Green Lantern: First Flight

This is the story of the man who became the first human member of the Green Lantern Corps and his fight to protect everyone he loves from a terrible danger that is fuelled by fear. Bear witness to how a talented test-pilot becomes one of the most powerful members of the Justice League.

(Minor spoilers to the first few scenes ahead.)

It’s a bright sunny day in the desert and Hal Jordan is in the cockpit of a simulator preparing for his next run as a test pilot for Ferris Aircraft. His former job as a combat pilot for the United States Air Force serves him well in testing the limits of experimental aircraft, but his playful demeanour does not reflect his many years of combat experience.

His boss, and the owner of Ferris Aircraft: Carol Ferris, has to constantly reign in Hal’s adventurous nature, for if he had not been such a talented pilot he would have surely died by now after all the stunts he’s pulled. Sighing, Hal defeatedly assures Carol that this time there will be “no surprises”.

Suddenly, a burst of bright green light floods the simulator room, momentarily blinding Carol and her team. When the light finally died down they were left staring at a room with a hole in the roof and a missing simulator seemingly ripped from its place.

Inside the cockpit, Hal is confused as to why the power went out and the coms are down. He opens the door to find that the simulator pod is no longer where it was but instead is covered by a strange green glow and is flying somewhere seemingly on its own.

Upon landfall, Hal is greeted with a sight of a bloodied alien creature in a skin-tight green suit. His first reaction (after the understandable shock) was to run to the creature’s aid and try to get it some help, but the creature refuses. Hal is surprised the creature speaks English but the creature informs him that it is the power of the ring that allows Hal to understand him, the ring which has chosen him as its new wielder.

On cue the ring of power floats from the hands of the dying creature and slips onto the finger of Hal Jordan, enveloping him with green energy and granting him a green suit of his own. The creature tells Hal to expect a summons from “The Guardians” and that he must use the power of the ring wisely. The next moment an explosion tears from the alien ship and Hal is left alone, unharmed among the wreckage with nothing but a hundred unanswered questions to keep him company.

Sure enough, Hal is summoned to a council meeting of the blue-skinned Guardians. They inform him that the man who died was part of the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic enforcement group. Each Green Lantern charged with protecting one of the 36-hundred sectors of the universe, “sort of like one cop per precinct,” as Hal puts it.

Joining the Corps is not simply a matter of wielding the ring, however, for the responsibilities of a Corps member are vast and can only be entrusted to the most worthy of creatures. According to the council, humans are not worthy creatures. Their list of atrocities is long and their nature is unpredictable, rendering them untrustworthy.

Luckily, a much-respected member of the Green Lantern Corps named Sinestro steps forward, impressed by Hal’s impertinent response to the council’s comments. Under the command of Sinestro, Hal trains to become a new member of the Green Lantern Corps to protect those he loves, but all is not as it seems. There is something sinister afoot and if it’s allowed to win, it will mean the end of the Green Lanterns and all the destruction of the Universe as we know it.

Saturday, 26 September, at 8:30 AM on Toonami (ch 306)