Imagine a father who discovers their beloved child has been exploited, kidnapped and nearly murdered by someone they thought loved them. Imagine that father learning that those same people have damaged their child in a way nothing can ever heal. Then take the rage of that father and give them near limitless power to express it in any way they please. There are reasons parents don't get to decide the punishments for those who have hurt their children as Day demonstrates when he decides Azura's fate. His very real love for Dawn only made his rage greater, where Dusk saw simply an attack on the dynasty & just figured they'd need another clone to replace Dawn, Day saw his SON exploited, abused and hurt terribly by these people. Another clone is not a perfect replacement to him like it would have been for Dusk, it will not be 'his' Dawn. It won't be the boy he loved, the boy he spent all those years raising.
Truly the best part of this series was the relationship of the three Cleons. Dawn was so scared of being replaced and felt so ill-suited to his role, Day was yearning to save the dynasty by adapting and welcoming change, Dusk was only willing to endure as they always have. It was really sad to see Dawn get killed like that, especially by the only mother figure he ever had. Truly horrific.
This part proofs that even things that don´t exist in the books, could be the best thing in a show or movie adaptation. Even me who read all novels, agree that the cleon/clone dinasty it´s the best arc in the first season. Can´t wait for season 2, they will introduce Bel RIose and Hober Mallow. What actors could portray them ?
Definitely agreed. Though Lee Pace elevates everything if given a chance. In this decades long era of genre media I would have thought more folks would realize it's "adaptation" not recitation. That stories need to be modified to play to the strengths of the medium they are in.
Their casting is hit and miss. Salvor Hardin's actress really struggled with this role. And it feels like in trying to propel an action based plotline forward they're doing too much Marvel style "Get to the door!" "Get to the command center!" "Get to the whatever!" stuff that is as dull as dishwater. What if the whole show was of the quality of the emperor arc. Would be the best thing on TV hands down.
The story of the Emperors was the _only_ part that I liked. From about week 3 onward I completely ignored everything else. It’s all that I cared about while the show was on and all I think about now that it’s not. True it had no basis in the source material, but it also didn’t pretend to. Whereas the rest of the show felt more like a deliberate bastardization than anything. I’m done with the series though. Season 2 holds no appeal to me. (And just as well, because it sounds like I’d be in for a very long wait if it did.)
This part showed that change cannot be avoided... Also the sweet reveal later... that all the clones are corrupted - meaning none of the clones of Cleon are the original's exact copy. They all have their unique attributes - like how the current Dusk has been always extremely ruthless when compared to the current Day.
Bitter reveal for him. Because if all are corrupted, murder of brother Dawn (closest to son this brother Day will ever have, he loved him) was especially in vain.
That being said they made a mistake by telling us that the resistance cells 'Dawn' was in fact an exact clone of the OG Cleon. Which means they already have the right material for it.
i always thought the show was implying that the current Day we saw, who when he was Dawn, had issues with the current Dusk's decisions. Hence starting from the current Day, was the first clone that was altered, because when asked if all the Empires always chose cruelty over mercy, Demerzel said (paraphrase)"you always made this choice".
@@mnomadvfx The resistance Cleon mentioned that their plan was decades in the making. It's entirely possible that the resistance infiltrated the Imperial government, stole the original Cleons DNA, and corrupted the source while they were doing so. Ironically, that would mean that the resistance Cleon had more right to be Emperor than any of the Brothers.
This Brother Day is perhaps the most well balanced clone of Cleon - he has capacity for both compassion and ruthlessness. I think I understand why Brother Days - the central lawmakers - are discouraged from leaving Trantor. Like with this Bro Day, experiences elsewhere in the galaxy may enact massive personality changes not aligned with the expected behavioral pattern of a Cleonic clone ruler.
@@j.v.r.1981- nope...Halima's death was a necessity, at no point would a sane ruler allow an uncontrollable religious leader to challenge their authority - this is also why the Pope actually fought wars against other Christian kings! The difference here is the balanced Day chose to keep the religion intact and portray the Cleonic Emperors as worthy of their religious dogma, Dusk would've probably just straight up executed Halima for treason and forcibly took over the whole religion
We want to stop for a moment to talk, how great is Lee Pace's skill??? I discovered him recently but I realize with each interpretation how simply extraordinary he is!!!
god I feel so bad for brother dawn. He was such a good character. I really thought he was going to escape, only to be betrayed in the worst way possible, and then killed by the person he trusted the most. So fkd up. His entire life was set to fail.
It was Brother Day's deep and profound connection to Brother Dawn, whom Day in part regarded like a son that spurred the cruelty of the punishment Day decreed for Azura. Day felt she robbed him of his legacy, so he determined to rid Azura of any chance of any ripple caused by her existence being allowed to persist. But Day overlooks the fact that the garden in which he pronounced his sentence/punishment for Azura will endure. It's the same garden that Azura toiled to bring to perfection.
Day overlooks a lot of things. By making Azura's punishment so grand, Day has actually elevated her historical importance. It's like trying to mend a tear in a fabric by cutting a bigger hole in it. More threads will unravel. By making Azura's punishment so grand, Day's actually showing to her that she destroyed him, and his lashing out at her is like a man lashing out with a knife that has no handle. Does he think he can excise a life so cleanly? What of the lives that he made important in doing so? Does he really think he's cut all the ties those lives had? Think of all the people that those people knew who now are wondering why their friends, lovers, and cousins were killed. Think of all the agents that pulled the trigger on that grand plan that know or will suspect everyone that they are killing is innocent. Heck, he kills off palace staff in his rage. All their colleagues are going to figure this out. You can't stop the rumor mill inside an organization. It will leak and leak and leak because orders had to be given. Messages had to be sent. Genealogists had to be engaged. To kill thousands required confiding to some degree in thousands. He's just turned Azura into one of the single most important figures in the end of the Galactic Empire.
@@celebrim1 Yes...Day achieved the opposite effect that he intended. Imagine if he had then concluded having to kill the people that killed the people that were in Azura's expanded sphere of influence or relevance. Where would that chain stop? The impact is irreversible and the more he tugs at the loose threads, the more he unravels the tapestry of the empire he rules over.
Did Day even go through with the punishment though. He only needs to convince her that he did to inflict the appropriate pain. She will never know if he didn't, as she'll be shrouded & fed intraveinously in an automated cell for the rest of her days. She'd never know that great aunt Sheila was actually fine.
What makes me saddest is immediately after this we find out all the current clones might be corrupted in the same way as Dawn was. Dawn might’ve been executed for nothing. Their genetic dynasty is already over; they will never have a pure clone again. It does make me wonder why the differences were so stark with this Dawn, though. Why didn’t this Day ever notice any small difference between himself and the older clones?
a bit late but here's why : Dawn had the biggest difference that could be noticed, he was daltonian. In fact one of the older clones knew there was something wrong : Brother Darkness (Cleon XI), he held Dawn (as a baby) in his arms, and before being ascended said something was wrong but Demerzel ignored it and led him forward. Also Brother Darkness was named "The Painter" so it seems logical he would have noticed something about a daltonian baby (even though it's far fetched).
Foundation was a terrible show that ruined the adaption... but the Empire storyline which had absolutely nothing to do with Foundation was great. Why couldn't they have just done that as a SciFi show dealing with geopolitics, sociopolitical forces, & family dynamics??? There was no reason to ruin Foundation with that abomination when the part which had nothing to do with Foundation was so good while all the Foundation parts were absolute dogshit
Agreed. It's a very frustrating show. The Empire storyline isn't in the books and is a worthy addition. It's well written and brilliantly acted. Whereas the Foundation stuff is comically awful acting and writing. So close to being great. What on earth went on?
The serial has nothing common with original book series. If directors wanted to achieve something is that Emperor, who’s kind of villain, is my favorite character in this serial, because the actor is the best of all others
In a world that people have nano-bots in their blood, a snapped neck is like: nah we can't save him, our technology is too advanced to repair a snapped neck! XD
Good point. But I think bringing him back would be impossible without causing brain damage. Nanites are all well and good, but it doesn't render one immortal. Also, once Dawn died, all his reserve clones were also killed.
@@joeldelica8706 What is any damage that nanobots would repair? A snapped neck might as well be a snapped tendon for as much as they would be able to discern or care. The reality is Dawn's death was probably wholly more violent at the hands of superstrong robot, but wouldn't fit the scene or characters so we just have to go along with it.
I'm curious about the "galactic council" and what things they don't need to know! Interesting cause I thought Empire was APEX but maybe that includes other Galaxies?
Even a King has a parliament, and it was them who eventually took a King's power away. I would say it's fairly balanced but tenuous, but we also saw how Religious leaders can have as much influence as Empire himself. In an empire of trillions across hundreds of worlds, a council of some kind must be a necessity. We saw early on how Empire entered into negotiations with 2 planets rich in rare minerals and even Cleon had to appease them for trade relations. But of course that went out the window with the skybridge destruction, but he had rallied the public against the 2 planets anyway so the backlash wasn't as great.
I can only IMAGINE the smug, bitter enjoyment that this particular Day got out of letting his Dusk know that they had ALL been genetically compromised.
Both brother Day and Dawn have been generically compromised. They both have been altered to have more human emotions. Thus giving the cloning dynasty an exploitable weakness.
But if you remember, Cleon 11th, the Cleon who passed away of old age in the series, he also was not as ruthless as Cleon the 12th (brother Dusk at present)... For that reason I feel maybe Dusk is also altered genetically even if he's still ruthless
Oh, the king Driven mad by his suffering Cries out for relief Someone cure him of his grief His only son Cut down, but the battle won Florence And The Machine, Queen of Peace
One of obscure scene was paint of wall Palace was from part dusts cells of body dead emperors ..yes use DNA genuine humans cells, on book explain that, i can wait season 3, 😮
Got a moment I thought brother day was going to commit suicide. But then I saw that Dawn’s body was on the center line and not his. This scene was really sad. Especially now that we learn that they are all adulterated. If only those investigators has finished their work sooner the. Dawn might have been saved. I want to see how Dusk takes the news that he is not a true copy..lol
The whole genetic dynasty plotline is trying to provide a believable and dramatic reason for why the Empire is stagnant and decaying, something that the book only covers very briefly, and in an extremely dry manner. That's the problem with most of Asimov's writing - he's one of the greats of sci-fi, but he is no dramatist. A television series that wants to bring a large audience needs more than Asimov's words provide.
@@Diverball1 I agree. Its good they changed the book. An exact copy of the book would also be interesting, but I definitely like the TV version. The Cleon Genetic Dynasty plot is just brilliant and carries the whole show.
We're told the countless deviations from the source material (the Prime Radiant if you will) were necessary because Asimov's story lacked drama. But the mysteries that are dropped without being solved or even seriously investigaged, the clunky conversations between characters who are much less differentiated from each other than the clones, the rambling procedurals, the pointless debates over the encyclopedia, the week after week of watching the grass grow on Terminus, Dornick's dishwater-dull backstory, the nonsense of Seldon turning up in a synthetic body to give instructions to people too obtuse to figure it out for themselves--all of that is the showrunners, none of it Asimov. This show's plot unfolded at an absolutely glacial pace. The radio play from the 70s got through the whole trilogy in less time.
Day's compassion towards Dawn was poignant, I think that contributed to the sheer cruelty of Azura's punishment.
Imagine a father who discovers their beloved child has been exploited, kidnapped and nearly murdered by someone they thought loved them. Imagine that father learning that those same people have damaged their child in a way nothing can ever heal.
Then take the rage of that father and give them near limitless power to express it in any way they please.
There are reasons parents don't get to decide the punishments for those who have hurt their children as Day demonstrates when he decides Azura's fate.
His very real love for Dawn only made his rage greater, where Dusk saw simply an attack on the dynasty & just figured they'd need another clone to replace Dawn, Day saw his SON exploited, abused and hurt terribly by these people. Another clone is not a perfect replacement to him like it would have been for Dusk, it will not be 'his' Dawn. It won't be the boy he loved, the boy he spent all those years raising.
Who's punishment?
I honestly don't think any parent would condemn him for that
Truly the best part of this series was the relationship of the three Cleons. Dawn was so scared of being replaced and felt so ill-suited to his role, Day was yearning to save the dynasty by adapting and welcoming change, Dusk was only willing to endure as they always have. It was really sad to see Dawn get killed like that, especially by the only mother figure he ever had. Truly horrific.
This part proofs that even things that don´t exist in the books, could be the best thing in a show or movie adaptation. Even me who read all novels, agree that the cleon/clone dinasty it´s the best arc in the first season.
Can´t wait for season 2, they will introduce Bel RIose and Hober Mallow. What actors could portray them ?
Definitely agreed. Though Lee Pace elevates everything if given a chance. In this decades long era of genre media I would have thought more folks would realize it's "adaptation" not recitation. That stories need to be modified to play to the strengths of the medium they are in.
Their casting is hit and miss. Salvor Hardin's actress really struggled with this role. And it feels like in trying to propel an action based plotline forward they're doing too much Marvel style "Get to the door!" "Get to the command center!" "Get to the whatever!" stuff that is as dull as dishwater. What if the whole show was of the quality of the emperor arc. Would be the best thing on TV hands down.
The story of the Emperors was the _only_ part that I liked. From about week 3 onward I completely ignored everything else. It’s all that I cared about while the show was on and all I think about now that it’s not. True it had no basis in the source material, but it also didn’t pretend to. Whereas the rest of the show felt more like a deliberate bastardization than anything.
I’m done with the series though. Season 2 holds no appeal to me. (And just as well, because it sounds like I’d be in for a very long wait if it did.)
@@rubaiyat300 Problem with that is, halfway through this show’s run Dune came along and showed us what they should have been doing.
Maybe some poc, too much white skin can make the show feel racist haha
This part showed that change cannot be avoided...
Also the sweet reveal later... that all the clones are corrupted - meaning none of the clones of Cleon are the original's exact copy.
They all have their unique attributes - like how the current Dusk has been always extremely ruthless when compared to the current Day.
wow,that's an interesting find. never thought about it. it's highly probable
Bitter reveal for him. Because if all are corrupted, murder of brother Dawn (closest to son this brother Day will ever have, he loved him) was especially in vain.
That being said they made a mistake by telling us that the resistance cells 'Dawn' was in fact an exact clone of the OG Cleon.
Which means they already have the right material for it.
i always thought the show was implying that the current Day we saw, who when he was Dawn, had issues with the current Dusk's decisions. Hence starting from the current Day, was the first clone that was altered, because when asked if all the Empires always chose cruelty over mercy, Demerzel said (paraphrase)"you always made this choice".
@@mnomadvfx The resistance Cleon mentioned that their plan was decades in the making. It's entirely possible that the resistance infiltrated the Imperial government, stole the original Cleons DNA, and corrupted the source while they were doing so. Ironically, that would mean that the resistance Cleon had more right to be Emperor than any of the Brothers.
He has a soul
This Brother Day is perhaps the most well balanced clone of Cleon - he has capacity for both compassion and ruthlessness.
I think I understand why Brother Days - the central lawmakers - are discouraged from leaving Trantor. Like with this Bro Day, experiences elsewhere in the galaxy may enact massive personality changes not aligned with the expected behavioral pattern of a Cleonic clone ruler.
The personality changes by travelling should only be a problem for the young Dawn, not the grown up man Day.
If he were that well balanced, he would never have let Demerzel kill Halima.
But his compassion towards Dawn ... is touching.
@@j.v.r.1981- nope...Halima's death was a necessity, at no point would a sane ruler allow an uncontrollable religious leader to challenge their authority - this is also why the Pope actually fought wars against other Christian kings! The difference here is the balanced Day chose to keep the religion intact and portray the Cleonic Emperors as worthy of their religious dogma, Dusk would've probably just straight up executed Halima for treason and forcibly took over the whole religion
@@Michaentus That's why the decision makeing always by Day. Darkness had been traveling and he was shown the compassionate for Anacreon and Thespis
And now I cannot stop thinking of the clones as "bros".
;-)
It's ridiculous how much handsome this guy has. He the type of handsome that can wear whatever stupid outfit and nobody cares.
We want to stop for a moment to talk, how great is Lee Pace's skill??? I discovered him recently but I realize with each interpretation how simply extraordinary he is!!!
Watch all 4 seasons of Halt and Catch Fire, he's brilliant in it!
I saw him The Fall the movie itself was visually stunning but Pace has such charisma he is hard to forget.
This whole show should have just been about Cleon.
So much better than the rest of it.
Nah, we need strong wymen.
god I feel so bad for brother dawn. He was such a good character. I really thought he was going to escape, only to be betrayed in the worst way possible, and then killed by the person he trusted the most. So fkd up. His entire life was set to fail.
It was Brother Day's deep and profound connection to Brother Dawn, whom Day in part regarded like a son that spurred the cruelty of the punishment Day decreed for Azura. Day felt she robbed him of his legacy, so he determined to rid Azura of any chance of any ripple caused by her existence being allowed to persist. But Day overlooks the fact that the garden in which he pronounced his sentence/punishment for Azura will endure. It's the same garden that Azura toiled to bring to perfection.
Also because this Brother Day was relatively more compassionate.
Day overlooks a lot of things. By making Azura's punishment so grand, Day has actually elevated her historical importance. It's like trying to mend a tear in a fabric by cutting a bigger hole in it. More threads will unravel. By making Azura's punishment so grand, Day's actually showing to her that she destroyed him, and his lashing out at her is like a man lashing out with a knife that has no handle. Does he think he can excise a life so cleanly? What of the lives that he made important in doing so? Does he really think he's cut all the ties those lives had? Think of all the people that those people knew who now are wondering why their friends, lovers, and cousins were killed. Think of all the agents that pulled the trigger on that grand plan that know or will suspect everyone that they are killing is innocent. Heck, he kills off palace staff in his rage. All their colleagues are going to figure this out. You can't stop the rumor mill inside an organization. It will leak and leak and leak because orders had to be given. Messages had to be sent. Genealogists had to be engaged. To kill thousands required confiding to some degree in thousands.
He's just turned Azura into one of the single most important figures in the end of the Galactic Empire.
@@celebrim1 Yes...Day achieved the opposite effect that he intended. Imagine if he had then concluded having to kill the people that killed the people that were in Azura's expanded sphere of influence or relevance. Where would that chain stop? The impact is irreversible and the more he tugs at the loose threads, the more he unravels the tapestry of the empire he rules over.
Did Day even go through with the punishment though. He only needs to convince her that he did to inflict the appropriate pain. She will never know if he didn't, as she'll be shrouded & fed intraveinously in an automated cell for the rest of her days. She'd never know that great aunt Sheila was actually fine.
@@celebrim1 well said, Matt. Nice analogy too.
Might wanna back up a little there, Chief.
I often wonder the same thing as I watch the microwave impatiently.
What makes me saddest is immediately after this we find out all the current clones might be corrupted in the same way as Dawn was. Dawn might’ve been executed for nothing. Their genetic dynasty is already over; they will never have a pure clone again.
It does make me wonder why the differences were so stark with this Dawn, though. Why didn’t this Day ever notice any small difference between himself and the older clones?
a bit late but here's why : Dawn had the biggest difference that could be noticed, he was daltonian.
In fact one of the older clones knew there was something wrong : Brother Darkness (Cleon XI), he held Dawn (as a baby) in his arms, and before being ascended said something was wrong but Demerzel ignored it and led him forward.
Also Brother Darkness was named "The Painter" so it seems logical he would have noticed something about a daltonian baby (even though it's far fetched).
Imagine if McDonalds or KFC had that powerful microwave. Your orders would be prepared before you even decide which one you wanted.
This is the most horrifying show I've watched in a while.
Well, I'm sure Health and Safety are going to write a memo about that!
I wonder how Day will take his revenge. Either way it looks like the Empire will come to an explosive end to say the least
Foundation was a terrible show that ruined the adaption... but the Empire storyline which had absolutely nothing to do with Foundation was great. Why couldn't they have just done that as a SciFi show dealing with geopolitics, sociopolitical forces, & family dynamics??? There was no reason to ruin Foundation with that abomination when the part which had nothing to do with Foundation was so good while all the Foundation parts were absolute dogshit
Agreed. It's a very frustrating show. The Empire storyline isn't in the books and is a worthy addition. It's well written and brilliantly acted. Whereas the Foundation stuff is comically awful acting and writing.
So close to being great. What on earth went on?
The serial has nothing common with original book series. If directors wanted to achieve something is that Emperor, who’s kind of villain, is my favorite character in this serial, because the actor is the best of all others
In a world that people have nano-bots in their blood, a snapped neck is like: nah we can't save him, our technology is too advanced to repair a snapped neck! XD
Good point.
But I think bringing him back would be impossible without causing brain damage.
Nanites are all well and good, but it doesn't render one immortal. Also, once Dawn died, all his reserve clones were also killed.
Didn't the enemy remove Dawn's nanobots in the previous episode?
A snapped neck, is a snapped neck.
@@redDL89 If you can remove and reinsert them into another clone, the same can be redone.
@@joeldelica8706 What is any damage that nanobots would repair? A snapped neck might as well be a snapped tendon for as much as they would be able to discern or care. The reality is Dawn's death was probably wholly more violent at the hands of superstrong robot, but wouldn't fit the scene or characters so we just have to go along with it.
I'm curious about the "galactic council" and what things they don't need to know! Interesting cause I thought Empire was APEX but maybe that includes other Galaxies?
Even a King has a parliament, and it was them who eventually took a King's power away. I would say it's fairly balanced but tenuous, but we also saw how Religious leaders can have as much influence as Empire himself. In an empire of trillions across hundreds of worlds, a council of some kind must be a necessity. We saw early on how Empire entered into negotiations with 2 planets rich in rare minerals and even Cleon had to appease them for trade relations. But of course that went out the window with the skybridge destruction, but he had rallied the public against the 2 planets anyway so the backlash wasn't as great.
I can only IMAGINE the smug, bitter enjoyment that this particular Day got out of letting his Dusk know that they had ALL been genetically compromised.
Why do emperors dress so blandly? They always look like they're in hospital gowns or something.
Budget restraints
That’s there house clothes lol
maybe it's a hot take but I wish when people referred to them they did so by their numbers, makes it easier to follow tbh
Seems to me that room could use better ventilation. That smoke cannot be good for the lungs.
Both brother Day and Dawn have been generically compromised.
They both have been altered to have more human emotions.
Thus giving the cloning dynasty an exploitable weakness.
But if you remember, Cleon 11th, the Cleon who passed away of old age in the series, he also was not as ruthless as Cleon the 12th (brother Dusk at present)... For that reason I feel maybe Dusk is also altered genetically even if he's still ruthless
I think the clones are just different and none of them are 100% like the original Cleon.
I don't get why she killed brother Dawn
His existence was tearing apart the other two and threatening the Empire. Replacing hin was the stabilising option. Cold. Calculating.
Because she is in the end, little more than a Terminator.
Does anyone know if the music is available in full anywhere?
Oh, the king
Driven mad by his suffering
Cries out for relief
Someone cure him of his grief
His only son
Cut down, but the battle won
Florence And The Machine, Queen of Peace
One of obscure scene was paint of wall Palace was from part dusts cells of body dead emperors ..yes use DNA genuine humans cells, on book explain that, i can wait season 3, 😮
This is the only Cleon replicant that had a “soul.”
😥
Got a moment I thought brother day was going to commit suicide. But then I saw that Dawn’s body was on the center line and not his.
This scene was really sad. Especially now that we learn that they are all adulterated. If only those investigators has finished their work sooner the. Dawn might have been saved. I want to see how Dusk takes the news that he is not a true copy..lol
Well, sadly we will never know as the season ended with the timeline being accelerated to 138 years in the future.
@@RetroDaddyPH I'm sure there will be flashbacks
I think he already knew.
What has this to do with the book...
one of the rare chance that a creative decision different from the book made the story better.
The whole genetic dynasty plotline is trying to provide a believable and dramatic reason for why the Empire is stagnant and decaying, something that the book only covers very briefly, and in an extremely dry manner. That's the problem with most of Asimov's writing - he's one of the greats of sci-fi, but he is no dramatist. A television series that wants to bring a large audience needs more than Asimov's words provide.
@@Diverball1 I agree. Its good they changed the book. An exact copy of the book would also be interesting, but I definitely like the TV version. The Cleon Genetic Dynasty plot is just brilliant and carries the whole show.
The book is basically unfilmable.
We're told the countless deviations from the source material (the Prime Radiant if you will) were necessary because Asimov's story lacked drama. But the mysteries that are dropped without being solved or even seriously investigaged, the clunky conversations between characters who are much less differentiated from each other than the clones, the rambling procedurals, the pointless debates over the encyclopedia, the week after week of watching the grass grow on Terminus, Dornick's dishwater-dull backstory, the nonsense of Seldon turning up in a synthetic body to give instructions to people too obtuse to figure it out for themselves--all of that is the showrunners, none of it Asimov. This show's plot unfolded at an absolutely glacial pace. The radio play from the 70s got through the whole trilogy in less time.
Someone still has to clean up the ashes after being zapped. Star Trek was too clean in its disintegration.