape.

The resistance and the League regroup at the secondary site, ancient catacombs with untranslated inscriptions. J'onn is able to interpret some of them, and they indicate that Kalanor was once a thriving ecosystem, instead of the desert world of today. Shiflet does say that there are legends of a paradise, but Rodocko dismisses them as ancient drawings. Meanwhile, John and Katma are trying to figure out what is wrong with his ring, but Katma soon realizes that Despero did something to John, who does admit that he feels like something is missing. Katma decides that the only way to help him is to retrain him step by step.

At the palace, Despero reviews the officer in charge of capturing the resistance. Despero orders the officer to go into the desert and await a vision from him as penance. The officer gives his praise to Despero, who informs his minister Krizblack that the officer won't be back. Krizblack asks why the resistance is so dangerous if they are so few, and Despero replies that they could corrupt the movement. Only Despero is voice of the Py'tar, no one may challenge him.

In the catacombs, John is still having trouble concentrating with his ring. He angrily decides to take a break, and vents to Hawkgirl that Katma still treats him like a raw recruit. Hawkgirl says that its common for people to see others as they best remember them, and she says that as someone who knows him in the here and now, she wants him to get back to work, or face her wrath. Meanwhile, J'onn has reasoned that Despero is using the Py'tar similar to the energy the Green Lanterns use, which powers his Legion. They must destroy the Py'tar to defeat Despero, but Katma says that the Py'tar is a self-sustaining nuclear plasma reaction. Kilowog then announces that he can build a carbon bomb which will negate the reaction.

At the palace, Despero is speaking to the Py'tar, assuring that the conquest is going well. Krizblack enters with Rodocko, who announces that he wishes to join the winning side and will betray the resistance. Despero orders a strike force to take out the resistance.

At the catacombs, John has given up on retraining, and is arming himself. Katma fears that John will have to be sent back for training on Oa and that Kyle Rayner will take over his sector. Hawkgirl chastizes Katma for giving up on him, and gives a few words of encouragement to John. Suddenly, the Legion attacks, and Katma seals off the section of the catacombs that Flash, Kilowog, and J'onn are in. The resistance attack, but them strike force has Py'tar empowered soldiers with them.

Taken to the tunnels in the palace, Despero decides to work his will on the two Lanterns and Hawkgirl. He overwhelms Katma and prepares to do the same to Hawkgirl, considering making her part of his personal retinue. With an act of sheer willpower, John calls his power ring to him, frees himself, and attacks Despero. John and Despero are evenly matched, but John manages to score a symbolic victory by hitting Despero's third eye, leaving the imprint of the power ring on it.

Elsewhere, Flash, Kilowog, and J'onn make it to the Py'tar chamber with the carbon bomb. Getting past the guards, Kilowog arms the device and seals the doors. Before he can throw it in, J'onn tells them to stop. The Py'tar is a sentient being, in pain, and hopes to make contact. Before he can further explain, J'onn jumps into the Py'tar. As soldiers, priests, and priestess make their way into the chamber, J'onn rises from the Py'tar, bathed in flame, and with a third eye. The Py'tar says that it is the natural lifeforce of Kalanor, which was suppressed eons ago. Despero was the release the Py'tar and let it restore Kalanor's ecosystem, but used it for his own petty ends. The Py'tar offers paradise, but the Kalanorians must reject Despero. The Kalanorians bow down to the Py'tar, as the soldiers cast away their weapons. J'onn falls to the floor as the Py'tar turns into a great tree. In the tunnels, Despero is consumed by a tree, while the Legion soldiers empowered by the Py'tar turn into trees.

On Kalanor, green foliage spreads across the desert. Shiflet declares it a miracle, but J'onn says that it's just the natural state of Kalanor. Katma and Kilowog will remain behind to help the Kalanorians rebuild and readjust, while the League heads back to Earth. John takes them home, his will restored and he tells Hawkgirl that some things can't be taught, something people get through experience and when she asks him what, he responds "clarity".

Continuity

• Katma Tui mentions "that Rayner kid," referring to Kyle Rayner, the first Green Lantern to be introduced in the DCAU in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "In Brightest Day..."
• Flash finds a tape of Old Yeller in John's apartment. Hawkgirl mentions in "Wake the Dead" that it's his favorite movie.

Background Information

Home Video Releases

• Justice League - Season Two (DVD)
• Justice League - The Complete Series (DVD)
• Green Lantern: First Flight (Blu-ray only)

Production Notes

• In the teaser of part I, when one of Despero's ships blows up the ensuing explosion is reused footage from Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, when the console that the Jokerz tried to steal blows up.

Production Inconsistencies

• It's unclear why Kilowog crashed on Earth and how he became injured. When he left Katma to warn the Guardians, he looked unharmed.
• Although Katma Tui told John Stewart that the Green Lantern's ring is indestructible, in "Starcrossed," Hro Talak managed to cut John's ring into two pieces, separating the actual ring from the seal with his axe.
• John had put on Katma's ring before he was knocked out, but in the next scene he's no longer wearing it.

Trivia

• The title of this two-parter — "Hearts and Minds" — refers to a campaign employed by the US Military to win the popular support of the Vietnamese people during the Vietnam War. The phrase came to signify the way in which a civilization can conquer a country by resorting to its military and public relations skills, as opposed to brute force. The term is also associated with propaganda. In this episode, Despero is depicted as a demagogic leader who recruited followers by use of long and persuasive speeches (winning their "hearts"), and mind control (winning their "minds," in a literal sense).
• Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, otherwise known as the Trinity in comics, do not appear on this episode.
• This episode alters several of the origins of the Green Lanterns from the comics:
  • DCAU John Stewart was trained by Katma Tui; DC comics John Stewart was originally trained by Kilowog.
  • DCAU Katma Tui is one of the Corps best instructors; DC comics Katma Tui was originally the replacement Lantern for Sinestro.
  • DCAU Kilowog is a skilled thermonuclear scientist; DC comics Kilowog was the greatest geneticist of Bolovax Vik.

Cast

Actor	Role
Maria Canals	Hawkgirl Py'tar (uncredited)
Phil LaMarr	Green Lantern
Carl Lumbly	J'onn J'onzz Kalanorian soldier (uncredited) Krizblack (uncredited)
Michael Rosenbaum	Flash Arkkis Chummuck (uncredited) Franzee (uncredited)
Keith David	Despero
Carlos Ferro	Radocko
Kim Mai Guest	Katma Tui Landlady (uncredited)
Dennis Haysbert	Kilowog
Pepe Serna	Shifflet
Rene Auberjonois	Galius Zed

Quotes

(in the Watchtower infirmary) Flash: Lucky for The Big K we've got Martian care on our League HMO. J'onn J'onzz: Bolovax physiology is very similar to my own. Hawkgirl: And how much of this is guesswork? J'onn J'onzz: ...I would rather not say.

(Flash is searching John Stewart's refrigerator) Flash: Aha, I knew it! Johnny does have a kink in his armor. Bob and Terry's. (Kilowog takes the ice cream container and eats it whole) Kilowog: Delicious! Flash: Right. Stick with me, big guy, I'll open up a whole new world for you. (zips over to the TV) Hey, check this out: People's exhibit B, Old Yeller. (Flash tosses the tape to Kilowog, who eats it) Kilowog: Delicious!

Flash: Ah, you must be the mystery woman. Katma Tui: And you must be? Flash: Delighted to meet you.

Katma Tui: It's time to relearn what you've learned. John Stewart: Now you sound like Yoda. Katma Tui: Look, you have two choices: let me help you retrain you mental disciplines or you can live with your emerald impotence. Flash: Impotence?! (John glares at him) ...Right, I-I was just going over there. (Zips away)

Despero:(After binding Katma to the power of Py'tar) Now. Who's next. (He goes over to Hawkgirl) John Stewart: Keep away from her! Despero: The wings give her an exotic quality. Won't you agree. I don't think I'll put her in the army. I have just the place for her. As one of my personal attendents John Stewart: Don't even think about it.

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