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Equal Measures

2009-07-19T00:20:22Z

121.54.2.4: /* Notes */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=4
|image=Equal Measures Cheetor darksyde.jpg
|caption=Later they discovered Cheetor was sitting on the self-destruct button.
|title="Equal Measures"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[September 23]], 1996
|written by=[[Greg Johnson]]
|directed by=[[T.W. Peacocke]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Dinobot manipulates both Maximals and Predacons around a teleporter that Cheetor has unintentionally developed between both bases.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 時限爆弾転送作戦! (''Jigen Bakudan Tensō Sakusen!'', "Operation: Time Bomb Transfer!")

==Synopsis==
[[Optimus Primal]] watches a bolt of lightning shatter a mountain, revealing a cache of [[Energon (fuel)|energon]]. Because of the hazardous conditions, he radios to his team to abort their current operation. The storm garbles the transmission, though, preventing the other [[Maximal]]s from receiving it.

[[Image:Dinobotbulliescheetor.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Something we've seen all too often.]]
The mission involves energon monitoring devices designed by [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], who has just gotten done building the last of them. Impatient to get going, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] carelessly plays with one of [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]'s projects, a ''time bomb'', and accidentally drops it out the floor hatch... where it's caught by a returning Optimus, who reiterates his order for the mission to be scrubbed. Everyone's clearly upset over the development, not believing the storm to be that severe yet, but Primal is adamant; it'll have to wait until later. Dejected, everyone returns to quarters to wait out the storm.

In Cheetor's quarters, Dinobot meets with the cat-bot and endorses the mission being continued regardless of the danger from the weather and the energon. He points out that Primal clearly treats Cheetor like a child, even though with his speed, the cat-bot could easily outrun the storm and plant the devices before it hits. This appeal to vanity works, and Cheetor sneaks out to complete the mission.

[[Image:Equal Measures Cheetor monitoring device.jpg|right|200px|thumb|This wireless Broadband box is rubbish!]]
In the field, Cheetor plants survey apparatuses in quick succession, but a bolt of lightning causes the cat accidentally to plant one of the posts dangerously close to an energon vein. He tries to remove the device and correct his mistake, but in the middle of his struggle, a second lightning bolt hits, and he finds himself suddenly teleported — onto a control panel in the [[Darksyde|Predacon base]]!

[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] "welcomes" Cheetor and attacks the Maximal, but Cheetor grabs a hover-platform and tries to escape. After being knocked off the platform, Cheetor lunges at Terrorsaur and pushes the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] onto the control panel he'd just arrived on, causing Terrorsaur to vanish. [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] arrive and chase Cheetor around the Predacon base, but lose him in the ventilation shafts.

[[Image:Cheetorsurprised.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Shouldn't have had the vindaloo last night.]]
Meanwhile, Terrorsaur finds himself in the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Enemy Arms]]'' command center, where he's given a warm reception by Dinobot. However, the former Predacon is more concerned over how the pteranodon arrived, eventually working out that a freak combination of the survey devices, the storm, and the energon created a transporter link between the two bases. Using this to his advantage, Terrorsaur seems to convince Dinobot into forming an alliance, suggesting they scrap the Maximals, then take over the Predacons and rule together... until Dinobot drops the charade and unceremoniously flushes the Pred out of the ''Axalon'' through a waste disposal unit.

Back at the Predacon base, Cheetor continues to flee while avoiding fire from Waspinator. He sneaks away from the two long enough to hack the Predacons' data files, and determines that both bases sit on a common underground Energon vein, so an explosion at one base would cause a chain reaction that would obliterate both ships. Cheetor is discovered as soon as he downloads this data to a disk.

At the Maximal base, Optimus confronts Dinobot on Cheetor's whereabouts. Dinobot tells him about the link and how the cat-bot has "surely" been destroyed by now, but convinces him that they could use the link to annihilate the Predacon base with the bomb, a plan Primal only agrees to as long as the bomb's timer is set with enough time to allow the Preds to evacuate. Just as the bomb is sent, though, Cheetor tosses the disk with the energon vein data onto the console, transporting both items simultaneously.

[[Image:Crispyterrorsaur.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Would you like me original, or extra crispy?]]
The Predacons finally corner Cheetor, but the bomb has magnetically locked itself onto the Pred console, forcing Megatron to let him go so he can release it. With a few seconds left, Cheetor throws it up to Terrorsaur, who flies it out of the base (and is blown up with it), while Cheetor escapes through the link. The Predacons' errant shots destroy the console instead. Furthermore, his return trip to the ''Axalon'' shatters all of the survey posts he's planted, ensuring the link is severed for good.

Afterwards, Rhinox and [[Rattrap]] congratulate Cheetor's prevention of the Maximal base from being destroyed by their own explosive, while Dinobot is in a bad mood as usual and leaves—though Cheetor apparently didn't tell anyone that Dinobot talked him into the whole thing. Primal still commands Cheetor to take more care to obey direct orders. Cheetor says he will—except when he doesn't—and scampers off, leaving Rhinox and Rattrap to have a jolly laugh.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] (1)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (2)
*[[Rattrap]] (3)
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (4)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (6)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (7)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (8)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (9)

}}
==Quotes==
"Defeating them does not mean we have to ''annihilate'' them. You seem to have trouble understanding that."
:—'''Optimus''' gently chides Dinobot for thinking like a Predacon.

"Shoulda known no Maximal'd be stupid enough to try anything on a day like this."
:—'''Terrorsaur''' underestimates the enemy again.

"Cheetor! Maximi- did that already."
:—'''Cheetor''' forgets that he already transformed.

"He's gone into the vents! You better report this to Megatron." 
"Me?! ''You're'' second-in-command!" 
"So make it an order!"
:—'''Scorponok''' and '''Waspinator''' establish the chain of command.

"Where'd he go?! Where'd ''I'' go?"
:—'''Terrorsaur''' realises he isn't in Kansas any more.

"Think of the cosmic magnificence. Together we'll overthrow these low-grade metal knock-offs you've joined, and then rule the Predacons with two iron fists! NOTHING CAN STOP US!"
:—'''Terrorsaur''' has such naive optimism.

"Hey! What are you doing? We're partners!" 
"In case you had not realized, Needlenose... I am ''not'' a team player." 
:—'''Terrorsaur''', about to get launched over the horizon by '''Dinobot'''

"OK, OK, I'll never do that again! Until the next time."
:—'''Cheetor''' has learned nothing from this adventure.

==Notes==
* Dinobot is kind of a jerk this early on.
* And Cheetor needs obedience beat into him.
* And Rattrap just needs the snot beat ''out'' of him.
* Scorponok's missile coming towards Cheetor has the Maximal symbol on it.

===Technical/animation glitches===
* When Optimus is tossing the time bomb in one hand, it really doesn't move convincingly.
* After Cheetor escapes from the vents, he falls to the ground and his right forehead chevron kind of "twangs" forward. In the next scene he's in, it's back to normal against his head.

===Continuity errors===
* A major plot point is that due to an energon vein running beneath both ships, the destruction of either Predacon or Maximal bases would destroy the other. This is never mentioned again and frequently contradicted due to the repeated explosions at both. While most of the planet's energon was stabilised by the start of Season 2 and so wouldn't be an issue, the plot of Season 1 episode "[[Victory (episode)|Victory]]" revolves around... a massive explosion at the Predacon base.

===Transformers references===
* When Cheetor appears before him, Terrorsaur greets him thus: "Welcome to the dark side!" The episode script reveals that this was simply Terrorsaur being dramatic. However, because [[fandom|Transformers fans]] can be ''incredibly'' literal, some fans speculatively latched on to the idea that Terrorsaur was welcoming Cheetor to the "''Dark Side''", supposedly giving the Predacon ship/base a proper name.
*This bit of [[fanon]] was made official by the video game ''[[Beast Wars: Transmetals]]''. Years later, the ship's name was further codified by the [[BotCon 2006]] story "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]", which dodged [[trademark]] issues by giving it the intentional misspelling "[[Darksyde]]".
* This is what happens when fans are allowed to run things. Seriously.
* Curiously, at no point has anybody interpreted Dinobot's line as suggesting the Maximal base is meant to be called "Enemy Arms".
* Just before he drops him through the waste disposal unit, Dinobot insults Terrorsaur's beaky (and geeky) beast mode by calling him [[Needlenose]], who was a G1 Decepticon Double-Targetmaster.

==External links==
*[http://www.bwtf.com/bw/tvshow/episodes/seasonone/em/emscript.doc The script on BWTF.com]

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

The Ultimate Doom, Part 2

2009-07-03T13:58:31Z

121.54.2.4: /* Technical or animation litches */

{{episode
|series=G1toon
|ep=12
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=67
|image=UltimateDoom2 Cybertron Earth.JPG
|caption=Blue moon, you saw me standing alone...
|title="The Ultimate Doom, Part 2"
|production code=#700-09
|airdate=[[November 10]], 1984
|written by=[[Earl Kress]]
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Cybertron's arrival causes disasters on Earth, leaving the Autobots to battle both the Decepticons and Nature.'''

:''Japanese title:'' 破滅の日 PART II (''Hametsu no Hi PART II'', "Day of Destruction PART II")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Tud2megatronthreatens.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Fear me, Starscream, as I put the fear of God into you!]]

As [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] arrives into Earth orbit, storms and earthquakes begin in earnest. [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] celebrates, despite [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]'s attempts to make him see reason. [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] rallies the [[Decepticon]]s to attack the [[Autobot]]s, but the sudden violence of the elements has both the Autobots and the 'Cons disoriented.

[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] orders [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] to broadcast [[audio disrupter wave]]s, which cause much pain to the Autobots. [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] orders a retreat. As they head out, Spike sadly watches his father board [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]].

[[Image:Tud2bee%26spikeembrace.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Hold onto the Cube!]]

Starscream berates Megatron for allowing the Autobots to escape, but Megatron brushes off the criticism...with a mere choke of Starscream's throat. The human slaves rush away in terror as [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] notes they look like they've just woken up from a bad dream.

[[Doctor Arkeville]] realizes that the disrupter wave interferes with the [[hypno-chip]]s' control signal and works to correct it, but he will need more "[[Humans|materials]]" to modify the chips. Megatron contacts Arkeville, who is informed of the situation. After a little experiment on Sparkplug, Arkeville is convinced that he has solved the problem, and Megatron promises that he will have all the slaves they need to gather the energy for Cybertron.

[[Image:Tud2sparkplugontable.jpg|left|175px|thumb|No, Mister Bond... I expect you to turn your head and cough.]]

Heading back to base under severe weather conditions, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] get separated from the group. Spike is still in a bit of a funk over his dad working with the Decepticons. An earthquake causes a fissure in the ground, which Bumblebee falls into while Laserbeak arrives and takes Spike. [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], [[Bluestreak]], and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] arrive, rescuing Bumblebee and Spike.

At the [[Decepticon Headquarters|Decepticon base]], Megatron begins sending Seekers to transport [[Energon cube|energon cubes]] to Cybertron. Doctor Arkeville is displeased, as they are using his slaves as shields against Autobot aggression. Arkeville warns Megatron to remember their deal: He gets Earth after Megatron is done repowering Cybertron. Megatron promises to keep his word...but does not specify how much of Earth will be left. But even Megatron has his troubles with the violent storms. At Decepticon headquarters underwater, violent tsunamis destroy the base's entry tower and cause flooding.

[[Image:Tud2wheeljacksvolcano.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Quick, change the channel!]]

Returning to the [[Ark (G1)|Autobot base]], the Autobots debate how best to handle the situation and decide to send the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] to prevent as much destruction as possible. At first, [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] could give a [[frag]] about the Earth's destruction, until he's reminded that he'd be on the planet at the time.

[[Image:Tud2snarlchewstree.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Me Snarl want play fetch, but nobody want play with Snarl.]]

At the Autobot base, Spike and Optimus discuss why Sparkplug would work with the Decepticons. Just then, [[Mount St. Hilary|the volcano]] becomes active. Several Autobots are ejected into the air, but [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] manages to catch them. Heading back into the volcano, [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] manages to cover the lava with an avalanche. Elsewhere, the Dinobots are hurrying to prevent a tidal wave from reaching the shore.

Meanwhile, Prime learns that Sparkplug was taken to Cybertron during energon shipments. Spike overhears and asks to go to Cybertron in order to save his dad and learn how the Decepticons are controlling their slaves. Optimus agrees. Skyfire, [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]], [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], and Bumblebee head to Cybertron with Spike. As usual, Spike falls into a trap and needs rescuing by Brawn and Bumblebee. After they sneak into [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]'s fortress, they discover information about the hypno-chips, but Sparkplug arrives and sounds an alarm.

[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 3|To be continued]]...

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (1)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (2)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (3)
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (13)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (15)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (18)
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (19)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (20)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (21)
*[[Bluestreak]] (23)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (24)
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] (25)
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] (26)
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] (27)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] (28)
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (29)
*[[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] (30)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (31)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (9)
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (10)
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (11)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (12)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (14)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (16)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (22)

|c3=
* [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (5)
* [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (6)
* [[Doctor Arkeville]] (17)
}}

==Quotes==
"The Decepticons will triumph. Ha ha ha ha! Join me, Spike. Join the conquerors!" 
"Dad..." 
"Look, I told you. Don't call me that!"
:—'''Sparkplug''' adds to '''Spike'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s psychological wounds.

"That'll teach you to play with fire, Blundercracker!"
:—'''Jazz''', clever as ever.

"Decepticon rule FOREVER!" 
"Forever's shorter than you think!"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Spike''' argue philosophy with big weapons.

"Cross me again, Starscream, and I'll reduce you to titanium fragments." 
"But we had the Autobots disoriented. We could have eliminated them." 
"We'll do that at our leisure when our more important work is done. You have had the only warning I intend to give."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Starscream''' bicker again.

"Creating a mindless slave is simplicity itself, thanks to the brilliant complexity of my hypno-chip."
:—'''Doctor Arkeville''' to Rumble. The real irony is that Rumble is probably more advanced than anything Arkeville could ever create.

"That ought to cook that tin foil turkey."
:—'''Bluestreak''' disses Laserbeak.

'''Optimus''': Look at the monitors! You must help stop these disasters. 
'''Grimlock''': Uh, me Grimlock not care whole planet fall apart. Make no difference to me Grimlock. 
'''Wheeljack''': With you on it? 
'''Grimlock''': Eh, hadn't thought of that.
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Wheeljack''' convince '''Grimlock''' to help.

==Notes==
* When Optimus Prime transforms into vehicle mode during the rainstorm early in the episode, his trailer appears behind him traced by a strange glowing light effect.
* This episode is subtitled "Search" in scripts and other official materials.

[[Image:Autobot volcano.PNG|right|125px|thumb|You know what burns my butt? Flame about that high.]]

* Why would choking Starscream get him to shut up?
* The "[[Armor-plating|skin]]" of the Transformers seems to be able to endure the heat of magma for at least brief periods.

===Technical or animation glitches===
[[Image:Grimlockhead ud2.jpg|right|125px|thumb|Me Grimlock no lose head. Me find new one!]]

* Spike isn't wearing a helmet when he tries to help Bumblebee climb up the fissure. However, he's suddenly wearing one just before he's captured by Laserbeak.
* Grimlock's head is the old design when he just shows up with the other Dinobots, but it changes to [[:Image:Grimhead.JPG|the new design]] when he's talking to Optimus Prime and Wheeljack.
* On Cybertron, the font in which the words "Hypno Chip Control" are written changes between shots.

==External Links==
* [http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/cartoon-dossier/synopses/the_ultimate_doom_part_2.html Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultimate Doom, Part 2}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

A Bridge Too Close, Part I

2009-06-30T05:12:40Z

121.54.2.4: /* Animation or technical errors */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|ep=28
|image=TFA ABTC1 Space Bridge operational.JPG
|caption=Closer... closer...
|title="A Bridge Too Close, Part I"
|airdate=[[June 28]], 2008
|written by=[[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}

'''The Decepticons kidnap Bulkhead to aid in Megatron's ultimate plan to take over Cybertron.'''
:''German title:'' "'''Die Weltraumbrücke, Teil 1'''" ("The Spacebridge, Part 1")
:''Polish title:'' "'''O Jeden Most Za blisko, Część 1'''" ("A Bridge Too Close, Part 1")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Megatron branding.jpg|thumb|left|"Can't you just put the insignia on our chest?" "Now, where's the fun in that?"]]

Now serving under [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]] have completed construction of the villain’s [[space bridge]]. They are rewarded for their efforts by being officially inducted into the [[Decepticon]] army in a small ceremony led by Megatron, with [[Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] serving as witnesses (and, for some reason, holding candles). After the Constructicons have recited the oath of allegiance, Megatron [[brand]]s them, quite literally, with a [[Redeco|color-change]] for their eyes and armor thrown into the bargain. At Megatron’s instruction, [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] fires up the bridge, but when it fails to activate due to the professor’s simple lack of understanding of the technology, Megatron realizes that he will require additional help...

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Screamer Clones Argue.jpg|thumb|"There's something in your [[optic]]." "No, there isn't!"]]

On [[Earth]]’s [[Moon (moon)|moon]], [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] gloats over five new [[Starscream clone|clones]] of himself, to which he is in the process of putting the finishing touches. The final clone is completed and, like its fellows, brought online with a tiny chip of the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] that gives Starscream life. Immediately, however, Starscream has to wrestle with the various wacky personalities the clones have wound up with, each one an exaggerated aspect of his own: a coward, a sycophant, an egomaniac, a pathological liar... and a short-tempered female who insists that Starscream not ask what aspect of his personality gave birth to her.

Megatron contacts [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in order to have him [[Cybertronian Datanet|track down]] the top space bridge engineer on the planet. Shockwave is surprised to report that the engineer in question is on Earth—it’s [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]! Megatron decides to capture Bulkhead personally and instructs Lugnut and Blitzwing to pick up an item from [[Sumdac Tower]] to aid in “convincing” the Autobot to help them. When Lugnut points out that Sumdac cannot be trusted in the base alone with the Constructicons, Megatron decides to take the professor with him. As all this scheming goes on, however, someone else is listening in—the mysterious “Blue Racer” that [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] recently encountered.

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 painting time.JPG|thumb|left]]

At the Autobot base, Bulkhead is working on his latest painting, an abstract rendition of [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]]. Unfortunately, backseat artistry from the other Autobots winds up ruining the painting, and Bulkhead goes for a walk with Sari to vent a little. Bumblebee follows to apologize, but just as he catches up to them, Megatron appears in the sky overhead and opens fire. Using Sumdac as a human shield to stop the Autobots from firing back, Megatron continues to rain destruction down on the Autobots as Bumblebee and Sari argue over whether or not Sumdac has been working with Megatron.

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Megatron Sumdac Hostage.jpg|thumb|right|...dads?]]
Suddenly, the Blue Racer speeds onto the scene, and Bumblebee, believing the enigmatic speedster to be working with Megatron, chases him off through the city and manages to run him off the road. When he attempts to report his success to Bulkhead, though, there’s no response—because Megatron has captured Bulkhead and is airlifting him away. Bumblebee’s failure is compounded by the next turn of events: The Blue Racer reveals himself to be [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]], a fast-talking member of the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] who has been covertly monitoring Megatron’s activities.

Back at the Decepticon headquarters, Bulkhead refuses to help Megatron, so the villain unveils the fruit of Blitzwing and Lugnut’s labor: a [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit! Faced with the threat of once again having his body taken over and being used to destroy his fellow Autobots, and failing to elicit any help from [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] or [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]], Bulkhead relents and agrees to work on the space bridge.

At the Autobots’ base, Blurr relates his mission to [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and company and brings them up to speed, quite literally. While Prime leads the rest of the team to the Decepticon base, the location of which is provided by Blurr, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and Sari head for Teletran-1 to try to get it online one last time. Just like [[Lost and Found (episode)|last time]], their efforts lead to nothing, forcing Ratchet to attempt one last drastic approach: using the AllSpark fragments the Autobots have gathered to jump-start the ship’s systems.

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Bulkhead Sumdac.JPG|thumb|left|Merry Christmas!]]

Prime’s team is led by Blurr into the Decepticons’ coal mine base, where they are immediately attacked by Lugnut and Blitzwing. The fight is a brief one, as Blurr uses his super-speed to bind the odd couple with [[stasis cuffs]]. Meanwhile, as the space bridge nears completion, Bulkhead insists on modifying many aspects of Sumdac’s design, and winds up in an argument with the human, which Sumdac interprets as Bulkhead trying to sabotage the bridge deliberately. When the bridge is activated, however, it functions perfectly—Bulkhead knew full well that Sumdac’s design was wrong, and he corrected it!

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Screamer Clones Emerge.jpg|thumb|right|Why, I'm beside myself! And myself! And...]]
As the bridge flares into life, Prime’s team bursts into the main chamber, but they are instantly immobilized by cement booties, courtesy of Mixmaster. With the Autobots out of the picture, it seems there is nothing to stop Megatron now...until the roof of the cavern explodes, and Starscream and his clone army make their grand entrance!

[[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|To be continued…]]
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (14)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (15)
*[[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] (16)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (17)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (18)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (19)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Lugnut]] (2)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (3)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (4)
*[[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (5)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (7)
*[[Thundercracker (Animated)|Thundercracker]] (8)
*[[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]] (9)
*[[Liar Starscream]] (10)
*[[Skywarp (Animated)|Skywarp]] (11)
*[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] (12)
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] (13)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (6)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"Ah, never before have I seen such an impressive group of lethal fighting machines! And pretty good-looking, if I do say so myself."
:—The ever-humble '''Starscream''' comments on his clone army.

'''Skywarp, the Coward Starscream''': Us? Against Megatron?!? ARE YOU INSANE?!? ''[Meekly]'' Ah, I think I just sprang an oil leak... 
'''Thundercracker, the Egomaniac Starscream''': Silence, you fool! Megatron is a worthless pile of scrap metal compared to ''my'' genius. 
'''Sunstorm, the Sycophant Starscream''': Brilliant observation! Brilliant! But your genius pales in comparison to the genius of our leader, the [[Starscream (G1)|original]] Starscream. 
'''Starscream''': Mmm, I could listen to this one all day! 
'''Liar Starscream''': What are you talking about? ''I'' am the [[Geewun|original]] Starscream! 
'''Starscream''': Liar! ''I'' am the original Starscream. 
'''Liar Starscream''': I never said I was the original Starscream. 
'''Starscream''': You just did right now. 
'''Liar Starscream''': No, I didn't. 
'''Starscream''': Yes, you did. 
'''Liar Starscream''': No, I didn't. 
'''Starscream''': Yes, you did! 
'''Liar Starscream''': No. I. Didn't. 
'''Slipstream, the Female Starscream''': Ohh, haven't you figured it out yet? He's a pathological liar. Each of us clones represents one aspect of your personality. [''points to each clone in turn''] He's a coward... he's an egomaniac... he's a suck-up... he's a liar. 
'''Liar Starscream''': I am not! 
'''Starscream''': So, which part of me did you come from? 
'''Slipstream''': Don't ask. 
'''Starscream''': ''[sigh]'' This is going to be a long orbital cycle.
:—Best [[introdump]] ever?

"I just didn't think my head was so big." 
"That's your leg."
:—'''Sari''' and '''Bulkhead'''. Oh, the irony!

'''Sari''': No, don't shoot! You'll hit my dad! 
'''Bulkhead''': She's right! 
'''Bumblebee''': So what are we supposed to do? Fight him with snappy comebacks?
:—'''Bumblebee''' conveniently forgets his normal attack strategy.

'''Bumblebee''': All right, Zippy, start talking! 
''[Blurr transforms from vehicle mode to robot mode]'' 
'''Blurr''': First of all, the name's not "Zippy"! As a matter of fact, I don't believe I've ever met another bot named Zippy, so one can only assume that you came up with "Zippy" in reference to my speed, which may be technically accurate, but lacks a certain creativity! 
'''Bumblebee''': Eh...eh-eh... 
'''Blurr''': More to the point, the name's Blurr! I'm an Autobot intelligence agent, sent to this planet by the Elite Guard to keep an eye on Optimus Prime and his crew as well as monitor the Decepticon activity, and ''you'', my friend, have just blown a decacycle of covert surveillance designed to uncover Megatron's plot to conquer Cybertron. Everything was going according to plan when I intercepted a communication between the Decepticon leader and an unknown double agent! They were in the midst of plotting the abduction of an unsuspecting Autobot, which now, from the status of the current ground situation, appears to have been successful. Got that so far? 
'''Bumblebee''': Uh...could you repeat the last part? 
'''Blurr''': Which last part? 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, everything after "The name's not Zippy."
:—It took Bumblebee a long time to get Blurr to start talking. From this point on, he doesn't shut up.

'''Bumblebee''': Woah, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up! 
'''Prowl''': Did he just say Bulkhead? 
'''Optimus Prime''': ''Our Bulkhead?'' 
'''Ratchet''': ''An expert?'' On anything?!
:—The Autobots aren't terribly impressed with Bulkhead.

"I must be a bigger pain in the gearshaft than I thought."
:—'''Starscream''' [[Total War!#Quotes|openly admits]] one of his primary faults.

"Okay, I give. I'm officially no longer the fastest thing on wheels."
:—'''Bumblebee''' is humbled after seeing Blurr's speedy takedown of Blitzwing and Lugnut.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* When Mixmaster encases Optimus and Prowl in concrete, his colors shift back to his neutral, pre-Decepticon color scheme.
* When Megatron attacks the Autobots, his cockpit changes from black to grey for a brief moment, then back.
* Blurr's mouth disappears for a frame after he introduces himself to Bumblebee and is pointing at him for the second time.
* At one point Megatron says, "The importance of this mission cannot be underestimated." His words as spoken mean the mission is really, really '''un'''important. He probably meant to say either "''should'' not be underestimated" or "cannot be ''overstated''".

===Continuity errors===
* Not so much an error as a quirk: During the engagement in the mines, Icy Blitzwing is scowling noticeably, while Hothead Blitzwing is...''smiling???''

===Transformers references===
[[Image:ABridgeTooClosePart1-MegatronHandExtendtion.jpg|thumb|right|His special hand! There's none other like it!]]
* Shockwave's report on Bulkhead appears to be in the form of [[Tech Spec]]s.
* After branding, the Constructicons' colour schemes match those of their Generation 1 counterparts.
* Megatron shoots off his middle and index finger which isn't [[Scrounge|something]] [[Elita One#Classics|new]].

===Real-world references===
* In ''[[Wikipedia:The Bridge on the River Kwai|The Bridge on the River Kwai]]'', [[Obi-Wan Kenobi|Alec Guinness]] is a prisoner of war who is forced to build a bridge. Even though the bridge will help his enemies, he builds the bridge to the best of his ability just to demonstrate how capable he is. In "A Bridge Too Close"...replace "Alec Guinness" with "Bulkhead".
* The title is a reference to the movie ''[[Wikipedia:A Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far]]''.
* Among the parts needed for a space bridge are "hollow cathode tubes", parts which until recently made up computer monitor displays.

===Trivia===
* So in all the months that Isaac Sumdac has been missing, it never occurred to anyone that the Decepticons kidnapped him? Perhaps everyone thought he was dead.

* All of the heavy exposition is given to the guy who talks really, really fast. Handy.

* Megatron initiates new Decepticons by [[branding]] the symbol onto them with cattle brands. How bovine.

* This is not the first time Bulky has transformed his [[Total Meltdown|kibble into a chair]].

* Starscream opens a hatch on his head to pick parts from his AllSpark fragment to bring the clones to life, suggesting that in all of the episodes when you do see it, he has his hatch open, exposing the AllSpark fragment.

==External links==
* [http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc9a52e1001b5 "A Bridge Too Close, Part I" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridge Too Close, Part I}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

A Bridge Too Close, Part I

2009-06-30T05:09:18Z

121.54.2.4: /* Animation or technical errors */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|ep=28
|image=TFA ABTC1 Space Bridge operational.JPG
|caption=Closer... closer...
|title="A Bridge Too Close, Part I"
|airdate=[[June 28]], 2008
|written by=[[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}

'''The Decepticons kidnap Bulkhead to aid in Megatron's ultimate plan to take over Cybertron.'''
:''German title:'' "'''Die Weltraumbrücke, Teil 1'''" ("The Spacebridge, Part 1")
:''Polish title:'' "'''O Jeden Most Za blisko, Część 1'''" ("A Bridge Too Close, Part 1")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Megatron branding.jpg|thumb|left|"Can't you just put the insignia on our chest?" "Now, where's the fun in that?"]]

Now serving under [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]] have completed construction of the villain’s [[space bridge]]. They are rewarded for their efforts by being officially inducted into the [[Decepticon]] army in a small ceremony led by Megatron, with [[Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] serving as witnesses (and, for some reason, holding candles). After the Constructicons have recited the oath of allegiance, Megatron [[brand]]s them, quite literally, with a [[Redeco|color-change]] for their eyes and armor thrown into the bargain. At Megatron’s instruction, [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] fires up the bridge, but when it fails to activate due to the professor’s simple lack of understanding of the technology, Megatron realizes that he will require additional help...

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Screamer Clones Argue.jpg|thumb|"There's something in your [[optic]]." "No, there isn't!"]]

On [[Earth]]’s [[Moon (moon)|moon]], [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] gloats over five new [[Starscream clone|clones]] of himself, to which he is in the process of putting the finishing touches. The final clone is completed and, like its fellows, brought online with a tiny chip of the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] that gives Starscream life. Immediately, however, Starscream has to wrestle with the various wacky personalities the clones have wound up with, each one an exaggerated aspect of his own: a coward, a sycophant, an egomaniac, a pathological liar... and a short-tempered female who insists that Starscream not ask what aspect of his personality gave birth to her.

Megatron contacts [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in order to have him [[Cybertronian Datanet|track down]] the top space bridge engineer on the planet. Shockwave is surprised to report that the engineer in question is on Earth—it’s [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]! Megatron decides to capture Bulkhead personally and instructs Lugnut and Blitzwing to pick up an item from [[Sumdac Tower]] to aid in “convincing” the Autobot to help them. When Lugnut points out that Sumdac cannot be trusted in the base alone with the Constructicons, Megatron decides to take the professor with him. As all this scheming goes on, however, someone else is listening in—the mysterious “Blue Racer” that [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] recently encountered.

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 painting time.JPG|thumb|left]]

At the Autobot base, Bulkhead is working on his latest painting, an abstract rendition of [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]]. Unfortunately, backseat artistry from the other Autobots winds up ruining the painting, and Bulkhead goes for a walk with Sari to vent a little. Bumblebee follows to apologize, but just as he catches up to them, Megatron appears in the sky overhead and opens fire. Using Sumdac as a human shield to stop the Autobots from firing back, Megatron continues to rain destruction down on the Autobots as Bumblebee and Sari argue over whether or not Sumdac has been working with Megatron.

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Megatron Sumdac Hostage.jpg|thumb|right|...dads?]]
Suddenly, the Blue Racer speeds onto the scene, and Bumblebee, believing the enigmatic speedster to be working with Megatron, chases him off through the city and manages to run him off the road. When he attempts to report his success to Bulkhead, though, there’s no response—because Megatron has captured Bulkhead and is airlifting him away. Bumblebee’s failure is compounded by the next turn of events: The Blue Racer reveals himself to be [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]], a fast-talking member of the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] who has been covertly monitoring Megatron’s activities.

Back at the Decepticon headquarters, Bulkhead refuses to help Megatron, so the villain unveils the fruit of Blitzwing and Lugnut’s labor: a [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit! Faced with the threat of once again having his body taken over and being used to destroy his fellow Autobots, and failing to elicit any help from [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] or [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]], Bulkhead relents and agrees to work on the space bridge.

At the Autobots’ base, Blurr relates his mission to [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and company and brings them up to speed, quite literally. While Prime leads the rest of the team to the Decepticon base, the location of which is provided by Blurr, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and Sari head for Teletran-1 to try to get it online one last time. Just like [[Lost and Found (episode)|last time]], their efforts lead to nothing, forcing Ratchet to attempt one last drastic approach: using the AllSpark fragments the Autobots have gathered to jump-start the ship’s systems.

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Bulkhead Sumdac.JPG|thumb|left|Merry Christmas!]]

Prime’s team is led by Blurr into the Decepticons’ coal mine base, where they are immediately attacked by Lugnut and Blitzwing. The fight is a brief one, as Blurr uses his super-speed to bind the odd couple with [[stasis cuffs]]. Meanwhile, as the space bridge nears completion, Bulkhead insists on modifying many aspects of Sumdac’s design, and winds up in an argument with the human, which Sumdac interprets as Bulkhead trying to sabotage the bridge deliberately. When the bridge is activated, however, it functions perfectly—Bulkhead knew full well that Sumdac’s design was wrong, and he corrected it!

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Screamer Clones Emerge.jpg|thumb|right|Why, I'm beside myself! And myself! And...]]
As the bridge flares into life, Prime’s team bursts into the main chamber, but they are instantly immobilized by cement booties, courtesy of Mixmaster. With the Autobots out of the picture, it seems there is nothing to stop Megatron now...until the roof of the cavern explodes, and Starscream and his clone army make their grand entrance!

[[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|To be continued…]]
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (14)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (15)
*[[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] (16)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (17)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (18)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (19)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Lugnut]] (2)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (3)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (4)
*[[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (5)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (7)
*[[Thundercracker (Animated)|Thundercracker]] (8)
*[[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]] (9)
*[[Liar Starscream]] (10)
*[[Skywarp (Animated)|Skywarp]] (11)
*[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] (12)
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] (13)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (6)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"Ah, never before have I seen such an impressive group of lethal fighting machines! And pretty good-looking, if I do say so myself."
:—The ever-humble '''Starscream''' comments on his clone army.

'''Skywarp, the Coward Starscream''': Us? Against Megatron?!? ARE YOU INSANE?!? ''[Meekly]'' Ah, I think I just sprang an oil leak... 
'''Thundercracker, the Egomaniac Starscream''': Silence, you fool! Megatron is a worthless pile of scrap metal compared to ''my'' genius. 
'''Sunstorm, the Sycophant Starscream''': Brilliant observation! Brilliant! But your genius pales in comparison to the genius of our leader, the [[Starscream (G1)|original]] Starscream. 
'''Starscream''': Mmm, I could listen to this one all day! 
'''Liar Starscream''': What are you talking about? ''I'' am the [[Geewun|original]] Starscream! 
'''Starscream''': Liar! ''I'' am the original Starscream. 
'''Liar Starscream''': I never said I was the original Starscream. 
'''Starscream''': You just did right now. 
'''Liar Starscream''': No, I didn't. 
'''Starscream''': Yes, you did. 
'''Liar Starscream''': No, I didn't. 
'''Starscream''': Yes, you did! 
'''Liar Starscream''': No. I. Didn't. 
'''Slipstream, the Female Starscream''': Ohh, haven't you figured it out yet? He's a pathological liar. Each of us clones represents one aspect of your personality. [''points to each clone in turn''] He's a coward... he's an egomaniac... he's a suck-up... he's a liar. 
'''Liar Starscream''': I am not! 
'''Starscream''': So, which part of me did you come from? 
'''Slipstream''': Don't ask. 
'''Starscream''': ''[sigh]'' This is going to be a long orbital cycle.
:—Best [[introdump]] ever?

"I just didn't think my head was so big." 
"That's your leg."
:—'''Sari''' and '''Bulkhead'''. Oh, the irony!

'''Sari''': No, don't shoot! You'll hit my dad! 
'''Bulkhead''': She's right! 
'''Bumblebee''': So what are we supposed to do? Fight him with snappy comebacks?
:—'''Bumblebee''' conveniently forgets his normal attack strategy.

'''Bumblebee''': All right, Zippy, start talking! 
''[Blurr transforms from vehicle mode to robot mode]'' 
'''Blurr''': First of all, the name's not "Zippy"! As a matter of fact, I don't believe I've ever met another bot named Zippy, so one can only assume that you came up with "Zippy" in reference to my speed, which may be technically accurate, but lacks a certain creativity! 
'''Bumblebee''': Eh...eh-eh... 
'''Blurr''': More to the point, the name's Blurr! I'm an Autobot intelligence agent, sent to this planet by the Elite Guard to keep an eye on Optimus Prime and his crew as well as monitor the Decepticon activity, and ''you'', my friend, have just blown a decacycle of covert surveillance designed to uncover Megatron's plot to conquer Cybertron. Everything was going according to plan when I intercepted a communication between the Decepticon leader and an unknown double agent! They were in the midst of plotting the abduction of an unsuspecting Autobot, which now, from the status of the current ground situation, appears to have been successful. Got that so far? 
'''Bumblebee''': Uh...could you repeat the last part? 
'''Blurr''': Which last part? 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, everything after "The name's not Zippy."
:—It took Bumblebee a long time to get Blurr to start talking. From this point on, he doesn't shut up.

'''Bumblebee''': Woah, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up! 
'''Prowl''': Did he just say Bulkhead? 
'''Optimus Prime''': ''Our Bulkhead?'' 
'''Ratchet''': ''An expert?'' On anything?!
:—The Autobots aren't terribly impressed with Bulkhead.

"I must be a bigger pain in the gearshaft than I thought."
:—'''Starscream''' [[Total War!#Quotes|openly admits]] one of his primary faults.

"Okay, I give. I'm officially no longer the fastest thing on wheels."
:—'''Bumblebee''' is humbled after seeing Blurr's speedy takedown of Blitzwing and Lugnut.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* When Mixmaster encases Optimus and Prowl in concrete, his colors shift back to his neutral, pre-Decepticon color scheme.
* When Megatron attacks the Autobots, his cockpit changes from black to grey for a brief moment, then back.
* Blurr's mouth disappears for a frame after he introduces himself to Bumblebee and is pointing at him for the second time.
* At one point Megatron says, "The importance of this mission cannot be underestimated." His words as spoken mean the mission is really, really '''un'''important. He probably meant to say either "''should'' not be underestimated" or "cannot be ''overstated''".
* When Mixmaster and Scrapper are moving a part of the space bridge, one of Scrapper's eyes is yellow.

===Continuity errors===
* Not so much an error as a quirk: During the engagement in the mines, Icy Blitzwing is scowling noticeably, while Hothead Blitzwing is...''smiling???''

===Transformers references===
[[Image:ABridgeTooClosePart1-MegatronHandExtendtion.jpg|thumb|right|His special hand! There's none other like it!]]
* Shockwave's report on Bulkhead appears to be in the form of [[Tech Spec]]s.
* After branding, the Constructicons' colour schemes match those of their Generation 1 counterparts.
* Megatron shoots off his middle and index finger which isn't [[Scrounge|something]] [[Elita One#Classics|new]].

===Real-world references===
* In ''[[Wikipedia:The Bridge on the River Kwai|The Bridge on the River Kwai]]'', [[Obi-Wan Kenobi|Alec Guinness]] is a prisoner of war who is forced to build a bridge. Even though the bridge will help his enemies, he builds the bridge to the best of his ability just to demonstrate how capable he is. In "A Bridge Too Close"...replace "Alec Guinness" with "Bulkhead".
* The title is a reference to the movie ''[[Wikipedia:A Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far]]''.
* Among the parts needed for a space bridge are "hollow cathode tubes", parts which until recently made up computer monitor displays.

===Trivia===
* So in all the months that Isaac Sumdac has been missing, it never occurred to anyone that the Decepticons kidnapped him? Perhaps everyone thought he was dead.

* All of the heavy exposition is given to the guy who talks really, really fast. Handy.

* Megatron initiates new Decepticons by [[branding]] the symbol onto them with cattle brands. How bovine.

* This is not the first time Bulky has transformed his [[Total Meltdown|kibble into a chair]].

* Starscream opens a hatch on his head to pick parts from his AllSpark fragment to bring the clones to life, suggesting that in all of the episodes when you do see it, he has his hatch open, exposing the AllSpark fragment.

==External links==
* [http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc9a52e1001b5 "A Bridge Too Close, Part I" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridge Too Close, Part I}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Transformers Animated: The Arrival

2009-06-28T08:58:23Z

121.54.2.4: /* Overview */

[[Image:Arrival TPB.jpg|right|thumb|252px|Big Effing Robots—YAY!]]
'''''Transformers Animated: The Arrival''''' is a 6-issue mini-series published by [[IDW Publishing]], debuting in August 2008, and set in the ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' continuity. Each story seems to be mostly self-contained and (broadly) non-conflicting with the cartoon. In this regard it is of some significance as the first comic to be explicitly set in the same [[continuity]] as a concurrently ongoing animated series.<ref>Unlike, for example, the [[Marvel Comics continuity|Marvel G1 Comic]] and concurrent [[The Transformers (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]] or later [[Energon (cartoon)|''Energon'' anime]] and [[Energon (comic)|Dreamwave's ''Energon'' comic]], which were both examples of conflicting parallel continuities of the same respective [[franchise]]s and [[Continuity family|continuity families]].</ref>

{|style="margin:0 auto;padding:0 auto" align=center id=toc
!align=center bgcolor=#6699CC|'''''The Arrival'' issues:'''
|-align=center
|| [[Dispatches|#1]] | [[The Arrival issue 2|#2]] | [[The Arrival issue 3|#3]] | [[The Arrival issue 4|#4]] | [[The Arrival issue 5|#5]] | [[First (and Second) in Flight|#6]] (see note below)
|}

==Overview==
''The Arrival'' occurs concurrently with the ''Animated'' cartoon, taking place in-between—and in some cases, ''during''—various episodes of the series, often fleshing out off-screen events and explaining how certain events that were merely alluded to onscreen went down in detail. After the opening issue, which retells the [[Transform and Roll Out|pilot movie]] from different perspectives, the bulk of the series (issues #2–5) is set during the early portion of the show's first season, taking place between "[[Total Meltdown]]" and "[[The Thrill of the Hunt]]" (and in one instance, ''during'' the latter), with two stories taking the form of flashbacks detailing events in the characters' pasts.

[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]'s [[space bridge]] repair crew encounters [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], and all are lost in the Space Bridge. Both the [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s deliver eulogies for their lost comrades. On [[Earth]], [[Isaac Sumdac]] discovers Megatron's head, and over time, progresses from simple attempts at reverse-engineering to the establishment of [[Sumdac Systems]]. The Autobots awaken and meet [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]], establishing themselves as Detroit's new heroes. {{storylink|Dispatches}}

[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] refuses to team up with [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]], but during their scuffle, crashes into the Earth's [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. Later, he makes his way to Earth and attacks the Autobots, and during the battle, the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] is briefly opened. The resulting energy burst is detected by both the Autobots and the Decepticons, and the two groups make tracks for Earth. {{storylink|Dispatches}}

As [[Angry Archer]] attempts to rob a used car lot, he is foiled by a superhero named [[Wraith|The Wraith]]. [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] steals The Wraith's thunder, however, and exposes him as a hack. The Wraith seeks revenge by staging a phony attack by Bumblebee at a football game, causing the Autobots to intervene. The Wraith is caught and sent to an insane asylum. {{storylink|Attention Surplus Disorder}}

After his battle with Optimus, Starscream is in temporary [[stasis lock]] and has an embarrassing encounter with [[Professor Princess]], who accidentally reactivates him. {{storylink|Whatever Happened To Whatisname?}}

Sumdac is robbed by a former kick boxer turned industrial saboteur named [[Stiletto (Animated)|Stiletto]]. The professor reveals that the stolen materials were two new prototypes: a new kind of metal alloy and a high-power laser scalpel. The Autobots catch up to her, and she gives them a good battle, but she's finally captured by Optimus Prime. Megatron, watching the news feed of the capture, considers this test of the material he plans to use for his new swords a successful field run. {{storylink|Stiletto}}

In Cybertron's past, Ratchet find dozens of Transformers, both Autobot and Decepticon, killed by a chemical weapon created by the Decepticons that's been nicknamed "Cosmic Rust". When a Decepticon calls for a medic, Ratchet helps, despite his misgivings. The 'Con reveals he can develop an antidote with Ratchet's help, and the medic agrees. As it's created, the two almost become friends before Oil Slick turns on Ratchet, infecting him with the rust. Ratchet is able to steal same of the antidote to not only cure himself but to bring back for mass production. He muses on the little bit of deception he learned from Oil Slick...and whether or not something from the Autobots might rub off on the Decepticons one day. {{storylink|'Bots of Science}}

Porter C. Powell markets a consumer vehicle line called the Bulkhead, a gas-guzzling "mega van" inspired by the Autobot of the same name. Bulkhead objects but legally has no recourse, and the vans cause chaos throughout the city. Bulkhead disguises himself as a Powell-themed vehicle and takes Powell on a dangerous, high-speed joyride, during which a terrified Powell confesses the perilous design flaws of the unit. A hidden camera captures Powell's entire confession, forcing a recall of the defective vehicles. {{storylink|The Insincerest Form of Flattery}}

On [[New Kaon]], Lockdown is hired by Blitzwing to bring in the Autobot presumed responsible for Megatron's death. He tracks the ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]'' to the location of its crash on the Moon and determines that a repair crew led by Optimus Prime was responsible. However, he is suddenly ambushed by Blackarachnia, who was also investigating the crash. The pair come to blows, and they are both eventually knocked unconscious. When Lockdown comes to, Blackarachnia is seemingly gone, so he boards his ship and heads down to Detroit in pursuit of his real target, Optimus Prime, little realizing that Blackarachnia, stowing away aboard his ship and hidden from its scanners thanks to her techno-organic make-up, has hitched a free ride to Earth and is now hot in pursuit of the very same Autobot...
{{storylink|A Few Loose Strands}}
{{stub}}

==Creative team==
All stories in ''The Arrival'' were written by [[Marty Isenberg]], who is also the story editor for the [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|''Animated'' cartoon]] and has written several episodes. Art duties were handled by [[Dario Brizuela]], [[Leonardo Corral]], [[Marcelo Matere]], [[Boo]] and [[Matthew Frank]]. Some of the stories were colored by the artists themselves, otherwise they were colored by [[Liam Shalloo]].

==Items of note==
* Issue #6 was originally solicited to introduce [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]], but was canceled and later released as a pack-in with the [[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] two-pack. It was also included in the trade paperback.

==Collections==
* ''Transformers Animated: The Arrival'' TPB ([[April 8]], [[2009]]) ISBN 1600104037 / ISBN 9781600104039
:*Collects issues 1–6; notably, this is the only way to get [[First (and Second) in Flight | issue #6]] besides buying the toy.
:*Bonus material includes all the individual covers.
:*Smaller format: 8.8 x 5.8 inches.

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arrival}}
[[Category:Animated]]
[[Category:IDW titles]]