Wolfram, A. (Writer), & Chang, M. (Director). (2004, May 9). Troq (Season 4, Episode 6) [Tv series episode]. In S. Schwartz (Executive Producer) Teen Titans. Cartoon Network.
In this episode of Teen Titans the team meets Val Yor who states that his mission is to eradicate the Locrix – an alien species that he claims have harmful intentions. The Titans immediately idolize Val Yor for his combat and leadership and even adapt to some of his phrasing, including calling the Locrix “Crixies”. Early into the episode, Val Yor treats Starfire differently than the rest of the Titans because she is a Tamaranean and later goes as far as calling her a “Troq” which we learn is a slur used against the Tamaranean people. During the siege against the Locrix, Starfire saves the life of Val Yor. In the end, he attempts an apology towards her, but his prejudice is still present and the Titans do not accept it. Val Yor leaves, saying that the Titans are no better than the Tamaraneans.
This episode was very clever in its approach to the topic of racism but for the sake of nitpicking I have to wonder if it would have been better for them to approach it with less caution. There is a point in the episode where Cyborg mentions how he understands what it’s like to be prejudiced against for the way you look because he is part robot but does not mention how he is discriminated against for being a black man. I think there was an opportunity there to be up front about the topic but they chose to go for a lighter and perhaps more palatable appeal. The show typically centers around lighthearted humor, but there are plenty of episodes that take on a more serious tone, so it wouldn’t have been out of character for them to take that kind of tonality in this episode as well. The biggest issue with the episode, however, is the fact that the Titans continue to support Val Yor in his eradication of the Locrix species without question despite having learned that he’s racist. If they had stopped to question his motivations, they might not have agreed with that mission.
Check out the iconic opening and theme song here: https://youtu.be/yL75mtNZ6PA
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