The Premature Ghost
Phenomenon: In the episode Spitting Image, Mumm-Ra summons the ghost of the Berserker pirate Hammerhand to inhabit the body of the Panthro clone, yet later in the series, Hammerhand shows up alive and kicking.
Explanation: This mystery is the product of some poor wording. Just before "Spitting Image" was shot, Hammerhand was in a scrap at the pirate hangout 'Jolly Good Rogering' and took a pounding in a fight over a fat, comforting prostitute. Barely clinging to life, the pirate captain was in a coma: his body was bound to earth, while his spirit wandered free. Mumm-Ra, always up on his Third Earth Villan gossip, heard about the situation and called up Hammerhand's astral form to inhabit the clone. Given all the talk of astral worlds and planes in the show, you think they could've used the proper term.

Not So Fast
Phenomenon: Cheetara is out with another ThunderCat. She sees something in the distance. Breaking into her incredible speed, she becomes a golden streak across the screen, finally coming to a halt in a totally different setting, vast stretches of space between her and her former location. Two seconds later, the other ThunderCat strolls into the shot at a walk.
Explanation: Just like getting caught in turbulence created by a jumbo jet can be dangerous, the wind kicked up by Cheetara dropping into her full speed forms a wind tunnel that can suck an unwary person along behind her. When she drops out of high gear, the person she was dragging along drops out of the wind pocket, allowing them to be able to keep up with her without any visible means.

The Air Up There
Phenomenon: In an adventure out in deep space, Lion-O is taken hostage by the bad guys, trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey and tossed out of an airlock. Against all expectation, he's perfectly fine. Why didn't Lion-O pop like a balloon full of ketchup?
Explanation: The amount of oxygen in the multiverse is finite. In our universe, space is a total vacuum; however, since it is a total vacuum in our universe, then in another universe, it must have air. This phenomena is witnessed to a lesser degree with English consonants. If a Bostonian 'pahks his cah', this causes a Texan to 'warsh his car' and dig 'erl' wells. Such is the fist law of conservation in the multiverse.

Time Flies
Phenomenon: Time in the ThunderCat universe seems to be a very flexible concept. Grune the Destroyer fought alongside Jaga on Thundera, but according to the Balkans, he'd been sealed in a tomb on Third Earth for 'hundreds of years'. Mumm-Ra announced early in the series that he is 1000 years old. So, say he's from one of the very latest dynasties of Ancient Egypt, that means that the show took place around the year 100 A.D. In addition, Mumm-Ra also fought Whizz-Ra and got him sealed up for 7000 years, but since Whizz-Ra came back to Third Earth in the first season, that would mean Mumm-Ra fought with Whizz-Ra 6000 years before he was ever born. Head hurt yet?
Explanation: The explanation for Grune's little time-slip is actually quite simple: Primitive peoples such as those inhabiting Third Earth sometimes count one season as a whole year. Since Third Earth doesn't appear to have regular seasons such as summer, winter, fall, and spring, I can only deduce that they are talking about growing seasons. There can be as many as five or six growing seasons in a single calendar year. Therefore, when it's said that Grune was sealed away hundreds of seasons ago, he was only on Third Earth for maybe a couple of decades. As for Mumm-Ra, I did my best to get some simple information out of that stubborn mummy, but he refused to answer my calls and finally threatened to visit me with ten plagues if I didn't leave him alone. Some people.

Mind Over Matter
Phenomenon: When Grune first appeared, he forged a Thundranium club to use against the ThunderCats. Thundranium drains Thunderans of thier energy and makes them as weak as kittens. Why isn't Grune effected by the power of his own club?
Explanation: Put quite simply, because Grune's dead. Grune is no longer Thunderan, he's now a being of energy held together by memory, will, and electromagnetic forces. He's a ghost; whatever biological processes cause the severe reaction to Thundranium are no longer a problem for this dead cat.

Same Question
Phenomenon: Okay, so if Grune wasn't effected by his Thundranium club because he's a ghost, then why was Jaga, who's also a ghost, effected by it?
Explanation: Because Jaga's an idiot. When you're a ectoplasmic being held together by thought, that thought writes the rules for your exsistence. If you think that a glowing rock can sap you of your physical strength, it will sap you of your physical strength, even when there's nothing physical about you.

The Birds and the Bees
Phenomenon: If the Warrior Maidens are the only humans on Third Earth, where do little Warrior Maidens come from?
Explanation: Much research went into answering this question. I had to befriend the Warrior Maidens, win their trust, and finally ask this ever-so-delicate question. Upon being trusted with the Warrior Maidens' deepest, darkest secret, I rewarded their trust by laughing so hard I wet my pants and then blabbing the news across the Internet. They live in trees; it's not like they have Internet access anyway. *Hem* Anyway, on Third Earth, human evolution has taken a turn that is terribly, terribly, funny -- I mean, tragic. Well, *mmm* do you ever notice that *heehee* just as there are only Warrior Maidens, there are also *snicker* only *hahaha* Brute Men? *Mmm! Wahahahaha!!!* That's right!! Brute Men are male humans!!! Oh the hilarity!! Ironic turn of evolution or poetic justice?! You decide!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh, I have to go to the bathroom. . .

Light Up the Night?
Phenomenon: If the Thunderscope can see things made on Thundera/originating from, why didn't the Thundertank glow like a Christmas light? It was made out of equipment "salvaged" from the flag ship the Thunderians came in, so it should have glowed.
Explanation: Excellent question!!! I laid this query before Panthro in his inner sanctum; i.e. the Lair's garage. After asking me what supernatural entity was responsible for my appearance on this lowly planet (Okay, so he said:"Who the hell let you in here?", I prefer my interpretation), he explained it to me as he *hem* 'escorted' me to the door. It seems the Thundertank had taken more than it's fair share of battle damage on Third Earth. Apparently, everything but the engine and inner working (hydraulics and . . . stuff) had been repaired and replaced by the Berbils. The only way the Thundertank would glow under the Thunderscope is if someone took the chassis off first. And boy, THAT suggestion didn't go over well. Men can be so fussy about thier silly vehicles.

I Only Have Eyes For You
Phenomenon: How come normally only Lion-O can see Jaga, but in Ghost Warrior, everyone could see the fight?
Explananation: As anyone who reads a number of accounts of spectral activity will observe, ghosts have the ability to make themselves seen in a whole variety of ways. Sometimes they appear to only one person, sometimes they appear to a whole group, sometimes only to children and animals, etc. Jaga usually only reveals himself to Lion-O, but during Ghost Warrior Grune took the initiative to appear to everyone, so Jaga followed suit. Plus the fight would have looked really funny if you could only see one side of it.

Duty Calls
Phenomenon: Why is Mandora shown at the end of the annoitment trials, when they hadn't met her yet?
Explanation: Public celebrity events often employ local law enforcement for the purposes of crowd control and the like. Plus, there was an open bar at Lion-O's annointment.

An Evil Circus Train?
Phenomenon: Explain why the Lunatatcks started out as vicious and cunning and smart, and Circus Train turned them into dumb-ass, weak, spineless things. I mean in Cracker's Revenge, Alluro was simpering like a baby coward!
Explanation: A baby coward, huh? That's pretty bad. You know, now that you mention it, the same thing happened to the Mutants, only faster, and even to Mumm-Ra to a lesser degree. Maybe there's some sort of reverse Superman effect happening on Third Earth. Maybe Third Earth's yellow sun turns everyone into morons and leeches villains of thier evil. That would explain a lot.

I'm Melting!
Phenomenon: If rock salt melts Chilla, why in the hell didn't she melt when Mumm-Ra poured molten lava over them to trap them?
Explanation: It was molten lava, for crying out loud; they all should have gone up like overheated Pop Tarts! Given that this was Mumm-Ra's work again, I'm making an educated guess and saying it was *magical* lava. I did call the devil priest and leave a message about this particular question and I woke up with a severed Bulkan head in my bed the next morning. Real original, Mummsie. Oh well, at least it gave me an opportunity to use that roast sheep's head recipe Mrs. Habashi gave me.

Nothing Like A Dame
Phenomenon: Why do female Snarfs look like demented elves?
Explanation: Have you seen what the males look like? Gah; what did you expect?

Made or Just Happened?
Phenomenon: Who built the Berbils? Are they robots or cyborgs?
Explanation: Well, given the fact that they need to eat, I'd say they were cyborgs. As for the building part, when a Mommy Berbil and a Daddy Berbil love each other very much, they go into the machine shop and do some "special maintinence" on each other. If their love is very strong and all the parts have come in on time, then a new Berbil is born . . . er, assembled.

One Sharp Guy
Phenomenon: How in the hell can Panthro lean back in that chair in the control room without puncturing it?
Explanation: Excellent question! I found out the answer to this one while I was on a fact-finding mission for the glowing ThunderTank mystery. While Panthro was trying to hand me over to a Control officer, I happened to come in contact with a few of his spikes. You know those toy knives where the handle retracts into the blade by means of a spring? I'm assuming it's the same sort of mechanism that allows Panthro's spikes to be collapsable. I say 'assuming', because when I saw them collapsing in on themselves I started laughing and told him not to worry; it happened to a lot of guys. I had to be taken into custody for my own protection. It took five Control officers to hold him down. Then he filed a restraining order against me. What a grump; where's your sense of humour, Q-ball?

One Hit Wonders
Phenomenon: Why Do Bad Guys Like The Driller Safari Joe The Demolisher Tashi And The Ninja From The Thundercutter Do Not Make Appearances In The 2 3 And 4 Season?
Explanation: Well, there's a couple of different answers to that question. Safari Joe came back for a second appearance, but refused to come back for any more, saying he was pandering to an ugly Austrailian stereotype. He owns and operates a rehabilitation center for abused cartoon animals now. Sadly, the Crocodile Hunter, by far more cartoonish than Safari Joe ever was, rose to fame, undoing all of Joe's efforts.
The Driller made several appearances, but the writers ran out of ideas on how to use a character whose lower half was a drill. He hung around, trying to get work until the end of the show. He was last seen in Amsterdam, begging for diamonds on street corners.
The Demolisher was branded 'too stupid to use again' and both he and Dirge went to work for Safari Joe, who is always ready to hire animals with opposable thumbs.
The Ninja got a steady job playing a footsoldier on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Tashi's situation was a bit stickier. Mumm-Ra actually got her the job; she was one of his ex-wives. They both claimed the break-up was mutual and they remained friends. They worked well enough for the one episode, but after filming Mumm-Ra discovered a box of his missing funerary equipment that Tashi was selling to the British Museum in Tashi's car. Then things got nasty. Mumm-Ra threw the box at her, but Tashi deflected it with a magical blast and opened a portal to the Nether World, summoning demons to protect her. It was horrible; demonic creatures in the dressing rooms, ancient Egyptian ushapti flying all over the place and the entire set smelled like brimstone for a week. After that it was determined Tashi wouldn't be asked back for another episode.

On The Road Again
Phenomenon: How Did Captain Schiner Get Back To Third Earth As A Bad Guy When Liono Said In Sword In A Whole He Was A Brave One Or Something Doing Back On Third Third Earth In Thundercats HO! Parts 2-5? If His Ship Was Wrecked
Explanation: . . . Okay, from now on I'm taking points off for bad grammar and spelling. I'm going to assume this is actually two questions: Why was Captain Shriner a bad guy when Lion-O admired him in 'Sword in a HOLE'? and How did he get back to Third Earth after his ship was destroyed?
First of all, just because you admire someone doesn't automatically make them a good guy. Ever heard the toast: 'Here's to honorable enemies and dishonorable friends'? So what if Cpt. Shriner was brave, he was still a bold-blooded mercenary.
As to how he got back to Third Earth . . there are other ships in the universe, you know. You can build them over from scratch and everything.

Function vs. Fashion
Phenomenon: How does Panthro sleep at night in his "Exodus" outfit? Y'know the one with that clunky thick belt. Doesn't it hurt his back?
Explanation: This is the second question I've gotten concerning Panthro's wardrobe. Is it just me or do my readers have a Panthro fixation? Anyway, after the 'spike' incident, Panthro seems to have taken a disliking to me. Luckily, I tailed him to the Thunderian Bar and just watched him for a little while. That cat drinks Oil Slicks like they're fucking Kool-Aid! After three, all I had to do was put my hair back into a ponytail and he didn't even recognize me. That solves the problem of the belt, too. After a night out drinking, Panthro could sleep wearing a full suit of armor!

It's All In His Head
Phenomenon: How does Tygra's bolo whip work? Is it a mechanical/holographic illusion coming from the whip alone that cloaks his material form, or does it work in tandem with his seldom used psychic abilities with mechanical assistance from the whip?
Explanation: Uh . . . sure, that sounds right. Actually, if you watch early episodes like Exodus and Pumm-Ra, Tygra doesn't even need his whip to turn invisible. It's like the swimming thing; the whip is just a crutch for the tiger's wobbly self-confidence. With this information, I'd say all of the invisibilty comes from Tygra's psychic abilities, he just channels them through the whip.

SuhwIING, Batta Batta!
Phenomenon: Are Snarfs nekkid and just wear accessories like Snarfer's sporty belt..... or is that a Thunderball catcher's chest guard they're all wearing?
Explanation: All right, Ms. Smarty Britches, I'll do the comedy around here. ;) Yep, Snarfs are all nekkid as jaybirds and they just wear accessories. In fact more of them should wear them. In Mandora, Evilchaser, Snarf reveals that his purse has been stolen. First off, why is Snarf even carrying a purse and two, where was he keeping it? Ughn *shudder*. Get that boy a fanny pack or something. And while we're handing out articles of clothing, someone needs to give Eggbert a bro.

They Grow Up So Fast
Phenomenon: If Lion-O aged when they were in the time capsules, why in the heck didn't the thunderkittens age?
Explanation: Well, according to the engineers at Cryo-2-Go "We'll put you on ice!", the suspension capsules work by tiny, time-released amounts of the miracle 'youth gas' that once turned Lion-O into a baby. They wouldn't tell me what's in it; they said they would have to kill me afterwards. Anyhoo, the head engineer said that growth like Lion-O's would occur when there was a fault in either the gas line or a leak in the tank. He also said such growth was usually accompanied with mental retardation and impotence. Hope Panthro kept the warantee. Viagra, anyone?