Buckaroo Banzai, part 1- BB insignia and stuff

Although not a time machine
A truck that jumps through matter?

Before there was a flying DeLorean there was Buckaroo Banzai with a jacked up super nerd truck that allowed people to travel though the inner space of atoms in the 8th dimension, or something like that.

Buckaroo Banzai 1984 was science fiction movie with a more than overstated complicated plot. It featured a science-pimped truck that could travel though solid matter.

Buckaroo Banzai, the hero, is played by Peter Weller, a multi-talented genius who is a medical doctor, rock star, political aide to the president and most importantly... a particle physics research scientist.

Buckaroo Banzai Fan Club Member
note Buckaroo the rock star poster with group logo

The logo of this group - scientific and musical - features a letter B facing itself. Sometimes it was yellow, red, or other colours. It was the sign for Buckaroo.

This movie was ahead of the times, perhaps too far ahead? A remake could definitely work. If a sequel were made it has the serious potential of being one those rare franchises where the sequel is better than than original like Mad Max 1979 which lead to the more than awesome Road Warrior 1981. They could even go out of order and make a prequel to 1982 - it'd fit perfectly for the irrational quantum realities posed by modern nuclear physics and string theory. Somebody call Spielberg, Bob Zemeckis, and James Cameroon!

Although Buckaroo Banzai movie didn't meet box office expectations, it successfully launched Peter Weller into an epic cyborg-cop orbit and prepared Mr. Lloyd for time travel hijinks with Mr. Fox.

Mr. Banzai with mission patch
for transporting through matter

Buckaroo Banzai lives up to its odd semi-retro 50s sci-fi name. After passing though matter, Buckaroo inspects his trans-dimensional truck. Over his heart is the mission patch that reads 'Team Banzai' with a vehicle up top with an 80s style Atari flames in yellow, red, and orange.





The quirky quintessential 80 music theme

Avatar Insignia, part 2 - arm patch insignia

Marine Pandora Mission Patch - right arm
Science sortie pilot Trudy Chacon

The visually stunning movie Avatar 2009 was an epic award winning science fiction film by James Cameroon. Humans have learned to travel to their closest neighboring star system - Alpha Centauri and a clash of planets occurs over precious resources.

Of vexillological interest are the military badges that humans wear on the right arm. It is a pentagonal shape. Divided in the center - the right half is red with a blue and white sphere. The left half is blue with several indiscernible markings.

Native Na'vi arm band rank - left arm

The natives of Pandora the Na'vi also employ an armband type of marking. However each person has their own design. To the right Jake Sully in this Na'vi body wears an arm band with two colourful 'feathers.'

Dances with Wolves - part 5, the shield of arms for Ten Bears

Lakota Shield painted by Ten Bears

One shield is clearly shown in Dances with Wolves 1990. The design of a shield has always been keen custom long before the formal development and institutionalization of heraldry.

It has a center pale partition, dexter azure, sinister gules, both sides are charged with dragon flies flying upwards following a wispy trail.

Avatar Insignia, part 1 - RDA

The Venture Star with RDA Corporate Logo

Audiences around the world whipped away to an imaginative tale about our neighboring star system - Alpha Centauri - by James Cameroon in Avatar 2009.

The story is set on an imaginary planet where the native blue skinned peoples live on resource that humans desperately want for it's high value. The RDA corporation uses remote control bodies to manipulate the natives off their 'sacred' land.

In RDA logo can be seen in several shots. The first time the logo of RDA corp. can be seen on a space ship above Pandora.

RDA Mining Truck on Pandora

In another shot the an RDA minning truck passes in front of Jake Sully - the hero of the story. The colours of RDA corp. are yellow, white, and navy blue. The logo consists of four circles - linked four petal flower. The chief and base discs are yellow. On the sinister side is a navy blue disc and on the dexter side is a white disc with a blue outer ring.

Official Logo of RDA - Resources Development Adminstration

Never Ending Story, part 2 - arms of the fallen kinght

First Gate of the Southern Oracle

The Never Ending Story 1984 is an inspirational fairytale movie for children and adults. In it a builled boy who likes to read skips class to read a book that opens the door to fantasia.

In one scene our hero - Atreyu - must pass the first test of the Southern Oracle which a person must pass trough. Essentially to cross this rift one must have the purest of intentions and complete confidence from within and look death in the eye while continuing on.

Close up of the knights shield of arms

Before Atreyu attempts to pass through, a knight in shining armor tries and fails. Atreyu must then pass by looking death in the eye and continue on his journey. The knight with shining armor has a coat of arms. It is a regular bend partition dexter gules sinister azure. Each partition is charged with a lion rampant facing dexter.

link to part 3

Never Ending Story, part 1- the AURYN, a Badge for Fantasia

first appearance of the AURYN

The film the Never Ending Story 1984 is based on a story written by Michael Ende of Germany in 1979. In it a bullied little boy learns about the power of fantasia and unlimited bounty of imagination. The movie is a story within a story that even hints at the presence of the audience.

The world of Fantasia is under attack by a fear mongering entity known as the Nothing. The Nothing preys upon people without dreams so they can be controlled. When people live without dreams they become virtual zombies and give away their power to the empty soulless power hungry Nothing.

Thus if you think you have been bitten by a zombie and may be infected, find a dream - find it fast and never let it go! A Luck Dragon will find you, believe me!

Atreyu is chosen to save Fantasia

The badge of the chosen hero is the AURYN. The AURYN is similar to an ouroboros - a snake that is eating its own tail. But in The Never Ending Story the AURYN is composed of two snakes symmetrically intertwined and chasing or latched upon each others tail. The upper snake is gold and the lower snake is green in inner fantasia - the fantasy world of a fantasy.

But in Bastian's universe the AURYN is found as a monochrome decorative seal on the book he borrowed.

Link to part 2 of this thread

Yin and Yang with Heraldry - Goonies 'R' Good Enough by Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper holding a box
with a typical Modern American Heraldic Shield

An appropriate anthem and video for the economic climate of 2011 could be Goonies 'R' Good Enough 1984 by Cindy Lauper. The video is based on the movie Goonies 1984. In the video Cyndi's Mom and Pop Gas Station that gives "cookies while you wait" is visited by their cheating creditors.

In the beginning of the video Cyndi is seen carrying a box with a heraldic shield on it. The shield is typical of modern American Corporate design - azure fess argent. In the Chief is reads "PEERLESS." There is other indiscernible text in the base and argent fess.

Smiley and Frownie Face Badge

In the video creditors or bad guys all wear a frownie badge. The frownie-bad guys included Rowdy Roddy Piper, the Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkof, and Freddie Blassie.

On the good guy-home team with smiley face badge is Captain Lou Albano, Cindy Lauper, Dave, and Wendy. The smiley and frownie face badges ranged in colours from red to yellow.

The economic strain put on Cyndi and her friends is a certain reality that many Americans and people all around the world feel right now as of 2011. Thousands of families have lost their homes and hundreds of business small and large have become memories - Borders, Circuit City, etc...

Video Goonie 'R' Good Enough 1984