- "Hey man, are you like, Captain Kirk?"
— Paul meets Scott Tracy, who realises he's been watching too much of a certain other science-fiction series.
"The Lost Pyramid" is the sixth episode of Turbocharged Thunderbirds, first airing on January 22nd, 1995. It was also, under a different title, the tenth episode of the original Thunderbirds series.
Plot[]
When Scott Tracy and a pair of far-out music lovers get caught up in an intergalactic terrorist business transaction, Roxette must find her true voice and save the world from a terrible fate.
Cast[]
- Dan Castellaneta: S.A.L., Dave
- Efrem Zimbalist Jr.: Jeff Tracy, Alien, Alien Leader
- David Naughton: Scott Tracy, Virgil Tracy, Paul
Quotes[]
-"My thermal scanner's not working!"
-"You're looking at the desert, Rox. It's all hot."
-"For once you're right."
- Roxette and Tripp begin the search for Thunderbird 1.
-"Er, hey man, we were just passing through."
-"Er, you wanna buy a shirt?"
-"Shirt? Can't you see I've just crashed?"
-"Oh. Yeah, uh, sure. I knew that."
- Dave and Paul's attempt to make first contact with Scott Tracy doesn't go too well.
-"Lost Pyramid? What Lost Pyramid?"
-"How could anyone lose a Pyramid?"
- Roxette and Tripp ponder the plot.
(The trailer snaps off Dave and Paul's vehicle and crashes down a sand dune)
-"Oh bummer, my shirts!"
-"Cool out man, at least they didn't explode!"
(The trailer immediately explodes)
- Paul and Dave are not having the best of luck.
-"YoYoYoYoYoYoYoYoYoYoYoYoYoYoYoYo!"
- Bad news from S.A.L..
Trivia[]
- The on-screen credit for the writers has returned after a three episode absence. Don't expect it to hang around long, though.
- So has the fancy title font.
- Normally the opening credits show a few seconds of rapid-cut footage taken from key scenes of the plot. For this episode, the selected shots to highten the viewer's imagination and hint at the big rescue are of... Thunderbird 2 leaving the hangar.
- For the very first time, The Hood is neither mentioned nor seen (save for a brief scene transition featuring his head and shoulders).
- Also for the first time, no female characters (aside from Roxette) play a role in the story, or have any dialogue.
- Very brief footage of Thunderbird 2 landing in the desert was previously used in Desperate Intruder, though left out of its Turbocharged equivalent, Ready, Set... Danger.
- Roxette refers to Hacker Command as Thunderbird 5. While not exactly a goof, it's the second time she's called the space station a different name. In the last instance, she titled it Hacker One.
- As Tripp raps off a list of potential rescue scenarios, one that receives notable mention is the attempt to rescue Sun Probe, a story that had yet to air at the time.
- The Copyright notice officially changes from 1994 to 1995.
Goofs[]
- This episode in particular suffers from numerous editing problems, with many scenes repeated, reversed, sped up, and cut quickly between one-another. Normally this isn't anything new for Turbocharged Thunderbirds, but it stands out more than usual here, up to a point where it the plot is left both rushed and difficult to follow. Notable examples include:
- The time it takes for Dave and Paul to contact International Rescue, Jeff to respond, call Virgil in to brief him on the situation, prepare, select a Pod, activate, and successfully launch Thunderbird 2, travel halfway around the world to pick up Scott, tend his wounds, repair Thunderbird 1, return to Tracy Island and tell Jeff about the whole experience is summarized in about... one minute.
- As the Alien fighter jets return to headquarters, the footage swiftly fades to a static shot of the oasis. For this scene, the producers intended for the jets to disappear as if they were mirages. While an ominous piece of music is included, the final edit retained the jet's original background however, thus the intended effect is entirely lost. Points for trying though.
- When the Aliens arrive to capture our heroes, Scott is standing in the middle of the chamber with no surrounding objects. When subsequently telling them not to do anything rash, he's suddenly hiding behind a giant statue. In the next shot, he's moved to yet another part of the chamber.
- Upon seeing the Aliens for the first time, Dave reacts by turning around and taking cover very slowly.
- The entire scene of the Aliens preparing to fire missiles at Thunderbird 2 is heavily edited. Through the use of looping (and flipping) the exact same stock footage, the Aliens not only fire several barrages, but are coming from other sides of the pyramid as well, with the craft constantly swerving to avoid being hit. This is all very well, but after the fourth round are fired (and destroyed by Roxette's Boomer Gun), Virgil reacts as if all the previous attacks and maneuvering never happened.
- Scott Tracy suddenly changes from a regular voice, to one of incredible boredom exactly one minute into the episode. His distinct lack of interest continues for the rest of the story, even when being attacked mid-air, losing control of Thunderbird 1, and crashing in the desert.
- Once again, The Atrocimator's plan for world domination is vague. How does he plan to pay for a supposedly large supply of "premium" rocket fuel? Furthermore, it's never expanded exactly what the use of said rocket fuel will be, and how it could possibly act as the catalyst he needs to become ruler of the world.
- Why does The Atrocimator even need rocket fuel in the first place? Apparently his evil can be focused into creating, launching, and controlling a rocket out of thin air.
- Despite his complete removal from the series, John Tracy's portrait is still hanging proudly on the wall.
- A frame of effects footage (originally used in Ready, Set... Danger) featuring a contorted, screaming face is accidentally overlapped between the footage of Dave and Paul entering the Pyramid, and Thunderbird 1 soaring over the desert.
- Providing the Turbocharged version of the Woodstock Festival took place in 1969, and Turbocharged Thunderbirds is set in 2096, then how could Dave and Paul possibly remember being there? An explanation is that time moves ridiculously fast on Thunderworld, as seen in previous episodes.
Foreign Name[]
- Japanese: Mystery of the Pyramid (ピラミッドの怪)