astronomy

Starro

Starro is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Starro rather than just read about it. In short: Starro (also known as Starro the Conqueror) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #28 (March 1960), and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky.

Key takeaways

Starro belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Starro to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Starro from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Starro (also known as Starro the Conqueror) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #28 (March 1960), and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. Starro is the first villain to face the original Justice League of America. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, the character has appeared in both comic books and other DC Comics-related products, such as animated television series, video games, and the DC Extended Universe film The Suicide Squad (2021).

Publication history

The character debuted in The Brave and the Bold #28 (March 1960) in the story "Starro the Conqueror", which was also the first appearance of the Justice League of America. According to editor Julius Schwartz, the title "Starro the Conqueror" was inspired by a Ray Cummings story, "Tarrano the Conqueror". The second appearance of Starro was 17 years later in an 11-page Aquaman story in Adventure Comics #451 (May–June 1977). It appeared again only four years later in a two-part story in Justice League of America #189–190 (April–May 1981), then again a year after that in an alternate universe story in Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! #1 (March 1982), and it appeared briefly in Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (December 1985). In post-Crisis continuity, Starro appeared in a five-part story in Justice League Europe #25–28 (March–July 1991) and was revamped and reintroduced in JLA Secret Files #1 (September 1997) and JLA #22–23 (September–October 1998). Another version of the character featured in the intercompany crossover JLA/Avengers #1–4 (September 2003 – May 2004); Teen Titans (vol. 3) #51–54 (November 2007 – February 2008); Green Lantern/Sinestro Corps: Secret Files #1 (February 2008) and Booster Gold (vol. 2) #13–14 (December 2008 – January 2009). Its post-Infinite Crisis appearances include R.E.B.E.L.S. (vol. 2) #1–13 (April 2009 – April 2010) and R.E.B.E.L.S (vol. 2) Annual #1 (December 2009). Another version appears in Forever Evil #1 (November 2013), and a new version called Genetically Modified Starro appeared in New Super-Man #4 (2016). Warning from Space is a 1956 tokusatsu film centering around the alien Pairans, who come to warn humanity that a rogue planet is on a collision course with Earth. The Pairans, who resemble giant one-eyed starfish in their original form, are said to be the inspiration for Starro.

Fictional character biography Starro is a highly advanced starfish-like alien with a single central eye and prehensile extremities. The entity visits Earth and empowers three starfish; the creatures begin wreaking havoc, such as exploding an atomic bomb and absorbing its energy, kidnapping scientists and absorbing their brain power and placing the residents of Happy Harbor, Rhode Island, under mental control. Eventually, they are stopped by the superheroes Aquaman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman. The heroes defeat Starro by coating it with quicklime, which nullifies its abilities. A segment of Starro survives and regenerates, but Aquaman stops it before it can renew its plan of conquest. Starro eventually reappears and forces humans to nurture it until it is able to assume its former proportions. Being able to reproduce asexually, Starro creates millions of miniature duplicates of itself, dubbed spores. These spores attach to the faces of the entire population of New York, allowing Starro to control their minds. The creature uses these spores to control several members of the Justice League until it is defeated by extreme cold. After Superman is accidentally transported to an alternate universe, he battles Starro alongside Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew. Superman then takes the defeated Starro back to his universe. Starro later convinces Justice League Europe that it is dying and wishes to return to space. Aided by former Green Lantern Kilowog, Starro returns to his original spaceship and tricks the heroes by programming it to explode. It then releases thousands of spores over Western Europe. Controlling the minds and bodies of thousands of humans, Starro seizes power, with several members of Justice League Europe opposing the alien. Starro is defeated when the Justice League member Ice freezes it. During JLA and referring to itself only as It, another member of Starro's species controls the Flash and the population of Blue Valley using spores. Although the JLA intend to intervene, they are advised against doing so by the Spectre, who reveals the alien's intention is to capture and control the heroes and use their special abilities to conquer the galaxy. The JLA requests the Spectre to temporarily remove their powers, thus eliminating the potential threat they may have posed otherwise. This tactic allows them to distract the entity while Batman disables it with extreme cold. This version of Starro returns and is revealed to be a scout for a larger member of the species called the "Star Conqueror". Covering Europe with its body, the entity gains control of the minds of most humans while they sleep. Dream aids the JLA in battling the entity in a shared dream while a small team of heroes attacks its physical form. Assisted by a homeless man resisting Starro's control, the heroes free mankind from the alien's influence. Dream captures Starro and stores it with his other keepsakes. In the DC/Marvel Comics crossover JLA/Avengers, Starro battles the Avengers. In Infinite Crisis, Starro joins the Secret Society of Super Villains. Starro returns to Captain Carrot's universe to spark a conflict between aquatic and terrestrial creatures. Despite the efforts of the Zoo Crew, Starro floods the planet and defeats the heroes, who are transported to safety. Zoo Crew member Pig Iron battles Starro underwater, sacrificing himself as the rest of the heroes escape.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Starro: Starro as seen on the cover of The Brave and the Bold #28. Art by Mike Sekowsky. — Starro as seen on the cover of The Brave and the Bold #28. Art by Mike Sekowsky.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Starro

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Starro claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Starro before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Starro ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Starro

In research: Starro appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Starro in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Starro is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Characters created by Gardner Fox, Characters created by Mike Sekowsky, Comics characters introduced in 1960, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Starro outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Starro in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Starro means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Starro out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Starro in simple terms?

Why does Starro matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Starro?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Starro.