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Date Posted: 08:56:37 01/18/11 Tue
Author: Officer Torch
Subject: Re: A list of Dr. Zarkov's inventions in Flash Gordon
In reply to:
Rick
's message, "A list of Dr. Zarkov's inventions in Flash Gordon" on 04:49:05 01/17/11 Mon
Sure...give me a little time though, the latest Frigian weather front has created havoc and we continue to dig out, many of our rocketships and stratosleds are frozen, and supplies are in demand. We are pressing the fire dragons into service for melting the ice...they can be unruly though.
I will consult the sacred texts, scrolls, and archives for at least some of the information you seek. :)
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Re: A list of Dr. Zarkov's inventions in Flash Gordon -- Officer Torch, 10:24:12 01/19/11 Wed [1]
Here are some of Dr.Zarkov's inventions and rays from notes accumulated over the years. There are likely more. (I watch FG serials once a year; I'm between viewings.) For those interested, best source is actual serial trilogy, and this site along with forum and archives, also, the various links here are informative. I'm combining inventions with rays. The chronological order may not be 100% but close. To keep size manageable and not experience a possible timing out issue, will do this in 3 postings. First up, 1936 serial.
1936 Serial Flash Gordon (aka Space Soldiers)
a) FG & Dale meet scientific genius, considered mad by the scientific community, Dr.Zarkov, after bailing out of a plane. Zarkov says he believes planet racing towards earth is inhabited and radioactive. Feels if he can change its course, earth may be saved. He needs an assistant..asks Flash, who agrees but Dale must join them. They enter a rocketship designed and built by Zarkov, and blast off.
b)After crew is captured on Mongo, Zarkov is given access to lab (unsupervised). After some trials, FG is placed in a ship by Princess Aura..then pilots craft to fight Thun's invading gyroships. He crashes but eventually a friendship is formed. Thun leads FG into Ming's palace thru a secret passage to an impressive lab where Zarkov works. He tells FG that Mongo has been repositioned and will not collide with the earth.
c)FG & friends wind up in King Vultan's Sky City. The atom furnace which keeps it aloft went out of order due to chaos from fights and explosions. Many are there including Ming, and Zarkov agrees to save city with new ray he invented if his friends are given freedom. Vultan agrees and Zarkov levels the city to normal.
d)Ming however exercises his right for a Tournament of Death. FG & friends eventually go to Mings palace...FG fights masked swordsman, and later, an orangopoid. FG is victorious. Aura sees FG in romantic moment with Dale and wants him spirited away. She double drugs him with "draughts of forgetfulness" ..a powerful drug lethium with help from High Priest. It causes amnesia; she hopes he'll forget Dale Arden. FG is taken thru Tunnel of Terror, guarded by a fire dragon. High Priest betrays Aura by striking gong,waking the beast,but Zarkov saves FG with a handy grenade. FG awakens ultimately with no memory to choose Dale as his bride. Eventually, Zarkov develops an antidote to counteract the powerful drug, and restores FGs memory.
e)Somewhere in all this, in the lab, Zarkov builds an (interplanetary) radio capable of communicating with earth...he reports/receives reports between earth and Mongo re their situations.
f)In the lab, FG and friends are secure until Ming's minions arrive and want to execute FG there. Zarkov electrifies the lab to keep the attackers out, but Ming arrives and orders the power turned off...this de-electrifies the lab, and the minions enter.
g)Zarkov makes FG invisible using his newly invented invisibility machine...FG disappears just before Ming's minions attempt to execute him. FG escapes, heads for Ming's throne room, but doesn't choke him for Aura'a sake mostly. The invisibility ultimately wears off, but Thun's lion men attack the palace...Ming slips away, whispers to the High Priest, enters the lair of the sacred fire dragon. FG and friends take the High Priest at his word that Ming is no more.(Yeah, sure.)
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Next post up soon will be 1938s Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, then 1940 FGCTU. Stay tuned.
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Re: A list of Dr. Zarkov's inventions in Flash Gordon -- Officer Torch, 17:56:59 01/19/11 Wed [1]
1938 Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars
In this 2nd serial, early on we see a difference in Dr.Zarkov's ship, and seemingly Dale had a makeover on board, hair color,outfit, etc. Can we attribute this to Zarkov? Nah. I digress...let's get on with his inventions/rays. (Note: this may not be all inclusive or 100% chronological. Note also that in this serial there are many more things the Martians can be credited with regarding inventions, rays, concepts. Not that Zarkov shortchanges here, his brilliance shows through regardless, even in subtle ways, and by now, we've come to accept his genius.)
a)In a lab on Mars, Zarkov tells FG to hold a beaker containing nitron, saying do you feel that tingling sensation? That's radioactivity! He tells Flash of his intention to turn nitron into a radioactive light ray.
b)Zarkov soon after creates a paralyzer gun as a weapon. It's accidentally turned against FG in Chap 5 cliffhanger. It's also used later at various times.
c)In the Forest Kingdom, Dale was forced to inhale vapors..."The Incense of Forgetfulness"...she then wounds FG with a dagger. Fortunately, Zarkov prepares an antidote to administer for this form of lethium, and she is restored.
While the list for Zarkov seems short..perhaps I've omitted some, but as noted earlier, many inventions, rays, gadgetry, futuristic items/concepts were of Martian origin, with Ming involved as well.
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Next up, and finally, 1940 FGCTU...stay tuned
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Re: A list of Dr. Zarkov's inventions in Flash Gordon -- Officer Torch, 08:57:34 01/20/11 Thu [1]
1940 Serial Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
This action packed fast moving serial takes us back to Mongo. A plague, "The Purple Death" visits earth. Zarkov declares it is from some form of electrified dust dropped from a spaceship.
a)Zarkov, Flash and Dale head to Mongo. They meet with Prince Barin in Arboria. There is a rescue mission for General Lupi, there's chaos, but their ship eventually heads back to Arboria. En route, they are attacked by Ming ships....Zarkov makes his ship invisible, it disappears as its being pursued. (Talk about early cloaking devices!)
b)Our heroes, with Barin's people as well, head off to icy Frigia to mine for polarite...this deposited on earth will counteract the death dust. Zarkov sprays his Contra-Freeze solution on the team to prevent them from the freezing cold. He also gives FG a "polarometer" to detect the locations of polarite deposits.
c)Along the way, here and there, Zarkov builds some radios to keep in contact with his friends.
d)Zarkov chats with Barin's scientist Keedish about Zotranilium, "the fire metal" which burns with the heat of the sun when exposed to oxygen. He is told Ming wishes to fire projectiles loaded with this. Zarkov immediately begins working on apparatus to extinguish the projectiles as they land.
e)Later on, he invents a new magnetic gun to render Ming's guns and ships useless, but this Nullitrion gun self destructs and also releases poison gas in the area.
f)In the Land of the Dead, we learn that Zarkov understands and can speak Rock! (Rock talk?) He says it's a ancient language used by tribes which inhabited the Gobi desert on earth!...(actually, it's English played backwards.)
g)Towards the end of the serial, we hear of other weapons Zarkov had learned of thru friendships with Ming's scientists, Karm, Drulk,..and we hear of solarite, thallinium, and Ming threatens Zarkov with worse, but is he bluffing?...Zarkov thinks not. In any case, a so-called Z-O ship loaded with solarite was going to destroy all cities on earth. Instead, this was used against Ming and some of his minions trapped in the tower room by Capt.Sudan, loyal to Prince Barin.
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There was a good amount of inventions and rays in this serial, and many evil weapon oriented devices by Ming and his minions, by scientists forced to work for him, and mad scientists such as Jenda. Personal opinion, there was much covered in this last serial of the trilogy...it might have been better covered as 14 or 15 Chapters. In any case, it is what it is, and I enjoyed nevertheless.
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Hope this has been informative or of interest in some way. As usual, any comments, corrections, banter/humor, additions to this material are welcome.
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