A Villain Named Zrg: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
{{trope}}
[[File:zorglogo_6168.jpg|link=The Fifth Element (Film)|right]]
[[File:zorglogo 6168.jpg|link=The Fifth Element|right]]


Be it because of its outlandish sound or its harsh structure, there seems to be a trend of naming sci-fi villains -- and especially stereotypical ones -- after these three consonants (sometimes with a K instead of a G), with a random vowel in-between and possibly some letters before or after.
Be it because of its outlandish sound or its harsh structure, there seems to be a trend of naming sci-fi villains—and especially stereotypical ones—after these three consonants (sometimes with a K instead of a G), with a random vowel in-between and possibly some letters before or after.


Compare [[Law of Alien Names]], [[Xtreme Kool Letterz]], [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]].
Compare [[Law of Alien Names]], [[Xtreme Kool Letterz]], [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]].
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{{examples}}
{{examples}}


== [[Anime and Manga]] ==
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* King Zarkon from ''[[Voltron]]'' would be a near-example.
* King Zarkon from ''[[Voltron]]'' would be a near-example.
* Zork from ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh]]''
* Zork from ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]''
** Also the cards "Dark Master Zorc" and, flipping the letter order, "Gorz the Emissary of Darkness."
** Also the cards "Dark Master Zorc" and, flipping the letter order, "Gorz the Emissary of Darkness."


== [[Comic Books]] ==
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* Spoofed in ''[[Spirou and Fantasio]]'' with Zorglub (portmanteau of Zorg and "Arglub" which is a standard [[Written Sound Effect]] for accidental strangling in Franco-Belgian comics). Notable in that it is currently the older example known -- even before ''Starcraft'' -- and [[Unbuilt Trope|already a parody]].
* Spoofed in ''[[Spirou and Fantasio]]'' with Zorglub (portmanteau of Zorg and "Arglub" which is a standard [[Written Sound Effect]] for accidental strangling in Franco-Belgian comics). Notable in that it is currently the older example known—even before ''Starcraft''—and [[Unbuilt Trope|already a parody]].
* ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]'' loved this trope. Besides the evil aliens called the [http://calvinandhobbes.wikia.com/wiki/Zorg Zorgs], there were the [http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1986/04/10 Zargs], [http://calvinandhobbes.wikia.com/wiki/Zorkon Zorkons], [http://calvinandhobbes.wikia.com/wiki/Zogwarg Zogwargs], and [http://calvinandhobbes.wikia.com/wiki/Zog_guard Zogs] (close).
* ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]'' loved this trope. Besides the evil aliens called the [http://calvinandhobbes.wikia.com/wiki/Zorg Zorgs], there were the [http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1986/04/10 Zargs], [http://calvinandhobbes.wikia.com/wiki/Zorkon Zorkons], [http://calvinandhobbes.wikia.com/wiki/Zogwarg Zogwargs], and [https://web.archive.org/web/20121003030922/http://calvinandhobbes.wikia.com/wiki/Zog_guard Zogs] (close).


== [[Film]] ==
== [[Film]] ==
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== [[Literature]] ==
== [[Literature]] ==
* Emperor Zhark from the ''[[Thursday Next]]'' books is a near-example (in two different ways). He's the villain of his own pulpy sci-fi series, but in the [[Meta Fiction|metafictional]] main story, he's one of the good guys.
* Emperor Zhark from the ''[[Thursday Next]]'' books is a near-example (in two different ways). He's the villain of his own pulpy sci-fi series, but in the [[Meta Fiction|metafictional]] main story, he's one of the good guys.
* The [[Ax Crazy]] Prince Serg from the ''[[Vorkosigan Saga]]'' might count, because [[All There in the Manual|his name is]] [[It Is Pronounced Tro PAY|pronounced "zerg"]].
* The [[Ax Crazy]] Prince Serg from the ''[[Vorkosigan Saga]]'' might count, because [[All There in the Manual|his name is]] [[It Is Pronounced "Tro-PAY"|pronounced "zerg"]].


== [[Live Action TV]] ==
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* ''[[Babylon 5]]'' has a humanoid predator species named Zarg.
* ''[[Babylon 5]]'' has a humanoid predator species named Zarg.
* Barizorg from ''[[Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger (TV)|Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger]]''. {{spoiler|The name is presumably a corruption/portmanteau from 'cyborg'.}}
* Barizorg from ''[[Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger]]''. {{spoiler|The name is presumably a corruption/portmanteau from 'cyborg'.}}
* Zurgane from ''[[Power Rangers Ninja Storm]]''.
* Zurgane from ''[[Power Rangers Ninja Storm]]''.


== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==
== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==
* Inversion: Hans Zarkov from ''[[Flash Gordon (Comic Strip)|Flash Gordon]]'', who's one of the good guys.
* Inversion: Hans Zarkov from ''[[Flash Gordon (comic strip)|Flash Gordon]]'', who's one of the good guys.


== [[Toys]] ==
== [[Toys]] ==
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== [[Video Games]] ==
== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[Starcraft]]'': [[Zerg Rush|What four tropers out of five thought when seeing the title. ]]
* ''[[StarCraft]]'': [[Zerg Rush|What four tropers out of five thought when seeing the title.]]
* Zorg: An alien race in the video games ''[[Strange Adventures in Infinite Space]]'' and ''Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space''.
* Zorg: An alien race in the video games ''[[Strange Adventures in Infinite Space]]'' and ''Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space''.
** They weren't exactly villains, though. Just... alien.
** They weren't exactly villains, though. Just... alien.


== [[Western Animation]] ==
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* The archnemesis of Buzz Lightyear in ''[[Toy Story]] 2'' is called Zurg. Another reconstruction, by the way.
* The archnemesis of Buzz Lightyear in ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]] 2'' is called Zurg. Another reconstruction, by the way.
* [[Space Ghost]]'s arch-nemesis Zorak.
* [[Space Ghost]]'s arch-nemesis Zorak.
* The alien villain in [[Space Chimps]] is named Zartog.
* The alien villain in [[Space Chimps]] is named Zartog.
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[[Category:Speculative Fiction Tropes]]
[[Category:Speculative Fiction Tropes]]
[[Category:Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]
[[Category:Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]
[[Category:A Villain Named Zrg]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villain Named Zrg, A}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Latest revision as of 16:46, 22 June 2021

Be it because of its outlandish sound or its harsh structure, there seems to be a trend of naming sci-fi villains—and especially stereotypical ones—after these three consonants (sometimes with a K instead of a G), with a random vowel in-between and possibly some letters before or after.

Compare Law of Alien Names, Xtreme Kool Letterz, Names to Run Away From Really Fast.

Examples of A Villain Named Zrg include:


Anime and Manga

  • King Zarkon from Voltron would be a near-example.
  • Zork from Yu-Gi-Oh!
    • Also the cards "Dark Master Zorc" and, flipping the letter order, "Gorz the Emissary of Darkness."

Comic Books

Film

  • The Fifth Element: Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg. Especially significant as the whole movie is a reconstruction of sci-fi movies and comics of the 1970s and 1980s.
  • In the film Zathura, the evil lizard race are called the Zorgons.
  • A case of Aerith and Bob occurs in Betty Blue, where Zorg is a perfectly normal handyman in the France of the Eighties.

Literature

Live Action TV

Newspaper Comics

  • Inversion: Hans Zarkov from Flash Gordon, who's one of the good guys.

Toys

  • Transformers has the Decepticon Scorponok's head, Lord Zarak.

Video Games

Western Animation

  • The archnemesis of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 2 is called Zurg. Another reconstruction, by the way.
  • Space Ghost's arch-nemesis Zorak.
  • The alien villain in Space Chimps is named Zartog.
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