Starfire decides to grow her fingernails for a world record.
Plot[]
Beast Boy races out of the tower to check out the mail. Excited, he opens the mailbox to reveal a book. As a pterodactyl, he smashes through the Titans tower window to announce he got 'The Book.' All the other Titans are excited too. Starfire, confused, asks why the Titans are excited over a book. Beast Boy explains that the book has all of the world records, where humans perform all sorts of impossible feats, pushing human capability to the limit. Some examples in the book are the largest person ever to ride a motorcycle, eating the world's longest sandwich, or the world's strongest tongue. Starfire is even more fascinated than the Titans and is immediately interested in the book. Starfire, who looking through the book, is sad that she wants to be special like them (even though she can fire laser beams out her eyes and literally travel at the speed of light). Robin is shocked and reassures that Starfire IS special, and Beast Boy agrees with Robin, saying everyone is special in their own way. Starfire disagrees, thinking she is not as special as the people in the book. Starfire then thinks that SHE should set a record, but the Titans explain to her that setting a record is extremely hard and time-consuming. Starfire ignores them and takes the book with her to bed. She reassures herself that she will be in the record book one day.
Starfire falls asleep and has a dream. In her dream, the record holders in the book tell her that she should break a record. Starfire listens to their advice, motivated. The next day, Starfire announces that she will be setting a record for the longest fingernails ever grown. The Titans are disgusted, and Robin tells her that it will take decades to break the record. Starfire doesn't listen, as she has already dedicated her entire life to the task so she can be special.
And so she begins. Robin tells Star that she is special in the way she is, but Starfire doesn't care about his opinion, much to Robin's sadness. Her fingernails grow longer and longer, at some times so long that it disrupts the Titans' activities. Months passed, years, decades until she is very old. Now, the fingernails have grown so long that they are miles long. Starfire no longer can do anything on her own, always asking Robin to do stuff for her, like scratching her nose. The Elderly Titans accidentally trips over Starfire's super long fingernails. The Titans are finally fed up with Star's nails and can't take it any longer, and tells Star that she should cut them. The sad Starfire agrees, saying that she wasted her entire life trying to break some record and that she is no longer special. When the Titans are about to cut her nails, a warning emergency alerts the Titans. An asteroid is heading straight for Earth!! The Titans, too old to do anything, and that their arsenal equipment is inoperative, Starfire decides to sacrifice her nails to stop the asteroid. With all her might, she lifts her hands so that the fingernails are pointing up to space. The asteroid hits her nails, and her nails are finally cut short, saving the Earth from destruction. The Titans are relieved that they are safe and impressed that Starfire stopped the asteroid with her fingernails. And even though she didn't make it in the record book, Starfire made it in the book of people who stopped asteroids, proving that she is special after all.
This episode was storyboarded by Branko Kljajic and Talya Perper.
This episode along with Walk Away and Bat Scouts was uploaded by Warner Television weekly for purchase on the official YouTube channel of the series as a pre-television release.
The reason why 50 years later the sea turtle is seen dead on the rock is probably owing to its species having an average lifespan of 50 years. Equivalents that live beyond a century or longer are too rare.
In this episode, we can see the turtle apparently sounding like a rooster for some odd reason.
There are indeed people who have the longest fingernails in the world. Also, fingernails do curl if you leave them intact.
In early storyboards, it was Raven in the shower instead of Robin when Starfire had her nails ripped the shower curtains, though voices of Robin were used in this scene.
Continuity[]
Raven is seen unhooded for the 108th time in the series.
This is also old Silkie's first appearance since "Super Robin".
Starfire's love for cats is shown when she as an elder mourned how she had not petted a cat for many years after growing long nails.
References[]
The Record Book is a reference to the Guinness World Records.
Old Starfire rescuing the world from the asteroid with her long fingernails is a reference to Harry saving the world from a rapidly approaching asteroid by sacrificing himself in the 1998 movie Armageddon.
Fortunately unlike Harry, Starfire isn't dead. All she has sacrificed are her nails.
The episode itself references the Indian man that broke the world records with his long nails. His name is Shridhar Chillal, but he has decided to cut his nails off after having them for 66 years.
Another record holder goes to the late Lee Redmond (the longest fingernails ever for a female) when she lost her nails from a car crash. Her nails are currently about 10 centimetres (4 in) long.
Errors[]
Even though Old Starfire destroys the asteroid, the pieces are nowhere to be seen on Earth and nothing is damaged or destroyed.
Running Gags[]
Starfire's long nails severely affecting her friends' lives.
Robin telling Star that she is special in the way she is, but Starfire doesn't care about his opinion.
Transcript[]
The transcript for "Record Book" can be viewed here.
Gallery[]
The image gallery for Record Book may be viewed here.
