I am Government Man, come from the government! The government has sent me! — GIR

Invader Zim Episode
Attack of the Saucer Morons
Chronology
Previous:	Dark Harvest
Next:	The Wettening
Information
Episode No:	Episode 05
Production No:	05A
Airdate:	April 27, 2001
Credits
Writer(s):	Jhonen Vasquez Eric Trueheart

Contents 1 Plot Summary 2 Facts of Doom 2.1 Cultural References 2.2 Trivia of Doom 2.3 Things You Might Have Missed 2.4 Inconsistencies and Animation Errors 3 Music 4 See also

Plot Summary Edit

Zim attempts to test some of Earth's defenses by taking his Voot out for a drive to monitor local police units. However, when a bumblebee collides with his viewscreen, Zim comes crashing down in the park. When GIR does not respond when Zim calls for him, Zim decides to go home and get his Voot the next day, using a recovery vehicle disguised as a giant, floating pig.

Unfortunately, by the time Zim gets back to his ship, a group of people who worship aliens known as the Saucer Morons have reached it first. Zim joins the group in hopes of stealing it back, but, by the time he completes the initiation, his recovery vehicle has been found as well. Fed up with subtlety, Zim tries to take the Cruiser back by force, but accidentally blows his cover. The Saucer Morons capture Zim and hold him in a tent so they can worship him.

Zim, being paranoid, is more worried about being dissected, so he calls for GIR again and, this time, gets an answer.

GIR disguises himself as an agent from the government (basically piloting a robotic suit in the style of super sentai shows), and tells the Saucer Morons that Zim's ship, recovery vehicle, and Zim himself were all "experimental government aircrafts". They start to believe him until GIR falls out of the suit. GIR and Zim quickly escape on the pig, only to run the 'death' bee and crash into another alien convention nearby. How they manage to escape is left unexplained as the episode ends.

Facts of Doom Edit

Cultural ReferencesEdit

• The beginning of the episode is a possible parody of the Val Johnson Incident.

Trivia of DoomEdit

• In one scene, a baby that looks similar to Stewie from Family Guy can be seen returning from Walk of Doom.
• This title is the seventh and so far the latest to use the squiggly Invader ZIM font. From The Wettening and onwards, the official font was used instead.
• There is a Saucer Moron who bears a keen likeness to Dib; this character has been branded "Adult Dib". Also, the pig bites down on his head, but you can see him still in the crowd moments later when GIR is forced out of his "government man" mech. Jhonen has not commented on whether he planned this character as an adult Dib or not.
• When Zim is making his escape on the pig, it flips over and immerses him in water, though he experiences no pain from this. This is even more perplexing since this episode airs with The Wettening, the episode where it is revealed that water is lethal to Zim. Though it is possible he had bathed in paste earlier.
• Five characters are said to die in this episode according to the commentary.
• When Zim sees his Voot Cruiser on the stand with the Saucer Morons around it, you can see through his mouth.
• The scene where GIR is dancing at a disco club has become a popular internet meme. However, they use the song called, "Mr. Wonderful," from Dance Dance Revolution instead of the normal background music used in this episode.
• When Zim is taking his pig to where the Voot crashed, the tune he is whistling is called "I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee".
• In the episode, he strangely calls his ship the 'Voot Runner', though in every other episode, it's 'Voot Cruiser'. But when he's seeing the smoked ship after it shows GIR dancing, he refers to it as the 'cruiser'. It is possible that Zim calls his Voot different names now and then.
• This episode is the third to have Dib nor Gaz appear. The first being Walk of Doom and the later being Germs. Though, an Adult Dib makes a cameo appearance in the background with the Saucer Morons.

Things You Might Have MissedEdit

• Keef makes a brief cameo in the episode. He is the second child on the bus Zim flies past whilst riding the pig.
• When the girls drop off GIR at the house, listen closely. They quickly crash after they drive away, meaning they possibly have died as a part of the five deaths explained in the episode.
• Jhonen Vasquez made a cameo in this episode as one of the Saucer Morons. He is visible in the tent when GIR rescues Zim about halfway through the crowd on the right side. Seconds later when they leave the tent, he can be seen outside.
• Steve Ressel made two cameos in this episode. He can be seen in the tent in the second row on the right side. Later, he saves a baby (presumably his) from Zim's flying pig.
• Rikki Simons made a cameo in this episodes as one of the Saucer Morons. He is visible in the second or third row on the left side.
• A Bloody GIR can be seen while Zim is tumbling around in his Voot. Another one can be seen in the center of the screen while Zim is sliding after ejecting.
• Due to time restraints, Zim's initiation ceremony was originally going to be shown, but was later cut.

Inconsistencies and Animation ErrorsEdit

• When the crowd first picks up Zim and carries him, he still has his trenchcoat on, though in the next scene when he calls for GIR, his trenchcoat is missing.
• At one point in the episode, when Zim says "Release the pig!", the Madness Dog turns grey.
• When the Saucer Morons go towards Zim (after finding out that he's an alien), in the shot that shows the back of Zim's head, if you look closely in this, you can see that his eyes are white, like they are when he has his contacts on. They go back to normal in the next shot.

• When Zim recoils from the Madness Dog, his hands are green, when he should be wearing gloves.
• In this episode, you can see Zim with four fingers. This happens when he's sitting on the chair in the tent and lifts up his hand to get a gasp in response.
• When Zim and GIR are flying on the pig, while Zim laughs, his mouth disappears in multiple frames.

MusicEdit

Main Article: The Kevin Manthei Invader Zim-phony Special

• UFO

  

• Happy Bee
• Sneak Home
• Escape on the Pig
• Killer Bee
  • This track is on the partial release only, and is a compilation of UFO and Happy Bee.

See alsoEdit

• Attack of the Saucer Morons (Transcript)
• Attack of the Saucer Morons Screenshots

Episodes of Invader Zim
Season One
The Nightmare Begins • Bestest Friend • NanoZIM • Parent Teacher Night • Walk of Doom • Germs • Dark Harvest • Attack of the Saucer Morons • The Wettening • Career Day • Battle-Dib • Planet Jackers • Rise of the Zitboy • Invasion of the Idiot Dog Brain • Bad, Bad Rubber Piggy • A Room with a Moose • Hamstergeddon • Plague of Babies • Bloaty's Pizza Hog • Door to Door • FBI Warning of Doom • Bolognius Maximus • Game Slave 2 • Battle of the Planets • Halloween Spectacular of Spooky Doom • Mysterious Mysteries • Future Dib • Hobo 13 • Walk for Your Lives • Megadoomer • Lice • Abducted • The Sad, Sad Tale of Chickenfoot • GIR Goes Crazy and Stuff • Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom • Tak: The Hideous New Girl
Season Two
Backseat Drivers From Beyond the Stars • The Girl Who Cried Gnome • Dibship Rising • Vindicated! • The Voting of the Doomed • Mortos der Soulstealer • Zim Eats Waffles • Gaz, Taster of Pork • The Frycook What Came from All that Space • The Most Horrible X-mas Ever
Canceled/Unfinished
Simon Says "Doom" • Invader Poonchy• Return of Keef• GIR's Big Day• When Pants Ruled! • Mopiness of Doom • Nubs of Doom• The Trial• Top of the Line • Ten Minutes to Doom • Roboparents Gone Wild • Squishy: Hugger of Worlds • It Feeds on Noodles • Day of da Spookies • Those! • Invader Dib