Andrew D. Kaboom, or Andy for short, is a rude, foul-mouthed and short-tempered bomb built by Tex using parts of a protocol robot and some of her 'personal items' with the purpose to kill O'Malley.
Overview[]
Being a bomb, Andy loves explosions and dreams to detonate one day, but is often stopped by others. Despite being rude and short-tempered, Andy understands multiple languages since he was made from materials of a protocol robot. Although he hasn't (physically) appeared since Season 5, he has been referenced multiple times in later seasons.
Role in Plot[]
Interaction with Blue Team[]
Andy frequently expresses a desire to destroy things by detonating himself, much to the worry of the Blue Team, who attempts to calm him down through a "therapy session". However, Andy later wishes to avoid detonation, at least when it is not on his own terms, when Tex threatens to detonate him if he does not translate the Alien's speech for the her and the rest of the Blues. The desire to explode resurfaces later on when Andy attempts to convince Church to let him guard, and in the process, destroy the Blue Base.
In Episode 54, Caboose reveals to his teammates that Andy had told him about the Reds' secret meeting. He even tells them that Andy knows Sheila from the past, but doesn't give any kind of explanation afterward. However, the rest of the Blues refuse to believe Caboose at first, as Andy remains silent when they approach. However, he has an outburst when Gary insults him and reveals that the two "are not on speaking terms". Because Tex built Andy from the remains of an old protocol robot found on the perimeter of the base, he is able to understand the Alien. As a result, he joins the sacred quest group to act as a translator.
Arrival at Blood Gulch[]
After the failure of the quest, Caboose brings him back to Blood Gulch. In Episode 76, the Reds replace Andy first with Lopez's head when Caboose wasn't looking, and then with a skull so Andy can translate a recording for them. This leads Caboose to believe that Andy has turned into a real boy and then died. After the Reds use Andy to decipher Vic's message, Andy ends up in the Underground Caves. While there, he is used as a translator for the Green Alien and Omega, who is possessing Captain Butch Flowers.
He also helps them interrogate Grif when the latter enters the caves with Simmons. However, the Reds later find Andy alone, who reveals he was abandoned by Omega's group and what is Omega's plan. Andy then helps the Reds stop Omega, as they bring him to the surface and tell him to detonate inside the ship on their mark. So, when Tex leaves in the ship with Omega, Gamma, Junior, and the Green Alien, Andy excitedly does so, which damages the ship and causes it to crash land in Valhalla.
Fate[]
During the logs of the crash in the sponsor version of Reconstruction: Chapter 5, Andy can be heard in the background, evidently disappointed with the size of his explosion. In Backup Plans, Doc mentions a talking, translating ball, but dismisses the idea because there were too many rude people around already. In Season 11, Andy was briefly heard in Finders Keepers, but only in the form of his voice mail message. Currently, Andy's fate after the ship crashed can be assumed as destroyed due to his detonation and lack of appearances after the crash.
Other Versions[]
Epsilon counterpart[]
This version of Andy was first revealed in the episode Labor Pains, when Tex became angry with an insulting Grif. She explains to the Blues that she built Andy by utilizing their unused robot kit, similar to how his original counterpart was built. She then placed him at Red Base, while the Reds were discussing their "Fighting the Planet" plans, where he then began ticking. When he reaches the end of his timer, he reveals he cannot explode and asks Grif about the Red Team's insurance for the apocalypse.
Personality[]
Andy is very self-conscious about his weight. In Episode 76, after O'Malley repeatedly calls him "bowling ball", Andy asks Caboose if he is that fat, claiming that he has been working out. When Sarge steals Andy, he remarks that Andy is much lighter than the last time he tried to pick him up and Andy is relieved that someone has noticed. Ironically, when Andy was first introduced he was too heavy for anyone except for Caboose to carry, but eventually he becomes light enough for others, such as Tex and Sarge to carry with ease. Andy is also known to make all kinds of rude comments, usually ending with a "Zing!"
Relationships[]
After he was introduced in Season 3 of the Blood Gulch Chronicles, Andy developed quite a few unique relationships. Despite most members in the Reds and Blues thinking he was annoying and rude, Andy still helped them several times, suggesting he didn't feel the same.
Tex[]
Despite Tex creating him, it's shown that Tex and Andy don't get along, due to Tex threatening him and Andy constantly throwing potshots at her. However, the two are shown to trust in each other's abilities as, for example,Tex knew of Andy's ability to translate the Alien's language, while Andy was confident that Tex would be able to clear Wyoming's snow fortress of enemies during Sneaking In.
Caboose[]
Of all the members of the Reds and Blues, Andy and Caboose seem to get along the most, with the latter considering Andy to be his second best friend. Though Andy teases and insults Caboose like he does the others, he seems to see him as a friend, as the two are able to hold friendly conversations with each other. When Sarge steals Andy and replaces him with Lopez and later a skull in Two for One, Caboose believes Andy to be dead and becomes extremely depressed, displaying his feelings for his friend.
Sarge[]
Sarge seems to forget Andy is a bomb, seeing as he needed to ask Lopez where to get one while both him and Andy were in the same cave. Sarge, after picking up Andy for the second time, notes that he is much lighter, which pleases Andy. After Simmons suggest they use Andy to destroy the Pelican in Why Were We Here?, Sarge agrees and has Andy detonate, much to the latter's joy.
Omega[]
In Things Are Looking Down, O'Malley is pleased to first meet the talking bomb, offering Andy to join his "organization". However, after Church notes that Andy was originally intended to kill Omega, the latter feels awkward and terrified when Andy shouts "Kaboom!", much to Andy's amusement. Although O'Malley teases him by calling him a bowling ball, Andy later helps the A.I. in his plans, translating for the Green Alien to Flowers/Omega and interrogating Grif with them. When Flowers/Omega begins to understand the Green Alien, Omega leaves the bomb to fend for himself in the caves, much to Andy's displeasure. It's likely Andy held a grudge against Omega for this, as he decides to help the Reds stop Omega's plans by destroying the ship.
Alien[]
Andy is shown to have one of the best relationships with the Alien because he was the only one capable of understanding him in Season 4. In Hunting Time, Andy enjoyed the Blues' fear of the Alien and took part in pulling a prank with the Alien by tricking Caboose into thinking the Alien's penis was an another arm in Exploring Our Differences. After explaining to the Blues about the Alien's "Great Quest", Andy is shown to take the quest very seriously, suggesting he cared about the Alien's objective.
However, in You Keep Using That Word, Andy becomes confused and angry when he learned the Alien's quest was for a ship, as the Alien never told him about it. When the Alien is killed by Wyoming after Tex demands the ship, Andy snickers at the scene rather than mourn for the Alien. In The Arrival, he reveals to his humor that the Alien impregnated Tucker using a parasitic embryo.
Themes[]
Rude Comments[]
Since he first spoke onscreen in Hello, My Name Is Andrew, Andy is shown to insult and make rude comments toward nearly every character he has met in the series. For example, Andy has called Gary a Shisno, insulted Tex's gender, liked the Alien's "killing everybody option," in Previous Commitments, states that he feels nauseous when looking at Church in Under the Weather, and states that Sheila has gained weight in Why Were We Here? In Where Credit Is Due, Andy begins to end his rude comments with a "Zing!" such as after he says Grif looks like shit. Also, his Epsilon-double is shown to act the same, as he demands oral sex and asks if Tucker's mother could "polish" him after his creation in Labor Pains.
Betrayal[]
Though not intentional, Andy has been shown to assist various characters throughout the Blood Gulch Chronicles, despite his initial alliance with the Blue Team. This is first seen during Two for One, where Andy is taken by Sarge in order to translate Vic's message on Lopez. Rather than refuse to help, Andy willingly assists the Reds in translating Vic's message. Afterwards, in Season 5, Andy betrays the Red Team and is seen working with Omega and the Green Alien with their plans to kidnap Junior. While interrogating a drugged Grif, who asks Andy why he is helping Omega, Andy states, "Hey, gotta make a living!", implying the bomb's willingness to help anyone in need of his services, despite betraying his former comrades. However, because Andy is ultimately a neutral character, it can be argued that he is not technically betraying them, since he does not officially belong to any team.
Skills and Abilities[]
Translator[]
Andy can translate many languages, including alien, making him one of the only characters to understand every language that has appeared in the series. This is first shown when the Blues use him to translate for the Alien and learn about his mission. Andy is later used by the Reds to translate Lopez's message, making him one of few characters to understand him. Eventually, Flowers/O'Malley would use him to translate for the Green Alien to aid in Omega's final assault.
Detonation[]
Being a bomb, Andy was specifically designed to destroy Omega and his fortress, suggesting he has a large blast radius. He uses this to threaten other characters to make them do what he says, which works most of the time. Eventually, the Reds used him to prevent Omega's plan to succeed, as he detonates on board the Pelican when it takes flight in Why Were We Here?. Even though he heavily damages the airship, he doesn't kill anyone on board and seems to be disappointed in the size of the explosion, suggesting his blast radius was smaller than expected.
Trivia[]
- Andy's full name is never said on screen, but is shown on his Season 4 bio.
- Caboose states in season 4 that Andy is his second best friend (his first being Church).
- Rooster Teeth stated that Andy was originally meant to be Sheila's ex-boyfriend. However, the idea was pushed to Season 5, along with, according to Matt Hullum, "a really interesting character trait related to that Andy's relationship with Sheila."
- Despite detonating, Andy was last heard to be alive and well, even though at this point he would be shrapnel.
- On the Season 10 DVD, in an added scene of Heavy Metal, a missile fired at the Mother of Invention can be seen with the name "A.N.D.E." painted on the side followed by the quote, "Blow me. Zing!"