Template:Appearances Skidd McMarx,[1], alternatively spelled Skid McMarx,[2] and Skidd McMarxx,[3] is a support character in Ratchet & Clank, its 2016 re-imagined game, and Up Your Arsenal. He is a renowned pro hoverboard champion of Rilgar, and worked with his agent, Don Wonderstar. He later joined the Q-Force team led by Captain Qwark as the fleet's black ops, with the codename "Shadow Dude".
In the 2016 re-imagined game, he is the nephew of Agnogg Buckwash, and owner of the McMarx Sports Shack on Aridia.
History
Ratchet & Clank
Skidd was first seen on an infobot given to Ratchet and Clank by the Plumber, depciting him and his agent's ship, the Solarship Radical, being show down and crash landing on planet Aridia.[4] Upon landing on the planet, the two located Skidd just behind their landing platform. Skidd gave them the mission "Help Skid get to his ship", in which he requested they kill the sandsharks that blocked his way back to the ships, as he had a "sprained ankle" and was unable to go himself, offering them a hoverboard if they did. After the two defeated the sandsharks, Skidd gave them a Z3000 Deluxe Hoverboard, a rare new hoverboard unavailable on the market,[5] and allowed Ratchet to take his place in the Hovercon Intergalactic Hoverboard Competition on Rilgar.
Re-imagined
Skidd with Starlene and other fans
In Qwark's retelling of events, Skidd had a similar role. He was the nephew of Agnogg Buckwash, and owned a McMarx Sports Shack on Aridia. After he accidentally revealed secret blarg schematics for the hydroharvester, the blarg attacked his shack and attacked Novalis. When Ratchet and Clank rescued Agnogg Buckwash on Novalis, Buckwash revealed the infobot he had received, showing a recording of Skidd being attacked when he revealed the secret blarg schematics.
Upon arrival, much like the original events, Ratchet and Clank defeated sandsharks at Skidd's request to clear his way back to his ship, allowing him to give them a signed McMarx 4000 Hoverboard. After saving Skidd's agent, Don Wonderstar, Skidd and Wonderstar left the planet, with Wonderstar scolding him for wishing to visit a hospital about his leg injury, while Skidd remarked he was beginning to feel as if Don Wonderstar did not care about him.
Up Your Arsenal
Skidd in his Q-Force suit aboard the Starship Phoenix
Skidd joined the Q-Force, as chosen by Qwark for his alleged "nerves of steel". He volunteered to help Ratchet with his quick skills with the Hacker on Aquatos, claiming "black ops" were his "speciality", and requested that he is referred to by his code name "Shadow Dude". He helped them reach Nefarious' secret base on the planet, up until coming into contact with Slim Cognito, at which he was startled and fled, claiming he had forgotten to feed his goldfish.
Skidd later took charge of the Starship Phoenix when all other members of Q-Force were absent. Upon hearing that Ratchet and Clank were heading for the Obani moon system, he made his way to join them, but arrived late. The two came across a locked door which they could not access, which Skidd promised to try to open while they both returned to Rilgar to defend it from a Tyhrranoid attack.
Robotic Skidd
While working on opening the door in the Obani moon system, Skidd was kidnapped by Courtney Gears and taken to her home on the Obani Draco. He was used as a dummy to test the Biobliterator, which successfully transformed him into a robot. Ratchet and Clank defeated Courtney Gears, and left Skidd to be picked up by the Q-Force later, after which he was returned to the Starship Phoenix.
Al claimed he had begun working on the transformation to change Skidd back into an organic life form. In the game's conclusion, Skidd's organic self is seen at the Secret Agent Clank movie premiere, sitting next to his agent, suggested he was successfully changed back.
Post-Up Your Arsenal
After a scandal surrounding Courtney Gears' connection with Nefarious, her record label dropped her and signed Skidd McMarx and his spoken word poetry.[6]
Characteristics
Appearance
Skidd is a slim, green, humanoid alien, with spikes on his forehead. His typical attire is a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and sandals while wearing a red necklace. As a Q-Force member, he instead wears orange and black uniform with the Qwark logo and a yellow belt, carrying an orange blaster with him.
When transformed into a robot, Skidd was a dark silver and orange robot who otherwise shared the same appearance.
Personality
Skidd has the personality of a stereotypical skateboarder or surfer, with a very laid back attitude and tendency to refer to male allies as "dude" or "bro". Even when transformed into a robot, he retained this vocabulary, using phrases such as "Like, destroy all squishies, dude".
Abilities
Skidd was said to be a very skilled hoverboard racer, being a champion of the races in Blackwater City. Skidd is able to use the Hacker, and has claimed that black ops were his speciality, though he was rarely trusted with many of the tasks given to other Q-Force members. He is also unable to swim.
Behind the scenes
"Skidd McMarx" is a play on the expression "skid marks." His name is inconsistently spelled by the subtitles and credits of both the original Ratchet & Clank and Up Your Arsenal, with the former referring to him as "Skid McMarx" and the latter as "Skidd McMarxx". In the 2016 re-imagining, his name was consistently spelled "Skidd McMarx".
Unused dialogue from Up Your Arsenal contains an interview an organic Skidd had with Darla Gratch after being transformed back into an organic life form, in which he claims to still be a fan of Courtney Gears and to have signed a record deal.[7] While the record deal dialogue was removed from the game, it was referenced in the News Update feature released prior to Deadlocked.[6]
Gallery
References
- ↑ Ratchet & Clank (2016 game)
- ↑ Ratchet & Clank (2002 game) script § "Locate Skid McMarx (gameplay)"
- ↑ Ratchet & Clank (2002 game), credits
- ↑ Ratchet & Clank (2002 game) script § "infobot - Distress call from Skid"
- ↑ Ratchet & Clank (2002 game) script § "Here, catch!"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Deadlocked, News Update
- ↑ id}}} Ratchet and Clank 3 UYA Cut Content 'Skid Dialogue' published by RC Lombax on {{{publish-date}}} on YouTube. Accessed February 22, 2018.