The Spark

2011-11-11T23:14:02Z

108.67.201.150: /* Notes */

{{disambig3|Spark}}
{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=15
|series2=BWJtoon
|ep2=12
|prev2=A Better Mousetrap
|next2=The Trigger, Part 1
|image=The Spark Rhinox spark.jpg
|caption="I got your soul!"
|title="The Spark"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[November 11]], 1996
|packaged with=[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]]
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]]
|directed by=[[Colin Davies]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
|packaged with=[[Rhinox (BW)##Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Rhinox]], [[Gimlet#Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Gimlet]]
}}
'''Rhinox and Cheetor assist a downed stasis pod and the damaged protoform within.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:The Spark Falcon.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Oh, hey, more foreshadowing.]]
In orbit around [[Earth|the planet]], a [[stasis pod]] is clipped by a piece of space debris, causing the pod to descend to the surface. [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] detect this, and dispatch [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] to capture it.

Meanwhile, [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] happens to be scouting the landing area in his beast mode, observing that the local raw [[energon]] deters the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] from properly fortifying the terrain. He witnesses the pod descending and, unable to radio for support, goes to recover the pod by himself. In another area, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] sees the pod and, after radioing the news to [[Tigatron]], heads to where he anticipates the pod will land.

[[Image:The Spark Rhinox pod.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Rhinox struggles to work this really old video game console.]]
Rhinox is first to reach the pod, but finds that because of the local energon, his robot mode is in risk of damage from prolonged exposure to the energon radiation. Worse, the [[protoform]] within the pod could soon expire if the pod itself isn't soon repaired.

Tigatron freezes Scorponok's journey to the stasis pod, but Blackarachnia paralyzes Tigatron with a dose of her [[cyber venom]].

Cheetor arrives at the landing crater, and Rhinox tells him that his body contains [[Locking chip|a component]] the pod needs to save the protoform. Cheetor voluntarily deactivates to allow Rhinox to harvest the hardware that will protect the new [[Maximal]] from energon damage. While in deep sleep, Cheetor envisions himself learning about the concept of a Transformer [[spark]] from Rhinox. After Cheetor reactivates, a tense Rhinox installs the chip and gives the dormant Transformer a second chance.

[[Image:The Spark Cheetor Waspinator.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Waspinator only want one kiss!"]]
Blackarachnia arrives and exchanges trash talk as she battles Cheetor, who uses his robot mode conservatively. Cheetor manages to shove her own venom dart into her forehead, knocking her out. Next, Cheetor faces [[Waspinator]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]. With his robot mode pushed to the max, Cheetor uses his beast mode to draw the two fliers away.

Rhinox tries to interface his own systems with the stasis pod to assist the protoform, but is disconnected by feedback and left trapped in his own beast mode.

[[Image:The Spark Airazor.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Don't mess with this lady.]]
Cheetor fries Waspinator with some maneuvering around one of the local natural energon geysers. However, Terrorsaur is able to score a direct hit on Cheetor, and proceeds to the now-unprotected pod. At the last possible moment, the pod scans a bird circling overhead, providing the biological information needed to complete the new Maximal.

The fresh-from-case avian Transformer drags Terrorsaur away from the crash site. His attempts to fry the bird with gunfire are dodged. Announcing her name to be [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], the new Maximal transforms and blasts the Predacon to pieces.

Back at the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', Rhinox and Cheetor introduce the rest of the Maximals to their new friend.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (3)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
* [[Tigatron]] (5)
* [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (10)
* [[Optimus Primal]] (11)
* [[Rattrap]] (12)
|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
* [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (1)
* [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (2)
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (6)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (7)
* [[Waspinator]] (8)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
"Just as Megatron said! Just as Megatron said! Don't you ever get tired of grovelling to that Saurian?"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' mocks Scorponok

"Bah, I'll tell you nothing, Maximal! Scorponok, terrori—" ''[is zapped and frozen]'' 
"Sorry, I don't have time to play."
:—'''Scorponok''' and '''Tigatron'''.

"When a Spark goes online, there is great joy. When one is extinguished, the universe weeps."
:—'''Rhinox'''

"Whoa, that was ultra gear!"
:—'''Cheetor''', coming out of his tripped-out dream.

"By the way, how do you dance with all those skinny legs?" 
"Ugh, this must be my day for cats!"
:—'''Cheetor''' to '''Blackarachnia'''

"You don't know what fast is, furball." 
"I know what ''ugly'' is, and you're it!"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' feels '''Cheetor''''s burn.

"Who dares attack Waspinator?!"
:—A better question would perhaps be who ''wouldn't'' dare attack '''Waspinator'''.

==Notes==
* This episode introduced and defined the concept of Sparks to the Transformer mythos.
* Tarantulas snickers to himself after detecting the pod. It's possible that had Megatron not taken notice, Tarantulas would have secured the pod for his own purposes, as he tried to do when [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]'s pod landed. Way to go giggles.
* When Cheetor arrives at the pod, why does Rhinox ask him why he's there? Surely it's obvious!
* Interestingly, when Scorponok is frozen mid-command code activation, he's still in beast mode. Contrast with Tarantulas in "Double Jeopardy", who was similarly interrupted, but managed to transform to robot mode before getting shot.
* Rhinox refers to the Transformer race as "Cybertrons". The Japanese name for Autobots.
* Whereas in "[[Double Jeopardy]]" the protoform had Blackarachnia's head prior to formatting, Airazor's protoform state has a blank head.
* Cheetor's youth really shows when he calls Blackarachnia "ugly". He doesn't seem to think so when he grows up a little, but right now she clearly has cooties.
* Cheetor's dream correctly predicts the last line in the episode from Rhinox: "When a spark comes online, there is great joy." Cheetor makes a face indicating he recognizes it, and smiles to himself. This is the second of Cheetor's precognitive dreams in the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]].

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''L'Étincelle'''" ("The Spark")

:*''Title:'' "'''L'Étincelle'''" ("The Spark")

'''Italian'''
*''Title:'' "'''La scintilla'''" ("The Spark")

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Hayabusa Senshi Airrazor'''" (ハヤブサ戦士エアラザー, "The Falcon Warrior Airrazor")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 17|17 December]] [[1997]]

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' '''A Centelha''' ("The Spark")

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La Chispa'''" (America, "The Spark")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;VHS
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' — Warning from Space ([[Alliance Atlantis|Alliance Video]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Robots-Bêtes'' — Alert Dans L'Espace (Alliance Video) — French audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers'' — Goodbye Rattle!? ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars'' / ''Robots-Bêtes'' Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2001 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Beginning: Vol. 3 ([[Universal]])
;Laserdisc
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1998 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Predacon Edition ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Pioneer LDC]]) — English and Japanese audio.
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2003 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — The Complete First Season ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — Classic Episodes: Volume 3 — The Battle Rages On! ([[Alliance Atlantis]]) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Canada.png|20px|Canada]] 2005 — ''Beast Wars'' — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2006 — ''Beast Wars: Transformers'' — Season 1 ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Beast Wars'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spark}}
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[category:Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]

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The Spark