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| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog (“SatAM”), ABC |
| Season | Season 1 (1993) |
| Episode | Season 1, episode 4 (guide and DVD order) · aired 5th · WildBrain no. 103 |
| First aired (US) | 16 October 1993 · ABC |
| Written by | David Villaire |
| Directed by | Dick Sebast |
| Story editor | Len Janson |
| Opening theme | “Sonic the Hedgehog” main title – Noisy Neighbors Productions |
| Previous episode | Sonic and Sally (S01E03) |
| Next episode | Sonic and the Secret Scrolls (S01E05) |
Uncle ChuckPower RingFan favourite
Ultra Sonic is episode 4 of Season 1 of Sonic the Hedgehog, the ABC cartoon fans call SatAM, in the order of our original episode guide and the Shout! Factory DVDs. It was the fifth Season 1 episode to air, on 16 October 1993. It was written by David Villaire and directed by Dick Sebast.
Synopsis
A raid to sabotage the Roboticizer ends in a hover-chase across Robotropolis, but in the subway beneath the city Sonic glimpses a familiar face among the Worker-Bots being loaded onto a train for the Crystal Mine: his roboticized Uncle Chuck. The Freedom Fighters commandeer an abandoned transporter and give chase.
Pulled into a disused tunnel, Chuck is handed a Power Ring, and its energy briefly restores his free will. Overjoyed to be himself again, he warns Sonic that Robotnik is mining a giant Energy Crystal that could threaten all life on Mobius, and leads Sonic and Bunnie down past the mine’s monstrous guardian, the Dinobot, while the rest of the team – Sally, Rotor and Antoine – slips into the mine’s control centre to shut the whole operation down.
The crystal comes crashing back into the mine, but as the group runs for the train the Power Ring’s effect fades and Chuck slips back under Robotnik’s control. Bunnie has to drag a devastated Sonic away. On the ride home Sally offers hope: she has copied the Roboticizer’s software, and one day they may be able to reverse it.
Sonic discovers his Uncle Chuck working with SWATbots on a mining expedition to remove a giant energy crystal to replace Robotnik’s dwindling oil supplies, sending Sonic on an emotional roller-coaster ride as he battles both SWATbots, and to help his uncle regain his free will.
— From Luke’s original SatAM episode guide on Sonic Scene
Key Moments
- Sonic finds Uncle Chuck among the Worker-Bots bound for the Crystal Mine.
- A Power Ring restores Chuck’s free will, but only for a while.
- Sonic learns that a Power Ring can break the Roboticizer’s hold, if only for a while.
- The Dinobot guards the Crystal Mine.
Trivia
- DVD Talk’s review of the 2007 box set picked out Ultra Sonic, with Blast to the Past, as the best of the series.
- Uncle Chuck’s voice, William Windom, was a guest in Season 1 and a regular in Season 2.
- Fifth to air (16 October 1993); WildBrain number 103. Collected on NCircle’s The Fight for Freedom DVD (2008).
Watch the Episode
The full episode, uploaded by WildBrain’s official Sonic The Hedgehog – WildBrain channel (checked 5 November 2026).
Part of our SatAM Season 1 guide. See the SatAM series page for the show’s history, cast and credits.
Sources: air date, writer and director from Sonic Retro (Wayback copies), Wikipedia and Sonic Wiki Zone, cross-checked; synopsis written for Sonic Scene from the episode and the official DiC description; title card and screenshots via Sonic Wiki Zone, copied to our media library.