Junkyard Dog

Commander Stargazer is waiting on a special delivery from Earth and will not say what it is. He snaps at Hotwing for suggesting a patrol to escort it, and Steelheart, who knows more than she lets on, tells Hotwing to ignore him. When the delivery ship arrives, visual contact is lost and a garbage man who looks like Larry comes aboard, is offered a couple of spent fuel canisters, and says that is not what he came for. It is Mo-Lec-U-Lar, and he makes off with the case, which holds Stargazer's new Total Mobility System, without which the Commander will not last another twelve hours in Limbo.

Hotwing and Flashback find the ship empty, with the pilot vanished and no sign of Larry's garbage truck. Back at Hawk Haven, Steelheart and Steelwill finally explain that Stargazer has taken too many licks, needs replacement parts badly, and did not want to make a fuss about it. Hotwing and Flashback go looking for Larry at his dump on Asteroid Trash.

There they are met by Junk, Larry's robot guard dog, and by a Larry who says he only collected a couple of empty fuel canisters. Mo-Lec-U-Lar, who is the Larry in question, reports to Mon*Star that his disguise is perfect. Back at base, Flashback mentions that after Junk went for him, the dog went for Larry too, and the Steel twins see it at once: either Junk is not Junk or Larry is not Larry.

As Stargazer weakens, Hotwing and Flashback go back to the dump, pin Mo-Lec-U-Lar's hands apart so that he cannot transform, and recover the case, leaving the shapeshifter with his hands full. Refitted, Stargazer is told he is good for another 300 years. He apologises for keeping his condition to himself, and the team asks him to take them into his confidence next time.

Posing as a garbageman, Mo-Lec-U-Lar steals Stagazer's vital spare parts.

"If Junk attacked Dirty Larry, either Junk isn't Junk..."

Commander Stargazer: "Well, I didn't want to make a fuss. I thought you all had enough to do without worrying about my problems."

"Next time, Commander, take us into your confidence. Limbo's a tough place, and the only way we can survive it is by sticking together and pulling for each other. Right?"

For most of Bob Haney's script, Commander Stargazer tells nobody that he needs replacement parts. He waits on the bridge for a delivery from Earth. When Hotwing offers to fly out and escort it, he gets his head bitten off. Hotwing may run the SilverHawks one day, the Commander tells him, but until then he can keep his eyes on the screen. Steelheart knows what is in the case and says nothing. So when Mo-Lec-U-Lar, dressed as Dirty Larry, walks off with it, the SilverHawks are chasing a package they do not understand.

Stargazer hides his condition from the team, and the team minds that he did. Hotwing asks "What's eating him", but the only answer he gets is to ignore him. Tally-Hawk does not need telling; he has refused to leave Stargazer's side since he realised the Commander was in mortal danger.[1] When Steelheart and Steelwill finally explain, the first thing the others say is that they could have helped: "We could have escorted that case all the way from Earth!"

The best scene is the Steel twins working out who Larry is. Flashback comes back from the dump complaining that the "blasted robot mutt" tried to take a chunk out of him, and then, that the dog went for Larry as well. The twins pick it up at once. "I smell a junkyard rat, sis!" says Steelwill, and the deduction follows in two neat lines: "If Junk attacked Dirty Larry, either Junk isn't Junk..." "Or Larry isn't Larry." Hotwing and Flashback were fooled by the disguise; Junk was not.

Hawk Haven is drawn off duty. Hotwing spends the opening bridge scenes out of armour, Steelheart sits at the console in a grey jumpsuit, and Steelwill wanders about in a red football jersey with 98 on the sleeve, talking about wide receivers. Junk is a grey robot hound with a yellow eye and a steel spike jutting from his chest, and the shot of him looming over the two SilverHawks as they pick themselves up off the sand is his best moment.

The weakness is the Mob. Mon*Star and Yes-Man get a scene on Brim*Star that restates what we already know, that Stargazer will not survive without the case, and dresses it up with Yes-Man complaining that he is kept in the dark; Mo-Lec-U-Lar's claim that the Mob has informants everywhere, even on Earth, is dropped.[2] The likely reason is that the show checked in with its villains every week, and the time comes out of the climax. The fight for the case on Asteroid Trash comes and goes in a rush!

It ends with Stargazer back in his chair,[3] apologising. "I didn't want to make a fuss", he says, and the team answers: "Next time, Commander, take us into your confidence. Limbo's a tough place, and the only way we can survive it is by sticking together and pulling for each other." Junk knew Larry was not his master and Tally-Hawk knew Stargazer was in danger; the rest of Hawk Haven had to be told.

1 ^ Gyro and Backlash are sent to search for Dirty Larry instead, since Tally-Hawk will not leave.

2 ^ The deadline also moves. The opening narration and Mo-Lec-U-Lar give Stargazer twelve hours without the case; Mon*Star gives him twenty-four.

3 ^ Once refitted, Stargazer is told he is good for another 300 years up in Limbo.

1. Steelwill and Steelheart built the motor in Dirty Larry's garbage truck, using the main thrusters from a wrecked destroyer.
2. The case holds Stargazer's new Total Mobility System; Steelheart explains that he has taken a few licks in Limbo and needs replacement parts.
3. Reporting to Mon*Star, Mo-Lec-U-Lar calls Hotwing and Flashback the two new guys; each has an episode named for him, Hotwing Hits Limbo and Flashback.
4. Tally-Hawk refuses to leave Stargazer's side once he realises the Commander is in mortal danger, so Gyro and Backlash are sent to search instead.
5. Mo-Lec-U-Lar cannot transform while his hands are held apart, so Hotwing and Flashback pin them to hold him at the dump.
6. Steelwill spends his scenes at Hawk Haven in a red football jersey numbered 98.
7. The closing quiz is about light years and the size of the Milky Way, and the Kidd misses one question and finishes on ten points.

7 names enter the series in this episode.

• Dirty Larry
• Special Delivery Pilot
• Backlash
• Junk
• Asteroid Trash
• The Garbage Truck
• Special Delivery Ship

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.