The Great Alaskan Land Rush

"The Great Alaskan Land Rush"
Attribution
Writer(s)	David Bennett Carren
Production company	Sunbow Productions
Season	1
Original airdate	December 3, 1985
General information
Continuity	A Real American Hero animated continuity
Series	G.I. Joe
Preceded by	Cold Slither
Followed by	Skeletons in the Closet
The Great Alaskan Land Rush

G.I. Joe must stop Russia from finding the Great Seal of Alaska to retain control of the State.

Appearances

Featured Characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

G.I. Joe	Cobra	Oktober Guard
Ace (NUMBER NEEDED) Duke (NUMBER NEEDED) Gung-Ho (NUMBER NEEDED) Roadblock (NUMBER NEEDED) Scarlett (NUMBER NEEDED)	Baroness (NUMBER NEEDED) Tomax (NUMBER NEEDED) Wild Weasel (NUMBER NEEDED) Xamot (NUMBER NEEDED)	Brekhov (NUMBER NEEDED) Daina (NUMBER NEEDED) General Vaskovia (NUMBER NEEDED) "Honest" Georgi Potemkin (NUMBER NEEDED) Horrorshow (NUMBER NEEDED)

Featured Vehicles & Equipment

G.I. Joe	Cobra	Oktober Guard
Skystriker XP-14F Snow Cat	H.I.S.S. Rattler	Beriev A-50 A.W.A.C.S. MIL MI-24 Gunship

Featured Locations

G.I. Joe	Cobra	Civilian

Memorable quotes

"When I get my hands on those Red Oktober wackos, I'll make 'em wish Karl Marx was Groucho's brother!"

--Gung Ho

Notes

Animation and technical errors

• When the Joes and Oktober Guard are riding the dog sleds, Gung Ho is colored as Roadblock in some scenes.

Continuity errors

• Previously known as The Oktober Guard, here the team is referenced as "Red Oktober."

Miscellaneous notes

• According to Wikipedia, Alaska was sold for two cents per acre, rather than the seven Scarlett mentioned. The entry makes no mention of a "Great Seal."
• Regardless of the provision in the Seward File, does it really seem feasible that the American government would simply hand over Alaska to a guy who shows up with a diamond-encrusted cup in his hand?
• Stormavik and Wong are conspicuously absent from the Soviet Team.
• Just like their comicbook counterparts, Red Oktober starts the episode out as G.I. Joe's adversaries, but if the need arises, they ally themselves with the Joes. See also The Invaders.

Real world references

• Gerky Potemkin's last name is the same as a Russian statesman (1739 to 1791) who was favored by Catherine II.
• The Russian general quotes Vince Lombardi, however the quote "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing", was originally said by Henry Russell Sanders.
• The Romanoff's name is an older style transliteration of Romanov, the royal family of Russia.
• Gerber Landsford, the governor of Alaska, was a tribute to the first season's story editor, Steve Gerber.
• The episode's title is a play on the Alaskan gold rushes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with perhaps a hint of the Oklahoma land rush of 1889.
• Gung-Ho mentions Karl Marx and Groucho Marx.
• The Oktober Guard/Red Oktober is named after the October Revolution, the rise of Soviet power that led to the execution of Tsar Nicholas II of the Romanov dynasty and his family. Awkward....

Footnotes

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