Doctor Starline

Dr. Starline
First Appearance	Sonic the Hedgehog #11
Final Appearance	Sonic the Hedgehog #50
Biographical Information
Name	Dr. Starline
Relatives	None
Nicknames and Aliases	Doc Doctor Fashion Disaster Fanboy
Species	Platypus
Physical Description
Gender	Male
Description	Fur: Light gray, black
Attire	Purple and red tuxedo Orange pince-nez glasses Brown gloves Black, red and golden boots
Political Alignment and Abilities
Affiliation	Eggman Empire (formerly) Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik (formerly) Deadly Four (formerly) Starline Empire
Abilities	Intelligent

Dr. Starline is a platypus and a doctor that is fascinated with Dr. Eggman's history. He has long studied Eggman's villainous career and briefly served as an apprentice for Eggman until he was eventually fired. After his dismissal, he would work towards his own goal of world domination in order to prove himself a superior villain to Eggman.

History

Little is known about Dr. Starline; his origins remain a mystery, as do the reasons behind his fascination with Dr. Eggman. His activities before the War are unknown. At some point prior to recovering Eggman, Dr. Starline discovered the Warp Topaz, which he experimented on and used it as a useful tool. He has studied all of Eggman's past exploits.

During the Space Colony Ark incident, Starline watched Eggman's speech and was inspired, then thrilled when he fired upon the moon. Starline has also attempted to enter the EX Grand Prix but his custom Extreme Gear is always disqualified.

Restoring Eggman

During the conflict between the Resistance and Neo Metal Sonic, Starline had arranged the abduction of Mr. Tinker (an amnesiac, kind-hearted persona of Dr. Eggman), sending the brothers Rough and Tumble to acquire him. Operating out of one of Eggman's secret bases, Starline observed Eggman in his current state, realising that his Mr. Tinker personality was the result of the trauma of the last defeat he had suffered at Sonic the Hedgehog's hands. Using a combination of hypnotherapy and torturous electro-shock treatments, Starline attempted to restore Eggman's original personality. At first, it seemed his treatment was going nowhere as Eggman's new persona persisted, but after Metal Sonic had returned to the base, Eggman touched the killer robot's chassis and his true persona re-emerged with no memory of his time as Mr. Tinker.

Once Eggman had come to his senses, Starline introduced himself and explained to the doctor how he had found him. Eggman was eager to get back to work and accepted the assistance that Starline offered, impressed with his efforts. As Eggman began working on his Metal Virus project, Starline was allowed command of Metal Sonic and a squad of Badniks, taking them on a mission to clear out one of Eggman's old bases at Frozen Peak. It was expected that Sonic and the Resistance would interfere, which would serve as an opportunity to guage Starline's ability in battling the hedgehog.

In Eggman's service

Starline and Metal Sonic began clearing the Frozen Peak base and, as expected, Sonic showed up, accompanied by Silver. Starline did not engage in combat directly, instead using his Warp Topaz to generate wormholes and redirect Sonic's attacks and sending Metal Sonic to do the dirty work. During the conflict, Starline let on to Sonic that Eggman had recovered and was concocting his latest and greatest scheme.

Starline warped Sonic and Silver to the other side of the mountain, giving his Badnik force time to finish their work. The two hedgehogs reappeared quickly and Sonic tackled Starline to the ground, demanding the details of Eggman's latest plan. Starline feigned surrender, telling Sonic that everything he wanted to know was stored inside a vault within the base, giving them a code to unlock it. Silver went into the base, but then Starline revealed that he had planted explosives inside and the code he had just given would trigger them. Sonic let go of Starline and ran into the base to get Silver out, but the explosives then went off. Starline was pleased but surprised that he had seemingly defeated Sonic so easily, opening a wormhole back to Eggman's base. Eggman grabbed Starline and throttled him, outraged that the platypus had used such "barbaric" means to kill Sonic and expressed his need to prove his superiority to his life-long nemesis. He then revealed on a monitor that Sonic and Silver had survived the explosion. When Eggman asked Starline what he had wanted from the old base, Starline told him that he was collecting what he considered to be treasured collectibles of the doctor's legacy.

The Metal Virus outbreak

Using the Chaos Emeralds that Starline had gathered before recovering him, Eggman powered up and launched his new Faceship in order to enact his plan to spread the Metal Virus. Starline observed with fanatic reverence as Eggman dispensed the virus onto major population centres and allowed the Zombots it created to spread out in all directions, further contaminating the land. For a time, Eggman's plan seemed to be going well, but as the virus infected more and more people, it mutated until the Zombots ceased to respond to Eggman's commands and simply wandered aimlessly.

With the Zombots becoming unresponsive, Starline and Eggman struggled to find a new control frequency, but had little success. Starline asked Eggman what contingency plan he had in this scenario and was flabbergasted to find that the doctor had no contingency at all; his only plan was to remain out of the Zombots' reach. Starline was confused and infuriated to learn that Eggman hadn't even considered developing any kind of cure or vaccine in the event that the virus spread out of control. This revelation caused the platypus to reconsider his devotion to Eggman and he decided to take matters into his own hands.

Having examined all of Eggman's past exploits, Starline decided to reach out to some of the doctor's former allies: the Deadly Six. Using the Warp Topaz to travel to Lost Hex, he entered the Six's lair and made them an offer: they use their innate powers of electromagnetism to manage the Metal Virus outbreak and control the Zombots, and in exchange gain the opportunity to take revenge on Sonic for their previous defeat. Aware that the Zeti would likely attempt to betray him, Starline had already made sure to acquire a Cacophonic Conch, the only means of keeping the Deadly Six under control.

Downfall

Dr. Starline would return to the Faceship and confront Eggman one last time regarding the development of a vaccine for the Metal Virus. Eggman shrugged him off once again, and so Starline used the Warp Topaz to summon the Deadly Six to the Faceship. Upon arrival, the Zeti took control of Metal Sonic and also attempted to attack Starline. Starline blew upon the Cacophonic Conch to keep the Zeti in line, but was standing too close to Zazz. Once he stopped to take a breath, Zazz headbutted him and took the Conch, tossing it to Zavok. Zavok then set Metal Sonic upon Eggman and Starline, but the platypus opened a portal and he, Eggman and Metal Sonic fell through, landing on Angel Island where Sonic and the surviving Restoration members had gathered.

With the Deadly Six now in control of Eggman's operation, the doctors had no choice but to ally with the remaining heroes in order to save themselves. Eggman came up with an idea to use the Warp Topaz to create multiple portals to send different groups after each one of the Deadly Six and retrieve the Chaos Emerald that each member now possessed. With all the emeralds, Sonic could turn into Super Sonic, curing himself of the Metal Virus and using his power in conjunction with the Warp Topaz to eliminate the virus worldwide. Starline was opposed to the idea, stating that the Warp Topaz was difficult to use properly and that he was the only one who fully understood how it worked. He had his own plan in the works and opened a portal in order to leave, but at that moment Metal Sonic grabbed Starline and pulled off his glove holding the Warp Topaz, handing it to Eggman. Eggman then declared that Starline was fired and had Metal Sonic throw him through the portal, which then closed behind him.

Own Agency

Starline found himself back in his repository, actually an old Eggman Empire base that Eggman had abandoned. Despite being betrayed, Starline still admired Eggman, but had come to realise just how reckless the doctor was in the execution of his schemes. He decided that he could improve upon Eggman's ideas and conquer the world himself, surpassing his idol and thus teach him by example to be a better villain.

After a failed attempt to raid one of Eggman's industrial sites, Starline realised that he would be unable to advance his plans alone. He decided that he would enlist a group of individuals that hated both Eggman and Sonic and use them as disposable pawns to get what he wanted. Thus, the doctor visited Everhold Prison, using his Hypno-Gear to mesmerize the Warden and gain access to the maximum security wing where he found his would-be flunkies: the ex-Diamond Cutter Mimic, the skunk brothers Rough and Tumble, and Zavok of the Deadly Six. Starline offered them the chance to take revenge on Eggman for past grievances, though with Zavok he had to be more cunning, offering his services as the Zeti's lackey to feed his ego. Zavok knew the doctor was plotting something, but went along with him so that he could eventually reunite the Deadly Six.

After taking the Warden's keys, Starline freed the villains and together they fought their way to the prison's control room. From there, they opened every cell in the complex, letting the inmates run wild and using the ensuing riot to cover their escape.

A short time later, Starline organized a raid on an Eggman Empire base. The group's goal was to steal a supply of Power Cores as well as disrupt Eggman's network. During the operation, Starline inadvertantly let slip his frustration over how Eggman had discarded him to Zavok. The Zeti appeared somewhat sympathetic to Starline, though he hinted that the doctor was better off without his former master and could surpass him.

Treachery

After the team obtained the Power Cores they sought, they left behind false evidence to make Eggman believe that Sonic had attacked the base. Using the stolen Cores, Dr. Starline created a new device, the Tricore, for his own personal use. However, while he slept, Mimic took on Starline's form and imitated his voice to access his computer, looking through the doctor's journal entries. He and Zavok learned that the doctor was planning to eliminate him and the other villains as soon as they had fulfilled their purpose.

The next day, Starline and his crew raided an Eggnet hub, destroying its defences using the new Core Gear that Starline had built. Once the doctor had access to the main computer, he reprogrammed the remaining Badniks to serve him and gained remote access to Egg Base Sigma, altering its command codes to bring it under his control. It was then that Mimic took a knife to the doctor's throat, forcing him to erase his file from the Eggnet and reprogram the Badnik forces to serve Zavok. Zavok then revealed to Rough and Tumble Starline's intentions and declared that the doctor had outlived his usefulness.

To escape Zavok and the others, Starline used the Tricore to enhance his physical abilities. Zavok, Rough and Tumble pursued Starline while leaving Mimic to guard the network terminal, but Mimic used the terminal to signal Eggman and draw him towards the hub in the hopes that the doctor would bomb the facility and kill off the others while he made his escape.

With the Tricore's power, Dr. Starline outwitted Rough and Tumble and paralyzed them both with neurotoxin from his heel spurs. Evading Zavok, he doubled back to the terminal room to find Mimic gone, then used the terminal to revert the Badniks at Egg Base Sigma back to his control before wiping the facility from the Eggnet completely. The doctor then made his escape just before Eggman arrived with a fleet of Badniks and leveled the hub facility. Rough, Tumble and Mimic had already gotten out while Zavok was buried beneath the collapsing facility, but the Zeti still survived and fled into the nearby woods with the aid of a hijacked Egg Knight.

While his plan had not gone as smoothly as he'd hoped, Dr. Starline still came away with everything he wanted. He now had control of a sizeable army of Badniks and a suitable base of operations from which to orchestrate his future plans, which no longer included getting back into Dr. Eggman's good graces. If Starline was to conquer the world, he would do it to prove himself Eggman's superior.

Assault on White Park

Dr. Starline's next scheme took him to the snowy peaks of White Park. Dressing in a hooded parka, he snuck around the mountain range observing the activities of Rouge the Bat, Amy Rose and Cream the Rabbit, who had entered the Chao races held at the White Park Grand Chateau. During his time spying on the girls, Starline was pursued by Shadow the Hedgehog, but was able to evade him thanks to the power of the Tricore. He also ambushed Rouge following her meeting with Clutch the Opossum and hypnotized her. While Shadow was busy pursuing Clutch, the doctor stole the disembodied head of E-123 Omega which Clutch had taken from Rouge.

Later on, Sonic, Tails and Belle arrived at White Park. Starline sent the hypnotized Rouge to meet Tails at the Tornado's landing zone and she attacked him, knocking him out. Once Rouge had fulfilled her purpose, Starline knocked her out before then tying her and Tails up and placing them on the White Park Roller-Coaster as bait for Sonic and Shadow. When the hedgehogs came to the rescue, Starline removed his hood and revealed himself. He then remotely set off a bomb he had planted on the mountain, triggering an avalanche that threatened to bury the chateau. Fortunately, Tails and Rouge had regained consciousness by then and Tails urged Sonic to head to the chateau to save the people there.

Rouge and Tails were able to free themselves and Shadow prepared to attack Starline. However, Rouge called out to Omega with a special codeword and the robot head emitted intense soundwaves that caused Starline to lose his balance and fall from the moving roller-coaster. Thanks to the Tricore, Starline survived the fall no worse for wear and made his way back to the chateau. By then, Tails and Rouge had met up with Amy, Cream and Belle and were helping move the patrons to safe-zones. Starline appeared before the heroes and demanded that Tails come with him, but Rouge, Amy, Gemerl and Cream attacked him. Starline dashed past them all and grabbed Tails by the tail, but the young fox was standing next to Belle and pulled her tail, causing her to kick Starline hard in the face. The heroes then made their getaway just as the avalanche reached the chateau and it appeared that Starline was buried under tons of snow.

Somehow, Starline survived the avalanche and returned to his lair. While he hadn't managed to capture Tails, he did come away with a tuft of the fox's fur, providing him with a DNA sample to further his latest project.

Kidnapping Belle the Tinkerer

Following his surprise encounter with Belle at White Park, Dr. Starline quickly deduced that the wooden robot must have been built by Dr. Eggman during his "Mr. Tinker" phase. Enamoured by Belle's unorthodox design, Starline decided that he had to have her for himself, believing she could be of use in his ongoing project.

After finding the secret entrance to Restoration HQ, the doctor infiltrated the base, only to find it already under attack by the Deadly Six. Starline took advantage of the situation, moving about the base freely while the Restoration were distracted with fighting the Zeti. He made his way to the workshop where he found the owner and Belle being threatened by Zomom. Using his hypno-glove, Starline hypnotized Zomom into leaving the room; he then knocked out the machine-shop owner and took Belle with him, using his Tricore to wall-jump through the elevator shaft while the lift was out of order.

Starline took Belle to one of his labs where he examined her CPU, all the while marveling at Eggman's craftsmanship. Belle insisted that Eggman wasn't her creator, but Starline knew the truth and told Belle how he had "cured" Eggman of his Mr. Tinker persona, enraging the marionette. The doctor analysed Belle's emotional responses, his computer recording every bit of data. With the emotional data, Starline would save months of research and could begin field-testing his new prototypes right away. As Belle lamented over her situation, the Chaotix arrived on the scene to save her and shut down Starline's operation. However, the doctor had already uploaded the contents of his computer to his personal data cloud, leaving nothing for the Chaotix to inspect. Starline then activated the Speed function on his Tricore and evaded the Chaotix, escaping back to his home base.

Operation: Remaster

With the components he had acquired from Tails and Belle, Starline was able to complete his two prototypes: a pair of cybernetic life-forms known as Surge and Kitsunami. With these "imposters", the doctor planned to set in motion Operation: Remaster, a scheme by which he would end the current world order by eliminating both Sonic and Dr. Eggman. Starline put Surge and Kit through a series of tests to ensure the stability of their powers and their loyalty to him. During this time, he had the duo start a forest fire in the Forest Ridge Zone and disrupt the electrical grid in Central City. This would distract the heroes while Starline infiltrated Tails' workshop and accessed his computer, but the doctor discovered that the workshop's security had been upgraded and there was no way to stealthily enter without leaving evidence of a break-in.

While testing Surge and Kit's capabilities, it became clear that their personality programming was unstable as they began to question why they were doing anything Starline wanted them to. Starline used hypnosis to pacify the pair, but they seemed to exhibit resistance to this. In order to level out their personalities, Starline decided that he needed them to begin fulfilling the purpose behind their creation, and so began organizing an operation to infiltrate one of Dr. Eggman's facilities.

However, Surge and Kitsunami would hack into Starline's mainframe and discover the doctor's video journals. They discovered how the doctor had made them what they were, though their was nothing to suggest what kind of people they had been before Starline had augmented them. Starline walked in on the duo and attempted to subdue them with his Hypno-Gear, but the two resisted and a fight ensued. Starline was knocked out, and while unconscious, Surge and Kit came upon the idea of using the doctor's plan against him, intending to not only destroy Sonic and Eggman but all of their allies and Starline at the same time. When Starline came to, Surge claimed that he had put himself to sleep with his own monologue regarding the plan and how he had revealed the details of the duo's creation. Starline seemed confused by the fact that Surge and Kit seemed unperturbed by the revelation, but the duo claimed that they were onboard all the way. Apparently satisfied, Starline began outlining the next step of the plan: storming Dr. Eggman's new base.

Starline, Surge and Kit travelled to the new Eggperial City where the cyborgs went about demolishing the Badniks in their path while Starline hacked into the Eggnet. After logging in and greeting Eggman, Starline uploaded a virus that would reprogram all Badniks to obey him, transmitting the signal from Eggman's tower and summoning every Badnik for miles around to the city. This would also attract attention from Sonic and his friends, drawing them to Eggperial City where they would fight against Surge and Kit. Eggman managed to escape from the tower just as the reprogrammed Badniks advanced on him, entering an armoury containing several different past mechs. The doctor decided to man the Egg Emperor and launched it, using it to attack Starline.

Defeat

After entering the command tower, Starline reveled in his apparent victory until Dr. Eggman attacked him in the Egg Emperor. Using his Tricore, Starline fled from the tower, damaging the Egg Emperor in the process. Surmising that Eggman had an armoury nearby, he doubled back and accessed it, activating the Super Eggrobo mech which he then used to battle Eggman with. The two doctors with their giant robots fought furiously across the city, but the Eggrobo was crippled after being impaled upon the Egg Emperor's lance. Emerging from his mech, Starline activated his Tricore and unleashed the Tricore Blast, destroying the Egg Emperor.

Dr. Eggman emerged from the Egg Emperor's wreckage smiling, having apparently expected the battle to turn out the way it did and noting that Starline had just exhausted the Tricore. Realising his best weapon was out of power, Starline raised his Hypno-Gear. Eggman was prepared for this also, pulling down his goggles which had special lenses to protect him from Starline's hypnosis. Panicking, Starline then attacked his former idol with his heel-spurs. In a rare show of physical prowess, Eggman grabbed Starline's leg before raising him up and slamming him to the ground. He then took Starline's now-useless glove and threw it aside, mocking the doctor and stating how he had actually been paying attention to their conversations while they were working together and had all the while been thinking of strategies to overcome Starline should he ever turn against him.

Eggman would then turn his attention to Belle when she showed up to confront him. Meanwhile, Starline began to have a mental breakdown over the failure of his plan. Belle tried calling out to him, but Starline was seemingly lost in his own despair and did not notice the surrounding architecture collapsing around him. Large pieces of rubble fell upon Starline's position, apparently killing him.

Appearance

Dr. Starline is an anthropomorphic platypus with light gray fur and a gray-black bill. He has three long bands of hair atop his head with a dark stripe on one of them. He also has blood-red eyes.

Starline has rather sophisticated-looking attire, most notably a magenta-coloured jacket with violet arms, shoulders and collar. He wears circular glasses similar to Dr. Eggman's, though his have yellow lenses. Starline also wears a pair of black gloves that compliment his webbed hands; each fingertip is adorned with a golden cap and the left glove is fitted with a circular cradle that the Warp Topaz, later the Tricore, was attached to. Finally, Starline wears black boots which have a red and yellow triangular pattern decorating the soles. They are also adorned with weaponized heel spurs.

Personality

Dr. Starline is suave and sophisticated most of the time, exuding an arrogant sense of pride in his intellect and abilities. Though he considers himself brilliant, he willingly submits himself to Dr. Eggman's command, hinting towards a sycophantic personality.

Starline has supposedly made a career out of studying the behaviour of Dr. Eggman and has shown great admiration towards him. He helped Eggman recover his true personality following the doctor's stint as Mr. Tinker and happily offered his services to the mad tyrant, gladly following whatever command Eggman gave him. Starline's fanaticism also extends to collecting old technology that Eggman has discarded.

Even after being betrayed by Eggman, Dr. Starline still clung to his admiration for him, but realised that the doctor was inept because he couldn't adapt to situations as they changed. He decided that he would teach Eggman by example and take over the world himself, which he would then hand over to Eggman to rule, in the hope that the doctor would acknowledge him as an equal. However, after being betrayed by Zavok and the Bad Guys, he re-assessed his actions and realized that he was thinking too much like Eggman and that such behaviour was why his plan to take control of Egg Base Sigma almost fell apart. Following his acquisition of Egg Base Sigma, Starline dismissed any remaining notion of returning to Eggman's side and decided that he would take over the world on his own terms.

Starline has proven to be manipulative and highly treacherous; he recruited Zavok, Mimic, Rough and Tumble to assist him in his plot to take over Egg Base Sigma, promising them whatever they wanted but intending to eliminate them as soon as he got everything that he wanted. He was able to play on Zavok's pride and desire for vengeance and on the skunk brothers' stupidity in order to get them to do as he wished, although he had underestimated Zavok's cunning as the Zeti was also able to manipulate him, to an extent.

Finally, Starline has also demonstrated a significant cowardly streak. He is shown to employ underhanded tactics in confrontational situations in order to divert his adversaries' attention so that he can make a clean getaway. He also panics when confronted by multiple opponents with superior combat abilities. After being defeated by Dr. Eggman in their battle at Eggperial City, he appeared to suffer a nervous breakdown, further showing that he does not deal with failure well and how fragile his ego truly is.

Abilities

• Genius Intellect - Dr. Starline is highly intelligent, perhaps moreso than Eggman. He has shown to be a capable psychologist and has made his career out of studying Eggman. He has knowledge of hypnotic therapy techniques as well as torture, having subjected Mr. Tinker to sadistic electro-shock therapy in order to restore Eggman's true personality.

• Robotic Engineering - Starline appears to have some experience with robotics, as well. He employs a number of Egg Pawns and other Badniks which he presumably reprogrammed or built himself.

Equipment

• Warp Topaz - Using the Warp Topaz on his glove, Starline could generate spatial wormholes that allowed him or others to travel great distances around the world in an instant. He has even used these wormholes in combat, using them to protect himself by redirecting Sonic's attacks.

• Hypno-Gear - Since losing the Warp Topaz, Starline uses a glove outfitted with a device that allows him to hypnotize people, making them susceptible to suggestion. The device requires precision and cannot effect whole groups of people at once.

• Multi-Tool Heel-Spurs - Starline has outfitted his boots with weaponized heel spurs. One set of spurs acts similarly to a Lightning Wispon, creating an arc of electricity to shock and paralyze opponents. Another set carries a neurotoxin that, when injected, renders a victim unconscious.

• Tricore - The latest weapon in Starline's arsenal is the Tricore. Based on the properties of Speed, Fly and Power-type Cores, this device enhances Starline's physical abilities, making him capable of facing adversaries such as Sonic on more-or-less equal terms.

Relationships

Dr Eggman

Originally looked upon as an admirer and idol, Dr. Starline began to realize how sloppy Dr. Eggman's methods were, such as when the Doctor did not intend to find and develop a cure. After being fired from Eggman's employ, Starline began to make it out on his own in order to prove himself to be Eggman's equal as well as to help him learn from his mistakes.

Friends

• Surge the Tenrec
• Kitsunami the Fennec

Neutral

• Cubot
• Cubot

Enemies

• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Resistance
• Deadly Six
  • Zavok
  • Master Zik
  • Zeena
  • Zazz
  • Zomom
  • Zor
• Espio the Chameleon
• Miles "Tails" Prower
• Knuckles the Echidna
• Silver the Hedgehog
• Amy Rose
• Metal Sonic
• Mimic
• Rough the Skunk
• Tumble the Skunk
• Team Dark
  • Shadow the Hedgehog
  • Rouge the Bat
• Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik

Background Information

• Starline took inspriation from a ********** glitch (AKA Wechidna, a character glitch)
• Starline's initial role in the comics is similar to Grimer's role in the Sonic the Comic series, where he was a non-human lab assistant who had loyalty for Dr. Robotnik.
• Starline's age remains unconfirmed because of how the Sega higher-ups could intervene and suggest different ages than what Flynn originally intended, as they did with Mimic.
• Starline's poison barbed shoe gear are based off the ankle spur real-life platypodes have, though only the males can inject venom with it..

Trivia

• Ian Flynn did a Q&A as Dr. Starline.

Gallery

Concept Art

Gallery

Design sheet