Stuart Zurgo, also known as the Fan Boy[3] or the Armory Employee,[1][2] is a minor character in Going Commando and the main antagonist of Full Frontal Assault.
He is a former employee of the Megacorp Armory on planet Todano and a nerdy holo-net blogger who began as an obsessive fan of Captain Qwark. He first met Ratchet and Clank in the Bogon Galaxy while still a devoted admirer, but he later became disillusioned by Qwark's repeated scandals. His adoration morphed into a maniacal hatred, leading him to plot his former idol's demise in the Polaris Galaxy. The Q-Force ultimately defeated him, and he was placed under house arrest.
History[]
Before Going Commando[]
Stuart Zurgo was born to Lucille Zurgo and an unnamed father.[4] Originally from the Solana Galaxy,[5] Stuart Zurgo grew up idolizing the celebrity superhero Captain Qwark. His fandom grew to the point where he became captain of the Captain Qwark Cadet Club,[6] moderated Qwark fan forums, drew fan art, invested in a Captain Qwark hero seminar (that Qwark never showed up to), and wrote fan fiction, including a spec screenplay titled The Adventures of Captain Qwark and Sergeant Zurgo.[7] Qwark later read this fan fiction and admitted to finding it disturbing.[6] Zurgo also constructed an immense Qwark mech suit in his hero's honor, equipping it with a raritanium hull, a Gadgetron energy shield, an OmegaTech fission blaster, and an emergency escape pod.[5]
At some point, Zurgo became an employee at the Megacorp Armory on Todano.[1][2] It was during this time that he learned of Qwark's public shaming following his villainous partnership with Chairman Drek. Believing Ratchet and Clank to be responsible for his idol's fall from grace, Zurgo vowed to smite Ratchet when given the chance.[2]
In the continuity of the 2016 re-imagining, Zurgo was mentioned by Al as a prominent blogger scheduled to speak on a panel about the flaws in comic book-based holo-films.[8]
Going Commando[]
Ratchet and Clank encountering Zurgo for the first time on Todano.
Ratchet first encountered Zurgo in a stall he had set up inside the Megacorp Armory, during "Investigate the facility interior". Mid-roleplay, Zurgo charged at Ratchet to "attack," but missed and fell on his face. Unimpressed, Ratchet turned to leave, but Zurgo stopped him and demanded he acquire Captain Qwark merchandise for him, giving him the mission "Bring Qwark Collectible to Armory Employee".[2] Ratchet later returned with a Qwark statuette purchased from the Plumber. In exchange, Zurgo gave Ratchet an Armor Magnetizer.
Zurgo also appeared in the fourth segment of the holovision show Behind the Hero, where he was shown holding the Qwark figure while the host questioned if Qwark had been "a victim of an overzealous fan".[9]
After Going Commando[]
During the Protopet crisis, Zurgo traveled back to the Solana Galaxy and waited in line for three days at the Kerwan convention center to get Qwark's autograph, only to be told Qwark had been arrested for his kidnapping of Abercrombie Fizzwidget.[5] Later, in Up Your Arsenal, Zurgo attended the premiere of the newest Secret Agent Clank holo-film, sitting right next to Qwark himself.
Over time, Zurgo grew increasingly disillusioned by Captain Qwark's constant scandals, the declining quality of his merchandise, and how the universe seemed to forgive Qwark for every misdeed.[6]
Zurgo's family eventually moved to the Polaris Galaxy, where he established a lair on planet Ebaro—in actuality, his mother's basement.[a] There, he devised a plan to exact revenge on Qwark by exploiting the weather grid his idol had installed while president. He learned to hack Planetary Defense Centers and used a hologuise to infiltrate the Starship Phoenix II disguised as the Plumber.[7] He also moved his Qwark mech to his lair and, as a backup plan, installed two dozen blocks of pyrocidic detonator charges stolen from his father's shed (which were intended to be used in the demolition of an old Gadgetron building), but claimed he had stolen them from a Thugs-4-Less outpost.[11]
Full Frontal Assault[]
Zurgo in disguise while sending an encrypted transmission.
Zurgo deactivated the Planetary Defense Centers on Ebaro, Markazia, and Proteus VII, and hired the grungarian marauders to attack the vulnerable planets. He sent an encrypted transmission, while wearing a mask, to the Q-Force—now comprising Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark—demanding that only they intervene, threatening to shut down every PDC in the galaxy if the Polaris Defense Force got involved. The Q-Force agreed, but their casual dismissal of him as a serious threat greatly irritated him.[12]
Zurgo revealing his identity to the Q-Force.
After the Q-Force reactivated Markazia's PDC, Zurgo revealed his identity to them.[6] When they moved on to Proteus VII, he hacked the GrummelNet harvesters to taunt them further.[13] By the time the heroes realized the Plumber aboard their ship was Zurgo in disguise, he revealed his full plan: he had lured them off the ship to steal Qwark's access key for the galactic weather grid. He promptly used it to plunge the galaxy into chaos while framing Qwark. He also hacked the Phoenix II, causing its speakers to endlessly play "I Am Glad, 'Cause I'm Finally Returning Back Home" (often referred to as the "Trololo song"), a broadcast interrupted when his mother called to ask him about house chores.[7]
Zurgo confronting the Q-Force in the Qwark Mech.
The Q-Force managed to deactivate the corrupted PDC on Ebaro, and the Phoenix II's AI, Barry, tracked Zurgo's signal to a temple on the planet.[10] Zurgo confronted them there in his Qwark mech. The team defeated him and, while attempting to turn him over to the authorities, accidentally dropped him in a pit,[5] leaving him with three broken ribs, a broken leg, and a fractured collar bone.[4]
For his crimes, Zurgo was sentenced to 50 years of house arrest with his mother—a fate described as worse than Zordoom Prison. A statue commemorating his defeat was later placed in the Hall of Villainy in the Intergalactic Museum of History on Igliak.[4]
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Stuart Zurgo is a skinny teenager with glasses and a nerdy-sounding voice. As a fanboy, he wore a green Qwark-themed outfit with a black cape and carried a small hammer. As a villain, he donned bright orange armor with robotic boots and wielded a much larger hammer.
Personality[]
As a fanboy, Zurgo was utterly obsessed with Captain Qwark, to the point of engaging in elaborate roleplay and writing "disturbing" fan fiction.[6] As a villain, he became vengeful and callous, though his primary motivation was simply to spite Qwark rather than any grander scheme.[7] His ultimate goal was to replace his former idol as the hero the galaxy turned to.[5]
Zurgo is also a holo-film blogger[7] and self-admitted holo-net troll.[13] He frequently speaks in internet slang from the early 2010s, using terms such as "like a boss", "leet", "epic fail", "LOL", and "noob".[5][6][7] Using the Groovitron Glove on him causes him to perform the "Gangnam Style" dance.
Abilities[]
Despite his nerdy demeanor, Zurgo is very intelligent and resourceful. He is a capable engineer, having developed an Armor Magnetizer and constructed a large, sophisticated mech suit even before his turn to villainy.[1][2][7] He later demonstrated advanced hacking skills, easily infiltrating Planetary Defense Centers and creating convincing hologuises.[7]
Behind the scenes[]
Concept art for Full Frontal Assault.
A bonus feature in Going Commando titled "A Day at the Insomniac Museum" refers to him as "Walter," suggesting this was an early name for the character.[14]
Prior to the game's release, Insomniac Games kept the identity of Full Frontal Assault's villain a secret, describing him only as a "familiar face"[15] with a "nasty surprise planned for Captain Qwark".[16]
Stuart's mother, Lucille Zurgo, was voiced by Anna Graves.
Stuart Zurgo's backstory is strongly reminiscent of Syndrome from The Incredibles. Both are superfans who become disillusioned with their heroes and turn to villainy after feeling rejected by them.
Notes[]
Annotations[]
- ↑ During an argument with his mother overheard on the Starship Phoenix II, his mother claimed that Zurgo lived "in the basement", which Zurgo referred to as his lair.[10] As his mother had earlier asked him to take out the garbage,[7] it is implied they still lived together in the temple above his lair.
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Going Commando, Ratchet & Clank Going Commando Official Strategy Guide, p. 112
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Going Commando menu § "Bring Qwark Collectible to Armory Employee"
- ↑ Going Commando, credits
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Into the Nexus script § "Find the Dimensionator (gameplay)"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Full Frontal Assault script § "Ebaro 3"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Full Frontal Assault script § "Markazia 1"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 Full Frontal Assault script § "Phoenix 4"
- ↑ Ratchet & Clank (2016 game) script § "Find the technician (gameplay)"
- ↑ Going Commando script § "Behind the Hero, Part IV"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Full Frontal Assault script § "Phoenix 5"
- ↑ Full Frontal Assault script § "Ebaro 3"
- ↑ Full Frontal Assault script § "Phoenix 1"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Full Frontal Assault script § "Proteus VII"
- ↑ Going Commando, Special § "A Day at the Insomniac Museum"
- ↑ Insomniac Games (2012, August 15). Ratchet & Clank®: Full Frontal Assault Debut Trailer [Video]. YouTube.
- ↑ Stevenson, James (2012, July 18). "Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault Adds a Tower-Defense Twist". From PlayStation Blog. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019.
References[]
- Insomniac Games (2003). Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 2.
- Insomniac Games (2004). Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal [Game]. PlayStation 2.
- Insomniac Games (2012). Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
- Insomniac Games (2013). Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
- Insomniac Games (2016). Ratchet & Clank [Game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment. PlayStation 4.
- (2018). The Art of Ratchet & Clank [Game]. Dark Horse Comics.