Winnie Lim's TRAJQ FAQ

The following was written by Winnie Lim and uses quotes compiled during the days of the AOL Jonny Quest board.

Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures FAQ

by Winnie Lim

Please note that this was last updated by Winnie in October 1999, so there is probably some out-of-date info (especially in regards to when/where JQ:TRA is airing). Also, despite Lance Falk's claims that his version of JQ is the "real" version...um...let's just say that I'm not a particular fan of his "my way or the highway" approach. But I'll let ya'll make your own judgments. -- Suze

What is Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures?

Glad you asked.

The Story

14-year-old Jonny Quest invariably finds adventure in exotic locations around the world with his father, renowned scientist/explorer Dr Benton Quest. They are accompanied by Benton's adopted son and assistant, Hadji; Dr Quest's personal bodyguard, Race Bannon; and Jessie Bannon, Race's teenage daughter. And, of course, Jonny's faithful dog Bandit.

One more exotic locale has been added to the travelogue - QuestWorld, a virtual-reality system invented by Benton Quest. Questworld is employed in recreating imaginary or otherwise inaccessible environments. The Questworld system has since been expanded by his son, Hadji and Jessie to include recreational uses as well.

In the course of their adventures, the Quest team runs into resistance from a number of sources, ranging from former KGB operatives to their own government to the forces of nature herself. They also receive help from fellow seekers after knowledge, and sometimes from unexpected sources - such as a renegade nuclear submarine captain who targets whaling boats.

The Show

Each episode of JQ:TRA combines traditional cel animation with computer-generated imagery animation (CGI). CGI is used to generate the 3-D Questworld sequences and "Quest Bytes" - short, fully-rendered vignettes that footnote some of the episodes.

There are a total of 52 episodes of Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures. The show was cancelled in early 1997 and despite the outpouring of fan support, no new episodes will be produced.

Where and when can I see JQ:TRA?

JQ:TRA will soon be broadcast again on Cartoon Network. See the JQ:TRA schedule page on the Cartoon Network site for specific dates and times.

Every time I turn on Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures it looks different! How many versions of JQ:TRA are there?!

There are two "versions" (for want of a better word) of JQ:TRA. The first batch is known as Season One; the second batch is known as Season Two. Compounding the issue, Season One's animation was produced by several animation houses (Pacific Animation, Koko Enterprises, Dong Yang, Seoul Movie, etc.) while Season Two is being rendered by one animation house (Mook). Season One and Season Two can be easily told apart by looking at Jessie -- in Season Two she wears a pink outfit (ugh, but that's a different story) and earrings.

Their voices are also different. Here's the list of voice actors for season 1 and season 2:

Characters      Season One Cast         Season Two Cast
Jonny Quest 	J.D. Roth 	        Quinton Flynn
Benton Quest 	George Segal 	        Don Messick/John DeLancie
Race Bannon 	Robert Patrick 	        Granville Van Dusen/Robert Foxworth
Hadji Singh 	Michael Benyaer 	Rob Paulsen
Jessie Bannon 	Jesse P. Douglas 	Jennifer Hale
Bandit 	        Frank Welker 	        Frank Welker
(Hey, the guy does the best dog voices.)

Why does the second batch of episodes look so different from the first?

According to JQ:TRA producer Larry Houston:

"The original production staff, after 3 years of producing unairable and unfinished material, were let go and 4 new producers were brought in to meet the upcoming deadline: John Eng, Cosmo Anzilotti, Davis Doi and myself, Larry Houston. John and Cosmo used the original models done by the previous staff, because of the lack of time. Davis and I, being old-time fans of the original 60's series, decided to redo the models to be in-between the original models and the models John and Cosmo was doing, to fit our aesthetics as to what the series should look like. Cartoon Network was suppose to launch our version separately from John and Cosmo's, but when Warner Bros. bought Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network, decisions were made, or not made, and that is why you have the differences."

As if that's not confusing enough, the present JQ:TRA crew do not consider the 1986 revival (The New Adventures of Jonny Quest) and the two TV-movies (Jonny's Golden Quest and Jonny Quest vs. The Cyber Insects) as part of the official series continuity. Read: They never happened.

I hate the changes!/I love the changes! Who can I throw brickbats/bouquets at?

If you want to comment about the changes to the show, or the show in general, write the Cartoon Network at ToonNet@aol.com.

Enough reruns already! When are the new episodes going to start?

There are no more new episodes. 52 episodes of Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures have been produced, and they have all been aired. But hey, reruns of Jonny Quest are better than no Jonny Quest at all, right?

Why can't I find the JQ:TRA soundtrack that's advertised at the end of the show's credits?

Because it's not been released. Kid Rhino has, however, released a "Storytime Adventure" audio cassette based on the episode Return of the Anasazi. (I saw it in Tower Records the other day, so it definitely exists.) There are no plans at present to release the soundtrack.

What's the story on Jonny's mother?

Her maiden name is Rachel Wildey; her father is Jonny's Grandpa Doug Wildey (seen in Nuclear Netherworld and named for series creator Doug Wildey). Aside from that, all we know is that she's deceased.

A comment from Lance Falk, series writer:

"...some day I'd love to tell the REAL story of the late Rachel Quest (We see a snap shot of her in an...episode called The Edge of Yesterday). If H-B makes more JQs, I promised Larry that my first script would be "Rachel". Bug H-B to make more! "Golden Quest" was all wrong. and the Comico comic book #2 was about 50% wrong about Jonny's late mom.

You heard the man. Bug HB. (via Cartoon Network)

What's the story on Jessie?

Jessie joined the Quest team about a year before the series takes place. Before that, she was living with her mother, Estella Velasquez, in South America. By the way, Brad Quentin's JQ:TRA books got it wrong; Jessie's mom is very much alive, and Jessie spends about half her time with her mother. So generally, when Jessie's not in an episode, it can be assumed she's with Mom.

Jessie was introduced in the 1993 TV-movie Jonny's Golden Quest (see below for more explanation on this).

Wait a minute. Didn't the TV-movie Jonny's Golden Quest say that Jessie's mother is somebody named Jade?

Uh, yeah, it did. But here's what TRA series writer Lance Falk had to say:

"Estella is Jessie's mom and that's it. All together now, one last time:

JONNY'S GOLDEN QUEST, CYBER-INSECTS, AND THE 86 SERIES DID NOT HAPPEN.

Enjoy them but don't take them seriously. That way lies madness. When it comes to Jessie, Jonny's mom, Dr. Zin, Jade, Jessie's mom, Hardrock, etc. they are dead wrong. Fun, well crafted, enjoyable movies but NOT part of the real legend."

Where do the Quest team hang their hats?

The Quest compound is located in Rockport, Maine (pop. 3000). The main house is maintained by a housekeeper, Mrs Evans, who possibly serves as babysitter for Jonny and Jessie when Race, Benton and Hadji are away. (Return of the Anasazi). Note: The Rockport mansion was destroyed in "The Robot Spies", so the Quest team has presumably moved back to Palm Key.

ZeaLitY Note: Their residence is never really proven. Most episode coordinates place them miles away from Rockport; the city is only considered near home because their police squad respond to the call in Return of the Anasazi.

How old are the kids?

Jonny - 14
Jessie - 15
Hadji - 16

Dr Quest is somewhere in his late 40s-early 50s; Race is in his early-to-mid-40s, if we are to believe that he first busted Surd 18 years ago. (If Race were in his 30s, as the Brad Quentin books say, then he busted Surd when he was 17 -- Race is good, but he's not that good.<g>)

Do Jonny, Jessie and Hadji go to regular school?

Jonny and Jessie were seen in a regular high school classroom in the Season 1 episode Heroes. But according to Falk, "Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji don't go to regular school (they travel too much). Race is their full time tutor. I'm sure Dr. Quest helps prepares the lessons though. We don't show this stuff because it makes lousy television! When Hadji and Jessie are visiting their respective moms, they take lots of schoolwork with them. Bummer!"

In the opening credits there are scenes of:

Jessie pulling Jonny up on a horse;
Jonny and Bandit running from an attacking plane;
Jessie flipping her air back ala The Little Mermaid (right); and
Jessie on a horse fleeing from an attack helicopter.

All the other scenes from the opening credits come from episodes that I've seen; What episodes are these four scenes from?

Sad to say, the scenes listed above are not from any episode that has been screened. They could be:

1) from an unfinished episode left over from Season 1;
2) cut from an episode;
3) produced especially for the opening credits.

To re-emphasize: They are not from any episode that has been screened.

Many thanks to Redcloak for passing on the information from Lance Falk and Larry Houston, and to Anne Moloney for the soundtrack answer. Thanks also to Lance Falk for allowing me to quote him.

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