What Happened To The Passed Over Potentials?

[white avenger]

Okay, granted, Buffy activated all of the Potentials in the world in "Chosen," but what about before that? For generations, more accurately centuries, I suppose, Watchers have been training Potentials around the world to become Slayers. Obviously, it's like a lottery: not EVERY girl trained becomes a Slayer. My question is, what do the "runners up" do? Go to work for the Council in some other way? Simply return to civilian life and forget the whole thing? Become "rogue demon fighters?"

Use your imagination here. What would you do with a bunch of out of the running Potentials?

 

[Joyce Summers]

I think it said in one of the Buffy Novels that many Potentials once they go beyond the age of being able to be called up as a Slayer (which I think they said was around 25) they became Watchers.
Or if they really hated that idea they were set loose to run wild on the streets of England. Or something like that.

I think it'd be a good idea to have them training Potentials themselves though. Because their experience would make them much better teachers than oh say, Travers....

 

[Kean]

I don't know about all of them but about six went off and started a dance troupe...call themsleves the Pussycat Dolls or something...oh and I'm fairly sure one is going out with Hugh Heffner

 

[The Arcane]

I don't know about all of them but about six went off and started a dance troupe...call themsleves the Pussycat Dolls or something...oh and I'm fairly sure one is going out with Hugh Heffner

Hehe, don't know if I should laugh or be insulted on behalf of all past potentials that you have associated them with the Pussycat Dolls. :lmao:

Pretty much nothing happened to them, as far as I'm aware. I doubt even the Watcher Council could justify using a bunch of non-slayers in battle, no matter how much training they might have received.

I'm thinking Keanoite's idea has "potential", although it would have to be a little rockier, for my tastes. Maybe The Donnas? 😉

 

[white avenger]

I don't know about all of them but about six went off and started a dance troupe...call themsleves the Pussycat Dolls or something...oh and I'm fairly sure one is going out with Hugh Heffner

I'll have to take your word for it. Must've been after my time. The last I heard of Hugh, he was engaged to a chick named Barbie Benton, and the only Pussycats I ever knew of were a band with a leader named Josie.

I always thought Catherine Zeta Jones would've been a helluva Slayer in her younger days, and Kelly Hu. Then of course there was Antonio Bandera before the operation...

 

[Kemy]

As soon as Kendra was born she was handed over to her Watcher and trained, only being called around the age of 16 or 17 according to the dialogue during her first appearance, so I'd say the older more aware families do carry knowledge of the Slayer line and know when their children are Potentials and train them.

 

[Hello Cutie]

Well, in a similar vein to this, does that mean that when Buffy passed her power to all potentials, we have some super strong kick-ass grannies in the world??

 

[Joyce Summers]

Well, in a similar vein to this, does that mean that when Buffy passed her power to all potentials, we have some super strong kick-ass grannies in the world??

I thought that. I also thought 'hey what about Potentials who were currently babies or toddlers?'. Imagine trying to deal with a child whose going through the terrible twos and also has Slayer strength and so most likely stronger than you? Yeesh!

 

[white avenger]

Possibly (hopefully!) a girl doesn't become a Potential at birth, but at some point after that, possibly puberty, and may just as likely age out of her "Potential-ness" at some point if she has not been called by that time. Kennedy's statement about "beginning to think it was too late," for her might lend credence to that. So let's just say for the sake of argument that a Potential is a girl between ten or eleven and twenty five. Those are certainly only arbitrary ages, but something similar would eliminate the possibility of either infant or octogenarian Slayers.

 

[LittleMissLikesToFight]

i always took it that potentials like Kendra were a rare case, knowing they were potentials early on. Buffy had no idea when she was called and wasnt really trained until then, and i think most potentials didn't even know. It seemed in season 7, some were trained and some had NO idea about any of it. so i think for the most part... the other potentials were left unknowing.

 

[white avenger]

If you accept the movie as more or less canon, Buffy was something of an exception to the rule. Merrick said something like, "I have been remiss in my duties. You should have been prepared for your duties years ago," or "I should have begun your training years ago." Something like that. That leads to the question of just how do the Watchers go about initially approaching the young Potentials and their parents/guardians without sounding like either a nut case or some kind of pervert? ("Hello, Mr or Mrs /fill in the blank/ I'm a member of a centuries old organization dedicated to training special young girls like your daughter in the art of fighting and destroying vampires and demons. It will be required for me to take your daughter to live with me while I train her in martial arts, weapons, and demon physiology." I know what my reaction would be. Can you say "Call 911 and keep this lunatic covered with my .45 until the police get here,"?

 

[TheHeartist]

If you accept the movie as more or less canon, Buffy was something of an exception to the rule. Merrick said something like, "I have been remiss in my duties. You should have been prepared for your duties years ago," or "I should have begun your training years ago." Something like that. That leads to the question of just how do the Watchers go about initially approaching the young Potentials and their parents/guardians without sounding like either a nut case or some kind of pervert? ("Hello, Mr or Mrs /fill in the blank/ I'm a member of a centuries old organization dedicated to training special young girls like your daughter in the art of fighting and destroying vampires and demons. It will be required for me to take your daughter to live with me while I train her in martial arts, weapons, and demon physiology." I know what my reaction would be. Can you say "Call 911 and keep this lunatic covered with my .45 until the police get here,"?

The movie is canon, but only the ORIGINAL SCRIPT. If you recall, Joss had references to Hemery High's gym being burned down by the Buffster in the show, something that didn't happen in the revised script/final version.

 

[Allycat]

Actually Joss said that Origin comic by Christopher Holden based on his original script can pretty much be accepted as canon.