Gelatonium

A cube of gelatonium from the Gelanator

Gelatonium, colloquially referred to as gel, is a recurring substance in the Ratchet & Clank series, first appearing in Tools of Destruction. It is a natural resource in the Polaris Galaxy that is used primarily as fuel for starships and other vehicles as well as power for cities.

Gelatonium is drilled for on a number of planets in Polaris, including Cobalia (the gel capital of the galaxy), Sargasso, and Jasindu. Ratchet and Clank made use of the Gelanator to create cubes to bouncing on, used to traverse wide areas. The tumfoids, robots who ate gel, were created to stop gel cubes from being bounced on.

History

Before Tools of Destruction

The gelatonium plant on Cobalia

Gelatonium became the fuel source most of the galaxy converted to using, including the lombaxes (as Alister Azimuth used it for his ship), with exceptions such as the vullards using battery bots. During a multi-stage refining process that produces gelatinous cubes, refinery workers found tem irresistable to bounce on. As such, management clamped by using tumfoids to eat gelatonium when such behavior was detected.

Cronk and Zephyr secured the Igliak gelatonium refinery during the Phylax intrusion in order to transport its gelatonium for use in the Meridian mrmory.

GrummelNet Industries manufactured the Gelanator but sold it exclusively to the Gelatonium Miners Workers Union.

When Emperor Tachyon took over the Polaris Galaxy, he siezed most planets that were a source of gel. Cobalia, the richest source of gelatonium in the galaxy, was siezed three years prior to Tools of Destruction, and after taking control of the planet, the galaxy became dependent on Tachyon's rationing of gelatonium fuel for all interstellar travel. The hostile kerchu drilled gelatonium on the few planets that were sources of gel that Tachyon did not control, including Sargasso, and a secret gel underground plant on their homeworld of Jasindu.

Tools of Destruction

Ratchet came to Cobalia right when the Smuggler did, as the Smuggler's ship had ran out of gel during a job. With Rtachet's arrival, Tachyon shut down the gel plants, leaving the Smuggler unable to fill up. With Ratchet and Clank stranded there, after meeting the Smuggler, he made a deal with them that he would give them a ride if they reactivated the gel plant, giving them the Gelanator to do so. In "Restore the Gelatonium Pumps", Ratchet and Clank reactivated the pumps, against imperial warnings given on a loudspeaker, having to work around tumfoids eating their gel cubes.

The gel plant on Sargasso.

A few gelatonium pumps were also seen in Kortog's docks during "Swing through the Docks", and one is seen around the Nundac Asteroid Ring. The kerchu in Outpost L51, Sargasso hired the Smuggler to traffick fossermites to scare tumfoids away, as the tumfoids had become a nuisance. In "Investigate the Kerchu Outpost", Ratchet came to this refinery while looking for the Dimensionator. Ratchet later found another underground gel plant in Kerchu City, Jasindu, during "Search the Gel Facility".

During this time, Ratchet obtained the Plasma Beasts weapon from GrummelNet, with these creatures seemingly being made from gelatonium.

After Tools of Destruction

Due to time anomalies caused by Dr. Nefarious' damage to the Great Clock, the slug-gruzzling swamp weasel, long thought extinct, surfaced on Outpost Zulu on Sargasso, as dozens began chewing through their gelatonium stockpile. This was thought to impact gel prices.

During "Find the Dimensionator", Ratchet and Clank visited a gelatonium exhibit in the Intergalactic Museum of History on Igliak.

Rift Apart

Gelatonium plant on Sargasso

In Rivet's dimension, the kerchu refining gelatonium on the alternative Sargasso had instead been opressed by Emperor Nefarious, but were wiped out after they misspelled his name on their tax returns. As such, the morts took over. The morts used waste from gelatonium to create bombs and a drink named "Gelatoniumade".

Gelatonium waste bomb

During "Stop the Emperor's Invasion", to assist Rivet during Emperor Nefarious' invasion of her dimension's Sargasso, the morts used the waste from their gelatonium factory and created several powerful bombs with it. Rivet rode on Trudi, who hurled the bombs at and broke through the Nefarious Battle Cruiser's shields, allowing Rivet to destroy the ships and save the planet from destruction.

Characteristics

Gelatonium is a green gelatin-like substance, denser than water. It is primarily used as fuel for powering vessels and cities across the Polaris Galaxy. Gelatonium cubes produced during the multi-stage refining process, and by the Gelanator, and is used for bouncing. Beyond this it has other functions, such as being used for bouncing, used as a drink, and apparently in the creation of Plasma Beasts.

Gelatonium is drilled at drilling derricks, refined at gelatonium refineries and factories, and distributed at gelatonium plants. Gelatonium is mined by the Gelatonium Miners Workers Union and their licensed signatories, as well as the kerchu. The process produces a large amount of waste, which is potential dangerous and has highly explosive properties.

Behind the scenes

At one point, the OmniSoaker in A Crack in Time was going to be able to absorb gelatonium and function similar to the Gelanator. However, placing gelatinum anywhere led to players jumping out of the level, and the bouncing was unnecessary due to hydroplants and catapults, and as such it was removed.

References

• Insomniac Games (2007). Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
• Insomniac Games (2009). Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
• Insomniac Games (2013). Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
• Insomniac Games (2021). Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart [Game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment. PlayStation 5.