THROTTLE (BIKER MICE FROM MARS)

'Throttle' is one of the three principal (and eponymous) characters, the others being Vinnie and Modo, of the American cartoon series ''Biker Mice from Mars''. He is a humanoid mouse, and a member of the Freedom Fighters organisation committed to liberating Mars from domination by the fish-like Plutarkians, and later the humanoid cat Catatonians. Throughout the three Biker Mice spend most of their time on Earth, initially after being shot down by a Plutarkian warship, and later returning to the planet on a special mission to recover equipment vital to the survival of the Martian population. He is voiced by Rob Paulsen.
Throttle seems to get his name from a Throttle, the mechanism by which the flow of a fluid/fuel is managed by constriction or obstruction. In an engine, the engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases i.e. by the use of a throttle. The term throttle has come to refer, informally and incorrectly, to any mechanism by which the power or speed of an engine is regulated.

Contents

Character and personality

History and background

Appearance in the series

Physical appearance

Dress

Throttle's shades

Equipment

Throttle's bike

Weapons

Love life

Carbine

Throttle's official bio (2006)

External links

Character and personality

A quiet, thoughtful type, as encapsulated in his distinctive, soft, quietly authoritative voice, Throttle can tend towards being sombre, probably at least to an extent as a result of his experiences in the Wars of Liberation and the cares placed on his shoulders as a Martian leader in them. He, however, is equally as enthusiastic in combat as his fellow Martians, and easily holds his own in the wise-cracks and wry observations that characterise the mice’s conversation, and is even on occasion prepared to resort to excruciating puns ("It appears to be unani-mouse!", ''Bleu Cheese Bros''). Although the dedication to the Martian cause of all three bros is beyond question, Throttle’s commitment is such that he is prepared to put duty before all other considerations.

History and background

Throttle’s background is something of a mystery. Apart from a couple of brief references to his mother, which tell the audience little more than that she existed, nothing is known of his family. The use of the term "bros" by the Biker Mice to refer to themselves is purely a symbol of camaraderie; there is no evidence that they are in any way related. From his late teens Throttle was being groomed to take a leading role in the Freedom Fighters. This group was formed by the legendary mouse Stoker in response to the corruption of the Martian government and ineffectiveness of the Martian Army that had allowed the Plutarkians to gain the upper hand. Stoker became mentor to Throttle, Modo and Vinnie, and it is he who trained Throttle for his leading role. Although in the classic series Throttle's role as leader of the Biker Mice appears to be fairly informal, in the new series he carries the rank of Commander, and was briefly (in ''Break Up'') promoted to One Star General. Nothing is known of Throttle’s life before his time in the Freedom Fighters.

Appearance in the series

Physical appearance

Like the other mice in the series, Throttle is a humanoid Martian Cave Mouse. 23 years old at the start of the first series, Throttle is 6ft 4, and weighs 260 lbs according to this Height Chart--Click here for Throttle's Character Designs.
He is brown/tan furred, with red eyes, is generally considered the most handsome of the Biker Mice ("the bros") and has a very well developed physique.
In the new series he has been re-drawn as significantly less muscular, a decision which has received a mixed reaction from fans of the "classic" series.

Dress

Throttle's habitual dress throughout all four seasons consists of close-fitting blue trousers, black motorcycle boots, a red bandanna around his neck, and a black leather sleeveless jacket. In the new series he wears a single green bandolier across his chest and under the jacket. In the episode "Hard Rock", a flashback to the Martian Wars of Liberation shows him dressed in a dark green sleeveless jacket with brown trousers and boots and a turquoise headband. In "Once Upon a Time on Mars", set during the Wars and before the mice came to Earth, he is dressed in similar clothing, with various military equipment on belts and bandoliers. A 'photograph' of the Biker Mice during their Freedom Fighter days on Mars, seen in the episode "Stalkers", shows him wearing grey trousers with a pale green t-shirt, with a pair of green bandoliers. Since Vinnie is wearing his mask in the picture, must take place after the flashback events of "Once Upon a Time On Mars".

Throttle's shades

All three of the mice have distinctive injuries as a result of the Wars of Liberation. In Throttle’s case, he was blinded in a missile strike (as documented in "Once Upon a Time on Mars"), and his eyes were replaced by a bionic pair as an experiment by the Plutarkian-employed scientist Dr Karbunkle. Their operation is, however, at best erratic and as a result he almost constantly wears a pair of green shades with polarised lenses which serve to rectify this problem.

Equipment

Throttle's bike

Given the title of the series, it is inevitable that the mice's bikes feature prominently. In the original series, Throttle's black bike resembles a classic Harley Davidson, fitted with all the usual refinements of the Freedom Fighters’ favourite mode of transport. These include lasers, rocket motors allowing very high speed or even sort bursts of low altitude flight, a tail-mounted grappling hook, and artificial intelligence. This last feature, common to all the bikes, allows it to come when whistled for, respond to commands when Throttle is not actually riding it (as in ''Road Ravens'', amongst other incidents), and even operate independently for self-defence and other purposes.
There is a belief circulating that Throttle's bike is called "''Lady''"; this is a myth, originating with a single throwaway line in ''Road Ravens'', where Throttle refers to his bike as "''a real lady''."
For more information about the upgrades of Throttle's bike look under Charley's Modifications.
Controversially amongst fans of the classic series, in the new series Throttle rides a green bike, although its design is essentially the same as it’s predecessor. In ''Drivers Ed'', when the Catatonian forces try to steal and emulate the bike's A.I. for their own Clawbines, It has also been stated by Throttle that all three bikes possess Biometric security features - all three bikes have been implanted with their riders' DNA, which with their artificial intelligence allows them to recognise their owners.

Weapons

A distinctive feature of Throttle's dress is the pistol he carries in a holster slung, gunfighter-style, at his hip. His principal weapons, however, are his "''Nuke Knucks''". These are a series of small ovals on Throttle’s right glove (and, in the new series, on his left as well). They project an energy field around his fist, which substantially increases the force of his punch, and can also be used to shoot pulses of energy (a feature used more frequently in the new series than before). They were created for him by the Freedom Fighter’s mechanic on Mars, Harley.

Love life

Carbine

At some point in the past Throttle met and fell in love with a Martian Army officer by the name of Carbine. Their relationship has proved a long and rocky one. They got off to a bad start, thanks to the mutual antagonism between the Army and the Freedom Fighters, with the young lovers caught in the middle. The Wars placed a great strain on the couple, not least because the pair were both determined to place their duty over personal matters. This could extend even to placing their duty above the life of their partner.
For example, when the Biker Mice were captured by the Plutarkians (and apparently imprisoned away from Mars, possibly on Plutark) it seemed as if Throttle and Carbine would be separated for good. However, when the mice were able to return home with arch-villain Lawrence Limburger as their prisoner (''Back to Mars''), they found that Plutarkian propaganda had convinced the Martian authorities that the mice had turned traitor. Although she may have had her personal doubts, Carbine could not take the risk of ignoring the accusations and was quite prepared to have Throttle (and Vinnie and Modo) arrested, and would have had them executed if events had not allowed them to prove their innocence.
Although the Wars against Plutark were ultimately won, the power vacuum their defeat left was quickly filled by the Catatonians, so war continues to keep the two mice apart into the new series, a situation that looks set to continue for the foreseeable future.

Throttle's official bio (2006)

"Throttle is the leader. If you want to understand this character, think Clint Eastwood. Behind the sunglasses is a squint that can melt a mugger from a hundred yards away. With his intense. low voice, Throttle gives new meaning to 'speak softly and carry a big stick'. This is a character that thinks before he acts and uses his head as effectively as his fists. Throttle's dedication to duty is only exceeded by his loyalty to his two partners.
Like all great heroes, Throttle pays a price for his heroism. While he is off fighting to save the galaxy, he misses his home planet of Mars and hopes to someday return. And while he will never admit it, he misses a woman back on Mars, the leader of the Martian Freedom Fighters: "Carbine".
They have an interesting if slightly strange relationship. Throttle has never quite come to grips with the fact that Carbine is his superior officer in the ranks of the Martion Freedom Fighters. He also has trouble coming to grips with the fact that he has a huge crush on her. The feeling is mutual but rarely acknowledged between them."

External links

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