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This article is about the episode "Beyond the Donatello Nebula". For the VHS, go to Beyond the Donatello Nebula (home video).
Beyond the Donatello Nebula
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 Cartoon) episode
Beyond the Donatello Nebula Title Card
Season Code: 04
Episode: 36
Original airdate December 1, 1990
Written by Dennis O'Flaherty
Supervising Producer Fred Wolf
Producers: Walt Kubiak
Supervising Director  Bill Wolf
Episode chronology
← Previous Next →
"Raphael Drives 'Em Wild" "Big Bug Blunder"
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1990 Season
September 10, 1990 - December 8, 1990
List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes
Tmnt1987logosmall

Episodes:

  • Syndication
  1. "Plan Six From Outer Space"
  2. "Turtles of the Jungle"
  3. "Michelangelo Toys Around"
  4. "Peking Turtle"
  5. "Shredder's Mom"
  6. "Four Turtles and a Baby"
  7. "Turtlemaniac"
  8. "Rondo in New York"
  9. "Planet of the Turtles"
  10. "Name That Toon"
  11. "Menace Maestro, Please"
  12. "Superhero for a Day"
  13. "Back to the Egg"
  • Saturday Mornings
  1. "Son of Return of the Fly II"
  2. "Raphael Knocks 'em Dead"
  3. "Bebop and Rocksteady Conquer the Universe"
  4. "Raphael Meets His Match"
  5. "Slash - The Evil Turtle from Dimension X"
  6. "Leonardo Lightens Up"
  7. "Were-Rats from Channel 6"
  8. "Funny, They Shrunk Michelangelo"
  9. "The Big Zipp Attack"
  10. "Donatello Makes Time"
  11. "Farewell, Lotus Blossom"
  12. "Rebel Without a Fin"
  13. "Rhino-Man"
  14. "Michelangelo Meets Bugman"
  15. "Poor Little Rich Turtle"
  16. "What's Michelangelo Good For?"
  17. "The Dimension X Story"
  18. "Donatello's Degree"
  19. "The Big Cufflink Caper!"
  20. "Leonardo Versus Tempestra"
  21. "Splinter Vanishes"
  22. "Raphael Drives 'Em Wild"
  23. "Beyond the Donatello Nebula"
  24. "Big Bug Blunder"
  25. "The Foot Soldiers are Revolting"
  26. "Unidentified Flying Leonardo"

1987 Season1988 Season1989 Season1990 Season1991 Season1992 Season1992-1993 Vacation in Europe sideseason1993 Season1994 Season1995 Season1996 Season

"Beyond the Donatello Nebula" is an episode of the fourth season of the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series.

Appearing in Beyond the Donatello Nebula[]

Major characters[]

Minor characters[]

  • Cab Driver (Townsend Coleman)
  • Fat Grelch Goon (Rob Paulsen)
  • Thin Grelch Goon (Townsend Coleman)
  • First Card Player (Cam Clarke)
  • Second Card Player (Peter Renaday)
  • Clam's Clunkers Cowboy (Cam Clarke)

Species[]

Objects and vehicles[]

Locations[]

Plot[]

Donatello is using one of his devices to send messages to outer space in hopes of making contact with alien (preferably turtle-based) life. He has apparently found a "Turtle Nebula," and is determined to get a response. Michelangelo messes with him by piping in through a Turtlecom, which causes the angry Donatello to depart the lair.

He climbs to the top of the Channel 6 building and begins transmitting again. His message strikes a passing spaceship, which lands near him. A vaguely lizard-like alien emerges and babbles at him before turning on his translator, introducing himself as Algernon (or Algie). Apparently Donatello's transmission broke Algie's spaceship, and he demands that the Turtle fix it. Donatello tries, but clearly has no idea what he's doing.

April O'Neil does a news report on "Hostile Hiram Grelch," a clearly evil businessman who is planning to take over Channel 6. During the broadcast, she screams and the camera cuts out.

Donatello hears her scream, as does Algie, who is capable of transforming into other things as a form of camouflage. They rush down to the news room, where two of Grelch's goons are menacing her and Vernon Fenwick. They shoot Vernon with a mass of sticky glue, and are preparing to do likewise to April when Donatello and Algie burst in. But after a brief fight, the two of them are encased in a glue ball, and April is abducted. Fortunately Algie is able to free them (and Vernon) with his mind powers.

They pursue the car April is in, ending up on a mad chase in and out of subways and seafood markets. They end up at Grelch's building, which is surrounded by a forcefield. The two double back to Channel 6, but are horrified to see that Algie's spaceship has been stolen by Grelch's goons. Even worse, Algie confirms that if it's taken apart to see how it works, it will blow up the entire planet.

Of course, Grelch's men are doing just that, frustrating his plans to take over intergalactic businesses as well as earthly ones. He also is keeping April as a hostage, planning to kill her if he isn't sold Channel 6.

Donatello deduces that the forcefield is based on cathode rays, and plans to use some old cheesy movies to feign an attack on the building. He gets Algie to look like a three-eyed monster, and declares on live TV that the warlord of the Turtle Nebula is enraged by Grelch's theft of his spaceship, and will declare war if it isn't returned. A giant version of the disguise appears outside Grelch's building.

Grelch and his henchmen desperately try to put the ship back together as Donatello and Algie make their way inside via the sewers. Unfortunately, the ruse is revealed when a used car commercial starts. But just then Algie switches off the power, and the other Turtles make their way into the building and free April. April uses the glue gun on Grelch and his men, and Donatello and Algie come bursting in.

Everyone leaves on the Turtle Blimp, and they haul Algie's spaceship back to the lair. Unfortunately there's no way to get it going, because it has no fuel. Just then Michelangelo comes in with several pizzas, and it turns out that pizza is what the spaceship runs on. Algie takes all the pizzas, and the spaceship vanishes.

See also[]

Notes and errors[]

  • When Donatello tells Algie to destroy Grelch's forcefield, he fully becomes Michelangelo.
  • Immediately after Donatello becomes Michelangelo, when the other Turtles pull up to the force field-covered tower building in the Turtle Van, the circular turtle shell on the front of the van that normally says "TURTLES" reads "UTLE."
  • After Michelangelo runs from the cops wearing a dog mask, Donatello is seen in the Turtle Van, but he's not with the Turtles.
  • When Leonardo unties April with his katana, he fully becomes Donatello, who's not even in this scene. However, Donatello is still seen with Leonardo's katana.
  • Part of the Channel 6 news desk disappears when Grelch's goons back April and Vernon up against the wall.
  • The '6' on the Channel 6 building's logo is colored yellow instead of red when Donatello and Algie look over to Grelch's penthouse.
  • When Donatello introduces Algy to the Turtles, the ties on his belt are missing.
  • Michelangelo's right wrist band is purple when he takes a mask out of the Turtle Van drawer.
  • In one close-up shot of April while she is held captive, the spaceships from the simulated alien invasion are clearly visible outside the building, even though Donatello and Algie have not started the simulation yet.

Home media releases[]

VHS[]

DVD[]

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