A couple of things about this episode always bugged me so thought I would share them here. Comments/explanations are most welcome!
The Thundercats just leaving Lion-O at the “Bridge of Slime” and fleeing. I mean they could have atleast waited until Lion-O crossed the bridge and entered the cave, before leaving. We all know that whenever there is a bridge involved in Thundercats, there just HAS to be something dangerous lurking below it!
Which brings me to my second question, why did Lion-O decide to go to the Nether-witch alone? I don’t remember the episode very vividly but I am pretty sure that at this time, the Thundercats still are not aware that travelling to the Astral World is a one-way trip so why didn’t atleast one of them accompany their young and inexperienced leader?
Why does the Astral Moat Monster have wings? It is a MOAT monster and lives underwater so what use are the wings?
What’s the deal with the whole “Astral World”? I don’t quite understand it. Is it a parallel dimension? Is it kind of a purgatory? Is it a place where only spirits dwell? Is it where Jaga’s spirit normally resides? If not, how did he get there and how did he escape from there? (the Astral plane, not the prison). So is Nemex a spirit too? Why did Brodo grow old and weak? Since spirits do not age.
Ya, kinda strange that they didnt wait to make sure he made it accross safely.
I dont believe they ever explained why Lion-O decided he needed to go alone. I believe the other Thundercats were hesitant to let him go alone and I believe Tygra actually stated that they should go with him, but Lion-O insisted. I believe you are correct that he does not find out that he will not be able to return from the astral world until he meets the Nether Witch.
I dont understand this either. It does leap from the water. Maybe the help him glide somewhat? Perhaps it is just a visual compliment…
Good questions… I guess I always thought of it as an afterlife of sorts/parallel dimension where Jaga is normally and that he is able to visit Lion-O on third earth in spirit form (dont ask me how). Do we know that Brodo was not old and weak when he was sent to the Astral world? I believe he said that centuries ago he was one of the most powerful wizards, but I guess I had always assumed that physically he was the same than and his powers had weakened.
When Lion-O tells the others that Jaga has been imprisoned, Cheetara (I believe) says that they need someone who understands the Astral World. Based on this comment alone, it sounds like they already know that the Astral World is where Jaga’s spirit normally resides. In fact, it always struck me as odd that they knew so much about his whereabouts.
But the fact that Nemex operates a prison in the Astral World strikes me as an odd fact if the Astral World is a straight-up afterlife. Likewise, Brodo being banished there by Mumm-Ra suggests that it’s not just the place that everyone goes after they die. I think Purgatory is a better analogy.
This breaks down, though. First, why would Jaga be in Purgatory? In a little fic I wrote, I suggested that he would be trapped in the Astral World in death only until the Key of Thundera and the four artifacts in “Book of Omens” were used to revitalize New Thundera, paying for his sin of casting the Sword of PlunDarr into the planet’s heart. But that’s nowhere in the canon—I made it up.
Second, in “Shadowmaster” we see Claudis’s spirit form alongside Jaga’s, a la Return of the Jedi. If Claudis is legit dead, then he wouldn’t be in the Astral World. How can he and Jaga be together? Lion-O let Claudis go inside the Mystic Void, which I always equated with Limbo (the dimension where Jaga finds the other ThunderCats in “The Last Day”). Maybe Jaga ventured into the Mystic Void to fetch Claudis? That’s a stretch.
My head hurts.
I concur! Plus, wizards are supposed to have staffs and long white beards, right?
