"Skyhook" is the eleventh episode of Thunderbirds Are Go!. It was first broadcast on Saturday June 6th, 2015.
Plot[]
Thunderbird 5, contacts Langstrom Fischler on CIR.R.U.S, a high altitude weather station over the Indian Ocean. Suddenly, a hurricane damages CIR.R.U.S’s propellors, causing its hydrogen filled balloons to lift it higher into the atmosphere. On Thunderbird 5, John asks Langstrom about CIR.R.U.S and he explains that the station’s systems take too long to manufacture. John contacts his brothers that they shall get to CIR.R.U.S immediately. Virgil and Gordon blast off in Thunderbird 2, followed by Scott in Thunderbird 1.
When Thunderbird 2 reaches CIR.R.U.S, Gordon assembles a pod with four heliblades and a grappling arm and flies it towards CIR.R.U.S to fix its rotors. While Thunderbird 2 lowers its forward struts to steady the station, it gets electrified by a massive voltage, causing the ship to fall. Gordon re-docks the pod and re-activates Thunderbird 2’s systems via the pod’s controls. While Virgil and Gordon break off, Scott ziplines down from Thunderbird 1 and onto CIR.R.U.S’s outer balcony. Suddenly, he gets knocked off by a series of plasma discharges which Brains referred to as “sprites”. Scott uses his grappling hook and he climbs back into Thunderbird 1’s cockpit and breaks off when Thunderbird 1’s engines start to stall.
When Langstrom tells Brains that his balloons are filled with super-hot hydrogen ions, he worries that the balloons will explode. He sends Alan to pull CIR.R.U.S downwards with Thunderbird 3’s grasping arms and retro rockets. The fans break off and a piece of debris hits one of Thunderbird 3’s engines, causing the rocket to fall. Alan fires the emergency thrust vector and breaks off. The Tracys argue about saving CIR.R.U.S but Scott tells them to calm down and says that they have no hope. John says that he can save them by flying Thunderbird 5 to a position right above CIR.R.U.S and use the Space Elevator to latch onto the station and lower it to the ground. When Brains says that the cable wasn’t intended for that weight, John explains that Brains always over engineers his inventions. He dumps his spare supplies from Thunderbird 5’s cargo bay before firing the station’s powerful thrusters.
3.2 minutes later, John stops Thunderbird 5 and drops the Space Elevator after CIR.R.U.S’s balloons explode and the mooring claw latches onto the station successfully. After being informed by Scott that the hurricane has doubled in size, John pulls CIR.R.U.S into space by using the gravity ring as a spool. After John’s AI program, EOS, warns him that Thunderbird 5 is losing orbit and venting atmosphere, John stops the spin and fires the bottom thrusters before CIR.R.U.S hits Thunderbird 5. John lets Langstrom and his crew inside and he says that he wants a space station with a crew of monkeys. Scott tells John that Global Defence Force has revoked Langstrom’s space station plan and John demands that he must get off Thunderbird 5 before he has a sudden airlock failure.
Cast[]
- Virgil Tracy and Gordon Tracy - David Menkin
- Scott Tracy and Alan Tracy - Rasmus Hardiker
- Brains - Kayvan Novak
- John Tracy - Thomas Brodie-Sangster
- EOS - Teresa Gallagher
Guest Cast[]
- Langstrom Fischler - Rhys Darby
- Kinnear - Kayvan Novak (uncredited)
Crew[]
- Note: the following section is large. As such, it is hidden by default.
- Voice director: Dave Peacock
- Original dialogue record: Simon Capes, Soho Squares Studios
- Miniatures: WETA Workshop
- Design & miniature FX supervisor: Richard Taylor
- Lead model maker: Steven Saunders
- Workshop supervisor: Rob Gillies
- Production co-ordinator: Holly Beals
- Model makers: Sofia Pedersen, Mona Peters, David Duke, Joaquin Loyzaga, Laura Marie King, Abigail Smith, Masayuki Ohashi, Pietro Marson, Sourisak Chanpaseuth, Kim McAuslan
- Director of photography: Simon Godsiff
- 1st assistant director: Robin Wilson
- Production manager: Sadie Wilson
- Gaffer: Simon Oliver
- 1st assistant camera: Charles Edwards
- Key grip: Jan Kleinheins
- On set model technicians: Rob Chesney, Ben Fairless
- Lighting equipment: Portsmouth Lighting, NZFX SFX Equipment
- Catering: Deborah Logan
- Art director: Theo Baynton
- Designer, Thunderbird Shadow: Shoji Kawamori
- Lead concept artist: Christian Pearce
- Concept artists: Aaron Beck, Gus Hunter, Rebekah Tisch
- Head of design: Richard Athorne
- Design studio co-ordinators: Tasha Guillot, Catherine Mitchell
- Asset supervisor: Sven Trotter
- CG modellers: Ben Hutchinson, Tom Robinson, Ben Picking, Che Thorpe
- 3D story supervisor: Tim Gaul
- Lead 3D story artists: Karl Essex, Andrew McCully
- Matchmove: James Donald, Luke Swasbrook
- 3D story: Jason Campbell, Shinji Dawson, Nicholas Dodwell, Eduardo Gutierrez, Rhys Hanan, Nagaraju Kusama, Yohann Misst, Robin Wilson-Davey
CGCG
- Head of production: Sareana Sun
- Production executives: Ivan C, Alen Fang, Andy Tsao
- Production team: Sean Li, Lara Lin, Jing Zhang, Yao-Cheng Wang, Heyifang, Tan Tao, Xu Ding, Shiwei Yang, Aimee Zhang, Zhenhua Yao, Xuren Chen, Shamy Lai, Wei Lin
End CGCG
- Editor: Anthony Cox
- Assistant editors: Louise Pattinson, Adam Reynolds
- 3D artist: Rhys Clapcott
- Software engineer: Mike King
- Animation supervisor: Chad Moffitt
- CG supervisor: Andrew Harris, Park Road Post Production
- Data wranglers: Joyce Kamille Cristal, Wattana Moeung, Clare Brody
- Casting: Peacock Sound
- VFX line producer: Malcolm Angell
- Production co-ordinator: Sophie Gregory
- Production assistants: Brittany Connell, Jordan Harding
- Production secretary: Christine Healy
- Production runner: Nate Hinde
- Script co-ordinator: Patrick Rieger
- Post production co-ordinator: Dee Collier
- Legal and business affairs: Sally Perry, Sarah Cull
- Production accountants: Emily Stafford, Karen Kong
- Special advisor, International Rescue: David Tremont
- Branding and title design: ITV Creative
- Compositing: Milk VFX
- Online editor: Simon Brook
- Colourist: Paul Staples
- Picture post production: Encore London
- Sound effects editor: Adam Armitage
- Foley engineer: Keith Partridge
- Mix technician: Kiran Marshall
- Audio post production: Jules Zabbar
- Music composed by: Ben Foster, Nick Foster
- Original theme: Barry Gray
- Sound designer & re-recording mixer: Nigel Heath
- Audio post-production: Hackenbacker
- Producers: Sharon Lark, Stuart McAra
- Line & consulting animation producer: Teresa Reed
- CITV commissioning editor: Jamila Metran
- Executive producers: Estelle Hughes, Giles Ridge, Andrew Smith, Richard Taylor
- Based on the original series by: Gerry & Sylvia Anderson
Quotes[]
- John: "You sure you're not still an evil computer program?"
- EOS: "Ask my programmer... no, wait, that was you."
- John: "How are the studies going, Mr. Fischler?"
- Fischler: "Very well thank you. We've determined it is indeed a storm down there... a big one."
- John: "Well, that's sure to rock the scientific community."
- Fischler: "Who employed you, lot? Oh, that was me. Must have had the day off that day."
- Virgil: "I'm plotting a course to stay well above that hurricane."
- Gordon: "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on it, you know, because hurricanes have an eye at the center."
- Virgil: "I get it. Just wasn't funny. Go configure the pod, will you?"
- Gordon: "Aye aye, captain."
- Fischler: "Start something that's already started? Sounds a bit daft to me."
- Fischler: "Brains, Brains, Brains. You can't invent things if you're going around all worried about safety, now can you?"
- Virgil: "Doctor Gordon, your patient is ready."
- Gordon: "Repair arms in place. The doors, please, Doctor Virgil."
- Scott: "Can you give us a status report?"
- Fischler: "Well, so far, your rescue attempts appear to be unsuccessful. International Rescue, ha, International Slow-Coach, more like."
- Scott: "I meant a report on your status, not the... never mind."
- Brains: "Thunderbird 2 absorbed the static charge. You should be safe."
- Scott: "How sure is should be?"
- Brains: "99 percent."
- Scott: "And what happens if it didn't absorb all of the charge?"
- Brains: "Let's focus on the positive, shall we?"
- Scott: "Yeah."
- Fischler: "Right, I'll put the kettle on!"
- John: "You've obviously never seen me at the claw machine at the arcade. This is just one more stuffed toy."
- Scott: "That was just about the slickest maneuver anyone has ever seen!"
- John: "Physics. Couldn't be simpler."
- Fischler: "Two doors on an airlock, Mr. Tracy? That's a bit excessive, don't you think? What, do you like the sound of the airlock, do ya?"
- John: "Now please get this man off my station before I have a sudden unexplained airlock failure."
Equipment Used[]
Non International Rescue Equipment Used[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Kayo & Grandma Tracy make silent cameos at the end of this episode.
- This episode marks the first time that non-International Rescue members have been on board Thunderbird 5.
- This marks the first time Thunderbird 5 is actually used as part of a rescue assignment, rather than simply relaying the emergency calls to Tracy Island.
Goofs[]
- Thunderbird 4 can be seen in its own launch bay as the lift from Thunderbird 5 leaves the island, but isn't there when Thunderbird 3 launches off the island later on.
- The wristband communications device on Virgil's left arm changes colour to grey as he is attempting to get Thunderbird 2's systems back online. Later in the same sequence, when Gordon has control of the craft, the wristband is absent when Virgil crosses his arms.
Foreign titles[]
- Dutch: Ruimtehaak (Space Hook)
- French: Atmosphère (Atmosphere)
- Spanish: Gancho aéreo (Air Hook)
- Japanese: 最後の切り札 (Final Trump Card)
- Arabic: نحو السماء