Loving Enemies, and Standing Against Hate: A Faith- Based Look at a Great 'Teen Titans' episode.

Hello, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
For this installment, I'll be looking at an episode from an older show I've rediscovered, examining it as both a fan and a Christian.
One show that I was a big fan of in the 2000's was the Cartoon Network series 'Teen Titans.'

It was an animated show that ran from 2003 through 2006, about the adventures and trials of a team of teenage superheroes: Stoic team leader Robin, bubbly yet powerful alien princess Starfire, exuberant half- robotic hero Cyborg, fan- favorite Gothic sorceress Raven, and the fun- loving animal shapeshifter Beast Boy.

(Meet the Titans: From left, Beast Boy, Starfire, Robin, Cyborg, and Raven. Credit for this image goes to the user Teentitansfan1234 at http://teentitans.wikia.com/wiki/File:Teen_titans.png)
It was a genuinely good show, a perfect blend of action, humor, and surprisingly great moments of drama and character development that could appeal to adults just as easily as to kids.
It could have silly, light- hearted episodes (i.e. 'Fractured,' 'Bunny Raven,' and any of the episodes involving the amusingly psychedelic villain Mad Mod), and but then also have dead- serious, intense episodes (i.e. The deeply moving 'How Long is Forever?', the honestly magnificent 'X,' and any episodes featuring the Titans' pure- evil main nemesis Slade), and handle both styles perfectly.
It did an awesome job portraying both established characters from the comic books, and also original characters created for the show (i.e. The hilarious movie- geek villain Control Freak was created for the show, and became so popular among fans that there was a lot of talk about officially bringing him into the larger comics' main canon).
Its opening theme song by Japanese pop rock band Puffy AmiYumi is incredibly catchy, too.
It was sadly cancelled in 2006, apparently the result of Cartoon Network coming under new management. Starting in 2013, a new version of it called 'Teen Titans Go' premiered, but I honestly find that show abysmal and a disgrace to the 'Teen Titans' legacy in a lot of different ways that I won't go into here, so that's all I'll say about it.

Fortunately, about a month or two ago, Cartoon Network began reshowing episodes of the original 'Teen Titans' at 6-7 am. So, as a good way to help wake up and get psyched for the day, I'd watch those hour blocks while having my morning coffee or tea, and am pleased to say the show still holds up remarkably well after all these years.

My favorite of the Titans was/ is Starfire. One would rarely use the word "Adorable" to describe a superheroine, but it fits Starfire like a glove. She's cheerful, brave, kind- hearted, fiercely loyal to her friends, quite often funny with how naive she can be and how unaccustomed to Earth she is (i.e. She fumbles with the meanings of certain words and phrases, and her beverage of choice is mustard), and yet also much smarter and more insightful than she seems. The relationship she gradually develops with Robin over the course of the series is awkward but very sweet, the kind of pairing that fans like me could easily cheer on. In addition, her voice actress Hynden Walch does a consistently great performance as her.
If any of you are interested, here's a pretty neat Starfire tribute video I found on Youtube. The song fits her well, in the chorus when it goes "Sharada, Sharada," I imagine it saying "Starfire, Starfire" instead!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1ZvLW0vkkA
I bring all this up because, during the current re- showing of 'Teen Titans' episodes, I rediscovered an episode centering around Starfire that I love as a fan, and can also derive some great lessons from on how to live as a servant of Jesus. It was a Season 4 episode known as "Troq."

In this episode, the Titans meet an intergalactic hero named Val- Yor, who recruits them to help him defeat a hostile alien race called the Locrix before they can invade Earth. They all set out on a space mission to the Locrix's base planet in order to shut them down for good.
As their journey progresses, Val- Yor quickly wins over most of the Titans with his friendly, mentor- ish nature, but remains rather cold towards Starfire. Things come to a head when Val- Yor, angry at Starfire for making a potentially dangerous mistake, calls her a "Troq," which makes her gasp in shock. After this, he begins regularly calling her that. At first, the the other Titans think nothing of it, on the grounds that Val- Yor has nicknames for each of them (i.e. He calls Robin "Spike" and sarcastically calls Raven "Sunshine"), but Starfire sadly reveals to Cyborg that "Troq" is in fact a particularly hateful slur term for her alien race. It specifically means "Nothing," implying that she is worthless due to her race, and she knows that punching him out for saying it will just confirm his prejudices. Cyborg tells Robin about it, who furiously promises to make Val- Yor apologize to her for it, but Starfire tells him to let it go on the grounds that their mission is more important than her feelings. Things ultimately come to a head when they arrive at the Locrix planet, set out to accomplish their mission, and in the process cause a few characters to reveal their true natures.

While 'Troq' is usually not found on many "Favorite episode" lists by the show's fans, it's one that I've always loved. First up, as a Starfire fan, episodes centering around her tend to get my attention well, and this one does not disappoint, as it helps us learn a lot about her. Also, the action sequences are solid (Especially some of the 'Titans and Val- Yor vs. Locrix' battles and a tense scene when Starfire has to clear a path for their ship through a treacherous space minefield). The voice acting is quite good too, I still to this day can't believe that was Stephen Root (Best known for playing the odd coworker Milton in the movie 'Office Space' and voicing the dopey neighbor Bill on 'King of the Hill') as the voice of Val- Yor. It can have some good comedic moments, as well (Cyborg's reaction to Val- Yor letting him get behind the wheel of his spaceship is priceless), and as you will see, a great message.

I think there are quite a few Scriptural lessons that can be taken from this episode. An obvious one is on the dangers of prejudice and hate, but as I have already covered that lesson pretty thoroughly on this blog in the past through my looks at 'Zootopia,' I'll pass over that one. Rather, I think an EXTREMELY important lesson that can be taken from this episode that I haven't yet dealt with involves how we as Christians should respond to hate and prejudice that we see, especially when we ourselves are the victims of it.
What most sums this up is a critical scene in the episode's climax; During the battle on the Locrix's home planet, Val- Yor and Starfire together enter the Locrix's base and plant the device which will shut the Locrix down forever. In the process, though, Val- Yor is wounded and trapped within a force field as the base is about to explode. Starfire immediately uses her immense strength (She is much stronger than her slender build would suggest) to press through the force field and tells Val- Yor to take her hand. Val- Yor refuses, snarling at her "Keep your filthy hands off me, Troq!" Starfire then shouts, "You may not value my life, but I STILL VALUE YOURS!" She seizes Val- Yor and flies him out of the base before it blows, saving his life. I'd say this is pretty much a perfect depiction of Jesus's calling in Matthew 5:44 to "Love your enemies, bless them who curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you."
Afterwards, when Val- Yor and the Titans are all back on Earth, Val- Yor thanks Starfire for saving him, but does so in a way which clearly shows he hasn't learned a thing from what happened, and remains as prejudiced as he was before. The other Titans, all of whom have been completely disenchanted from Val- Yor now that they know how horribly he treated their friend, tell him to just leave, and he does so. Starfire then gives a quite beautiful closing monologue, pointing out that "There will always be people who say mean words because you are different, and sometimes their minds cannot be changed. But there are many more people who do not judge others based on how they look, or where they are from. Those are the people whose words truly matter."
That verse, in turn, reminds me of Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brethren, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

I'd say both of those are extremely valuable lessons for us to learn and model as servants of Jesus Christ, especially in our current political/ social climate. The tragedy in Charlottesville a few weeks ago shows the kind of destruction that can be caused by hatred and prejudice, as well as by an improper response to it. Do not take this as a political statement because that is not my intent, but I personally believe that President Trump was kind of right when, in response to what happened in Charlottesville, he pointed out that plenty of blame for what happened can be cast at both sides of the conflict, rather than just at one side or the other. Both sides had their lunatic- fringe, violent extremist elements out in full force during that period (Virulent white supremacists on one side who deliberately try to provoke others and stir things up, and lawless "Antifa" types on the other side who go to such events with the specific intent of starting fights and riots), and both sides believed themselves to be in the right by taking the stands they did, but when that much hate from both sides gets together, the end result is never pretty. When confronted with or victimized by the hatred and prejudices of someone else, the temptation to strike back and/ or respond in kind, through word or action, is very strong. That's how the secular world teaches us to respond to it. However, the funny thing is, most of Jesus's teachings involved the importance of going AGAINST what the secular world would have us do.
Jesus wanted His servants to live in such a way that all who saw them would know they are different from the world, that they put their love of the Lord above all else. His teaching on the importance of loving our enemies is a perfect example of this. The world teaches us to love our friends and hate our enemies, but Jesus teaches us to even love our enemies and those who mistreat us. Even when it comes to being active in causes which are important to you and standing against something you know in your heart is wrong, we must resist the temptation to feel hate towards those on the other side of the issue. We must attempt to see them the way God Himself sees them: As His beloved children just as much as we are, and whom He died for just as much as He did for us.
To help us with this, we must seek out those who are good influences for us, as both Starfire's closing monologue and the verse from Philippians 4:8 show. We need to be with those who can guide us to better live in ways that model Jesus and what He did for us, so we can know how to properly react when confronted with prejudice or injustice.
We cannot stop hatred with more hatred. We must show Godly love and mercy every day, even towards those who do not deserve it, as Starfire did to Val- Yor in the episode and as Jesus did for all of us on the cross. Through doing that, we can help to bring at least a little of Jesus's peace and renewal to a world desperately in need of it.
So, that's it for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Stay tuned over the course of October, I should have a two- part Halloween edition up over that month, as I did last year. Until then, God bless you all!

Unlikely Help and Inclusion: A Devotional Look at the 'The Lego Batman Movie.'

Hello everyone, and welcome back to another installment of the Nightcrawler Experience!
Well, my closing words in my last installment thankfully proved true: The Movie Night event held at St. John's United Methodist Church over the summer which I collaborated with them on was popular enough that they wanted it to continue, so once a month for at least the next few months, they will again be airing a film at the church on a Friday night, and I will again be writing devotionals to be passed out at them and follow- up entries here on the Nightcrawler Experience!
For this first installment of the new series, we were initially going to be showing the classic 80's film 'Adventures in Babysitting,' but upon watching the film for the first time in years, I realized that, while it is a good, fun film, it has a lot of objectionable comment that make it inappropriate for showing in a church setting (Especially language, such as a scene in which not one but two "F"- bombs are dropped). So, instead, we'll be looking at a much more recent and MUCH more family- friendly film, 'The Lego Batman Movie.'
In it, Batman is on the one hand riding high due to defeating and capturing all of his enemies in one attack, but on the other hand it becomes clear that he is a really lonely guy, and although he's too proud to admit it, he deeply fears being part of a family again. He is also angry upon learning that new police commissioner Barbara Gordon plans to restructure the Gotham police force to lessen how much they need him.
Amidst this, he has to contend with both a plan by the Joker, who is extremely angry and bitter upon learning that Batman does not regard him as his greatest enemy, to recruit some of the greatest villains from all pop culture (And they are a very diverse, very entertaining bunch, from Lord Voldemort to the Wicked Witch of the West to "Doctor Who"'s Daleks and many more) to try and destroy Gotham City, and the stress of having to care for an orphaned boy named Dick Grayson who he accidentally adopted. He eventually swallows his pride, realizes he needs to make some changes in his life, saves the world again, and finds the new family he's secretly always wanted.

I must say, I ADORE this movie! I consider it a great epitome of a "For the whole family" movie; There's simple jokes and entertainment for kids, more complex jokes and themes for adults (Not to mention LOADS of funny and at times quite subtle nods to all of the different incarnations of Batman, from the comics to the various movies to the TV shows, aimed at the hardcore Bat- Fans), and plenty of material that can appeal to both groups. I was laughing and geeking out all through it, and consider it probably the best Batman- related film I've seen since 2008's 'The Dark Knight.'

In the devotional I wrote that will be passed out at the movie screening, I pointed out that probably the main Scriptural message that can be taken from 'The Lego Batman Movie' is on the nature of family, and the different forms that family can take. I use the verses Ephesians 1:5 and Ephesians 2:19 to help show how we all become a part of God's family when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Though, that's not the only Godly lesson that can be taken from it.
SPOILER WARNING!


A couple other great lessons I've found in 'The Lego Batman Movie' are on inclusion, and finding help in ways you didn't expect.
I cannot tell you how much I was moved by the scene in the film's climax in which Batman turns on separate, "Bat- Signal"- esque beacons for his former enemies (i.e. Two- Face, the Penguin, Scarecrow, Catwoman, etc.), to summon them to help him battle the Joker and his army of ultra- villains in order to save Gotham City. Sure enough, by working together, this group of crooks and misfits whom the Joker had dismissed as incompetent "Human farts" earlier in the movie are able to tilt the battle in Batman's favor enough that he ends up prevailing.
 One area of Batman lore that it has always succeeded at is how well- developed and often quite sympathetic most of Batman's major villains are. In many cases, they became evil due to circumstances largely outside of their control. For instance, some of his villains became that way due to bitterness over being shunned and rejected as outcasts by society purely due to their outer physical appearance, such as the Penguin and Killer Croc. Some of Batman's other villains were once good men who were led astray in response to others' cruel actions against them, such as Two- Face (Once Gotham City's district attorney and a force for good and justice, before being disfigured both physically and psychologically in a mafia attack) and Mr. Freeze (His backstory is flat- out heartbreaking; I have a future entry of the Nightcrawler Experience in mind in which I look at it in more depth). So, I found the act of Batman reaching out to them, and not just humbling himself enough to ask for their help, but actually making them honorary members of the "Bat- Family" and giving them the opportunity to be heroes for once and gain a sense of the acceptance they've always wanted was so heartwarming.
Finding unlikely help and inclusion for outcasts are messages that resonate deeply in Scripture. One Bible story I've remembered well from when I was a kid (Partly because I participated in a play in church about it in those days) was the story of King Jehoshaphat found in 2 Chronicles 20: The good, God- fearing King Jehoshaphat was faced with the threat of his kingdom of Judah being attacked by three different armies together. Through prayer and fasting, Jehoshaphat and his people were given insight by God into a very strange and unlikely but ultimately very effective form of help; He was told that, when sending his kingdom's army out to fight the invaders, to put a choir of singers at the very head of his army, singing praises to God. This drove the invading armies to turn against each other and ultimately destroy each other, leading to a landslide victory for Judah's army.
Of course, themes of inclusion for the outcasts, including those who've sinned and fallen short, are all throughout the Bible. Rahab in the book of Joshua was a prostitute who lived with a corrupt and evil society, yet she ended up being welcomed among the Israelites and becoming an ancestor of Jesus. Speaking of whom, Jesus Himself welcomed corrupt tax collectors like Matthew and Zacchaeus, political extremists like Simon the zealot, and many others seen as "Undesirables." A big part of the reason why the early church grew so quickly in spite of its persecution was because its people reached out to and showed kindness and inclusion to a lot of people treated as outcasts by society in those days, such as women and children. The early church showed them the love and acceptance that society denied them, demonstrating a taste of God's amazing love for them. That led them to find Christ and help the church grow even more! We as current Christians are similarly called to reach out to the outcasts, those who've struggled with sin and regrets, and all others in need of Jesus in their lives.
There you have my thoughts on 'The Lego Batman Movie': a great family movie, a real treat for all Bat-fans, and a great parable on family, unlikely help, and inclusion of all.
Keep your eyes peeled, because I have another entry of the Nightcrawler Experience nearly done, and it should be posted in the next week or so. Until then, God bless you all!