Professor Maximilian Arturo

Background

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Powers and Abilities

The Professor is a true omni-scholar. He knows a lot about a lot, and doesn’t hesitate to show it at every possible occasion. While he lacks physical skills, he more than makes up for it by offering his considerable mental skills.

Will the real Arturo please jump in ?

On one occasion where the Sliders believed that they had returned home, that world’s duplicate professor imprisoned and impersonated him. He then proceeded to take the credit for the slider technology. After the original was freed by Quinn, the two identical professors had a final showdown. That was just as the next wormhole opened up in front of them.

Quinn wanted to take them both and sort it out after the slide. However, one Arturo knocked out the other and then jumped in. Once the wormhole closed, the remaining Arturo said “oh my god” with a worried look on his face (episode “Post Traumatic Slide Syndrome”).

That raised doubt as to which professor was then really traveling with the Sliders. Although this issue was never solved, the show’s creator later revealed in an interview that the Arturo who slid was indeed supposed to be the wrong one. What this means is that the original Arturo is still alive on that Earth.

Description

The Professor is a husky fellow in a suit and bow tie. Although trying to carry himself with dignity, whenever he slides he makes for a most non-gracious entrance and often falls and hurts himself (it’s an inside joke among the Sliders).

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Personality

Professor Arturo is arrogant, formal, well-spoken, hot-tempered, and pompous. He sternly believes in his own superior intellect, breeding and background. He does not try to hide this. This goes for both the original one and later the wrong one. The main difference between the two being that the wrong one was even more ambitious and hungry for fame.

Other than that, there was no noticeable differences whatsoever between their personalities. They both want to reach fame and celebrity by returning home to present the sliding technology to an adoring world. Still, the professor will not risk the fate of the world by letting slider technology fall into the wrong hands.

A man of science, the professor strongly opposes any and all supernatural beliefs. Supernatural phenomena are believed to be illusions designed to fool the simple-minded. Such was the case with the world of psychics and with the dream-masters (episode “The Dream Masters”).

However, the fact that Abraham Lincoln had been saved by a psychic on one of the worlds they visited deeply fascinated him. He later had to start re-evaluating his stance against magic after having visited several magic-using worlds.

Other traits

The Professor is by no means a bad man. While his personality often overruns others, his heart is in the right place and he will help people if he can as long as it doesn’t compromise the team’s goals of reaching home again.

Also, although one wouldn’t take him for the type, he is very fond of toddlers and children, which bring forth his best human side. Clearly he realizes that they are the future and it is his responsibility to show them the right way.

When he was diagnosed with having a fatal disease he loosened up, got more adventurous and started appreciating life a little bit more. Even as Arturo was somewhat jealous of Quinn’s greater intellect, Quinn was actually Arturo’s best student, they came along greatly and they sometimes were like surrogate father and son.

Arturo doesn’t really blame Quinn for them having to slide between the worlds. Instead he seems to see it all as a rather fascinating adventure suitable for a scholar of his caliber. Wade and Rembrant, his other fellow Sliders, are considered friends. Of course, being a proper gentleman, he uses titles with everyone.

Quotes

“The reason the sun never sets on the British Empire is because God doesn’t trust the British in the dark.”

“Am I to surmise a defect in your technology, Mr. Mallory ? Weren’t you paying attention in class ?”

“I have never seen such vermin as what passes itself off for human on this world.”

“I have spent many years honing my considerable intelligence so that I could impart a subject this complex with lucidity. You might at least do me the courtesy, sir, to pretend that you are listening to me.”

“Others take note, the first casualty of sliding is dignity.”

“I am not Mr. Pavarotti. Mr. Pavarotti is an Italian. He speaka likea this. Do I speaka like this ? No. Why ? Because I am an Englishman, you blistering idiot !”

Arturo: “Mr. Bennish. Appalling as this thought may be, you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together.”
Bennish: “No way, chief ! I’ve got a girlfriend.”
Arturo: “Don’t be an idiot ! You and I are going to make an atom bomb.”

DC Universe History

Considering that they are often extensively affecting the worlds they visit, Quinn and the Sliders would actually fit well as a non-mutant team of Exiles in the DC or Marvel multiverse. They’d fix up continuity and history wherever they go. And considering that there are more Quinns out there sliding between the worlds, there are probably also a few more Slider teams running around.

The team would probably have informed the Linear Men of various interdimensional threats. They likely would have had at least one run-in with the Legion of Superheroes.

It’s possible also that the Sliders originate from the world known as Earth Prime, Superboy Prime’s Earth, in the DC Universe. The professor would no doubt have engaged in many an intellectual argument about a scientific conundrum or another with the DC Universe’s greatest minds.

By Dr. Peter S Piispanen.

Source of Character: Sliders TV-series seasons 1-3, played by John Rhys-Davies&The Sliders comic books by Acclaim.

Helper(s): Ethan Roe, Darci, wikipedia.org.

Writeup completed on the 28^th of January, 2011.