The Earth appears, and then a city by a lake, where many planes fly around an airport.

A song plays and it says ONCE UPON A FUTURE TIME
IN A PLACE CALLED
STARDUST BAY
COUNTIN' DOWN TO
ADVENTURE NOW
ROCKETS ON A MISSION
WE'RE ON OUR WAY!

Three happy space racers take off and fly into space.

The song continues SPACE RACERS
SURFIN' THE SOLAR WIND
SPACE RACERS
TOGETHER THE FUN
BEGINS

The space racers explore the Solar System.

The song continues WAY UP WHERE THE
PLANETS, MOONS
AND STARS ALL SHIMMER
AND SHINE, SHINE
HAVING A GREAT TIME
EXPLORING
SPACE RACERS

The title of the show appears in space: Space Racers.

Starling shows up and says HEY, WAIT FOR ME!

Today’s episode is "Different."


(music plays)


(music plays)
[CHATTER]

At the academy, Eagle says SO, I TOLD CROW TO KEEP
AN OPEN MIND,
BUT NOT SO OPEN
THAT HIS PARTS FALL OUT!
[LAUGHTER]
[WHISPERING]

Eagle says HEY,
WHO'S THE NEW KID?

Hawk says YEAH, AND WHAT'S UP
WITH THAT WING?
IT'S NOT THE SAME
AS HIS OTHER ONE.

Robyn says MAYBE HE BROKE IT.

Eagle says WHY DON'T YOU ASK HIM?

Hawk says NO WAY!

A young cadet says I THINK HE CAN ONLY
USE ONE WING.

Raven says YEAH. CAN'T BE THAT FAST
A ROCKET, EITHER.

Starling says OOH, I JUST LOVE
STICKERS!
AND ESPECIALLY YOUR
"MY LUNAR PONY" STICKER.

The new cadet says THANKS.
ME TOO.

Starling says HI, I'M STARLING.
WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

The new cadet says MERLIN.
IT'S OKAY FOR YOU
TO STARE.
FIVE SECONDS
IS ABOUT RIGHT.
ANYTHING MORE THAN THAT,
NOT SO MUCH.

Starling says DOES IT HURT?
NOT AT ALL.
WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?

Merlin says I WAS BORN THIS WAY.
BUT, HEY, I REALLY
APPRECIATE YOU ASKING.
MOST ROCKETS ARE USUALLY
AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT IT.

Starling says I'M NOT AFRAID
OF ANYTHING.
EXCEPT LOSING
MR. ROCKET BABY.

She shows him a toy.

Merlin says HE'S REAL CUTE.

Starling says BUT HIS LEFT WING IS STARTING
TO LOOK LIKE YOURS.
I THINK IT'S 'CAUSE
I'M ALWAYS HUGGING HIM
SO TIGHT.
HEY, DO YOU WANT ME
TO SHOW YOU
AROUND THE SCHOOL?

Merlin says THAT WOULD
BE COOL, STARLING.

Starling says WHAT'S THAT ONE SAY?

Merlin says "DISABLED" MEANS
"DIFFERENTLY ABLED."

Starling says THERE'S THE OBSERVATORY,
AND THERE'S
THE SPACENASIUM,
AND OVER THERE,
THAT'S MISSION CONTROL!
SO, WHY WERE YOU
MADE DIFFERENT?

Merlin says JUST LUCKY, I GUESS.

Starling says CAN I CATCH
THE SAME THING YOU HAVE?
YOU KNOW,
LIKE A COLD?

Merlin says I DON'T THINK SO,
BUT I CAN COUGH ON YOU
AND WE CAN FIND OUT.

Starling says NO, THAT'S OKAY!
OH, YOU'RE KIDDING,
RIGHT? [CHUCKLES]
WHEN I GROW UP,
I WANT TO BE
JUST LIKE EAGLE.
HE'S THE FASTEST,
COOLEST ROCKET.
HE'S MY HERO.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE
WHEN YOU GROW UP?

Merlin says I WANT
TO BE A PHYSICIST,
LIKE DR. SPARROWHAWKING.
HE'S MY HERO.

Starling says YOU HAVE
A HERO TOO?
THAT'S ANOTHER WAY
WE'RE KIND OF THE SAME.
THERE'S THE STICKERS,
AND "MY LUNAR PONY,"
AND WE BOTH
HAVE HEROES.
HEY, GUYS!
THIS IS MERLIN.

Eagle says NICE TO MEET YOU.
I'M EAGLE.

Merlin says I'VE HEARD
A BIT ABOUT YOU.

Eagle says REALLY?
ALL GOOD I HOPE!
SHE'S A FAN.

Robyn says HI! ROBYN.
WELCOME TO STARDUST BAY.

Starling says AND THIS IS HAWK
AND RAVEN.

Hawk says OH, HEY!

He tries to high-five Merlin.

Merlin says HEY.
[OFF-KEY TONE]

Starling says UM, WE'VE GOT TO
GO NOW.

Robyn says HAWK, SERIOUSLY?

Hawk says WHAT? I WAS JUST
BEING FRIENDLY.

Raven says WELL, THAT WAS
"HAWK-WARD."

Starling and Merlin go in Coot’s workshop.

Coot says NOW, WHO'S THIS
YOUNG ROCKET?

Starling says MERLIN.
HE'S NEW.
AND, YOU DON'T EVEN NEED
TO TRY TO FIX HIS WING.
HE LIKES IT THIS WAY.

Coot says OH, REALLY?

Merlin says YEAH.
I DON'T MIND.
IT'S MADE ME THE ROCKET
THAT I AM.

Coot says THAT'S JUST THE WAY
IT SHOULD BE.

Merlin says AND I GET TO DO THINGS
MY OWN WAY.
LOTS OF TIMES,
I JUST "WING IT."

Starling laughs.

Coot says QUITE REMARKABLE,
YOUNG CADET.
QUITE REMARKABLE INDEED.
"WING IT"!
[LAUGHING]
HE'S A CLEVER ONE.

Coach Pigeon says OKAY, EVERYONE, LISTEN UP!
SO, TOMORROW
IS THE BIG RACE
TO THE TWO MOONS
OF MARS,
PHOBOS AND DEIMOS.
YOU CADETS ARE GOING TO
BE DIVIDED INTO TEAMS OF TWO,
AND EACH OF YOU HAS TO CAPTURE
A FLAG ON EITHER MOON.
THE FIRST PAIR OF CADETS
TO RETURN TO EARTH
WITH BOTH FLAGS
WINS THE RACE.
[EXCITED SHOUTING]

Eagle says WHY WAIT 'TIL TOMORROW,
COACH?
I'M READY TO ZA-ZA-ZOOM
RIGHT NOW!

Coach Pigeon says YOU GOT TO LAUNCH
AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME.
MARS AND EARTH
ORBIT THE SUN
AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS
AND DISTANCES.
SOMETIMES THEY'RE REALLY
FAR APART,
AND SOMETIMES
THEY'RE MUCH CLOSER TOGETHER.
AVA.

Ava says ABOUT ONCE EVERY TWO YEARS,
THERE'S A PERFECT
LAUNCH WINDOW.

Hawk says LAUNCHES HAVE WINDOWS?

Ava says MEANING, THE VERY BEST TIME
TO LAUNCH.
IT IS WHEN MARS AND EARTH
ARE CLOSEST TOGETHER
AND IN PERFECT POSITION
FOR YOU TO GO BACK AND FORTH
USING THE LEAST AMOUNT
OF ROCKET FUEL.
I HAVE CALCULATED
THE COORDINATES,
AND THE OPTIMAL DAY
TO LAUNCH IS TOMORROW.

Coach Pigeon says SO, LET'S PARTNER UP,
SHALL WE?
YOU AND YOU TOGETHER,

He points at Robyn and Eagle.

Coach Pigeon says YOU AND YOU—

He points at Raven and the young cadet.

Coach Pigeon says EH, JUST A MINUTE,
STARLING.
YOU'RE TOO YOUNG
FOR THIS ONE.
YOU'LL BE AT
THE FINISH LINE WITH ME.

Starling says BUT, COACH!

Coach Pigeon says WAIT, WAIT,
WAIT, WAIT, WAIT.
OUR NEW CADET DOESN'T HAVE
A PARTNER.
OKAY,
LET'S SORT THIS OUT.
HAWK, YOU'RE NOW
WITH ROBYN,
EAGLE,
YOU'RE WITH MERLIN.
LET'S LINE UP!

Eagle says JUST GREAT.
I'M GONNA BE SLOWED DOWN
BY THIS NEW KID.

The young cadet saysNOW MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE
WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN.

Raven says THIS TIME, I'M GONNA
CRUSH YOU FOR SURE.
OH, YEAH.
OH, YEAH!

Eagle says OH, MAN.

Later, Eagle meets Crane outside.

Eagle says YOU WANTED TO SEE ME,
HEADMASTER?

Crane says YES.
WHY SO SAD,
YOUNG CADET?

Eagle says I'M STUCK WITH
THIS NEW KID, MERLIN,
FOR THE BIG RACE
TO MARS.

Crane says AND WHY IS THAT?
HE SEEMS LIKE
A FINE YOUNG ROCKET.

Eagle says YEAH, HE SEEMS
NICE ENOUGH.
BUT I'VE GOT
A NEED FOR SPEED!
AND NOW I'VE GOT TO GO SLOW
'CAUSE OF MERLIN.
I KNOW IT'S NOT RIGHT
TO BE UPSET,
BUT STILL...
I WANT TO WIN.

Crane says AS A WISE ROCKET
ONCE SAID,
"THERE ARE VICTORIES
OF THE SOUL
AND THE SPIRIT."

Eagle says HUH?

Crane says IT MEANS SOMETIMES,
EVEN WHEN YOU LOSE,
YOU WIN.

Eagle says SO, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Crane says AHH.
IF I WERE YOU,
I WOULD SPEND SOME TIME
WITH OUR NEWEST CADET.
MAKE HIM FEEL WELCOME.

Eagle says YEAH, I GUESS SO.
ALL RIGHT.

Crane says AND REMEMBER, EAGLE...
AND THAT IS HERE
AND HERE.

He points at his head and his heart.

At the workshop, Coot says YOU MAY PUT
YOUR TOOLS AWAY NOW.

Merlin drops a hammer.

Hawk says HEY, MERLIN, LET ME
LEND YOU A WING WITH THAT.
[LAUGHING]
[OFF-KEY TONE]

Hawk says OH!
I DID IT AGAIN.

Merlin says IT'S FINE, REALLY.
I'M JUST NORMAL
LIKE YOU.
AND, I COULD
USE THE HELP.

Hawk says COOL!
NOW, I'M OUT OF HERE.
THERE'S A CASE
OF CRANBERRY ROCKET FUEL
WITH MY NAME ON IT.
GOT TO GLIDE!

Eagle says SO, YOU READY
FOR TOMORROW?

Merlin says I THINK SO.
LOOK, I KNOW
IT DOESN'T SEEM FAIR
TO YOU 'CAUSE OF MY WING,
BUT I PROMISE TO TRY
MY BEST.
I REALLY WILL.

Eagle says I'M SURE YOU'LL BE,
YOU KNOW, FINE.

Merlin says I AM A LITTLE NERVOUS
ABOUT PICKING UP
THE FLAG, THOUGH.

Eagle says HMM.
COME WITH ME.

They start flying.

[GRUNTING]

Merlin chokes on the flag.

[GROANING]

Eagle says OH!
NOT SO GOOD.
[GROANING]

Eagle says NOT SO GREAT, EITHER,
BUT BETTER.
THERE YOU GO, AMIGO,
THAT'LL WORK!

Merlin says THANKS FOR THE PRACTICE,
EAGLE.

Eagle says NOW,
JUST WATCH OUT
FOR METEORS AND COMETS
ALONG THE WAY.

Merlin says HEY, WHAT DO PLANETS
LIKE TO READ?

Eagle says I DON'T KNOW.
WHAT?

Merlin says "COMET" BOOKS!
[BOTH LAUGHING]
GET IT?

Eagle says OH, OH, BOY.
OKAY,
I THINK WE'RE READY.

Back in the academy, Robyn says SO, HOW DID IT GO TODAY
WITH MERLIN?

Eagle says HE'S GONNA DO
HIS BEST.

Hawk says ARE YOU OKAY
WITH THAT?
YOU USUALLY LIKE
TO WIN EVERY RACE.

Robyn says COMING IN FIRST
ISN'T EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW.
SOMETIMES WINNING IS JUST
ABOUT SHOWING UP
AND NOT GIVING UP.

Hawk says LIKE ME!
I ALWAYS SHOW UP.
AND THEN, I JUST RUN OUT
OF ROCKET FUEL.
OR TIME.
BUT I NEVER GIVE UP,
SO I'M STILL A WINNER.
RIGHT, ROBYN?

Robyn says YOU SURE ARE, HAWK.
YOU SURE ARE.

Eagle says YEAH, STILL,
IT'S FRUSTRATING.
I HAVE A REPUTATION
TO KEEP UP.
EVEN THOUGH
I HAVE TO ADMIT,
I KIND OF LIKE
THE LITTLE GUY.

At the race, Coach Pigeon says IS EVERYBODY HERE?
[ALL SHOUTING]

Eagle says GOOD LUCK.

Raven says THEY'RE GONNA NEED IT.

Robyn says ARE YOU READY, HAWK?

Hawk says I'M FASTER
THAN A BAKED POTATO!
MORE POWERFUL THAN
A ROCKET'S MOTIVE,
ABLE TO LEAP
TALL SPACE STATIONS
IN A SINGLE BOUND.
LOOK UP IN THE SKY!
IT'S A COMET.
IT'S A PLANET!
NO, IT'S SUPER HAWK!

Robyn says OKAY, SUPER HAWK,
CALM DOWN.
I JUST WANTED TO KNOW
IF YOU WERE READY.

Hawk says OH, UH...
YOU BETCHA, ROBYN!

Ava says LAUNCH SEQUENCE
INITIATED
IN FIVE, FOUR,
THREE, TWO, ONE.
PRIMARY IGNITION.

Eagle says BOOSTER ROCKETS!

Robyn says ENGAGE!

Hawk says ENGAGE!

Eagle says WINGS!

Raven says BACK!

The young cadet says BACK!

Eagle says SPACE VISORS!

Merlin says DOWN!

All the cadets say BLAST OFF!

(music plays)

In outer space, Merlin grunts.

Eagle says OH, BROTHER.

Merlin says I'LL TRY NOT
TO EMBARRASS YOU, EAGLE.
I PROMISE.

Eagle says IT'S A LITTLE
TOO LATE FOR THAT.

He suddenly swirls and speeds up.

Eagle says SAY WHAT?!
[PANTING]

Eagle tries to keep up and says HOLY MOON DUST!
THAT WAS AWESOME!

Merlin laughs and says THERE'S "ABILITY."
IN THE WORD "DISABILITY,"
YOU KNOW.

Eagle says YEAH,
YOU'RE NOT KIDDING!
BUT HOW DID YOU
DO THAT?

Merlin says PRACTICE.

Eagle says NO, REALLY.

Merlin says I'M NOT KIDDING.
MY WING
IS IMPAIRED,
SO I LEARNED
TO COMPENSATE,
TO ADAPT
AND MAKE CHANGES
SO I COULD DO THINGS.
AND WITH HARD WORK,
I LEARNED TO GO
REALLY FAST
ONCE I'M OFF
THE GROUND.

Eagle says WELL, I'M BLOWN AWAY.

Merlin says SO, I DIDN'T
EMBARRASS YOU?
ONLY BY HOW MUCH FASTER
YOU WERE GOING THAN ME.

Merlin says FLAG TIME.
WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT?
PHOBOS IS BIGGER,
BUT IT'S SO MUCH
CLOSER TO MARS.
AND IT MOVES SO MUCH FASTER
THAT IT'S HARDER TO LAND ON.

Eagle says YOUR CHOICE THEN,
PARTNER.

Merlin says PHOBOS! I JUST LOVE
A CHALLENGE.

Eagle grabs and drops the flag and says WHA-- OH, NO!

He flips and catches the falling flag.

He says GOTCHA THIS TIME.

Merlin grabs another flag and says WHOO-HOO!
YOU NEED ME TO SLOW DOWN
A LITTLE BIT?
[PANTING, GRUNTING]
[LAUGHING]

Eagle says NO WAY! COME ON!

Back in the academy, Coach Pigeon says WAY TO GO, KID!

Eagle says YOU WERE AWESOME,
DUDE!
I'M SORRY I EVER
DOUBTED YOU.

Hawk says MERLIN!
YOU HAVE SOME MAD SKILLS
HAPPENING, PAL.

Raven says HE BOWLED US OVER...
LITERALLY!

Robyn says THAT WAS AMAZING,
MERLIN!

Merlin says THANKS, ROBYN.
IT'S ALWAYS A LITTLE
ROUGH FOR ME AT LIFT-OFF,
BUT I TRY NOT TO LET
THE THINGS I CAN'T DO
GET IN THE WAY
OF WHAT I CAN DO.

Doctor Sparrowhawkin comes along in a wheel chair and says EXCUSE ME.
EXCUSE ME, PLEASE.
COMING THROUGH.

Merlin says DR. SPARROWHAWKING?
IS IT REALLY YOU?

In a robotic voice, Doctor Sparrowhawkin says IT CERTAINLY IS,
YOUNG CADET.
I'VE HEARD ABOUT YOU,
WITH YOUR SPECIAL WING
AND GREAT BIG HEART.
I WANTED TO SEE YOU RACE
WITH MY OWN TWO EYES.

Merlin says YOU MEAN, YOU CAME
ALL THIS WAY
JUST TO SEE ME?

Doctor Sparrowhawkin says YES.
I UNDERSTAND WHAT
IT'S LIKE
TO OVERCOME
A DISABILITY.
AND THEN TO GO ON
TO GREAT THINGS
IN LIFE.
YOU, TOO,
WILL BE EXCEPTIONAL.

Merlin says THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I CAN'T BELIEVE
YOU'RE HERE.
I'M SO THRILLED
TO MEET YOU!

Starling says YOU KNOW,
YOU'RE HIS HERO!

Doctor Sparrowhawkin says WELL,
THAT'S WONDERFUL...
BECAUSE YOU'RE
MY HERO, TOO.

Crane says EAGLE AND MERLIN,
YOU SHOWED US
GREAT SPEED,
STRENGTH, AND TEAMWORK.
WELL DONE.

Coach Pigeon put medals around their necks.

Crane says AND FOR ALL OF YOU
OTHER CADETS,
AS A WISE ROCKET ONCE SAID,
"EACH ONE OF US
IS ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE
AND DIFFERENT... JUST LIKE
EVERYONE ELSE."

Merlin says EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO
"WING IT" EVERY NOW
AND THEN.

Everybody laughs.

(music plays)

The end credits roll.