A Turtle in Time

	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1996 Season; 1996 ; List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes
	Episodes: "The Return of Dregg"; "The Beginning of the End"; "The Power of Three"; "A Turtle in Time"; "Turtles to the Second Power"; "Mobster from Dimension X"; "The Day the Earth Disappeared"; "Divide and Conquer"; 1987 Season – 1988 Season – 1989 Season – 1990 Season – 1991 Season – 1992 Season – 1992-1993 Vacation in Europe sideseason – 1993 Season – 1994 Season – 1995 Season – 1996 Season

“A Turtle in Time”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) episode
	; Title screen
Season Code:	10
Episode:	04
Original airdate	October 5, 1996
Written by	Jeffrey Scott
Producers:
Episode chronology
"The Power of Three"	"Turtles to the Second Power"

"A Turtle in Time" is the fourth episode of the 1987-1996 animated series' tenth season, and the second part of the Shredder and Krang trilogy.

Appearing in A Turtle in Time[]

Major characters[]

Minor characters[]

Species[]

Alien
Disembodied alien brain
Human
Mutant rat
Mutant turtle
Robot

Objects and vehicles[]

Locations[]

Dreggnaught
Nuclear power plant
Turtle Lair

Plot[]

We see a recap of the events with Dregg about to drain the Turtles' mutagenic strength, Shredder's Ninjutsu skills and Krang's mental energy, to make himself more powerful and formidable than ever before. However we now can see that Shredder sawed through the tube attached to him with his arm blades and escaped the operating table. Dregg boasts that he now has all the mental power and physical abilities of his victims, however he realizes Shredder escapes from the lack of his memories and orders his Bat-Men to capture him.

Despite the loss of their strength, the Turtles try to take on Dregg but discover that he now has all their ninjutsu skills. Donatello also confirms that without their life energy, they likely won't survive long. April manages to contact Carter and begs him for help.

Shredder rescues Krang and easily disposes of Dregg's minions, but is stopped by Dregg himself in the teleportation room, saying that because he has Krang's memories he knew exactly what Shredder would do. Shredder manages to evade the superior technology of the Dreggnaught.

Dregg decides that now he's going to enact an evil plan: transporting a piece of the Sun into the middle of the city, and if they don't submit to him, he will turn the entire planet into a second sun. However, Shredder has stolen a chip vital to the teleporter, hampering Dregg's plans.

Carter attempts to rescue the Turtles, who are rapidly fading from the loss of their life energy, but fails to do so. Splinter advises him that he may still be able to mutate when he most needs it. Meanwhile, April manages to outwit the guard and free the Turtles, though their weakness has made it difficult for them to move. Unfortunately, they are trapped in a fusion reactor, which means they'll be killed if the reactor is turned on.

Needing to transfuse life energy from other mutant turtles, Carter contacts Landor and Merrik, whom he asks to bring the Ninja Turtles of the past into the present. They agree, but if they aren't returned to their proper time periods within twenty-four hours, both sets will vanish. Landor and Merrik go back in time a few years (to the events of "Turtle Trek") and rescue the Turtles from Shredder and Krang, and bring the Past Turtles to the present.

Dregg begins teleporting steel from bridges, trains and other objects, intending to turn them into an invading army to keep the citizens busy until he can recapture Shredder and Krang and get the necessary chip back. Meanwhile, Shredder has transfused some of his life energy into Krang.

Carter and the Past Turtles manage to teleport themselves onto the Dreggnaught, but are immediately attacked by Dregg and his Bat-Men. Carter manages to mutate again while fighting Dregg, and April blasts open the wall of the fusion room. The Past Turtles rescue the Present Turtles, and they all manage to escape... only to be confronted by a giant robotic monster.

Notes and errors[]

At the end of the previous episode, "The Power Of Three", the Turtles are tied up in the following order from left to right: Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo and Michelangelo. However, at the start of this episode, Michelangelo is next to Leonardo.
Raphael and Donatello have swapped positions when the Turtles break free.
After the Turtles are drained of their life sources, Dregg knocks both of Raphael's sai out of his hands and onto the floor before putting the Turtles into laser cages. The sai then vanish completely.
After Landor and Merrick try to help the Turtles in the past and Shredder blasts the floor out from under them, causing them to fall, Donatello and Raphael's colors swap for a couple of frames.
When Carter mutates, his right boot changes twice from black to gray for a couple of frames.

Trivia[]

At the end of "The Power of Three", Dregg drains everybody's power, but at the beginning of this episode, Shredder escapes Dregg's trap, not being drained at all.
Past Raphael mentions the classic TV series The Twilight Zone.
Final appearance of the Foot Soldiers.

Home media releases[]

DVD[]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete Final Season
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete Classic Series Collection