Operation Mind Menace

"Operation Mind Menace"
Attribution
Writer(s)	Martin Pasko
Production company	Sunbow Productions
Production code	#600-09
Season	1
Original airdate	October 15, 1985
General information
Continuity	A Real American Hero animated continuity
Series	G.I. Joe
Preceded by	Money to Burn
Followed by	Battle for the Train of Gold
Operation Mind Menace

Cobra kidnaps people with psionic abilities to use as living weapons - including Airborne's kid brother!

Plot

Featured Characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

G.I. Joe	Cobra	Civilians
Airborne (2) Blowtorch (15 Duke (4) Flash (1) Lady Jaye (5) Snow Job (13) Stalker (14)	Cobra Commander (10) Cobra Officer (9) Destro (11) Storm Shadow (7) Wild Weasel (12)	Carmody (8) Hawaiian psychic (3) Thomas Talltree (6) Institute staff

Featured Vehicles and Equipment

G.I. Joe	Cobra
Dragonfly XH-1 Polar Battle Bear Sky Hawk Skystriker XP-14	F.A.N.G. H.I.S.S. Rattler Trubble Bubble VTOL cargo jet

Notes

Animation and Technical Errors

• The Cobra Officer that captures Flash and Airborne on the beach initially has a red Cobra emblem on his chest. It switches to the correct silver color as they escort the prisoners into the base.
• In different shots on Easter Island, Airborne is shown with blonde hair or with a green uniform.
• When crawling out of the ocean, Airborne's uniform is white.
• While fighting the Mo'ai, Airborne's rifle changes from a standard Joe-style laser rifle to one more synonymous with Cobra Troopers, then back again.
• Bad animation shows one of the Mo'ai kicking a large monolith head at Airborne, seemingly flattening the Joe.
• As he jumps clear of his Polar Battle Bear, Blowtorch's uniform is colored like Ace's.

Quotes

"You'd deny a dying man his last request?!?"
--Airborne, after Destro questions why he wants to know the fate of his brother Tommy.

"Whatever you say, pal!"
--Stalker, certain that Flash is nuts when talking about the Hawaiian psionic and her powers.

Miscellaneous Trivia

• Airborne's brother Tommy is the one who gave him his code name, after Airborne was made an airman in the Army.
• Insults used in this episode:
  • "Bad breath" Flash to Airborne (paraphrased).
  • "Snakes" Flash about Cobra, Duke about Cobra
  • "Snake" Stalker about Cobra
  • "Flyboys" Cobra officer about Flash and Airborne
  • "Snake breath" Flash about Cobra
  • "Rats" Airborne about Cobra
  • "Stone bozos" Flash about the attacking Mo'ai statues
  • "Arrogant fool" Cobra Commander to Destro

Real World References

• Cobra blows up their base on Easter Island, a Polynesian island famous for its stone monoliths (Mo'ai) which are used against the Joes in this episode.
• Lady Jaye crashes her Sky Hawk into the Washington Monument, which is located in Washington, D.C.
• Cobra's second base used in this episode is atop K12, in the Saltoro Mountains of Pakistan. It is not technically part of the Himalayas proper, as mentioned in the dialog of the episode, but of the Karakorum range. Both ranges are part of a larger system of mountain ranges that is sometimes called the Greater Himalayas.
• The first two Joes seen mention having been following the F.A.N.G. from Honolulu.

Footnotes

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