Beware My Power

"Beware My Power" is the first and second episode Green Lantern: The Animated Series. It aired as a one-hour special 'sneak peak' on Cartoon Network on November 11, 2011, while the official premiere of the series aired on March 3, 2012, with a new episode airing every week since then.

Overview
Ace test pilot Hal Jordan, who leads a secret life as Earth's guardian Green Lantern, is called back to Oa. Searching for the culprits behind a series of Green Lantern deaths in "Frontier Space", Hal and his gruff fellow Green Lantern, Kilowog “commandeer” the Interceptor, a prototype spaceship powered by pure Green Lantern energy that possesses an advanced AI system, Aya.

Part One
When Green Lantern, M'Ten, assigned to patrol the frontier of the galaxy comes to the aid of a spaceship drifting in space the pilot attacks him with a red flame. The pilot, Razer, joins forces with his comrade, Zilius Zox, to combine their energies on M'Ten. Zilius finally defeats M'Ten and Razer objects to his interference with his kill. The other "Red Lantern" assures Razer that there will be plenty of kills for everyone under the plan of their master, Atrocitus. When Razer warns that killing M'Ten will release his Green Lantern power ring to find a successor, Zilius says that they'll kill that one as well and delivers the final strike.

Eighteen months later on Earth, test pilot, Hal Jordan is flying a new prototype jet through the California desert. His boss, Carol Ferris of Ferris Aircraft Industries, is monitoring the flight by radio. When an earthquake shakes the area, Carol ducks for cover and Hal spots a collapsing bridge. He puts the jet on auto-pilot and transforms into Green Lantern. He rescues the train, but the jet flies into a mountain, crashing.

An hour later, a concerned Carol is organizing rescue teams to find her missing pilot. Hal turns up at her office and claims that the earthquake froze the jet's controls, and he had to hike back. The test pilot admits that he was worried about Carol and starts to kiss her, but she warns him that as employer and employee, they can never have a romantic relationship. Hal persists and invites her to dinner, but sees a secret signal from his power ring. He makes an excuse to Carol of having to get the black box from the jet and then runs off, much to Carol's disappointment. Hal flies to Oa, the homeworld of the Guardians, and meets with Salaak and Kilowog. Kilowog, Hal's former instructor, tells him to keep it professional and the three of them go to meet with the Guardians. One of the Guardians, Appa Ali Apsa, notes that a diplomat filed a complaint against Hal after Earth's Green Lantern punched him in the face. Hal admits that he did (technically punched him in the stomach then headbutted him in the face), but points out that the diplomat was using his immunity to cover up a slave trafficking ring. Another Guardian, Ganthet, points out that the charges have been proven, but Appa isn't satisfied and warns that Hal makes his own rules.

As Appa pursues his argument, M'Ten's power ring drops from the sky onto the floor. Salaak confirms its owner and the Guardians explain that M'Ten is one of the Green Lanterns who patrol the very fringes of the galaxy, beyond the 3,600 sectors where the regular Green Lanterns work. The Frontier Lanterns receive only limited training and are out of contact due to the distance, and recently the Guardians have been unable to contact several of them. Hal and Salaak object to the uninvestigated disappearances, but the guardians warn that it takes eighteen months to travel to the frontier.

As Hal grows angry, Ganthet suggests that they take a brief break. He takes Hal and Kilowog to the commissary via the "scenic route," and just happens to show them a hangar containing a prototype interceptor spacecraft. It is powered by the green energy of the Guardians and has an advanced AI, making it the fastest known spaceship in the galaxy. Hal offers to fly it out and track down the Lantern killers, but Ganthet warns that the Guardians must unanimously consent to such a trip. He then goes on his way, satisfied that the Green Lanterns have seen what they need to.

On the Frontier, Green Lantern Shyir Rev investigates a spaceship crash and Zilius attacks him. Razer attacks Shyir as well but the Green Lantern summons a sandstorm so that he can escape. The two Red Lanterns pursue while Zilius berates Razer for his hesitation.

On Oa, Hal sneaks into the hangar and destroys the robot sentry. Kilowog is already there but insists on going with Hal to avenge their comrades. They board the interceptor and discover that it contains a giant power battery of the green energy. When the ship's AI greets them with a female voice, Hal names it Aya and convinces it to let them go on a joyride. Meanwhile, the Guardians are discussing whether they should provide their Green Lantern Corps with more information when they spot the interceptor flying overhead. They fly up in pursuit and Hal tells Aya to initiate ultra-warp. When she warns that it will take 42 minutes to do so safely, Hal points out that they're flying to rescue Green Lanterns and convinces the AI to initiate a premature ultra-jump. The interceptor departs and Ganthet secretly smiles in satisfaction.

As the interceptor travels through the wormhole conduit, it begins to shake apart from the stress. Hal takes manual control and manages to pilot the ship out of the conduit just in time. They have arrived at the frontier and Aya detects a nearby power ring under attack. Hal pilots the ship to the nearby planet.

Shyir tries to avoid the two Red Lanterns by flying through the canyons of the planet. The Red Lanterns bring him down and Zilius orders Razer to deliver the killing blow. As Razer prepares to fire, Hal and Kilowog arrive and drive them off momentarily. However, the Green Lanterns discover that the Red Lanterns are at least their equals and are forced to retreat. They find Shyir and Hal draws off the Red Lanterns while Kilowog gets Shyir to the interceptor.

After stunning Zilius, Hal and Razer fight hand-to-hand. However, Hal's ring is low on charge and he's forced to retreat. With the last of his energy he creates a simulacrum of himself to draw Razer off. His power ring costume disappears and he runs off, and Razer pursues him. Kilowog returns and buys Hal some time, but is stunned by Zilius. The two Red Lanterns close on Hal, who leaps off a cliff and onto the interceptor's power battery. Reciting his oath, Hal recharges his ring and blasts the two Red Lanterns into space before passing out from the strain.

When Hal wakes up, he discovers that Kilowog has gotten him back to the interceptor. Kilowog assures his friend that Shyir is alive and proposes that they go back to Oa, but Hal vows to find and stop the Red Lanterns no matter what the cost.

Part Two
Hal and Kilowog are aboard the interceptor in the Frontier and receive a transmission from the Guardians. Appa accuses Hal of treason and theft, but Hal interrupts to inform the Guardians that the mysterious Red Lanterns have been killing Green Lanterns along the frontier. Appa believes that Hal is making a fake claim to cover his own actions, but Kilowog testifies on his friend's behalf. He recommends that he and Hal return with the interceptor, gather more Green Lanterns, and then return to take on the Red Lanterns.

The Guardians tentatively agree, but the conference is interrupted when Aya detects an unmanned killer-drone in the vicinity, one bearing the same insignia that Razer and Zilius wore. Hal breaks off communication with his superiors and charts an intercept course for the killer-drone. Back on Oa, the Guardians worry about what will happen if the truth comes out despite what is written in the Book of Oa. Appa notes that since they won, they wrote what is contained in the book.

Hal ignores Kilowog's advice to return to Oa and fires on the drone. It returns fire, hitting the interceptor repeatedly, but Hal finally takes the ship through an asteroid and emerges from the other side to destroy the drone. Shyir deduces that if the Red Lanterns have a killer-drone, there must be more to them than just two killers with rings and a symbol. Hal agrees and sets course for Oa to gather the Corps. However, the ultra-warp drive fails to activate and Aya reports that there is a hairline crack in the warp coil, caused by the killer-drone's return fire (probably from its last missile hit). Aya reports that repairs would take more than nine months, so Hal suggests they form a construct to replace the defective part for the ride back to Oa. Unfortunately, that plan fails too since nobody knows how to create and exact copy of the ultrawarp coil mechanism, which is fifty-six moving parts to within a .8162 micron tolerance. Hal figures that it's for the best because the Guardians wouldn't have done what needed to be done. Shyir collapses from his injuries and Kilowog warns Hal that without medical treatment, their comrade will die. Shyir suggests that they go to his home colony on a nearby planet and the others agree. As the interceptor heads for the colony, the heroes are unaware that the killer-drone attached a tracking device to the hull.

Zilius and Razer board Shard, the remainder of their leader Atrocitus' homeworld. Atrocitus berates them for letting three Green Lanterns escape and Zilius blames Razer. Razer warns that the Green Lanterns they fought were better trained than the Frontier Lanterns they had killed, but Atrocitus is unimpressed. He warns his minions that if the Guardians learn of their existence, they will destroy Shard just as they destroyed the rest of his homeworld. Razer receives the last transmission from the killer-drone, confirming that it fulfilled its mission to attach a tracking unit and that they can now hunt down the green Lanterns and destroy them.

At the colony world, the interceptor lands and begins repairs while Biara, Shyir's wife, tends to his injuries. Shyir informs Hal and Kilowog that he's an engineer and his wife is a geologist, and that she mapped out the volcanic tunnels to provide the colony with power. Shyir's daughter Amala comes out to see her father and after a brief reunion, Biara takes her daughter to bed. Kilowog goes to view the planet and tells Shyir that it reminds him of his homeworld, Bolovax Vik, and Shyir remembers that the planet was destroyed. He offers his condolences and Hal, startled to learn this news about his friend, starts to ask him what happened. Kilowog tells him to focus on their mission, and Aya announces that she's found the tracking unit on the hull. Hal destroys it, but Shard descends toward the planet and Atrocitus drops a fortress unit on the colony's nearby volcano. Atrocitus tells the colony that they are now under his "protection" and that they can either turn over the Green Lanterns in an hour or be destroyed.

Shyir is willing to turn himself in for the good of his people, but Kilowog warns him that Atrocitus will destroy the colony once he has what he wants. Hal vows to fight to the end, convincing Shyir, and the three Green Lanterns prepare to charge the fortress. However, Biara says that she has another way for them to get to it. One hour later, Atrocitus tells Razer to begin the destruction sequence to test his loyalty. Razer hesitates, protesting that the colonists are innocent, but Atrocitus says that they have to make an example of what happens to those who refuse to help them. When his leader accuses him of weakness, Razer insists that he isn't weak and activates the destruction device for the greater good. Hal arrives outside the viewing portal and taunts them, and Atrocitus and Zilius fly after him while Razer watches the bomb. Hal easily defeats Zilius, but Atrocitus engages him atop the fortress and overwhelms Hal, swearing vengeance on the Guardians and the Corps. Kilowog and Shyir follow Biara's map of the tunnels and approach the fortress from below. They cut through the floor and get to the bomb, but Razer opens fire on them. Meanwhile, Atrocitus' rage and experience prove superior to Hal's spirit and the Red Lantern smashes the Green Lantern repeatedly.

While Kilowog holds off Razer, Shyir tries to disarm the bomb. As they fight, Razer insists that it's the Guardians who are destroying worlds, and blames them for his actions. Kilowog points out that the only one destroying a world now is Razer and asks for his help. Razer insists that he won't fall for their lies, but hesitates long enough for Kilowog to knock him out of the fortress. Rather than pursue the fight, Razer flies away when he hears that the bomb has thirty seconds until detonation.

Atrocitus finally stuns Hal, dropping him onto the fortress, and then flies to the orbiting Shard with Zilius. Hal, recovering, flies after them.

When the countdown reaches 0, a laser trigger fires to activate the bomb. Shyir blocks it with his power beam and tells Kilowog to leave before it's too late while he buys his people time to escape. Kilowog says that it's been an honor and leaves. Razer returns and tells Shyir that he was stupid to stay when there was no hope, but Shyir says there's always hope. He tells Razer that he can tell the youth isn't bad and that he should escape before the bomb detonates. Razer flies away as Shyir's power ring finally gives out and the bomb detonates.

In space, Hal looks back and see the planet blow up, and the blast wave sweeps over him.

On shard, Atrocitus views the destruction with satisfaction and tells Zilius that he was wrong about Razer. The Red Lantern leader then announces that with the destruction of Oa's Lanterns, they can move on and conquer the galaxy.

Hal recovers from the blast and looks for Kilowog. Razer attacks him amidst the debris and informs Hal that Kilowog and Shyir are gone. Hal finally defeats him and Razer tells him to finish it. The Green Lantern almost kills Razer, but then says that he's going to live with the consequences of what he's done and make up for what he caused to happen. Razer flies into a rage, calling Hal a coward, and Hal strips him of his Red Lantern ring, causing the youth to revert to normal. Kilowog arrives with the colonists, having lifted them off the planet at the very last second. He asks for Hal's help, but Aya arrives and transfers green energy to the transport construct to keep the colonists safe. Hal and Kilowog watch as Shyir's ring flies away to Oa to receive a new Green Lantern.

Later, the Green Lanterns take the colonists to a new world. Biara tells Hal and Kilowog that they will name the new planet after her husband, and Hal assures Amala that her father was a brave man. As Biara leaves with her daughter, Kilowog tells Hal that he was able to save the colonists, the same thing he would have done for his people if he could. As the two Green Lanterns leave in the interceptor, they wonder what they should do with Razer, who is powerless and held in a cell aboard the interceptor.

Credits

 * Written by:
 * James Krieg (Part one)
 * Ernie Altbacker (Part two)


 * Directed by:
 * Sam Liu (Part one)
 * Rick Morales (Part two)


 * Starring:
 * Josh Keaton - Hal Jordan
 * Kevin Michael Richardson - Kilowog
 * Jason Spisak - Razer
 * Grey DeLisle - Aya
 * Also starring:
 * Ian Abercombie - Ganthet
 * Susanne Blakeslee - Sayd
 * Brian George:
 * Appa Ali Apsa
 * M'Ten
 * Jennifer Hale - Carol Ferris
 * Tom Kenny:
 * Zilius Zox
 * Salaak
 * Kurtwood Smith - Shyir Rev

Heroes

 * Hal Jordan (first appearance)
 * Kilowog (first appearance)
 * Aya (first appearance)
 * Guardians of the Universe (first appearance)
 * Appa Ali Apsa (first appearance)
 * Ganthet (first appearance)
 * Sayd (first appearance)

Villains

 * Red Lantern Corps (first appearance)
 * Razer (first appearance)
 * Zilius Zox (first appearance)
 * Atrocitus (first appearance)

Other characters

 * Green Lantern Corps (first appearance)
 * M'Ten (only appearance; death)
 * Salaak (first appearance)
 * Shyir Rev (only appearance; death)
 * Carol Ferris (first appearance)
 * Biara Rev (only appearance)
 * Amala Rev (only appearance)

Locations

 * Frontier Space (first appearance)
 * Earth (first appearance)
 * Coast City, California (first appearance)
 * Oa (first appearance)
 * Demrax 7 (mentioned only)
 * Bolovax Vik (mentioned only)
 * Colony 12 (only appearance; destroyed)
 * Shyir Rev (only appearance)

Items

 * Green Lantern Power Ring (first appearance)
 * Red Lantern Power Ring (first appearance)
 * Book of Oa (mentioned only)

Vehicles

 * Interceptor (first appearance)
 * Shard (first appearance)

Quotes

 * Atrocitus: I am Atrocitus, lord and master of the Red Lantern Corps. I'm the one who will destroy the Guardians and all they stand for. I am wrath. I am hate. I am righteous vengeance!
 * Salaak: Hal Jordan of Earth.
 * Hal Jordan: And Kilowog, hey buddy!
 * Hal Jordan: What's going on?
 * Razer: What are you doing, Zox?
 * Hal Jordan: Kilowog! Rev! (Razer shoots him from behind) Razer: They aren't here any more! (Hal punches Razer who lands on an asteroid) Is that the best you could do?
 * Razer: Finish it!
 * Hal: Can either of you do that? Kilowog: I make hammers.
 * Razer: Where is he?
 * Aya: Designation accepted. Aya.
 * Sayd: Look!
 * Hal: Do it!
 * Kilowog: Wow! Frontier Space!
 * Hal: Green Lanterns risk their lives to save the lives of others!

Major events

 * M'Ten dies.
 * The Green Lantern Corps, the Red Lantern Corps and the Guardians first appear.

Trivia

 * This episode premiered several months early as a November "sneak preview", and as a single hour-long event combined with part 2.
 * This episode is featured in Green Lantern The Animated Series: Rise of the Red Lanterns.

Reception

 * As of Sunday, June 28 2015, this episode holds an 8.3/10 rating out of 164 users on IMDB.