The Zeta Project

Infobox television
show_name = The Zeta Project


caption = The Zeta Project logo
format = Animated television series
runtime = 30 Minutes
creator = Robert Goodman
starring = Diedrich Bader
Julie Nathanson
Kurtwood Smith
Dominique Jennings
Eli Marienthal
Scott Marquette
Michael Rosenbaum
Lauren Tom
country = USA
network = The WB (Kids' WB)
first_aired = January 27, 2001
last_aired = August 10, 2002
num_episodes = 26
list_episodes =List of The Zeta Project episodes
preceded_by = "Batman Beyond"
followed_by = "Batman Beyond" (took place within episodes)
imdb_id =0260662
tv_com_id =2590

"The Zeta Project" is a science fiction American animated series, first aired on Kids' WB in January 2001. It was a spinoff of the series "Batman Beyond".

The story's main character, Infiltration Unit Zeta, is a government robot designed to destroy and (via holographic projections) impersonate targeted individuals. However, while observing a target, Zeta experiences a kind of existential crisis about goodness and the value of life; following this epiphany Zeta finds it can no longer kill. The newly enlightened Zeta refuses to continue on as an infiltration unit and abandons its government service.

Zeta is pursued by a team of NSA agents, led by the obsessed Agent Bennett, and including Agent Lee, Agent West, and Agent Rush. On the way, he meets up with a 15-year-old runaway, Ro Rowen. Together, they search for Zeta's creator, the elusive Dr. Selig, in an attempt to prove Zeta's sentience and earn him his freedom.

The show was created by Robert Goodman, and starred Diedrich Bader, Julie Nathanson, Kurtwood Smith, Dominique Jennings, Eli Marienthal, Scott Marquette, Michael Rosenbaum, and Lauren Tom.

Both "Batman Beyond" and "The Zeta Project" crossed over with each other in certain episodes. "The Zeta Project" ran for two seasons, and last aired in August 2002. Like "Batman Beyond", the series ended without a conclusion. There was never a release for the remaining story and so Zeta and Ro's quest for personal answers were never answered and are up to viewer interpretation.

The training robots used by the animated "Justice League" (which shares DC animated universe continuity with "The Zeta Project") are very similar to Zeta's first appearance in "Batman Beyond", establishing that the robots were initially developed decades before Ro met Zeta. One of these robots was used by the government to attack Supergirl in the "Justice League Unlimited" episode "Fearful Symmetry", where he was noted to be a "Z8" type.

This series begins on the episode "Zeta" and ends just before "Unmasked" on the Batman Beyond timeline.

Characters

*"Zee" (Diedrich Bader)
*Ro Rowen (Julie Nathanson)
*Bucky Buenventura (Ulises Cuadra)
*Infiltration Unit 7
*Dr. Selig
*Agent Bennett (Kurtwood Smith)
*Agent West (Michael Rosenbaum)
*Agent Lee (Lauren Tom)
*Agent Rush (Dominique Jennings)

Episodes

Airing history

Australia

*Cartoon Network (2000-2008)

Brazil

*Cartoon Network (2001-2007)
*Boomerang (2007-present)
*SBT (2003-2006)

Canada

*YTV (2001-2008)

France

*Cartoon Network (2001-present)

Latin America

*Boomerang (2007-present)
*Cartoon Network (2001-2007)

Middle East

*MBC 3 (2007-present)

United States

*Kids WB! (2001-2002)
*Cartoon Network (2003-2008)

United Kingdom

*Cartoon Network (2001-2008)
*Boomerang (2008)

External links

*imdb title|id=260662|title=The Zeta Project
* " [http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Warner_Bros_/Television/The_Zeta_Project/ The Zeta Project] " at the Big Cartoon DataBase
* [http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/zetaproject/ The Zeta Project @ The World's Finest]
* [http://www.tv.com/the-zeta-project/show/2590/summary.html?q=The+Zeta+Project The Zeta Project at TV.com]