The Mystery of the Lizard Men

The Mystery of the Lizard Men is the first episode of the 1960's Jonny Quest.

Premise
After a few ships disappear in the Sargasso Sea involving strange red lights and lizard men, Team Quest is called in to investigate.

Synopsis
A freighter in the Sargasso Sea is destroyed by a red beam of light. The crew of a nearby fishing ship witnesses it and calls the coast guard, but are incapacitated by men in green lizard suits and left to die as the boat is destroyed by the same red beam. A coast guard plane investigates the last known position of the fishing boat, only to find a Portuguese survivor on a flotsam.

The survivor is treated of his injuries and repeats something about explosions, thin red lights, and sea lizards. Phil and Roberts then decide to visit Dr. Benton Quest for help in solving the matter, as 5 ships have already been reported missing in the Sargasso Sea. They arrive at the island as Johnny and Race are still practicing martial arts. Both are called back by Benton, who later, using UNICE, determines that a Laser was involved in the disappearances of the ships.

Johnny, Benton, Race, and Bandit sail to the Sargasso Sea to investigate. As Johnny, Race, and Bandit approach a shipwreck by skifoil, they are spotted by Lizard Men, who are ordered to take them prison if they board the ship. As Johnny, Race, and Bandit explore the shipwreck, they are attacked and ultimately captured by the lizard men. Their chief reveals the laser gun that destroyed the ships in the Sargasso Sea and his plans to use it to shoot down the man to the moon rocket, before locking the group up.

The group recovers and manages to escape their prison in the submarine, but are spotted by the Lizard Men and attacked. This time, they manage to escape into their skifoil but are followed by another boat, with one of the Lizard Men firing at them. Benton realizes trouble and orders the ship's gunner to fire on the Lizard Men, but to no avail. Race then steers the skifoil towards the derelict upside-down boat with a jump, flattens the Lizard Men and their boat. As Race, Johnny, and Bandit flee towards Benton's ship, the Lizard Men fire the laser gun into a tanker, setting fire to the Sargasso Weed, but the skifoil manages to raise its skis and rush through the flames. On the Lizard Chief's orders, the laser is fired onto Bannon's ship, but is reflected by a mirror onto the shipwreck, destroying it, himself, and the Lizard Men on it. Johnny and Race then witness from a distance the man to the moon rocket flying to space.

Back at the island, Benton uses UNICE and determines that the Laser experiments were performed by foreign powers and the men wore lizard suits to frighten off the curious. Johnny, Race, and Bandit return to training on the beach.

Characters
Main characters:
 * Race Bannon
 * Jonny Quest
 * Dr. Benton Quest
 * Bandit

Supporting characters:
 * Corvin
 * Roberts

Villains:
 * Lizard Men
 * Lizard Man chief

Supporting characters:
 * Captain
 * Helmsman
 * Miguel
 * Madrina
 * Skipper
 * Junior
 * Doctor
 * US government pilot
 * Jonny's mother
 * Christopher Columbus
 * Gunner
 * Lookout
 * Mirror holder 1
 * Mirror holder 2

Locations

 * United States
 * Airport
 * Florida
 * Palm Key
 * Government facility
 * Hospital
 * Sargasso Sea
 * Underwater base

Objects

 * Captain's binoculars
 * Skifoil
 * UNIC

Vehicles

 * Captain's boat
 * F-Tralina
 * Skipper's plane
 * Dr. Quest's boat
 * Lizard Men's boat

Notes/trivia

 * This is the only time Jonny's mother is mentioned in the original series. A full backstory was never given since series creator, Doug Wildey didn't feel it was necessary. She is not named directly, although she was later identified on-screen in Jonny's Golden Quest and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest as Rachel.
 * The episode's setting is alluded to in The Venture Bros. episode Ghosts of the Sargasso.
 * This is the only episode from which Hadji is absent.

Adaptations

 * In September 1964, Gold Key Comics published The Mystery of the Lizard Men. The following changes were made:
 * The F-Tralina has been renamed the Estrallita.
 * The coast guard answers Madrina just when it's too late.

Goofs

 * In the opening scene of the Quest team on the boat in the Sargasso Sea, Dr. Quest is wearing appropriate attire, but the next three shots of talking he's wearing his regular clothing. In an ironic twist when the team is back home after the mission, in the last scene of Race asking what they're doing before being "interrupted," Dr. Quest is wearing his boat clothing.
 * The two men holding the mirror look fairly similar to the captain and helmsman who were killed at the beginning of the episode.

Home media

 * 🇺🇸 Jonny Quest: The Complete First Season DVD released on August 15, 2006 by Warner Home Video.
 * 🇺🇸 Jonny Quest: The Complete First Season (Hanna-Barbera Diamond Collection) DVD released on June 6, 2017 by Warner Home Video.
 * 🇺🇸 Jonny Quest: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Disc released on June 11, 2019 by Warner Archive Collection.