What Lies Above, Part 1

What Lies Above, Part One

Production
Episode	1.25
Running time	23 min
Original Airdate	June 2, 2012
Director(s)	Shinichi Matsumi
Writer(s)	Paul Giacoppo
Animators(s)	Warner Brothers Animation Studio 4°C
Distributor(s)	Warner Brothers
Chronology
Previous Episode	The Soul Sever
Next Episode	What Lies Above, Part 2
All Episodes	Episode Guide

What Lies Above, Part One is an episode from the re-imagined series of ThunderCats. Written by Paul Giacoppo, it originally aired on June 9, 2012.

Story

The ThunderCats are hard at work repairing an old airship that they salvaged from the Soul Sever’s Lair. Upon completion, the Wily twins christen it the Feliner. The Cats then fly the ship into the sky where the Book of Omens is pointing to. Shortly after take-off Panthro realizes that he is afraid of heights and lets go of the controls. Fortunately, Tygra is able to pilot the ship thanks to his natural talent for flying.

High above the clouds, the Cats are shocked to see a massive floating city. The city, Avista, is populated by Birds and as soon as the Cats land, they are greeted by the city’s prefect, Vultaire and his assistant Horus. Vultaire invites the Cats to dinner where Lion-O reveals that they seek the final Power Stone that is in the Birds’ possession. Vultaire blankly refuses even when Lion-O tries to explain its importance in defeating Mumm-Ra.

Irritated by Vultaire’s condescension, Tygra challenges him to a race. If he wins, the Cats get the Tech Stone. If he loses then Vultaire gets the Spirit and War Stones that the Cats have. Vultaire agrees. The intense race, which involves having to fly through energy loops, ends with Tygra emerging the winner. Vultaire however, reneges on his promise to hand over the stone and has the Cats imprisoned.

The Cats escape from their quarters and , using the Book of Omens, locate the Tech Stone’s chamber. However, they are unable to bypass the state-of-the-art security system that keeps the chamber locked. So Pumyra captures Vultaire and forces him to open the chamber. He then goes on to explain how the ancient animals from Mumm-Ra’s ship distributed the four Power Stones among themselves so that no one may have unlimited power.

Vultaire also reveals that the Tech Stone is what enables the city of Avista to float in the air. If it is taken, the entire city will crash. Not wanting to sacrifice the lives of the Birds, Lion-O refuses to take the stone but Pumyra disagrees with him. She lunges to grab the stone but gets a nasty jolt from the electric shield surrounding the stone. This also trips the alarm and a group of Ravemen quickly surround the Cats.

Characters

Lion-O

Tygra

Cheetara

Panthro

Pumyra

WilyKit

WilyKat

Snarf

Vultaire

Horus

Ravenmen

Birds

Vehicles

Feliner

SkyCutter

Locations

Avista

Trivia

• This episode marks the debut of the ThunderCats vehicle, the Feliner.

Notable Quotes

ThunderKittens: We're too cute to die!

Lion-O: Third Earth looks so small from up here. All the nations look like a unified whole. Maybe one day...

Vultaire: It is our pleasure to welcome you to our home. Any cats who manage to make it up here, despite their limitations, are to be our guests during dinner.

Vultaire: We're quite literally above it all.

Vultaire: Remember we are superior to you in every way, and that is why the birds will always own the skies.

Cheetara: He's only been a pilot for a few hours and it's kinda gone to his head.

Tygra: Shut your beak and fly!

Vultaire: Ha! You'll be lucky to leave with your lives. This agreement is void. You forfeit your wager.

Pumyra: If you won't make the tough choices, I will!

Media

This episode was released on the following media:

DVD

• ThunderCats: Season 1 Book 3
• ThunderCats: Complete Series

VOD

• ThunderCats: Season 1 - Amazon Prime Release

Episode Screenshots