#bmfm 2006

[2700lagostas]

Biker Mice From Mars (2006) - Opening

[sharky857]

The sand raiders look like coyotes to me and the mice call them dog related terms, though wiki says they are hyenas. I've also heard the new comic series shows there are Martian mice sand raiders, so perhaps sand raider gang led by Slobber the mutt and the canine/hyena race are separate?

I definitely noticed many lines in "Once Upon a time on Mars"  that suggest  that the rats were treated as second class citizens on Mars with Mace describing the invasion as a chance for the rats to get even.

Modo specifically mentioned the rats were supposed to be their allies against the Plutarkians but betrayed them. On the other hand, we saw the sand raiders assisting the Plutarkians from the beginning of "Once Upon a Time on Mars" with no comments made about this unlike the rats.

Harley also implied the rats were oppressed by the mice  during her speeches in Turf Wars.

Ahh, I see! :O I guessed hamsters or prairie dogs, because I thought the series would've kept up with the rodent theme for the overall Martian population.

Oh wow... That "second-class citizens" thing + the whole oppression matter mentioned in the new series make Modo's line in the 90s series sounding more... ummm.... Yeah. 😶 (If you're wondering which line specifically, it's when he gets insta-triggered by Greasepit in the first episode and goes "my momma didn't raise no stinkin' rat". Always thought rats and mice merely had some form of rivalry, but looks like there's a tad more into it, in the end 🥲)

[sharky857]

In the original cartoon, you are correct about all onscreen mice were indeed good guys, except for the off screen government. However the 06 series was different as it revealed in the past, Vinnie's aunt, Mago had led a faction of mice to betray the resistance out of anger for the resistance choosing Stoker to be their leader over her and her faction of mice had since become space pirates.

Unlike Harley who was still sympathetic and well intentioned, whilst Mago did want to revitalize Mars it was through stealing Earth's resources and also under the stipulation that she would both rule Mars as dictator and get her revenge on Stoker. She was also a fun unsympathetic villain too, though she didn’t appear a lot.

Along with showing a faction of good catatonians and a sympathetic side to the Martian rats, I actually think this was something I preferred in the 06 cartoon. So I wouldn’t mind if these elements and characters were put in the new Nacellaverse.

Bruh??? 👁️👁️ That is a detail I've definitely forgotten! Why can't Vinnie just can't catch a break in that series?

All this makes me wonder if, at some point, the Plutarkians had used some form of "divide and conquer" tactic on Mars. We know for a fact that there aren't only mice, but also rats and... Hamsters? Prairie dogs? Whatever those Sand Raiders were (talking about the ones seen in "Back to Mars", holding Charley captive for a while). Maybe the Plutarkians sensed that there was already some tension between the three groups and, given which one of those three was going to be the biggest pain in the butt (mice), subtly worked their way to set the latter two fully against the former. So not only the mice had to deal with Plutarkians doing as they pleased with Mars, they also had to watch their back with rats and those-other-guys. 🤔

Anyways! Good Catatonians is another thing I have completely removed from my memory (again: last watched that series almost a decade ago). If they can find a way to weave elements from the '06 series into the ongoing comics, we might be in for a treat. 🍿👌👀

[sharky857]

It was specifically mentioned in Turf Wars that the Biker mice did search for Harley, them abandoning her was just the conclusion she reached on her own 

Harley identifying with the rats sounds a lot like Stockholm syndrome, which can sometimes happen. But on the other hand, keep in mind, Harley wasn't working for the nomad rats, they were literally working for her, so if anything they had lima syndrome as well.

So I think Harley making her captors into her loyal subordinates and getting a cool Mohawk was a girlboss move. 

Harley's demise in the 06 show was unclear and offscreen, even in universe Throttle and Modo hold hope she survived. She had also helped restore Mars and achieved mice/rat peace too. So I do think there was interesting ideas there, though a multipart episode would have been best. 

As for the singing, whilst it wasn't horrible, I can see how it was a turnoff especially as the singers weren't professionals probably because they cost a lot of money.

Ohhh, okay! 👀 I watched that series only once (maybe twice, and it's been also nearly a decade ago), so many details have been definitely lost to me.

I might need to watch it again, someday. But first I'd also need to (re)watch the OG one, so to not lose potential references and stuff in the newer one. Which means I need to get in the mood for quite the Biker Mice marathon here fhdsjkdfh.

Now that you mention this, all I can think of is "low budget rock opera" announced in Pachacamac voice. 😆 (<- Knuckles mini-series mention)

[sharky857]

The designs of 06 Biker Mice reminded me of the 4kids TMNT.

Outside of the songs, what bugged you about Harley in the last episode of 06?

On a related note, it took me a bit to notice Mace wasn’t in Turf Wars, I thought Harley’s burly second in command was Mace, but the credits actually name that rat character, Ratso.

Though I feel this relates to Mace looking identical to the other Martian rat mooks when he wasn’t wearing his disguise in the original show. They really should have given him a better unmasked design..

Oh, that would make sense. AFAIK, each toon era has its own design. 🤔

About that final episode, Idk how to explain it: I wasn't particularly fond of it from the start, because back then I still used to cringe at anything leaning towards the musical genre.

And about Harley specifically, I started to watch the '06 series while being still fresh off a rewatch of the older one, and I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that, after she was held hostage and whisked away by Mace, apparently no one ever came to her rescue once that whole time. In the meantime, somehow she got injured and the rats (!!), still holding her captive, took care of her wounds and everything, and in the end she's become this pile of anger & hatred towards her former friends, particularly Vinnie, which has led her to go from captive to an ally to the rats themselves(??). All because "who were supposed to be my real friends abandoned me, but the rats have always been nice to me instead, so you know the drill. Friendship ended with yall, now these guys are my new BFFEAE: bestest friends for ever and ever~!"

And then she dies ghfkjsdffsjkd.

As for Mace, I had such a visceral hate strong dislike towards that character in the old series, I honestly didn't even think much about his absence in the new one. 😅 But I agree: being a rat with a more prominent villainy role than the rest of his peers, it would've been nice if he had a more distinct character design to tell him apart from the background ones (kinda like Tunnel Rat).

[sharky857]

Maybe I misremembered but I thought an episode of the original had the biker mice encounter some businessmen and comment that they were reminded of the Plutarkians.

Also as a new fan, why is the 06 show so controversial besides the new villains not being as popular?

Maybe? 🤔 I haven't watched the original series in ages, so there's the chance that I could be the one misremembering. I've just tried to check the wikipedia, but those episode summaries are not very helpful. 😔

About the '06 series, all I remember is that the very first thing that had been a turn down to old fans was the characters design and development. Everyone was used to the buff look of the main trio, and the more tomboy-ish look of Charley. In the new series, you had these skin & bone mice (particularly Throttle and Vinnie) and their human babe.

Personally, my most painful moment was Rimfire. My poor guy was done the dirtiest of them all. 😭💔 Stoker too, at first. But then things are explained as the series goes by, so it gets slightly less painful. But apparently some fans never vibed with the idea that: A. Stoker is even more of a grandpa who didn't really age well, B. Stoker has a daughter (no indications in the old series about this bit), and C. Stoker and Carbine are related (can't remember if cousins, or uncle and niece, but again: no indications in the old series about this bit.)

IIRC, another thing that sent fans on a rampage was how the character of Harley was handled (I'm also "fans on a rampage"). Spoiler alert: you'll see her a whoopin' amount of one (1) time. In the final, "Martian rock opera" episode (yes, the final episode of that series is more of a bonus/special musical from start to finish). And then she will *is dragged away from the keyboard*.

If you don't mind some spoiler-y stuff here and there, back then I made some pseudo live blogging. Just be warned that there are other posts about at least one other series, entirely unrelated to BMFM. The last related post is actually the one by the title "I watched BMFM 2006 and survived till the end."

[sharky857]

"put a fictional character in my inbox" cuz youre in bmfm mood lately: the bros, charley & harly, carbine, stoker, rimfire & spitfire. have fun :)

Boy oh boy...

(((Please note: Except for Spitfire (for obvious reasons) I’m answering this by keeping in mind their counterparts from the 90s series)))

1) fight them or fight for them:

- Fight them: None, unless it’s a harmless, friendly brawl in which the worst that could happen would be a few bruises here and there.

- Fight for: No clue, they all seem pretty capable of defending themselves. :°D

2) on a scale of 1-10 how excited do I get when I see them:

- Rimfire, Stoker, Harley: 10

- Spitfire: 9

- Carbine: 8

- The Bros and Charley: 6 (I mean, they are always on screen, compared to the others <.<)

3) would i smooch:

The Bros, Rimfire, Harley, Stoker, maybe Charley too; all friendly smooches on the cheek and some of them after a proper permission (I mean, Throttle/Vinnie/Modo seem not to mind if some gal came and smooched them out of the blue).

Carbine and Spitfireare left out because I don’t see them as the kind who would accept a smooch from a random person that comfortably.

4) have I drawn/written about them/should i draw/write about them:

Uhhhhh.... I think there has been a very weak attempt at RP many years ago and I got Rimfire there. Would that count? ^^;

5) voice HC if they don’t have a voice already:

They all have a voice already, and each one suits them damn well too <3

[sharky857]

...

Oh...

Oh gawd...

(Harley, pls... Not you, too.)