History Series / Thunderbirds

In 1982, ITC took ''Scientific Rescue Team Techno Voyager'' (note: onscreen it is transliterated in Engrish as Techno Boyger, thus the vehichles retain the TB designation making the [[SerialNumbersFiledOff Thunder-Birds connection slightly more obvious]]), a 24-episode anime on Creator/FujiTV inspired by the series, and dubbed it as ''Thunderbirds 2086''. This series is not considered part of the ''Thunderbirds'' canon by most fans, but interestingly was originally planned as such until a dropoff in popularity of the franchise in Japan led to difficulties in finding a sponsor. Nevertheless, it tanked and was canceled early in both Japan and the UK, though the US and Canada did get all 24 episodes in syndication.[[note]]Episodes 19-24 remained unbroadcast in Japan until 2008.[[/note]] A pre-''Anime/{{Macross}}'' Creator/{{Artland}} worked on episode 10, which notably features a Misa Hayase prototype as a minor character.

* ContrivedCoincidence: The average rescue is set up by means of a series of comically ludicrous coincidences and horrible design/engineering. For example, in ''Recap/ThunderbirdsS1E6DayOfDisaster'' a vehicle is transporting a giant rocket. Fully fuelled. With people inside. And it's set up with an unstoppable automatic launch countdown. And they have to cross a weak bridge. And there's a storm. And the bridge supervisors are idiots.

* ContrivedCoincidence: The average rescue is set up by means of a series of comically ludicrous coincidences and horrible design/engineering. For example, in ''[[Recap/ThunderbirdsS1E6DayOfDisaster]]'' a vehicle is transporting a giant rocket. Fully fuelled. With people inside. And it's set up with an unstoppable automatic launch countdown. And they have to cross a weak bridge. And there's a storm. And the bridge supervisors are idiots.

* ContrivedCoincidence: The average rescue is set up by means of a series of comically ludicrous coincidences and horrible design/engineering. For example, in "Day of Disaster" a vehicle is transporting a giant rocket. Fully fuelled. With people inside. And it's set up with an unstoppable automatic launch countdown. And they have to cross a weak bridge. And there's a storm. And the bridge supervisors are idiots.

* ControlFreak: Although Jeff mostly trusts the boys to do the right thing, in "Atlantic Inferno" he finds it difficult to leave everything to the boys when he goes on holiday, even threatening to return home when Scott makes a decision he does not approve of; but Lady Penelope persuades him to stay. When Jeff returns, Scott rubs it in by refusing him permission to land at the base, because Thunderbird 2 is approaching. And at the very end:
--> '''Jeff''': You know, the only way I can relax is to be in charge here. So if you don't mind, Scott, I'll have my desk back.
--> '''Scott''': Father, with my money, you can have it. I need a vacation!

*** One of them is called ''Virgil'', which is a very uncommon name for white Americans;

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

%% Please only add tropes to this page that apply to the series as a whole, or to several episodes.

%%* ComputerEqualsTapedrive

* CommLink: Each member of the Tracy Island crew has a wristwatch that doubles as a video phone, capable of transmitting to the other side of the planet, in a world where cellphone technology does not exist.

** Jeff takes the role of TheCaptain: he is the final decision maker

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: The vehicles:
** ''Thunderbird 1'': silver and blue
** ''Thunderbird 2'': green
** ''Thunderbird 3'': orange-red
** ''Thunderbird 4'': yellow ([[Music/TheBeatles what other colour]] [[Music/RevolverBeatlesAlbum would a]] [[WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine 1960s submarine be?]])
** ''Thunderbird 5'': gold and silver
** FAB 1: pink

* ColourCodedCharacters: The pilots wear pastel-coloured sashes and belts:
** Scott: light blue
** Virgil: yellow
** Alan: off-white
** Gordon: orange
** John: lilac
** Plus Lady Penelope: pink
** Brains: bronze (in ''Thunderbird 6'')
** And Jeff: gold -- not in an episode or film, but in an ad for the charity Barnardo's.

* ParachuteInATree: In "Brink of Disaster", Grafton is trying to persuade Jeff to invest in his completely automatic monorail, which is patrolled by heli-jets. One of these is struck by lightning, causing it to crash into the railway. The pilot of this jet ends up dangling from the railway by his parachute. When somebody turns up to rescue him, he tells his rescuer to contact the train first, because the automatic signals have been damaged. Without these, the train cannot stop, and is heading towards the damaged track.

* RadishCure: In "Cry Wolf", two young boys like to play at being International Rescue; and on their radio, they accidentally call out the real International Rescue, causing Scott to fly out to them. Scott explains the seriousness of the situation to the boys and their father, and on the spot, he decides to take the boys to their base to show them their equipment, hoping that this will cure them of making false calls again.

* TheTag: Almost all the episodes have short and usually funny scene at the very end, after the rescue has taken place. (See the Recaps for individual examples.)

* TearApartTugOfWar: When Lady Penelope and Parker visit the IR base in "The Mighty Atom", Kyrano and Parker squabble over who will serve the drinks, playing tug of war with a loaded tray. Needless to say, the tray's contents eventually clatter to the floor.

* BaitAndSwitch: The episode "Cry Wolf" begins with a young boy Bob apparently trapped on a cliff ledge, who calls International Rescue on a small radio. Scott duly arrives in Thunderbird 1, a rope is lowered to the boy from the top of a cliff, and Bob is hauled up. However, it is not Scott from International Rescue pulling him up, but Bob's brother Tony, playing at being International Rescue.

* BlindfoldedTrip: In "Cry Wolf", the two boys who visit Tracy Island are blindfolded before arriving and leaving, so they do not know which part of the world they are in.

* {{Rescue}}: A genre example on the grandest scale.

* TechnoWizard: Brains

* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman

** Downplayed with Thunderbird 5; there are some toys of this Thunderbird, but notably fewer than of any of the other thunderbird vehicles. Several lines of Thunderbird merchandising (like the 1992 toy series) completely omitted the space station, often in favor of Lady Penelope's FAB 1 car (most likely since Thunderbird 5 never participates in any action, limiting it's play value).

* WeaponizedCar: Lady Penelope's Rolls Royce.

--> '''Lady Penelope''' (reversing rapidly): There was no need to shout, Lord Stilton. You see, we're going quite smoothly.

* ImprovisedParachute: In "The Cham-Cham", Parker climbs on the roof of a cable car careering down a wire at a high speed. Lady Penelope offers him her umbrella, to help him attach hooks to it lowered by Thunderbird 2. When Parker falls off the roof, he uses the umbrella as a parachute.
* InstantEmergencyResponse: Surprisingly averted most of the time. The ''Thunderbirds'' are incredibly fast, but it still takes some time to get to the scene of emergencies, which of course makes their operations once there races against time with only minutes left.

** "The Hood"'s real name is never revealed. [[AllThereInTheManual Heck, even "The Hood" is never uttered on screen]]. The only name he is ever called by on screen is "Agent 7-9", and that in just a single episode.

*** One of the is called ''Virgil'', which is a very uncommon name for white Americans;

** "The Hood" is best known to fans by that name, and yet the only name he is ever called by on screen is "Agent 7-9".
** As for our boys in blue -- who take their anonymity seriously enough to attempt murder to preserve it -- they merrily parade around the danger zones calling each other by their real names. Are they taking refuge in just a first name not being useful? Well: