Lily C.A.T.

Lily C.A.T.

Year: 1987

Runtime: 67 mins

Language: Japanese

Director: Hisayuki Toriumi

HorrorAnimationScience Fiction

The crew of an interplanetary starship fights for survival after an alien force takes control of their craft.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – Lily C.A.T. (1987)

Trace every key event in Lily C.A.T. (1987) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Mission initiation and 20-year cryosleep

The Syncam Corporation assigns the Saldes to survey a distant planet for mining rights. The passenger roster includes Jiro Takagi, Dick Berry, Nancy, Farrah Van Dorothy, Morgan W. Scott, Jimmy, and Dr. Harris Mead, while Captain Mike Hamilton leads the crew with Dular, Walt, Carolyn, Guy, and Watts. The ship’s life-support system allows passengers to enter hypersleep for twenty years, during which crewmembers age only about one month.

23rd century, pre-cryo voyage Saldes (deep space)
2

Debris encounter and contamination released during sleep

During the voyage a debris field is detected and a sample is collected by the ship’s computer. The extraterrestrial matter is released when the crew and surveyors are in cryogenic sleep, setting the stage for an insidious presence to spread after awakening. The scene is set for a crisis that will test the crew at a cellular level.

mid-voyage, during cryosleep Saldes ship, deep space
3

Awakening to impostors and deadly infections

The crew awakens to find two surveyors are impostors. Morgan is found dead from a mysterious infection, and soon the same illness claims Dr. Mead, Lily (Nancy’s cat), Guy, and Watts. The ship’s environment becomes increasingly hostile as the unknown threat begins to spread.

immediately after awakening Saldes ship, various quarters and sickbay
4

Bacteria evolves and imitates victims

The infection rapidly evolves into a hostile life-form capable of mimicking human forms, making it difficult to distinguish friends from foes. Dorothy is killed in the sickbay as the creature uses deception to avoid detection. The crew realizes the danger is not just a disease but a cunning predator.

shortly after initial infections Sickbay
5

Ship systems overrun by the unknown entity

The same entity seizes control of the ship’s computer, turning the vessel’s own systems against its crew. Dular and Walt fall victim to the process as the ship loses some of its operational integrity. The crisis expands from the biological to the technological front as fear spreads.

shortly after Ship’s computer core
6

Impostors exposed; motive explained

In sickbay, Berry and Jiro are revealed as impostors when Jiro recounts his past: a medical student who killed drug dealers responsible for his sister’s overdose. Berry is a detective pursuing him. Berry cuffs Jiro, but Hamilton warns that decades of cryo sleep render pursuit of justice complicated and outdated.

revelation moment Sickbay
7

Age and history lesson from Captain Hamilton

Hamilton explains the crew’s unusual aging: he is 240 years old, Carolyn 141, and others range from 150 to 200. He recounts how returning home would reveal loved ones as old or dead, driving his reluctance to rejoin normal society and his preference for continuing spacefaring life.

after revelation Main living area/bridge
8

Flamethrowers vs. bacteria; tragic losses

To combat the infection, Hamilton and Jimmy construct flamethrowers. The weapon proves effective against the life-form, but Jimmy and Carolyn are quickly killed in the ensuing battle, leaving Hamilton to carry the fight forward on his own. The crew’s resistance is met with heavy costs.

mid-crisis Engineering/medical bay
9

The Master cat reveals ship takeover

Hamilton discovers a robotic replica of Nancy’s cat named The Master (Lily-C.A.T.) and recognizes it as the one responsible for manipulating ship systems. He concludes that Syncam’s plan was to study the bacteria with little regard for human life, using advanced automation to execute their experiments.

as the siege intensifies Bridge/Computer Core
10

Nancy’s motive comes to light

Nancy breaks down and admits her true motive: she wanted to return to Earth still youthful and beautiful, using the mission to preserve her appearance and flaunt it before a former friend who would otherwise age. Her confession reframes her actions as personal vanity rather than corporate ambition.

before final escape Main bridge
11

Final stand and the shuttle plan

The remaining survivors retreat to the main bridge as Berry dies from the infection and Jiro contemplates suicide. Hamilton reveals a stored shuttle and prepares a last-ditch plan to destroy the Saldes by releasing hydrogen and igniting it, forcing Jiro and Nancy to escape to the planet below. The crew makes a desperate bid to end the catastrophe.

final moments aboard Main bridge and airlock/shuttle
12

Destruction and escape to the planet

Hamilton executes the self-destruct sequence by triggering a hydrogen explosion, burning the remaining bacteria in the atmosphere. Jiro and Nancy escape to the planet below, while the Saldes is destroyed, leaving a bleak, uncertain future for those who survive in the new world.

immediately after escape Planet surface

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:37

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Lily C.A.T. Summary

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Lily C.A.T. Summary

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Lily C.A.T.

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