This article is about Zurg from the spin-off, Lightyear. For Original version, see emperor Zurg (Toy Story).
Alternate Timeline Buzz Lightyear, later known as Zurg, is the main antagonist of the film Lightyear.
He is a galactic warlord who takes over the planet of T'Kani Prime with his army of Zyclops, seeking the Star Command's remaining hyperspace fuel. It is later revealed that Zurg is the 50-year future self of Buzz Lightyear. He seeks to travel back to the past to prevent his crew from ever landing on the planet.
He is voiced by James Brolin.
Role in the film[]
Origins[]
Prior to becoming Zurg, he started off as Buzz Lightyear from an alternate timeline. Feeling guilty for a mistake that he committed after crashing the exploration vessel that left himself and the rest of his crew stranded on the planet T'Kani Prime, Buzz spends 62 years doing hyperspace tests as a colony is built on T'Kani Prime so that they can return back to Earth. Following the death of his best friend and commanding officer Alisha Hawthorne, Buzz was told by his new commanding officer Burnside to end all hyperspace tests, as Burnside decided that the colonists will have to get used to living on T'Kani Prime for the rest of their lives.
Still wanting to fix his mistake, Buzz learns from his robotic cat assistant Sox that a new fuel composition might work, but Burnside orders for Sox to be deactivated. Because of this, Buzz saves Sox and steals the X-15 ship to complete an unofficial yet successful hyperspace test that resulted in another 22 years. At first, Buzz is delighted that he can use the fuel to have the colonists leave T'Kani Prime, but an older Burnside refused to see this feat and orders Buzz's arrest for stealing the X-15. Realizing that Burnside and the colonists didn't care about going back to Earth, a hurt and angry Buzz escapes away with Sox in the X-15, and they fly as far away from T'Kani Prime as possible at hyperspeed. As a result, they travel centuries into the distant future thanks to the effects of time dilation.
In the far future, Buzz and Sox find a giant abandoned vessel equipped with advanced technology, including a massive purple mecha suit. Donning the mecha suit, Buzz uses the ship's technology to build himself a massive army of powerful robots known as the Zyclops, and adopts the name Zurg as the Zyclops can only pronounce him as such. Zurg also modifies a machine that will allow the vessel to time travel as long as it is powered up by the fuel.
Confront Buzz[]
Using the remaining fuel to travel back into the present with the giant vessel, Zurg, the future Sox, and the Zyclops try to invade the colony, forcing the colonists to activate a barrier to shield themselves from Zurg and the Zyclops. Around the same time, the original Buzz Lightyear arrives with the original Sox at T'Kani Prime, where they meet up with members of the colony's defense forces composed of Alisha's granddaughter Izzy, elderly convict Darby, and naïve recruit Mo. Taking refuge, Izzy explains to Buzz and Sox that Zurg is trying to get the Zyclops to invade the colony, and the only way to deactivate the Zyclops is to destroy Zurg's vessel.
However, Zurg catches hold of Buzz's presence, so he sends several Zyclops to track down Buzz and his team. Eventually, one of the Zyclops is able to nab the fuel while Zurg himself captures Buzz, allowing himself and the Zyclops to transport themselves back onto Zurg's ship. Zurg then reveals his true identity to Buzz before explaining his backstory. Zurg then reveals his actual true plan: he intends to use the new fuel that the original Sox created to go back in time to prevent his past self from crashing the exploration vessel on T'Kani Prime in the first place so that the crew can escape back to Earth. At first, Buzz is delighted, but then realizes in horror that a possible temporal paradox would result from such actions, which will wipe out the current timeline and everyone from it (including Izzy and her comrades). Knowing that the Hawthorne family and the rest of the colonists had a great life in T'Kani Prime despite what happened, Buzz realizes that his intent to fix his mistake will make things worse and finally decides to let it go, but an angry Zurg retaliates by having two of his Zyclops detain Buzz while taking the fuel for himself.
A restrained Buzz tries to reason with Zurg by pointing out that his plot will wipe out everyone in the current timeline, including Alisha's family, but Zurg is too deluded to even care or listen, still thoughtlessly believing the plan to bring everyone to Earth is more important than the future of innocent lives. Just as Zurg is about to activate his machine with the fuel to go back, he ends up being darted by the future Sox, impressed by Buzz's decision to move forward with his life. Setting Buzz free, the future Sox allows Buzz to take back the fuel and directs him to the controls to Zurg's ship, where Buzz has a future I.V.A.N. set it to self-destruct. However, Zurg, donning his armor again, furiously destroys the future Sox, much to Buzz's horror, and engages in a fight against Buzz, swearing to kill him for his refusal.
Eventually, Izzy and her team (including Sox) managed to hijack Zurg's ship to rescue Buzz and set Zurg's ship to self-destruct after it was cancelled earlier. Buzz and his team all escape as the ship explodes, deactivating nearly all the Zyclops. However, Zurg, having survived his ship's destruction, arrives and attacks Buzz while stealing the fuel. Declaring that he can still use the fuel to go back in time, Zurg prepares to kill Buzz with a single blast. However, using a jet pack and a laser gun, Buzz shoots the fuel cannister, causing it to seemingly destroy the shocked Zurg in a massive explosion.
After delivering his friends to safety back on T'Kani Prime and taking full responsibility for his actions, Buzz, no longer desiring to return home, decides to remain on T'Kani Prime as Burnside allows him to revive the Space Ranger Corps as a reward for defeating Zurg.
However, in the post-credits scene, Zurg's robot suit is shown drifting through space, unburnt, but seemingly inactive. However, the eyes on Zurg's robot suit suddenly power on, indicating that he survived the explosion after the fight with Buzz, and that he will return to get revenge on Buzz for foiling his plot.
Personality[]
At first, Zurg's personality is a mystery, but he is much more dangerous and ruthless than his original version. Unlike the previous Zurg, who preferred to stay hidden and send troops to attack Buzz Lightyear from a distance, this Zurg enjoys engaging in close combat, using his brute strength to try and defeat Buzz with punches and trampling. This behavior suggests that he takes pleasure in physical violence and only uses his lasers as a last resort. Despite not fully understanding his actions and changes, Zurg is highly intelligent and effectively leads the Zyclops in their battles against their enemies. He even modifies his vessel to travel through time, whether to the future or the past.
The true identity of Zurg as a future version of Buzz Lightyear reveals his underlying nature. He is a selfish and nihilistic elderly person who cannot let go of the guilt of leaving himself and his people stranded on T'Kani Prime. Although the colonists have flourished and built productive lives on the planet, Zurg remains focused on rectifying his mistakes, even resorting to extreme measures. Following his successful hyperspace test, Commander Burnside attempted to arrest him, leading Zurg to become deluded and believe that his existence no longer mattered to the colonists. In an effort to prove them wrong, he decided to travel back in time and prevent the exploration vessel from crashing on T'Kani Prime.
Despite Buzz's repeated warnings about the potential of a time paradox that could wipe out every living being in the current timeline, Zurg heedlessly ignored them. He became obsessed with achieving his goal and shifted his focus from altruism to personal glory. Upon acquiring the necessary fuel, Zurg arrogantly declared his triumph and asserted that he could now complete the mission and matter to everyone again. He even callously disregarded the significance of Alisha and her family, along with everyone else, stating that they wouldn't miss their loved ones if they couldn't remember them. When future Sox betrayed him by siding with the original Buzz, Zurg mercilessly destroyed him and labeled him a traitor. Zurg abandoned any concern he may have had for the people and remnants of his past, especially Sox and Alisha, in his relentless pursuit of completing his mission.
After losing his ship and most of his crew, Zurg becomes increasingly unstable and violent. He steals the fuel, even though it's no longer of any use, and tries to kill Buzz without hesitation. In order to defeat Zurg, Buzz destroys the fuel. From that point on, Buzz sees Zurg as a twisted, corrupted version of himself, unwilling to let go of his flaws.
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