The Zeta Project – 26hologramman

Zee and Ro finally track down Dr. Selig, only to find him being forced to work with Brother’s Day, a terrorist organization Zee’s infiltrated in the past. Shocked, Zee and Ro intervene, only to discover that it isn’t Dr. Selig — but is instead a man using a portable holo-emitter to look like Selig. They vow to help this man escape the terrorists — especially when Zee realizes it may lead them to the real Selig after all.

Media by Borg4of3 and James Harvey
Review by Matt Zimmer

Note: Credits have Dr. Selig as the Background.

Voices:
Diedrich Bader as Zeta / Zee
Julie Nathanson as Ro
Kurtwood Smith as Agent Bennet
Michael Dorn as Colonel Lemak
Dominique Jennings as Agent Rush
Hal Linden as Dr. Selig
Michael McKean as Dr. Edmund
Robert Costanzo as Titus Sweete
Grey Delisle as Andrea Donoso
Gregg Berger as Agent
Chad Einbinder as Squad Leader
Rodger Bumpass as Sub Captain
Kevin Michael Richardson as Curtis
 

Zeta’s questions are answered while new ones are raised in the thrilling, watershed–and frustrating– series finale.

Zeta and Ro have infiltrated an NSA conference where they find Dr. Selig leaving. They follow him and discover he is working for Brother Day’s
Titus Sweet- a high ranking official in the terrorist organization that
Zeta had infiltrated. After Sweet leaves Zeta and Ro follow Selig and tell him who they are–when Selig vanishes and another man Zeta recognizes appears. He’s the man who designed Zeta’s holoemitter and he’s been infiltrating Brother’s Day as Selig to get information on them. They are trying to destroy the Floating Fortress–a laboratory on a floating ship in the middle of the ocean where Zeta was created. Zeta offers to help him and the man gives Ro a holoemitter. Zeta and Ro infiltrate the crew on Sweet’s submarine as Selig and his right hand man who they’ve knocked unconscious.

Once he learns that Sweet is going to destroy the security ships surrounding the fortress Zeta and Ro escape in a escape pod–Zeta can not be seen with Brother’s Day. They go aboard the fortress unaware that
Bennett is there too looking for them. Zeta sees Dr. Selig and talks to him without revealing himself to him. Selig tells him that he created the Zeta robot with a chip in his head that once activated was supposed to be the robot’s conscience and lead him to have free will. Bennett overhears this conversation. At once the fortress is attacked and Selig is ordered into an escape pod with his assistant before Zeta can tell him who he is. As Selig escapes and before Sweet is taken into custody by Bennett Sweet fires a missile at the pod and destroys it. After Zeta and Ro themselves escape Zeta is heartbroken and says that now there is no way to prove that he isn’t a threat. Meanwhile, a robotic hand rises from the ocean where Selig’s pod crashed healing itself. It seems Selig is a synthoid…

This episode was awesome from start to finish with one jawdropping revelation after another. The animation, voice-acting, dialogue and pacing were all top notch. That said this is easily the most frustrating episode in the entire series. Since the series was cancelled NONE of these revelations will ever be followed up on (unless there is a Justice
League Beyond show in the future. PLEASE, b.t.?) Will Bennett overhearing about Zeta’s conscience change his opinion of him? WHY is
Selig a synthoid? How will Zeta be able to track Selig if he doesn’t know he’s alive?

There was great character stuff between Zeta and Ro as she holds his hand when he finds the place where he was born and tells him that it’s her turn next. I really miss this show. The story was a nail-biter from start to finish and the animation was spectacular. If this had been a season finale rather than a series finale I would have had no complaints. As it is, this episode is very frustrating to fans of the show who will want to see these issues resolved.

Story: ****
Animation: *****
Average: ****1/2