Unaired pilot

The Avatar Series Pilot was a low-budget pre-production pilot, or test animation used by the creators to pitch their ideas for what Avatar was going to be to Nickelodeon. It never aired on television, but some elements within the pilot found their way back into the Avatar series.

Plot
The pilot opens with an intro similar to the final opening, explaining the circumstances of the plot narrated by Katara, then moving into the story.

Aang, Sokka and Kya, who would later be renamed Katara, are flying on Aang's sky bison Appa to escape from Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. While they are escaping, Zuko's ship is attacked by an enormous sea serpant, buying enough time for Aang and his friends get away safely. They land on an island, and Sokka goes to look for food. He sees some berries and eats them, but they taste bad. He is then ambushed by Fire Nation soldiers and captured.

Alarmed that Sokka hasn't returned, Aang asks Kya to fly with him on his glider around the island to search. They manage to see the soldiers taking Sokka into a Fire Nation base for interrogation. Since Aang's the Avatar, Kya tells him to wait outside while she sneaks in to save Sokka, as Aang is too important to be captured by the Fire Nation. Irritated, Aang plays with Momo, but decides he can't wait any longer, and flies into the base anyway.

Kya is captured and Sokka is questioned by Zuko about the whereabouts Avatar. Aang flies around the base, gathering everyone's attention and performing stunts and lands, surrounded by soldiers armed with spears. He uses Airbending to escape, but Zuko persues him and attacks him with Firebending. They battle atop scafolding, eventually fighting on the head of a huge Avatar statue within the base. Zuko corners Aang, but Aang jumps off the statue, enters into the Avatar state, and throws Zuko off the statue. But before Zuko hits the ground, Aang saves him then drops him safely on the ground. Kya uses Waterbending to flood the baseAang flies to save Sokka and Kya and they escape from the base.