Everyone's favorite Captain Kirk parody, Zapp Brannigan is the surprisingly high-ranking buffoon who helms the Nimbus ship on behalf of the Democratic Order of Planets (DOOP). How did he reach such a level in the organization, though, given his complete incompetence? YouTube channel KMACK TIME posits that Zapp is more capable than he appears. In "Love's Labours Lost in Space" (Season 1, Episode 4), Brannigan is introduced as the man who defeated the Killbots of the Auctlian system by sending wave after wave of his own men into their clutches, forcing them to reach their pre-set kill limits and shut down. The toll the victory took on Brannigan, though, allegedly led to his idiotic behavior - in an effort to leave DOOP and the hell of war forever, Brannigan affects a moronic disposition, hoping to be drilled out of his position. DOOP keeps him on hand, though, as his fame ensures his usefulness as a figurehead and recruiting tool. Plausibility: Very low. As numerous YouTube commenters pointed out, in "Brannigan, Begin Again" (Season 2, Episode 2), Brannigan actually is kicked out of DOOP, and he's desperate to get back to his post. More likely, Kif Kroger is covering Zapp's butt just enough to keep the 25-star general in DOOP's semi-good graces.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
