ThunderCats follows the adventures of the eponymous team of heroes, cat-like humanoid aliens from the planet of Thudera. The series pilot pays homage to the origin of Superman, as the dying Thundera meets its end, forcing the ThunderCats (a sort of Thunderean nobility) to flee their homeworld. The fleet is attacked by the Thundereans's enemies, the Mutants of Plun-Darr, who destroy all the starships in the "ThunderFleet," except for the flagship containing the young Lord of the Thundercats, Lion-O, his protectors, and the mystical Eye of Thundera, the source of the ThunderCats's power, embedded in the hilt of the legendary Sword of Omens. Though the Mutants damage the flagship, the power of the Eye drives them back, and Lion-O's elderly guardian, Jaga, pilots the ship to the safety of the world of "Third Earth." Unfortunately, he dies in the process; there were insufficient cryo-stasis pods aboard the ship, and the journey to Third Earth takes several decades even with advanced interstellar spacecraft.
