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Showdown (Cybertron)

2024-09-09T14:25:41Z

0TheLegend0:

{{disambig3|Showdown}}
{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=46
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=47
|image=Cyb_ep46_final_strike.jpg
|caption=The great-grandmother of all brofists.
|title="Showdown"
|japanese=大いなる野望の果て
|romaji=Ōi naru Yabō no Hate
|translation=The End of a Great Ambition
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Gyō Yamatoya]]
|director=[[Naotaka Hayashi]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]]
|airdate=[[November 26]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[September 22]], [[2006]]
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Galvatron and Starscream clash for control of the Omega Lock and the Cyber Planet Keys, and the Autobots are caught in the middle.'''

==Synopsis==

[[File:Cyb ep46 starscream fragged.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|'Did that hurt at all?']]

On the lowest level of [[Gigantion]], [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] hauls his battered body out of the lake into which [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] hurled him. His power levels low, Starscream focuses on the images of [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Primus]] within his mind, and his determination galvanizes him.

Within the ''[[Lemuria (Cybertron)|Lemuria]]'' starship, the assembled [[Autobot]]s prepare to add the fourth and final [[Cyber Planet Key]] to the [[Omega Lock]]. The heroes are on their toes, as they are by now well aware that adding a Key to the Lock is bound to have an unusual effect...and indeed, this time is no different, as the Omega Lock shoots out a beam of energy that powers up the starship they are standing in. Its systems reboot, deactivating the security systems on Gigantion that prevent warping and causing the planet's multiple layers to split open, revealing a clear passage to the world's surface. A [[space bridge]] opens in the sky over the planet, allowing communication from [[Mike Franklin|Colonel Franklin]] to reach the team. Alas, he does not have good news: the [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]]'s influence is spreading throughout the galaxy despite Primus's efforts, with the [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]] in particular danger. [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] chooses this moment to appear before the Autobots, wishing to offer his thanks to Optimus Prime for all that he has taught him. Having seen the images of Jungle Planet, Scourge realizes he can neglect his homeworld no longer, and with [[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] by his side once again, the two old friends return there to do what they can.

[[File:Cyb ep46 showdown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]

The Autobots are preparing to follow their beastly comrades to the surface when [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] makes a sudden appearance. Bringing all his deadly powers to bear, he swiftly blasts his way through the Autobots and purloins the Omega Lock. However, as he makes a break for the opening in the sky, Starscream appears in his path and demands that he hand over the Lock and Keys. The two Decepticons lecture each other on the nature of power, and a ferocious battle breaks out between the two, which the Autobots are prevented from interfering in by the appearance by [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] and [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]]. The other Decepticons soon arrive to watch (and about what to do and who to cheer for), while the Gigantions down below shield the humans from falling debris.

[[File:Cyb ep46 final showdown.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]

The battle between Galvatron and Starscream takes another strange turn when Starscream reveals that his absorption of the power of Primus has given him the ability to increase the mass of his body at will. Eventually, the fight carries the two combatants to the surface of the planet, where they each unleash the fullest extent of their power. Pulsating with inconceivable amounts of [[energon]], the two Decepticons face off, the interaction of their energon auras threatening an explosion powerful enough to destroy a small planet. The Autobots cut their losses and scramble for cover, while Sideways and Soundwave resolve to snatch the Omega Lock from the two battling 'bots before it too is destroyed by the impending blast. Unfortunately, they move too slowly: Galvatron and Starscream unleash their final attacks, and the collision of forces yields an explosion visible from space, ripping a giant hole in the planet, and consuming them and the two [[Planet X (Cybertron)|Planet X]] agents.
[[File:Cyb ep46 crown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
As the Autobots emerge from their cover, Starscream, Sideways and Soundwave are nowhere to be seen...but Galvatron has survived, and with the Omega Lock, he escapes through the space bridge! Unable to do anything, the Autobots watch as the other Decepticons follow him, and [[Vector Prime]] speculates that Starscream and the Planet Xers were not destroyed, but rather, blasted into another dimension. As everyone looks up at the sky, however, the space bridge starts to disintegrate, leaving the Autobots and their human allies with no means to return to their home universe...

And, high above the planet, floating on the solar winds... Starscream's crown drifts in the cosmic night...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Vector Prime]] (3)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (4)
*[[Menasor (Cybertron)|Menasor]] (5)
*[[Quickmix (Cybertron)|Quickmix]] (6)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (7)
*[[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]] (8)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (9)
*[[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (11)
*[[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] (13)
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] (14)
*[[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] (15)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (16)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (17)
*[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (18)
*[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (20)
*[[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (21)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] 24)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] (25)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (28)
*[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (29)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (30)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (31)

|c3=
*[[Coby Hansen]] (10)
*[[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] (12)
*[[Bud Hansen]] (19)
*[[Mike Franklin|Colonel Franklin]] (22)

|c4=
*[[Primus]] (23)
*[[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] (26)
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (27)
}}

==Quotes==

"Spare me your lectures! You know nothing of power!" 
"Oh?" 
"Do you know what real power is?" 
"Get to the point." 
"True power...is simple determination! Making the impossible possible through sheer FORCE OF WILL!" 
[''Starscream releases a wave of force that makes Galvatron flinch and knocks the Autobots out of the sky''] 
"I have risked everything in pursuit of this power! I have given myself over to it, body and spark! Now witness...the power of one who has SACRIFICED EVERYTHING!" 
"Ha! If you believe that... then you're a bigger fool than I thought! Witness the power of one who risks NOTHING!" 
"SO BE IT!"
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Galvatron''', with the former revealing himself as a supporter of BURNING SPIRIT.

"Enough magic tricks! Time for some hardware!"
:—'''Galvatron''', displaying his hatred of BURNING SPIRIT (or Starscream).

"From what I hear, they're pretty lame as fighters! Maybe they want to challenge us to a dance competition, or a poetry slam!" 
"And maybe ''you'' ought to leave the comedy to the professionals!"
:—'''Jetfire''''s humor escapes '''Sideways'''.

"Thus endeth the reign of Galvatron!" 
"How can this be... am I... to be defeated... by ''Starscream?!''"
:—'''Starscream''' forces '''Galvatron''' to contemplate the unthinkable.

"''I'll'' get it. Save yourself!" 
"No way, brother. We're in this together."
:—'''Sideways''' and '''Soundwave''' face their last moment together

"''Farewell'', Starscream!" 
"Galvatron, say ''hello'' to ''oblivion!''"
:—'''Galvatron''' and '''Starscream''' of the complete opposites

"You see, Starscream, when you risk ''everything'' in the pursuit of power, you could wind up with ''nothing''. That's why I never risk ''anything''."
:—'''Galvatron''' on Starscream's idea of power.

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===
*''Galaxy Force'' includes a "previously on" segment summarizing the events of "[[Optimus (episode)|Optimus]]".
*As ever, ''Cybertron'' adds the [[Omega Frequency]] when relevant.
*''Galaxy Force'' doesn't bother to explain why Gigantion has a defense field that stops warping. ''Cybertron'' notes that it was a security measure added after the war with Planet X.
*For the first time in a while, Galvatron and Starscream break out "[[burning spirit|energy auras]]" as they fight, which ''Galaxy Force'' treats as perfectly normal. ''Cybertron'' has previously offered the explanation that the characters are surging with [[energon]], and while it doesn't repeat it here, the dub has Galvatron angrily announce "Enough magic tricks!"
*Starscream also goes from beaten and blackened to mint-condition and fighting fit at the beginning of the episode with a similar (unexplained) aura, which he describes as a matter of determination and force of will.
*Also in ''Galaxy Force'', rather than berating Starscream's opinion about the nature of power, Galvatron simply notes that he is victorious. He does, however, offer Starscream some respect by noting Starscream put up a magnificent fight.
*In ''Cybertron'', Ransack and Crumplezone argue with Thunderblast about her flighty loyalties; in ''Galaxy Force'', she says they should help Galvatron in the battle, and they retort that she's not helping either. Her worrying who to cheer for right afterward, though, is the same in both.
*''Cybertron'' sees Soundwave suggest fleeing, only for Sideways to insist they get the Omega Lock. Seconds later, Sideways tells Soundwave to save himself, but Soundwave refuses to abandon him. In ''Galaxy Force'', there's none of this disagreement or camaraderie; they both want to get the Lock, and neither says a word against the other.

===Continuity notes===
*Vector Prime discovered that warping was not possible on Gigantion back in "[[Giant]]". This plot point seems to have served absolutely no story purpose other than to prolong the Transformers' time on the Giant Planet.
*Several characters note that the energy being released by Starscream and Galvatron is enough to level a small planet. Similar observations were made [[Starscream (episode)|the last time the supercharged Decepticons went at it]], but this time, we get to see the effects of the blast (thankfully, Gigantion does not qualify as "a small planet").

===Transformers references===
*As Starscream clambers from the lake, he groans "I...still...function...", a quote from [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Generation 1 Megatron]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. Ironically, Megatron said this to [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|his Starscream]] just before that one's betrayal.

[[File:Cyb ep46 wild takes.jpg|thumb|PD Type!]]

*One could interpret Starscream's mentioning that Galvatron treated him as a slave to be a reference to the events of ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'', where Galvatron's mind-control abilities made him just that.

*Starscream immediately addresses Galvatron by name, although absent to Megatron's attempt to take power from Gigantion's Cyber Planet Key. ''Hmmm.'' He must be as aware of [[Spontaneous recoloration|Megatron's palette-changing]] as the audience.

===Real-world references===
*Soundwave calls Optimus Prime a "space cowboy", after the song of the same name by the {{w|Steve Miller Band}}.

===Trivia===
*[[Sam Vincent]] stands in for [[Louis Chirillo]] as the voice of Ransack in this episode.
*When the Decepticons all do a wild take at the sight of Galvatron and Starscream battling, we get to see what's under Crumplezone's [[mouthplate]]!
*Technically, neither Starscream or Galvatron won or lost this fight, as it ended in a draw. Starscream was (somehow) sucked into another dimension and was unable to continue the fight. Had Starscream been able to continue the fight, it probably could've gone either way—although it DID look like Galvatron was on the ropes for a while...
*This was the last episode of the series to be aired in Poland, Romania and Hungary on September 1, 2006. These regions at the time shared the same Cartoon Network programming, and ''Cybertron'' suffered from a particularly messy broadcast schedule that would often show the beginning of the series on repeat, resulting in it being taken off the air before it managed to reach its finale. In 2014, the show was picked up again in Hungary by the youth network Megamax, finally airing this as well as the remaining episodes for the first time through May and June of that year, albeit with a different dub – the original dub of these episodes was never publicly released.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2006 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 12 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Starscream (episode)

2024-09-09T14:23:30Z

0TheLegend0:

{{disambig3|Starscream}}

{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=29
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=30
|title="Starscream"
|japanese=野望の王邪心全開
|romaji=Yabō no Ō Jashin Zenkai
|translation=The King of Ambition—Evil Completely Unleashed
|image=Cyb_ep29_super_screamer.jpg
|caption= Starscream's coronation: no longer bad comedy.
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Hiro Masaki]]
|director=[[Naotaka Hayashi]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]]
|airdate=[[July 30]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[March 25]], [[2006]] (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The reign of Starscream has begun!'''

==Synopsis==

[[File:Cyb ep29 dogfight.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]

While the kids and [[Mini-Con]]s at the [[Autobot]] base help the [[Cybertron Defense Team (Cybertron)|Cybertron Defense Team]] navigate the treacherous temporal warps created by the [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]] as they travel along the [[space bridge]] to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the battle between the Autobots and [[Decepticon]]s is still raging on [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s island base in the South Pacific. As [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and newcomer Autobot [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] continue to dogfight, [[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]] and [[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] try to help their respective comrades, and wind up battling each other; [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] and [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] engage in a little sea-to-air warfare, both turning their missiles on [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] when he gets in their way; and [[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] and [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] corner [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]], only for the diminutive Decepticon to leap out of the way at the last second, causing them to collide. Feeling very pleased with himself, Ransack happens upon [[Lugnutz]], who has decided to take a break from the battle, dubbing it "too heavy". Ransack takes a leaf out of his book and sits down next to him.

Inside the island's volcano, [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and [[Vector Prime]] continue their descent, with [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] and [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] close behind. [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] attempts to trigger another of his traps, firing blasts of electricity at the approaching Autobots, but Vector Prime is ready for him this time, and uses a [[dimension gate]] to redirect the current, striking Scourge with it instead. The group reaches the bottom of the caldera where Sideways is waiting for them, and a battle quickly breaks out, but the Autobots are unable to score a hit on Sideways thanks to his frantic warping around. To overcome this, Vector Prime surreptitiously plants [[Safeguard (Cybertron)|Safeguard]] on Sideways's back, and tracks his signal, allowing him to predict where Sideways will next appear. Optimus and Leobreaker fuse into Savage Claw Mode and strike Sideways down as soon as he rematerializes, at which point Scourge savagely enters the fray! He challenges Optimus Prime, but proves no match for the power of the Savage Claw.

[[File:C29 synchro-control.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Insert ''Code Lyoko'' reference here.]]

Simultaneously, the Cybertron Defense Team's journey gets doubly perilous as they hit a particularly rough stretch of space bridge, and come under bombardment from asteroids. With the enhanced firepower of their new modes, the team can easily blow the space-rocks to dust, but [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] gets a nasty surprise when one destroyed asteroid spews out a glob of goo that splatters over his windscreen and blinds him. To navigate the bridge safely, Hot Shot gives manual control of his systems over to Coby, who controls him remotely from [[Earth]] using a [[synchro-control]]. With [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] and [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] keeping the asteroids clear, Coby steers Hot Shot safely until the goo clears up and the Autobot can resume control.

[[File:Cyb ep29 staredown.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]

Back on the island, Evac, Wing Saber and Crosswise continue to battle Megatron, while Landmine confronts Mudflap, trying to talk his old friend out of his current course of action. When Megatron tries to break off the fight and make it to the volcano, Mudflap disappoints Landmine by coming to the Decepticon leader's aid, knocking the pursuing Evac out of the sky.

Within the volcano, Sideways returns to the side of Starscream, who continues to absorb the power of [[Primus]]'s [[spark]] through the [[Omega Lock]], and warns him of Megatron's approach. Starscream is undeterred, and Sideways decides to cut his losses and escape, but just as he departs, the Omega Lock erupts with power. All the Transformers within the volcano are forced to quickly exit as the mountain begins to erupt... but no-one expects to see, rising out of the flame, lava and ash... a gargantuan Starscream, transformed into a skyscraper-sized giant by the power of Primus! From the flames, Starscream produces a huge crown, which he places upon his head, declaring that his reign as ruler of the universe has now begun. Megatron, however, is unimpressed, and the two stare each other down, surging with so much [[energon]] power that their battle threatens to tear the Earth in half. Realizing this, Scourge leads the Decepticons in an attack on Starscream that proves ineffectual, convincing Megatron that he must take matters into his own hands. The land-based Autobots all join forces to stop Megatron from advancing, while the flying Autobots push Starscream back, in an effort to keep the two Decepticons' terrifying energon auras from colliding.

[[File:Cyb ep29 giant punch.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]

Watching everything from the Autobot base, the kids suddenly realize that Vector Prime is nowhere to be seen, having warped inside the volcano to recover the Omega Lock. They contact the elderly Autobot and discover that he has been pinned by falling rubble, unable to warp his way out, and so they communicate with the other Autobots to get someone to rescue him. Wing Saber steps up to the task and frees Vector Prime, but no sooner has Vector Prime stood upright than the pair come under attack by Thunderblast. Wing Saber's [[Cyber Key]] power is enough to do away with the flighty female, and the two Autobots escape the volcano with the Omega Lock in hand.

Back with the Cybertron Defense Team, the situation is getting worse as the space bridge deteriorates around them. Just then, finally, Cybertron itself comes into view... but the team are horrified to see the planet is infested by metal-eating [[Scrapmetal (race)|Scrapmetal]]! The Autobot trio bounds into action, opening fire on the huge swarm of insectoid Transformers, but the odds are several million to three, and not looking good! The kids let Optimus Prime know of the Cybertron Defense Team's plight, but even as the Autobot leader hears the news, Starscream's massive fist comes soaring through the air, and smashes him into the ground...!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (4)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (5)
*[[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (6)
*[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (7)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (8)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (9)
*[[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (10)
*[[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] (13)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (14)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (18)
*[[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] (19)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (21)
*[[Vector Prime]] (22)
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] (25)
*[[Safeguard (Cybertron)|Safeguard]] (26)
*[[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] (29)
*[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (30)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (11)
*[[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]] (12)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (15)
*[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (16)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (17)
*[[Lugnutz]] (20)
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] (23)
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (27)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (28)

|c3=
*[[Bud Hansen]] (1)
*[[Coby Hansen]] (2)
*[[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] (3)

|c4=
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (24)
*[[Scrapmetal (race)|Scrapmetal]]
}}

==Quotes==

"Which side are you on ''today'', Sideways?"
:—'''Leobreaker''' telling it like it is

"Hahahaha...." 
"What are you laughing at?!" 
"I'm laughing at a coward, a gutless wonder, a wimp—who I trained to be a warrior. But you could never cut it, Starscream. No matter how big you become, you're still the same pathetic wannabe! Oh yes...you're the king alright. The king of fools!" 
"Ever notice how much noise an insect makes, buzzing and clacking, until you crush it underfoot? That's what you are Megatron—a bug with a big mouth!" 
"We'll see—when I knock that crown off your head!"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Starscream''' upon Starscream's "coronation".

"A girl has to choose the right accessories...like this rocket launcher that doubles as an ''even bigger'' rocket launcher! Don't you just love it?"
:—'''Thunderblast''' detects the logical fallacy of her toy's gimmick and rolls with it.

"Hey... You're pretty spry for an old guy." 
"I might say the same for you!" 
"Okay... THAT'S IT! YOU GUYS ARE TOAST!" 
"HEY! I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING!" 
:—'''Thunderblast's''' shots are deflected by '''Vector Prime''' with his sharp sword and equally sharp wit. And '''Wing Saber''' has to pay for it

"You know, I think we should get points for blasting these things." 
"If we're keeping track, ''I'' have the high score."
:—'''Hot Shot''' and '''Scattorshot''' play Asteroids

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===
*In ''Galaxy Force'', the journey to Cybertron is a treacherous one because the planet is inside the black hole. ''Cybertron'' changed this plot point at the very beginning of the series, establishing that the black hole is merely ''near'' Cybertron, so this episode inserts mention of temporal warps and such surrounding the planet as an explanation for why the journey is so dangerous.
*Just before Starscream emerges from the volcano, ''Galaxy Force'' has Wing Saber react with shock to the sight of Optimus Prime merged with Leobreaker, and then express an interest in the idea of a combination when Evac explains the story behind it. ''Cybertron'' changes this to Wing Saber and Evac deciding to get down to ground-level and back Optimus up, removing the reference for a very pertinent reason that will become apparent in the next episode: namely, in ''Cybertron'', Wing Saber and Optimus have already combined (sort of) in the past.
[[File:Cyb ep29 magic glowy auras.jpg|thumb|Their power levels are over 9000!]]
*When Jolt starts freaking out after Starscream emerges, in ''Galaxy Force'', he's distressed by Starscream's power, while in ''Cybertron'', he fears for their ability to get the Omega Lock back from him and Cybertron's fate if they don't.
*During their battles, there is a great deal of chauvinistic banter between the female Decepticon Thunderblast and her male Autobot opponents in ''Cybertron'' that is blissfully absent in ''Galaxy Force''.
**In fact, as is fairly typical, nearly all the action sequences of the fight scenes in ''Galaxy Force'' are completely devoid of dialogue, with any taunts or commentary saved for moments ''between'' actual bouts. This is different from ''Cybertron'' which includes (added) dialogue throughout.
*As Megatron and Starscream face off, they suddenly start glowing to represent them summoning up their strength, an action that has been briefly glimpsed in the past but will recur with increasing frequency from here on in. In ''Galaxy Force'', this is an [[Burning spirit|emotion-fuelled powerup]] common to such shows and is not treated as anything special; ''Cybertron'' attempts to explain it by having an amazed Optimus note that they are surging with energon, which threatens to ignite. In this case, it almost makes sense-given Megatron's Unicron armor and Starscream's recent Primus-based power-up, it's practically a battle between the primordial Transformers all over again!
*Just before the Cybertron Defense Team arrive at Cybertron, ''Galaxy Force'' just has them bemoaning their situation. In ''Cybertron'', they are quipping about who has blasted the most asteroids.
{{--}}

===Animation and/or technical glitches===
[[File:Cyb ep29 scale nightmare.jpg|thumb]]
*Thunderblast's voice is ''crazy'' over-amplified in this episode.
*When Scourge emerges from the volcano and says "What's this?" he is speaking with the deeper, growling voice of his dragon mode, when he's actually in [[robot mode]].
*Thundercracker is positively ''gargantuan'' when carrying the Decepticons on his back. That, or they're tiny.

===Continuity notes===
*Leobreaker asks Sideways whose side he's on today. This is clearly a jab at Sideways' usual tendency to play both sides against the middle, but may be a specific reference to [[Sand|the time he tricked the Autobots into a battle with Scourge]]. At the end of that skirmish, Leobreaker tried to interrogate Sideways, only for the latter to escape.

===Transformers references===
*Starscream's [[Transformer clothing|crown]] is, of course, identical to the one briefly worn by [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|the original cartoon's Starscream]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. This Starscream manages to wear it for a lot longer!

===Real world references===

*Ransack cackles "two wheels are better than four!", a paraphrase of the common saying "two heads are better than one".
*Thunderblast says "You're pretty spry for an ''old'' guy." This is a reference to the saying, "Pretty fly for a white guy".

===Trivia===
*Starscream debuts a new Cyber Key gimmick born from the power of the Omega Lock to replace the blade Leobreaker tore off: a giant gun very reminiscent of his Null Laser Cannon power from ''Armada'', apparently fusing his handheld blaster to his arm. His permanent boost in size, combined with the change of weaponry and crown, makes him toy-accurate with his Supreme-class figure.
*Combined, the number of stereotypical sexist remarks made against Thunderblast, in both this and the previous episode, is remarkable. They are ''very'' noticeable, with her opponents calling her things like "baby", "dollface", and "girly", and Wing Saber outright asking her why she isn't shopping at a mall. She takes it in stride and easily holds her own as the tough [[Female Transformer|fembot]] she is, but still, it would have been nice to see her retort by asking the "males" why they aren't drinking beer and barbecuing!

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2006 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 08 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Revelation (episode)

2024-09-09T07:10:41Z

0TheLegend0: /* Continuity errors */ This is intentional (I don't know the reason, tho) because Megatron asks Starscream "what he's up to now" in episode Trap.

{{disambig3|Revelation}}
{{episode|
|series=Cybertron
|ep=26
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=27
|title="Revelation"
|japanese=宇宙滅亡へのカウントダウン
|romaji=Uchū Metsubō he no Countdown
|translation=Countdown to Universal Destruction
|image=Cyb ep26 death machine gun.jpg
|caption=Oh. They ''weren't'' lucky.
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Hiro Masaki]]
|director=[[Atsushi Nakayama]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]], Radix
|airdate=[[July 9]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[October 24]], 2005 (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''As if searching for Starscream and decoding a mysterious message from Cybertron wasn't trouble enough for the Autobots, Megatron and the Decepticons are free and back on Earth!'''

==Synopsis==

[[File:Cyb ep26 you shall not pass.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|I think the giant alien robots can handle ''one'' shady government agent just fine, Bud.]]

Out in space, riding atop an asteroid, [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] leads [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] to the sphere holding [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and the other [[Decepticon]]s prisoner. Scourge's flame breath and axe fail to even make a dent in the globe, but Megatron knows that it is only a matter of time until he is free.

On [[Earth]], the [[Autobot]]s are confronted by [[Mike Franklin|Colonel Franklin]], who tells them his story. As a child, he fell into the [[Green River Rapids]], and was rescued by a shadowy figure that changed shape into a helicopter. Nobody ever believed his story, but he knew what he had seen was real, and dedicated himself to finding other such stories. As he grew older, he joined the military to further his search for the truth, and now, it's standing right in front of him. It even turns out that his rescuer was [[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]]! Now that everyone at last realizes that Colonel Franklin is on the side of the angels, he offers up all his military resources to help the Autobots find [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] and the stolen [[Omega Lock]] and [[Cyber Planet Key]]s.

[[File:Cyb ep26 starscream with key.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|"And now to spend episode after episode standing around this thing glowing!"]]

In the seas of the South Pacific, one of the [[Ancient Decepticon]]s awakened by Starscream, the wily [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]], is out looking for some fun, and scans a human speedboat for an [[alternate mode]]. As she is enjoying the sun and surf, [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] appears in the sky overhead. They fight briefly, before Thunderblast suddenly vanishes into thin air. Jetfire transmits the info to the Autobot base, where [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] deduces that Thunderblast has disappeared into a [[Camouflage Shield]] that is hiding something in the middle of the ocean. That something, as we soon learn, is a volcanic island that Starscream is using as a staging base, to which Thunderblast returns, arriving just in time to witness Starscream adding the Earth's Cyber Planet Key to the Omega Lock. As in the past, the addition of the key causes the lock to open a [[space bridge]], launching a beam of energy into space, and into the heart of the [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]]. Across the galaxy, on [[Velocitron]], on [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]] and on Earth, a space bridge portal hangs in the sky, displaying the terrifying image of the black hole to all onlookers. Concerns over the secrecy of the Autobots' mission have to be put on the back burner, however, when a strange energy burst is detected by the Autobots' computers. Despite fears that it has come from the black hole or the space bridge, it turns out that it is an encrypted signal sent back from Cybertron itself, a response to the original signal the Omega Lock sent out in the past.

In space, Scourge and Megatron combine their power, striking the sphere from within and without simultaneously. The tactic succeeds in shattering the sphere, freeing the Decepticons within, and Megatron immediately plans to head for Earth and revenge himself upon Starscream. Scourge requests that he be allowed to join Megatron, as he hungers to visit new worlds and experience new challenges. Megatron permits it, and the group leaves through a [[dimension gate]].

[[File:Cyb ep26 message.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|The Autobots were prepared for Decepticon hacks but 4chan's DDoS attack was beyond their ken.]]

Back on Earth, while [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] randomly reveals he's ''not'' from Cybertron after all, [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] and [[Vector Prime]] have decrypted all they can of the signal from Cybertron, which seems to be telling the Autobots to bring the Omega Lock and Cyber Planet Keys back to the planet. Of course, they have to get them back from Starscream, first...but before they can start making plans to do so, Megatron's dimension gate appears in the sky above [[Niagara Falls]]. Acting quickly, Prime's team calls upon the help of several refugee Autobots to evacuate the humans out of the surrounding area with warnings of a tornado, after which Scattorshot surrounds it with a camouflage shield to hide what is about to transpire. The Autobots roll out for Niagara Falls and meet Megatron's forces there, but when both sides admit that there are more pressing concerns at hand, the Decepticons attempt to depart. As letting them go is not an option, Optimus Prime opens fire on their dimension gate, collapsing it, and starting off a major battle. As [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] and [[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] deal with Crumplezone and [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]], and [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] and [[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] clash with Scourge, [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] is confronted by [[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]] and almost paralyzed with shock. Vector Prime comes to his aid, and Landmine reveals that he practically raised Mudflap back on Cybertron.

[[File:Cyb ep26 machine gunned.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|"Thanks Megs, we wanted some new toys!" "No problem, guys!"]]

Megatron and Prime go head-to-head, meanwhile, but their battle is interrupted by Red Alert, Scattorshot and [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]], who entreat their leader to help Leobreaker and Snarl, who have been trapped by Scourge's flame, while they hold off Megatron. Prime does so, and the three Autobot troops give a surprisingly good account of themselves against the much more powerful Decepticon leader. As his rage at being thwarted by weaker warriors boils over, Megatron taps into the power of the Omega Lock and Earth's Cyber Planet Key. The Lock fires a beam of energy around the planet, which strikes Megatron and unlocks in him a new [[Cyber Key]] Power: a powerful machine gun that he uses to mow down Hot Shot, Red Alert and Scattorshot in one deadly volley. Optimus Prime turns in time to see his warriors fall, and charges at Megatron with a howl of fury...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (7)
*[[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (8)
*[[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] (12)
*[[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] (13)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (14)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (16)
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] (18)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (19)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (20)
*[[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] (22)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (23)
*[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (24)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (25)
*[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (26)
*[[Vector Prime]] (30)
*[[Backstop (Cybertron)|Backstop]] (31)
*[[Brakedown (Cybertron)|Brakedown]] (32)
*[[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] (33)
*[[Phreaker|Payphone Autobot]] (34)
*Trash bin Autobot (35)
*[[Joyride (Cybertron)|Motorcycle refugee]] (36)
*[[Signal Lancer]] (37)
*Sports car Autobots (38-40)

|c2=
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (1)
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] (2)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]] (4)
*[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (5)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (6)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (27)
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (28)
*Hundreds of [[Ancient Decepticon]]s

|c3=
*[[Bud Hansen]] (9)
*[[Coby Hansen]] (10)
*[[Mike Franklin|Colonel Franklin]] (11)
*[[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] (15)
*[[Lucy Suzuki]] (17)
*Franklin's father (21, flashback)

|c4=
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (29)
}}

==Quotes==

'''Jetfire:''' No sign of Starscream...but most speedboats on Earth don't come with missile launchers! 
''[Jetfire's shadow appears over Thunderblast]'' 
'''Thunderblast:''' Hey! Where's my sun? 
'''Jetfire:''' Ahoy there! I haven't seen you around here before! 
'''Thunderblast:''' Quit blocking my sun, you big goon! 
'''Jetfire:''' Well, excuse me! 
'''Thunderblast:''' You spend thirty years in an ice cave and see how friendly you are! 
'''Jetfire:''' You mean you're one of those escaped monsters? 
'''Thunderblast:''' HEY! Who are you calling a monster?! 
'''Jetfire:''' But that's... I didn't mean...! 
''[Thunderblast shoots Jetfire down]'' 
'''Thunderblast:''' Sayonara, Mister Buzz-Kill! 
'''Jetfire:''' No doubt about it... she really is a monster! 
:—Croikey! She's a feisty Sheila!

'''Crumplezone:''' I missed you, Ransack! *sobbing* 
'''Ransack:''' Hey, hey - ''hey!'' No hugging! 

"So you're pretty sure the black hole isn't going to turn us all into a cosmic smoothie?" 
"Oh, come on, Lori, now you're just being silly! We'd look more like root beer, anyways."
:—'''Lori''' discusses astrophysics with '''Bud''' in his own inimitable fashion.

'''Landmine:''' What ''happened'' to you? Mudflap, you're no Decepticon! 
'''Mudflap:''' Landmine, listen, I... you know you and me go way back. I don't want to hurt you, but I gotta do what I gotta do! ''Cyber Key Power!'' Walk away, Landmine. Just walk away! 
'''Landmine:''' Mudflap! Look at what you're ''doing here''! 
'''Mudflap:''' ''I said walk away!''

"Nice moves." 
"I know."
:—'''Override''' and the ever-humble '''Crosswise'''

"Gee, Megatron, who's the pathetic one now?" 
"Insolent...worms. You will ''PAAAAAY''!!!"
:—'''Hot Shot''''s taunts drive '''Megatron''' into a rage. This is not going to end well.

"A brand new weapon - a gift from the Cyber Planet Key of Earth, you should feel honored. And now - Goodbye!"
:—'''Megatron''', before using his new weapon.

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===
*As ever, ''Cybertron'' adds the customary reference to the [[Omega Frequency]] when the Omega Lock is fired up.
*''Galaxy Force'' sees Bud make a lot of rather uncharacteristic scientific observations, as he tells Lori that a normal black hole could never expand, and that it wouldn't return anything sent into it. ''Cybertron'' just replaces it with him making jokes (mostly about brownies). In large part, this change is also necessitated by the fact that in ''Galaxy Force'', it's a lead-in to the shocking discovery that Cybertron is still intact within the black hole. Since ''Cybertron'' changed things so that the planet was never consumed in the first place, this lead-in is entirely unnecessary, and excised.
*When the battle starts, Crumplezone and Ransack transform and...just drive off. ''Galaxy Force'' gives no reason for this odd "tactic", least of all why Override should bother following a fleeing enemy, so ''Cybertron'' adds the explanation that they are attempting to exit the camouflage shield.
*In ''Cybertron'', Mudflap is much more apologetic to Landmine, and would rather not fight him if he could avoid it. In ''Galaxy Force'', he's terribly righteous. Jerk!
*Additionally, ''Cybertron'' includes bizarre dialogue from Landmine that he "practically raised " Mudflap (Transformers can be babies?), while in ''Galaxy Force'' he merely states that they used to be best friends.
*Of some significance is the different spin on the dialogue between Scourge and Megatron once Megs is free from his spherical prison. In both series, Scourge recounts a desire to visit new worlds now that he has learned of their existence, but, in ''Cybertron'', Megs goads Scourge into admitting he also wants to come to Earth to enact "revenge" on Optimus, Snarl, and Leobreaker. This makes absolutely no sense, as the Autobots left Jungle Planet on equitable terms with Scourge. ''Galaxy Force'', on the other hand, has Megs prod Scourge into admitting that he's just lonely now without a strong opponent to fight on Animatros, to which Scourge sheepishly agrees, then follows with a good belly laugh. A good sparring partner is apparently worth abandoning your homeworld for!
*Crosswise is apparently much less humble in ''Cybertron'' than his counterpart Autovolt in ''Galaxy Force.'' After he and Override (Nitro Convoy) cooperate in blasting Crumplezone (Landbullet) off the road, in response to Override's complimenting his awesomeness, he replies "It was nothing" in ''Galaxy Force,'' but "Yes, I know" in ''Cybertron.''

===Animation and/or technical glitches===
*When the Autobots confront Megatron, a dubbing error sees Optimus Prime deliver a prolonged speech while Vector Prime's mouth is moving, carrying on directly into when his own mouth starts moving. Presumably, the first part of Optimus' speech was intended for Vector Prime, with Optimus carrying on afterwards as in the final dub.
*When Megatron absorbs the power of the Omega Lock to get a new weapon, a beam of light is shot into space and we get a view of Earth from space as the beam descends to Megatron's exact position. Megatron is in Niagara Falls, which is in Ontario and New York, but the beam lands somewhere in Kansas or Oklahoma.
**In addition, the way Canada is drawn is incredibly inaccurate, with the Hudson Bay replacing most of where Ontario and Quebec should be.

===Continuity errors===
*''Cybertron'' has Thunderblast intimate that Crosswise only sealed her away thirty years ago. This doesn't jibe with Lucy Suzuki's remark upon first finding Crosswise in the ice that he had been frozen for a thousand years. Maybe she's trying to lie about her age?
*The sphere containing Megatron and the Decepticons has changed from an opaque metallic globe to a translucent purple shimmering one. This may have been an intentional choice to better show Megatron's interactions with Scourge.
*Vector Prime claims that a signal was sent into space "each time" a Cyber Planet Key was placed into the Omega Lock, when it only happened with the Velocitron Key. The error is not present in ''Galaxy Force'', where Vector Prime only mentions the Velocitron Key incident.

===Transformers references===
*When faced with Leobreaker and Snarl, Scourge transforms to [[beast mode]] himself, with the promise of giving them a "[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast War]]".
*A black tanker truck resembling the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' franchise]] [[Scourge (RID)|Scourge]] can be seen in the traffic jam created by the Autobot refugees after Scattorshot tries to stop Megatron's warp gate.

===Real-world references===
*In response to the sight of Scourge unleashing his fire breath, Crumplezone gasps "Woah, flame on!", quoting the catchphrase of superhero Johnny Storm (aka the [[Human Torch]]), a member of the [[Fantastic Four]].

===Trivia===
*"Revelation" was the last episode of the series to premiere on [[Kids' WB]], and the final new episode to air in 2005. When the series returned in 2006, it was back on [[Cartoon Network]]. This was... upsetting to ''Cybertron'' fans without cable, many of whom had to wait years to see the rest of the series.
*Scourge is voiced by [[Colin Murdoch]], instead of [[Trevor Devall]] in this episode. This is fairly noticeable, as Murdoch's Scourge voice is significantly deeper than Devall's.
*As in "[[Retreat]]", actress [[Chiara Zanni]] stands in for [[Sarah Edmondson]] as Lori for this episode. She will do so once more, in "[[Inferno (episode)|Inferno]]".
*When the Decepticons arrive on Earth, Crumplezone gets the planet's name wrong, calling it "Dirt". The same joke would later be made in the ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' movie by [[Jetfire (Movie)|Jetfire]].

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 07 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Unfinished

2024-08-31T16:48:45Z

0TheLegend0: /* Differences with Galaxy Force */

{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=50
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=51
|title="Unfinished"
|japanese=ギャラクシーコンボイVSマスターガルバトロン最終決戦!
|romaji=Galaxy Convoy tai Master Galvatron—Saishū Kessen!
|translation=Galaxy Convoy VS Master Galvatron—The Final Battle!
|image=Cyb_ep50_map_save.jpg
|caption="Unfinished?" What, did Candlejack show u
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Gyō Yamatoya]]
|director=[[Manabu Ono]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]]
|airdate=[[December 24]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[September 28]], [[2006]] (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''As the Autobots race to save Jungle Planet, Optimus Prime and Galvatron have their final battle.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Cyb ep50 i dream of starscream.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|In America, you rule Starscream. In Soviet Cybertron, Starscream rules you!]]
With the [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]] destroyed and peace returned to the universe, [[Coby Hansen|Coby]], [[Bud Hansen|Bud]] and [[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] relax on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. While Coby is working on his [[Cobybot]], Bud sneaks up behind him and jumps on him, leading the two brothers to run around chasing each other in good spirits. Lori shrugs at their childishness, before noticing that [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] appears distracted. After all, [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] is still out there...

Galvatron is, in fact, much closer than the [[Autobot]] leader realizes, staring down at Cybertron from his vantage point on an asteroid floating above the planet. Wondering aloud if this is truly to be the end of his ambition, Galvatron's attention is suddenly drawn to a sparkle of light above his head. As he looks up, the light flares around him, and he suddenly finds himself on a burning landscape, standing before the towering form of [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]], who sits upon a throne flanked by [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] and [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]]. Starscream mocks Galvatron for giving up, inciting the [[Decepticon]] commander's rage, at which point the burning world fades away, and Galvatron finds himself on the asteroid once more. The sparkle of light floats nearer, and is revealed to be Starscream's [[Transformer clothing|crown]], which Galvatron takes in his hands. Reflecting on Starscream's words, he crushes the crown, and swears to finish things once and for all.

[[File:Cyb ep50 scourge shake.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Scourge: "Am I doing it right?" Optimus: "When you shake someone's hand, Scourge, you're not supposed to hear cracking noises!"]]

Down on Cybertron, the Autobots are dealing with the last lingering remnant of the chaos wreaked upon the universe by the black hole: the [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]] has been pulled out of its normal place in the cosmos, and must be restored. Working together as a massive construction crew, the Autobots disassemble and rebuild the engines of the colossal starship, the [[Ark (Cybertron)|Ark]], on Jungle Planet's surface, intending to use their thrust to push the planet through a [[space bridge]], back to its rightful place in the universe. [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] thanks Optimus Prime for all that he has done for him, and all the non-Jungle-Planet-native Transformers return to Cybertron so that the planet can depart. The engines are fired up and all is going well, until Galvatron comes streaking down out of the sky and blasts his way through one of the four boosters, throwing off the planet's trajectory and causing it to careen towards Cybertron itself. No sooner are the Autobots aware of this crisis than Galvatron warps into their command centre on Cybertron, intent on finishing their war one way or another. Despite [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]]'s protestations, Optimus Prime instructs the other Autobots to go and deal with the booster problem, leaving him to handle Galvatron one-on-one.

[[File:Cyb ep50 transformers together.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|The premiere of the new ''Transformers'' movie was met with a little too much enthusiasm.]]

The Autobots rush to Jungle Planet, where they quickly and effectively manage to extinguish the fires blazing around the rocket. Just as this task is accomplished, however, the struts supporting the damaged booster give way, and the rocket begins to topple over. Scourge rashly leaps into action, attempting to push the monolithic engine back into place using nothing but his own strength, and [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] soon joins him. All the Autobots follow their lead, and with the addition of the towering warriors of [[Gigantion]], the rocket's collapse is halted. However, it still needs to be righted back to its original placement to stop the collision with Cybertron, and the Autobots do not have the strength to do so. To make matters worse, [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]], [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]], [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] and [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] all turn up, apparently poised to take down the Autobots when they are busy supporting the booster and unable to fight back. In truth, however, the four former ne'er-do-wells are here to help save the planets as well, and all start pushing the rocket alongside the Autobots! More and more allies arrive through the [[space bridge]], as the Transformers of Earth, along with the natives of Jungle Planet, come to lend their strength to the effort. Together as one, the Transformers all glow with the power of Primus, and the rocket is thrust back into its correct position, propelling the Jungle Planet safely past Cybertron, through the space bridge, and home again.

[[File:Cyb ep50 lightning storm.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Today's forecast calls for a high chance of deadly purple lightning storms...in space?]]

As this triumphant battle against gravity is waged, Galvatron and Optimus Prime's own battle was been growing ever fiercer. Prime looks to be on the ropes until Galvatron vows to kill all his followers once he is done with Prime, a threat that galvanized Prime into action. Seizing his perennial foe, Prime takes flight, and carries them both to one of Cybertron's moons, where they watch as the Jungle Planet is saved. As their fight continues, the other Autobots soon come flying in to support their leader, and Galvatron exploits their presence to strike Prime where it will hurt the most. Unleashing a storm of purple lightning, Galvatron brings all the Autobots to their knees, then manifests a sword of dark energy which he uses to cleave one of Optimus's wings off. As he stands poised to deliver the killing blow...

[[File:Cyb ep50 rhisling.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|Speak softly and carry a HUGE FREAKING SWORD.]]

...the glowing [[Planet Map]] suddenly flies from Bud's pocket, and blocks his blade! The light from the map floods the lunar battlefield, and Optimus Prime sees at its heart the spectral form of [[Vector Prime]], who reminds his old friend that he is watching over him from beyond the veil of time, and will always be there for him when his need is greatest. And this time, Vector Prime tells Optimus, he has brought a gift...

[[File:Cyb ep50 final blow.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|We would have waited an eternity for this—the end of the Unicron Trilogy!]]

As the light of the map fades and the moon comes back into view, the luminescent globe of the Planet Map hangs between Prime and Galvatron, as the Decepticon leader demands to know what is happening. Optimus answers by reaching into the sphere before him, and from it, drawing Vector Prime's gift: his mighty sword, [[Rhisling]]! Galvatron is hurled aside by a strike from this blade of blades, and the two leaders power up for what can only be their final attack. Glowing with the golden energy of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], Optimus charges at Galvatron and impales his eternal enemy on Vector Prime's sword. A huge explosion results, and the Autobots wait nervously as the dust clears to see the outcome. As their visibility returns, Optimus Prime is standing over the collapsed Galvatron, who—even with a sword run through him—still reaches his hand outward towards Prime, claiming it will never be over. Unflinching, Optimus Prime bids Galvatron farewell...and the Decepticon's body disintegrates into ashes that blow away on the lunar winds. Moments later, an exhausted Prime collapses to his knees, as the other Autobots rush to their victorious commander's aid.
{{-}}

==Featured Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (9)
*[[Quickmix (Cybertron)|Quickmix]] (11)
*[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (12)
*[[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]] (13)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (14)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (15)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (16)
*[[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] (17)
*[[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (18)
*[[Safeguard (Cybertron)|Safeguard]] (19)
*[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (20)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (21)
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] (22)
*[[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (23)
*[[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] (24)
*[[Backstop (Cybertron)|Backstop]] (27)
*[[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (29)
*[[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] (35)
*[[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] (36)
*[[Brakedown (Cybertron)|Brakedown]] (37)
*[[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]] (39)
*[[Vector Prime]] (41)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] (5)
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (6)
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] (10)
*[[Brimstone (Cybertron)|Brimstone]] (25)
*[[Undermine (Cybertron)|Undermine]] (26)
*[[Menasor (Cybertron)|Menasor]] (30)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (31)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (32)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (33)
*[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (34)
*[[Dirt Boss (Cybertron)|Dirt Boss]] (38)
*[[Lugnutz]] (42)

|c3=
*[[Coby Hansen]] (1)
*[[Bud Hansen]] (2)
*[[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] (3)

|c4=
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (7)
*[[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] (8)
*Jungle Planet Transformers (28)
*[[Ancient Decepticon]]s (40)
}}

==Quotes==
"So, you're giving up. Heh, you're certainly no Unicron!" 
"How can this be?" 
"You defeated me, and this is all you have to show for it? How dare you give up before the job is done!?" 
"You... Starscream!" 
"So you haven't forgotten me like you forgot your ambitions, or was it just too much for you?" 
"You dare talk to me of ambition, you backstabbing fiend! If not for them, those accursed Autobots, I would have destroyed the universe!" 
"Hehehe... well, whatever you have to tell yourself." 
"Starscream! Come back here!" 
:—'''Starscream''' mocks '''Galvatron''' from the fire dimension.

"Hmmm, his crown... As pathetic as it sounds, he's right! I am Galvatron! I will destroy the universe and remake it in my image! And NOTHING WILL STAND IN MY WAY! HAHAHAHA!"
:—'''Galvatron''' reflects on Starscream's taunts.

"Why throw away your life so recklessly, Prime? It's a pity it has to end like this." 
"That's a question you should ask yourself, Galvatron! ''I will finish you!''"
:—'''Galvatron''' and '''Optimus Prime''', <s>fanwank</s> [[The Transformers: The Movie|homage]] #1

"You will always lose, Galvatron. You think about nothing but destruction. None of your victories last! You care about nothing but yourself! ''No one'' cares about you!"
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

"Only ''one'' shall stand, Galvatron! It ends here!" 
"NEVER!!" 
"At last, the Universe will be freed from your evil!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Galvatron''', homage #2

"I still function. You haven't... won. Not while my spark... still burns..."
:—'''Galvatron'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s last words, homage #3

==Notes==

===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===
[[File:Cyb ep50 animation comparison.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb]]
*As in the previous episode, the landscape of the reborn Cybertron differs between the two versions of the show. ''Galaxy Force'' shows the planet with organic trees and fields of grass that are part of the background painting, whereas ''Cybertron'' replaces the trees with apparently-[[technorganic]] counterparts, and the fields with swathes of green circuit boards, both CGI-animated.
*In ''Cybertron'', Starscream mocks Galvatron for giving up, which angers Galvatron, who then decides to finish things once and for all. In ''Galaxy Force'', Starscream simply asks Galvatron if he's giving up, Galvatron tells him that he can destroy the universe with just his fist, to which Starscream replies "That's the Galvatron I know."
*In ''Cybertron'', Scourge thanks Lori for all that she has done; in ''Galaxy Force'', he tells her that he will come and visit her on Earth.
*In ''Cybertron'', Red Alert attempts to shut down the rockets in order to halt the planet's movement, only to have a short circuit increase their power and speed, hastening the danger. Conversely in ''Galaxy Force'', getting the power back up was his ''intention''.
*In ''Cybertron'', Thunderblast, Thundercracker, Crumplezone, and Ransack all join in to push the rocket because they got tired of losing and being disrespected by Galvatron. In ''Galaxy Force'', they only do it because they want to be the ones to defeat the Autobots instead of letting the rocket do it.
*In its final great moment of [[burning spirit]], this episode sees the entire Transformer race glow with a magic golden aura that suddenly makes them strong enough to push the rocket back into place. Steadfast to the last, ''Galaxy Force'' does not remark upon this, treating it as perfectly normal, while ''Cybertron'' slips in the explanation that they are glowing with the power of Primus that exists in all of them.
*Vector Prime tells Optimus that he will always be looking out for him, just before giving Optimus his sword in ''Cybertron''. In ''Galaxy Force'', the old bot is more cryptic, saying that there are still things that Optimus must do in the universe (and so cannot afford to fall in this battle).
*The tone of Prime and Galvatron's final battle following Vector Prime's appearance is much more "victorious" and "exciting" in ''Cybertron'', as heroic music swells up, and after the final blow is struck, Prime assures his troops that he is okay. In ''Galaxy Force'', by comparison, the music for the fight is somber and dramatic, and the final seconds of the episode are silent.

===Animation and technical glitches===
*As he reports that the fires are extinguished, [[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] speaks with [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]]'s voice.
*Leobreaker says he has Snarl's back when he went to help Scourge.
*When Crosswise brings reinforcements, Mudflap's CG model has him driving in reverse.

===Continuity notes===
*Starscream, Sideways and Soundwave were blasted into another dimension in "[[Showdown (Cybertron)|Showdown]]". Their appearance in this episode is fairly confusing, as they appear to be reaching out across the dimensions somehow.
*The theme of absolute reciprocative trust between Optimus and his troops is again touched on here (with even more specificity in the ''Galaxy Force'' version.) This lesson in trust was first learned (the hard way) in "[[Optimus (episode)|Optimus]]".
*To bring the series full circle, the start of Optimus's final battle with Galvatron begins IDENTICALLY as Prime's very first battle with Megatron back in episode 01 [[Fallen (episode)|Fallen]]. Both faction leaders square off one-on-one in Skydome on planet Cybertron, zooming in toward each other with punches extended such that, when their fists collide, the room surroundings are shattered in a huge concussive explosion.

===Transformers references===
*The opening moments of this episode, as Coby works on his [[Cobybot]] and Bud scares him by sneaking up from behind, exactly mirror the original animation added to ''Galaxy Force''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Ice#Trivia|third opening sequence]] of Coby working on his motorbike, down to the movements of the characters' hands. About the only difference is the clothes they're wearing.
*Galvatron and Optimus deliver several lines of paraphrased dialogue from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', all quoted above. ''Cybertron'' is no stranger to pilfering movie dialogue, but while "I still function" has been heard in the show before, used by Starscream back in "[[Showdown (Cybertron)|Showdown]]", and "Why throw away your life so recklessly?" has been heard before in "[[Fury (Cybertron)|Fury]]", "Only one shall stand" has never been used in the show before. The use of movie lines is actually fairly appropriate here, given the visual similarities between the two battles.
*Jetfire quotes "Till all are one."

===Real-world references===
[[File:Cybprime exkaiser.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Mine's bigger.]]
*The battle between Optimus Prime and Galvatron contains several visual references to the final showdown between Great Exkaizer and Dinogeist from the anime series ''[[Brave (franchise)|Brave Exkaiser]]''. Both clashes take place on a moon, and the heroes both wield massive swords that are drawn in an identically dynamic fashion (known as the [[Masami Ōbari|Obari]] Sword Pose), glow golden as they deliver the final blow to the villain, and have their helmets shattered during the fight.
{{--}}

===Trivia===
[[File:Cyb ep50 death cannon.jpg|thumb|Really Galvatron? ''DEATH CANNON?'' Is THAT the best you could come up with?]]
*This is the only episode in ''Galaxy Force'' to not have [[commercial bumper]]s featuring a character/characters from the series. The only indication of [[:File:Galaxy Force bumpers ep51.jpg|leading to commercial and returning]] is the ''Galaxy Force'' logo appearing on screen in the upper-right and lower-right corners, respectively.
*In the grand Japanese ''Transformers'' tradition of modes like [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]]'s "Wingwolf", the weapon configuration Galvatron adopts in this episode (named his "Death Cannon" in ''Galaxy Force'', pictured at right) is not part of the toy's instructions, but was created by the cartoon's production staff after fiddling with the figure. As such, it's entirely possible to configure the toy into this form.
*Also, in ''Galaxy Force'', Megatron/Galvatron begins the name of each of his special weapons with "Death". The arm-mounted claw is the "Death Claw", his energy gatling gun is the "Death Machine Gun", and this is the "Death Cannon".
*During the fire-fighting scenes of this episode, there is a brief moment where Vector Prime's map falls to the ground and catches Bud's attention. This will be a familiar staple to you if you've watched a lot of anime, since in Japan, for something to fall over or break without anyone touching it or any form of outside interference—a teacup cracking, a shoelace breaking, or the family shrine falling—has usually been considered as a bad omen, or at least a warning. ''Transformers'' has even had a prior example, in the ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' episode "[[Cramp]]", when [[Alexis Thi Dang|Alexis]]'s [[Good Luck Necklace|necklace]] cracked at the moment of Starscream's death.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2006 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 13 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Unfinished

2024-08-31T12:04:10Z

0TheLegend0:

{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=50
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=51
|title="Unfinished"
|japanese=ギャラクシーコンボイVSマスターガルバトロン最終決戦!
|romaji=Galaxy Convoy tai Master Galvatron—Saishū Kessen!
|translation=Galaxy Convoy VS Master Galvatron—The Final Battle!
|image=Cyb_ep50_map_save.jpg
|caption="Unfinished?" What, did Candlejack show u
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Gyō Yamatoya]]
|director=[[Manabu Ono]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]]
|airdate=[[December 24]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[September 28]], [[2006]] (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''As the Autobots race to save Jungle Planet, Optimus Prime and Galvatron have their final battle.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Cyb ep50 i dream of starscream.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|In America, you rule Starscream. In Soviet Cybertron, Starscream rules you!]]
With the [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]] destroyed and peace returned to the universe, [[Coby Hansen|Coby]], [[Bud Hansen|Bud]] and [[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] relax on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. While Coby is working on his [[Cobybot]], Bud sneaks up behind him and jumps on him, leading the two brothers to run around chasing each other in good spirits. Lori shrugs at their childishness, before noticing that [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] appears distracted. After all, [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] is still out there...

Galvatron is, in fact, much closer than the [[Autobot]] leader realizes, staring down at Cybertron from his vantage point on an asteroid floating above the planet. Wondering aloud if this is truly to be the end of his ambition, Galvatron's attention is suddenly drawn to a sparkle of light above his head. As he looks up, the light flares around him, and he suddenly finds himself on a burning landscape, standing before the towering form of [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]], who sits upon a throne flanked by [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] and [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]]. Starscream mocks Galvatron for giving up, inciting the [[Decepticon]] commander's rage, at which point the burning world fades away, and Galvatron finds himself on the asteroid once more. The sparkle of light floats nearer, and is revealed to be Starscream's [[Transformer clothing|crown]], which Galvatron takes in his hands. Reflecting on Starscream's words, he crushes the crown, and swears to finish things once and for all.

[[File:Cyb ep50 scourge shake.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Scourge: "Am I doing it right?" Optimus: "When you shake someone's hand, Scourge, you're not supposed to hear cracking noises!"]]

Down on Cybertron, the Autobots are dealing with the last lingering remnant of the chaos wreaked upon the universe by the black hole: the [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]] has been pulled out of its normal place in the cosmos, and must be restored. Working together as a massive construction crew, the Autobots disassemble and rebuild the engines of the colossal starship, the [[Ark (Cybertron)|Ark]], on Jungle Planet's surface, intending to use their thrust to push the planet through a [[space bridge]], back to its rightful place in the universe. [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] thanks Optimus Prime for all that he has done for him, and all the non-Jungle-Planet-native Transformers return to Cybertron so that the planet can depart. The engines are fired up and all is going well, until Galvatron comes streaking down out of the sky and blasts his way through one of the four boosters, throwing off the planet's trajectory and causing it to careen towards Cybertron itself. No sooner are the Autobots aware of this crisis than Galvatron warps into their command centre on Cybertron, intent on finishing their war one way or another. Despite [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]]'s protestations, Optimus Prime instructs the other Autobots to go and deal with the booster problem, leaving him to handle Galvatron one-on-one.

[[File:Cyb ep50 transformers together.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|The premiere of the new ''Transformers'' movie was met with a little too much enthusiasm.]]

The Autobots rush to Jungle Planet, where they quickly and effectively manage to extinguish the fires blazing around the rocket. Just as this task is accomplished, however, the struts supporting the damaged booster give way, and the rocket begins to topple over. Scourge rashly leaps into action, attempting to push the monolithic engine back into place using nothing but his own strength, and [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] soon joins him. All the Autobots follow their lead, and with the addition of the towering warriors of [[Gigantion]], the rocket's collapse is halted. However, it still needs to be righted back to its original placement to stop the collision with Cybertron, and the Autobots do not have the strength to do so. To make matters worse, [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]], [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]], [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] and [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] all turn up, apparently poised to take down the Autobots when they are busy supporting the booster and unable to fight back. In truth, however, the four former ne'er-do-wells are here to help save the planets as well, and all start pushing the rocket alongside the Autobots! More and more allies arrive through the [[space bridge]], as the Transformers of Earth, along with the natives of Jungle Planet, come to lend their strength to the effort. Together as one, the Transformers all glow with the power of Primus, and the rocket is thrust back into its correct position, propelling the Jungle Planet safely past Cybertron, through the space bridge, and home again.

[[File:Cyb ep50 lightning storm.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Today's forecast calls for a high chance of deadly purple lightning storms...in space?]]

As this triumphant battle against gravity is waged, Galvatron and Optimus Prime's own battle was been growing ever fiercer. Prime looks to be on the ropes until Galvatron vows to kill all his followers once he is done with Prime, a threat that galvanized Prime into action. Seizing his perennial foe, Prime takes flight, and carries them both to one of Cybertron's moons, where they watch as the Jungle Planet is saved. As their fight continues, the other Autobots soon come flying in to support their leader, and Galvatron exploits their presence to strike Prime where it will hurt the most. Unleashing a storm of purple lightning, Galvatron brings all the Autobots to their knees, then manifests a sword of dark energy which he uses to cleave one of Optimus's wings off. As he stands poised to deliver the killing blow...

[[File:Cyb ep50 rhisling.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|Speak softly and carry a HUGE FREAKING SWORD.]]

...the glowing [[Planet Map]] suddenly flies from Bud's pocket, and blocks his blade! The light from the map floods the lunar battlefield, and Optimus Prime sees at its heart the spectral form of [[Vector Prime]], who reminds his old friend that he is watching over him from beyond the veil of time, and will always be there for him when his need is greatest. And this time, Vector Prime tells Optimus, he has brought a gift...

[[File:Cyb ep50 final blow.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|We would have waited an eternity for this—the end of the Unicron Trilogy!]]

As the light of the map fades and the moon comes back into view, the luminescent globe of the Planet Map hangs between Prime and Galvatron, as the Decepticon leader demands to know what is happening. Optimus answers by reaching into the sphere before him, and from it, drawing Vector Prime's gift: his mighty sword, [[Rhisling]]! Galvatron is hurled aside by a strike from this blade of blades, and the two leaders power up for what can only be their final attack. Glowing with the golden energy of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], Optimus charges at Galvatron and impales his eternal enemy on Vector Prime's sword. A huge explosion results, and the Autobots wait nervously as the dust clears to see the outcome. As their visibility returns, Optimus Prime is standing over the collapsed Galvatron, who—even with a sword run through him—still reaches his hand outward towards Prime, claiming it will never be over. Unflinching, Optimus Prime bids Galvatron farewell...and the Decepticon's body disintegrates into ashes that blow away on the lunar winds. Moments later, an exhausted Prime collapses to his knees, as the other Autobots rush to their victorious commander's aid.
{{-}}

==Featured Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (9)
*[[Quickmix (Cybertron)|Quickmix]] (11)
*[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (12)
*[[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]] (13)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (14)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (15)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (16)
*[[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] (17)
*[[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (18)
*[[Safeguard (Cybertron)|Safeguard]] (19)
*[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (20)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (21)
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] (22)
*[[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (23)
*[[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] (24)
*[[Backstop (Cybertron)|Backstop]] (27)
*[[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (29)
*[[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] (35)
*[[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] (36)
*[[Brakedown (Cybertron)|Brakedown]] (37)
*[[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]] (39)
*[[Vector Prime]] (41)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] (5)
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (6)
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] (10)
*[[Brimstone (Cybertron)|Brimstone]] (25)
*[[Undermine (Cybertron)|Undermine]] (26)
*[[Menasor (Cybertron)|Menasor]] (30)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (31)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (32)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (33)
*[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (34)
*[[Dirt Boss (Cybertron)|Dirt Boss]] (38)
*[[Lugnutz]] (42)

|c3=
*[[Coby Hansen]] (1)
*[[Bud Hansen]] (2)
*[[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] (3)

|c4=
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (7)
*[[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] (8)
*Jungle Planet Transformers (28)
*[[Ancient Decepticon]]s (40)
}}

==Quotes==
"So, you're giving up. Heh, you're certainly no Unicron!" 
"How can this be?" 
"You defeated me, and this is all you have to show for it? How dare you give up before the job is done!?" 
"You... Starscream!" 
"So you haven't forgotten me like you forgot your ambitions, or was it just too much for you?" 
"You dare talk to me of ambition, you backstabbing fiend! If not for them, those accursed Autobots, I would have destroyed the universe!" 
"Hehehe... well, whatever you have to tell yourself." 
"Starscream! Come back here!" 
:—'''Starscream''' mocks '''Galvatron''' from the fire dimension.

"Hmmm, his crown... As pathetic as it sounds, he's right! I am Galvatron! I will destroy the universe and remake it in my image! And NOTHING WILL STAND IN MY WAY! HAHAHAHA!"
:—'''Galvatron''' reflects on Starscream's taunts.

"Why throw away your life so recklessly, Prime? It's a pity it has to end like this." 
"That's a question you should ask yourself, Galvatron! ''I will finish you!''"
:—'''Galvatron''' and '''Optimus Prime''', <s>fanwank</s> [[The Transformers: The Movie|homage]] #1

"You will always lose, Galvatron. You think about nothing but destruction. None of your victories last! You care about nothing but yourself! ''No one'' cares about you!"
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

"Only ''one'' shall stand, Galvatron! It ends here!" 
"NEVER!!" 
"At last, the Universe will be freed from your evil!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Galvatron''', homage #2

"I still function. You haven't... won. Not while my spark... still burns..."
:—'''Galvatron'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s last words, homage #3

==Notes==

===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===
[[File:Cyb ep50 animation comparison.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb]]
*As in the previous episode, the landscape of the reborn Cybertron differs between the two versions of the show. ''Galaxy Force'' shows the planet with organic trees and fields of grass that are part of the background painting, whereas ''Cybertron'' replaces the trees with apparently-[[technorganic]] counterparts, and the fields with swathes of green circuit boards, both CGI-animated.
*In ''Cybertron'', Starscream mocks Galvatron for giving up, which angers Galvatron, who then he decides to finish things once and for all. In ''Galaxy Force'', Starscream simply asks Galvatron if he's giving up, Galvatron tells him that he can destroy the universe with just his fist, to which Starscream replies "That's the Galvatron I know."
*In ''Cybertron'', Scourge thanks Lori for all that she has done; in ''Galaxy Force'', he tells her that he will come and visit her on Earth.
*In ''Cybertron'', Red Alert attempts to shut down the rockets in order to halt the planet's movement, only to have a short circuit increase their power and speed, hastening the danger. Conversely in ''Galaxy Force'', getting the power back up was his ''intention''.
*In ''Cybertron'', Thunderblast, Thundercracker, Crumplezone, and Ransack all join in to push the rocket because they got tired of losing and being disrespected by Galvatron. In ''Galaxy Force'', they only do it because they want to be the ones to defeat the Autobots instead of letting the rocket do it.
*In its final great moment of [[burning spirit]], this episode sees the entire Transformer race glow with a magic golden aura that suddenly makes them strong enough to push the rocket back into place. Steadfast to the last, ''Galaxy Force'' does not remark upon this, treating it as perfectly normal, while ''Cybertron'' slips in the explanation that they are glowing with the power of Primus that exists in all of them.
*Vector Prime tells Optimus that he will always be looking out for him, just before giving Optimus his sword in ''Cybertron''. In ''Galaxy Force'', the old bot is more cryptic, saying that there are still things that Optimus must do in the universe (and so cannot afford to fall in this battle).
*The tone of Prime and Galvatron's final battle following Vector Prime's appearance is much more "victorious" and "exciting" in ''Cybertron'', as heroic music swells up, and after the final blow is struck, Prime assures his troops that he is okay. In ''Galaxy Force'', by comparison, the music for the fight is somber and dramatic, and the final seconds of the episode are silent.

===Animation and technical glitches===
*As he reports that the fires are extinguished, [[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] speaks with [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]]'s voice.
*Leobreaker says he has Snarl's back when he went to help Scourge.
*When Crosswise brings reinforcements, Mudflap's CG model has him driving in reverse.

===Continuity notes===
*Starscream, Sideways and Soundwave were blasted into another dimension in "[[Showdown (Cybertron)|Showdown]]". Their appearance in this episode is fairly confusing, as they appear to be reaching out across the dimensions somehow.
*The theme of absolute reciprocative trust between Optimus and his troops is again touched on here (with even more specificity in the ''Galaxy Force'' version.) This lesson in trust was first learned (the hard way) in "[[Optimus (episode)|Optimus]]".
*To bring the series full circle, the start of Optimus's final battle with Galvatron begins IDENTICALLY as Prime's very first battle with Megatron back in episode 01 [[Fallen (episode)|Fallen]]. Both faction leaders square off one-on-one in Skydome on planet Cybertron, zooming in toward each other with punches extended such that, when their fists collide, the room surroundings are shattered in a huge concussive explosion.

===Transformers references===
*The opening moments of this episode, as Coby works on his [[Cobybot]] and Bud scares him by sneaking up from behind, exactly mirror the original animation added to ''Galaxy Force''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Ice#Trivia|third opening sequence]] of Coby working on his motorbike, down to the movements of the characters' hands. About the only difference is the clothes they're wearing.
*Galvatron and Optimus deliver several lines of paraphrased dialogue from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', all quoted above. ''Cybertron'' is no stranger to pilfering movie dialogue, but while "I still function" has been heard in the show before, used by Starscream back in "[[Showdown (Cybertron)|Showdown]]", and "Why throw away your life so recklessly?" has been heard before in "[[Fury (Cybertron)|Fury]]", "Only one shall stand" has never been used in the show before. The use of movie lines is actually fairly appropriate here, given the visual similarities between the two battles.
*Jetfire quotes "Till all are one."

===Real-world references===
[[File:Cybprime exkaiser.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Mine's bigger.]]
*The battle between Optimus Prime and Galvatron contains several visual references to the final showdown between Great Exkaizer and Dinogeist from the anime series ''[[Brave (franchise)|Brave Exkaiser]]''. Both clashes take place on a moon, and the heroes both wield massive swords that are drawn in an identically dynamic fashion (known as the [[Masami Ōbari|Obari]] Sword Pose), glow golden as they deliver the final blow to the villain, and have their helmets shattered during the fight.
{{--}}

===Trivia===
[[File:Cyb ep50 death cannon.jpg|thumb|Really Galvatron? ''DEATH CANNON?'' Is THAT the best you could come up with?]]
*This is the only episode in ''Galaxy Force'' to not have [[commercial bumper]]s featuring a character/characters from the series. The only indication of [[:File:Galaxy Force bumpers ep51.jpg|leading to commercial and returning]] is the ''Galaxy Force'' logo appearing on screen in the upper-right and lower-right corners, respectively.
*In the grand Japanese ''Transformers'' tradition of modes like [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]]'s "Wingwolf", the weapon configuration Galvatron adopts in this episode (named his "Death Cannon" in ''Galaxy Force'', pictured at right) is not part of the toy's instructions, but was created by the cartoon's production staff after fiddling with the figure. As such, it's entirely possible to configure the toy into this form.
*Also, in ''Galaxy Force'', Megatron/Galvatron begins the name of each of his special weapons with "Death". The arm-mounted claw is the "Death Claw", his energy gatling gun is the "Death Machine Gun", and this is the "Death Cannon".
*During the fire-fighting scenes of this episode, there is a brief moment where Vector Prime's map falls to the ground and catches Bud's attention. This will be a familiar staple to you if you've watched a lot of anime, since in Japan, for something to fall over or break without anyone touching it or any form of outside interference—a teacup cracking, a shoelace breaking, or the family shrine falling—has usually been considered as a bad omen, or at least a warning. ''Transformers'' has even had a prior example, in the ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' episode "[[Cramp]]", when [[Alexis Thi Dang|Alexis]]'s [[Good Luck Necklace|necklace]] cracked at the moment of Starscream's death.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2006 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 13 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Talk:Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)

2024-08-18T09:09:50Z

0TheLegend0: /* Is Galaxy Force really a sequel to Super Link? */

==Untitled==
I think Cybertron should be defined as its own continuity Seperate from the Armada/Energon Story, Outside of the Comic and Toy Package references the Cartoon has far too many Historical Diferences, like the folowing:

-The first Episode Optimus talks as if they will be the first Autobots on Earth and must remain hidden from the population (by the time of Energon Tranformers were puplic knowledge on Earth)

-Minicons come from Giant Planet, as opposed to Unicron himself

-When Leobreaker and Optimus first Link-up they all act as if this is unheard of, this was later ignored when Wingsaber and Optimus talked about a Accidental Power Linking they previously shared. (Power Linking for Optimus was a Minor Part of Armada, and a Major part for all Autobots in Energon)

- Their Earth Allies from Armada/Energon (Rad, Carlos, Alexis, Kicker and the rest of the Jones Family) are not seen or mentioned at all

:It should be noted that at no point during the Energon cartoon is the existance of Transformers demonstrated to be public knowledge. Every human they're seen with is working for the Earth Federation's energon projects. --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] 13:48, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

* Rad, Carlos, Alexis, and Kicker ARE seen in the final episode of Cybertron, in scenes added to the American version.
* In the Fan Club Cybertron comic, Vector Prime explains that the [[Unicron Singularity]] is causing memory glitches in the Autobots as time and space is distorted.
* Armada and Energon have lots of continuity contradictions, too. Oh, and let's not even get into the continuity/origin contradictions in the G1 cartoon from season to season.
* Hasbro says they're the same story. 'Nuff said.
--[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 13:42, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

:::Nuff said indeed. The one thing that irritates me more than GEEWUNISM are the fans who are so obsessed that they think it is their right to control what Transformers can and cannot do. Like it or not, it belongs to Hasbro and if they say that Optimus Prime was a truck driver stuck in a time warp that got fused with his delivery vehicle, then it happened. You can't just say what did or did not happen because you happen to dislike the direction. I would have MUCH preferred that Cybertron have been handled more closely as a sequel, but I openly accept Fun Publication's explanations for the continuity errors.
--[[User:Bodycount|Bodycount]]
::::Oooooh. I can see it now. Transformers, starring Turbo Teen! (ducks and runs)--[[User:G.B. Blackrock|G.B. Blackrock]] 18:34, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

:The major problem with these continuity errors is because of the change over from the japanese Galaxy Force to the american Cybertron. In all events its best thinking of Galaxy force and cybertron as another alternate universe (despite them trying to merge them with a few added images as mentioned further up in this discussion). (Menchicutlets)-- 15:19, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

== Lousy Effort ==

Who is not even putting up a very good effort on these Armada, Energon and Cybertron sections? {{unsigned|69.234.144.73}}
:We're trying to get them done eventually, thank you very much, but it takes a long time to watch, rewatch and then write a decent episode summary article, and given the quality of the series in question, I don't think many people have the inclination to write them. If you want them filled out, how about helping us by contributing yourself? --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 16:04, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
::Considering HIS "contributions" in that area consisted of nothing more than super-shitty barely-English one-paragraph pages? I'd rather he DIDN'T. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 18:36, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
:::Which is why I asked you guys if he should have been given a 'time out' given his repeated disregard for our rules and standards. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 19:04, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
"Lousy effort" seems like a pretty good descriptor of your additions thus far! Half-English half-paragraphs, no formatting? Thanks! --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 19:24, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
:Lousy effort seems like a good descriptor from Armada-Cyb, which I think is the root cause for tha apathy towards them.
:I haven't even WATCHED half of the UT, and I have little desire to. Inflicting 30 hours of truly awful television on myself out of a feeling of obligation had yet to win out, despite my own completionist tendencies towards fiction. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 22:29, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

== Only one editing? ==

Why you made me the only one editing? You think I'm the expert and elite on this? Thats why YOU MADE ME DO ALL YOUR WORK?!!! I'm not the expert at Transformers, you are not me. {{unsigned|69.234.144.73}}

:You're right, we're sorry. Because of your effort, we'll triple your pay. ''Wait a minute.''
:To be honest, Cybertron is still fairly fresh in everybody's mind, so there's no real demand for this information quite yet, but at the same time it's not fresh and hot as the movie, which because it's essentially the most prominent aspect of Transformers right now, has a huge demand for info.
:On this wiki, everything, ''like, everything'' gets added eventually. But I, personally, have trouble adding details on episodes when the DVDs aren't out yet.--[[User:Zodberg|Zodberg]] 22:50, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

:Nobody's making you do anything. You might as well as why no-one making Beast Wars episode articles. You going to do those too, just because no-one else is? Cause that's the only reason they're not being made - no-one's gotten around to doing them yet. And a big part of that is that a lot of us find the Unicron Trilogy a ''tremendous'' slog to get through, and just aren't enthusiastic enough about it to do stuff on the wiki that deals with it. This isn't supposed to ''be'' "work," y'know. It's for fun, and if you're not going to have ''fun'' doing it, well... don't. Like everything else on the wiki, it'll be made when someone decides that they want to do it. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 22:53, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

::We'll see Armada finished before Energon or Cybertron, because DVDs are available and the episodes were widely distributed back in the day. I don't even have a copy of Fallen or the other early episodes of Cybertron, just the Galaxy Force originals (which of course creates a problem as Cyb and GF don't jive with one another, so I can't simply use them as proxies). I'm certainly not going to go out and buy the few available Cybertron DVDs just to do recaps. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 02:13, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

May I suggest watching Youtube to know all Armada, Energon and Cybertron episodes?([[User:Soldier 79|Soldier 79]] 01:29, 20 October 2007 (UTC))

==Pain count and such==
I am highly amused by the mockery the Energon episodes are getting, but I wonder what could we do for the Cybertron episodes? Should there be a Lost in translation section, even though we know both Cyb and GF are different for a reason? There are conversations that are different that have no bearing on Takara/Gonzo's decision to make it a new continuity.

How about the pain count? How many times Prime resorts to Super Mode as the first and only resort in battle? :) --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 16:38, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
:Well, what ''causes you pain''? What makes you want to pull you hair out every time it happens? Cybertron has an unbelievable amount of stock footage, but I don't recall any of the painfully repetitive dialog that Energon and Armada had. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 17:05, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

I recommed we start with counting every instance of "Cyber key power!" in an episode, as I did for [[Space (episode)|Space]]. 
Part of the problem is that ''Cybertron'' is in fact better, so there's less pain, and there's certainly less instances of the same pain over and over. [[User:JW|JW]] 17:37, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

::Even though I hate the stock footage (particularly that episode where they padded it out by showing the Sonic Convoy sequence ''twice''), I think the bit where Prime's faceplate slides up during Supermode looks very cool. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 02:21, 15 March 2008 (UTC)
:::I can't argue with that. Even as I'm sitting there A) feeling robbed of time 'cause I'm watching the same thing over and over, and B) feeling grossly manipulated into buying the toys, I'm ''still'' going, "Ooo, shiny!" I guess the 12-year-old in me is still alive and kickin'. [[User:JW|JW]] 03:49, 15 March 2008 (UTC)
::::That and obsessive-compulsive disorders. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 03:52, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

==Autobots and Earth==
I'm not sure what the basis of this line is: ''The Autobots act as though they've never been to Earth before and have no familiarity with its culture, despite having spent ten years there in places like Ocean City.'' I don't recall any instances of the Autobots who are known to have actually been on Earth before acting like this. Landmine certainly does, but I don't think he ever set foot on Earth during Energon, did he? He certainly didn't spend ten years there. Were there instances of Optimus, Hot Shot, Red Alert, or Jetfire expressing a lack of familiarity with Earth? --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] 16:59, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
:Jetfire, IIRC, is among the Autobots who require a crash course in Earth culture from the humans. Nobody understands traffic laws, or the notion of disguise. I think there's more, but it's been a year or more since I watched the show. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 17:04, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
::It's also been a while for me to, but as far as I recall it was just the civilian refugees who needed to be taught about traffic laws and such. --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] 17:06, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
:::I watched only one episode of Cybertron from start to finish, and I distinctly remember Optimus Prime having to learn traffic laws. Of course, I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning, so anything I remember should be taken with a grain of salt. [[User:Semysane|Semysane]] 17:30, 14 March 2008 (UTC)
:::Okay, just rewatched the first 3 episodes. In [[Hidden]], the Autobots (Jetfire and Prime specifically) are totally reliant upon the 3 kids to teach all the civilians traffic laws and find ordinary-looking disguises for them. Prime says to Jetfire "we couldn't do this without them." So.... what happened to the dozens or hundreds of humans living in Ocean City? They couldn't call up a few of them? There's definitely an incongruity there. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 04:44, 15 March 2008 (UTC)
::::Oh, there's clearly been an unexplained changed in the status of the Autobots on Earth. For some reason, they have to be in hiding and keep their presence secret now instead of working with the Earth Federation. --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] 05:01, 15 March 2008 (UTC)
:::::The Unicron Singularity did it. I love that thing, it explains away every plot hole in every fiction ever made. [[User:Semysane|Semysane]] 05:43, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

==Production info==
Can anyone provide any production info on the series for the article? eg: animation studio(s), timelines, and so forth?

== Remove the Force Chip/Cyber Key attack callouts list? ==

Didn't we have a discussion at some point in the past to ditch that entire section? It's just a long boring list of meaningless engrish words that Bodycount or somebody wrote (and then added into the character articles themsleves until we removed them.) --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 10:15, 26 July 2009 (EDT)
:Here we go. [http://tfwiki.net/w2/index.php?title=Cybertron_(cartoon)&diff=290136&oldid=276233 An anonymous user added them back in May] which was then swiftly removed by Chris. He [http://tfwiki.net/w2/index.php?title=Cybertron_(cartoon)&diff=336969&oldid=322013 reverted Chris' edits] a few days ago. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 10:19, 26 July 2009 (EDT)
::The objective of this Wiki is to be a repository of knowledge... so isn't that list knowledge as well, given that it's not to be found anywhere else on the site? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by [[User:202.156.10.232|202.156.10.232]] ([[User talk:202.156.10.232|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/202.156.10.232|contribs]]){{#if:| {{{2}}}|}}.
:::I kinda like having the Force Chip attack callouts. It's kinda the same reason why I added the Japanese publication info for the movie-verse tie-in novels and other publications. --[[User:Lonegamer78|Lonegamer78]] 16:04, 27 July 2009 (EDT)
::::I concur with Lonegamer78 ... I know we're not hugely keen on lists, but this is interesting information. Perhaps it just needs a different home? --[[User:Jimsorenson|Jimsorenson]] 16:13, 27 July 2009 (EDT)
:::::I suppose if they go anywhere, they should go in the individual characters' cartoon sections. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 16:29, 27 July 2009 (EDT)
::::::That, I won't say no to. :D Makes a lot more sense. (And that I have "Force Chip - IGNITION!" permanently etched in my brain after a marathon viewing with a friend) --[[User:Lonegamer78|Lonegamer78]] 10:56, 28 July 2009 (EDT)

== English writers ==
Do we know who wrote which episodes for the English version? [[Marc Handler]]'s site says he wrote 6 of the episodes, but not which ones. I took a quick check of an episode, but couldn't see a writer credit... --[[User:Abates|abates]] 06:13, 12 August 2009 (EDT)
:Alas, no, they don't have individual credits. There might be a group credit for writers in the credits at the end, I haven't checked recently. - McFeely, not signed in.

==Malaysian DVDs==
{{quote|Sometime in 2007, a complete DVD boxset of the ''Cybertron'' series was released in Malaysia which, despite initial appearances, was apparently ''not'' a bootleg, given that it was region-encoded (Region 3, to be precise).}}
Is that the only reason why it's considered official, because it's not region 0? Because that really doesn't mean anything. I've got a couple of region-locked discs in my collection that are definitely bootlegs. - [[User:Magnus Maximus|Magnus Maximus]] 11:48, 6 April 2010 (EDT)
:I can't even remember at this point. Maybe it is a bootleg! But how do you make a bootleg with DVD-quality visuals when no DVDs existed at the time to be copied? And would a bootleg go to the bother of creating two audio tracks (2.0 and 5.1) and accurately transcribing the English episodes to make subtitles? (This not sarcasm, it's genuine lack of knowledge.) - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 12:04, 6 April 2010 (EDT)

== Continuity Notes ==

So, I've noticed with quite a few episode summaries that things that happen that come back from previous episodes are under "Transformers References, and not "Continuity Notes." Is there any reason for this? I'd be more than willing to change it, as I feel "Transformers References" should be something that references a past series, not something in the same series.
 - [[User:Nyran|Nyran]] 15:23 PM, 14, July, 2013
:That'd be 'cause we didn't really have a "continuity notes" header that we widely used at the time. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 18:34, 14 July 2013 (EDT)
::So, should we? - [[User:Nyran|Nyran]] 15:35 PM, 14, July, 2013

== Character List? ==

The character list seems to be missing the Autobot refugees, and the other Gigantion minicons (i.e. Stripmine). '''May I add them?''' ...or is the list just supposed to be main cast? Because if that is the case, than I will just add text that the list is just the main cast.

Also why are Wingsaber and Mudflap listed as "Other" when they are both Cybertron native?

I would make those changes, but I just wanted to ask first.

Thank you! -west james/notirishman 11:51, 10 September 2017 (EDT)
:Given the sheer number of characters in any given cartoon, we tend to make character lists of main characters only. [[User:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47]] ([[User talk:S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 47|talk]]) 19:18, 10 September 2017 (EDT)

::So should I state that it is a main character list similar to the RID'15 cartoon page? Also I still don't know why Wingsaber and Mudflap listed as "Other" when they are both Cybertron native?
:::Wing Saber and Mudflap were unique cases who didn't fall into the same categories as the others of their respective factions. While we know that they both came from Cybertron, Mudflap first appeared on Earth as a non-main character Autobot refugee who later joined the Decepticons after his being on Earth, so he wasn't part of the same "Cybertron native" Decepticon group as Megatron, Starscream, and Thundercracker, who all came to Earth together as one group at the series' start. Likewise, Wing Saber is listed separately from the other "Cybertron native" Autobots since he wasn't part of that original group that Optimus, Hot Shot, Jetfire, Landmine, Overhaul, Red Alert, and Scattershot were, as he came into the show much later long after everyone was already on Earth. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] ([[User talk:Sabrblade|talk]]) 22:36, 11 September 2017 (EDT)

::::Ah... I see, Thanks. [[User:Notirishman|-west james/notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 23:23, 31 December 2017 (EST)

== Cybertron Defense Team ==

Just a quick question that I wanna get some opinions on:

Should we possibly have the Autobot '''Cybertron Natives''' list go like this?

*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] ([[Garry Chalk]])
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] ([[Brian Drummond]])
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] ([[Paul Dobson]])
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul/Leobreaker]] (Paul Dobson/[[Dave Ward]])
*[[Cybertron Defense Team (Cybertron)|Cybertron Defense Team]]
**[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] ([[Kirby Morrow]])
**[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] ([[Brian Dobson]])
**[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] ([[Richard Ian Cox]])

I know it's a bit of a stretch since the Cybertron Defense Team wasn't established until quite late in the show, but I just wanted to get some opinions on whether it would be worth editing that way or leaving it. Since it is a subgroup and most of our cartoon pages include just about every other subgroup name used within the show in the main cast list, I thought it would at least be worth a discussion. [[User:Fanofcoolstuff27|Fanofcoolstuff27]] ([[User talk:Fanofcoolstuff27|talk]]) 04:47, 17 November 2020 (EST)

== Is Galaxy Force really a sequel to Super Link? ==

I checked TakaraTomy's website, and some pages of Transformers Archive Super Encyclopedia published a few months ago, and as far as I understand, Takara thinks that Galaxy Force is not a direct sequel to Super Link. (If Google Translate is correct): "Unlike the overseas version, there is no direct connection to the previous two games in Japan, and the worldview is completely new." As for the encyclopedia, the book doesn't outright says it, but implies that Galaxy Force is not a sequel. [[User:0TheLegend0|0TheLegend0]] ([[User talk:0TheLegend0|talk]]) 12:50, 16 August 2024 (EDT)
:This is literally mentioned multiple times throughout this article. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 13:03, 16 August 2024 (EDT)
::Sorry for the late reply, but... As I said, Takara doesn't seem to think Galaxy Force is a sequel to Super Link. Also, "As it went on, the show made subtle attempts to fix this and tie itself back to the previous two cartoons" What subtle attempts, may I ask? Sorry, it's been a while since I watched GF, so I might misremember but I don't recall any connections to the previous two cartoons. [[User:0TheLegend0|0TheLegend0]] ([[User talk:0TheLegend0|talk]]) 05:09, 18 August 2024 (EDT)

Talk:Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)

2024-08-16T16:50:42Z

0TheLegend0: /* Is Galaxy Force really a sequel to Super Link? */

Talk:Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)

2024-08-16T16:50:00Z

0TheLegend0: /* Is Galaxy Force really a sequel to Super Link? */ new section

User talk:0TheLegend0

2024-08-16T15:54:36Z

0TheLegend0:

{{welcome}}
Please stop removing details from the Japanese versions of episodes. These sorts of differences are important for wiki documentation and should not be omitted. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 16:24, 15 August 2024 (EDT)
:Nothing confirms Nightscream as a different character. Secondary sources repeating the show's ambiguity is not the same thing. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 16:37, 15 August 2024 (EDT)
::Then why Galvatron calls him as Nightscream if he's Starscream? Also, didn't Starscream perish on Cybertron? Nightscream's spark was inside Unicron. [[User:0TheLegend0|0TheLegend0]] ([[User talk:0TheLegend0|talk]]) 11:42, 16 August 2024 (EDT)
:::Stop overthinking a cartoon for children meant to sell robot toys. The Japanese side of things has never confirmed it one way or the other, and that's consistently how it has been presented. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 11:47, 16 August 2024 (EDT)
:::: Okay, sorry... [[User:0TheLegend0|0TheLegend0]] ([[User talk:0TheLegend0|talk]]) 11:54, 16 August 2024 (EDT)

User talk:0TheLegend0

2024-08-16T15:42:11Z

0TheLegend0:

The Sun

2024-08-15T20:21:22Z

0TheLegend0: Undo revision 1778400 by Saix (talk) Starscream did NOT follow Galvatron into the sun in the English dub!

{{disambig2|the cartoon episode|the bright thing in the sky|Sun}}
{{episode|
|series=Energon
|ep=51
|prev=Spark (episode)
|next=Fallen (episode)
|title="The Sun"
|japanese=エネルゴン、それは太陽
|romaji=Energon, Sore wa Taiyō
|translation=Energon, It Is the Sun
|image=E51 titlecard.jpg
|caption=The [[sun]] is a mass of incandescent... energon?
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]]
|writer=[[Minoru Okeya]] & [[Shōji Tonoike]]
|director=[[Jun Kawagoe]] & [[Yutaka Satoh]]
|animation studio=[[Actas Inc.|Actas]], [[Studio A-CAT]] (3D)
|airdate=[[December 24|24 December]] [[2004]] (Japanese) [[March 19]], [[2005]] (Canada) [[June 1]], 2005 (USA)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy]]
}}

'''Primus plans to use the essence of Unicron to light Alpha Q's planets. Can the Autobots stop Galvatron from destroying Unicron long enough for it to happen?'''

==Synopsis==
Lying inert and unconscious on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] after their final battle, [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] and [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] talk about the strange power of [[Unicron]] within them, and why [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] serves [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]. Scorponok says that Galvatron created him, and for that he is grateful.

[[File:EnergonUnicronOrbTheSun.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1]]
Out in space, it turns out that [[Kicker Jones|Kicker]] didn't chop Unicron in half; he lowers his raised [[Energon Saber]]. He contemplates crushing the Unicron orb, but [[Primus]]'s voice speaks to him: Primus has been waiting for Kicker to find Unicron, and says that Unicron is in fact the light of hope for them. Primus reminds the disbelieving Kicker that Unicron has both the power to destroy ''and'' to create, a good heart and a black heart. Kicker realizes what Primus is planning.

On [[Jungle Planet (Energon)|Jungle Planet]]'s burning surface, the [[Autobot]]s gather around their fallen leader. [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]] explains that [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus]] has absorbed Unicron's energy using his [[Spark of Combination|Combination Spark]]; the troops want to heal him, but Rodimus says there's nothing they can do to help him. Prime knew the cost of taking on Galvatron alone, and they must respect his wishes.

[[File:Energon-Bulkhead-Glowing-Spark.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Bulkhead prepares to pull off a Care Bear Stare.]] The exhausted [[Decepticon]]s continue to slog through space, following their very angry leader. Galvatron arrives at the Unicron orb's location and confronts Kicker, ordering him out of the way. Kicker prepares to defend Unicron.

Within Cybertron, Primus's energy level begins spiking. [[Bulkhead (Energon)|Bulkhead]] notifies [[Brian Jones|Dr. Jones]] that he's leaving for Jungle Planet; Dr. Jones notices that Bulkhead's chest is glowing strangely, and Bulkhead explains that he's being called by his teammates. Primus suddenly dissolves just then... and rematerializes above the [[Super Energon]] pool, saying it's time to use his power.

[[Misha Miramond|Misha]] is trying to make contact with anyone... when [[Inferno (Energon)|Roadblock]], his chest aglow, says he too must go to Jungle Planet. The troops also find their Combination Sparks glowing, and realizes Optimus is calling them. Roadblock and Bulkhead arrive as well. The Autobots' combination sparks enter Optimus.

[[File:Energon-Galvatron-Collide-Unicron-Spark.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|left|Galvatron suffers the worst case of indigestion he's ever had in preparation for reaping the whirlwind.]] Inspired by the images of his friends, Kicker takes on Galvatron. [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Omega Supreme]] arrives to make an assist, preventing Galvatron from destroying Unicron. Omega explains that Unicron can't simply be destroyed, as he exists within all Transformers, and is the force that drives the cosmos. Galvatron isn't convinced, and bashes him aside after a short battle, but instead of destroying Unicron's essence, he is infiltrated by it.

Scorponok awakens, and sees the glowing Combination Spark of Ironhide. Optimus's eyes flare to life. Omega Supreme stares. The Decepticons arrive. All present behold that Unicron has awoken...

On Cybertron, Primus forms the Super Energon into a huge red plasma ball. The weakened [[Superion Maximus]] stirs, wondering if all his labors were worth it all. (Remember that painting? The one in the [[Super Energon Temple|Super Energon chamber]]? Guess what! It still exists!) He turns just in time to see ''something'' leaving through a warp point, then passes out.

[[File:Energon-Primus-Ball.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Primus decides it's time he wasn't here.]] The rescaled Galvatron, now Unicron, begins moving. Kicker, aware that the Super Energon is coming, follows.

From Cybertron, a weary and battered Ironhide arrives on Jungle Planet... with Scorponok supporting him. Scorponok asks for Ironhide's help in defending Galvatron from Unicron. But the sight of Ironhide's red-glowing Combination Spark stirs a memory of the [[Energon Sun]]. Ironhide tells him he doesn't have to go, but Scorponok falls over anyway. Ironhide cries out his name.

The humans on Cybertron watch as the Super Energon orb leaves Cybertron.

[[File:Energon-Optimus-Primus-VS-Galvicron.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|left|You won't believe the things I can do now!]] Omega Supreme launches a single-handed attack on Unicron, over Kicker's protests. Suddenly a glowing light attacks Unicron. It's Optimus, empowered by the Combination Sparks of all his soldiers. Big and glowing, they combine and attack. Kicker alerts him that the Super Energon is coming and advises him to get out of the way, but Prime says he's seeing it through to the end. The voices of the other Autobots chime in their support, as Kicker grows more and more frantic.

As the plasma sphere approaches, Optimus vows that he's not letting go... and then a familiar voice curses him. Galvatron's eyes glow red once more; in control of himself again, he hurls Optimus aside. Galvatron tells him that ''he'' has to do this, then tells Unicron that though he may be inside him, he will ''never'' possess him. Starscream appears at his side, but Galvatron orders him to stay out of the way. With a cry of glory, Galvatron plunges himself into the plasma sphere.

[[File:Energon-Galvatron-Goes-Nova.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|All these worlds are yours except Europa. Attempt no landing there. Use them together. Use them in peace.]] The sphere erupts, glowing red and growing in size. And daylight spreads across the worlds—from Cybertron, to [[Plains Planet]], Jungle Planet, [[Ocean Planet]], and all the rest. [[Alpha Quintesson|Alpha Q]]'s voices rejoice. Superion Maximus stirs. On Ocean Planet, Misha and [[Sally Jones|Sally]] laugh; Kicker and [[Rad White|Rad]] smile.

The three Decepticon goons note that Starscream is missing. [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]] prepares to follow Galvatron, over [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] and [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]]'s warnings.

Alpha Q's voices tell Kicker that it is time for him to enjoy the new sun, and asks to be remembered on occasion. In space, Optimus releases the Combination Sparks of his troops, and they are all reconstituted. Rodimus observes that it's all over... but Optimus tells him that they're looking at [[Alpha Q's universe|a brand new universe]], and this is just the beginning.

Back at [[Ocean City]], Kicker and Ironhide enjoy the breeze and the sun. Ironhide tells him that even with as great a bunch of teammates as he has, Kicker will always be special to him. They gaze at the glowing sun... their future.

[['Til all are one|'Til all are]] [[Unicron Singularity|one?]]

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] (2)
*[[Energon Saber]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (8)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (9)
*[[Prowl (Energon)|Prowl]] (10)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (11)
*[[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]] (12)
*[[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (13)
*[[Bulkhead (Energon)|Bulkhead]] (20)
*[[Inferno (Energon)|Roadblock]] (24)
*[[Cliffjumper (Energon)|Cliffjumper]] (25)
*[[Downshift (Energon)|Downshift]] (26)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (27)
*[[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Omega Supreme]] (28)
*[[Storm Jet (Energon)|Storm Jet]] (29) (powerlinked to the [[Construction Team]] limbs)
*[[Arcee (Energon)|Arcee]] (30)
*[[Strongarm (Energon)|Strongarm]] (31)
*[[Skyblast (Energon)|Skyblast]] (32)
*[[Signal Flare (Energon)|Signal Flare]] (33)
|c2=
*[[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] (1)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] (7)
*[[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]] (14)
*[[Cyclonus (Armada)|Snow Cat]] (15)
*[[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (16)
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (17)
|c3=
*[[Kicker Jones]] (3)
*[[Brian Jones]] (18)
*[[Rad White]] (19)
*[[Misha Miramond]] (21)
*[[Miranda Jones]] (22)
*[[Sally Jones]] (23)
|c4=
*[[Unicron]] orb (5)
*[[Primus]] (6)
*[[Alpha Quintesson|Alpha Q]] (34) (voice only)
}}

==Quotes==
"Using the Combination Spark of all my soldiers, you will be no match for me!"
:—while challenging Unicron, '''Optimus Prime''' inadvertently insults his own troops.

"Well, it's been a slice, hasn't it. ...Oh, and Unicron, just for your information... even though you're within me, you will ''never'' possess me. For I am... THE MIGHTY GALVATRON! ...Behold! My new world awaits me! Glory to Decepticons!"
:—'''Galvatron''' gives a rousing final speech.

"So, Ironhide. Looks like we did it. ... Come on. Say something." 
"Ya know, Kicker... the guys I work with... I couldn't have asked for a better bunch. ... but ''you'' will always be special." 
"Hah.. Check it out, Ironhide. That's our future up there."
:—'''Kicker''' and '''Ironhide''' end <s>our suffering</s> the show

==Notes==
===Lost in translation===
* The dub gets the gist of Ironhide and Scorponok's conversation right, more or less. But it omits the voice echo that indicates they're somehow conversing while unconscious. It also has them continuing to argue angrily and aggressively, as if preparing for a fight; in ''Super Link'', the conversation is very subdued in tone.
* The dub version features the rather inappropriate "catastrophe" background music as the Autobots prepare to give their Combination Sparks. ''Super Link'' has no music.
* The dub omits a rather critical line of dialog about how the Combination Sparks are fused with the Autobots' own Sparks, replacing it with the unexplained line, "Without our Combination Sparks we're toast!"
* An observation by Omega Supreme that Galvatron is trying to leave this solar system gets turned into "This could get...interesting", making Kicker's follow-up line, "He's not going anywhere!" rather random.
* Scorponok's final scene is several levels of screwed up by the dub:
** Although the intention of the scene is the same in both versions (that Scorponok has only brought Ironhide to Jungle Planet in the name of saving Galvatron), the dub makes it very wonky by having Scorponok ask for Ironhide's help, as if Scorponok is about to take some form of action himself. In ''Super Link'', he merely says that he has brought Ironhide here for Galvatron's sake (so that Ironhide may merge with Optimus, and Optimus can then save Galvatron from Unicron).
** Right after Scorponok asks for Ironhide's help, he abruptly says, "Never mind, your comrades are calling," as if he's given up on getting the help he just asked for. The line is supposed to be "Now go", not "Never mind".
** After that, Scorponok says "Our planet..." It should be a plural ''planets'', in keeping with Alpha Q's oft-repeated mantra.
** What follows this wistful little line from Scorponok is a rather small error on a technical level, but one which effectively ruins Ironhide and Scorponok's plotline. In ''Super Link'', Ironhide responds to Scorponok's whispered "Our planets..." with "So...you ''do'' remember," punctuating for the audience that Scorponok remembers his past and realizes that what he strove for over the first half of the series has come to pass. ''Energon'' replaces this with an utterly pointless "You don't have to go!", neutering the whole point of the scene and the characters' final moments together.
* As Omega Supreme attacks Galvatron, Snow Cat says "Whoah, check out those moves!" Demolishor replies, "Yeah, not too bright." It seems the wires got crossed; in ''Super Link'' the lines are essentially "The idiot rammed Galvatron!" and "Yeah, but it slowed him down," as if a new dub line was written in response to a ''Super Link'' line that didn't get translated!

===Pain count===
* "Uh?": 13
* Stock footage: 1
* It's time to: 1
* We've gotta: 1
* We're a team: 1
* You've gotta be kidding: 1
* Aw man: 2
* It looks like: 2

===Animation and technical errors===
* Much of the animation of this episode makes the goings-on rather unclear:
** It's not clear at all that the Autobots actually lose their physical forms when giving up their Combination Sparks; it only becomes evident when they re-form after the battle is over.
** It's likewise totally unclear that Ironhide and Scorponok travel together to Jungle Planet, thanks to the burning nighttime forest lighting and the strange editorial decision not to show them leaving Cybertron.
* After absorbing Unicron's energy, Galvatron stands up and walks off, complete with stomping foot sound effects...''in space''.
* Once again, the ''red'' Energon sun shines ''yellow-white'' light onto the planets.

===Continuity errors===
* ''Super Link'' identifies Misha and Sally as being in [[Ocean City]]. Problem is, that's on Earth. The dub correctly locates them on [[Ocean Planet|Ocean ''Planet'']].

===Transformers references===
* The preposterously under-utilized plot point of Unicron's essence existing within all Transformers, previously touched upon in "[[Formidable]]" and "[[Spark (episode)|Spark]]", is brought up again in this episode, when Scorponok says he feels the power of Unicron within him. It leads up to absolutely nothing, however, serving only as a thematic lead-in to Omega Supreme's speech about how Unicron is in each of them.

===Trivia===
* ''Super Link'' begins rolling credits over the final scenes, even as the characters are winding down the action. A unique set of closing credits follows, featuring clips from all through the series, and after the credits come to an end, a coda featuring Ironhide and Kicker at Ocean City, looking up at the energon sun, plays. This is restructured for the ''Energon'' dub, which removes the text credits from the final scenes and moves the Ocean City scene up to before the standard American credits play.
* The Decepticons' fates are not especially clear:
** Mirage flies into the sun and presumably dies.
** Snow Cat and Demolishor are last seen floating in space with no plans. ''Super Link'' implies a bit more strongly that they're considering following Mirage into the sun, but it's not shown or made explicit.
** Starscream just vanishes after Galvatron plunges into the plasma sphere. In ''Super Link'', he vows to follow Galvatron wherever he goes, and Mirage notes that he followed Galvatron into the sun, but the lines are missing from the dub.
** Scorponok...falls down, apparently dead of battle damage from Ironhide.
*And so the series ends: The bad guys are mostly dead, the good guys live happily ever after, and Alpha Q's planets are finally restored to life...until Primus's great plan completely fails, the sun collapses into a [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]], all the planets are horribly annihilated off-screen as part of [[Balancing Act|the backstory]] for the [[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|next cartoon series]], everybody forgets that any of this happened, and '' why did we watch this garbage show to begin with?!''

===Foreign localization===
'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Il Sole'''" ("The Sun")
::*Omega Supreme's line: "This could get... interesting!" is changed to: "I would like to know it, too!", so Kicker's response makes more sense in Italian.
::*Demolishor's line: "Yeah, not too bright!" is changed to: "Yes, nice shot!".

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Transformer: Super Link'' — Volume 013 ([[Interchannel]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sun}}
[[Category:Energon episodes]]

Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity

2024-08-15T20:20:11Z

0TheLegend0: Undo revision 1778401 by Saix (talk) Fanon? The anime itself, the supplementary materials and an interview with Jin Yamanoi confirm that Nightscream is a different character.

{{faction|decepticon|autobot}}
{{suite}}
[[File:AStarscream cartoon.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Mr. [[Linkin Park]] AMV" himself.]]

From noble swordsman to traitorous backstabber, from Decepticon to Autobot and back again, from the land of the living to an ethereal existence as a ghost and beyond, the saga of '''Starscream''' is a long and storied one.

{{TOCclear}}
==''Armada'' cartoon==
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Dobson]] (English), [[Jin Yamanoi]] (Japanese)|[[José Sant'anna]] (Brazilian), [[Gerd Meyer]] (German), [[Niclas Fransson]] (Swedish), [[Sander de Heer]] (Dutch), [[Leopoldo Ballesteros]] (Castilian Spanish), [[Luis Carreño]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Pauli Virta]] (Finnish), [[Roberto Draghetti]] (Italian), [[Olivier Destrez]] (French)}}
[[File:Metamorphosis cybertron mode starscream.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Scanning an Earth vehicle basically means just adding kibble.]]

As soon as Starscream's [[spark]] left the [[Iacon]] chamber, he was merged into the Decepticons. {{storylink|Rebellion (Armada)|Rebellion}}

Starscream accompanied [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron's]] forces to [[Earth]] in 2010 in search of the lost [[Mini-Con]]s. Warping to the planet shortly after his leader, Starscream and [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] materialized in the path of the three human children who were fleeing a battle between Megatron and [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], but were preventing from capturing the Mini-Con with them by the sudden appearance of [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] and [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]]. After temporarily withdrawing to their new base on Earth's [[Moon (moon)|moon]]—where Starscream snickered as Megatron berated the lackadaisical [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]]—the Decepticons returned with new Earthly [[alternate mode]]s and made another attempt on the humans and their Mini-Con friends. {{storylink|Metamorphosis (Armada)|Metamorphosis}} Starscream's new jet mode gave him no advantage against the Mini-Con empowered Autobots, and the villains soon retreated to base once more, where Starscream and Demolishor got into a fight over who was Megatron's favored subordinate. Irritated with their antics, Megatron presented Demolishor with the sole Mini-Con the Decepticons had been able to recover and charged Starscream with finding his own, infuriating the younger 'bot. {{storylink|Base}}
[[File:Jungle-Null Ray Cannon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I DISAGREE!]]
Starscream was intent on taking the Mini-Con detected in [[Grand Canyon|Big Canyon]] for himself, but Megatron ordered him to stay behind at the base while the other Decepticons went after it. Disobeying orders, Starscream warped down and interfered with the fight, only to be caught offguard by [[Perceptor (Armada)|Perceptor]], allowing Optimus to obtain the Mini-Con. {{storylink|Comrade}} A severe "disciplining" from Megatron did not dissuade him, and during the next Mini-Con quest in [[Antarctica]], Starscream succeeded in locating the Mini-Con's storage panel in a crevasse wall. Starscream retrieved the panel after a tussle with Hot Shot, but when Red Alert snatched it away, Starscream fired upon him and wound up causing an avalanche, knocking himself into the crevasse's depths. {{storylink|Soldier (episode)|Soldier}}

Starscream blamed his lack of Mini-Con for his poor performance in a training simulation, but when the next storage panel was found during a forest battle, Megatron refused his request, intending to keep it for himself. While Megatron was occupied battling Optimus Prime, however, Starscream swooped in and grabbed the panel, opening it and bonding with the Mini-Con within, [[Swindle (Armada)|Swindle]]. With the new [[Null-ray|null laser cannons]] Swindle granted him, Starscream sent the Autobots packing, and gave Megatron more than a little cause for concern. {{storylink|Jungle}} [[File:Carnival-Starscream Sensei.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Hey, this is my neighborhood, you and your paisan must honor ME!!!]] He proceeded to strut around the base with Swindle on his shoulder, making fun of Demolishor, {{storylink|Carnival}} but his mockery was soon to be replaced with concern; after a mission in the Sahara Desert, Megatron forced Demolishor to hand over the next Mini-Con he found to him. Starscream took no delight in this mistreatment of his comrade. {{storylink|Palace}}

Starscream helped enact Megatron's plan to force the Autobots to trade their captured human friends for the Mini-Cons, but it met with failure. {{storylink|Confrontation (episode)|Confrontation}} Later, he helped the Decepticons explore the American underground for the next Mini-Con, but confined and unable to fly, he had Swindle do his searching for him, to no avail. {{storylink|Underground (episode)|Underground}} He had similarly little luck in an underwater scuffle with Hot Shot when the Mini-Con quest took the Transformers to a sub-aquatic ruin, {{storylink|Ruin}} and his misfortune continued during the battle that following on a volcanic island. There, Megatron also continued to berate Starscream for whatever move he made on the battlefield, finding fault in every decision Starscream made. {{storylink|Prehistory}} After this run of failures, the Decepticons got proactive, invading the Autobot base to capture the Mini-Cons that together formed the [[Star Saber (Armada)|Star Saber sword]], but in the course of the attack, Starscream was lured into a hall of mirrors by Red Alert and fell down a shaft. He tried to fly back up it in jet mode, but Red shut a series of panels on top of him, clipping his wings. {{storylink|Swoop (episode)|Swoop}}

[[File:Overmatch Starscreamswordslice.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|That was a part of my body, you asshole!]]
Though successfully formed, the Star Saber wound up in Autobot hands, and Starscream felt the blade's power for himself when Hot Shot unleashed it against him during their next meeting. Furious over the defeat and with his anger only stoked by insults toward his capabilities by the Decepticons' new member [[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]], Starscream challenged Hot Shot to one-on-one combat when next they clashed. Starscream gave a better account of himself in this rematch, but he met defeat once again when the Star Saber cleaved his own sword in two. {{storylink|Overmatch}} After helping Megatron supervise Scavenger's excavation efforts during the search for the next Mini-Con, {{storylink|Gale}} Starscream got another chance against Hot Shot when the young Autobot and his new teammate [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] were inadvertently warped to the moon. Starscream was on the verge of defeat yet again until Sideways revealed himself to be a traitor and knocked the sword from Hot Shot's grasp, straight into Starscream's waiting hands. {{storylink|Credulous}}
[[File:Conspiracy starscream and airdefteam.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"You left the kids with WHO!?"]]
With the Star Saber now his to command, Starscream's arrogance grew, as did his lack of popularity with the other Decepticons. To remedy this, Megatron had [[Leader-1 (Armada)|Leader-1]] fire on Starscream during combat with the Autobots in a fog-shrouded forest. The lack of visibility caused Starscream to mistakenly believe Demolishor was an Autobot shooting at him, and would have cleaved him in two with the Star Saber if Megatron had not blocked the strike. With the weight of his teammates opinion regarding his ability to wield the blade against him, Starscream was forced to hand the Star Saber over to Megatron. {{storylink|Conspiracy}} After this incident, Scavenger disappeared, and Starscream—still smarting from his barbs—opined that he had switched sides, and demanded the right to bring him in. Megatron refused, but Starscream did still accompany all the Decepticons on the mission to track Scavenger down, during which they found out he had indeed sided with Optimus Prime's forces. {{storylink|Trust (Armada)|Trust}}

After narrowly avoiding Megatron's wild swings of the Star Saber during a training exercise, {{storylink|Vacation}} Starscream partook in the clash over the final Mini-Con necessary to form the [[Skyboom (Armada)|Skyboom shield]], which the Decepticons successfully obtained (though Starscream was shot out of the sky by Smokescreen in the process). {{storylink|Reinforcement}} Starscream kept the Autobots busy during the next battle while Megatron unleashed both Star Saber and Skyboom on Optimus Prime, but was shot down by [[Smokescreen (Armada)|Smokscreen]]. {{storylink|Decisive Battle}} A little later, Starscream and the other Decepticons stayed on the moon while Megatron orchestrated a plan to scatter the Autobots across the globe; he and Sideways were very unenthusiastic about being on standby while Demolishor barked orders at them. {{storylink|Vow}}

[[File:Rebellion starscream vs megatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Oh, Megatron, please! This is getting awkward!"]]

After the Decepticons met with failure on the battlefield again, Megatron chose to pin the blame for the loss on Starscream—despite the fact he had followed orders correctly—and began brutalizing him upon their return to base. The abuse only ended when Demolishor and Sideways blasted their way into the room to stop Megatron from killing their comrade. Seeing a chance to disrupt the Decepticon power structure, Sideways spun lies to manipulate the brooding Starscream's emotions and coerce him into challenging Megatron to a duel. The resultant clash was a brief and vicious one; Megatron took the upper hand immediately, and although his taunts galvanized Starscream and gave him the strength to fight back and tip the fight in his favor for a while, Megatron eventually emerged victorious. Unwilling to beg for his life, Starscream merely urged Megatron to finish him, but the Decepticon leader spared him with the observation that he was a good soldier who might someday in the future have the strength to best him. {{storylink|Rebellion (Armada)|Rebellion}}

In the Decepticons' next bout with the Autobots, Starscream got in a shouting match with Hot Shot over who the Mini-Cons belonged with.{{storylink|Chase (episode)|Chase}}

[[File:Tactician starscream jetmode.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Back in 2002, this was considered aerodynamic.]]
Following another confrontation with the Autobots, the Decepticons were joined by tactician [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]], whose prowess was well known to Starscream. Thrust was likewise impressed with Starscream's abilities and enlisted him as his second for his first battle plan against the Autobots, which involved trapping them in a canyon and strafing them from the air. The plan was foiled by the arrival of [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]], who personally blew Starscream out of the sky. {{storylink|Tactician}} Starscream got some revenge soon after when he and Thrust hit Jetfire with an airborne assault, but Starscream got shot down again when the Autobot revealed his ability to combine with Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Linkup}}

Growing suspicious of Sideways after recent events, Starscream joined the Decepticons effort to root him out, discovering that he was an agent of a mysterious greater power. Once he was forced from their ranks, Starscream and the Decepticons engaged the Autobots in a beachfront battle, {{storylink|Detection}} dogfighting with Jetfire again {{storylink|Awakening (Armada)|Awakening}} then strafing Hot Shot. The Decepticons nonetheless lost when the Autobots acquired the [[Requiem Blaster (Armada)|Requiem Blaster]]. {{storylink|Desperate}}

[[File:Sacrifice starscream and starsaber.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|You don't kill a man by mucking about with rifles, arrows, rocks, or other long-distance rubbish. You kill him by grabbing the biggest bloody sword you can find, running up nice and close to him, and chopping the dumb bastard's head off.]]
After recuperating back at base {{storylink|Runaway}} and being present for the arrival of new member [[Wheeljack (Armada)|Wheeljack]], {{storylink|Past II}} Starscream found himself wielding the Star Saber once again, control of the weapon ceded to him by Megatron as part of a plan to lure out the Autobots so that the Decepticon could steal the Requiem Blaster from them. Taking to the battlefield solo, Starscream caused havoc with the sword, only for it to deactivate in his hands as Optimus Prime's lectures wormed their way inside his head. Surrounded by the Autobots, Starscream called for aid from his fellow Decepticons, only to discover that he had been completely abandoned—he had, without his knowledge, been used as a mere decoy while his teammates invaded the Autobot base and stole the Requiem Blaster. {{storylink|Sacrifice}}

[[File:Regeneration starscream vs hotshot.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|...now kiss?]]
Returning to base dejected and furious, Starscream attacked Thrust with the Star Saber, before being told be Megatron to stand down. He tried to unwind with an energy bath, but his anger boiled over when he was ordered to return the Star Saber Mini-Cons to Megatron and overheard his leader and Thrust mocking him. He proceeded to go on a rampage through the Decepticon base, turning the Saber's power on his fellows and clashing with Megatron and the Requiem Blaster. Seeking asylum with the Autobots, he flew to Earth with [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] in pursuit, crash landing near the Autobots' base. At the Star Saber Mini-Cons' behest, Optimus Prime used the Saber to protect Starscream, and gave him the benefit of the doubt when he claimed he wanted to join the Autobots to help them take down Megatron. To prove his good faith, Starscream provided them with the contents of his databanks to decode, but Hot Shot was not so easily swayed, and he and Starscream began fighting. Their face-off was interrupted by Smokescreen (rebuilt with a new body), who put a stop to their brawl. {{storylink|Regeneration (Armada)|Regeneration}}
[[File:Rescue starscream and the autobots.jpg|thumb|upright=2.2|Starscream's Facebook cover photo.]]
Using the information provided by Starscream, the Autobots proceeded to stage an invasion of the Decepticons' moonbase. Optimus instructed Starscream to hold back and use his knowledge of the base's layout to help locate and liberate the Decepticons' captive Mini-Cons. But Starscream was too hungry for payback against Megatron to comply, and Hot Shot had to take over his mission. When Hot Shot was in dire straits during a battle with Megatron, however, Starscream came to his aid, and the pair united their strength to topple the Decepticon leader. Starscream was eager to end Megatron's life, but upon the successful evacuation of the Mini-Cons, Optimus called for retreat, forcing Starscream to choose between his hew alliance and his desire for revenge. In the end, he returned to Earth with the Autobots, but was left feeling that he did not truly belong with them either. {{storylink|Rescue}}
[[File:Mars starscream and alexis.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|NO SHIPPING!]]
Both his Mini-Con partners and the human [[Alexis Thi Dang|Alexis]] attempted to console him, but he was too consumed by his own self-doubt. Soon thereafter, Starscream's flight capabilities saw him drafted to join Jetfire on a mission to [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] to recover a Mini-Con, during which he was shot down by Tidal Wave. By the time Jetfire had located him, Starscream was so wrapped up in self-pity that he refused to do as his Autobot superior ordered, forcing Jetfire to handcuff him and charge him with dereliction of duty. On the return trip to Earth, the pair discovered the object of their quest on an asteroid, but were then attacked by Tidal Wave once again; speaking with real passion for the Autobot cause, Starscream was able to talk the Mini-Con, [[Firebot (Armada)|Firebot]], into turning its weapons on the giant Decepticon. It looked like the pair were home free, only for Megatron to appear in their path with the Requiem Blaster in hand. Brought into proximity for the first time, the blaster, the Star Saber and the Skyboom (wielded by Jetfire) resonated with one another, causing a huge flare of energy that covered Jetfire and Starscream's escape. Back on Earth, Alexis thanked Starscream for his efforts and told him she was sure the Autobots were the right fit for him, and while he seemed to brush her words off, she soon discovered that he had brought back a bejewelled rock from Mars as a souvenir for her and the other kids. {{storylink|Mars (episode)|Mars}}
[[File:Crack starscream kids and chamois.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Is there some sort of cash alternative?]]
Uninterested in helping the Autobots build a spaceship to return to Cybertron, Starscream stalked off to his quarters where he was shocked to find Alexis and the other kids throwing him a surprise party to thank him for the Martian rock, gifting him with a handmade [[Chamois of Friendship|chamois]]. A little later, detecting a curious signal, Starscream ventured out to investigate and was confronted by Thrust, who (secretly working towards his own goals in conjunction with Sideways) petitioned him to return to the Decepticons and help him take Megatron down from within. Thrust suggested that he steal the Skyboom shield to "prove" to Megatron his desire to rejoin him, but Starscream refused. Unfortunately, [[Billy (Armada)|Billy]] and [[Fred (Armada)|Fred]] overhead their conversation and raced off to tell the Autobots, who were quick to turn on Starscream when he returned to the base after they could not find the Skyboom Mini-Cons anywhere. Unbeknownst to anyone, the kids had merely taken the Mini-Cons out for a walk, but the Autobots' deep-seated distrust of Starscream had been made evident—confronting Thrust in battle again a short time later, Starscream found himself swayed by the Decepticon's silver tongue, and swooped into the battlefield below, snatching up the Skyboom and departing alongside Thrust, back in the Decepticon fold again, but vowing never to forget his new human friends. {{storylink|Crack (episode)|Crack}}

[[File:Crisis starscream and thrust.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Phallic object? I SAID NO SHIPPING!]]

With all three Mini-Con weapons now in Decepticon hands thanks to his defection, Starscream soon forced Thrust to tell him his plan for them: they would be combined to forge a weapon of planet-destroying power known as the [[Hydra Cannon]]. When completed and mounted on the Decepticons' new spacecraft, Megatron placed Starscream at the cannon's controls and charged him with firing the shot that would obliterate the Earth. {{storylink|Threaten}} Unwilling to seal the fates of all the friends he had made on Earth, Starscream struggled with the test Megatron had laid before him, but fortunately, Optimus Prime and Jetfire attacked the cannon before he had to press the button. Ordered out into battle to stop them, Starscream allowed Jetfire to hurl him into Tidal Wave, knocking over the titanic Decepticon and sparing Prime his assault. Starscream's efforts saved the Earth, but Optimus Prime perished absorbing the Hydra Cannon's blast. {{storylink|Crisis (Armada)|Crisis}}
[[File:Puppet i look like thundercracker.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Hey, I look like that guy from that thing!]]
Though regretful over Prime's death, Starscream joined the Decepticons in departing Earth's solar system aboard their new ship and heading back to Cybertron. {{storylink|Remorse}} Starscream detected an Autobot vessel giving the Decepticons chase, though Megatron remained unconcerned over this development. {{storylink|Depart}} In the battle that followed, Starscream and Hot Shot revived their old rivalry, but fighting soon ceased when the Mini-Cons combined their powers to resurrect Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Miracle (episode)|Miracle}} Immediately following this, Hot Shot and [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] were sucked away through a worm hole to a barren planet; Starscream, Megatron, and Demolishor followed, Megatron intending to destroy their divided foes despite Starscream's suggestions that they used them as hostages. Attacked by [[Nemesis Prime (Armada)|Nemesis Prime]], a mysterious dark doppelgänger of Optimus Prime, they were badly damaged, but found themselves repaired by the combined powers of their partner Mini-Cons, their armors strengthened and [[spontaneous recoloration|recolored]] in the process. Observing his new blue color scheme, Starscream remarked upon his similarity to fellow Decepticon [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]]. {{storylink|Puppet}}

[[File:Drift starscream smiles.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Returning to Cybertron, Starscream aided in the Decepticon effort to take control of the planet with the Mini-Con weapons, though his concern over the methods Megatron—now "Galvatron" after his upgrade—was employed grew, as did his suspicions regarding Thrust's ulterior motives after his gleeful reaction to the appearance of a black hole over their homeworld. {{storylink|Uprising (Armada)|Uprising}} When Hot Shot broke into the Decepticon base, pleading for an alliance to fight the mysterious common foe behind the black hole, [[Unicron]], Starscream finally called Thrust out on his scheming in front of everyone. With Galvatron also suspicious, Thrust revealed that he was an agent of Unicron's, stole the Requiem Blaster and Skyboom shield, and fled into the planet's depths with a vengeful Starscream in hot pursuit. {{storylink|Dash (episode)|Dash}} He soon caught up to Thrust, but just after he turned down the traitor's offer to work together, Starscream was shocked to see Alexis and the other human kids and their Mini-Cons watching their confrontation, having come to Cybertron with the Autobots. When Thrust threatened them with the Requiem Blaster, Starscream lunged for him and was struck by the Blaster's beam and slain. Fortunately, the Mini-Con [[High Wire (Armada)|High Wire]] used his powers to rewind time a few scant moments and intervened to throw Thrust's aim off, saving Starscream's life. Thrust escaped while Starscream shielded the kids from falling rubble caused by the errant blast, and once he was sure they were okay, continued his pursuit.{{storylink|Drift (episode)|Drift}}

[[File:Portent starscream readyforaction.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|It is obvious that this contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of the Force... but by our skills with a lightsaber.]]

The chase led through a [[Cybertron-Unicron warp gate|warp gate]] that brought Starscream to a strange pseudo-organic cavern, where he was beset by [[bot-spider]]s for again refusing an offer to join Thrust and Sideways in their scheme. Hot Shot, Wheeljack and the kids arrived to help, but he instructed them to go on ahead; after defeating the spiders, Starscream was amazed to see that Alexis had waited for him to make sure he was okay. The dangers of the caverns soon proved too much to endure, so Starscream decided to carry Alexis to safety, but in their escape, the girl's necklace fell off. Alexis insisted on going back for it, forcing Starscream to fend off attacking tentacles and leaving him gape-mouthed with the revelation that the necklace was important to her because she had made it from the Martian rock he had given her. Moments later, they escaped the caverns and discovered that they had been inside Cybertron's moon—and that the moon was actually a disguised Unicron! Alexis pleaded with Starscream to join the Autobots in fighting Unicron, and even Hot Shot agreed, but Starscream refused, no longer sure of where he belonged and afraid he would betray his friends again. {{storylink|Portent}}

[[File:Cramp starscream dies.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4 | my chest hurts.]]

Realizing that it was only by uniting with the Autobots that the Decepticons could hope to defeat Unicron, Starscream resolved to prove the reality of the chaos-bringer's threat to Galvatron, who refused to acknowledge it and considered it an Autobot trick. To do so, however, Starscream realized that he would have to end his own life, and so interrupted a battle between Galvatron and Optimus to challenge Galvatron to one last duel that would settle all accounts between them. In the course of the fight, Starscream proved to Galvatron how far he had come as a warrior, but at the final moment, held back on delivering the killing stroke, instead allowing Galvatron to run him through with the Star Saber. With the last of his strength, Starscream opened fire on Unicron, and the planet-eater retaliated with a lightning-blast that utterly obliterated Starscream, reducing his body to ash. With this action, Starscream proved that the threat of Unicron was real, and Megatron agreed to ally with Optimus against him. {{storylink|Cramp}}

{{--}}

==Japanese cartoon continuity==
===''Cloud''===
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Encounter}} {{storylink|Hammer (Cloud)|Hammer}} {{storylink|Return}} {{storylink|Transformers Cloud Compilation Comic|Compilation Comic}}}}

===''Legends'' comic===
Following his sacrifice against Unicron, Starscream manifested as a ghost in the [[Legends World]] thanks to the power of the dimension's "[[spirit energy]]". {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 18|Bonus Edition Vol. 18}} He was left without any memories and returned to being a loyal servant of Megatron, who had also traveled to the Legends world. {{storylink|LG14 Ultra Magnus Prologue#The Autumn Megatron Festival|The Autumn Megatron Festival}} He helped Megatron plunder the world of its Mini-Cons, and located the very rare specimen [[Dragoyell]] for his leader. Both of them retreated after Megatron had his power drained through an accidental [[Powerlinx]] with [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Armada Megatron)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} Megatron then settled for simply purchasing Mini-Cons legally, relying on Starscream as a source of income and forcing him to take on multiple part-time jobs. He was just leaving for his night-time job when [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|another Megatron]] showed up at the restaurant they were eating at. The other Megatron was surprised by his presence, having had his own [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] once, something the two Megatrons ended up bonding over during his absence. {{storylink|LG14 Ultra Magnus Prologue#The Autumn Megatron Festival|The Autumn Megatron Festival}} When Megatron returned home with an [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Legends|Ultra Magnus]] toy, having been defeated in battle with Magnus and wanting to find his weaknesses through the toy, Starscream protested that his leader had promised not to buy toys that weren't Mini-Cons. He was further disheartened when Megatron ended up liking the toy, suggesting he might buy more big toys in the future. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Sequel#Armada Megatron Chapter|Armada Megatron Chapter}}

At one point, Starscream was given a [[Swindle (Armada)|Spark Grid]] toy by Megatron as a reward for his services, making him feel sentimental. {{storylink|LG-18 Armada Starscream Super Mode Prologue}} While working as a waiter, Starscream was attacked by [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]], who mistook him for [[Starscream (Animated)|her own hated Starscream]]. His pleas that he was the wrong Starscream fell on deaf ears, and his attempts to get help from [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] failed when she sided with Slipstream instead. When he returned home to gripe about how scary women are, Megatron ignored his story and just wanted his credit card for buying more toys. {{storylink|LG-16 Slipstream Sequel}} Fired over the incident, Starscream was looking for a new job when he witnessed [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] collapsing on the street. Learning that she had a job she couldn't attend to because of her condition, he offered to take her place, and ended up working at the [[Starscream (BW)|local Starscream]]'s maid cafe. He was confused about why they'd let a man work there, so the other Starscream explained that it was normally a "little brother cafe" with cross-dressing maids and that Windblade only worked there because he was feeling sympathetic towards her, causing Armada Starscream to admit his counterpart was a pretty nice guy.

[[File:Tflegendsvol18Starscream.jpg|thumb|]]
Returning to the cafe, Windblade explained to Starscream that her condition was caused by the [[Zamojin (species)|Zamojin]] trying to take control of her using spirit energy, a power accumulated by Armada Megatron's uncontrollable desire for toys. Knowing that she would destroy the Legends World if the Zamojin got their hands on her again, she tearfully asked the baffled Starscream for help. His Spark Grid then revealed himself to be a real Mini-Con and imbued Starscream with the power of his people, powering him up into his super mode and giving him the resolve to stop Megatron and save Windblade and the Legends World... or die trying. {{storylink|LG-18 Armada Starscream Super Mode Prologue}} Confronting Megatron in [[Akihabara]], he tried to convince his leader to give up on his toys and cut off the Zamojins' power supply, but Megatron refused and battled Starscream for betraying him. Starscream's worst fears came true when the Zamojin were able to take control of Windblade, and he channeled all his power into his Null Laser Cannons for an attack that would destroy both him and Windblade but save the world. He broke off his attack when [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] brought forth Alexis, whose presence caused him to calm down and recall his lost memories, and he returned to his home dimension alongside her. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 18|Bonus Edition Vol. 18}}

Starscream seemingly returned to death, as Alexis reminisced about him on a beach. {{Storylink|Transformers Legends Final Chapter "Epiloge"|Epiloge}}
{{--}}

==''Energon'' cartoon==
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Dobson]] (English), [[Nobuo Tobita]] (Japanese)|[[Niclas Fransson]] (Swedish), [[Sander de Heer]] (Dutch), [[Mieczyslaw Moranski]] (Polish), [[Gábor Forgács]] (Hungarian), [[Leopoldo Ballesteros]] (Castilian Spanish), [[Luis Carreño]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Pauli Virta]] (Finnish), [[Guillaume Orsat]] (French), [[Roberto Draghetti]] (Italian)}}
{{note|In the original Super Link version of the show, "Nightscream" is unrelated to the Starscream who appears in Legends of the Microns/Armada.}}
[[File:STMM starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"I do not have permission to die!"]]
Ten years after Starscream's death, when Megatron seized control of Unicron's body by ousting its former occupant, the alien being [[Alpha Quintesson]], the evicted extraterrestrial needed an agent to help him in his task of recreating the worlds destroyed by the chaos-bringer. Using what little [[Energon]] he had left, Alpha Q recreated another of Unicron's victims—Starscream. {{storylink|Megatron Raid}} However, Alpha Q ran out of energon before the process could be completed, leaving Starscream incomplete—his memory blank, and his body unstable, constantly shifting from a physical to an ethereal form, able to teleport by "ghosting" from location to location. {{storylink|Starscream the Mysterious Mercenary}} Charged with defeating Optimus Prime in order to break the Autobot monopoly on Energon, with the promise of a completed physical body as his reward, Starscream was dispatched to the Autobots' [[Ocean City]] on Earth, where he engaged Prime in battle, but soon withdrew when the Autobot leader got the upper hand. {{storylink|Megatron Raid}} He soon turned to stealth, invisibly stalking Prime through the corridors of Ocean City, but the human [[Kicker Jones|Kicker]]'s ability to sense Energon allowed him to detect Starscream and tip the Autobots off to his presence.[[File:SSTM starscream ghost.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]] Optimus Prime proceeded to call Starscream out and lead him through a [[space bridge]] to Earth's moon, but the battle between the two that ensued was interrupted by Megatron. Starscream exploited the distraction to blast Prime, and was then summoned back to Alpha Q, his task believed complete, but Prime was soon revived. {{storylink|Starscream the Mysterious Mercenary}}

On his return flight through space to his master, Starscream was redirected to join up with [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]], Alpha Q's mole within Megatron's forces, so that they could together make another attempt on Prime's life. Starscream battled Prime in the [[asteroid belt]], but was ordered to pull out by Alpha Q in advance of Megatron's arrival on the scene. {{storylink|Battle of the Asteroid Belt}} He soon returned to Alpha Q's side, and watched as a [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]] swarm rained Energon successfully stolen from the Autobots down on them. {{storylink|Energon Tower (episode)|Energon Tower}}
[[File:CrisisinJungleCity starscream stabbed.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Needing to retake Unicron's body from Megatron to further his plans, Alpha Q tasked Starscream with assassinating Megatron. Stealing inside the chaos-bringer's inert form, Starscream came upon Megatron in sleep mode and ran him through with his sword, only for the Decepticon leader to disappear in a flash of energy. He had, in fact, merged himself with Unicron and gained control of his incredible powers over matter and energy, and quickly turned them upon Starscream, attacking him with multiple Megatron duplicates and Energon shards. Recognizing his old subordinate at last, Megatron plunged Starscream into absolute darkness, taunting him and driving him to the brink of madness, urging him to discard everything of himself, before appearing to stab him through the [[spark]]. Succumbing to Megatron's will, Starscream collapsed. {{storylink|The Legend of Rodimus}} His memories of Alpha Q and his plans were wiped away, and he became Megatron's loyal servant, joining the Decepticons in attacking [[Jungle City]]. {{storylink|Crisis in Jungle City}}

[[File:KickerBeware starscream threatens demolishor.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Starscream coerced from a reluctant Demolishor and Cyclonus information about Kicker's abilities which they had gained during their time among the Autobots. He was then among the Decepticons who attacked the ruins of [[Lunar City]] in a failed attempt to abduct Kicker for their own purposes. {{storylink|Kicker Beware!}} Starscream was later present during the attempt at destroying Earth, and retreated with the other decepticons. {{storylink|Energon Grid (episode)|Energon Grid}} Following the failed attack, Starscream found one of Alpha Q's Terrorcons spying on Megatron, but when Megatron took this as a cue to destroy all the Terrorcons he had stolen control of from the alien, an apologetic Starscream barred his way, intent on sparing the creatures their lives despite his loyalty to Megatron. The attack had actually been meant to force Scorponok to show his hand; when he did so, Starscream and Tidal Wave escorted him to Megatron, who hurled him into Earth's [[energon grid (technology)|energon grid]], assuming Alpha Q would come to save his minion. {{storylink|Rodimus Friend or Foe?}} Alpha Q's ally [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]] eventually appeared with his men to save Scorponok, and Starscream led the charge against them, but was disarmed by Rodimus and felled by a volley of fire from [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]]. The Decepticons withdrew, but Starscream was fighting ready again a short time later for an abortive attack on the Autobots' ''[[Miranda II]]''. {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}}

[[File:GoForUnicron starscream opens fire.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Starscream watched as Megatron used Unicron's powers to grant Demolishor a new body, then joined his leader in battling the Autobots on an icy world. {{storylink|The Return of Demolishor}} Soon after, Starscream reported to Megatron that the ''Miranada II'' had drawn to close to Unicron's body, but on his leader's orders, refrained from entering the battle that ensued. {{storylink|A Tale of Two Heros}} When the Autobots were repelled and fled through a space bridge, Starscream advocated pursuit and led the Decepticons after them, with Megatron moving Unicron into the bridge right behind them. After dogfighting with Jetfire during the bridge transit, Starscream was horrified to see that the bridge had deposited them all in Cybertron's orbit, and raced back to Megatron's throne room to urge him to pull Unicron back before he was destroyed by the planet's energon grid. {{storylink|Battle Stations}} Unicron's appearance caused the Decepticons on Cybertron to riot, and Megatron and Starscream debated on how to best to exploit the chaos; {{storylink|Alpha Q: Identity}} Megatron settled on sending Starscream and his other troops down to the planet to exfiltrate war criminal [[Shockblast]], who had escaped in the mayhem. {{storylink|Shockblast: Rampage}}
[[File:SuvivalInstincts starscream avoids impaling.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Starscream fed Megatron updates as Decepticons abandoned Cybertron to join his forces on Unicron. No sooner had they arrived than Unicron's survival instinct unconsciously kicked in and he began feeding on those within him, and Starscream had to use his ghostly powers to avoid being impaled on energy-absorbing spikes Unicron generating within himself. {{storylink|Survival Instincts}} Megatron determined to sate Unicron's hunger with Cybertron itself, and Starscream was among the Decepticons sent down to the planet to deactivate its energon grid in preparation for the feeding, still trying to play peacekeeper between the antagonistic Shockblast and his other comrades. {{storylink|Each One Fights...}} The plan failed, so instead, the Decepticons soon conducted an Energon raid on [[Primus]]'s chamber, during which Starscream caught Optimus Prime off-guard and took him down. {{storylink|Unicron Unleashed}} With this Energon infusion, Unicron was able to transform to [[robot mode]], at which point Shockblast revealed his true colors and attempt to usurp control of the planet-eater from Megatron. Fortunately for the Decepticon leader, Starscream was there to catch Shockblast unawares, holding him at sword-point. {{storylink|Open Fire!}} Just then, Alpha Q rammed Unicron's disembodied head into his side, creating tremors that sent Shockblast plummeting into Unicron's depths. Starscream gave chase, catching up to him just as he was confronting Optimus Prime, who then petitioned Starscream for his help in stopping Megatron. The loyal spectre ignored his words and moved to attack Prime, but was stopped by the newly arrived [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]]. The Energon reaction between Unicron's head and body subsequently opened a rift in reality through which Starscream joined Megatron in fleeing. {{storylink|Ripped Up Space}}
[[File:JunglePlanet starscream closeup.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Where'd you get the beauty scar, tough guy?]]
In the new region of space on the other side of the rift, Alpha Q turned Unicron's head in an [[Energon Orb|Energon sun]] to accomplish his plan of recreating the planets consumed by Unicron, but the Decepticons immediately began gathering Energon from them. In battle on [[Iron Planet]], Starscream materialized to cover Megatron's escape, but got swatted away by Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Protection}} Later, when Shockblast—who had been captured by the Autobots—contacted Megatron to beg for assistance in escaping, Starscream accompanied his leader to free the turncoat. He and the liberated Shockblast were charged with hunting down the Autobot who had been Shockblast's guard, [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]], who Megatron then infected with Decepticon programming. {{storylink|Imprisoned Inferno}} As battles in this star system continued, Starscream aided his leader in ambushing Optimus Prime in the skies over [[Jungle Planet (Energon)|Jungle Planet]], {{storylink|Jungle Planet (episode)|Jungle Planet}} and was then assigned to spy on the Autobots on the planet, but failed to stop a team of them from departing through a space bridge and returning with an Energon tower. Starscream took part in the Decepticons' attempt to steal Jungle Planet's Energon before the tower was activated, which also met with failure. {{storylink|Bulkhead (episode)|Bulkhead}} Not long after, as Inferno's Decepticon programming began to overtake him, Starscream accompanied his leader to receive their new warrior, but the Autobot fought the process and turned on them. Only the timely intervention of Scorponok (also brainwashed by Megatron) stopped the suicidal Inferno from dragging Starscream into the sun. {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
[[File:OmegaSupreme starscream jet mode.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Later, when Megatron was taking out his frustrations on Shockblast, Starscream made him stop before he killed him. {{storylink|Crash Course}} After another successful Energon raid, Starscream and the Decepticons were followed back to Unicron's body by the Autobots, joined by new member [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Omega Supreme]]. Starscream and Scorponok tried taking on the ancient Autobot, but didn't even get off a single shot before he used his powers to seal them in energy bubbles and crash them into each other. {{storylink|Omega Supreme (episode)|Omega Supreme}} As the battle continued, Starscream was taken down by the restored Inferno, and he then withdrew inside Unicron's body to watch as Megatron reunited the chaos-bringer's head with his body. {{storylink|A Heroic Battle}} The Autobots continued their attack, and Starscream found himself facing Jetfire, Wing Saber and [[Bulkhead (Energon)|Bulkhead]], leaving him unable to fetch more Energon when Megatron demanded it. {{storylink|The Power of Unicron}} The newly restored Unicron soon began to rage out of control, and turned against the Decepticons; Starscream saved Mirage from being sucked inside the planet-eater, severing the energy tendrils that had seized him. {{storylink|Optimus Supreme}} Realizing that Megatron himself had been overtaken by Unicron's consciousness, Starscream instructed Scorponok to keep clear of the growing battle, knowing that their power could add nothing to the conflict. {{storylink|Unicron Perishes}}
[[File:Wishes upgraded starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|And haters cared a little bit.]]
Unicron was subsequently destroyed by Optimus Prime, and in the wake of the battle many of the Decepticons were imprisoned. Starscream and Scorponok avoided captured and soon regrouped with Megatron, who had survived the destruction of Unicron's body, launching an attack on Cybertron just as peace seemed to be settling in. Starscream hacked his way into the prison complex and liberated his comrades. {{storylink|Ambition}} This task done, Starscream was summoned by Megatron to a reservoir of [[Super Energon]] beneath the planet's surface; immersion in the liquid had transformed Megatron into Galvatron once again, but it had destroyed any Terrorcons who had attempted to absorb it, so Megatron charged Starscream with wading into the pool to see if he could survive the experience. Blindly loyal as ever, Starscream boldly strode into the pool, and was supercharged by its power, gaining a new color-scheme in the process—though not without some deal of pain. He and his leader unleashed their new power against the Autobots, crippling Cybertron's energon grid and taking control of the planet, driving their enemies into hiding. {{storylink|Wishes}}

Starscream extrapolated the Autobots' logical hiding places, and the Decepticons pursued them to the orbiting ''Miranda II''. Though the battle saw them bring down the ship, Starscream got pretty badly smacked around by Rodimus. {{storylink|Galvatron!}}

At some point in time, Starscream was among the Decepticons who hacked into an Autobot virtual training program that took the form of a tag-team fighting tournament. Partnered with Galvatron, he bested Cyclonus and Demolishor (in their original forms), then defeated their upgraded forms, though it seemed that Galvatron did all the fighting. Galvatron then got fed up and left, and Starscream followed his lead. {{storylink|Distribution}}

[[File:OmegaTrain starscream gun.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Starscream offered Galvatron advice as the Decepticons tightened their hold over Cybertron. {{storylink|Break Through}} He later battled Optimus Prime and Wing Saber in a subterranean city into which the Autobots had retreated, but was shot in the back by [[Superion Maximus]]. {{storylink|The Omega Train}} Pulling himself together, Starscream joined with Galvatron for another confrontation with the Autobots soon after; this time, Starscream found himself at the mercy of Omega Supreme's powers once again. The battle fell apart when Autobot reinforcements arrived, and Starscream advised his leader to retreat to regain control of the situation. {{storylink|Decepticon Army}} Getting things back in order proved challenging due to the recalcitrance of the Decepticons' new two-faced tech specialist [[Six Shot (Energon)|Six Shot]], who demanded an apology from Galvatron for recent mistreatment at his hands. Galvatron naturally refused, but Starscream stepped forward and bowed on his master's behalf, which was enough for Six Shot. That dealt with, he went out into battle with the other Decepticons again, but had to ghost away to avoid a bludgeoning by the combined might of Optimus Prime and Omega Supreme. {{storylink|Ironhide Team}}

[[File:Formidable starscream in flames.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"I do believe I'm on fire."]]
Six Shot's trickery continued to caused further trouble, so Starscream was assigned to stay behind in the control room and watch over him during the Decepticons' next battle. When the Autobots staged a two-pronged attack, however, Starscream was forced to leave him to counter their attack; Six Shot's refusal to follow orders soon resulted in the accidental destruction of the Energon towers, and a furious Galvatron had Starscream abandon the battle to bring Six Shot under control. {{storylink|Formidable}} When the corridors into the control complex became locked down, Starscream investigated and discovered that Demolishor, Snow Cat and Mirage had been tricked into leaving Six Shot unsupervised, and he had disappeared, leaving the Autobots' human ally [[Sally Jones]] to sneak into the control room and cause chaos. She let the Autobots in, and Starscream and the other Decepticons tried in vain to hold them off before eventually pulling out. {{storylink|Galvatron Terror}}
[[File:TheSun starscream and galvatron.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Concurrently, Galvatron indulged in a second Super Energon immersion, which transformed him into a planet-sized titan. Starscream and the Decepticons harried the Autobots as they attempted to retreat in the face of this giant horror; then, when Optimus Prime attempted to battle Galvatron, Starscream kept Hot Shot from interfering. {{storylink|Destructive Power}} Prime and Galvatron's battle moved to Jungle Planet, where they both came under the influence of Unicron, whose consciousness still survived within Galvatron. Starscream continued to prevent anyone from coming between the two combatants, including even the other Decepticons. {{storylink|Spark (episode)|Spark}} Galvatron finally managed to conquer Unicron's influence long enough to hurl himself into the new sun Primus had created from the Super Energon, preferring to perish than to live as a puppet. Starscream disappeared right after that.{{storylink|The Sun}}
{{-}}

==''Cybertron'' cartoon==
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Dobson]] (English), [[Takaya Kuroda]] (Japanese)|[[Xia Lei]] (Chinese), [[Mieczyslaw Moranski]] (Polish), [[Marco Kröger]] (German), [[Leopoldo Ballesteros]] (Castilian Spanish), [[Luis Carreño]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Pauli Virta]] (Finnish), [[Guillaume Orsat]] (French), [[Roberto Draghetti]] (Italian), [[Pocholo Gonzales]] (Tagalog, HERO TV dub)}}

[[File:Starscream cybertron stockfootage.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|[[Don Figueroa|Figueroa?]] I barely know 'er!]]

A decade after Galvatron disappeared into Primus's sun, the deity's plan to contain Unicron's spark failed when the sun collapsed, becoming a deadly [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]] that threatened Cybertron. He was freed, but was not unchanged: Galvatron was now Megatron again, wearing an [[Armor of Unicron|armor forged from Unicron's remains]].

From within their new base in Megatron's [[fire dimension]], he and Starscream knew the time to strike had come when they learned that the ancient Transformer [[Vector Prime]] had approached the Autobots on Cybertron with information about the legendary [[Cyber Planet Key]]s, which could be used to seal the black hole. While Starscream caused a distraction, attacking the Autobots outside their base, Megatron teleported inside the complex and stole Vector Prime's [[Planet Map|map]] to the Cyber Planet Key locations, intending to use them for his own evil purposes. Starscream grappled with Landmine, and sent him tumbling toward the black hole, then carried his leader away to safety on the back of his vehicle mode. {{storylink|Fallen (episode)|Fallen}} Following the map to an asteroid field that they believed to be the location of the first key, Megatron and Starscream's search came up empty; Megatron nearly destroyed the map in anger, but Starscream stopped him, having realized that it was ancient and improperly aligned to the current layout of the cosmos. Vector Prime and a team of Autobots then attacked them, but Starscream and Megatron repelled them and retained possession of the map. {{storylink|Inferno (episode)|Inferno}}

[[File:Landmine starscream cyberkeypower.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Starscream was eager to make the search for the Cyber Planet Keys the Decepticons' focus, but Megatron was intrigued by the Autobots' relocation to Earth and decided to investigate. The pair staged an attack on the Autobots, but were beaten back without their ever learning that their enemies had been constructing a hidden base. {{storylink|Haven}} They returned for another bout soon after, but an underhanded rear attack from Starscream only wound up activating Optimus Prime's [[Cyber Key|Cyber Key Power]], with which he repelled the villains. {{storylink|Hidden}}

[[File:Space starscream jetmode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

While Megatron departed Earth for [[Velocitron]] to seek the first Cyber Planet Key, Starscream, together with [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]], was charged with searching Earth for the Keys' focusing device, the [[Omega Lock]]. Following the Autobots to a [[Mexico|Mexican]] museum that potentially held a lead to the Lock's location, Starscream unveiled his new Cyber Key-powered swords and engaged in a rematch with Landmine, who was still smarting after their previous battle. Outnumbered and with the museum lead proven false, Starscream called for retreat. {{storylink|Landmine (episode)|Landmine}} Starscream repeated his strategy a while later, following the Autobots to the [[United Kingdom|British Isles]]; this time, he fought a little smarter, refusing to let the Autobots lure him into range of their ground-bound weaponry, but Thundercracker was not so wise, and brought defeat on the pair with his carelessness. {{storylink|Space (episode)|Space}} The pair tried to get proactive after this, with Starscream staging an attack that kept the Autobots busy so that Thundercracker could follow their trail back to their secret headquarters, but they were duped with a fake base. {{storylink|Rush (episode)|Rush}}

[[File:Speed starscream in firespace.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]

After a successful training session, Starscream met with Megatron to provide an update on his search for the Omega Lock. Met with the expected chastisement for his failures, Starscream began plotting for the future, secretly revealing that he had taken possession of the Planet Map at some point, and replaced Megatron's with a copy. After Megatron returned to Velocitron, Starscream discovered Thundercracker had tried to enact a plan of his own, luring the Autobots to him with a huge spotlight. He was quite willing to exploit the opportunity to put his training to the test, but when humans drew near their battleground, he surprised Optimus Prime by calling the fight off so that they could ensure their existence was kept secret from Earth's populace. Starscream then paid a brief visit to Velocitron, where he took Megatron's new goons [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] and [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] on a mission to menace [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] to test their capabilities. {{storylink|Speed}}
[[File:Ship starscream tummyguns.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Returning to Earth to continue his search for the Omega Lock, Starscream took Thundercracker in chasing a lead to west [[Africa]], but came up empty once again. They had more luck when they followed Vector Prime and the Autobots' human friends to the [[Sahara]], where they uncovered a ruined temple and what appeared to be the Omega Lock, but the discovery proved to be another facsimile. {{storylink|Time (episode)|Time}} Starscream then accompanied Megatron to the [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]], home of the second Cyber Planet Key, where he was shocked by the bestial alternate modes of the native Transformers. Starscream advocated simply destroying the beast-bots and taking the Key, but Megatron favored subterfuge, so Starscream headed back to Earth. {{storylink|Search (episode)|Search}} Once there, he picked up the Omega Lock search once again, trailing the Autobots to the [[Bermuda Triangle]] and battling them underwater. They discovered the ancient Cybertronian starship ''[[Atlantis]]'' hidden within the Triangle, which Vector Prime teleported away. {{storylink|Deep}} Starscream tracked the ''Atlantis'' to the dark side of the moon, but during the subsequent space battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, he was randomly attacked by the newly arrived [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]], who then suddenly turned on the Autobots he had just helped, leaving all involved entirely mystified. The battle ended when the Autobot took possession of the Omega Lock from within the ''Atlantis'', and Starscream called retreat when the ship exploded. {{storylink|Ship}}
[[File:Race starscream offers hand.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"Join me, and together, we can rule the universe as father and...dammit it's hard to do a good [[Darth Vader|Vader]] impression these days!]]
After outright refusing to obey Megatron's instructions to join him on Velocitron, Starscream decided to start making some decisions for himself, and expanded his forces by recruiting the disillusioned Autobot [[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]] to his cause. {{storylink|Race}} He even tracked down and brought the enigmatic Sideways into the Decepticon fold, though he newcomer messing with Starscream almost right away: when Starscream's fake map led Megatron to an empty sector of space, he radioed Starscream to discuss further action, and a disguised Sideways cut in on the transmission to dupe the pair into traveling to Jungle Planet for a battle with the Autobots. {{storylink|Savage}} Starscream stayed on Jungle Planet and watched as Megatron trained up for his next bout with Optimus Prime, secretly hoping to see the Autobot leader destroy Megatron. {{storylink|Sand}} He then joined the Decepticons in making a final play for Velocitron's Cyber Planet Key; they failed and the Autobots succeeded in acquiring the key and installing it in the Omega Lock, causing a release of energy that Starscream, out in space at the time, sensed. {{storylink|Champion}} [[File:Ice starscream menaces humans.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]] The lock's signal led the Autobots to the Arctic, and Starscream and Mudflap followed them there to gain information about the mystery, menacing the Autobots' human allies in the process. The pair battled [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]], who held them off until the other Autobots turned up, forcing Starscream to order withdrawal. {{storylink|Ice}}

Returning to Jungle Planet, Starscream and Sideways surreptitiously observed planet leader [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] preparing for a battle with Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Honor}} Concerned for the battle's outcome, Megatron had Starscream and the other Decepticons attempt to prevent the Autobots from arriving at the designated hour, but their delaying tactics met with failure. {{storylink|Primal (Cybertron)|Primal}} Prime subsequently defeated Megatron and won the Jungle Planet's Cyber Planet Key, prompting a furious Megatron to lead Starscream and Thundercracker in a bombing run on Scourge's temple. Prime played a shell game with the Key to hide it from the Decepticons; deducing that [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] and [[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] had the real key, Megatron and Starscream went after them. Starscream kept Snarl busy while Megatron tried to obtain the key, but the other Autobots rallied in time to fend the villains off. {{storylink|Trust (Cybertron)|Trust}}
[[File:Cyb ep23 stasis pods.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
When the ancient Autobot [[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] was freed from his frozen prison on Earth, Starscream knew it was time to make his move. Professing to have divined from the Planet Map the location of the third Cyber Planet Key, he sent Megatron and the other Decepticons off to the depths of space, while he and Sideways headed for Earth and trailed Crosswise, intending to force from him the key's ''true'' location, somewhere on Earth. What Starscream found instead was a vast underground holding cell in which Crosswise had imprisoned the [[ancient Decepticon]]s of his time. Liberating the ancient Decepticons to serve him, Starscream sent them out to scour the planet for the key, pausing only to communicate with Megatron. As Starscream revealed his ambition to his ex-leader at last, the duplicate map he had given Megatron expanded into a metallic sphere that imprisoned the Decepticons, keeping them out of Starscream's way as his quest began in earnest. {{storylink|Trap}}
[[File:Cyb ep25 starscream victorious.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
The Autobots retaliated by confronting Starscream directly, but were forced to withdraw when he badly wounded Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Invasion (episode)|Invasion}} Seeing no recourse, the Autobots had Crosswise's ally [[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] recover Earth's Cyber Planet Key from its hiding place in preparation for a retreat to Velocitron. Starscream attempted to intercept Evac mid-transit, but failed; instead, he followed him back to the Autobots' base and fought his way through the entire Autobot army to get to the Omega Lock and the keys. Managing to take down every able Autobot—though losing a sword to Leobreaker in the process—Starscream confronted Optimus Prime himself, and was able to successfully purloin the lock and all three keys by firing upon the Autobots' human allies, thereby forcing Prime to abandon the fight to save them. {{storylink|Retreat}}
[[File:Cyb ep29 super screamer.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Retreating to a small volcanic island in the South Pacific, Starscream added the Earth key to the Omega Lock {{storylink|Revelation (episode)|Revelation}} and began the lengthy process of absorbing the energy of Primus that the lock started to emit. {{storylink|Critical}} {{storylink|Assault}} Eventually, the infusion of Primus's energy transformed Starscream into a skyscraper-sized giant, complete with a [[Transformer clothing#Headwear|crown of leadership]] and a new Cyber Key cannon to replace his lost sword. Bursting from the volcano's erupting cone, Starscream was soon faced with a freed and furious Megatron; both combatants began surging with such Energon power that the Autobots had to intervene to prevent them from coming into contact with one another and causing a catastrophic reaction. {{storylink|Starscream (episode)|Starscream}} Megatron soon broke off the fight to focus on acquiring the Omega Lock, leaving the Autobots to keep Starscream busy. The giant Decepticon used his new powers to levitate the shattered terrain, creating a barrier of rocks, but this proved the unexpected key to his defeat: uniting in purpose to navigate the debris field, Optimus Prime and Autobot aerial ace [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] combined into Sonic Wing Mode and brought Starscream to his knees. Defeated, the unconscious Starscream was teleported away to the remains of the ''Atlantis'' by Sideways to recuperate. {{storylink|United (episode)|United}}
[[File:Thunder-OhHi.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Starscream awoke a short time later, drained of much of the power the spark of Primus had granted him, but retaining his towering height. Learning from Sideways that, during his convalescence, the Autobots had used the Lock and Keys to transform Cybertron into the body of Primus himself, Starscream immediately made a beeline for the Transformers' homeworld. After a brief battle with the Autobots, he turned to attacking Primus directly, but the planet-sized god unveiled a pair of colossal cannons that blasted Starscream off into space. {{storylink|Balance}} During Starscream's attack on Primus, Sideways abducted the [[Mini-Con]] [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]], and Starscream returned with them to the ''Atlantis'' to supervise Sideways's attempt to download the location of the fourth Cyber Planet Key from the Mini-Con's memory. With that underway, Starscream returned to Cybertron to make another play for the Omega Lock; en route, he crossed paths with [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]], former member of his ancient Decepticon army, and forcibly instructed her to get the Lock for him. {{storylink|Memory (Cybertron)|Memory}} Afraid to disobey, Thunderblast instead tricked Starscream into coming down the planet's surface by professing she needed help carrying the Lock, leading to a battle between him and Megatron. When the Autobots got involved, Starscream withdrew to the ''Atlantis'' and warped the ship away to hide it from his enemies. {{storylink|Escape (episode)|Escape}}
[[File:Cyb ep37 moon maces.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Preparing to depart for [[Gigantion]], home of the final Cyber Planet Key, the Autobots re-energized Primus's body so he could hold the black hole at bay during their absence. Unfortunately, Starscream sensed Primus's reawakening and warped the ''Atlantis'' onto the scene, plunging himself directly into the beam of energy Primus was firing in the singularity's heart. Absorbing Primus's energy through the beam, Starscream grew to planet-size and engaged his own living god in battle. The fight was short and none too sweet, as Starscream was bludgeoned into submission by weapons made from Cybertron's moons and drained of his excess power. {{storylink|Titans}}
[[File:GiantLandmine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Using the co-ordinates derived from Jolt's memory, Starscream took the ''Atlantis'' to the spatial warp that led to Gigantion. He arrived at the same time as the Autobots on board the ''[[Ogygia (Cybertron)|Ogygia]]'' and opened fire on them, but they escaped his wrath. {{storylink|Warp}} Both ships made it through the warp, and Starscream set the damaged ''Atlantis'' down in a crevice on Gigantion's surface. The Autobots soon discovered and attacked the ship, intending to rescue their human friend [[Bud Hansen]], who had, unbeknownst to Starscream, been trapped in the bowels of the ship for some time. Starscream turned the ship's guns on the invading Autobots, but Gigantion native [[Quickmix (Cybertron)|Quickmix]] gummed up his plan by burying the spaceship in tons of cement. {{storylink|City}} With the ''Atlantis'' lost to him, Starscream had to blast his way out of the crippled ship, and then began making his way down through the planet's many layers, heading for the Cyber Planet Key's resting place in the starship ''[[Lemuria (Cybertron)|Lemuria]]'' on Gigantion's lowest level. He arrived just behind Landmine, who used the Cyber Planet Key's power to temporarily turn himself into a giant, finally gaining the opportunity to revenge himself upon Starscream for the injuries he inflicted at the beginning of the black hole crisis. Starscream was blasted out of the ''Lemuria'' and sunk to the bottom of the lake in which it rested. {{storylink|Optimus (episode)|Optimus}}
[[File:Cyb ep46 final strike.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Although put down by Landmine, Starscream was not out. Subsequently, Megatron—now Galvatron yet again—stole the Omega Lock and all four keys, and Starscream challenged him to a final battle for possession of them. Declaring that he had given himself over to his pursuit of power, and had no reason to hold back as he had nothing to lose, Starscream maintained the upper hand in the resultant clash, using his ability to increase the mass of his body and null cannons to reduce Galvatron to the verge of destruction. At the climatic point of the battle, Starscream and Galvatron both channeled unprecedented levels of energy, and so incredible was the reaction when the two fully-powered combatants collided that space and time itself was rent asunder by the final explosion. Starscream was hurtled into another dimension along with the interfering Sideways and [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]], leaving only his crown drifting through space. {{storylink|Showdown (Cybertron)|Showdown}}
[[File:Unfinished starscream survives.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Eventually, after the black hole was sealed and Galvatron's ambition was thwarted, the Decepticon leader stood dejected on an asteroid, wondering what was next for him. Somehow, Starscream briefly reached out across the dimensions, apparently via the fire dimension, and mocked his former commander for giving up, fueling his rage and inspiring him to one last battle with Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Unfinished}}

As the Autobots made preparations to begin their new galaxy-spanning [[space bridge]] initiative, Wing Saber—having departed from the rest of the Autobots to continue with his "loner" lifestyle—radioed Optimus to report that he had found a lead on Starscream's trail and was pursuing it. Landmine and a reformed Mudflap departed to aid him, and would eventually encounter Starscream within what appeared to be the fire dimension. {{storylink|Beginning}}
{{--}}

==''Cybertron'' comic==
[[File:Over-RunCybertron.jpg|thumb|upright=2.2|"Oh, Over-Run. Who will they ever find to replace you? ANYONE! Hahahahaha!"]]
During the early stages of the black hole crisis, the disembodied Mini-Con [[Over-Run (Armada)|Over-Run]] recalled how Starscream, back when he was an energon ghost, had killed his physical body just as he was uploading himself into Cybertron's planetary mainframe. {{storylink|Revelations Part 2}}

{{note|This event would have taken place in unpublished issues of [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[Transformers: Energon (comic)|Energon]]'' comic; see [[Starscream (Armada)#Dreamwave Armada continuity|that section]] of Starscream's article for more details. The ''Cybertron'' comic, however, is set concurrently with the cartoon, making this conflation of continuities confusing. The [[Unicron Singularity]]'s unraveling effect on all of space and time, mentioned in the same scene as this flashback occurs, is responsible for combining the timelines in this way.}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
* ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' Starscream's body parts make frequent cameos in the [[character model|CGI models]] of the [[generic]] Decepticon and Autobot soldiers during the ''Energon'' cartoon series, despite Starscream not actually ever appearing in his ''Armada'' body during the series.
* ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'' Starscream being an ethereal being is a reference to [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Generation 1 Starscream]]'s stint as a ghost in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]].
* Neither of Starscream's ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'' CGI models have the heels that [[Starscream (Armada)/toys#Cybertron|his toys]] do.
* Starscream's CGI [[Alternate mode|vehicle mode]] model in ''Cybertron'' also sports the missile launcher from his Voyager Class toy attached under his vehicle mode nosecone. This also carries over into his enlarged super form, despite the Supreme Class toy (that represents this form) never having it released with him. This is due to the animators just reusing the existing vehicle mode CGI model for his upgraded form, and just rescaling it. Despite all of this, the [[robot mode]] CGI models feature several differences from one another, with the larger upgraded model having a lot of intricate details added, just to really drive home how big he is.

[[Category:Armada Autobots]]
[[Category:Armada Decepticons]]
[[Category:Cloud Decepticons]]
[[Category:Cybertron Decepticons]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Energon Decepticons]]
[[Category:Ghosts]]
[[Category:Legends Decepticons]]
[[Category:Seekers]]
[[Category:Turncoats]]

Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity

2024-08-15T20:07:00Z

0TheLegend0: Undo revision 1778393 by Saix (talk) ????

The Sun

2024-08-15T20:06:25Z

0TheLegend0: Undo revision 1778394 by Saix (talk) Undoing my edit without a reason?

Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity

2024-08-15T16:57:20Z

0TheLegend0: Undo revision 1778363 by Cyberlink420 (talk) 1-Nightscream is not Starscream. 2-He didn't follow Galvatron into the sun in the English dub.

The Sun

2024-08-15T16:56:54Z

0TheLegend0: Undo revision 1778364 by Cyberlink420 (talk) ??

The Sun

2024-08-15T15:17:14Z

0TheLegend0: /* Lost in translation */ This isn't something lost in translation, but rather a change.

Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity

2024-08-15T15:15:58Z

0TheLegend0: /* Cybertron cartoon */ Starscream followed Galvatron into the sun only in the Japanese dub of Energon.

Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity

2024-08-15T14:46:28Z

0TheLegend0: /* Energon cartoon */

{{faction|decepticon|autobot}}
{{suite}}
[[File:AStarscream cartoon.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Mr. [[Linkin Park]] AMV" himself.]]

From noble swordsman to traitorous backstabber, from Decepticon to Autobot and back again, from the land of the living to an ethereal existence as a ghost and beyond, the saga of '''Starscream''' is a long and storied one.

{{TOCclear}}
==''Armada'' cartoon==
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Dobson]] (English), [[Jin Yamanoi]] (Japanese)|[[José Sant'anna]] (Brazilian), [[Gerd Meyer]] (German), [[Niclas Fransson]] (Swedish), [[Sander de Heer]] (Dutch), [[Leopoldo Ballesteros]] (Castilian Spanish), [[Luis Carreño]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Pauli Virta]] (Finnish), [[Roberto Draghetti]] (Italian), [[Olivier Destrez]] (French)}}
[[File:Metamorphosis cybertron mode starscream.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Scanning an Earth vehicle basically means just adding kibble.]]

As soon as Starscream's [[spark]] left the [[Iacon]] chamber, he was merged into the Decepticons. {{storylink|Rebellion (Armada)|Rebellion}}

Starscream accompanied [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron's]] forces to [[Earth]] in 2010 in search of the lost [[Mini-Con]]s. Warping to the planet shortly after his leader, Starscream and [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] materialized in the path of the three human children who were fleeing a battle between Megatron and [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], but were preventing from capturing the Mini-Con with them by the sudden appearance of [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] and [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]]. After temporarily withdrawing to their new base on Earth's [[Moon (moon)|moon]]—where Starscream snickered as Megatron berated the lackadaisical [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]]—the Decepticons returned with new Earthly [[alternate mode]]s and made another attempt on the humans and their Mini-Con friends. {{storylink|Metamorphosis (Armada)|Metamorphosis}} Starscream's new jet mode gave him no advantage against the Mini-Con empowered Autobots, and the villains soon retreated to base once more, where Starscream and Demolishor got into a fight over who was Megatron's favored subordinate. Irritated with their antics, Megatron presented Demolishor with the sole Mini-Con the Decepticons had been able to recover and charged Starscream with finding his own, infuriating the younger 'bot. {{storylink|Base}}
[[File:Jungle-Null Ray Cannon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I DISAGREE!]]
Starscream was intent on taking the Mini-Con detected in [[Grand Canyon|Big Canyon]] for himself, but Megatron ordered him to stay behind at the base while the other Decepticons went after it. Disobeying orders, Starscream warped down and interfered with the fight, only to be caught offguard by [[Perceptor (Armada)|Perceptor]], allowing Optimus to obtain the Mini-Con. {{storylink|Comrade}} A severe "disciplining" from Megatron did not dissuade him, and during the next Mini-Con quest in [[Antarctica]], Starscream succeeded in locating the Mini-Con's storage panel in a crevasse wall. Starscream retrieved the panel after a tussle with Hot Shot, but when Red Alert snatched it away, Starscream fired upon him and wound up causing an avalanche, knocking himself into the crevasse's depths. {{storylink|Soldier (episode)|Soldier}}

Starscream blamed his lack of Mini-Con for his poor performance in a training simulation, but when the next storage panel was found during a forest battle, Megatron refused his request, intending to keep it for himself. While Megatron was occupied battling Optimus Prime, however, Starscream swooped in and grabbed the panel, opening it and bonding with the Mini-Con within, [[Swindle (Armada)|Swindle]]. With the new [[Null-ray|null laser cannons]] Swindle granted him, Starscream sent the Autobots packing, and gave Megatron more than a little cause for concern. {{storylink|Jungle}} [[File:Carnival-Starscream Sensei.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Hey, this is my neighborhood, you and your paisan must honor ME!!!]] He proceeded to strut around the base with Swindle on his shoulder, making fun of Demolishor, {{storylink|Carnival}} but his mockery was soon to be replaced with concern; after a mission in the Sahara Desert, Megatron forced Demolishor to hand over the next Mini-Con he found to him. Starscream took no delight in this mistreatment of his comrade. {{storylink|Palace}}

Starscream helped enact Megatron's plan to force the Autobots to trade their captured human friends for the Mini-Cons, but it met with failure. {{storylink|Confrontation (episode)|Confrontation}} Later, he helped the Decepticons explore the American underground for the next Mini-Con, but confined and unable to fly, he had Swindle do his searching for him, to no avail. {{storylink|Underground (episode)|Underground}} He had similarly little luck in an underwater scuffle with Hot Shot when the Mini-Con quest took the Transformers to a sub-aquatic ruin, {{storylink|Ruin}} and his misfortune continued during the battle that following on a volcanic island. There, Megatron also continued to berate Starscream for whatever move he made on the battlefield, finding fault in every decision Starscream made. {{storylink|Prehistory}} After this run of failures, the Decepticons got proactive, invading the Autobot base to capture the Mini-Cons that together formed the [[Star Saber (Armada)|Star Saber sword]], but in the course of the attack, Starscream was lured into a hall of mirrors by Red Alert and fell down a shaft. He tried to fly back up it in jet mode, but Red shut a series of panels on top of him, clipping his wings. {{storylink|Swoop (episode)|Swoop}}

[[File:Overmatch Starscreamswordslice.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|That was a part of my body, you asshole!]]
Though successfully formed, the Star Saber wound up in Autobot hands, and Starscream felt the blade's power for himself when Hot Shot unleashed it against him during their next meeting. Furious over the defeat and with his anger only stoked by insults toward his capabilities by the Decepticons' new member [[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]], Starscream challenged Hot Shot to one-on-one combat when next they clashed. Starscream gave a better account of himself in this rematch, but he met defeat once again when the Star Saber cleaved his own sword in two. {{storylink|Overmatch}} After helping Megatron supervise Scavenger's excavation efforts during the search for the next Mini-Con, {{storylink|Gale}} Starscream got another chance against Hot Shot when the young Autobot and his new teammate [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] were inadvertently warped to the moon. Starscream was on the verge of defeat yet again until Sideways revealed himself to be a traitor and knocked the sword from Hot Shot's grasp, straight into Starscream's waiting hands. {{storylink|Credulous}}
[[File:Conspiracy starscream and airdefteam.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"You left the kids with WHO!?"]]
With the Star Saber now his to command, Starscream's arrogance grew, as did his lack of popularity with the other Decepticons. To remedy this, Megatron had [[Leader-1 (Armada)|Leader-1]] fire on Starscream during combat with the Autobots in a fog-shrouded forest. The lack of visibility caused Starscream to mistakenly believe Demolishor was an Autobot shooting at him, and would have cleaved him in two with the Star Saber if Megatron had not blocked the strike. With the weight of his teammates opinion regarding his ability to wield the blade against him, Starscream was forced to hand the Star Saber over to Megatron. {{storylink|Conspiracy}} After this incident, Scavenger disappeared, and Starscream—still smarting from his barbs—opined that he had switched sides, and demanded the right to bring him in. Megatron refused, but Starscream did still accompany all the Decepticons on the mission to track Scavenger down, during which they found out he had indeed sided with Optimus Prime's forces. {{storylink|Trust (Armada)|Trust}}

After narrowly avoiding Megatron's wild swings of the Star Saber during a training exercise, {{storylink|Vacation}} Starscream partook in the clash over the final Mini-Con necessary to form the [[Skyboom (Armada)|Skyboom shield]], which the Decepticons successfully obtained (though Starscream was shot out of the sky by Smokescreen in the process). {{storylink|Reinforcement}} Starscream kept the Autobots busy during the next battle while Megatron unleashed both Star Saber and Skyboom on Optimus Prime, but was shot down by [[Smokescreen (Armada)|Smokscreen]]. {{storylink|Decisive Battle}} A little later, Starscream and the other Decepticons stayed on the moon while Megatron orchestrated a plan to scatter the Autobots across the globe; he and Sideways were very unenthusiastic about being on standby while Demolishor barked orders at them. {{storylink|Vow}}

[[File:Rebellion starscream vs megatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Oh, Megatron, please! This is getting awkward!"]]

After the Decepticons met with failure on the battlefield again, Megatron chose to pin the blame for the loss on Starscream—despite the fact he had followed orders correctly—and began brutalizing him upon their return to base. The abuse only ended when Demolishor and Sideways blasted their way into the room to stop Megatron from killing their comrade. Seeing a chance to disrupt the Decepticon power structure, Sideways spun lies to manipulate the brooding Starscream's emotions and coerce him into challenging Megatron to a duel. The resultant clash was a brief and vicious one; Megatron took the upper hand immediately, and although his taunts galvanized Starscream and gave him the strength to fight back and tip the fight in his favor for a while, Megatron eventually emerged victorious. Unwilling to beg for his life, Starscream merely urged Megatron to finish him, but the Decepticon leader spared him with the observation that he was a good soldier who might someday in the future have the strength to best him. {{storylink|Rebellion (Armada)|Rebellion}}

In the Decepticons' next bout with the Autobots, Starscream got in a shouting match with Hot Shot over who the Mini-Cons belonged with.{{storylink|Chase (episode)|Chase}}

[[File:Tactician starscream jetmode.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Back in 2002, this was considered aerodynamic.]]
Following another confrontation with the Autobots, the Decepticons were joined by tactician [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]], whose prowess was well known to Starscream. Thrust was likewise impressed with Starscream's abilities and enlisted him as his second for his first battle plan against the Autobots, which involved trapping them in a canyon and strafing them from the air. The plan was foiled by the arrival of [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]], who personally blew Starscream out of the sky. {{storylink|Tactician}} Starscream got some revenge soon after when he and Thrust hit Jetfire with an airborne assault, but Starscream got shot down again when the Autobot revealed his ability to combine with Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Linkup}}

Growing suspicious of Sideways after recent events, Starscream joined the Decepticons effort to root him out, discovering that he was an agent of a mysterious greater power. Once he was forced from their ranks, Starscream and the Decepticons engaged the Autobots in a beachfront battle, {{storylink|Detection}} dogfighting with Jetfire again {{storylink|Awakening (Armada)|Awakening}} then strafing Hot Shot. The Decepticons nonetheless lost when the Autobots acquired the [[Requiem Blaster (Armada)|Requiem Blaster]]. {{storylink|Desperate}}

[[File:Sacrifice starscream and starsaber.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|You don't kill a man by mucking about with rifles, arrows, rocks, or other long-distance rubbish. You kill him by grabbing the biggest bloody sword you can find, running up nice and close to him, and chopping the dumb bastard's head off.]]
After recuperating back at base {{storylink|Runaway}} and being present for the arrival of new member [[Wheeljack (Armada)|Wheeljack]], {{storylink|Past II}} Starscream found himself wielding the Star Saber once again, control of the weapon ceded to him by Megatron as part of a plan to lure out the Autobots so that the Decepticon could steal the Requiem Blaster from them. Taking to the battlefield solo, Starscream caused havoc with the sword, only for it to deactivate in his hands as Optimus Prime's lectures wormed their way inside his head. Surrounded by the Autobots, Starscream called for aid from his fellow Decepticons, only to discover that he had been completely abandoned—he had, without his knowledge, been used as a mere decoy while his teammates invaded the Autobot base and stole the Requiem Blaster. {{storylink|Sacrifice}}

[[File:Regeneration starscream vs hotshot.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|...now kiss?]]
Returning to base dejected and furious, Starscream attacked Thrust with the Star Saber, before being told be Megatron to stand down. He tried to unwind with an energy bath, but his anger boiled over when he was ordered to return the Star Saber Mini-Cons to Megatron and overheard his leader and Thrust mocking him. He proceeded to go on a rampage through the Decepticon base, turning the Saber's power on his fellows and clashing with Megatron and the Requiem Blaster. Seeking asylum with the Autobots, he flew to Earth with [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] in pursuit, crash landing near the Autobots' base. At the Star Saber Mini-Cons' behest, Optimus Prime used the Saber to protect Starscream, and gave him the benefit of the doubt when he claimed he wanted to join the Autobots to help them take down Megatron. To prove his good faith, Starscream provided them with the contents of his databanks to decode, but Hot Shot was not so easily swayed, and he and Starscream began fighting. Their face-off was interrupted by Smokescreen (rebuilt with a new body), who put a stop to their brawl. {{storylink|Regeneration (Armada)|Regeneration}}
[[File:Rescue starscream and the autobots.jpg|thumb|upright=2.2|Starscream's Facebook cover photo.]]
Using the information provided by Starscream, the Autobots proceeded to stage an invasion of the Decepticons' moonbase. Optimus instructed Starscream to hold back and use his knowledge of the base's layout to help locate and liberate the Decepticons' captive Mini-Cons. But Starscream was too hungry for payback against Megatron to comply, and Hot Shot had to take over his mission. When Hot Shot was in dire straits during a battle with Megatron, however, Starscream came to his aid, and the pair united their strength to topple the Decepticon leader. Starscream was eager to end Megatron's life, but upon the successful evacuation of the Mini-Cons, Optimus called for retreat, forcing Starscream to choose between his hew alliance and his desire for revenge. In the end, he returned to Earth with the Autobots, but was left feeling that he did not truly belong with them either. {{storylink|Rescue}}
[[File:Mars starscream and alexis.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|NO SHIPPING!]]
Both his Mini-Con partners and the human [[Alexis Thi Dang|Alexis]] attempted to console him, but he was too consumed by his own self-doubt. Soon thereafter, Starscream's flight capabilities saw him drafted to join Jetfire on a mission to [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] to recover a Mini-Con, during which he was shot down by Tidal Wave. By the time Jetfire had located him, Starscream was so wrapped up in self-pity that he refused to do as his Autobot superior ordered, forcing Jetfire to handcuff him and charge him with dereliction of duty. On the return trip to Earth, the pair discovered the object of their quest on an asteroid, but were then attacked by Tidal Wave once again; speaking with real passion for the Autobot cause, Starscream was able to talk the Mini-Con, [[Firebot (Armada)|Firebot]], into turning its weapons on the giant Decepticon. It looked like the pair were home free, only for Megatron to appear in their path with the Requiem Blaster in hand. Brought into proximity for the first time, the blaster, the Star Saber and the Skyboom (wielded by Jetfire) resonated with one another, causing a huge flare of energy that covered Jetfire and Starscream's escape. Back on Earth, Alexis thanked Starscream for his efforts and told him she was sure the Autobots were the right fit for him, and while he seemed to brush her words off, she soon discovered that he had brought back a bejewelled rock from Mars as a souvenir for her and the other kids. {{storylink|Mars (episode)|Mars}}
[[File:Crack starscream kids and chamois.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Is there some sort of cash alternative?]]
Uninterested in helping the Autobots build a spaceship to return to Cybertron, Starscream stalked off to his quarters where he was shocked to find Alexis and the other kids throwing him a surprise party to thank him for the Martian rock, gifting him with a handmade [[Chamois of Friendship|chamois]]. A little later, detecting a curious signal, Starscream ventured out to investigate and was confronted by Thrust, who (secretly working towards his own goals in conjunction with Sideways) petitioned him to return to the Decepticons and help him take Megatron down from within. Thrust suggested that he steal the Skyboom shield to "prove" to Megatron his desire to rejoin him, but Starscream refused. Unfortunately, [[Billy (Armada)|Billy]] and [[Fred (Armada)|Fred]] overhead their conversation and raced off to tell the Autobots, who were quick to turn on Starscream when he returned to the base after they could not find the Skyboom Mini-Cons anywhere. Unbeknownst to anyone, the kids had merely taken the Mini-Cons out for a walk, but the Autobots' deep-seated distrust of Starscream had been made evident—confronting Thrust in battle again a short time later, Starscream found himself swayed by the Decepticon's silver tongue, and swooped into the battlefield below, snatching up the Skyboom and departing alongside Thrust, back in the Decepticon fold again, but vowing never to forget his new human friends. {{storylink|Crack (episode)|Crack}}

[[File:Crisis starscream and thrust.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Phallic object? I SAID NO SHIPPING!]]

With all three Mini-Con weapons now in Decepticon hands thanks to his defection, Starscream soon forced Thrust to tell him his plan for them: they would be combined to forge a weapon of planet-destroying power known as the [[Hydra Cannon]]. When completed and mounted on the Decepticons' new spacecraft, Megatron placed Starscream at the cannon's controls and charged him with firing the shot that would obliterate the Earth. {{storylink|Threaten}} Unwilling to seal the fates of all the friends he had made on Earth, Starscream struggled with the test Megatron had laid before him, but fortunately, Optimus Prime and Jetfire attacked the cannon before he had to press the button. Ordered out into battle to stop them, Starscream allowed Jetfire to hurl him into Tidal Wave, knocking over the titanic Decepticon and sparing Prime his assault. Starscream's efforts saved the Earth, but Optimus Prime perished absorbing the Hydra Cannon's blast. {{storylink|Crisis (Armada)|Crisis}}
[[File:Puppet i look like thundercracker.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Hey, I look like that guy from that thing!]]
Though regretful over Prime's death, Starscream joined the Decepticons in departing Earth's solar system aboard their new ship and heading back to Cybertron. {{storylink|Remorse}} Starscream detected an Autobot vessel giving the Decepticons chase, though Megatron remained unconcerned over this development. {{storylink|Depart}} In the battle that followed, Starscream and Hot Shot revived their old rivalry, but fighting soon ceased when the Mini-Cons combined their powers to resurrect Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Miracle (episode)|Miracle}} Immediately following this, Hot Shot and [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] were sucked away through a worm hole to a barren planet; Starscream, Megatron, and Demolishor followed, Megatron intending to destroy their divided foes despite Starscream's suggestions that they used them as hostages. Attacked by [[Nemesis Prime (Armada)|Nemesis Prime]], a mysterious dark doppelgänger of Optimus Prime, they were badly damaged, but found themselves repaired by the combined powers of their partner Mini-Cons, their armors strengthened and [[spontaneous recoloration|recolored]] in the process. Observing his new blue color scheme, Starscream remarked upon his similarity to fellow Decepticon [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]]. {{storylink|Puppet}}

[[File:Drift starscream smiles.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Returning to Cybertron, Starscream aided in the Decepticon effort to take control of the planet with the Mini-Con weapons, though his concern over the methods Megatron—now "Galvatron" after his upgrade—was employed grew, as did his suspicions regarding Thrust's ulterior motives after his gleeful reaction to the appearance of a black hole over their homeworld. {{storylink|Uprising (Armada)|Uprising}} When Hot Shot broke into the Decepticon base, pleading for an alliance to fight the mysterious common foe behind the black hole, [[Unicron]], Starscream finally called Thrust out on his scheming in front of everyone. With Galvatron also suspicious, Thrust revealed that he was an agent of Unicron's, stole the Requiem Blaster and Skyboom shield, and fled into the planet's depths with a vengeful Starscream in hot pursuit. {{storylink|Dash (episode)|Dash}} He soon caught up to Thrust, but just after he turned down the traitor's offer to work together, Starscream was shocked to see Alexis and the other human kids and their Mini-Cons watching their confrontation, having come to Cybertron with the Autobots. When Thrust threatened them with the Requiem Blaster, Starscream lunged for him and was struck by the Blaster's beam and slain. Fortunately, the Mini-Con [[High Wire (Armada)|High Wire]] used his powers to rewind time a few scant moments and intervened to throw Thrust's aim off, saving Starscream's life. Thrust escaped while Starscream shielded the kids from falling rubble caused by the errant blast, and once he was sure they were okay, continued his pursuit.{{storylink|Drift (episode)|Drift}}

[[File:Portent starscream readyforaction.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|It is obvious that this contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of the Force... but by our skills with a lightsaber.]]

The chase led through a [[Cybertron-Unicron warp gate|warp gate]] that brought Starscream to a strange pseudo-organic cavern, where he was beset by [[bot-spider]]s for again refusing an offer to join Thrust and Sideways in their scheme. Hot Shot, Wheeljack and the kids arrived to help, but he instructed them to go on ahead; after defeating the spiders, Starscream was amazed to see that Alexis had waited for him to make sure he was okay. The dangers of the caverns soon proved too much to endure, so Starscream decided to carry Alexis to safety, but in their escape, the girl's necklace fell off. Alexis insisted on going back for it, forcing Starscream to fend off attacking tentacles and leaving him gape-mouthed with the revelation that the necklace was important to her because she had made it from the Martian rock he had given her. Moments later, they escaped the caverns and discovered that they had been inside Cybertron's moon—and that the moon was actually a disguised Unicron! Alexis pleaded with Starscream to join the Autobots in fighting Unicron, and even Hot Shot agreed, but Starscream refused, no longer sure of where he belonged and afraid he would betray his friends again. {{storylink|Portent}}

[[File:Cramp starscream dies.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4 | my chest hurts.]]

Realizing that it was only by uniting with the Autobots that the Decepticons could hope to defeat Unicron, Starscream resolved to prove the reality of the chaos-bringer's threat to Galvatron, who refused to acknowledge it and considered it an Autobot trick. To do so, however, Starscream realized that he would have to end his own life, and so interrupted a battle between Galvatron and Optimus to challenge Galvatron to one last duel that would settle all accounts between them. In the course of the fight, Starscream proved to Galvatron how far he had come as a warrior, but at the final moment, held back on delivering the killing stroke, instead allowing Galvatron to run him through with the Star Saber. With the last of his strength, Starscream opened fire on Unicron, and the planet-eater retaliated with a lightning-blast that utterly obliterated Starscream, reducing his body to ash. With this action, Starscream proved that the threat of Unicron was real, and Megatron agreed to ally with Optimus against him. {{storylink|Cramp}}

{{--}}

==Japanese cartoon continuity==
===''Cloud''===
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Encounter}} {{storylink|Hammer (Cloud)|Hammer}} {{storylink|Return}} {{storylink|Transformers Cloud Compilation Comic|Compilation Comic}}}}

===''Legends'' comic===
Following his sacrifice against Unicron, Starscream manifested as a ghost in the [[Legends World]] thanks to the power of the dimension's "[[spirit energy]]". {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 18|Bonus Edition Vol. 18}} He was left without any memories and returned to being a loyal servant of Megatron, who had also traveled to the Legends world. {{storylink|LG14 Ultra Magnus Prologue#The Autumn Megatron Festival|The Autumn Megatron Festival}} He helped Megatron plunder the world of its Mini-Cons, and located the very rare specimen [[Dragoyell]] for his leader. Both of them retreated after Megatron had his power drained through an accidental [[Powerlinx]] with [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Armada Megatron)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} Megatron then settled for simply purchasing Mini-Cons legally, relying on Starscream as a source of income and forcing him to take on multiple part-time jobs. He was just leaving for his night-time job when [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|another Megatron]] showed up at the restaurant they were eating at. The other Megatron was surprised by his presence, having had his own [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] once, something the two Megatrons ended up bonding over during his absence. {{storylink|LG14 Ultra Magnus Prologue#The Autumn Megatron Festival|The Autumn Megatron Festival}} When Megatron returned home with an [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Legends|Ultra Magnus]] toy, having been defeated in battle with Magnus and wanting to find his weaknesses through the toy, Starscream protested that his leader had promised not to buy toys that weren't Mini-Cons. He was further disheartened when Megatron ended up liking the toy, suggesting he might buy more big toys in the future. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Sequel#Armada Megatron Chapter|Armada Megatron Chapter}}

At one point, Starscream was given a [[Swindle (Armada)|Spark Grid]] toy by Megatron as a reward for his services, making him feel sentimental. {{storylink|LG-18 Armada Starscream Super Mode Prologue}} While working as a waiter, Starscream was attacked by [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]], who mistook him for [[Starscream (Animated)|her own hated Starscream]]. His pleas that he was the wrong Starscream fell on deaf ears, and his attempts to get help from [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] failed when she sided with Slipstream instead. When he returned home to gripe about how scary women are, Megatron ignored his story and just wanted his credit card for buying more toys. {{storylink|LG-16 Slipstream Sequel}} Fired over the incident, Starscream was looking for a new job when he witnessed [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] collapsing on the street. Learning that she had a job she couldn't attend to because of her condition, he offered to take her place, and ended up working at the [[Starscream (BW)|local Starscream]]'s maid cafe. He was confused about why they'd let a man work there, so the other Starscream explained that it was normally a "little brother cafe" with cross-dressing maids and that Windblade only worked there because he was feeling sympathetic towards her, causing Armada Starscream to admit his counterpart was a pretty nice guy.

[[File:Tflegendsvol18Starscream.jpg|thumb|]]
Returning to the cafe, Windblade explained to Starscream that her condition was caused by the [[Zamojin (species)|Zamojin]] trying to take control of her using spirit energy, a power accumulated by Armada Megatron's uncontrollable desire for toys. Knowing that she would destroy the Legends World if the Zamojin got their hands on her again, she tearfully asked the baffled Starscream for help. His Spark Grid then revealed himself to be a real Mini-Con and imbued Starscream with the power of his people, powering him up into his super mode and giving him the resolve to stop Megatron and save Windblade and the Legends World... or die trying. {{storylink|LG-18 Armada Starscream Super Mode Prologue}} Confronting Megatron in [[Akihabara]], he tried to convince his leader to give up on his toys and cut off the Zamojins' power supply, but Megatron refused and battled Starscream for betraying him. Starscream's worst fears came true when the Zamojin were able to take control of Windblade, and he channeled all his power into his Null Laser Cannons for an attack that would destroy both him and Windblade but save the world. He broke off his attack when [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] brought forth Alexis, whose presence caused him to calm down and recall his lost memories, and he returned to his home dimension alongside her. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 18|Bonus Edition Vol. 18}}

Starscream seemingly returned to death, as Alexis reminisced about him on a beach. {{Storylink|Transformers Legends Final Chapter "Epiloge"|Epiloge}}
{{--}}

==''Energon'' cartoon==
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Dobson]] (English), [[Nobuo Tobita]] (Japanese)|[[Niclas Fransson]] (Swedish), [[Sander de Heer]] (Dutch), [[Mieczyslaw Moranski]] (Polish), [[Gábor Forgács]] (Hungarian), [[Leopoldo Ballesteros]] (Castilian Spanish), [[Luis Carreño]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Pauli Virta]] (Finnish), [[Guillaume Orsat]] (French), [[Roberto Draghetti]] (Italian)}}
{{note|In the original Super Link version of the show, "Nightscream" is unrelated to the Starscream who appears in Legends of the Microns/Armada.}}
[[File:STMM starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"I do not have permission to die!"]]
Ten years after Starscream's death, when Megatron seized control of Unicron's body by ousting its former occupant, the alien being [[Alpha Quintesson]], the evicted extraterrestrial needed an agent to help him in his task of recreating the worlds destroyed by the chaos-bringer. Using what little [[Energon]] he had left, Alpha Q recreated another of Unicron's victims—Starscream. {{storylink|Megatron Raid}} However, Alpha Q ran out of energon before the process could be completed, leaving Starscream incomplete—his memory blank, and his body unstable, constantly shifting from a physical to an ethereal form, able to teleport by "ghosting" from location to location. {{storylink|Starscream the Mysterious Mercenary}} Charged with defeating Optimus Prime in order to break the Autobot monopoly on Energon, with the promise of a completed physical body as his reward, Starscream was dispatched to the Autobots' [[Ocean City]] on Earth, where he engaged Prime in battle, but soon withdrew when the Autobot leader got the upper hand. {{storylink|Megatron Raid}} He soon turned to stealth, invisibly stalking Prime through the corridors of Ocean City, but the human [[Kicker Jones|Kicker]]'s ability to sense Energon allowed him to detect Starscream and tip the Autobots off to his presence.[[File:SSTM starscream ghost.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]] Optimus Prime proceeded to call Starscream out and lead him through a [[space bridge]] to Earth's moon, but the battle between the two that ensued was interrupted by Megatron. Starscream exploited the distraction to blast Prime, and was then summoned back to Alpha Q, his task believed complete, but Prime was soon revived. {{storylink|Starscream the Mysterious Mercenary}}

On his return flight through space to his master, Starscream was redirected to join up with [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]], Alpha Q's mole within Megatron's forces, so that they could together make another attempt on Prime's life. Starscream battled Prime in the [[asteroid belt]], but was ordered to pull out by Alpha Q in advance of Megatron's arrival on the scene. {{storylink|Battle of the Asteroid Belt}} He soon returned to Alpha Q's side, and watched as a [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]] swarm rained Energon successfully stolen from the Autobots down on them. {{storylink|Energon Tower (episode)|Energon Tower}}
[[File:CrisisinJungleCity starscream stabbed.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Needing to retake Unicron's body from Megatron to further his plans, Alpha Q tasked Starscream with assassinating Megatron. Stealing inside the chaos-bringer's inert form, Starscream came upon Megatron in sleep mode and ran him through with his sword, only for the Decepticon leader to disappear in a flash of energy. He had, in fact, merged himself with Unicron and gained control of his incredible powers over matter and energy, and quickly turned them upon Starscream, attacking him with multiple Megatron duplicates and Energon shards. Recognizing his old subordinate at last, Megatron plunged Starscream into absolute darkness, taunting him and driving him to the brink of madness, urging him to discard everything of himself, before appearing to stab him through the [[spark]]. Succumbing to Megatron's will, Starscream collapsed. {{storylink|The Legend of Rodimus}} His memories of Alpha Q and his plans were wiped away, and he became Megatron's loyal servant, joining the Decepticons in attacking [[Jungle City]]. {{storylink|Crisis in Jungle City}}

[[File:KickerBeware starscream threatens demolishor.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Starscream coerced from a reluctant Demolishor and Cyclonus information about Kicker's abilities which they had gained during their time among the Autobots. He was then among the Decepticons who attacked the ruins of [[Lunar City]] in a failed attempt to abduct Kicker for their own purposes. {{storylink|Kicker Beware!}} Starscream was later present during the attempt at destroying Earth, and retreated with the other decepticons. {{storylink|Energon Grid (episode)|Energon Grid}} Following the failed attack, Starscream found one of Alpha Q's Terrorcons spying on Megatron, but when Megatron took this as a cue to destroy all the Terrorcons he had stolen control of from the alien, an apologetic Starscream barred his way, intent on sparing the creatures their lives despite his loyalty to Megatron. The attack had actually been meant to force Scorponok to show his hand; when he did so, Starscream and Tidal Wave escorted him to Megatron, who hurled him into Earth's [[energon grid (technology)|energon grid]], assuming Alpha Q would come to save his minion. {{storylink|Rodimus Friend or Foe?}} Alpha Q's ally [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]] eventually appeared with his men to save Scorponok, and Starscream led the charge against them, but was disarmed by Rodimus and felled by a volley of fire from [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]]. The Decepticons withdrew, but Starscream was fighting ready again a short time later for an abortive attack on the Autobots' ''[[Miranda II]]''. {{storylink|Go for Unicron!}}

[[File:GoForUnicron starscream opens fire.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Starscream watched as Megatron used Unicron's powers to grant Demolishor a new body, then joined his leader in battling the Autobots on an icy world. {{storylink|The Return of Demolishor}} Soon after, Starscream reported to Megatron that the ''Miranada II'' had drawn to close to Unicron's body, but on his leader's orders, refrained from entering the battle that ensued. {{storylink|A Tale of Two Heros}} When the Autobots were repelled and fled through a space bridge, Starscream advocated pursuit and led the Decepticons after them, with Megatron moving Unicron into the bridge right behind them. After dogfighting with Jetfire during the bridge transit, Starscream was horrified to see that the bridge had deposited them all in Cybertron's orbit, and raced back to Megatron's throne room to urge him to pull Unicron back before he was destroyed by the planet's energon grid. {{storylink|Battle Stations}} Unicron's appearance caused the Decepticons on Cybertron to riot, and Megatron and Starscream debated on how to best to exploit the chaos; {{storylink|Alpha Q: Identity}} Megatron settled on sending Starscream and his other troops down to the planet to exfiltrate war criminal [[Shockblast]], who had escaped in the mayhem. {{storylink|Shockblast: Rampage}}
[[File:SuvivalInstincts starscream avoids impaling.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Starscream fed Megatron updates as Decepticons abandoned Cybertron to join his forces on Unicron. No sooner had they arrived than Unicron's survival instinct unconsciously kicked in and he began feeding on those within him, and Starscream had to use his ghostly powers to avoid being impaled on energy-absorbing spikes Unicron generating within himself. {{storylink|Survival Instincts}} Megatron determined to sate Unicron's hunger with Cybertron itself, and Starscream was among the Decepticons sent down to the planet to deactivate its energon grid in preparation for the feeding, still trying to play peacekeeper between the antagonistic Shockblast and his other comrades. {{storylink|Each One Fights...}} The plan failed, so instead, the Decepticons soon conducted an Energon raid on [[Primus]]'s chamber, during which Starscream caught Optimus Prime off-guard and took him down. {{storylink|Unicron Unleashed}} With this Energon infusion, Unicron was able to transform to [[robot mode]], at which point Shockblast revealed his true colors and attempt to usurp control of the planet-eater from Megatron. Fortunately for the Decepticon leader, Starscream was there to catch Shockblast unawares, holding him at sword-point. {{storylink|Open Fire!}} Just then, Alpha Q rammed Unicron's disembodied head into his side, creating tremors that sent Shockblast plummeting into Unicron's depths. Starscream gave chase, catching up to him just as he was confronting Optimus Prime, who then petitioned Starscream for his help in stopping Megatron. The loyal spectre ignored his words and moved to attack Prime, but was stopped by the newly arrived [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]]. The Energon reaction between Unicron's head and body subsequently opened a rift in reality through which Starscream joined Megatron in fleeing. {{storylink|Ripped Up Space}}
[[File:JunglePlanet starscream closeup.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Where'd you get the beauty scar, tough guy?]]
In the new region of space on the other side of the rift, Alpha Q turned Unicron's head in an [[Energon Orb|Energon sun]] to accomplish his plan of recreating the planets consumed by Unicron, but the Decepticons immediately began gathering Energon from them. In battle on [[Iron Planet]], Starscream materialized to cover Megatron's escape, but got swatted away by Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Protection}} Later, when Shockblast—who had been captured by the Autobots—contacted Megatron to beg for assistance in escaping, Starscream accompanied his leader to free the turncoat. He and the liberated Shockblast were charged with hunting down the Autobot who had been Shockblast's guard, [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]], who Megatron then infected with Decepticon programming. {{storylink|Imprisoned Inferno}} As battles in this star system continued, Starscream aided his leader in ambushing Optimus Prime in the skies over [[Jungle Planet (Energon)|Jungle Planet]], {{storylink|Jungle Planet (episode)|Jungle Planet}} and was then assigned to spy on the Autobots on the planet, but failed to stop a team of them from departing through a space bridge and returning with an Energon tower. Starscream took part in the Decepticons' attempt to steal Jungle Planet's Energon before the tower was activated, which also met with failure. {{storylink|Bulkhead (episode)|Bulkhead}} Not long after, as Inferno's Decepticon programming began to overtake him, Starscream accompanied his leader to receive their new warrior, but the Autobot fought the process and turned on them. Only the timely intervention of Scorponok (also brainwashed by Megatron) stopped the suicidal Inferno from dragging Starscream into the sun. {{storylink|Farewell Inferno}}
[[File:OmegaSupreme starscream jet mode.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Later, when Megatron was taking out his frustrations on Shockblast, Starscream made him stop before he killed him. {{storylink|Crash Course}} After another successful Energon raid, Starscream and the Decepticons were followed back to Unicron's body by the Autobots, joined by new member [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|Omega Supreme]]. Starscream and Scorponok tried taking on the ancient Autobot, but didn't even get off a single shot before he used his powers to seal them in energy bubbles and crash them into each other. {{storylink|Omega Supreme (episode)|Omega Supreme}} As the battle continued, Starscream was taken down by the restored Inferno, and he then withdrew inside Unicron's body to watch as Megatron reunited the chaos-bringer's head with his body. {{storylink|A Heroic Battle}} The Autobots continued their attack, and Starscream found himself facing Jetfire, Wing Saber and [[Bulkhead (Energon)|Bulkhead]], leaving him unable to fetch more Energon when Megatron demanded it. {{storylink|The Power of Unicron}} The newly restored Unicron soon began to rage out of control, and turned against the Decepticons; Starscream saved Mirage from being sucked inside the planet-eater, severing the energy tendrils that had seized him. {{storylink|Optimus Supreme}} Realizing that Megatron himself had been overtaken by Unicron's consciousness, Starscream instructed Scorponok to keep clear of the growing battle, knowing that their power could add nothing to the conflict. {{storylink|Unicron Perishes}}
[[File:Wishes upgraded starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|And haters cared a little bit.]]
Unicron was subsequently destroyed by Optimus Prime, and in the wake of the battle many of the Decepticons were imprisoned. Starscream and Scorponok avoided captured and soon regrouped with Megatron, who had survived the destruction of Unicron's body, launching an attack on Cybertron just as peace seemed to be settling in. Starscream hacked his way into the prison complex and liberated his comrades. {{storylink|Ambition}} This task done, Starscream was summoned by Megatron to a reservoir of [[Super Energon]] beneath the planet's surface; immersion in the liquid had transformed Megatron into Galvatron once again, but it had destroyed any Terrorcons who had attempted to absorb it, so Megatron charged Starscream with wading into the pool to see if he could survive the experience. Blindly loyal as ever, Starscream boldly strode into the pool, and was supercharged by its power, gaining a new color-scheme in the process—though not without some deal of pain. He and his leader unleashed their new power against the Autobots, crippling Cybertron's energon grid and taking control of the planet, driving their enemies into hiding. {{storylink|Wishes}}

Starscream extrapolated the Autobots' logical hiding places, and the Decepticons pursued them to the orbiting ''Miranda II''. Though the battle saw them bring down the ship, Starscream got pretty badly smacked around by Rodimus. {{storylink|Galvatron!}}

At some point in time, Starscream was among the Decepticons who hacked into an Autobot virtual training program that took the form of a tag-team fighting tournament. Partnered with Galvatron, he bested Cyclonus and Demolishor (in their original forms), then defeated their upgraded forms, though it seemed that Galvatron did all the fighting. Galvatron then got fed up and left, and Starscream followed his lead. {{storylink|Distribution}}

[[File:OmegaTrain starscream gun.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Starscream offered Galvatron advice as the Decepticons tightened their hold over Cybertron. {{storylink|Break Through}} He later battled Optimus Prime and Wing Saber in a subterranean city into which the Autobots had retreated, but was shot in the back by [[Superion Maximus]]. {{storylink|The Omega Train}} Pulling himself together, Starscream joined with Galvatron for another confrontation with the Autobots soon after; this time, Starscream found himself at the mercy of Omega Supreme's powers once again. The battle fell apart when Autobot reinforcements arrived, and Starscream advised his leader to retreat to regain control of the situation. {{storylink|Decepticon Army}} Getting things back in order proved challenging due to the recalcitrance of the Decepticons' new two-faced tech specialist [[Six Shot (Energon)|Six Shot]], who demanded an apology from Galvatron for recent mistreatment at his hands. Galvatron naturally refused, but Starscream stepped forward and bowed on his master's behalf, which was enough for Six Shot. That dealt with, he went out into battle with the other Decepticons again, but had to ghost away to avoid a bludgeoning by the combined might of Optimus Prime and Omega Supreme. {{storylink|Ironhide Team}}

[[File:Formidable starscream in flames.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"I do believe I'm on fire."]]
Six Shot's trickery continued to caused further trouble, so Starscream was assigned to stay behind in the control room and watch over him during the Decepticons' next battle. When the Autobots staged a two-pronged attack, however, Starscream was forced to leave him to counter their attack; Six Shot's refusal to follow orders soon resulted in the accidental destruction of the Energon towers, and a furious Galvatron had Starscream abandon the battle to bring Six Shot under control. {{storylink|Formidable}} When the corridors into the control complex became locked down, Starscream investigated and discovered that Demolishor, Snow Cat and Mirage had been tricked into leaving Six Shot unsupervised, and he had disappeared, leaving the Autobots' human ally [[Sally Jones]] to sneak into the control room and cause chaos. She let the Autobots in, and Starscream and the other Decepticons tried in vain to hold them off before eventually pulling out. {{storylink|Galvatron Terror}}
[[File:TheSun starscream and galvatron.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Concurrently, Galvatron indulged in a second Super Energon immersion, which transformed him into a planet-sized titan. Starscream and the Decepticons harried the Autobots as they attempted to retreat in the face of this giant horror; then, when Optimus Prime attempted to battle Galvatron, Starscream kept Hot Shot from interfering. {{storylink|Destructive Power}} Prime and Galvatron's battle moved to Jungle Planet, where they both came under the influence of Unicron, whose consciousness still survived within Galvatron. Starscream continued to prevent anyone from coming between the two combatants, including even the other Decepticons. {{storylink|Spark (episode)|Spark}} Galvatron finally managed to conquer Unicron's influence long enough to hurl himself into the new sun Primus had created from the Super Energon, preferring to perish than to live as a puppet. Starscream disappeared right after that.{{storylink|The Sun}}
{{-}}

==''Cybertron'' cartoon==
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Dobson]] (English), [[Takaya Kuroda]] (Japanese)|[[Xia Lei]] (Chinese), [[Mieczyslaw Moranski]] (Polish), [[Marco Kröger]] (German), [[Leopoldo Ballesteros]] (Castilian Spanish), [[Luis Carreño]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Pauli Virta]] (Finnish), [[Guillaume Orsat]] (French), [[Roberto Draghetti]] (Italian), [[Pocholo Gonzales]] (Tagalog, HERO TV dub)}}

[[File:Starscream cybertron stockfootage.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|[[Don Figueroa|Figueroa?]] I barely know 'er!]]

A decade after Starscream and Galvatron disappeared into Primus's sun, the deity's plan to contain Unicron's spark failed when the sun collapsed, becoming a deadly [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]] that threatened Cybertron. The pair were freed, but were not unchanged: Galvatron was now Megatron again, wearing an [[Armor of Unicron|armor forged from Unicron's remains]], and Starscream's mind was his own once more. But within that mind grew a new ambition—now, Starscream sought to oust Megatron and become the leader of the Decepticons, then the universe.

From within their new base in Megatron's [[fire dimension]], the duo knew the time to strike had come when they learned that the ancient Transformer [[Vector Prime]] had approached the Autobots on Cybertron with information about the legendary [[Cyber Planet Key]]s, which could be used to seal the black hole. While Starscream caused a distraction, attacking the Autobots outside their base, Megatron teleported inside the complex and stole Vector Prime's [[Planet Map|map]] to the Cyber Planet Key locations, intending to use them for his own evil purposes. Starscream grappled with Landmine, and sent him tumbling toward the black hole, then carried his leader away to safety on the back of his vehicle mode. {{storylink|Fallen (episode)|Fallen}} Following the map to an asteroid field that they believed to be the location of the first key, Megatron and Starscream's search came up empty; Megatron nearly destroyed the map in anger, but Starscream stopped him, having realized that it was ancient and improperly aligned to the current layout of the cosmos. Vector Prime and a team of Autobots then attacked them, but Starscream and Megatron repelled them and retained possession of the map. {{storylink|Inferno (episode)|Inferno}}

[[File:Landmine starscream cyberkeypower.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Starscream was eager to make the search for the Cyber Planet Keys the Decepticons' focus, but Megatron was intrigued by the Autobots' relocation to Earth and decided to investigate. The pair staged an attack on the Autobots, but were beaten back without their ever learning that their enemies had been constructing a hidden base. {{storylink|Haven}} They returned for another bout soon after, but an underhanded rear attack from Starscream only wound up activating Optimus Prime's [[Cyber Key|Cyber Key Power]], with which he repelled the villains. {{storylink|Hidden}}

[[File:Space starscream jetmode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

While Megatron departed Earth for [[Velocitron]] to seek the first Cyber Planet Key, Starscream, together with [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]], was charged with searching Earth for the Keys' focusing device, the [[Omega Lock]]. Following the Autobots to a [[Mexico|Mexican]] museum that potentially held a lead to the Lock's location, Starscream unveiled his new Cyber Key-powered swords and engaged in a rematch with Landmine, who was still smarting after their previous battle. Outnumbered and with the museum lead proven false, Starscream called for retreat. {{storylink|Landmine (episode)|Landmine}} Starscream repeated his strategy a while later, following the Autobots to the [[United Kingdom|British Isles]]; this time, he fought a little smarter, refusing to let the Autobots lure him into range of their ground-bound weaponry, but Thundercracker was not so wise, and brought defeat on the pair with his carelessness. {{storylink|Space (episode)|Space}} The pair tried to get proactive after this, with Starscream staging an attack that kept the Autobots busy so that Thundercracker could follow their trail back to their secret headquarters, but they were duped with a fake base. {{storylink|Rush (episode)|Rush}}

[[File:Speed starscream in firespace.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]

After a successful training session, Starscream met with Megatron to provide an update on his search for the Omega Lock. Met with the expected chastisement for his failures, Starscream began plotting for the future, secretly revealing that he had taken possession of the Planet Map at some point, and replaced Megatron's with a copy. After Megatron returned to Velocitron, Starscream discovered Thundercracker had tried to enact a plan of his own, luring the Autobots to him with a huge spotlight. He was quite willing to exploit the opportunity to put his training to the test, but when humans drew near their battleground, he surprised Optimus Prime by calling the fight off so that they could ensure their existence was kept secret from Earth's populace. Starscream then paid a brief visit to Velocitron, where he took Megatron's new goons [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] and [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] on a mission to menace [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] to test their capabilities. {{storylink|Speed}}
[[File:Ship starscream tummyguns.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Returning to Earth to continue his search for the Omega Lock, Starscream took Thundercracker in chasing a lead to west [[Africa]], but came up empty once again. They had more luck when they followed Vector Prime and the Autobots' human friends to the [[Sahara]], where they uncovered a ruined temple and what appeared to be the Omega Lock, but the discovery proved to be another facsimile. {{storylink|Time (episode)|Time}} Starscream then accompanied Megatron to the [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]], home of the second Cyber Planet Key, where he was shocked by the bestial alternate modes of the native Transformers. Starscream advocated simply destroying the beast-bots and taking the Key, but Megatron favored subterfuge, so Starscream headed back to Earth. {{storylink|Search (episode)|Search}} Once there, he picked up the Omega Lock search once again, trailing the Autobots to the [[Bermuda Triangle]] and battling them underwater. They discovered the ancient Cybertronian starship ''[[Atlantis]]'' hidden within the Triangle, which Vector Prime teleported away. {{storylink|Deep}} Starscream tracked the ''Atlantis'' to the dark side of the moon, but during the subsequent space battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, he was randomly attacked by the newly arrived [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]], who then suddenly turned on the Autobots he had just helped, leaving all involved entirely mystified. The battle ended when the Autobot took possession of the Omega Lock from within the ''Atlantis'', and Starscream called retreat when the ship exploded. {{storylink|Ship}}
[[File:Race starscream offers hand.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"Join me, and together, we can rule the universe as father and...dammit it's hard to do a good [[Darth Vader|Vader]] impression these days!]]
After outright refusing to obey Megatron's instructions to join him on Velocitron, Starscream decided to start making some decisions for himself, and expanded his forces by recruiting the disillusioned Autobot [[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]] to his cause. {{storylink|Race}} He even tracked down and brought the enigmatic Sideways into the Decepticon fold, though he newcomer messing with Starscream almost right away: when Starscream's fake map led Megatron to an empty sector of space, he radioed Starscream to discuss further action, and a disguised Sideways cut in on the transmission to dupe the pair into traveling to Jungle Planet for a battle with the Autobots. {{storylink|Savage}} Starscream stayed on Jungle Planet and watched as Megatron trained up for his next bout with Optimus Prime, secretly hoping to see the Autobot leader destroy Megatron. {{storylink|Sand}} He then joined the Decepticons in making a final play for Velocitron's Cyber Planet Key; they failed and the Autobots succeeded in acquiring the key and installing it in the Omega Lock, causing a release of energy that Starscream, out in space at the time, sensed. {{storylink|Champion}} [[File:Ice starscream menaces humans.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]] The lock's signal led the Autobots to the Arctic, and Starscream and Mudflap followed them there to gain information about the mystery, menacing the Autobots' human allies in the process. The pair battled [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]], who held them off until the other Autobots turned up, forcing Starscream to order withdrawal. {{storylink|Ice}}

Returning to Jungle Planet, Starscream and Sideways surreptitiously observed planet leader [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] preparing for a battle with Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Honor}} Concerned for the battle's outcome, Megatron had Starscream and the other Decepticons attempt to prevent the Autobots from arriving at the designated hour, but their delaying tactics met with failure. {{storylink|Primal (Cybertron)|Primal}} Prime subsequently defeated Megatron and won the Jungle Planet's Cyber Planet Key, prompting a furious Megatron to lead Starscream and Thundercracker in a bombing run on Scourge's temple. Prime played a shell game with the Key to hide it from the Decepticons; deducing that [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] and [[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] had the real key, Megatron and Starscream went after them. Starscream kept Snarl busy while Megatron tried to obtain the key, but the other Autobots rallied in time to fend the villains off. {{storylink|Trust (Cybertron)|Trust}}
[[File:Cyb ep23 stasis pods.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
When the ancient Autobot [[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] was freed from his frozen prison on Earth, Starscream knew it was time to make his move. Professing to have divined from the Planet Map the location of the third Cyber Planet Key, he sent Megatron and the other Decepticons off to the depths of space, while he and Sideways headed for Earth and trailed Crosswise, intending to force from him the key's ''true'' location, somewhere on Earth. What Starscream found instead was a vast underground holding cell in which Crosswise had imprisoned the [[ancient Decepticon]]s of his time. Liberating the ancient Decepticons to serve him, Starscream sent them out to scour the planet for the key, pausing only to communicate with Megatron. As Starscream revealed his ambition to his ex-leader at last, the duplicate map he had given Megatron expanded into a metallic sphere that imprisoned the Decepticons, keeping them out of Starscream's way as his quest began in earnest. {{storylink|Trap}}
[[File:Cyb ep25 starscream victorious.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
The Autobots retaliated by confronting Starscream directly, but were forced to withdraw when he badly wounded Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Invasion (episode)|Invasion}} Seeing no recourse, the Autobots had Crosswise's ally [[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] recover Earth's Cyber Planet Key from its hiding place in preparation for a retreat to Velocitron. Starscream attempted to intercept Evac mid-transit, but failed; instead, he followed him back to the Autobots' base and fought his way through the entire Autobot army to get to the Omega Lock and the keys. Managing to take down every able Autobot—though losing a sword to Leobreaker in the process—Starscream confronted Optimus Prime himself, and was able to successfully purloin the lock and all three keys by firing upon the Autobots' human allies, thereby forcing Prime to abandon the fight to save them. {{storylink|Retreat}}
[[File:Cyb ep29 super screamer.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Retreating to a small volcanic island in the South Pacific, Starscream added the Earth key to the Omega Lock {{storylink|Revelation (episode)|Revelation}} and began the lengthy process of absorbing the energy of Primus that the lock started to emit. {{storylink|Critical}} {{storylink|Assault}} Eventually, the infusion of Primus's energy transformed Starscream into a skyscraper-sized giant, complete with a [[Transformer clothing#Headwear|crown of leadership]] and a new Cyber Key cannon to replace his lost sword. Bursting from the volcano's erupting cone, Starscream was soon faced with a freed and furious Megatron; both combatants began surging with such Energon power that the Autobots had to intervene to prevent them from coming into contact with one another and causing a catastrophic reaction. {{storylink|Starscream (episode)|Starscream}} Megatron soon broke off the fight to focus on acquiring the Omega Lock, leaving the Autobots to keep Starscream busy. The giant Decepticon used his new powers to levitate the shattered terrain, creating a barrier of rocks, but this proved the unexpected key to his defeat: uniting in purpose to navigate the debris field, Optimus Prime and Autobot aerial ace [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] combined into Sonic Wing Mode and brought Starscream to his knees. Defeated, the unconscious Starscream was teleported away to the remains of the ''Atlantis'' by Sideways to recuperate. {{storylink|United (episode)|United}}
[[File:Thunder-OhHi.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Starscream awoke a short time later, drained of much of the power the spark of Primus had granted him, but retaining his towering height. Learning from Sideways that, during his convalescence, the Autobots had used the Lock and Keys to transform Cybertron into the body of Primus himself, Starscream immediately made a beeline for the Transformers' homeworld. After a brief battle with the Autobots, he turned to attacking Primus directly, but the planet-sized god unveiled a pair of colossal cannons that blasted Starscream off into space. {{storylink|Balance}} During Starscream's attack on Primus, Sideways abducted the [[Mini-Con]] [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]], and Starscream returned with them to the ''Atlantis'' to supervise Sideways's attempt to download the location of the fourth Cyber Planet Key from the Mini-Con's memory. With that underway, Starscream returned to Cybertron to make another play for the Omega Lock; en route, he crossed paths with [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]], former member of his ancient Decepticon army, and forcibly instructed her to get the Lock for him. {{storylink|Memory (Cybertron)|Memory}} Afraid to disobey, Thunderblast instead tricked Starscream into coming down the planet's surface by professing she needed help carrying the Lock, leading to a battle between him and Megatron. When the Autobots got involved, Starscream withdrew to the ''Atlantis'' and warped the ship away to hide it from his enemies. {{storylink|Escape (episode)|Escape}}
[[File:Cyb ep37 moon maces.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Preparing to depart for [[Gigantion]], home of the final Cyber Planet Key, the Autobots re-energized Primus's body so he could hold the black hole at bay during their absence. Unfortunately, Starscream sensed Primus's reawakening and warped the ''Atlantis'' onto the scene, plunging himself directly into the beam of energy Primus was firing in the singularity's heart. Absorbing Primus's energy through the beam, Starscream grew to planet-size and engaged his own living god in battle. The fight was short and none too sweet, as Starscream was bludgeoned into submission by weapons made from Cybertron's moons and drained of his excess power. {{storylink|Titans}}
[[File:GiantLandmine.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Using the co-ordinates derived from Jolt's memory, Starscream took the ''Atlantis'' to the spatial warp that led to Gigantion. He arrived at the same time as the Autobots on board the ''[[Ogygia (Cybertron)|Ogygia]]'' and opened fire on them, but they escaped his wrath. {{storylink|Warp}} Both ships made it through the warp, and Starscream set the damaged ''Atlantis'' down in a crevice on Gigantion's surface. The Autobots soon discovered and attacked the ship, intending to rescue their human friend [[Bud Hansen]], who had, unbeknownst to Starscream, been trapped in the bowels of the ship for some time. Starscream turned the ship's guns on the invading Autobots, but Gigantion native [[Quickmix (Cybertron)|Quickmix]] gummed up his plan by burying the spaceship in tons of cement. {{storylink|City}} With the ''Atlantis'' lost to him, Starscream had to blast his way out of the crippled ship, and then began making his way down through the planet's many layers, heading for the Cyber Planet Key's resting place in the starship ''[[Lemuria (Cybertron)|Lemuria]]'' on Gigantion's lowest level. He arrived just behind Landmine, who used the Cyber Planet Key's power to temporarily turn himself into a giant, finally gaining the opportunity to revenge himself upon Starscream for the injuries he inflicted at the beginning of the black hole crisis. Starscream was blasted out of the ''Lemuria'' and sunk to the bottom of the lake in which it rested. {{storylink|Optimus (episode)|Optimus}}
[[File:Cyb ep46 final strike.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Although put down by Landmine, Starscream was not out. Subsequently, Megatron—now Galvatron yet again—stole the Omega Lock and all four keys, and Starscream challenged him to a final battle for possession of them. Declaring that he had given himself over to his pursuit of power, and had no reason to hold back as he had nothing to lose, Starscream maintained the upper hand in the resultant clash, using his ability to increase the mass of his body and null cannons to reduce Galvatron to the verge of destruction. At the climatic point of the battle, Starscream and Galvatron both channeled unprecedented levels of energy, and so incredible was the reaction when the two fully-powered combatants collided that space and time itself was rent asunder by the final explosion. Starscream was hurtled into another dimension along with the interfering Sideways and [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]], leaving only his crown drifting through space. {{storylink|Showdown (Cybertron)|Showdown}}
[[File:Unfinished starscream survives.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Eventually, after the black hole was sealed and Galvatron's ambition was thwarted, the Decepticon leader stood dejected on an asteroid, wondering what was next for him. Somehow, Starscream briefly reached out across the dimensions, apparently via the fire dimension, and mocked his former commander for giving up, fueling his rage and inspiring him to one last battle with Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Unfinished}}

As the Autobots made preparations to begin their new galaxy-spanning [[space bridge]] initiative, Wing Saber—having departed from the rest of the Autobots to continue with his "loner" lifestyle—radioed Optimus to report that he had found a lead on Starscream's trail and was pursuing it. Landmine and a reformed Mudflap departed to aid him, and would eventually encounter Starscream within what appeared to be the fire dimension. {{storylink|Beginning}}
{{--}}

==''Cybertron'' comic==
[[File:Over-RunCybertron.jpg|thumb|upright=2.2|"Oh, Over-Run. Who will they ever find to replace you? ANYONE! Hahahahaha!"]]
During the early stages of the black hole crisis, the disembodied Mini-Con [[Over-Run (Armada)|Over-Run]] recalled how Starscream, back when he was an energon ghost, had killed his physical body just as he was uploading himself into Cybertron's planetary mainframe. {{storylink|Revelations Part 2}}

{{note|This event would have taken place in unpublished issues of [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[Transformers: Energon (comic)|Energon]]'' comic; see [[Starscream (Armada)#Dreamwave Armada continuity|that section]] of Starscream's article for more details. The ''Cybertron'' comic, however, is set concurrently with the cartoon, making this conflation of continuities confusing. The [[Unicron Singularity]]'s unraveling effect on all of space and time, mentioned in the same scene as this flashback occurs, is responsible for combining the timelines in this way.}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
* ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' Starscream's body parts make frequent cameos in the [[character model|CGI models]] of the [[generic]] Decepticon and Autobot soldiers during the ''Energon'' cartoon series, despite Starscream not actually ever appearing in his ''Armada'' body during the series.
* ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'' Starscream being an ethereal being is a reference to [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Generation 1 Starscream]]'s stint as a ghost in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]].
* Neither of Starscream's ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'' CGI models have the heels that [[Starscream (Armada)/toys#Cybertron|his toys]] do.
* Starscream's CGI [[Alternate mode|vehicle mode]] model in ''Cybertron'' also sports the missile launcher from his Voyager Class toy attached under his vehicle mode nosecone. This also carries over into his enlarged super form, despite the Supreme Class toy (that represents this form) never having it released with him. This is due to the animators just reusing the existing vehicle mode CGI model for his upgraded form, and just rescaling it. Despite all of this, the [[robot mode]] CGI models feature several differences from one another, with the larger upgraded model having a lot of intricate details added, just to really drive home how big he is.

[[Category:Armada Autobots]]
[[Category:Armada Decepticons]]
[[Category:Cloud Decepticons]]
[[Category:Cybertron Decepticons]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Energon Decepticons]]
[[Category:Ghosts]]
[[Category:Legends Decepticons]]
[[Category:Seekers]]
[[Category:Turncoats]]

Optimus Prime (WFC)

2024-05-21T18:14:43Z

0TheLegend0: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobot|decepticon|{{factions/icons|custom=PotP-Thirteenth.png|cSize=30px|cLink=Thirteenth Prime}}|primusvanguard|hofsilver}}
{{disambigm|Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Orion Pax (disambiguation)|Optimus Primal (disambiguation)}}
{{suite}}
:''Optimus Prime is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[File:Optimus Prime-Prime-stock-render-alternate.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Megatron awakened within him a secret yearning. The slashfic writes itself.]]
'''Optimus Prime''' was the last born of the original [[Thirteen]] Transformers. His spark was the most like their progenitor [[Primus]], its frequency nearly identical. He was the mediator and visionary of the group, passing among them all as a calm, inspiring, thoughtful, unifying and well-liked friend. It was his unique spark and his inspiring reassurance that "All are One" that allowed the Primes to rally and succeed in their battle against the Chaos Bringer [[Unicron]]. When tragedy at last ended the era of the Primes and brought forth the new race of lesser descendant Transformers, he alone chose to be reborn in the [[Well of All Sparks]] as one of them, that he might know them and their needs more completely.

All memory of his past life gone, he took the name '''Orion Pax''' and sought his way like any other robot on the new world. Eventually, he found his place as a simple data clerk, satisfied with his job. He was always anxious of the inequality amongst Cybertronians and thus, after gaining inspiration from an outspoken gladiator named [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]'s call for an upheaval of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s society, took a stand to rid the oppressive [[caste system]] which hindered the freedom of all the sentient beings on Cybertron. Little did he realize that his instructor, the master archivist [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]], was also one of the Thirteen and knew of the secret within the data clerk. Once Pax and Megatron discovered they did not have as much in common as they once believed, the lowly data clerk was promoted by the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] to be the next [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]. With the claiming of the [[Matrix of Leadership]], Orion Pax became Optimus Prime once more, regaining his memory and rising to lead his people.

Over the centuries, loss and war have led Optimus to appear stern and serious to most. But scratch the surface, and you'll find an individual who greatly cares for his fellow living beings, with a warmth and kindness his closest friends can rely on. You'll also find regret over the loss of a comrade to darkness, and the faintest glimmer of hope that he can be saved.

When adopting a [[beast mode]], he is sometimes known as '''Optimus Primal'''.

{{quote|We will [[Theme song|wage our battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons]] wherever it may take us. And one day, we will go home.|Optimus Prime|''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]''}}

==Fiction==
===''The Covenant of Primus''===
[[File:TheVisionary.jpg|left||thumb|I used to be a god!]]
Optimus Prime was created as the last of the [[Thirteen]], the first generation of Transformers, each created directly by Primus as a band of unique warriors to combat and defeat Unicron. Upon his creation, Optimus united the Thirteen by his greeting: "All are one." While all of the other members of the Thirteen each possessed unique abilities and artifacts, Optimus wielded no special powers or weapons. It was only through his vision and encouraging words that allowed the Thirteen to finally defeat Unicron.

In the era that followed, Optimus served as the mediator and voice of reason among the increasingly argumentative group of Primes. When these conflicts and power plays finally boiled over after the death of [[Solus Prime]], the Primes descended into full-on conflict against one another. Optimus emerged mostly unharmed from the final conflict that split the Thirteen. However, upon the activation of the [[Well of All Sparks]], Optimus chose to enter into the Well and be reborn as a lesser Cybertronian, in order to know them and their needs better. Before doing so, he asked [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] to remove all references to his name from the [[Covenant of Primus]], so that he could not be found unless in the most dire of circumstances.

[[File:COP-OrionPax.jpg|right|upright=0.8|thumb]]
Carrying the damaged body of [[Onyx Prime]] and accompanied by [[Micronus Prime]], Optimus bid farewell to his brothers, and announced that the era of the Primes had ended. The three of them entered and activated the Well, which began producing new mechanical life. Among the many humanoid Cybertronians that emerged from the Well was Orion Pax, a humble bot with no memories of his previous life. Alpha Trion recognized what had once been his fellow Prime, and made a note to keep an eye on him later.

Orion Pax was implied to have originally lived out in the wilds of Cybertron, before eventually moving to the city of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. Orion found work as an archivist in the newly established [[Hall of Records]], under Alpha Trion's watchful eye. During the [[Age of Wrath]], Orion Pax became Alpha Trion's aide. Orion eventually became friends with [[Jazz (WFC)|Jazz]], a member of the underground resistance movement that had formed against the [[Quintesson]]s. When the Cybertronians finally rebelled against the Quintessons, Orion confided to Alpha Trion that there may be more than one variety of Quintesson. Alpha Trion told him that he needed to keep this knowledge a secret to aid the war effort, and that he needed to pass on these orders to every officer in person. [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] served as his bodyguard. Although the duo faced many hardships along the way, Orion Pax eventually fulfilled his mission.

When the Quintessons were finally routed from the system, Orion was present to witness the activation of the first [[Space bridge|Space Bridge]]s, which heralded the arrival of Cybertron's [[Golden Age]].

After the Golden Age, [[Sentinel Zeta Prime]]'s [[caste system]] became increasingly oppressive and stifling. Orion developed a friendship with a [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]ian gladiator named [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]. The two sought to revitalize Cybertron's rigid caste system, although they differed in their ideals. They remained friends until a fateful meeting with the High Council, in which Orion was named the next Prime- "Optimus Prime". Consumed by jealousy, Megatron and his "[[Decepticon]]s" declared war on Optimus and his "[[Autobot]]" followers.

Over the course of the war, Optimus eventually discovered the [[Matrix of Leadership]] after Megatron poisoned Cybertron with [[Dark Energon]]. The Matrix cast all doubt from Optimus's mind about his worthiness as a Prime, and once on the surface he asked Alpha Trion to help build a starship- the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' so that the Autobots could evacuate the planet while it recovered. They were pursued by Megatron aboard his own ship, and the two factions traveled through the last working space bridge, scattering them across the galaxy.

Over the course of the journey, Optimus's crew visited several lost Cybertronian colonies and ran afoul of the Quintessons once again. They also encountered a tribe of nomadic Cybertronian mutants named [[Mutacon]]s; their leader [[Mercury (COP)|Mercury]] temporarily aided the Autobots in battle against both the Decepticons and the [[Star Seeker]]s.

Eventually, the ''Ark'' reached an organic planet known as [[Earth]], where Optimus and a small group of Autobots took up residence. The Autobots secretly allied themselves with the [[United States of America|United States]] government and set up a permanent base in [[Nevada]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

===Aligned novels===

Orion Pax was put to work in the [[Hall of Records]] soon after emerging from the Well of All Sparks. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} At some point in the distant past, the first Quintessons arrived in gigantic silver ships, the first alien life-forms ever to contact Cybertron. Orion Pax was present to see the first Quintessons emerge from these ships and give the gift of [[transformation]] to the assembled Cybertronians by reactivating their dormant [[transformation cog]]s. Throughout the [[Age of Wrath]], Orion Pax continued to work in the Hall of Records, but like many other Cybertronians he chafed under the Quintesson's increasingly oppressive rule and their vicious, circus-like courts that dispensed a twisted brand of justice. The Quintessons were eventually defeated by the incumbent [[Sentinel Zeta Prime]] of the [[Elite Guard]] and an energon miner named D-16, and Orion—who had no part in the revolution—eventually suppressed his traumatic memories of the alien invasion. {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}}

During the era of the [[caste system]], Orion would read and index information in the [[Hall of Records]] from the [[Communication Grid]], but was forbidden to analyze it. That was [[Jazz (WFC)|Jazz]]'s job, and the two became friends. Orion began monitoring Megatron's transmissions, and began a secret correspondence with him because he agreed with his beliefs. They had intense but friendly debates over the nature of free will and the dangerousness of their ideals, and Megatron suggested Orion learn how to fight for his beliefs. Orion began training with Jazz, learning to fire an [[ion blaster|ion-cannon]] and to fashion his arms into an [[energon-axe|axe]] and a [[Dual Energon Swords|sword]].

Orion made his first trip to Kaon to meet Megatron in person at his base. Megatron was the only gladiator who gave Orion a warm welcome. Terrorists began bombings in Megatron's name, and he made his first public announcement on the Grid, stating he was not responsible for the attacks and would bring the perpetrators to justice. Orion followed him up with a speech of his own. Orion trusted Megatron, believing if he were responsible for the attacks, he would have wanted to be associated with them. Later, when [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] took him to meet Megatron at an arena beneath the [[Observatory of Iacon]], Orion was shocked to see Jazz in attendance, and that Megatron had heard rumors about the bombings but did nothing to prevent them.

[[File:War for Cybertron comic - Orion testimony.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|Lookin' awful buff and armored for an insignificant young library clerk. One has to wonder if the [[Guilds of Cybertron|Guilds]] may have dropped the ball on this one.]]
When "Decepticons" kidnapped [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]], Orion requested Alpha Trion arrange an audience with [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] for him and Megatron. During their hearing in the [[High Council Tower]], Orion rigorously defended their ideals, even reviving the ancient philosophical phrase "Autobots" to describe the autonomy his brethren sought. It was then Councilor [[Halogen (WFC)|Halogen]] declared Orion the new [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]: Optimus Prime. An outraged Megatron accused his brother of treachery, and then murdered Halogen. When Optimus ordered the [[Elite Guard]] to not harm Megatron, Megatron declared Optimus had fallen into the trappings of power the High Council had foisted upon him, and those in attendance dispersed, with the planet forever divided into Autobots and Decepticons.

Optimus forgoed the first engagement of the war, allowing the Decepticons to take [[Fort Scyk]] so he would gain time to recruit more Autobots. Optimus learned from Jazz after the fall of Scyk that he would have to learn to not mourn every soldier. Optimus fought for the first time during the next battle, the siege of the [[Hydrax Plateau]]. The first Cybertronian he ever killed was a former industrial drone named [[Drixco]]. Afterwards, Optimus confided to Alpha Trion that the act of killing alone made him feel he was on the wrong side. Despite the efforts of Optimus and [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] the Decepticons conquered the Hydrax Plateau. It was at the stalemate of [[Praxus]] that Optimus gained the indispensable allies [[Prowl (WFC)|Prowl]] and [[Ironhide (WFC)|Ironhide]]. The first Autobot victory was at [[Kalis]], a vital area due to its fusion reactor that powered Iacon. Optimus, Jazz and [[Sideswipe (WFC)|Sideswipe]] worked together to bring down the monstrous [[Bruticus (WFC)|Bruticus Maximus]], but the battle was mostly won due to the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s' absence. As Energon depleted, the war descended into a mere siege of Iacon lasting millions of cycles, and Optimus opted to eject the [[AllSpark]] itself into space: during this battle, Optimus gained another great friend in [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]].

Following a lull in the war, the Decepticons began using [[Dark Energon]] and routed the Autobots, but Optimus wisely predicted it was an inefficient resource that would run out soon. To his horror, Megatron and Starscream infiltrated [[Teletraan-1 (WFC)|Teletraan-1]] to steal the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]], and although Teletraan-1 awakened the legendary [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]] to ferry the Chamber to safety, the Dark Energon-powered Decepticons overpowered the Autobots and used the Chamber to corrupt the [[Core]] of Cybertron and infested the planet with Dark Energon. During the battle, Megatron revealed he had killed Sentinel Prime below the High Council Tower to gain access to the Chamber. Afterwards, Prowl picked up a message from Sentinel on the Grid, and Optimus, realizing he had not found Sentinel's body in Iacon, deduced Sentinel was alive. When Optimus, Jazz, and Prowl rescued him from Kaon Prison, they found the city strangely deserted. Optimus believed Dark Energon was having a severe effect on Decepticon morale. When they found Sentinel, he was dying. He regretted his overlong reign as Prime, and that the High Council had made the right decision in appointing Optimus a Prime. He finally told him he had to go to the Core and purge its corruption of Dark Energon.

After Sentinel's funeral in Iacon, where Optimus was officially appointed Prime after holding the de facto position for so long, he journeyed to the Core with Bumblebee and [[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]] and removed the Plasma Energy Chamber. It was there that a voice from the Core told Optimus he was too late, and the Autobots would have to leave Cybertron as the planet healed itself. But it finally bestowed upon him the [[Matrix of Leadership]], the essence of [[Primus]], explaining that while Sentinel lived, he was still Prime and that he had been unworthy of the Matrix. It told him that when the day came that they would return to Cybertron, the Core and the Matrix would restore the planet and Optimus would lead the Autobots in an "age of unimagined wonders". Afterwards, Optimus launched [[Ark (WFC)|Project Generation One]], to build a ship—that Jazz dubbed the ''Ark''—to take them to the stars, a plan some Autobots objected to.

But before their exodus, Optimus planned to fool Megatron by gathering every spaceworthy vessel and having them rendezvous at what was apparently the last remaining [[space bridge]] in orbit. Megatron ordered [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]] fire on the ships, but Optimus ordered a fallback as he, Jetfire, Jazz, Ironhide, Prowl, Sideswipe, and Bumblebee flew the ''[[Eight Track (WFC)|Eight Track]]'' to board the monster and knocked him from orbit by blasting his [[Spark]] containment field. Optimus's team returned to find the ''Ark'' ready at the Well of All Sparks, and bid goodbye to those—including Jetfire, Magnus and Omega—who stayed to fend off Trypticon as he transformed to attack. Optimus also bade farewell to Alpha Trion, who believed [[Vector Sigma]] would protect him when the rest of the planet would be unable to sustain life: it was then Optimus realized Alpha Trion was one of the [[Thirteen|thirteen original Transformers]].

Yet as the ''Ark'' took off the Decepticons overran Iacon and Megatron and his elite boarded Trypticon, who transformed into a ''Nemesis''-class cruiser and pursued the Autobots. Megatron used his and Orion's old frequency to inform Optimus that he would pursue him across the stars and eventually kill him. The ''Ark'' entered the last space bridge and emerged with the ''Nemesis'' gone. They were near a [[Milky Way|spiral galaxy]] and Prowl detected the AllSpark. Knowing the Matrix within would help them find a way home, Optimus vowed that the Autobots would continue to wage their battle across the stars. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

{{note|Orion Pax/Optimus Prime's involvement in the preceding events, or events mostly similar, were also chronicled in the comic "[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]."}}

After passing through the unstable Space Bridge, Optimus Prime and his crew found themselves in the vicinity of the lost Cybertronian colony world of [[Velocitron]], and with the help of a starmap projected by the Matrix, the Autobots entered orbit above the planet. Optimus Prime led a small exploratory team to the planet's surface, where they met [[Blurr (Prime)|Blurr]], [[Override (Prime)|Override]] and [[Ransack (Prime)|Ransack]]. It was a time of great stress between Velocitron's rulers, and the Autobots' arrival from mythical Cybertron only exacerbated the situation. Worse still, active acts of sabotage on the Ark led the Autobots to the conclusion that one of their crew was actually a Decepticon agent. Optimus concluded there was little they could do at the moment other than remain on guard. Later, Optimus traveled with a young Velocitronian named [[Clocker (Prime)|Clocker]] to Velocitron's south pole, where he discovered a fragment of metal that he thought might belong to the mythical [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]]. His investigations were cut short by an attack of rebel Velocitronians, forcing him to return to the city of [[Delta]], where he discovered what he thought was another fragment. Although the Autobots secured an ally in Override, they left Velocitron on the brink of civil war during their departure, as Ransack's followers had been corrupted by the Decepticon rhetoric of "peace through tyranny" spread by the Ark's traitor.

The next leg of their journey through the Space Bridge brought the Autobots to fabled Junkion, a world composed entirely of space junk. Optimus Prime made contact with the leader of the planet's inhabitants, a scatterbrained robot named [[Wreck-Gar (Prime)|Wreck-Gar]], who was spurred to action by the appearance of the Matrix. The Autobots went to work repairing the Ark, with the relative assistance of the Junkions. Prime discovered another fragment in a forge, and barely managed to rescue it. When Prowl discovered the traitorous [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] was aboard, Optimus and Jazz managed to identify and trap the shifter in a stasis field, ending his threat to the Autobots. However, Optimus Prime's Matrix-induced visions led him on a quest through one of the four Space Bridge nodes surrounding Junkion, and he selected Bumblebee and Silverbolt to accompany him. Through the Bridge, they came across the lonely tomb of Solus Prime, fabled artificer of the Thirteen. Her holographic spirit was called forth by the Matrix and informed the Autobots that the Requiem Blaster, most deadly of her creations, rested on Junkion and must be kept out of Decepticon hands. When the group returned to Junkion with Chaindrive in tow, Optimus assembled his findings, the [[Blades of Time]], and contacted the reclusive [[Vector Prime]].

The Decepticons eventually arrived on Junkion in force, and the two sides warred over a hidden treasure at the planet's core...the Requiem Blaster. A weapon capable of drawing infinite power from nearby stellar sources, the Requiem Blaster had its own gravity field and had literally been the core around which Junkion's "junk" had formed. Optimus and Megatron dueled once more as the planet tore itself apart, but the arrival of the mythical hero [[Nexus Prime]] helped to turn the tide. From him, Optimus received the [[Cyber Caliber]], a powerful sword that he used to fight Megatron to a standstill. The fighting over the Requiem Blaster ripped the planet apart, but both sides eventually called off the melee and abandoned the Blaster after learning the location of the Allspark itself. Optimus Prime and the Autobots boarded the Ark and began the long race to reach their civilization's greatest prize before Megatron could. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

Sometime after the battle over Junkion, the Matrix of Leadership began to behave erratically, transmitting strange visions the further the ''Ark'' traveled into deep space and causing Optimus Prime to doubt his own leadership capabilities. The ''Ark'' eventually discovered the world of [[Aquatron]], rich with Energon. Prime ordered an away party to land and investigate the planet's surface. The friendly Aquatronians eventually invited Optimus himself to one of their cities, where he met the [[Inquirata (Prime)|Curator]], who claimed to speak on the behalf of all Aquatronians. Before Optimus could explore any further, he was struck with another vision of himself, in his Orion Pax state, being menaced by a sinister figure. Crying out Megatron's name, Optimus collapsed and was rushed to the nearest Aquatronian medical center for diagnostic investigations. Doctor [[Xeros]] took a particular interest in his Matrix and scanned it, clandestinely transmitting its schematics back to the Curator to further their own plan.

Later that evening, at yet another welcome celebration, Ratchet privately confided in Optimus that Optimus may be suppressing traumatic memories from his days as Orion Pax. Ironhide interrupted the conversation to tell him that [[Rodimus (WFC)|Rodimus]], [[Kup (WFC)|Kup]], and Bumblebee had gone missing somewhere beneath Aquatron's deep oceanic trenches. Optimus immediately ordered a search party to find the missing Autobots, even though the Curator warned Optimus that Aquatron's deepest depths were inhabited by vicious, less-evolved creatures. Before the search party could begin its task, Sideswipe warned Optimus of the approaching ''Nemesis'', who had been trailing the Ark and also chanced upon Aquatron. Optimus asked the Curator for help, worrying that the ''Ark'' would be shot down, and the Curator responded by cutting power to both ships, angered that the Cybertronians had chosen to fight their war over a neutral planet. He invited both Optimus and Megatron—forced into a temporary truce—to a peace talk, apparently in the hopes of forging a true peace treaty to permanently ending the war. When both sides had arrived and temporarily disarmed, the Curator revealed his true allegiance... that he was, in fact, a Quintesson. A skeptical Optimus, who had studied the Quintesson occupation of Cybertron (although he did not personally remember his own time under Quintesson rule) found it hard to trust the Curator, even when the Quintesson claimed that his formerly violent race had reformed into a peaceful federation. Even so, Optimus decided to play along until he could find some way to escape.

The Curator visited Prime that night, promising him the current location of the Allspark if he cooperated the next morning, and also mentioning that the Aquatronians could subliminally influence Megatron's mind to make the Decepticon leader more suggestible and easier to manipulate—although Prime steadfastly refused the latter option. Optimus and Megatron prepared to negotiate the next morning. However, Megatron took the opportunity to backstab Prime by siccing six Vehicon troopers on him. Before either side could finish their fight, Skywarp—acting on Starscream's orders—detonated a bomb beneath the building, flooding it. Optimus—who had to shut off his Matrix to quell the tide of Quintesson visions—and Megatron temporarily put aside their differences and helped one another to escape from the rapidly sinking building... only to be met with a horde of angry [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s and their general [[Tyrannicon]], who placed Optimus, Megatron, and all the other Autobots and Decepticons under arrest for public mayhem and blasphemy.

Transported underwater and by rail, the defeated party of Cybertronians eventually arrived at Aquatron's capital of Hydratron. Once there, the Quintessons sent Optimus to stand trial for his numerous crimes against the Quintesson Imperium, including treachery and blasphemy against his creators. The Quintessons claimed that they had colonized Cybertron long ago and built the first Transformers, who subsequently revolted against them. Optimus, initially swayed by the stories—and partially remembering his own time spent under Quintesson rule—sadly pleaded guilty to his imagined crimes. However, he suddenly recalled ''more'' memories, including his life before the Quintesson invasion, and denounced the Quintessons as self-serving and manipulative egotists. Even though his brainwashed troops decried him as a maniac and a warmonger, Megatron, his memories also jogged, corroborated Optimus's testimony. The Quintesson judges considered this, and eventually declared Optimus and the assembled Cybertronians innocent. Being Quintessons, they immediately began executing the Cybertronians by pushing them into a Pirhanacon pit, while forcing Optimus and Megatron to fight one another in hand-to-hand gladiatorial combat.

Unbeknownst to either party, the Quintessons harvested the energy exerted by Optimus to power up an abandoned space bridge located beneath Aquatron, from which they eventually launched a Sharkticon invasion force to retake Cybertron, intending to re-colonize it and enslave its inhabitants once more. With Optimus and Megatron no longer needed, they too were plunged into the execution pit. In the fight for survival, Optimus reactivated his Matrix, giving both him and Megatron additional power, even though the Quintessons once again launched a stream of propaganda to further destabilize him. The two managed to escape and came face-to-face with the [[Gamekeeper]] and a mysterious set of carvings depicting a Megatron-like being surrounded by Sharkticons. Megatron killed the Gamekeeper, but Optimus had doubts about the carving's veracity. The temporary alliance fractured as soon as Megatron discovered the decoy Matrix hidden in Xeros' inner sanctum. He plunged the [[Sharkticon Matrix of Leadership]] into his chest, transformed into a Sharkticon-like form, and hurled Optimus down the elevator shaft.

As Prime fell to certain death, he was briefly visited by [[Thirteen|thirteen mysterious figures]], who informed him that it was not yet his time to depart from this realm. Indeed, Optimus's fall was broken by a recently freed [[Leviacon]], who carried him to the Curator's fortified command bubble hidden deep beneath the surface. Optimus arrived to find Megatron —who had usurped control over the Sharkticons—fighting Tyrannicon over control of the Matrix. Although Tyrannicon soon gained the upperhand and stole Megatron's new Matrix, he was eaten by Hydratron, who had transformed into a monstrous beast that the Curator intended to unleash on Cybertron. Even as the Curator attacked him with its powerful control wand, Optimus managed to ignite the Energon beneath the space bridge and cause a colossal explosion. Despite the Leviacon's misgivings, Optimus stopped to rescue the unconscious Megatron from the explosion as well, and the three of them headed up to the surface of the planet. With the Matrix free of Quintesson interference, Optimus and the Autobots departed to resume their search for the AllSpark. {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}}

===Ask Vector Prime===
In [[Uniend 610.23 Zeta]], {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime}} after the Autobots barely emerged victorious in a battle at [[Kalis]], Optimus visited Alpha Trion. Within the Iacon archives, he expected to find a more hopeful atmosphere than on the battlefield. Instead, he learned that the Covenant of Primus foretold of a dire threat looming towards the AllSpark. Alpha Trion suggested launching the AllSpark from Cybertron to protect it, and Optimus reluctantly agreed to do so.

Optimus then called a meeting of his most trusted lieutenants: Jazz, Ratchet, Ironhide, Ultra Magnus, and the young Bumblebee, and laid out his plan to keep the AllSpark out of Megatron's reach for the duration of their war. When the group, accompanied by the Wreckers and Jetfire, approached the Well of AllSparks, they learned that the Decepticons were moving in on their position much earlier than anticipated. Optimus modified his plan accordingly, having Jetfire provide his grounded soldiers with a distraction, while the Wreckers were posted as their first line of defense against Megatron's troops. At Bumblebee's insistence, he and Cliffjumper were granted permission to back up the Wreckers.

Within the Well, Optimus had Arcee activate the mechanisms needed to launch the AllSpark, as it could not be activated by a Prime. She did so, and with the AllSpark now away, the Decepticons fell back. Optimus and his troops were then set out to finding Bumblebee out on the battlefield after he had been left crippled and mute by his encounter with Megatron. {{storylink|Bumblebee at Tyger Pax}}

Optimus Prime and the [[Earth Protection Taskforce]] unsuccessfully attempted to capture [[Starquest]] and [[Thundertron]]. {{Storylink|Ask Vector Prime}}

===IDW Aligned comics===
[[File:GoodIntentions-GrimlockOptimus.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|The possibility of the Dinobots reacting negatively was a factor I allowed for in my planning.]]
During the war for Cybertron, Optimus Prime and the [[Lightning Strike Coalition]] leader [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]] didn't see eye to eye. Optimus preferred playing the long game, but Grimlock felt that caution would hinder their attempts at quick victory. Optimus attempted to reign in Grimlock when the latter attempted to defend Autobot City by himself. {{storylink|Fall}} On another one of the Lightning Strike Coalition's reckless missions, Optimus Prime ordered them to return to base and abandon their battle, lest they waste precious energon. Grimlock reluctantly obeyed. However, when it was discovered that [[Swoop (WFC)|Swoop]] was in Decepticon custody, the Lightning Strike Coalition ignored Optimus Prime's orders, broke ranks, and went after him on their own. {{storylink|Good Intentions}}

[[File:PrimeComicOptimus.jpg|thumb|Manga is the right of all sentient beings.]]
In the modern day, Optimus sent an encrypted message from [[Earth]] directing the Autobots to their new world. When [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]] and [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] landed, Optimus and Bumblebee detected them and came to retrieve them. For Optimus to find them under attack from [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] and [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] was no matter, for Optimus crushed the air commander and sent his brawny accomplice running. Optimus picked up the wounded Arcee, and took her through a [[GroundBridge]] to his base for [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] to repair her, while informing Cliffjumper that while his journey was over, their battle was just beginning. {{storylink|Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)|Transformers: Prime}}
{{--}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Peter Cullen]] (English), [[Toshiyuki Morikawa]] (Japanese)|[[Wang Wei]] (Chinese), [[Alexander Kovriznyh]] (Russian), [[Alfredo Martínez]] (Spain-Spanish), [[Wan-gyeong Seong]] (Korean), [[Marco Balzarotti]] (Italian), [[Erwin Grunspan]] (French), [[Reiner Schöne]] (German, Season One), [[Klaus-Dieter Klebsch]] (German, Season 2), [[Blas Garcia]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Dariusz Odija]] (Polish), [[César Marchetti]] (Brazilian Portuguese), [[Pekka Lehtosaari]] (Finnish)}}
[[File:OneShallRise3-corresponding.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|One does not simply see a strong friendship between a bully and a nerd.]]

In the waning years of the [[Golden Age]] of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Orion Pax was a clerk in the [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] [[Hall of Records]], {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}} mentored by Alpha Trion. {{storylink|New Recruit}} His interests lay with the tales of ancient Cybertronian history, but the more he learned about the past, the more he grew concerned about the present. There was a disparity in freedom among the classes of his race, and the ruling class was corrupt and all-powerful. In seeking a solution to this inequity, he found inspiration in the words of a gladiator named [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatronus]], and the two joined forces to end corruption and bring equality to the masses. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}} Orion and Megatronus became close allies, almost like brothers. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}} But soon Megatronus' ideals would become corrupted, and the two would become bitter enemies. {{storylink|Masters & Students}}

[[File:OneShallRise3-cametobe.jpg|thumb||If you squint, I look sort of like this in ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]''. Okay, that's a lie.]]
Both Megatronus—now "Megatron"—and Orion Pax appeared before the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]], and Megatron stated it was his intention to overthrow the High Council by force and instate himself as the next [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]. But it was Orion's speech that drew their attention. Jealous, Megatron left angrily and began his [[Great War (Prime)|conquest]], which resulted in countless casualties and left the [[Core]] of Cybertron itself [[Dark Energon|poisoned]]. It was Orion's subsequent search for the Core that completed his transformation into Optimus Prime. The Core, the essence of their creator [[Primus]], relinquished the [[Matrix of Leadership]] into his chassis. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

During the war, Optimus encountered [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] at the [[Battle of Technahar]] when the Decepticon was sent by Megatron to kill him. {{storylink|Masters & Students}} With the help of Alpha Trion, Optimus fired the [[AllSpark]] into space to hide it from Megatron. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}} After Cybertron was abandoned, Optimus Prime's [[Team Prime|elite team]] of Autobots eventually made their way to Earth, where they allied themselves with the [[United States of America|United States]] government. The Autobots were assigned [[William Fowler]] as their liaison, and provided an [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|abandoned missile silo]] as a base in exchange for keeping the Decepticon threat contained. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 2}} Optimus then sent a message into space, calling any Autobot survivors to Earth. {{storylink|Out of the Past}}

[[File:DarknessRising1-fairquestion.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Do you have your grandfather's glasses—er, wait.]]

After three years of Decepticon absence, Prime was out on the road when word reached him that [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]] was facing down an entire contingent of Decepticons. Arriving to the battlefield too late, Prime delivered a eulogy for their fallen comrade. Soon after, some humans were caught up in a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, and Optimus, knowing that they would now be targeted by the Decepticons, had them brought to the Autobot base. There, he told them about the Transformer war and assigned the Autobots to be their individual guardians. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}} Presently, the apparent reactivation of Cliffjumper's lifesigns was detected by the Autobots, and they tracked it to a Decepticon [[Energon]] mine, where they discovered that Megatron had returned to Earth with Dark Energon, used to revive Cliffjumper as a zombie [[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcon]]. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 2}}

Realizing that Megatron's goal was to create an undead army, Optimus and [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] headed to the site of an ancient Transformer battleground on Earth, arriving just as Megatron used a sliver of Dark Energon to reanimate the corpses buried there into a Terrorcon legion. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 3}} Struggling against the detrimental effects of Dark Energon, the pair cut their way through the Terrorcons, but Megatron escaped before Optimus could get his hands on him. Returning to base, Optimus was disappointed to find that [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] had let the kids go out into battle in his absence, but disturbing intel had been recovered in the process: the Decepticons were planning to use a [[space bridge]] to revive the dead of Cybertron with Dark Energon. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}} [[GroundBridge|GroundBridging]] to the Decepticon's space bridge in Earth orbit, Optimus faced Megatron down in a one-on-one battle while the other Autobots sabotage the bridge, causing it to explode and destroy the Terrorcons, and apparently, Megatron himself. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}}

[[File:DarknessRising5-OptimusPrimeguns.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Pssst, Prime, your barrel openings are just painted detail.]]

Despite the victory, Optimus regretted not having been able to turn Megatron to the path of peace, and Ratchet consoled the Autobot leader. When Decepticon activity was detected in an area of the desert, Optimus and Bumblebee went to investigate, discovering that Starscream had located and reactivated Skyquake from stasis. Optimus tried to appeal to the two Decepticons to consider a truce now that Megatron had gone, but Starscream merely mocked his request and Skyquake was determined to carry out his late master's wishes and terminate Prime. Optimus and Bumblebee found themselves forced to battle and destroy Skyquake, with some assistance from Fowler, but they respectfully buried their fallen foe and Prime lamented the circumstances. {{storylink|Masters & Students}}

[[File:Scrapheap-cloudsbreak.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"Okay, ''now'' I'm ready to call Bulkhead fat."]]
After Bulkhead and Bumblebee found a pod in the [[Arctic]] and brought it back to base, Optimus and Arcee went back to the Arctic to check for clues as to the pod's origin. After some time searching, the temperature sensors Ratchet had given them went off, so Optimus attempted to contact base, only to find the comms were down. The pair sought shelter, but as their temperatures slowly dropped, things looked grim. Just as they were losing hope, the GroundBridge opened and ejected Bulkhead and the swarm of [[Scraplet]]s that had been causing havoc at base. The three Autobots were subsequently able to return home, and Optimus paid tribute to their human friends who had helped eliminate the Scraplets. {{storylink|Scrapheap (episode)|Scrapheap}}

[[File:Convoy-Optimustrailer.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"This here's [[Rubber Ducky|Rubber Duck]] and I'm about to put the hammer down."]]
When Bulkhead's old buddy [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] arrived on Earth, Optimus excused himself from the welcome party and went out on patrol, since "Primes don't party". As such, he missed all the fun when Wheeljack turned out to be a [[Makeshift (Prime)|Decepticon spy]], but he stuck around for the second part to welcome the real Wheeljack, telling the visiting Autobot that he'd always be welcome on Earth. {{storylink|Con Job}} Not long after, when the Autobots were contracted by Fowler to help transport the experimental [[Dynamic Nuclear Generation System]], Optimus carried the device in a [[trailer]] to the rendezvous point, where it was transferred to a train. Unfortunately, the D.N.G.S. became a target for both the Decepticons and the human terrorist organization [[MECH]], and Prime was forced to have his Autobots break cover to fight [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] while he dispatched MECH's leader [[Silas]]. A poor loser, Silas took out the train track ahead and Optimus went into maximum overdrive, grabbing the train and physically halting it. {{storylink|Convoy (episode)|Convoy}}

[[File:Optimuselectrocuted.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left|[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] and [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] were right, I should've gone for this earlier!]]
Tracking an [[Energon Harvester]] to a museum, Optimus Prime and the Autobots were attacked by new Decepticons arrivals [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] and [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]], and Prime got the business end of Knock Out's [[Energon prod]], taking him out of the fight long enough for Soundwave to make off with the Harvester. Optimus led the Autobots in following the villains to Greece, and stopped their attempts to harvest an Energon seam there. {{storylink|Deus ex Machina}} Prime had another clash with Knock Out soon after: when he discovered that Arcee and [[Jack Darby|Jack]] had disobeyed his orders against using powers for personal gain by participating in illegal street races, Optimus intervened, and helped rescue a [[Vince|captive human]] from Knock Out's clutches by ripping the Decepticon's door off. {{storylink|Speed Metal}}

[[File:SickMind-OPinfected.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I woke up late one morning with a black eye. Why the heck does everyone think I'm sick? I could've just been punched in the face. Really hard.]]
While investigating a [[Autobot plague ship|crashed Autobot spacecraft]], Optimus Prime's hopes of helping any survivors were dashed when the craft turned out to be a corpse-strewn plague ship from which he contracted [[Cybonic plague]], a pathogen engineered by Megatron himself. Arcee and Bumblebee boarded the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' in search of a cure, and, discovering that Megatron was still alive and in stasis, Bumblebee entered his mind via a [[cortical psychic patch]]. In his dreamworld, Megatron was constantly killing imaginary Optimus Primes, and Bumblebee played on Megatron's desire to kill Optimus himself, rather than have him succumb to the plague, to convince him to hand over the cure. {{storylink|Sick Mind}} After getting back up to full health, Optimus led the Autobots to the Arctic, where Starscream was using a heat ray to melt a glacier in order to access an energon deposit. Prime boldly plowed through the weapon's beam in order to get close enough to destroy it, but the resultant explosion left him helpless before Starscream—until he was saved at the last moment when the resurrected Megatron arrived to haul Starscream away for punishment. {{Storylink|Out of His Head}}

[[File:Shadowzone HappymusPrime.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|:D]]

Optimus Prime led the Autobots in investigating a Dark Energon energy signature, and found Starscream using the substance to resurrect Skyquake. Fortunately, the additional power conveyed upon Starscream by the Dark Energon was not enough to prevent Optimus Prime from blasting his arm clean off. Presently, a GroundBridge accident catapulted Jack, [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] and [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] into an alternate dimension, and when the Autobots opened a portal to bring them back, Prime took the Autobots back to the battlefield to protect them from Starscream. {{storylink|Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone}} Optimus's inimitable compassion even extended to Breakdown, when he was captured by the forces of MECH and Optimus determined they would rescue him. {{storylink|Operation: Breakdown}} Later, Optimus was at the Autobot base when Jack and Arcee brought [[June Darby|Jack's mom]] in to introduce her to everyone. {{storylink|Crisscross (episode)|Crisscross}} He was out on a scouting mission with Bumblebee when Ratchet detected a strange magnetic signature that turned out to be a [[Polarity gauntlet]], {{storylink|Metal Attraction}} and also missed out on an adventure in a collapsed mine, but when he heard that Jack had shown mercy to an immobilized Megatron, he was proud of the boy. {{storylink|Raf's Notes#Note15|Raf's Notes}}


[[File:Partners-StiffOptimus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|We've replaced Optimus with a statue. Think anyone will notice?]]

Exploring the wreck of a crashed [[Harbinger|Decepticon ship]], Optimus Prime and his team fell victim to [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]], who paralyzed Prime and Bulkhead with the ship's cargo: an experimental [[Immobilizer]]. Prime would have wound up handed over to Megatron and mounted on the bow of the ''Nemesis'' if not for Bumblebee, who saw the villainess off, and Ratchet, who repaired the damaged device and unfroze the pair. {{storylink|Partners (Prime)|Partners}}

[[File:StrongerFaster-RatchetPrime.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Who will join me? Who will become stronger, faster, more insubordinate?]]

Lost Cybertronian technology continued to cause problems for Prime and the Autobots when a formula for [[Synthetic Energon]] was beamed from a [[Cybertronian data cylinder]] into Bulkhead's mind, putting his life at risk. Refusing to sacrifice Bulkhead despite the advantage the formula would give the Autobots, Prime petitioned Megatron for the return of the cylinder so they could extract the data. In exchange, he would hand it over to the Decepticons, but Megatron refused and destroyed the device after a battle. The formula was subsequently beamed out of Bulkhead's mind into space, {{storylink|T.M.I.}} but when Ratchet proceeded to generate a batch of "SynthEn" and was driven mentally unstable after testing it on himself, he and Optimus came to blows, and Optimus confined him to base. Ratchet instead took off to face Megatron, forcing Prime to lead a team into a Decepticon mine to rescue him. Cured of the SynthEn's effects, Optimus reminded Ratchet that he was a vital member of the team. {{storylink|Stronger, Faster}}

[[File:PrimeEp23-PrimeMegatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Slap slap.]]

Believing that a prophecy in the [[Covenant of Primus]] was soon to come true and that Megatron could regard it as his destiny, Optimus Prime was finally forced to abandon any illusions of turning his old foe to the path of good after the Decepticon leader grievously wounded Raf during a battle over a power source for the villain's new space bridge. Optimus boarded the ''Nemesis'' and called Megatron out for a one-on-one battle that he vowed would be their last. The two ancient enemies fought before a volcano, and Optimus managed to fell Megatron, but just before he could deliver the killing blow, the volcano erupted with Dark Energon. Megatron experienced an increase in power, and turned the tide, {{storylink|One Shall Fall}} but thankfully, the intervention of the other Autobots saved Optimus's life. Retreating to base to review this new nightmare scenario, Optimus recounting the tale of [[Primus]], [[Unicron]] and the [[Thirteen]] to the gathered humans and told them he believed that Earth had formed around the slumbering form of Unicron, who was now in the process of awakening. Examining areas of the planet struck by earthquakes at the moment of the eruption, Optimus soon found himself confronted by Unicron himself, in an avatar formed from rock and stone. He prostrated himself before the Chaos Bringer and tried to plead for the lives of the billions of [[human]]s who dwelt on Earth, but Unicron considered them parasites and attacked Prime with wave after wave of avatars. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}}

[[File:OneShallRise2-shake.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|Kiss kiss.]]

He ordered the other Autobots ''not'' to come to his aid, so naturally they came anyway. After fighting increasingly larger Unicrons, they came up against one that was too much for them. Just as it was about to step on Optimus, help came in the unlikely form of Megatron, who offered his services in eliminating Unicron and revealed that only the [[Matrix of Leadership]] held by Optimus could achieve that aim. The Autobots returned to base, where the others were horrified that Prime was intending to take up Megatron's offer, but he was resolute that all care would be taken to make sure it was a safe as possible. When Megatron stepped into the base, Optimus and the other Autobots welcomed him appropriately. Before they left on their mission, Optimus presented Jack with the key to the GroundBridge power supply. Optimus, Megatron and the Autobots were soon stepping through the GroundBridge to [[Earth's core]], Unicron himself. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 2}}

As they moved through Unicron's internal structure, they came under attack from [[Unicron's antibodies|anti-bots]]. Optimus and Megatron fought back to back, though Optimus took time out to rescue Bulkhead from falling. When they reach Unicron's spark chamber, Optimus and Megatron went inside, and, though the dark god possessed Megatron, Optimus unleashed the Matrix, apparently extinguishing Unicron's spark. However the price was high—Optimus's memory was lost and he believed himself to be Orion Pax. Megatron played along, and took him back to the ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

[[File:Orion-Pax-Part-1-OP-Megatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"You mean I can't just go [[Super Mode]] and kick your ass in this show? Crap."]]

Megatron wasted no time in convincing Orion that black was white and up was down. Branded with the Decepticon insignia by Knock Out, Orion was shown false history of Cybertron's destruction, and convinced that the Autobots were the aggressors. Angered at Cybertron's loss, Orion promised Megatron he would do his part to help. He was put to work decoding information stolen from the [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] archives, and told Megatron they were of locations of Earth and feared that they could be weapons of mass destruction. Later, there was a commotion in the corridors, and Orion decided to investigate despite being ordered to remain in his lab, however, Soundwave managed to prevent him from seeing Arcee when the Autobot managed to get on board. Not long after, the long-absent Starscream sneaked onto the ship to steal [[energon cube]]s and ended up blundering into Orion's work room. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}}

Surprised to see Starscream, not least because Megatron had said he was dead, Orion's suspicions became aroused as Starscream noted Megatron would likely have told him many lies. Despite asking what he knew, Starscream was quick to depart when more Vehicon guards arrived and in spite of Orion attempting to convince them to hold their fire. After Megatron's subsequent covering of the incident, Orion decided to poke through the Decepticon database and learned that he was Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 2}}

[[File:OrionPax3 Optimus Decepticon insignia.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|What did I do last night?]]

Megatron, as it turned out, already knew he knew since his work was being monitored. Orion decided to delete his discoveries so that Megatron could not use then. However, Megatron revealed he was also having his work copied. As Soundwave reported activity on Cybertron, Megatron had more Vehicon guards put at his back while he dealt with the matter, and threatened to kill him if he didn't continue his work. Orion tried to appeal to the guards to help him warn the Autobots, but they responded with a beating until he discovered he was armed and stopped them. Having realized he was meant to be an Autobot, Orion went to confront Megatron at the space bridge. However, he found he was no match for the Decepticon leader and was quickly overpowered. Just then, Arcee leapt through the space bridge from Cybertron and tackled Megatron. Behind her was Jack with the [[Key to Vector Sigma]], loaded with the information from the Matrix of Leadership. Orion questioned whether he was worthy, and Jack assured him he was. When his memory was restored, albeit minus his time as Orion, Optimus prevented Megatron from exterminating his comrades, and they returned to the Autobot base for a big reunion. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 3}}

Optimus and Ratchet followed an ancient signal, and found Megatron and his forces unearthing a Cybertronian artifact, the [[spark extractor|Spark Extractor]]. While the two Autobots fought the other Decepticons, Bumblebee snatched the extractor from Megatron inside the GroundBridge. Later at base, Optimus theorized that the Spark Extractor was among the many Decepticon weapons confiscated during the Great War, and worried that he couldn't remember what he had revealed to Megatron when he was suffering amnesia. To compound matters, a short time later, MECH stole Bumblebee's [[transformation cog|T-cog]], causing Prime more worry. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 1}} Despite Optimus's misgivings, Ratchet talked him into approving a T-cog transplant between Ratchet and Bumblebee. When a signal indicating an artifact was detected, he cut the operation short to take Arcee and Bulkhead to secure it. Unfortunately, he and Arcee were unable to penetrate Knock Out's force field, and the Decepticons got away with the [[Forge of Solus Prime]]. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 2}}

[[File:LooseCannons Optimus and Wheeljack in Jackhammer.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|This scene is even funnier if you imagine "Mahna Mahna" playing on the radio.]]

When Wheeljack returned to Earth in pursuit of [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]], Optimus attempted to convince him to join the Autobot team. Wheeljack instead took Bulkhead to try and trap Dreadwing, only to fall into a trap themselves. Prime had to dig Wheeljack out of the resulting rubble, and joined him to rescue Bulkhead, who was strapped to one of Dreadwing's explosives. When Optimus managed to defeat the Decepticon and pin him, his gambit to make Dreadwing defuse the bomb worked, and Wheeljack gained a new respect for the Autobot leader. {{Storylink|Loose Cannons}}

After obtaining information on Airachnid's whereabouts from Starscream, Optimus led a mission to an abandoned energon mine in [[South America]], where they found Megatron fighting an [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]] under Airachnid's control. When the fight was finished, the Autobots surrounded the exhausted Megatron, but were prevented from finishing him off by the arrival of Dreadwing. Outnumbered, Optimus offered to allow Megatron go if Dreadwing extended the same courtesy. Though Dreadwing kept his word, Megatron ordered the Vehicons to attack while he and Dreadwing escaped, but luckily the Autobots trashed them. {{storylink|Crossfire (Prime)|Crossfire}}

[[File:NemesisPrime Nemesis vs Optimus.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|"Optimus Prime, slavery is the right of all sentient beings!" "Wow, am I really that annoying?"]]
Optimus returned to base from an energon mine to find that MECH had created a clone of him and were using it to attack the military. He and the Autobots attempted to stop [[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|Nemesis Prime]] from attacking [[Alden Military Base]], but had to retreat under fire from the military. They began scouring the area, and located the MECH base, where Optimus fought one-on-one with Nemesis Prime, until a distraction by Fowler allowed him to finish off the Silas-controlled machine, dropping it on Silas himself. Optimus returned to base for repairs, and Fowler gave them the news that Silas had disappeared. {{storylink|Nemesis Prime (episode)|Nemesis Prime}} During Fowler's debriefing by [[Bryce|General Bryce]], Optimus revealed himself to the general to prove he was still alive and on the military's side. {{storylink|Grill (episode)|Grill}}

Optimus took Bumblebee and Arcee to investigate some activity and found Airachnid sending out a swarm of Insecticons to attack the ''Nemesis''. He and Bumblebee ended up having to fight a bunch of them and won. They got to return to base with Airachnid, whom Arcee had trapped in stasis-lock. {{storylink|Armada (episode)|Armada}} After the ''Nemesis'' crashed, and was reactivated with Dark Energon, Optimus took a team with the [[spark extractor|Spark Extractor]] to attack the warship, only for them to all be knocked into stasis lock by the ship's weapons. Ratchet took them back to base, where they recovered after the conscious ship was disabled by the kids. {{storylink|Flying Mind}}

[[File:TriangulationPrimeAndScream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
With the locations of four relics now in their possession, Optimus dispatched Arcee and Bumblebee to [[New York City]] to find the first {{storylink|Tunnel Vision}} and warned Bulkhead to be careful in obtaining another near the equator. {{storylink|Toxicity}} Optimus himself went to [[Antarctica]], where he found the relic had already been taken, and Dreadwing had Starscream a prisoner. During the ensuing fight, Optimus brought tons of ice down on Dreadwing, before forcing Starscream to lead him to a human base where the relic was being kept. Dreadwing caught up with them, and while Optimus fought the Decepticon, Starscream obtained the [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]], forcing Optimus and Dreadwing to team up to defeat him. Though Dreadwing intended to fight him again, Optimus convinced him that there would be no point in continuing their fight, so Dreadwing left. {{storylink|Triangulation}}

Back at base, Prime found that Bulkhead had been critically wounded during the relic missions. Optimus refused to tell Wheeljack who was responsible, but the Wrecker rushed off anyway. When Wheeljack and Miko later returned having killed [[Hardshell]], Optimus stopped Ratchet from preventing Miko from running to Bulkhead's side. {{storylink|Hurt}} Optimus began attempting to decode the Iacon database, though it was hard going with the Earth technology he was forced to use. {{storylink|Out of the Past}}

[[File:Legacy-PrimeStarSaber.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|By the power of Iacon, I HAVE THE POWER!]]
During a mission to investigate a crashed escape pod, the team encountered [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] whose tales of guarding Alpha Trion convinced Optimus that he was on the level. Optimus still believed Smokescreen was too green to go into combat, so the new Autobot was left at base when Prime took a team to recover some [[Red Energon]]. When they encountered Starscream, still in possession of the Apex Armor, Optimus took the Decepticon on himself, kicking Starscream off a crane. After Smokescreen used the [[phase shifter]] to separate Starscream from the armor, Optimus officially welcomed the new Autobot to the team. {{storylink|New Recruit}} When Fowler notified them that a [[Project Damocles]] satellite had been stolen by Breakdown and Silas, Optimus took a team to a military base in the hope of securing the satellite control codes before the Decepticons could get them. Instead, they found themselves facing both Decepticon troopers and the orbital death ray itself, controlled by Soundwave. {{storylink|The Human Factor}} Optimus assigned Jack to help Smokescreen adapt to Earth. He had almost finished decoding another set of Iacon coordinates when a signal led him and his team on a wild goose chase. Despite this, they found the location of the real relic, the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]], and Optimus managed to wrest control of it off the Decepticons. Through the sword's power, he received a message from Alpha Trion. {{storylink|Legacy (episode)|Legacy}}

[[File:AlphaOmega-ohmy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"You must not sacrifice a piece of the future to bring back the past." "But you flung all of the artifacts from the past onto Earth!" "... right, right, sorry. [[Five Servos of Doom|Wrong script]].]]
Trion told him of the existence of the [[Omega Key]]s on Earth, and Prime immediately set about decoding the four final coordinates from the Iacon database. After Arcee returned from the first set of coordinates with news that Megatron had invited Prime to come get the first key, Optimus went to [[Egypt]] to find that Megatron had grafted the arm of a Prime onto himself and forged the [[Dark Star Saber]]. Though Megatron's new weapon shattered the Star Saber, with Smokescreen's help Prime returned to base with the first Omega Key and resumed his decoding work. {{storylink|Alpha/Omega}}

He soon decoded more coordinates decoded though in both cases the Autobots failed to secure the Omega Keys. Smokescreen was hit hard by the failure, and Optimus told the other Autobots to allow the upset rookie space. When the final coordinates he decoded turned out to be an image of Smokescreen, he took the team to find their comrade, only to arrive too late as Smokescreen was captured by Soundwave. {{storylink|Hard Knocks}} After Smokescreen escaped the ''Nemesis'' with two of the keys, the Autobots received a message from Starscream offering the final key in exchange for surgical help. Optimus took Bulkhead and Ratchet out to Starscream's location, only to realize too late that they'd been tricked, and Starscream got away with all three of the Autobots' three Omega Keys. {{storylink|Inside Job}}

After Dreadwing returned the Forge of Solus Prime to the Autobots, Optimus used it to modify the GroundBridge into a space bridge. Believing that Megatron would use the keys to restore Cybertron for political points, Optimus took the Autobots to their home world, and kept Megatron busy with the reforged Star Saber while the others took back the keys. Though they succeeded, and reached the [[Omega Lock]], Megatron revealed he had taken the Autobots' human friends hostage. {{storylink|Regeneration (Prime)|Regeneration}}

[[File:PrimeDarkestHourOPArm.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|"...Nothing ever dies we will rise again."]]
With no other choice, Optimus had everyone hand over the Omega Keys in exchange for the kids, however when it turned out Megatron intended to use the Omega Lock on Earth as well, Optimus was compelled to use the Star Saber to destroy the lock. He and his team returned to Earth, only to find that the Omega Lock had created a [[Darkmount (Earth)|Decepticon fortress]] on their doorstep, and he ordered the others to evacuate. Prime himself stayed behind to destroy the GroundBridge, and was caught in the explosion as the Decepticons destroyed the base. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (episode)|Darkest Hour}}

Optimus was salvaged from the wreckage by Smokescreen, who sheltered Prime in an underground cavern. {{storylink|Darkmount, NV}} Though Smokescreen was unable to find any medical supplies for his badly-damaged leader, Optimus asked after the Forge of Solus Prime. {{storylink|Scattered}} Smokescreen retrieved the relic from the Decepticon warship, however Optimus refused to use it on himself, believing the power should be conserved for later use in repairing the Omega Lock, and that the Autobots needed a new leader—Smokescreen. {{storylink|Prey (episode)|Prey}}

[[File:Rebellion-prepunch.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Here's your damn beef!]]
As his life faded, Optimus had a vision of approaching Alpha Trion and the [[Transformer afterlife|Allspark]]. His journey to the afterlife was cut short, as Smokescreen used the Forge to revive him, bestowing on him a new, more powerful body. He flew to [[Darkmount (Earth)|Darkmount]], where he rescued [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] from Megatron's tender mercies, and proceeded to throw the Decepticon leader into the power core for the fortress's [[fusion cannon]]s. His efforts allowed Fowler's squadron to destroy the fortress, and the Autobots reassembled at a military base. {{storylink|Rebellion (Prime)|Rebellion}}

After [[scanning]] a new [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] provided by Fowler, Optimus scouted some Decepticon activity and found some Insecticons digging up a skull. He managed to secure the skull, which turned out to be [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacon]] remains, leading the Autobots to conclude [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] was planning to clone more. After reports of Decepticon activity in [[Texas]], Optimus took Smokescreen and Bumblebee there, but faced with Shockwave and Soundwave, the trio proved unable to prevent the Decepticons obtaining more Predacon [[CNA]]. {{storylink|Project Predacon}}

A lull in Decepticon activity made Optimus suspect that their enemy had collected sufficient fossils. He and the others went on a mission to secure more energon, only for Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack to find and destroy the Decepticon cloning laboratory. When the pair were attacked by the newly-intelligent [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]], Optimus arrived in the nick of time to save them from termination and flew them back to base. {{storylink|Evolution}}

[[File:MinusOne-staredown.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|Imagine waking up to this one day... *squeals with excitement*]]
When the Decepticons started raiding technology from the humans again, Optimus wondered what they were up to this time. He led a team to one of the thefts, and though they were unable to prevent the Vehicons from getting away, Optimus managed to shoot down Soundwave and take the Decepticon captive. Their attempts to interrogate Soundwave were unsuccessful, and Optimus took his team to the [[Solaris particle collider]] in response to another Decepticon attack. He found himself facing Predaking, and though he initially gained the upper hand, Predaking turned the tables and sent Prime plunging to the ground. {{storylink|Minus One}} Optimus continued to fight, but was only saved by the fact that Predaking was called away to rescue Shockwave. He and the rest of the team returned to base to find Ratchet had been abducted by Soundwave. {{storylink|Persuasion}}

The Autobots launched [[Chip|a probe]] containing Laserbeak's transponder and Optimus followed it in the hopes it would lead him to the Decepticon warship. Unfortunately, he was intercepted by Starscream and some Seekers along the way, and though he dealt with the Vehicons, Starscream destroyed the probe and escaped, leaving him none-the-wiser as to the warship's location. He continued to fly around until Ratchet contacted the Autobots to reveal the location of the warship, and Optimus ordered the others to storm the ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Synthesis}}

[[File:PredaconsRisingOptimusPrimeFinalGlance.JPG|thumb|upright=1.66|Um, Luna? Do you have time to sing a 'Goodbye Song' before you go?]]
Optimus himself reached the ship by air, only to be immediately attacked by Megatron wielding the Dark Star Saber. With his [[jet pack]] damaged, Optimus still managed to climb onto the ship and eventually make his way to the Omega Lock on its underside, allowing him to briefly attack Shockwave before Megatron caught up with him to resume their duel. After Bumblebee's death, Optimus found himself dangling from the ship. Before Megatron could deal a final blow, the warlord was terminated by Bumblebee, who'd been resurrected by the Omega Lock's power. Optimus took command of the warship and flew it to Cybertron, where they used the Omega Lock to resurrect their home world.

After a final visit back to Earth, and a farewell to both their human friends and Ratchet, Optimus and his team finally departed back to Cybertron. {{storylink|Deadlock (episode)|Deadlock}} Optimus held a ceremony to promote Bumblebee to the rank of warrior, shortly before taking the [[Iron Will]] and heading off to find the AllSpark. He and Wheeljack located it near [[Theta Scorpii]], and managed to retrieve it, but arrived back on Cybertron to find Unicron had taken control of Megatron's body and was trying to destroy the planet. Optimus merged the AllSpark with the Matrix of Leadership, allowing him to use the container that had held it to trap Unicron's anti-spark. Unfortunately, this also meant that his own spark was inextricably merged with the AllSpark, and he was forced to sacrifice his own life to restore the AllSpark to Cybertron. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}}
{{--}}

===Eaglemoss ''Prime'' comic===
After dealing with a Decepticon incursion, Prime contacted Raf at base to request a GroundBridge. Unfortunately the bridge collapsed as the Autobots went through, scattering them to the four corners of the Earth. {{storylink|On Thin Ice}} Optimus landed up in an Amazon jungle, where he stumbled on a Vehicon sinking in quicksand, having been left there by Starscream. After rescuing the Vehicon, Optimus found himself webbed to a tree by Airachnid. She was about to start cutting him when the Vehicon saved him, and leaving Airachnid in the quicksand, Optimus took a GroundBridge back to base. {{storylink|Friend or Foe?}} When the Decepticons hijacked [[COMSAT-1]] so they could broadcast warning worldwide and terrify the earthlings, Optimus and his team GroundBridged up to stop them. {{storylink|Horrible TV}} When Bulkhead was hit mid-transformation, trapping Miko inside, Optimus said cutting him open to get her out would be a last resort, as he had confidence Ratchet could fix the problem. {{storylink|Cell}}

===Titan ''Prime'' comic===
[[File:Titan4.2 Optimus and Miko.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|"Except when I'm making air-quotes."]]
As the Decepticons slowly conquered Cybertron, Optimus knew they'd try to attack [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] and set up defences at the [[Iacon Energon Refinery]]. Sure enough, Megatron attacked with a small team of Decepticons but the Autobot gunners managed to take out all but Megatron. To Optimus's surprise, Megatron didn't abandon his men, instead rescuing them under heavy fire. When Optimus had the opportunity to take a shot, he hesitated and Megatron's team escaped. For that, Optimus took the blame and was even regarded as a traitor by some. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.2|War Story}}

Many years later, Optimus's team had settled on [[Earth]]. After Ratchet somewhat apologetically unveiled the [[Safe]], Optimus told him to have more confidence in his work. When Bulkhead managed to uncover a hidden nuclear missile and a scouting party of Vehicons neared the base, Optimus, Arcee and Bumblebee went out to greet the Decepticons. While Bumblebee knocked the Vehicons into the air, Prime and Arcee blasted them. They reentered at the base in time to see Fowler arriving with some scientists, and Optimus had some stern words with their liaison about the mystery bomb and its intended purpose, insisting that Fowler take it with him when he left. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.1|The Safe and the Failsafe}}

During some downtime, Prime took the other Autobots and the kids to [[Valley of Fire State Park]]. At Miko's request, he told the story of his battle with Megatron in the Iacon Energon Refinery. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.2|War Story}}

[[File:Titan4.3 Optimus ready to roll out.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|MUNKY ARMS! MUNKY ARMS!]]
On [[Christmas]], Fowler reported to Optimus that Megatron and Starscream had taken control of the [[Yamal|NS ''Yamal'']], a nuclear-powered Russian icebreaker. Leaving Arcee and Bulkhead in charge of the base, Optimus took the other Autobots to the ship and attacked Megatron. As Optimus fought Megatron, the Decepticon leader outlined his plan to detonate the ship's reactors with a [[static lance]]. Bumblebee managed to wrest the lance off Starscream and threw it to Optimus who used it to hit Megatron. Once the Decepticons had been dealt with, Optimus's team returned to the base, where they found it had been turned into an impromptu ice skating rink. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.3|Ice Breaker}}

Optimus was surprised to find the GroundBridge active and asked Bulkhead what the problem was. Bulkhead tried to cover for Raf, who had been temporarily hypnotised into opening the GroundBridge. But his denials were undermined by the Vehicons pouring into the base, and Optimus led the counter-attack. While Optimus and the others kept the Decepticons busy, Raf and Bumblebee managed to shut down the bridge. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.4|Tinker, Tailor, Gamer, Spy!}}

Upon hearing of several schools in Jasper County mysteriously exploding, Optimus shared Jack's suspicions about something being afoot. He had the Autobots check out the other schools in the area. Sure enough, the buildings came under attack by [[MECH]], and Optimus helped fend off the organization. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.5|School Is... Out!}}

After Starscream stole [[Air Force One]] and held the [[President of the United States]] ransom, demanding Optimus Prime be turned over bound and gagged, the Autobot leader worked out from the ransom note where Starscream was. While the other Autobots protected the plane and took on the Vehicons, Optimus rescued the President by cutting off Starscream's arm and catching her as she fell. After the Decepticon retreated, Optimus made sure the Autobots left before the aircraft's crew recovered consciousness. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.6|All the President's 'Bots!}}

[[File:Titan4.6 Optimus Prime.jpg|thumb|left|240px]]
Lured into a trap in a scrap-metal facility in [[Zhejiang Province]], [[China]], Optimus found his mind had been zapped into a human by [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]]'s [[neuron refractor]]. The Autobot leader mentally contacted the human, [[Lin-Che]], and guided him in fighting off the attacking Vehicons with the help of an [[The Claw|excavator]]. With the drones bested, they then returned to the refractor to reverse its effect. Back in his own body, Optimus broke out of the crusher he'd been stuffed into, and fought off Knock-Out and the remaining Decepticons. He later drove Lin-Che home, to return the favor. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.8|The Mind Trap!}} After Miko was kidnapped by MECH agent [[Novo]], Optimus joined the hunt to find her. When Novo, now in a mechanoid body thanks to a MECH experiment, returned Miko to them, Optimus offered him the help of Ratchet and the Autobots' technical expertise, but Novo turned him down. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.9|The Novo Incident}}

Optimus led a team to the [[Deep Driller]] oil platform, and found not the expected environmental terrorists, but human soldiers in [[robotic battle suit]]s. After finding dealing with the humans in a non-lethal matter difficult, Optimus took Jack's suggestion of surrendering, and once [[Rufus Madison|General Madison]] realized his opponents were alien robots, he stopped fighting. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.10|Mad Dogs & Autobots}} After it turned out that the missing Bulkhead had been imprisoned on the Decepticon warship, Optimus took a team, including the three kids, to the ship to mount a rescue. During the course of freeing Bulkhead, he trashed at least two Decepticons and blew a hole through the side of the ship. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.11|The Battle for Bulkhead}}

Optimus and his team took part in a battle against the Decepticons in [[The Wave]]. Unsurprisingly, they survived and returned to base to find Bumblebee and Raf had made a mess in their absence. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.12|The Evil Shred}} Optimus and Bumblebee went on a stealth mission to stop Megatron attacking the [[Statue of Liberty]], though they found the Decepticon forces there to be more than they expected. Optimus pursued Megatron up the side of the statue, and managed to defeat the Decepticon leader, but did substantial damage to the statue in the process. He later promised Fowler that the Autobots would fix it. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.13|Protecting the Lady}}

Knock Out and [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] specifically demanded Optimus and Bulkhead come after the two Decepticons took over a TV studio. The Autobots found themselves forced to run the ''[[Down and Out]]'' course, lest the Decepticons' hostages be harmed. Though Optimus was confused by the inaccurate nature of the ''Down and Out'' set, he and Bulkhead managed to get through the course and rescue the hostages, leading to Knock Out and Breakdown's defeat at the hands of Arcee. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.14|It's a Knock-Out}}

Upon hearing of strange seismic movements throughout the Northen hemisphere, Optimus ordered a mission to a military base which had been hit by a quake, and contained a Particle Accelerator, and travelled there along with Wheeljack, Bulkhead and Arcee. Upon discovering the Decepticons' intent to use the Particle Aceelerator to open a permanent [[space bridge]] to Cybertron, Optimus changed into his Beast Hunters body for no readily apparent reason and ordered Arcee to clear the area of humans. After failing to stop [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] from opening the space bridge and releasing [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]], Optimus flew up to the plant's reactor core with the intention of deactivating it, but Predaking blew it up instead. He, Bulkhead and Wheeljack then reflected on their chances of ever returning home. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.17|Collider-Scope}}
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.18|Power Outage}}}}

===''Rescue Bots'' pack-in storybooks===
Optimus Prime sent a special message to the [[Rescue Bot]]s on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], calling on them to come to [[Earth]]. He met them on arrival with the news they would be working with [[human]]s to improve inter-species relations. He accompanied them to [[Griffin Rock]] where he introduced them to his friend [[Charlie Burns|Chief Charlie]], before leaving to help other Transformers. {{storylink|Rescue Bots Roll Out}} After [[Cody Burns]] helped [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] put out a fire that had threatened [[Fire Station Prime|Prime Fire Station]], Optimus Prime spoke to them through a screen, asking if Cody would join the Rescue Bots. Cody accepted. {{storylink|Prime Alert}} Once [[Blades (RB)|Blades]] and [[Sawyer Storm]] joined the team, Chief Charlie asked Optimus about the other two Rescue Bots, but only got an enigmatic response. {{storylink|Rescue Bots Respond}} Following another rescue conducted by [[Chase (RB)|Chase]] and [[Boulder]], Optimus talked [[Walker Cleveland|Walker]] and [[Jack Tracker|Hunter]] into joining the team. {{storylink|Rapid Rescue}}

===''Rescue Bots'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Peter Cullen]] (English)|[[Klaus-Dieter Klebsch]] (German), [[Erwin Grunspan]] (French), [[Jung Goo Lee]] (Korean), [[Péter Barbinek]] (Hungarian), [[Jacek Mikołajczak]] (Polish), [[Blas Garcia]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Pekka Lehtosaari]] (Finnish), [[Wellington Lima]] (Brazilian Portuguese)}}
[[File:UnderPressure Optimus on monitor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Playskool]] is the right of all sentient beings.]]
Optimus Prime sent out a call to all Autobots to come to their new home on [[Earth]]. When a team of [[Rescue Bot]]s arrived at a military base, Optimus met them there and gave them their new mission: to team up with the Burns family and help them keep [[Griffin Rock]] safe. After presenting them with vehicles to [[scanning|scan]], he introduced them to [[Charlie Burns]] and left them to get acquainted. {{storylink|Family of Heroes}} The Rescue Bots had trouble learning to work with their new human friends, and they contacted Optimus to tell him as much, but he was confident that they and the humans would learn to work together. {{storylink|Under Pressure}}

After the Rescue Bots were fired by the Griffin Rock city council, [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] attempted, but failed, to contact Optimus Prime to request the reassignment of Rescue Force Sigma-17. The Rescue Bots were later reinstated. {{storylink|The Reign of Morocco}}

[[File:ItsABotTime Optimus vehicle mode.jpg|thumb|left||Optimus drops by Griffin Rock whenever he's in the mood for G1.]]
When [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] tracked a meteor to Griffin Rock, he used the Rescue Bots' comms screen to report in with Optimus, who commended [[Cody Burns]] on his work helping the Bots to acclimate. Three of the Rescue Bots were struck with a strange virus from the meteorite, and they consulted with Optimus and Ratchet on the best way to deal with it. Optimus was concerned that the virus could fall into [[Megatron (WFC)|evil]] [[Silas|hands]] and ordered they destroy the meteorite. {{storylink|Bumblebee to the Rescue (RB)|Bumblebee to the Rescue}}

[[File:BotToTheFuture Optimus steps forward.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Guest starring in an all new ''Tiny Titans'' comic book.]]
Notified that the Rescue Bots had been inadvertently sent back in time, Optimus and Bumblebee returned to Griffin Rock. Optimus deduced that [[energon]] would be enough to power the [[Temporal Station|time machine]], so he and Bumblebee went back to 1939, arriving in time to rescue the Rescue Bots from [[Doctor Morocco]]. The team returned to the present, only to find Griffin Rock overrun by [[MorBot]]s. {{storylink|It's a Bot Time}} Optimus and Bumblebee were kept busy trashing MorBots while the Rescue Bots worked out what was going on. By the time the pair ran out of MorBots to destroy, the team was ready to return to 1939 where they rescued [[Dither]] and returned the timeline to normal. Back in the present, Optimus congratulated the Rescue Bots team for their work. {{storylink|Bot to the Future}}

Alerted to the presence of energon beneath the island of Griffin Rock, Optimus journeyed there with a trailer to retrieve the substance. When Chief Burns's brother [[Woodrow Burns|Woodrow]] became trapped in a cavern deep underground with Cody, it turned into a rescue mission, and Optimus carried the team to the cavern on his trailer. {{storylink|What Lies Below}} Separated from the rest of the team, Optimus and Heatwave discovered the main shaft of [[Mount Magma]], and nearby, a sizable deposit of energon. When they were later reunited with the rest of the team, they were able to ignite the energon in a plan to blast themselves out of the top of the volcano. Optimus later farewelled the Rescue Bots, informing Heatwave that he should prepare for greater responsibility some time soon. {{storylink|What Rises Above}}

[[File:OddBotOut Optimus Matrix.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.8|Are we being flashed?]]
The time eventually came, when Optimus ordered Heatwave to the mainland. Rendezvousing at a military base, Optimus trained Heatwave on focusing his energies, so that Heatwave could take on a second [[alternate mode]]. {{storylink|Changes}}

On a relic-finding mission, Optimus and Bumblebee searched near Griffin Rock for a [[Liquefier|liquefying relic]]. Optimus enlisted [[Blades (RB)|Blades]]'s help to reach the relic at sea, and successfully used the Matrix of Leadership to shut it down before it could destroy the island. {{storylink|Odd Bot Out}}

When Doctor Morocco kidnapped the Rescue Bots, he showed them some photos of Optimus and claimed that Optimus had assigned him as the Rescue Bots liaison on Earth. {{storylink|Double Villainy}} The amnesiac Rescue Bots later tried to contact Optimus but received no response. {{storylink|Rise of the Heroes}}

[[File:BigGame Dinoptimus.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.67|Just imagine the look on [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s face when he sees this coming at him.]]
Optimus made another routine inspection to Griffin Rock, and when a pterodactyl mysteriously appeared on the island, took the opportunity to observe the rescue team on an investigation mission to [[Wayward Island]]. When the Rescue Bots ran into trouble in the form of some [[dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaurs]], Optimus was forced to intervene and ended up scanning robo-dino [[Trex]] to gain a third ''tyrannosaurus rex'' mode. With this, he was able to earn the trust of the dinosaurs and discover they were merely protecting their young. {{storylink|Land Before Prime (episode)|Land Before Prime}} Staying on at Griffin Rock to acclimatise to his new dino-mode, a lack of [[energon]] resulted in Optimus becoming feral. The out-of-control Autobot was abducted by big game hunter [[Quint Quarry|Colonel Quint Quarry]], who spirited Optimus away to [[Quarry Safariland]] and began hunting him through the jungle. With the help of Cody, Optimus evaded Quarry long enough for [[Boulder]] to manufacture a cure for his condition. Optimus was returned to normal, and helped Boulder rescue the rest of the rescue team from Quarry. {{storylink|Big Game}}

After capturing an [[Energon eater]], Chase and Boulder dropped it off with Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Unfinished Business}} Chief Burns again called in Optimus when Quarry kidnapped [[Anna Baranova|Professor Baranova]] and demanded five dinobots as ransom. Optimus and the four Rescue Bots were turned over to Quarry, who took them back to his island and subjected them to physical tests, before imprisoning them ready to be sold. Blades was able to knock out the Q-Drone restraining Optimus and the others, and Quarry was swiftly arrested. {{storylink|Quarry's Quarry}} Optimus alerted the Rescue Bots to a faint energon signal on Wayward Island. {{storylink|Did You See What I Thaw?}}

[[File:ANewHero Optimus laser hand.jpg|thumb|left|290px]]
When some water rescues were imminent, Optimus called [[High Tide]] to Earth to train the Rescue Bots. Later, after High Tide and Heatwave had a fight, Heatwave contacted Optimus to inform him that he was dropping out. Optimus encouraged him to return and he did. After the mission was complete, High Tide contacted Optimus informing him of the mission's success and Optimus requested that High Tide stay on the island to help out, following the destruction of [[Ezra Greene|Doc Greene]]'s [[floating lab]]. {{storylink|Turning the Tide}}

When the Autobots [[Salvage (RB)|Salvage]] and [[Blurr (Prime)|Blurr]] were discovered on Wayward Island, Optimus visited Griffin Rock to welcome them to Earth and assign them to be trained by Heatwave's team. With Doc Greene's help, he uncovered the fact that Blurr had been less than truthful about his past. {{storylink|The New Recruits}} Optimus was disappointed to hear that Blurr had stolen the ''[[Sigma]]'' and tried to contact the ship. After Blurr saved the day in Griffin Rock, Prime presented him and Salvage with Rescue Bots insignias, announcing that they would be assigned to a location elsewhere on Earth. {{storylink|A New Hero}}

After being contacted by High Tide, {{storylink|Now and Then}} Optimus Prime rushed to the location where Griffin Rock had been and helped clear the crater so the island could be flown back from where it had teleported in the [[Arctic]]. He, Blurr and Salvage helped it fly the remaining distance after the rocket engine gave out, and Optimus later decided that the Rescue Bots could let the whole town know that they were Cybertronians. {{storylink|Today and Forever}}

At some point during the next several years, [[Madeline Pynch]]'s activities gained Optimus's attention, and he dispatched [[Quickshadow]] to spy on the tycoon. {{storylink|Cody's 11}}

Several years later, Optimus contacted Heatwave with plans for a [[Rescue Bot Training Center|new base]] on the mainland. When Heatwave admitted he still hadn't revealed the Rescue Bots' secret to the humans, Optimus said he'd know when it was time. {{storylink|New Normal}} Optimus also ordered Quickshadow to work with the Griffin Rock rescue team, {{storylink|Plus One (RB)|Plus One}} and she later recorded a report for Optimus on events at the training center. {{storylink|The More Things Stay the Same}}

Unknown to the Rescue Bots, Optimus had also been involved in the [[Scrubmite|Scrubber Initiative]]. When the project's lab in [[Faxian]] was imperiled by runaway [[Scrubmite|Scrubbers]], Optimus observed the Rescue Bots response, and subsequently appeared to them via hologram to give them new assignments protecting the project. {{storylink|Upgrades}} Following the defeat of the [[Morocco virus]], Optimus turned up at the Training Center and assigned the Bots all to separate missions around the world. {{storylink|Transformations}}

===''Tales of the Beast Hunters''===
As [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] and [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] hunted for weapons to combat [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]], they ran into trouble and sent a distress call. Optimus had [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] GroundBridge him into a derelict starship in the [[asteroid belt]]. On arrival, he attacked Predaking. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 5}} He managed to buy Bumblebee and Wheeljack the time they needed to get away with some of the weapons. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 6}}

With the Autobot forces falling before the Predacons, Optimus took the [[Firebreath Cyclocannons]] and set out into the desert in search of Predaking. He found his target, just as Ratchet managed to unlock the power of their new weapons. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 17}} With his newfound power, Optimus was able to instill fear into Predaking for the first time in millions of years. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 18}} The battle ended in Optimus's victory. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 23}}

===''Go!'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Toshiyuki Morikawa]] (Japanese)}}
[[File:Go ep 1 Optimus Prime.jpg|thumb|left|Hi, this is all of my frontal shots.]]
Optimus Prime was a warrior of justice who fought the Decepticons for many years. {{Storylink|Pursue! The Legendiscs!}} Somewhere off [[Earth]], Optimus Prime was alerted to the awakening of the [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacon]] [[Four Oni]]. He soon detected [[Swordbot|six individual signals]] that he recognized. {{storylink|Triple Combination! Swordbot - Samurai!}} {{storylink|Triple Combination! Swordbot - Ninja!}}

[[File:TFGoSamurai5 Optimus Exprime modes.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]
Those six signals turned out to be the [[Swordbot]] [[Swordbot Samurai Team|Samurai]] and [[Swordbot Shinobi Team|Shinobi]] teams. Both teams came in contact with Optimus Prime, and the Autobot commander set to analyzing the [[Legendisc]]s. Optimus contacted both teams in their newly built bases and let them know of the Legendiscs' number, locations, and their ability to travel through time. He tasked [[Isami Tatewaki]] and [[Tobio Fūma]] with acquiring the Legendiscs and protecting Earth at all costs. {{Storylink|Pursue! The Legendiscs!}} {{storylink|Discover! The Legendiscs!}} He later warned the Samurai teams that it was only a matter of time before Dragotron awoke, and they needed to find all the Legendiscs. {{storylink|The Invincible Swordsman - Ryōma Sakamoto!?}}

When he detected Dragotron's awakening, he was spurred to adopt a new body with dragon and train alternate modes, and as '''Optimus Exprime''', head to Earth to help the Swordbots in battle against the Predacon leader. {{storylink|Depart! Optimus Exprime!}} {{storylink|Enter! The New Warrior!}} Even with him as added reinforcements, Dragotron proved too much for him. When the Predacon abducted Tobio Fūma and Isami Tatewaki, the young humans who had been helping the Swordbots, Optimus and the Swordbot teams pursued him to [[Mount Fuji]], only to find he had absorbed the boys and the Legendiscs, gaining the power to Cyberform the mountain. Though the two boys manage to resist and escape the Predacon, the power of the Legendisc and the Four Oni which Dragotron also absorbed meant Optimus and the Swordbots had no chance of beating him.

Until, that is, it turned out that Tobio and Isami had duplicated the power of the Legendiscs through their [[burning spirit]], empowering Optimus to combine with [[Kenzan]] and [[Gekisoumaru]]. The Autobots' new combined form was powerful enough to take down Dragotron and use the Legendiscs to once again seal the Predacons away. The de-combined Autobots promised that if the Predacons ever returned, they would be there to again defend the Earth. {{storylink|Final Battle! Link-Up Triple Combination DaiKenzan!}} {{storylink|Final Battle! Link-Up Triple Combination DaiGekisou!}}

{{note|The Samurai and Shinobi ''Go!'' series have near-identical finales, with differences such as Kenzan forming the top of the Optimus combiner in the Samurai Chapter and Gekisoumaru forming the top in the Shinobi Chapter. A generalized retelling of events is presented here for simplicity's sake.}}

===Full of Fire!===
[[File:FullOfFire Optimus Prime.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|I'm [[Batman]].]]
Optimus joined Ratchet, Bumblebee and Bulkhead who were testing new Beast Hunters weapons in a [[New Mexico]] desert. When they were attacked by Predacons, Optimus took the opportunity to test out his [[Firebreath Cyclocannons|Dragon Cannons]], and successfully countered Predaking's flame. But as the Predacons retreated, Optimus told the others he believed this was just a test so the Predacons would know the Autobots' comparative strength. {{storylink|Full of Fire!}}

===''Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe''===
Once known as Orion Pax, Optimus is now inspirational leader and friend to the Autobots under his command. He carries within him the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. {{storylink|Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe|The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe}}

{{--}}

===2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Peter Cullen]] (English), [[Taitem Kusunoki]] (Japanese)|[[Alexander Kovriznyh]] (Russian), [[Seung-uk Jeong]], [[Ki-hyeon Kim]] (Korean), [[Erwin Grunspan]] (French), [[Robert Dubois]] (French, ''Moon Breaker''), [[Klaus-Dieter Klebsch]] (German), [[Blas Garcia]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Marco Balzarotti]] (Italian), [[César Marchetti]] (Brazilian Portuguese)}}

During the great war, Optimus led an operation to capture the Decepticon spy [[Overload (RID)|Overload]]. {{storylink|Overloaded, Part 1}}

Before [[Predacons Rising (Prime)|he could join with the Allspark]], Optimus was saved from death by the Primes, {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}} and brought to the [[Realm of the Primes]]. {{storylink|Out of Focus}} Some years after Cybertron's rebirth, a statue of Optimus was constructed in his honor, and he also had a bust of his head in the [[Cybertron History Museum]]. {{storylink|Pilot (Part 1)}} However, when the new [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] came to power, Optimus Prime was blamed for the destruction of the planet caused by the war {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}} and, along with his [[Team Prime|team]], the [[Rescue Bot]]s, and countless other Autobots that supported him, Optimus was blacklisted by the council. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy (RID)|Enemy of My Enemy}}

[[File:OPS1EP01.jpeg|thumb|left|250px|I still exist.]]
One day, while Bumblebee and [[Strongarm (RID)|Strongarm]] were chasing down [[Sideswipe (RID)|Sideswipe]], Optimus appeared to Bumblebee in a vision in an [[Energon]] pool pointing to a map of Earth inscribed at the nearby [[Cybertron History Museum]]. He later appeared again to Bumblebee, directing him to a decommissioned Space Bridge with Earth's coordinates already programmed in. {{storylink|Pilot (Part 1)}} When Bumblebee and his makeshift crew cornered the Decepticon [[Underbite]], they were forced to fall back after Underbite unwittingly took a hostage in the form of [[Denny Clay]]. Before Underbite could devour the truck that Denny was trapped in, Optimus Prime manifested himself to the entire group, then easily trounced the Decepticon and rescued Denny. After complimenting Bumblebee's team, Optimus admitted he wasn't sure whether he was alive or not, nor what fate had in store for him, and then disappeared. {{storylink|Pilot (Part 2)}}
[[File:RID2015Optimusreturns.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|He's gonna die and come back here too. I give it a week.]]
Bumblebee continued to worry about his inability to control his troops when compared to Optimus's own command style, and tried calling upon him for guidance- to no avail. Bumblebee later tried to emulate Optimus's authoritative leadership approach while his team tracked down the Decepticon [[Terrashock]], which failed to impress anyone. Eventually, Optimus appeared to Bumblebee in another vision, though Prime disappeared before he could clarify his statement that Bumblebee was not him. {{storylink|W.W.O.D.?}} [[Russell Clay]] bluffed a mind-controlled Grimlock into thinking Optimus Prime was about to turn up, resulting in Grimlock fleeing. {{storylink|True Colors}}

[[File:OptimusOutOfFocus.jpeg|thumb|left|250px|"Say Cheese!"]]
Optimus began training with the other Primes in the [[Realm of the Primes]], who began testing him in preparation for a new mission on Earth. In one such test, [[Micronus Prime|Micronus]] served as Optimus Prime's mentor, and Micronus challenged Optimus to climb a hill. At the same time, Micronus also manifested a group of humans and a threatening robot to attack them. Optimus tried to defend the humans and begged Micronus to help, although Micronus declined. Eventually, Optimus realized that he needed to climb the hill first, which would activate his [[Prime Decepticon Hunter]] and allow him to defeat the robot. At the end of the test, Micronus revealed that the humans were merely illusions, and the Minicon congratulated Optimus for his accomplishments. {{storylink|Out of Focus}}

When suffering nightmares as the result of [[Nightstrike]]'s abilities, Bumblebee saw Optimus Prime being disappointed in him. {{storylink|Even Robots Have Nightmares}} The real Optimus made a brief appearance to Bumblebee to warn him of an evil soon to appear. {{storylink|The Trouble with Fixit}}

[[File:Battlegrounds1 Optimus has arrived.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Guess who's back. Back again.]]
Optimus continued his training in the Realm of the Primes with Micronus but still wasn't meeting the skill level Micronus expected of him, to make matters worse the realm was shrouded in darkness which signaled that the threat he was training for was finally about to arrive and he was not ready. Regardless Micronus took Optimus to the ones who ordered his training, the [[Thirteen|Primes]], and Optimus was able to persuade them to allow him some of their power. Reformatted into a new body, he was sent to Earth, arriving in time to save Denny, Russell and Fixit from [[Fracture (RID)|Fracture]]. Informed of events, he headed to the [[Crown City Colossus]] when he tried to destroy the gateway [[Steeljaw (RID)|Steeljaw]]'s team had constructed, however he was too late to prevent [[The Fallen|Megatronus]]'s arrival on Earth. {{storylink|Battlegrounds, Part 1}}

[[File:Battlegrounds2 Optimus and Megatronus fight.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Prime is back. Tell a friend.]]
Optimus engaged Megatronus but the latter's nearly invincible armor and even telekinesis left him at a disadvantage. A blow from Megatronus left Optimus unconscious, and he Optimus eventually came around to see Megatronus using a [[spark fuser]] to attempt to combine the AllSpark with what remained of the Anti-Spark from Earth's core. Optimus returned to battle with Megatronus until Bumblebee tried to get him to move Megatronus in front of the statue. As the AllSpark neared them, Optimus destroyed Megatronus's spark fuser and, with Grimlock's help, got Megatronus into position so the others could drop the statue's arm on him. Following Megatronus's defeat, Optimus intended to leave Earth, but Bumblebee persuaded him otherwise; Optimus agreed to stay but as Bumblebee's equal rather than his leader. {{storylink|Battlegrounds, Part 2}}

[[File:TRID E 28 Optimus Prime Polar Stealth.jpg|thumb|right|250px|I just got done racing a polar bear down a mountain. Stepped on some weird orange bandicoot or something on the way, though.]]
Optimus spent several weeks in the scrapyard, recounting war stories to Strongarm to pass the downtime. The Primes reclaimed the additional power which they had bestowed upon Optimus, leaving him in a severely weakened state. Despite this, Optimus insisted on joining the "away team" Bumblebee assigned to hunt Decepticons far from the scrapyard. When going on a mission to the Arctic, Optimus's changed biology caused the GroundBridge to explode after he passed through it. Optimus and his team started tracking a Decepticon hiding on a mountain, but Optimus continued to have trouble, and was knocked off the patch by a chunk of ice. {{storylink|Overloaded, Part 1}} After his rescue by his teammates, Optimus taught the others a trick he'd learned from the Primes, allowing them all to take on the color scheme of a vehicle they scanned. He was also able to come up with a plan on the fly that enabled them to capture [[Polarclaw]] by luring him underwater, and they took the Decepticon to be safely stored away. {{storylink|Overloaded, Part 2}}

[[File:TRID E 31 Optimus Prime Desert Stealth.jpg|thumb|left|250px|What happened to you? I joined the Army.]]
Though he was still weakened, Optimus and his team went hunting a Decepticon in the desert. Optimus became aware that the Decepticons they were hunting were preying on the weakest, and so feigned being more injured than he was so that he could take [[Razorpaw]] unawares. Noting that Prime was apparently performing poorly in the field, Windblade began acting overly protective towards him, leading to her getting injured. When the Autobots wound up facing up against Razorpaw and his Mini-Con accomplices, Windblade became their opponents' primary target, yet still interfered with Optimus's attacks so that she could keep him out of harm's way. Prime pretended to be completely disabled during the battle so that the Decepticons' attentions would shift back to him, and managed to defeat all three of the Decepticons in quick succession. He then tasked himself with freeing Sideswipe, Drift, and the Mini-Cons, who had gotten trapped by the enemy during the fight... though Drift told him to take his time, as Sideswipe's blabbermouth had gotten covered up in the process. {{storylink|Cover Me}}

When [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] escaped the [[Shadowzone (dimension)|Shadowzone]], Fixit tried to contact Optimus and the away team, but received no reply. {{storylink|Portals}} Investigating possible interference with one of Windblade's caches, Optimus's team found themselves up against [[Stockade (RID)|Stockade]] and his army of Mini-Cons. Optimus and Windblade were temporarily trapped in a bunker, but escaped with Sideswipe's help in time to take down the Decepticon. They subsequently GroundBridged back to the scrapyard with their new captives. {{storylink|Graduation Exercises}}

[[File:OPS2EP12.jpeg|thumb|lright|250px|I'm combat ready!]]
Once both teams were reunited, Optimus found himself increasingly questioning Bumblebee's orders and felt under the circumstances that he should take the lead. After a chance encounter reunited them with Ratchet, the Autobot medic tried to discuss the situation Optimus found himself with his former scout, only for Optimus to dodge the conversation. Soon after, the Autobots got help in the form of the Mini-Con [[Toolbox]], recent escapee from "Decepticon Island." The Autobots used a ruse to infiltrate the crash of the ''Alchemor,'' being used as a base by a group of Decepticons. Unfortunately, Optimus second guessed Bumblebee's leadership at a crucial stage of their infiltration; whereas Bumblebee wanted to press on to plant a stasis bomb as quickly as possible to disable their enemies, Optimus felt that they should instead pause to rescue several Mini-Cons being kept as slave. The Autobots were stalled while Optimus and Bumblebee argued, and were found out by the Decepticons. Steeljaw was alerted to the security breach, and Optimus and his team soon found themselves completely surrounded by the enemy. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}} [[File:OPS2EP15.jpeg|thumb|left|250px|It's only been two episodes...]] Optimus and Bumblebee began to agree once more, with Optimus wanting to willingly be taken prisoner to prepare a counter-strike. Windblade took the choice out of their hands by flying up and acting as a distraction, allowing the rest of the team to make a break for it and split up. Optimus accompanied Bumblebee and Toolbox to attach a [[cryo-gas]] bomb to the ship's ventilation hub. They were able to work out their leadership issues on the way and, after a fight with a [[Decepticon Hunter]] empowered Steeljaw, succeeded in freezing the Decepticons on the ship. With the Decepticon threat on Earth dealt with, Optimus announced he intended to return to Cybertron on the repaired ''Alchemor'' and investigate the new government there. He said his goodbyes to Bumblebee, telling him that he could always call on him should the need arise. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 2)}}

[[File:TRID E 43 Optimus Prime Signaute Red & Blue.jpg|thumb|right|250px|This better be an emergency...]]
The need arose and Bumblebee called Optimus to inform him about the new threat. Sporting a new paint job, Optimus told Bumblebee that he did the right thing by calling him and that he would be there soon. {{storylink|Strongarm's Big Score}} He eventually turned up in [[Prime Force One|a ship]] {{storylink|Mighty Big Trouble}} and found that Bumblebee had been abducted by [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] along with the team's Mini-Cons. Optimus had the team split up to search and they found the seven Mini-Cons Starscream was hunting. As their leader, Aerobolt, recognized Optimus, the two groups joined forces, only to come up against a group of [[Scavengers (RID)|Scavengers]] who managed to get the better of the Optimus's group. {{storylink|Mini-Con Madness (RID)|Mini-Con Madness}}

[[File:TRID E 45 Optimus Prime Aerobolt Power Surge.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Oh sun, source of all life and energy, give me greater strength.]]
Despite the capture of the Mini-Cons by Starscream, Optimus's team was able to overcome the Scavengers and track down Starscream's ship. After Starscream merged with the Mini-Cons, Optimus linked with Aerobolt and gained enough power to go toe-to-toe with the super-powered Decepticon. Optimus then loaded the comatose Starscream, his bounty hunters, and the Scavengers onto his ship to take them back with him. {{storylink|Worthy}}

[[File:OPS3EP5.jpeg|thumb|right|250px|Have you tried turning it off and on again?]]
Bumblebee contacted Optimus to see if he knew anything about the odd sphere they'd found. Optimus thought it looked like the [[Sphere of Doradus]], something he believed was a myth. {{storylink|Sphere of Influence}}

Having gained enough information to know the council were up to something, Optimus returned to Earth to recruit Drift. As Drift was unwilling to leave the Bee Team until the conclusion of their current mission, Optimus opted to join them on a trip to the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. He and Fixit separated from the rest of the team to deal with a weapon-laden satellite which had been knock out of its orbit during their space battle with the Stunticons, and the pair were forced to disable its heat shield so it would explode before it hit anything on the ground. They rejoined the rest of the team to find that the Stunticons had been defeated, so Optimus and Drift took the Decepticons with them. {{storylink|Moon Breaker}}

[[File:CollateralDamageOptimusAndHiTest.jpeg|thumb|left|250px|Optimus gets hit by lightning a lot.]]
Ratchet's detection of Shadowzone readings again sent Optimus to Earth, this time by space bridge. Optimus and the Bee Team soon discovered that Soundwave was back and planning to try and contact Megatron, using a [[trans-galactic beacon generator]] which would also irradiate Earth as a side effect. Optimus ended up tangling with [[Laserbeak (WFC)|Laserbeak]] and, with the help of a power-up from [[Hi-Test (RID)|Hi-Test]], managed to defeat the Mini-Con. He later returned the defeated Soundwave and Laserbeak to Cybertron. {{storylink|Collateral Damage}} With more information gathered on the council, Optimus ordered [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] to head to Earth. {{storylink|Sick as a Bot}}

[[File:OptimusPrimeFreedomFighters.jpeg|thumb|right|250px|"[[Mark Hamill|See you around, kid]]."]]
Intel gathered by Drift pointed Optimus to the conclusion that the council were mind-controlling the population of Cybertron. He and the team he had gathered traveled to Earth to enlist the help of Bumblebee's team—as Optimus's group were too well known on Cybertron, they would defend Earth while 'Bee's team exposed the council. Optimus and his team soon discovered council forces stealing tech from a warehouse that could be used to build a space bridge receiver, however before they could act on this, a bomb left in the warehouse exploded. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy (RID)|Enemy of My Enemy}} The team fortunately survived thanks to Ratchet's [[Triage Shield]] and tracked the council forces to the [[Crown City]] docks. Though they failed to prevent the council forces from opening a space bridge portal, Optimus was able to throw the receiver into the portal, causing a feedback loop that destroyed the space bridge.

Optimus and his team returned to Cybertron where Bumblebee's team had exposed the council as Decepticons. Optimus turned down the opportunity to be leader of the planet, opting to take a break for a while and instead appointing the other members of his team as a provisional council. {{storylink|Freedom Fighters}}

===Legends World===
[[File:LegendsBizTrip5 TFs of today.jpg|thumb|right]]

During [[Rhinox (BW)#Legends World|Tankor]]'s battle to revert the world back to how it was in the '80s, [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] attempted to stop him by singing the praises of modern-day Transformers such as Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 5|Bonus Edition Vol. 5}} Rattrap later had a dream in which he met Optimus Prime in the form of his [[Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys#TAV21|latest toy]]. Prime explained that he could play 200 different sounds and phrases, including the names of everyone in Bumblebee's team, though doing so dried out his throat and forced him to have a glass of water. He went on to show off his truck mode, get surprised yet intrigued by a third "base mode" Rattrap invented for him, and dance with the other Autobots to "[[Try☆Transformers Adventure↑↑↑]]". {{storylink|TAV21 Optimus Prime Now on Sale!}}

===2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' books===
As Bumblebee looked into the sea while at the docks, Optimus Prime momentarily appeared to give him an inspirational speech. After his team captured [[Slink]] and her gang, Optimus appeared briefly to give Bumblebee a proud smile. {{storylink|Sideswipe Versus Thunderhoof}}

During his training, Optimus found that the challenges were getting harder and harder, but hid some of the damage he sustained for fear it would impact his chances of returning to Earth. When it became obvious that Micronus was not behind the raising intensity, the pair investigated further. They determined that [[Liege Maximo]] was behind the trickery, and once Optimus was able to dismiss the apparitions of Bumblebee's team conjured by the rogue Prime, he and Micronus were able to overcome the foe. Optimus was then allowed to communicate with Bumblebee and gave his former scout some words of encouragement. {{storylink|The Trials of Optimus Prime}}

Optimus was at a disadvantage while hunting [[Shocksprocket]], being too big to use the trees to avoid the electrified ground. Likewise when the away team headed to [[Chomolungma|Mount Everest]] to hunt [[Abominus (RID)|Abominus]], Optimus's bulk did not do him any favors coping with an avalanche. He and the rest of the team fell afoul of one of Abominus's boobytraps, resulting in the Decepticon capturing them until Slipstream came to their rescue and the team was able to turn the tables on Abominus. {{storylink|Autobot World Tour}}

===IDW ''Robots in Disguise'' comic===
[[File:IDWRID5 Optimus Prime.jpg|thumb|280px|right|"I regret now I have the power of the Primes, I am unable to give a straight answer to any question you may pose."]]
While struggling to get his team to work together, Bumblebee recalled happier times under Optimus's leadership. {{storylink|Robots in Disguise issue 1|Robots in Disguise #1}} Optimus later appeared to Bumblebee in a vision to tell him to trust his instincts about the visit by Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|Robots in Disguise issue 2|Robots in Disguise #2}}

After joining Team Bee following the defeat of Megatronus, Optimus received a directive from the Primes which sent him with Windblade to the [[Sierra Ridge]] mountains. {{storylink|Robots in Disguise issue 5|Robots in Disguise #5}} The pair searched various caves until they stumbled on Predaking. The Predacon escaped, but left behind a piece of Starscream. Optimus and Windblade took the arm back with them and were able to use it to convince some Vehicons who'd teamed up with Steeljaw that Starscream was dead and the Decepticon army defeated. Though Optimus offered to allow the Vehicons to peacefully return to Cybertron, they turned down his offer and went back into hiding. {{storylink|Robots in Disguise issue 6|Robots in Disguise #6}}

===''Rescue Bots Academy'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Jake Foushee]], [[Hiro Diaz]] (Eps 1-2 only) (English)|[[Erwin Grunspan]] (French), [[Victor Covarrubias]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[Marco Balzarotti]] (Italian)}}
[[File:RBA - Recruits Part 1 - Recruitment Pitch.jpg|left|thumb|300px|"Keep your pants dry, your dreams wet, and remember, hugs not drugs."]]
Though [[Wedge (RBA)|Wedge]] was created as a Decepticon, Optimus found him and successfully encouraged him to become an Autobot. {{storylink|More Than Meets The Eye (RBA)|More Than Meets The Eye}} Looking for new recruits for the Rescue Bots, Optimus Prime approached [[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] while the young bot was playing [[Cube (sport)|Cube]]. Hot Shot agreed, so Optimus accompanied him on a space bridge journey to Earth and left him at the Rescue Bot Training Center. {{storylink|Recruits Part I}} Optimus later returned to find Hot Shot on the verge of giving up. Though he said Hot Shot was free to give up and return to Cybertron, he first presented the recruit with an ancient Cybertronian relic, the [[Mul-T-Cog|Mul-T-Cog Badge]], which gave Hot Shot the confidence to stick with training for a while longer. {{storylink|Recruits Part II}}

After calling Heatwave for a mission, Prime was invited to see the new recruitment video [[Whirl (RBA)|Whirl]] made, and gave her some advice when she came depressed with the results. Luckily, her fellow recruits made a miracle out of her footage, and an amused Optimus saw them off to complete the film.{{storylink|Rescue Promo}} Optimus was among the bots featured on the [[Heroes of Cybertron (cards)|Heroes of Cybertron]] trading cards which Wedge owned. {{storylink|Battle of the Bots}}

On the eve of the recruits' graduation from year one, Optimus paid them a visit and brought Hot Shot's old friend [[Scorch (RBA)|Scorch]] along. {{storylink|Best Bots Forever Part 1}} Optimus was later disappointed to learn that Hot Shot had abandoned his Rescue Bot training, and went to return to Cybertron to retrieve the Mul-T-Cog so it could be presented to another student. The space bridge malfunctioned as a result of tampering by the recruits, trapping Optimus and the other teachers in a slowly-expanding energon bubble until the recruits were able to free them. Optimus later attended the recruits' graduation. {{storylink|Best Bots Forever Part 2}}

Optimus paid the academy a visit at the start of year two, bringing [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] with him to get the students matched with appropriate mentors. {{storylink|Back to School}} After the [[Sparksayer]] was recovered, Optimus approved the students to be the first to make use of its power. {{storylink|Power Up And Energize}} Optimus contacted Heatwave regarding the fact that Hot Shot had still not mastered use of his Mul-T-Cog enough to be able to use more than one form in a day. He later congratulated Hot Shot when the young Bot finally succeeded. {{storylink|Mul-T-Change of Pace}} Optimus visited the academy to give the recruits their reviews. {{storylink|Wizard Of Botz}}

Optimus attended a party on [[Citadel Secundus]] to celebrate the end of the recruits' second year, and was rendered out-cold along with almost everyone else on board when the Titan was struck by an asteroid which created an anti-energon field. {{storylink|Space Party}} Wedge tried unsuccessfully to revive him with a shield emitter which turned out not to be powerful enough given Optimus's size. Those aboard Secundus were eventually revived after the danger was over, and Optimus presented the year two graduation, during which he invited the recruits friends to become a new class, even making Laserbeak an Autobot in the process. {{storylink|Crash Of The Titan}}
{{--}}

===Precursor World===
[[File:Adventure Optimus Prime Selects.jpg|thumb|left|80px]]
A [[Primus Vanguard|Warrior of the Seven Lights]] resembling a scintillating Optimus Prime was a member of the [[Red Order]] of the [[Primus Vanguard]]. He cheered on [[Yokohama Convoy|the Order's dimunitive cannoneer]] when their commander [[Sentinel Prime (G1)#Precursor World|Red Sentinel Prime]] bade him fire the Order's holy [[Matrix Buster]] at the marauding [[G1 World|interdimensional]] [[Seacon (BW)|pirate]] [[Terrormander]] in defense of the [[Red Planet]]. {{storylink|God Neptune comic 1}}
{{-}}

==Commercial appearances==

{{voiceactor|[[Peter Cullen]]}}

*Bulkhead received a phone call from {{w|Strawberry Shortcake}}, juvenile provider of baked goods, inviting him to the Berryfest Princess Parade in which he would be extremely glittered. When Optimus asked who the caller was, Bulkhead stated that it was for Optimus. {{storylink|Commercial/Prime#Strawberry Shortcake|Strawberry Shortcake and Bulkhead}}

*Optimus was weirded out by [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]], [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]], [[My Little Pony|ponies]], and an {{w|Strawberry Shortcake|underage baker}} singing Christmas carols. {{storylink|Commercial/Prime#Carolers1|The Hub Carolers}}

*Optimus participated in a conference call with Fowler, who informed the Autobots that [[Batman]] was to backup the team for a mission. {{storylink|Commercial/Prime#Impossibly Awesome|Mission: Impossibly Awesome Marathon}}

*Optimus received some new secret weapons from Ratchet, and then proceeded to use his shoulder-mounted guns to mow down some Vehicons. {{storylink|Commercial/Prime#Weaponizers|Weaponizers commercial}}

*Optimus was lifted by an ant who had engaged in a proper nutrition regiment, yet eats Happy Meals. {{storylink|Commercial/Prime#Happy Meal|McDonald's Happy Meal}}

*Optimus, Bumblebee, [[Boulder]], and Predaking attended a pool party with various entities from other universes. {{storylink|Commercial/Prime#Pool Party|Hub Network Summer Pool Party}}

*Toy versions of Optimus and Bumblebee came to life to duke it out against toy versions of Predaking and [[Lazerback (Prime)|Lazerback]] in a child's room. Bumblebee and Optimus came out victorious, and bumped fists while their restrained opponents dangled beneath them. {{storylink|Commercial/Prime#Beast Hunters toys|Beast Hunters toys commercial}}

*Optimus, [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]], [[Chase (RB)|Chase]], [[Blades (RB)|Blades]], and [[Boulder]] rushed out of [[Fire Station Prime]] in response to a nearby fire. They watched Heatwave put out the blaze, then all posed heroically in a v-formation. {{storylink|Commercial#Rescue Bots|Rescue Bots toys commercial}}

*Optimus and Bumblebee and the Rescue Bots responded to a fire emergency. Once on-scene, Optimus energized his saw weapon to better deal with the situation. {{storylink|Commercial#Rescue Bots|Energize figures commercial}}

*A child playing with the "Optimus Primal" Rescue Bots toy was turned into an animated version of himself and met with the Rescue Bots! He directed Optimus into rescuing Chase, who had been pinned under a boulder. {{storylink|Commercial#Rescue Bots|Rescue Bots Optimus Primal toy commercial}}

*Optimus came upon [[Fracture (RID)|Fracture]] and his two Mini-Cons in a parking lot. Though Fracture believe nothing could stop him, Optimus proved him wrong by first ramming the two smaller 'bots, then clobbering their boss in the jaw. {{storylink|Commercial#Robots in Disguise (2015)|Robots in Disguise Mega Optimus Prime toy commercial}}

*At a [[Toys"R"Us]] somewhere in a [[Quadwal]] universe, sentient versions of toy baby {{w|Baby Alive|Snackin' Sara}} and [[Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys#Robots in Disguise|toy Optimus]] have a discussion involving the store's Price Match guarantee that concludes with toy Optimus getting distraught at the existence of an entire shelf with clones of himself. {{storylink|Commercial#2015 2|Toys"R"Us Commercial}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)===
{{voiceactor|[[Peter Cullen]] (English)|[[Marco Balzarotti]] (Italian), [[Patrice Melennec]] (French), [[Andrei Yaroslavtsev]] (Russian), [[Alfredo Martínez]] (Spain-Spanish), [[Piotr Dobosz]] (Polish)}}

[[File:WFC-OptimusPrimeconcept.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Steroids are the right of all sentient beings.]]
In the waning days of the war for Cybertron, Optimus spotted a little yellow Autobot in trouble, and defeated the surrounding drone forces. [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] arrived on the scene, and Optimus helped up the Autobot scout, who revealed his name was [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]]. Bumblebee informed Optimus that the Decepticons had taken control of communication relays, so that the only way to contact Optimus was by messenger. He also informed Optimus that their leader, [[Sentinel Zeta Prime]], was dead. Optimus suspected [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]'s hand, and was informed by Bumblebee that the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] had gone into hiding because of this. Optimus believed that the Council would emerge during a safer time, and formed a team with Bumblebee and Ratchet.

They drove to the [[Decagon]], where they found [[Ironhide (WFC)|Ironhide]] battling the forces of [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]]. After assisting him in defeating Starscream's army, they confronted Starscream himself within the Decagon. After the trio combated and drove off Starscream, a hologram of Zeta Prime's face appeared in the center of the room, stating that he is being held in the Kaon prison complex. Optimus took Bumblebee and Sideswipe to the Kaon prison, allowing themselves to be captured so that they could infiltrate the facility. The Decepticons prepared to execute them, but [[Air Raid (WFC)|Air Raid]] lent a hand so they could escape, though he himself was captured. While sneaking through the corridors, the three managed to free Air Raid, [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]], and others. They continued through the hallways, and finally located the room where Zeta is being held, only to face [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]]. The Decepticon cowered behind a force field, sending [[Frenzy (WFC)|Frenzy]], [[Rumble (WFC)|Rumble]], and [[Laserbeak (WFC)|Laserbeak]] out to fight for him, only venturing out to administer needed repairs to his minions. As Soundwave's energy became low, he attempted to drain Zeta Prime, only to be interrupted by Optimus, who took a shot meant for Zeta. Though Soundwave and his minions retreated, the damage was done, and Zeta Prime died before Optimus could free him.

Optimus brought Zeta's corpse to the site of the hiding High Council, where he lay the dead body in the center of the room. Optimus stated that the Autobots craved their guidance, but the Council stated that their mission was to choose the Primes, not to lead them. They then told him that Optimus himself is a Prime, and that he had changed the lives around him. Optimus was then told that Megatron had corrupted the core of Cybertron, and that he was the one that could remove this blight. He took this burden and responsibility, then was told by the Council that he was now Optimus ''Prime'', the last Prime.

[[File:WFC-OptimusPrimeAltmode.jpg|left|thumb||Welcome to the ''Twilight Zone'' Prime.]]
For a new mission, Optimus selected Ironhide and [[Warpath (WFC)|Warpath]], and the team ventured to the entrance of the core, where a corrupted [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]] was being tortured. After a prolonged battle, the Autobots defeated the torturers and freed Omega Supreme from the Dark Energon influence. Omega Supreme escaped, and the Autobots found some [[space slug]]s to use as steeds. One long journey later, they reached the core and defeated a corrupted slug. Unfortunately the core itself had become contaminated, and informed Optimus as much. The only solution was for the core to reboot, which would take millions of years, during which the planet would be unusable, and Optimus realized that the Autobots would have to leave their home. Before shutting down, the core revealed the [[Matrix of Leadership]], which it installed inside Optimus Prime's chest.

Optimus arrived back at Iacon, where he ordered all Autobots to evacuate the planet. Megatron announced that everyone must stay or face destruction, and fired a massive cannon installed in the Dark Energon space station. Optimus Prime ordered his Air Commander [[Silverbolt (WFC)|Silverbolt]] to shut down the cannon with his team. They succeeded, and the station crashed into Iacon. Optimus, Bumblebee, and Ironhide discovered that the "space station" wasn't a space station at all: it was the giant Decepticon, [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]]. They managed to defeat the heavily armed menace, who plunged into a pool of energon. The Autobots celebrated their victory, but noticed that ''they'' have to evacuate as well. Optimus revealed a massive starship they would use called the [[Ark (WFC)|Ark]], a ship still under construction that would allow them to take a part of Cybertron with them across the galaxy. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (DS)===
{{voiceactor|[[Peter Cullen]] (English)}}
[[File:WFCDS Optimus Prime.jpg|thumb|124px|Origamimus Prime]]
Optimus was a dock worker who found himself caught up in the war against the Decepticons. With the Decepticons on the hunt for the Omega Key, Zeta Prime sent Optimus and his team to protect the library, knowing he could count on his old friend. When Zeta Prime was later captured by the Decepticons, he attempted to contact Optimus. The data links keeping him in contact with the Autobots were severed, so Bumblebee tracked down Optimus at an Autobot base. Optimus subsequently rescued an [[Autobot rookie]] from Starscream, chasing the Decepticon off before joining up with Jetfire and destroying other intruders at the base. Optimus was felled by a [[laser guard]], but revived with the help of Jetfire and Bumblebee. They completed clearing the base by defeating [[Dirge (WFC)|Dirge]], and Optimus announced that the next step was to retake Iacon.

He and his team entered Decepticon-occupied Iacon and destroyed the Dark Energon corruptors, allowing them to get the Decagon's defense systems back online. While they waited for Zeta Prime to make contact again, Optimus reminded Bumblebee that they couldn't let Megatron win just by giving up. Zeta let them know that he was being held in Kaon Prison, and Optimus's team infiltrated the prison in search of him. After an encounter with [[Onslaught (WFC)|Onslaught]], they ran into Megatron himself, who set more Decepticons on them. When they eventually found Zeta Prime, their leader expired. Optimus returned his body to the High Council, who appointed Optimus the new Prime.

Optimus Prime attempted to solicit [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]]'s help. Grimlock challenged him to a fight to decide whether to join up, but [[Swoop (WFC)|Swoop]]'s capture by Decepticons sent the Autobots off on a rescue mission instead. The Autobots tracked Swoop down to a Dark Energon laboratory on the outskirts of Iacon and freed him from Dark Energon contamination. Swoop's services were subsequently offered to the Autobots by Grimlock, who said he'd follow along to protect Swoop. Analysis of core samples by Jetfire and Ratchet indicated that they would need to disable to corrupters preventing it from repairing itself. To this end, Optimus's team traveled to the core and freed it after defeating [[Brawl (WFC)|Brawl]].

Realising that the core needed time to repair itself, Optimus ordered the Autobots to evacuate the planet in Arks. He and his team ascended the space bridge to attack the Trypticon space station and take out its main power core. They escaped during the station's plunge towards Cybertron, but as it fell, it transformed. Optimus rallied his men against this new threat, leading the way to the crash site, where the Autobots confronted Trypticon. After the titan's downfall, Optimus and his men left Cybertron in search of a new source of energy. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)|War for Cybertron - Autobots/Decepticons}}

===''Transformers: Cybertron Adventures''===
{{voiceactor|[[Peter Cullen]] (English)|[[Marco Balzarotti]] (Italian)}}

Optimus Prime coordinated many of the Autobot campaigns during the war. He dispatched Ironhide and Bumblebee to retrieve a datacore of information about Trypticon from Kaon. He later coordinated the evac measures for Cybertron, personally guarding a supply convoy while Bumblebee ran point and ensuring the safe launch of an airlift while the Aerialbots prevented Seekers from taking potshots at it. He also sent the Aerialbots up to Trypticon Station itself when its orbital weapon systems began annihilating the Autobot ranks.

When Trypticon itself fell to Cybertron after the Aerialbot assault, it transformed into a tremendous warbot, and Optimus Prime raced out to meet it. Bumblebee and Ironhide accompanied Prime to the blast site, fighting through numerous Decepticon embankments to reach the monster. Trypticon himself proved to be an implaccable foe, and Optimus coordinated both ground-based flanking attacks and strafing runs by the Aerialbots. Eventually, the mighty menace went down, and Prime saluted Trypticon on his way to extinction. {{storylink|Transformers: Cybertron Adventures}}

===''Transformers: Fall of Cybertron''===
{{voiceactor|[[Peter Cullen]] (English)}}
[[File:FOC-GameInformerPrimeBumblebee.jpg|thumb|"No, not in the chest, you guys! The throat! The throat!"]]
As the Ark neared completion, Optimus was alerted to the fact that [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]]'s team had deserted their post and the Decepticons were consequently attacking with giant [[Warp Cannon]]s. He made haste back to Autobot City where he sent [[Sideswipe (WFC)|Sideswipe]], [[Jazz (WFC)|Jazz]], and [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]] off in search of the [[Lightning Strike Coalition]] before joining [[Warpath (WFC)|Warpath]] in fending off the Decepticons attacking the nerve center. When it turned out they didn't have enough energon for the defences, Optimus and [[Perceptor (Prime)|Perceptor]] decided to divert some of the energon from Ark. With Perceptor's help, Optimus got an old artillery piece working and reached the [[neutron cannon]] which he used to take out some of the attackers before running out of energon. At that point he was drawn to the city core, where he managed to awaken [[Metroplex (FOC)|Metroplex]]. Optimus guided the giant in destroying the Warp Cannons, but the last of them felled Metroplex, forcing Optimus to go inside it himself.

[[File:FOC-OptimusPrimetruckart.jpg|left|thumb||"WFC Optimus will be so jealous!"]]
He didn't get very far before encountering [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] and the [[Combaticon (WFC)|Combaticons]] who took him prisoner. Dragged before Megatron, Optimus was only saved by the timely reactivation of Metroplex. Once Megatron was a messy stain on the ground, Prime strongly recommended Starscream and the others leave. Some time later, Jazz and Cliffjumper reported that they'd found a massive [[energon lake]], and Optimus organized a transport to pick it up. During a Decepticon attack on [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]]'s crash site, Optimus was contacted by Autobots guarding the site who said that Megatron was alive. His request for confirmation was given by none other than Megatron himself, who killed the Autobots who contacted Prime. Recognizing that the Decepticons would only try to retrieve Trypticon's power core if their energon levels were dangerously low, Optimus offered a ceasefire to share what was left, but Megatron rejected his offer, saying that Optimus and the Autobots were responsible for Cybertron's death.

When he was contacted by Grimlock's team who reported [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]'s experiments, Optimus ordered them back to base, only for Grimlock to ignore him. The Ark was eventually launched thanks to a last-minute sacrifice by Metroplex, but didn't get far before the Decepticons caught up in the ''Nemesis'' and attacked it. Optimus headed to the engine room to assist with the defenses there, only to encounter Megatron himself. As the two fought, Bumblebee threw himself in front of a shot meant for Optimus, and the young bot's sacrifice sent an enraged Optimus back into battle against his nemesis. The pair's fight wasn't yet finished when both they and their ships were sucked into the space bridge portal. {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}}

{{note|Optimus Prime also appears in the game's 'Escalation' mode, on the 'Ignition' map. He fights alongside [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]], [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], and [[Warpath (WFC)|Warpath]]. Optimus serves as the team's [[Tank (FOC)|Tank]].}}

===''Transformers Prime: Battle For Energon''===
Optimus sent Bulkhead on multiple missions within a Decepticon Dark Energon Mine, the Nemesis Battle Cruiser and back to Autobot Headquarters after it had been infiltrated by Megatron himself. He would warn Bulkhead before he would face off against a particularly dangerous Decepticon foe. {{storylink|Transformers Prime: Battle For Energon}}

===''Transformers Prime: Terrorcon Defense''===
Optimus Prime helped Arcee in stopping Starscream and his horde of Vehicons from escaping from an abandoned military outpost. Upon Megatron's arrival to the battlefield, he and Arcee defended Autobot headquarters. Though they were victorious, the Autobots swore to remain vigilant, as the future might bring innumerable threats yet!

Optimus Prime could deploy "Cannon Turrets," "Freeze Turrets," and "Missile Turrets" through the Ground Bridge to aid in destroying Vehicons. {{storylink|Transformers Prime: Terrorcon Defense}}

===''Transformers Prime: Decepticon Strike''===
In the aftermath of a devastating Decepticon attack, the Autobots' home base was destroyed and Optimus was left in critical condition. Thankfully, Alpha Trion intervened, healed Optimus and granted him new flight capabilities. With renewed strength and resolved, Optimus fought his way through Megatron's troops until finally squaring off against the Decepticon leader himself. Once he defeated Megatron, Optimus returned to the other Autobots, and together they rebuilt their base in anticipation to the next Decepticon attack. {{storylink|Transformers Prime: Decepticon Strike|Decepticon Strike}}

=== ''Transformers: Prime - The Game''===
[[File:Transformers prime the game optimus.jpg|thumb|left||Drop an' give me fifty. ''Now''.]]
{{voiceactor|[[Peter Cullen]] (English)|[[Patrice Melennec]] (French), [[Alfredo Martínez]] (Castilian Spanish)}}

Optimus Prime and the Autobots detected a massive asteroid of Dark Energon headed towards Earth, and used the GroundBridge to intercept the Decepticons aboard the ''Nemesis'' as they tried to retrieve the asteroid. During the battle, the asteroid broke up and Prime fell to Earth from orbit, and his team was scattered.

Optimus was located by Ratchet via the GroundBridge, where he lay buried beneath Dark Energon debris. The secret of the asteroid was revealed, as a powerful Cybertronian named [[Thunderwing (Prime)|Thunderwing]] emerged, ready to claim the Matrix and destroy it on behalf of his master, Unicron. Optimus and Ratchet evaded the giant's attacks until the ''Nemesis'' intervened. Stray blaster fire sent Optimus through a GroundBridge to his rescue, but Ratchet was inadvertently left behind.

Learning that the Decepticons planned to full repair Thunderwing, Optimus and the Autobots raced to stop the 'Cons from collecting Thunderwing's missing pieces. Optimus and Bulkhead battled Megatron and Starscream for one of the pieces, but Megatron escaped with the prize, leaving Prime buried alive.

Prime rescued himself, and GroundBridged to join the other Autobots in finale battle with the repaired Thunderwing. Optimus Prime succeeded in fending off Megatron and, with the help of one of Ratchet's inventions, defeated Thunderwing as well. {{storylink|Transformers: Prime - The Game}}

===''Transformers Online''===
{{charstubgame}}
{{storylink|Transformers Online}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark''===
{{voiceactor|[[Peter Cullen]] (English)}}
====Console====
{{charstubgame}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (console)|Rise of the Dark Spark}}
====3DS====
{{Charstubgames}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (3DS)|Rise of the Dark Spark}}

===''Transformers Prime: Pulsar Defense''===
When the Decepticons constructed an [[Energon Drain]] in an asteroid field, Optimus had the Autobots counter it by building a [[Pulsar Dish]] from debris, and defended the construction using the Star Saber. {{storylink|Transformers Prime: Pulsar Defense}}
{{-}}

=== ''Transformers Universe'' ===
[[File:Tu-character-art optimus.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|right]]
{{voiceactor|[[Peter Cullen]] (English)}}

During the journey back to Cybertron the ''[[Arclight (ship)|Arclight]]'' was ambushed by the Decepticons. Ultimately the ''Arclight'' was destroyed, but Optimus along with the Autobots escaped the destruction of the ship and took refuge on Earth. Optimus Prime called upon [[General Freeman]] to provide his fellow Autobots with a base of operations and to hide Optimus Prime himself, just as Megatron ordered the Decepticons to search Earth for Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers Universe (Jagex)|Transformers Universe}}
<gallery widths=200px>
File:TFUniverseJagex-Optimus Prime hologram.jpg|This is probably the most you'll ever see of him in-game
File:TFUniverseJagex-OptimusPrimeVehicle.jpg|The Flameless 379. It won't just rock your logistics, it'll transform them.
</gallery>
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' mobile game===
{{note|Due to one update, the original Power Surge Optimus Prime character is removed.}}
<center>
{|class="wikitable" border="5" style="width:65%"
|-
! scope="col" width="30%" | '''Version'''
! style="background: #00CCFF; color: black" scope="col" width="35%" | '''Unlock Cost (Energon)'''
! style="background: #BF00FF; color: white" scope="col" width="35%" | '''Unlock Cost (Ultra Sparks)'''
|-
|Starter
|500
|10
|-
|Pumpkin
|500
|10
|-
|Desert
|500
|10
|-
|Titan Guardian
|1000
|20
|-
|Legion
|1500
|30
|-
|Ultra Magnus
|1500
|30
|-
|Legion Clash
|1500
|30
|-
|Legion Blizzard
|1500
|30
|-
|One-Step
|2000
|40
|-
|One-Step Evolved
|2000
|40
|-
|Titan Hero
|3000
|60
|-
|Warrior
|4000
|80
|-
|Warrior Clash
|4000
|80
|-
|Warrior Blizzard
|4000
|80
|-
|<s>Warrior Power Surge</s>
|<s>4000</s>
|<s>80</s>
|-
|Warrior Power Surge Elite
|4000
|80
|-
|Battlepack
|4000
|80
|-
|Titan Changer
|4000
|80
|-
|Hero
|6000
|120
|-
|Hero Clash
|6000
|120
|-
|Mega
|8000
|140
|-
|Power Surge
|10000
|160
|-
|Combiner
|3800
|75
|}
</center>
<gallery>
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Starter-Pumpkin-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Starter-Desert-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Titan-Guardian-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Legion-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TFRID-Game-Ultra-Magnus.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Legion-Optimus-Prime-(CotT).jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Legion-Optimus-Prime-(Blizzard).jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-One-Step-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-One-Step-(Evolved)-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Titan-Hero-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Warrior-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Warrior-Optimus-Prime-(CotT).jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Warrior-Optimus-Prime-(Blizzard).jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Warrior-Power-Surge-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Warrior-Power-Surge-Optimus-Prime-(Elite).jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Battle-Pack-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Titan-Changer-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Hyperchange-Heroes-3-step-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Hyperchange-Heroes-3-step-Optimus-Prime-(CotT).jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Mega-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Power-Surge-Optimus-Prime.jpg
TF-RID2015-Mobage-Activator-Combiner-Optimus-Prime.jpg
</gallery>
When Crown City was overrun by Decepticons as a result of a stasis pod modified to clone an army, the Autobots were forced to battle them throughout the city and surrounding landscape. They eventually found that Steeljaw and another Decepticon had constructed a [[space bridge]] and defeated the pair. {{storylink|Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|Robots in Disguise}}

===''Transformers Super Mini-Con Striker''===
Optimus Prime was a spectator for a soccer match between Autobots and Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers Super Mini-Con Striker}}

===''Power Up for Battle''===
[[File:RID2015 Power Up for Battle gameplay.jpg|thumb|upright=1.44]]
Optimus Prime engaged in battle against Starscream using a selection of Weaponizer Mini-Cons provided by Bumblebee. {{storylink|Power Up for Battle}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Optimus-Prime-(WFC).jpg|thumb|upright=2.2]]
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Optimus-Prime-(FOC).jpg|thumb|upright=2.2]]
Optimus Prime participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He appeared in multiple different bodies:
*''Optimus Prime (WFC)'' — This Epic character could be recruited by collecting 500 units of Cybermetal, 250 units of Transmetal, and 50 cores of this character.
*''Optimus Prime (FOC)'' — This Epic character could be recruited by collecting 500 units of Cybermetal, 250 units of Transmetal, and 50 cores of this character.
{{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{-}}

===''Splatoon''===
[[Squid Sisters|Callie]] considered herself an Autobot fan, declaring "Optimus Prime for life!" {{storylink|Splatoon}}

==Toys==
{{main|Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys}}

==Merchandise==
{{main|Optimus Prime (WFC)/merchandise}}

==Notes==
[[File:TFPrimeOptimustruck.jpg|thumb||So, it hasn't got [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|flames]]. [[Ruined FOREVER|It's still not a flat nose truck.]]]]
[[File:VectorSigmaBotBuilderOptimusPrime.jpg|thumb||It am [[Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys#BHWeaponizer|BIZARRO OPTIMUS PRIME!]]]]
*''Exodus'' and ''War for Cybertron'' are different interpretations of the same events. One could choose to view them as similar but different timelines within the same continuity to explain their differences on Optimus Prime's pre-Prime name. Although, [[Hasbro]]'s [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/play/details.cfm?guid=7fd5ecd9-19b9-f369-1041-a7635be83172 online timeline]—meant as prequel to ''War for Cybertron''—refers to Optimus's pre-Prime name as "Orion Pax" like ''Exodus''. Furthermore, in [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)|War for Cybertron]]'' comic, [[Alex Irvine]], in adapting scenes from his novel, still keeps the character's name as "Orion Pax", when it is also meant to occur prior the game's events. In ''Fall of Cybertron'', the sequel to ''War for Cybertron'', the name "Orion Pax" is actually even used in that game, so it is entirely possible that, via a slight [[retcon]], Optimus did indeed go by "Orion Pax" in the games prior his ever first going by "Optimus".
*Optimus is rather forgetful in ''Exodus''. Alpha Trion tells him twice that he had suggested to the High Council that Orion might be the Prime foretold in the [[Covenant of Primus]]. Then he tells Jetfire that the Core told him of Project Generation One, when it was a contingency plan Trion told him about, put in place since the Breaking of the Primes. Then again, leading an army for thousands or millions of years may place a strain on a bot's memory servers.
*Optimus's CG model underwent modifications between "[[Darkness Rising]]" and the first season proper, with his chest windows lowered somewhat during scenes when he is not in battle.
*Optimus Prime's truck mode in ''Fall of Cybertron'' is described by [[High Moon Studios]] principal artist [[Mike Brown]] as a "fist with wheels attached to it."<ref>[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/10/10/fall-of-cybertron-the-new-optimus-prime.aspx Fall Of Cybertron: The New Optimus Prime]</ref>
*At [[BotCon 2012]], High Moon Studios stated that [[Path Blaster|"Optimus Prime's weapon"]] was designed to look like an earlier version of the rifles he wields in the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' television series.
*Optimus Prime's body parts are available to use in [[Hub Network|The Hub]] website's [[Vector Sigma Bot Builder]] online game. Normally, you cannot configure a generic 'bot using all Optimus Prime parts, but you can see what one would look like at right through the magic of Photoshop.
*Optimus' appearance after being repaired by the Forge of Solus Prime is fairly reminiscent of Optimus' "Super Mode" appearance in ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Transformers: Cybertron]]'', especially in regards to the wings, and how he holds his blaster in the show, slung under his hand.
*The initial and final colorations of Prime's robot modes in ''RID'' strongly resemble the original [[Action Master]] Prime.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Optimus Prime''' (オプティマス・プライム ''Oputimasu Puraimu''), '''Orion Pax''' (オライオンパックス ''Oraion Pakkusu''), '''Optimus Exprime''' (''Go!'', オプティマスエクスプライム ''Oputimasu Ekusupuraimu'')
*''Hungarian:'' '''Optimusz Fővezér''' ("Supreme Commander Optimus"),<ref>''Robots in Disguise'' game, ''Rescue Bots Academy'', his correct G1 name</ref> '''Optimusz Prime''',<ref>mainline cartoons</ref> '''Optimusz Vezér''' ("Leader Optimus"),<ref>''Rescue Bots'' intro</ref> '''Orion Pax'''
*''Korean:'' '''Optimus Prime''' (옵티머스 프라임 ''Optimeoseu Peuraim''), '''Orion Pax''' (오라이온 팩스 ''Oraion Paekseu'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Kēbówén''' (Taiwan, 柯博文), '''Qíngtīanzhù''' (China, 擎天柱, "Pillar that Supports the Sky")

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{Thirteen}}
[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Fall of Cybertron Autobots]]
[[Category:Go! Autobots]]
[[Category:Go! combiners]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame characters]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Prime Autobots]]
[[Category:Prime Decepticons]]
[[Category:Primes]]
[[Category:Red Order]]
[[Category:Rescue Bots Autobots]]
[[Category:Rescue Bots Academy Autobots]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise (2015) Autobots]]
[[Category:Thirteen]]
[[Category:Transformers Online Autobots]]
[[Category:Transformers Universe game Autobots]]
[[Category:Triple Changers]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron Autobots]]

Sentinel Zeta Prime

2024-05-21T18:12:32Z

0TheLegend0: /* Notes */

{{factions|autobot|eliteguard}}
{{disambigm|Sentinel Prime (disambiguation)|Zeta Prime (disambiguation)}}
:''Sentinel Zeta Prime is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''

[[File:WFC ZetaPrime.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Believe in the Sign of Zeta.]]

'''Sentinel Zeta Prime''' was originally an officer in the [[Elite Guard]] before being named [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]. Under pressure from the various guilds of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] he oversaw the rise of the caste system that came to dominate Cybertronian society, a policy which brought him into conflict with [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]], and ultimately led to the archivist's self-imposed exile in the Iacon [[Hall of Records]]. By the time of the rise of the [[Decepticon]] movement time had robbed him of much of the fire which had made him an effective military leader, and this left him out of touch with the people he claimed to represent.

{{quote|So be it Megatron, I leave you to your own ''futility.''|Zeta Prime thinks himself untouchable|''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|War for Cybertron]]''}}

==Fiction==
===''The Covenant of Primus''===
[[File:COP Sentinel Zeta.jpg|250px|right|thumb|upright=1.4|]]

Born some time before the [[Age of Wrath]], when the [[Quintesson]]s, the rogue creations of [[Quintus Prime]], colonized Cybertron and enthralled the technologically inferior Cybertronian race, Sentinel Zeta was installed as their puppet ruler, ruling with thirteen subordinates and forming the [[Elite Guard]] as a police force. Recognizing his situation for what it was, Sentinel rallied several Cybertronians into an organized resistance against the invaders, managing to drive them off the planet.

Reverse engineering the discarded Quintesson technology, Sentinel used [[space bridge]] technology to oversee the foundation of 200 [[Cybertronian colonies]] in a [[Golden Age]] until the [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Rust Plague]] spread across the empire. With no cure to be found, and the disease piggybacking across the space bridges, Sentinel was forced to detonate them all, starting the [[Age of Rust]], an act that [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] felt had stolen the fire from Sentinel's own spark. Trion later gifted Sentinel with the [[Badge of Vector Prime]] which didn't do much to reignite the fire.

At Trion's behest, Sentinel charged the archivist Orion Pax to find the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and become the new Prime, an act that sparked the [[Great War (Prime)|Great War]]. Dismissive of the threat, Sentinel was taken captive while watching a performance at [[Altihex]] Casino. Held prisoner for most of the war, Sentinel was killed after a rescue attempt, Megatron tearing open his chest to claim the key to the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

===Aligned novels===
Though not one of the [[Thirteen|Thirteen original Transformers]], Sentinel Prime ruled [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] since near that time. Having already overthrown Cybertron's [[Quintesson]] rulers during the [[Age of Wrath]], Sentinel oversaw Cybertron's [[space bridge]] expansion to worlds such as [[Gigantion]], [[Velocitron]] and the [[Hub (G2)|Hub]], and the construction of [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]] Station. But as the space bridges grew less reliable and the [[Golden Age]] drew to a close, Sentinel reorganized Cybertron into Guild-run castes, an action [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] opposed, forcing him to retreat forever into the [[Hall of Records]] in Iacon. Sentinel also became reclusive, enforcing the notion he did not care for the lower castes.

When the [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]ian [[gladiatorial combat|gladiator]] boss [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] began preaching against the [[Functionism|caste system]], Sentinel dispatched the security agents [[Bumper (WFC)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback (WFC)|Fastback]] to investigate him. When their identities were exposed, Megatron brutally murdered them—an act for which Sentinel blamed both Megatron and himself. It was while attending a performance by comedian [[Armorhide (WFC)|Armorhide]] at [[Altihex]] Casino when Megatron's [[Decepticon]]s attacked. Sentinel did not try to fight back, and relied on his bodyguards [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]], [[Thundercracker (WFC)|Thundercracker]] and [[Skywarp (WFC)|Skywarp]] for his safety—only to discover they were part of the plot, and they delivered him to Kaon to gain favor with Megatron.

Megatron occasionally desired to take out his anger on Sentinel, but Starscream saw him as a potential bargaining chip—perhaps as a trade in a ransom deal—so they compromised and had the Prime moved to [[Moonbase One|Moon Base One]]. As the war with the [[Autobot]]s lulled, Starscream visited Sentinel and offered him a chance to redeem his cowardly behavior at Altihex. As Megatron plotted to take the [[Plasma energy]] Chamber beneath the [[High Council Tower]], Starscream released Sentinel and he confronted Megatron below [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. Though he was an agile opponent, Megatron ''literally'' disarmed Sentinel and cut open his chest, exposing the [[Code Key]] of Justice needed to access the Chamber within him. Starscream removed the Key and [[Blackout (WFC)|Blackout]] was ordered to return Sentinel to Kaon.

Sentinel was chained to a pillar in the [[Underworld]] pits that he had despised his whole life. But he was able to send a distress signal which [[Prowl (WFC)|Prowl]] received, and he, [[Jazz (WFC)|Jazz]] and Sentinel's replacement [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] arrived to rescue him. Sentinel said he had overstayed his welcome as Prime and said the High Council made the right decision in appointing Optimus. Before dying, he ordered Optimus to journey to Cybertron's [[core]] and purge it of Megatron's [[Dark Energon]]. Optimus returned Sentinel's body to Iacon, where it was laid to rest. {{Storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

{{note|Sentinel Zeta Prime's involvement in the preceding events, or events mostly similar, were also chronicled in the comic "[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]."}}

===''Rage of the Dinobots''===
After Cybertron was left almost entirely deserted due to the war, [[Swoop (WFC)|Swoop]] called dibs on living in Sentinel Prime's abandoned palace. {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 4|Rage of the Dinobots #4}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)===
{{voiceactor|[[Troy Baker]] (English)|[[Sylvain Lemarié]] (French), [[Miguel Ángel Montero]] (Spain-Spanish)}}

[[File:WFC Megatron Vs ZetaPrime.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Just watch, Megatron will realise he didn't need Pandora's box after all.]]

{{quote|High Council... I return with a fallen hero.|Optimus Prime|''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]''}}

When Megatron launched a raid on [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon station]], and Starscream joined the Decepticons, [[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]] escaped to warn Autobot leader Zeta Prime that the Decepticons had access to Dark Energon. Zeta Prime sent a large group of Autobot soldiers to guard the Energon bridge that Jetfire knew Starscream and his crew would be reactivating in order to refine an endless supply of Dark Energon for the war effort, ordering that all Decepticons would be shot on sight, but they were unsuccessful. After the Decepticons began manufacturing Dark Energon in mass quantities, Megatron led the attack on the Autobot capitol of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], intending to take the [[Omega Key]], a tool that would allow access to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s core. Megatron's plan was to pump the powerful [[Dark Energon]] into the core in the hopes of reviving the planet and restoring it to what he claimed would be its "former glory". He found the Omega Key's resting place...but it was gone, Zeta Prime having anticipated Megatron's plan and taken it under his personal protection himself. Megatron simply declared that he would take it from Zeta, who appeared several more times via holographs during the missions, warning the Decepticons to turn back before it was too late and Zeta would be forced to execute them.

Megatron's team managed to fight their way to Zeta Prime's chamber in the [[Vaults|Iacon Vaults]], where he was in control of a mechanism that not only rendered him invincible to all attack, but allowed him to create [[Holo-Brute|holographic energon clones of himself]] and manipulate the ceiling to crush the Decepticons. However, the device had a fatal flaw — it generated tremendous heat, requiring the core to periodically open up in order to cool down, allowing Megatron and his Decepticons to damage it. As Zeta Prime's machine crumbled around him, he was pinned to the floor by the wreckage. He told Megatron to finish it, but instead, the Decepticon leader squeezed his [[spark]] casing, forcing Prime to release his grip on the Omega Key. As Megatron gloated in his victory, the "key" started to flash and beep. Zeta Prime laughed, mocking Megatron for heeding the words of his misinformed spies. The device Megatron now held in his hands was not the Omega Key itself, but merely the device that activated the Key. Zeta said that Megatron would only have to wait for the Omega Key to come to him.

Zeta Prime was taken to Megatron's [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]] Prison Complex, but elsewhere on Cybertron, [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]], guardian of Iacon and, as it turned out, the true Omega Key, was activated with a mission: Destroy Megatron.

After the defeat of Omega Supreme and the corruption of Cybertron's core with Dark Energon, rumours spread through the Autobot camp that Zeta Prime was dead. A young soldier named Optimus was forced to take temporary command of the Autobots and lead the defensive efforts of Iacon. After Starscream was defeated in the [[Decagon]]'s communications tower, a message, seemingly from Zeta Prime, was played to all Autobot frequencies. Zeta reported his location, and claimed that he had acquired information vital to the Autobot war effort. [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] warned that it was an obvious trap, despite the confirmation of his unique ID signature, but Optimus determined that if there was a chance Zeta was still alive, the Autobots must try to rescue him.

[[File:WFC ZetaPrime Optimus council.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"We need a new guy. This guy's kinda...dead."]]

Allowing themselves to be captured, Optimus, [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] and [[Sideswipe (WFC)|Sideswipe]] were imprisoned (and then broke free), only to learn from Megatron himself that he had orchestrated Zeta Prime's message, their capture and their subsequent escape, so that Megatron could talk to Optimus in a situation he controlled. After being captured and escaping ''again'', Optimus' team freed the remaining Autobot prisoners and [[Air Raid (WFC)|Air Raid]] (who had helped orchestrate their first escape), then set off to find their leader. Eventually, Zeta Prime was found, being tortured by [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] in his laboratory. After Soundwave was bested by the Autobots, in desperation, the Decepticon drew energy from the injured Zeta's spark itself, mortally wounding him, though Optimus took a final bullet from Soundwave for his erstwhile commander. Optimus promised to bring Zeta home, but with his last breath, the Prime said that while he appreciated the noble sentiment, it was already too late. Zeta Prime, leader of the Autobots, was dead.

Optimus took Zeta's body back to Iacon, presented it before the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]], and begged them for guidance in these desperate times. The leader of the Council stated that they existed only to choose Primes, and that it was the Primes who led the Autobots. When Optimus responded that there were no Primes left, the Council leader asked if Optimus would still reject his true calling. The Council said that for too long they have watched the Primes fall to greed and pride, but Optimus was one leader whose wisdom and courage inspired and transformed the lives of those around him. Charging him with the mission to remove the infection of Dark Energon from Cybertron's core, the council bestowed leadership of the Autobots onto Optimus, a burden and responsibility he accepted. He was now Optimus Prime, the last Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (DS)===
After the Autobots severed the link between the Energon Bridge and Cybertron's core, Zeta Prime ordered Optimus to protect the library while he himself took the Omega Key to a secure location. Little did they know that they were being spied on by [[Laserbeak (WFC)|Laserbeak]], who reported back to the Decepticons. The Decepticons eventually tracked him down to Iacon library where, protected behind a force field, Zeta Prime unleashed defense systems on them. Unfortunately he made the mistake of putting the power sources for the force field outside said force field, and the Decepticons were able to disable it and blast him. Defiant to the last, Prime told Megatron to go scrap himself. To Megatron's surprise, the "Omega Key" turned out to activate the real key — Omega Supreme.

Following Omega Supreme's defeat, Zeta Prime was taken to Kaon Prison. While held there, he attempted to send a distress call to his old friend Optimus. Once the Autobots retook Iacon and got the Data-net back online, he was able to get through and tell them where he was. Optimus and a group of Autobots fought their way into Kaon prison and eventually found their leader on the verge of death. His dying wish was for them to take his body back to the Autobot council. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)}}

===''Transformers: Fall of Cybertron''===
{{Note|Zeta Prime does not appear in the campaign of ''Fall of Cybertron''. However, he is available in multiplayer if the Havoc DLC pack is downloaded.}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}}

===''Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark''===
====Console====
When Shockwave and Sharpshot found themselves in an ancient research laboratory, Shockwave discovered a record about the Dark Spark narrated by Zeta Prime can be seen as a hologram narrating it.

{{Note|Zeta Prime is also a playable character in multiplayer escalation mode.}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (console)|Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark}}

==Notes==
[[File:WFC ZetaPrime concepts.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*As revealed in the unlocked concept art in the Extras menu of the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]'' video game, some early colour schemes for ''War for Cybertron'' Zeta Prime resembled that of Generation 1 [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]. Also revealed in the concept art is that Zeta Prime's vehicle mode is a Cybertronic car, though he doesn't actually transform in the course of the game.
*Behind-the-scenes material also gives the character's name as "Sentinel Prime", which is reflected in both the [[Transformers: Exodus|novelization]] and [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)|comic book adaptation]] of the game. At some point, the character's name was evidently finalised as "Zeta Prime" in the game itself. When questioned about this discontinuity at [[BotCon 2010]], Hasbro's answer was that the character's full name was "Sentinel Zeta Prime." This name would later be officially used in-universe in 2013's ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus]]'', which gave him a design inspired by [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|''Animated'' Sentinel Prime]].
*Before the publication of ''The Covenant of Primus'', 2011's ''[[Transformers Vault]]'' approached the naming issue in its own way, referring to the character as "Cybertron's leader and sentinel, Zeta Prime," as if "sentinel" was a descriptor or title.
*Zeta Prime became a playable character in multiplayer and Escalation mode as part of a DLC pack released on September 7, 2010. He was available for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game, but not for the PC version. He is a member of the Leader class and transforms into the vehicle mode shown in his concept art. His character model in multiplayer is designated the ''Elite Rig''.
*In the game, Zeta Prime appears to share exactly the same [[Body-type|character model]] as the head member of the [[Autobot High Council]].
*In ''Exodus'', Sentinel Prime's belt has the sigil of [[Vector Prime]]. However, in ''War for Cybertron'', he doesn't seem to wear a belt at all.
*A Sentinel Zeta figure by Reysol Grant won a Collectors' Club custom figure contest, announced in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 37|Club magazine #37]].
*The dead Prime seen in the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' episode "[[Alpha/Omega]]", whose arm was harvested by Megatron so that he could use the [[Forge of Solus Prime]], was identified as Sentinel Prime by [[Transformers: The Art of Prime|''The Art of Prime'']]. The concurrently-published ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|Covenant of Primus]]'' identified it as the [[Liege Maximo]]. Strangely, the dead Prime's arm in ''Prime'' is red-colored, which neither Sentinel nor Maximo are.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Zeta Prime''' (ゼータプライム ''Zēta Puraimu'')
*''Russian:'' '''Zeta Prime''' (Зета Прайм ''Zeta Praym'')

[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Elite Guard]]
[[Category:Fall of Cybertron Autobots]]
[[Category:Prime Autobots]]
[[Category:Primes]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron Autobots]]

Transformer romance

2024-05-09T11:15:41Z

0TheLegend0: /* Aligned continuity family */

[[File:Orionpax.jpg|upright=2.2|thumb|I want a robot man to hold me tight. One that I can count on every single night.]]
Some will vehemently refuse to admit it exists. Others ''really'' don't care about [[Transformers brand|the brand]] beyond it. Regardless of [[Fandom|opinions]], [[Transformer]]s engaging in or pursuing interaction of a '''romantic nature''' is a well-established element in pretty much every continuity. For the most part, Transformers are observed searching for romantic partners amongst their own kind, but attraction to organic lifeforms and even non-living objects has been documented as well.

Some wonder why a species that likely does not [[Reproduction|reproduce]] sexually would participate in behavior that in other creatures exists as a means to promote sex and thereby new life. While a definitive answer to this has yet to be given, the question as to why Transformers become romantically involved with one another can be approached from a different angle. Transformers are a highly social species. This is shown through their very human-like society, interpersonal interactions, [[Relatives|familial relationships]], and even the fairly common practice of merging [[Combiner|bodies]] and minds. If these are not frowned upon, then why should social connections of the romantic kind be regarded much differently, if at all? Perhaps there is no reason for them to engage in romance, but then there is equally no reason for them not to.

Though rather obscure, there is even an official term for two Transformers in a relationship: "[[spark]]mates". Existing as a [[Fan fiction|fan term]] mostly, it has been used in two official sources: the end-of-game [[bio]] for [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], in reference to her and [[Tigatron]], in the [[Nintendo 64]] version of the ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (N64)|Beast Wars Transmetals]]'' video game;<ref>''Beast Wars Transmetals'' end-of-game bios - [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/756a36c7076a7195?dmode=source transcription]</ref> and again in ''[[Venus (magazine)|Venus]]'', a sub-feature of ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac]]''. In addition, [[Downshift (Energon)|Downshift]]'s [[Cyber Key Codes|Cyber Key Code info]] appears to refer to Transformer marriage in stating that he and [[Joyride (Cybertron)|his lifebond partner]] "joined together under the [[Covenant of Primus]]".

The [[2005 IDW continuity]] ongoing series, ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More Than Meets The Eye]]'', refers to a Transformer in a committed, intimate partnership as a "[[Conjunx Endura]]". Issues [[Slaughterhouse|#32]], [[Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|#38]], and [[Ten to Midnight|#56]] of this series have various characters use the term "sparkmate" as a synonym.

==Orientation==
[[File:Gayforgalvatron.jpg|center|1000px|thumb|<center>[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|It will forever be a shame he wasn't in ''Cybertron'']].</center>]]
The most common observation of Cybertronian romance is between a male and a [[female Transformer]]. {{fact}} Considering the general scarcity of female Transformers, and perhaps the absence of [[Reproduction|sexual reproduction]], this is a rather interesting if odd situation. Second to that are the number of noted relations between a Transformer and an organic, equally so almost solely between a (nominally) male and female. These become more frequent as the gender balance becomes less even, even if that is a direct result of Transformers allegedly being genderless. Third in line come "couples" that consist of a Transformer fawning over a not-living object, often regarding it as of the opposite gender.

Until recently, same-gender interests were comparatively rare. The Japanese version of ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' had [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] as a male, making ''his'' relationship with [[Tigatron]] the first known instance of a homosexual Transformer couple.<ref name="Airazorboy">The reason the Japanese ''Beast Wars'' dub made Airazor male is unknown, but was possibly because Takara hoped to increase toy sales that way. Therefore, the relationship with [[Tigatron]] was initially played off somewhat differently to avoid complaints of homosexuality. Tigatron was presented as a samurai retainer with protective feelings towards his young ward, their closeness addressed in a "brotherly" sort of way. Despite that, there was still enough innuendo left over for the gender-bending to become noticeable. The end of the matter came with the sequence in "[[Other Visits (Part 1)]]" when Airazor and Tigatron stare into each other's eyes while holding hands and slowly leaning in for a kiss. Since little could be done with that scene, the dub team had Airazor fully "come out" and begin to express his affection for Tigatron just before the two of them were abducted by the Vok. Japanese magazine editors, responding to letters from confused young fans, gently explained that "some people are just like that".</ref> At a distance follows ''Energon'' [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]], who had the (unrequited) hots for [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]. ([[Dick Gautier]] jokingly "confirmed" that [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]] is gay at [[BotCon 2002]], in response to panel-mate [[Michael McConnohie]] being asked if [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] was. This is obviously not canon.)

Transformer/organic relations are not any richer in this regard. [[Paddles (G1)|Paddles]] had a clear fondness for the humans [[Randall (G1)|Randall]] and [[Ed (student)|Ed]], and [[Magnificus (G1)|Magnificus]] and [[Ga'mede]] ''might'' have something going between them, but that's about it. A note could be made on the fair chance that Tigatron's [[beast mode]] represents a female tiger and was scanned from his partner [[Snowstalker]], yet that is speculation at best.

[[File:2 Transformers at the Ark-1 Memorial Statue.jpg‎|left|thumb|upright=1.66|Bender from ''Futurama'' finds a friend at the Ark 1 Memorial Statue...]]
The real-world explanation for the overall scarcity of anything specific between two of the same gender is that ''Transformers'' above all exists [[to sell toys]] to children and so has to play in on the wishes and expectations of the assumed general audience. Even if attitude is improving, heterosexuality is still the default assumption and least controversial option in all-ages fiction. Outside of an accident in translation<ref name="Airazorboy" /> and a few [[Knock Out (Prime)|sneaked-in jokes]] for older viewers, the default is still for writers to haul up Arcee or insert a new female (Transformer) to fill the romance niche than play up that sort of interaction in same gender context.

However, the [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] comics have a traditionally older audience. This led to the glass ceiling being shattered when ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' depicted [[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]] and [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]] in a millennia-long relationship, in which they were named as each other's "significant other"... and this relationship was not the first either have had, and Chromedome may or may not have been dating ''[[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]]'' before that.<ref>[http://theunderbase.libsyn.com/the-underbase-deconstructs-shadowplay "The Underbase Podcast Deconstructs Shadowplay"], 17:17 - 14:58</ref> The relationship is perhaps not out-and-out romance as humans would think or feel it, but author [[James Roberts]] has commented that this is because he imagines Transformers ''don't'' have relationships in exactly the same way humans do; he leaves no doubt that "Chromedome and Rewind each regard the other as the most important person in their life."<ref>[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=12651&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=20 James Roberts on Chromedome and Rewind on the IDW forums]</ref> That Rewind out-and-out says "I love you" in a message to Chromedome only hammers it home. [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]] and [[Tailgate (G1)#2005 IDW continuity|Tailgate]] have also shared a close bond over the years that gradually evolved into a romantic relationship. Hasbro has been totally cool with IDW doing this.<ref>[http://www.fullmetalhero.com/t14540/ Moonbase2's second interview with James Roberts - 01:40:47 to 01:41:24]</ref> This measure was later followed up by the introduction of the first same-gender female married couple in Transformers history in the form of [[Anode]] and [[Lug (IDW)|Lug]], {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}} after the first depicted romantic female pair of [[Greenlight]] and [[Lancer]], {{storylink|The Will of the Few}} as well as the first example of attraction between members of different genders in IDW in the same issue where the gals [[Proxima (G1)|Proxima]] and [[Acceleron]]'s relationship was mentioned by Nautica. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} The late bigot [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] expressed vague misgivings about how modern-day Conjunx Endurae on Cybertron would "swap fuel in public" as one of several reasons for his violent attempt to reinstall his brutal regime. {{storylink|Ten to Midnight}} IDW capped all of this off with the first genuinely romantic, on-the-mouth, unobfuscated, fully-on-screen/panel kiss between Transformers in recorded history, and by extension, the first same-gender kiss between [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]] and [[Aileron]]. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable}}

(And yes, there is the fact that IDW has previously established that Transformers are genderless in their continuity, but let's not kid ourselves about what we're seeing and reading here.)

{{-}}

Of note, in the [[My Little Pony/Transformers: The Magic of Cybertron]] crossover, when [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] and [[Greenlight]] encounter [[Holiday]] and [[Lofty]] on Cybertron when the two ponies are looking for their niece Scootaloo, Holiday introduces Lofty as "my gal", and Arcee in turn introduces Greenlight as "my 'gal.'" Greenlight bemusedly remarks on this to Arcee as an astute move to copy parlance to make the ponies more comfortable, and Arcee happily confirms that was her plan. Linguistic hang-ups of not needing translation between species common to ''Transformers'' stories aside, the writing seems to suggest that transformers of this crossover do not use the same language for relationships and/or possibly gender that the ponies do. Whether that means simply that they have different understandings of either or both that are comparable to the ponies or are an alien context is unclear from the text itself. {{storylink|A Real Mother}}

==Sex==
[[File:KP001.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Oh, Convoy! Your shift lever is dirty," Marissa exclaims. "It must be from when I spilled soft serve ice cream on you before. I will wipe it clean for you now." (''NOTE: We didn't make that up. That actually, [[canon]]ically happened.'')]]

The [[Unofficial guidebooks#Prime Targets|hints]] are few and far between, but ''Transformers'' is not devoid of the possibility Transformers might engage in sexual activities (for recreational purposes, usually). [[Kiss]]ing is a regularly observed sign of affection and in [[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|''The Headmasters'' episode]] "[[Return of the Immortal Emperor]]", [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] was rather thrilled he got to see [[Arcee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arcee]] transform. Nevertheless, ''Beast Wars'' was the first to pick up the subject in a more direct manner: in the episode "[[The Agenda (Part 1)]]", [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] offers to take [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]] to what sounds like a Cybertronian version of a strip club, and later slyly makes a double entendre regarding Silverbolt's suspected kinky activities with [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]] also makes a lewd-sounding comment about him interfacing with a computer, which he retorts "is more fun than plowing your little field of dreams," followed by the two sharing a knowing smirk.

Sexual assault euphemisms are commonly inserted in the Japanese dubs of Western ''Transformers'' programs for, ''uh'', "humor". The Japanese dub of "[[Maximal, No More#Foreign localization|Maximal, No More]]" has Rattrap, thinking himself about to be stabbed by [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], ask his attacker to penetrate him "gently, because I've heard the first time can hurt." The Japanese dub of "[[Predatory#Foreign localization|Predatory]]", reworked from a slasher movie homage to a parody of Pepe Le Pew cartoons, has [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] spewing a lengthy string of sexual declarations (some thinly veiled, some not-so-much) as she amorously pursues [[Jack Darby|Jack]] (including singing a Japanese folk song about a woman assaulting a man).

References and innuendos have become increasingly more common in recent years. [[Scarlett]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] had a suggestive conversation about "riding" him in "[[Wolves]]", and in "[[The Art of War issue 3]]", Arcee promised Bumblebee to "rotate his tires" if he could beat her, to which he responded with a most enthusiastic "Wooo-Hooo!". In the Dreamwave issue "[[Infestation (Dreamwave)|Infestation]]", [[:File:Infestation crotchrot.jpg|one remark from Sunstreaker]] might suggest the existence of Transformer S.T.D.'s. In the ever-questionable ''[[Transformers: Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]]'' double-entendres ran rife, with one of the most disturbing involving Optimus Prime deriving pleasure from [[Marissa Faireborn]] polishing his stick shift and rubbing the rim of his gas tank, which are pretty clear metaphors for... well... y'know. And in ''[[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (film)|Rise of the Beasts]]'', [[Mirage (Movie)|Mirage]] loudly exclaims "you've been inside me!" in offense when [[Noah Díaz|Noah]] called him a work friend.

And that's about as far as we're going to broach the subject. If you ''really'' want to know more on the matter of Transformer sex, an exciting world of [[fan fiction]] awaits you. Take note that doing so will be at your own risk, and [[Main Page|TFWiki]] accepts no liability for any psychological trauma incurred.

{{See also|Reproduction#Other_means|l1=Sexual Reproduction}}

==Transformer - Transformer==
{{bigquote|But me Grimlock still taller than ''you''. That why Spider-Lady like me Grimlock best.|[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]], making sure no one else tries a move on his love interest|"[[Black Friday (episode)|Black Friday]]"}}

Most commonly, Transformers stick to their own kind when becoming romantically entangled. In at least one universe, a Transformer can designate another Transformer their [[Conjunx Endura]], or significant other.

===Cases===
====Generation 1====
[[File:Disclosure CSSB-16 Devcon & co.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"I didn't know giant robots '''had''' testosterone."]]
; Generation 1 cartoon continuity:
* [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]] (Ariel) - [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (Orion Pax)
* [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] - [[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]] {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}}
* [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]] - [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}}
* [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] - [[Firestar (G1)|Firestar]] {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}}
* [[Arcee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arcee]] - either [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] or [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] {{storylink|Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters}}
* [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] - [[Nancy]] {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (episode)|The Big Broadcast of 2006}}
* [[Octane]] once tried to tune in an image of a [[Cheesecake robot|disturbingly sexualized unnamed female robot]]. Make of that what you will. {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}}
* Technically or something, [[Overlord (G1)|Overlord]] is married to [[Giga|him]]/[[Mega|her]]self. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (franchise)#Transformers: Super-God Masterforce|Super-God Masterforce}}
* [[Esmeral (G1)|Esmeral]] - [[Deathsaurus (G1)|Deathsaurus]] who, unique to other Transformers relationships up to this point, are explicitly stated to be husband and wife. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (manga)|Victory}}
* [[Clipper (G1)|Clipper]] - [[Holi]] {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (cartoon)|Victory}}
* [[Star Saber (G1)|Star Saber]] blushed and was a little lost on words when Clipper complimented him. Holi didn't like this. {{storylink|Planet Micro - The Mysterious Warrior}}
* [[Rescue Patrol Team|The rest of Holi's team]] is sad they don't have girlfriends. {{storylink|Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress}}
* [[Megatron (BW)#Legends World|Megatron]] - [[Blackarachnia (BW)#Legends World|Blackarachnia]] {{storylink|Transformers Legends (comic)|Transformers Legends}}

; 2005 IDW continuity

* [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]] - [[Dominus Ambus]] {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}}
* [[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]] - [[Pivot]] {{storylink|The Gloaming}}, [[Mach (G1)|Mach]] {{storylink|The Gloaming}}, [[Scattergun]] {{storylink|The Gloaming}}, [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] {{storylink|Shadowplay (disambiguation)|Shadowplay}} (possibly), and finally Rewind {{storylink|Before & After}}
* [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]] had an unreciprocated love for [[Quark]] {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}} and was later "simpatico" with [[Perceptor (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Perceptor]] {{storylink|How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2}}
[[File:ChooseMe-engagement.jpg|thumb|right||upright=1.66]]
* [[Proxima (G1)|Proxima]] - [[Acceleron]] {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}}
* [[Sparkstalker]] - [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] {{storylink|Choose Me}}
* [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] - [[Horri-Bull]] {{storylink|The Transgressors}}
* [[Greenlight]] - [[Lancer]] {{storylink|The Will of the Few}}
* [[Swift (G1)|Swift]] - [[Barricade (IDW)|Barricade]]
* [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]] assumed [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] was hitting on her {{storylink|The Transformers: Redemption}}.
* [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] - [[Breakdown (IDW)|Breakdown]] {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 4}}
* [[Jumpstream]] - [[Dust Up]] {{storylink|Ghost Stories}}
* [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]] - [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] {{storylink|The Price of You}}
* [[Anode]] - [[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}
* [[Metrotitan (G1)|Metrotitan]] was [[Chela]]'s mate. {{storylink|Origin Myths}}
* [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]] - [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}}
* [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]] - [[Aileron]] {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable}}
* [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] - [[Rum-Maj]] {{storylink|Time Will Rust}}
* [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] - [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] {{storylink|How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2}}

; 2019 IDW continuity
[[File:TFVDay-cvrA clean.jpg|upright=0.9|thumb]]
* [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] - [[Greenlight]] {{storylink|The World In Your Eyes Part Four}}
* [[Glyph (Universe)|Glyph]] - [[Tap-Out (Universe)|Tap-Out]] {{storylink|Transformers Valentine's Day Special}}
* [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] - [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]] {{storylink|Open Comms}}
* [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] - [[Paragon]] {{storylink|War World: Hunt|Hunt}}
* [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] - [[Breakdown (IDW)|Breakdown]] {{storylink|Tread & Circuits Part 2}}
* Both [[Proxima (G1)|Proxima]] and [[Crosscut (G1)|Crosscut]] had a crush on [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Four}}

; Other:
* [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] - [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: The Art of War|The Art of War}}
* [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]] is planning on getting himself a whole harem of girl-bots. {{Storylink|The Art of War issue 5}}
* [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] found himself some [[Devcon's galpal|pleasant company]] on [[Spaceport CSSB-16]]. {{storylink|Disclosure}}
* [[San D-Go]] once had plans to marry [[Discharge (G1)|Discharge]], apparently directly inspired by that aspect of [[human]] culture. Whether there was an actual romantic relationship involved is unknown. {{storylink|San D-Go|San D-Go's Micromaster toy bio}}
* [[Raker]] is a shameless flirt to female robots. {{storylink|Raker|Raker's Micromaster toy bio}}
* [[Magnum]] has a [[:File:Magnumsgirlfriend.jpg|girlfriend]]. {{storylink|Wings of Honor}}
* [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] had parents when he crashed on [[Quintessa (planet)|Quintessa]]. {{storylink|The Story of Wheelie, the Wild Boy of Quintesson}}
* [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] once dated [[Thunderblast (G1)|Thunderblast]], and is a bit of a skirt-chaser in general. {{storylink|Flames of Yesterday}}
* [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] has a thing for fembots (specifically ones in red) and isn't above impersonating [[Dion (G1)|an elite guardsman]] to get sympathy. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 1}}
** And thinks [[Lyzack (G1)|Lyzack]], a femicon with a sword, is hot. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 3}}
* [[Alpha Bravo]] and [[Offroad (CW)|Offroad]], though not officially described as anything other than "friends", had a relationship practically ''swimming'' in romantic undertones. {{storylink|Foundation and Wreckage Part 1: Deadly Aim}}
* [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] - [[Greenlight]] {{storylink|A Real Mother}}
* [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] - [[Breakdown (IDW)|Breakdown]]{{storylink|The Beauty of Cybertron}}

====Beast Era====
[[File:BWII 24 Bighorn Scylla.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
* [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] - [[Tigatron]]
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] - [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]]
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] all had crushes on [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] had feelings towards her that we'll leave to the imagination.
* [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]] - [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]
* [[Strika (BM)|Strika]] - [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]]<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20071202095128/http://bigbot.com/beast-machines-transformers-bob-skir/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Wed_19_Jan_2000.html ''Transformers: Beast Machines Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)'' Wed, 19 Jan 2000], by [[Bob Skir]]</ref>
* [[Scylla]] and [[Artemis]] both fancy [[Scuba]]. In turn, [[Bighorn]] has a crush on Scylla, while Artemis also likes [[Starscream (BW)|Starscream]].
* While technically not a Transformer, [[DNAVI]] is in love with [[Guiledart]].
* [[Rage (BW)|Rage]] - [[Stampy (BW)|Stampy]] {{storylink|To Jellyfish with Love! Cry Out, Stampy Blade}}
* [[Z Grill]] and [[Kitte Shūshū]] fell in love and made a [[Stampy (BW)|kid]]. {{storylink|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News, 10/5/2015}}
* [[Bazooka (BW)|Bazooka]] - [[Crazybolt (BW)|Crazybolt]] {{storylink|Intersectionality}} {{storylink|Cultural Appropriation}}
* [[Nucleon (TR)|Nucleon]] - [[Kari]]<ref>Kari is a [[Cyberdroid]] in the [[Beast Wars: Uprising]] continuity rather than a [[Nebulan]].</ref> {{storylink|A Brush With Infamy–Prologue}}

====Unicron Trilogy====
* [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Mirage]] displays romantic interest in [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon}}
* [[Downshift (Energon)|Downshift]] - [[Joyride (Cybertron)|Joyride]] {{storylink|Cyber Key Codes|Downshift's Cyber Key Code info}}
* [[Shortround (Cybertron)|Shortround]] fancies [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]]. Naturally, she does not reciprocate.
* [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] - [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Just about anybody]] [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|who's big and powerful]].
* [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] is quite the skirt chaser. He used to have a relation with a "cute scooter",<ref>From context, the best guess is [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] was talking about a Transformer.</ref> but eventually dumped her. {{storylink|Landmine (episode)|Landmine}} He also harbored a secret crush on [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]], {{storylink|Cyber Key Codes|Ransack's Cyber Key Code info}} and tried to win over Thunderblast by winning the [[Speedia 500]]. {{storylink|Beginning}}
* [[Buzzsaw (Cybertron)|Buzzsaw]] tried to cheer up the ''[[Upstart]]'''s crew by reminding them of the perks of seeking out the colony worlds. Starting his list came "naive small planetoid femme-bots." ...Yes. Let's hope that when he closed his speech with "all of it untouched for centuries or more... until we show up," he was only talking about the energon reserves at the end of the list. {{storylink|Force of Habit}}
* [[Vector Prime]] and his bodyguard [[Scorpia (G2)|Scorpia]] had a love that bypassed rank but, in the end, his duty meant he had to leave her. Answering questions about this left him quiet and sad. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime}}

====Live-action film series====
* [[Jetfire (Movie)|Jetfire]] claims to have a mother and a father. Primus knows what [[Relatives|that]] means, but we might as well try to be complete about this list. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
* In her spare time, [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]] runs a lonely-hearts ad column called Arcee's soulmates. Many 'bots write letters in for it mostly expecting replies from other 'bots. {{storylink|Letters page#Titan Transformers Magazine|Star Screams}}
* In the letters page of the comic of the films, [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] flirts right back with a cop-cycle OC called Hotwire.

====Transformers Animated====
[[File:TFA Black Friday ME GRIMLOCK IN LOVE.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|In case you needed visual recognition that he has the hots for her.]]
* [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] used to date [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] until, [[Along Came a Spider|well...]] {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac}}
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]], [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]], [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] and [[Wasp|Wasp/Waspinator]] each have (had) a one-sided crush on [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]]. {{storylink|Black_Friday_(episode)|Black Friday}}
* Blackarachnia and [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] seem to have feelings for each other. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}}
* [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] flirted with [[Slipstream (Animated)|his female clone]] upon meeting her. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}
* [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] once considered [[Afterburn]] dreamy. It is unclear if this opinion is to be attributed to her dormant Transformer half. {{storylink|Transformers Animated (Titan)|Transformers Animated}}
* [[Strika (Animated)|Strika]] - [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]]. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 24|Strika's tech spec bio}} {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac}}
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] has an unnamed girlfriend from [[Crystal City]]. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac}}
* [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]] once believed [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] wanted to go steady with him. {{storylink|Human Error, Part II}}
* [[Botanica (Animated)|Botanica]] - [[Rattletrap]]. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}
* [[Flareup (Animated)|Flareup]] - [[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]]. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}
* [[Glyph (Animated)|Glyph]] and [[Volks (Animated)|Volks]] used to date long ago. And Volks is something of a Ladiesbot217-type. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

====TransTech====
* [[Jackpot (G1)|Jackpot]] is obsessed (but very unlucky) with fembots. Among his unsuccessful projects are [[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]]. {{storylink|Gone Too Far}}
* [[Crystal Widow]] had [[Skyfall (Armada)|Skyfall]] before becoming stuck in [[Axiom Nexus]]. {{storylink|Withered Hope}}
* One of the ways Airazor can be bribed is by "providing her with a handsome companion", according to Crystal Widow. {{storylink|Withered Hope}}
* [[Swindle (G1)#TransTech|Swindle]]s of [[Swindle, Swindle and Swindle]] has hinted that all three of the Swindles are in some kind of polyamorous relationship. One of them tried dating a different [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]], but one of the other Swindles took a dislike to the newcomer and the relationship went nowhere. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Swindle's Spiel|Swindle's Spiel}}

====Shattered Glass====
* [[Elita-One (SG)|Elita-One]] - [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] {{storylink|Blitzwing Bop}}
* [[Strongarm (SG)|Strongarm]] - [[Windblade (SG)|Windblade]] {{storylink|Coalescence}}

====Aligned continuity family====
* [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] and [[Liege Maximo]] had feelings for [[Solus Prime]] {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}. She returned Megatronus's feelings{{storylink|Covenant of Primus|Covenant of Primus}}, but may have had eyes for [[Nexus Prime]] as well.
* [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] once expressed feelings for [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]]. {{storylink|Stronger, Faster}} Looks like even Cybertronian love hurts too. {{storylink|Crossfire (Prime)|Crossfire}}
* Ratchet, in a [[Synthetic Energon]]-induced daze of strength and adrenaline, flirtatiously winked at [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]], causing a very awkward response from the latter. {{storylink|Stronger, Faster}}
* [[Sideswipe (RID)|Sideswipe]] frequently flirted with [[Windblade (RID)|Windblade]] on multiple occasions throughout the show. {{storylink|The Buzz on Windblade}} She seemed relatively amused by this. {{storylink|Overloaded, Part 2}}

====BotBots====
* [[Burgertron]] - [[Ulf the Orange]] {{storylink|Mall Than Meets the Eye}}
* [[Dimlit]] - [[Jacqueline]] {{storylink|Dimlit in Love}}
* [[Clogstopper]] flirted with [[Fottle Barts]], asking if she wanted to see his used ear-swab collection. She strangely seemed into it. {{storylink|The Goldrush Games - Part the Second}}
** Clogstopper also expressed an infatuation with [[Spud Muffin]], calling him a "hunk" {{storylink|(Never) Be Yourself}}
* While not explicitly stated it's implied [[Bonz-Eye]] and [[Lady Macaron]] may have a romantic connection. {{storylink|Lone Bot and Carb}} {{storylink|On the Bot Prom Dance Floor}}

==Transformer - organic==
[[File:Pgalove.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|[[Powerglide (G1)|PG]][[Astoria Carlton-Ritz|A]] PDA]]
{{bigquote|We don't have to be the same outside to share the same feeling inside.|[[Alana]] speaks words every Autobot Commander dreads|"[[Sea Change]]"}}

Perhaps because [[reproduction]] does not seem to be a motivation for them to become romantically involved, or perhaps because finding a proper partner among their own kind is not always an easy task, more than one Transformer has made nice with an organic lifeform. However, virtually nothing is known about how the long-term cases worked out, what with physical differences such as size, [[Transformer#Transformer life cycle|lifespan and aging]], and [[Transformer#Transformer culture|cultural differences]] - even without the constant influence of the war.

The reason why organic lifeforms sometimes go head-over-heels for giant mechanical beings is another matter. In the case of humans, [[fan fiction|several authoritative works]] have been written on relevant aspects of their biology. Readers are advised to seek them out for further reference -at their own risk.

===Cases===
====Generation 1====
* [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] and [[Charlene (cowgirl)|Charlene]] {{storylink|Showdown!}}
* [[Sludge (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Sludge]] took a deep liking to [[Joy Meadows]] {{storylink|The Transformers (Marvel comic)|UK Marvel comics}}
* [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] believed [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'s care for [[Cindy Newell]] was of the "nudge. nudge. wink. wink." variety. {{storylink|Fire on High!}}
* [[:File:Nomates.jpg|While Cloudburst clumsily tried to explain to the First One ''why'' he wasn't interested in her]], [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] got cozy in the next room with several other [[Femax]]ians. {{storylink|Recipe for Disaster!}}
* [[Stranglehold]] had a dream involving two ladies there for his affections. They are supposedly organic-based, because while Stranglehold's humanoid appearance is his [[Pretender]] shell, female Transformers officially don't exist in the Marvel continuity, so it's not likely they are Pretenders. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}}
* [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] - [[Astoria Carlton-Ritz]] {{storylink|The Girl Who Loved Powerglide}}
* [[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]] - [[Alana]] {{storylink|Sea Change}}
* [[Michelle]] totally got it on with [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]]. Though to be fair, he was human at the time. {{storylink|Only Human}}
* [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] had a thing for [[Papika]]. {{storylink|Head Formation of Friendship}}
* [[Lander]] went on a date with [[Madonna (Masterforce)|Madonna]] at least once.
* [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] fell for [[Jenny (G1)|Jenny]]'s charms. {{storylink|Full Throttle Scramble Power!}}
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] - [[Marissa Faireborn]] {{storylink|Transformers: Generation 1 (Dreamwave)|Generation One}}
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] - [[Scarlett]] {{storylink|Transformers/G.I. Joe}}
[[File:TheWarNeverEnds BrawnCoverGirlWedding.jpg|thumb|upright=1.45|right]]
* [[Glide (G1)|Glide]] is known to pick up cute human girls and give them rides on his motorcycle mode. {{storylink|Glide (G1)|Glide's Micromaster toy bio}}
* [[Autorooper]] - [[Atari Hitotonari]] {{storylink|Transformers: Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players}}
* [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] - [[Shaoshao Li]] {{storylink|Transformers: Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players}}
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] - [[Marissa Faireborn]] {{storylink|Transformers: Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players}}
* [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] drives faster if he smells [[Kelly (RID)|Junko Shiragami]]'s marigold-scented hair. Make of that what you will. {{storylink|The Transformers: Binaltech Asterisk|Binaltech Asterisk}}
* [[Paddles (G1)|Paddles]] took a deep liking to [[Randall (G1)|Randall]] and [[Ed (student)|Ed]]. {{storylink|Paddles (story)|Paddles}}
* [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] and [[Cover Girl]] got married. {{storylink|The War Never Ends}}
* [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]] - [[CONS4EVA]] {{storylink|Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again!}}
* [[Rapticon (BM)|Rapticon]] - [[Ne'll]] <ref>As Ne'll is stated to be a cybernetically enhanced specimen of humanity, it's unclear just how much of her body is still organic, which makes this something of a borderline case.</ref> {{storylink|The Inexorable March}}
* [[Action Man]] tried to flirt with [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]], which repulsed [[Kup (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Kup]]. {{storylink|Unification Day: Dawn}}
* It's never called out, but [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]] based the lead female character in his script partially after [[Marissa Faireborn]] and the male lead partially after himself. They also act like an old married couple.

====Beast Era====
* [[Tigatron]] - [[Snowstalker]]
* ''Possibly, [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] once fell for a female gorilla.'' {{storylink|A Greater Ape}}
* When [[Diver (BW)|Diver]] was singing, he attracted a lot of female frogs out of his expectation. {{storylink|Demolish the Superdreadnought Tank!}}

====Live-action film series====
[[File:ROTF-Wheeliedryhumpsaleg.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|See it like this: rather a leghugger than a [[Matrixspawn|facehugger]].]]
* [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] thought that [[Mikaela Banes]] was hot. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
* He later shifted his attentions to [[Carly Spencer]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

====''Prime''====
* In the Japanese dub, [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] is head-over-heels in love with [[Jack Darby|Jack]], even going so far as to aggressively propose marriage to him (Jack, incidentally, does not reciprocate the affection). {{storylink|Predatory#Foreign localization|Mystery Insect Transformation! Forest of the Spider Woman!}}

{{--}}

==Transformer - non-living object==
{{bigquote|And when we get back home, I want Bumblebee to meet my brother's convertible. We call her Juanita, and I think the two of them will get along just fine.|[[Luisa]], quite likely one of the very few humans who does not find this an awkward subject|"[[Fire on the Mountain (episode)|Fire on the Mountain]]"}}

While the ability to at least exchange thoughts can explain the interest some Transformers have for beings not belonging to their own kind, that pretty much doesn't go for the interest some of them have for non-living objects. Unless the fact they often treat them as if they ''are'' alive has something to do with it. This is possibly not as odd as it seems: Transformers are, after all, [[Alternate mode|part object themselves]], some even having been upgraded from a mere piece of machinery. In that sense, it is perhaps harder to understand why it doesn't happen more often.

===Cases===
====Generation 1====
* [[Luisa]] wanted to introduce [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] to her brother's convertible "Juanita". Bumblebee seemed to appreciate that plan. {{storylink|Fire on the Mountain (episode)|Fire on the Mountain}}
* [[Iguanus (G1)|Iguanus]] and [[Pretender|his own Pretender shell]] {{storylink|Iguanus (G1)|Iguanus's toy bio}}
* [[Rook (Universe)|Rook]] and the [[Running Cogs Award for Captivating Journalism]] {{storylink|Around Cybertron issue 17|Around Cybertron #17}}

====Robots in Disguise====
[[File:Sideburn's Obsession Sideburntricycle.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|'Burn tricycle]]
* [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] has a thing for pretty red sportcars.

====Unicron Trilogy====
* [[QuickFire]] - [[Starheart]] {{storylink|Lonesome Diesel}}

====Live-action movies====
* Dialog from their [[Scanning|trans-scan]] of new [[alternate mode]]s may suggest [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] had sexual thoughts towards their new alternate modes.<ref>Mudflap: "This is my booty call right here. Time to get my sexy on with the green. (beatboxes)" {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}</ref>

====Transformers Animated====
* [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] and [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] like sportcars almost as much as Side Burn does. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}}

{{--}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Transformer culture]]

Out of the Past

2024-05-08T19:50:07Z

0TheLegend0: They make more sense as "continuity notes."

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 43
|prev=Hurt
|next=New Recruit
|image=OutofthePast-Shockwave.jpg
|caption=Arcee's partners are all dead.
|title="Out of the Past"
|season=2
|season ep=17
|airdate=[[August 31]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Mike Johnson]]
|directed by=[[Todd Waterman]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Allspark (company)|Hasbro Studios]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7WdJYoKsLs
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''Arcee recalls the time she and Cliffjumper discovered Shockwave and Starscream were building a space bridge.'''

==Synopsis==
''The ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' flies through space. On the bridge, [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] is dragged before [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] who's interested in decrypting an Autobot signal he's intercepted. While Arcee defies his "offer" by telling him where to go, Starscream reveals he has another prisoner—[[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]].''

In the present day, [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] is struggling with his recovery, with [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] providing some "encouragement" in the form of ordering him around. [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] is similarly struggling to decode the recovered Iacon database. [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] says Bulkhead needs a break, despite Miko being annoyed at the slow progress her friend is making. She storms out of the base, but Arcee follows and finds her crying atop the plateau in which the base is located. The Autobot tries to talk to her friend about Bulkhead, and the conversation leads to Miko asking about Cliffjumper.

[[Image:OutofthePast-CliffArcee.jpg|left|thumb|300px|"Did it have anything to do with those sirens around noon?" "I said I ''don't'' want to talk about it!"]]
:''Cliffjumper is dumped in the cell, having undergone torture but has resisted talking. He and Arcee discuss how they came to be back on Cybertron. Elsewhere Starscream complains about the failure of his interrogation, and [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] suggests taking them down on the planet's surface. Starscream and some [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] are soon leading the two prisoners through [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]] to a laboratory. Cliffjumper is concerned at the sight of the many tools lying ready to be used, even more so when Starscream introduces them to [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] himself. The two Autobots are strapped to tables, and Shockwave uses a [[cortical psychic patch]] to hook in to Arcee's mind. The process is successful and Starscream uses it to decode the transmission—which turns out to be Optimus Prime's message to bring the other Autobots to [[Earth]].''

:''Though the Decepticons have assumed Arcee is dead, she is very much alive and surreptitiously begins freeing herself. As Shockwave prepares to finish off Cliffjumper, Cliff suggests Starscream should be the one to do it. Shockwave leaves them to it, but as Starscream moves in, he's attacked by Arcee. She straps him to the free table and releases Cliffjumper. Starscream quickly folds under questioning and confesses Shockwave remained on the planet because he's building a [[space bridge]]. Knocking the 'Con out, Arcee goes to shut down the space bridge, and Cliffjumper insists on going along, despite her skepticism about his capacity for stealth. As they walk, Cliff suggests they should join Optimus's team, but Arcee isn't as keen, and rejects the idea that Cliff is her partner. Cliffjumper believes she shouldn't close herself off just because of [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]]'s death.''
[[Image:Cliffjumper and Shockwave.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|"Thumbs up if you think Shockwave is weird!" "0_0" "He's right behind me, isn't he?"]]

Miko recognizes the truth of this advice, but asks Arcee what happened next.
:''Arcee and Cliffjumper find the space bridge, with two Vehicons operating it. While Cliff provides a distraction, Arcee starts sabotaging the bridge to overload it. Unfortunately Shockwave arrives and attempts to fix the bridge. Cliffjumper dispatches the Vehicons before sparring with Shockwave, ultimately being defeated by the hulking Decepticon. Arcee lends a hand, bringing the roof down on the Decepticon, but the pair become pinned down by Starscream and some Vehicons. Starscream demands they reverse the damage to the space bridge, but they instead head through it. Halfway through the space bridge tunnel, Shockwave catches up with the two Autobots and they exchange fire until Arcee shoots him in the eye. The space bridge deposits Cliffjumper and Arcee on Earth seconds before exploding, and after declaring themselves partners, they go to find Optimus.''

Arcee finishes her story as the sun goes down, saying she misses Cliffjumper. Miko rests her hand on Arcee's in a gesture of comfort as they watch the sunset.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] (2)
*''[[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]] (5)''
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] (8)
*[[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] (9)
*[[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] (10)
*''[[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]] (13)''
|c2=
*''[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (1)''
*''[[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] (3)''
*''[[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] (4)''
*''[[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] (11)''
*''[[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] (12)''
|c3=
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (7)
}}

==Quotes==
"After I lost my first partner—Tailgate—I pushed everyone away, until Cliffjumper came along." 
"What was he like?" 
"Cliff was... quite the conversationalist."
:—'''Arcee''' tells '''Miko''' about her late partner

"So this is Kaon, huh? Love what you Decepticons have done with the place. The ruins are especially picturesque."
:—'''Cliffjumper'''

"Erm... Shockwave, are you certain you can extract the decryption code without first nullifying our subject's neural net?" 
"I ''invented'' the cortical psychic patch! I am familiar with its idiosyncrasies."
:—'''Starscream''' doesn't need to explain to '''Shockwave''' how ''his own tools'' work.

"While it often pains me, I ''try'' to be a team player."
:—'''Starscream''' lies, big surprise

"Only Starscream could fail to dispose of a helpless captive."
:—'''Shockwave'''

"They should really stop shooting at us if they want our help."
:—'''Cliffjumper'''

"Funny. At first I didn't think I'd ever get used to Cliff's constant chatter. Now, there's nothing louder to me than the silence."
:—'''Arcee'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* This episode retells the prequel story told in [[Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)|the IDW graphic novel]] (also written by Mike Johnson). The story's still about Arcee and Cliffjumper learning about Optimus Prime on Earth, uncovering a Decepticon plot to reestablish forgotten [[space bridge]] technology, Cliffjumper pretending to forfeit to the Decepticons as a cover for Arcee's hijinks, and them running for the space bridge portal to Earth while being blasted at by Decepticons. However, each of these stories occur in an incompatible way, and the episode gives responsibility for the space bridge project to Shockwave instead of Starscream. A notable change to the timeline see the episodes contradict the graphic novel's statement that Starscream had been on Earth with Megatron during the initial clash between the Autobots and Decepticons there (three years prior to the start of the cartoon), and only returned to Cybertron to set up the space bridge; on-screen, it is clear he has ''not'' been to the planet before, given that he requires Prime's signal to locate it (which in the comic only served to provide Cliffjumper and Arcee with knowledge of Prime's location).
* Optimus Prime’s message is ''prooooobably'' meant to be the same one that brought the [[Rescue Force Sigma-17|Rescue Bots]] to Earth, but its composition is different. But hey, [[Aligned timeline|squint test.]]
* Bulkhead has regained consciousness since the events of "[[Hurt]]", but he can barely walk.
* Optimus tries to decode the rest of the Iacon database gained in "[[Triage (episode)|Triage]]".
* Shockwave is revealed to have forcibly used the cortical psychic patch on Arcee, explaining her later reluctance to willingly undergo the procedure during "[[Sick Mind]]".
* As a nod to Cliffjumper's eventual fate, Starscream decides to eliminate Cliffjumper "the old-fashioned way": [[Darkness Rising, Part 1|by eviscerating him with his claws]].
*Arcee's declaration that space bridge technology was lost for a long time was true in the novel ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Transformers: Exodus]]''.
* Cliffjumper mentions getting lost in the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]], which did sort of happen in ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'', and he was, kind of, separated from his unit (if you count [[Sideswipe (WFC)|two]] [[Jazz (WFC)|bots]] as a unit). However, Cliff ''did'' have Jazz to talk to. (Talk "at")
===Transformers references===
*Shockwave stayed behind on Cybertron after Megatron departed, much like how his G1-counterpart - and several other counterparts - remained on the planet.
* Throughout several continuities, Shockwave has kept to logic as his sense for reason.
* This isn't the first time that [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] has attempted to extract [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|codes]] from [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]]. The same happened [[This Is Why I Hate Machines|towards]] [[Endgame, Part I|the end]] of ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]''.
* Cliffjumper pretends to be an Autobot traitor. In [[Cliffjumper (G1)|another life]], Cliffjumper [[Traitor (episode)|accused]] [[Mirage (G1)|other Autobots]] of being traitors. In [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|yet another life]], Cliffjumper [[Autoboot Camp|sent]] an [[Wasp|innocent Autobot]] to prison for being framed as a traitor, ironically by [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]].

===Real-world references===
* The episode shares a title with the 1947 film noir {{w|''Out of the Past''}}, directed by {{w|Jacques Tourneur.}}

===Errors===
* Within the space bridge, Cliffjumper is by Arcee's side while shooting at Shockwave, but disappears when it's just Arcee facing the Decepticon. He reappears as Arcee shoots Shockwave's eye.
* When Starscream and Shockwave are listening to Optimus Prime's transmission, Shockwave is seen on the left of Starscream. When it ends, he's on the right. Of course, he might have changed position while the camera was focused on the Autobots.
* The bottom part of Arcee's head crest is red, but turns silver when she and Cliffjumper are interrogating Starscream. This happens again when they are in the space bridge vortex.
* In this episode, a point is made of the fact the space bridge controls are essential to its correct operation, with Arcee going after the nearby command console, and "[[Orion Pax, Part 3]]" depicting the Earth-based bridge as having operators and maintenance staff. However, in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 1]]", "[[Darkness Rising, Part 5]]" and "[[Alpha/Omega]]", the bridges are simply remotely controlled from the warship. If the ones in space don't have this as a dependency, why do the Earth-based ones?

===Trivia===
* Cliffjumper is voiced by [[Billy Brown]], whose imitation of [[Dwayne Johnson]] generally sounds quite convincing.
* Shockwave is revealed to be the inventor of the illegal cortical psychic patch. Not surprising, considering he's also responsible for some "certain" changes made to some "certain" [[Dinobot (FOC)|Autobots]].
* As in "[[Predatory]]", the primary characters use the same models, meaning they all have Earth-mode kibble well before ever visiting Earth.
* Starscream gloats about how he captured the uncaptureable Arcee. Apparently he never heard of her [[Predatory|encounter]] with Airachnid. This is consistent with comments he makes in the episode "[[Partners (Prime)|Partners]]", in which he asks "Who's Tailgate?", accidentally revealing to Arcee that it was he who killed Cliffjumper.
** In general, Starscream's interrogation of Arcee at the beginning of the episode is very similar to Airachnid's attempts to extract information from her, although Arcee takes the former's threats better than the latter's.
* Arcee's flashback of Tailgate's death happens during the flashback of her adventure with Cliffjumper. A flashback within a flashback. Flashbackception. ''BWAMMMM''.
* The show's writers, not knowing what to do with the character, intended to kill Shockwave off by the end of this episode (à la [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]], [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]], and Cliffjumper himself), before coming up with a way to incorporate him into the show's third season.
* Perhaps unsurprisingly due to most of the featured characters using Earth-mode models before visiting Earth, this episode features a solitary instance of transformation: Bumblebee's, upon returning to base. Not even Shockwave, who ''has'' no Earth-based-vehicle-bits on his model, transforms.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Coéquipiers'''" ("Teammates")
:*''Original airdate:'' ?

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Schatten der Vergangenheit'''" ("Shadows from the Past")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 2|2 February]] [[2013]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Tsuioku Henkei! Arcee no Kako'''" (追憶変形!アーシーの過去, "Reminiscent Transformation! Arcee's Past")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 26|26 January]] [[2013]]
:*Shockwave is given a speech quirk, spouting the word "shock" every other time he does something and weaving it into many of his lines, causing him to describe much of what happens as "shocking". For example, when Cliffjumper's blasts don't harm him, he responds with "Shocking, isn't it? That doesn't work on me." This is similar to how [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|''Armada'' Tidal Wave]], who was named Shockwave in Japan, talked. This is also his only appearance in the Japanese broadcast.

'''Brazilian Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''No Passado'''" ("In The Past")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 25|25 June]] [[2013]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Un salto nel passato'''" ("A Jump in the Past"), "'''Dal Passato'''" (2017 airing, "From the Past")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 7|7 February]] [[2013]]

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2012 — ''Transformers Prime'' — Season Two ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2013 — ''Transformers Prime'' — Vol. 22 ([[Avex Trax]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2013 — ''Transformers Prime'' — Folge 10: Bulkheads Mission ([[EDEL:kids]]) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Prime'' — Volume 4: Unclear Objectives ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Prime'' — Season Two Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2014 — ''Transformers Prime'' — Season 2 Vol. 3: Toxicity ([[Primal Screen]]) 
[[File:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2014 — ''Transformers Prime'' — Saison 2 Vol. 3: La course aux reliques (Primal Screen) 
[[File:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime'' — Stagione 2 Vol. 3: Il Tox-En (Primal Screen) — English, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish and Norwegian audio. 
[[File:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime'' — Intégrale Saison 2 (Primal Screen) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime'' — The Complete Season 2 (Primal Screen) 
[[File:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime'' — La Seconda Stagione Completa (Primal Screen) — English, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish and Norwegian audio.
;Blu-ray
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2012 — ''Transformers Prime'' — Season Two (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime'' — Season Two Collection (Madman Entertainment) 

[[Category:Adaptations]]
[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Transformers: Retribution

2024-04-27T08:24:20Z

0TheLegend0: /* Continuity notes */ Retribution implies that this was the first tower Shockwave has built, because it's written as a continuation of Exodus and Exiles, not WFC and FOC.

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''Transformers: Retribution''
|prev=Transformers: Exiles
|next=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
|title=
|image=TransformersRetribution.jpg
|caption= He's a former archivist with a troubled past. He's an ex-energon miner with a chip on his shoulder. Together, they fight <s>crime</s> Quintessons.
|publisher=[[Del Rey Books]]
|price=
|date=[[January 28]], [[2014]]
|writer=[[David J. Williams]] [[Mark S. Williams]]
|continuity=[[Aligned continuity family]]
|ISBN=ISBN 0345519876 ISBN 978-0345519870
|pagecount=400
}}
'''The Autobots and Decepticons encounter the Quintessons, while Shockwave's experiments begin to get out of hand.'''

==Synopsis==
On [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] prepares for his eventual capture by [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]. Although [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] and the [[Wreckers]] are doing everything they can to impede and harass the Decepticons occupying the planet's major cities, Shockwave's forces maintain control of the planet's major cities, and the mad scientist has turned the occupied city of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] into his personal laboratory, viewing the Autobot resistance as mere tools used to cull the weak and enhance the strong. His new reign is symbolized by his new personal tower, wherein he conducts his brutal experiments. As Shockwave's guards and many [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s burst through his door to arrest him, Alpha Trion quietly gives himself up.

Some time after the battle on [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] and [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] detect the energy signature of the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' among an asteroid field. [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] orders the Seekers to attack, but Starscream and his strike force discovers that the signal is a ruse engineered by [[Thundertron]] and the [[Star Seeker]]s, who plan to wipe out the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' with the Requiem Blaster. Taking advantage of the Blaster's high energy consumption rate, Megatron manages to best the pirate leader in hand-to-hand combat while the ''Nemesis'' overwhelms the ''[[Tidal Wave (Prime)|Tidal Wave]]'', forcing the pirates into a retreat. In the midst of the battle, [[Wreck-Gar (Prime)|Wreck-Gar]] manages to steal an escape pod and escape his captors, while Axer, once again converted to Megatron's side and hoping to regain his leader's favour, reveals to the Decepticon leader that he knows the true whereabouts of the Autobots...

Elsewhere in space, [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] and the other [[Autobot]]s aboard the ''Ark'' discover an aquatic, inhabited world rich with [[energon]] that does not appear on any of the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s star charts. Optimus initially has reservations—the [[Matrix of Leadership]] has recently been transmitting strange and unsettling visions of subjugated Cybertronians, causing him to doubt his leadership—but he reluctantly orders a scouting party composed of [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], [[Rodimus (WFC)|Rodimus]], and [[Kup (WFC)|Kup]] to land near one of the planet's cities.

Back on Cybertron, Shockwave gloats to a captive Alpha Trion about his discovery of [[Vector Sigma]], located deep below Iacon in Shockwave's newest tower.

The Autobot away party are greeted on the surface by an amphibious being identified as "[[Inquirata (Prime)|the Curator]]", who welcomes them to the peaceful, Energon-processing planet of [[Aquatron]], rich with processed [[energon cube]]s and free of poverty, tyranny, or greed. Aboard the ''Ark'', a worried Optimus consults with [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] about his recent visions, but the Autobot medic cannot find any physical problems.

Beneath Iacon, Shockwave reveals his newest plan to his captive audience; having studied scraps of the [[Covenant of Primus]], he plans to use Alpha Trion—the last remaining [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] on Cybertron—to unlock the supercomputer's true potential and forge a [[Decepticon Matrix]] that will further enhance his control over Cybertron. Although Alpha Trion protests, knowing what Shockwave will unleash by doing so, Shockwave nonetheless orders him integrated into Vector Sigma's circuitry regardless.

On Aquatron, Optimus makes planetfall aboard one of the Ark's shuttles, accompanied by his closest associates. Although [[Perceptor (Prime)|Perceptor]] and Ratchet are impressed with the Aquatronian's vast supplies of Energon, Optimus suffers another vision of Orion Pax, his former self, threatened by a shadowy figure intent on enslaving him. The shock causes him to collapse, and the Curator suggests taking him to the nearest Aquatronian medical center to ascertain the problem. A sceptical Kup, Rodimus, and Bumblebee commandeer the Autobot scout shuttle and drive it underwater, in the hopes of discovering the truth behind the seemingly benevolent Aquatronians.

At the medical center, the Autobots encounter Doctor [[Xeros]], Aquatron's senior physician. While scanning Optimus, the doctor discovers his Matrix, which he immediately recognizes. Although Optimus eventually comes to and recovers from his shock, Jazz grows increasingly suspicious of Xeros and the Curator. In his private sanctum, the Curator examines the scans of Optimus's Matrix. After reporting to his supervisors, he reveals a replica Matrix that he begins tampering with, in the hopes of further destabilizing the already disoriented Autobot leader...

Underwater, the three Autobots soon find themselves over their heads—literally, as their makeshift submarine crashes in a deep-sea trench, leaving them stranded beneath the sea.

That evening, at an Aquatronian welcome ceremony, Ratchet confides in Optimus that his worrying visions may be tied to repressed memories of a traumatic experience, but before he can elaborate, [[Ironhide (WFC)|Ironhide]] contacts him with news of the shuttle's disappearance. Optimus immediately orders a search and rescue mission to recover the trio, and the Curator pledges the support of all Aquatronians in the effort.

Underwater, Kup, Rodimus, and Bumblebee eventually find themselves in a large underground complex filled with thousands of dormant [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]]. Before they can explore any further or contact, they are hypnotized by a series of glowing lights and abducted by the Curator, who restrains them and begins tampering with their minds.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Iacon, [[Springer (WFC)|Springer]] and [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] rendezvous with [[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]] and Ultra Magnus. Having learned of Alpha Trion's predicament through inside contacts, the Wrecker leader has gathered them for a rescue mission. He introduces them to two additional recruits to the Wreckers: a deformed victim of Shockwave's experiments named [[Rack n' Ruin]] and a newly rebuilt [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]].

In space, the ''Nemesis'' finally catches up with the ''Ark'', and Megatron orders his troops to attack. Although the Aerialbots join the fray by combining into Superion and inflicting heavy damage on the ''Nemesis'', they are cut short by the Curator, who cuts the power of both ships and scolds them for fighting in neutral space. With no other course of action, Megatron is forced to accept the Curator's invitation to declare a temporary truce with the Autobots and descends to the planet below.

With the Autobots and Decepticons now stranded on the planet, the Curator reveals the truth—he is in reality a [[Quintesson]], and Aquatron is now a part of the Quintesson Co-Prosperity Sphere, ostensibly a peaceful federation of trading partners. Optimus, who remembers reading about the hostile Quintesson occupation of Cybertron during his days as a data clerk, has his doubts about the Curator's true intentions, as do Ironhide and many of the other Autobots. The Curator requests that both factions maintain their truce for at least twenty-four hours while Optimus and Megatron attempt to negotiate a peace treaty to permanently end their civil war.

Ultra Magnus and his crew manage to sneak through Iacon's fortified borders and into the city's interior. Magnus directs them to his contact, who turns out to be [[Maccadam]], the proprietor of [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]], who has turned his bar into the hub of the Autobot resistance's spy network.

That night in the Pavilion, Optimus, Starscream, and Megatron are all visited by the Curator, who promises something different to each one: knowledge of the AllSpark's location, command of the Decepticon cause, and a Decepticon Matrix of Leadership, respectively, should they cooperate the next morning. Starscream, however, has other plans.

On Cybertron, Shockwave has trouble using Alpha Trion to unlock Vector Sigma, as the old archivist has taken the precaution of inserting a failsafe code around his own cortex. Trion tries to reason with the scientist one last time, warning him that tampering with Vector Sigma could have dire repercussions for the entirety of Cybertron, and could very well draw the attention of unsavory forces. Shockwave ignores him and begins pumping [[Dark Energon]] into Vector Sigma, to Alpha Trion's horror; the Prime knows that Shockwave's experiments have awakened something terrible and alerted them to the presence of Cybertron.

Meanwhile, the Curator and Xeros, sensing the reactivation of a long-dormant Space Bridge on Cybertron through Vector Sigma, reactivates the cryogenically preserved General [[Tyrannicon]], and prepare for an impending invasion...

The following morning, Starscream recruits [[Skywarp (WFC)|Skywarp]], stroking his ego by lying about a personal mission from Megatron. Skywarp uses his teleportation powers to plant a bomb beneath the Pavilion in the hopes of killing both Optimus and Megatron, allowing Starscream to defeat the Autobots and seize control of the Decepticon forces.

When Optimus meets Megatron for the peace conference, the Decepticon leader reveals his true intentions as he deploys a hidden squadron of [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]], believing that he will be rewarded for his efforts. Before the two can complete their fight, however, the bomb explodes. Skywarp is grievously wounded and crashes into the sea below, while the assembled Autobots and Decepticons in the Pavilion blame one another and begin fighting.

Optimus and Megatron mange to make a narrow escape from the flooding chamber. To quell the increasingly upsetting visions of the Quintesson-manipulated Matrix, he is forced to switch it off, but in the process he cuts himself off from the Matrix's supplies of wisdom and energy. The two manage to escape back to the surface and rejoin their troops, but promptly encounter a massive armada of Sharkticons and their general Tyrannicon, who places both Autobots and Decepticons under a humiliating arrest.

Maccadam's network of informants allows the Wreckers to pinpoint Trion's location, but Senator [[Ratbat (WFC)|Ratbat]] has managed to track them back to their base. To deal with the Decepticon police forces, Ultra Magnus orders Omega Supreme to bombard the city, clearing a path for the team to make good their escape.

When the Cybertronians arrive via prison transport to the Aquatronian's capital city of [[Hydratron]], Optimus is immediately sent to stand trial for his numerous “crimes” against the Quintesson Imperium. The Quintesson high court holds Optimus, and, by extension the rest of the assembled Cybertronians, guilty of treason against the Quintessons and blasphemy against their creators. The Quintesson prosecutor claims that his race travelled to Cybertron long ago and built the first Transformers, benevolently guiding their developing civilization until they were driven off-planet by their rebellious creations.

Optimus is initially swayed by this story before he finally recalls his suppressed memories, including a life ''before'' the duplicitous Quintesson invasion, and denounces the Quintessons as liars. To his horror, his own soldiers – the brainwashed Kup, Rodimus, and Bumblebee—testify against him anyway, claiming him to be a warmonger and a relentless murderer. Their testimony is backed up by the scavenged remains of Skywarp, who also testifies against Prime and accuses him of planting the bomb. Of all the people in the court, Megatron himself supports Optimus's claims, arguing that the data clerk did nothing in the war that ousted the invaders. The Quintesson judges, after some consideration, find Optimus Prime and the rest of the assembled Cybertronians innocent... and start to execute them all, by pushing them one by one into a Piranhacon-infested pool.

The Quintesson judges tell the two leaders to fight one another in hand-to-hand combat; whoever wins will be able to leave the planet unharmed after killing the loser. With no other option, the two comply. Unbeknownst to them, the Curator is secretly harvesting the energon emitted in the fight to charge up a space bridge hidden beneath Hydratron. Shockwave's experimentation with Vector Sigma have pinpointed the current location of Cybertron, and the Quintessons have assembled the Sharkticon army to invade and re-colonize the Transformer homeworld. Before Optimus and Megatron can conclude their duel, the floor abruptly opens up beneath them and sends them tumbling into the Piranhacon pit—the space bridge has activated, and they are no longer needed.

On their respective ships, Starscream and Sideswipe pick up abnormal energy readings and independently come to the conclusion that their leaders are still alive. The Autobots and Decepticon flagships prepare to assault Aquatron and recover their leaders.

Beneath Iacon, Shockwave's experiments are interrupted by the timely charge of the Wreckers, who steamroll Shockwave's Insecticon guards and detach Alpha Trion from the interface, even though the mad scientist himself slips away in the mayhem. Alpha Trion, cognizant of the coming danger, tells his rescuers that their entire world will soon need saving from the coming invasion force.

Optimus and Megatron manage to fight their way out of the execution chamber and into Aquatron's subterranean layers, although to do so Optimus must reactivate the Matrix, once again exposing himself to a stream of Quintesson propaganda. Simultaneously, the ''Ark'' and the ''Nemesis'' launch a joint attack on Aquatron's defence systems. In retaliation, the Sharkticons successfully shoot down the ''Nemesis'', but the ''Ark'' manages to deploy an Autobot strike force headed by [[Sunstreaker (Pop-Up)|Sunstreaker]] to reinforce the surviving Transformers, who are pinned down by Sharkticon forces under [[Gnaw (Prime)|Gnaw]]'s command. Jazz and Starscream form a temporary alliance to defeat the Sharkticons.

The rest of the Sharkticon armada, headed by Tyrannicon, reaches Cybertron and swiftly overwhelms the largely abandoned world, seizing both the Well of All Sparks and the Vector Sigma terminal as beachheads. The main invasion force continues to move toward Iacon.

Optimus and Megatron, now lost underground, encounter a monstrous techno-organic beast calling itself the [[Gamekeeper]], who taunts the duo about the current Quintesson invasion of Cybertron already in progress. Although they manage to defeat the Gamekeeper, Megatron discovers a mysterious set of carvings, depicting a warrior not unlike himself surrounded by Sharkticons. Megatron is intrigued, but Optimus is sceptical of their veracity, even after the dying Gamekeeper confesses that they were carved by an unsuccessful Sharkticon rebellion seeking to overthrow their Quintesson masters.

Tyrannicon's forces reach Iacon and begin their main assault. Although challenged by Omega Supreme and [[Devastator (WFC)|Devastator]], the Sharkticon general impales the Autobot guardian through the head and buries the combiner under a collapsed building, putting them both out of action.

In Hydratron, the impromptu alliance between Autobot and Decepticon begins to fracture as the Transformers are swiftly pushed back by their enemy's weight of numbers. The combined force quickly evacuates the battlefield and takes shelter in the downed ''Nemesis''. Gnaw retaliates by gradually submerging the city, intending to force the Cybertronians out of their shelter.

Meanwhile, Megatron and Optimus temporarily elude their Sharkticon pursuers by breaking into the Quintesson's inner sanctum, where they discover Xeros. An enraged Megatron interrogates him and demands to know the Curator's location, but Xeros refuses to divulge the information. In frustration, Megatron pounds a nearby console, revealing, to his elation, the decoy Matrix that the Quintessons used to manipulate Optimus's memories and emotions; a device Xeros also used to control the Sharkticon forces. Believing it to be his promised Decepticon Matrix, Megatron plunges it into his chest without a second thought.

As the Sharkticons close in on Iacon, the Wreckers head for the [[Hall of Records]] and the archives therein. Alpha Trion plans to detonate the entire building to prevent valuable information from falling into the hands of Tyrannicon's forces; meanwhile, Shockwave desperately seeks out the various [[:Category:Iacon relics|relics]] he could use to repel the invaders, only to find that none of them remain in his formerly secure vault—Alpha Trion has already ejected them from Cybertron. Furious and fearful for the future of Cybertron, he enters the archives and demands that Alpha Trion stop his scorched earth plan, only to be interrupted by Tyrannicon and his new aide, Senator Ratbat, who has allied with the Quintessons in exchange for being made the governor of Cybertron. In desperation, Alpha Trion pushes the detonator... only for nothing to happen—Tyrannicon preemptively jammed the detonator's frequencies.

Underneath Aquatron, Megatron's new Matrix imparts new knowledge to his mind as it changes his body. Aquatron really is one of the lost [[Cybertronian colonies]], one that was invaded and subjugated by Quintessons in the distant past. By tampering with Matrix technology, the Quintessons in reality, created a [[Sharkticon Matrix of Leadership]], foreseen by the rebellion in the distant past as the artefact that would one day lead the Aquatronians to freedom. With Megatron's body reshaped into an avatar of the Sharkticons, he casually orders his new Sharkticon troops to attack Xeros while he throws Optimus down an elevator shaft. All across Aquatron and Cybertron, the Sharkticons revolt on the command of their new god, bringing the invasion to a grinding halt, while Megatron orders every Sharkticon on the planet to find the Curator and kill him.

As Optimus plunges to certain doom, he is visited by a mysterious apparition of thirteen silhouettes, who tell him that his time has not yet come and that he is exactly where he needs to be. The Autobot leader plunges into the jaws of a [[Leviacon]], a gigantic peaceful mechanoid recently freed from the yoke of Quintesson control. Optimus orders the Leviacon to head toward the lake bed so that he can confront the Curator and destroy the space bridge.

Just when it seems Tyrannicon is about to seize control of the Hall of Records and finish off the Wreckers, his Sharkticon troops rebel against their leader, allowing the Wreckers to escape and regroup. With his invasion of Cybertron usurped, Tyrannicon heads back toward the space bridge in the hopes of confronting the one responsible. Rack n' Ruin takes advantage of the confusion to split off from the rest of the group, steal the detonators, and cheerfully rig Shockwave's tower to explode. Shockwave, however, has already departed from Iacon, but vows to find a new way to make every Autobot suffer for the destruction of his laboratory...

Megatron's rebel Sharkticons soon swarm toward the space bridge, where they run up against the Curator's fortified command bubble. A frantic Curator tries to lie to his superiors that the invasion was a success, but they do not believe him.

As the city continues to sink, the ''Ark'' arrives to evacuate the Autobot forces, much to Starscream's chagrin. The Autobots agree to help the ''Nemesis'' back into orbit. Starscream is contacted by Megatron, who has declared himself the new lord of Aquatron and begins loading his new Sharkticon troops aboard the ''Nemesis'' as proof of his new powers.

As Megatron makes for the ''Nemesis'', he is taunted by the Curator, who reveals to him that the entire city is a living, bioengineered being –the [[Hydratron]], who will travel through the space bridge and consume every Cybertronian in existence. Megatron and his new Sharkticon retinue fight their way through the beast's innards before arriving at the Space Bridge. The transformed city attacks the ''Ark''/''Nemesis'' combo, and even though Superion tries to repel its attacks the Hydratron proves too strong to overpower, and begins dragging both ships into its gigantic maw. While Megatron breaks free of the Hydratron's stomach and heads toward the Curator's lakebed space bridge, Superion arrives just in time and manages to boost both ships out of the Hydratron's reach, carrying the Autobots and Decepticons to safety.

Optimus and the Leviacon arrive just in time to confront the Curator. The Curator taunts Optimus, claiming that he'd been playing the Autobot leader for a fool all of this time before he knocks him unconscious with a wand-like device. Suddenly, Tyrannicon bursts through the space bridge, intent on ending the Curator's machinations once and for all. The general easily tears the Curator's outer shell in half, revealing a tiny, organic, squid-like creature who begs for mercy, shortly before Tyrannicon crushes him. Megatron finally arrives, now bent on subjugating Aquatron. He offers Tyrannicon a position as his new general. Tyrannicon, outraged, easily bests Megatron in combat before stealing the Sharkticon Matrix, further enhancing his capabilities and once again granting him control over the Sharkticons. Before he can kill the Decepticon leader, however, the descending Hydratron grabs him and eats him.

As Optimus barely regains consciousness, he realizes what he has to do. Using the Curator's wand, he manages to ignite the energon fuelling the bridge, causing a cataclysmic chain reaction that destroys the ancient Space Bridge entirely.

Aboard the two ships, morale runs low as Autobots and Decepticons scan the seas for a sign of their leaders. Just as they are about to give up hope, Sideswipe sees the Leviacon surfacing, with a weary but triumphant Optimus on his back—and accompanied by Megatron. With the Matrix once again purified and free of Quintesson control, the ''Ark'' takes off into deep space as Optimus Prime and the Autobots resume their search for the AllSpark.

Meanwhile, on Cybertron, Alpha Trion resumes studying the Covenant as he muses about the future. In particular, he wonders about the Iaconian relics that he sent to a peculiar planet on the fringes of the [[Orion Arm]]—a [[Earth|small, blue-green world]]...

==Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] (1)
*[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] (16)
*[[Jazz (WFC)|Jazz]] (17)
*[[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] (18)
*[[Perceptor (Prime)|Perceptor]] (19)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (20)
*[[Sideswipe (WFC)|Sideswipe]] (21)
*[[Rodimus (WFC)|Rodimus]] (24)
*[[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] (25)
*[[Kup (WFC)|Kup]] (26)
*[[Prowl (WFC)|Prowl]] (27)
*[[Ironhide (WFC)|Ironhide]] (28)
*[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] (34)
*[[Springer (WFC)|Springer]] (35)
*[[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]] (36)
*[[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] (37)
*[[Rack n' Ruin]] (38)
*[[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]] (39)
*[[Silverbolt (WFC)|Silverbolt]] (40)
*[[Air Raid (WFC)|Air Raid]] (41)
*[[Slingshot (Prime)|Slingshot]] (42)
*[[Skydive (Prime)|Skydive]] (43)
*[[Fireflight (FOC)|Fireflight]] (44)
*[[Superion (Prime)|Superion]] (45)
*[[Sunstreaker (Pop-Up)|Sunstreaker]] (50)
*[[Hubcap (Prime)|Hubcap]] (51)
*[[Brawn (Prime)|Brawn]] (53)
*[[Blaster (FOC)|Blaster]] (56)
*[[Bluestreak (Prime)|Bluestreak]] (61)
*[[Mirage (Prime)|Mirage]] (62)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] (2)
*[[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] (4)
*[[Thundercracker (WFC)|Thundercracker]] (5)
*[[Thrust (Prime)|Thrust]] (6)
*[[Dirge (WFC)|Dirge]] (7)
*[[Ramjet (WFC)|Ramjet]] (8)
*[[Skywarp (WFC)|Skywarp]] (9)
*[[Axer (Prime)|Axer]] (13)
*[[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] (22)
*[[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticons]] (23)
*[[Ravage (WFC)|Ravage]] (29)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s (46)
*[[Ratbat (WFC)|Ratbat]] (49)
*[[Hotlink (WFC)|Hotlink]] (55)
*[[Headstrong (Prime)|Headstrong]] (58)
*[[Rampage (Prime)|Rampage]] (59)
*[[Tantrum (Prime)|Tantrum]] (60)
*[[Devastator (WFC)|Devastator]] (64)
*[[Scrapper (Prime)|Scrapper]] (65)
*[[Mixmaster (Prime)|Mixmaster]] (66)
*[[Hook (Prime)|Hook]] (67)
*[[Long]] (68)
*[[Scavenger (Prime)|Scavenger]] (69)
*[[Frontloader]] (70)
*[[Bonecrusher (Prime)|Bonecrusher]] (71)

|h3=[[Star Seeker]]s|c3=
*[[Thundertron]] (11)
*[[Cannonball (Prime)|Cannonball]] (12)
*[[Sandstorm (Prime)|Sandstorm]] (14)
*[[Brimstone (Prime)|Brimstone]] (15)

|h4=[[Quintesson]]s|c4=
*[[Inquirata (Prime)|Inquirata]] (29)
*[[Xeros]] (32)
*[[Tyrannicon]] (48)
*[[Gnaw (Prime)|Gnaw]] (52)
*[[Piranacon (Quintesson)|Pirahnacons]] (54)
*[[Gamekeeper]] (63)

|h5=[[Junkion (species)|Junkion]]s|c5=
*[[Wreck-Gar (Prime)|Wreck-Gar]] (10)

|h6=Others|c6=
*[[Cleaner]]s (31)
*[[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s (33)
*[[Maccadam]] (47)
*[[Leviacon]] (72)
*[[Hydratron]] (73)
}}

==Quotes==
"So good of you to join me." 
:—'''Shockwave''' welcomes a strapped down '''Alpha Trion''' to his tower.

Rodimus: "I have a question." 
Prowl: "Yes?" 
Rodimus: "Who gets to fly the ship down?" 
Ironhide: "Nobody, Teletraan-I will be handling the drop." 
Rodimus: "Aw, where's the fun in that?" 
:—'''Rodimus'''' question leads to disappointment.

"Hey, Kup, any of this look familiar to you?" 
"Seems like I've seen it before. But not sure where." 
"Any idea what those runes mean?" 
"Not a clue, sonny. I just know they have to be old." 
"I thought ''you'' were old." 
"Old enough not to find you funny." 
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Kup''' talk about old ruins and old age.

"Glad you guys are okay. Want to give control back to Teletraan-I?" 
"Not particularly."
:—'''Perceptor''' asks if '''Rodimus''' is ready for someone else to pilot the ship, which he's not.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Shockwave mentions to Alpha Trion that he is aware of the fact that Optimus is in possession of the [[Key to Vector Sigma]], which was previously mentioned in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 3]]".
* Many of the relics that Shockwave seeks are artifacts from the ''Prime'' cartoon, including the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]] and [[Tox-En]].
* Alpha Trion reveals to Shockwave that he had already ejected all of these same artifacts to Earth, which was previously established in "[[Alpha/Omega]]".

===Errors===
*On page 19, a [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] named Debris says he's picking up energy readings. This is clearly a typo for Dirge as Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Thrust, Dirge, and Ramjet are the only ones sent out.
*On page 64, Shockwave frowned.
*On page 206, Sunstreaker states that Bluestreak, [[Trailbreaker (Prime)|Trailbreaker]], Mirage, and he could retrieve Optimus Prime using a combat shuttle, but "Chapter 7: The Golden Age" in ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus]]'' shows that Bluestreak was left on [[Archon]] when the [[space bridge]]s were shut down due to the [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Rust Plague]].
*The Quintessons' plan is a bit of a head-scratcher. The Curator powers the Space Bridge to Cybertron by killing the Cybertronians off one-by-one and harvesting their energon as a power source. But Aquatron supposedly has warehouses ''full'' of energon, seemingly far more than the crews of the Ark and Nemesis have inside their sparks, so why not just use that?
** The Curator ultimately powers the Bridge with the unique and powerful energies of the Matrix, which the Aquatronian energon may not have been able to produce, but this is clearly Plan B -- only after it was reported that the standard executions would not meet the energy quota did he alter his plans to make Optimus turn the Matrix back on.
*On page 290, Ratchet is stated to be among the Wrecker's rescue crew.
*On page 327, Skywarp is flying beside the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' when he was devoured by Gnaw.
*On page 328, Ramjet is helping Megatron when he was one of the first ripped apart by the Piranhacons.
*On page 328, Slipstream is also helping Megatron when she was previously abandoned over [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]] in ''[[Transformers: Exiles|Exiles]]''. Maybe she made it back?
*In ''Exiles'', Silverbolt was said to be the only Autobot aboard the ship capable of independent flight. Here, all five of the Aerialbots appear as members of the ''Ark'', with no explanation for the discrepancy.

===Transformers references===
* As the first installment in the Aligned continuity family to properly feature the Quintessons, multiple references to their previous incarnations—in particular, their iconic Generation 1 appearances—abound.
* The Quintessons claim that they settled Cybertron in the distant past and built the first Cybertronians, recalling the events of "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4]]", which also featured Quintessons overseeing the creation of the Transformers and a subsequent rebellion that drove the Quintessons off the planet.
* Optimus Prime suffers visions of Quintessons overseeing assembly lines of Cybertronians, a scene lifted almost directly from the same episode.
* As per their first appearances in the [[The Transformers: The Movie|1986 animated film]], the Quintessons' fondness of kangaroo courts forms a major scene in the novel, as does their proclamations of "innocence" that are apparently synonymous with being guilty.
* The Quintesson sentence for "innocent" involves being pushed into a watery pit full of ravenous creatures and devoured, a fate first encountered by [[Kranix (G1)|Kranix]] in ''The Transformers: The Movie''
* The Curator originally describes Aquatron as a world affiliated with the [[Quintesson Pan Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere|Quintesson Co-Prosperity Sphere]], a term first used in the ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|Allspark Almanac II]]''.
* Kup and Rodimus are among the first members of the scouting party to encounter the Quintessons, as their Generation 1 counterparts did in the movie.
* Kup chews on [[cy-gar]]s in a nod to his IDW counterpart.
* Rodimus's weapon of choice is the same as his ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|counterpart]].
* When Megatron places the Matrix replica into his chest, his new body is clearly based off the ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Beast Hunters (2013)|Beast Hunters]]'' Voyager Sharkticon Megatron figure.

===Real-world references===
*Wreck-Gar uses several British slang terms such as "guv'nor" in his dialogue, likely as a reference to his original voice actor [[Eric Idle]].
*Megatron's cry of "GET OFF MY SHIP!" to Superion may be a reference to the famous line spoken in the 1997 film ''{{w|Air Force One (film)|Air Force One}}''.

==External links==
*[http://www.randomhouse.com/book/198676/transformers-retribution-by-david-j-williams-and-mark-williams Publisher's product page]
*[http://suvudu.com/2014/01/50-page-fridays-dave-williams-and-mark-williams.html 50 page preview on Suvudu]
*[http://io9.com/read-an-exclusive-preview-of-the-new-transformers-novel-612265053 io9 preview]
*[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2013-transformers-publishing-panel-coverage-177864/ Botcon 2013 - TFW2005 Transformers Publishing Panel Coverage]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Retribution}}
[[Category:Novels]]
[[Category:Prime media]]

Transformers: Retribution

2024-04-27T08:21:34Z

0TheLegend0: /* Continuity notes */ Omega Supreme fell into statis lock after the events of WFC.

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''Transformers: Retribution''
|prev=Transformers: Exiles
|next=Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)
|title=
|image=TransformersRetribution.jpg
|caption= He's a former archivist with a troubled past. He's an ex-energon miner with a chip on his shoulder. Together, they fight <s>crime</s> Quintessons.
|publisher=[[Del Rey Books]]
|price=
|date=[[January 28]], [[2014]]
|writer=[[David J. Williams]] [[Mark S. Williams]]
|continuity=[[Aligned continuity family]]
|ISBN=ISBN 0345519876 ISBN 978-0345519870
|pagecount=400
}}
'''The Autobots and Decepticons encounter the Quintessons, while Shockwave's experiments begin to get out of hand.'''

==Synopsis==
On [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] prepares for his eventual capture by [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]. Although [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] and the [[Wreckers]] are doing everything they can to impede and harass the Decepticons occupying the planet's major cities, Shockwave's forces maintain control of the planet's major cities, and the mad scientist has turned the occupied city of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] into his personal laboratory, viewing the Autobot resistance as mere tools used to cull the weak and enhance the strong. His new reign is symbolized by his new personal tower, wherein he conducts his brutal experiments. As Shockwave's guards and many [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s burst through his door to arrest him, Alpha Trion quietly gives himself up.

Some time after the battle on [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] and [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] detect the energy signature of the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' among an asteroid field. [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] orders the Seekers to attack, but Starscream and his strike force discovers that the signal is a ruse engineered by [[Thundertron]] and the [[Star Seeker]]s, who plan to wipe out the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' with the Requiem Blaster. Taking advantage of the Blaster's high energy consumption rate, Megatron manages to best the pirate leader in hand-to-hand combat while the ''Nemesis'' overwhelms the ''[[Tidal Wave (Prime)|Tidal Wave]]'', forcing the pirates into a retreat. In the midst of the battle, [[Wreck-Gar (Prime)|Wreck-Gar]] manages to steal an escape pod and escape his captors, while Axer, once again converted to Megatron's side and hoping to regain his leader's favour, reveals to the Decepticon leader that he knows the true whereabouts of the Autobots...

Elsewhere in space, [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] and the other [[Autobot]]s aboard the ''Ark'' discover an aquatic, inhabited world rich with [[energon]] that does not appear on any of the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s star charts. Optimus initially has reservations—the [[Matrix of Leadership]] has recently been transmitting strange and unsettling visions of subjugated Cybertronians, causing him to doubt his leadership—but he reluctantly orders a scouting party composed of [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], [[Rodimus (WFC)|Rodimus]], and [[Kup (WFC)|Kup]] to land near one of the planet's cities.

Back on Cybertron, Shockwave gloats to a captive Alpha Trion about his discovery of [[Vector Sigma]], located deep below Iacon in Shockwave's newest tower.

The Autobot away party are greeted on the surface by an amphibious being identified as "[[Inquirata (Prime)|the Curator]]", who welcomes them to the peaceful, Energon-processing planet of [[Aquatron]], rich with processed [[energon cube]]s and free of poverty, tyranny, or greed. Aboard the ''Ark'', a worried Optimus consults with [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] about his recent visions, but the Autobot medic cannot find any physical problems.

Beneath Iacon, Shockwave reveals his newest plan to his captive audience; having studied scraps of the [[Covenant of Primus]], he plans to use Alpha Trion—the last remaining [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] on Cybertron—to unlock the supercomputer's true potential and forge a [[Decepticon Matrix]] that will further enhance his control over Cybertron. Although Alpha Trion protests, knowing what Shockwave will unleash by doing so, Shockwave nonetheless orders him integrated into Vector Sigma's circuitry regardless.

On Aquatron, Optimus makes planetfall aboard one of the Ark's shuttles, accompanied by his closest associates. Although [[Perceptor (Prime)|Perceptor]] and Ratchet are impressed with the Aquatronian's vast supplies of Energon, Optimus suffers another vision of Orion Pax, his former self, threatened by a shadowy figure intent on enslaving him. The shock causes him to collapse, and the Curator suggests taking him to the nearest Aquatronian medical center to ascertain the problem. A sceptical Kup, Rodimus, and Bumblebee commandeer the Autobot scout shuttle and drive it underwater, in the hopes of discovering the truth behind the seemingly benevolent Aquatronians.

At the medical center, the Autobots encounter Doctor [[Xeros]], Aquatron's senior physician. While scanning Optimus, the doctor discovers his Matrix, which he immediately recognizes. Although Optimus eventually comes to and recovers from his shock, Jazz grows increasingly suspicious of Xeros and the Curator. In his private sanctum, the Curator examines the scans of Optimus's Matrix. After reporting to his supervisors, he reveals a replica Matrix that he begins tampering with, in the hopes of further destabilizing the already disoriented Autobot leader...

Underwater, the three Autobots soon find themselves over their heads—literally, as their makeshift submarine crashes in a deep-sea trench, leaving them stranded beneath the sea.

That evening, at an Aquatronian welcome ceremony, Ratchet confides in Optimus that his worrying visions may be tied to repressed memories of a traumatic experience, but before he can elaborate, [[Ironhide (WFC)|Ironhide]] contacts him with news of the shuttle's disappearance. Optimus immediately orders a search and rescue mission to recover the trio, and the Curator pledges the support of all Aquatronians in the effort.

Underwater, Kup, Rodimus, and Bumblebee eventually find themselves in a large underground complex filled with thousands of dormant [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]]. Before they can explore any further or contact, they are hypnotized by a series of glowing lights and abducted by the Curator, who restrains them and begins tampering with their minds.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Iacon, [[Springer (WFC)|Springer]] and [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] rendezvous with [[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]] and Ultra Magnus. Having learned of Alpha Trion's predicament through inside contacts, the Wrecker leader has gathered them for a rescue mission. He introduces them to two additional recruits to the Wreckers: a deformed victim of Shockwave's experiments named [[Rack n' Ruin]] and a newly rebuilt [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]].

In space, the ''Nemesis'' finally catches up with the ''Ark'', and Megatron orders his troops to attack. Although the Aerialbots join the fray by combining into Superion and inflicting heavy damage on the ''Nemesis'', they are cut short by the Curator, who cuts the power of both ships and scolds them for fighting in neutral space. With no other course of action, Megatron is forced to accept the Curator's invitation to declare a temporary truce with the Autobots and descends to the planet below.

With the Autobots and Decepticons now stranded on the planet, the Curator reveals the truth—he is in reality a [[Quintesson]], and Aquatron is now a part of the Quintesson Co-Prosperity Sphere, ostensibly a peaceful federation of trading partners. Optimus, who remembers reading about the hostile Quintesson occupation of Cybertron during his days as a data clerk, has his doubts about the Curator's true intentions, as do Ironhide and many of the other Autobots. The Curator requests that both factions maintain their truce for at least twenty-four hours while Optimus and Megatron attempt to negotiate a peace treaty to permanently end their civil war.

Ultra Magnus and his crew manage to sneak through Iacon's fortified borders and into the city's interior. Magnus directs them to his contact, who turns out to be [[Maccadam]], the proprietor of [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]], who has turned his bar into the hub of the Autobot resistance's spy network.

That night in the Pavilion, Optimus, Starscream, and Megatron are all visited by the Curator, who promises something different to each one: knowledge of the AllSpark's location, command of the Decepticon cause, and a Decepticon Matrix of Leadership, respectively, should they cooperate the next morning. Starscream, however, has other plans.

On Cybertron, Shockwave has trouble using Alpha Trion to unlock Vector Sigma, as the old archivist has taken the precaution of inserting a failsafe code around his own cortex. Trion tries to reason with the scientist one last time, warning him that tampering with Vector Sigma could have dire repercussions for the entirety of Cybertron, and could very well draw the attention of unsavory forces. Shockwave ignores him and begins pumping [[Dark Energon]] into Vector Sigma, to Alpha Trion's horror; the Prime knows that Shockwave's experiments have awakened something terrible and alerted them to the presence of Cybertron.

Meanwhile, the Curator and Xeros, sensing the reactivation of a long-dormant Space Bridge on Cybertron through Vector Sigma, reactivates the cryogenically preserved General [[Tyrannicon]], and prepare for an impending invasion...

The following morning, Starscream recruits [[Skywarp (WFC)|Skywarp]], stroking his ego by lying about a personal mission from Megatron. Skywarp uses his teleportation powers to plant a bomb beneath the Pavilion in the hopes of killing both Optimus and Megatron, allowing Starscream to defeat the Autobots and seize control of the Decepticon forces.

When Optimus meets Megatron for the peace conference, the Decepticon leader reveals his true intentions as he deploys a hidden squadron of [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]], believing that he will be rewarded for his efforts. Before the two can complete their fight, however, the bomb explodes. Skywarp is grievously wounded and crashes into the sea below, while the assembled Autobots and Decepticons in the Pavilion blame one another and begin fighting.

Optimus and Megatron mange to make a narrow escape from the flooding chamber. To quell the increasingly upsetting visions of the Quintesson-manipulated Matrix, he is forced to switch it off, but in the process he cuts himself off from the Matrix's supplies of wisdom and energy. The two manage to escape back to the surface and rejoin their troops, but promptly encounter a massive armada of Sharkticons and their general Tyrannicon, who places both Autobots and Decepticons under a humiliating arrest.

Maccadam's network of informants allows the Wreckers to pinpoint Trion's location, but Senator [[Ratbat (WFC)|Ratbat]] has managed to track them back to their base. To deal with the Decepticon police forces, Ultra Magnus orders Omega Supreme to bombard the city, clearing a path for the team to make good their escape.

When the Cybertronians arrive via prison transport to the Aquatronian's capital city of [[Hydratron]], Optimus is immediately sent to stand trial for his numerous “crimes” against the Quintesson Imperium. The Quintesson high court holds Optimus, and, by extension the rest of the assembled Cybertronians, guilty of treason against the Quintessons and blasphemy against their creators. The Quintesson prosecutor claims that his race travelled to Cybertron long ago and built the first Transformers, benevolently guiding their developing civilization until they were driven off-planet by their rebellious creations.

Optimus is initially swayed by this story before he finally recalls his suppressed memories, including a life ''before'' the duplicitous Quintesson invasion, and denounces the Quintessons as liars. To his horror, his own soldiers – the brainwashed Kup, Rodimus, and Bumblebee—testify against him anyway, claiming him to be a warmonger and a relentless murderer. Their testimony is backed up by the scavenged remains of Skywarp, who also testifies against Prime and accuses him of planting the bomb. Of all the people in the court, Megatron himself supports Optimus's claims, arguing that the data clerk did nothing in the war that ousted the invaders. The Quintesson judges, after some consideration, find Optimus Prime and the rest of the assembled Cybertronians innocent... and start to execute them all, by pushing them one by one into a Piranhacon-infested pool.

The Quintesson judges tell the two leaders to fight one another in hand-to-hand combat; whoever wins will be able to leave the planet unharmed after killing the loser. With no other option, the two comply. Unbeknownst to them, the Curator is secretly harvesting the energon emitted in the fight to charge up a space bridge hidden beneath Hydratron. Shockwave's experimentation with Vector Sigma have pinpointed the current location of Cybertron, and the Quintessons have assembled the Sharkticon army to invade and re-colonize the Transformer homeworld. Before Optimus and Megatron can conclude their duel, the floor abruptly opens up beneath them and sends them tumbling into the Piranhacon pit—the space bridge has activated, and they are no longer needed.

On their respective ships, Starscream and Sideswipe pick up abnormal energy readings and independently come to the conclusion that their leaders are still alive. The Autobots and Decepticon flagships prepare to assault Aquatron and recover their leaders.

Beneath Iacon, Shockwave's experiments are interrupted by the timely charge of the Wreckers, who steamroll Shockwave's Insecticon guards and detach Alpha Trion from the interface, even though the mad scientist himself slips away in the mayhem. Alpha Trion, cognizant of the coming danger, tells his rescuers that their entire world will soon need saving from the coming invasion force.

Optimus and Megatron manage to fight their way out of the execution chamber and into Aquatron's subterranean layers, although to do so Optimus must reactivate the Matrix, once again exposing himself to a stream of Quintesson propaganda. Simultaneously, the ''Ark'' and the ''Nemesis'' launch a joint attack on Aquatron's defence systems. In retaliation, the Sharkticons successfully shoot down the ''Nemesis'', but the ''Ark'' manages to deploy an Autobot strike force headed by [[Sunstreaker (Pop-Up)|Sunstreaker]] to reinforce the surviving Transformers, who are pinned down by Sharkticon forces under [[Gnaw (Prime)|Gnaw]]'s command. Jazz and Starscream form a temporary alliance to defeat the Sharkticons.

The rest of the Sharkticon armada, headed by Tyrannicon, reaches Cybertron and swiftly overwhelms the largely abandoned world, seizing both the Well of All Sparks and the Vector Sigma terminal as beachheads. The main invasion force continues to move toward Iacon.

Optimus and Megatron, now lost underground, encounter a monstrous techno-organic beast calling itself the [[Gamekeeper]], who taunts the duo about the current Quintesson invasion of Cybertron already in progress. Although they manage to defeat the Gamekeeper, Megatron discovers a mysterious set of carvings, depicting a warrior not unlike himself surrounded by Sharkticons. Megatron is intrigued, but Optimus is sceptical of their veracity, even after the dying Gamekeeper confesses that they were carved by an unsuccessful Sharkticon rebellion seeking to overthrow their Quintesson masters.

Tyrannicon's forces reach Iacon and begin their main assault. Although challenged by Omega Supreme and [[Devastator (WFC)|Devastator]], the Sharkticon general impales the Autobot guardian through the head and buries the combiner under a collapsed building, putting them both out of action.

In Hydratron, the impromptu alliance between Autobot and Decepticon begins to fracture as the Transformers are swiftly pushed back by their enemy's weight of numbers. The combined force quickly evacuates the battlefield and takes shelter in the downed ''Nemesis''. Gnaw retaliates by gradually submerging the city, intending to force the Cybertronians out of their shelter.

Meanwhile, Megatron and Optimus temporarily elude their Sharkticon pursuers by breaking into the Quintesson's inner sanctum, where they discover Xeros. An enraged Megatron interrogates him and demands to know the Curator's location, but Xeros refuses to divulge the information. In frustration, Megatron pounds a nearby console, revealing, to his elation, the decoy Matrix that the Quintessons used to manipulate Optimus's memories and emotions; a device Xeros also used to control the Sharkticon forces. Believing it to be his promised Decepticon Matrix, Megatron plunges it into his chest without a second thought.

As the Sharkticons close in on Iacon, the Wreckers head for the [[Hall of Records]] and the archives therein. Alpha Trion plans to detonate the entire building to prevent valuable information from falling into the hands of Tyrannicon's forces; meanwhile, Shockwave desperately seeks out the various [[:Category:Iacon relics|relics]] he could use to repel the invaders, only to find that none of them remain in his formerly secure vault—Alpha Trion has already ejected them from Cybertron. Furious and fearful for the future of Cybertron, he enters the archives and demands that Alpha Trion stop his scorched earth plan, only to be interrupted by Tyrannicon and his new aide, Senator Ratbat, who has allied with the Quintessons in exchange for being made the governor of Cybertron. In desperation, Alpha Trion pushes the detonator... only for nothing to happen—Tyrannicon preemptively jammed the detonator's frequencies.

Underneath Aquatron, Megatron's new Matrix imparts new knowledge to his mind as it changes his body. Aquatron really is one of the lost [[Cybertronian colonies]], one that was invaded and subjugated by Quintessons in the distant past. By tampering with Matrix technology, the Quintessons in reality, created a [[Sharkticon Matrix of Leadership]], foreseen by the rebellion in the distant past as the artefact that would one day lead the Aquatronians to freedom. With Megatron's body reshaped into an avatar of the Sharkticons, he casually orders his new Sharkticon troops to attack Xeros while he throws Optimus down an elevator shaft. All across Aquatron and Cybertron, the Sharkticons revolt on the command of their new god, bringing the invasion to a grinding halt, while Megatron orders every Sharkticon on the planet to find the Curator and kill him.

As Optimus plunges to certain doom, he is visited by a mysterious apparition of thirteen silhouettes, who tell him that his time has not yet come and that he is exactly where he needs to be. The Autobot leader plunges into the jaws of a [[Leviacon]], a gigantic peaceful mechanoid recently freed from the yoke of Quintesson control. Optimus orders the Leviacon to head toward the lake bed so that he can confront the Curator and destroy the space bridge.

Just when it seems Tyrannicon is about to seize control of the Hall of Records and finish off the Wreckers, his Sharkticon troops rebel against their leader, allowing the Wreckers to escape and regroup. With his invasion of Cybertron usurped, Tyrannicon heads back toward the space bridge in the hopes of confronting the one responsible. Rack n' Ruin takes advantage of the confusion to split off from the rest of the group, steal the detonators, and cheerfully rig Shockwave's tower to explode. Shockwave, however, has already departed from Iacon, but vows to find a new way to make every Autobot suffer for the destruction of his laboratory...

Megatron's rebel Sharkticons soon swarm toward the space bridge, where they run up against the Curator's fortified command bubble. A frantic Curator tries to lie to his superiors that the invasion was a success, but they do not believe him.

As the city continues to sink, the ''Ark'' arrives to evacuate the Autobot forces, much to Starscream's chagrin. The Autobots agree to help the ''Nemesis'' back into orbit. Starscream is contacted by Megatron, who has declared himself the new lord of Aquatron and begins loading his new Sharkticon troops aboard the ''Nemesis'' as proof of his new powers.

As Megatron makes for the ''Nemesis'', he is taunted by the Curator, who reveals to him that the entire city is a living, bioengineered being –the [[Hydratron]], who will travel through the space bridge and consume every Cybertronian in existence. Megatron and his new Sharkticon retinue fight their way through the beast's innards before arriving at the Space Bridge. The transformed city attacks the ''Ark''/''Nemesis'' combo, and even though Superion tries to repel its attacks the Hydratron proves too strong to overpower, and begins dragging both ships into its gigantic maw. While Megatron breaks free of the Hydratron's stomach and heads toward the Curator's lakebed space bridge, Superion arrives just in time and manages to boost both ships out of the Hydratron's reach, carrying the Autobots and Decepticons to safety.

Optimus and the Leviacon arrive just in time to confront the Curator. The Curator taunts Optimus, claiming that he'd been playing the Autobot leader for a fool all of this time before he knocks him unconscious with a wand-like device. Suddenly, Tyrannicon bursts through the space bridge, intent on ending the Curator's machinations once and for all. The general easily tears the Curator's outer shell in half, revealing a tiny, organic, squid-like creature who begs for mercy, shortly before Tyrannicon crushes him. Megatron finally arrives, now bent on subjugating Aquatron. He offers Tyrannicon a position as his new general. Tyrannicon, outraged, easily bests Megatron in combat before stealing the Sharkticon Matrix, further enhancing his capabilities and once again granting him control over the Sharkticons. Before he can kill the Decepticon leader, however, the descending Hydratron grabs him and eats him.

As Optimus barely regains consciousness, he realizes what he has to do. Using the Curator's wand, he manages to ignite the energon fuelling the bridge, causing a cataclysmic chain reaction that destroys the ancient Space Bridge entirely.

Aboard the two ships, morale runs low as Autobots and Decepticons scan the seas for a sign of their leaders. Just as they are about to give up hope, Sideswipe sees the Leviacon surfacing, with a weary but triumphant Optimus on his back—and accompanied by Megatron. With the Matrix once again purified and free of Quintesson control, the ''Ark'' takes off into deep space as Optimus Prime and the Autobots resume their search for the AllSpark.

Meanwhile, on Cybertron, Alpha Trion resumes studying the Covenant as he muses about the future. In particular, he wonders about the Iaconian relics that he sent to a peculiar planet on the fringes of the [[Orion Arm]]—a [[Earth|small, blue-green world]]...

==Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] (1)
*[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] (16)
*[[Jazz (WFC)|Jazz]] (17)
*[[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] (18)
*[[Perceptor (Prime)|Perceptor]] (19)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (20)
*[[Sideswipe (WFC)|Sideswipe]] (21)
*[[Rodimus (WFC)|Rodimus]] (24)
*[[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] (25)
*[[Kup (WFC)|Kup]] (26)
*[[Prowl (WFC)|Prowl]] (27)
*[[Ironhide (WFC)|Ironhide]] (28)
*[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] (34)
*[[Springer (WFC)|Springer]] (35)
*[[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]] (36)
*[[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] (37)
*[[Rack n' Ruin]] (38)
*[[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]] (39)
*[[Silverbolt (WFC)|Silverbolt]] (40)
*[[Air Raid (WFC)|Air Raid]] (41)
*[[Slingshot (Prime)|Slingshot]] (42)
*[[Skydive (Prime)|Skydive]] (43)
*[[Fireflight (FOC)|Fireflight]] (44)
*[[Superion (Prime)|Superion]] (45)
*[[Sunstreaker (Pop-Up)|Sunstreaker]] (50)
*[[Hubcap (Prime)|Hubcap]] (51)
*[[Brawn (Prime)|Brawn]] (53)
*[[Blaster (FOC)|Blaster]] (56)
*[[Bluestreak (Prime)|Bluestreak]] (61)
*[[Mirage (Prime)|Mirage]] (62)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] (2)
*[[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] (3)
*[[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] (4)
*[[Thundercracker (WFC)|Thundercracker]] (5)
*[[Thrust (Prime)|Thrust]] (6)
*[[Dirge (WFC)|Dirge]] (7)
*[[Ramjet (WFC)|Ramjet]] (8)
*[[Skywarp (WFC)|Skywarp]] (9)
*[[Axer (Prime)|Axer]] (13)
*[[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] (22)
*[[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticons]] (23)
*[[Ravage (WFC)|Ravage]] (29)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s (46)
*[[Ratbat (WFC)|Ratbat]] (49)
*[[Hotlink (WFC)|Hotlink]] (55)
*[[Headstrong (Prime)|Headstrong]] (58)
*[[Rampage (Prime)|Rampage]] (59)
*[[Tantrum (Prime)|Tantrum]] (60)
*[[Devastator (WFC)|Devastator]] (64)
*[[Scrapper (Prime)|Scrapper]] (65)
*[[Mixmaster (Prime)|Mixmaster]] (66)
*[[Hook (Prime)|Hook]] (67)
*[[Long]] (68)
*[[Scavenger (Prime)|Scavenger]] (69)
*[[Frontloader]] (70)
*[[Bonecrusher (Prime)|Bonecrusher]] (71)

|h3=[[Star Seeker]]s|c3=
*[[Thundertron]] (11)
*[[Cannonball (Prime)|Cannonball]] (12)
*[[Sandstorm (Prime)|Sandstorm]] (14)
*[[Brimstone (Prime)|Brimstone]] (15)

|h4=[[Quintesson]]s|c4=
*[[Inquirata (Prime)|Inquirata]] (29)
*[[Xeros]] (32)
*[[Tyrannicon]] (48)
*[[Gnaw (Prime)|Gnaw]] (52)
*[[Piranacon (Quintesson)|Pirahnacons]] (54)
*[[Gamekeeper]] (63)

|h5=[[Junkion (species)|Junkion]]s|c5=
*[[Wreck-Gar (Prime)|Wreck-Gar]] (10)

|h6=Others|c6=
*[[Cleaner]]s (31)
*[[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s (33)
*[[Maccadam]] (47)
*[[Leviacon]] (72)
*[[Hydratron]] (73)
}}

==Quotes==
"So good of you to join me." 
:—'''Shockwave''' welcomes a strapped down '''Alpha Trion''' to his tower.

Rodimus: "I have a question." 
Prowl: "Yes?" 
Rodimus: "Who gets to fly the ship down?" 
Ironhide: "Nobody, Teletraan-I will be handling the drop." 
Rodimus: "Aw, where's the fun in that?" 
:—'''Rodimus'''' question leads to disappointment.

"Hey, Kup, any of this look familiar to you?" 
"Seems like I've seen it before. But not sure where." 
"Any idea what those runes mean?" 
"Not a clue, sonny. I just know they have to be old." 
"I thought ''you'' were old." 
"Old enough not to find you funny." 
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Kup''' talk about old ruins and old age.

"Glad you guys are okay. Want to give control back to Teletraan-I?" 
"Not particularly."
:—'''Perceptor''' asks if '''Rodimus''' is ready for someone else to pilot the ship, which he's not.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Shockwave has rebuilt his tower for the second time; his first tower in the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]] was destroyed by Jazz and Cliffjumper, while [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]] destroyed his second tower in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]] during the events of ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]''. Shockwave should just really stop trying to build towers at this point.
* Shockwave mentions to Alpha Trion that he is aware of the fact that Optimus is in possession of the [[Key to Vector Sigma]], which was previously mentioned in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 3]]".
* Many of the relics that Shockwave seeks are artifacts from the ''Prime'' cartoon, including the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]] and [[Tox-En]].
* Alpha Trion reveals to Shockwave that he had already ejected all of these same artifacts to Earth, which was previously established in "[[Alpha/Omega]]".

===Errors===
*On page 19, a [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] named Debris says he's picking up energy readings. This is clearly a typo for Dirge as Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Thrust, Dirge, and Ramjet are the only ones sent out.
*On page 64, Shockwave frowned.
*On page 206, Sunstreaker states that Bluestreak, [[Trailbreaker (Prime)|Trailbreaker]], Mirage, and he could retrieve Optimus Prime using a combat shuttle, but "Chapter 7: The Golden Age" in ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus]]'' shows that Bluestreak was left on [[Archon]] when the [[space bridge]]s were shut down due to the [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Rust Plague]].
*The Quintessons' plan is a bit of a head-scratcher. The Curator powers the Space Bridge to Cybertron by killing the Cybertronians off one-by-one and harvesting their energon as a power source. But Aquatron supposedly has warehouses ''full'' of energon, seemingly far more than the crews of the Ark and Nemesis have inside their sparks, so why not just use that?
** The Curator ultimately powers the Bridge with the unique and powerful energies of the Matrix, which the Aquatronian energon may not have been able to produce, but this is clearly Plan B -- only after it was reported that the standard executions would not meet the energy quota did he alter his plans to make Optimus turn the Matrix back on.
*On page 290, Ratchet is stated to be among the Wrecker's rescue crew.
*On page 327, Skywarp is flying beside the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' when he was devoured by Gnaw.
*On page 328, Ramjet is helping Megatron when he was one of the first ripped apart by the Piranhacons.
*On page 328, Slipstream is also helping Megatron when she was previously abandoned over [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]] in ''[[Transformers: Exiles|Exiles]]''. Maybe she made it back?
*In ''Exiles'', Silverbolt was said to be the only Autobot aboard the ship capable of independent flight. Here, all five of the Aerialbots appear as members of the ''Ark'', with no explanation for the discrepancy.

===Transformers references===
* As the first installment in the Aligned continuity family to properly feature the Quintessons, multiple references to their previous incarnations—in particular, their iconic Generation 1 appearances—abound.
* The Quintessons claim that they settled Cybertron in the distant past and built the first Cybertronians, recalling the events of "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4]]", which also featured Quintessons overseeing the creation of the Transformers and a subsequent rebellion that drove the Quintessons off the planet.
* Optimus Prime suffers visions of Quintessons overseeing assembly lines of Cybertronians, a scene lifted almost directly from the same episode.
* As per their first appearances in the [[The Transformers: The Movie|1986 animated film]], the Quintessons' fondness of kangaroo courts forms a major scene in the novel, as does their proclamations of "innocence" that are apparently synonymous with being guilty.
* The Quintesson sentence for "innocent" involves being pushed into a watery pit full of ravenous creatures and devoured, a fate first encountered by [[Kranix (G1)|Kranix]] in ''The Transformers: The Movie''
* The Curator originally describes Aquatron as a world affiliated with the [[Quintesson Pan Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere|Quintesson Co-Prosperity Sphere]], a term first used in the ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|Allspark Almanac II]]''.
* Kup and Rodimus are among the first members of the scouting party to encounter the Quintessons, as their Generation 1 counterparts did in the movie.
* Kup chews on [[cy-gar]]s in a nod to his IDW counterpart.
* Rodimus's weapon of choice is the same as his ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|counterpart]].
* When Megatron places the Matrix replica into his chest, his new body is clearly based off the ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Beast Hunters (2013)|Beast Hunters]]'' Voyager Sharkticon Megatron figure.

===Real-world references===
*Wreck-Gar uses several British slang terms such as "guv'nor" in his dialogue, likely as a reference to his original voice actor [[Eric Idle]].
*Megatron's cry of "GET OFF MY SHIP!" to Superion may be a reference to the famous line spoken in the 1997 film ''{{w|Air Force One (film)|Air Force One}}''.

==External links==
*[http://www.randomhouse.com/book/198676/transformers-retribution-by-david-j-williams-and-mark-williams Publisher's product page]
*[http://suvudu.com/2014/01/50-page-fridays-dave-williams-and-mark-williams.html 50 page preview on Suvudu]
*[http://io9.com/read-an-exclusive-preview-of-the-new-transformers-novel-612265053 io9 preview]
*[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2013-transformers-publishing-panel-coverage-177864/ Botcon 2013 - TFW2005 Transformers Publishing Panel Coverage]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Retribution}}
[[Category:Novels]]
[[Category:Prime media]]

Cramp

2024-02-19T08:33:51Z

0TheLegend0: /* Differences with Legends of the Microns */

{{episode|
|series=Armada
|ep=48
|prev=Portent
|next=Alliance
|title="Cramp"
|furigana=しんねん
|japanese=決死
|romaji=Shinnen
|translation=Prepared for Death: Conviction
|image=Starscreamheroicdeath.jpg
|caption="Tell my tale to those who ask, tell it truly. The ill deeds along with the good, and let me be judged accordingly..."
|production code=TF: A-48
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]]
|writer=[[Akira Okeya]]
|englishadaptation=[[Terry Klassen]]
|director=[[Osamu Kamijō]], [[Mitsuru Kawasaki]] (asst. dir.)
|animation studio=[[Actas Inc.]]
|airdate=[[September 29]], [[2003]] (English, United Kingdom) [[November 28|28 November]] 2003 (Japanese) [[December 8]], [[2003]] (English, United States)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy]]
}}
'''Starscream prepares to do whatever it takes to convince Galvatron the threat of Unicron is real.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Starsmack.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Galvatron blasts Starscream with his rarely seen armpit-laser.]]
[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] pleads to [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] that [[Unicron]]'s threat is real (as Starscream has first-hand experience in the beast's bowels); hoping to convince his leader that perhaps an [[Autobot]] and [[Decepticon]] alliance is the safest course to ensure [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s survival. When Starscream refuses to stop pleading, Galvatron slaps his subordinate into a wall to silence him. The Decepticon leader is confident his military can overcome both the Autobots and Unicron. Starscream continues to stress the danger of Unicron, and Galvatron starts to swing his [[Star Saber (Armada)|Star Saber]].

[[File:Cramp-Starscreamdies.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|[[Code of Hero|The rest is... silence]]. Well, [[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|not really]], but don't you kinda wish it was?]]
The Autobots are still optimistic, believing there's a chance a diplomatic conference could lead to a truce between the two sides, meaning they can't take aggressive action against the Decepticons, only defensive. Nevertheless, Galvatron, armed with the Star Saber and [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]], flies into battle, ready to negotiate with [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] using firepower. Prime responds by combining with [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] and [[Overload (Armada)|Overload]] and heading away from the thick of the fight.

By a [[Megatron statue|monolithic statue of Megatron]], Starscream wonders what he needs to do, and [[Alexis Thi Dang|Alexis]]'s words of encouragement run through his head.

Away from the armies, Galvatron and Optimus Prime send their men away, leaving the two leaders to battle one on one. Through the struggle, Galvatron admits that he still considers Unicron an Autobot hoax, and with the Star Saber, he has the upper hand against Prime. However, as soon as Galvatron breaks Prime's metal, an explosion disturbs the showdown. Starscream walks from the smoke.

The rest of the Autobots struggle to hold their ground, unable to cause any real damage to the Decepticons. Alexis has faith that things will be okay. Meanwhile, Unicron's lunar shell peels off thousands of miles away, and the behemoth attacks the assembled Mini-Con cluster.

[[File:Cramp-Swindleejects.jpg|left|thumb|I'm not crying! I just have something in my eyes.]]
Starscream quits the Decepticons and challenges Galvatron to one-on-one combat. The two clash, quickly cutting into each other. However, Starscream displays skill beyond the last time he battled Megatron. Lightning from Unicron carves into the landscape around them. The two warriors ignore it and continue their struggle, but in an instant, the Star Saber plunges into Starscream's torso, and the impaled Decepticon falls.

Lying with the blade sticking out of him, Starscream speaks earnestly to Galvatron, pointing out that Galvatron's arrogance drove the situation to be what it is. Despite his injury, Starscream stands up and reiterates his wishes for a truce between the two Cybertronian factions against Unicron. With his final desire said, Starscream joins with his [[Mini-Con]] to fire his [[Proton cannon]]s upwards at Unicron. Unicron fires back, disintegrating Starscream, much to Galvatron and Optimus's shock. Aboard the ''[[Axalon (Armada)|Axalon]]'', Alexis's [[Good Luck Necklace|luck charm]] breaks, and she runs outside to look out the window and sees Starscream's laser blast fade away.

[[File:Cramp-AlexismournsStarscream.jpg|left|thumb|I never got to tell Starscream that I loved him!]]
Realizing Starscream was right about Unicron's threat, Galvatron remembers their shared experiences and ''finally'' decides to join forces with Optimus Prime. He starts by offering the Star Saber to Optimus... But from the crater Starscream died in, a dark cloud emerges and grabs the Star Saber! The cloud forms into [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]], who escapes the two leaders through the underground portal, collapsing the tunnels so the Autobots and Decepticons can't follow him. Upon witnessing Sideways's escape, Optimus and Galvatron fear for the worst to come.

After Optimus tells them about Starscream's death over the monitor, the kids are devastated, especially Alexis, who begins crying. She then bolts from the room and slams her fist on the window that displays Unicron in grief. When [[Rad White|Rad]] appears behind her, she smacks his shoulders, asking why Starscream would do that to himself, and Rad does his best to console her.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (9)
*[[Blurr (Armada)|Blurr]] (10)
*[[Side Swipe (Armada)|Side Swipe]] (14)
*[[Smokescreen (Armada)|Hoist]] (15)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (16)
*[[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]] (17)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (18)
*[[Overload (Armada)|Overload]] (21)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] (2)
*[[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]] (3)
*[[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (4)
*[[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] (5)
*[[Wheeljack (Armada)|Wheeljack]] (20)

|c3=
*[[Fred (Armada)|Fred]] (6)
*[[Billy (Armada)|Billy]] (7)
*[[Carlos Lopez|Carlos]] (11)
*[[Alexis Thi Dang|Alexis]] (12)
*[[Rad White|Rad]] (13)

|h4=[[Mini-Con]]s|c4=
*[[Leader-1 (Armada)|Leader-1]] (19) (Powerlinxed with Galvatron)
*[[Sureshock (Armada)|Sureshock]] (23)
*[[Grindor (Armada)|Grindor]] (24)
*[[High Wire (Armada)|High Wire]] (25)
*[[Swindle (Armada)|Swindle]] (26)

|h5=Other|c5=
*[[Unicron]] (22)
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (27)
}}

==Quotes==
[[File:Cramp-Galvatronregrets.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|You'll miss me when I'm gone!]]
"How long have we been adversaries, Optimus? It seems like since the beginning of time. And I suppose I do have a certain respect for you, but I digress, you might have fooled Starscream with your little Truce ploy, but I am nobody's fool. Now let's end this charade, shall we?"
:—'''Galvatron''' faces off against Optimus Prime in the 'negotiations.'

"May I suggest that you have lost your mind?!"
:—'''Galvatron''' to Starscream, who has just challenged him to a duel.

"I tried to gain favor from you. But nothing was ever good enough. No matter how many battles I fought, you always found fault. Then I saw how Optimus treated his men, and I realized he was a leader of integrity. Unlike you." 
"You were too weak to ever gain my respect." 
"None of that matters now. You must listen — do as Optimus says and join forces with the Autobots, or else every last one of us is doomed! Please sir... do it for me..."
:—'''Starscream''' pours his spark out to '''Galvatron''' after being impaled by the Star Saber

"It's time to finish this once and for all! Activate Proton Cannon! YOU'RE ALL MINE, UNICRON!!!"
:—'''Starscream's''' heroic last words before shooting at Unicron.
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Legends of the Microns''===
*Starscream asks why Megatron wants to cling to his rivalry with Optimus and says that the universe will soon be no more after witnessing Unicron's power. Galvatron says he's now aware of Unicron's existence and understands the need to destroy him but still refuses to work with Optimus. ''Armada'' rephrases the rivalry as a "petty argument" and changes Galvatron and Starscream's dialogue to Galvatron, warning Starscream not to test his patience or contemplate betraying him again.
*Cyclonus and Demolishor's lines to Starscream are changed to the former calling Starscream a coward and the latter asking what there is to worry about since Unicron is "just some planet that became our moon." Then Starscream calls them idiots for not understanding Unicron's true horror.
*In ''Armada'', Galvatron says Optimus will be sorry and that he'll also deal with Unicron. However, as he believes there can't be two supreme commanders, he's more focused on eliminating his competition before facing Unicron. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Galvatron says he never said the two factions couldn't join forces, but he'll have to deal with Prime first. He plans to kill Optimus and merge the Autobots into the Decepticon army, claiming Optimus is his sworn enemy and there's no tomorrow if he doesn't defeat Prime.
*Galvatron offers Starscream command over the Autobots after defeating Optimus. ''Armada'' has Galvatron requesting Starscream's complete loyalty.
*Before the episode title appears, Cyclonus says Starscream can wait there at HQ since their "Autobot Commander" only needs to sit on his throne.
*The kids discuss if they and the Autobots can trust Galvatron or believe anything he says, as Carlos says that Galvatron is constantly manipulating things. Alexis states that's why they need to negotiate. Then Optimus says that she's right, and Galvatron should understand the need for the Autobots and Decepticons to combine forces to combat Unicron. Rad worries about another fight breaking out, but Billy assures him that Optimus won't lose, and Optimus says he will try to avoid a clash with Galvatron.
*Afterward, an anxious Smokescreen demands the 'Cons to show themselves. Then Blurr reminds him the 'Cons are additional strength to help take down Unicron so they can't be too rough with them; Hot Shot tells Smokescreen they're counting on him, and Smokescreen answers, "I know! Use our heads, right?"
*Unlike ''Armada'', Demolishor explicitly says "Hot Shot and the others" are with Optimus. Then Galvatron entrusts Demolishor with handling them, but in ''Armada'', Galvatron tells Demolishor to "spare me [him] the details."
*Hot Shot is surprised when the Decepticons start firing. Blurr and Side Swipe's dialogue is changed to the former saying that the Autobots are now in the thick of things and the latter saying the Decepticons seemingly don't want to negotiate.
*In ''Armada'', Red Alert has a cynical outlook while talking about Wheeljack. Like Carlos, he truly believed Wheeljack changed sides before insisting that one will always be a Decepticon after becoming one. Then Carlos gripes that it's now hard distinguishing who's friend or foe, and Fred agrees. Red Alert says they should focus on their side more than the Decepticons, and Carlos agrees they should support their comrades. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Red Alert is less pessimistic, saying Wheeljack made a temporary truce to track down Thrust but will become a trustworthy Autobot ally if Optimus successfully negotiates with Galvatron. Carlos asks if that's like Scavenger, and Fred thinks it would. Then Red Alert says Hot Shot and Wheeljack's dynamic is similar to that between Optimus and Scavenger, making Carlos say that in that case, they should hope that Prime pulls off the negotiation.
*When Optimus combines with Jetfire and Overload and later breaks from them, ''Armada'' plays the ''Transformers'' theme and spams the transformation sound effect. In contrast, ''Legends of the Microns'' plays Prime's Super Mode theme, "Super Convoy," during the Powerlinx sequence. The Japanese dub later plays "[[The Transformers Legends of the Microns: Sound of Evolution Vol. 2|Theme of Megatron - Attack by Villains]]," fitting the tense situation better.
*''Armada'' has awkward silence after Jetfire's line as he forces away Tidal Wave because Jetfire says his lines without pausing. ''Legends of the Microns'' has a second-long pause between the lines, so there's no silence at the end of the shot.
*Optimus and Galvatron's dialogue differs significantly between the dubs:
**''Armada'' portrays Galvatron as very gung-ho about fighting Optimus as though it's how they'll "negotiate." He remains cynical about the reality of Unicron's threat and only cares about eliminating Optimus so he can be the universe's sole ruler. Optimus offers to talk once Galvatron cools off and later says the generic line about Galvatron's lust for power disgusting him. ''Legends of the Microns'' changes Galvatron's quip about needing to shut Optimus down to his offering to show Prime his "true incompetence." It continues his string of thoughts from earlier and the prior episode about believing two Supreme Commanders are too many and unnecessary to defeat Unicron. Thinking negotiating is needless, Galvatron wants to show he's the superior leader and orders Optimus to fight him. Optimus is silent until he calls Jetfire. After Optimus Powerlinx with Jetfire and Overload and flies off, Galvatron is confused about why Prime won't fight. Optimus asks Galvatron why he can't understand that they should make peace. When Optimus offers Galvatron command, Galvatron thinks Prime is mocking him and says Prime's presence will disrupt "the command structure" even if he steps down and demands Prime to show his power.
**After Tidal Wave and Jetfire leave, ''Armada'' has Galvatron suggest he and Optimus "cut to the chase" now that they're alone. He admits to respecting Prime somewhat but isn't falling for his "truce ploy" charade like Starscream did (as quoted above), still focusing on who will rule the universe. He later mocks Optimus for waiting for the Mini-Cons to rescue him, saying that won't happen. The Japanese version makes their exchange more philosophical: Galvatron mentions what Smokescreen told him about trust among the Autobots, remarking how it's pathetic, and calls Optimus a fool to bind himself with such vague notions. He says Starscream is no different and has had the same silly ideas after returning from the Autobots; Optimus says Starscream awakened to his true self as a Transformer after spending time on both sides. There is some silence after Galvatron demands Optimus to stop feeding him lies in ''Armada'' because the English dub shortens Optimus's line about Starscream, making Galvatron's reply come sooner than it does in ''Legends of the Microns''. Galvatron claims Starscream might be a worse traitor than Thrust. He insists that trust is nonsense, saying that one's power is something worth believing in; power is everything, and justice without it means nothing. Then Galvatron mocks Prime, asking if he's frustrated and sad since the Mini-Cons Optimus fought to save are now under his control and itching to dish out the killing blow.
*The Japanese dub uses the mid-episode [[commercial bumper]]s, while ''Armada'' uses the Autobot and Decepticon logos from the [[scene transition]]s with the transformation sound effect.
*Starscream says he won't hesitate to betray Galvatron because he must stand by his beliefs. Optimus says this isn't Starscream's fight, but the latter asserts otherwise. Galvatron says Starscream has become "a boring person" and asks if working with the Autobots is necessary; Starscream answers it is for "the future of the Transformers" and not just defeating Unicron and declares he will take command of the Decepticons after besting Galvatron. Galvatron dismisses it as wishful thinking and says Starscream will never beat him, but Starscream states he won't know until he tries.
*Carlos, Billy, and Fred's conversation in the Japanese dub shows them confused by how the negotiation looks no different than a regular Autobot and Decepticon encounter; Billy concludes it's something they'd expect when the factions meet. Then Alexis says things will be fine as she's sure something will change.
*Galvatron questions if Starscream infused his wingblade with his spark's power, to which Starscream answers that he's put every bit of his energy into it to defeat him. Then Optimus says there's no point trying to stop them since Starscream is so determined; Optimus has only one line during the scene in ''Armada'', so there's some silence afterward.
*When Unicron changes form again, Alexis says to look instead of asking what's happening, and Rad sounds more shocked. After Alexis's line about the Mini-Cons approaching Unicron, Billy has a line begging them to stop before Fred says Unicron is attacking the Mini-Cons. After stopping High Wire, Rad urges him to tell the other Mini-Cons to hide somewhere rather than stay put.
* ''Armada'' reduces Galvatron's dialogue to chalking up that Starscream's actions are due to his programming going haywire and offering to put him out of his misery. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Starscream scolds Galvatron for believing nobody could be his equal since he's so overconfident in his strength and declares that he will show him the power of a warrior willing to risk his life for his beliefs. Galvatron admits Starscream's newfound convictions deserve some respect, to which Starscream says the same for Galvatron's stubbornness. Galvatron wonders when the change started since Starscream never escaped his influence when he had ambition. Galvatron says something else is driving Starscream now, asking if the Autobots or the children are compelling him. Not understanding why Starscream would face him over something trivial, Galvatron asks if Starscream is betraying him for real this time before deciding that Starscream will never beat him as he keeps believing in things like trust and kindness.
*After the lightning strike from Unicron, the Japanese dub adds screaming to the shot after Demolishor and Wheeljack. Then Galvatron admits being surprised by Starscream's increased strength and that maybe trust isn't a fleeting concept. Starscream internally says Galvatron's name during his close-up, and Galvatron says never to drop his guard until the fight is over.
*Just before Galvatron impales Starscream, the animation is tweaked to clarify that the latter "switched off" his sword with no intention of blocking the fatal blow. The two don't exchange jibes here; they only say the other's name, and Galvatron kneels, realizing what Starscream has done and acknowledging the latter's power, while Starscream says he's still not as strong as Galvatron.
*Starscream's final moments are subtly different between the two versions:
**''Legends of the Microns'' has Starscream admire Galvatron as an ultimate warrior he could never hope to beat and say he wanted Galvatron to notice him. Galvatron gently tells Starscream to stop speaking, later calling him a fool for persisting. Starscream says he'd never gotten the chance to talk to him like this without laying his life on the line first and calls Optimus a leader worthy of trust. After imploring both factions to team up, Starscream says a lot has happened. When unleashing his final attack, Starscream says, "SPARK OF MY SOUL...UNLEASH EVERY BIT OF YOUR POWER! NULL RAY CANNON!" The following scenes of his demise are silent except for Galvatron gasping.
**In ''Armada'', Starscream talks about his desperation to gain Galvatron's favor while comparing him to Optimus as an unintegral leader (a monologue played again during the montage). Galvatron is more verbally hostile towards Starscream, calling him too weak to be worthy of respect.
*After Starscream's last moments in ''Legends of the Microns'', Optimus tells Swindle to come with him since his partner isn't here anymore. ''Armada'' has Optimus claim that Starscream was a brave soldier until the end.
*The replay of Starscream's memories repeats what he said about Optimus having integrity in ''Armada'', but ''Legends of the Microns'' instead has the montage feature moments of Starscream boasting, pleading, and wanting Galvatron's recognition throughout the series.
*When Sideways steals the Star Saber, he declares that he now has all the keys. He says Unicron is the only one worthy of it and congratulates Galvatron and Optimus for their "good work." After Sideways escapes, Galvatron exclaims how this nightmare could worsen in ''Armada'' but remarks on Sideways fleeing underground in ''Legends of the Microns''.
*The scene of Sideways destroying the underground tunnel now has an effect added to his maniacal laughter to make it sound disembodied. After this, the scene of the kids' reactions upon learning of Starscream's death is silent, whereas their responses are heard in ''Armada''.
*In ''Armada'', Rad's closing narration is that Starscream was gone, and his demise seemed to be in vain. Then he says, like everything in life, everyone would have to wait to learn the purpose of Starscream's actions; for now, all they had were too many unanswered questions. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Alexis gives the narration, which contains a small glimmer of hope, unlike the English version. She says Starscream has died, but perhaps someday, the tears of sorrow over his death will become ones of determination, swearing that his efforts won't be wasted.

===Animation and technical errors===
*In the opening scene, Demolishor has four fingers and one thumb on each hand.
*Galvatron's hands are small stubs after swinging the Star Saber at Starscream in the opening.
*In the shots where Hoist warns Blurr not to fire upon the Decepticons except in self-defense, and after the others promise to cover Hot Shot, Blurr's entire gun is colored one solid orange shade.
*Scavenger's chest is partially off-model after the Decepticons begin firing upon the Autobots.
*Galvatron's mouth doesn't move when he says, "Let the negotiations begin!"
*Before Optimus calls for Jetfire, Galvatron's turret is partially miscolored dark gray.
*Galvatron's eyes are seemingly closed after Optimus Powerlinx with Jetfire and Overload.
*Jetfire shoots Tidal Wave in the eye...with the back of his rifle? The Japanese dub fixes this error.
*After Galvatron slashes Optimus with the Star Saber, one can hear the sound of crackling electricity from a wound, but Optimus looks unscathed until his next shot.
*Galvatron says, "What?" too soon in two scenes: first, before the explosion goes off behind him, seemingly out of surprise about gaining the upper hand when the Star Saber cuts Optimus's shoulder, and later when Sideways steals the Star Saber. ''Legends of the Microns'' fixes the timing by having Galvatron say it the first time while turning around ''after'' the explosion and later a second after Sideways takes the sword from him and Optimus.
*Starscream's mouth doesn't move when he speaks after appearing out of the smoke.
*As Starscream descends after catching his wing blade, Galvatron exclaims fearfully despite his brash overconfidence a moment ago. In ''Legends of the Microns'', he appropriately shouts "What?!" in shock instead.
*As Galvatron slaps Starscream during their duel, his right hand is drawn as a standard hand instead of its traditional claw-looking design.
*Wheeljack says, "What's happening?" in Demolishor's voice. The Japanese version doesn't have this mistake.
*When Alexis goes to the window to see Starscream's Photon Cannon fail to reach Unicron, the Autobot symbol on the back of her suit changes from red to blue.
*When Galvatron raises the Star Saber before his memory montage, the inner part of his right shoulder is detached from the rest, already in its later position, before he lifts his arm.

===Continuity notes===
*In ''Legends of the Microns'', Billy refers to Galvatron as "stag beetle head," the nickname Thrust previously used in "[[Crisis (Armada)|Crisis]]."
*In ''Legends of the Microns'', Galvatron references what Smokescreen said to him in "[[Sacrifice]]" about trust binding the Autobots together.
*Galvatron refers to the time when Sparkplug saved Optimus in "[[Decisive Battle]]"; he might also mean when the Mini-Cons turned against him to save Optimus in "[[Vow]]."
*In the Japanese dub, Galvatron remarks about Starscream's ambition, which he previously did in "[[Rebellion (Armada)|Rebellion]]."
*''[[Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003]]'' calls this episode the last of the show's Starscream saga.
*Prepare yourself for when [[Megatron Raid|Starscream returns]] in ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'' since his compelling character arc in ''Armada'' goes out the window like it never happened.
*Gadgets and powers:
**This is the first time Optimus combines with Overload while in his Jet Optimus configuration with Jetfire, with bonus stock transformation footage. However, Optimus combines with Jetfire first, only to fly a relatively short distance, making the combination with Overload pretty pointless other than [[To sell toys| to show they can.]]
**Starscream uses his wing blade against Galvatron.
*Powerlinx forms:
**Galvatron Powerlinx with the Star Saber for the last time.
**Starscream Powerlinx with Swindle to unleash his Null Laser Cannon against Unicron. The ''Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003'' deems it the last time a Transformer Powerlinx with a Mini-Con in the series.

===Continuity errors===
*At Megatron's statue, Starscream determines that he must protect the humans, but why would he defend all the kids when Alexis is the only one he knows well enough? Alexis is also who he thinks of at that moment. The Japanese dub correctly has Starscream resolving not to let ''Alexis'' die.
*How does Tidal Wave know to Powerlinx with Galvatron when Galvatron never gives the order and only says they're leaving to face Optimus? ''Legends of the Microns'' has Galvatron tell Tidal Wave to combine with him.
*Why would Red Alert believe there's no turning back once a Transformer becomes a Decepticon? Did he completely forget that Scavenger is an ex-Decepticon? There also must've been other rare cases of Decepticons becoming Autobots, and vice versa.
*Galvatron tells Tidal Wave to attack Optimus when they split up, but Tidal Wave does nothing until later. Galvatron only commands Tidal Wave to uncombine with him in the Japanese dub since Optimus just split from Jetfire and Overload, and Galvatron wishes to even things out.
*Tidal Wave is significantly smaller and weaker than previously depicted. Jetfire, shown not much smaller than Tidal Wave, shoulder-blocks and lifts off with him in a single movement.
*Alexis's pendant cracks upon Starscream's death; it somehow connected to his spark, but previous episodes never really built up that detail or alluded to it. Since the necklace has only appeared in two episodes, this feature almost seems like an afterthought for drama's sake.
**In the same scene, why does Rad ask Alexis what's happening outside when she doesn't know more than he does? He correctly asks her if something is wrong in ''Legends of the Microns''.
*Why does Rad give the closing narration when Alexis had the bond with Starscream, and his death devastates her more than anyone else? The Japanese dub rightly has Alexis deliver the narration.

===Transformers references===
*Starscream's death by crumbling into a pile of debris resembles [[Generation 1 cartoon continuity|G1]] [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream's]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*Many parts of Galvatron and Starscream's speeches quote lyrics from ''[[The Touch]]'', like 'I'm nobody's fool' (see above) or Starscream's 'after all is said and done.'

===Real-world references===
*Fred's "The horror! The horror!" line is from ''{{w|Heart of Darkness}}'', the novel adapted into the film ''{{w|Apocalypse Now}}''.
*Galvatron gives Starscream one last chance not to fight, and when Starscream declines, Galvatron's "Is that your final answer?" line might be a reference to ''{{w|Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?}}''.
*Galvatron tells Optimus the Autobots and Decepticons could never work together since they're like oil and water. It refers to the proverb about oil and water, as oil always tries to stay separate from water whenever combined; it explains how beings with specific traits can never mix, no matter what anyone does.

===Trivia===
[[File:Cramp - no ML title card.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Foreshadowing? Why, no!]]
*The episode's English version first aired in the United Kingdom on the {{w|Sky One}} channel when the network ran an around-the-clock promotion of American magician/"endurance artist" {{w|David Blaine}}'s controversial London stunt, complete with an obnoxious '''DAVID BLAINE''' onscreen overlay. It aired in the United States on [[December 8]], 2003.
*There's no title card in ''Legends of the Microns''; the title appears over Starscream. This way of showing the episode titles was only done previously in "[[Linkup]]."
*Optimus calls Starscream's Mini-Con Swindle instead of Zapmaster. So logically, Swindle received a color change like Starscream did (instead of him exchanging his Mini-Con for a new one in different colors).
*Starscream's proton cannon blasts don't even touch Unicron. You can see them dissipate before Alexis's eyes before they reach him. Most heartwrenching suicide ever?
*Starscream's sword is surprisingly powerful in this episode, durable enough to clash with Star Saber without any visible damage. Due to his upgrade after Nemesis Prime kicked his skidplate? Nah.
*This episode is one of few without an opening narration.
*This is the second time in the Japanese dub that a Transformer says, "Spark of my soul..." The last time was by Optimus Prime in "[[Crisis (Armada)|Crisis]]."
*''Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003'' reveals the following:
**The episode's highlights include Magna Jet Convoy's debut and the first half of the climactic fight: Optimus vs. Galvatron, which serves as a prelude to their final battle. The main highlight is the battle's second half with Starscream and Galvatron's last fight.
**[[Hidehito Ueda]] says that Galvatron expressing his feelings about Starscream wasn't in the scenario initially, but he wanted Galvatron to tell them.
**Ueda jokes about wanting Starscream to return as a ghost in ''Super Link'' before becoming a [[Pretender]] and marrying Alexis.
**The first moments for this episode that appeared in Ueda's mind when reading the scenario were Starscream's Null Laser Cannons not reaching Unicron, Alexis watching them stop short, and the silent scene of the children's reactions to Starscream's death at the end.
**Starscream died not as a Decepticon but as a Transformer.

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Das Friedensangebot'''" ("Peace-Offering")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 12|12 January]] [[2004]]

'''Hungarian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Párbaj'''" ("Duel")

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Obstáculo'''" ("Obstacle")

[[Category: Armada episodes]]

The Legend of Rodimus

2024-02-19T04:56:19Z

0TheLegend0: /* Differences with Super Link */ It's not an improvement since Galvatron's lines in Super Link were supposed to show how corrupted he was by Unicron's influence.

{{episode|
|series=Energon
|ep=11
|prev=Energon Tower (episode)
|next=Crisis in Jungle City
|title="The Legend of Rodimus"
|japanese=ちっぽけな宇宙
|romaji=Chippoke na Uchū
|translation=This Tiny Universe
|image=E11_titlecard.jpg
|caption=[[Hot Rod (G1)|Once upon a time, there was this guy who replaced Optimus Prime.]]
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]]
|writer=[[Akira Okeya]]
|director=[[Masayuki Ōseki]]
|animation studio=[[Actas Inc.|Actas]], [[Studio A-CAT]] (3D)
|airdate=[[March 19|19 March]] [[2004]] (Japanese) [[April 9]], 2004 (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy]]
}}

'''Megatron confronts Starscream, Kicker faces the fears of his past, and a legendary Autobot returns.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Energon-Hot-Shot-Facepalm.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|left|Even his comrades are annoyed.]]

The [[Decepticon]]s' [[Decepticon mobile fortress|mobile fortress]] emerges from a deep space warp gate and crashes violently into... something. [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] emerges amid the wreckage and questions his troops about what went wrong.

[[Alpha Quintesson|Alpha Q]] gloats that he will have all the [[energon]] before Megatron even notices, and will bring all of [[Unicron]] to life.

On [[Earth]], another [[energon tower]] emerges from a warp gate above [[Blizzard City]], stabilized by [[Signal Flare (Energon)|Signal Flares]] under [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]]'s supervision. In the mines below, [[Kicker Jones|Kicker]] and [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] are looking for energon. Kicker speculates that nobody seems to understand how dangerous the mission is, and flashes back to his father assigning him to lead the search, and to a much earlier time when his father lowered him into a deep, dark mine shaft as a young child.

Taking a break from the search, Ironhide tries to pep talk Kicker into appreciating his father more. Hot Shot arrives and relates the tale of his own hero, the legendary [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]], who was last seen traveling into the future.

Within Unicron(?), Megatron proposes stealing more energon from Earth. [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] counters that the energon towers make such an attack too dangerous without more energon, and proposes continuing to mine energon from [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] instead. Megatron will only hear of a path of conquest, but gives Scorponok leave to carry out his idea regardless. Scorponok angrily blasts his way out, and departs with a fleet of [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s, musing that Megatron isn't as in control as he'd like to think.

[[File:Energon-Giant-Megatron-Head.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|''Energon'' would go on to steal the title of "Most Hated ''Transformers'' series" from ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''. [[Grand Mal|Picture unrelated]].]]

Outside Unicron, [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] approaches, entering and searching for Megatron.

Ironhide tells Kicker more about Rodimus. Amid the endless [[Cybertronian Civil Wars|civil war]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Rodimus emerged "8,000 eons ago" and rallied the [[Autobot]]s around a message of peace, calling for the Autobots to leave and find a new world to live in peace. Kicker points out that this makes [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] look bad, but Ironhide says that Optimus stayed and led the Autobots, making the current rebuilding of Cybertron possible, and that Prime is his greatest hero. Rodimus was last seen going from planet to planet, looking for Transformers who were lost in space.

On Mars, Scorponok finds the former base empty and abandoned, and deploys his Terrorcons to claim the energon... in the name of Alpha Q. As they do, a suspiciously well-timed trio appears in the distance.

Starscream approaches the sleeping Megatron, and tries to stab him through the chest, but is met with a huge surge of energy. Megatron vanishes; Demolishor engages Starscream; the other Decepticons arrive. Megatron has gained the power of [[invisibility]] through his union with Unicron, and easily assaults Starscream with a horde of duplicates and energon shards. Starscream tries to flee, but the big floating head of Megatron pursues and captures him, placing him in an empty void.

[[File:Energon-Starscream-Dark.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|left|Starscream takes a shot in the dark.]]

Megatron lectures Starscream, reminding him that he used to be one of his troops, and threatens to leave him in the darkness forever. Starscream goes mad, opening fire in all directions, then lets slip that he was working for Alpha Q.

Kicker has had it with energon mining, and tells Ironhide about an energon expedition when he was a kid, when he lost control in deep space and drifted aimlessly. Landing on an asteroid, he resumed contact with [[Brian Jones|Dr. Jones]], but then got trapped in a cave-in, left alone in the dark. Ironhide isn't very sympathetic, telling Kicker that Rodimus overcame ''his'' fears, and that he isn't a kid anymore. Ironhide gives up lecturing and storms off; Kicker says he'll find his own way out.

Megatron speaks to Starscream: he has no idea who he is, and has forgotten all his ties to the world. Megatron is the only thing he can believe in, and will shape his reality now. He urges Starscream to use his rage, and revel in destruction. He appears and stabs Starscream through the chest with [[Energon Sword|his sword]], demanding his allegiance in exchange for allowing him to live.

Kicker forges ahead through the dark, and finds an energon seam. As he does, Ironhide returns with the [[Omnicon]]s. He apologizes for being harsh, and the Omnicons find a large seam of energon.

On Mars, the mysterious figure attacks Scorponok's Terrorcons. Observing from afar, Alpha Q notes that Rodimus has returned.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Skyblast (Energon)|Skyblast]]s (7)
*[[Strongarm (Energon)|Strongarm]]s (8)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (10)
*[[Signal Flare (Energon)|Signal Flare]]s (11)
*[[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] (12)
*[[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]] (17)
*[[Prowl (Energon)|Prowl]] (18)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (19)
*[[Prime Force]] (20)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (21)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]] (2)
*[[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (3)
*[[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] (4)
*[[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] (5)
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (16)

|c3=
*[[Kicker Jones]] (9)
*[[Brian Jones|Dr. Brian Jones]] (13)

|c4=
*[[Alpha Quintesson]] (6)
*[[Battle Ravage]]s (14)
*[[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb]]s (15)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Megatron:''' "What's going on here, huh? Did someone set the wrong coordinates for the warp gate?...Who's responsible for this? I want answers!" 
'''Cyclonus:''' "Gee, I don't know! You got me, boss!" 
'''Megatron:''' "Ah, I see. ''Renovations''. Of course! Is that it? How amusing." 
'''Scorponok:''' "It could be that Unicron is deteriorating from the lack of energon, sir. That could be what happened." 
'''Megatron:''' "Scorponok. You know that can't be!" 
'''Scorponok:''' "Hrnnnn."
:—The Decepticons bring you your daily dose of nonsensical dialog.

"Now listen up. We're going to raid, conquer, and destroy. I will accept nothing less than that, Scorponok!"
:—'''Megatron''' lays down the law to Scorponok

"All we do is battle, and nothing happens. Fighting all the time has left Cybertron in ruins. If this continues, we'll have no future. Let's leave and create a better world! Join me! Let's find a place that we can call home. Yes! We will never look back."
:—'''Ironhide''' recites Rodimus's "famous speech"

"Are you afraid of the dark? Well, you should be, Starscream. Because I'm ''IN IT.''" 
:—'''Megatron''' delivers a surprisingly awesome line.

"''You'' have an important decision to make! Say you'll join me or I'll let you slip away into the ''darkness''. I, Megatron, am your only leader now. Say my name and I'll spare you. What is my name, Starscream?" 
"...Megatron..." 
"''Say it again.''" 
"''Meg-a-tron!''"
:—'''Megatron''' establishes the pecking order for '''Starscream'''.
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Super Link''===
*The opening scene's animation is missing the background image of Unicron that the fortress crashes into. Without it, Megatron's ship just seems to be floating through empty space, only to abruptly crash into something that wasn't there before.
*The opening conversation is likewise a bit more coherent in ''Super Link'', as Megatron claims that various walls and passages he's created have disappeared, and Scorponok states that Unicron is regressing since he's not been given energon lately. The "walls and passages" got mangulated into "renovations" for ''Energon''.
*Unicron is regressing because Alpha Q stole his energon, as he gloats to himself in ''Super Link''. ''Energon'' omits this bit of back story, which was not actually shown on-screen; the plot point is therefore entirely lost, leaving a typical example of things seeming to happen for no reason at all. However, he does make vague comments that "Megatron doesn't have a clue" and "the energon will be all ours", which do sort of hint at the answer. Kinda sorta.
*In ''Super Link'', Ironhide tells Hot Shot about his own hero-worship of him, with Hot Shot doing a face-palm in response. In ''Energon'', Ironhide just says that he was telling Kicker to respect his father, making Hot Shot's reaction into nonsense.
*The backgrounds of this same scene are incomplete in ''Energon''. ''Super Link'' features a mountain-side niche for Ironhide and Kicker, and an interior passage behind Hot Shot, rather than open sky.
*Rodimus originally "journeyed toward the future", in a metaphoric sense. ''Energon'' hilariously mistranslates this to say that Rodimus was last seen "traveling into the future".
*When Ironhide tells Kicker about Rodimus, the silhouettes of Rodimus, Prowl and Landmine are shown, but it's a recycled shot from their later arrival on Mars. ''Super Link'' features a new matte painting instead (featuring several [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1]] [[character model]]s as the original members of [[Team Rodimus (Energon)|Team Rodimus]]). This painting reappears in several subsequent episodes, and appears in the beginning of "[[Rodimus Friend or Foe?]]" in ''Energon''.
*Rodimus's original speech mentions a call not to fear the vastness of space, giving some context to Ironhide's later claim that Rodimus overcame his fears.
*Ironhide doesn't say he's starting to "talk" like Kicker (he isn't), but rather has acquired his habit of kicking things.
*The "say my name" bit with Starscream is an ''Energon'' addition.

===Pain count===
*"Uh?": 13
*"We need/they want energon": 9
*"We've gotta": 1
*"Come on": 2

===Continuity notes===
*Megatron's reasoning is rather petulantly circular: they can't attack Earth because they need more energon to do so; therefore, they must attack Earth to get more energon, allowing them to attack Earth.
*By the end of this episode, the four Decepticons who came to Earth at the beginning of ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' (and the [[Unicron Trilogy]] as a whole) have been reunited.
*Gadgets and powers:
**Scorponok fires from his hip cannons.
**Using his influence over the Terrorcons, Scorponok orders a squadron of Divebombs to suicide-bomb an entrance into a cave.
**Megatron temporarily merges with Unicron to gain the upperhand over Starscream.
*[[Powerlinx]] forms:
**Optimus Prime [[Super Mode]]

===Continuity errors===
*"I'll find my own way out of here"—at no point is it implied that Kicker was lost to begin with.

===Trivia===
*So Rodimus just ''happens'' to show up just as Hot Shot and Ironhide just ''happen'' to be spinning yarns about him. ''Riiiiiight''.
*Megatron's upgraded [[Energon Sword]] has been corrected in color and the model now replicates the toy…''at least it was for a second or two''.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2004 — ''Transformer: Super Link'' — Volume 003 ([[Interchannel]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Legend of Rodimus}}
[[Category:Energon episodes]]

Cramp

2024-02-17T11:49:42Z

0TheLegend0: /* Continuity notes */ Megatron actually says "I told you there wouldn't be a third time"

{{episode|
|series=Armada
|ep=48
|prev=Portent
|next=Alliance
|title="Cramp"
|furigana=しんねん
|japanese=決死
|romaji=Shinnen
|translation=Prepared for Death: Conviction
|image=Starscreamheroicdeath.jpg
|caption="Tell my tale to those who ask, tell it truly. The ill deeds along with the good, and let me be judged accordingly..."
|production code=TF: A-48
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]]
|writer=[[Akira Okeya]]
|englishadaptation=[[Terry Klassen]]
|director=[[Osamu Kamijō]], [[Mitsuru Kawasaki]] (asst. dir.)
|animation studio=[[Actas Inc.]]
|airdate=[[September 29]], [[2003]] (English, United Kingdom) [[November 28|28 November]] 2003 (Japanese) [[December 8]], [[2003]] (English, United States)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy]]
}}
'''Starscream prepares to do whatever it takes to convince Galvatron the threat of Unicron is real.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Starsmack.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Galvatron blasts Starscream with his rarely seen armpit-laser.]]
[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] pleads to [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] that [[Unicron]]'s threat is real (as Starscream has first-hand experience in the beast's bowels); hoping to convince his leader that perhaps an [[Autobot]] and [[Decepticon]] alliance is the safest course to ensure [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s survival. When Starscream refuses to stop pleading, Galvatron slaps his subordinate into a wall to silence him. The Decepticon leader is confident his military can overcome both the Autobots and Unicron. Starscream continues to stress the danger of Unicron, and Galvatron starts to swing his [[Star Saber (Armada)|Star Saber]].

[[File:Cramp-Starscreamdies.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|[[Code of Hero|The rest is... silence]]. Well, [[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|not really]], but don't you kinda wish it was?]]
The Autobots are still optimistic, believing there's a chance a diplomatic conference could lead to a truce between the two sides, meaning they can't take aggressive action against the Decepticons, only defensive. Nevertheless, Galvatron, armed with the Star Saber and [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]], flies into battle, ready to negotiate with [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] using firepower. Prime responds by combining with [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] and [[Overload (Armada)|Overload]] and heading away from the thick of the fight.

By a [[Megatron statue|monolithic statue of Megatron]], Starscream wonders what he needs to do, and [[Alexis Thi Dang|Alexis]]'s words of encouragement run through his head.

Away from the armies, Galvatron and Optimus Prime send their men away, leaving the two leaders to battle one on one. Through the struggle, Galvatron admits that he still considers Unicron an Autobot hoax, and with the Star Saber, he has the upper hand against Prime. However, as soon as Galvatron breaks Prime's metal, an explosion disturbs the showdown. Starscream walks from the smoke.

The rest of the Autobots struggle to hold their ground, unable to cause any real damage to the Decepticons. Alexis has faith that things will be okay. Meanwhile, Unicron's lunar shell peels off thousands of miles away, and the behemoth attacks the assembled Mini-Con cluster.

[[File:Cramp-Swindleejects.jpg|left|thumb|I'm not crying! I just have something in my eyes.]]
Starscream quits the Decepticons and challenges Galvatron to one-on-one combat. The two clash, quickly cutting into each other. However, Starscream displays skill beyond the last time he battled Megatron. Lightning from Unicron carves into the landscape around them. The two warriors ignore it and continue their struggle, but in an instant, the Star Saber plunges into Starscream's torso, and the impaled Decepticon falls.

Lying with the blade sticking out of him, Starscream speaks earnestly to Galvatron, pointing out that Galvatron's arrogance drove the situation to be what it is. Despite his injury, Starscream stands up and reiterates his wishes for a truce between the two Cybertronian factions against Unicron. With his final desire said, Starscream joins with his [[Mini-Con]] to fire his [[Proton cannon]]s upwards at Unicron. Unicron fires back, disintegrating Starscream, much to Galvatron and Optimus's shock. Aboard the ''[[Axalon (Armada)|Axalon]]'', Alexis's [[Good Luck Necklace|luck charm]] breaks, and she runs outside to look out the window and sees Starscream's laser blast fade away.

[[File:Cramp-AlexismournsStarscream.jpg|left|thumb|I never got to tell Starscream that I loved him!]]
Realizing Starscream was right about Unicron's threat, Galvatron remembers their shared experiences and ''finally'' decides to join forces with Optimus Prime. He starts by offering the Star Saber to Optimus... But from the crater Starscream died in, a dark cloud emerges and grabs the Star Saber! The cloud forms into [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]], who escapes the two leaders through the underground portal, collapsing the tunnels so the Autobots and Decepticons can't follow him. Upon witnessing Sideways's escape, Optimus and Galvatron fear for the worst to come.

After Optimus tells them about Starscream's death over the monitor, the kids are devastated, especially Alexis, who begins crying. She then bolts from the room and slams her fist on the window that displays Unicron in grief. When [[Rad White|Rad]] appears behind her, she smacks his shoulders, asking why Starscream would do that to himself, and Rad does his best to console her.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (9)
*[[Blurr (Armada)|Blurr]] (10)
*[[Side Swipe (Armada)|Side Swipe]] (14)
*[[Smokescreen (Armada)|Hoist]] (15)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (16)
*[[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]] (17)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (18)
*[[Overload (Armada)|Overload]] (21)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] (2)
*[[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]] (3)
*[[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (4)
*[[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] (5)
*[[Wheeljack (Armada)|Wheeljack]] (20)

|c3=
*[[Fred (Armada)|Fred]] (6)
*[[Billy (Armada)|Billy]] (7)
*[[Carlos Lopez|Carlos]] (11)
*[[Alexis Thi Dang|Alexis]] (12)
*[[Rad White|Rad]] (13)

|h4=[[Mini-Con]]s|c4=
*[[Leader-1 (Armada)|Leader-1]] (19) (Powerlinxed with Galvatron)
*[[Sureshock (Armada)|Sureshock]] (23)
*[[Grindor (Armada)|Grindor]] (24)
*[[High Wire (Armada)|High Wire]] (25)
*[[Swindle (Armada)|Swindle]] (26)

|h5=Other|c5=
*[[Unicron]] (22)
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (27)
}}

==Quotes==
[[File:Cramp-Galvatronregrets.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|You'll miss me when I'm gone!]]
"How long have we been adversaries, Optimus? It seems like since the beginning of time. And I suppose I do have a certain respect for you, but I digress, you might have fooled Starscream with your little Truce ploy, but I am nobody's fool. Now let's end this charade, shall we?"
:—'''Galvatron''' faces off against Optimus Prime in the 'negotiations.'

"May I suggest that you have lost your mind?!"
:—'''Galvatron''' to Starscream, who has just challenged him to a duel.

"I tried to gain favor from you. But nothing was ever good enough. No matter how many battles I fought, you always found fault. Then I saw how Optimus treated his men, and I realized he was a leader of integrity. Unlike you." 
"You were too weak to ever gain my respect." 
"None of that matters now. You must listen — do as Optimus says and join forces with the Autobots, or else every last one of us is doomed! Please sir... do it for me..."
:—'''Starscream''' pours his spark out to '''Galvatron''' after being impaled by the Star Saber

"It's time to finish this once and for all! Activate Proton Cannon! YOU'RE ALL MINE, UNICRON!!!"
:—'''Starscream's''' heroic last words before shooting at Unicron.
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Legends of the Microns''===
*Starscream asks why Megatron wants to cling to his rivalry with Optimus and says that the universe will soon be no more after witnessing Unicron's power. Galvatron says he's now aware of Unicron's existence and understands the need to destroy him but still refuses to work with Optimus. ''Armada'' rephrases the rivalry as a "petty argument" and changes Galvatron and Starscream's dialogue to Galvatron, warning Starscream not to test his patience or contemplate betraying him again.
*Cyclonus and Demolishor's lines to Starscream are changed to the former calling Starscream a coward and the latter asking what there is to worry about since Unicron is "just some planet that became our moon." Then Starscream calls them idiots for not understanding Unicron's true horror.
*In ''Armada'', Galvatron says Optimus will be sorry and that he'll also deal with Unicron. However, as he believes there can't be two supreme commanders, he's more focused on eliminating his competition before facing Unicron. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Galvatron says he never said the two factions couldn't join forces, but he'll have to deal with Prime first. He plans to kill Optimus and merge the Autobots into the Decepticon army, claiming Optimus is his sworn enemy and there's no tomorrow if he doesn't defeat Prime.
*Galvatron offers Starscream command over the Autobots after defeating Optimus. ''Armada'' has Galvatron requesting Starscream's complete loyalty.
*Before the episode title appears, Cyclonus says Starscream can wait there at HQ since their "Autobot Commander" only needs to sit on his throne.
*The kids discuss if they and the Autobots can trust Galvatron or believe anything he says, as Carlos says that Galvatron is constantly manipulating things. Alexis states that's why they need to negotiate. Then Optimus says that she's right, and Galvatron should understand the need for the Autobots and Decepticons to combine forces to combat Unicron. Rad worries about another fight breaking out, but Billy assures him that Optimus won't lose, and Optimus says he will try to avoid a clash with Galvatron.
*Afterward, an anxious Smokescreen demands the 'Cons to show themselves. Then Blurr reminds him the 'Cons are additional strength to help take down Unicron so they can't be too rough with them; Hot Shot tells Smokescreen they're counting on him, and Smokescreen answers, "I know! Use our heads, right?"
*Unlike ''Armada'', Demolishor explicitly says "Hot Shot and the others" are with Optimus. Then Galvatron entrusts Demolishor with handling them, but in ''Armada'', Galvatron tells Demolishor to "spare me [him] the details."
*Hot Shot is surprised when the Decepticons start firing. Blurr and Side Swipe's dialogue is changed to the former saying that the Autobots are now in the thick of things and the latter saying the Decepticons seemingly don't want to negotiate.
*In ''Armada'', Red Alert has a cynical outlook while talking about Wheeljack. Like Carlos, he truly believed Wheeljack changed sides before insisting that one will always be a Decepticon after becoming one. Then Carlos gripes that it's now hard distinguishing who's friend or foe, and Fred agrees. Red Alert says they should focus on their side more than the Decepticons, and Carlos agrees they should support their comrades. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Red Alert is less pessimistic, saying Wheeljack made a temporary truce to track down Thrust but will become a trustworthy Autobot ally if Optimus successfully negotiates with Galvatron. Carlos asks if that's like Scavenger, and Fred thinks it would. Then Red Alert says Hot Shot and Wheeljack's dynamic is similar to that between Optimus and Scavenger, making Carlos say that in that case, they should hope that Prime pulls off the negotiation.
*When Optimus combines with Jetfire and Overload and later breaks from them, ''Armada'' plays the ''Transformers'' theme and spams the transformation sound effect. In contrast, ''Legends of the Microns'' plays Prime's Super Mode theme, "Super Convoy," during the Powerlinx sequence. The Japanese dub later plays "[[The Transformers Legends of the Microns: Sound of Evolution Vol. 2|Theme of Megatron - Attack by Villains]]," fitting the tense situation better.
*''Armada'' has awkward silence after Jetfire's line as he forces away Tidal Wave because Jetfire says his lines without pausing. ''Legends of the Microns'' has a second-long pause between the lines, so there's no silence at the end of the shot.
*Optimus and Galvatron's dialogue differs significantly between the dubs:
**''Armada'' portrays Galvatron as very gung-ho about fighting Optimus as though it's how they'll "negotiate." He remains cynical about the reality of Unicron's threat and only cares about eliminating Optimus so he can be the universe's sole ruler. Optimus offers to talk once Galvatron cools off and later says the generic line about Galvatron's lust for power disgusting him. ''Legends of the Microns'' changes Galvatron's quip about needing to shut Optimus down to his offering to show Prime his "true incompetence." It continues his string of thoughts from earlier and the prior episode about believing two Supreme Commanders are too many and unnecessary to defeat Unicron. Thinking negotiating is needless, Galvatron wants to show he's the superior leader and orders Optimus to fight him. Optimus is silent until he calls Jetfire. After Optimus Powerlinx with Jetfire and Overload and flies off, Galvatron is confused about why Prime won't fight. Optimus asks Galvatron why he can't understand that they should make peace. When Optimus offers Galvatron command, Galvatron thinks Prime is mocking him and says Prime's presence will disrupt "the command structure" even if he steps down and demands Prime to show his power.
**After Tidal Wave and Jetfire leave, ''Armada'' has Galvatron suggest he and Optimus "cut to the chase" now that they're alone. He admits to respecting Prime somewhat but isn't falling for his "truce ploy" charade like Starscream did (as quoted above), still focusing on who will rule the universe. He later mocks Optimus for waiting for the Mini-Cons to rescue him, saying that won't happen. The Japanese version makes their exchange more philosophical: Galvatron mentions what Smokescreen told him about trust among the Autobots, remarking how it's pathetic, and calls Optimus a fool to bind himself with such vague notions. He says Starscream is no different and has had the same silly ideas after returning from the Autobots; Optimus says Starscream awakened to his true self as a Transformer after spending time on both sides. There is some silence after Galvatron demands Optimus to stop feeding him lies in ''Armada'' because the English dub shortens Optimus's line about Starscream, making Galvatron's reply come sooner than it does in ''Legends of the Microns''. Galvatron claims Starscream might be a worse traitor than Thrust. He insists that trust is nonsense, saying that one's power is something worth believing in; power is everything, and justice without it means nothing. Then Galvatron mocks Prime, asking if he's frustrated and sad since the Mini-Cons Optimus fought to save are now under his control and itching to dish out the killing blow.
*The Japanese dub uses the mid-episode [[commercial bumper]]s, while ''Armada'' uses the Autobot and Decepticon logos from the [[scene transition]]s with the transformation sound effect.
*Starscream says he won't hesitate to betray Galvatron because he must stand by his beliefs. Optimus says this isn't Starscream's fight, but the latter asserts otherwise. Galvatron says Starscream has become "a boring fool" and asks if working with the Autobots is necessary; Starscream answers it is for "the Transformers of tomorrow" and not just defeating Unicron and declares he will take command of the Decepticons after besting Galvatron. Galvatron dismisses it as wishful thinking and says Starscream will never beat him, but Starscream states he won't know until he tries.
*Carlos, Billy, and Fred's conversation in the Japanese dub shows them confused by how the negotiation looks no different than a regular Autobot and Decepticon encounter; Billy concludes it's something they'd expect when the factions meet. Then Alexis says things will be fine as she's sure something will change.
*Galvatron questions if Starscream infused his wingblade with his spark's power, to which Starscream answers that he's put every bit of his energy into it to defeat him. Then Optimus says there's no point trying to stop them since Starscream is so determined; Optimus has only one line during the scene in ''Armada'', so there's some silence afterward.
*When Unicron changes form again, Alexis says to look instead of asking what's happening, and Rad sounds more shocked. After Alexis's line about the Mini-Cons approaching Unicron, Billy has a line begging them to stop before Fred says Unicron is attacking the Mini-Cons. After stopping High Wire, Rad urges him to tell the other Mini-Cons to hide somewhere rather than stay put.
* ''Armada'' reduces Galvatron's dialogue to chalking up that Starscream's actions are due to his programming going haywire and offering to put him out of his misery. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Starscream scolds Galvatron for believing nobody could be his equal since he's so overconfident in his strength and declares that he will show him the power of a warrior willing to risk his life for his beliefs. Galvatron admits Starscream's newfound convictions deserve some respect, to which Starscream says the same for Galvatron's stubbornness. Galvatron wonders when the change started since Starscream never escaped his influence when he had ambition. Galvatron says something else is driving Starscream now, asking if the Autobots or the children are compelling him. Not understanding why Starscream would face him over something trivial, Galvatron asks if Starscream is betraying him for real this time before deciding that Starscream will never beat him as he keeps believing in things like trust and kindness.
*After the lightning strike from Unicron, the Japanese dub adds screaming to the shot after Demolishor and Wheeljack. Then Galvatron admits being surprised by Starscream's increased strength and that maybe trust isn't a fleeting concept, but Starscream remains too naive. Starscream internally says Galvatron's name during his close-up, and Galvatron says never to drop his guard until the fight is over.
*Just before Galvatron impales Starscream, the animation is tweaked to clarify that the latter "switched off" his sword with no intention of blocking the fatal blow. The two don't exchange jibes here; they only say the other's name, and Galvatron kneels, realizing what Starscream has done and acknowledging the latter's power, while Starscream says he's still not as strong as Galvatron.
*Starscream's final moments are subtly different between the two versions:
**''Legends of the Microns'' has Starscream admire Galvatron as an ultimate warrior he could never hope to beat and say he wanted Galvatron to notice him. Galvatron gently tells Starscream to stop speaking, later calling him a fool for persisting. Starscream says he'd never gotten the chance to talk to him like this without laying his life on the line first and calls Optimus a leader worthy of trust. After imploring both factions to team up, Starscream says a lot has happened. When unleashing his final attack, Starscream says, "SPARK OF MY SOUL...UNLEASH EVERY BIT OF YOUR POWER! NULL RAY CANNON!" The following scenes of his demise are silent except for Galvatron gasping.
**In ''Armada'', Starscream talks about his desperation to gain Galvatron's favor while comparing him to Optimus as an unintegral leader (a monologue played again during the montage). Galvatron is more verbally hostile towards Starscream, calling him too weak to be worthy of respect.
*After Starscream's last moments in ''Legends of the Microns'', Optimus tells Swindle to come with him since his partner isn't here anymore. ''Armada'' has Optimus claim that Starscream was a brave soldier until the end.
*The replay of Starscream's memories repeats what he said about Optimus having integrity in ''Armada'', but ''Legends of the Microns'' instead has the montage feature moments of Starscream boasting, pleading, and wanting Galvatron's recognition throughout the series.
*When Sideways steals the Star Saber, he declares that he now has all the keys. He says Unicron is the only one worthy of it and congratulates Galvatron and Optimus for their "good work." After Sideways escapes, Galvatron exclaims how this nightmare could worsen in ''Armada'' but remarks on Sideways fleeing underground in ''Legends of the Microns''.
*The scene of Sideways destroying the underground tunnel now has an effect added to his maniacal laughter to make it sound disembodied. After this, the scene of the kids' reactions upon learning of Starscream's death is silent, whereas their responses are heard in ''Armada''.
*In ''Armada'', Rad's closing narration is that Starscream was gone, and his demise seemed to be in vain. Then he says, like everything in life, everyone would have to wait to learn the purpose of Starscream's actions; for now, all they had were too many unanswered questions. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Alexis gives the narration, which contains a small glimmer of hope, unlike the English version. She says Starscream has died, but perhaps someday, the tears of sorrow over his death will become ones of determination, swearing that his efforts won't be wasted.

===Animation and technical errors===
*In the opening scene, Demolishor has four fingers and one thumb on each hand.
*Galvatron's hands are small stubs after swinging the Star Saber at Starscream in the opening.
*In the shots where Hoist warns Blurr not to fire upon the Decepticons except in self-defense, and after the others promise to cover Hot Shot, Blurr's entire gun is colored one solid orange shade.
*Scavenger's chest is partially off-model after the Decepticons begin firing upon the Autobots.
*Galvatron's mouth doesn't move when he says, "Let the negotiations begin!"
*Before Optimus calls for Jetfire, Galvatron's turret is partially miscolored dark gray.
*Galvatron's eyes are seemingly closed after Optimus Powerlinx with Jetfire and Overload.
*Jetfire shoots Tidal Wave in the eye...with the back of his rifle? The Japanese dub fixes this error.
*After Galvatron slashes Optimus with the Star Saber, one can hear the sound of crackling electricity from a wound, but Optimus looks unscathed until his next shot.
*Galvatron says, "What?" too soon in two scenes: first, before the explosion goes off behind him, seemingly out of surprise about gaining the upper hand when the Star Saber cuts Optimus's shoulder, and later when Sideways steals the Star Saber. ''Legends of the Microns'' fixes the timing by having Galvatron say it the first time while turning around ''after'' the explosion and later a second after Sideways takes the sword from him and Optimus.
*Starscream's mouth doesn't move when he speaks after appearing out of the smoke.
*As Starscream descends after catching his wing blade, Galvatron exclaims fearfully despite his brash overconfidence a moment ago. In ''Legends of the Microns'', he appropriately shouts "What?!" in shock instead.
*As Galvatron slaps Starscream during their duel, his right hand is drawn as a standard hand instead of its traditional claw-looking design.
*Wheeljack says, "What's happening?" in Demolishor's voice. The Japanese version doesn't have this mistake.
*When Alexis goes to the window to see Starscream's Photon Cannon fail to reach Unicron, the Autobot symbol on the back of her suit changes from red to blue.
*When Galvatron raises the Star Saber before his memory montage, the inner part of his right shoulder is detached from the rest, already in its later position, before he lifts his arm.

===Continuity notes===
*In ''Legends of the Microns'', Billy refers to Galvatron as "stag beetle head," the nickname Thrust previously used in "[[Crisis (Armada)|Crisis]]."
*In ''Legends of the Microns'', Galvatron references what Smokescreen said to him in "[[Sacrifice]]" about trust binding the Autobots together.
*Galvatron refers to the time when Sparkplug saved Optimus in "[[Decisive Battle]]"; he might also mean when the Mini-Cons turned against him to save Optimus in "[[Vow]]."
*In the Japanese dub, Galvatron remarks about Starscream's ambition, which he previously did in "[[Rebellion (Armada)|Rebellion]]."
*''[[Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003]]'' calls this episode the last of the show's Starscream saga.
*Prepare yourself for when [[Megatron Raid|Starscream returns]] in ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'' since his compelling character arc in ''Armada'' goes out the window like it never happened.
*Gadgets and powers:
**This is the first time Optimus combines with Overload while in his Jet Optimus configuration with Jetfire, with bonus stock transformation footage. However, Optimus combines with Jetfire first, only to fly a relatively short distance, making the combination with Overload pretty pointless other than [[To sell toys| to show they can.]]
**Starscream uses his wing blade against Galvatron.
*Powerlinx forms:
**Galvatron Powerlinx with the Star Saber for the last time.
**Starscream Powerlinx with Swindle to unleash his Null Laser Cannon against Unicron. The ''Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003'' deems it the last time a Transformer Powerlinx with a Mini-Con in the series.

===Continuity errors===
*At Megatron's statue, Starscream determines that he must protect the humans, but why would he defend all the kids when Alexis is the only one he knows well enough? Alexis is also who he thinks of at that moment. The Japanese dub correctly has Starscream resolving not to let ''Alexis'' die.
*How does Tidal Wave know to Powerlinx with Galvatron when Galvatron never gives the order and only says they're leaving to face Optimus? ''Legends of the Microns'' has Galvatron tell Tidal Wave to combine with him.
*Why would Red Alert believe there's no turning back once a Transformer becomes a Decepticon? Did he completely forget that Scavenger is an ex-Decepticon? There also must've been other rare cases of Decepticons becoming Autobots, and vice versa.
*Galvatron tells Tidal Wave to attack Optimus when they split up, but Tidal Wave does nothing until later. Galvatron only commands Tidal Wave to uncombine with him in the Japanese dub since Optimus just split from Jetfire and Overload, and Galvatron wishes to even things out.
*Tidal Wave is significantly smaller and weaker than previously depicted. Jetfire, shown not much smaller than Tidal Wave, shoulder-blocks and lifts off with him in a single movement.
*Alexis's pendant cracks upon Starscream's death; it somehow connected to his spark, but previous episodes never really built up that detail or alluded to it. Since the necklace has only appeared in two episodes, this feature almost seems like an afterthought for drama's sake.
**In the same scene, why does Rad ask Alexis what's happening outside when she doesn't know more than he does? He correctly asks her if something is wrong in ''Legends of the Microns''.
*Why does Rad give the closing narration when Alexis had the bond with Starscream, and his death devastates her more than anyone else? The Japanese dub rightly has Alexis deliver the narration.

===Transformers references===
*Starscream's death by crumbling into a pile of debris resembles [[Generation 1 cartoon continuity|G1]] [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream's]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*Many parts of Galvatron and Starscream's speeches quote lyrics from ''[[The Touch]]'', like 'I'm nobody's fool' (see above) or Starscream's 'after all is said and done.'

===Real-world references===
*Fred's "The horror! The horror!" line is from ''{{w|Heart of Darkness}}'', the novel adapted into the film ''{{w|Apocalypse Now}}''.
*Galvatron gives Starscream one last chance not to fight, and when Starscream declines, Galvatron's "Is that your final answer?" line might be a reference to ''{{w|Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?}}''.
*Galvatron tells Optimus the Autobots and Decepticons could never work together since they're like oil and water. It refers to the proverb about oil and water, as oil always tries to stay separate from water whenever combined; it explains how beings with specific traits can never mix, no matter what anyone does.

===Trivia===
[[File:Cramp - no ML title card.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Foreshadowing? Why, no!]]
*The episode's English version first aired in the United Kingdom on the {{w|Sky One}} channel when the network ran an around-the-clock promotion of American magician/"endurance artist" {{w|David Blaine}}'s controversial London stunt, complete with an obnoxious '''DAVID BLAINE''' onscreen overlay. It aired in the United States on [[December 8]], 2003.
*There's no title card in ''Legends of the Microns''; the title appears over Starscream. This way of showing the episode titles was only done previously in "[[Linkup]]."
*Optimus calls Starscream's Mini-Con Swindle instead of Zapmaster. So logically, Swindle received a color change like Starscream did (instead of him exchanging his Mini-Con for a new one in different colors).
*Starscream's proton cannon blasts don't even touch Unicron. You can see them dissipate before Alexis's eyes before they reach him. Most heartwrenching suicide ever?
*Starscream's sword is surprisingly powerful in this episode, durable enough to clash with Star Saber without any visible damage. Due to his upgrade after Nemesis Prime kicked his skidplate? Nah.
*This episode is one of few without an opening narration.
*This is the second time in the Japanese dub that a Transformer says, "Spark of my soul..." The last time was by Optimus Prime in "[[Crisis (Armada)|Crisis]]."
*''Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003'' reveals the following:
**The episode's highlights include Magna Jet Convoy's debut and the first half of the climactic fight: Optimus vs. Galvatron, which serves as a prelude to their final battle. The main highlight is the battle's second half with Starscream and Galvatron's last fight.
**[[Hidehito Ueda]] says that Galvatron expressing his feelings about Starscream wasn't in the scenario initially, but he wanted Galvatron to tell them.
**Ueda jokes about wanting Starscream to return as a ghost in ''Super Link'' before becoming a [[Pretender]] and marrying Alexis.
**The first moments for this episode that appeared in Ueda's mind when reading the scenario were Starscream's Null Laser Cannons not reaching Unicron, Alexis watching them stop short, and the silent scene of the children's reactions to Starscream's death at the end.
**Starscream died not as a Decepticon but as a Transformer.

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Das Friedensangebot'''" ("Peace-Offering")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 12|12 January]] [[2004]]

'''Hungarian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Párbaj'''" ("Duel")

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Obstáculo'''" ("Obstacle")

[[Category: Armada episodes]]

Titans

2024-02-13T14:36:24Z

0TheLegend0: /* Differences with Galaxy Force */

{{disambig3|Titan}}
{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=37
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=38
|title="Titans"
|japanese=激突! 砕け散る野望
|romaji=Gekitotsu! Kudakechi no Yabō
|translation=Clash! The Crushed Ambition
|image=Cyb_ep37_war_of_the_worlds.jpg
|caption=When there's trouble you know who to call.
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Gyō Yamatoya]]
|director=[[Megumi Sakai]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]], Office Take Off
|airdate=[[September 24]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[September 11]], [[2006]] (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}
'''The Autobots' attempt to reactivate Primus leads to a literal war of the worlds!'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Cyb ep37 bud welding.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|The moral of this story is that it's okay to deface public property.]]

Somewhere in space, aboard the ''[[Atlantis]]'' starship, [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] is feeling very pleased with himself for gaining so much ground in the race for the fourth [[Cyber Planet Key]]. However, [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] warns that they shouldn't let their guard down, but neither he nor Starscream is aware of how right he is to be so cautious. Unbeknownst to them, elsewhere in the massive ship, the stranded [[Bud Hansen|Bud]], [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] and [[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] are doing their part to help the other [[Autobot]]s track them down. Unable to use his communicator since Starscream would detect the transmission, Bud uses a welding torch to sear the Autobot [[insignia]] into chunks of metal, which the Mini-Cons then jettison through the trash chute, leaving a proverbial trail of breadcrumbs in the ''Atlantis''{{'}}s wake.

Meanwhile, the Autobots on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] are working on a plan of their own, as they try to figure out a way to combine [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] with the three [[Cyber Planet Key]]s they have acquired to stabilize the [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]] before they depart for [[Gigantion]]. But, of course, they have to ''find'' Gigantion first, and [[Vector Prime]] is hard at work studying the [[Planet Map]], trying to pinpoint the gateway that will lead them to the alternate universe in which the planet lies.

[[File:Cyb ep37 meet soundwave.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Ellis, I think we have just discovered the Cheeseburger Apocalypse!]]

[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] and [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] have been assigned to search space for the ''Atlantis'' and are soon lucky enough to stumble across Bud's marked garbage. Unfortunately for the two Autobots, [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] spies on them as they follow Bud's trail back to the ''Atlantis'', and she soon leads [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and the other [[Decepticon]]s after them. As the two heroes try to deal with both the firepower of the ''Atlantis'' and the threat of Megatron's Decepticons, Sideways powers up the ship's warp drive and teleports the ''Atlantis'' away before Jetfire can get Bud and the [[Mini-Con]]s off it. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the ship's other unwilling passengers; however, Decepticon stowaways [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] and [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] can disembark and rejoin Megatron's forces before the ship vanishes. However, Megatron randomly blasts Ransack in anger over losing the ''Atlantis''. Wing Saber and Jetfire quickly depart, and as such, they are not around to witness the sudden arrival of an enigmatic new robot, who introduces himself as [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]], and informs the Decepticons that he can lead them to Gigantion.

[[File:Cyb ep37 gimmie that spark.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Back on Cybertron, Optimus Prime receives Jetfire's disappointing report with sadness, but [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] announcing that they've completed setting up the equipment forces him to put such thoughts from his mind. Using the Matrix to activate the [[Omega Lock]], Optimus can re-energize Primus, who silently focuses the entirety of his power into a beam that he shoots directly into the heart of the black hole. With the beam holding steady, things are looking good...until the ''Atlantis'' suddenly warps into view above the beam. Having sensed Primus's reactivation from across the galaxy, Starscream has arrived to finish the job he started on Earth. The treacherous Decepticon dives headlong into Primus's beam of energy and begins absorbing the power of his [[spark]]. As the horrified Autobots watch, Primus's power transforms Starscream into a cosmic titan the size of a planet!

[[File:Cyb ep37 primus cannons.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Primus Guns, fire!]]
When Coby sees the ''Atlantis'' floating past, he immediately runs to leave the room, knowing his brother is on the ship. Optimus Prime stops him and talks some sense into him; after all, what can he do with a planet-sized Starscream in the way? With Coby reined in, the Autobots rush into action, quickly erecting an energy shield to protect Primus's immobile body from the attacks that the gargantuan Starscream immediately begins unleashing upon their creator. Dragging cables and equipment with them as they run from sector to sector, the Autobots are forced to redistribute the flow of power throughout Primus's body, shutting down the black hole-stabilizing beam in an attempt to restore the god's mobility. At the last second, just after Starscream shatters the shield and unleashes a blast from his [[Cyber Key]]-powered cannon, the final connection is made, and Primus springs into life, deflecting Starscream's shot with a wave of his open palm.

[[File:Cyb ep37 moon maces.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|EPIC FLAIL!]]
Primus calls upon a Cyber Key of his own, activating giant cannons in his forearms, but Starscream can detonate his blasts with a swipe of his arm and remains undeterred. Nobody is ready for Primus's next impressive move, however: projecting beams of energy from his hands, Primus lassos ''his own moons'', transforming the two satellites into planetary-scale flails which he uses to pummel Starscream mercilessly. A series of irresistible blows from these moon-flails sends Starscream slamming into a nearby rocky planetary body, which actually ''explodes'' from the impact. The cosmic explosion consumes Starscream, and his energy drained, shrinks back down to his prior height. As his charred body floats amidst the remains of the planet, and he weakly vows to continue reaching for power, Sideways steers the ''Atlantis'' nearby and activates its warp system, teleporting Starscream away alongside it.

On Primus's surface, Coby collapses in tears at the sight of the ''Atlantis'' disappearing, taking Bud with it. The Autobots are silent as the boy cries when suddenly, Vector Prime bursts into the room with the news that will change everything: he has located the gate to Gigantion!
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (4)
*[[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (5)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (7)
*[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (8)
*[[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] (11)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (12)
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] (13)
*[[Vector Prime]] (14)
*[[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] (15)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (16)
*[[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (17)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (18)
*[[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] (27)
*[[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (28)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (29)
*[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (30)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (2)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (19)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (20)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (21)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (22)
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] (23)
*[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (24)

|c3=
*[[Bud Hansen]] (3)
*[[Coby Hansen]] (9)
*[[Lori Jiménez]] (10)

|c4=
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (1)
*[[Primus]] (6)
*[[Laserbeak (Cybertron)|Laserbeak]] (25)
*[[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] (26)
}}

==Quotes==
"The power! ''So'' much power! With all this power flowing through me, I fear ''nothing!'' Not even '''Primus!'''"
:—'''Starscream''', after growing to planet-size.

"Yeah, Primus! Moon that loser!"
:—'''Coby''' made a pun!

"MOMMAAAA!!!"
:— '''Starscream''', about to get owned by Primus.

"This... is... not the end of me... even if I have to bear the unbearable... I'll keep reaching... and soon... I will hold the universe in my hands..."
:—'''Starscream''', after taking a beating from Primus.

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===
*''Galaxy Force'' includes a "previously on" segment summarizing the events of "[[Family]]."
*In ''Cybertron'', Optimus worries about Coby and Lori, considering how hard they're working and wishing he could do more to help them. In ''Galaxy Force'', he is regretful that he can only spare Jetfire and Wing Saber to go out and search for the ''Atlantis'' and Bud and is concerned with Wing Saber and Jetfire's ability to work together in their search.
*Wing Saber tells Jetfire he doesn't want to go sneaking around in the ''Atlantis'' looking for Bud because he is more of a smash and bash fighter in ''Cybertron''. In ''Galaxy Force'', he scoffs at the idea of doing such "petty work" like searching for a kid. What a snob!
*''Galaxy Force'' consistently refers to "The spark of Primus" when talking about his energy, with such odd turns of phrases as "focusing his spark into his chest" and "restoring the flow of the spark." Since that's, well, not really what a spark ''is'', ''Cybertron'' simplifies the dialogue only to talk about his energy.
*In ''Galaxy Force'', the battle between Primus and Starscream isn't accompanied by music, and no sound leaves Primus's mouth.
*''Cybertron'' doesn't mention where Coby and Lori's new clothes originate; however, [[Gloria Jiménez|Lori's mother]] mentioned packing them in the previous episode of ''Galaxy Force''. It's the same case when Bud gets his new clothes in "[[City]]."

===Animation or technical glitches===
*As he and Crumplezone recline in the ''Atlantis'', Ransack is missing the black "mask" that normally surrounds his eyes.
*When Megatron attacks Atlantis, Wing Saber says that he'll take care of Megatron's minions and points at Jetfire, then points at himself and tells Jetfire to rescue Bud.
*When Lori says, "They're enormous," referring to Primus's moon flails, her mouth is oddly on the side of her face, leaving her lips from the side view intact. Of course, this is a classic anime visual, but it still looks odd.

===Continuity notes===
*Coby and Lori both start wearing new clothes in this episode, which they will wear for the rest of the series.
*Speaking of Coby and Lori, they sure do a lot of snuggling in this episode, as he catches her when she falls and then doesn't let her go for, like, five minutes. It's one of the first actual hints (Lori's nervous laughter at the notion of their getting married in the previous episode being another) of the romance that will eventually bloom between the two characters.

===Continuity errors===
*When the Atlantis warps away, Wing Saber suggests to Jetfire that they hurry and keep searching for the ship, coming across as ridiculous since we've seen the ''Atlantis'' easily warp across the ''entire galaxy'', so how can randomly flying around have any chance of locating it again? ''Galaxy Force'' makes more sense here by having Wing Saber include an explanation that it was an "express warp" (not sure what about it led him to that realization), meaning the ship couldn't have traveled very far. Thus, if they hurry, they could comb the surrounding area and re-find it.
*So, how exactly does blasting a black hole with energy work? Wouldn't it, you know, make it bigger?
*If ALL of Primus's energy was focused into the beam generator on his chest, where did the massive amount of energy needed to raise ''powerful shields over a whole stinkin' planet'' come from?
*Upon Starscream's defeat, ''Cybertron'' has Sideways comment, "Guess I'm in business for myself!" which is nonsense because he picks up Starscream; plus, they're still working together in the next episode. ''Galaxy Force'' only has him say it's time for a retreat.

===Real-world references===
*Upon witnessing Starscream and Primus's battle, Scattorshot exclaims, "Talk about when worlds collide!", referring to the 1932 science fiction novel {{w|When Worlds Collide|of the same name}}.

===Trivia===
*''Galaxy Force'' introduces its fifth and final [[Title sequence#Title sequence .235|opening sequence]] with this episode.
*When Starscream becomes planet-sized, he and Primus are in toy scale; both toys were released in Supreme class size, and Starscream came complete with a giant crown!
*God is a badass.
* How damn big must Primus’ Cyber Key be?

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2006 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 10 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Titans

2024-02-13T14:36:02Z

0TheLegend0: /* Differences with Galaxy Force */ Better translation of those lines.

{{disambig3|Titan}}
{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=37
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=38
|title="Titans"
|japanese=激突! 砕け散る野望
|romaji=Gekitotsu! Kudakechi no Yabō
|translation=Clash! The Crushed Ambition
|image=Cyb_ep37_war_of_the_worlds.jpg
|caption=When there's trouble you know who to call.
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Gyō Yamatoya]]
|director=[[Megumi Sakai]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]], Office Take Off
|airdate=[[September 24]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[September 11]], [[2006]] (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}
'''The Autobots' attempt to reactivate Primus leads to a literal war of the worlds!'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Cyb ep37 bud welding.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|The moral of this story is that it's okay to deface public property.]]

Somewhere in space, aboard the ''[[Atlantis]]'' starship, [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] is feeling very pleased with himself for gaining so much ground in the race for the fourth [[Cyber Planet Key]]. However, [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] warns that they shouldn't let their guard down, but neither he nor Starscream is aware of how right he is to be so cautious. Unbeknownst to them, elsewhere in the massive ship, the stranded [[Bud Hansen|Bud]], [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] and [[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] are doing their part to help the other [[Autobot]]s track them down. Unable to use his communicator since Starscream would detect the transmission, Bud uses a welding torch to sear the Autobot [[insignia]] into chunks of metal, which the Mini-Cons then jettison through the trash chute, leaving a proverbial trail of breadcrumbs in the ''Atlantis''{{'}}s wake.

Meanwhile, the Autobots on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] are working on a plan of their own, as they try to figure out a way to combine [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] with the three [[Cyber Planet Key]]s they have acquired to stabilize the [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]] before they depart for [[Gigantion]]. But, of course, they have to ''find'' Gigantion first, and [[Vector Prime]] is hard at work studying the [[Planet Map]], trying to pinpoint the gateway that will lead them to the alternate universe in which the planet lies.

[[File:Cyb ep37 meet soundwave.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Ellis, I think we have just discovered the Cheeseburger Apocalypse!]]

[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] and [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] have been assigned to search space for the ''Atlantis'' and are soon lucky enough to stumble across Bud's marked garbage. Unfortunately for the two Autobots, [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] spies on them as they follow Bud's trail back to the ''Atlantis'', and she soon leads [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and the other [[Decepticon]]s after them. As the two heroes try to deal with both the firepower of the ''Atlantis'' and the threat of Megatron's Decepticons, Sideways powers up the ship's warp drive and teleports the ''Atlantis'' away before Jetfire can get Bud and the [[Mini-Con]]s off it. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the ship's other unwilling passengers; however, Decepticon stowaways [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] and [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] can disembark and rejoin Megatron's forces before the ship vanishes. However, Megatron randomly blasts Ransack in anger over losing the ''Atlantis''. Wing Saber and Jetfire quickly depart, and as such, they are not around to witness the sudden arrival of an enigmatic new robot, who introduces himself as [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]], and informs the Decepticons that he can lead them to Gigantion.

[[File:Cyb ep37 gimmie that spark.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Back on Cybertron, Optimus Prime receives Jetfire's disappointing report with sadness, but [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] announcing that they've completed setting up the equipment forces him to put such thoughts from his mind. Using the Matrix to activate the [[Omega Lock]], Optimus can re-energize Primus, who silently focuses the entirety of his power into a beam that he shoots directly into the heart of the black hole. With the beam holding steady, things are looking good...until the ''Atlantis'' suddenly warps into view above the beam. Having sensed Primus's reactivation from across the galaxy, Starscream has arrived to finish the job he started on Earth. The treacherous Decepticon dives headlong into Primus's beam of energy and begins absorbing the power of his [[spark]]. As the horrified Autobots watch, Primus's power transforms Starscream into a cosmic titan the size of a planet!

[[File:Cyb ep37 primus cannons.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Primus Guns, fire!]]
When Coby sees the ''Atlantis'' floating past, he immediately runs to leave the room, knowing his brother is on the ship. Optimus Prime stops him and talks some sense into him; after all, what can he do with a planet-sized Starscream in the way? With Coby reined in, the Autobots rush into action, quickly erecting an energy shield to protect Primus's immobile body from the attacks that the gargantuan Starscream immediately begins unleashing upon their creator. Dragging cables and equipment with them as they run from sector to sector, the Autobots are forced to redistribute the flow of power throughout Primus's body, shutting down the black hole-stabilizing beam in an attempt to restore the god's mobility. At the last second, just after Starscream shatters the shield and unleashes a blast from his [[Cyber Key]]-powered cannon, the final connection is made, and Primus springs into life, deflecting Starscream's shot with a wave of his open palm.

[[File:Cyb ep37 moon maces.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|EPIC FLAIL!]]
Primus calls upon a Cyber Key of his own, activating giant cannons in his forearms, but Starscream can detonate his blasts with a swipe of his arm and remains undeterred. Nobody is ready for Primus's next impressive move, however: projecting beams of energy from his hands, Primus lassos ''his own moons'', transforming the two satellites into planetary-scale flails which he uses to pummel Starscream mercilessly. A series of irresistible blows from these moon-flails sends Starscream slamming into a nearby rocky planetary body, which actually ''explodes'' from the impact. The cosmic explosion consumes Starscream, and his energy drained, shrinks back down to his prior height. As his charred body floats amidst the remains of the planet, and he weakly vows to continue reaching for power, Sideways steers the ''Atlantis'' nearby and activates its warp system, teleporting Starscream away alongside it.

On Primus's surface, Coby collapses in tears at the sight of the ''Atlantis'' disappearing, taking Bud with it. The Autobots are silent as the boy cries when suddenly, Vector Prime bursts into the room with the news that will change everything: he has located the gate to Gigantion!
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (4)
*[[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (5)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (7)
*[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (8)
*[[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] (11)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (12)
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] (13)
*[[Vector Prime]] (14)
*[[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] (15)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (16)
*[[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (17)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (18)
*[[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] (27)
*[[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (28)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (29)
*[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (30)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (2)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (19)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (20)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (21)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (22)
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] (23)
*[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (24)

|c3=
*[[Bud Hansen]] (3)
*[[Coby Hansen]] (9)
*[[Lori Jiménez]] (10)

|c4=
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (1)
*[[Primus]] (6)
*[[Laserbeak (Cybertron)|Laserbeak]] (25)
*[[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] (26)
}}

==Quotes==
"The power! ''So'' much power! With all this power flowing through me, I fear ''nothing!'' Not even '''Primus!'''"
:—'''Starscream''', after growing to planet-size.

"Yeah, Primus! Moon that loser!"
:—'''Coby''' made a pun!

"MOMMAAAA!!!"
:— '''Starscream''', about to get owned by Primus.

"This... is... not the end of me... even if I have to bear the unbearable... I'll keep reaching... and soon... I will hold the universe in my hands..."
:—'''Starscream''', after taking a beating from Primus.

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===
*''Galaxy Force'' includes a "previously on" segment summarizing the events of "[[Family]]."
*In ''Cybertron'', Optimus worries about Coby and Lori, considering how hard they're working and wishing he could do more to help them. In ''Galaxy Force'', he is regretful that he can only spare Jetfire and Wing Saber to go out and search for the ''Atlantis'' and Bud and is concerned with Wing Saber and Jetfire's ability to work together in their search.
*Wing Saber tells Jetfire he doesn't want to go sneaking around in the ''Atlantis'' looking for Bud because he is more of a smash and bash fighter in ''Cybertron''. In ''Galaxy Force'', he scoffs at the idea of doing such "petty work" like searching for a kid. What a snob!
*''Galaxy Force'' consistently refers to "The spark of Primus" when talking about his energy, with such odd turns of phrases as "focusing his spark into his chest" and "restoring the flow of the spark" Since that's, well, not really what a spark ''is'', ''Cybertron'' simplifies the dialogue only to talk about his energy.
*In ''Galaxy Force'', the battle between Primus and Starscream isn't accompanied by music, and no sound leaves Primus's mouth.
*''Cybertron'' doesn't mention where Coby and Lori's new clothes originate; however, [[Gloria Jiménez|Lori's mother]] mentioned packing them in the previous episode of ''Galaxy Force''. It's the same case when Bud gets his new clothes in "[[City]]."

===Animation or technical glitches===
*As he and Crumplezone recline in the ''Atlantis'', Ransack is missing the black "mask" that normally surrounds his eyes.
*When Megatron attacks Atlantis, Wing Saber says that he'll take care of Megatron's minions and points at Jetfire, then points at himself and tells Jetfire to rescue Bud.
*When Lori says, "They're enormous," referring to Primus's moon flails, her mouth is oddly on the side of her face, leaving her lips from the side view intact. Of course, this is a classic anime visual, but it still looks odd.

===Continuity notes===
*Coby and Lori both start wearing new clothes in this episode, which they will wear for the rest of the series.
*Speaking of Coby and Lori, they sure do a lot of snuggling in this episode, as he catches her when she falls and then doesn't let her go for, like, five minutes. It's one of the first actual hints (Lori's nervous laughter at the notion of their getting married in the previous episode being another) of the romance that will eventually bloom between the two characters.

===Continuity errors===
*When the Atlantis warps away, Wing Saber suggests to Jetfire that they hurry and keep searching for the ship, coming across as ridiculous since we've seen the ''Atlantis'' easily warp across the ''entire galaxy'', so how can randomly flying around have any chance of locating it again? ''Galaxy Force'' makes more sense here by having Wing Saber include an explanation that it was an "express warp" (not sure what about it led him to that realization), meaning the ship couldn't have traveled very far. Thus, if they hurry, they could comb the surrounding area and re-find it.
*So, how exactly does blasting a black hole with energy work? Wouldn't it, you know, make it bigger?
*If ALL of Primus's energy was focused into the beam generator on his chest, where did the massive amount of energy needed to raise ''powerful shields over a whole stinkin' planet'' come from?
*Upon Starscream's defeat, ''Cybertron'' has Sideways comment, "Guess I'm in business for myself!" which is nonsense because he picks up Starscream; plus, they're still working together in the next episode. ''Galaxy Force'' only has him say it's time for a retreat.

===Real-world references===
*Upon witnessing Starscream and Primus's battle, Scattorshot exclaims, "Talk about when worlds collide!", referring to the 1932 science fiction novel {{w|When Worlds Collide|of the same name}}.

===Trivia===
*''Galaxy Force'' introduces its fifth and final [[Title sequence#Title sequence .235|opening sequence]] with this episode.
*When Starscream becomes planet-sized, he and Primus are in toy scale; both toys were released in Supreme class size, and Starscream came complete with a giant crown!
*God is a badass.
* How damn big must Primus’ Cyber Key be?

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2006 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 10 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Savage

2024-02-12T05:14:22Z

0TheLegend0: /* Trivia */ It exists according to Master Megatron's bio from TV Aichi's website.

{{disambig3|Savage}}

{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=16
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=17
|title="Savage"
|japanese=リンクアップ! ライガーコンボイ
|romaji=Link Up! Liger Convoy
|image=Cyb_ep16_savage_claw_mode.jpg
|caption=Now where's that [[Brave (franchise)|hammer]]...
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Hiro Masaki]]
|director=[[Matsuo Asami]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]], [[Ashi Productions]]
|airdate=[[April 30]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[October 10]], 2005 (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Optimus Prime meets the all-new Overhaul and together, they discover a new power!'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Cyb ep16 pitfall.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|Think we should call AAA or State Farm?]]

On [[Velocitron]], everyone is in training for the next leg of the great race, although [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] and [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] take a different approach than most, disguising themselves as trees to spy on [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]]. While the gruesome twosome learn nothing, [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] is learning plenty as he struggles to get out of a pit obstacle the [[Autobot]]s have set up for him. With a little coaxing over a communications link from [[Coby Hansen|Coby]], Hot Shot is able to analyze his situation and successfully deduce the right move to escape the pit. [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] then speaks up to inform [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] of a message from the [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]] that indicates that [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]] is in serious danger. Optimus and [[Vector Prime]] set off for the planet, little realizing that the message is a fake sent by the duplicitous [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]].

Off in the depths of space, [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] has followed the [[Planet Map]] to the supposed location of the third planet bearing a [[Cyber Planet Key]], only to witness the only world in the sector be consumed by the [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]]. He radios [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] to discuss what to do next, but their conference call is interrupted by the shadowed figure of Sideways, who, unrecognized by the two Decepticons, tells them that Optimus Prime is heading to Jungle Planet. With no other leads to pursue at the present moment, Megatron decides to head back to Jungle Planet, and instructs Starscream to accompany him. Starscream complies, and summons Sideways (who has apparently joined up with the Decepticons now at some point when we weren't looking, because why ''ever'' would it have been important to show us ''that?'') to join him. [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] and [[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]] are a bit miffed that they don't get to go, but carry on having fun sparring.

[[File:Cyb ep16 feed me seymour.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|KNEW I shouldn't have given [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] permission to let [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] use that experimental fertilizer!]]

On Jungle Planet, the two Primes have fallen foul of a giant hostile plant that ensnares Optimus in its vines. With a mighty roar, [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] comes stampeding onto the scene, and uses his [[Cyber Key]]-activated claws to slice Optimus free. The two Primes don't recognize the lion-bot as their old comrade Overhaul until he transforms, at which point [[Backstop (Cybertron)|Backstop]] and [[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] arrive to help explain the convoluted story behind Overhaul's transformation. The discussion is broadcast to the Autobots back on Earth and Velocitron as well, and when Coby expresses his amazement at Transformers with animal forms, Red Alert is prompted to give voice to his theory that Transformers, their [[alternate mode]]s and their own Cyber Keys are all subject to the varying influences of the different planets' Cyber Planet Keys.

[[File:Cyb ep16 meet the new boss.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|{{w|Monty Python and the Holy Grail|"Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"}}]]

Back at Backstop's cave, the group discusses the mysterious origin of the distress call and the threat of the black hole, and the Autobots happily accept Snarl and Backstop's offer of help in their quest. A tremor suddenly shakes the cave, heralding the arrival of [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]], who has come to punish Snarl for his treachery. Optimus Prime refuses to hand Snarl over, suggesting they talk peacefully, when Megatron and his forces arrive, leading Scourge to propose that Prime and Megatron's troops battle to determine whether or not he will listen to Prime's request.

On Earth, Coby returns home with the [[Recon Mini-Con Team]] to gather provisions. [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] isn't sure about the trip Coby is planning to take, but Coby insists it will be fine... and so the team boards a [[space bridge]] for Velocitron!

[[File:Cyb ep16 megs vs savage claw.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|So, how many fingers shall I break today?]]

Back on the Jungle Planet, despite baiting by the Decepticons and Leobreaker's battle lust, Prime refuses to allow his men to fight. When Scourge and his troops turn to leave with Snarl in their clutches, however, Leobreaker can hold back no longer and leaps into action, initiating an all-out battle between the two sides, much to Scourge's delight. Megatron and Leobreaker face off, and the Decepticon leader transforms to jet mode and flies high into the sky before turning around and plunging back down, slamming Leobreaker into the ground at high speed. As Optimus Prime moves to aid his teammate, Leobreaker begins to surge with incredible energy... an energy that expands to engulf Optimus... the energy of Cybertron and Jungle Planet combined! To the amazement of all onlookers, Optimus Prime and Leobreaker combine into "Savage Claw Mode," with Leobreaker forming a huge clawed arm for Optimus. Unfazed, Megatron presses his attack against the empowered Optimus Prime, but the power of Savage Claw Mode is soon brought to bear in a mighty attack that dispatched the Decepticon leader in one shot. The Decepticons retreat, and Scourge agrees to let Snarl go, impressed with Prime's display of force.

On Velocitron, Coby and the Mini-Cons have arrived in time to witness the beginning of the next heat of the race!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (2)
*[[Vector Prime]] (5)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (7)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (8)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (9)
*[[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (11)
*[[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (13)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (15)
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] (21)
*[[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] (22)
*[[Backstop (Cybertron)|Backstop]] (23)
*[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (24)
*[[Brakedown (Cybertron)|Brakedown]] (29)
|c2=
*[[Dirt Boss (Cybertron)|Dirt Boss]] (1)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (3)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (4)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (17)
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (18)
*[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (19)
*[[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]] (20)
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] (25)
*[[Brimstone (Cybertron)|Brimstone]] (26)
*[[Undermine (Cybertron)|Undermine]] (27)
|c3=
*[[Coby Hansen]] (10)
*[[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] (12)
*[[Bud Hansen]] (14)
|c4=
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (16)
*Race announcer (28)
}}

==Quotes==
"About time we got to go on a mission! No point in training if we don't do something with it, ''n'cest pas''? *notices portal closing* Wait! You guys forgot us!"
:—Poor, bored '''Mudflap'''

"You're just a traitor!" 
"Yep."
:—'''Undermine''' calls out '''Snarl''''s treachery, who takes it in stride.

"Oooh, and I'll take a pickle. You gotta have a pickle!"
:—'''Coby''' packs for his trip.

"Forgot about me, huh? That's a dangerous mistake!"
:—'''Backstop'''

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===
*Not a major difference, but the first great example of the different mentalities of ''Galaxy Force'' and ''Cybertron'': The Japanese show doesn't actually bother to ''explain'' what it is that Hot Shot does to get out of the pit obstacle at the start of the episode. ''Cybertron'', in its quest to be logical, inserts a technological explanation involving redirecting energy and increased torque.
*In the final scene on Velocitron, ''Galaxy Force'' has Coby comment about wanting a better view of the race and Jolt saying that he can't because he'll be seen, at which point Coby pulls out a cardboard box and grins. The next episode will reveal that this box is part of a robot disguise that will allow Coby to move amongst the Velocitronians, and ''Cybertron'' inadvertently removes this bit of foreshadowing by changing the exchange to Coby simply assuring Jolt that Hot Shot can win.

===Continuity errors===

*Given that Overhaul doesn't really have any way to contact the other Autobots, it's not clear what signal Sideways could have sent them that would look like it was from Overhaul.
*When Sideways contacts Megatron, he appears to be a mysterious informant unknown to the Decepticons. In the very next scene, Starscream calls him in as though he'd been recruited into the Decepticons some time ago! This could mean several things:
**Option 1: Sideways joined the Decepticons immediately after making his call. This is ''extremely'' unlikely, since it would have had to happen in the span of a few seconds.
**Option 2: Sideways was already a part of the Decepticons and simply unrecognized by Megatron. This is ''slightly'' less unlikely, since Megatron isn't known for caring much about his troops, but it's still a small army, and Sideways isn't really disguising his voice or silhouette...
**Option 3: Sideways is working with Starscream against the Decepticon leader. This ''is'' possible, given his affiliation with Starscream in future episodes, but still reeks of desperation-especially since Starscream seems unaware of the trick (he appears to have noticed Sideways' evil chuckle when Scourge confronts the Autobots, but seems confused or suspicious).

===Trivia===
[[File:Cyb ep16 starsneak.jpg|thumb|120px|"Where's that last Dragon Ball?!" "Haven't found it yet, sir."]]
*Throughout almost the whole episode, Transformers summon [[Cyber Key]]s without having to yell ''CYBER KEY POWER!''. Thank GOD.
*Although not explicitly stated, it will become apparent in later episodes that Megatron's failure to find the third planet is because the Planet Map, which isn't the original but a copy created—and altered—by Starscream at some point before "[[Speed]]," led him to the wrong location. This episode suggests it with a shot of Starscream hiding his map behind his back when Megatron contacts him (see right).
*Leobreaker has THREE claws on each forearm in robot and lion modes, but when he becomes an arm for Optimus in Savage Claw Mode, the arm has FOUR claws total (two from each forearm). This odd discrepancy will continue throughout the series.
*Optimus Prime states that he recognizes Leobreaker's voice as Overhaul's, which is odd because Overhaul and Leobreaker have different voice actors.
*During his Cyber Key explanation, Red Alert explains that Optimus Prime and Vector Prime have unique keys because the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and [[Rhisling]], respectively, shaped them. Megatron is the only other character to have a unique key, but why his key is different is never explained in the series. As far as ''Cybertron'' goes, one could logically theorize that the [[Armor of Unicron]] Megatron wears influenced his key (which could also mean that he gave his troops their Cyber Keys as well).
*''Galaxy Force'' debuts its second [[Title sequence#Title sequence .232 8|opening sequence]] in this episode.
*So much for Backstop being a pacifist.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 05 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Darkness (episode)

2024-02-12T05:13:03Z

0TheLegend0: /* Differences with Galaxy Force */ Sometimes GF makes more sense, so...

{{disambig2|the ''Cybertron'' episode|the mysterious energy from the [[2005 IDW continuity]]|Darkness (G1)}}

{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=33
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=34
|title="Darkness"
|japanese=暗黒からの逆襲
|romaji=Ankoku kara no Gyakushū
|translation=Counterattack from the Darkness
|image=Cyb ep33 am i a ghost.jpg
|caption= Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Kazuhisa Sakaguchi]]
|director=[[Atsushi Nakayama]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]], Radix
|airdate=[[August 27]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[September 5]], [[2006]] (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Megatron is back, and his mysterious dark powers give birth to two new threats!'''

==Synopsis==

[[File:Cyb ep33 dark crumplezone.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|For once, Crumplezone actually manages to look menacing.]]

In the sky above [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the deceased [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] has reappeared as an ethereal image, his ghostly body enshrouded by an enigmatic black fog. Even Megatron himself is unaware of what has befallen him, but he impassively descends to the planet's surface as the [[Autobot]]s look on. [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] and the [[Cybertron Defense Team (Cybertron)|Cybertron Defense Team]] follow the spectral Decepticon's descent, and watch as he approaches [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] and the fatally wounded [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]]. As he glides towards his former followers, a lone [[Scrapmetal (race)|Scrapmetal]] crests a nearby building and starts firing at him. The creature only succeeds in drawing Megatron's attention, as its shots disappear into the fog surrounding him. The Scrapmetal lunges at Megatron instead, only to wind up being dissolved and absorbed by the mysterious mist. Megatron returns his attention to the fallen Crumplezone, and immerses the wounded Decepticon in his fog, repairing and reformatting him into a powerful new form. While Crumplezone puts his new power to use attacking his old racing rivals Override and [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]], Megatron realizes that the black fog is a product of his [[Armor of Unicron]], which has preserved him after his death-and made him stronger than ever!

Simultaneously, [[Safeguard (Cybertron)|Safeguard]] informs [[Vector Prime]] that he has lost contact with the [[Recon Mini-Con Team]], and the elderly Autobot returns to headquarters to investigate. Consulting the security recordings, he discovers that [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] has kidnapped the Mini-Cons, and that the kids leapt through his warp field in pursuit. He informs [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] of this development, but Prime is caught up battling [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] and can do nothing to help.

[[File:Cyb ep33 good kitty.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|And [[Ravage (disambiguation)|Ravage]]s across the [[Continuity|multiverse]] began hissing uncontrollably.]]

The other Autobots, meanwhile, are engaged in battles of their own. While [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] faces off against [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] and his latest (surprisingly effective) "super move", and Crumplezone continues to harass Override, the rest of the heroes are firing upon Megatron, to absolutely no effect. Seeing that the Decepticons have been galvanized by the return of their leader, [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] is determined to take Megatron down, and lunges at him in lion mode. He slashes at the black fog with his [[Cyber Key]]-powered claws, which causes a very unexpected reaction: the fog recedes, and Megatron stands triumphantly before the Autobots, reborn! At Megatron's command, the last remnants of the fog surround Leobreaker, and although the Autobot is able to leap clear, the fog has taken from him what it needs, and coalesces into a dark duplicate of Leobreaker himself! Megatron introduces the dark clone as "[[Nemesis Breaker]]", explaining that he has been created from Leobreaker's own dark side. The two lion 'bots engage in a brief battle, which Megatron then stops so that he can reveal Nemesis Breaker's ultimate power: the ability to combine with Megatron in Dark Claw Mode!

[[File:Cyb ep33 dark claw mode.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|Giving the phrase "strong-armed" a whole new meaning.]]

At Autobot headquarters, [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] and [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] have joined Vector Prime to try and help him track down the kids and Mini-Cons. Scattorshot complains about the fact that he gave [[Coby Hansen|Coby]] an Autobot communicator, and yet the boy is not using it. Little does Scattorshot realize, however, that using the communicator is paramount in Coby's mind—he's just having trouble getting his hands on it, as it and the kids are all floating around in zero gravity in [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s hideout!

Back on Cybertron, Optimus Prime breaks off his fight with Scourge and separates from [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] so that he and Leobreaker can merge into Savage Claw Mode to battle Megatron and Nemesis Breaker. After a brief comedy interlude in which Hot Shot finally takes out the reborn Crumplezone (who, as it turns out, really isn't any tougher than he was before), the two leaders get down to business, and their Cyber Key-powered attacks collide in an explosion so indescribably massive that it can be seen from space. When Optimus comes to afterwards, he discovers that Megatron and the Decepticons have disappeared. Wing Saber is quick to locate the villains from the air: they have used the cover of the explosion to make a break for the [[Omega Lock]]! The Autobots transform and immediately give chase, and the race is on!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Vector Prime]] (1)
*[[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] (2)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (3)
*[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (7)
*[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (8)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (9)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (10)
*[[Safeguard (Cybertron)|Safeguard]] (11)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (14)
*[[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] (16)
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] (17)
*[[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] (18)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (19)
*[[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (23)
*[[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (24)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (26)
*[[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (28)

|c2=
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (4)
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] (5)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (12)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (13)
*[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (15)
*[[Nemesis Breaker]] (27)

|c3=
*[[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] (20)
*[[Bud Hansen]] (21)
*[[Coby Hansen]] (22)

|c4=
*[[Scrapmetal (race)|Scrapmetal]] (14)
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (25)
*[[Primus]] (29)

}}

==Quotes==

"Crumplezone! Hang in there, big guy! We haven't even learned how to play the violin! Waaaaaaah!"
:—'''Ransack''' on Crumplezone's death.

"Crumplezone! Oh, the horror! Oh, JEEZ! That's gotta hurt! Oh, man! WOW! Where did THOSE come from? The humanity of it all!"
:—'''Ransack''' on Crumplezone's rebirth.

"Hey Ransack! How's it going, little buddy?" 
"F-f-fine. How 'bout you?" 
"Are you kiddin'? I never felt ''better''."
:—The reborn '''Crumplezone''''s first words to '''Ransack'''

"THAT DECEPTI-CAT IS GONNA GET NEUTERED!"
:—'''Leobreaker''' on his doppelganger.

"Enough with the comic relief!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' on Ransack and Crumplezone!

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===
*''Galaxy Force'' includes a "previously on" segment summarizing the events of "[[Balance]]".
*In ''Galaxy Force'', despite it being the ''major plot point of the episode'', with the script ''actively calling attention to how mysterious it is'', the black fog is '''''completely and totally unexplained'''''. As usual, it's ''Cybertron'' to the rescue with a quick explanation that's neatly tied in to the established canon of the show: it's the "shadow spark" of Unicron, the power of the [[Armor of Unicron]] that Megatron wears. This even ties in very nicely with aspects of Unicron's power seen in previous Transformers fiction; that is to say, his power to [[The Transformers: The Movie|reformat]] [[All Fall Down|beings]], as he does with Crumplezone, and [[Ghost in the Machine (G1)|create bodies]], as with Nemesis Breaker.
*As Leobreaker charges to attack the spectral visage of Megatron, Snarl, in ''Cybertron'', reminds Leobreaker to use his Cyber Key power-up first, whereas in ''Galaxy Force'' he takes a much less reckless approach and instead warns his fellow animal-bot that it is too dangerous to engage Megatron, since they have no idea what they're dealing with.
*In ''Galaxy Force'', Megatron notes that one of Leobreaker's dark thoughts from which Nemesis Breaker was created is his resentment of Optimus Prime for ignoring their combination and favoring Wing Saber instead. ''Cybertron'' omits this specific.
*In ''Cybertron'', Vector Prime notes that Starscream's island base on Earth has been "cleared out". In ''Galaxy Force'', the island is said to have actually collapsed.

===Animation errors===
*As Megatron's "ghost" descends on Cybertron at the beginning of the episode, Override and Scattorshot transform and head towards him. However, in the next scene, Override is seen with Hot Shot and Red Alert instead.
*Implausible viewpoints: The "security footage" reviewed by Vector Prime is just the final moments of [[Balance|the previous episode]], which leads to some camera placement issues.
*A small animation cheat occurs as Ransack and the newly minted Dark Crumplezone attack Hot Shot and Override. When the partners in grime charge the Autobots, they're in [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]], but when Dark Crumplezone activates his "Dark Bazooka" attack, he's in [[robot mode]]! After the Autobots are blown into the distance, Ransack is also shown in robot mode, despite never being shown to transform. Not necessarily an error, but certainly a bit of laziness here.
*Speaking of bizarre animation, when Crumplezone sneers "What's the matter, Override?", a panel in his exhaust port clips in and out of the scene, making it seem like he's literally speaking through his rear!

===Transformers references===
*Wing Saber says that Megatron is making for the Omega Lock "like a 'bot outta [[Chaar]]"!
*[[Starscream (G1)|Another]] [[Rampage (BW)|indestructible]] spark?

===Real-world references===
*Of course, Wing Saber's above mentioned quote also paraphrases the common turn of phrase, "like a bat out of hell".
*Megatron says "Let this be our last battlefield" when preparing to take on Optimus. This could be a reference to the ''Star Trek'' episode "Let This Be Your Last Battlefield."
*When chasing Override and Hot Shot, Crumplezone's taunt, "Override, come out and play-ay!" is a clear reference to Luther's taunt, "Warriors, come out to play-ay!" from ''{{w|The Warriors (film)|The Warriors}}''.

===Trivia===
*This episode did not premiere until nearly five months after the previous one. By the time "Darkness" was finally aired, ''Cybertron'' had been relegated to the unenviable 6am "death slot" on [[Cartoon Network]], where new episodes would premiere every weekday morning for the remainder of the month, bringing the series to a conclusion nearly a year after its Japanese broadcast ended.
*This episode would later be combined with "[[United (episode)|United]]", "[[Cybertron (episode)|Cybertron]]" and "[[Balance]]" to create the TV "movie" special, "[[Primus Unleashed (TV special)|Primus Unleashed]]".
*After reformatting Crumplezone, Megatron notes that he has remade him in his own image. This may possibly be the source of his ultimate goal in "[[End]]".
*While he is introduced a bit late in the game, more than halfway through the series, Nemesis Breaker, or something like him, must have been planned from the beginning, as evidenced by the combination ports in Megatron's arms.
*Despite being a [[redeco]] of Leobreaker, Nemesis Breaker has all-new stock footage sequences for combining with Megatron and activating Dark Claw Mode's Cyber Key power.
*Keeping up the whole "dark mirror" angle with Nemesis Breaker, the evil lion's transformation into arm mode is the reverse of Leobreaker's, first folding up his legs, detaching his forearms one at a time, then folding up his upper body, retracting his robot head, and finally attaching the new fist to the folded-up legs (the only part of the transformation similar to Leobreaker, for obvious reasons). Nemesis Breaker also replaces Megatron's left arm, as opposed to Leobreaker replacing Optimus' right arm. The camera angles for the transformation sequence are even switched around.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2006 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 09 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Escape (episode)

2024-02-12T05:02:16Z

0TheLegend0: /* Differences with Galaxy Force */ Have you guys even heard Noisemaze's tone? Or just looked at the subtitles?

{{disambig3|Escape}}

{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=35
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=36
|title="Escape"
|japanese=それゆけ脱出大作戦
|romaji=Sore Yuke Dasshutsu Daisakusen
|translation=The Big Escape Plan Go
|image=Cyb_ep35_kids_and_minicons.jpg
|caption=
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Kenji Sugihara]]
|director=[[Masashi Nagao]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]], Azeta Pictures
|airdate=[[September 10]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[September 7]], [[2006]] (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''With Sideways on their tail, the kids and the Mini-Cons must navigate the labyrinth of the ''Atlantis'' and alert the Autobots on Cybertron to their plight.'''

==Synopsis==

[[File:Cyb ep35 jolt gate.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]

In the starship ''[[Atlantis]]'', [[Coby Hansen|Coby]], [[Bud Hansen|Bud]], [[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] and the [[Recon Mini-Con Team]] are confronted by [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]], but are able to quickly escape through one of [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]]'s [[dimension gate]]s. They teleport to another location within the ship, and begin a plan to shut down the electromagnetic jamming shield that is keeping them from contacting the [[Autobot]]s on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Coby brings up the map of the ''Atlantis'' that he downloaded into his communicator, and the team set off to find the jamming signal controls.

On Cybertron, [[Vector Prime]], [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] and [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] continue to use the base computers to scan for some trace of the kids and Mini-Cons, while the battle between [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s forces continues to rage outside. The only Decepticon not actively getting involved in the fight is [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]], who has been ordered to retrieve the [[Omega Lock]] by [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]]. Fearing for her life if she does not complete the mission, the scheming Thunderblast contacts Starscream, who is observing the battle from a safe vantage point out in space, and asks him to come and help her carry the Omega Lock.

[[File:Cyb ep35 face of foam.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]

Back on the ''Atlantis'', Bud comes up with a very good point: since the kids and Mini-Cons have identified the location of the control room, why are they ''walking'' there instead of warping? Jolt tries to open a warp gate, only to discover that he cannot, at which point Sideways emerges from the shadows and reveals that he has set up an anti-warping energy field within the ship. The team turns to run, but Sideways hurls his sword to block their path, and the kids push their luck, trying to distract Sideways by claiming that [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] is standing behind him. Recalling their previous trick with the hologram, Sideways doesn't fall for it, so they push it even further by claiming Optimus Prime is there instead. While he doesn't buy it for a second, Sideways decides to play along to mock the kids, but he only winds up giving Coby time to use his communicator to activate a fire extinguisher in the roof of the corridor. The extinguisher blinds Sideways with a faceful of foam, and the kids and Mini-Cons all leg it.

[[File:Cyb ep35 thunderblast cowers.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]

Back with the battle on Cybertron, Optimus Prime and [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] decide they are took evenly matched against Megatron and [[Nemesis Breaker]], and so they decide to switch up their tactics and pull back. Megatron moves to pursue them, but is shot out of the air by none other than Thunderblast, who then claims Starscream ordered her to do it! Starscream himself promptly arrives, and the two Decepticons are about to fight when Optimus Prime returns with [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]]. As they merge into Sonic Wing Mode, Thunderblast slinks away, exploiting her self-made distraction to make a break for the Omega Lock.

On the ''Atlantis'', Coby downloads his map into Jolt's brain, so the Mini-Con can lead them to their objective quickly. Although they have to drive because of the anti-warp field, they are able to move around comparatively quickly, since Sideways is also unable to warp after them. The team stops in the engine room, where they realized that the ship's self-repair function isn't working, and that Sideways has been fixing up the ship himself, putting an idea in their heads...

[[File:Escape-Sidewaysmeandrawing.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]

Meanwhile, down on [[Earth]], [[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]] despairs over his current situation. Although he is done with the Decepticons, he realizes that he cannot return to the Autobots after his traitorous actions. [[Lugnutz]] observes his passage, and sagely acknowledges his plight, before wondering whatever happened to Starscream. Little does the hipster realize that his former boss is currently battling most of the Autobots on Cybertron!

Back on the ''Atlantis'', Jolt leads the kids to the ship's control room. Well aware that Sideways is waiting for them on the other side of the door, they trigger their plan for the engine room, remotely triggering an explosion there that Sideways heads out to investigate. Once in the engine room, he finds only an insulting doodle scrawled on the wall before the kids, now in the control room, eject him out of the ship through the garbage chute. Unable to warp himself to safety, Sideways is shot out into space and with his threat removed, the kids shut down the jamming signal and make contact with the Autobots on Cybertron.

[[File:Cyb ep35 in the warp field.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]

Vector Prime picks up the kids signal and immediately informs Optimus Prime before opening a warp gate to the ''Atlantis'' through which he, Red Alert and Scattorshot depart. Before the gate shuts, however, [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] and [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] jump through it after the Autobots. As they appear in space near the ''Atlantis'', they radio Megatron to inform him of their discovery, and the Decepticon leader breaks off the fight on Cybertron, heading for the ''Atlantis'' through a dimension gate of his own.

Starscream, meanwhile, has also left the battle on Cybertron and returns to the ''Atlantis'', calling for Sideways to ready the ship for warp. Sideways, unbeknownst to him, is still drifting through space, so he activates the warp system himself. Realizing what Starscream has done, the kids and Mini-Cons immediately make for the escape pods, while Vector Prime's team prepares to meet them outside. The pods successfully launch but alas, the pod containing Bud, Jolt and [[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] collides with Sideways's drifting body, and as a result, fails to escape the reach of the ''Atlantis''{{'}}s warp field. Megatron and Nemesis Breaker arrive just in time to witness the ship warp away...taking Bud and his two Mini-Con friends with it!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (2)
*[[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (3)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (7)
*[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (8)
*[[Vector Prime]] (9)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (10)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (12)
*[[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] (15)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (16)
*[[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (18)
*[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (19)
*[[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] (20)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (21)
*[[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] (23)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (24)
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] (27)
*[[Safeguard (Cybertron)|Safeguard]] (31)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (11)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (13)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (14)
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] (17)
*[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (22)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (25)
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (26)
*[[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]] (28)
*[[Lugnutz]] (29)
*[[Nemesis Breaker]] (30)

|c3=
*[[Coby Hansen]] (4)
*[[Bud Hansen]] (5)
*[[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] (6)

|c4=
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (1)
*[[Primus]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==

"Oh no! Optimus Prime?! I'd better completely let my guard down and look! Like I'm gonna fall for that! I'd have to be a complete WAAAGH!"
:—'''Sideways''' is, in fact, a complete waaagh.

"Forget about holding your own in ''this'' battle! This time you're taking the express train to Loserville!" 
"Oh ''please''. 'The express train to Loserville'?"
:—'''Wing Saber's''' battle-cry gets critiqued by '''Optimus'''

"Another malfunction in the engine room? Slaggit! This is the crummiest evil hideout ''ever''!"
:—'''Sideways''' reacts to the kids' sabotage.

"Aw, now that's just mean!"
:—'''Sideways''' is not impressed with the kids' drawing of him.

[[File:Cyb ep35 wheeeeee.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
"Why do they care about those annoying kids anyway?" 
"I think they know stuff about that Omega Block thingy." 
"So, if we told Megatron where they are, maybe he'd give us a big reward!" 
"Maybe he'd even make us co-rulers of the universe!" 
"We could crush anyone we wanted!" 
"Or have your people do our crushing for us!" 
"Aw, Ransack, you used to be all about the crushing! Now look at you!"
:—'''Crumplezone''' and '''Ransack''' let power go to their heads.
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===
*''Galaxy Force'' includes a "previously on" segment that summarizes the events of "[[Memory (Cybertron)|Memory]]".
*''Galaxy Force'' has Coby actively radio Vector Prime to let them know they are boarding the escape pods, while ''Cybertron'' has Vector Prime determine this independently by tracking the signal of Coby's communicator. Not exactly drowning in differences, this episode!

===Animation or technical errors===
*Thunderblast's voice is once again ''very'' heavily amplified in this episode.
*Ransack's voice is changed to Thunderblast's voice when he tries to destroy Landmine and Crosswise.

===Continuity or plotting errors===
*Sideways spends the vast majority of this episode just standing around when he could be doing things. It takes the kids and Mini-Cons five whole seconds to get through Jolt's warp gate, and he just stands there and watches it happen, and when he confronts them in the hallway soon after, he ''just stands there'' and lets them plot instead of, I don't know, just ''stepping on them'', or something.

===Transformers references===
*Thunderblast refers to Starscream with the nickname "Screamer", an epithet used to refer to [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|another Starscream]] in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original ''The Transformers'' cartoon]] episodes "[[Fire on the Mountain (episode)|Fire on the Mountain]]" and "[[B.O.T. (episode)|B.O.T.]]". The nickname is used much more frequently in the [[fandom]] than it ever is in official material, to refer to all the different [[Starscream (disambiguation)|Starscreams]] down the years.

===Real-world references===
* "Wherever you go, there you are," Lugnutz comments, quoting the title of the book by {{w|Jon Kabat-Zinn}}, and/or {{w|The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension|Buckaroo Banzai}}.
* In addition to mistakenly calling the Omega Lock the "Omega Block" (as quoted above), another of Ransack's misnomers for the device is the "Elmyra Lock", apparently referencing the {{w|Elmyra Duff|character of the same name}} from ''{{w|Tiny Toon Adventures}}''!

===Trivia===
* This episode is remarkably over-padded, even for ''Cybertron''. The random Autobot fights with the Decepticons, already essentially filler, are padded even more by the addition of several stock transformation sequences. Starscream's full transformation sequence is shown twice, as is Sonic Wing Mode's. In fact, Optimus Prime separates from Wing Saber to converse with Vector Prime, and then initiates the combination ''again'' only 50 seconds later (the excuse, presumably, being that they needed the Matrix to create a warp gate and that Optimus was unable to open his chest plates to retrieve it with part of Wing Saber stuck to his torso while in Sonic Wing mode).
* Nemesis Breaker makes one of his two exceedingly rare non-stock-footage appearances in [[robot mode]] this episode. The other is in "[[Warp]]".

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2006 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 09 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Savage

2024-02-12T04:42:30Z

0TheLegend0: /* Trivia */

Speed

2024-02-12T04:38:03Z

0TheLegend0: /* Trivia */

{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=7
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=8
|title="Speed"
|japanese=激闘! スタースクリーム
|romaji=Gekitō! Starscream
|translation=Fierce Fighting! Starscream
|image=Cyb ep7 embossed starscream.jpg
|caption="I think it was called 'The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down.'"
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Genki Yoshimura]]
|director=[[Atsushi Takeyama]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]]
|airdate=[[February 26]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[July 30]], 2005 (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The search for the Cyber Planet Keys proceeds apace... but neither the Autobots nor the Decepticons are aware of the treachery quietly brewing at the heart of the conflict!'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Cyb ep7 oil dont stink.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] stands in the [[fire dimension]], ready to do battle with [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]], [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]], and [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. As the [[Decepticon]] swordsman makes short work of the two smaller [[Autobot]]s, Optimus Prime silently converts to [[Super Mode]], but Starscream effortlessly dodges his cannon blast and takes him down. Suddenly, the three defeated Autobots fade out of existence, revealing the battle as some sort of training exercise. [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] compliments Starscream on his victory, but Starscream ignores him and stalks off through a warp gate.

On Earth, [[Bud Hansen|Bud]], [[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] and [[Coby Hansen|Coby]] are watching a horror movie in a theater. Horror movies, it turns out, are not exactly Coby's favourite thing in the world, and after the movie ends, Lori and Bud tease and scare him about it as they head to the Autobot base. [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]], [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] and Optimus Prime all find this story terribly amusing, as does [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]], who suggests that he join them on their next trip to the movies. The Autobots don't think this is such a great idea, but Bud and Lori suggest the Autobots could pretend to be dressing as characters, like [[fandom|fanboys]] at anime [[convention]]s. Optimus contemplates the idea for a moment, but Jetfire makes him realize that they're a little tall for that. Landmine and [[Vector Prime]] then enter, back from their latest fruitless search for more information about the [[Cyber Planet Key]]s.

[[File:Cyb ep7 starscream prostrates.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]

As night settles in, elsewhere on Earth, Megatron meets with Starscream over a body to water to ask if Starscream has located the [[Omega Lock]] yet. When Starscream responds that he hasn't, Megatron accuses him of slacking off, while at the same time casually mentioning his new subordinates [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] and [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]], who could, he alleges, replace Starscream at any moment. Megatron shows off the [[Planet Map]] and takes off through a warp gate, but behind his back, Starscream pulls out a copy of the map and declares himself more worthy of getting the Keys!

[[File:Cyb ep7 lousy dancer.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|MY MOTHERBOARD!]]

While drinking tea with her parents and staring up at the stars, Lori is shocked to see the [[Atlantis Pattern]] being projected into the sky from some nearby mountains. She quickly contacts the Autobots to inform them, and the heroic robots immediately [[roll out|roll]] into action, only to discover—surprise!—it's a Decepticon trap set up by Thundercracker with a spotlight. As he opens fire on the Autobots, the explosions are observed by the town sheriff and his deputy, who decide to head for the mountains to check it out. Landmine foils Thundercracker's attempt to cause an avalanche, and Optimus Prime takes out the spotlight with his [[trailer]]'s cannons. Just then, Starscream arrives, distinctly displeased about Thundercracker acting without his permission, but nonetheless willing to battle the Autobots and putting his training to the test. When Optimus goes to Super Mode, Starscream executes the same move he trained with, but Optimus blocks and counters it, to Starscream's shock. Starscream decides to call the battle off when Jolt radios Prime to inform him of the approach of the sheriff, advocating that the Transformers' existence remain a secret. Optimus is surprised to hear such talk coming from one of Megatron's men, and Starscream takes offense to being lumped in with Megatron, bashing Prime a few more times before making a hasty exit with Thundercracker. The Autobots return to base, victorious, while the sheriff and his deputy are left baffled at the sight of the now-deserted battlefield.

[[File:Cyb ep7 hotshot cyberkey.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]

Meanwhile, on [[Velocitron]], [[Brakedown (Cybertron)|Brakedown]] and [[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] are helping [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] tune himself up in preparation for his next race with [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]]. [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] worries that Hot Shot has removed his entire self-analysis system, but before he can raise any objections, Override arrives and the race begins in earnest. Override even gives Hot Shot a big lead, but catches up with and passes him in no time. His heart burning for victory, Hot Shot taps into the Cyber Planet Key of Velocitron, at last awakening a [[Cyber Key]] power within himself. With this new "Accelewing" upgrade, Hot Shot soars by Override in the blink of an eye and seems sure to win... until his entire system blows out, thanks to a fault that he couldn't detect after removing his diagnostic system. He crashes through the guard-wall of the track and falls to the ground below, but fortunately, avoids serious injury. Override silently departs, but admits to herself that Hot Shot's new pace was impressive.

[[File:Cyb ep7 your turn starscream.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|Once Red Alert reaches 55 miles per hour, the bomb is armed.]]

Elsewhere on Velocitron, Starscream has joined Megatron on the planet and is introduced to Ransack and Crumplezone. Starscream asks if he can borrow the duo for a while, and leads them to a junkyard, where they surprise a scavenging Red Alert. The resultant battle doesn't go well for Red, and after Crumplezone fires his flamethrower at him, the Decepticons assume he's finished. However, Red Alert leaps out of the flames in his [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] and uses his Cyber Key power to take out the surprised Ransack and Crumplezone, blasting them off into the sky. He prepares to turn his guns on Starscream, but without even flinching, Starscream deploys his chest cannons and takes Red Alert out with one shot. Leaving the unconscious Autobot lying in the junkyard. Starscream flies away, musing about beginning the "age of Starscream" with the help of his copy of the Planet Map...
{{-}}

==Featured Characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (2)
* [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]] (3)
* [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (4)
* [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (9)
* [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (10)
* [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (11)
* [[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (12)
* [[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (13)
* [[Vector Prime]] (14)
* [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (18)
* [[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] (19)
* [[Brakedown (Cybertron)|Brakedown]] (20)
* [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (21)
* [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (22)
|c2=
* [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (1)
* [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (5)
* [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (15)
* [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (23)
* [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (24)
|c3=
* [[Bud Hansen]] (6)
* [[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] (7)
* [[Coby Hansen]] (8)
* [[Ernesto Jiménez|Ernesto]] (16)
* [[Gloria Jiménez|Lori's mother]] (17)
}}

==Quotes==

"Huh! Thinks his oil don't stink! Hoo-wee! Well stink it do!"
:—The ever-eloquent '''Thundercracker''' comments on Starscream's snobbishness.

'''Optimus Prime:''' Humans! 
'''Starscream:''' Bad timing. We'd better call it a night. You're a lousy dancer anyway! 
'''Optimus Prime:''' That's a sober suggestion coming from one of Megatron's lackeys! 
'''Starscream:''' I'm not Megatron's lackey! I BOW TO '''NO-ONE!!''' 
:—Prime knows how to push Starscream's buttons.

"I ''hate'' always being right!"
:—'''Red Alert''' on his lot in life

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===

*In ''Cybertron'', as Lori looks up at the stars, she speaks in veiled terms to her father about the Autobots, asking him what he would do if he ever met aliens. In ''Galaxy Force'', she merely thinks about the Autobots to herself, and comments aloud on the romantic night sky.
*In ''Cybertron'', the sheriff decides to investigate the explosion in the mountains because he doesn't believe it to be the result of fireworks. In ''Galaxy Force'', he does so because he takes issue with fireworks being set off illegally.

===Pain count===
*"Cyber Key Power:" 7
*"Super Mode:" 2 (one anomalously named, see below)

===Animation or technical errors===
* Optimus erroneously cries out "Cyber Key power!" instead of "Super Mode!" when shifting to his more powerful form. The error is not in the ''Galaxy Force'' version of the episode.

===Real-world references===

*Thundercracker congratulates Starscream on his completion of the training exercise with a cry of "Way to git 'r' done!", paraphrasing the catchphrase of popular hick-comedian {{w|Larry The Cable Guy}}. It's not the last time the joke will be made in the course of the series.
===Trivia===
*The Autobots rush awfully carelessly to the site of a mysterious light that has a very big chance of being a Decepticon trap.
*Optimus Prime uses his trailer's artillery emplacement mode for the first  time in the series.
*Red Alert is awfully resilient in this episode, able to withstand a point blank blast from Crumplezone's enormous flamethrowers without so much as a scratch.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 02 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Darkness (episode)

2024-02-12T04:35:50Z

0TheLegend0: /* Differences with Galaxy Force */

Escape (episode)

2024-02-12T04:34:59Z

0TheLegend0: /* Differences with Galaxy Force */

Showdown (Cybertron)

2024-02-06T18:29:37Z

0TheLegend0:

{{disambig3|Showdown}}
{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=46
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=47
|image=Cyb_ep46_final_strike.jpg
|caption=The great-grandmother of all brofists.
|title="Showdown"
|japanese=大いなる野望の果て
|romaji=Ōi naru Yabō no Hate
|translation=The Extremities of a Great Ambition
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Gyō Yamatoya]]
|director=[[Naotaka Hayashi]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]]
|airdate=[[November 26]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[September 22]], [[2006]]
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Galvatron and Starscream clash for control of the Omega Lock and the Cyber Planet Keys, and the Autobots are caught in the middle.'''

==Synopsis==

[[File:Cyb ep46 starscream fragged.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|'Did that hurt at all?']]

On the lowest level of [[Gigantion]], [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] hauls his battered body out of the lake into which [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] hurled him. His power levels low, Starscream focuses on the images of [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Primus]] within his mind, and his determination galvanizes him.

Within the ''[[Lemuria (Cybertron)|Lemuria]]'' starship, the assembled [[Autobot]]s prepare to add the fourth and final [[Cyber Planet Key]] to the [[Omega Lock]]. The heroes are on their toes, as they are by now well aware that adding a Key to the Lock is bound to have an unusual effect...and indeed, this time is no different, as the Omega Lock shoots out a beam of energy that powers up the starship they are standing in. Its systems reboot, deactivating the security systems on Gigantion that prevent warping and causing the planet's multiple layers to split open, revealing a clear passage to the world's surface. A [[space bridge]] opens in the sky over the planet, allowing communication from [[Mike Franklin|Colonel Franklin]] to reach the team. Alas, he does not have good news: the [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]]'s influence is spreading throughout the galaxy despite Primus's efforts, with the [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]] in particular danger. [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] chooses this moment to appear before the Autobots, wishing to offer his thanks to Optimus Prime for all that he has taught him. Having seen the images of Jungle Planet, Scourge realizes he can neglect his homeworld no longer, and with [[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] by his side once again, the two old friends return there to do what they can.

[[File:Cyb ep46 showdown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]

The Autobots are preparing to follow their beastly comrades to the surface when [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] makes a sudden appearance. Bringing all his deadly powers to bear, he swiftly blasts his way through the Autobots and purloins the Omega Lock. However, as he makes a break for the opening in the sky, Starscream appears in his path and demands that he hand over the Lock and Keys. The two Decepticons lecture each other on the nature of power, and a ferocious battle breaks out between the two, which the Autobots are prevented from interfering in by the appearance by [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] and [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]]. The other Decepticons soon arrive to watch (and about what to do and who to cheer for), while the Gigantions down below shield the humans from falling debris.

[[File:Cyb ep46 final showdown.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]

The battle between Galvatron and Starscream takes another strange turn when Starscream reveals that his absorption of the power of Primus has given him the ability to increase the mass of his body at will. Eventually, the fight carries the two combatants to the surface of the planet, where they each unleash the fullest extent of their power. Pulsating with inconceivable amounts of [[energon]], the two Decepticons face off, the interaction of their energon auras threatening an explosion powerful enough to destroy a small planet. The Autobots cut their losses and scramble for cover, while Sideways and Soundwave resolve to snatch the Omega Lock from the two battling 'bots before it too is destroyed by the impending blast. Unfortunately, they move too slowly: Galvatron and Starscream unleash their final attacks, and the collision of forces yields an explosion visible from space, ripping a giant hole in the planet, and consuming them and the two [[Planet X (Cybertron)|Planet X]] agents.
[[File:Cyb ep46 crown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
As the Autobots emerge from their cover, Starscream, Sideways and Soundwave are nowhere to be seen...but Galvatron has survived, and with the Omega Lock, he escapes through the space bridge! Unable to do anything, the Autobots watch as the other Decepticons follow him, and [[Vector Prime]] speculates that Starscream and the Planet Xers were not destroyed, but rather, blasted into another dimension. As everyone looks up at the sky, however, the space bridge starts to disintegrate, leaving the Autobots and their human allies with no means to return to their home universe...

And, high above the planet, floating on the solar winds... Starscream's crown drifts in the cosmic night...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Vector Prime]] (3)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (4)
*[[Menasor (Cybertron)|Menasor]] (5)
*[[Quickmix (Cybertron)|Quickmix]] (6)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (7)
*[[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]] (8)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (9)
*[[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (11)
*[[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] (13)
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] (14)
*[[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] (15)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (16)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (17)
*[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (18)
*[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (20)
*[[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (21)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] 24)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] (25)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (28)
*[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (29)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (30)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (31)

|c3=
*[[Coby Hansen]] (10)
*[[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] (12)
*[[Bud Hansen]] (19)
*[[Mike Franklin|Colonel Franklin]] (22)

|c4=
*[[Primus]] (23)
*[[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] (26)
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (27)
}}

==Quotes==

"Spare me your lectures! You know nothing of power!" 
"Oh?" 
"Do you know what real power is?" 
"Get to the point." 
"True power...is simple determination! Making the impossible possible through sheer FORCE OF WILL!" 
[''Starscream releases a wave of force that makes Galvatron flinch and knocks the Autobots out of the sky''] 
"I have risked everything in pursuit of this power! I have given myself over to it, body and spark! Now witness...the power of one who has SACRIFICED EVERYTHING!" 
"Ha! If you believe that... then you're a bigger fool than I thought! Witness the power of one who risks NOTHING!" 
"SO BE IT!"
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Galvatron''', with the former revealing himself as a supporter of BURNING SPIRIT.

"Enough magic tricks! Time for some hardware!"
:—'''Galvatron''', displaying his hatred of BURNING SPIRIT (or Starscream).

"From what I hear, they're pretty lame as fighters! Maybe they want to challenge us to a dance competition, or a poetry slam!" 
"And maybe ''you'' ought to leave the comedy to the professionals!"
:—'''Jetfire''''s humor escapes '''Sideways'''.

"Thus endeth the reign of Galvatron!" 
"How can this be... am I... to be defeated... by ''Starscream?!''"
:—'''Starscream''' forces '''Galvatron''' to contemplate the unthinkable.

"''I'll'' get it. Save yourself!" 
"No way, brother. We're in this together."
:—'''Sideways''' and '''Soundwave''' face their last moment together

"''Farewell'', Starscream!" 
"Galvatron, say ''hello'' to ''oblivion!''"
:—'''Galvatron''' and '''Starscream''' of the complete opposites

"You see, Starscream, when you risk ''everything'' in the pursuit of power, you could wind up with ''nothing''. That's why I never risk ''anything''."
:—'''Galvatron''' on Starscream's idea of power.

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===
*''Galaxy Force'' includes a "previously on" segment summarizing the events of "[[Optimus (episode)|Optimus]]".
*As ever, ''Cybertron'' adds the [[Omega Frequency]] when relevant.
*''Galaxy Force'' doesn't bother to explain why Gigantion has a defense field that stops warping. ''Cybertron'' notes that it was a security measure added after the war with Planet X.
*For the first time in a while, Galvatron and Starscream break out "[[burning spirit|energy auras]]" as they fight, which ''Galaxy Force'' treats as perfectly normal. ''Cybertron'' has previously offered the explanation that the characters are surging with [[energon]], and while it doesn't repeat it here, it does take another sharp dig at the ridiculousness of the whole affair by having Galvatron angrily announce "Enough magic tricks!"
*On that note, Starscream seems to be a walking spokesbot for BURNING SPIRIT, as he describes true power as being a matter of determination and force of will. He also goes from beaten and blackened to mint-condition and fighting fit at the beginning of the episode with a similar (unexplained) "aura".
*Also in ''Galaxy Force'', rather than berating Starscream's opinion about the nature of power, Galvatron simply notes that he is victorious. He does, however, offer Starscream some respect by noting Starscream put up a magnificent fight. His choice of words also imply he suspects they were so similar in power he simply got lucky (his exact words being 'Doyara ore no kachi no yoda na, Starscream'/ 'Looks like I win, Starscream).
*In ''Cybertron'', Ransack and Crumplezone argue with Thunderblast about her flighty loyalties; in ''Galaxy Force'', she says they should help Galvatron in the battle, and they retort that she's not helping either. Her worrying who to cheer for right afterward, though, is the same in both.
*''Cybertron'' sees Soundwave suggest fleeing, only for Sideways to insist they get the Omega Lock. Seconds later, Sideways tells Soundwave to save himself, but Soundwave refuses to abandon him. In ''Galaxy Force'', there's none of this disagreement or camaraderie; they both want to get the Lock, and neither says a word against the other.

===Continuity notes===
*Vector Prime discovered that warping was not possible on Gigantion back in "[[Giant]]". This plot point seems to have served absolutely no story purpose other than to prolong the Transformers' time on the Giant Planet.
*Several characters note that the energy being released by Starscream and Galvatron is enough to level a small planet. Similar observations were made [[Starscream (episode)|the last time the supercharged Decepticons went at it]], but this time, we get to see the effects of the blast (thankfully, Gigantion does not qualify as "a small planet").

===Transformers references===
*As Starscream clambers from the lake, he groans "I...still...function...", a quote from [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Generation 1 Megatron]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. Ironically, Megatron said this to [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|his Starscream]] just before that one's betrayal.

[[File:Cyb ep46 wild takes.jpg|thumb|PD Type!]]

*One could interpret Starscream's mentioning that Galvatron treated him as a slave to be a reference to the events of ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'', where Galvatron's mind-control abilities made him just that.

*Starscream immediately addresses Galvatron by name, although absent to Megatron's attempt to take power from Gigantion's Cyber Planet Key. ''Hmmm.'' He must be as aware of [[Spontaneous recoloration|Megatron's palette-changing]] as the audience.

===Real-world references===
*Soundwave calls Optimus Prime a "space cowboy", after the song of the same name by the {{w|Steve Miller Band}}.

===Trivia===
*[[Sam Vincent]] stands in for [[Louis Chirillo]] as the voice of Ransack in this episode.
*When the Decepticons all do a wild take at the sight of Galvatron and Starscream battling, we get to see what's under Crumplezone's [[mouthplate]]!
*Technically, neither Starscream or Galvatron won or lost this fight, as it ended in a draw. Starscream was (somehow) sucked into another dimension and was unable to continue the fight. Had Starscream been able to continue the fight, it probably could've gone either way—although it DID look like Galvatron was on the ropes for a while...
*This was the last episode of the series to be aired in Poland, Romania and Hungary on September 1, 2006. These regions at the time shared the same Cartoon Network programming, and ''Cybertron'' suffered from a particularly messy broadcast schedule that would often show the beginning of the series on repeat, resulting in it being taken off the air before it managed to reach its finale. In 2014, the show was picked up again in Hungary by the youth network Megamax, finally airing this as well as the remaining episodes for the first time through May and June of that year, albeit with a different dub – the original dub of these episodes was never publicly released.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2006 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 12 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Showdown (Cybertron)

2024-02-06T18:29:00Z

0TheLegend0:

{{disambig3|Showdown}}
{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=46
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=47
|image=Cyb_ep46_final_strike.jpg
|caption=The great-grandmother of all brofists.
|title="Showdown"
|japanese=大いなる野望の果て
|romaji=Ōi naru Yabō no Hate
|translation=The Extremities of a Great Ambition
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Gyō Yamatoya]]
|director=[[Naotaka Hayashi]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]]
|airdate=[[November 26]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[September 22]], [[2006]]
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Galvatron and Starscream clash for control of the Omega Lock and the Cyber Planet Keys, and the Autobots are caught in the middle.'''

==Synopsis==

[[File:Cyb ep46 starscream fragged.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|'Did that hurt at all?']]

On the lowest level of [[Gigantion]], [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] hauls his battered body out of the lake into which [[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] hurled him. His power levels low, Starscream focuses on the images of [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Primus]] within his mind, and his determination galvanizes him.

Within the ''[[Lemuria (Cybertron)|Lemuria]]'' starship, the assembled [[Autobot]]s prepare to add the fourth and final [[Cyber Planet Key]] to the [[Omega Lock]]. The heroes are on their toes, as they are by now well aware that adding a Key to the Lock is bound to have an unusual effect...and indeed, this time is no different, as the Omega Lock shoots out a beam of energy that powers up the starship they are standing in. Its systems reboot, deactivating the security systems on Gigantion that prevent warping and causing the planet's multiple layers to split open, revealing a clear passage to the world's surface. A [[space bridge]] opens in the sky over the planet, allowing communication from [[Mike Franklin|Colonel Franklin]] to reach the team. Alas, he does not have good news: the [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]]'s influence is spreading throughout the galaxy despite Primus's efforts, with the [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Jungle Planet]] in particular danger. [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] chooses this moment to appear before the Autobots, wishing to offer his thanks to Optimus Prime for all that he has taught him. Having seen the images of Jungle Planet, Scourge realizes he can neglect his homeworld no longer, and with [[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] by his side once again, the two old friends return there to do what they can.

[[File:Cyb ep46 showdown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]

The Autobots are preparing to follow their beastly comrades to the surface when [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] makes a sudden appearance. Bringing all his deadly powers to bear, he swiftly blasts his way through the Autobots and purloins the Omega Lock. However, as he makes a break for the opening in the sky, Starscream appears in his path and demands that he hand over the Lock and Keys. The two Decepticons lecture each other on the nature of power, and a ferocious battle breaks out between the two, which the Autobots are prevented from interfering in by the appearance by [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] and [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]]. The other Decepticons soon arrive to watch (and about what to do and who to cheer for), while the Gigantions down below shield the humans from falling debris.

[[File:Cyb ep46 final showdown.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]

The battle between Galvatron and Starscream takes another strange turn when Starscream reveals that his absorption of the power of Primus has given him the ability to increase the mass of his body at will. Eventually, the fight carries the two combatants to the surface of the planet, where they each unleash the fullest extent of their power. Pulsating with inconceivable amounts of [[energon]], the two Decepticons face off, the interaction of their energon auras threatening an explosion powerful enough to destroy a small planet. The Autobots cut their losses and scramble for cover, while Sideways and Soundwave resolve to snatch the Omega Lock from the two battling 'bots before it too is destroyed by the impending blast. Unfortunately, they move too slowly: Galvatron and Starscream unleash their final attacks, and the collision of forces yields an explosion visible from space, ripping a giant hole in the planet, and consuming them and the two [[Planet X (Cybertron)|Planet X]] agents.
[[File:Cyb ep46 crown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
As the Autobots emerge from their cover, Starscream, Sideways and Soundwave are nowhere to be seen...but Galvatron has survived, and with the Omega Lock, he escapes through the space bridge! Unable to do anything, the Autobots watch as the other Decepticons follow him, and [[Vector Prime]] speculates that Starscream and the Planet Xers were not destroyed, but rather, blasted into another dimension. As everyone looks up at the sky, however, the space bridge starts to disintegrate, leaving the Autobots and their human allies with no means to return to their home universe...

And, high above the planet, floating on the solar winds... Starscream's crown drifts in the cosmic night...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Vector Prime]] (3)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (4)
*[[Menasor (Cybertron)|Menasor]] (5)
*[[Quickmix (Cybertron)|Quickmix]] (6)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (7)
*[[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]] (8)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (9)
*[[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (11)
*[[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] (13)
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] (14)
*[[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] (15)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (16)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (17)
*[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (18)
*[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (20)
*[[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (21)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] 24)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] (25)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (28)
*[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (29)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (30)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (31)

|c3=
*[[Coby Hansen]] (10)
*[[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] (12)
*[[Bud Hansen]] (19)
*[[Mike Franklin|Colonel Franklin]] (22)

|c4=
*[[Primus]] (23)
*[[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] (26)
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (27)
}}

==Quotes==

"Spare me your lectures! You know nothing of power!" 
"Oh?" 
"Do you know what real power is?" 
"Get to the point." 
"True power...is simple determination! Making the impossible possible through sheer FORCE OF WILL!" 
[''Starscream releases a wave of force that makes Galvatron flinch and knocks the Autobots out of the sky''] 
"I have risked everything in pursuit of this power! I have given myself over to it, body and spark! Now witness...the power of one who has SACRIFICED EVERYTHING!" 
"Ha! If you believe that... then you're a bigger fool than I thought! Witness the power of one who risks NOTHING!" 
"SO BE IT!"
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Galvatron''', with the former revealing himself as a supporter of BURNING SPIRIT.

"Enough magic tricks! Time for some hardware!"
:—'''Galvatron''', displaying his hatred of BURNING SPIRIT (or Starscream).

"From what I hear, they're pretty lame as fighters! Maybe they want to challenge us to a dance competition, or a poetry slam!" 
"And maybe ''you'' ought to leave the comedy to the professionals!"
:—'''Jetfire''''s humor escapes '''Sideways'''.

"Thus endeth the reign of Galvatron!" 
"How can this be... am I... to be defeated... by ''Starscream?!''"
:—'''Starscream''' forces '''Galvatron''' to contemplate the unthinkable.

"''I'll'' get it. Save yourself!" 
"No way, brother. We're in this together."
:—'''Sideways''' and '''Soundwave''' face their last moment together

"''Farewell'', Starscream!" 
"Galvatron, say ''hello'' to ''oblivion!''"
:—'''Galvatron''' and '''Starscream''' of the complete opposites

"You see, Starscream, when you risk ''everything'' in the pursuit of power, you could wind up with ''nothing''. That's why I never risk ''anything''."
:—'''Galvatron''' on Starscream's idea of power.

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===
*''Galaxy Force'' includes a "previously on" segment summarizing the events of "[[Optimus (episode)|Optimus]]".
*As ever, ''Cybertron'' adds the [[Omega Frequency]] when relevant.
*''Galaxy Force'' doesn't bother to explain why Gigantion has a defense field that stops warping. ''Cybertron'' notes that it was a security measure added after the war with Planet X.
*For the first time in a while, Galvatron and Starscream break out "[[burning spirit|energy auras]]" as they fight, which ''Galaxy Force'' treats as perfectly normal. ''Cybertron'' has previously offered the explanation that the characters are surging with [[energon]], and while it doesn't repeat it here, it does take another sharp dig at the ridiculousness of the whole affair by having Galvatron angrily announce "Enough magic tricks!"
*On that note, Starscream seems to be a walking spokesbot for BURNING SPIRIT, as he describes true power as being a matter of determination and force of will. He also goes from beaten and blackened to mint-condition and fighting fit at the beginning of the episode with a similar (unexplained) "aura".
*Also in ''Galaxy Force'', rather than berating Starscream's opinion about the nature of power, Galvatron simply notes that he is victorious. He does, however, offer Starscream some respect by noting Starscream put up a magnificent fight. His choice of words also imply he suspects they were so similar in power he simply got lucky (his exact words being 'Doyara ore no kachi no yoda na", Starscream'/ 'Looks like I win, Starscream).
*In ''Cybertron'', Ransack and Crumplezone argue with Thunderblast about her flighty loyalties; in ''Galaxy Force'', she says they should help Galvatron in the battle, and they retort that she's not helping either. Her worrying who to cheer for right afterward, though, is the same in both.
*''Cybertron'' sees Soundwave suggest fleeing, only for Sideways to insist they get the Omega Lock. Seconds later, Sideways tells Soundwave to save himself, but Soundwave refuses to abandon him. In ''Galaxy Force'', there's none of this disagreement or camaraderie; they both want to get the Lock, and neither says a word against the other.

===Continuity notes===
*Vector Prime discovered that warping was not possible on Gigantion back in "[[Giant]]". This plot point seems to have served absolutely no story purpose other than to prolong the Transformers' time on the Giant Planet.
*Several characters note that the energy being released by Starscream and Galvatron is enough to level a small planet. Similar observations were made [[Starscream (episode)|the last time the supercharged Decepticons went at it]], but this time, we get to see the effects of the blast (thankfully, Gigantion does not qualify as "a small planet").

===Transformers references===
*As Starscream clambers from the lake, he groans "I...still...function...", a quote from [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Generation 1 Megatron]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. Ironically, Megatron said this to [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|his Starscream]] just before that one's betrayal.

[[File:Cyb ep46 wild takes.jpg|thumb|PD Type!]]

*One could interpret Starscream's mentioning that Galvatron treated him as a slave to be a reference to the events of ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'', where Galvatron's mind-control abilities made him just that.

*Starscream immediately addresses Galvatron by name, although absent to Megatron's attempt to take power from Gigantion's Cyber Planet Key. ''Hmmm.'' He must be as aware of [[Spontaneous recoloration|Megatron's palette-changing]] as the audience.

===Real-world references===
*Soundwave calls Optimus Prime a "space cowboy", after the song of the same name by the {{w|Steve Miller Band}}.

===Trivia===
*[[Sam Vincent]] stands in for [[Louis Chirillo]] as the voice of Ransack in this episode.
*When the Decepticons all do a wild take at the sight of Galvatron and Starscream battling, we get to see what's under Crumplezone's [[mouthplate]]!
*Technically, neither Starscream or Galvatron won or lost this fight, as it ended in a draw. Starscream was (somehow) sucked into another dimension and was unable to continue the fight. Had Starscream been able to continue the fight, it probably could've gone either way—although it DID look like Galvatron was on the ropes for a while...
*This was the last episode of the series to be aired in Poland, Romania and Hungary on September 1, 2006. These regions at the time shared the same Cartoon Network programming, and ''Cybertron'' suffered from a particularly messy broadcast schedule that would often show the beginning of the series on repeat, resulting in it being taken off the air before it managed to reach its finale. In 2014, the show was picked up again in Hungary by the youth network Megamax, finally airing this as well as the remaining episodes for the first time through May and June of that year, albeit with a different dub – the original dub of these episodes was never publicly released.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2006 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 12 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Rebellion (Armada)

2024-02-03T12:39:13Z

0TheLegend0: /* Differences with Legends of the Microns */

{{Picsneeded}}
{{disambig2|the ''Armada'' episode|the ''Prime'' episode|Rebellion (Prime)}}
{{episode|
|series=Armada
|ep=23
|prev=Vow
|next=Chase (episode)
|title="Rebellion"
|furigana=かくご
|japanese=謀反
|romaji=Kakugo
|translation=Rebellion: Resolution
|image=Rebelliontitle.jpg
|caption=One small step for schemers, one giant leap to overthrow a guy called Megatron.
|production code=TF: A-23
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]]
|writer=[[Akira Okeya]]
|director=[[Takashi Sano]]
|animation studio=[[Actas Inc.]]
|airdate=[[January 26]], [[2003]] (UK, English premiere) [[January 28]], 2003 (USA) [[June 13|13 June]] [[2003]] (Japanese)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy]]
}}
'''One fine day on the Moon. Sideways manipulates, Starscream evaluates. Cyclonus snores, Megatron roars. You'll always have Demolishor!'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Armada Rebellion Megs SS abuse1.jpg|left|thumb|And the fangirls go WILD.]]
Alone on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]], [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] notes that [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s poor leadership is the key to the [[Decepticon]]s' recent string of losses—Sideways must do something if he wants to keep the conflict going. As he records, he gazes at the sky, a dark region of deep space without stars.

Soon afterward, Megatron and the other Decepticons return from battle, called back by Sideways, who claims to be suffering from damage in his leg. Megatron is unimpressed and annoyed, and even more annoyed when practically in mid-sentence, [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]] takes a nap.

[[File:Rebellionbadreception.jpg|thumb|Man, the Cartoon Network reception up here is terrible.]]
When [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] arrives, Megatron brutalizes and belittles him as punishment for failing during battle, even though he was only obediently operating under Megatron's direct orders. [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] blasts into the room and intervenes, possibly saving Starscream's life. Megatron leaves, and Starscream goes on his own soon after. After briefly questioning Demolishor about his blind loyalty to Megatron, Sideways follows Starscream. When Cyclonus doesn't wake up, and even Megatron is napping on his throne, Demolishor concedes the Decepticons' morale is embarrassing.

Starscream, who accidentally fell down a hill, cries out in anguish. Nearby, Sideways sympathizes with Starscream about how Megatron is operating irrationally. Before leaving again, Sideways alludes to a familiar concept: Starscream commanding the Decepticons.

Megatron, hearing from Sideways a different perspective on his disciplinary actions, is manipulated. Sideways escalates the tension between Starscream and Megatron by suggesting Megatron's position is dependent on possessing the [[Star Saber (Armada)|Star Saber]].

Questioning his position, Starscream projects his doubt onto Demolishor and uses it as reassurance that they're both soldiers, even if he was born into a war and still doesn't know its ideology and purpose. Demolishor is confused by Starscream's rationalization and feels that the still-napping Cyclonus is the only Decepticon without issues.

[[File:Armada Rebellion Megs SS fight.jpg|250px|thumb|Well, he still treats his troops better than G1 Galvatron.]]
In a hallway, Starscream has come to disregard his misgivings and continue to obey Megatron. But Sideways pushes Starscream over the edge with a falsified order he claims to be relaying directly from Megatron. As Starscream storms out to find Megatron, Demolishor wakes Cyclonus so they can prevent the confrontation, but Cyclonus is more interested in being an audience to the bout.

Megatron wagers the Star Saber on his victory. When Cyclonus arrives to watch, Starscream has lost his sword and is getting a beatdown from Megatron. Megatron picks Starscream off the ground and re-states what's at stake: Everything. After Megatron's speech, Starscream delivers an uppercut and follows up with several sound blows, getting cheers from Cyclonus. But a hit from Megatron sends Starscream through the air.

[[File:Armada Rebellion grab.jpg|left|thumb|Kiss me, you fool.]]
Megatron holds the Star Saber in Starscream's face, and despite his earlier promise, he lets Starscream live, flaunting that he knows Starscream's psychological weakness. Sideways muses that Megatron had victory in his hands but walked away from it. He saw weakness in Megatron through Starscream; he prophesies that one day the Decepticon leader will regret what happened here, and it will be his ruin.

The next time the Decepticons enter battle, they fight with recharged vigor; somehow, the conflict coming to a climax on the Moon re-established Megatron's leadership, which benefitted the rest of the team.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (7)
*[[Blurr (Armada)|Blurr]] (8)

|c2=
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (1)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (2)
*[[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]] (3)
*[[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (4)
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (5)

|h4=[[Mini-Con]]s|c4=
*[[Mirror]] (6)
}}

==Quotes==
"There's gotta be a reason we fight. Because there's no point in continuing unless there is. This war is over ten million years old. In fact, I've been a warrior ever since my spark left the [[Iacon chamber]], and I was merged into the army of Megatron. The only difference between me and an Autobot is the way we do battle and the code of the Decepticons. I guess I'm starting to get a little... confused. But you shouldn't be. We are soldiers sworn to obey Megatron; capture the Mini-Cons and return to Cybertron triumphant."
:—'''Starscream''', in [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] rambling speech mode.

'''Demolishor:''' What is going on with everyone here? Ever since we lost that battle, everyone's gone loopy. 
''(glances at Cyclonus, who's still sleeping and snoring)'' 
Well, at least some things never change around here. But Cyclonus is starting to look like the only sane one.
:—You know the Decepticons are in deep doo-doo when the nutty guy's considered the 'only sane one.'

"This time, it's a fight to the finish, and I won't accept any of your lame excuses. Do you understand me, you worthless grunt? I hope to realize what is at stake here. The Star Saber and supreme command of the Decepticons go to the winner. Why, you could rule the universe if you were victorious. There is no greater prize, and this is your one chance to attain it, so don't blow it, dolt. But just remember this, Starscream, I won't show you mercy. You will be an example to my men, to prevent any further insubordination."
:—'''Megatron''', simultaneously insulting Starscream's pride and incentivizing him to fight harder.

"You win, Megatron. Now just.. get it over with." 
"You're giving up? I expected more of you! At least ''beg'' me to spare your worthless life! Or is your foolish pride getting in the way of even that, Starscream? Well, ''is it?'' Your problem is you have a conscience. You don't have the stomach to finish the fight because you play by the rules. Well, then, you'll never come out on top, Starscream."
:— '''Starscream''' asks for death, and '''Megatron''' gives him a complete evaluation instead.

"Ha, you had the upper hand, Megatron, and then you walked away before it was over. A true leader would never leave a fight half-fought. I see weakness and one day, it will come back to haunt you. And it will be your ''ruin''."
:—'''Sideways''', observing Megatron's refusal to finish off Starscream (with superb delivery by [[Paul Dobson]])

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Legends of the Microns''===
*Sideways doesn't begin his report until the bird's-eye view shot of him. He says the Autobots are now the dominant faction rather than gaining the advantage. The Star Saber, Skyboom Shield, and Requiem Blaster will soon fall into their hands, making the Autobots overpowered in battle. Hence, he needs to act immediately to deal with this development. In ''Armada'', Sideways points out the Decepticons' recent losing streak due to their disorganization and how it's about to change.
*Megatron starts speaking to Sideways during the former's close-up shot. He asks why Sideways retreated, and Sideways answers that his leg was damaged. ''Armada'' makes it seem like Sideways called Megatron back to base before Megatron asks if he's pulling a joke.
*Cyclonus teases Sideways after returning from battle in ''Armada''. ''Legends of the Microns'' has him rambling about the Decepticons' losing streak, with this one being their third in a row.
*Starscream's first line is changed to reflect the dark mood in the base better. Megatron is also calm and collected when telling Starscream to follow him.
*In ''Armada'', Starscream stammers as he asks Megatron if something is wrong, and Megatron tells Starscream that he's terminated. Then Sideways says Megatron will exterminate Starscream and blames the latter for his failure. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Starscream is silent as Megatron approaches, and the latter sternly asks Starscream what he just said. Then Demolishor asks what the sound heard was, and Sideways calls Megatron a hypocrite who abuses his men for his losses.
*Rather than saying Starscream also fails at following orders, Megatron asks if Starscream is unable to do anything but what he's told and if he's even capable of using his head.
*In ''Armada'', Megatron says what he did to Starscream was a fitting punishment for insubordination. ''Legends of the Microns'' makes him crueler as he says it was a bore and that his men are all pitifully dull. Starscream later tells Demolishor that he has unfinished business in ''Armada'' but tells him to be quiet in ''Legends of the Microns''.
*Starscream doesn't say anything before he flies off. Sideways quips on how the former's departure is a fine example of teamwork among comrades. Then after Sideways leaves, Demolishor asks what he means about why the latter is loyal to Megatron.
*''Legends of the Microns'' gives Sideways an extra line about it being time for him to make a gamble since the Decepticons will be over if things remain in their current state. He doesn't mention Megatron maiming the others.
*The camera zooms closer to the Decepticon base as Cyclonus continues snoring, and Demolishor calls him a lazy jerk.
*As Starscream repeatedly stabs his wing blade into the ground, ''Armada'' has him rant about Megatron humiliating him while he only swears in ''Legends of the Microns''. Then, in ''Armada'', Sideways asks Starscream if he's willing to make a bet. In ''Legends of the Microns'', he tells Starscream that he can beat Megatron with just his sword.
*In ''Armada'', Sideways says Megatron has gone off the deep end, and Starscream agrees. When talking about who is better suited to be the leader, Sideways says Starscream knows who he's referring to but won't admit it. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Sideways is more cryptic as he asks Starscream if he shares the belief that there's someone else more suitable to lead the Decepticons. Then he says sometimes it's best to welcome change per a situation's atmosphere.
*When Sideways manipulates Megatron, ''Legends of the Microns'' goes right to the point with a calm Megatron not liking what Sideways says yet remaining confident Starscream could never rebel against him as the latter knows he would lose. Sideways says Megatron must do something; otherwise, Starscream's rebellious spirit will grow. However, Megatron then calls Starscream one of his most important subordinates, so Sideways doesn't know whether Megatron is more intelligent than he looks or a total idiot. Sideways says Megatron risks giving Starscream the upper hand unless he deals with him now, but Megatron says he'll use the Star Saber to crush Starscream. Then Sideways goads Megatron with how he believes the latter feels stronger while wielding the Star Saber, as Starscream can't compete with the weapon. This claim makes Megatron snap at Sideways, declaring he doesn't need the Star Saber to beat Starscream and can quickly kill him with his bare hands. With Megatron's response, Sideways determines him to be an idiot.
*Compared to how bitter he is in ''Armada'' (as quoted above), Starscream is more reflective and sensitive during his talk with Demolishor in ''Legends of the Microns''; Starscream also periodically pauses speaking in the Japanese dub, whereas he talks almost nonstop in ''Armada''. He goes through the ship's historical records on the Mini-Cons for clues on why the Transformers keep fighting. He tells Demolishor that despite only knowing to fight since birth, they're just like the Autobots, who also fight without hesitating. Then Starscream says he and Demolishor wouldn't hesitate to battle Megatron if they were born as Autobots instead. Demolishor asks what Starscream is trying to say, and Starscream says Demolishor is probably right, but no one can do anything about it now.
*The Star Saber is redrawn in the scene of Megatron asleep outside with it. In the next scene with Starscream and Demolishor, the latter says Megatron crossed the line by attacking Starscream in ''Armada''. In ''Legends of the Microns'', he says the Decepticons' losing streak is getting the better of Megatron since he's now more irritable than ever.
*After Sideways gives Starscream the order from Megatron, Sideways says that Megatron said guarding the warp gate is a task befitting one who can only do exactly as he's told. In ''Armada'', Sideways claims Starscream is the only one Megatron trusts with the job. Immediately after this exchange, Starscream thinks about how absurd the order is in ''Armada''. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Starscream has no internal dialogue, and he's redrawn. After he throws Demolishor aside, ''Armada'' has Starscream say he's fed up with his unjust treatment, while the assignment being stated for one who can only do exactly as he's told angers him in ''Legends of the Microns''.
*In the scene with Sideways in the throne room, Starscream surmises that Megatron is "waiting" for him outside. He doesn't come to that conclusion in ''Armada''; instead, he says, "He's mine!"
*In ''Armada'', Demolishor tells Cyclonus if they don't stop Starscream, the Decepticons can kiss their morale goodbye. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Demolishor says the group's unity is at stake instead.
*Sideways tells Cyclonus he told Starscream he wasn't ready to face Megatron, but Starscream wouldn't listen in ''Armada''. Sideways says he pities Starscream but doubts he will survive the fight in ''Legends of the Microns''.
*After decking Starscream with several blows, Megatron tells him to stand up since they're only getting started. After Megatron says the winner gets the Star Saber and command of the Decepticons, he says Starscream shouldn't blow his only chance to get such a grand prize in ''Armada''. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Megatron asks whether it's what Starscream always wanted or if he's already quit.
*Immediately afterward, in ''Armada'' (as quoted above), Megatron says he won't hold back and will make an example of Starscream to quell any future rebellion ideas. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Megatron tells Starscream he wouldn't believe him if he said he never considered being the leader. He asks if Starscream's ambition has ended and demands he not delude himself with "pitiful self-righteousness."
*Instead of saying everything will be ruined due to Megatron never planning to use the Star Saber against Starscream, Sideways says there must be another reason since "Megatron's not the type to do that."
*Megatron says Starscream will never beat him as long as the latter's pride holds back his ambition. In ''Armada'', Megatron says he is the winner since he understands Starscream's weaknesses of having a conscience and playing by the rules.
*Sideways says he now knows Megatron's weakness, but his naivety stopped him from killing Starscream. The following shots of Starscream lying defeated are silent.
*During the final scenes of the Decepticons and Autobots fighting, ''Armada'' plays its "insert" version of the Transformers [[theme song]], but ''Legends of the Microns'' plays "[[The Transformers Legends of the Microns: Sound of Evolution Vol. 1|Invincible Power]]".
*In ''Armada'', Sideways's closing narration ties into the subplot of the Decepticons' low morale and lack of unity. He notes their boosted resolve despite his failed plan to take down Megatron, enjoying how the team fights as one again; however, there's still no clear winner in sight between the two factions. In ''Legends of the Microns'', it connects to Sideways's subplot to balance the factions' power; it ends more ominously and feels less like a cliffhanger. Sideways says the strength between the Autobots and Decepticons suddenly became more balanced, and they're now one step closer to the day when their fight will lead to their destruction.
*In the last shot, Starscream's yelling stops when the screen goes black, and the final musical sting from the opening theme's trance version plays after Sideways finishes speaking in ''Armada''. Starscream's yell echoes as Sideways completes the narration in the Japanese dub, and Sideways's voice sounds disembodied.

===Animation and technical errors===
[[File:Rebellion animation changes.jpg|thumb|285px|Some animation differences between ''Armada'' (left) and ''Legends of the Microns'' (right). It's like night and day, right?]]
*The episode's animation shifts from high quality (particularly for close-ups and specific sequences) to average, mostly as Megatron defeats Starscream, going from a high-quality shot of Starscream slowly falling to the ground to a lower-quality shot of him landing (see right). Different lower-quality shots at the end of Megatron and Starscream's duel are redrawn to provide more consistent animation quality in the Japanese dub. Though several quick shots of the two seen in the Japanese cut of the fight are reused from the unfinished animation seen in the American cut.
*As Megatron turns away after this scene, his Decepticon symbols are missing from his shoulders, and he seriously lacks in-drawn detail. ''Legends of the Microns'' replaces Megatron's low-quality model with a redrawn one, complete with the symbols on his shoulders.
*The background doesn't match the previous shot during Sideways's close-up after the other Decepticons warp back to base.
*When Demolishor tells Megatron that Cyclonus has fallen asleep, Cyclonus doesn't have a face, but he's still heard snoring.
*As Megatron walks toward Starscream before brutalizing him, Megatron's walking animation stops after the first step, but the walking sound effect is still audible. ''Legends of the Microns'' reanimates Megatron as walking, but his arms are now stationary.
*When Starscream tries reasoning with Megatron that he followed his orders, parts of his body, like between his arms and the top of his chest, are heavily shadowed. The Japanese dub either removes the unnecessary shadows or lessens them; however, for some reason, ''Legends of the Microns'' removes the shadow above Starscream's eyes though it's present in ''Armada''.
*After trying to open the doors, Demolishor says Megatron "locked ''us'' in here" (referring to himself and Sideways) when really, Megatron locked himself and Starscream in the room. ''Legends of the Microns'' changes Demolishor's line to saying a key is needed to open the doors.
*After Starscream passes Demolishor and leaves the room, Demolishor's Decepticon insignia is a plain purple shape.
*In the next shot of Starscream from behind, he is a bit off-model, and some of the lightning on him is wrong. ''Legends of the Microns'' corrects this (see right).
*After Starscream flies off, the right side of Demolishor's face is colored yellow like his head.
*After the shot of Starscream raising his wing blade, the background resembles inside the base, although he's outside.
*In the wide shot of Sideways and Starscream talking, Sideways's sides are blue rather than yellow.
*When Sideways tells Starscream that Megatron is afraid of him, Starscream doesn't move, and he looks shocked throughout the shot.
*Starscream lacks the shadow above his eyes in some shots.
*In another shot during the same scene, the Decepticons insignias on Starscream's wings have circles around them.
*When Starscream responds to Sideways in the corridor after Sideways says Megatron only depends on Starscream to carry out his order, Starscream's body moves, but his shoulder thrusters don't.
*In the scene of Starscream and Demolishor fighting in the corridor, they are both off-model, and Sideways has vanished. ''Legends of the Microns'' adds Sideways back into the scene; Starscream and Demolishor are entirely redrawn, and the background is slightly shifted to the right (see right).
*In two shots where Demolishor and Cyclonus watch Megatron and Starscream fight in the distance, the top of Megatron's body just below his neck is miscolored red.
*In the close-ups of Demolishor after Cyclonus drops him, his left eye's lighting effect is miscolored black.
*During the last scene, there's an awkward silence after Megatron speaks to Demolishor. The Japanese dub removes it as Megatron doesn't immediately say his line after the scene cuts. Also, Megatron commands Demolishor to look ''after'' the Mini-Cons. In ''Legends of the Microns'', his command is for Demolishor to ''find'' the Mini-Con panel.

===Continuity notes===
*The opening scene where Sideways gazes up at a dark, starless region of space is a clue to his [[Unicron|true allegiance]], which the [[Chase (episode)|following episode]] reveals.
*Sideways's log also reveals that the Cybertronian date in this episode is "Astrodate Nimbus 3391," and his ID code is "002348".
*This episode is the first to mention the Requiem Blaster (though by its Japanese name, as explained below).
*According to the ''[[Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003]]'', Sideways's goal is to destroy both factions.
*Since the Autobots gained a fair chunk of the Decepticons' Mini-Cons in the [[Vow|last episode]], the Decepticons appear to be losing every recent battle, something that Megatron is very displeased with, and takes his frustrations out on Starscream.
*The ''Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003'' calls this episode the second in the "Starscream saga."
*Starscream's loyalty to the Decepticon cause starts wavering more in this episode.
*Demolishor is once again left to fix the Decepticon team alone.
*According to Starscream in the English dub, the Transformers war has been going on for over 10 million years.
*This episode is the only one in the series without any humans and barely any Autobots.
*The part about Starscream wondering why the Transformers fight comes up again in the Japanese version of "[[Sacrifice]]."
*This episode has the show's first fight between Starscream and Megatron, although Sideways caused it through his manipulations.
*During their fight, the Japanese dub has Megatron scold Starscream for lacking ambition; Megatron brings up Starscream's ambition again in "[[Cramp]]."
*The ''Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003'' states the main difference between Megatron and Starscream becomes clear in this episode, arguably that Starscream is more "human" than Megatron, which will lead to fascinating developments for Starscream in the future.
*Gadgets and powers:
**Sideways's arm cannons aren't attached in this episode. Given that he isn't participating in any battles, he seems to have removed them. The toy's arm cannons are pressure-fire missiles and are easily removable.
**Cyclonus is seen carrying Demolishor in vehicle mode, a practice he repeats in ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]''.
*Powerlinx forms:
**Blurr Powerlinx with the Skyboom Shield for the first time.

===Continuity errors===
*Sideways says the Autobots possess the Star Saber, Skyboom Shield, and Astro Blaster (the Requiem Blaster's Japanese name) in his opening log entry. However, the Decepticons still have the sword, the Autobots have the shield, while the show won't introduce the Requiem Blaster until "[[Desperate]]." He also says the Decepticons don't have the necessary organization to keep the weapons in their possession, but they never had all the weapons in the first place. ''Legends of the Microns'' fixes these glaring errors with Sideways saying the Autobots will soon possess all three weapons and therefore become too strong, removing the mention of the Decepticons ever having the weapons beforehand.
*Sideways somehow knows that Megatron is planning to exterminate Starscream, but how could he have possibly heard Megatron say that? The Japanese dub instead has Sideways calling Megatron a hypocrite who takes his losses out on his men.
*The background changes between the scenes of Starscream flying off and Sideways talking to Demolishor. ''Legends of the Microns'' switches it in Starscream's shot to match that of Sideways and Demolishor; however, the background of the ''Armada'' version of Starscream's scene is the correct one in this case (see above).
*Starscream claims Demolishor has beef with Megatron and that he should get over it, but it's more like Starscream's talking about himself. The Japanese dub doesn't have this issue since the point of their talk is entirely different.
*After this, Demolishor grumbles about everyone going "loopy" after losing the previous battle, despite the Decepticons already noted as suffering their third loss in a row at the episode's start. ''Legends of the Microns'' corrects this as Demolishor mentions the recent ''string'' of losses making everyone go crazy...at least, everyone except Cyclonus.
*Megatron refers to the Transformers as "Cybertronians," a term for their race that isn't used very often through most ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' fiction.

===Real-world references===
*Sideways's log entry sequence is based on the ''[[Star Trek]]'' characters' logs that provide exposition for the ongoing plot.
*Megatron's line that incompetent morons surround him is a version of Scar's "I'm surrounded by idiots" line from ''The Lion King''.
*Before he starts pounding Starscream, Megatron says, "You're terminated." It's an apparent reference to ''The Terminator''; even the music that plays during Starscream's second Megatron apparition sounds like a dead ringer for the Terminator theme.

===Trivia===
*The kanji 謀反 would be pronounced as "''muhon''" or "''bouhan''," while "''kakugo''" uses 覚悟.
*"Rebellion" first aired in the United States on [[January 28]], [[2003]].
*Cyclonus is briefly shown [[humanization|drooling]] after he falls asleep.
*Few other ''Transformers'' episodes focus exclusively on the Decepticons, with some Autobots only having brief appearances at the end.
*This episode marks the first time in the series that a Transformer gives the opening and ending narrations instead of one of the kids, a given since this is a human-less episode.
*Surprisingly, this episode's English dub doesn't spam the transformation sound effect and only uses it once after Cyclonus drops off Demolishor. ''Legends of the Microns'' doesn't use it at all here. This episode's ''Armada'' dub doesn't have any drastic musical changes except the last scene with the Autobots.
*Starscream's discussion with Demolishor in the Japanese dub about wanting answers for why the Transformers keep fighting later becomes a lyric in the second opening song, "[[Transformers: Kōtetsu no Yūki]]."
*The ''Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003'' claims that Megatron can never win regardless of whether or not Starscream is stronger than him. Interesting.
**It even calls Megatron "an attractive killer"; well, let's face it, there's no disputing the guy has some charisma.
*The ''Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003'' reveals that [[Yūjin Ishikawa]] wanted to try a new take on Starscream's betrayal and Optimus Prime's death in the series. He felt a Starscream who doesn't betray wouldn't please Transformers fans, so there are glimpses of him backstabbing Megatron for his self-interests in "[[Soldier (episode)|Soldier]]" and "[[Jungle]]," similar to past Starscreams. However, Starscream slowly grows and evolves, like Hot Shot; the producers' treatment of Starscream changed after realizing he'd be the only Decepticon with character development.

===Foreign localization===
'''Hungarian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Lázadás'''" ("Rebellion")

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Rebelia'''" ("Rebellion")

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Rébellion'''" ("Rebellion")

'''Korean'''
:*''Title:'' "'''스크림의 반란'''" ("Scream's Rebellion")

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Rebelião'''" ("Rebellion")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2003 — ''Transformers: Legends of the Microns'' — Volume 6 ([[Columbia Music Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''Transformers: Armada'' — Season One: Part One ([[Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Armada'' — Volume One ([[New KSM]]) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Armada'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Armada episodes]]

Rebellion (Armada)

2024-02-03T12:36:51Z

0TheLegend0: /* Differences with Legends of the Microns */

{{Picsneeded}}
{{disambig2|the ''Armada'' episode|the ''Prime'' episode|Rebellion (Prime)}}
{{episode|
|series=Armada
|ep=23
|prev=Vow
|next=Chase (episode)
|title="Rebellion"
|furigana=かくご
|japanese=謀反
|romaji=Kakugo
|translation=Rebellion: Resolution
|image=Rebelliontitle.jpg
|caption=One small step for schemers, one giant leap to overthrow a guy called Megatron.
|production code=TF: A-23
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]]
|writer=[[Akira Okeya]]
|director=[[Takashi Sano]]
|animation studio=[[Actas Inc.]]
|airdate=[[January 26]], [[2003]] (UK, English premiere) [[January 28]], 2003 (USA) [[June 13|13 June]] [[2003]] (Japanese)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy]]
}}
'''One fine day on the Moon. Sideways manipulates, Starscream evaluates. Cyclonus snores, Megatron roars. You'll always have Demolishor!'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Armada Rebellion Megs SS abuse1.jpg|left|thumb|And the fangirls go WILD.]]
Alone on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]], [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] notes that [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s poor leadership is the key to the [[Decepticon]]s' recent string of losses—Sideways must do something if he wants to keep the conflict going. As he records, he gazes at the sky, a dark region of deep space without stars.

Soon afterward, Megatron and the other Decepticons return from battle, called back by Sideways, who claims to be suffering from damage in his leg. Megatron is unimpressed and annoyed, and even more annoyed when practically in mid-sentence, [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]] takes a nap.

[[File:Rebellionbadreception.jpg|thumb|Man, the Cartoon Network reception up here is terrible.]]
When [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] arrives, Megatron brutalizes and belittles him as punishment for failing during battle, even though he was only obediently operating under Megatron's direct orders. [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] blasts into the room and intervenes, possibly saving Starscream's life. Megatron leaves, and Starscream goes on his own soon after. After briefly questioning Demolishor about his blind loyalty to Megatron, Sideways follows Starscream. When Cyclonus doesn't wake up, and even Megatron is napping on his throne, Demolishor concedes the Decepticons' morale is embarrassing.

Starscream, who accidentally fell down a hill, cries out in anguish. Nearby, Sideways sympathizes with Starscream about how Megatron is operating irrationally. Before leaving again, Sideways alludes to a familiar concept: Starscream commanding the Decepticons.

Megatron, hearing from Sideways a different perspective on his disciplinary actions, is manipulated. Sideways escalates the tension between Starscream and Megatron by suggesting Megatron's position is dependent on possessing the [[Star Saber (Armada)|Star Saber]].

Questioning his position, Starscream projects his doubt onto Demolishor and uses it as reassurance that they're both soldiers, even if he was born into a war and still doesn't know its ideology and purpose. Demolishor is confused by Starscream's rationalization and feels that the still-napping Cyclonus is the only Decepticon without issues.

[[File:Armada Rebellion Megs SS fight.jpg|250px|thumb|Well, he still treats his troops better than G1 Galvatron.]]
In a hallway, Starscream has come to disregard his misgivings and continue to obey Megatron. But Sideways pushes Starscream over the edge with a falsified order he claims to be relaying directly from Megatron. As Starscream storms out to find Megatron, Demolishor wakes Cyclonus so they can prevent the confrontation, but Cyclonus is more interested in being an audience to the bout.

Megatron wagers the Star Saber on his victory. When Cyclonus arrives to watch, Starscream has lost his sword and is getting a beatdown from Megatron. Megatron picks Starscream off the ground and re-states what's at stake: Everything. After Megatron's speech, Starscream delivers an uppercut and follows up with several sound blows, getting cheers from Cyclonus. But a hit from Megatron sends Starscream through the air.

[[File:Armada Rebellion grab.jpg|left|thumb|Kiss me, you fool.]]
Megatron holds the Star Saber in Starscream's face, and despite his earlier promise, he lets Starscream live, flaunting that he knows Starscream's psychological weakness. Sideways muses that Megatron had victory in his hands but walked away from it. He saw weakness in Megatron through Starscream; he prophesies that one day the Decepticon leader will regret what happened here, and it will be his ruin.

The next time the Decepticons enter battle, they fight with recharged vigor; somehow, the conflict coming to a climax on the Moon re-established Megatron's leadership, which benefitted the rest of the team.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (7)
*[[Blurr (Armada)|Blurr]] (8)

|c2=
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (1)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (2)
*[[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]] (3)
*[[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (4)
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (5)

|h4=[[Mini-Con]]s|c4=
*[[Mirror]] (6)
}}

==Quotes==
"There's gotta be a reason we fight. Because there's no point in continuing unless there is. This war is over ten million years old. In fact, I've been a warrior ever since my spark left the [[Iacon chamber]], and I was merged into the army of Megatron. The only difference between me and an Autobot is the way we do battle and the code of the Decepticons. I guess I'm starting to get a little... confused. But you shouldn't be. We are soldiers sworn to obey Megatron; capture the Mini-Cons and return to Cybertron triumphant."
:—'''Starscream''', in [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] rambling speech mode.

'''Demolishor:''' What is going on with everyone here? Ever since we lost that battle, everyone's gone loopy. 
''(glances at Cyclonus, who's still sleeping and snoring)'' 
Well, at least some things never change around here. But Cyclonus is starting to look like the only sane one.
:—You know the Decepticons are in deep doo-doo when the nutty guy's considered the 'only sane one.'

"This time, it's a fight to the finish, and I won't accept any of your lame excuses. Do you understand me, you worthless grunt? I hope to realize what is at stake here. The Star Saber and supreme command of the Decepticons go to the winner. Why, you could rule the universe if you were victorious. There is no greater prize, and this is your one chance to attain it, so don't blow it, dolt. But just remember this, Starscream, I won't show you mercy. You will be an example to my men, to prevent any further insubordination."
:—'''Megatron''', simultaneously insulting Starscream's pride and incentivizing him to fight harder.

"You win, Megatron. Now just.. get it over with." 
"You're giving up? I expected more of you! At least ''beg'' me to spare your worthless life! Or is your foolish pride getting in the way of even that, Starscream? Well, ''is it?'' Your problem is you have a conscience. You don't have the stomach to finish the fight because you play by the rules. Well, then, you'll never come out on top, Starscream."
:— '''Starscream''' asks for death, and '''Megatron''' gives him a complete evaluation instead.

"Ha, you had the upper hand, Megatron, and then you walked away before it was over. A true leader would never leave a fight half-fought. I see weakness and one day, it will come back to haunt you. And it will be your ''ruin''."
:—'''Sideways''', observing Megatron's refusal to finish off Starscream (with superb delivery by [[Paul Dobson]])

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Legends of the Microns''===
*Sideways doesn't begin his report until the bird's-eye view shot of him. He says the Autobots are now the dominant faction rather than gaining the advantage. The Star Saber, Skyboom Shield, and Requiem Blaster will soon fall into their hands, making the Autobots overpowered in battle. Hence, he needs to act immediately to deal with this development. In ''Armada'', Sideways points out the Decepticons' recent losing streak due to their disorganization and how it's about to change.
*Megatron starts speaking to Sideways during the former's close-up shot. He asks why Sideways retreated, and Sideways answers that his leg was damaged. ''Armada'' makes it seem like Sideways called Megatron back to base before Megatron asks if he's pulling a joke.
*Cyclonus teases Sideways after returning from battle in ''Armada''. ''Legends of the Microns'' has him rambling about the Decepticons' losing streak, with this one being their third in a row.
*Starscream's first line is changed to reflect the dark mood in the base better. Megatron is also calm and collected when telling Starscream to follow him.
*In ''Armada'', Starscream stammers as he asks Megatron if something is wrong, and Megatron tells Starscream that he's terminated. Then Sideways says Megatron will exterminate Starscream and blames the latter for his failure. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Starscream is silent as Megatron approaches, and the latter sternly asks Starscream what he just said. Then Demolishor asks what the sound heard was, and Sideways calls Megatron a hypocrite who abuses his men for his losses.
*Rather than saying Starscream also fails at following orders, Megatron asks if Starscream is unable to do anything but what he's told and if he's even capable of using his head.
*In ''Armada'', Megatron says what he did to Starscream was a fitting punishment for insubordination. ''Legends of the Microns'' makes him crueler as he says it was a bore and that his men are all pitifully dull. Starscream later tells Demolishor that he has unfinished business in ''Armada'' but tells him to be quiet in ''Legends of the Microns''.
*Starscream doesn't say anything before he flies off. Sideways quips on how the former's departure is a fine example of teamwork among comrades. Then after Sideways leaves, Demolishor asks what he means about why the latter is loyal to Megatron.
*''Legends of the Microns'' gives Sideways an extra line about it being time for him to make a gamble since the Decepticons will be over if things remain in their current state. He doesn't mention Megatron maiming the others.
*The camera zooms closer to the Decepticon base as Cyclonus continues snoring, and Demolishor calls him a lazy jerk.
*As Starscream repeatedly stabs his wing blade into the ground, ''Armada'' has him rant about Megatron humiliating him while he only swears in ''Legends of the Microns''. Then, in ''Armada'', Sideways asks Starscream if he's willing to make a bet. In ''Legends of the Microns'', he tells Starscream that he can beat Megatron with just his sword.
*In ''Armada'', Sideways says Megatron has gone off the deep end, and Starscream agrees. When talking about who is better suited to be the leader, Sideways says Starscream knows who he's referring to but won't admit it. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Sideways is more cryptic as he asks Starscream if he shares the belief that there's someone else more suitable to lead the Decepticons. Then he says sometimes it's best to welcome change per a situation's atmosphere.
*When Sideways manipulates Megatron, ''Legends of the Microns'' goes right to the point with a calm Megatron not liking what Sideways says yet remaining confident Starscream could never rebel against him as the latter knows he would lose. Sideways says Megatron must do something; otherwise, Starscream's rebellious spirit will grow. However, Megatron then calls Starscream one of his most important subordinates, so Sideways doesn't know whether Megatron is more intelligent than he looks or a total idiot. Sideways says Megatron risks giving Starscream the upper hand unless he deals with him now, but Megatron says he'll use the Star Saber to crush Starscream. Then Sideways goads Megatron with how he believes the latter feels stronger while wielding the Star Saber, as Starscream can't compete with the weapon. This claim makes Megatron snap at Sideways, declaring he doesn't need the Star Saber to beat Starscream and can quickly kill him with his bare hands. With Megatron's response, Sideways determines him to be an idiot.
*Compared to how bitter he is in ''Armada'' (as quoted above), Starscream is more reflective and sensitive during his talk with Demolishor in ''Legends of the Microns''; Starscream also periodically pauses speaking in the Japanese dub, whereas he talks almost nonstop in ''Armada''. He goes through the ship's historical records on the Mini-Cons for clues on why the Transformers keep fighting. He tells Demolishor that despite only knowing to fight since birth, they're just like the Autobots, who also fight without hesitating. Then Starscream says he and Demolishor wouldn't hesitate to battle Megatron if they were born as Autobots instead. Demolishor asks what Starscream is trying to say, and Starscream says Demolishor is probably right, but no one can do anything about it now.
*The Star Saber is redrawn in the scene of Megatron asleep outside with it. In the next scene with Starscream and Demolishor, the latter says Megatron crossed the line by attacking Starscream in ''Armada''. In ''Legends of the Microns'', he says the Decepticons' losing streak is getting the better of Megatron since he's now more irritable than ever.
*After Sideways gives Starscream the order from Megatron, Sideways says that Megatron said guarding the warp gate is a task befitting one who can only do exactly as he's told. It's the opposite in ''Armada'' since Sideways claims Starscream is the only one Megatron trusts with the job. Immediately after this exchange, Starscream thinks about how absurd the order is in ''Armada''. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Starscream has no internal dialogue, and he's redrawn. After he throws Demolishor aside, ''Armada'' has Starscream say he's fed up with his unjust treatment, while the assignment being stated for one who can only do exactly as he's told angers him in ''Legends of the Microns''.
*In the scene with Sideways in the throne room, Starscream surmises that Megatron is "waiting" for him outside. He doesn't come to that conclusion in ''Armada''; instead, he says, "He's mine!"
*In ''Armada'', Demolishor tells Cyclonus if they don't stop Starscream, the Decepticons can kiss their morale goodbye. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Demolishor says the group's unity is at stake instead.
*Sideways tells Cyclonus he told Starscream he wasn't ready to face Megatron, but Starscream wouldn't listen in ''Armada''. Sideways says he pities Starscream but doubts he will survive the fight in ''Legends of the Microns''.
*After decking Starscream with several blows, Megatron tells him to stand up since they're only getting started. After Megatron says the winner gets the Star Saber and command of the Decepticons, he says Starscream shouldn't blow his only chance to get such a grand prize in ''Armada''. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Megatron asks whether it's what Starscream always wanted or if he's already quit.
*Immediately afterward, in ''Armada'' (as quoted above), Megatron says he won't hold back and will make an example of Starscream to quell any future rebellion ideas. In ''Legends of the Microns'', Megatron tells Starscream he wouldn't believe him if he said he never considered being the leader. He asks if Starscream's ambition has ended and demands he not delude himself with "pitiful self-righteousness."
*Instead of saying everything will be ruined due to Megatron never planning to use the Star Saber against Starscream, Sideways says there must be another reason since "Megatron's not the type to do that."
*Megatron says Starscream will never beat him as long as the latter's pride holds back his ambition. In ''Armada'', Megatron says he is the winner since he understands Starscream's weaknesses of having a conscience and playing by the rules.
*Sideways says he now knows Megatron's weakness, but his naivety stopped him from killing Starscream. The following shots of Starscream lying defeated are silent.
*During the final scenes of the Decepticons and Autobots fighting, ''Armada'' plays its "insert" version of the Transformers [[theme song]], but ''Legends of the Microns'' plays "[[The Transformers Legends of the Microns: Sound of Evolution Vol. 1|Invincible Power]]".
*In ''Armada'', Sideways's closing narration ties into the subplot of the Decepticons' low morale and lack of unity. He notes their boosted resolve despite his failed plan to take down Megatron, enjoying how the team fights as one again; however, there's still no clear winner in sight between the two factions. In ''Legends of the Microns'', it connects to Sideways's subplot to balance the factions' power; it ends more ominously and feels less like a cliffhanger. Sideways says the strength between the Autobots and Decepticons suddenly became more balanced, and they're now one step closer to the day when their fight will lead to their destruction.
*In the last shot, Starscream's yelling stops when the screen goes black, and the final musical sting from the opening theme's trance version plays after Sideways finishes speaking in ''Armada''. Starscream's yell echoes as Sideways completes the narration in the Japanese dub, and Sideways's voice sounds disembodied.

===Animation and technical errors===
[[File:Rebellion animation changes.jpg|thumb|285px|Some animation differences between ''Armada'' (left) and ''Legends of the Microns'' (right). It's like night and day, right?]]
*The episode's animation shifts from high quality (particularly for close-ups and specific sequences) to average, mostly as Megatron defeats Starscream, going from a high-quality shot of Starscream slowly falling to the ground to a lower-quality shot of him landing (see right). Different lower-quality shots at the end of Megatron and Starscream's duel are redrawn to provide more consistent animation quality in the Japanese dub. Though several quick shots of the two seen in the Japanese cut of the fight are reused from the unfinished animation seen in the American cut.
*As Megatron turns away after this scene, his Decepticon symbols are missing from his shoulders, and he seriously lacks in-drawn detail. ''Legends of the Microns'' replaces Megatron's low-quality model with a redrawn one, complete with the symbols on his shoulders.
*The background doesn't match the previous shot during Sideways's close-up after the other Decepticons warp back to base.
*When Demolishor tells Megatron that Cyclonus has fallen asleep, Cyclonus doesn't have a face, but he's still heard snoring.
*As Megatron walks toward Starscream before brutalizing him, Megatron's walking animation stops after the first step, but the walking sound effect is still audible. ''Legends of the Microns'' reanimates Megatron as walking, but his arms are now stationary.
*When Starscream tries reasoning with Megatron that he followed his orders, parts of his body, like between his arms and the top of his chest, are heavily shadowed. The Japanese dub either removes the unnecessary shadows or lessens them; however, for some reason, ''Legends of the Microns'' removes the shadow above Starscream's eyes though it's present in ''Armada''.
*After trying to open the doors, Demolishor says Megatron "locked ''us'' in here" (referring to himself and Sideways) when really, Megatron locked himself and Starscream in the room. ''Legends of the Microns'' changes Demolishor's line to saying a key is needed to open the doors.
*After Starscream passes Demolishor and leaves the room, Demolishor's Decepticon insignia is a plain purple shape.
*In the next shot of Starscream from behind, he is a bit off-model, and some of the lightning on him is wrong. ''Legends of the Microns'' corrects this (see right).
*After Starscream flies off, the right side of Demolishor's face is colored yellow like his head.
*After the shot of Starscream raising his wing blade, the background resembles inside the base, although he's outside.
*In the wide shot of Sideways and Starscream talking, Sideways's sides are blue rather than yellow.
*When Sideways tells Starscream that Megatron is afraid of him, Starscream doesn't move, and he looks shocked throughout the shot.
*Starscream lacks the shadow above his eyes in some shots.
*In another shot during the same scene, the Decepticons insignias on Starscream's wings have circles around them.
*When Starscream responds to Sideways in the corridor after Sideways says Megatron only depends on Starscream to carry out his order, Starscream's body moves, but his shoulder thrusters don't.
*In the scene of Starscream and Demolishor fighting in the corridor, they are both off-model, and Sideways has vanished. ''Legends of the Microns'' adds Sideways back into the scene; Starscream and Demolishor are entirely redrawn, and the background is slightly shifted to the right (see right).
*In two shots where Demolishor and Cyclonus watch Megatron and Starscream fight in the distance, the top of Megatron's body just below his neck is miscolored red.
*In the close-ups of Demolishor after Cyclonus drops him, his left eye's lighting effect is miscolored black.
*During the last scene, there's an awkward silence after Megatron speaks to Demolishor. The Japanese dub removes it as Megatron doesn't immediately say his line after the scene cuts. Also, Megatron commands Demolishor to look ''after'' the Mini-Cons. In ''Legends of the Microns'', his command is for Demolishor to ''find'' the Mini-Con panel.

===Continuity notes===
*The opening scene where Sideways gazes up at a dark, starless region of space is a clue to his [[Unicron|true allegiance]], which the [[Chase (episode)|following episode]] reveals.
*Sideways's log also reveals that the Cybertronian date in this episode is "Astrodate Nimbus 3391," and his ID code is "002348".
*This episode is the first to mention the Requiem Blaster (though by its Japanese name, as explained below).
*According to the ''[[Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003]]'', Sideways's goal is to destroy both factions.
*Since the Autobots gained a fair chunk of the Decepticons' Mini-Cons in the [[Vow|last episode]], the Decepticons appear to be losing every recent battle, something that Megatron is very displeased with, and takes his frustrations out on Starscream.
*The ''Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003'' calls this episode the second in the "Starscream saga."
*Starscream's loyalty to the Decepticon cause starts wavering more in this episode.
*Demolishor is once again left to fix the Decepticon team alone.
*According to Starscream in the English dub, the Transformers war has been going on for over 10 million years.
*This episode is the only one in the series without any humans and barely any Autobots.
*The part about Starscream wondering why the Transformers fight comes up again in the Japanese version of "[[Sacrifice]]."
*This episode has the show's first fight between Starscream and Megatron, although Sideways caused it through his manipulations.
*During their fight, the Japanese dub has Megatron scold Starscream for lacking ambition; Megatron brings up Starscream's ambition again in "[[Cramp]]."
*The ''Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003'' states the main difference between Megatron and Starscream becomes clear in this episode, arguably that Starscream is more "human" than Megatron, which will lead to fascinating developments for Starscream in the future.
*Gadgets and powers:
**Sideways's arm cannons aren't attached in this episode. Given that he isn't participating in any battles, he seems to have removed them. The toy's arm cannons are pressure-fire missiles and are easily removable.
**Cyclonus is seen carrying Demolishor in vehicle mode, a practice he repeats in ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Energon]]''.
*Powerlinx forms:
**Blurr Powerlinx with the Skyboom Shield for the first time.

===Continuity errors===
*Sideways says the Autobots possess the Star Saber, Skyboom Shield, and Astro Blaster (the Requiem Blaster's Japanese name) in his opening log entry. However, the Decepticons still have the sword, the Autobots have the shield, while the show won't introduce the Requiem Blaster until "[[Desperate]]." He also says the Decepticons don't have the necessary organization to keep the weapons in their possession, but they never had all the weapons in the first place. ''Legends of the Microns'' fixes these glaring errors with Sideways saying the Autobots will soon possess all three weapons and therefore become too strong, removing the mention of the Decepticons ever having the weapons beforehand.
*Sideways somehow knows that Megatron is planning to exterminate Starscream, but how could he have possibly heard Megatron say that? The Japanese dub instead has Sideways calling Megatron a hypocrite who takes his losses out on his men.
*The background changes between the scenes of Starscream flying off and Sideways talking to Demolishor. ''Legends of the Microns'' switches it in Starscream's shot to match that of Sideways and Demolishor; however, the background of the ''Armada'' version of Starscream's scene is the correct one in this case (see above).
*Starscream claims Demolishor has beef with Megatron and that he should get over it, but it's more like Starscream's talking about himself. The Japanese dub doesn't have this issue since the point of their talk is entirely different.
*After this, Demolishor grumbles about everyone going "loopy" after losing the previous battle, despite the Decepticons already noted as suffering their third loss in a row at the episode's start. ''Legends of the Microns'' corrects this as Demolishor mentions the recent ''string'' of losses making everyone go crazy...at least, everyone except Cyclonus.
*Megatron refers to the Transformers as "Cybertronians," a term for their race that isn't used very often through most ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' fiction.

===Real-world references===
*Sideways's log entry sequence is based on the ''[[Star Trek]]'' characters' logs that provide exposition for the ongoing plot.
*Megatron's line that incompetent morons surround him is a version of Scar's "I'm surrounded by idiots" line from ''The Lion King''.
*Before he starts pounding Starscream, Megatron says, "You're terminated." It's an apparent reference to ''The Terminator''; even the music that plays during Starscream's second Megatron apparition sounds like a dead ringer for the Terminator theme.

===Trivia===
*The kanji 謀反 would be pronounced as "''muhon''" or "''bouhan''," while "''kakugo''" uses 覚悟.
*"Rebellion" first aired in the United States on [[January 28]], [[2003]].
*Cyclonus is briefly shown [[humanization|drooling]] after he falls asleep.
*Few other ''Transformers'' episodes focus exclusively on the Decepticons, with some Autobots only having brief appearances at the end.
*This episode marks the first time in the series that a Transformer gives the opening and ending narrations instead of one of the kids, a given since this is a human-less episode.
*Surprisingly, this episode's English dub doesn't spam the transformation sound effect and only uses it once after Cyclonus drops off Demolishor. ''Legends of the Microns'' doesn't use it at all here. This episode's ''Armada'' dub doesn't have any drastic musical changes except the last scene with the Autobots.
*Starscream's discussion with Demolishor in the Japanese dub about wanting answers for why the Transformers keep fighting later becomes a lyric in the second opening song, "[[Transformers: Kōtetsu no Yūki]]."
*The ''Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003'' claims that Megatron can never win regardless of whether or not Starscream is stronger than him. Interesting.
**It even calls Megatron "an attractive killer"; well, let's face it, there's no disputing the guy has some charisma.
*The ''Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003'' reveals that [[Yūjin Ishikawa]] wanted to try a new take on Starscream's betrayal and Optimus Prime's death in the series. He felt a Starscream who doesn't betray wouldn't please Transformers fans, so there are glimpses of him backstabbing Megatron for his self-interests in "[[Soldier (episode)|Soldier]]" and "[[Jungle]]," similar to past Starscreams. However, Starscream slowly grows and evolves, like Hot Shot; the producers' treatment of Starscream changed after realizing he'd be the only Decepticon with character development.

===Foreign localization===
'''Hungarian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Lázadás'''" ("Rebellion")

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Rebelia'''" ("Rebellion")

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Rébellion'''" ("Rebellion")

'''Korean'''
:*''Title:'' "'''스크림의 반란'''" ("Scream's Rebellion")

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Rebelião'''" ("Rebellion")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2003 — ''Transformers: Legends of the Microns'' — Volume 6 ([[Columbia Music Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''Transformers: Armada'' — Season One: Part One ([[Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Armada'' — Volume One ([[New KSM]]) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Armada'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Armada episodes]]

Starscream the Mysterious Mercenary

2024-02-03T12:23:07Z

0TheLegend0: /* Differences with Super Link */

{{episode|
|series=Energon
|ep=8
|prev=Megatron Raid
|next=Battle of the Asteroid Belt
|title="Starscream the Mysterious Mercenary"
|japanese=謎の暗殺者ナイトスクリーム
|romaji=Nazo no Ansatsusha Nightscream
|translation=Nightscream the Mysterious Assassin
|image=E8_titlecard.jpg
|caption=Why are mercenaries always mysterious, eh?
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]]
|writer=[[Shōji Tonoike]]
|director=[[Mitsuru Kawasaki]]
|animation studio=[[Actas Inc.|Actas]], [[Studio A-CAT]] (3D)
|airdate=[[February 27|27 February]] [[2004]] (Japanese) [[April 9]], 2004 (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy]]
}}

'''The ghostly Starscream stalks Optimus Prime, culminating in a battle on the Moon.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Energon-Alpha-Q-Resurrects-Starscream.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|left|Let's resurrect Starscream; that's always a good idea.]]

[[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] and [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] watch as [[Kicker Jones|Kicker]] restlessly rides around [[Ocean City]]. He finally realizes that someone or something is coming. [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s voice wanders down corridors, searching for his victim, [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Ironhide and Kicker both suspect something, but find no one. Worried for Optimus's safety, they head for Headquarters Central Ops. [[Signal Flare (Energon)|Signal Flare]] and [[Skyblast (Energon)|Skyblast]] also sense something, but dismiss it.

Aboard [[Unicron]]'s head, [[Alpha Quintesson|Alpha Q]] speaks to his new creation, Starscream—a warrior without physical form, who cannot be harmed. They ran out of [[energon]] while re-creating him, leaving him incomplete. They send him to destroy Optimus Prime, who's hoarding all the energon.

Kicker senses Starscream and orders Ironhide to open fire, even though it seems like he's shooting at empty air. Starscream takes a shot at Optimus in the control center, misses, and retreats in the face of Ironhide's barrage of laser fire. The [[Autobot]]s meet with Prime and voice their concerns, but Optimus Prime says he doesn't need a bodyguard. Kicker isn't happy about this.

Outside the city, Kicker and Ironhide receive orders from [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] to secretly tail Optimus around the city. Prime's already aware of it, and orders Hot Shot to get back to work, over his protests. Optimus Prime remembers the mysterious entity that attacked him recently, and stops. He shouts a challenge to whoever it is that wants to take him on. Kicker, watching, senses the attacker and shouts a warning. Starscream attacks from the sky. The others arrive, only to find empty air. Prime leads his attacker away, intending to find out who it is.

[[File:Energon-Kicker-Ironhide-Spy-Optimus.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod, there he is!]]

The other Autobots are baffled by Prime's disappearance, when a [[space bridge]] appears above them. Optimus Prime drives into it, followed by Starscream. Though delayed by Starscream, Kicker, [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] and Ironhide follow, heading for [[Lunar City]] on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]].

The pair meet with Lunar City's crew, who haven't seen a trace of Prime. Jetfire finds out that Optimus Prime has turned off his communicator—he wants to deal with this alone.

A horde of [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]]s approaches the Moon. Cyclonus wonders how the Autobots figured out Optimus is on the moon. Megatron orders him to find Optimus and "that mindless menace" before the Autobots do. Within Unicron's body, [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] gives [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] a hard time over his recent defection.

[[File:Energon-Blaster-1st-Appearance.jpg‎|upright=1.3|thumb|left|''Super Link'' and ''Energon'' give two different explanations for this image. Neither of them make any sense.]]

Hot Shot observes the incoming Terrorcons and requests [[energon star]]s from the [[Omnicon]]s.

In an empty crater, Optimus Prime shouts another challenge at his invisible attacker, who responds dismissively. Hot Shot and Skyblast arrive to help out Prime. Prime manages to get a few hits in on Starscream, who tells him he's doing this to revive Unicron. Skyblast powers up the Autobots with energon stars and [[Energon Sword]]s, which Kicker finds rather heavy compared to the [[Energon Saber]].

Prime is rather irate at Starscream's plan to revive Unicron. Megatron finds Prime just as Starscream blasts him. As the invisible soldier drifts away, Megatron shouts angrily at him to identify himself. Kicker finds Prime down and inoperative, and completely freaks out. Skyblast revives him with a series of energon stars. Megatron breaks off pursuing Starscream and heads back to Prime's crater. Prime materializes the "[[Energon Blaster]]" and wonders why he's been granted it. The blaster holds Megatron off and sends him flying away.

Kicker is bummed about Lunar City getting trashed again, just as it was rebuilt. Optimus Prime tells him that lives are more important than cities, and to leave the worrying to him. Kicker says he'll always be there for backup.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|c1=
*[[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] (1)
*[[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] (2)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (3)
*[[Skyblast (Energon)|Skyblast]] (7)
*[[Signal Flare (Energon)|Signal Flare]] (8)
*[[Strongarm (Energon)|Strongarm]] (9)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (11)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (12)
*[[Prime Force]] (21)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (6)
*[[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]] (15)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (16)
*[[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] (17)
*[[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (18)
*[[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] (19)

|c3=
*[[Kicker Jones]] (4)

|c4=
*[[High Wire (Armada)|High Wire]] (5)
*[[Alpha Quintesson|Alpha Q]] (10)
*[[Battle Ravage]]s (13)
*[[Divebomb (Energon)|Divebomb]]s (14)
*[[Energon Saber]] (20)
}}

==Quotes==
"Aw, Megatron, trying to find Optimus is a total waste of time!" 
"Scorponok will ''pay'' for this."
:—'''Cyclonus''' and '''Megatron''' aren't making any sense at all.

"Terrorcons. They're in attack mode again. We'd better beef up our defenses."
:—Neither is '''Hot Shot'''.

"Forgive me, men, but let me have a moment while my hard drive optimizes."
:—Neither is '''Optimus Prime''', as he prepares to fire the Energon Blaster.

"I get the impression that Megatron has doubts about your loyalty, Demolishor." 
"He ordered me to stand guard. And that's exactly what I'm doing, Scorponok." 
"Up until yesterday, you were standing guard for the Autobots. That in itself would cast doubt upon you." 
"Come on, you can't be serious!" 
"Relax, I was just having some ''fun'' with you. Now let's try to get along, Demolishor; that would be the mature thing to do." 
"Why don't you go and leave me alone."
:—'''Scorponok''' picks on '''Demolishor'''.

"What's this? Hot Shot's blaster — but why is he giving it to me?"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' is confused by the confusing confusion.
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Super Link''===
[[File:Mysteriousmercenary comparisons.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|It's amazing how easy buildings and laser fire are misplaced without anyone noticing.]]
*Upon hearing Starscream's disembodied voice, Ironhide wonders if Demolishor has returned, but the ''Energon'' dub warps it into him thinking that Demolishor is playing a joke on him (making it sound like he never left).
*The Decepticons arrive on the moon because Scorponok has told them that Optimus Prime is there, leading Cyclonus to wonder how he knows (the answer being that Alpha Q told Scorponok, since he knows that Starscream has lured him there). In ''Energon'', however, the line is screwed up into him wondering how the ''Autobots'' have located the missing Optimus Prime, making it sound as if the Decepticons were responsible for his disappearance, and erasing the actual explanation for their presence. However, ''Energon'' does accurately preserve the scene in which Megatron blames Scorponok for his inability to find Optimus, which consequently makes no sense within the English version of the episode.
*A silly little error occurs when Prime launches the [[Prime Force]] by uttering the command "Super Mode!" In ''Super Link'', he barked "Grand Force!" (the Japanese name for the drones), which the translators obviously mis-heard as "Grand ''Cross''" (Prime's Japanese super mode combination phrase), and so it got replaced with its normal English equivalent.
*The ''Energon'' version of this episode features some unfinished animation that was later completed for ''Super Link''. Although it is mostly minor stuff (a different background layout here, a close-up not zooming in as far there, a missing laser blast or two, see screenshots), one brief segment is fully missing—when Kicker asks Ironhide for the Energon Saber, Ironhide simply tosses it to him without argument, and Kicker hops up on top of it. The complete absence of this bit of animation in ''Energon'' (replaced second-for-second with a still frame of Kicker and Ironhide looking at each other) results in some nonsense being inserted into the script which sees Ironhide pout about giving up the sword. This is made even more nonsensical by Kicker's exasperated cry of "Never mind, I'll make do with this one"... as he flies off ''on the Energon Saber.'' ''Sigh.''
*After Optimus gets shot, Megatron turns around to see who is responsible and recognizes Starscream immediately when he sees him in ''Super Link''. He doesn't recognize Starscream at all in ''Energon''.
*In one of the most notable instances of ''Energon'' just plain screwing something up in the most obvious way, Optimus Prime refers to the [[Energon Blaster]] emerging from his chest as "Hot Shot's blaster," which is obviously incorrect as the weapon in question was released in the ''Energon'' toyline as the "Optimus Prime Energon Blaster." In ''Super Link'', this weapon is referred to as the "Matrix Blaster," a token from the previous commanders. This is the only reference to the [[Matrix of Leadership]] in either ''Super Link'' or ''Energon''.

===Pain count===
*"Uh?": 15
*"We need/they want energon": 2
*"It's time to": 2
*"We've gotta": 4
*"Let's do it": 1
*"You can't be serious!": 2

===Animation and technical errors===
*Starscream apparently bashes Jetfire away from the space bridge, but at no point are they shown in the same frame together — Starscream swings his arm at nothing, and a second later Jetfire bounces away from nothing.
*The animation of Ironhide and Jetfire's space bridge arrival on the moon is ''hilariously'' bad.
*When Optimus Prime deploys Copter-2 in super mode, his normal mode's lower left arm assembly is missing (it's cut off at the elbow hinge).
*When we first see the Decepticons, they're flying directly above Tidal Wave (though it's not exactly clear from the animation that it's him). A second later, the moon's surface is directly below Cyclonus instead.
*Megatron's final insult toward Starscream is a bit mis-timed, since he turns around and starts flying towards Prime before he's more than a word or two into the sentence.
*The Energon Blaster is not actually shown firing at Megatron; Megatron simply flies into a beam of red energy.

===Continuity notes===
*Alpha Q promises to complete Starscream's new body when they finish stealing all of the energon they need. This would've likely brought his memories of [[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|his past life]] back. Unfortunately, this never happens. You could've had something good going here, ''Energon''.
*Gadgets and powers:
**Starscream uses his rifle. Oddly, one scene depicts his rifle as being both weapons combined in their sword configuration (see the image at the top of this page).
**Starscream fires lasers from his wing cannons in jet mode.
**Ironhide [[Powerlinx]] with the Energon Saber.
**Skyblast has all of his [[energon weapon]]s attached in vehicle mode. He even fires lasers from the cannon.
**Jetfire uses Skyblast's Energy Spear.
**Powerlinx Jetfire uses his rifle.
**Optimus Prime uses his [[Energon Blaster]].
*Powerlinx forms:
**Energon Saber
**Optimus Prime [[Super Mode]]
**Powerlinx Jetfire with Ironhide (first use)

===Continuity errors===
*During the flashback scene where Starscream is reactivated and Alpha Q gives him his mission to assassinate Optimus, Alpha Q calls him "Optimus". Starscream, despite being amnesiac, somehow knows his full name is "Optimus Prime".
*How does Copter-2 fly in the moon's vacuum?
*When Skyblast throws the sword he's holding to Kicker, Kicker struggles to hold it, despite being on the moon, where its weight should be less of an issue.
*When Kicker requests the Energon Saber, Ironhide says he "Just got it", despite the fact he is holding it in the everyone-stands-still-and-fires-blindly-at-Terrorcons scene just a bit before that.
*Optimus being the commander apparently doesn't oblige anyone to actually listen to him.
*Optimus calls out "Super Mode" as he disengages the Prime Force.

===Trivia===
*This episode is a prime example of the general sloppiness that typifies the series. A lot of the dialog makes no sense at all, or doesn't correspond to the visuals. The scene editing jumps around rather randomly as well.
*Paramount's home video releases list the title as "StarScream, the Mysterious Mercenary"; note that the name is in camel case and a comma is added.
*Demolishor isn't voiced by [[Alvin Sanders]] this episode and is replaced with another voice actor. This won't be the last time this happens in ''Energon''.
*Everyone is ''supposed'' to be secretly spying on Optimus to protect him from Starscream. Hilariously, Optimus already knows they're watching.
*When Hot Shot speaks to Kicker through his communicator, Ironhide's cannons twitch randomly. They even have mechanical sound effects inserted!
*Jetfire's rifle is colored red, much like his toy, instead of the gray it had been depicted in over the last few episodes.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2005 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — Volume 2: The Return of Megatron ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2005 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — Volume 2: The Return of Megatron (Paramount)
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2004 — ''Transformer: Super Link'' — Volume 002 ([[Interchannel]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2004 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — Volume 2: The Return of Megatron (Paramount) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2005 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — Volume 2: The Return of Megatron (Paramount) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2005 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — Volume 2: The Return of Megatron (Paramount) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — The Ultimate Collection (Paramount) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Energon'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Energon episodes]]

Crack (episode)

2024-02-03T12:14:02Z

0TheLegend0: /* Continuity errors */ Rad says 素直じゃないな which means "You're not being honest." So this is not an issue in the Japanese dub.

{{disambig3|Crack}}
{{episode|
|series=Armada
|ep=37
|prev=Mars (episode)
|next=Threaten
|title="Crack"
|furigana=ぷらいど
|japanese=決意
|romaji=Pride
|translation=Decision: Pride
|image=Chamois WHY.jpg
|caption=Is whack.
|production code=TF: A-37
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], [[Nihon Ad Systems|NAS]]
|writer=[[Isao Shizuya]]
|director=[[Shigenori Awai]]
|animation studio=[[Actas Inc.]]
|airdate=[[May 10]], [[2003]] (English) [[September 19|19 September]] [[2003]] (Japanese)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy continuity family|Unicron Trilogy]]
}}
'''Starscream must choose between the human friends he has made among the Autobots and his hunger to destroy Megatron. Betrayal and conspiracy are so addictive.'''

==Synopsis==
In a secret meeting, [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] and [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] plot how to get the [[Mini-Con]] weapons away from the [[Autobot]]s. It's all very ominous.

On [[Earth]], [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] finds he doesn't feel very motivated to help the Autobots build their [[Axalon (Armada)|stupid spaceship]]. He feels it's a waste of time when they could be off killing [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] instead of worrying about Mini-Cons. [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] explains to [[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]], who is exasperated with Starscream's apathy, that the Autobots should take this chance to try and understand what makes Autobots and Decepticons different, and learn how to work together. After all, the inability to make such a rapport is why the two factions are still fighting.

[[File:Crack Starscream confused.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"Do they really like me?" If they're fangirls.]]
Starscream, meanwhile, is quite shocked to find the human kids throwing him a surprise party; it was [[Alexis Thi Dang|Alexis]]'s idea to thank him for the [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] rock he previously gave them. The kids present him with a crudely stitched but brightly colorful [[Chamois of Friendship|chamois]], which they have made for him themselves and claim is for cleaning the [[Star Saber (Armada)|Star Saber]]. Starscream explains that he has never received a present before, so he doesn't know how to react. When [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] arrives to assign Starscream to monitor duty, Starscream figures that if he slacks off, someone else will do it; Alexis has to explain the notion of teamwork to him. Starscream storms off after her abortive lecture, claiming that he needs some quiet.

As with most of what Starscream says and does, this is total bluster, and he does end up doing his monitor duty as assigned. When a bizarre signal appears on the screens, he goes out to investigate its source. He finds Thrust, who tries to talk Starscream into rejoining the [[Decepticon]]s so that the two of them can work against Megatron from the inside. [[Fred (Armada)|Fred]] and [[Billy (Armada)|Billy]] happen by just in time to hear Thrust mention that if Megatron might welcome Starscream back if he were to bring the [[Skyboom (Armada)|Skyboom]] Shield.

Back at the Autobot base, Starscream watches the [[Race Mini-Con Team]]—the Mini-Cons who combine to form the shield—and broods.

[[File:Crack Hot Shot head.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Starscream is so dreamy, he's like, a dreamboat. Err, plane.]]
Fred and Billy tell the Autobots about Thrust's appearance and how Starscream chased him away. Jetfire makes a crack about how Fred shouldn't consider Starscream a hero, which is, of course, the moment when Starscream walks in on the conversation. All share an awkward moment. [[Smokescreen (Armada)|Smokescreen]] arrives shortly after that, reporting that the Race Team has disappeared. Billy and Fred remember that Thrust wanted them, which leads the Autobots—especially Smokescreen—to accuse Starscream of stealing them. Hot Shot tries to give Starscream a chance to explain himself, but the former Decepticon doesn't bother defending himself. Since the Autobots have already made up their minds that he is a traitor, he believes that trying to get along with them is a failed experiment.

A Decepticon attack interrupts the tense situation, drawing the Autobots out to fight. While his erstwhile comrades face the main Decepticon force, Starscream seeks out Thrust alone high in the clouds. Brandishing the Star Saber and his chamois, Starscream rebuffs Thrust's offer, claiming he would rather stay with robots he can trust. Thrust is still bent on convincing Starscream to work with him against Megatron.

Hot Shot, whom [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] chased into a forest, runs into Alexis, [[Carlos Lopez|Carlos]], [[Rad White|Rad]], and the Race Mini-Con Team. Hot Shot learns that the kids only took the Mini-Cons for a walk without notifying anyone first. He realizes he was wrong to accuse Starscream and asks the Mini-Cons to help.

[[File:Crack Skyboom theft.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Another "Yoink" moment, brought to you by Photoshop.]]
Meanwhile, Starscream is at a loss to explain to himself why he won't just kill Thrust and be done with the whole sorry affair. Thrust opines that working alongside the Autobots has caused him to go soft and forget his heritage.

Smokescreen tosses the Skyboom Shield to Optimus Prime on the ground, but Starscream intercepts it. Wielding both it and the Star Saber, Starscream rushes to meet with Thrust, letting the chamois fall back to Earth behind him. He momentarily wonders if he's doing the right thing but knows that he must go to any length to bring Megatron down. He knows that he will never forget the human kids, and in his heart, he thanks them.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (3)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (4)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Hot Shot]] (5)
*[[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]] (6)
*[[Side Swipe (Armada)|Side Swipe]] (7)
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (8)
*[[Smokescreen (Armada)|Smokescreen]] (9)
*[[Blurr (Armada)|Blurr]] (10)
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (11)

|c2=
*[[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] (1)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] (24)
*[[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]] (25)
*[[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]] (26)
*[[Wheeljack (Armada)|Wheeljack]] (27)

|c3=
*[[Rad White]] (16)
*[[Alexis Thi Dang|Alexis]] (17)
*[[Carlos Lopez]] (18)
*[[Fred (Armada)|Fred]] (19)
*[[Billy (Armada)|Billy]] (20)

|h4=[[Mini-Con]]s|c4=
*[[Sonar (Armada)|Sonar]] (13)
*[[Runway (Armada)|Runway]] (14)
*[[Jetstorm (Armada)|Jetstorm]] (15)
*[[Dirt Boss (Armada)|Dirt Boss]] (21)
*[[Downshift (Armada)|Downshift]] (22)
*[[Mirage (Armada)|Mirage]] (23)
*[[Incinerator (Armada)|Incinerator]] (28)

|c5=
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (2)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Red Alert:''' "Hey, enough chit-chat ladies, we got a job to do." 
'''Hot Shot:''' "Ah—sorry, Red Alert, but what about Starscream?" 
'''Blurr, the jerk:''' "You mean Star-traitor, don't you?"

"Why ''now''? Why...am I doubting myself?"
:—'''Starscream''' broods while training.

'''Fred:''' "Guys! We just saw a cone-headed Decepticon!" 
'''Blurr:''' "You mean Thrust?" 
'''Billy:''' "He was just outside our base." 
'''Hot Shot:''' "What are we waiting for? C'mon, let's go get him!" 
'''Side Swipe:''' "Yeah, baby!" 
'''Fred:''' "Hang on a sec, Hot Shot. Starscream chased the creep away, already! ''Starscream is my hero''." 
'''Hot Shot:''' "You are one twisted kid."

"Get on 'em, Tidal Wave!" 
"Your wish is my command."
:—'''Demolishor''' gives the orders and '''Tidal Wave''' does his best genie impression.

"Have you made your decision?" 
"I have, Thrust. I think I'll stay put here with bots I can trust."
:—'''Starscream''' answers '''Thrust''''s offer with a strange assertion, given the Autobots had earlier accused him of theft.

''Hot Shot shoots Tidal Wave in the eye with his axle-zooka'' 
"All right! That's a bullseye—literally!"
:—'''Hot Shot''' being Hot Shot.
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Legends of the Microns''===
*As Optimus and Hot Shot discuss Starscream, Optimus states Starscream changing sides is a major step towards peace between the Autobots and Decepticons, which is why he accepted him. ''Armada'' changes this to just having Prime suggest they ought to know their differences and then come to a mutual agreement. ''Armada'' also gives Optimus an extra line, saying to return to work, whereas the rest of the scene in ''Legends of the Microns'' is silent.
*Unlike ''Armada'', Fred says that the kids didn't make a cake. Then the shot of Starscream taking the chamois is redrawn to show Alexis's arm before it leaves the frame, and the fabric now drapes more realistically.
*Starscream is silent after Alexis explains his gift's purpose. As the boys describe how they made it, Fred goes off-topic and mentions the cake in ''Armada'' but says making the chamois took a lot of work in ''Legends of the Microns''.
*Starscream is silent in the Japanese dub when he notes the colorful fabric in ''Armada''. ''Armada'' has Starscream saying thank you twice, but the Japanese dub has him say it as "Thank... you...?"
*Fred asks Starscream if there were any "octopus-shaped aliens" on Mars, for which Billy calls Fred an idiot and says there's nothing like that there, and Starscream affirms it.
*Starscream's reason for leaving the kids is to get some "peace and quiet" in ''Armada'', but he says, "I can't stand annoying pests..." in ''Legends of the Microns''. Then ''Armada'' adds Billy's subsequent line.
*Starscream groans about all the teamwork talk making him soft in ''Armada'', but in ''Legends of the Microns'', he says the kids almost made him forget about his anger toward Megatron.
*As he ponders his self-doubt, Starscream says, "Even now...Why do I still hesitate? I...Those kids...for my sake." ''Legends of the Microns'' mutes the kids' laughing as Starscream thinks about them.
*After swiping the Skyboom Shield, Starscream asks forgiveness for his decision in the Japanese dub. He's unsure if he's making the right choice in ''Armada''.
*Starscream swears to crush Megatron personally in ''Armada'' but reflects that taking Megatron down is currently his sole reason for living. Then instead of Starscream thanking the kids and saying he'll never forget them aloud, ''Legends of the Microns'' turns it into an internal monologue where Alexis is the only one of the kids he names.
*The Japanese dub has Hot Shot ask "Why?" twice before shouting, "WHY? STARSCREAM!"

===Animation and technical errors===
*Starscream's wings vanish when he walks away from the rest of the Autobots. ''Legends of the Microns'' adds them back.
*When Starscream and Thrust meet, Starscream makes hand motions like he's drawing his sword and using it, but nothing's in his hand. He's holding his sword a few shots later.
*During Thrust and Starscream's meeting in the woods, after Thrust disappears and reappears, he is layered behind the treeline, making him enormous.
*After meeting Thrust, Starscream lets out his frustrations by practicing his swordplay. During a close-up of the tip of his blade, it's incorrectly drawn as the distinctive Runway-shaped tip of the Star Saber.
*Smokescreen is still called by his old name in his new "Hoist" body, likely since the character was still referred to as "Grap" (his Japanese name) on both bodies in the original Japanese scripts.
*Demolishor's purple Decepticon lasers that he fires at Jetfire become red Autobot lasers as they fly towards the Autobot.
*The kids look very off-model in their last shot, noticeably lacking noses. ''Legends of the Microns'' redraws them with more accurate models.

===Continuity notes===
*As stated above, the episode's Japanese version has Optimus explaining to Hot Shot that he accepted Starscream because it's a major step for achieving peace between the two factions. ''Armada'' doesn't mention this and instead has the reason being that he "didn't have a choice at the time," as Scavenger explains in "[[Remorse]]."
*Gadgets and powers:
**Smokescreen uses his new arm like a catapult to launch the Skyboom Shield.

===Continuity errors===
*Rad's line response to Starscream leaving the party, "What's his problem? He sure is self-centered!" doesn't appear to jibe with the animation of him and Carlos smiling happily. This issue doesn't exist in the Japanese dub.
*Starscream claiming to leave the kids for some "peace and quiet" doesn't work with the next scene, which shows him dutifully following Jetfire's order of performing monitor duty.
*Upon arriving in the forest, Starscream says that someone's watching, but how could he have possibly known? It's a non-issue in ''Legends of the Microns'' since he asks what's this about instead.
*Hot Shot instructs the kids to [[Powerlinx]] with the Skyboom Shield.
*After Starscream punches him in the face, Thrust falls over and lands with a thud. It's usually impossible to land on a cloud and generally impossible to make a "thud" with them.
*After Starscream appears with the Star Saber and Skyboom Shield, Thrust is angry with him when he should be ecstatic to have all three Mini-Con weapons finally if anything. The Japanese dub fixes it by having Thrust say he's glad that Starscream finally made his choice.
*Given what happens with him in ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Transformers: Energon]]'', Starscream saying that he'll never forget the kids is sadly ironic.

===Real-world references===
*The line "You can't handle the truth!" is a famous quote from the movie, ''{{w|A Few Good Men}}''. Moments after delivering the line, Starscream isn't wearing a necktie.

===Transformers references===
*Fred calls Thrust a "cone-headed Decepticon", a possible reference to the [[Conehead|fan term]] for the Generation 1 jets [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] and of course, [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]].

===Trivia===
*Starscream calls Thrust a "pathetic snake," which is an amusing coincidence as Thrust's voice actor, [[Colin Murdoch]], previously played the cobra-headed [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] on ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''.
*After Billy and Fred tell the Autobots that Starscream "drove off" Thrust, voice actor [[Brian Drummond]] delivers Blurr's appreciative line in a rather hostile, accusatory tone. Then again, Blurr is a bit of a jerk.
*As this episode's main focus is on Starscream's angst and eventual betrayal, the battle between the Autobots and the other Decepticons is left unresolved.
*The Japanese dub reveals that the kids made the chamois from Rad's mom's sheets.

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Falscher Verdacht'''" ("Wrong Suspicion")
:*''Original airdate:'' This episode was never shown on TV but was dubbed in 2003. The dub premiered in 2009 with the German DVD release of the show.

'''Hungarian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Árulás'''" ("Treachery")
:** Confusingly, that's the same title the episode "[[Credulous]]" was given.

'''Korean'''
:*''Title:'' "'''스크림의 선택 1부'''" ("Scream's Choice Part 1")

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Ruptura'''" ("Rupture")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2004 — ''Transformers: Legends of the Microns'' — Volume 10 ([[Columbia Music Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Transformers: Armada'' — Season One: Part Two ([[Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Armada'' — Volume Two ([[New KSM]]) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Armada'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Armada episodes]]

Talk:Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline

2024-01-29T17:07:18Z

0TheLegend0:

I assume this page will also (eventually) reference [[Linkage (comic)|Linkage]] and the Fan Club comic? --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 20:11, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

:That seems reasonable. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 20:49, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

::Linkage is briefly covered in the midst of the "2010" events. And conflabbit, I meant to include the Fan Club comic, but then Lost came on and I forgot about it in the rush to get it up and watch the TV. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 22:01, 1 June 2008 (UTC)
::::Also, the two Fan Club text stories that take place during and after Cybertron, come to think of it... --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 03:32, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

I've got at least 1 US source stating 2010 on Armada, worth including?

And 2013? Really? That makes absolutely no sense. Kicker has aged more than 3 years from his flashbacks that occur after Armada! *stamps foot* Goddamnit Japan! -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 21:09, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

::Well, no, the point is that in both America and Japan, both series are separated by ten years. 2013 is just the date that you get (and the date the timeline on the Takara website shows) if Armada takes place in 2003 (which the website also states). But in America, it takes place in 2010. What source do you have on that, by the way? I KNOW I read it in several places way back when, but I'll be buggered if I can remember ANY of them at this point. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 22:01, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

:::Armada sticker book says it explicitly IIRC. It was the mass-market (episode, comic, book...) source we had confirming any date for Armada. (I guess now we know why Rad was paranoid about the Russians, it seemed so silly back in 2003...)
:::Ahd er- I missed that Armada had a different date in Japan, silly me. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 22:07, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

== Rodimus's exodus timeline? ==

If Rodimus left Cybertron 8000 years ago, and Unicron disguised himself as Cybertron's moon 10 MYA... when exactly did Rodimus fail to come to the rescue of Alpha Q's planet, whose destruction put the attacking Unicron to sleep?

Also, where is the 8000 year date from? -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 22:57, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

:The 8000 date, like all the pre-2010 dates, comes from the [http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/table.html timeline] on the Takara site. But, again, you wanna read a bit more carefully there, Derik - Unicron's attack on Planet Q comes between Armada and Energon. That was something that a lot of people theorized about at the time (m'self included), because the chronology really didn't seem to line up, and then this website timeline came along and went "Hey, you guys were right, this actually ''didn't'' make any sense before, so the way you said it happened is right now." - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 23:04, 1 June 2008 (UTC)
:: I sewear I remember the "8000 years ago" date for Rodimus's departure being in the cartoon itself. --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] 01:14, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
:::Supalrink or Energon? I'm only up to ep 27 of energon, it might be restated later. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 01:34, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
::::Energon. My memory may be faulty, but I could have sworn I heard the 8000 number .... *checks Wiki* Ah, there it is! [[The Legend of Rodimus]]. Except it was said to be "8000 eons" rather than years. --[[User:KilMichaelMcC|KilMichaelMcC]] 01:47, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
:::::Did it say years in Japan? because I'm uncomfortable with it sitting at 8000 if not. (the events it referred to always seemed ''so'' much further back in time than that-- [http://www.emopanda.com/tmp/ep22_omnicon_origins.mov there was ''another Megatron'' that left with him!]) -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 02:38, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
::::::<nowiki>*finishes download of superlink episodes 11 & 22*</nowiki>
::::::Okay- Japan says 8000 years, it also says that Rodimus Convoy was a great Autboto hero from the 'first era.' (Probably an alusion to Japanese dynasty chronologies) but then makes a much ''clearer'' delineation that it's skipping forward in his story as Kicker asks specifically about the 'journeyed to the future bit,' which took place 8000 years ago. That makes quite a bit more sense-- Hot Shot's hero worship is probably from his earlier prominence, ''before'' he did his Fortress Maximus impression. (I feel like, though still young, Hot Shot was not a dead rookie 8000 years ago, but I can't pin down why.)
::::::The extra Megatron and Optimus is a dub perverion... could we ignore it ''without'' making it an error if we willfully twist Primus's words to say that he's talking about Optimus Prime and Megatron int he final act of Armada- and ''paralleling'' their decision to join together to the Omnicons evolution? It's still wonky as hell- but another mech named Megatron 8000 years ago makes no sense '''at all'''. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 02:51, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

==Maximus cominbers==
I didn't watch the cartoon, so forgive me if this question is stupid, but the Maximus combiners went to sleep before the faction split? Don't they have faction symbols on them? [[User:Interrobang|—Interrobang]] 01:18, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
:Would it matter if they did? Since when do these shows have that kind of internal consistency? :) --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 02:50, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
::It could just mean that the badge had some sort of older symbolic significance. See [[Cybertronian_Empire#Trivia]] for a similar occurance. It's not like the Nazis came up with the Swastika, or the state of Israel with the star of David. (I wish I had two less polarizing examples off the top of my had, but I don't.) -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 02:56, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
::Bad choice of language on my part. Fix'd. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 18:13, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

==Sandokan==
Should stuff from the Dark Heart of Sandokan story go here? It's chronologically the last part of the UT, but it sort of ruins the nice wrapped up ending on this page.

==Micron Trilogy timeline==
Does anyone have the Micron Trilogy timeline? I wonder what's written in it. [[User:0TheLegend0|0TheLegend0]] 20:04, 29 January 2024 (GMT+3)