Avatar: The Last Airbender debuted in February of 2005 and ran for three seasons, through 61 episodes. Its legacy has lasted far beyond that, spawning a world of comic books, a sequel series in The Legend of Korra, a (best-forgotten) film adaptation and an upcoming live-action series on Netflix.
It all started with a single episode: "The Boy in the Iceberg." In the first chapter of Book I (season one), we meet the core characters we'll follow for the next few years, including brother and sister Sokka and Katara, and Aang, the Avatar, whom the siblings find frozen in a block of ice. Let's take a look at some of the things you may have missed in the episode.
10 A Different Opening
The pilot episode is unique in that it features a different opening sequence from the rest of the series. This sequence only aired, and was later featured on DVD editions, for "The Boy in the Iceberg." Water bender and member of the Southern Water Tribe Katara narrates both, but the pilot features a much more lengthy explanation of the series mythology regarding the four nations and their ability to bend the four elements. In later episodes, the narration is simplified and streamlined.
9 If The Glove Fits
A pretty big continuity gaffe occurs right away in the opening sequence. Katara and her brother are in a canoe, fishing among the icebergs near their village. Sokka, who can't bend, uses a harpoon. Katara, a gifted water bender, tries to catch fish in bubbles she conjures. She has to take her glove off to do it. In a later shot in the same sequence, she's shown with her gloves on while bending. Either Katara is super talented (certainly a possibility!), or somebody goofed.
8 Easy On The Ice
Another goof occurs in the sequence immediately after this, when Katara discovers Aang and his trusty sky bison, Appa, frozen in the ice. Katara and Sokka get stranded on the big berg after their boat is smashed by the ice. Other icy debris floats in the water around them, but no other icebergs. As the sequence continues, an aerial shot from high above shows several icebergs in their immediate vicinity. It's understandable; you're probably not paying too much attention to what's around you when you're stranded on a glowing chunk of ice.
7 Is There An Appa For That?
Appa is one of the coolest aspects of the inventive world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. A cross between a gigantic bison and a manatee - that flies - Appa ferries Team Avatar around on many of their adventures through the series. One thing that might get lost in everything going on is that Appa is a bender as well.
Both he and Aang were members of the Air Nomad society that existed before the series began. Appa bonded with Aang as a pup, and the two departed their Air Nomad temple before their civilization was destroyed. Appa can only get all that girth off the ground through air bending. Aang isn't the one doing it.
6 My Neighbor Appa
As unique as Appa is, you might think there's something familiar about him. As creators and writers Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino point out in the DVD extras for Book I of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Appa's design owes a pretty big debt to the one, the only, Catbus from Studio Ghibli's My Neighbor Totoro. The giant head, the six legs and the aerial mode of transportation all add up to a loving and apt homage. The show has a strong anime influence, but a number of different animation styles and stories add up to make the series unique.
5 Clone Commander Appa
Continuing the Appa love, it's worth noting that the creature's voice - and um, noises - are courtesy of Dee Bradley Baker. If that name rings a bell, it's probably because you're a big Star Wars fan. Specifically, the Clone Wars. Dee Bradley Baker is a man of a thousand voices, literally, as he plays all of the clones in the Grand Army of the Republic on the recently resurrected animated series. Baker plays Captain Rex. Commander Cody. Commander Wolffe. Fives. Echo. Tup. Kix. 99. Heavy. You get the idea.
4 Prince Zuko
In addition to meeting our core heroes on Team Avatar, we're introduced to one of the series' primary villains. Zuko is a prince of the Fre Nation Royal Family and a fire-bending master. He's also not a nice guy. Scarred, angry and motivated to find the Avatar so he can reclaim his rightful place in the royal court, Zuko adds a rich layer of menace to the show. He almost didn't exist. Zuko was a relatively late addition to the series and pilot episode after the writers became worried that the true Big Bad - the Fire Lord - would be too removed from the action to be an effective villain.
3 Katara Is The Only Water Bender
Like Aang, Katara is the last of her kind. After he's freed from the ice, Aang tries to catch some penguins, as you do but doesn't have much luck. The little guys are too slick for him. Katara offers to help in exchange for Aang teaching her some more about waterbending.
As an Airbender, he doesn't know but she doesn't have anyone else to turn to. Katara is the last waterbender among the Southern Water Tribe. After the death of her mother, Katara was entirely self-taught, a heroic and skillful signifier of her skill and perseverance.
2 More Clone Connections
Dee Bradley Baker isn't the only Clone Wars alum to have worked on Avatar: The Last Airbender. Among the many cool facts about the show is that Dave Filoni, executive producer and director behind the Star Wars animated series and now the first live-action series in The Mandalorian, was the director of the pilot episode. He also directed the second episode and several others. A major force behind Avatar's early success, Filoni contributed to scripts, storyboards, and designs on Avatar, before leaving after Book I to work on Clone Wars. It worked out for him.
1 There Is Another
Perhaps the coolest thing you may not know about the pilot episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender is that it's actually not the first pilot. Another preceded it, as the creative team tested out their concepts in a low-budget, pre-production demo. The unaired pilot - shockingly - never aired on Nickelodeon, though it did appear as a DVD extra with Book I and remains available for download from places like iTunes. Though the basic story remains the same, there are numerous differences in scenes, designs, and dialogue. But that's another list!