In 2000, Walt Disney Television Animation and Pixar developed a 2D animated series called "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command." It ran for 62 episodes between 2000 and 2001 in syndication on Disney Channel and Toon Disney until 2009 (per Collider). In the "Toy Story" movies, Buzz's plots are constrained by the fact that he's Andy's toy, but in "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command," the fictional character is a space ranger, serving Star Command on behalf of the Galactic Alliance, keeping planets safe from hostile aliens, especially the evil Emperor Zurg and his robots. In other words — as the opening credits reveal when the "Toy Story" toys gather in front of the TV — this is the Saturday morning cartoon about Buzz that Andy would've watched.
Patrick Warburton voices the 2D Buzz, and his fellow "Seinfeld" alum Wayne Knight voices Emperor Zurg. Warburton, an accomplished voice actor, is well-known for his incredibly deep register, but his Buzz Lightyear sounds like a cross between Tim Allen's action figure and William Shatner's Captain Kirk. "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command" is, in concept, pretty similar to "Star Trek," taking place in a distant future during a time of relative peace, and Buzz heads a diverse crew charged with carrying out weekly missions. Though the villains vary from episode to episode, Zurg is behind most of them, which becomes a running joke. A video game adaptation was released by Activision to accompany the series.
