Questions about Zoners...

[Peat Moss]

I just watched this episode as they reaired it on CW, and I'm somewhat confused about the nature of "phantoms". If I recall correctly, we saw Baern in the Phantom Zone in "Zod", and he had a body, while other prisoners did not, implying that only some prisoners had their bodies destroyed, based on their crimes. Yet, when he came out of the Zone, he was a phantom, and had to inhabit a human. The bone-eater from Static and the Plant Lady, we never saw if they inhabited humans or came that way, but the crystal did not work on the bone-eater, and we don't know if it would have worked on the plant lady. What was different? What constitutes being a "phantom"? I may have missed something, or the show may be inconsistent. Post your thoughts here.

[dunkman]

Nobody seems to have much thought on that, but it's an intriguing question. The Phantoms in the Phantom Zone haven't really been addressed before "Smallville" that I know of, so there isn't really any authority on that. Most likely the show is inconsistent & hopes nobody cares.

[Nataku]

Re: Questions about Zoners...

Originally posted by Peat Moss
I just watched this episode as they reaired it on CW, and I'm somewhat confused about the nature of "phantoms". If I recall correctly, we saw Baern in the Phantom Zone in "Zod", and he had a body, while other prisoners did not, implying that only some prisoners had their bodies destroyed, based on their crimes. Yet, when he came out of the Zone, he was a phantom, and had to inhabit a human. The bone-eater from Static and the Plant Lady, we never saw if they inhabited humans or came that way, but the crystal did not work on the bone-eater, and we don't know if it would have worked on the plant lady. What was different? What constitutes being a "phantom"? I may have missed something, or the show may be inconsistent. Post your thoughts here.

Just to clear some things up... "Zoners" are the people that escaped the Phantom Zone, and "Phantoms" are the people that their crimes were so great that their physical bodies were destroyed, and their "spirits" were trapped in the Phantom Zone. Jor-El gave the crystal to Raya to fight off the Phantoms in the Phantom Zone. Baern was never mention or seen in "Zod". Baern appears to know Raya, which isn't that surprising since Raya spent many years in the Phantom Zone, and was the holder of the crystal that fought off Phantoms. Gloria (the "Plant Lady") appears to have not been a Phantom, and was just a normal prisoner. If that was the case, the crystal wouldn't have worked on her. In "Static", Clark tries to use the crystal on Aldar (the "Bone Eater") but it doesn't work because he wasn't a Phantom. Martian Manhunter used his own version of the crystal on the Phantom called Dr. Hudson in "Labyrinth". So there you have it, the "nature" of the Phantoms and crystal are not inconsistent. The crystal is use to ward off Phantoms in the Phantom Zone, and to return escape Phantoms (Zod, Baern, and Dr. Hudson), and cannot be use against prisoners with bodies (Gloria, Aldar, and most likely Titan).

[Peat Moss]

Thanks for clearing things up!