Every 100 years, Third Earth experiences a full eclipse during which Mumm-Ra can cast any spell, which will last until the next eclipse. Mumm-Ra casts the Day of Decay spell on the Thundercats, which makes all things surrounding the Thundercats begin to corrode: Cheetara discovers malfunctions with the drawbridge; Panthro discovers that ThunderTank's weapons system has failed, and the Lair begins to fall apart -- stone by stone. After seeking temporary refuge in a tunnel with the broken ThunderTank, Panthro and Lion-O flee from the attacking Mutants. At Cats' Lair, the cat's head stops scanning and the Luna-Taks seize this opportunity to stage an attack. Tygra and Cheetara are blasted out of the cat's head and fall safely to the ground below. The Sword alerts and Lion-O to the Lair's siege and, using Sight Beyond Sight, he learns that the mechanical failures the Thundercats are experiencing and the Lair's decay are due to Mumm-Ra spell. Arriving at Mumm-Ra's pyramid, Lion-O again relies on the Sword's Sight Beyond Sight to read the ancient hieroglyphics in Mumm-Ra's tomb. Lion-O uses the Sword to create a synthetic eclipse to reverse Mumm-Ra spell by blocking out the sun's powers. Lion-O succeeds and all is returned to normal.

Mumm-Ra takes advantage of a power available to him once every 100 years during a total eclipse. He chooses to cast a day of decay on the Thundercats on which stone and steel would disintegrate and corrode. True to his words, the Thundercats find their Lair, vehicles, and weapons all subject to dysfunction and destruction. Left vulnerable by these malfunctions, the Thundercats are set upon by the Mutants in the Luna-Taks. Lion-O deduces Mumm-Ra's involvement and travels to his pyramid where he learns the truth about the eclipse and the spell. With the power of the Sword of Omens, Lion-O prolongs the eclipse and vanquishes the spell so that all is returned to normal.

This eclipse serves as a reminder to us of several important facts about the technology that is a part of our world. Our lives are enhanced and made easier by the technological advances, whether it be items we use in our home like televisions, video recorders, or household appliances, or in school and work, like typewriters, telecommunications equipment, computers, or in our cities and nation, like water treatment plants, nuclear electric power, weather satellites, and medical diagnostic and treatment devices. But the technology is only a means to an end, and the uses to which it is put or in our control. As individuals, and as a nation, we must take care that the ends we select for the application of technology are noble and humanistic. Secondly, we can sometimes take for granted the workings of all the technology and be careless in its maintenance and upkeep. This applies to all levels of technology, from our toys and bicycles, to computers and video equipment, to home appliances and automobiles, to the advanced technology used in our industries. Like Lion-O and the Thundercats, we can guard against accidents and failures by following a schedule of maintenance and care in taking care to assure a safe use of technology available to us.

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Disc 4

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