Zeta Beam

Zeta Beam
Biographical information
Creator(s)	Sardath (presumably)
Owner(s)	Adam Strange
User(s)	Adam Strange
Function(s)	Teleportation
Behind the scenes
First appearance	"The Rankless Initiative"
Latest appearance	"The Alpha and the Omega"

The Zeta Beam is a device used for teleportation across great distances and also serves for traveling through the time.

History

Sent by Kal-El, Adam Strange travelled to Krypton multiple times, the device being temperamental, to convince Seg-El to stop an impending danger. Shortly after he disappeared when talking to Seg-El, he was transported to Sardath's spaceship, who was displeased that Adam stole it, while the latter claiming to borrowed it. Sardath warned him that the device has the potential to tear apart the space and time, resulting in severe alteration or deletion of timeline. Adam explained to him that he used the device to save Kal-El from destruction. When hearing his name, Sardath thought to someone send him to solve this, but Adam convinced him otherwise. After the talk, Sardath and Alanna activated the device so that Adam could return to the past in Krypton.

Sometime later, Adam asked Val-El to look into the Zeta Beam in Fortress of Solitude, which was not working.

When marshal law was declared in Kandor by Voice of Rao, due to its coup attempt by resistance members, Adam asked Val to repair the device so that he could return home. After repairing it, when Val asked him about his reason to return home, Adam felt that he failed everything to save Krypton's future and Kal-El, Seg's grandson from the future. After some encouragement from Val by not losing a hope, Adam erased the last conversation from his memory and took the repaired device, when he decided to kill Zod and prevent Seg to save Kandor, hoping to become a true hero. The device was used again when Adam quickly intervened to resistance HQ by activating the shield to protect Seg and Kem from the explosion (caused by bomb implanted into Ona from Brainiac), sacrificing to save them. Apparently gone, he was actually transported what appeared to be Manhattan from his planet Earth.

Six months after the war with Brainiac, Adam returned to Krypton from the future. Adam was then escorted to resistance movement in the secret hideout. After telling others of General Zod's intentions, he planned with Zeta Beam device to teleport in the Phantom Zone to retrieve Seg-El. Val-El however warned him that this would lead to disintegration of his body if teleported there. After some modifications, the Sagitari soldiers came to their hideout. Adam covered Jax-Ur and Val, enabling them to escape, before activating the device and escaping himself. Instead of Phantom Zone, he teleported to planet Colu, the birthplace of Brainiac, where he found Seg-El. They were soon captured by alien bounty hunter Lobo. The latter was interrogating them and he threw Adam's device into the river in the process. After hurting and escaping from Lobo, Adam managed to retrieve it, preparing to return to Krypton, but Seg told him that Seg will not return because Brainiac entered his body, putting Seg into his control. They entered an ancient natal chamber where he was created, to separate Seg from him. After Seg managed to have a control and separation from him, he and Adam turned the device to head back to Krypton, leaving behind Lobo and Brainiac on Colu.

After arriving in Kandor, Seg told Strange to go on Wegthor to find Val and others, while Seg was busy to deal with his son Dru-Zod and Primus Lyta-Zod. Adam came to the resistance HQ, rejoining to Val and Kem.

When Adam and rebels were captured in underground tunnels by Sagitari and Lyta-Zod, his device was taken off. One guard was keeping it while Adam and Kem were the last two rebels remained. Adam told him not meddle with it, but the guard was shot by Nyssa and Adam again retrieved it.

When Adam was recovering in the ship due to his leg injury, he showed to Nyssa own device, wishing to go back in the moment where he was not injured in the rebel's HQ, but knew that it will be risky to do it and declined to return when hearing Nyssa's advice. He told her that he got it from Sardath, that he is on the planet Rann, and mentioned his daughter Alanna. Although Nyssa thought that Sardath could help him, Adam was sceptical as Sardath forbidden using Zeta Beam for traveling in time, thus Adam was the one who made some modification to his device.

Appearances

Season 1

• "House of El" (mentioned)
• "The Rankless Initiative"
• "Transformation"
• "Savage Night"

Season 2

• "Light Years From Home"
• "Ghost in the Fire"
• "Will To Power"
• "Danger Close"
• "A Better Yesterday"
• "Blood Moon" (mentioned)
• "The Alpha and the Omega"

Trivia

• In DC comics, Zeta-Beam is a teleportation ray developed on the planet Rann by Sardath. Adam Strange was transported through this device to their alien homeworld and is also used by him in his adventures. It first appeared in Showcase #17 (November 1958).