Character Spotlight: Ty Parsec, Part One

  Ty Parsec of Star Command.

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1.HISTORY

Let's go back in time, to thirteen (my gosh, it's been that long??) years ago when I first came across this character.

Picture it: 2011, wintertime, and you're channel surfing to pass the time indoors. You come across a channel and see an animated movie you haven't seen in a long time. For me, that was Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins.  

Around that time of year, I was going through a bit of a rut; my favorite animated show at that time, Danny Phantom, had ended a few years earlier in 2008. I was looking for something new to get into because a lot of the passion I initially had for the show evaporated (and the fans whose work I had been silently following on DeviantART and Fanfiction.Net either moved on or disappeared), and wouldn't you know it? This film came into the picture... no pun intended. And I was hooked. It was because of retro early 1960s aesthetics the show had going on: the Space Rangers' standard uniform being inspired by the early space suits worn by early NASA pioneers, the Star Cruisers' retro rockets' look, the nods to Disneyland's House of the Future in Tomorrowland, and so many other great features. 

  After that, I rediscovered the show after not having seen it for years. And my interest in this show grew because I liked the adventures and the characters. But Ty was not the very first character I liked.

Buzz was actually the one who caught my eye, but it wasn't because of his heroic feats or hammy speeches. It was because when his personality was written well, and he was allowed to show signs of vulnerability, I could emphasize with him a bit more. And this couldn't have been more evident in the episode, "Wirewolf", where he was allowed to be physically hurt and confront the issues that developed between him and Ty. 

Ty himself was a character I was mildly interested in and thought to be a decent character. All of that changed when I was browsing the web and looking up all things BLoSC--fanfiction, fanart, animated music videos. One of those videos caught my eye - a tribute to him. Well, that video and another one did me in and many fanfic readings/fanart searching/headcanons later, here I am, a Ty fan!  

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2. THE RANGER OF THE HOUR

Where to start with Ty? Well, for one: he's a very snarky character. But unlike some characters where their sarcasm is unfounded and they use it to make snide remarks at one's expense for the sake of a 'joke', his is relatable; it's been hinted in the show that he became so sour because of his history with Buzz and for all the fifty plus times he was saved. He makes remarks to hide how he truly feels and/or to restrain himself from doing saying anything brash, and because he appears to be cynical by nature--I don't think it's in him to be so optimistic about a lot of things after getting his reputation shattered and being deemed helpless. A lot of fans depict Ty as having suffered through nasty remarks given to him by other Space Rangers, and I can buy into this theory. 

I mean, if you were in an organization and you had to endure jokes or insults from your peers because they believed you to be helpless even though you did more than your fair share of work and it wasn't recognized because someone else had taken the spotlight, wouldn't you feel irritated by the person doing that to you while they're unaware of it? 

And he doesn't make sarcastic remarks to intentionally hurt anyone, from what we have seen in the show. It does beg the question of why he didn't tell Buzz how he felt, and thus showing his passive-aggressiveness, but I feel that even if he did try to talk to him, Buzz wouldn't get it from the get-go. Buzz isn't exactly always on the front lines of noticing peoples' emotional states. He's done this with Booster in Inside Job, he's done this with Bonnie in Eye of the Tempest, and heck, even his older self in Good Ol' Buzz showcased how Buzz as a whole needs to work on his people skills. 

Buzz is not a bad guy, but he can seem to make everything about himself or Star Command even if he has no intention to do so. That, and it would seem to me that Ty did try to talk to him in the past about how he felt, but each time he did, it didn't get through to Buzz for one reason or another, so he's stopped trying and resorted to restraining his negative feelings towards his old friend. I guarantee that if Buzz's behavior affected someone else, they probably would have punched him hard enough to break his nose, but Ty didn't even when he was going on about their days in the Academy.

Ty's a lot tougher than folks give him credit for, both in-universe and out. Even though he was freaked out by NOS-4-A2 earlier, he managed to work up the courage to tackle him to save someone else. In fact, as shown by his acts of saving XR and trying to get Team Lightyear off Canis Lunis and offering to leave for the good of everyone on Star Command when he was discharged, Ty has shown himself to be a courageous and selfless person. Now it can be easy to say that bravery and a willingness to sacrifice one's self are essential requirements to a Space Ranger's character, since many of the Rangers in the show have demonstrated these qualities, but I feel like with Ty, these are qualities that come naturally to him as opposed to adopting them. I think it's because they seem to fit more of Ty's personality more--he might appear like he doesn't care about his job, but deep down, he's very loyal to it and will perform it as best as he can. He kind of reminds me of Leonard McCoy from Star Trek in this instance--Bones is a grouch, but he also has a strong sense of commitment to save others' lives, making him (and Ty), well-rounded characters. 

This wasn't talked about a lot, both in the show and through my own analysis, but I've noticed that he is a hard worker. I always saw those bags under his eyes a sign that he hasn't had some decent sleep in some time because he was working so hard to perform his duty--patrolling and the like. He doesn't like to take on the less-than-glamourous assignments, but he will because he was assigned to them. If he was lousy at his job, he wouldn't have gone through with it.

Another noticeable quality I think Ty has is a sense of empathy for other beings. Hey, another Bones comparison! Ty isn't a doctor (dangit Jim!), but that doesn't make him any less caring for other creatures. He showed his concern when his first partner, Sentry One, was attacked by NOS-4-A2 and tried to see what he could do to help him. 

Sure he couldn't really do anything about it, but it's his actions that count. He wouldn't be a Space Ranger if he didn't care for helping people out with their problems. It might be also that, to me at least, he seems like he comes from a modest background, and thus, has learned to tune into the emotional needs of others because their needs might be more urgent than his own. 

But with all of these kinder sides to him, he's not going to show them right off the bat. As part of his paramilitary training, and his history with Buzz, I can see him not being too affectionate with others unless it's necessary. He's a nice guy, but affection is not the first thing that'd come to mind for him when engaged in a social scenario. In private, or with a loved one, that may change. In addition, I think after he and Buzz patched up their problems, Ty's certainly mellowed out as we've seen in "Revenge of the Monsters" so although he's not going to give up being gruff, I take it that he's at least calmer in his interactions with others. 

Like anyone else, he has his share of flaws and weaknesses. Even though he was trying to contain his negative emotions towards Buzz, Ty did hold everything in before he exploded in anger when he reached his breaking point. His holding his emotions in is a universal habit many of us can relate to, which makes him more human. I see it as part of Ty's way of trying to be strong however he can--in the eyes of his peers and through his own code. He probably holds his emotions in because he feels like if he slips off the edge at any time, it could spell trouble for him. And it did! 

I think another weakness he might have is his selflessness. It's a good ideal to uphold, but the flip side is that you give up everything in you: your energy, time, sometimes even happiness. You can end up burned out and too rattled to care about anything else. Going back into Ty's background, even though we don't know anything about his in-show background, this seems like he's had to do this a lot, both pre-Academy and post-Academy, and as we have seen in "Wirewolf" and "Revenge of the Monsters", he can be fully aware of what he's giving up and he's not always happy about it, but he knows it's for a greater cause--keeping others safe or giving them something they want/need. 

...Okay, so where does that leave the wired elephant in the room? What about the Wirewolf? Well, quite frankly; the Wirewolf wasn't really what caught my attention to Ty first. The Wirewolf is a part of him.

Which leads me into...

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                               3. DEPICTIONS

...Ooh boy. 

*"Ty getting over his Wirewolf dilemma in five seconds": One of my biggest pet peeves. I've seen this done, and....this is something I can't see the man doing. Granted, I think folks may chalk this up to his simply not remembering the events, and while that is true, a horrific transformation from flesh and blood to metal and wires would be something that I don't think can be easy to get over. Even though his WW transformation is something that can't really be seen or done in real life, his reactions and emotions to the whole thing are understandable--changing into the WW is something he's scared of, and it's clear he feels shame and guilt for his actions even if it wasn't his fault. His whole body expression near the start of "Revenge of the Monsters" decreed that he wasn't feeling too good about his actions on Canis Lunis. 

I feel that what he went through would scar him for years to come, and even haunt him through his dreams and daily interactions with Rangers who will have heard of the WW and give mixed receptions--awe or fear or something else instead of taking the time to know him. He'd want to find some way to deal with the creature--mostly by either trying to get rid of it or if he can't, at least come to terms with it. 

*"Helpless dude in distress":....um...why? What's the point of writing him in distress when that was his whole motivation to get away from Buzz and do his own thing in the first place? That doesn't make a lick of sense. He's not a coward or helpless.The Space Ranger Corps would at least train their people hard to swallow their fears and get the job done in tough situations, and that training paid off for Ty. Not that a Ranger can't get into danger (hey, a rhyme!), but let's give the guy a break by having him grow and do saving of his own, shall we? 

*"Lover boy": Yes, I do admit I myself have portrayed Ty in romantic situations, but I don't write him as falling in love at first sight, vs. some of the forms of media I've seen where that's his main depiction. With his grounded personality, he seems more sensible with romance and would try to take the time to know someone before he could call them his lover. 

I feel like he would be looking for someone who has some substance and sense of reality to them, and who could understand and accept him for who he is, not the Wirewolf. 

Which reminds me...I'm not on Team Ty/NOS-4-A2. NOS-4-A2 is a character I have come to regard with apathy for how he's seen all over the Interwebs, but if he can be written well, then I can actually enjoy him and his interactions. But when it comes to pure romantic pairings, Ty and NOS are like oil and water: they don't mix well. Ty would not want to have anything to do with the vampire that gave him the Wirewolf curse in the first place; heck, in "Revenge of the Monsters", when he first saw NOS, he freaked out and couldn't move a muscle because of what the vampire did to him. It was near the end when the WW broke free from NOS' spell that Ty gathered the courage and got rid of the vampire once and for all because he was mad at what NOS did and was doing to pick on Buzz. However...when someone writes Ty and NOS-4-A2 in a setting where their interactions make sense (pure opponents for example), I can appreciate the thought put into them!

*"Wirewolf": Frankly, I see it as a part of Ty that he can't let go of and has to learn to accept. It's an animal that likes to feed on robots, and can be controlled through Ty's influence. It's a creative twist on the werewolf character, and I do like the thought put into it. But I feel like people only know who Ty is because of his wolf heritage and not for the man himself, and it comes off as shallow. Transformations like the ones he endured look mighty painful and liking him solely for his wolf status makes him come off as less than human and more of a caricature. That's like saying that Bruce Banner's only notable trait is the Hulk when he's got more than that: his brilliant brain, his sarcastic wit, his allegiance to the Avengers, and his love for Betty Ross. If Ty were a real person, I'm not sure he'd like people digging his curse and would want to be appreciated for his other gifts. 

Next up, part two--inspirations, future goals and headcanons! And as usual, other goodies.

Enjoy this post!

Wanderer out!