Avatar: The Last Airbender Unaired Pilot Episode Now Available On YouTube

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Avatar: The Last Airbender Unaired Pilot Episode Now Available On YouTube

Fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender will be pleased to learn that the show's original unaired pilot is now available on YouTube. The hit animated TV show first aired on Nickelodeon back in 2005 to immense praise and has enjoyed an enduring fandom ever since. Set in a world where "benders" manipulate the four elements with martial arts, the series follows a young boy named Aang who, as the Avatar, commands the unique ability to bend all four elements and bring balance to the world. In the midst of a war of conquest initiated by the imperial Fire Nation, the last airbender travels the world with his friends, mastering water, earth, and fire, and eventually halting the Fire Nation's assault.

The show has spawned multiple spinoffs including a sequel series, The Legend of Korra, a critically reviled major motion picture, The Last Airbender, an upcoming Netflix live-action remake, and much more. The series enjoyed a windfall of new attention due to its recent release on Netflix, prompting old fans and new to binge the series. Nickelodeon capitalized on this renewed interest in the series by sharing behind-the-scenes content online. Perhaps the most notable of these came in August, when Nick streamed the previously unreleased pilot on Twitch.

Now the pilot is available on YouTube, uploaded to the official Avatar: The Last Airbender channel. Rather than starting the story off at the very beginning with Aang in the iceberg, as the series does, the pilot hastens to introduce the major players in a fairly basic and self-contained story. Beginning with a much slower precursor to the introduction that Katara gives in the series intro, the pilot takes time to get viewers accustomed to the rules of the world. The episode proper begins with Aang and friends riding Appa, evading Prince Zuko at sea. After stopping to rest on an island, however, Sokka is captured by Zuko and taken to a Fire Nation stronghold. Katara and then Aang enter the fortress to save him and, after an impressive action sequence, the three friends continue on their journey.

Fans have been quick to comment on the shortcomings of the pilot. It's not as funny, complex, or well-animated as the series, and the characterizations and performances leave a lot to be desired. But, evidently, the pilot did its job, as Nickelodeon executives were convinced to order a series after seeing it. It bears the marks of a world and characters still finding their footing but the basic elements that made the series what it eventually became are evident. The inventiveness of the world and the rough character archetypes are unique and had immense potential from the outset. It's a testament to the genius of creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, who fans have always had the utmost faith in. Their recent departure from the Netflix adaptation has caused a large chunk of the fandom to give up hope for that series' success entirely.

Before the sequel series, remakes, adaptations, and spinoffs, this pilot was the seed from which the entire Avatar: The Last Airbender universe was able to grow. However boring it may seem to us now after having grown to love the characters and world that it originated, credit must be given where it's due. Konietzko and DiMartino say that despite their departure from the live-action series, they still have many more stories to tell in this universe. Let's make like Nickelodeon executives all those years ago and put our trust in them.