It is incorrectly stated in this episode that the action takes place in the 31st century. Dwayne McDuffie himself acknowledged this because in New Kids in Town (1998), the year is plainly given as 2979. The characters that appear in "Far From Home" are hardly 21 years older than they were in "New Kids in Town."
Tharok is first shown with his chin-metal crossing over to the uncovered part of his face, but afterward it disappears.