D. Strange Cat, or Darby, is the primary antagonist in the Space Voyages canon and leader of the Blarnis Evil Forces. He is cousin to Thaddeus and Stanley Cat and older brother of Cornelius. He is portrayed as almost purely evil in the first four books, but a more complex character emerges in later installments, to the point that he completely denounces the BEFOs by the end of the series. His famous catchphrase "Seize them!" appears throughout the series. He is particularly egotistical and narcissistic, to the point where he considers it a crime to be called by anything other than his full name. He also believes strongly in an autocratic court system in which he is the sole arbiter of punishment to his enemies.
Background[]
Darby was born and raised on Zarcholon, which at the time was ruled by the Empress Mollygaggeranza. His great-grandfather, Blarnis Cat, discovered the Borkin Codex, which gave the Zarcholian civilization the key to harnessing the immense power of antimatter and the ability to construct time warps. Darby's father, Bartholomeow, was a powerful senator who supported a war against Jada, a decision that eventually led to the fall of the ruling family of Zarcholon and the takeover of the Blarnis Evil Forces with Darby as leader.
It is implied that Darby and Thaddeus have been at odds since childhood, and this comes to a head when Darby exiles Thaddeus from Zarcholon at the end of the war. He was jealous of Thaddeus's good nature and piloting skill, especially when it came to the Phantasm, a legendary aircraft that Darby later stole out from under the empire and took for himself, hiding it in a cave on the toxic planet Amnesia in the Galaxian system.
Darby established a stronghold on Galaxian Prime, in a separate system from Zarcholon and nearby Jeeog, and began implementing his plans for galactic conquest. Seeing Earth as a threat to these plans, he began a campaign of rounding up spacecraft and astronauts, many of whom were later to be rescued by Thaddeus or Stanley. He sent his top subordinates Rochavov (then-emperor of Zarcholon) and Hwong to go undercover as Earth astronauts and thwart the STS-127B mission.
Involvement in the series[]
In the first trilogy, Darby wields his influence to capture the SILPS trio after they're thrown off course and puts them on trial for phony charges. They manage to escape and recover the Phantasm. Darby nearly catches them on a number of occasions, first at The Place, then again by chasing Stanley and the trio while they're flying in the Phantasm to Zarcholon. He nearly apprehends them, even shooting Jack in the arm, but they escape to the lair of Pookypod and manage to return the Phantasm to its creator, the Red Borkin.
Darby appears again in the fourth book, having somehow wrested the Phantasm from the Red Borkin. He captures Thaddeus another time, and the trio sets out to the planet of Jada to retrieve him. Darby is seriously injured in a crash while flying the Phantasm and is incapacitated while his younger and considerably more evil brother Cornelius begins to consolidate power in his absence. When Thaddeus and the trio visit Darby in the hospital, he admits that he fears for their collective safety:
Thaddeus stepped forward. "Are you saying that you're on our side?"
"Well, when I'm in control, no. But when someone else is, I fear greatly for the both of us. All I really wanted was to be the great ruler of some huge planet and never have anyone more powerful than I was. Cornelius aspires to much more than that."
In the seventh book, Darby and Cornelius team up to overthrow the BOFOs (Blarnis Official Forces) and bring the BEFOs back into power with the help of an enormous moon-like space station. Thaddeus is captured a third time, and the trio yet again comes to his aid. This time Darby actively protests against his brother's cruel practices, such as freezing Courtney in a cryogenic chamber. Cornelius moves forward without him, and Darby ultimately defects and escapes back to Earth.
Portrayal[]
Darby is portrayed by Bert in the Space Voyages YouTube series. He is voiced with a sinister British accent by Ben Boatwright.