S01E65 · EPISODE 65 OF 65

Airshow

Disguising himself as the Miraj, Mo-Lec-U-Lar wreaks havoc in the Air Show organized by the SilverHawks to celebrate the Independence Day in the Galaxy of Limbo.

SILVERHAWKS · S01E65

● TITLE CARD · 1986-12-05

Stargazer watches the rehearsal from his chair with Flashback, Moon Stryker, Hotwing and Condor.

It is Independence Day in the Galaxy of Limbo, a holiday Bedlama celebrates once every fifty years, and the SilverHawks are to fly an airshow there. Stargazer watches the last rehearsal with Condor, Moon Stryker, Hotwing and Flashback. On Brim*Star, Mon*Star plans to humiliate the SilverHawks in front of everyone on Bedlama: Hardware and Mo-Lec-U-Lar will sneak into Hawk Haven that night, Hardware will get rid of the Mirage, and Mo-Lec-U-Lar will take its place and fly the SilverHawks right out of Limbo.

That night Stargazer calls Quicksilver in, wishes him luck, and after some hesitation tells him he could not have asked for a better second in command. Hardware silences the alarms with his Buzz Spoiler, the Mirage is hauled away, and Mo-Lec-U-Lar becomes its replica.

On the day, the stadium fills and Mon*Star transforms. The Mirage stops answering its controls, and Stargazer, riding the Equalizer, threatens its pilot with demotion. The Mob attacks, each picking a SilverHawk, and Mon*Star keeps Stargazer for himself, one on one. Trapped inside the Mirage, Quicksilver calls Tally-Hawk, who gets them out despite Buzz-Saw's efforts, and they learn the Mirage was Mo-Lec-U-Lar all along. Stranded with Bluegrass, who cannot fly, they spot Seymour's cab: he and Zeek are out space fishing, because Seymour never works holidays. The cab joins the fight despite Seymour's worries about his insurance, and the Steel twins, Flashback and the rest turn on the Mob, while Mon*Star, after trading blows with Stargazer, is caught in a squeeze play. Stargazer gives his lieutenant a ride back to Hawk Haven.

In Stargazer's office the squadron agrees that nothing went right, and that the Mob made monkeys of them in front of Bedlama. Then someone points out that they still put on some kind of airshow, and they all agree.

Mon*star sets out to destroy the SilverHawks' airshow by having Mo-Lec-U-Lar masquerade as the Maraj.

Commander Stargazer: "We've been up here in Limbo a long time, Lieutenant."

Zeek the Beak: "We could have made more money than a dog's got fleas!"

"Well, we didn't exactly excel today, did we?"

An airshow is put on for a crowd, and Peter Lawrence's script for the last episode of SilverHawks spends its running time making sure the crowd on Bedlama never gets the show it was promised. The premise arrives early. It is Bedlama's Independence Day, the team has rehearsed, and Mon*Star wants to wreck it in full view of the people so that everyone will know who is the most powerful in Limbo. His plan is a good one for once. Hardware silences the Hawk Haven alarms with his Buzz Spoiler, the Mirage is hauled off,[1] and Mo-Lec-U-Lar takes its shape, planning to fly the SilverHawks right out of Limbo.

The best scene is a quiet one between Stargazer and Quicksilver. He calls his lieutenant in on the night before, wishes him luck, and then cannot find the next sentence: "I just want to wish you luck, Lieutenant." becomes "That's it." and only then "We've been up here in Limbo a long time, Lieutenant." What follows is Stargazer telling him he could not have asked for a better second in command. The writing leaves the stammer in and the voice work keeps it, and a commander who spends most scenes giving orders gets to be awkward for a minute. This is the last episode, and Stargazer's line about how long they have been up in Limbo is the nearest the series comes to a goodbye, though nothing suggests it was written as one.

The comedy stays sharp around the sabotage. Hardware, admiring the fake Mirage, says that if it does not fool the SilverHawks he'll be a monkey's uncle, and gets back "The way you look Hardware, you might as well be a monkey's uncle." Up in the air, Stargazer threatens the Mirage's pilot with demotion for drifting out of formation, when the ship is Mo-Lec-U-Lar by then.[2] Out in space, Seymour and Zeek are fishing instead of working the holiday, because the space lanes are jammed, and Zeek's complaint that "We could have made more money than a dog's got fleas!" is the best line either of them gets in the episode.[3]

The SilverHawks set out to put on a show for Bedlama, and the Mob wrecks it. The weakness is that we never see the airshow itself. The stadium fills, the Mob attacks, and from then on it is a scramble: Tally-Hawk tearing the false Mirage open, the team holding up Bluegrass because he cannot fly, the cab joining in, the Steel twins lining up a turnover, and the squeeze play that finally catches Mon*Star. Every member of a large cast gets a moment, but no one fight is followed through from start to finish. The likely cause is the slot: twenty-two minutes that have to fit the squadron, the Mob, and Zeek and Seymour too.

It resolves in Stargazer's office, with the squadron crowded round the desk. Somebody opens with "Well, we didn't exactly excel today, did we?", the room agrees that Mon*Star and his miserable Mob made monkeys of them, and then someone points out that they put on some kind of airshow anyway, and everyone says yes. It is a warm place for a series to stop!

1 ^ It is the one part of the night's work that gives any trouble: Hardware is told the ship is heavier than it looks, and it goes anyway.

2 ^ He threatens to have the pilot busted down to patrolman fourth class, and gets told there is nothing anyone can do, because the Mirage seems to have a mind of its own.

3 ^ Zeek is riding in Seymour's cab again after Zeek's Power, where Stargazer confined him to it until further notice.

Airshow is the final episode of the series, first aired on 5 December 1986.
Hardware's Buzz Spoiler silences the Hawk Haven alarms so that the Mirage can be taken.
Mo-Lec-U-Lar impersonates the Mirage itself, not a person; the SilverHawks only realise when Tally-Hawk gets them out and the voice from the ship hopes they enjoyed the ride.
Before the attack the Mob assigns targets aloud: Hotwing, Condor and Moon Stryker are each claimed, and Mon*Star keeps Stargazer for himself.
Stargazer flies the airshow on the Equalizer, his space motorcycle, and uses it to give Quicksilver a ride back to Hawk Haven.
Seymour turns down holiday fares because the space lanes are jammed, and objects to joining the fight because his insurance does not cover battle damage.
The last closing quiz of the series is on satellites: an Intelsat, Mars's moons Deimos and Phobos, and Earth's Moon, for 15 points.

We do not yet have a production script for “Airshow”. If you have one, please consider contributing it to the archive.

What we are looking for: production scripts only. Writer’s drafts, shooting drafts, and studio copies of the actual script for this episode. We strongly prefer scans of the original printed pages over retyped text, since scans preserve the layout, scene headings, director notes, and any handwritten annotations that make the document interesting and verifiable.

What we are not looking for: fan-written transcripts of the broadcast dialogue, episode summaries, or AI-generated reconstructions.

Email a script for “Airshow”

All contributors are credited on the Production Scripts archive page and on the relevant episode guide.

Appearance lists compiled from the episode articles on the ThunderCats wiki, checked against this site's encyclopedia. Names we have no entry for are shown without a link rather than left out.

A hand rests on chrome armour in a beam of blue light as the rehearsal is readied.

A launch console with yellow keys and a red bar, as the SilverHawks stand by for the rehearsal launch.

Bluegrass sits back in his seat with Hot Licks over his shoulder as the rehearsal gets under way.

A visored SilverHawk streaks past the stars during the rehearsal; the figure is not identifiable.

Two SilverHawks trail coloured smoke across the stars in the rehearsal routine.

Flashback, Moon Stryker and Hotwing stand together on the command deck, watching the rehearsal.

Yes-Man crouches beside a huge clawed foot in the Mob's lair while Mon*Star plans the airshow.

Yes-Man cowers before Mon*Star as Mon*Star says the SilverHawks have been invited to put on an airshow.

Mon*Star holds a star plate over his eye as he boasts that everyone will know his name.

Mon*Star sets the star plate over his eye and declares himself the most powerful.

Yes-Man listens with clasped hands as Mon*Star talks of ruling the entire Galaxy of Limbo.

Yes-Man fawns beside Mon*Star as the plan is set to sneak Hardware and Mo-Lec-U-Lar into Hawk Haven tonight.

Mon*Star explains to Yes-Man how Mo-Lec-U-Lar can become a perfect replica of the Mirage.

Mon*Star tells Yes-Man the plan: Hardware gets rid of the Mirage, and Mo-Lec-U-Lar takes its place.

Seen from behind an office chair, Stargazer waits at his desk as Quicksilver arrives.

Stargazer calls Quicksilver in on the night before the airshow, to wish him luck.

Stargazer tells Quicksilver he only wants to wish him luck for tomorrow's airshow.

Quicksilver, out of armour, says good night to Stargazer, who has something else to say.

A green winged craft carries Mo-Lec-U-Lar and Hardware toward Hawk Haven.

Hardware, bedroll pack on his back, grins as he shows off his Buzz Spoiler for the alarms.

Red waves from Hardware's Buzz Spoiler reach Hawk Haven, silencing its alarms.

The Mirage sits on its landing circle in Hawk Haven, ahead of the Mob's arrival.

Mo-Lec-U-Lar and Hardware strain at heavy equipment inside Hawk Haven as they work to get rid of the Mirage.

Steelwill stands at a doorway inside Hawk Haven.

Hardware looks over the Mirage in its bay, his bedroll pack on his back.

A flash of light plays over the Mirage's nose as Mo-Lec-U-Lar takes its shape, with Hardware watching.

The squadron gathers on Hawk Haven's command deck as Stargazer sends them off to the airshow.

Quicksilver tells the squadron they heard the commander and it is time to go.

The Copper Kidd steps up to his Space Racer as the squadron starts engines for the airshow.

Hawk Haven, the hawk-shaped station on its asteroid, seen head-on as the SilverHawks prepare to launch.

The Space Racer launches from Hawk Haven in a burst of light, the Copper Kidd at the wheel.

A bird's open beak fills the frame as the squadron heads out; the bird is not identifiable.

The spiked throne in Mon*Star's lair, as the order to prepare for transformation is given.

Yes-Man wrings his hands as Mon*Star orders the Mob to prepare for the transformation.

Red light glows from openings across the surface of a red world as the transformation begins.

The star emblem on Mon*Star's chest, as he takes his transformed form.

A small dark figure hangs in a glowing rock shaft during the transformation.

Buzz-Saw and Hardware ride into the airshow attack in a grey toothed Mob car.

The stadium on Bedlama fills for the Independence Day airshow.

Transformed, Mon*Star turns in profile as the Mob's attack on the airshow begins.

Yellow bursts flash around the Mirage beside an asteroid, with domed structures at right.

The Mirage races through the sky, its engines trailing yellow light.

Stargazer rides the Equalizer beside Moon Stryker as the Mirage drifts out of formation.

The Mirage banks steeply out of formation, streaks of light crossing the sky.

Mon*Star's Sky-Runner leads the Mob's cars in toward the airshow.

Mon*Star, on the Sky-Runner, orders the Mob in to blast the SilverHawks.

Transformed Mon*Star, at the controls of the Sky-Runner, tells the Mob they are crashing the party.

Stargazer rides the Equalizer through the clouds as the Mob closes in.

A pink energy blast sweeps across the frame, Mon*Star at its edge.

Transformed, Mon*Star leads the Mob's attack on the airshow, with the Zoomer at top left.

Hardware, beside Buzz-Saw in a Mob car, picks his target as Mon*Star calls the attack.

Condor flies far off across the night sky on his jet pack as the Mob picks targets.

Condor flies into the fight with his jet pack flaring.

Mumbo Jumbo, Poker-Face and Windhammer ride into the attack in a green open car.

Mumbo Jumbo and Windhammer ride a green Mob car through the attack.

Windhammer heaves his tuning fork into the fight as Poker-Face rides beside him.

Melodia looks back over her shoulder as the Mob attack swings into action.

Musical notes streak past the Copper Kidd's Space Racer in the sky.

The Copper Kidd tumbles through space, thrown off course by the attack.

The Copper Kidd spins past a cratered asteroid, out of control.

Bluegrass sits held fast by gold restraints inside the Mirage.

Steelheart strikes upward with a sparking fist while trapped in the Mirage.

Trapped inside the false Mirage, Quicksilver grips a handle and decides to call Tally-Hawk.

Buzz-Saw raises his spinning saw blades, ready to clip Tally-Hawk's feathers.

Hotwing swoops past a grey winged craft in the middle of the battle.

Quicksilver, still trapped, tells Tally-Hawk to get them out of the Mirage.

The Mirage speeds through an asteroid field, broken pieces trailing behind it.

Mo-Lec-U-Lar, revealed in a burst of yellow light, has been the Mirage all along.

Freed by Tally-Hawk, Steelwill, Steelheart, Quicksilver and Flashback dive clear of the false Mirage.

Quicksilver flies on after the escape, as Bluegrass asks for a hand since he cannot fly.

Out of the false Mirage, the team hold up Bluegrass, who cannot fly, and wonder what to do next.

Seymour's yellow space cab drifts through the asteroids, out fishing on the holiday.

Seymour and Zeek ride in the space cab, out fishing instead of working the holiday.

Stranded in space, Flashback points out Seymour's cab to Bluegrass, Quicksilver, Steelheart and Steelwill.

Stranded on an asteroid, the SilverHawks wave for Seymour's cab, Bluegrass on his knees with his guitar.

Mumbo Jumbo, Poker-Face and Windhammer ride the green Mob car through the airshow attack.

Moon Stryker spirals through the sky in a whirl of white.

Moon Stryker looks off to one side as the battle rages.

Stargazer, on the Equalizer, flies head-on toward the Mob's attack.

Mon*Star, in spiked armour, fires through a wash of pink light.

Windhammer, Mumbo Jumbo and Poker-Face tumble through the air among wreckage, the tuning fork spinning loose.

Transformed and gloating, Mon*Star closes in on the SilverHawks during the Mob's attack.

Bluegrass leans over the back seat of Seymour's cab as Zeek and Seymour take him aboard.

Seymour protests about his insurance while Zeek grabs at him and Bluegrass looks on.

Flashback flies back into the fight as the SilverHawks take on the Mob.

SilverHawks trail coloured smoke across the sky in a formation stunt, with Flashback at right.

Steelwill wheels through the sky as the Steel twins plan a turnover against the Mob.

A grey toothed Mob car carries two riders through the sky.

Steelwill and Steelheart fly in together to take on the Mob.

Flashback streaks toward the Mob in the middle of the battle.

Melodia raises the Sound Smasher from a Mob car with Yes-Man beside her, as a distant flyer approaches.

Melodia watches a distant green flyer close in.

Music notes and a pink beam swirl around Flashback in mid-air.

Bluegrass, Zeek and Seymour sit in the cab, watching the fight.

Melodia stands in her Mob car with the Sound Smasher as it flies over a cratered surface.

Melodia swings out beside her tilting Mob car, Sound Smasher in hand.

Melodia levels the Sound Smasher at the SilverHawks, her hand on its keys.

Melodia looks back mid-attack, lips parted.

Bluegrass climbs out of Seymour's cab with his guitar, with Seymour and Zeek watching from inside.

Mon*Star, in transformed armour, lines up Stargazer once more.

A spear-like weapon flies across the sky as Mon*Star strikes at Stargazer.

Stargazer swerves the Equalizer past a pink beam, and Mon*Star misses him again.

A chrome SilverHawk flies in from the distance toward Mon*Star for the squeeze play.

A visored SilverHawk streaks in with one fist out; the figure is not identifiable.

Mon*Star's transformed face fills the frame during the fight with Stargazer.

Mon*Star aims his weapon across the sky as he trades fire with Stargazer.

Stargazer holds his ground on the Equalizer against Mon*Star's attack.

Mon*Star's spiked face looms close as he is caught in the squeeze play.

Stargazer glances back from the Equalizer as he flies low over a cratered surface.

Mon*Star hangs in the sky with a blade at his wrist, caught in the squeeze play.

Stargazer, smiling on the Equalizer, offers Quicksilver a ride back to Hawk Haven.

Back in Stargazer's office, the squadron admits that nothing went right at the airshow.

Condor listens in Stargazer's office as the squadron admits the airshow did not go well.

Flashback listens in Stargazer's office as the squadron talks over the failed airshow.

Bluegrass tips his hat beside the door of Stargazer's office as the squadron takes stock.

Stargazer sits back in his chair as the squadron says the Mob made monkeys of them.

The Copper Kidd straps in for the closing quiz, the last of the series, on satellites.

A diagram of the solar system on the screen as the quiz turns to satellites.

The Copper Kidd gives a thumbs up as the quiz ends on 15 points for the day.

★ DISCUSSION

Join the conversation.

Comments below are mirrored on the SilverHawks.tv forum. Sign in once, post anywhere.