Sunshine (Episode)

**Sunshine** is the first *TUGS: The Bigg City Chronicles* story in the SeventyVerse.

## Plot

The story starts with a description of each of the Star Tugs: three harbour tugs, Otis Jones "O.J." (who was a paddle steamer), Warrior and Big Mac; a railway tug, Top Hat; a little switcher, Ten Cents; and an ocean-going tug, Hercules. The tugs are gathered at the Star Dock for the briefing, where they find out a new switcher, Sunshine, was going to be working with Ten Cents, and O.J., Big Mac, Warrior and Top Hat were going to bring in the Duchess ocean liner to Dock. Ten Cents is very disappointed when Top Hat and Warrior tell him he couldn't do it. Two of the Z-Stacks, a pair of harbour tugs named Zorran and Zak, were spying on the Stars, displeased at the display.

At the Zero Dock, Captain Zero is swiftly told by his two harbour tugs (with Zip and Zug listening in), that he wasn't happy with Captain Star landing the White Star Contract. (To make things even more unfortunate for Zero, Zebedee was on maintenance at the time). He tells his tugs he wants them to get the contract for him, saying they're the best and most devious tugs in the dock. The group set out to try and undermine the stars, but Zip doesn't know what 'devious' means.

Hercules had an important contract up the coast, so he couldn't assist with the Duchess docking. Ten Cents was expressing his disappointment about it to his big brother, who also hated to disappoint the Duchess. Hercules asks Ten Cents to look after her for him, and he was glad someone had faith in him about that.

Later, Ten Cents sees O.J. at Ballantine's and he alerts him that the new switcher is looking for him. Suddenly, an unfamiliar white tug bumps into Ten Cents, and she introduces herself as Sunshine. She also addresses Ten Cents as 'sir', which he replies that only Captain Star is called 'sir'. He also tells Sunshine that if they finish work quickly, he and Sunshine can watch the Stars dock the Duchess.

In the Estuary, Zorran and Zak both see Izzy Gomez. He asks them for a tow, but they 'don't accept bananas as payment'. Izzy retorts if the Z-Stacks are towing the Duchess. The two are shocked to hear the Duchess was already there and everyone was busy. Zorran and Zak race back to the Z-Dock. When Captain Zero is alerted, he told the harbour tugs to get the contract for him. Unfortunately, Top Hat didn't hear what was going on because he was trying to shut up Frank and Eddie.

Ten Cents and Sunshine had to deliver fuel to Sally Seaplane, and Sunshine explains about the work she used to do. Among other things, she worked with Billy Shoepack delivering supplies to the logging camp, and up at the munitions factory with Sea Rogue and O'Malley. She was owned by a kindly man named Mr. Mitton, who unfortunately was diagnosed with cancer. The meeting with Sunshine and Sally goes well, and Ten Cents cautions Sunshine about the Z-Stacks - which Zorran, Zip and Zug were plotting something together. That being to nudge Big Mac onto some mudbanks - which Zip did to herself once before.

Warrior was getting ready for the Duchess, when he saw Izzy. He asks Warrior for a tow, and after agreeing on a price, Izzy tells Warrior about the Duchess being early. Warrior dashes off to tell the others, leaving Izzy on his own once again. Unknown to him, Zip and Zug lay their trap for Big Mac, who was oblivious.

As Ten Cents and Sunshine drop off more supplies, O.J. alerts them that he, Warrior and Top Hat need Big Mac's help to dock the Duchess. Unfortunately, Ten Cents hadn't seen him since the briefing and Sunshine hadn't met him at all. The switchers are sent to search while the rest of the tugs had to manage on their own. They were struggling without anyone on the rear push - Top Hat was now leading and O.J. and Warrior were on the side push.

The two switchers found Big Mac on the sandbanks, knowing Zip and Zug left Big Mac marooned there on purpose. The Duchess was already present, and Big Mac tells Ten Cents and Sunshine that they had to help with the docking. Slightly hesitant, the switchers rushed off to help.

With Ten Cents and Sunshine now on the rear push, the Duchess liner docking was underway. The Stars looked like they were going to pull it off, but Zorran still was looking for a chance to strike. He whispered a plan to Zak, who rushed into Sunshine and pushed her into the Duchess' rudder. Zorran rushed in to 'help' the Stars, and everyone starts blaming Sunshine for the incident. Poor Sunshine, disappointed and confused, decided to run away. Captain Zero congratulates Zorran and Zak on their plan, and decides to offer their services to the Duchess the next day.

Big Mac re-joins the party with little damage done, but Ten Cents is still worried for Sunshine. Though Top Hat is a bit dubious, Ten Cents sets out to look for Sunshine. Due to it being chilly and foggy, he has a lot of trouble, and runs into many obstacles along the way; Sunshine was ducking and hiding ever chance she got. Eventually, Ten Cents saw Lillie's light and ventured out to her. He was surprised, yet relieved to see Hercules back, and quickly explained the situation. Hercules decides to help Ten Cents find Sunshine, and they say goodbye to Lillie.

The two brothers find Izzy still anchored in the estuary, and he asks about Warrior and his tow. Ten Cents then explains about what happened with the Duchess, and Izzy tells them that Zak pushed Sunshine. With this new information, Hercules decides to tow in Izzy and sends Ten Cents to tell the others what's happened.

Ten Cents quickly wakes up the others and told them about Izzy being towed and Zak pushing Sunshine. He also explains that Sunshine's owner is dying of cancer. The group realise they've done poor Sunshine wrong and rush out to find her. When they do, Sunshine had been holed and was in danger of sinking. Top Hat apologises on behalf of the Stars, and Big Mac and Warrior fetch the Mighty Mo.

Captain Star briefed the Stars on Sunshine's condition - she was taken to Lucky's Yard with not much damage done. Ten Cents and Hercules are praised on their work on proving Sunshine innocent, and the others had learned a lesson about trust and friendship - being true, honest and forgiving. Before anything else could be said, Captain Zero is scolding Zorran and Zak on being seen, and on Zip and Zug that their part in the plan backfired too. And while the Stars went back to work, Captain Star shook hands with a man, and a pink tug was seen in Lucky's Yard.

That evening, Captain Star tells the tugs that Sunshine needed a new home and he agreed that his suggestion would make a good apology too. As the tugs looked to Port, Sunshine came up in the Star Fleet's yellow and red livery. The Stars congratulate Sunshine on joining the fleet.

## Differences between the 15 minute/20 minute version and the SeventyVerse

* O.J.'s full name in this series is Otis Jones (as a nod to *Salty's Lighthouse*), not Old Jones.
* Sunshine and Zip are female in this version with the former as a nod to *Salty's Lighthouse,* and the latter, Zip's full name being Zipporah.
* The 20 minute version has an extended briefing of the Stars, which is included in this version.
* Zorran and Zak were spying on the Star Tugs and tell Captain Zero about it in the SeventyVerse, which was a deleted scene.
* Zebedee does appear in both cuts, but he was absent in the SeventyVerse version, on maintenance.
* The Contract is the White Star contract.
* Hercules and Ten Cents are brothers, as the deleted scripts intended.
	+ Ten Cents is pleased that Hercules has faith he can look after the Duchess.
* Ten Cents meets up with O.J. at Ballantine's before bumping into Sunshine per the 20 minute cut.
* Zorran appears to get his geography wrong, and Zak corrects Izzy on his real home before being rudely cut off.
* Zorran and Zak inform Captain Zero about the schedule change per the 20 minute cut. Top Hat is also too busy trying to shut up Frank and Eddie that he can't hear what the Z-Stacks and Captain Zero are saying.
* Ten Cents and Sunshine still talk to Sally Seaplane per the 20 minute cut, but Sunshine doesn't get a crush on Sally due to being straight. It's also revealed here that Sunshine's owner is dying of cancer that cannot be cure in the 1920s, the time period the show is set in. Sunshine is also informed of the Z-Stacks being a devious lot.
* Big Mac is a bit more suspicious of Zip and Zug than he was in the actual episode, but still falls for it. He later realises the Z-Stack switchers left him there on purpose, rather than buy into the lie that they went for help.
* O.J.'s "I'm worried about this, we need help to dock her. Ugh, come on, Big Mac, where are you?" line from the 20 minute cut is used.
* Sunshine is present when she and Ten Cents find Big Mac, but she doesn't say anything, and they inform Big Mac of the Duchess' early arrival. Big Mac also puts his trust into both switchers to bring in the Duchess.
* When docking the Duchess, Captain Star's narrator dialogue from the 20 minute cut is used. It's also explained that Ten Cents and Sunshine told the others what had happened with Big Mac and were helping on the rear push.
* Zorran and Zip's exchange was present per the 20 minute dub, but Zak was present this time. Zorran then orders Zak to bump Sunshine, rather than bump her himself. Zak also says "full steam ahead", something which Zorran didn't say in either cut of the episode.
* Sunshine's "what happened?" from the 15 minute cut wasn't used.
* There's an extra line: "Let this be a lesson to you. Never trust a switcher to do a real tug's work". It's most likely Zorran who says this.
* Captain Zero's scene and the party scene were in the order per the 15 minute cut, but the dialogue used is from the 20 minute cut. Zak also says "Poor little Sunshine. Just wasn't her day, was it?" as per the 20 minute version, and Zorran adds "No it wasn't... was it...!" and laughs. Captain Zero's line "Good, that's very good! I'll offer our services to the Duchess tomorrow!" is used from the 20 minute version.
* The line "The Duchess threw a big party, celebrating her arrival in port. Everybody was enjoying themselves. But all Sunshine wanted to do was to get away from Bigg City, back to his simple life upriver." is used from the 15 minute cut.
* Instead of Ten Cents and Warrior saying "hi" to each other, Big Mac is the one to join the party. Warrior's happy to see him and Big Mac remarks "he's been through worse" before saying hi to Top Hat and Ten Cents. Ten Cents is also distracted thinking about Sunshine before returning Big Mac's hello.
* Ten Cents is a bit more annoyed when he says "ah well, don't wait up" when he goes out to find Sunshine.
* Captain Star's narration "Sunshine may have ruined her chance but Ten Cents wasn't going to leave her on her own" and "Ten Cents had no idea where to start looking. Sunshine didn't know the port. Maybe she just got lost" are both reused from the 15 minute cut.
* Ten Cents looking for Sunshine is how it was in the 20 minute version.
* Ten Cents tells Hercules and Lillie the truth about what happened with the Duchess, and Hercules helps Ten Cents look for Sunshine.
* When Hercules and Ten Cents find Izzy, Hercules offers to tow him in. Warrior also remembers Izzy's tow ala the 20 minute version when Ten Cents reports that Izzy saw what really happened, but he doesn't need to do that in the SeventyVerse version. Neither does O.J., who said he'd do it in the 15 minute version.
* Big Mac and Warrior realise they'd wrong Sunshine, and there's extended dialogue where they realised they let their anger get the better of them. Top Hat also comments he'll come because "he's doing nothing better" per the 20 minute version.
* O.J. comments that his engine's playing up again, which is why he stays back to tell Captain Star.
* Sunshine doesn't use "us" in her phrases.
* Big Mac and Warrior go to collect Mighty Mo after the group find Sunshine.
* Top Hat says officially says sorry to Sunshine in this version, while in both cuts of the episode, he gives as close to an apology as one could get from him.
* Captain Star briefing the Stars on salvaging Sunshine and the lesson on trust and friendship happened on the same day that Captain Zero scolds his Z-Stacks for loosing the contract - which uses dialogue from the 20 minute version.
	+ Furthermore, he yells at Zak and Zorran to get to the Z-Dock that minute.
	+ Another detail is that Hercules joins in with Captain Star on giving the rest of the Tugs a lesson, which he promised Ten Cents he'd do once they found Sunshine and made sure she was okay.
* Captain Star and Sunshine's owner shake on a deal, and Ten Cents sees Sunshine in a pink undercoat at Lucky's Yard.
* Sunshine joining the fleet happens in that evening, doubling as an apology for misblaming her for the Duchess incident. It's also revealed that it was O.J.'s suggestion to purchase Sunshine.
* Captain Star's line "That was the moment I first knew we had a great team of Star Tugs." was from the 15 minute version.
* Sunshine doesn't call Ten Cents "skipper" at the end.

## Characters

* Captain Star
* Ten Cents
* Big Mac
* O.J.
* Top Hat
* Warrior
* Hercules
* Sunshine
* Captain Zero
* Zorran
* Zak
* Zug
* Zip
* Izzy Gomez
* Lillie Lightship
* Sally Seaplane
* Duchess (does not speak)
* Zebedee (mentioned)
* Billy Shoepack (mentioned)
* Sea Rogue (mentioned)
* O'Malley (mentioned)
* Frank and Eddie (Do not speak)
* Nathaniel Mitton (does not speak)

## Voice cast

### Official

* Simon Nash as Ten Cents
* Sean Barrett as Big Mac, Hercules and Captain Zero
* Ian James Corlett as O.J.
* John Baddeley as Top Hat
* Chris Tulloch as Zorran
* Shaun Prendergast as Zak
* Nigel Anthony as Zug
* JoAnne Good as Lillie and Sally

### Fan chosen

* Peter Dickson as Captain Star
* Jeff Bennett as Warrior
* Michelle Creber as Sunshine
* Tara Strong as Zip
* John Leguizamo as Izzy Gomez

## Trivia

* TobyandMavisforever added the detail of Ten Cents and Hercules as brothers, which is very prominent throughout the rest of the series.