Captain N: The Game Master

Captain N: The Game Master is a television show from the late 1980s and early 1990s which ran on NBC. The series stars a teenage boy named Kevin Keene who is transported into Videoland, a universe based around video games such as Metroid. While Captain N: The Game Master does not fall within the Metroid franchise, it features Mother Brain as the main antagonist. Despite this, Samus Aran does not appear in the television show.

Captain N was also a segment of the Nintendo Comics System, but because of licensing restrictions only characters from Nintendo-produced games appeared. Samus Aran and Uranos, who both never appeared in the show, were regular characters in the comic. Both the television show and comics are based on a Captain Nintendo story circulated in the Nintendo Power magazine.

Protagonists

 * Kevin Keene - The leader, protagonist and main character of the series. He initially plays the role of reluctant hero and is often found at odds with the rest of the N-Team. When he comes to Videoland, he is armed with a belt and holster that has a Power Pad (an NES Controller-shaped device which can stop time, allow him to leap over objects or give Kevin super speed over short distances) and an NES Zapper-like gun which dispatches or "dematerializes" enemies. The Zapper can also shoot ice shaped Tetris-like blocks. His expert use of these tools combined with his overall friendly, if competitive, demeanor eventually earns the trust of other members of the N-Team. In many episodes, he tries to foster a big-brotherly role to characters suffering from a particular plight. He is most often called Captain N by all other cast members but Princess Lana, who regularly addresses him by his first name. His last name is only ever mentioned in two episodes. He wears light denim jeans, a yellow turtleneck shirt and a red Letterman jacket with white sleeves. The Varsity letter "N" on his jacket is for swimming. Kevin is voiced by Matt Hill in the series while Dorian Barag portrays him in the live action part of the theme song.


 * Princess Lana is the current regent of Videoland (her father, King Charles, was banished to another dimension by Mother Brain). She, from the Palace of Power, rules over all of Videoland. Though she reflects a kind character typical of a princess character, she is able to keep up with the rest of the N-Team through their missions and is not afraid of conflict, having been trained to defend herself at a young age. Though she is good friends with the members of the N-Team (and rival to Samus Aran in the comics over Kevin Keene's affections), Lana shows loneliness for her own family (not unlike the modern depiction of Samus herself). She often acts as a mediator between the members of the N-Team when their competitive natures lead them to arguments. Both Kevin Keene and Simon Belmont (in the TV series) compete for Lana's affections, and Lana and Samus Aran (in the comics) compete for Keene's affections. She seems to prefer Kevin over Simon and kisses him on several occasions (including the last episode). Her appearance and dress consists of wearing boots, a two-piece dress outfit, a tiara, and a necklace with three green gems. She has long brown hair, with a pigtail on top of her head, held up by a gold stick. In the comics, she is seen wielding a scepter that did not appear in the show, but was present in production art. In most of the comics her dress is purple, but in the show it is white. She is voiced by Venus Terzo in the animated series. While she is an original character, she appears to be loosely based upon Palutena, which has been validated by lead character designer Marcello Vignali.


 * Duke is Kevin's dog. He jumped into the Ultimate Warp Zone immediately after Kevin was sucked in and ended up in Videoland as well. Although he acts intelligently, he still seems to show typical dog behavior uncontrollably, like the chase reflex. Duke is usually with Kevin through all the action in a given episode and sometimes sees his own action, but is mostly a comic relief character. Duke wears a bandana around his neck.


 * Kid Icarus originates from the Kid Icarus series of games. The diminutive Kid Icarus is very loyal to and protective of Lana and he is not short on courage, though he often shows childish behavior. He is not very physically effective in action situations but is the only N-Team member who can fly, and usually is a very accurate archer. His quiver holds regular arrows which can dematerialize foes, but also has various specialized gadget arrows. He often ends many words in his speech with "-icus" (i.e. "Charge-icus!"). He has light feathery wings, long bangs that always cover one eye, and wears a one-shoulder toga with sandals. He comes from the world of Mount Icarus. His appearance in Season 3 resembles his sprite and box art from Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, but with different clothes, and he now has dimples. He is voiced by Alessandro Juliani in the show.


 * Simon Belmont originates from the Castlevania series of games. He only appears in the show. Unlike in his series, Belmont is depicted as an egotistical and self-absorbed adventurer who dresses like a mountain climber with pilot-like goggles. He competes with Kevin Keene for Princess Lana's affections, mirroring Samus's rivalry with Lana over Kevin's heart in the comics. In addition to his trademark whip from the franchise, Belmont in the show has a backpack from which he is seemingly able to pull any number of strange items of any size. He is voiced by Andrew Kavadas in the show.


 * Mega Man originates from the Mega Man series of games. He only appears in the show, but was apparently intended to appear in the unreleased sixth issue of the comics along with Dr. Wily from his franchise. Unlike the games, his color scheme is green, apparently due to an animation mistake, and his Mega Buster (arm cannon) is concealed in his arm, akin to 's web shooters. Mega Man tends to emphasize his words by adding "mega-" before them, similar to Kid Icarus' "-icus". He is voiced by Doug Parker in the show.

Metroid characters

 * Samus Aran is a heroic member of the N Team. She only appears in the comics, and is totally absent from the show, as the head writer "never heard of her" (despite having heard of Mother Brain, although apparently only by name). She replaces Konami's Simon Belmont and Capcom's Mega Man in the comics, due to Metroid being a Nintendo property. She fights with Lana for Kevin's affection, though is willing to compete fairly at the end of Breakout; her competition with Lana over Kevin mirrors Kevin's competition with Simon Belmont over Lana in the show. Samus is depicted with a greedy personality in this series, though she also seems to suggest that she is putting on an act. Her portrayal, appearance, and background story remain fairly accurate to the contemporary image of Samus, likely due to only appearing in the more faithful comic books.


 * Mother Brain is the chief antagonist of the Captain N TV series and comic books. She operates out of the fortified mobile asteroid base known as Metroid. As the leader of the Forces of Chaos (known as the League of Darkness in the comics), she is very vain and plans to conquer Videoland. For the TV series, she was extensively redesigned and bears little resemblance to her appearance in Metroid; unlike Kraid or Ridley, she retains this redesign in the comic books. She is voiced by Levi Stubbs of fame.


 * Kraid is a minor recurring villain in both the TV series and comic books. He makes several cameo appearances in the TV series as a henchman for the Forces of Chaos, as confirmed by concept art for Kraid's Missile Gun. In the comics, he is depicted much more faithfully to his artwork in the Metroid manual, and notably appears as a prisoner of RX 338.


 * Ridley is another minor villain. As confirmed by concept art and storyboards, Ridley makes a cameo appearance in the TV series, where he is depicted as a potbellied orange dragon. In the comics, he is depicted much more faithfully to his artwork in the Metroid manual, and notably impersonates Judge Racklas to sentence Lana and Samus to imprisonment on RX 338.


 * Captain Dare is an original character introduced in the comics. He is a Federation Police officer with a large ego. He apprehends Princess Lana for Mother Brain's crimes, and then escorts her and Samus to trial.
 * Judge Racklas is an original character introduced in the comics. He is a Space Dragon who is a new Federal Judge. He is kidnapped by Mother Brain and impersonated by Ridley, since the two Space Dragons look nearly identical.

Other enemies from Metroid make minor appearances throughout the series. Rios and Metroids have been explicitly identified by name (although the latter is named only in concept art), while various unidentified enemies resemble Dragons, Gamets, Geegas, Gerutas, Multiviolas, Side Hoppers, Skrees, Violas, Wavers, Zeelas, and Zoomers. The comics also feature Dessgeegas, Holtz, Mellows, Memus, Novas, Rippers, Zebs, and Zebbos.

Season 1: 1989

 * 1) "Kevin in Videoland"
 * 2) "How's Bayou"
 * 3) "Mr. and Mrs. Mother Brain"
 * 4) "Videolympics"
 * 5) "Mega Trouble for Megaland"
 * 6) "The Most Dangerous Game Master"
 * 7) "Three Men and a Dragon"
 * 8) "Nightmare on Mother Brain's Street"
 * 9) "Simon the Ape-Man"
 * 10) "Metroid Sweet Metroid"
 * 11) "Wishful Thinking"
 * 12) "In Search of the King"
 * 13) "Happy Birthday, Megaman"

Season 2: 1990-1991

 * 1) "Gameboy"
 * 2) "Queen of the Apes"
 * 3) "Quest For The Potion Of Power"
 * 4) "The Trouble With Tetris"
 * 5) "The Big Game"
 * 6) "The Lost City of Kongoland"
 * 7) "Once Upon a Time Machine"
 * 8) "The Feud Of Faxanadu"
 * 9) "Having a Ball"
 * 10) "The Trojan Dragon"
 * 11) "I Wish I Was A Wombatman"
 * 12) "The Invasion Of The Paper Pedalers"
 * 13) "Germ Wars"
 * 14) "When Mother Brain Rules"

Season 3: 1991

 * 1) "Misadventures In Robin Hood Woods"
 * 2) "Pursuit Of The Magic Hoop"
 * 3) "Return To Castlevania"
 * 4) "Totally Tetrisized"
 * 5) "A Tale Of Two Dogs"
 * 6) "Battle Of The Baseball Know-It-Alls"
 * 7) "The Fractured Fantasy Of Captain N"
 * 8) "Nightmare on Mother Brain's Street" (rerun)
 * 9) "Mr. and Mrs. Mother Brain" (rerun)
 * 10) "Three Men and a Dragon" (rerun)
 * 11) "Quest For the Potion of Power" (rerun)
 * 12) "Quest For the Potion of Power" (rerun)
 * 13) "The Invasion Of The Paper Pedalers" (rerun)

Kevin in Videoland
The series premiere, Kevin in Videoland, begins with the Forces of Chaos laying siege upon the Palace of Power, with their army including Wavers, Gerutas, Gamets, and Skrees.

Later, Princess Lana is captured and held prisoner on Metroid, where she is guarded by Kraid. The N Team arrives to rescue her, with Kevin defeating Kraid by landing on him. Mother Brain then challenges them to survive the corridors of Metroid. Kevin, Lana, and Duke navigate tunnels infested with Skrees, Wavers, Geegas, and Multiviolas before confronting Mother Brain in her lair.

Title (Metroid) plays during this episode, during the scene where Princess Lana is held prisoner in Metroid.

Mega Trouble for Megaland
In Mega Trouble for Megaland, Mother Brain has successfully taken over Videoland for a week. The N Team witnesses Kraid and another member of his species as they enslave the inhabitants of Mount Icarus, which has been renamed Mount Mother Brain.

Metroid Sweet Metroid
In Metroid Sweet Metroid, King Hippo and Eggplant Wizard harvest Power Flowers to power Mother Brain and Metroid, but the N Team foils their plan. With Mother Brain seemingly drained of power, Videoland is finally safe so Kevin and Duke use a Warp Zone to return home. However, it is revealed to be a ruse: the Warp Zone leads Kevin and Duke into Metroid, where Mother Brain explains that she has more than enough Zebetite-powered crystals.

While Mother Brain and the Forces of Chaos are busy taking over Videoland, Kevin and Duke navigate the bowels of Metroid. They are chased by a Gamet and a Skree, and they hide from Kraid and a Viola. Kevin takes an Item Sphere from a statue, which produces a rainbow-colored beam that defeats a Skree. Duke gives Kevin the High Jump Boots to escape a group of Geegas. Duke plays dead to distract Kraid, who is then tied up by Kevin. Using another Item Sphere (containing the Ice Beam) and Kraid's Missile Gun, Kevin destroys the Protoplasm. Finally, Kevin and Duke use a Bomb to blow up the Door to Mother Brain's lair, where they force Mother Brain to surrender.

Title (Metroid) is heard again in this episode, playing when Mother Brain pretends to be defeated after losing her Power Flowers. Brinstar (Metroid) and Item Acquisition Fanfare are both heard while Kevin and Duke explore Metroid.

Gameboy
In the season 2 premiere Gameboy, the eponymous Gameboy is captured by King Hippo and Eggplant Wizard, and then he is reprogrammed by Dr. Wily to act as a minion of Mother Brain who can spawn Metroid enemies. The N Team goes to Metroid to rescue Gameboy, but Mother Brain commands him to spawn a large Rio flock to attack the heroes.

The N Team splits up to explore Metroid, with each member encountering various monsters generated by Gameboy. Kid Icarus is immobilized by porcine slugs that shoot sticky goo; Lana encounters a Dragon while jumping across lava; Simon easily defeats a pair of Zeela-like creatures but then is pinned by Kraid; Kevin and Duke outwit Ridley, but Kevin is ensnared by Metroids; and Mega Man is attacked by a Side Hopper. Duke makes it to Mother Brain's lair and, by unplugging Gameboy, causes all of his monsters to vanish.

The Trojan Dragon
At the beginning of The Trojan Dragon, Simon has Gameboy spawn several Gerutas in order to show off his whipping skills. When Gameboy has a power overload, he accidentally generates more Gerutas that chase Simon.

Germ Wars
In Germ Wars, Duke and Gameboy explore the dwarven underworld of Faxanadu in search of an elixir that can cure Kevin's video virus. They encounter a large number of spiny creatures that are most likely intended be Zozuras from Faxanadu, although they more closely resemble Zoomers due to having faces and limbs. Although Duke hurts his paw by touching their spines, Gameboy drives the enemies away by shooting pong balls at them.

Issues
A list of the Metroid-specific issues from the Nintendo Comics System.

Welcome to Videoland
Welcome to Videoland is a two-page comic detailing the main protagonist, Kevin Keene, and how he got warped to Videoland. Samus makes her debut at the beginning of the comic and is seen fighting Ridley on a television screen; she appears again at the end of the comic with the rest of the N-Team. Mother Brain also appears near the beginning as she unites the League of Darkness.

Money Changes Everything
In Money Changes Everything, Kevin Keene, Princess Lana, Kevin's dog Duke and Kid Icarus are seen overlooking Zebes via a cliff. Samus jumps down behind them, defending them from hordes of enemies and saying that Zebes is no place for weaklings. Lana makes several positive remarks about Samus, until she reacts in shock when she finds out that Samus is a woman.

The group teams up and makes a plan to destroy the Zebetite that is being shipped to Mother Brain on Metroid. They enter a room containing the Fire-Sea in Norfair and Samus is attacked by a swarm of Gamets. Kevin destroys them, but they drained Samus's armor of Energy, and she has about a minute before it explodes. Kevin jumps to a platform containing an Energy Tank (as he played Metroid several times before), grabs it and gives it to Samus, fully restoring her energy.

Samus and the others manage to get to the Zebetite, but only Samus's Missile will destroy it. Mother Brain then promises Samus that if she lets the Zebetite go and turns over the N-Team, that she will receive all of Mother Brain's money. Samus complies, on the condition that she can keep Kevin.

Later, Lana and Kid Icarus are trapped on the shuttle carrying the Zebetite to Metroid, feeling betrayed. Kid Icarus tries to attack the guards piloting the ship, but it turns out that they are in fact Kevin and Samus. Samus remarks that she may be greedy, but is not stupid.

The Happy Zone
In The Happy Zone, Mother Brain and her colleagues are seen discussing why they cannot capture Mount Olympus. Her assistant, Uranos, states that even Kevin Keene has a weakness, to which "she is all... ears".

Meanwhile, Kevin and Lana are having a picnic under the trees. Lana remarks that she used to go there when she was a young girl with her father before he disappeared. As Kevin tries to comfort her, the Videoland king appears right there in the forest. However, it turns out to be Uranos in disguise, and he kidnaps Lana.

Keene speeds towards the Palace of Power to warn Kid Icarus and Samus, only to find out that they already have a problem. An army of enemies is set to attack the palace, but Samus has already planned a counterattack, and with Keene's help, the army will be crushed "like dogs" (this remark scares Kevin's dog Duke). Mother Brain then calls and tells the three about the Happy Zone, where Lana was sent. Samus states that those within the Happy Zone are trapped inside forever. She offers Keene a way in that will close in an hour, and despite Samus' and Kid Icarus' objections, Keene decides he will go.

Three minutes until the next hour, Samus and Keene are still arguing about him going. He misses the opportunity to go, so they begin the counterattack on the army. Later, they rush to Mother Brain's chamber. When Keene attempts to destroy her, Mother Brain orders King Hippo to bring the princess out, saying that she was joking about there only being one way out.

Keene and the princess reunite, but Keene tells her to step aside, saying that he is going to "take out the trash". Mother Brain escapes, however. Ignoring that fact, Keene and the princess turn to each other, and share a kiss.

The Item
The Merchant One ship arrives at Zebes with a mysterious crate in cargo, dubbed "The Item". Rushing it to Mother Brain, the Merchant One's crew opens the crate expecting to find a valuable of some sorts (such as "pure gold" or "a weapon to destroy all outer space"), only to find it is a facial-giving machine.

The Fabulous Powers of Captain N
The Fabulous Powers of Captain N is merely a short story detailing Kevin Keene's powers. A few Metroid enemies appear, and Samus helps him fight them toward the end.

Breakout
In Breakout, the Federation Police officer Captain Dare enters the Palace of Power with an arrest warrant for Lana is under arrest for crimes committed by Mother Brain after they were reattributed to Lana. She and Samus appear in court, and the judge turns out to be Ridley impersonating Judge Racklas. Samus attempts to attack him, but is restrained. Mother Brain watches the trial from Metroid, where she explains her plan to the captured Racklas.

Samus and Lana are taken to RX 338, also known as Prisonworld. Samus is sent to Metroid cell block one (containing enemies from Metroid) and Lana is sent to Mount Icarus cell block ten (containing enemies from Kid Icarus). Samus is angered at their separation, as it was her duty to protect Lana.

Samus arrives in her cell block, and the enemies she sent there attempt to attack her in revenge, but she beats them back using Kraid as a weapon. Meanwhile, Lana arrives in her cell block, where she encounters many enemies from Kid Icarus being treated inhumanely. This causes her to retaliate against a guard who was beating on one of the prisoners. She meets Syren, who liked how she stood up to the guard. Lana speaks to the prisoners, asking them to help her organize a plan to make the prison a fit place to live, so that the guards will treat them more respectfully.

Meanwhile, Samus organizes an escape plan using Kraid as a diversion. She orders him to distract the guards, saying that he can either "spend a month in solitary or a month in the hospital". Samus crawls through one of the tunnels to steal a ship that will allow her to leave. She is forced to choose between going back for Lana or leaving her.

Samus decides to take her back, and forcibly throws her into the shuttle. The enemies from Kid Icarus yell in protest. Syren exclaims that Lana is very well respected in the prison, but that she does not belong here, asking Samus to take her home. Lana leaves with the promise that she will not forget Syren and will order that new rules be set for Prisonworld.

At the Palace of Power, Kevin explains that he rescued Judge Racklas from Metroid. Lana and Samus talk privately about competing fairly for Kevin's affection.

A King of Shreds and Patches
In A King of Shreds and Patches, Kevin Keene performs target practice in the palace gallery. Lana storms into the room, demanding to know why he is not getting ready for her birthday. Keene apologizes and wonders how time works in Videoland, and why they even have birthdays (Lana's answer to the latter question is because "they are fun").

Outside the palace, Samus is seen grumbling about why Keene would waste his time with Lana when he and Samus could be traveling the stars. Later, he is walking on the grounds with Kid Icarus saying that he better get dressed before the party starts, but a Memu and a Geega sneak attack them. Keene dispatches them easily, but he is attacked by another Memu, forgetting that they can penetrate walls. He falls into a chute that leads to Garbage World.

Lana and Samus discover this. Lana begins to fret about how they will never find him until Samus tells her about a warp device she bought "cheap from a techno-tinkerer that she ran across in deep space". With it, Samus warps to Garbage World to find Keene. She notices Kid Icarus being attacked by a swarm of enemies, and helps him fight them off. However, they appear to be surrounded, but Keene, now aged fifteen years older, shoots them. He then kisses Samus because he has not seen her in fifteen years (much to her amazement).

He then talks to the Garbatrons, saying that Samus will be their new queen. Samus is later seen brushing her hair in front of a mirror, and Kid Icarus comes, asking to talk to her. She refuses requests to bring him back to Videoland, saying that he is hers now. Later on, Samus and Keene fight off a horde of enemies. Samus tells him about the warp device and how she can take him back. He asks her to, starting to cry, and she recalibrates the warp device. She tells him that he won't remember the life he had here, so she asks that he hold her until "forever comes again".

They make it out and Kevin has the first dance with Lana. Samus turns down Kevin’s offer to dance together later.

When Friends Fall Out
In When Friends Fall Out, we see Samus, Lana and Kevin traveling in the Hunter IV to The Locker to pick up the Medusa Ray, which may undo the spell cast on Kid Icarus by Medusa. Lana and Samus have a small argument about space bounty hunting and its legality. When they arrive at the locker they are greeted by many other unnamed hunters which wear similar suits to Samus's, albeit with different color schemes. Lana remarks that she is popular, to which Samus replies, "they owe me a lot of favors". Next they go to her personal storage area is on level 200.

While climbing the elevator shaft, Samus explains what the Medusa Ray is, saying she found it on a dead planet. Answering one of Lana's questions about robbery, she says she does not have to worry because she has a warpkey that unlocks a pocket dimension on the other side of the door.

While exploring, Lana comes across the Flame Chip, which had been used as a reward for the kidnapping of her father. She speaks to Kevin about it later on, though he does not believe it. Samus overhears their conversation and declares that their alliance is at an end. Lana tells Kevin that she will not leave without Samus, and orders him to help bring her to trial. He refuses, saying that he wants to hear her side of the story. Lana however objects, throws a pot at Kevin's head to knock him out, steals his zapper and flees. Once Kevin recovers he goes after her.

Meanwhile, Samus eats a dinner of steak, mashed potatoes and broccoli with Comet Grog in the canteen. Lana attempts to arrest Samus, but Samus beats her in a duel. Lana stuns Samus by flooding her armor with pure oxygen when she finds the air supply valve. Lana lures Samus near the docking bay, where the brawl continues. Kevin arrives just in time, asking Samus to tell her side of the story. Years ago she was kidnapped by Kraid and Ridley and brought to Metroid, where they intended to brainwash her into a minion of Mother Brain; she awoke later in the Locker with the Flame Chip and no memory of how she acquired it. Lana grabs the Medusa Ray from the ship and attempts to fire it at Samus. Kevin convinces her that she should trust Samus.

Later, while the other three are asleep aboard the Hunter IV, Duke hears the Flame Chip's thoughts. He learns that Samus was not actually brainwashed; she escaped the Space Pirates and took the Flame Chip without kidnapping King Charles. Since neither Duke nor the Flame Chip can communicate with humans, only they can know about Samus's innocence.

Elements in later games
It is very unlikely that Captain N had any influence upon the Metroid series. However, whether coincidentally or intentionally, Captain N introduced various elements that would later become canon in the Metroid series.

In Gameboy, Gameboy spawns a large swarm of Rios, and Kevin exclaims that he has never seen so many Rios flocking together before, likely in reference to Metroid rarely featuring more than three Rios together in a single room. However, a particularly large Reo swarm appears in a room located in Kraid's Lair in the remake Metroid: Zero Mission, and more swarms are frequently encountered in Metroid: Other M.

Captain N is significant for featuring one of the first appearances of one of Samus Aran's Gunships. In this series, her ship bears the name "Hunter IV"; the name "Hunter" was picked up again for the Gunship in Metroid Prime, over a decade later.

In Nervous Meltdown, Mother Brain's subconscious self is represented as a blonde woman. In Metroid: Other M, Mother Brain's consciousness is recreated through MB, an android who resembles a blonde woman.

Breakout features Judge Racklas, the first known Space Dragon besides Ridley himself; while no other Space Dragons have appeared canonically, Samus & Joey features another Space Dragon named Greed. Breakout is also the first time Samus is at odds with the Galactic Federation and is unfairly treated as a criminal, which is a plot point revisited in Other M and Metroid Fusion.

In When Friends Fall Out, Samus rams into Lana while using her Morph Ball mode as a weapon, similar to the Boost Ball introduced in Metroid Prime. In the same comic, Samus is captured by Space Pirates and is nearly brainwashed into a minion for Mother Brain, much like in Metroid Prime: Federation Force, wherein Samus is captured by Space Pirates and successfully brainwashed into a minion for Master Brain.

Additionally, Captain N bears many similarities to the later Super Smash Bros. crossover series, which also features Metroid. The main characters Samus Aran, Pit, Simon Belmont, and Mega Man are all playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (constituting a Captain N "reunion" of sorts), while Mother Brain is an Assist Trophy. Enemies from Metroid (including Reos, Metroids, and Geemers) and Kid Icarus appear alongside each other in Smash Run from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, much like they do in the Captain N comics. Other Metroid elements to appear in both series include Ridley (as a playable character), Kraid (as a stage hazard), and Wavers (as background characters).