MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

A Prime Problem

2012-07-06T18:42:45Z

1.162.66.124: /* Quotes */ Matching the original exact quote

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=27
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=22
|prev2=The Insecticon Syndrome
|next2=City of Steel
|series3=''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=31
|prev3=Enter the Nightbird
|next3=The Insecticon Syndrome
|image=Primedeux.jpg
|caption=Double your pleasure...
|title="A Prime Problem"
|production code=#700-26
|airdate=[[October 2]], 1985
|written by=[[Dick Robbins]] [[Bryce Malek]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|animation studio=[[Unknown Filipino animation studio]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Megatron creates a clone of Optimus Prime to lure the Autobots to their doom.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 二人のコンボイ (''Futari no Convoy'', "Two Convoys")
:''Italian title, dub 1:'' '''Un problema per Commander''' ("A problem for Optimus Prime")
:''Italian title, dub 2:'' '''Un problema per Optimus Prime''' ("A problem for Optimus Prime")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:PrimeProblem Decepticons at crevasse.jpg|left|200px|thumb|All right, who wants to dive first?]]

The Decepticons discover a crevasse in the [[Earth]] from which is emanating strange energy readings. [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] stops [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] from diving straight in, and orders [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] to send in an [[autoscout]]. They quickly determine that the crevasse is full of dangerous [[korlonium crystal]]s, which destroy anything with electronic [[circuits|circuitry]] on contact, and decide to try to trick the [[Autobot]]s into entering the crevasse. To that end they retire to their nearby [[Incredibly tall rocket|temporary operations base]].

[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and the Autobots show up at the scene shortly, but before they can learn more about the lights, they are attacked by a Decepticon squad led by Starscream. Megatron dispatches [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], who knocks Prime over a cliff with a few well-aimed shots and puts him out of commission. The Decepticon then beams holographic pictures of the Autobot leader back to Megatron, who uses them to create a [[Optimus Prime clone|remote-controlled clone]] out of a [[clone synthesizer]].

[[Image:PrimeProblem Megatron prime splitscreen.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Speed, I will not let you race in this race!]]

While the real Optimus is still clambering out of the pit he fell into, the clone leads the Autobots back to base. There are some awkward moments when the clone addresses [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] as "[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]]", fails to work [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]], and doesn't even remember giving Teletraan I a check up earlier that day, but the Autobots are distracted by the perimeter alarm sounding — the real Optimus Prime has arrived back at base. Under the clone's leadership, the Autobots prepare to shoot the real Prime as an impostor, but Ironhide stops them, announcing that no one's shooting anyone until they determine who's really Optimus Prime.

[[Image:PrimeProblem Twin primes rev up.jpg|left|200px|thumb|THIS is how you REALLY blow off steam!]]

Teletraan I scans both Primes, but is unable to determine which of them is fake. The clone excels at sharp-shooting, and when it's the real Prime's turn, the rocky outcrop they're using as a target falls on him. Fortunately Optimus shrugs the rubble off. A race to the end of the flats and back is even less conclusive. Any further tests are interrupted by Teletraan I reporting an increase in activity from the crevasse — in reality the work of Megatron's [[energy amplifier]]s. Ironhide announces he's taking command while Optimus Prime's identity is uncertain and the Autobots set out for the crevasse.

Naturally, they soon run into a Decepticon ambush. From the Decepticon base, Megatron and Starscream watch the fight. Megatron has decided that to win the Autobots' trust completely, the false Prime will have to destroy a Decepticon. Furthermore he's picked Starscream to take the fall. Starscream isn't too enthusiastic about this plan, and makes a run for it. He's seen leaving the base by [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], who then watch Laserbeak drag the protesting Decepticon back to base, enabling the pair to slip in unnoticed. Megatron explains the part of his plan that he neglected to mention earlier: that the Prime clone will only be destroying a clone of Starscream. Windcharger and Spike watch the production of Starscream's clone, and start back to warn the Autobots, but are spotted — Spike is captured by Laserbeak while Windcharger falls into the crevasse.

[[Image:PrimeProblem Windcharger scrap.jpg|right|200px|thumb|No bacon on the salad!]]
Out on the battlefield, both Autobots and Decepticons alike are surprised when the [[Starscream clone (G1)|Starscream clone]] joins in and immediately challenges one of the Optimus Primes to a duel to the death. The Decepticon at first gets the upper hand, but is blown apart when he stops to gloat. The rest of the Decepticons flee. Now convinced that the clone is the real thing after the battle, the Autobots follow the clone to the crevasse, ignoring the warnings from the real Optimus. But before they are led to their doom, Windcharger pulls up from the crevasse and reveals the truth, letting them know that the Decepticons have Spike captive.

[[Image:PrimeProblem Prime pats Spike.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Prime rubs Spike's head for good luck.]]

The clone says to disregard Windcharger's report and Spike's plight, and orders the Autobots forward into the crevasse. Ironhide declares the clone to be the fake, because the real Prime would save Spike. The Autobots shoot the fake Optimus into oblivion and follow Prime on a rescue mission. The Decepticon rocket base quickly launches, dropping Spike in mid-air, but fortunately [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] is able to execute a mid-air rescue. Optimus assures Spike that he's the real thing, and pets the boy like a puppy.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (6)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (7)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (8)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (9)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (10)
*[[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] (18)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (19)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (20)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (21)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (22)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (23)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (24)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (25)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (26)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (27)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (28)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (30)
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (31)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (32)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (33)
|c2=
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (1)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (2)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (3)
*[[Autoscout]] (4)
*[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] (12)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (13)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (14)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (15)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (16)
*[[Optimus Prime clone]] (17)
*[[Starscream clone (G1)|Starscream clone]] (29)
|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"It's just such ignorance which forever relegates you to the ranks of underlings, Starscream!"
:—'''Megatron'''

"All the danger you can handle is already here, Floptimus Prime!"
:—'''Starscream''' comes up with a clever insult.

"I'm sorry there are only three of you. Clobbering less than four Decepticons at a time is boring."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

''"Laserbeak... you tin-foil turkey!"''
:—'''Optimus Prime''' dishes out the trash talk like a pro.

'''Optimus Prime clone''': Bumblebee, come over here. The computer's not responding to my input.... Bumblebee, I'm speaking to you. 
'''Ironhide''': You talking to me? 
'''Optimus Prime clone''': Of course. 
'''Ironhide''': But I'm not Bumblebee, I'm Ironhide, Prime. 
'''Optimus Prime clone''': I meant Ironhide, naturally.
:—The fake Optimus Prime totally flubs Ironhide's name, even though Ironhide's the only other one there, and the Southern-fried lug still doesn't get it...

"I don't mind hitting the dirt, but I don't enjoy eating it!"
:—'''Gears'''

"He~he~!! These energy amplifiers are giving Teletraan One exactly the ''wrong'' readings: Which are just the '''right''' readings to lure the Autobots back to the crevice, and ''their doom!!'' Hruhruhruhruhruhahaha!!"
:- Good-old '''Megatron''' is nothing if not precise.

"No, DO NOT! ARGH, my magnificent creation, vaporized! With Prime's replica destroyed, we must escape, now!"
:—'''Megatron''', not being at all melodramatic.

"Is it really you, Optimus Prime? I mean ''really?''" 
"Yes, Spike. This time I am definitely me. Or I. Myself. Oh, whoever I am. Put 'er there, partner."
:—A cautious but hopeful '''Spike''' questions '''Optimus Prime''', who doesn't do the best job of keeping a sentence together.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
* The entire episode has strangely desaturated colors, even the indoor scenes. The outdoor scenes are mostly washed with a dusk-like yellow and blue, even away from the strange light of the crystals.
* When Megatron grabs Starscream, his insignia is gray, he's missing the black "eye liner" above his optics and his dark gray helemet details are colored light gray.
* Soundwave's optics turn white a couple of times, first when ejecting the autoscout, and then when ejecting Laserbeak for the first time.

* A strange animation shortcut has Optimus pick up Thundercracker to throw him. The camera angle changes, and suddenly it's Starscream that he's throwing. The next shot shows all three Seekers lying defeated, so it may or may not be an actual error. (The same color/character changing trick is used in "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 1]]".)

* When Megatron orders him to eject Laserbeak, Soundwave's chest is blue instead of light gray. (The subsequent animation of Soundwave turning and ejecting the cassettebot is recycled from the episode's opening scene, and recycled again when Soundwave sends Laserbeak to retrieve Starscream.)

* Improbable viewpoints:
** Does Megatron have a camera that flies alongside Laserbeak to take a video of him? How else to account for the third-person camera angle that he gets on his screen as he talks to Laserbeak? Considering how often Laserbeak himself is dispatched for the purpose of obtaining video footage, this would be ludicrous.
** Megatron seems to have filled the whole valley with [[The Master Builders|cameras in rocks]]. He's able to keep constant tabs on the battle from a variety of viewpoints, including one head-on shot of the Autobots that travels with them as they run! There's no indication that these are the viewpoints of his troops (one comes right from just a foot or two above ground level.)

* When the Prime clone is first shown, it is several heads taller than Megatron. They should be the same height.

* Megatron has blue eyes as he tests out his voice control of the clone.

* The clone's eyes are white instead of blue when Ironhide stops the Autobots from destroying Prime.

*Bumblebee's arm briefly changes to gray when he asks Teletraan I who the real Optimus Prime is.

* Teletraan I's initial statement ("Detail comparison forthcoming") is strangely muffled, as if coming over an AM radio broadcast.

* Wheeljack's ears don't flash as he says "take your positions".

* After the clone announces that they'll spring any traps that need to be sprung, the real Prime's mouthplate disappears.

* Starscream's arm lasers disappear and reappear as he agrees with Megatron's plan to have the clone destroy a Decepticon.

* Starscream sports a red Decepticon [[insignia]] when he objects to Megatron's plan.

[[Image:Starscream clone G1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|So often, in fact, you'd be hard-pressed to get a screencap that didn't show it that way.]]
* Starscream's chest-cockpit is repeatedly colored entirely yellow, missing the bit of gray that it's supposed to have near the bottom. In fact, through the course of the episode, it's colored wrong more frequently than right.

* As he and Spike climb the mountain and spot Laserbeak, Windcharger is sporting a red Decepticon insignia.

* Starscream's eyes turn blue when he dodges Laserbeak's first attack.

* Windcharger's head is a darker gray than his body when he ducks to avoid Laserbeak outside the mountain, and again when Ratchet identifies the fake Prime.

* Laserbeak makes no transformation sound as he returns to Soundwave's chest compartment.

* When Starscream's clone takes a few steps out of the clone synthesizer, his headgear is colored blatantly white.

* Laserbeak is magically ejected from Soundwave's chest when he starts to chase Windcharger and Spike.

* The animators seem to have forgotten that the [[incredibly tall rocket]] is a ship / base. Soundwave is seen entering the control room through a rocky tunnel.

* The clone Prime, after ordering Jazz to "hit the deck", just stands there for a remarkably long time doing nothing.

* Megatron's gun barrel is dark gray as he orders Starscream to say his line.

* After the fake Starscream is destroyed by the fake Optimus, Starscream is seen standing next to the other Decepticons (it's not even a coloring error as Thundercracker and Skywarp are both standing next to him).

* In a hilariously placed dialogue flub, Optimus calls Trailbreaker "Trailblazer", just as he's trying to convince the Autobots that he's the real Prime.

* A moment later, as Megatron tosses Spike out of the ship, Peter Cullen's delivery of Prime's line makes it sound like Prime is calling Spike "Splick."

* Powerglide catches Spike by swooping beneath him a second before Spike hits the rocks. But slamming into a metal airplane really wouldn't be much better for a human than slamming into the rocky ground.

===Continuity errors===
[[Image:Primeproblem prime and clone.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"I'm the real Optimus Prime, Stick." "It's ''Spike'', Prime. Now if only we could devise a way to figure out who's the real you!"]]
[[Image:IncrediblyTallRocket1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Decepticons already blew through all their camouflage budget.]]
[[Image:PrimeProblem Corlonium crystals.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Even more powerful than the Earth's molten core? The ruby crystals of Burma? Oil? Explosive meteorites? Volcanoes?]]
* The basic premise of the episode—that nobody can tell which Optimus Prime is real—requires all the Autobots (and Spike) to be ''incredibly'' stupid. Nobody thought to take the two Primes into separate rooms and grill them about things only the real Prime would know? Not even ''Prime himself'' thinks to suggest this? Even after Windcharger and Spike observe that something's very wrong with Prime, nobody puts two and two together when the real Prime shows up? The fake Prime's bloodthirsty response doesn't make it flagrantly obvious who's the fake? Nobody thinks to mark one of the Primes to tell them apart? Races and sharpshooting contests are supposed to prove who's who? Nobody gets suspicious at how easily Starscream is utterly annihilated?
** On the other hand, the ''real'' Optimus Prime calls Trailbreaker "Trailblazer" and Spike "Splick," so maybe we should cut the Autobots a little slack.

* Megatron makes it even easier for the Autobots; he calls Ironhide "Bumblebee", despite being able to identify Ironhide by name in "[[The Autobot Run]]", and flagrantly sets himself for discovery by mucking around with Teletraan I, asking ridiculously leading questions of the Autobots, and responding to the real Prime's appearance with an uncharacteristic "KILL IT NOW" reaction.

* Furthermore, why didn't Megatron just have Laserbeak kill, capture or disable Optimus Prime while he was down, thus avoiding all the "two Optimus Primes" trouble in the first place??

* Heck, if it's so easy to make perfect reproductions of the strongest Autobot, why not just make a ton of them and overwhelm the Autobots? Why not just make a ton of ''Megatron'' clones and overwhelm the Autobots?

* Megatron describes the crystals as "the most rare and dangerous form of raw energy in this [[solar system]]". More dangerous and rare than [[electro-cell]]s, [[Crystal of Power|Crystals of Power]], the [[Energy crystal|crystals]] on [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], the [[Sun]], etc.? Really?

*It doesn't make much sense that Megatron knows about the korlonium crystals and Starscream doesn't, considering it's established that Starscream is a ''scientist'' and has visited the [[Solar System]] before.

* Though the [[incredibly tall rocket|temporary base]] is mostly camouflaged as a mountain peak, there are some mechanical bits at its base that remain undisguised. Luckily for Megatron, nobody seems to notice.

* "It is Optimus Prime!" declares a shocked Soundwave as the clone is revealed. Was he just not paying attention to what Megatron was doing for the last few minutes, up to and including his saying "Now to begin the '''''cloning''''' process!"?

* As Megatron feeds lines to the newly-created clone, the clone's vocal inflections don't really match those of Megatron.

* Megatron should be saying everything that the clone says on-screen, but is silent as the clone first meets up with Jazz and Trailbreaker.

* The cloning machine also somehow manages to clone Prime's trailer even though Prime was scanned in his robot mode.

* After the Decepticons retreat, why does the Prime clone lead the Autobots back to [[Ark (G1)|headquarters]], instead of investigating the energy source that drew them there in the first place?

[[Image:PrimeProblem Jazz is in the way.jpg|200px|thumb|right|"Y'know, I'd trust you more if you'd stop pointing your gun at me for no reason."]]
* Only Jazz and Trailbreaker are seen withdrawing alongside the Prime clone, even though half a dozen Autobots are present at the battle.

* It's only an error retroactively, but when both Primes get X-rayed, neither one possesses the [[Matrix of Leadership]] in his chest cavity. In fact their chest interior design is completely different than the design from [[The Transformers: The Movie|the movie]].

* If the clone is completely remote controlled, then what is clone Optimus Prime doing while Megatron is not wearing his control helmet? (seen several times, such as the beginning of the second battle and when Megatron gloats to Spike.)

* The clone's order for Jazz to "hit the deck" is completely useless; Jazz wasn't even remotely in Prime's way. (After this moment of tactical idiocy, Megatron takes a moment to gloat about his "brilliant scenario of Autobot destruction". We dare say this is ''ironic!'')

* Powerglide and Warpath both just show up out of nowhere during the final battle.

===Other notes===
[[Image:Autoscout2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Totally toy-makable. Hasbro, we're waiting!]]
[[Image:G1 APrimeProblem Warpath shot.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"Hound, do we know that guy?" "Huh? There was a guy?"]]
* This episode features the only appearance of the [[Autoscout]], a cassette drone launched by Soundwave.

* The episode goes an unusually long time before featuring its first [[scene transition]], which finally comes around the six minute mark.

* This episode has the first appearances of [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] and [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]. However, no explanation of their origins is made, which is made all the more irksome by the fact that this episode was written by the show's own dang story editors. Warpath gets no lines at all.

* Man, Starscream sure is eager to throw away the life of one of his fellow Decepticons, huh? He suggests it be "a trusted officer", which pretty much narrows the selection down to Soundwave (or mayyyybe Reflector). Make of that what you will!

* Laserbeak is pretty hardcore. Optimus is easily able to overpower Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp with his bare hands, yet a few blasts from Laserbeak take him down. Laserbeak also manages to open a pretty nice can of whoop-ass on Starscream when Starscream tries to run away; then he captures Spike and causes Windcharger to fall to his near-death.

* Based on the absurdity of this episode, "WE MUST HAVE A RACE" has become a popular fandom meme any time two things might be remotely confused with one another.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 1999 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Volume 1: Prime Threat ([[The Original Transformers|Kid Rhino]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 2 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 03: Stagione Due Parte Prima ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/a_prime_problem.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prime Problem}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]

A Prime Problem

2012-07-06T05:00:54Z

1.162.66.124: /* Quotes */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=27
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=22
|prev2=The Insecticon Syndrome
|next2=City of Steel
|series3=''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=31
|prev3=Enter the Nightbird
|next3=The Insecticon Syndrome
|image=Primedeux.jpg
|caption=Double your pleasure...
|title="A Prime Problem"
|production code=#700-26
|airdate=[[October 2]], 1985
|written by=[[Dick Robbins]] [[Bryce Malek]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|animation studio=[[Unknown Filipino animation studio]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Megatron creates a clone of Optimus Prime to lure the Autobots to their doom.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 二人のコンボイ (''Futari no Convoy'', "Two Convoys")
:''Italian title, dub 1:'' '''Un problema per Commander''' ("A problem for Optimus Prime")
:''Italian title, dub 2:'' '''Un problema per Optimus Prime''' ("A problem for Optimus Prime")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:PrimeProblem Decepticons at crevasse.jpg|left|200px|thumb|All right, who wants to dive first?]]

The Decepticons discover a crevasse in the [[Earth]] from which is emanating strange energy readings. [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] stops [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] from diving straight in, and orders [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] to send in an [[autoscout]]. They quickly determine that the crevasse is full of dangerous [[korlonium crystal]]s, which destroy anything with electronic [[circuits|circuitry]] on contact, and decide to try to trick the [[Autobot]]s into entering the crevasse. To that end they retire to their nearby [[Incredibly tall rocket|temporary operations base]].

[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and the Autobots show up at the scene shortly, but before they can learn more about the lights, they are attacked by a Decepticon squad led by Starscream. Megatron dispatches [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], who knocks Prime over a cliff with a few well-aimed shots and puts him out of commission. The Decepticon then beams holographic pictures of the Autobot leader back to Megatron, who uses them to create a [[Optimus Prime clone|remote-controlled clone]] out of a [[clone synthesizer]].

[[Image:PrimeProblem Megatron prime splitscreen.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Speed, I will not let you race in this race!]]

While the real Optimus is still clambering out of the pit he fell into, the clone leads the Autobots back to base. There are some awkward moments when the clone addresses [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] as "[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]]", fails to work [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]], and doesn't even remember giving Teletraan I a check up earlier that day, but the Autobots are distracted by the perimeter alarm sounding — the real Optimus Prime has arrived back at base. Under the clone's leadership, the Autobots prepare to shoot the real Prime as an impostor, but Ironhide stops them, announcing that no one's shooting anyone until they determine who's really Optimus Prime.

[[Image:PrimeProblem Twin primes rev up.jpg|left|200px|thumb|THIS is how you REALLY blow off steam!]]

Teletraan I scans both Primes, but is unable to determine which of them is fake. The clone excels at sharp-shooting, and when it's the real Prime's turn, the rocky outcrop they're using as a target falls on him. Fortunately Optimus shrugs the rubble off. A race to the end of the flats and back is even less conclusive. Any further tests are interrupted by Teletraan I reporting an increase in activity from the crevasse — in reality the work of Megatron's [[energy amplifier]]s. Ironhide announces he's taking command while Optimus Prime's identity is uncertain and the Autobots set out for the crevasse.

Naturally, they soon run into a Decepticon ambush. From the Decepticon base, Megatron and Starscream watch the fight. Megatron has decided that to win the Autobots' trust completely, the false Prime will have to destroy a Decepticon. Furthermore he's picked Starscream to take the fall. Starscream isn't too enthusiastic about this plan, and makes a run for it. He's seen leaving the base by [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], who then watch Laserbeak drag the protesting Decepticon back to base, enabling the pair to slip in unnoticed. Megatron explains the part of his plan that he neglected to mention earlier: that the Prime clone will only be destroying a clone of Starscream. Windcharger and Spike watch the production of Starscream's clone, and start back to warn the Autobots, but are spotted — Spike is captured by Laserbeak while Windcharger falls into the crevasse.

[[Image:PrimeProblem Windcharger scrap.jpg|right|200px|thumb|No bacon on the salad!]]
Out on the battlefield, both Autobots and Decepticons alike are surprised when the [[Starscream clone (G1)|Starscream clone]] joins in and immediately challenges one of the Optimus Primes to a duel to the death. The Decepticon at first gets the upper hand, but is blown apart when he stops to gloat. The rest of the Decepticons flee. Now convinced that the clone is the real thing after the battle, the Autobots follow the clone to the crevasse, ignoring the warnings from the real Optimus. But before they are led to their doom, Windcharger pulls up from the crevasse and reveals the truth, letting them know that the Decepticons have Spike captive.

[[Image:PrimeProblem Prime pats Spike.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Prime rubs Spike's head for good luck.]]

The clone says to disregard Windcharger's report and Spike's plight, and orders the Autobots forward into the crevasse. Ironhide declares the clone to be the fake, because the real Prime would save Spike. The Autobots shoot the fake Optimus into oblivion and follow Prime on a rescue mission. The Decepticon rocket base quickly launches, dropping Spike in mid-air, but fortunately [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] is able to execute a mid-air rescue. Optimus assures Spike that he's the real thing, and pets the boy like a puppy.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (6)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (7)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (8)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (9)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (10)
*[[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] (18)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (19)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (20)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (21)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (22)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (23)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (24)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (25)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (26)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (27)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (28)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (30)
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (31)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (32)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (33)
|c2=
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (1)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (2)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (3)
*[[Autoscout]] (4)
*[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] (12)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (13)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (14)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (15)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (16)
*[[Optimus Prime clone]] (17)
*[[Starscream clone (G1)|Starscream clone]] (29)
|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"It's just such ignorance which forever relegates you to the ranks of underlings, Starscream!"
:—'''Megatron'''

"All the danger you can handle is already here, Floptimus Prime!"
:—'''Starscream''' comes up with a clever insult.

"I'm sorry there are only three of you. Clobbering less than four Decepticons at a time is boring."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

''"Laserbeak... you tin-foil turkey!"''
:—'''Optimus Prime''' dishes out the trash talk like a pro.

'''Optimus Prime clone''': Bumblebee, come over here. The computer's not responding to my input.... Bumblebee, I'm speaking to you. 
'''Ironhide''': You talking to me? 
'''Optimus Prime clone''': Of course. 
'''Ironhide''': But I'm not Bumblebee, I'm Ironhide, Prime. 
'''Optimus Prime clone''': I meant Ironhide, naturally.
:—The fake Optimus Prime totally flubs Ironhide's name, even though Ironhide's the only other one there, and the Southern-fried lug still doesn't get it...

"I don't mind hitting the dirt, but I don't enjoy eating it!"
:—'''Gears'''

"Hehehaha!! These energy amplifiers are giving Teletraan one exactly the ''wrong'' readings: Which are just the '''right''' readings to lead the Autobots back into the crevice, and ''certain doom!!'' Hruhuhwrahahahahahahaha!!"
:- Good-old '''Megatron''' is nothing if not preciese.

"No, DO NOT! ARGH, my magnificent creation, vaporized! With Prime's replica destroyed, we must escape, now!"
:—'''Megatron''', not being at all melodramatic.

"Is it really you, Optimus Prime? I mean ''really?''" 
"Yes, Spike. This time I am definitely me. Or I. Myself. Oh, whoever I am. Put 'er there, partner."
:—A cautious but hopeful '''Spike''' questions '''Optimus Prime''', who doesn't do the best job of keeping a sentence together.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
* The entire episode has strangely desaturated colors, even the indoor scenes. The outdoor scenes are mostly washed with a dusk-like yellow and blue, even away from the strange light of the crystals.
* When Megatron grabs Starscream, his insignia is gray, he's missing the black "eye liner" above his optics and his dark gray helemet details are colored light gray.
* Soundwave's optics turn white a couple of times, first when ejecting the autoscout, and then when ejecting Laserbeak for the first time.

* A strange animation shortcut has Optimus pick up Thundercracker to throw him. The camera angle changes, and suddenly it's Starscream that he's throwing. The next shot shows all three Seekers lying defeated, so it may or may not be an actual error. (The same color/character changing trick is used in "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 1]]".)

* When Megatron orders him to eject Laserbeak, Soundwave's chest is blue instead of light gray. (The subsequent animation of Soundwave turning and ejecting the cassettebot is recycled from the episode's opening scene, and recycled again when Soundwave sends Laserbeak to retrieve Starscream.)

* Improbable viewpoints:
** Does Megatron have a camera that flies alongside Laserbeak to take a video of him? How else to account for the third-person camera angle that he gets on his screen as he talks to Laserbeak? Considering how often Laserbeak himself is dispatched for the purpose of obtaining video footage, this would be ludicrous.
** Megatron seems to have filled the whole valley with [[The Master Builders|cameras in rocks]]. He's able to keep constant tabs on the battle from a variety of viewpoints, including one head-on shot of the Autobots that travels with them as they run! There's no indication that these are the viewpoints of his troops (one comes right from just a foot or two above ground level.)

* When the Prime clone is first shown, it is several heads taller than Megatron. They should be the same height.

* Megatron has blue eyes as he tests out his voice control of the clone.

* The clone's eyes are white instead of blue when Ironhide stops the Autobots from destroying Prime.

*Bumblebee's arm briefly changes to gray when he asks Teletraan I who the real Optimus Prime is.

* Teletraan I's initial statement ("Detail comparison forthcoming") is strangely muffled, as if coming over an AM radio broadcast.

* Wheeljack's ears don't flash as he says "take your positions".

* After the clone announces that they'll spring any traps that need to be sprung, the real Prime's mouthplate disappears.

* Starscream's arm lasers disappear and reappear as he agrees with Megatron's plan to have the clone destroy a Decepticon.

* Starscream sports a red Decepticon [[insignia]] when he objects to Megatron's plan.

[[Image:Starscream clone G1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|So often, in fact, you'd be hard-pressed to get a screencap that didn't show it that way.]]
* Starscream's chest-cockpit is repeatedly colored entirely yellow, missing the bit of gray that it's supposed to have near the bottom. In fact, through the course of the episode, it's colored wrong more frequently than right.

* As he and Spike climb the mountain and spot Laserbeak, Windcharger is sporting a red Decepticon insignia.

* Starscream's eyes turn blue when he dodges Laserbeak's first attack.

* Windcharger's head is a darker gray than his body when he ducks to avoid Laserbeak outside the mountain, and again when Ratchet identifies the fake Prime.

* Laserbeak makes no transformation sound as he returns to Soundwave's chest compartment.

* When Starscream's clone takes a few steps out of the clone synthesizer, his headgear is colored blatantly white.

* Laserbeak is magically ejected from Soundwave's chest when he starts to chase Windcharger and Spike.

* The animators seem to have forgotten that the [[incredibly tall rocket]] is a ship / base. Soundwave is seen entering the control room through a rocky tunnel.

* The clone Prime, after ordering Jazz to "hit the deck", just stands there for a remarkably long time doing nothing.

* Megatron's gun barrel is dark gray as he orders Starscream to say his line.

* After the fake Starscream is destroyed by the fake Optimus, Starscream is seen standing next to the other Decepticons (it's not even a coloring error as Thundercracker and Skywarp are both standing next to him).

* In a hilariously placed dialogue flub, Optimus calls Trailbreaker "Trailblazer", just as he's trying to convince the Autobots that he's the real Prime.

* A moment later, as Megatron tosses Spike out of the ship, Peter Cullen's delivery of Prime's line makes it sound like Prime is calling Spike "Splick."

* Powerglide catches Spike by swooping beneath him a second before Spike hits the rocks. But slamming into a metal airplane really wouldn't be much better for a human than slamming into the rocky ground.

===Continuity errors===
[[Image:Primeproblem prime and clone.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"I'm the real Optimus Prime, Stick." "It's ''Spike'', Prime. Now if only we could devise a way to figure out who's the real you!"]]
[[Image:IncrediblyTallRocket1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Decepticons already blew through all their camouflage budget.]]
[[Image:PrimeProblem Corlonium crystals.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Even more powerful than the Earth's molten core? The ruby crystals of Burma? Oil? Explosive meteorites? Volcanoes?]]
* The basic premise of the episode—that nobody can tell which Optimus Prime is real—requires all the Autobots (and Spike) to be ''incredibly'' stupid. Nobody thought to take the two Primes into separate rooms and grill them about things only the real Prime would know? Not even ''Prime himself'' thinks to suggest this? Even after Windcharger and Spike observe that something's very wrong with Prime, nobody puts two and two together when the real Prime shows up? The fake Prime's bloodthirsty response doesn't make it flagrantly obvious who's the fake? Nobody thinks to mark one of the Primes to tell them apart? Races and sharpshooting contests are supposed to prove who's who? Nobody gets suspicious at how easily Starscream is utterly annihilated?
** On the other hand, the ''real'' Optimus Prime calls Trailbreaker "Trailblazer" and Spike "Splick," so maybe we should cut the Autobots a little slack.

* Megatron makes it even easier for the Autobots; he calls Ironhide "Bumblebee", despite being able to identify Ironhide by name in "[[The Autobot Run]]", and flagrantly sets himself for discovery by mucking around with Teletraan I, asking ridiculously leading questions of the Autobots, and responding to the real Prime's appearance with an uncharacteristic "KILL IT NOW" reaction.

* Furthermore, why didn't Megatron just have Laserbeak kill, capture or disable Optimus Prime while he was down, thus avoiding all the "two Optimus Primes" trouble in the first place??

* Heck, if it's so easy to make perfect reproductions of the strongest Autobot, why not just make a ton of them and overwhelm the Autobots? Why not just make a ton of ''Megatron'' clones and overwhelm the Autobots?

* Megatron describes the crystals as "the most rare and dangerous form of raw energy in this [[solar system]]". More dangerous and rare than [[electro-cell]]s, [[Crystal of Power|Crystals of Power]], the [[Energy crystal|crystals]] on [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], the [[Sun]], etc.? Really?

*It doesn't make much sense that Megatron knows about the korlonium crystals and Starscream doesn't, considering it's established that Starscream is a ''scientist'' and has visited the [[Solar System]] before.

* Though the [[incredibly tall rocket|temporary base]] is mostly camouflaged as a mountain peak, there are some mechanical bits at its base that remain undisguised. Luckily for Megatron, nobody seems to notice.

* "It is Optimus Prime!" declares a shocked Soundwave as the clone is revealed. Was he just not paying attention to what Megatron was doing for the last few minutes, up to and including his saying "Now to begin the '''''cloning''''' process!"?

* As Megatron feeds lines to the newly-created clone, the clone's vocal inflections don't really match those of Megatron.

* Megatron should be saying everything that the clone says on-screen, but is silent as the clone first meets up with Jazz and Trailbreaker.

* The cloning machine also somehow manages to clone Prime's trailer even though Prime was scanned in his robot mode.

* After the Decepticons retreat, why does the Prime clone lead the Autobots back to [[Ark (G1)|headquarters]], instead of investigating the energy source that drew them there in the first place?

[[Image:PrimeProblem Jazz is in the way.jpg|200px|thumb|right|"Y'know, I'd trust you more if you'd stop pointing your gun at me for no reason."]]
* Only Jazz and Trailbreaker are seen withdrawing alongside the Prime clone, even though half a dozen Autobots are present at the battle.

* It's only an error retroactively, but when both Primes get X-rayed, neither one possesses the [[Matrix of Leadership]] in his chest cavity. In fact their chest interior design is completely different than the design from [[The Transformers: The Movie|the movie]].

* If the clone is completely remote controlled, then what is clone Optimus Prime doing while Megatron is not wearing his control helmet? (seen several times, such as the beginning of the second battle and when Megatron gloats to Spike.)

* The clone's order for Jazz to "hit the deck" is completely useless; Jazz wasn't even remotely in Prime's way. (After this moment of tactical idiocy, Megatron takes a moment to gloat about his "brilliant scenario of Autobot destruction". We dare say this is ''ironic!'')

* Powerglide and Warpath both just show up out of nowhere during the final battle.

===Other notes===
[[Image:Autoscout2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Totally toy-makable. Hasbro, we're waiting!]]
[[Image:G1 APrimeProblem Warpath shot.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"Hound, do we know that guy?" "Huh? There was a guy?"]]
* This episode features the only appearance of the [[Autoscout]], a cassette drone launched by Soundwave.

* The episode goes an unusually long time before featuring its first [[scene transition]], which finally comes around the six minute mark.

* This episode has the first appearances of [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] and [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]. However, no explanation of their origins is made, which is made all the more irksome by the fact that this episode was written by the show's own dang story editors. Warpath gets no lines at all.

* Man, Starscream sure is eager to throw away the life of one of his fellow Decepticons, huh? He suggests it be "a trusted officer", which pretty much narrows the selection down to Soundwave (or mayyyybe Reflector). Make of that what you will!

* Laserbeak is pretty hardcore. Optimus is easily able to overpower Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp with his bare hands, yet a few blasts from Laserbeak take him down. Laserbeak also manages to open a pretty nice can of whoop-ass on Starscream when Starscream tries to run away; then he captures Spike and causes Windcharger to fall to his near-death.

* Based on the absurdity of this episode, "WE MUST HAVE A RACE" has become a popular fandom meme any time two things might be remotely confused with one another.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 1999 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Volume 1: Prime Threat ([[The Original Transformers|Kid Rhino]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 2 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 03: Stagione Due Parte Prima ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/a_prime_problem.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prime Problem}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]

A Prime Problem

2012-07-06T05:00:17Z

1.162.66.124: /* Quotes */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=27
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=22
|prev2=The Insecticon Syndrome
|next2=City of Steel
|series3=''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|The Transformers: Generation 2]]''
|ep3=31
|prev3=Enter the Nightbird
|next3=The Insecticon Syndrome
|image=Primedeux.jpg
|caption=Double your pleasure...
|title="A Prime Problem"
|production code=#700-26
|airdate=[[October 2]], 1985
|written by=[[Dick Robbins]] [[Bryce Malek]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|animation studio=[[Unknown Filipino animation studio]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Megatron creates a clone of Optimus Prime to lure the Autobots to their doom.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 二人のコンボイ (''Futari no Convoy'', "Two Convoys")
:''Italian title, dub 1:'' '''Un problema per Commander''' ("A problem for Optimus Prime")
:''Italian title, dub 2:'' '''Un problema per Optimus Prime''' ("A problem for Optimus Prime")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:PrimeProblem Decepticons at crevasse.jpg|left|200px|thumb|All right, who wants to dive first?]]

The Decepticons discover a crevasse in the [[Earth]] from which is emanating strange energy readings. [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] stops [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] from diving straight in, and orders [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] to send in an [[autoscout]]. They quickly determine that the crevasse is full of dangerous [[korlonium crystal]]s, which destroy anything with electronic [[circuits|circuitry]] on contact, and decide to try to trick the [[Autobot]]s into entering the crevasse. To that end they retire to their nearby [[Incredibly tall rocket|temporary operations base]].

[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and the Autobots show up at the scene shortly, but before they can learn more about the lights, they are attacked by a Decepticon squad led by Starscream. Megatron dispatches [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], who knocks Prime over a cliff with a few well-aimed shots and puts him out of commission. The Decepticon then beams holographic pictures of the Autobot leader back to Megatron, who uses them to create a [[Optimus Prime clone|remote-controlled clone]] out of a [[clone synthesizer]].

[[Image:PrimeProblem Megatron prime splitscreen.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Speed, I will not let you race in this race!]]

While the real Optimus is still clambering out of the pit he fell into, the clone leads the Autobots back to base. There are some awkward moments when the clone addresses [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] as "[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]]", fails to work [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]], and doesn't even remember giving Teletraan I a check up earlier that day, but the Autobots are distracted by the perimeter alarm sounding — the real Optimus Prime has arrived back at base. Under the clone's leadership, the Autobots prepare to shoot the real Prime as an impostor, but Ironhide stops them, announcing that no one's shooting anyone until they determine who's really Optimus Prime.

[[Image:PrimeProblem Twin primes rev up.jpg|left|200px|thumb|THIS is how you REALLY blow off steam!]]

Teletraan I scans both Primes, but is unable to determine which of them is fake. The clone excels at sharp-shooting, and when it's the real Prime's turn, the rocky outcrop they're using as a target falls on him. Fortunately Optimus shrugs the rubble off. A race to the end of the flats and back is even less conclusive. Any further tests are interrupted by Teletraan I reporting an increase in activity from the crevasse — in reality the work of Megatron's [[energy amplifier]]s. Ironhide announces he's taking command while Optimus Prime's identity is uncertain and the Autobots set out for the crevasse.

Naturally, they soon run into a Decepticon ambush. From the Decepticon base, Megatron and Starscream watch the fight. Megatron has decided that to win the Autobots' trust completely, the false Prime will have to destroy a Decepticon. Furthermore he's picked Starscream to take the fall. Starscream isn't too enthusiastic about this plan, and makes a run for it. He's seen leaving the base by [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], who then watch Laserbeak drag the protesting Decepticon back to base, enabling the pair to slip in unnoticed. Megatron explains the part of his plan that he neglected to mention earlier: that the Prime clone will only be destroying a clone of Starscream. Windcharger and Spike watch the production of Starscream's clone, and start back to warn the Autobots, but are spotted — Spike is captured by Laserbeak while Windcharger falls into the crevasse.

[[Image:PrimeProblem Windcharger scrap.jpg|right|200px|thumb|No bacon on the salad!]]
Out on the battlefield, both Autobots and Decepticons alike are surprised when the [[Starscream clone (G1)|Starscream clone]] joins in and immediately challenges one of the Optimus Primes to a duel to the death. The Decepticon at first gets the upper hand, but is blown apart when he stops to gloat. The rest of the Decepticons flee. Now convinced that the clone is the real thing after the battle, the Autobots follow the clone to the crevasse, ignoring the warnings from the real Optimus. But before they are led to their doom, Windcharger pulls up from the crevasse and reveals the truth, letting them know that the Decepticons have Spike captive.

[[Image:PrimeProblem Prime pats Spike.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Prime rubs Spike's head for good luck.]]

The clone says to disregard Windcharger's report and Spike's plight, and orders the Autobots forward into the crevasse. Ironhide declares the clone to be the fake, because the real Prime would save Spike. The Autobots shoot the fake Optimus into oblivion and follow Prime on a rescue mission. The Decepticon rocket base quickly launches, dropping Spike in mid-air, but fortunately [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] is able to execute a mid-air rescue. Optimus assures Spike that he's the real thing, and pets the boy like a puppy.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (6)
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (7)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (8)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (9)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (10)
*[[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] (18)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (19)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (20)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (21)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] (22)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (23)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (24)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (25)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (26)
*[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (27)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (28)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (30)
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (31)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (32)
*[[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] (33)
|c2=
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] (1)
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (2)
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (3)
*[[Autoscout]] (4)
*[[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] (12)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (13)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (14)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (15)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (16)
*[[Optimus Prime clone]] (17)
*[[Starscream clone (G1)|Starscream clone]] (29)
|c3=
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"It's just such ignorance which forever relegates you to the ranks of underlings, Starscream!"
:—'''Megatron'''

"All the danger you can handle is already here, Floptimus Prime!"
:—'''Starscream''' comes up with a clever insult.

"I'm sorry there are only three of you. Clobbering less than four Decepticons at a time is boring."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

''"Laserbeak... you tin-foil turkey!"''
:—'''Optimus Prime''' dishes out the trash talk like a pro.

'''Optimus Prime clone''': Bumblebee, come over here. The computer's not responding to my input.... Bumblebee, I'm speaking to you. 
'''Ironhide''': You talking to me? 
'''Optimus Prime clone''': Of course. 
'''Ironhide''': But I'm not Bumblebee, I'm Ironhide, Prime. 
'''Optimus Prime clone''': I meant Ironhide, naturally.
:—The fake Optimus Prime totally flubs Ironhide's name, even though Ironhide's the only other one there, and the Southern-fried lug still doesn't get it...

"I don't mind hitting the dirt, but I don't enjoy eating it!"
:—'''Gears'''

"Hehehaha!! These energy amplifiers are giving Teletraan one exactly the ''wrong'' readings: Which are just the '''right''' readings to lead the Autobots back into the crevice, and ''certain doom!!'' Hruhuhwrahahahahahahaha!!"
:- Good-old '''Megatron''' is nothing if not preciese.

"No, DO NOT! ARGH, my magnificent creation, vaporized! With Prime's replica destroyed, we must escape, now!"
:—'''Megatron''', not being at all melodramatic.

"Is it really you, Optimus Prime? I mean ''really?''" 
"Yes, Spike. This time I am definitely me. Or I. Myself. Oh, whoever I am. Put 'er there, partner."
:—A cautious but hopeful '''Spike''' questions '''Optimus Prime''', who doesn't do the best job of keeping a sentence together.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
* The entire episode has strangely desaturated colors, even the indoor scenes. The outdoor scenes are mostly washed with a dusk-like yellow and blue, even away from the strange light of the crystals.
* When Megatron grabs Starscream, his insignia is gray, he's missing the black "eye liner" above his optics and his dark gray helemet details are colored light gray.
* Soundwave's optics turn white a couple of times, first when ejecting the autoscout, and then when ejecting Laserbeak for the first time.

* A strange animation shortcut has Optimus pick up Thundercracker to throw him. The camera angle changes, and suddenly it's Starscream that he's throwing. The next shot shows all three Seekers lying defeated, so it may or may not be an actual error. (The same color/character changing trick is used in "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 1]]".)

* When Megatron orders him to eject Laserbeak, Soundwave's chest is blue instead of light gray. (The subsequent animation of Soundwave turning and ejecting the cassettebot is recycled from the episode's opening scene, and recycled again when Soundwave sends Laserbeak to retrieve Starscream.)

* Improbable viewpoints:
** Does Megatron have a camera that flies alongside Laserbeak to take a video of him? How else to account for the third-person camera angle that he gets on his screen as he talks to Laserbeak? Considering how often Laserbeak himself is dispatched for the purpose of obtaining video footage, this would be ludicrous.
** Megatron seems to have filled the whole valley with [[The Master Builders|cameras in rocks]]. He's able to keep constant tabs on the battle from a variety of viewpoints, including one head-on shot of the Autobots that travels with them as they run! There's no indication that these are the viewpoints of his troops (one comes right from just a foot or two above ground level.)

* When the Prime clone is first shown, it is several heads taller than Megatron. They should be the same height.

* Megatron has blue eyes as he tests out his voice control of the clone.

* The clone's eyes are white instead of blue when Ironhide stops the Autobots from destroying Prime.

*Bumblebee's arm briefly changes to gray when he asks Teletraan I who the real Optimus Prime is.

* Teletraan I's initial statement ("Detail comparison forthcoming") is strangely muffled, as if coming over an AM radio broadcast.

* Wheeljack's ears don't flash as he says "take your positions".

* After the clone announces that they'll spring any traps that need to be sprung, the real Prime's mouthplate disappears.

* Starscream's arm lasers disappear and reappear as he agrees with Megatron's plan to have the clone destroy a Decepticon.

* Starscream sports a red Decepticon [[insignia]] when he objects to Megatron's plan.

[[Image:Starscream clone G1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|So often, in fact, you'd be hard-pressed to get a screencap that didn't show it that way.]]
* Starscream's chest-cockpit is repeatedly colored entirely yellow, missing the bit of gray that it's supposed to have near the bottom. In fact, through the course of the episode, it's colored wrong more frequently than right.

* As he and Spike climb the mountain and spot Laserbeak, Windcharger is sporting a red Decepticon insignia.

* Starscream's eyes turn blue when he dodges Laserbeak's first attack.

* Windcharger's head is a darker gray than his body when he ducks to avoid Laserbeak outside the mountain, and again when Ratchet identifies the fake Prime.

* Laserbeak makes no transformation sound as he returns to Soundwave's chest compartment.

* When Starscream's clone takes a few steps out of the clone synthesizer, his headgear is colored blatantly white.

* Laserbeak is magically ejected from Soundwave's chest when he starts to chase Windcharger and Spike.

* The animators seem to have forgotten that the [[incredibly tall rocket]] is a ship / base. Soundwave is seen entering the control room through a rocky tunnel.

* The clone Prime, after ordering Jazz to "hit the deck", just stands there for a remarkably long time doing nothing.

* Megatron's gun barrel is dark gray as he orders Starscream to say his line.

* After the fake Starscream is destroyed by the fake Optimus, Starscream is seen standing next to the other Decepticons (it's not even a coloring error as Thundercracker and Skywarp are both standing next to him).

* In a hilariously placed dialogue flub, Optimus calls Trailbreaker "Trailblazer", just as he's trying to convince the Autobots that he's the real Prime.

* A moment later, as Megatron tosses Spike out of the ship, Peter Cullen's delivery of Prime's line makes it sound like Prime is calling Spike "Splick."

* Powerglide catches Spike by swooping beneath him a second before Spike hits the rocks. But slamming into a metal airplane really wouldn't be much better for a human than slamming into the rocky ground.

===Continuity errors===
[[Image:Primeproblem prime and clone.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"I'm the real Optimus Prime, Stick." "It's ''Spike'', Prime. Now if only we could devise a way to figure out who's the real you!"]]
[[Image:IncrediblyTallRocket1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Decepticons already blew through all their camouflage budget.]]
[[Image:PrimeProblem Corlonium crystals.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Even more powerful than the Earth's molten core? The ruby crystals of Burma? Oil? Explosive meteorites? Volcanoes?]]
* The basic premise of the episode—that nobody can tell which Optimus Prime is real—requires all the Autobots (and Spike) to be ''incredibly'' stupid. Nobody thought to take the two Primes into separate rooms and grill them about things only the real Prime would know? Not even ''Prime himself'' thinks to suggest this? Even after Windcharger and Spike observe that something's very wrong with Prime, nobody puts two and two together when the real Prime shows up? The fake Prime's bloodthirsty response doesn't make it flagrantly obvious who's the fake? Nobody thinks to mark one of the Primes to tell them apart? Races and sharpshooting contests are supposed to prove who's who? Nobody gets suspicious at how easily Starscream is utterly annihilated?
** On the other hand, the ''real'' Optimus Prime calls Trailbreaker "Trailblazer" and Spike "Splick," so maybe we should cut the Autobots a little slack.

* Megatron makes it even easier for the Autobots; he calls Ironhide "Bumblebee", despite being able to identify Ironhide by name in "[[The Autobot Run]]", and flagrantly sets himself for discovery by mucking around with Teletraan I, asking ridiculously leading questions of the Autobots, and responding to the real Prime's appearance with an uncharacteristic "KILL IT NOW" reaction.

* Furthermore, why didn't Megatron just have Laserbeak kill, capture or disable Optimus Prime while he was down, thus avoiding all the "two Optimus Primes" trouble in the first place??

* Heck, if it's so easy to make perfect reproductions of the strongest Autobot, why not just make a ton of them and overwhelm the Autobots? Why not just make a ton of ''Megatron'' clones and overwhelm the Autobots?

* Megatron describes the crystals as "the most rare and dangerous form of raw energy in this [[solar system]]". More dangerous and rare than [[electro-cell]]s, [[Crystal of Power|Crystals of Power]], the [[Energy crystal|crystals]] on [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], the [[Sun]], etc.? Really?

*It doesn't make much sense that Megatron knows about the korlonium crystals and Starscream doesn't, considering it's established that Starscream is a ''scientist'' and has visited the [[Solar System]] before.

* Though the [[incredibly tall rocket|temporary base]] is mostly camouflaged as a mountain peak, there are some mechanical bits at its base that remain undisguised. Luckily for Megatron, nobody seems to notice.

* "It is Optimus Prime!" declares a shocked Soundwave as the clone is revealed. Was he just not paying attention to what Megatron was doing for the last few minutes, up to and including his saying "Now to begin the '''''cloning''''' process!"?

* As Megatron feeds lines to the newly-created clone, the clone's vocal inflections don't really match those of Megatron.

* Megatron should be saying everything that the clone says on-screen, but is silent as the clone first meets up with Jazz and Trailbreaker.

* The cloning machine also somehow manages to clone Prime's trailer even though Prime was scanned in his robot mode.

* After the Decepticons retreat, why does the Prime clone lead the Autobots back to [[Ark (G1)|headquarters]], instead of investigating the energy source that drew them there in the first place?

[[Image:PrimeProblem Jazz is in the way.jpg|200px|thumb|right|"Y'know, I'd trust you more if you'd stop pointing your gun at me for no reason."]]
* Only Jazz and Trailbreaker are seen withdrawing alongside the Prime clone, even though half a dozen Autobots are present at the battle.

* It's only an error retroactively, but when both Primes get X-rayed, neither one possesses the [[Matrix of Leadership]] in his chest cavity. In fact their chest interior design is completely different than the design from [[The Transformers: The Movie|the movie]].

* If the clone is completely remote controlled, then what is clone Optimus Prime doing while Megatron is not wearing his control helmet? (seen several times, such as the beginning of the second battle and when Megatron gloats to Spike.)

* The clone's order for Jazz to "hit the deck" is completely useless; Jazz wasn't even remotely in Prime's way. (After this moment of tactical idiocy, Megatron takes a moment to gloat about his "brilliant scenario of Autobot destruction". We dare say this is ''ironic!'')

* Powerglide and Warpath both just show up out of nowhere during the final battle.

===Other notes===
[[Image:Autoscout2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Totally toy-makable. Hasbro, we're waiting!]]
[[Image:G1 APrimeProblem Warpath shot.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"Hound, do we know that guy?" "Huh? There was a guy?"]]
* This episode features the only appearance of the [[Autoscout]], a cassette drone launched by Soundwave.

* The episode goes an unusually long time before featuring its first [[scene transition]], which finally comes around the six minute mark.

* This episode has the first appearances of [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] and [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]. However, no explanation of their origins is made, which is made all the more irksome by the fact that this episode was written by the show's own dang story editors. Warpath gets no lines at all.

* Man, Starscream sure is eager to throw away the life of one of his fellow Decepticons, huh? He suggests it be "a trusted officer", which pretty much narrows the selection down to Soundwave (or mayyyybe Reflector). Make of that what you will!

* Laserbeak is pretty hardcore. Optimus is easily able to overpower Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp with his bare hands, yet a few blasts from Laserbeak take him down. Laserbeak also manages to open a pretty nice can of whoop-ass on Starscream when Starscream tries to run away; then he captures Spike and causes Windcharger to fall to his near-death.

* Based on the absurdity of this episode, "WE MUST HAVE A RACE" has become a popular fandom meme any time two things might be remotely confused with one another.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 1999 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Volume 1: Prime Threat ([[The Original Transformers|Kid Rhino]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1994 — ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' — Convoy Set ([[TakaraTomy|Takara]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''The Transformers'' — Autobot Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2001 — ''The Transformers'' — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[The Original Transformers|Rhino Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2002 — ''The Original Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1: Vol. 2 (Rhino Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2003 — ''Transformers'' — Season 2 Part 1 ([[Metrodome]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2004 — ''Transformers'' — Collection 2: Series 2.1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2006 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2008 — ''Transformers'' — Volume 03: Stagione Due Parte Prima ([[Medianetwork Communication]]) — English and Italian audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers'' — Season Two: Part One (Metrodome) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''The Transformers'' — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)

==External links==
*[http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/a_prime_problem.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prime Problem}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 2 episodes]]

Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity

2012-07-06T04:54:44Z

1.162.66.124:

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Whether it's throwing tantrums, building giant griffins, murdering puppies, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMUjcr87XfM laughing like a clown at his own corny jokes] or licking humans, '''[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]''' could never be accused of not keeping busy in the [[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]!

==''The Transformers'' cartoon==
{{voiceactor|[[Frank Welker]] (English), [[Seizō Katō]] (Japanese)|[[José Santa Cruz]] (Portuguese), [[Carl Béchard]] (French Canadian), [[Henry Djanik]] (TV Dub, French), [[Gernot Duda]] (Generation 1, German), [[Manfred Erdmann]] (''The Movie'' TV dub and Generation 2 Season One, German), [[Thomas Rauscher]] (''Generation 2'' Season Two, German), [[Achim Barrenstein]] (''The Movie'' DVD dub, German), [[Gino Donato]] (Italian, 1st season and part of 2nd season), [[Mario Milita]], (Italian, the rest of Season 2), [[Angelo Nicotra]] (Italian, first movie dub), [[Romano Malaspina]] (Italian, second movie dub), [[Marco Mori]] (Italian, second dub), [[Alejandro Abdalah]] (Spanish), [[Nikola Simić]] (Serbian), [[Per Sandborgh]] then [[Staffan Hallerstam]] (Swedish), [[Johan Wahlström]] (Swedish, Generation 2)}}

[[Image:Megatronffod.jpg|right|250px|thumb|And then in 1984, Megatron creates the Constructicons. It all comes full circle.]]

Following the exile of the [[Quintesson]]s from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the two races of robots that they had created, the [[Autobot]]s and the [[Decepticon]]s, went to war with each other. Although physically weaker, the Autobots claimed victory thanks to their development of a new ability: the art of [[transformation|transforming]]. The Autobots' victory began the [[Golden Age]] of Cybertron, but all was not well within this seeming paradise. After many centuries of Autobot rule, the Decepticons developed transformation as well, along with new robot-mode flight powers, leading to the creation of Megatron. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}

Megatron quickly gathered a small group of like-minded warriors together beneath him, and he began his mission to restore the Decepticons to glory and overthrow the Autobots. In these early, shadowy days, Megatron is known to have attacked the outer cities, {{storylink|War Dawn}} and was responsible for the death of the current [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Autobot leader]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}} Using a device called the [[Robo-Smasher]] to reprogram Autobots and Decepticons permanently into servitude of his cause, Megatron swelled the Decepticons' ranks into a true army. Among the robots forced into obedience were the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], whom he refashioned to have the ability to [[combiner|combine]]. {{storylink|The Secret of Omega Supreme}}

[[Image:WarDawn Megs Orion.jpg|left|215px|thumb|"So what do you do here?" "I cut steel with my voice!"]]

For whatever reason, the aggressive actions of Megatron and the Decepticons were not made public knowledge, and young robots like the naive [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Orion Pax]] still looked up to Megatron and his followers because of their flight powers. However, Pax soon learned the error of his ways when Megatron approached him about the possibility of using one of the local warehouses for storage, only to turn on Pax once he had gained access to the energy stored within the facility. Megatron fatally injured Orion in a scuffle and left the young robot to die while he set about pillaging and battling the [[guardian robot]]s who arrived to quash his uprising. Unbeknownst to Megatron, thanks to the actions of the time-displaced [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], Orion was rebuilt by [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] into a new configuration that could truly stand up to Megatron's power—now, he was [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Prime and Megatron proceeded to face off on the battlefield for the first time, and, as Megatron's [[fusion cannon]] blasts splashed harmlessly off Prime's armor, the new Autobot leader declared himself Megatron's worst nightmare. {{storylink|War Dawn}}

[[Image:Mtmte1 megatron throne.jpg|right|thumb|225px|"What do you mean I'm destined to be an insert?"]]

Under Megatron's leadership, the Decepticons conquered a large portion of Cybertron, but the war drained the planet of most of its energy. Learning that the Autobots were planning a space voyage to search for new worlds and new sources of power, Megatron appointed [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] guardian of Cybertron in his absence while he and his elite forces–including the treacherous [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], who considered Megatron a relic and sought leadership of the Decepticons for himself, and Megatron's most loyal subordinate, [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]]—boarded a [[Nemesis (G1)|space cruiser]] to pursue the Autobots' own [[Ark (G1)|craft]]. After navigating a treacherous meteor shower, the Decepticons attacked and boarded the Autobot craft, but during the battle that ensued, the ship was caught in the g-forces of the nearby planet [[Earth]] and crashed there, knocking all its occupants offline.

[[Image:Mtmte1 megatron pistol mode.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Pull my trigg... nah, too easy. OR lame. Yeah, too lame.]]

Four million years later, in 1984, the eruption of the volcano into which the ship had crashed jarred the ship's computer, [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]], back online. The computer restored the Decepticon [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] to life, and he immediately dragged Megatron into Teletraan's reconfiguration beam. Within moments, the Decepticon leader was restored, now outfitted with an Earthly [[alternate mode]] in the form of a Walther P.38 pistol, and he quickly set about reviving the rest of his troops. Realizing that they were on a planet far from Cybertron, Megatron immediately made plans to gather energy from Earth's resources and build a [[Victory (G1)|new space cruiser]] so they could return home... and perhaps he would have succeeded in this goal, if the Autobots had not been there to stop him. Unfortunately, Starscream proved petty enough to fire a few parting shots at the buried Autobot spacecraft as the Decepticons were leaving, causing a tremor that jostled Optimus Prime's body into the path of Teletraan I's beam. Thus, Optimus Prime was revived and the rest of the Autobots soon followed, and the war continued on Earth.

[[Image:Mtmte2 shermandam.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Megatron and his energy flail/mace/morning star/thingamajig.]]

For their first strike, Megatron led the Decepticons to an offshore oil rig. The Autobots followed, and Prime and Megatron found themselves in battle once again, but Megatron soon broke off the fight and covered his escape by collapsing the rig with a blast from his cannon. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} Next, Megatron chose to attack [[Sherman Dam]], atop which he battled Optimus Prime with his [[energon mace]]. Megatron was on the losing end of that fight until Prime was distracted by the plight of the Autobots' new human ally, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], allowing Megatron to knock him off the dam and make good his escape. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 2}}

[[Image:MTMtE Part3 ExtinctiontoallTraitors.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Smoke 'em if you've got 'em.]]

After pillaging another clutch of energy from the [[ruby crystal mines of Burma]], Megatron made preparations to attack a rocket base to acquire the last of the energy needed. Starscream took the opportunity to grouse about his leadership once more, and in a rather foolish move, attempted to shoot Megatron in the back. Responding to Soundwave's shout of warning, Megatron blocked the beam with a force field and returned fire, bringing Starscream to his knees. The following morning, the Decepticons attacked a [[Cape Carlson|rocket base]], successfully foiling an attempt by the Autobots to dupe them with a holographic illusion, and obtained the required energy. The Autobots launched one final attack on the Decepticons before the villains could escape, during which Megatron faced the firepower of Prime's [[Combat Deck (G1)|Combat Deck]], but ultimately, the Decepticons made it to their cruiser and blasted off. Once airborne, Starscream challenged Megatron for leadership once again, and Megatron was fully prepared to take on the traitor...until the Autobot stowaway [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] used the fight as a distraction to sabotage the ship and send it crashing back to Earth, where it submerged itself in the ocean. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 3}}

[[Image:Trans to ob megs spacebridge.jpg|right|thumb|225px|No! I'm not meant to fly up swirling! I'm meant to stand in triumph!]]

Although the Autobots believed the Decepticons deceased, in reality, Megatron and his forces had survived, and in the intervening months, they repurposed the hulk of their spaceship as a sub-oceanic [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Earth)|headquarters]]. Megatron re-established contact with Shockwave on Cybertron, arranging for the joint construction of a new intergalactic transport system called a "[[space bridge]]". After revealing his continued existence to the Autobots in an attack on a solar power plant, Megatron captured Spike Witwicky for use in the first test of the space bridge and reprogrammed Spike's Autobot friend [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]], causing the little Autobot to lure his comrades into an ambush. Despite his carefully-laid plans, everything backfired for Megatron when the Autobots disrupted the test and he was inadvertently sucked through the space bridge. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion}}

[[Image:Roll4it megatron antimatter.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Maybe if I reduce the weight in my boobs...]]

While a lesser being might have been destroyed by the voyage, Megatron survived and re-materialized on Cybertron. He quickly had Shockwave send him back to Earth, where he led the Decepticons in stealing an [[antimatter]] formula from the scientist [[Alcazar|Doctor Alcazar]] and his student, [[Chip Chase]]. Using the formula, Megatron created antimatter cubes that he used to power himself, transforming his pistol mode into a devastating "antimatter gun". Regrettably, the plan was short-lived: During the ensuing battle, the antimatter reached ignition temperature, and he was forced to dispose of it and flee. {{storylink|Roll for It}}

When Optimus Prime was badly wounded in a battle with the Decepticon jets, a group of Autobots travelled to Cybertron to secure a replacement part to save him, prompting Megatron to order the [[Rainmaker]]s into battle to stop them with [[acid rain]]. Thinking this tactic a success, Megatron launched a major attack on [[Ark (G1)|Autobot Headquarters]], but the Autobots returned from Cybertron in time to repair Prime, who thrashed Megatron soundly in one-on-one combat. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer}}

[[Image:Tud1 megatron cybertron.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Hahahaha! See? TRIUMPH! That's much better.]]

Megatron's scheme to drain heat energy from Earth's core was foiled by the Decepticon-turned-Autobot [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]], {{storylink|Fire in the Sky}} after which his attack on the [[Great Falls]] hydroelectric power plant was squashed by the powerful, newly created [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}} His attempt to use the [[Crystal of Power]] as a weapon met with similar success, {{storylink|Fire on the Mountain}} so Megatron turned his attentions back to the Dinobots, using his charisma to confuse their simple minds and turn them against the Autobots. While the Dinobots were busy battling Optimus Prime, Megatron and the Decepticons stole an [[Meteorini Chipperoni|unstable meteorite]] and began draining its energy, but the meteor soon exploded, denying Megatron another success. {{storylink|War of the Dinobots}}

Megatron's next plan was his grandest yet, as he allied himself with the human scientist [[Doctor Arkeville]] for his mind-controlling [[hypno-chip]]s and constructed a colossal space bridge design to teleport Cybertron itself into Earth's orbit. Prime engaged Megatron in battle just before the Decepticon leader could activate the final pylon of the space bridge, but victory in this battle was Megatron's, as he revealed his scheme to Prime, forcing Optimus to activate the pylon himself or cause Cybertron's destruction. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 1}} Megatron's forces and mind-controlled human slaves set about gathering the energy generated by the catastrophic forces unleashed by Cybertron's arrival, {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 2}} until eventually, a huge transport full of energy cubes was ready. As Megatron personally flew the ship to Cybertron, but the Autobots opened fire on it, detonating the energon cubes and causing an explosion large enough to force Cybertron out of orbit, saving Earth. Megatron proved his preternatural durability yet again by surviving the blast, {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 3}} and he quickly returned to Earth, only to discover that Starscream and Doctor Arkeville had formed an alliance.

[[Image:CountdownToExtinction.jpg|thumb|225px|left|thumb|Pull my tri... no, crap. We decided not to do that one.]]

To stop Starscream's plan to use an [[Exponential Generator]] to destroy the Earth, Megatron was forced to team up with Optimus Prime, transforming into pistol mode so that Prime could use him to fire the generator into space. When the generator exploded, it knocked the passing Starscream out the sky, and he crashed right at the vengeful Megatron's feet. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (episode)|Countdown to Extinction}}

Whatever revenge Megatron reaped upon Starscream, it was enough to put the Air Commander out of commission for the Decepticons' next mission to [[Bali]], where Megatron formed a partnership with a trio of Decepticon "[[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]" that had been living there. When an Autobot attack foiled their attempt to steal energy from an oil tanker, however, Megatron cut his losses and ordered the Decepticons to retreat with what energon cubes they had acquired, earning him the Insecticons' enmity. {{storylink|A Plague of Insecticons}}

[[Image:Heavymeatlwar megatron powers.jpg|right|thumb|225px|"I have all the powers of all the Decepticons! Wait... whose is the pink glowing, again?"]]

After the Decepticon forces were bolstered by the addition of the Constructicons, Megatron put the builders' skills to use constructing a device that would transfer the other Decepticons' powers into him. With these additional abilities in place, Megatron challenged Optimus Prime to a one-on-one duel according to Cybertronian law, in which the loser would be exiled from Earth forever. The law, however, dictated that combatants had to fight without additional reinforcement, so to hide the nature of his new powers, Megatron dispatched the Constructicons to destroy Teletraan I, so that the computer would be unable to scan him and realise his broach of the rules. Using the powers of his Decepticons, Megatron easily defeated Optimus Prime, but the Constructicons' were foiled in their mission by the Dinobots, and Megatron's deception stood revealed. Faced with a furious Optimus Prime, Megatron was hurled into a river of lava, but as the Autobots departed, his charred form bobbed to the surface, and he vowed the Decepticons would rise again. {{storylink|Heavy Metal War}}

[[Image:Autobotspike prime vs autobotx.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Secret weapon? Secret glinty weapon!]]

During a raid on an Air Force rocket base in 1985, Megatron covered the Decepticons' retreat by opening fire on Bumblebee and Spike, badly wounding the young human. While his body was being operated upon, Spike's mind was transferred into the Frankenstein-like body of "[[Autobot X]]", and Megatron was able to exploit the youth's resulting addled state and turn him against the Autobots, even allowing Spike to wield him in pistol mode. Unfortunately for Megatron, Spike got a hold of himself and turned Megatron's power on the other Decepticons, winning the day. {{storylink|Autobot Spike}}

[[Image:Atlantisarise megatron lincoln.jpg|right|thumb|225px|"Rumble, bring me a newspaper!"]]

After attempts to drain energy from the Earth's sun with his new [[Solar Needle]] {{storylink|Changing Gears}} and to conquer [[New York City]] and transform it into "[[New Cybertron]]", {{storylink|City of Steel}} Megatron decided to hit the Autobots where they lived, using [[invisibility spray]] to sneak into Autobot Headquarters and plant a [[personality destabilizer device]] in Teletraan I's recharging systems. The device turned the Autobots into rampaging brutes, and while they were busy causing destruction, Megatron led the Decepticons in hijacking a solar satellite, only to be foiled at the last second when the Autobots were restored to their right minds. {{storylink|Attack of the Autobots}}

Wild and wonderful technology formed the basis of Megatron's next few schemes, as he formed another unstable alliance with the Insecticons to appropriate human-made [[electro-cell]]s, {{storylink|Traitor}} attempted to steal Wheeljack's new paralyzing [[Wheeljack Instant Immobilizer|Immobilizer]] weapon, {{storylink|The Immobilizer}} and had the Constructicons build the [[Transfixatron]], a device which froze the Autobots in their vehicle modes. {{storylink|The Autobot Run}} When these plans met with failure, Megatron teamed up with King [[Nergill]] of the undersea fish-race of [[Sub-Atlantica]] and tried to conquer [[Washington, D.C.]] Megatron felt right at home sitting in a "throne" made from the [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln Memorial]], but the plan fell apart when the insane Nergill betrayed Megatron. {{storylink|Atlantis, Arise!}}

[[Image:Megatron and nightbird.jpg|left|thumb|"At long last, my robotic bride has been completed!"]]

Despite the failure of his plan to manipulate the Earth computer [[TORQ III]], {{storylink|Day of the Machines}} Megatron stuck to his guns and tried controlling Earth technology again, stealing the human-made robot ninja [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]] and unleashing it upon the Autobots. Megatron was full of praise for Nightbird, describing "her" as "all he had ever wanted", and dubbed her "hot enough" to replace Starscream if he so chose. Threatened by this prospect, Starscream helped the Autobots defeat Nightbird. Needless to say, Megatron was not pleased. {{storylink|Enter the Nightbird}}

[[Image:PrimeProblem Megatron prime splitscreen.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Memo to self: Bumblebee is the yellow one.]]

For his next plan, Megatron got very hands-on, creating a perfect [[Optimus Prime clone|clone]] of Optimus Prime that he controlled personally via a special helmet. Despite Megatron's inability to operate Teletraan I or even get the Autobots' names right, Prime's comrades failed to tell the difference between the clone and the genuine article. It was only when Megatron dismissed the safety of Spike during a battle for control of a crevasse of [[korlonium crystal]]s that his trickery was revealed and the clone was destroyed. {{storylink|A Prime Problem}}

Megatron's next run of plans went especially badly for the Decepticon leader. Another attempt to harness the power of the Earth's core nearly destroyed the planet, necessitating a team-up with the Autobots to save the world, {{storylink|The Core}} while another failed alliance with the Insecticons also led to a team-up, as Megatron was forced once again to allow Optimus Prime to wield him in pistol mode, so that he could shoot capsules into the over-energized Insecticons in order to bring them under control. {{storylink|The Insecticon Syndrome}} No alliance resulted from Megatron's attempt to harness the energies of the time-lost [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} but his scheme nearly tore apart the fabric of space and time, until the Dinobots and the island's native dinosaurs stopped him. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 2}}

[[Image:Microbots Megatron energy blasts.JPG|left|thumb|225px|"I saw this trick on [[GoBots (franchise)#Cartoon|some other TV show]]."]]

Next, Megatron tried stealing Autobot technology, going after [[Grapple]]'s [[Solar Power Tower]] {{storylink|The Master Builders}} and the [[Negavator]], {{storylink|Auto Berserk}} but failure on both accounts led him to try and rediscover a piece of lost technology, rather than steal a new one. Venturing into the jungles of [[South America]], Megatron and the Decepticons uncovered the ruins of the space cruiser that had brought them to Earth, and Megatron had its power core, the [[Heart of Cybertron]], installed within his body. Now bestowed with incredible energy-blasting powers, Megatron would have destroyed the Autobots, had Bumblebee, [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] and [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] not shrunk themselves to microscopic size and ventured inside his body to disconnect the Heart of Cybertron. {{storylink|Microbots}}

[[Image:Masterplan2 earth germ.jpg|right|thumb|225px|"...and two all beef patties on a sesame seed bun!" "Not that kind of burger!"]]

Seeking to exploit the gullibility of humankind, Megatron entered into a partnership with the human politician [[Shawn Berger]], promising him control of [[Central City (Earth)|Central City]] if he would help Megatron "expose" the Autobots for the villains they truly were. Megatron tricked Berger into believing the Autobots had ransacked an oil field by disguising the Decepticons with costumes, and the tape "proving" the Autobots' evil deeds was unveiled to the public. Found guilty in a court of law, the Autobots were exiled from Earth, and Megatron secretly reprogrammed their ship's navigation computer to send them not back to Cybertron, but into the heart of the Sun. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}} Megatron played nice for a little while, joining in a parade and a television interview, but it was during the latter that he revealed his deception and announced his intention to conquer the planet. Central City immediately fell under his control and was turned into a huge work camp dubbed "Megatronia One", but soon, the Autobots (who had survived their plunge into the Sun thanks to [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]'s force field) returned to Earth to clear their names and stop Megatron's master plan. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}}

[[Image:Dotd1 cybertonium deficiency.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Oh no, I've fallen... Starscream is now leader!]]

The Decepticons' attempt to steal [[Greene|Professor Greene]]'s [[Ultra Plane]] was foiled by depletion of their [[cybertonium]], which robbed Megatron of his ability to fly and shoot straight. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1}} Megatron was not pleased to hear that Shockwave's attempts to transport some fresh cybertonium from Cybertron were stymied by Spike and his girlfriend [[Carly]]. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2}} Once he was fully functional again, Megatron stole the [[Voltronic Galaxer]] and used it to disrupt communications signals all across Earth from a [[Decepticon moonbase|base on the Moon]]. Holding the world to ransom for energy in exchange for clear lines of communication, Megatron was ultimately defeated in a battle with Optimus Prime on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]'s surface. {{storylink|Blaster Blues}}

[[Image:Megatron and kremzeek.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Who's the cyoot wittle homicidal maniac?]]

Megatron next led the Decepticons in a mission to [[United Kingdom|Britain]], {{storylink|A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court}} after which he briefly gained the power of an [[electrum]] coating {{storylink|The Golden Lagoon}} and then turned his attention back to New York City, allying with the criminal [[Geddis brothers]] in order to make drone warriors out of the cars their crime ring stole. {{storylink|Make Tracks}} Later, an attempt to create a new space bridge in a baseball stadium went awry when Megatron accidentally blasted the bridge's controls, creating a disruption that transported several Autobots and Decepticons to a planet of alien giants. {{storylink|Child's Play (episode)|Child's Play}} Megatron was lucky enough to escape this fate, and once his followers had returned, he unleashed a series of schemes against the Autobots that saw them pitted against alien creatures like the [[Morphobot]]s {{storylink|Quest for Survival}} and a [[asteroid bird alien|creature from the heart of an asteroid]]. {{storylink|The Secret of Omega Supreme}}

While conducting an experiment of his own, Megatron inadvertently wound up creating the demented energy imp known as [[Kremzeek]]. Megatron released Kremzeek into the Autobot base so that he could cause havoc, keeping the Autobots occupied while he tested the Decepticons' new [[energy magnet]] off the coast of [[Japan]]. However, Megatron had not anticipated that Kremzeek would follow him to Japan and wind up destroying their operation there. {{storylink|Kremzeek!}}

[[Image:Tripletakeover_megatron_frozen.jpg|left|thumb|225px|So... cold... need... blanket...]]

After a mission to the planet of the [[Tlalakan]]s at the behest of the neurotic Decepticon computer [[Deceptitran]], {{storylink|Sea Change}} Megatron fell victim to betrayal by Starscream, [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]], and was frozen solid in a subterranean chamber by absolute zero degree molecules. As luck would have it, the chaos caused by the trio's attempts to take control of the Decepticons caused a flash flood that destroyed the chamber and freed Megatron, and he took on all comers to retake his leadership position. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}

[[Image:G1toon starscream thrashed.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Megatron and Starscream show off their dance routine finale.]]

Megatron then took a step back from the front lines for a while, delegating Astrotrain and Blitzwing to make contact with the big game hunter [[Chumley|Lord Chumley]], {{storylink|Prime Target (episode)|Prime Target}} placing Starscream in charge of missions to hypnotise humans with the [[Dancitron]] nightclub {{storylink|Auto-Bop}} and to capture [[Elita One]] on Cybertron, {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}} and appointing [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]], [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] to capture [[Astoria Carlton-Ritz]]. {{storylink|The Girl Who Loved Powerglide}} Megatron got proactive again when a movie studio captured footage of Dirge crash-landing in their back lot while carrying a secret cargo. Starscream's failure to recover the negatives of the footage enraged Megatron to such an extent that he slammed the Air Commander off a wall and tore wires out of his chest, knocking him offline. Megatron was tricked into believing the negative had been destroyed by [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], but as it turned out, the "secret cargo" was totally worthless anyway! {{storylink|Hoist Goes Hollywood}}

[[Image:Megatron and vector sigma.jpg|left|thumb|225px|"Is that a blemish? Starscream, you incompetent fool! You didn't polish the disco ball properly!"]]

Seeking to challenge the Autobots' rule of the road, Megatron created the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] and brought them to Cybertron so that [[Vector Sigma]] could bring them to life. Stealing the mega-computer's key from [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]], Megatron succeeded in his goal, {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1}} and upon returning to Earth with the key, discovered that it possessed the additional power to de-energize matter and turn it into metal. Cutting a swathe through the [[Seattle]]-Tacoma area with the key, Megatron sought to transform Earth into a new Cybertron, but he was stopped by the Autobots' newest members, the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]]. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2}}

Megatron soon sought to dispose of the Aerialbots by sending them back to the dawn of time using the [[Kronosphere]] time machine, but an Autobot attack disrupted the process, and the Aerialbots wound up on Cybertron nine million years in the past. There, they saved Orion Pax from dying at Megatron's hands, making Megatron–who was the reason for the Aerialbots being sent back in time–unwittingly responsible for the creation of his greatest enemy. {{storylink|War Dawn}}

[[Image:Rusted megatron.jpg|right|thumb|225px|"Oh, I ''hope'' this is chocolate..."]]

Coercing the aid of [[Abdul Ben Faisal]] and [[Teranova|Professor Teranova]], Megatron located the weather-controlling [[Pearl of Bahoudin]] and arranged the [[Europa 2000]] so that he could obtain the experimental metal of [[Auggie Cahnay (G1)|Auggie Cahnay]]'s car and use it to contain the pearl's power. An Autobot attack caused Megatron to lose control of the pearl, and he fled the massive storm that resulted. {{storylink|Trans-Europe Express}}

While investigating the planet [[Antilla]], Megatron discovered a new "[[Lightning Bug]]" weapon, but also fell victim to the deadly disease [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]]. Autobot scientist Perceptor was captured and brought to Decepticon Headquarters to diagnose him, and he offered a cure in the form of his newest invention, [[Corrostop]]. With the Decepticons protected by Corrostop, Megatron unleashed Cosmic Rust upon the Autobots, exacerbating its effects with the Lightning Bug. Events culminated at the [[Statue of Liberty]], where the stricken Autobots found the strength to overcome the Decepticons and destroy Megatron's new weapon. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}}

[[Image:Starscreamsbrigade megatron grabbed.jpg|left|thumb|225px|"Hey, free Action Master!"]]

After another failed coup by Starscream, Megatron reached the end of his rope and dismissed the traitor from the Decepticon ranks. When news then came in from Shockwave that the [[personality component]]s of the political dissidents known as the "[[Renegade Decepticon]]s" had been freed from imprisonment on Cybertron, Megatron suspected the Autobots were responsible, but he soon learned that Starscream had done the deed and used the components to create an army of his own, the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. Megatron could not stand up to the power of the Combaticons' combined form of [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]], and he was forced to hand power over to Starscream...just before [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] blindsided Bruticus and saved Megatron at the last minute. Megatron exiled Starscream and the Combaticons to an asteroid in space, {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}} but this merely made things worse, as the Combaticons towed the asteroid to Cybertron and took over the planet. While supervising an Insecticon rampage on Earth, Megatron received a communication from Starscream informing him that the Combaticons had rewired the space bridge and were using it to hurl the Earth into the Sun. Once again, Megatron and Optimus Prime were forced to join forces to stop the Combaticons, but first, both leaders had to donate some of their own parts to repair the damaged space bridge control panel. After a pitched battle on Cybertron, Bruticus was defeated, and Optimus Prime believed he witnessed Megatron destroying the giant warrior with a blast from his fusion cannon. In truth, the whole scene had been a holographic illusion masterminded by Starscream, who gave Megatron the defeated Bruticus's body. Planning to reprogram the Combaticons to be loyal to him, Megatron welcomed Starscream back into the Decepticon ranks as reward for his efforts. {{storylink|The Revenge of Bruticus}}

[[Image:Roop1 megatron flask.jpg|right|thumb|Once I drink this, I will become the size of Trypticon! *drinks* Hmm, tastes like grape juice...oh.]]

Megatron's final recorded schemes in the twentieth century were some of his most outlandish yet, as he used armies of drone planes and a fortress in the shape of a [[Giant Purple Griffin]] to pillage the oil fields of the Middle East, {{storylink|Aerial Assault}} created a giant laser out of a ruby, {{storylink|Masquerade}} and planned to blast the Moon out of orbit so he could control the tides of the Earth and... flood one single canyon. {{storylink|B.O.T. (episode)|B.O.T.}}

Over the course of the next twenty years, Megatron turned his attention away from Earth and succeeded in conquering the entirety of Cybertron. The Autobots were forced off the planet and founded [[Autobot City]] on Earth, in addition to two staging bases on Cybertron's moons. At some point during this period of time, Megatron was known to have battled Optimus Prime in a laboratory on Earth, during which he hurled a flask of chemicals which exploded, scarring scientist [[Gregory Swofford]]. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}

[[Image:TFTM Ironhide dies.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Ironhide should be thankful. He doesn't have to listen to the soundtrack any more after this.]]

In the year 2005, Megatron learned of the Autobots' plan to stage a major strike against him, and he responded by hijacking an Autobot shuttle on its way to Earth. After wiping out the occupants of the shuttle, Megatron announced his intention to wipe out the city and cripple the Autobot war effort, then looked down to see the wounded Ironhide crawling towards him. Deeming the action "heroic nonsense", Megatron delivered a point-blank fusion cannon blast to Ironhide's head, killing him.

When the shuttle began its approach to Autobot City, the young Autobot [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] was able to spot the Decepticons aboard from his vantage point on [[Lookout Mountain]] and opened fire, exposing the villains before they were actually able to penetrate Autobot City. Megatron was undeterred, and he initiated a massive siege of the armored fortress. After a night of combat, Devastator successfully breached the city walls, allowing Megatron to enter. Before Megatron could get too deeply into the city, however, Optimus Prime arrived and faced him in a final battle. Megatron fought fiercely, and although deprived of his fusion cannon, he tore into Prime with a laser sword and even hunks of rubble, threatening to rip out the Autobot leader's optics.

[[Image:Tftm_prime_megs_finalblow.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Bow down to my sinister power! *thinks* ''Good thing he doesn't know it's just a purple NERF pistol...'']]

Ultimately, Optimus Prime prevailed, bringing Megatron to his knees and standing over him, ion blaster in hand, poised to deliver the killing blow. Spotting a discarded pistol lying nearby, Megatron stalled for time by begging for mercy, crawling ever closer to the weapon, until Hot Rod spotted what he was doing and jumped him. Hot Rod proved a much less formidable opponent for Megatron, even in his weakened state, and he seized the youth, using him as a shield while he grabbed the gun and opened fire on Prime. Prime was felled by the shots, and Megatron tossed Hot Rod aside, striding up to the fallen Prime and preparing to end their war once and for all. With his last ounce of strength, however, Prime caught Megatron off-guard with a double axe-handle blow and sent the Decepticon leader toppling over the edge of the overhang on which they were standing. Crippled by the fall, Megatron was carried to the safety of Astrotrain by Soundwave as the tide of battle turned and the Decepticons retreated. Although Megatron was defeated, he had not failed; the wounds Optimus Prime had suffered were mortal, and he died soon after.

[[Image:Megatron recreated.jpg|left|thumb|250px|What do you mean, my parts are showing?]]

On the journey back to Cybertron, it became necessary for the Decepticons to jettison excess mass in order to return home safely. The wounded Decepticons were voted out and set adrift in space, with Starscream taking great delight in personally jettisoning Megatron, despite Megatron's protestations that he still functioned. Before long, however, Megatron's drifting body was found by the planet-eating [[Unicron]], who offered to rebuild the Decepticon's body if he would destroy the Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership]] for Unicron. Megatron professed that the Matrix had died with Optimus Prime, but Unicron revealed that it had been passed to the Autobots' new leader, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]]. Testing the waters, Megatron inquired what he would receive for doing Unicron's will, and despite his dubious bargaining posture, Unicron offered to recreate his wounded body and give him new troops. Megatron demanded more but was denied, as Unicron declared that Megatron now belonged to him. This was the final straw for Megatron, who refused to be anyone's servant, so Unicron simply began to consume him. In the throes of agony, Megatron accepted the chaos-bringer's offer and was recreated as [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

Later, while escaping [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and the [[Sweep]]s, [[Octane]] fled into the [[Decepticon Crypt]], passing by [[:Image:MegatronCryptMarker1.jpg|a statue memorializing Megatron]]. {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}}
{{--}}

==''Wings Universe''==
{{wingsnote}}
[[Image:BattleLines5-Megatron.jpg|right|thumb|150px|So that's where Starscream gets it from.]]

As the Decepticon movement began to grow on Cybertron, [[Kaon]] was among the first city-states to declare allegiance to the cause. Because Kaon controlled the smelting pools and forges of Cybertron that produced the majority of construction materials, [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] of the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s had little choice but to align his people with the Decepticon cause as well. However, seven unnamed Constructicons wanted the alliance to be more than in-name-only. They secretly constructed a new and powerful warrior named Megatron, hoping to use him to claim power over the Constructicons, the Decepticons, and Cybertron at large. These Constructicons grossly underestimated their own creation, though, as Megatron wanted all those things for himself. Using the Robo-Smasher, Megatron brainwashed Hook and the other Constructicon leaders into his servants on his first step to conquet. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 42|Devastator's "Wings of Honor" Profile}}

Megatron proceeded to cement himself was one of the fourteen [[Decepticon Warlord]]s vying for power within their faction, though the [[Autobot High Council]] initially regarded his threat as a minor one. In addition to the Robo-Smasher, technology used by his forces included the Flying Upgrade, which gave him a Seekers-Skyraider Brigade. Megatron's chief rival was [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]], and like him, Megatron rarely attended the Decepticon War Council in person, but rather sent his lieutenant, Shockwave. He steadily consolidated his power, using the Robo-Smasher to brainwash more troops (including the entire ranks of the Autobots' [[Gyronian Sentry|Gyronian Sentries]]) and securing the loyalty of [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] of the [[Photon]]s, covertly increasing his influence over the Council, which he used to arrange an agreement between the councilc's members to share knowledge and technology for the purpose of eliminating the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Autobot Elite Guard]]. Once he had access to their secrets, however, Megatron abandoned the War Council with his allies, leaving them to realize how they'd been duped. When Deathsaurus eliminated the remaining War Council members with an unwitting suicide bomber, he and Megatron were the only two Warlords left. {{storylink|A Team Effort}} With the danger Megatron posed now fully recognized by the High Council, they charged the Autobots' new military leader Optimus Prime with taking him out. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 2}}

While Deathsaurus was occupied battling the Autobots' [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]], Megatron seized control of his rival's headquarters and greeted him when he returned to base wounded. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 4}} As part of a show to his troops, Megatron fought Deathsaurus in single combat to prove himself worthy of leadership (despite the fact that most of his men had been Robo-Smashed into loyalty already), and easily triumphed over his weakened rival, anointing himself the supreme leader of all Decepticons. After dealing with Deathsaurus's remaining loyalists the Combaticons by removing and imprisoning their [[personality component]]s, Megatron then had all data on the [[combiner]] process Deathsaurus had developed downloaded from his databanks and subjected the Constructicons to the process, giving them the ability to merge into [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. and one week later,
{{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 5}}

A week later, Megatron led an attack on [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], but Devastator was defeated in the opening salvo of the battle. Deeming Deathsaurus's technology faulty, Megatron had his army press on regardless, targeting the Autobots' two leaders, Optimus Prime and [[Magnum]]. His first shot felled Magnum, but his second, meant for Prime, was intercepted by [[Dion]]. Prime returned fire, and the wounded Megatron called retreat, considering the attack a success. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 6}}

During the [[Battle of Autobot City]] in 2005, Megatron followed Devatastor into the city after the giant breached its walls, and watched as the Constructicons engaged [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and some other Autobots in a running battle. {{storylink|A Flash Forward}}
{{-}}

==Japanese cartoon continuity==
{{note|The events of the American cartoon series occur in Japanese continuity as covered above. This timeline, however, inserts a large number of additional storylines, told through various different media, into the timeline, as detailed below.}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
{{main|Megatron (G1)#Beast Wars cartoon}}

===e-HOBBY comics===
[[Image:Black megatron.jpg‎|right|thumb|If I was painted black, does this make me a Nemesis Megatron? But shouldn't I be fighting for the Autobots? My head.]]
Early in his career as a ruthless tyrant on Cybertron, Megatron led Soundwave and a horde of [[Silver Soldier]]s in a raid on Autobot energon warehouses. Suddenly, his troops began to report sighting a giant Autobot shortly before having their transmissions cut off. Megatron then came face to face with the culprit: a Guardian Robot. {{storylink|64 Cybertron Urban Defense Robot GADEP}}

Millions of years later, during the battles between the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth, Megatron ordered an attack on Autobot Headquarters. He attacked the unarmed Optimus Prime, only to be immediately punched straight through a wall. This blow unhinged his gyrocompass stabilizers, which were keeping in check the [[quantum surge]] energy he had been exposed to during his four-million-year slumber, when the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] had been raging on prehistoric Earth. Now unleashed, the quantum energy changed Megatron's body into a powerful black metallic [[Transmetal]] form. Megatron believed the change to be divine intervention and decided to use it to his advantage in conquering the Autobots. {{storylink|Decepticon Leader Megatron Black Ver.}}
{{-}}

===''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' comic===
[[Image:Megatron super robot life.jpg‎|left|240px|thumb| Bwahahaha! I shall morph the Earth into a mechanical planet! This will have no conflict with [[Primus]] or [[Unicron]] whatsoever!]]
In the late 1980s, Megatron turned his attention away from North America and chose to focus on stealing the energy of [[Japan]]. Starscream was not particularly happy with the fact that Megatron chose to command the Decepticons' first attack on the country from the safety of Decepticon Headquarters while he and the jets did all the hard work. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 1|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #1}}

After leading yet another an attack on Autobot Headquarters, {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 2|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #2}} Megatron began the construction of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], which he would use to conquer Japan, as the first step to transforming the entire Earth into a robotic base from which the Decepticons would dominate the universe. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 3|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #3}}

Next, Megatron transformed himself into the gigantic "Super Megatron Gun" (a non-shrunken version of his pistol mode, operated by Starscream riding atop Blitzwing!) and began rampaging through Japan. Unable to stand up to the power of Optimus Prime's new "[[Scramble Power Buster]]" cannon, Megatron had his two comrades transform to jet mode, only for [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] to lead them a merry chase and cause them to crash right back into Megatron himself. Prime and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] then finished off the three Decepticons with a "Prime-Magnus Double Cross Kick". {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 4|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #4}}

With Trypticon successfully completed, Megatron led the Decepticons in taking over a small, unpopulated island to use as a staging base for the saurian city. The Autobots deceived Trypticon with a giant hologram of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (the robot mode of their own currently in-production battle fortress, "Scramble City") and Megatron and the Decepticons retreated. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 6|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #6}}

After expressing his discontent with the automobile Decepticons in his ranks, {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 7|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #7}} Megatron began experimenting on a [[Murdered puppy|dog]], infusing it with the power of "[[Decepticon super science]]" so that it could be used to power the Decepticon war machine. When the dog escaped, Megatron dispatched the Combaticons to hunt it down, but they met with failure when the dog sacrificed itself to transfer the power in its body to the [[Mini Vehicle|Minibots]] so that they could beat back the Combaticons. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 8|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #8}}
{{-}}

===''Scramble City'' cartoon===
[[Image:Scramble_city_megs_closeup.jpg|right|thumb|He's ready for his close-up! (Seriously, this makes up, like, 75% of all the Megatron footage in this OVA.)]]
{{voiceactor|[[Seizō Katō]] (Japanese)}}

To hide the continuing construction of their Scramble City from prying Decepticon optics, the Autobots moved the project to a concealed cavern. When the Decepticons detected magnetic fluctuations emanating from the caves, Megatron dispatched [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s cassettes to investigate, and [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] discovered the facility. Hoping to destroy the fortress before it was completed, Megatron sent Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker and the Constructicons to attack the facility, but they were forced back by the Autobots. Incensed at their failure, Megatron ordered the Stunticons into action, then the Combaticons, leading to an all-out combiner brawl. Ultimately, Megatron's plan met with failure, as the Autobot combiners were able to hold off the Decepticons long enough for Scramble City to be completed and transformed into Metroplex. Metroplex dispatched the Decepticons, but Megatron then revealed his trump card: The ocean split, and from its depths rose Trypticon! {{storylink|Scramble City: Mobilization}}

{{note|This storyline was never concluded, as a second installment of "Scramble City" was never produced.}}
{{-}}
===Full Throttle Scramble Power!===
[[image:MegatronMangaEnergonMace1.jpg|left|thumb]]

From a new Decepticon headquarters in [[Death Valley]], Megatron unleashed his newest weapon, the [[Omega Whip]], upon the world, blasting cities all over the globe. [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], along with the Autobots' human allies, [[Toru]] and [[Jenny (G1)|Jenny]], ventured into Death Valley to investigate, but were captured and forced to watch as Megatron ordered the Stunticons to begin pillaging energy amid the chaos the Omega Whip was causing. Jenny was able to use a [[fusion plate]] to get control of Starscream's motor functions, and she used him to destroy the Omega Whip controls, prompting Megatron to order a withdrawal. Before they could escape, however, the Decepticons were met with the full force of the Autobots, and Megatron unleashed his [[energon mace]] upon Optimus Prime once more. The tide of battle turned when Metroplex arrived and Superion defeated Menasor, forcing Megatron to call retreat. {{storylink|Full Throttle Scramble Power!}}
{{-}}

===''The Battle of the Star Gate''===
[[Image:Stargatebattles megatron makoto.jpg|right|thumb|250px| HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY GREAT POWER!!! I OWN MORE GAS PLANTS THAN BP!!!]]

In the 1990s, the formal alliance between the Autobots and the American government led to a joint project to create the [[Trigger]], an [[Warp gate|interstellar transportation system]] that almost immediately became a target for Megatron, who knew they could use it to ferry huge quantities of energon back to Cybertron. Exploiting other countries' dissatisfaction with the Autobots' decision to ally solely with America, Megatron forged a clandestine pact with another Western power, which installed one of its people, [[Trov]], as part of the small crew that manned the Trigger space station. Trov granted the Decepticons access to the station, but was promptly killed by a blast from Megatron's fusion cannon, as the Decepticon leader naturally had no intentions of sharing power. Unfortunately for the Decepticons, the one surviving member of the crew, [[Makoto (Star Gate)|Makoto]], was able to activate the Trigger and send the Decepticons hurtling towards its portal. At the last moment, Megatron was able to blast the portal and deactivate it, and he was about to kill Makoto in rage when the Autobots arrived to rout the Decepticons. {{storylink|First Contact}}

[[Image:Stargatebattles prime vs megs.jpg|250px|left|thumb| An axe, Prime? You sure can't cut off my mace with that!]]

Megatron was content to wait the six months the humans would take to rebuild the Trigger so that they could make another attempt to take control of it, and he mocked Starscream's impetuous desire to destroy it outright, accusing his subordinate of being unable to grasp the concept of long-term development. {{storylink|Divided Views}} Seeking to prove his competence, Starscream took a leaf out of Megatron's book and arranged an alliance with the [[Prime Minister of Japan]]: the country would provide them with energy in return for a promise of non-aggression. Despite the huge amount of energon cubes that Starscream's plan brought in, Megatron was not impressed, and his reservations toward Starscream's plan only proved correct when the Autobots deduced what was going on and showed up to stop them. Optimus Prime tackled Megatron into the ocean, and they battled on the sea bed with their axe and mace, until Megatron had [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] trigger an earthquake that caused widespread devastation. Megatron revealed the Prime Minister's role and declared that this was a lesson for Prime not to trust humans, before sending his old foe tumbling into a chasm opened by the quake. {{storylink|Activation}}

[[Image:Stargatebattles giant megatron.jpg‎|right|thumb|250px| I was never this big when you used me to fight the Insecticons...]]

Discovering that Starscream had absconded with the energon cubes while he had been battling Prime, Megatron led the Decepticons back to the Trigger, where Starscream had returned. In actuality, Starscream's hand was being guided by the time-displaced ghost of his future self, and using the energon, both present and future Starscream merged with the Trigger to become a monstrous, misshapen robot. The Autobots arrived to protect the Trigger's crew, and a huge space-battle ensued, during which Optimus Prime returned from his apparent demise. To stop Starscream, Megatron was forced to transform into pistol mode and allow Optimus Prime to wield him. Prime channelled the power of the Matrix through Megatron's firing systems, shocking the Decepticon leader with its sheer power, before unleashing the blast that destroyed the Trigger. The Transformers, however, were all caught in the backwash of the explosion and send plummeting back to Earth in uncontrolled re-entry.

Neither Megatron nor any of the other Transformers were seen for several months, but somewhere, in a desert on Earth, Megatron and Prime survived and continued their battle... {{storylink|The Battle of the Star Gate}}

===''Story of Binaltech''===
After the Autobots' Earth-based forces were decimated by a [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]] plague unleashed by [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] in 2003, Megatron made his big push to take over Cybertron fully in 2004. The vast majority of the Autobots were occupied battling Megatron's forces on Cybertron, leading to the creation of new "Binaltech" bodies for the injured Autobots on Earth to protect the planet. {{storylink|Story of Binaltech, Chapter 1}}

In the midst of this Binaltech affair, the time-tossed Decepticon [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] attempted to alter history by using the [[Kronosphere]] time-machine. In the middle of a decisive battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, Ravage used the Kronosphere to transport Megatron and the Decepticons through time, altering history so that the Autobots were left to face the looming threat of [[Unicron]] alone. {{storylink|Changing Lanes}} This disruption of the natural order of time proved almost catastrophic, but reality was saved by the appearance of a mysterious entity known only as the "[[Optimus Primal|Protector]]", which restored the timeline as it should have been, but also preserved the altered "BT World" timeline as an alternate universe. {{storylink|Binal Time}}

{{Note|At this point, the original timeline was retroactively restored and the events of the ''Story of Binaltech'' diverged into a parallel universe. Skip to "[[#Robot Masters|Robot Masters]]" below to continue reading about the original timeline; exactly how many (if any) of the events related in this section, even prior to the divergence, occurred in the original unaltered timeline is unknown.}}

In this alternate universe, Unicron was ultimately defeated, but the weakened Autobot forces were then overwhelmed by the fighting-fit Megatron and the Decepticons when they reappeared in 2006, and Cybertron was conquered by them once again. Megatron then turned his attention to the Sol system and launched an attack on the [[Earth Defense Command]] base on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]]. There, he was faced by [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]], a clone of Optimus Prime created by Doctor Arkeville, who desired to conquer Earth for himself and refused to allow Megatron to go any further. Outraged at the sight of an Earth machine wearing a Decepticon insignia, Megatron attacked.

At the same time, however, the Autobot spy Mirage had been dispatched to Cybertron, where he was instructed to locate and throw a [[large switch]] on which the Autobots had received information. This switch effectively froze every non-Binaltech Transformer throughout the entire universe, including Megatron, still in mid-battle. Nemesis Prime took control, ordering a full retreat while using drones to gather up as many of the frozen Decepticons as possible. {{storylink|Kill Switch}}

===''Alternity''===
[[Image:Alternity_megatron_boxart.jpg|left|thumb|225px| The swords kinda remind you of [[Megatron (Animated)| someone else]], don't they?]]

Nemesis Prime was eventually destroyed by Optimus Prime, but when at last Megatron reawakened, 900,000 years later, he was horrified to discover that the Binaltech Autobots had attained a new stage of evolution, becoming the cross-dimensional hyper-race known as the [[Alternity]]. With his Decepticons now mere cavemen in comparison to these super-evolved Autobots, Megatron embarked on a journey across space and time, allying himself with the Megatrons of numerous other worlds in the multiverse and conducting exhausting research and training in order to perfect a scheme that would grant him power on the level of the Alternity.

Putting his plan into action, Megatron lured the Alternity's natural enemy, the transdimensional time-eating god-beast known as [[Hytherion]], into the parallel world of [[Primax 109.0 Beta]] in the year 2009. Watching as the Optimus Primes of the Alternity engaged the creature in battle, Megatron activated his new [[chaotizer]] device, successfully fusing himself with Hytherion and transforming himself into a hyper-dimensional entity of power on the level of the Alternity itself. Disappearing into a higher realm, Megatron revealed he had created [[auto-avatar]]s of his own to interact with the physical world the same way the Alternity had. Taking possession of the "Premium Le Mans Blue" auto-avatar, while one of his fellow Megatrons took control of the "Blade Silver" body, he engaged in battle with Optimus Prime and vowed to conquer the entire multiverse. {{storylink|To Mega Therion}}
[[Image:Alternity nemesis vs megatron.jpg|right|thumb|220px| Aw, no fair! You have a gun and I don't?! Who created this comic?]]

Later, Megatron battled another member of the Alternity, [[Nemesis Prime (Universe)|another version of Nemesis Prime]] from elsewhere in the multiverse, on a flame-scorched battlefield. Although still new to higher-dimensional battle, Megatron's attacks were powerful and deadly, as he managed to tear a gash in the moon overhead with his Tesseractal Sword. He mocked Nemesis Prime's turn to the side of good, thinking it had cost him his edge in battle, as the Alternity warrior had been continually missing him with the shots he fired. Unfortunately for Megatron, he soon discovered how wrong he was: Nemsis Prime had actually exploited his unfamiliarity with this new form of combat, and trapped him in a closed time loop, where he was repeatedly struck a single laser blast over and over again, until his Auto-avatar was reduced to scrap. {{storylink|Arch-Nemesis!}}

Continuously foiled at every turn by the Alternity, Megatron began recruiting Decepticons from various universal streams to serve as his agents. Seeking to gain control of the [[Planicron]]s, inhabitants of a two-dimensional universe known as [[Flatworld]] who had bonded themselves to the very fabric of their reality, Megatron dispatched [[Reflector (G1)#Alternity)|Reflector]] to [[Primax 905.0 Beta]] to search for a magical tablet that would permit him access to this lower dimension. Reflector was defeated by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], and in his anger, Megatron fired on the Autobot from across the dimensions, knocking him out and destroying the tablet. {{storylink|The World Is Flat!}} Realizing that ordinary henchmen could not stand up to the Alternity's incredible powers, Megatron was forced to share a small portion of his power with other Decepticons, beginning with [[Starscream (G1)#Alternity|Starscream]] and [[Skywarp (G1)#Alternity)|Skywarp]], creating an elite force of [[Questor]]s to serve him. {{storylink|Foreshadows}} Skywarp successfully located Flatworld, {{storylink|Hunt for the Planicrons}} and Megatron used another of the magic tablets that his other Questors had found to seize control of the Planicrons and use their unfathomable powers to attack the Alternity in the worst way, destroying their higher-dimensional consciousnesses and splintering them into individual beings once more. Megatron's control of the Planicrons was short-lived, however, when, following this victory, doubtful [[Thundercracker (G1)#Alternity|Thundercracker]] destroyed the tablets and freed them from his control. {{storylink|Alternation}}

Seeking to help the Planicrons complete their evolution into higher-dimensional life so they could take their place as protectors of reality, the Alternity set about distracting Megatron by simultaneously attacking his various auto-avatars in different dimensions. The destruction of 667 of his avatars additionally loosened Megatron's grip on Hytherion's power, and he attacked the Planicrons as a corrupted, raging "Megatherion" in an attempt to halt their evolution. Reshaping themselves into humanoid form, the Planicron's struck Megatron with the same attack he had made them use on the Alternity, obliterating his gestalt consciousness and destroying most of his different selves. The Planicrons subsequently ascended to their new position as defenders of time and space, and together with the individual Alternity, they kept watch for the potential return of any of the surviving Megatrons. {{storylink|Alternation}}

{{note|Alternity beings are both individuals and a collective of separate entities. More fiction about Megatron's Alternity collective can be found [[Megatron (G1)#Alternity|here]].}}
{{--}}

===''Robot Masters''===

[[Image:Rmrebirthmegatron.JPG|right|160px|thumb|HAH! I fooled you for all of five seconds!]]

In the year 2004, Megatron disappeared through unknown circumstances. His absence left the Decepticons leaderless, but before Starscream could seize power, the time-displaced [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] "[[Megatron (BW)|Beast Megatron]]" appeared in the present day and took his place as Decepticon leader in the battle for the mysterious element [[solitarium]].

Precisely what happened to Megatron was never explained, but he was later able to effect his return by using his inter-dimensional black hole uplink powers to possess the body of [[Reverse Convoy]] from the planet [[Vehicon (planet)|Vehicon]]. Eventually, the Autobots were able to defeat the Decepticons, and all the time-displaced members of the conflict were returned to their proper place in history.

{{note|''Robot Masters'' is explicitly placed in the Japanese cartoon continuity by [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|Takara's 2007 Transformers timeline]]. However, none of the individual pieces of ''Robot Masters'' fiction tells the story of the line in its entirety, and each of them relate certain events in notably different ways. Precisely ''which'' of the them—covered individually below—should be considered the [[canon]] one for the cartoon timeline is unknown.}}

====Cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Jirō Saitō]] (Japanese)}}
[[Image:Reverse convoy cartoon copy.jpg|left|thumb|Yes, that is Megatron. There's nothing wrong with this image.]]

Megatron returned to Earth in Reverse Convoy's body in the midst of a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons in a human city. Introducing himself to Optimus Primal as Reverse Convoy, he helped the [[Maximal]] leader defeat Starscream, and then (for reasons best known to himself) decided to abandon his deception completely, shooting down [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] and [[Victory Leo]] and revealing that he was truly "'''Rebirth Megatron'''" (リバースメガトロン ''Ribāsu Megatoron''). To stop the threat of two Megatrons, Optimus Prime and Optimus Primal unleashed their "Double Prime Tornado" technique, only for Rebirth Megatron and Beast Megatron to counter with a tornado of their own. The power struggle was broken by the Autobots' newest addition, [[Lio Convoy]], whose "Lio Typhoon Arrow" move tipped the scales and defeated the Megatrons. {{storylink|The Lio Convoy Typhoon Enters (episode)|The Lio Convoy Typhoon Enters}}
{{-}}

====Online comic====
[[Image:Reverse convoy manga.jpg‎|right|thumb|275px|Insert cliché "ally = enemy" phrase here]]

In the guise of Reverse Convoy, Megatron appeared outside Autobot City and collapsed, correctly gambling that the Autobots would bring him within the city to recuperate. He weaved a story that he was attacked by "G1 Megatron" at [[Sherman Dam]] and used the Autobots' trust to lead a group there. {{storylink|Strategic Meeting: The Mysterious New Warrior}} At Sherman Dam, the Autobots were ambushed by a hidden Decepticon contingent and held captive. To lure out the others, "Reverse Convoy" sent out an SOS message, prompting Star Saber to come to their rescue. Star Saber was shocked to be shot out of the sky by Reverse Convoy, who promptly shed his disguise and revealed himself to be "Rebirth Megatron". As Megatron pressed his cannon barrel against Prime's head, Lio Convoy came leaping onto the scene at the last moment. Realizing he was outnumbered, Megatron opted to blast the dam, leaving the Autobots struggling to hold it together while he made good his escape. {{storylink|The Dark Emperor of Destruction, Reborn}}

Rebirth Megatron later teamed up with Beast Megatron, and together with the Decepticon army, they engaged the Autobots in a mighty battle. The two Megatrons charged Optimus Prime, but he used his energon axe to fend them both off. After three days of constant fighting, the double Megatrons were defeated and everybody was returned to their proper time. {{storylink|And Then}}

===''Kiss Players''===
[[Image:Legion_head_closeup.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Too much even for Gene Simmons.]]

When Galvatron was thrown from Unicron by [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]] in 2005, his body collided with the Earth, dispersing his Unicron-empowered cells into the atmosphere. When the cells fused with other beings, they created monstrous creatures known as "[[Legion]]", many of whom wore Megatron's face, with one particular long, sticky, throbbing modification. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 1|Kiss Players #1}}

After she helped to stop the Legions by restoring Galvatron and shooting him off into space, [[Marissa Faireborn]] travelled back in time to 1984, where she witnessed Megatron's famous battle atop Sherman Dam with Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #39}}
{{-}}

===''The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers''===
[[Image:Megatron military.jpg‎|right|215px|thumb| If Megatron's the clone troopers, does that make [[The Fallen]] [[Darth Vader]]?]]

{{note|This comic takes place concurrently with the third season of the animated series, by which time Megatron had been transformed into Galvatron. However, while that series took place in 2006 in American continuity, in Japan, its events were moved forward to 2010.}}

At some point in 2010, Galvatron attempted to destroy the Autobots with a legion of Megatron clones dubbed the "[[Megatron Corps]]". Each clone was equipped with its own unique fusion cannon, and they were capable of combining the blasts into an intense attack. As a unified force, the Megatron Corps crushed [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]], [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]]. Their victory was assured until Rodimus managed to deduce that the Megatron Corps was being controlled by Galvatron, who was, as it turned out, actually disguised as one of the Megatron clones himself. Once Rodimus defeated Galvatron, all the Megatron clones lost power and were easily vanquished. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 2|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #2}}
{{-}}

===''The Battlestars'' story pages and comic===
{{note|With his transformation into Galvatron, Megatron departed from the animated continuity until this storyline, five years later.}}

[[Image:Battlestars_super_megatron_born.jpg|left|thumb|225px| Why couldn't I have risen from the ice in [[Transformers (film)| the first movie]]?]]

During his time as Galvatron, Megatron had been seemingly vanquished forever when he was crushed beneath an iceberg. {{storylink|The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg}} Over fifteen years later, an evil force named [[Dark Nova]], hoping to eliminate the threat of the recently resurrected Optimus Prime as Star Convoy, beamed a blast of crazy energy down to Galvatron's icy tomb. Galvatron was instantly revived and reborn as '''[[:Image:SuperAndUltraMegatron.jpg|Super Megatron]]''' (スーパーメガトロン ''Sūpā Megatoron''). Super Megatron erupted from the ice, horrifying Eskimos and polar bears everywhere. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars Part 6}}

[[Image:Super megatron manga.jpg|right|thumb|225px| Yes, that's right! Run away from the version of me that will never become a toy!]]

Taking command of a unit of [[Galaman]] drone warriors, Super Megatron attacked an oil rig, converting the oil into [[Energon cube]]s and taking the [[human]]s hostage. Realizing that human bio-energy is powerful and plentiful, he planned to ''eat'' the oil rig workers as snacks at his victory party. As he licked one up and down with his mighty tongue, he was suddenly attacked by [[Sixliner]]. Unimpressed, Super Megatron shrugged off Sixliner with a single blow, informing the runt he was a million years too young to challenge him. A worthy foe soon appeared in the form of Star Convoy, and the two eternal enemies threw down once more. Super Megatron transformed to his "gunjet" mode and proved a powerful enemy, but was tricked by Star Convoy into crashing into the side of an oil tank. Star Convoy then used his "Galaxy Bomber" attack to detonate the oil, sending the injured Super Megatron fleeing into space, swearing vengeance. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (manga)|The Battlestars}}

[[Image:Battlestars_ultra_megatron_fight.jpg|left|thumb|225px| Hey Optimus, is it me or have we all gotten spikier?]]

Super Megatron then returned with his upgraded forces, the [[Galaman|Great Galaman]] warriors, and took on the [[Battlestars]] in a space battle. He was swiftly defeated when they combined into their [[Triple Combination Battlestar Attack]] and shot him to pieces. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars Part 7}}

Dark Nova then upgraded him into '''[[:Image:SuperAndUltraMegatron.jpg|Ultra Megatron]]''' (ウルトラメガトロン ''Urutora Megatoron'') and at last joined him in battle against the Battlestars. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars Part 8}} When Megatron was again defeated, Dark Nova merged with his remains for the final confrontation, creating the massive [[Dark Nova|Star Giant]]. Ultra Megatron was mostly disassembled in the process, what was left of him being stored in Star Giant's head. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars Part 9}}

Star Giant proved virtually invincible from the outside, so Star Convoy, [[Grandus (ROC)|Grandus]] and [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] traveled inside his body and began tearing up the joint. As soon as they'd inflicted enough damage, the trio escaped just as Star Giant detonated, leaving only his head somewhat intact...fortunately for Ultra Megatron. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars Part 10}}
{{-}}

===''G-2'' story pages and mini-comics===
[[Image:G2AllianceBeginsAndEnds.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Curse you, humans! You killed... some guy who looks like a brown Reflector!]]

Recovering from the Star Giant incident, Megatron's formerly damaged sanity circuits were repaired, and he abandoned his evil ways. He then upgraded into a new [[Action Master]] body and joined with Optimus Prime to form the [[Cybertron Alliance]], ushering in the Second Generation of the Transformers. However, after human soldiers mistook and murdered [[Megatron's dead friend|one of his comrades]], he adopted a new tank body and began the war anew. This time, however, Megatron did not wish to conquer the universe for truly evil purposes, but under the belief that true peace could only be attained through tyranny and an iron fist. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (story page)|Autobots vs. Decepticons: Combat Secrets}}

During an early battle, Megatron threatened to destroy [[Volt]] and [[Electro]]. He was stopped by Optimus Prime in his new missile trailer body. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #1}} Megatron refused to retreat and was hit by an onslaught of attacks by the Autobots. Megatron emerged unscathed from the smoke and snatched up Electro by the head. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #2}} Volt then took Megatron from behind, stabbing him in the back with his Needle Saber, causing him to drop Electro. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #4}}

[[Image:JapG2Meg.jpg|left|250px|thumb|He hasn't lost his knack for monologuing in his old age.]]

Later, Megatron ordered [[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]] to follow Electro and Volt to locate Optimus Prime and the Autobots' field base. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #5}} Prime was eventually located by [[Skyjack]], who slipped past the Autobot radar and reported Prime's location to Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #7}}

Engaging Prime in battle, Megatron fell on the losing end as he ran low on power. Prime offered him one final chance to surrender, only to be interrupted by [[Hooligan (G2)|Hooligan]] and his missile attack. The attack destroyed Prime's back-mounted weaponry unit, shifting the balance of the battle in Megatron's favor. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #9}} Megatron then ordered an airstrike from [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]] and [[Smokescreen (G2)|Smokescreen]], who bombed Prime mercilessly, but stopped just short of killing him, as they wanted to save the honor for Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #10}} With scarcely a look of satisfaction, Megatron gunned down his adversary. As Prime died, he offered him one final prayer. However, Megatron's prayer was cut short, as the [[Reconfiguration Matrix]] within Prime's chest revived him in a new body as "Battle Convoy". Alive and more powerful than before, the two foes battled it out once again. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #13}} {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (story page)|Optimus Prime of the Autobots has Fallen!}} {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (story page)|Birth of the New Supreme Commander Battle Convoy!}}

[[Image:G2 manga megatron defeats prime.jpg‎|right|thumb|350px|For God's sake, we've got guests over.]]

Later, Megatron and the [[Cyberjet]]s had defeated a troop of Autobots, leaving only [[Volt]] standing. Megatron offered Volt a chance to surrender, but he refused. Luckily for Volt, [[Strafe (G2)|Strafe]] arrived on the scene just in time to belt Megatron in the jaw. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #15}} Megatron eventually captured Electro and took him back to Decepticon Headquarters. He attempted to persuade Electro to join him, but Electro politely declined the invitation, as his rescue had just arrived. Just then, [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] burst out from the hall and to his friend's side. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #16}}

Megatron at last coordinated an all-out attack on the Autobots, eventually culminating in he and Prime agreeing to a one-on-one showdown following the "Law of Cybertron": complete banishment to the defeated and his followers. After a long and painful battle, Prime narrowly managed to defeat Megatron. Following the terms of the "Law of Cybertron", Megatron and the Decepticons fled back into deep space, ending the war. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (story page)|The Autobots Triumph in the Battle of Good Vs. Evil!}}

{{-}}
===e-HOBBY comics===
Megatron was deposed as leader of the defeated Decepticons when the time-travelling [[Galvatron II]] appeared from a parallel dimension and overthrew him. Galvatron renewed the war, laying siege to the universe with a fleet of [[Warworld]]s.

[[Image:Megatron vs dan.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Nemesis Prime, is that you--'''OW!!! YOU PUNCHED ME!!!''']]

Megatron was demoted to overseeing an experiment the Decepticons were carrying out on [[Earth]], creating biomechanical creatures in an undersea base with the aid of some human scientists. The experiment ran out of control when the monsters turned on Megatron and the Decepticons and kept them trapped in the base, only periodically departing to attack human shipping vessels. These attacks caught the attention of the Autobots, who discovered the existence of the base by tracking the creatures' movements, and sent a team in to investigate. The team include an [[Eldedroid]] (a robot duplicate of Optimus Prime) controlled by the mind of a human named [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Dan]], who was attacked by Megatron when he broke off from his teammates to search the base. As Megatron was without his fusion cannon, Dan was unwilling to shoot him, and instead engaged him in a fist fight, albeit one that he had little chance of winning. Unlike the other Decepticons, Megatron was not fooled by the Eldedroid's appearance: He knew that he was not fighting his true eternal enemy. No longer amused by the fight, Megatron instructed Dan to return to the real Prime and tell him he was leaving the responsibility for dealing with the creatures to the Autobots, at which point one of the beasts burst into the base. {{storylink|MP-1B Cybertron Commander / Convoy Black Ver.}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars II'' cartoon===
Hundreds of thousands of years into the future, on the planet [[Gaea]], the Predacon [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]] attempted to use a time-and-space-warping gate to summon a "Megatron" to his aid. It is unclear whether he was searching for the original Megatron or the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] who went by the [[Megatron (BW)|same name]], but regardless, Galvatron's brother [[Megastorm|Gigastorm]] screwed up the calculations and instead summoned the titanic [[Majin Zarak]], whom Galvatron proudly declared to be far superior to Megatron. Dissed! {{storylink|Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger!}}

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternators Decepticons]]
[[Category:Alternity Decepticons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Decepticons]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Emperors]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Return of Convoy Decepticons]]
[[Category:Robot Masters Decepticons]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]

Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity

2012-07-06T04:54:07Z

1.162.66.124:

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Whether it's throwing tantrums, building giant griffins, murdering puppies, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMUjcr87XfM laughing like a clown]] or licking humans, '''[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]''' could never be accused of not keeping busy in the [[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]!

==''The Transformers'' cartoon==
{{voiceactor|[[Frank Welker]] (English), [[Seizō Katō]] (Japanese)|[[José Santa Cruz]] (Portuguese), [[Carl Béchard]] (French Canadian), [[Henry Djanik]] (TV Dub, French), [[Gernot Duda]] (Generation 1, German), [[Manfred Erdmann]] (''The Movie'' TV dub and Generation 2 Season One, German), [[Thomas Rauscher]] (''Generation 2'' Season Two, German), [[Achim Barrenstein]] (''The Movie'' DVD dub, German), [[Gino Donato]] (Italian, 1st season and part of 2nd season), [[Mario Milita]], (Italian, the rest of Season 2), [[Angelo Nicotra]] (Italian, first movie dub), [[Romano Malaspina]] (Italian, second movie dub), [[Marco Mori]] (Italian, second dub), [[Alejandro Abdalah]] (Spanish), [[Nikola Simić]] (Serbian), [[Per Sandborgh]] then [[Staffan Hallerstam]] (Swedish), [[Johan Wahlström]] (Swedish, Generation 2)}}

[[Image:Megatronffod.jpg|right|250px|thumb|And then in 1984, Megatron creates the Constructicons. It all comes full circle.]]

Following the exile of the [[Quintesson]]s from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the two races of robots that they had created, the [[Autobot]]s and the [[Decepticon]]s, went to war with each other. Although physically weaker, the Autobots claimed victory thanks to their development of a new ability: the art of [[transformation|transforming]]. The Autobots' victory began the [[Golden Age]] of Cybertron, but all was not well within this seeming paradise. After many centuries of Autobot rule, the Decepticons developed transformation as well, along with new robot-mode flight powers, leading to the creation of Megatron. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}

Megatron quickly gathered a small group of like-minded warriors together beneath him, and he began his mission to restore the Decepticons to glory and overthrow the Autobots. In these early, shadowy days, Megatron is known to have attacked the outer cities, {{storylink|War Dawn}} and was responsible for the death of the current [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Autobot leader]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}} Using a device called the [[Robo-Smasher]] to reprogram Autobots and Decepticons permanently into servitude of his cause, Megatron swelled the Decepticons' ranks into a true army. Among the robots forced into obedience were the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], whom he refashioned to have the ability to [[combiner|combine]]. {{storylink|The Secret of Omega Supreme}}

[[Image:WarDawn Megs Orion.jpg|left|215px|thumb|"So what do you do here?" "I cut steel with my voice!"]]

For whatever reason, the aggressive actions of Megatron and the Decepticons were not made public knowledge, and young robots like the naive [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Orion Pax]] still looked up to Megatron and his followers because of their flight powers. However, Pax soon learned the error of his ways when Megatron approached him about the possibility of using one of the local warehouses for storage, only to turn on Pax once he had gained access to the energy stored within the facility. Megatron fatally injured Orion in a scuffle and left the young robot to die while he set about pillaging and battling the [[guardian robot]]s who arrived to quash his uprising. Unbeknownst to Megatron, thanks to the actions of the time-displaced [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], Orion was rebuilt by [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] into a new configuration that could truly stand up to Megatron's power—now, he was [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Prime and Megatron proceeded to face off on the battlefield for the first time, and, as Megatron's [[fusion cannon]] blasts splashed harmlessly off Prime's armor, the new Autobot leader declared himself Megatron's worst nightmare. {{storylink|War Dawn}}

[[Image:Mtmte1 megatron throne.jpg|right|thumb|225px|"What do you mean I'm destined to be an insert?"]]

Under Megatron's leadership, the Decepticons conquered a large portion of Cybertron, but the war drained the planet of most of its energy. Learning that the Autobots were planning a space voyage to search for new worlds and new sources of power, Megatron appointed [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] guardian of Cybertron in his absence while he and his elite forces–including the treacherous [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], who considered Megatron a relic and sought leadership of the Decepticons for himself, and Megatron's most loyal subordinate, [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]]—boarded a [[Nemesis (G1)|space cruiser]] to pursue the Autobots' own [[Ark (G1)|craft]]. After navigating a treacherous meteor shower, the Decepticons attacked and boarded the Autobot craft, but during the battle that ensued, the ship was caught in the g-forces of the nearby planet [[Earth]] and crashed there, knocking all its occupants offline.

[[Image:Mtmte1 megatron pistol mode.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Pull my trigg... nah, too easy. OR lame. Yeah, too lame.]]

Four million years later, in 1984, the eruption of the volcano into which the ship had crashed jarred the ship's computer, [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]], back online. The computer restored the Decepticon [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] to life, and he immediately dragged Megatron into Teletraan's reconfiguration beam. Within moments, the Decepticon leader was restored, now outfitted with an Earthly [[alternate mode]] in the form of a Walther P.38 pistol, and he quickly set about reviving the rest of his troops. Realizing that they were on a planet far from Cybertron, Megatron immediately made plans to gather energy from Earth's resources and build a [[Victory (G1)|new space cruiser]] so they could return home... and perhaps he would have succeeded in this goal, if the Autobots had not been there to stop him. Unfortunately, Starscream proved petty enough to fire a few parting shots at the buried Autobot spacecraft as the Decepticons were leaving, causing a tremor that jostled Optimus Prime's body into the path of Teletraan I's beam. Thus, Optimus Prime was revived and the rest of the Autobots soon followed, and the war continued on Earth.

[[Image:Mtmte2 shermandam.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Megatron and his energy flail/mace/morning star/thingamajig.]]

For their first strike, Megatron led the Decepticons to an offshore oil rig. The Autobots followed, and Prime and Megatron found themselves in battle once again, but Megatron soon broke off the fight and covered his escape by collapsing the rig with a blast from his cannon. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} Next, Megatron chose to attack [[Sherman Dam]], atop which he battled Optimus Prime with his [[energon mace]]. Megatron was on the losing end of that fight until Prime was distracted by the plight of the Autobots' new human ally, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], allowing Megatron to knock him off the dam and make good his escape. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 2}}

[[Image:MTMtE Part3 ExtinctiontoallTraitors.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Smoke 'em if you've got 'em.]]

After pillaging another clutch of energy from the [[ruby crystal mines of Burma]], Megatron made preparations to attack a rocket base to acquire the last of the energy needed. Starscream took the opportunity to grouse about his leadership once more, and in a rather foolish move, attempted to shoot Megatron in the back. Responding to Soundwave's shout of warning, Megatron blocked the beam with a force field and returned fire, bringing Starscream to his knees. The following morning, the Decepticons attacked a [[Cape Carlson|rocket base]], successfully foiling an attempt by the Autobots to dupe them with a holographic illusion, and obtained the required energy. The Autobots launched one final attack on the Decepticons before the villains could escape, during which Megatron faced the firepower of Prime's [[Combat Deck (G1)|Combat Deck]], but ultimately, the Decepticons made it to their cruiser and blasted off. Once airborne, Starscream challenged Megatron for leadership once again, and Megatron was fully prepared to take on the traitor...until the Autobot stowaway [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] used the fight as a distraction to sabotage the ship and send it crashing back to Earth, where it submerged itself in the ocean. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 3}}

[[Image:Trans to ob megs spacebridge.jpg|right|thumb|225px|No! I'm not meant to fly up swirling! I'm meant to stand in triumph!]]

Although the Autobots believed the Decepticons deceased, in reality, Megatron and his forces had survived, and in the intervening months, they repurposed the hulk of their spaceship as a sub-oceanic [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Earth)|headquarters]]. Megatron re-established contact with Shockwave on Cybertron, arranging for the joint construction of a new intergalactic transport system called a "[[space bridge]]". After revealing his continued existence to the Autobots in an attack on a solar power plant, Megatron captured Spike Witwicky for use in the first test of the space bridge and reprogrammed Spike's Autobot friend [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]], causing the little Autobot to lure his comrades into an ambush. Despite his carefully-laid plans, everything backfired for Megatron when the Autobots disrupted the test and he was inadvertently sucked through the space bridge. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion}}

[[Image:Roll4it megatron antimatter.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Maybe if I reduce the weight in my boobs...]]

While a lesser being might have been destroyed by the voyage, Megatron survived and re-materialized on Cybertron. He quickly had Shockwave send him back to Earth, where he led the Decepticons in stealing an [[antimatter]] formula from the scientist [[Alcazar|Doctor Alcazar]] and his student, [[Chip Chase]]. Using the formula, Megatron created antimatter cubes that he used to power himself, transforming his pistol mode into a devastating "antimatter gun". Regrettably, the plan was short-lived: During the ensuing battle, the antimatter reached ignition temperature, and he was forced to dispose of it and flee. {{storylink|Roll for It}}

When Optimus Prime was badly wounded in a battle with the Decepticon jets, a group of Autobots travelled to Cybertron to secure a replacement part to save him, prompting Megatron to order the [[Rainmaker]]s into battle to stop them with [[acid rain]]. Thinking this tactic a success, Megatron launched a major attack on [[Ark (G1)|Autobot Headquarters]], but the Autobots returned from Cybertron in time to repair Prime, who thrashed Megatron soundly in one-on-one combat. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer}}

[[Image:Tud1 megatron cybertron.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Hahahaha! See? TRIUMPH! That's much better.]]

Megatron's scheme to drain heat energy from Earth's core was foiled by the Decepticon-turned-Autobot [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]], {{storylink|Fire in the Sky}} after which his attack on the [[Great Falls]] hydroelectric power plant was squashed by the powerful, newly created [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}} His attempt to use the [[Crystal of Power]] as a weapon met with similar success, {{storylink|Fire on the Mountain}} so Megatron turned his attentions back to the Dinobots, using his charisma to confuse their simple minds and turn them against the Autobots. While the Dinobots were busy battling Optimus Prime, Megatron and the Decepticons stole an [[Meteorini Chipperoni|unstable meteorite]] and began draining its energy, but the meteor soon exploded, denying Megatron another success. {{storylink|War of the Dinobots}}

Megatron's next plan was his grandest yet, as he allied himself with the human scientist [[Doctor Arkeville]] for his mind-controlling [[hypno-chip]]s and constructed a colossal space bridge design to teleport Cybertron itself into Earth's orbit. Prime engaged Megatron in battle just before the Decepticon leader could activate the final pylon of the space bridge, but victory in this battle was Megatron's, as he revealed his scheme to Prime, forcing Optimus to activate the pylon himself or cause Cybertron's destruction. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 1}} Megatron's forces and mind-controlled human slaves set about gathering the energy generated by the catastrophic forces unleashed by Cybertron's arrival, {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 2}} until eventually, a huge transport full of energy cubes was ready. As Megatron personally flew the ship to Cybertron, but the Autobots opened fire on it, detonating the energon cubes and causing an explosion large enough to force Cybertron out of orbit, saving Earth. Megatron proved his preternatural durability yet again by surviving the blast, {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 3}} and he quickly returned to Earth, only to discover that Starscream and Doctor Arkeville had formed an alliance.

[[Image:CountdownToExtinction.jpg|thumb|225px|left|thumb|Pull my tri... no, crap. We decided not to do that one.]]

To stop Starscream's plan to use an [[Exponential Generator]] to destroy the Earth, Megatron was forced to team up with Optimus Prime, transforming into pistol mode so that Prime could use him to fire the generator into space. When the generator exploded, it knocked the passing Starscream out the sky, and he crashed right at the vengeful Megatron's feet. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (episode)|Countdown to Extinction}}

Whatever revenge Megatron reaped upon Starscream, it was enough to put the Air Commander out of commission for the Decepticons' next mission to [[Bali]], where Megatron formed a partnership with a trio of Decepticon "[[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]" that had been living there. When an Autobot attack foiled their attempt to steal energy from an oil tanker, however, Megatron cut his losses and ordered the Decepticons to retreat with what energon cubes they had acquired, earning him the Insecticons' enmity. {{storylink|A Plague of Insecticons}}

[[Image:Heavymeatlwar megatron powers.jpg|right|thumb|225px|"I have all the powers of all the Decepticons! Wait... whose is the pink glowing, again?"]]

After the Decepticon forces were bolstered by the addition of the Constructicons, Megatron put the builders' skills to use constructing a device that would transfer the other Decepticons' powers into him. With these additional abilities in place, Megatron challenged Optimus Prime to a one-on-one duel according to Cybertronian law, in which the loser would be exiled from Earth forever. The law, however, dictated that combatants had to fight without additional reinforcement, so to hide the nature of his new powers, Megatron dispatched the Constructicons to destroy Teletraan I, so that the computer would be unable to scan him and realise his broach of the rules. Using the powers of his Decepticons, Megatron easily defeated Optimus Prime, but the Constructicons' were foiled in their mission by the Dinobots, and Megatron's deception stood revealed. Faced with a furious Optimus Prime, Megatron was hurled into a river of lava, but as the Autobots departed, his charred form bobbed to the surface, and he vowed the Decepticons would rise again. {{storylink|Heavy Metal War}}

[[Image:Autobotspike prime vs autobotx.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Secret weapon? Secret glinty weapon!]]

During a raid on an Air Force rocket base in 1985, Megatron covered the Decepticons' retreat by opening fire on Bumblebee and Spike, badly wounding the young human. While his body was being operated upon, Spike's mind was transferred into the Frankenstein-like body of "[[Autobot X]]", and Megatron was able to exploit the youth's resulting addled state and turn him against the Autobots, even allowing Spike to wield him in pistol mode. Unfortunately for Megatron, Spike got a hold of himself and turned Megatron's power on the other Decepticons, winning the day. {{storylink|Autobot Spike}}

[[Image:Atlantisarise megatron lincoln.jpg|right|thumb|225px|"Rumble, bring me a newspaper!"]]

After attempts to drain energy from the Earth's sun with his new [[Solar Needle]] {{storylink|Changing Gears}} and to conquer [[New York City]] and transform it into "[[New Cybertron]]", {{storylink|City of Steel}} Megatron decided to hit the Autobots where they lived, using [[invisibility spray]] to sneak into Autobot Headquarters and plant a [[personality destabilizer device]] in Teletraan I's recharging systems. The device turned the Autobots into rampaging brutes, and while they were busy causing destruction, Megatron led the Decepticons in hijacking a solar satellite, only to be foiled at the last second when the Autobots were restored to their right minds. {{storylink|Attack of the Autobots}}

Wild and wonderful technology formed the basis of Megatron's next few schemes, as he formed another unstable alliance with the Insecticons to appropriate human-made [[electro-cell]]s, {{storylink|Traitor}} attempted to steal Wheeljack's new paralyzing [[Wheeljack Instant Immobilizer|Immobilizer]] weapon, {{storylink|The Immobilizer}} and had the Constructicons build the [[Transfixatron]], a device which froze the Autobots in their vehicle modes. {{storylink|The Autobot Run}} When these plans met with failure, Megatron teamed up with King [[Nergill]] of the undersea fish-race of [[Sub-Atlantica]] and tried to conquer [[Washington, D.C.]] Megatron felt right at home sitting in a "throne" made from the [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln Memorial]], but the plan fell apart when the insane Nergill betrayed Megatron. {{storylink|Atlantis, Arise!}}

[[Image:Megatron and nightbird.jpg|left|thumb|"At long last, my robotic bride has been completed!"]]

Despite the failure of his plan to manipulate the Earth computer [[TORQ III]], {{storylink|Day of the Machines}} Megatron stuck to his guns and tried controlling Earth technology again, stealing the human-made robot ninja [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]] and unleashing it upon the Autobots. Megatron was full of praise for Nightbird, describing "her" as "all he had ever wanted", and dubbed her "hot enough" to replace Starscream if he so chose. Threatened by this prospect, Starscream helped the Autobots defeat Nightbird. Needless to say, Megatron was not pleased. {{storylink|Enter the Nightbird}}

[[Image:PrimeProblem Megatron prime splitscreen.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Memo to self: Bumblebee is the yellow one.]]

For his next plan, Megatron got very hands-on, creating a perfect [[Optimus Prime clone|clone]] of Optimus Prime that he controlled personally via a special helmet. Despite Megatron's inability to operate Teletraan I or even get the Autobots' names right, Prime's comrades failed to tell the difference between the clone and the genuine article. It was only when Megatron dismissed the safety of Spike during a battle for control of a crevasse of [[korlonium crystal]]s that his trickery was revealed and the clone was destroyed. {{storylink|A Prime Problem}}

Megatron's next run of plans went especially badly for the Decepticon leader. Another attempt to harness the power of the Earth's core nearly destroyed the planet, necessitating a team-up with the Autobots to save the world, {{storylink|The Core}} while another failed alliance with the Insecticons also led to a team-up, as Megatron was forced once again to allow Optimus Prime to wield him in pistol mode, so that he could shoot capsules into the over-energized Insecticons in order to bring them under control. {{storylink|The Insecticon Syndrome}} No alliance resulted from Megatron's attempt to harness the energies of the time-lost [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} but his scheme nearly tore apart the fabric of space and time, until the Dinobots and the island's native dinosaurs stopped him. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 2}}

[[Image:Microbots Megatron energy blasts.JPG|left|thumb|225px|"I saw this trick on [[GoBots (franchise)#Cartoon|some other TV show]]."]]

Next, Megatron tried stealing Autobot technology, going after [[Grapple]]'s [[Solar Power Tower]] {{storylink|The Master Builders}} and the [[Negavator]], {{storylink|Auto Berserk}} but failure on both accounts led him to try and rediscover a piece of lost technology, rather than steal a new one. Venturing into the jungles of [[South America]], Megatron and the Decepticons uncovered the ruins of the space cruiser that had brought them to Earth, and Megatron had its power core, the [[Heart of Cybertron]], installed within his body. Now bestowed with incredible energy-blasting powers, Megatron would have destroyed the Autobots, had Bumblebee, [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] and [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] not shrunk themselves to microscopic size and ventured inside his body to disconnect the Heart of Cybertron. {{storylink|Microbots}}

[[Image:Masterplan2 earth germ.jpg|right|thumb|225px|"...and two all beef patties on a sesame seed bun!" "Not that kind of burger!"]]

Seeking to exploit the gullibility of humankind, Megatron entered into a partnership with the human politician [[Shawn Berger]], promising him control of [[Central City (Earth)|Central City]] if he would help Megatron "expose" the Autobots for the villains they truly were. Megatron tricked Berger into believing the Autobots had ransacked an oil field by disguising the Decepticons with costumes, and the tape "proving" the Autobots' evil deeds was unveiled to the public. Found guilty in a court of law, the Autobots were exiled from Earth, and Megatron secretly reprogrammed their ship's navigation computer to send them not back to Cybertron, but into the heart of the Sun. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}} Megatron played nice for a little while, joining in a parade and a television interview, but it was during the latter that he revealed his deception and announced his intention to conquer the planet. Central City immediately fell under his control and was turned into a huge work camp dubbed "Megatronia One", but soon, the Autobots (who had survived their plunge into the Sun thanks to [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]'s force field) returned to Earth to clear their names and stop Megatron's master plan. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}}

[[Image:Dotd1 cybertonium deficiency.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Oh no, I've fallen... Starscream is now leader!]]

The Decepticons' attempt to steal [[Greene|Professor Greene]]'s [[Ultra Plane]] was foiled by depletion of their [[cybertonium]], which robbed Megatron of his ability to fly and shoot straight. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1}} Megatron was not pleased to hear that Shockwave's attempts to transport some fresh cybertonium from Cybertron were stymied by Spike and his girlfriend [[Carly]]. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2}} Once he was fully functional again, Megatron stole the [[Voltronic Galaxer]] and used it to disrupt communications signals all across Earth from a [[Decepticon moonbase|base on the Moon]]. Holding the world to ransom for energy in exchange for clear lines of communication, Megatron was ultimately defeated in a battle with Optimus Prime on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]'s surface. {{storylink|Blaster Blues}}

[[Image:Megatron and kremzeek.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Who's the cyoot wittle homicidal maniac?]]

Megatron next led the Decepticons in a mission to [[United Kingdom|Britain]], {{storylink|A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court}} after which he briefly gained the power of an [[electrum]] coating {{storylink|The Golden Lagoon}} and then turned his attention back to New York City, allying with the criminal [[Geddis brothers]] in order to make drone warriors out of the cars their crime ring stole. {{storylink|Make Tracks}} Later, an attempt to create a new space bridge in a baseball stadium went awry when Megatron accidentally blasted the bridge's controls, creating a disruption that transported several Autobots and Decepticons to a planet of alien giants. {{storylink|Child's Play (episode)|Child's Play}} Megatron was lucky enough to escape this fate, and once his followers had returned, he unleashed a series of schemes against the Autobots that saw them pitted against alien creatures like the [[Morphobot]]s {{storylink|Quest for Survival}} and a [[asteroid bird alien|creature from the heart of an asteroid]]. {{storylink|The Secret of Omega Supreme}}

While conducting an experiment of his own, Megatron inadvertently wound up creating the demented energy imp known as [[Kremzeek]]. Megatron released Kremzeek into the Autobot base so that he could cause havoc, keeping the Autobots occupied while he tested the Decepticons' new [[energy magnet]] off the coast of [[Japan]]. However, Megatron had not anticipated that Kremzeek would follow him to Japan and wind up destroying their operation there. {{storylink|Kremzeek!}}

[[Image:Tripletakeover_megatron_frozen.jpg|left|thumb|225px|So... cold... need... blanket...]]

After a mission to the planet of the [[Tlalakan]]s at the behest of the neurotic Decepticon computer [[Deceptitran]], {{storylink|Sea Change}} Megatron fell victim to betrayal by Starscream, [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] and [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]], and was frozen solid in a subterranean chamber by absolute zero degree molecules. As luck would have it, the chaos caused by the trio's attempts to take control of the Decepticons caused a flash flood that destroyed the chamber and freed Megatron, and he took on all comers to retake his leadership position. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}

[[Image:G1toon starscream thrashed.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Megatron and Starscream show off their dance routine finale.]]

Megatron then took a step back from the front lines for a while, delegating Astrotrain and Blitzwing to make contact with the big game hunter [[Chumley|Lord Chumley]], {{storylink|Prime Target (episode)|Prime Target}} placing Starscream in charge of missions to hypnotise humans with the [[Dancitron]] nightclub {{storylink|Auto-Bop}} and to capture [[Elita One]] on Cybertron, {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}} and appointing [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]], [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] to capture [[Astoria Carlton-Ritz]]. {{storylink|The Girl Who Loved Powerglide}} Megatron got proactive again when a movie studio captured footage of Dirge crash-landing in their back lot while carrying a secret cargo. Starscream's failure to recover the negatives of the footage enraged Megatron to such an extent that he slammed the Air Commander off a wall and tore wires out of his chest, knocking him offline. Megatron was tricked into believing the negative had been destroyed by [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], but as it turned out, the "secret cargo" was totally worthless anyway! {{storylink|Hoist Goes Hollywood}}

[[Image:Megatron and vector sigma.jpg|left|thumb|225px|"Is that a blemish? Starscream, you incompetent fool! You didn't polish the disco ball properly!"]]

Seeking to challenge the Autobots' rule of the road, Megatron created the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] and brought them to Cybertron so that [[Vector Sigma]] could bring them to life. Stealing the mega-computer's key from [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]], Megatron succeeded in his goal, {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1}} and upon returning to Earth with the key, discovered that it possessed the additional power to de-energize matter and turn it into metal. Cutting a swathe through the [[Seattle]]-Tacoma area with the key, Megatron sought to transform Earth into a new Cybertron, but he was stopped by the Autobots' newest members, the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]]. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2}}

Megatron soon sought to dispose of the Aerialbots by sending them back to the dawn of time using the [[Kronosphere]] time machine, but an Autobot attack disrupted the process, and the Aerialbots wound up on Cybertron nine million years in the past. There, they saved Orion Pax from dying at Megatron's hands, making Megatron–who was the reason for the Aerialbots being sent back in time–unwittingly responsible for the creation of his greatest enemy. {{storylink|War Dawn}}

[[Image:Rusted megatron.jpg|right|thumb|225px|"Oh, I ''hope'' this is chocolate..."]]

Coercing the aid of [[Abdul Ben Faisal]] and [[Teranova|Professor Teranova]], Megatron located the weather-controlling [[Pearl of Bahoudin]] and arranged the [[Europa 2000]] so that he could obtain the experimental metal of [[Auggie Cahnay (G1)|Auggie Cahnay]]'s car and use it to contain the pearl's power. An Autobot attack caused Megatron to lose control of the pearl, and he fled the massive storm that resulted. {{storylink|Trans-Europe Express}}

While investigating the planet [[Antilla]], Megatron discovered a new "[[Lightning Bug]]" weapon, but also fell victim to the deadly disease [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]]. Autobot scientist Perceptor was captured and brought to Decepticon Headquarters to diagnose him, and he offered a cure in the form of his newest invention, [[Corrostop]]. With the Decepticons protected by Corrostop, Megatron unleashed Cosmic Rust upon the Autobots, exacerbating its effects with the Lightning Bug. Events culminated at the [[Statue of Liberty]], where the stricken Autobots found the strength to overcome the Decepticons and destroy Megatron's new weapon. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}}

[[Image:Starscreamsbrigade megatron grabbed.jpg|left|thumb|225px|"Hey, free Action Master!"]]

After another failed coup by Starscream, Megatron reached the end of his rope and dismissed the traitor from the Decepticon ranks. When news then came in from Shockwave that the [[personality component]]s of the political dissidents known as the "[[Renegade Decepticon]]s" had been freed from imprisonment on Cybertron, Megatron suspected the Autobots were responsible, but he soon learned that Starscream had done the deed and used the components to create an army of his own, the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. Megatron could not stand up to the power of the Combaticons' combined form of [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]], and he was forced to hand power over to Starscream...just before [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] blindsided Bruticus and saved Megatron at the last minute. Megatron exiled Starscream and the Combaticons to an asteroid in space, {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}} but this merely made things worse, as the Combaticons towed the asteroid to Cybertron and took over the planet. While supervising an Insecticon rampage on Earth, Megatron received a communication from Starscream informing him that the Combaticons had rewired the space bridge and were using it to hurl the Earth into the Sun. Once again, Megatron and Optimus Prime were forced to join forces to stop the Combaticons, but first, both leaders had to donate some of their own parts to repair the damaged space bridge control panel. After a pitched battle on Cybertron, Bruticus was defeated, and Optimus Prime believed he witnessed Megatron destroying the giant warrior with a blast from his fusion cannon. In truth, the whole scene had been a holographic illusion masterminded by Starscream, who gave Megatron the defeated Bruticus's body. Planning to reprogram the Combaticons to be loyal to him, Megatron welcomed Starscream back into the Decepticon ranks as reward for his efforts. {{storylink|The Revenge of Bruticus}}

[[Image:Roop1 megatron flask.jpg|right|thumb|Once I drink this, I will become the size of Trypticon! *drinks* Hmm, tastes like grape juice...oh.]]

Megatron's final recorded schemes in the twentieth century were some of his most outlandish yet, as he used armies of drone planes and a fortress in the shape of a [[Giant Purple Griffin]] to pillage the oil fields of the Middle East, {{storylink|Aerial Assault}} created a giant laser out of a ruby, {{storylink|Masquerade}} and planned to blast the Moon out of orbit so he could control the tides of the Earth and... flood one single canyon. {{storylink|B.O.T. (episode)|B.O.T.}}

Over the course of the next twenty years, Megatron turned his attention away from Earth and succeeded in conquering the entirety of Cybertron. The Autobots were forced off the planet and founded [[Autobot City]] on Earth, in addition to two staging bases on Cybertron's moons. At some point during this period of time, Megatron was known to have battled Optimus Prime in a laboratory on Earth, during which he hurled a flask of chemicals which exploded, scarring scientist [[Gregory Swofford]]. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}

[[Image:TFTM Ironhide dies.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Ironhide should be thankful. He doesn't have to listen to the soundtrack any more after this.]]

In the year 2005, Megatron learned of the Autobots' plan to stage a major strike against him, and he responded by hijacking an Autobot shuttle on its way to Earth. After wiping out the occupants of the shuttle, Megatron announced his intention to wipe out the city and cripple the Autobot war effort, then looked down to see the wounded Ironhide crawling towards him. Deeming the action "heroic nonsense", Megatron delivered a point-blank fusion cannon blast to Ironhide's head, killing him.

When the shuttle began its approach to Autobot City, the young Autobot [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] was able to spot the Decepticons aboard from his vantage point on [[Lookout Mountain]] and opened fire, exposing the villains before they were actually able to penetrate Autobot City. Megatron was undeterred, and he initiated a massive siege of the armored fortress. After a night of combat, Devastator successfully breached the city walls, allowing Megatron to enter. Before Megatron could get too deeply into the city, however, Optimus Prime arrived and faced him in a final battle. Megatron fought fiercely, and although deprived of his fusion cannon, he tore into Prime with a laser sword and even hunks of rubble, threatening to rip out the Autobot leader's optics.

[[Image:Tftm_prime_megs_finalblow.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Bow down to my sinister power! *thinks* ''Good thing he doesn't know it's just a purple NERF pistol...'']]

Ultimately, Optimus Prime prevailed, bringing Megatron to his knees and standing over him, ion blaster in hand, poised to deliver the killing blow. Spotting a discarded pistol lying nearby, Megatron stalled for time by begging for mercy, crawling ever closer to the weapon, until Hot Rod spotted what he was doing and jumped him. Hot Rod proved a much less formidable opponent for Megatron, even in his weakened state, and he seized the youth, using him as a shield while he grabbed the gun and opened fire on Prime. Prime was felled by the shots, and Megatron tossed Hot Rod aside, striding up to the fallen Prime and preparing to end their war once and for all. With his last ounce of strength, however, Prime caught Megatron off-guard with a double axe-handle blow and sent the Decepticon leader toppling over the edge of the overhang on which they were standing. Crippled by the fall, Megatron was carried to the safety of Astrotrain by Soundwave as the tide of battle turned and the Decepticons retreated. Although Megatron was defeated, he had not failed; the wounds Optimus Prime had suffered were mortal, and he died soon after.

[[Image:Megatron recreated.jpg|left|thumb|250px|What do you mean, my parts are showing?]]

On the journey back to Cybertron, it became necessary for the Decepticons to jettison excess mass in order to return home safely. The wounded Decepticons were voted out and set adrift in space, with Starscream taking great delight in personally jettisoning Megatron, despite Megatron's protestations that he still functioned. Before long, however, Megatron's drifting body was found by the planet-eating [[Unicron]], who offered to rebuild the Decepticon's body if he would destroy the Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership]] for Unicron. Megatron professed that the Matrix had died with Optimus Prime, but Unicron revealed that it had been passed to the Autobots' new leader, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]]. Testing the waters, Megatron inquired what he would receive for doing Unicron's will, and despite his dubious bargaining posture, Unicron offered to recreate his wounded body and give him new troops. Megatron demanded more but was denied, as Unicron declared that Megatron now belonged to him. This was the final straw for Megatron, who refused to be anyone's servant, so Unicron simply began to consume him. In the throes of agony, Megatron accepted the chaos-bringer's offer and was recreated as [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

Later, while escaping [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and the [[Sweep]]s, [[Octane]] fled into the [[Decepticon Crypt]], passing by [[:Image:MegatronCryptMarker1.jpg|a statue memorializing Megatron]]. {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}}
{{--}}

==''Wings Universe''==
{{wingsnote}}
[[Image:BattleLines5-Megatron.jpg|right|thumb|150px|So that's where Starscream gets it from.]]

As the Decepticon movement began to grow on Cybertron, [[Kaon]] was among the first city-states to declare allegiance to the cause. Because Kaon controlled the smelting pools and forges of Cybertron that produced the majority of construction materials, [[Hook (G1)|Hook]] of the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s had little choice but to align his people with the Decepticon cause as well. However, seven unnamed Constructicons wanted the alliance to be more than in-name-only. They secretly constructed a new and powerful warrior named Megatron, hoping to use him to claim power over the Constructicons, the Decepticons, and Cybertron at large. These Constructicons grossly underestimated their own creation, though, as Megatron wanted all those things for himself. Using the Robo-Smasher, Megatron brainwashed Hook and the other Constructicon leaders into his servants on his first step to conquet. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 42|Devastator's "Wings of Honor" Profile}}

Megatron proceeded to cement himself was one of the fourteen [[Decepticon Warlord]]s vying for power within their faction, though the [[Autobot High Council]] initially regarded his threat as a minor one. In addition to the Robo-Smasher, technology used by his forces included the Flying Upgrade, which gave him a Seekers-Skyraider Brigade. Megatron's chief rival was [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]], and like him, Megatron rarely attended the Decepticon War Council in person, but rather sent his lieutenant, Shockwave. He steadily consolidated his power, using the Robo-Smasher to brainwash more troops (including the entire ranks of the Autobots' [[Gyronian Sentry|Gyronian Sentries]]) and securing the loyalty of [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] of the [[Photon]]s, covertly increasing his influence over the Council, which he used to arrange an agreement between the councilc's members to share knowledge and technology for the purpose of eliminating the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Autobot Elite Guard]]. Once he had access to their secrets, however, Megatron abandoned the War Council with his allies, leaving them to realize how they'd been duped. When Deathsaurus eliminated the remaining War Council members with an unwitting suicide bomber, he and Megatron were the only two Warlords left. {{storylink|A Team Effort}} With the danger Megatron posed now fully recognized by the High Council, they charged the Autobots' new military leader Optimus Prime with taking him out. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 2}}

While Deathsaurus was occupied battling the Autobots' [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]], Megatron seized control of his rival's headquarters and greeted him when he returned to base wounded. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 4}} As part of a show to his troops, Megatron fought Deathsaurus in single combat to prove himself worthy of leadership (despite the fact that most of his men had been Robo-Smashed into loyalty already), and easily triumphed over his weakened rival, anointing himself the supreme leader of all Decepticons. After dealing with Deathsaurus's remaining loyalists the Combaticons by removing and imprisoning their [[personality component]]s, Megatron then had all data on the [[combiner]] process Deathsaurus had developed downloaded from his databanks and subjected the Constructicons to the process, giving them the ability to merge into [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. and one week later,
{{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 5}}

A week later, Megatron led an attack on [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], but Devastator was defeated in the opening salvo of the battle. Deeming Deathsaurus's technology faulty, Megatron had his army press on regardless, targeting the Autobots' two leaders, Optimus Prime and [[Magnum]]. His first shot felled Magnum, but his second, meant for Prime, was intercepted by [[Dion]]. Prime returned fire, and the wounded Megatron called retreat, considering the attack a success. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 6}}

During the [[Battle of Autobot City]] in 2005, Megatron followed Devatastor into the city after the giant breached its walls, and watched as the Constructicons engaged [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and some other Autobots in a running battle. {{storylink|A Flash Forward}}
{{-}}

==Japanese cartoon continuity==
{{note|The events of the American cartoon series occur in Japanese continuity as covered above. This timeline, however, inserts a large number of additional storylines, told through various different media, into the timeline, as detailed below.}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
{{main|Megatron (G1)#Beast Wars cartoon}}

===e-HOBBY comics===
[[Image:Black megatron.jpg‎|right|thumb|If I was painted black, does this make me a Nemesis Megatron? But shouldn't I be fighting for the Autobots? My head.]]
Early in his career as a ruthless tyrant on Cybertron, Megatron led Soundwave and a horde of [[Silver Soldier]]s in a raid on Autobot energon warehouses. Suddenly, his troops began to report sighting a giant Autobot shortly before having their transmissions cut off. Megatron then came face to face with the culprit: a Guardian Robot. {{storylink|64 Cybertron Urban Defense Robot GADEP}}

Millions of years later, during the battles between the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth, Megatron ordered an attack on Autobot Headquarters. He attacked the unarmed Optimus Prime, only to be immediately punched straight through a wall. This blow unhinged his gyrocompass stabilizers, which were keeping in check the [[quantum surge]] energy he had been exposed to during his four-million-year slumber, when the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] had been raging on prehistoric Earth. Now unleashed, the quantum energy changed Megatron's body into a powerful black metallic [[Transmetal]] form. Megatron believed the change to be divine intervention and decided to use it to his advantage in conquering the Autobots. {{storylink|Decepticon Leader Megatron Black Ver.}}
{{-}}

===''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' comic===
[[Image:Megatron super robot life.jpg‎|left|240px|thumb| Bwahahaha! I shall morph the Earth into a mechanical planet! This will have no conflict with [[Primus]] or [[Unicron]] whatsoever!]]
In the late 1980s, Megatron turned his attention away from North America and chose to focus on stealing the energy of [[Japan]]. Starscream was not particularly happy with the fact that Megatron chose to command the Decepticons' first attack on the country from the safety of Decepticon Headquarters while he and the jets did all the hard work. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 1|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #1}}

After leading yet another an attack on Autobot Headquarters, {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 2|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #2}} Megatron began the construction of [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], which he would use to conquer Japan, as the first step to transforming the entire Earth into a robotic base from which the Decepticons would dominate the universe. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 3|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #3}}

Next, Megatron transformed himself into the gigantic "Super Megatron Gun" (a non-shrunken version of his pistol mode, operated by Starscream riding atop Blitzwing!) and began rampaging through Japan. Unable to stand up to the power of Optimus Prime's new "[[Scramble Power Buster]]" cannon, Megatron had his two comrades transform to jet mode, only for [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] to lead them a merry chase and cause them to crash right back into Megatron himself. Prime and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] then finished off the three Decepticons with a "Prime-Magnus Double Cross Kick". {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 4|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #4}}

With Trypticon successfully completed, Megatron led the Decepticons in taking over a small, unpopulated island to use as a staging base for the saurian city. The Autobots deceived Trypticon with a giant hologram of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (the robot mode of their own currently in-production battle fortress, "Scramble City") and Megatron and the Decepticons retreated. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 6|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #6}}

After expressing his discontent with the automobile Decepticons in his ranks, {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 7|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #7}} Megatron began experimenting on a [[Murdered puppy|dog]], infusing it with the power of "[[Decepticon super science]]" so that it could be used to power the Decepticon war machine. When the dog escaped, Megatron dispatched the Combaticons to hunt it down, but they met with failure when the dog sacrificed itself to transfer the power in its body to the [[Mini Vehicle|Minibots]] so that they could beat back the Combaticons. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 8|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #8}}
{{-}}

===''Scramble City'' cartoon===
[[Image:Scramble_city_megs_closeup.jpg|right|thumb|He's ready for his close-up! (Seriously, this makes up, like, 75% of all the Megatron footage in this OVA.)]]
{{voiceactor|[[Seizō Katō]] (Japanese)}}

To hide the continuing construction of their Scramble City from prying Decepticon optics, the Autobots moved the project to a concealed cavern. When the Decepticons detected magnetic fluctuations emanating from the caves, Megatron dispatched [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s cassettes to investigate, and [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] discovered the facility. Hoping to destroy the fortress before it was completed, Megatron sent Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker and the Constructicons to attack the facility, but they were forced back by the Autobots. Incensed at their failure, Megatron ordered the Stunticons into action, then the Combaticons, leading to an all-out combiner brawl. Ultimately, Megatron's plan met with failure, as the Autobot combiners were able to hold off the Decepticons long enough for Scramble City to be completed and transformed into Metroplex. Metroplex dispatched the Decepticons, but Megatron then revealed his trump card: The ocean split, and from its depths rose Trypticon! {{storylink|Scramble City: Mobilization}}

{{note|This storyline was never concluded, as a second installment of "Scramble City" was never produced.}}
{{-}}
===Full Throttle Scramble Power!===
[[image:MegatronMangaEnergonMace1.jpg|left|thumb]]

From a new Decepticon headquarters in [[Death Valley]], Megatron unleashed his newest weapon, the [[Omega Whip]], upon the world, blasting cities all over the globe. [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], along with the Autobots' human allies, [[Toru]] and [[Jenny (G1)|Jenny]], ventured into Death Valley to investigate, but were captured and forced to watch as Megatron ordered the Stunticons to begin pillaging energy amid the chaos the Omega Whip was causing. Jenny was able to use a [[fusion plate]] to get control of Starscream's motor functions, and she used him to destroy the Omega Whip controls, prompting Megatron to order a withdrawal. Before they could escape, however, the Decepticons were met with the full force of the Autobots, and Megatron unleashed his [[energon mace]] upon Optimus Prime once more. The tide of battle turned when Metroplex arrived and Superion defeated Menasor, forcing Megatron to call retreat. {{storylink|Full Throttle Scramble Power!}}
{{-}}

===''The Battle of the Star Gate''===
[[Image:Stargatebattles megatron makoto.jpg|right|thumb|250px| HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY GREAT POWER!!! I OWN MORE GAS PLANTS THAN BP!!!]]

In the 1990s, the formal alliance between the Autobots and the American government led to a joint project to create the [[Trigger]], an [[Warp gate|interstellar transportation system]] that almost immediately became a target for Megatron, who knew they could use it to ferry huge quantities of energon back to Cybertron. Exploiting other countries' dissatisfaction with the Autobots' decision to ally solely with America, Megatron forged a clandestine pact with another Western power, which installed one of its people, [[Trov]], as part of the small crew that manned the Trigger space station. Trov granted the Decepticons access to the station, but was promptly killed by a blast from Megatron's fusion cannon, as the Decepticon leader naturally had no intentions of sharing power. Unfortunately for the Decepticons, the one surviving member of the crew, [[Makoto (Star Gate)|Makoto]], was able to activate the Trigger and send the Decepticons hurtling towards its portal. At the last moment, Megatron was able to blast the portal and deactivate it, and he was about to kill Makoto in rage when the Autobots arrived to rout the Decepticons. {{storylink|First Contact}}

[[Image:Stargatebattles prime vs megs.jpg|250px|left|thumb| An axe, Prime? You sure can't cut off my mace with that!]]

Megatron was content to wait the six months the humans would take to rebuild the Trigger so that they could make another attempt to take control of it, and he mocked Starscream's impetuous desire to destroy it outright, accusing his subordinate of being unable to grasp the concept of long-term development. {{storylink|Divided Views}} Seeking to prove his competence, Starscream took a leaf out of Megatron's book and arranged an alliance with the [[Prime Minister of Japan]]: the country would provide them with energy in return for a promise of non-aggression. Despite the huge amount of energon cubes that Starscream's plan brought in, Megatron was not impressed, and his reservations toward Starscream's plan only proved correct when the Autobots deduced what was going on and showed up to stop them. Optimus Prime tackled Megatron into the ocean, and they battled on the sea bed with their axe and mace, until Megatron had [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] trigger an earthquake that caused widespread devastation. Megatron revealed the Prime Minister's role and declared that this was a lesson for Prime not to trust humans, before sending his old foe tumbling into a chasm opened by the quake. {{storylink|Activation}}

[[Image:Stargatebattles giant megatron.jpg‎|right|thumb|250px| I was never this big when you used me to fight the Insecticons...]]

Discovering that Starscream had absconded with the energon cubes while he had been battling Prime, Megatron led the Decepticons back to the Trigger, where Starscream had returned. In actuality, Starscream's hand was being guided by the time-displaced ghost of his future self, and using the energon, both present and future Starscream merged with the Trigger to become a monstrous, misshapen robot. The Autobots arrived to protect the Trigger's crew, and a huge space-battle ensued, during which Optimus Prime returned from his apparent demise. To stop Starscream, Megatron was forced to transform into pistol mode and allow Optimus Prime to wield him. Prime channelled the power of the Matrix through Megatron's firing systems, shocking the Decepticon leader with its sheer power, before unleashing the blast that destroyed the Trigger. The Transformers, however, were all caught in the backwash of the explosion and send plummeting back to Earth in uncontrolled re-entry.

Neither Megatron nor any of the other Transformers were seen for several months, but somewhere, in a desert on Earth, Megatron and Prime survived and continued their battle... {{storylink|The Battle of the Star Gate}}

===''Story of Binaltech''===
After the Autobots' Earth-based forces were decimated by a [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]] plague unleashed by [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] in 2003, Megatron made his big push to take over Cybertron fully in 2004. The vast majority of the Autobots were occupied battling Megatron's forces on Cybertron, leading to the creation of new "Binaltech" bodies for the injured Autobots on Earth to protect the planet. {{storylink|Story of Binaltech, Chapter 1}}

In the midst of this Binaltech affair, the time-tossed Decepticon [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] attempted to alter history by using the [[Kronosphere]] time-machine. In the middle of a decisive battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, Ravage used the Kronosphere to transport Megatron and the Decepticons through time, altering history so that the Autobots were left to face the looming threat of [[Unicron]] alone. {{storylink|Changing Lanes}} This disruption of the natural order of time proved almost catastrophic, but reality was saved by the appearance of a mysterious entity known only as the "[[Optimus Primal|Protector]]", which restored the timeline as it should have been, but also preserved the altered "BT World" timeline as an alternate universe. {{storylink|Binal Time}}

{{Note|At this point, the original timeline was retroactively restored and the events of the ''Story of Binaltech'' diverged into a parallel universe. Skip to "[[#Robot Masters|Robot Masters]]" below to continue reading about the original timeline; exactly how many (if any) of the events related in this section, even prior to the divergence, occurred in the original unaltered timeline is unknown.}}

In this alternate universe, Unicron was ultimately defeated, but the weakened Autobot forces were then overwhelmed by the fighting-fit Megatron and the Decepticons when they reappeared in 2006, and Cybertron was conquered by them once again. Megatron then turned his attention to the Sol system and launched an attack on the [[Earth Defense Command]] base on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]]. There, he was faced by [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]], a clone of Optimus Prime created by Doctor Arkeville, who desired to conquer Earth for himself and refused to allow Megatron to go any further. Outraged at the sight of an Earth machine wearing a Decepticon insignia, Megatron attacked.

At the same time, however, the Autobot spy Mirage had been dispatched to Cybertron, where he was instructed to locate and throw a [[large switch]] on which the Autobots had received information. This switch effectively froze every non-Binaltech Transformer throughout the entire universe, including Megatron, still in mid-battle. Nemesis Prime took control, ordering a full retreat while using drones to gather up as many of the frozen Decepticons as possible. {{storylink|Kill Switch}}

===''Alternity''===
[[Image:Alternity_megatron_boxart.jpg|left|thumb|225px| The swords kinda remind you of [[Megatron (Animated)| someone else]], don't they?]]

Nemesis Prime was eventually destroyed by Optimus Prime, but when at last Megatron reawakened, 900,000 years later, he was horrified to discover that the Binaltech Autobots had attained a new stage of evolution, becoming the cross-dimensional hyper-race known as the [[Alternity]]. With his Decepticons now mere cavemen in comparison to these super-evolved Autobots, Megatron embarked on a journey across space and time, allying himself with the Megatrons of numerous other worlds in the multiverse and conducting exhausting research and training in order to perfect a scheme that would grant him power on the level of the Alternity.

Putting his plan into action, Megatron lured the Alternity's natural enemy, the transdimensional time-eating god-beast known as [[Hytherion]], into the parallel world of [[Primax 109.0 Beta]] in the year 2009. Watching as the Optimus Primes of the Alternity engaged the creature in battle, Megatron activated his new [[chaotizer]] device, successfully fusing himself with Hytherion and transforming himself into a hyper-dimensional entity of power on the level of the Alternity itself. Disappearing into a higher realm, Megatron revealed he had created [[auto-avatar]]s of his own to interact with the physical world the same way the Alternity had. Taking possession of the "Premium Le Mans Blue" auto-avatar, while one of his fellow Megatrons took control of the "Blade Silver" body, he engaged in battle with Optimus Prime and vowed to conquer the entire multiverse. {{storylink|To Mega Therion}}
[[Image:Alternity nemesis vs megatron.jpg|right|thumb|220px| Aw, no fair! You have a gun and I don't?! Who created this comic?]]

Later, Megatron battled another member of the Alternity, [[Nemesis Prime (Universe)|another version of Nemesis Prime]] from elsewhere in the multiverse, on a flame-scorched battlefield. Although still new to higher-dimensional battle, Megatron's attacks were powerful and deadly, as he managed to tear a gash in the moon overhead with his Tesseractal Sword. He mocked Nemesis Prime's turn to the side of good, thinking it had cost him his edge in battle, as the Alternity warrior had been continually missing him with the shots he fired. Unfortunately for Megatron, he soon discovered how wrong he was: Nemsis Prime had actually exploited his unfamiliarity with this new form of combat, and trapped him in a closed time loop, where he was repeatedly struck a single laser blast over and over again, until his Auto-avatar was reduced to scrap. {{storylink|Arch-Nemesis!}}

Continuously foiled at every turn by the Alternity, Megatron began recruiting Decepticons from various universal streams to serve as his agents. Seeking to gain control of the [[Planicron]]s, inhabitants of a two-dimensional universe known as [[Flatworld]] who had bonded themselves to the very fabric of their reality, Megatron dispatched [[Reflector (G1)#Alternity)|Reflector]] to [[Primax 905.0 Beta]] to search for a magical tablet that would permit him access to this lower dimension. Reflector was defeated by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], and in his anger, Megatron fired on the Autobot from across the dimensions, knocking him out and destroying the tablet. {{storylink|The World Is Flat!}} Realizing that ordinary henchmen could not stand up to the Alternity's incredible powers, Megatron was forced to share a small portion of his power with other Decepticons, beginning with [[Starscream (G1)#Alternity|Starscream]] and [[Skywarp (G1)#Alternity)|Skywarp]], creating an elite force of [[Questor]]s to serve him. {{storylink|Foreshadows}} Skywarp successfully located Flatworld, {{storylink|Hunt for the Planicrons}} and Megatron used another of the magic tablets that his other Questors had found to seize control of the Planicrons and use their unfathomable powers to attack the Alternity in the worst way, destroying their higher-dimensional consciousnesses and splintering them into individual beings once more. Megatron's control of the Planicrons was short-lived, however, when, following this victory, doubtful [[Thundercracker (G1)#Alternity|Thundercracker]] destroyed the tablets and freed them from his control. {{storylink|Alternation}}

Seeking to help the Planicrons complete their evolution into higher-dimensional life so they could take their place as protectors of reality, the Alternity set about distracting Megatron by simultaneously attacking his various auto-avatars in different dimensions. The destruction of 667 of his avatars additionally loosened Megatron's grip on Hytherion's power, and he attacked the Planicrons as a corrupted, raging "Megatherion" in an attempt to halt their evolution. Reshaping themselves into humanoid form, the Planicron's struck Megatron with the same attack he had made them use on the Alternity, obliterating his gestalt consciousness and destroying most of his different selves. The Planicrons subsequently ascended to their new position as defenders of time and space, and together with the individual Alternity, they kept watch for the potential return of any of the surviving Megatrons. {{storylink|Alternation}}

{{note|Alternity beings are both individuals and a collective of separate entities. More fiction about Megatron's Alternity collective can be found [[Megatron (G1)#Alternity|here]].}}
{{--}}

===''Robot Masters''===

[[Image:Rmrebirthmegatron.JPG|right|160px|thumb|HAH! I fooled you for all of five seconds!]]

In the year 2004, Megatron disappeared through unknown circumstances. His absence left the Decepticons leaderless, but before Starscream could seize power, the time-displaced [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] "[[Megatron (BW)|Beast Megatron]]" appeared in the present day and took his place as Decepticon leader in the battle for the mysterious element [[solitarium]].

Precisely what happened to Megatron was never explained, but he was later able to effect his return by using his inter-dimensional black hole uplink powers to possess the body of [[Reverse Convoy]] from the planet [[Vehicon (planet)|Vehicon]]. Eventually, the Autobots were able to defeat the Decepticons, and all the time-displaced members of the conflict were returned to their proper place in history.

{{note|''Robot Masters'' is explicitly placed in the Japanese cartoon continuity by [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|Takara's 2007 Transformers timeline]]. However, none of the individual pieces of ''Robot Masters'' fiction tells the story of the line in its entirety, and each of them relate certain events in notably different ways. Precisely ''which'' of the them—covered individually below—should be considered the [[canon]] one for the cartoon timeline is unknown.}}

====Cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Jirō Saitō]] (Japanese)}}
[[Image:Reverse convoy cartoon copy.jpg|left|thumb|Yes, that is Megatron. There's nothing wrong with this image.]]

Megatron returned to Earth in Reverse Convoy's body in the midst of a battle between the Autobots and Decepticons in a human city. Introducing himself to Optimus Primal as Reverse Convoy, he helped the [[Maximal]] leader defeat Starscream, and then (for reasons best known to himself) decided to abandon his deception completely, shooting down [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] and [[Victory Leo]] and revealing that he was truly "'''Rebirth Megatron'''" (リバースメガトロン ''Ribāsu Megatoron''). To stop the threat of two Megatrons, Optimus Prime and Optimus Primal unleashed their "Double Prime Tornado" technique, only for Rebirth Megatron and Beast Megatron to counter with a tornado of their own. The power struggle was broken by the Autobots' newest addition, [[Lio Convoy]], whose "Lio Typhoon Arrow" move tipped the scales and defeated the Megatrons. {{storylink|The Lio Convoy Typhoon Enters (episode)|The Lio Convoy Typhoon Enters}}
{{-}}

====Online comic====
[[Image:Reverse convoy manga.jpg‎|right|thumb|275px|Insert cliché "ally = enemy" phrase here]]

In the guise of Reverse Convoy, Megatron appeared outside Autobot City and collapsed, correctly gambling that the Autobots would bring him within the city to recuperate. He weaved a story that he was attacked by "G1 Megatron" at [[Sherman Dam]] and used the Autobots' trust to lead a group there. {{storylink|Strategic Meeting: The Mysterious New Warrior}} At Sherman Dam, the Autobots were ambushed by a hidden Decepticon contingent and held captive. To lure out the others, "Reverse Convoy" sent out an SOS message, prompting Star Saber to come to their rescue. Star Saber was shocked to be shot out of the sky by Reverse Convoy, who promptly shed his disguise and revealed himself to be "Rebirth Megatron". As Megatron pressed his cannon barrel against Prime's head, Lio Convoy came leaping onto the scene at the last moment. Realizing he was outnumbered, Megatron opted to blast the dam, leaving the Autobots struggling to hold it together while he made good his escape. {{storylink|The Dark Emperor of Destruction, Reborn}}

Rebirth Megatron later teamed up with Beast Megatron, and together with the Decepticon army, they engaged the Autobots in a mighty battle. The two Megatrons charged Optimus Prime, but he used his energon axe to fend them both off. After three days of constant fighting, the double Megatrons were defeated and everybody was returned to their proper time. {{storylink|And Then}}

===''Kiss Players''===
[[Image:Legion_head_closeup.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Too much even for Gene Simmons.]]

When Galvatron was thrown from Unicron by [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]] in 2005, his body collided with the Earth, dispersing his Unicron-empowered cells into the atmosphere. When the cells fused with other beings, they created monstrous creatures known as "[[Legion]]", many of whom wore Megatron's face, with one particular long, sticky, throbbing modification. {{storylink|Kiss Players issue 1|Kiss Players #1}}

After she helped to stop the Legions by restoring Galvatron and shooting him off into space, [[Marissa Faireborn]] travelled back in time to 1984, where she witnessed Megatron's famous battle atop Sherman Dam with Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #39}}
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===''The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers''===
[[Image:Megatron military.jpg‎|right|215px|thumb| If Megatron's the clone troopers, does that make [[The Fallen]] [[Darth Vader]]?]]

{{note|This comic takes place concurrently with the third season of the animated series, by which time Megatron had been transformed into Galvatron. However, while that series took place in 2006 in American continuity, in Japan, its events were moved forward to 2010.}}

At some point in 2010, Galvatron attempted to destroy the Autobots with a legion of Megatron clones dubbed the "[[Megatron Corps]]". Each clone was equipped with its own unique fusion cannon, and they were capable of combining the blasts into an intense attack. As a unified force, the Megatron Corps crushed [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]], [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]]. Their victory was assured until Rodimus managed to deduce that the Megatron Corps was being controlled by Galvatron, who was, as it turned out, actually disguised as one of the Megatron clones himself. Once Rodimus defeated Galvatron, all the Megatron clones lost power and were easily vanquished. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 2|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #2}}
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===''The Battlestars'' story pages and comic===
{{note|With his transformation into Galvatron, Megatron departed from the animated continuity until this storyline, five years later.}}

[[Image:Battlestars_super_megatron_born.jpg|left|thumb|225px| Why couldn't I have risen from the ice in [[Transformers (film)| the first movie]]?]]

During his time as Galvatron, Megatron had been seemingly vanquished forever when he was crushed beneath an iceberg. {{storylink|The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg}} Over fifteen years later, an evil force named [[Dark Nova]], hoping to eliminate the threat of the recently resurrected Optimus Prime as Star Convoy, beamed a blast of crazy energy down to Galvatron's icy tomb. Galvatron was instantly revived and reborn as '''[[:Image:SuperAndUltraMegatron.jpg|Super Megatron]]''' (スーパーメガトロン ''Sūpā Megatoron''). Super Megatron erupted from the ice, horrifying Eskimos and polar bears everywhere. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars Part 6}}

[[Image:Super megatron manga.jpg|right|thumb|225px| Yes, that's right! Run away from the version of me that will never become a toy!]]

Taking command of a unit of [[Galaman]] drone warriors, Super Megatron attacked an oil rig, converting the oil into [[Energon cube]]s and taking the [[human]]s hostage. Realizing that human bio-energy is powerful and plentiful, he planned to ''eat'' the oil rig workers as snacks at his victory party. As he licked one up and down with his mighty tongue, he was suddenly attacked by [[Sixliner]]. Unimpressed, Super Megatron shrugged off Sixliner with a single blow, informing the runt he was a million years too young to challenge him. A worthy foe soon appeared in the form of Star Convoy, and the two eternal enemies threw down once more. Super Megatron transformed to his "gunjet" mode and proved a powerful enemy, but was tricked by Star Convoy into crashing into the side of an oil tank. Star Convoy then used his "Galaxy Bomber" attack to detonate the oil, sending the injured Super Megatron fleeing into space, swearing vengeance. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (manga)|The Battlestars}}

[[Image:Battlestars_ultra_megatron_fight.jpg|left|thumb|225px| Hey Optimus, is it me or have we all gotten spikier?]]

Super Megatron then returned with his upgraded forces, the [[Galaman|Great Galaman]] warriors, and took on the [[Battlestars]] in a space battle. He was swiftly defeated when they combined into their [[Triple Combination Battlestar Attack]] and shot him to pieces. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars Part 7}}

Dark Nova then upgraded him into '''[[:Image:SuperAndUltraMegatron.jpg|Ultra Megatron]]''' (ウルトラメガトロン ''Urutora Megatoron'') and at last joined him in battle against the Battlestars. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars Part 8}} When Megatron was again defeated, Dark Nova merged with his remains for the final confrontation, creating the massive [[Dark Nova|Star Giant]]. Ultra Megatron was mostly disassembled in the process, what was left of him being stored in Star Giant's head. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars Part 9}}

Star Giant proved virtually invincible from the outside, so Star Convoy, [[Grandus (ROC)|Grandus]] and [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] traveled inside his body and began tearing up the joint. As soon as they'd inflicted enough damage, the trio escaped just as Star Giant detonated, leaving only his head somewhat intact...fortunately for Ultra Megatron. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars Part 10}}
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===''G-2'' story pages and mini-comics===
[[Image:G2AllianceBeginsAndEnds.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Curse you, humans! You killed... some guy who looks like a brown Reflector!]]

Recovering from the Star Giant incident, Megatron's formerly damaged sanity circuits were repaired, and he abandoned his evil ways. He then upgraded into a new [[Action Master]] body and joined with Optimus Prime to form the [[Cybertron Alliance]], ushering in the Second Generation of the Transformers. However, after human soldiers mistook and murdered [[Megatron's dead friend|one of his comrades]], he adopted a new tank body and began the war anew. This time, however, Megatron did not wish to conquer the universe for truly evil purposes, but under the belief that true peace could only be attained through tyranny and an iron fist. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (story page)|Autobots vs. Decepticons: Combat Secrets}}

During an early battle, Megatron threatened to destroy [[Volt]] and [[Electro]]. He was stopped by Optimus Prime in his new missile trailer body. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #1}} Megatron refused to retreat and was hit by an onslaught of attacks by the Autobots. Megatron emerged unscathed from the smoke and snatched up Electro by the head. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #2}} Volt then took Megatron from behind, stabbing him in the back with his Needle Saber, causing him to drop Electro. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #4}}

[[Image:JapG2Meg.jpg|left|250px|thumb|He hasn't lost his knack for monologuing in his old age.]]

Later, Megatron ordered [[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]] to follow Electro and Volt to locate Optimus Prime and the Autobots' field base. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #5}} Prime was eventually located by [[Skyjack]], who slipped past the Autobot radar and reported Prime's location to Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #7}}

Engaging Prime in battle, Megatron fell on the losing end as he ran low on power. Prime offered him one final chance to surrender, only to be interrupted by [[Hooligan (G2)|Hooligan]] and his missile attack. The attack destroyed Prime's back-mounted weaponry unit, shifting the balance of the battle in Megatron's favor. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #9}} Megatron then ordered an airstrike from [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]] and [[Smokescreen (G2)|Smokescreen]], who bombed Prime mercilessly, but stopped just short of killing him, as they wanted to save the honor for Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #10}} With scarcely a look of satisfaction, Megatron gunned down his adversary. As Prime died, he offered him one final prayer. However, Megatron's prayer was cut short, as the [[Reconfiguration Matrix]] within Prime's chest revived him in a new body as "Battle Convoy". Alive and more powerful than before, the two foes battled it out once again. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #13}} {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (story page)|Optimus Prime of the Autobots has Fallen!}} {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (story page)|Birth of the New Supreme Commander Battle Convoy!}}

[[Image:G2 manga megatron defeats prime.jpg‎|right|thumb|350px|For God's sake, we've got guests over.]]

Later, Megatron and the [[Cyberjet]]s had defeated a troop of Autobots, leaving only [[Volt]] standing. Megatron offered Volt a chance to surrender, but he refused. Luckily for Volt, [[Strafe (G2)|Strafe]] arrived on the scene just in time to belt Megatron in the jaw. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #15}} Megatron eventually captured Electro and took him back to Decepticon Headquarters. He attempted to persuade Electro to join him, but Electro politely declined the invitation, as his rescue had just arrived. Just then, [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] burst out from the hall and to his friend's side. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2 #16}}

Megatron at last coordinated an all-out attack on the Autobots, eventually culminating in he and Prime agreeing to a one-on-one showdown following the "Law of Cybertron": complete banishment to the defeated and his followers. After a long and painful battle, Prime narrowly managed to defeat Megatron. Following the terms of the "Law of Cybertron", Megatron and the Decepticons fled back into deep space, ending the war. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (story page)|The Autobots Triumph in the Battle of Good Vs. Evil!}}

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===e-HOBBY comics===
Megatron was deposed as leader of the defeated Decepticons when the time-travelling [[Galvatron II]] appeared from a parallel dimension and overthrew him. Galvatron renewed the war, laying siege to the universe with a fleet of [[Warworld]]s.

[[Image:Megatron vs dan.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Nemesis Prime, is that you--'''OW!!! YOU PUNCHED ME!!!''']]

Megatron was demoted to overseeing an experiment the Decepticons were carrying out on [[Earth]], creating biomechanical creatures in an undersea base with the aid of some human scientists. The experiment ran out of control when the monsters turned on Megatron and the Decepticons and kept them trapped in the base, only periodically departing to attack human shipping vessels. These attacks caught the attention of the Autobots, who discovered the existence of the base by tracking the creatures' movements, and sent a team in to investigate. The team include an [[Eldedroid]] (a robot duplicate of Optimus Prime) controlled by the mind of a human named [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Dan]], who was attacked by Megatron when he broke off from his teammates to search the base. As Megatron was without his fusion cannon, Dan was unwilling to shoot him, and instead engaged him in a fist fight, albeit one that he had little chance of winning. Unlike the other Decepticons, Megatron was not fooled by the Eldedroid's appearance: He knew that he was not fighting his true eternal enemy. No longer amused by the fight, Megatron instructed Dan to return to the real Prime and tell him he was leaving the responsibility for dealing with the creatures to the Autobots, at which point one of the beasts burst into the base. {{storylink|MP-1B Cybertron Commander / Convoy Black Ver.}}
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===''Beast Wars II'' cartoon===
Hundreds of thousands of years into the future, on the planet [[Gaea]], the Predacon [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]] attempted to use a time-and-space-warping gate to summon a "Megatron" to his aid. It is unclear whether he was searching for the original Megatron or the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] who went by the [[Megatron (BW)|same name]], but regardless, Galvatron's brother [[Megastorm|Gigastorm]] screwed up the calculations and instead summoned the titanic [[Majin Zarak]], whom Galvatron proudly declared to be far superior to Megatron. Dissed! {{storylink|Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger!}}

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternators Decepticons]]
[[Category:Alternity Decepticons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Decepticons]]
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[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Return of Convoy Decepticons]]
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[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]
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