Gold Rush

Synopsis[]

This short film follows Nya and Kai as they race through the futuristic streets of NINJAGO City! Chased by a group of mysterious mechanical enemy, the brother-sister ninja team are trying to reach Borg Tower before the city is succumbed to darkness. With them, a powerful token. Will they make it in time? What is this special token? What do Nya and Kai need to do? So many questions - all of them answered in this NINJAGO LEGACY short.^[2]

Plot[]

Kai and Nya drive throughout Ninjago City in the Prototype X-1 to get to Borg Tower whilst escaping the shadow banshees. While they argue about who broke the Idol of Unity, Cyrus Borg calls and interrupts them, and tells them to place the Idol on a pedestal at the top of the tower, so it can stop the banshees. The two then continue to race toward the tower, defending themselves from the shadow banshees at the same time. The two split up (with Kai in the actual car and Nya in the bike part of it) after more arguing, and decide to race each other to their destination. They manage to make it there, only for the shadow banshees to block their path to the top, causing them to crash. Shadows then engulf the two, and they try to find each other, both with a piece of the idol in their hands. They find each other, and they hug, thinking that all hope is lost. Both parts of the Idol then start to glow, and they realize what still could be done. The Idol is then connected, empowering Kai and Nya, who then proceed to get the Idol to the top of the tower. They succeed, destroying all of the shadow banshees in a burst of light. The siblings then proceed to drive off, starting another argument.

Appearances[]

Characters[]

Cast[]

• Cyrus Borg - Lee Tockar
• Kai - Vincent Tong
• Nya - Kelly Metzger

Items[]

• Gis
  • Ninja
  • Golden Legacy
• Idol of Unity
• BorgWatch

Vehicles[]

• Prototype X-1

Locations[]

• Ninjago
  • Ninjago City
    • Borg Tower

Species[]

• Humans
• Shadow Banshees

Transcript[]

For the transcript of the episode, click here.

Trivia[]

• If considered canon, the best fit would be after Quest for the Lost Powers and before The Merge. These events don’t neatly fit between seasons, so this placement makes the most sense.
• The day before this short's release, Tommy Andreasen tweeted a video of the title card and the phrase, "... tomorrow ...get ready for a rush!"^[3]
• The title card is reminiscent of those from the 1980s.
• The title is a play on "gold rushes"; events where people congregate to mine in an area where gold is prevalent. The reference likely comes from the fact that Nya and Kai turn gold in the climax and the short is centered around Kai and Nya racing to Borg Tower.
• In this short, Kai and Nya seem to quarrel much more than normally depicted.
• A character designer for the short posted concept art of Kai and Nya on X.^[4]
• This short was released a few hours before "Nyad" and "The Turn of the Tide" aired in the UK.
• The writing of this short took place from around August-September 2020.^[5]
• According to a concept art, Aspheera, Fire Fang, Acidicus, the other Serpentine were supposed to be villains of the short instead of Shadow Banshees.
  • Nya is also using her bike from The LEGO Ninjago Movie with Lady Iron Dragon depicted on it.

Continuity[]

• The Prototype X-1 is very similar to its Legacy variant.
• Nya and Kai wear their Golden Legacy suits in the climax of the short, marking the suit's first on-screen appearance.
• Kai having a banana peel in his hair is similar to when he had a banana peel in his hair in the Wu's Teas short "Trojan Tea Kettle."

Errors[]

• Cyrus Borg's right hand is yellow in this short, although it should be black as it is a robotic hand.
  • It's possible this is a stylistic difference.

Video[]

Concept art[]

Gallery[]

References[]