Description
TO PERFECTION, NEVADA! (Pop. 14)
In-universe description
If you like small towns, you're going to love Perfection! We're located in the heart of Perfection Valley, a pristine desert environment only a few hours from the Nevada Test Site. Our charming downtown is prepared to accommodate all your needs as a visitor, and our small but friendly community is always ready to offer a warm welcome to new neighbors interested in sharing our unique, exciting way of life!
To help you learn a little more about Perfection, we've prepared this handy mini-guide.
Geography
Perfection Valley is an immense box canyon, with rocky cliffs to the north and mountains to the east and west. Aside from a few nearly impassable mountain jeep trails, there is only one road in and out of the valley; it leads to Bixby, Nevada, the closest town, 30 miles south through the desert. It's paved, and as we locals say, stay on the asphalt if you want to stay alive!
Staying in touch
Sorry to say, cell phones still don't work in Perfection. We're working on it, really, but there isn't much we can do, because of the local geography. Land lines, CB radio and short-range walkie-talkies are the current means of communication.
Doing business
See Perfection, Nevada/Revenue for how much money the town makes in a day.
Chang's Market
Run by Jodi Chang, is the center of life in town. General store, post office and all-around watering hole, everyone who's anyone in Perfection can be found here. C'mon by for lunch and stock up on anything and everything you might need! From ammunition to antibiotics, barbecue sauce to batteries, wrist-seismos to a deck of cards, Chang's Market has it all!
Desert Jack's Tyler Reed's Graboid Tours
Run by ex-NASCAR driver Tyler Reed, is your best chance of seeing elusive old El Blanco, the "Great White Graboid," and living to tell about it! Sign up today for a once-in-a-lifetime spin through the lovely deserts of Perfection, But consider yourself warned — Tyler drives fast, so if you get a glimpse of El Blanco, don't blink or you might miss it!
Burt Gummer's Survival School
Run by world-famous Graboid-hunter Burt Gummer himself, offers courses in everything from basic firearm safety to how to write your legally binding last will and testament using only a rock, a cactus quill and your own blood. Lol
Know your neighbors
Jodi Chang (Chang's Market), Tyler Reed (Desert Jack's Graboid Tours) and Nancy Sterngood (Perfection Souvenirs Online) all live in the town proper. Jodi's niece, Natalie Chang, sometimes stays with Jodi and works part-time in Chang's Market.
Burt Gummer
He lives a few miles from town in his hilltop survivalist bunker. It took some heavy damage during a recent incursion by those monsters colorfully known as Ass Blasters, but Burt, plucky fella that he is, has vowed to rebuild.
Rosalita Sanchez
She lives on her small cattle ranch several miles from Burt's bunker, on the opposite side of town. Her younger brother, Roberto Sanchez, occasionally visits and helps out.
Agent W.D. Twitchell
He is U.S. Department of the Interior, lives in a charming ranchette home he purchased from Melvin Plug — a local real-estate developer who owns more than half the property in Perfection Valley and plans to raze the town of Perfection in order to erect a strip-mall sprawl known as "Melville."
In addition, as the Graboid scare has subsided, a few newcomers have settled in the outskirts of Perfection Valley. Our newest neighbors includes prospectors, ranchers, retirees and picaresque winos living off government disability checks.
We don't mind what folks' stories are, as long as they mind their own business and pay their bills. So whether you're looking to settle down or start over, Perfection is the place for you!
Co Existing with Graboids
The initial appearances of Graboids and their mutations here in Perfection, as well as in Mexico and Argentina, are well-known world news. The big TV networks have all done stories here. Our cozy little town is a must-see destination for truly adventurous tourists, who routinely come to take Tyler Reed's desert tour in hopes of seeing elusive El Blanco, the "Great White Graboid."
Of course, we hear the same question over and over again: "How can you live in a valley with a deadly, giant monster?" We won't lie to you — it's damned inconvenient being unable to get insurance for life or property anywhere in the valley, but we believe our isolation and the risks we endure are a small price to pay to keep our individualistic lifestyle safe from urban sprawl.
It's an odd and delicate balance: The big creature that wants to eat us is also the very thing that allows us to live our lives on our own terms. Luckily, El Blanco is usually content to graze on coyotes, sheep or the rare stray cattle. If we don't annoy him, he doesn't eat us. Can't get a much fairer shake than that, right?
Using seismic equipment, geo-phones, and other gear, we keep tabs on the Big Worm and (usually) avoid dangerous encounters with him. Truth be told, we pretty much take in stride living with Graboids, Shriekers and Ass Blasters. We view them as do people in northern Canada seeing polar bears walking down Main Street: We know they're dangerous — we just don't get hysterical, and we take the necessary precautions.
We realize it might seem eccentric at first, but don't worry: You'll get used to it in no time. And before long, you'll understand why we all love to call this tiny oasis our home, and why we continue to warn the government, "Don't mess with Perfection!"
Setting
Perfection is located in the fictional location of Perfection Valley, way out in the desert (possibly the Mojave Desert), 38 miles away from a town called "Bixby", which it predates. There are mountains on either side, and the north end of the valley ends at the edge of a high cliff, the Vally itself runs north-south. The only way out of town is a road leading through a narrow pass to the south. It is a former mining settlement, the silver mines in the mountains owned by Burt's ancestors.
The most distinctive feature of Perfection is its water tower, the tallest structure in the area. Directly next to it is Chang's Market, a general store which pulls triple duty as the town's store, tavern, and base of operations during Graboid attacks. After the Graboid attack in 1990, Perfection became a popular tourist destination, and Chang's Market became a souvenir shack, selling Graboid, Shrieker and Ass Blaster memorabilia. Both the water tower and Chang's Market have been around since the town's creation in the 1800s, as "Rejection". In the town's early years, it had a number of other businesses, including a blacksmith shop, post office, bank, and hotel, but these no longer exist in Perfection. (The original script for the first movie stated that Chang's Market doubled as all of these, as well as a video store.) Perfection is northwest of Las Vegas, toward Carson City, but it’s not very near either one. Present day Perfection is nearest to the town of Bixby. In 1889, it was mentioned that Carson City as the closest large town (but still a long ride), as Bixby didn't exist yet.
Up on a tall hill just outside of the town is the residence of Burt Gummer, which, after the original Graboid incursion, was fortified with an underground concrete wall. Burt used to own a house, which he destroyed in Tremors 3: Back to Perfection when an Ass Blaster broke into his domicile. He now lives in an underground bunker, and is slowly rebuilding.
Ecosystem
Perfection Valley is home to the typical 30 to 50 mile long and several miles wide desert. with typical wildlife- coyotes, wild burro, etc. The area is famous, however, for its Graboids, (as well as its imago forms, the Shrieker and Ass Blaster.) They are the town of Perfection's claim to fame, though they only appear sparsely and occasionally. As of 2003, there is only one Graboid living in Perfection Valley: El Blanco, the Great White Graboid, who is incapable of metamorphosing.
Graboids are not the only strange creatures to reside in Perfection, however- thanks to the presence of the chemical compound "Mixmaster" being introduced into the food chain, many new and deadly mutations have been known to appear and cause trouble for the residents. Among these creatures are the Microbe Swarm, a type of exploding plant/animal hybrid with an acidic sap, and the "Invisibat", a bat able to change colors to blend into the environment.
Know Your Town History!
The history of Perfection goes along whey back it was officially founded in it's present state on 1892 as the mining town, Rejection.
Residents
Though always sparsely populated, many people have lived in Perfection over the course of the series.
Current Residents
Burt Gummer
Main character; paranoid survivalist, firearms enthusiast, and Graboid hunter.
Tyler Reed
Former race-car driver and owner of tourist business "Desert Jack's Graboid Tours"; Burt's most recent sidekick; attracted to Rosalita.
Rosalita Sanchez
Cattle rancher; ex-Las Vegas showgirl; niece of late Miguel.
Nancy Sterngood
Ex-hippie; mother of Mindy; creator of Graboid-themed souvenirs.
Jodi Chang
Owner of Walter Chang's Market; niece of former owner Walter Chang.
Larry Norvel
Fan of Burt and Graboids; annoys other residents whenever he visits; eventually settles in town to work for Jodi.
Cletus Poffenberger
Retired bio-chemist; worked in now-abandoned lab somewhere near Perfection to help create DNA-mixing chemical "Mixmaster".
Dr. Casey Matthews
Scientist; came to study Graboids.
Melvin Plugg
Realtor and businessman; grew up in Perfection; owner of "Perfection Ranchettes"; never gets along with Burt.
Harlowe Winnemucca
Native-American; works on Rosalita's ranch.
Roger Garrett
Dr. Matthews' assistant.
El Blanco
Albino Graboid and unofficial "mascot" of Perfection
Former Residents
Earl Bassett
Handyman who did odd jobs in town; helped kill Graboids (Moved away, started a Graboid theme park with Grady Hoover)
Valentine "Val" McKee
Handyman who did odd jobs in town; helped kill Graboids (Moved away, married to Rhonda LeBeck)
Jack Sawyer
Owner of "Desert Jack's Graboid Tour" (Sold it to Tyler, moved away to Bixby)
Heather Gummer
Burt's ex-wife; also fond of firearms (Divorced Burt, moved away)
Mindy Sterngood
Nancy's daughter; grew up in Perfection (Currently attending College)
Edgar Deems
Hermit and farmer (Died while hiding from Graboid)
Old Fred
Shepherd (Eaten by Graboid)
Jim Wallace
Town doctor (Eaten by Graboid)
Megan Wallace
Jim's wife (either buried alive or eaten by Graboid)
Walter Chang
Owner of Walter Chang's Market (Eaten by Graboid)
Nestor Cunningham
Lived in a trailer (Eaten by Graboid)
Miguel Sanchez
Cattle rancher (Killed by Ass-Blaster)
Buford
Jack's assistant (Eaten by Graboid)
Residents of Rejection
Hiram Gummer
Owner of the silver mine; Burt's great-grandfather.
Christine Lord
Widow owner of the hotel; Hiram's eventual wife; Burt's great-grandmother.
Juan Pedilla
Rancher and miner; possibly related to Miguel and Rosalita.
Pyong Chang
Chinese immigrant; original owner of Chang's Market
Lu Wan Chang
Pyong's wife.
Fu Yien Chang
Son of Pyong and Lu Wan. Most likely Walter's grandfather.
Tecopa
Native-American.
Old Fred
Freight driver; may or may not be related to modern Old Fred (Eaten by Graboid).
Big Horse Johnson
Miner (Eaten by Graboid)
Stony and Brick Walter
Miner; brother of Brick (Eaten by Graboid)
Soggy
Miner and drunk (Eaten by Graboid)
Various Miners
Seen but unnamed (Eaten by Graboid)
Andrew Beck
Unseen (Left when town was going broke)
Stan Kelton
Blacksmith, unseen (Left when town was going broke)
External links
Web Archive of Scifi Channel's Tremors page.
Appearances
- Tremors (First appearance)
- Tremors 3: Back to Perfection
- Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (As "Rejection")
- Tremors: The Series