"The Greatest Story Never Told"

"The Greatest Story Never Told" is the seventh episode of the first season of Justice League Unlimited, and the seventh of the overall series. It originally aired on September 11, 2004. The Justice League is locked in epic battle with Mordru in downtown Metropolis, but the real story is what happens to Booster Gold while he's supposed to be on "crowd control".

Plot[]

Booster Gold is a glory-seeking showboat from the future, but despite his aspirations of attaining wealth and glory as a member of the Justice League, he can't seem to catch a break. Between getting snubbed by J'onn J'onzz for high-profile League missions and being mistaken for Green Lantern by autograph seekers, Booster is sick of being treated like a second-stringer. Ironically, this is the very reason why he's snubbed by many of the other League members; He's less motivated by genuine altruism and more interested in becoming a celebrity.

After practically begging J'onn for more work, he is dispatched with the Justice League reserves to aid the first team during a battle with the powerful sorcerer Mordru. However, upon arrival, Booster and Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man are relegated to crowd control duties by Batman. Booster and Ralph jaw for a bit about their perceived lower status just as Wonder Woman arrives asking for help — but only from Elongated Man.

Booster and his robot sidekick/cheerleader Skeets attempt to make the most of their position, but the closest thing to action Booster finds is the rescue of a child's ant farm from a burning building - and his reward for this is once again being called "Green Lantern". However, there is an accident at a local S.T.A.R. Labs facility; a young and attractive physicist named Dr. Simmons informs Booster that one of her colleagues was caught in a power surge while working on an experiment. As a result, the man is now a miniature black hole.

Booster is excited by a chance to save the world and maybe even get the girl, so he and Skeets agree to try and stop the black hole with a special disruptor collar. Unfortunately, Booster becomes discouraged as his plans go awry for various reasons:

• Booster is almost flattened by a car hurled from the scene of the main battle, miles away.
• A wild cast of Mordu's magic accidentally brings a ten-story building in Booster's vicinity to life—with an appetite.
• Skeets is sucked into the mini-black hole.

In the middle of all this, Booster somehow finds time to deliver a baby to a woman stuck in an abandoned ambulance - and the new mother shows her gratitude with the words, "Thank you, Green Lantern".

A dejected Booster admits to Simmons that in the future he was actually a failure, and that he essentially ran away to the 21st century in a desperate attempt to be somebody. However, with the encouragement of his "damsel-in-distress", Booster is able to heroically attach the disruptor collar and save the world. All of the consumed matter, Skeets included, is ejected back into the world safe and sound. The threat has ended, yet Booster is still down on himself and passes up an opportunity to kiss Simmons, despite after-the-fact encouragement from Skeets.

Naturally, no one outside of the parties involved know what happened. A few miles downtown, the Justice League has just (in a literal sense) wrapped up the Mordru situation thanks to Elongated Man. Even worse, Batman comes up to lecture Booster for leaving his crowd control post; the would-be Justice League superstar is unable to put his explanation into words and instead simply sulks.

Then one voice calls out, "Excuse me, Green Lantern?" Booster Gold angrily prepares for another reminder that he is not Green Lantern, but instead he sees Dr. Simmons before him, who admits that she was only joking. Booster is greatly cheered up by her reappearance, even more because the grateful doctor is willing to take him on a date, leaving Elongated Man alone for clean-up duty.

Background information[]

Home video releases[]

• Justice League Unlimited - Season One (DVD)
• Justice League - The Complete Series (DVD)
• Justice League Unlimited - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
• Justice League Unlimited - Joining Forces (DVD)
• Justice League: 3-Pack Fun (DVD)

Production notes[]

• This episode was originally going to focus on superhero Firestorm but it was changed to Booster Gold.^[1] Dwayne McDuffie had stated his casting choices would have been actors Jon Benjamin and Jonathan Katz.^[2]

Production inconsistencies[]

• During the briefing at the Watchtower, Doctor Light turns and runs off to the teleporter before her name is called.
• When Tracy is comforting Daniel after the collar has been applied, all of the objects are expunged back out the black hole, save for the two paramedics.

Trivia[]

• At one point Booster Gold talks with a Superman/Batman hybrid with Wonder Woman's voice, this form resembles Composite Superman.
• Skeets' line, "My gosh! It was full of stars!" after being ejected from the black hole is a reference to a similar comment made by David Bowman on the Stargate in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
• His Milton quote "They also serve who only stand and wait" comes from Sonnet XIX.
• Plastic Man is mentioned in this episode but is never seen in the DCAU. Whether his non-depiction is simply an oversight or due to legal issues is not clear. Plastic Man is merely a dropped name and a rare "name only" cameo by a DC Comics superhero.
• Skeets is voiced by Billy West, the voice of space delivery boy Fry (and other characters) on Futurama; in that series, West plays a human from the past whose best friend is a robot; in this series he plays the robotic best friend of a human from the future.
• Tom Everett Scott and Billy West would reprise their roles as Booster Gold and Skeets in the non DCAU show Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
• Lori Loughlin played Carolyn Lance, a former Black Canary, and the mother of one of the main heroes, on the short-lived Birds of Prey TV series.
• Booster says "Energize!" on the transporter pad, in tribute to Star Trek.
• Chris Cox replaces George Eads as the voice of Captain Atom.
• While a reluctant Booster and Ralph performs crowd control, a little girl drops a doll which is similar to the exploding doll used by Joker on Wonder Woman in "Injustice for All", except that the doll's dress is turquoise instead of red.

Cast[]

Actor	Role
Kevin Conroy	Batman
Susan Eisenberg	Wonder Woman
Phil LaMarr	Green Lantern
Carl Lumbly	J'onn J'onzz
Tom Everett Scott	Booster Gold
Billy West	Skeets Dr. Daniel Brown (uncredited) Transporter Tech (uncredited)
Lori Loughlin	Dr. Tracy Simmons
Jeremy Piven	Elongated Man Scientist (uncredited)
Chris Cox	Captain Atom
Kath Soucie	Young Boy Pregnant Woman (uncredited)

Uncredited appearances[]

Atom-Smasher Aztek Blue Devil Crimson Avenger Dove Doctor Light Doctor Mid-Nite Fire

Hawk Ice Huntress The Ray Rocket Red Shining Knight Stargirl Starman

S.T.R.I.P.E. Supergirl Superman Thunderbolt Vibe Vigilante Wildcat

Mordru

Quotes[]

J'onn J'onzz: I have never sensed such malevolent magic in one being. Unless Mordru can be defeated, I fear for every living creature on the planet. Booster Gold: Yes!

Booster Gold: Energize! Transporter Tech: (sotto) Doofus.

Elongated Man: "We don't need two stretchy guys". This is so not fair! I mean, okay, I realize that Plastic Man is in the League too, I'm not dissing the guy's skills, but come on! I have it all over that guy! Once I disguised myself as a vase for like, three days! Booster Gold: No, you didn't. Elongated Man: Okay, maybe not. Who'd want to anyway?

Booster Gold: Is there a chance you could stop complaining for five minutes? Elongated Man: Hey, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, my friend. But I'll tell you one thing: I wouldn't help those ingrates now if they begged me... Wonder Woman: We need you. Booster Gold: It's about time. Wonder Woman: Not you. Him. Elongated Man: Squeaky wheel. Skeets: Maybe they needed a vase.

Skeets: "They also serve who only stand and wait." John Milton. Booster Gold: Oh yeah? I got one for you: "This stinks." Booster Gold.

Booster Gold: I have officially hit rock bottom.

Booster Gold: She's beautiful, and in distress! My favorite kind of damsel.

Tracy Simmons: (her first words upon waking) We're all gonna die! Booster Gold: Hey, I'm not dressed for Halloween! Booster Gold is a bona fide superhero.

Booster Gold: Oh, man, we are so lucky! All I have to do is pop this collar onto Mr. Black Hole, save the world, and then it's champagne and strawberries for me and the hot doctor!

Booster Gold: If they knew... if she knew the truth... (long pause) Skeets: I've got nothing.

Booster Gold: I blew it! Tracy Simmons: It's not too late! Booster Gold: I can't do it! Tracy Simmons: Yes, you can! You have to! Booster Gold: Tracy, I'm a fraud! Do you know why I came back to the past? It wasn't to fight for justice! It was to get rich, be famous! I was a failure in the future, just like I am here! I'm not a superhero! Tracy Simmons: Everything is about to be destroyed forever! And where are the other superheroes? Not here! You are! You're the only one who can do this! So do it!

Skeets: Sir, according to my thermal sensor readings of Dr. Simmons, you just missed a prime opportunity to... well, I believe the phrase is, "kiss the girl." Booster Gold: Kissing girls is for heroes, Skeets.

Tracy Simmons: (offscreen) Excuse me, Green Lantern? Booster Gold: For the last time, I am not Green Lantern! My name is...! (turns and sees her) Tracy Simmons: (laughs) Just kidding. I know who Booster Gold is. So now that I'm not in distress, I was wondering if maybe I was still your kind of damsel.

Booster Gold: Squeaky wheel, buddy. Squeaky wheel.

References[]