MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search

2010-03-08T09:04:47Z

125.237.141.116: /* Featured characters */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=21
|image=Sparkwar2 Optimus hologram primal.jpg
|caption="Wait, if you're Optimus Prime, why do you have a mouth?" "All the better to eat you with, my dear Primal"
|title="Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search"
|airdate=[[March 29]], 2000
|written by=[[Michael Reaves]]
|directed by=[[Gino Nichele]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Maximals continue their search for the missing sparks.'''

:''French title:'' '''La Guerre des Étincelles (Partie 2)''' ("The War of the Sparks (Part 2)")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Guerre des Étincelles p2: La Recherche''' ("War of the Sparks Pt.2: The Search")
:''Japanese title:'' 虚像の導き (''Kyozou no Michibiki'', "The Illusion's Guidance")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Guerra de Chispas Parte 2: La Búsqueda'''

==Synopsis==
[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s fascist planet is being patrolled by legions of the new drones as the [[Maximal]]s, in beast mode, make their way along the lower levels of the surface. They observe that Megatron is fortifying his position. [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] has a jolting vision of the drifting [[Spark]]s, apparently the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] contacting him about the Sparks, which have been moved.

Within the [[Grand Mal|big floating head]], Megatron speaks to his three generals, directing them to locations where the Maximals will be, and instructing them to capture Optimus alive.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap generators.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"I nicked this out of Tony Stark's chest."]]
[[Rattrap]] introduces the team to his [[scrambled field generator]] devices, small disks intended to befuddle the Vehicons' sensors. Rattrap's not ''quite'' sure they'll work, but the team figures it's better than nothing. The group tries them out, changing to robot modes... then dives for cover as [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] passes by overhead. But the general doesn't notice them, instead moving to carry out his orders along with [[Strika (BM)|Strika]].

Optimus tells the group that his flashes were of familiar places, and splits them up into three teams to go investigate. Rattrap and [[Botanica]] aren't too happy at being paired up, but the group deploys as ordered.

At the Maximal shell yard just outside processing plant #57, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] move in. Silverbolt is not interested in taking orders from Cheetor, despite Blackarachnia's assurance that a ''lot'' has changed since they were parted. Obsidian, watching from concealment, prepares his strike force.

As Optimus and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] walk below the surface, Nightscream finds a familiar claw slash in the wall. Nightscream wants to find [[Noble]], but Primal gently persuades him to take one job at a time. They run into a cave-in around the corner; Op's eyes flash with white light, and, glancing at a floor hatch, he says they're heading down...

Rattrap and Botanica arrive outside the Citadel, still squabbling. Rattrap detects a massive positronic residual charge, but inside they find piles and piles of Spark canisters... empty. They've arrived here too late. They depart, only to be ambushed by Strika. Botanica is chagrined that Rattrap's scramblers didn't work very long; they fall back.

Obsidian observes from high above as the Maximals explore the shell complex. Silverbolt and Cheetor argue over the latter's leadership capabilities, till Obsidian attacks. Surrounded, Silverbolt decides a berserker head-on attack is the only option.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Maximals over iacon.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Optimus and Nightscream, meanwhile, have found a stunning ruin below the surface, a great city that was replaced after the great war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, during the Great Upgrade: Iacon. The two apparently trigger a ghostly spector, a holographic tribute to the original Optimus Prime.

Rattrap and Botanica get out of robot mode to escape detection, and duck into a convenient building; Strika drives by without finding them. Rattrap taps his scrambler disk uncertainly, only to get snapped at by Botanica. But Rattrap's attention is suddenly distracted by the contents of the building they're in: holographic pleasure chips. He loads several of said chips into his backpack, then spots some sort of player for the chips just then. He plugs into it, becoming enthralled with a vision of a peaceful metallic world. Just then Strika enters and attacks.

At the shell plant, Silverbolt finally gets blasted back to the ground, and rebuked by Cheetor for his recklessness.

Optimus and Nightscream are about to move on, when the virtual Prime reaches down and scoops Optimus up, bringing him up to face level. From Nightscream's point of view, the hologram disappears, though Optimus continues to float in mid-air. Thrust arrives just then and attacks, but Optimus is seemingly in a trance.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap holoenviron.jpg|left|thumb|200px]]
Rattrap is still lost in his fantasy world, till Botanica pulls the machine's plug. A blast scatters the Maximals as well as Rattrap's precious chips, which he scrambles to scoop up. He tells Botanica to keep Strika occupied.

As leader, Cheetor decides on a strategic advance to the rear.

Nightscream is dodging cycle drone shots, while Optimus talks with Optimus on some other plane. The Prime hologram tells him that the Oracle lies within him, and he has but to summon it. Primal does so, and is surrounded by a white, Oracle-style hoola-hoop. The hologram of Optimus Prime chuckles... then laughs... a laugh which quickly deepens into that of Megatron, whose face suddenly replaces the figure of Prime.

Strika is posed to deliver a killing blow to Botanica, when Rattrap notices that one of her feet is on the activation pad of the holo-player he was using earlier. He leaps, landing on her shoulders and plugging one of the chips into her head, ensnaring her with the same vision that he was having before. He's pretty pleased with himself; Botanica drags him off.

In the shell yard, Cheetor has a bit of inspiration. The Maximals use a discarded power core to defeat their tormentors, blowing it up in their faces.

Megatron gloats to Optimus; he used the Spark vision to have the Maximals sent off on fools' errands, so Optimus would access the Oracle for his benefit. Megatron has studied and mastered most of the Oracle's secrets, but there's still some pieces missing... till now. And a fast, forceful download commences.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Megatron primal.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Megatron gloats again; all the pieces are in place, and now he can complete his ultimate plan for the Sparks. The hologram fades away, and Optimus finds himself in the middle of Nightscream's cycle drone battle.

Nightscream, meanwhile, has been brought down by weight of numbers, when a bolt out of the blue hits his attackers. It's Savage, lumbering onto the scene and prompting the cycle drones into a frantic retreat. Savage morphs to Noble and jogs after them, out of sight. A second later the drones go flying through the air. Optimus recovers, and immediately orders Nightscream to follow him to a rendezvous with the others.

The Maximals are shocked that Megatron has the full power of the Oracle, but Primal tells him that he gave Megatron access to the Oracle on purpose. While Megatron was downloading it, Primal accessed information from ''him'' as well, and learned the location of the Sparks. They have but a short window of opportunity to act, to free the Sparks from the location where they're being held: within the big floating head.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal|Maximals]]|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
*[[Botanica]] (5)
*[[Rattrap]] (7)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (8)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (9)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (10)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Copter Drone|Copter Drones]] (1)
*[[Heavy Artillery Drone|Heavy Artillery Drones]] (2)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (11)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (12)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (13)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (14)

|h3=[[Autobot]]s|c3=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (18)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (16)

|h4=[[Decepticon]]s|c4=
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (17)

|h5=Other|c5=
*[[Noble]] (15)

}}

==Quotes==
"No offense, kitten, but I don't take orders from children." 
"Silverbolt, a lot's happened since you've been gone." 
"Not that much."
:—'''Silverbolt''' isn't impressed with Cheetor, despite '''Blackarachnia''' sticking up for him.

"This calls for a strategic advance to the rear." 
"Meaning?" 
"RUN AWAY!"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Botanica''' encounter Strika.

"Ugh, everyone else gets a partner, I get a flea-ridden travel agent."
:—'''Botanica'''

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
*The head of the Optimus Prime hologram sure looks like Primal's original Beast Wars head, doesn't it (curved antenna, etc)? Also, when it reaches down to pick up Primal, the Optimus Prime head has a mouth. It's gone by the next shot.

===Continuity Errors===
*Error

===Transformers References===
*For the first time in the entire [[Beast Machines (cartoon)|series]], Megatron finishes a sentence with "...yesss." The fandom did rejoice.
*While traveling through the sublevels of Cybertron, Optimus Primal and Nightscream stumble upon the ruins of [[Iacon]].
*After that, they encounter a hologram of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. It needed more [[Peter Cullen]].
*The hologram claimed to be Optimus Prime's "essence, stored here these many years after [[The Final Battle (disambiguation)|The Final Battle]]". Sure, it was a ruse by Megatron, but there had to be enough truth in it to attempt to fool Optimus Primal. It seems likely there was some sort of Final Battle, or a legend of a Final Battle in Beast Era lore where it would be believable that Prime's essence would get stored away afterwards. What was it?
*The Maximals stumble on the remains of more Transformers, reusing [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s character models again.

===Real-World References===
* As the [[Grand Mal|Big Floating Head]] hovers into view, Rattrap mutters "Talk about yer bad moon risin'," in tribute to the classic Credence Clearwater Revival song.

===Other Notes===
* Isn't it odd that Silverbolt ''still'' calls Cheetor "kid" though he's still technically younger? Granted, absolutely everybody in the Beast Era save Nightscream treats Cheetor as a kid (and rightfully so), so perhaps Maximal aging is... complicated?

==External Links==
*Link

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search

2010-03-08T09:04:15Z

125.237.141.116: /* Featured characters */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=21
|image=Sparkwar2 Optimus hologram primal.jpg
|caption="Wait, if you're Optimus Prime, why do you have a mouth?" "All the better to eat you with, my dear Primal"
|title="Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search"
|airdate=[[March 29]], 2000
|written by=[[Michael Reaves]]
|directed by=[[Gino Nichele]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Maximals continue their search for the missing sparks.'''

:''French title:'' '''La Guerre des Étincelles (Partie 2)''' ("The War of the Sparks (Part 2)")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Guerre des Étincelles p2: La Recherche''' ("War of the Sparks Pt.2: The Search")
:''Japanese title:'' 虚像の導き (''Kyozou no Michibiki'', "The Illusion's Guidance")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Guerra de Chispas Parte 2: La Búsqueda'''

==Synopsis==
[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s fascist planet is being patrolled by legions of the new drones as the [[Maximal]]s, in beast mode, make their way along the lower levels of the surface. They observe that Megatron is fortifying his position. [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] has a jolting vision of the drifting [[Spark]]s, apparently the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] contacting him about the Sparks, which have been moved.

Within the [[Grand Mal|big floating head]], Megatron speaks to his three generals, directing them to locations where the Maximals will be, and instructing them to capture Optimus alive.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap generators.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"I nicked this out of Tony Stark's chest."]]
[[Rattrap]] introduces the team to his [[scrambled field generator]] devices, small disks intended to befuddle the Vehicons' sensors. Rattrap's not ''quite'' sure they'll work, but the team figures it's better than nothing. The group tries them out, changing to robot modes... then dives for cover as [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] passes by overhead. But the general doesn't notice them, instead moving to carry out his orders along with [[Strika (BM)|Strika]].

Optimus tells the group that his flashes were of familiar places, and splits them up into three teams to go investigate. Rattrap and [[Botanica]] aren't too happy at being paired up, but the group deploys as ordered.

At the Maximal shell yard just outside processing plant #57, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] move in. Silverbolt is not interested in taking orders from Cheetor, despite Blackarachnia's assurance that a ''lot'' has changed since they were parted. Obsidian, watching from concealment, prepares his strike force.

As Optimus and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] walk below the surface, Nightscream finds a familiar claw slash in the wall. Nightscream wants to find [[Noble]], but Primal gently persuades him to take one job at a time. They run into a cave-in around the corner; Op's eyes flash with white light, and, glancing at a floor hatch, he says they're heading down...

Rattrap and Botanica arrive outside the Citadel, still squabbling. Rattrap detects a massive positronic residual charge, but inside they find piles and piles of Spark canisters... empty. They've arrived here too late. They depart, only to be ambushed by Strika. Botanica is chagrined that Rattrap's scramblers didn't work very long; they fall back.

Obsidian observes from high above as the Maximals explore the shell complex. Silverbolt and Cheetor argue over the latter's leadership capabilities, till Obsidian attacks. Surrounded, Silverbolt decides a berserker head-on attack is the only option.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Maximals over iacon.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Optimus and Nightscream, meanwhile, have found a stunning ruin below the surface, a great city that was replaced after the great war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, during the Great Upgrade: Iacon. The two apparently trigger a ghostly spector, a holographic tribute to the original Optimus Prime.

Rattrap and Botanica get out of robot mode to escape detection, and duck into a convenient building; Strika drives by without finding them. Rattrap taps his scrambler disk uncertainly, only to get snapped at by Botanica. But Rattrap's attention is suddenly distracted by the contents of the building they're in: holographic pleasure chips. He loads several of said chips into his backpack, then spots some sort of player for the chips just then. He plugs into it, becoming enthralled with a vision of a peaceful metallic world. Just then Strika enters and attacks.

At the shell plant, Silverbolt finally gets blasted back to the ground, and rebuked by Cheetor for his recklessness.

Optimus and Nightscream are about to move on, when the virtual Prime reaches down and scoops Optimus up, bringing him up to face level. From Nightscream's point of view, the hologram disappears, though Optimus continues to float in mid-air. Thrust arrives just then and attacks, but Optimus is seemingly in a trance.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap holoenviron.jpg|left|thumb|200px]]
Rattrap is still lost in his fantasy world, till Botanica pulls the machine's plug. A blast scatters the Maximals as well as Rattrap's precious chips, which he scrambles to scoop up. He tells Botanica to keep Strika occupied.

As leader, Cheetor decides on a strategic advance to the rear.

Nightscream is dodging cycle drone shots, while Optimus talks with Optimus on some other plane. The Prime hologram tells him that the Oracle lies within him, and he has but to summon it. Primal does so, and is surrounded by a white, Oracle-style hoola-hoop. The hologram of Optimus Prime chuckles... then laughs... a laugh which quickly deepens into that of Megatron, whose face suddenly replaces the figure of Prime.

Strika is posed to deliver a killing blow to Botanica, when Rattrap notices that one of her feet is on the activation pad of the holo-player he was using earlier. He leaps, landing on her shoulders and plugging one of the chips into her head, ensnaring her with the same vision that he was having before. He's pretty pleased with himself; Botanica drags him off.

In the shell yard, Cheetor has a bit of inspiration. The Maximals use a discarded power core to defeat their tormentors, blowing it up in their faces.

Megatron gloats to Optimus; he used the Spark vision to have the Maximals sent off on fools' errands, so Optimus would access the Oracle for his benefit. Megatron has studied and mastered most of the Oracle's secrets, but there's still some pieces missing... till now. And a fast, forceful download commences.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Megatron primal.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Megatron gloats again; all the pieces are in place, and now he can complete his ultimate plan for the Sparks. The hologram fades away, and Optimus finds himself in the middle of Nightscream's cycle drone battle.

Nightscream, meanwhile, has been brought down by weight of numbers, when a bolt out of the blue hits his attackers. It's Savage, lumbering onto the scene and prompting the cycle drones into a frantic retreat. Savage morphs to Noble and jogs after them, out of sight. A second later the drones go flying through the air. Optimus recovers, and immediately orders Nightscream to follow him to a rendezvous with the others.

The Maximals are shocked that Megatron has the full power of the Oracle, but Primal tells him that he gave Megatron access to the Oracle on purpose. While Megatron was downloading it, Primal accessed information from ''him'' as well, and learned the location of the Sparks. They have but a short window of opportunity to act, to free the Sparks from the location where they're being held: within the big floating head.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal|Maximals]]|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
*[[Botanica]] (5)
*[[Rattrap]] (7)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (8)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (9)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (10)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Copter Drone|Copter Drones]] (1)
*[[Heavy Artillery Drone|Heavy Artillery Drones]] (2)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (11)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (12)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (13)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (14)

|h3=[[Autobot]]s|c3=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (16)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]

|h4=[[Decepticon]]s|c4=
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]

|h5=Other|c5=
*[[Noble]] (15)

}}

==Quotes==
"No offense, kitten, but I don't take orders from children." 
"Silverbolt, a lot's happened since you've been gone." 
"Not that much."
:—'''Silverbolt''' isn't impressed with Cheetor, despite '''Blackarachnia''' sticking up for him.

"This calls for a strategic advance to the rear." 
"Meaning?" 
"RUN AWAY!"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Botanica''' encounter Strika.

"Ugh, everyone else gets a partner, I get a flea-ridden travel agent."
:—'''Botanica'''

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
*The head of the Optimus Prime hologram sure looks like Primal's original Beast Wars head, doesn't it (curved antenna, etc)? Also, when it reaches down to pick up Primal, the Optimus Prime head has a mouth. It's gone by the next shot.

===Continuity Errors===
*Error

===Transformers References===
*For the first time in the entire [[Beast Machines (cartoon)|series]], Megatron finishes a sentence with "...yesss." The fandom did rejoice.
*While traveling through the sublevels of Cybertron, Optimus Primal and Nightscream stumble upon the ruins of [[Iacon]].
*After that, they encounter a hologram of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. It needed more [[Peter Cullen]].
*The hologram claimed to be Optimus Prime's "essence, stored here these many years after [[The Final Battle (disambiguation)|The Final Battle]]". Sure, it was a ruse by Megatron, but there had to be enough truth in it to attempt to fool Optimus Primal. It seems likely there was some sort of Final Battle, or a legend of a Final Battle in Beast Era lore where it would be believable that Prime's essence would get stored away afterwards. What was it?
*The Maximals stumble on the remains of more Transformers, reusing [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s character models again.

===Real-World References===
* As the [[Grand Mal|Big Floating Head]] hovers into view, Rattrap mutters "Talk about yer bad moon risin'," in tribute to the classic Credence Clearwater Revival song.

===Other Notes===
* Isn't it odd that Silverbolt ''still'' calls Cheetor "kid" though he's still technically younger? Granted, absolutely everybody in the Beast Era save Nightscream treats Cheetor as a kid (and rightfully so), so perhaps Maximal aging is... complicated?

==External Links==
*Link

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search

2010-03-08T09:03:43Z

125.237.141.116: /* Featured characters */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=21
|image=Sparkwar2 Optimus hologram primal.jpg
|caption="Wait, if you're Optimus Prime, why do you have a mouth?" "All the better to eat you with, my dear Primal"
|title="Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search"
|airdate=[[March 29]], 2000
|written by=[[Michael Reaves]]
|directed by=[[Gino Nichele]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Maximals continue their search for the missing sparks.'''

:''French title:'' '''La Guerre des Étincelles (Partie 2)''' ("The War of the Sparks (Part 2)")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Guerre des Étincelles p2: La Recherche''' ("War of the Sparks Pt.2: The Search")
:''Japanese title:'' 虚像の導き (''Kyozou no Michibiki'', "The Illusion's Guidance")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Guerra de Chispas Parte 2: La Búsqueda'''

==Synopsis==
[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s fascist planet is being patrolled by legions of the new drones as the [[Maximal]]s, in beast mode, make their way along the lower levels of the surface. They observe that Megatron is fortifying his position. [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] has a jolting vision of the drifting [[Spark]]s, apparently the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] contacting him about the Sparks, which have been moved.

Within the [[Grand Mal|big floating head]], Megatron speaks to his three generals, directing them to locations where the Maximals will be, and instructing them to capture Optimus alive.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap generators.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"I nicked this out of Tony Stark's chest."]]
[[Rattrap]] introduces the team to his [[scrambled field generator]] devices, small disks intended to befuddle the Vehicons' sensors. Rattrap's not ''quite'' sure they'll work, but the team figures it's better than nothing. The group tries them out, changing to robot modes... then dives for cover as [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] passes by overhead. But the general doesn't notice them, instead moving to carry out his orders along with [[Strika (BM)|Strika]].

Optimus tells the group that his flashes were of familiar places, and splits them up into three teams to go investigate. Rattrap and [[Botanica]] aren't too happy at being paired up, but the group deploys as ordered.

At the Maximal shell yard just outside processing plant #57, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] move in. Silverbolt is not interested in taking orders from Cheetor, despite Blackarachnia's assurance that a ''lot'' has changed since they were parted. Obsidian, watching from concealment, prepares his strike force.

As Optimus and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] walk below the surface, Nightscream finds a familiar claw slash in the wall. Nightscream wants to find [[Noble]], but Primal gently persuades him to take one job at a time. They run into a cave-in around the corner; Op's eyes flash with white light, and, glancing at a floor hatch, he says they're heading down...

Rattrap and Botanica arrive outside the Citadel, still squabbling. Rattrap detects a massive positronic residual charge, but inside they find piles and piles of Spark canisters... empty. They've arrived here too late. They depart, only to be ambushed by Strika. Botanica is chagrined that Rattrap's scramblers didn't work very long; they fall back.

Obsidian observes from high above as the Maximals explore the shell complex. Silverbolt and Cheetor argue over the latter's leadership capabilities, till Obsidian attacks. Surrounded, Silverbolt decides a berserker head-on attack is the only option.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Maximals over iacon.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Optimus and Nightscream, meanwhile, have found a stunning ruin below the surface, a great city that was replaced after the great war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, during the Great Upgrade: Iacon. The two apparently trigger a ghostly spector, a holographic tribute to the original Optimus Prime.

Rattrap and Botanica get out of robot mode to escape detection, and duck into a convenient building; Strika drives by without finding them. Rattrap taps his scrambler disk uncertainly, only to get snapped at by Botanica. But Rattrap's attention is suddenly distracted by the contents of the building they're in: holographic pleasure chips. He loads several of said chips into his backpack, then spots some sort of player for the chips just then. He plugs into it, becoming enthralled with a vision of a peaceful metallic world. Just then Strika enters and attacks.

At the shell plant, Silverbolt finally gets blasted back to the ground, and rebuked by Cheetor for his recklessness.

Optimus and Nightscream are about to move on, when the virtual Prime reaches down and scoops Optimus up, bringing him up to face level. From Nightscream's point of view, the hologram disappears, though Optimus continues to float in mid-air. Thrust arrives just then and attacks, but Optimus is seemingly in a trance.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap holoenviron.jpg|left|thumb|200px]]
Rattrap is still lost in his fantasy world, till Botanica pulls the machine's plug. A blast scatters the Maximals as well as Rattrap's precious chips, which he scrambles to scoop up. He tells Botanica to keep Strika occupied.

As leader, Cheetor decides on a strategic advance to the rear.

Nightscream is dodging cycle drone shots, while Optimus talks with Optimus on some other plane. The Prime hologram tells him that the Oracle lies within him, and he has but to summon it. Primal does so, and is surrounded by a white, Oracle-style hoola-hoop. The hologram of Optimus Prime chuckles... then laughs... a laugh which quickly deepens into that of Megatron, whose face suddenly replaces the figure of Prime.

Strika is posed to deliver a killing blow to Botanica, when Rattrap notices that one of her feet is on the activation pad of the holo-player he was using earlier. He leaps, landing on her shoulders and plugging one of the chips into her head, ensnaring her with the same vision that he was having before. He's pretty pleased with himself; Botanica drags him off.

In the shell yard, Cheetor has a bit of inspiration. The Maximals use a discarded power core to defeat their tormentors, blowing it up in their faces.

Megatron gloats to Optimus; he used the Spark vision to have the Maximals sent off on fools' errands, so Optimus would access the Oracle for his benefit. Megatron has studied and mastered most of the Oracle's secrets, but there's still some pieces missing... till now. And a fast, forceful download commences.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Megatron primal.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Megatron gloats again; all the pieces are in place, and now he can complete his ultimate plan for the Sparks. The hologram fades away, and Optimus finds himself in the middle of Nightscream's cycle drone battle.

Nightscream, meanwhile, has been brought down by weight of numbers, when a bolt out of the blue hits his attackers. It's Savage, lumbering onto the scene and prompting the cycle drones into a frantic retreat. Savage morphs to Noble and jogs after them, out of sight. A second later the drones go flying through the air. Optimus recovers, and immediately orders Nightscream to follow him to a rendezvous with the others.

The Maximals are shocked that Megatron has the full power of the Oracle, but Primal tells him that he gave Megatron access to the Oracle on purpose. While Megatron was downloading it, Primal accessed information from ''him'' as well, and learned the location of the Sparks. They have but a short window of opportunity to act, to free the Sparks from the location where they're being held: within the big floating head.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal|Maximals]]|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
*[[Botanica]] (5)
*[[Rattrap]] (7)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (8)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (9)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (10)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Copter Drone|Copter Drones]] (1)
*[[Heavy Artillery Drone|Heavy Artillery Drones]] (2)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (11)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (12)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (13)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (14)

|h3=[[Autobot]]s|c3=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (16)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]

|h4=[[Decepticon]]s|c4=
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]

|h5=
*[[Noble]] (15)

}}

==Quotes==
"No offense, kitten, but I don't take orders from children." 
"Silverbolt, a lot's happened since you've been gone." 
"Not that much."
:—'''Silverbolt''' isn't impressed with Cheetor, despite '''Blackarachnia''' sticking up for him.

"This calls for a strategic advance to the rear." 
"Meaning?" 
"RUN AWAY!"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Botanica''' encounter Strika.

"Ugh, everyone else gets a partner, I get a flea-ridden travel agent."
:—'''Botanica'''

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
*The head of the Optimus Prime hologram sure looks like Primal's original Beast Wars head, doesn't it (curved antenna, etc)? Also, when it reaches down to pick up Primal, the Optimus Prime head has a mouth. It's gone by the next shot.

===Continuity Errors===
*Error

===Transformers References===
*For the first time in the entire [[Beast Machines (cartoon)|series]], Megatron finishes a sentence with "...yesss." The fandom did rejoice.
*While traveling through the sublevels of Cybertron, Optimus Primal and Nightscream stumble upon the ruins of [[Iacon]].
*After that, they encounter a hologram of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. It needed more [[Peter Cullen]].
*The hologram claimed to be Optimus Prime's "essence, stored here these many years after [[The Final Battle (disambiguation)|The Final Battle]]". Sure, it was a ruse by Megatron, but there had to be enough truth in it to attempt to fool Optimus Primal. It seems likely there was some sort of Final Battle, or a legend of a Final Battle in Beast Era lore where it would be believable that Prime's essence would get stored away afterwards. What was it?
*The Maximals stumble on the remains of more Transformers, reusing [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s character models again.

===Real-World References===
* As the [[Grand Mal|Big Floating Head]] hovers into view, Rattrap mutters "Talk about yer bad moon risin'," in tribute to the classic Credence Clearwater Revival song.

===Other Notes===
* Isn't it odd that Silverbolt ''still'' calls Cheetor "kid" though he's still technically younger? Granted, absolutely everybody in the Beast Era save Nightscream treats Cheetor as a kid (and rightfully so), so perhaps Maximal aging is... complicated?

==External Links==
*Link

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search

2010-03-08T09:03:30Z

125.237.141.116: /* Featured characters */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=21
|image=Sparkwar2 Optimus hologram primal.jpg
|caption="Wait, if you're Optimus Prime, why do you have a mouth?" "All the better to eat you with, my dear Primal"
|title="Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search"
|airdate=[[March 29]], 2000
|written by=[[Michael Reaves]]
|directed by=[[Gino Nichele]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Maximals continue their search for the missing sparks.'''

:''French title:'' '''La Guerre des Étincelles (Partie 2)''' ("The War of the Sparks (Part 2)")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Guerre des Étincelles p2: La Recherche''' ("War of the Sparks Pt.2: The Search")
:''Japanese title:'' 虚像の導き (''Kyozou no Michibiki'', "The Illusion's Guidance")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Guerra de Chispas Parte 2: La Búsqueda'''

==Synopsis==
[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s fascist planet is being patrolled by legions of the new drones as the [[Maximal]]s, in beast mode, make their way along the lower levels of the surface. They observe that Megatron is fortifying his position. [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] has a jolting vision of the drifting [[Spark]]s, apparently the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] contacting him about the Sparks, which have been moved.

Within the [[Grand Mal|big floating head]], Megatron speaks to his three generals, directing them to locations where the Maximals will be, and instructing them to capture Optimus alive.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap generators.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"I nicked this out of Tony Stark's chest."]]
[[Rattrap]] introduces the team to his [[scrambled field generator]] devices, small disks intended to befuddle the Vehicons' sensors. Rattrap's not ''quite'' sure they'll work, but the team figures it's better than nothing. The group tries them out, changing to robot modes... then dives for cover as [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] passes by overhead. But the general doesn't notice them, instead moving to carry out his orders along with [[Strika (BM)|Strika]].

Optimus tells the group that his flashes were of familiar places, and splits them up into three teams to go investigate. Rattrap and [[Botanica]] aren't too happy at being paired up, but the group deploys as ordered.

At the Maximal shell yard just outside processing plant #57, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] move in. Silverbolt is not interested in taking orders from Cheetor, despite Blackarachnia's assurance that a ''lot'' has changed since they were parted. Obsidian, watching from concealment, prepares his strike force.

As Optimus and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] walk below the surface, Nightscream finds a familiar claw slash in the wall. Nightscream wants to find [[Noble]], but Primal gently persuades him to take one job at a time. They run into a cave-in around the corner; Op's eyes flash with white light, and, glancing at a floor hatch, he says they're heading down...

Rattrap and Botanica arrive outside the Citadel, still squabbling. Rattrap detects a massive positronic residual charge, but inside they find piles and piles of Spark canisters... empty. They've arrived here too late. They depart, only to be ambushed by Strika. Botanica is chagrined that Rattrap's scramblers didn't work very long; they fall back.

Obsidian observes from high above as the Maximals explore the shell complex. Silverbolt and Cheetor argue over the latter's leadership capabilities, till Obsidian attacks. Surrounded, Silverbolt decides a berserker head-on attack is the only option.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Maximals over iacon.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Optimus and Nightscream, meanwhile, have found a stunning ruin below the surface, a great city that was replaced after the great war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, during the Great Upgrade: Iacon. The two apparently trigger a ghostly spector, a holographic tribute to the original Optimus Prime.

Rattrap and Botanica get out of robot mode to escape detection, and duck into a convenient building; Strika drives by without finding them. Rattrap taps his scrambler disk uncertainly, only to get snapped at by Botanica. But Rattrap's attention is suddenly distracted by the contents of the building they're in: holographic pleasure chips. He loads several of said chips into his backpack, then spots some sort of player for the chips just then. He plugs into it, becoming enthralled with a vision of a peaceful metallic world. Just then Strika enters and attacks.

At the shell plant, Silverbolt finally gets blasted back to the ground, and rebuked by Cheetor for his recklessness.

Optimus and Nightscream are about to move on, when the virtual Prime reaches down and scoops Optimus up, bringing him up to face level. From Nightscream's point of view, the hologram disappears, though Optimus continues to float in mid-air. Thrust arrives just then and attacks, but Optimus is seemingly in a trance.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap holoenviron.jpg|left|thumb|200px]]
Rattrap is still lost in his fantasy world, till Botanica pulls the machine's plug. A blast scatters the Maximals as well as Rattrap's precious chips, which he scrambles to scoop up. He tells Botanica to keep Strika occupied.

As leader, Cheetor decides on a strategic advance to the rear.

Nightscream is dodging cycle drone shots, while Optimus talks with Optimus on some other plane. The Prime hologram tells him that the Oracle lies within him, and he has but to summon it. Primal does so, and is surrounded by a white, Oracle-style hoola-hoop. The hologram of Optimus Prime chuckles... then laughs... a laugh which quickly deepens into that of Megatron, whose face suddenly replaces the figure of Prime.

Strika is posed to deliver a killing blow to Botanica, when Rattrap notices that one of her feet is on the activation pad of the holo-player he was using earlier. He leaps, landing on her shoulders and plugging one of the chips into her head, ensnaring her with the same vision that he was having before. He's pretty pleased with himself; Botanica drags him off.

In the shell yard, Cheetor has a bit of inspiration. The Maximals use a discarded power core to defeat their tormentors, blowing it up in their faces.

Megatron gloats to Optimus; he used the Spark vision to have the Maximals sent off on fools' errands, so Optimus would access the Oracle for his benefit. Megatron has studied and mastered most of the Oracle's secrets, but there's still some pieces missing... till now. And a fast, forceful download commences.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Megatron primal.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Megatron gloats again; all the pieces are in place, and now he can complete his ultimate plan for the Sparks. The hologram fades away, and Optimus finds himself in the middle of Nightscream's cycle drone battle.

Nightscream, meanwhile, has been brought down by weight of numbers, when a bolt out of the blue hits his attackers. It's Savage, lumbering onto the scene and prompting the cycle drones into a frantic retreat. Savage morphs to Noble and jogs after them, out of sight. A second later the drones go flying through the air. Optimus recovers, and immediately orders Nightscream to follow him to a rendezvous with the others.

The Maximals are shocked that Megatron has the full power of the Oracle, but Primal tells him that he gave Megatron access to the Oracle on purpose. While Megatron was downloading it, Primal accessed information from ''him'' as well, and learned the location of the Sparks. They have but a short window of opportunity to act, to free the Sparks from the location where they're being held: within the big floating head.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal|Maximals]]|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
*[[Botanica]] (5)
*[[Rattrap]] (7)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (8)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (9)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (10)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Copter Drone|Copter Drones]] (1)
*[[Heavy Artillery Drone|Heavy Artillery Drones]] (2)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (11)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (12)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (13)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (14)

|h3=[[Autobot]]s|c3=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (16)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]

|h4=[[Decepticon]]s|c4=
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]

|h5
*[[Noble]] (15)

}}

==Quotes==
"No offense, kitten, but I don't take orders from children." 
"Silverbolt, a lot's happened since you've been gone." 
"Not that much."
:—'''Silverbolt''' isn't impressed with Cheetor, despite '''Blackarachnia''' sticking up for him.

"This calls for a strategic advance to the rear." 
"Meaning?" 
"RUN AWAY!"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Botanica''' encounter Strika.

"Ugh, everyone else gets a partner, I get a flea-ridden travel agent."
:—'''Botanica'''

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
*The head of the Optimus Prime hologram sure looks like Primal's original Beast Wars head, doesn't it (curved antenna, etc)? Also, when it reaches down to pick up Primal, the Optimus Prime head has a mouth. It's gone by the next shot.

===Continuity Errors===
*Error

===Transformers References===
*For the first time in the entire [[Beast Machines (cartoon)|series]], Megatron finishes a sentence with "...yesss." The fandom did rejoice.
*While traveling through the sublevels of Cybertron, Optimus Primal and Nightscream stumble upon the ruins of [[Iacon]].
*After that, they encounter a hologram of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. It needed more [[Peter Cullen]].
*The hologram claimed to be Optimus Prime's "essence, stored here these many years after [[The Final Battle (disambiguation)|The Final Battle]]". Sure, it was a ruse by Megatron, but there had to be enough truth in it to attempt to fool Optimus Primal. It seems likely there was some sort of Final Battle, or a legend of a Final Battle in Beast Era lore where it would be believable that Prime's essence would get stored away afterwards. What was it?
*The Maximals stumble on the remains of more Transformers, reusing [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s character models again.

===Real-World References===
* As the [[Grand Mal|Big Floating Head]] hovers into view, Rattrap mutters "Talk about yer bad moon risin'," in tribute to the classic Credence Clearwater Revival song.

===Other Notes===
* Isn't it odd that Silverbolt ''still'' calls Cheetor "kid" though he's still technically younger? Granted, absolutely everybody in the Beast Era save Nightscream treats Cheetor as a kid (and rightfully so), so perhaps Maximal aging is... complicated?

==External Links==
*Link

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search

2010-03-08T09:03:06Z

125.237.141.116: /* Featured characters */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=21
|image=Sparkwar2 Optimus hologram primal.jpg
|caption="Wait, if you're Optimus Prime, why do you have a mouth?" "All the better to eat you with, my dear Primal"
|title="Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search"
|airdate=[[March 29]], 2000
|written by=[[Michael Reaves]]
|directed by=[[Gino Nichele]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Maximals continue their search for the missing sparks.'''

:''French title:'' '''La Guerre des Étincelles (Partie 2)''' ("The War of the Sparks (Part 2)")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Guerre des Étincelles p2: La Recherche''' ("War of the Sparks Pt.2: The Search")
:''Japanese title:'' 虚像の導き (''Kyozou no Michibiki'', "The Illusion's Guidance")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Guerra de Chispas Parte 2: La Búsqueda'''

==Synopsis==
[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s fascist planet is being patrolled by legions of the new drones as the [[Maximal]]s, in beast mode, make their way along the lower levels of the surface. They observe that Megatron is fortifying his position. [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] has a jolting vision of the drifting [[Spark]]s, apparently the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] contacting him about the Sparks, which have been moved.

Within the [[Grand Mal|big floating head]], Megatron speaks to his three generals, directing them to locations where the Maximals will be, and instructing them to capture Optimus alive.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap generators.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"I nicked this out of Tony Stark's chest."]]
[[Rattrap]] introduces the team to his [[scrambled field generator]] devices, small disks intended to befuddle the Vehicons' sensors. Rattrap's not ''quite'' sure they'll work, but the team figures it's better than nothing. The group tries them out, changing to robot modes... then dives for cover as [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] passes by overhead. But the general doesn't notice them, instead moving to carry out his orders along with [[Strika (BM)|Strika]].

Optimus tells the group that his flashes were of familiar places, and splits them up into three teams to go investigate. Rattrap and [[Botanica]] aren't too happy at being paired up, but the group deploys as ordered.

At the Maximal shell yard just outside processing plant #57, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] move in. Silverbolt is not interested in taking orders from Cheetor, despite Blackarachnia's assurance that a ''lot'' has changed since they were parted. Obsidian, watching from concealment, prepares his strike force.

As Optimus and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] walk below the surface, Nightscream finds a familiar claw slash in the wall. Nightscream wants to find [[Noble]], but Primal gently persuades him to take one job at a time. They run into a cave-in around the corner; Op's eyes flash with white light, and, glancing at a floor hatch, he says they're heading down...

Rattrap and Botanica arrive outside the Citadel, still squabbling. Rattrap detects a massive positronic residual charge, but inside they find piles and piles of Spark canisters... empty. They've arrived here too late. They depart, only to be ambushed by Strika. Botanica is chagrined that Rattrap's scramblers didn't work very long; they fall back.

Obsidian observes from high above as the Maximals explore the shell complex. Silverbolt and Cheetor argue over the latter's leadership capabilities, till Obsidian attacks. Surrounded, Silverbolt decides a berserker head-on attack is the only option.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Maximals over iacon.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Optimus and Nightscream, meanwhile, have found a stunning ruin below the surface, a great city that was replaced after the great war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, during the Great Upgrade: Iacon. The two apparently trigger a ghostly spector, a holographic tribute to the original Optimus Prime.

Rattrap and Botanica get out of robot mode to escape detection, and duck into a convenient building; Strika drives by without finding them. Rattrap taps his scrambler disk uncertainly, only to get snapped at by Botanica. But Rattrap's attention is suddenly distracted by the contents of the building they're in: holographic pleasure chips. He loads several of said chips into his backpack, then spots some sort of player for the chips just then. He plugs into it, becoming enthralled with a vision of a peaceful metallic world. Just then Strika enters and attacks.

At the shell plant, Silverbolt finally gets blasted back to the ground, and rebuked by Cheetor for his recklessness.

Optimus and Nightscream are about to move on, when the virtual Prime reaches down and scoops Optimus up, bringing him up to face level. From Nightscream's point of view, the hologram disappears, though Optimus continues to float in mid-air. Thrust arrives just then and attacks, but Optimus is seemingly in a trance.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap holoenviron.jpg|left|thumb|200px]]
Rattrap is still lost in his fantasy world, till Botanica pulls the machine's plug. A blast scatters the Maximals as well as Rattrap's precious chips, which he scrambles to scoop up. He tells Botanica to keep Strika occupied.

As leader, Cheetor decides on a strategic advance to the rear.

Nightscream is dodging cycle drone shots, while Optimus talks with Optimus on some other plane. The Prime hologram tells him that the Oracle lies within him, and he has but to summon it. Primal does so, and is surrounded by a white, Oracle-style hoola-hoop. The hologram of Optimus Prime chuckles... then laughs... a laugh which quickly deepens into that of Megatron, whose face suddenly replaces the figure of Prime.

Strika is posed to deliver a killing blow to Botanica, when Rattrap notices that one of her feet is on the activation pad of the holo-player he was using earlier. He leaps, landing on her shoulders and plugging one of the chips into her head, ensnaring her with the same vision that he was having before. He's pretty pleased with himself; Botanica drags him off.

In the shell yard, Cheetor has a bit of inspiration. The Maximals use a discarded power core to defeat their tormentors, blowing it up in their faces.

Megatron gloats to Optimus; he used the Spark vision to have the Maximals sent off on fools' errands, so Optimus would access the Oracle for his benefit. Megatron has studied and mastered most of the Oracle's secrets, but there's still some pieces missing... till now. And a fast, forceful download commences.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Megatron primal.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Megatron gloats again; all the pieces are in place, and now he can complete his ultimate plan for the Sparks. The hologram fades away, and Optimus finds himself in the middle of Nightscream's cycle drone battle.

Nightscream, meanwhile, has been brought down by weight of numbers, when a bolt out of the blue hits his attackers. It's Savage, lumbering onto the scene and prompting the cycle drones into a frantic retreat. Savage morphs to Noble and jogs after them, out of sight. A second later the drones go flying through the air. Optimus recovers, and immediately orders Nightscream to follow him to a rendezvous with the others.

The Maximals are shocked that Megatron has the full power of the Oracle, but Primal tells him that he gave Megatron access to the Oracle on purpose. While Megatron was downloading it, Primal accessed information from ''him'' as well, and learned the location of the Sparks. They have but a short window of opportunity to act, to free the Sparks from the location where they're being held: within the big floating head.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal|Maximals]]|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
*[[Botanica]] (5)
*[[Rattrap]] (7)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (8)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (9)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (10)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Copter Drone|Copter Drones]] (1)
*[[Heavy Artillery Drone|Heavy Artillery Drones]] (2)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (11)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (12)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (13)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (14)

|h3=[[Autobot]]s|c3=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (16)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]

|h4==[[Decepticon]]s|c4=
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]

|h5
*[[Noble]] (15)

}}

==Quotes==
"No offense, kitten, but I don't take orders from children." 
"Silverbolt, a lot's happened since you've been gone." 
"Not that much."
:—'''Silverbolt''' isn't impressed with Cheetor, despite '''Blackarachnia''' sticking up for him.

"This calls for a strategic advance to the rear." 
"Meaning?" 
"RUN AWAY!"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Botanica''' encounter Strika.

"Ugh, everyone else gets a partner, I get a flea-ridden travel agent."
:—'''Botanica'''

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
*The head of the Optimus Prime hologram sure looks like Primal's original Beast Wars head, doesn't it (curved antenna, etc)? Also, when it reaches down to pick up Primal, the Optimus Prime head has a mouth. It's gone by the next shot.

===Continuity Errors===
*Error

===Transformers References===
*For the first time in the entire [[Beast Machines (cartoon)|series]], Megatron finishes a sentence with "...yesss." The fandom did rejoice.
*While traveling through the sublevels of Cybertron, Optimus Primal and Nightscream stumble upon the ruins of [[Iacon]].
*After that, they encounter a hologram of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. It needed more [[Peter Cullen]].
*The hologram claimed to be Optimus Prime's "essence, stored here these many years after [[The Final Battle (disambiguation)|The Final Battle]]". Sure, it was a ruse by Megatron, but there had to be enough truth in it to attempt to fool Optimus Primal. It seems likely there was some sort of Final Battle, or a legend of a Final Battle in Beast Era lore where it would be believable that Prime's essence would get stored away afterwards. What was it?
*The Maximals stumble on the remains of more Transformers, reusing [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s character models again.

===Real-World References===
* As the [[Grand Mal|Big Floating Head]] hovers into view, Rattrap mutters "Talk about yer bad moon risin'," in tribute to the classic Credence Clearwater Revival song.

===Other Notes===
* Isn't it odd that Silverbolt ''still'' calls Cheetor "kid" though he's still technically younger? Granted, absolutely everybody in the Beast Era save Nightscream treats Cheetor as a kid (and rightfully so), so perhaps Maximal aging is... complicated?

==External Links==
*Link

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search

2010-03-08T09:02:09Z

125.237.141.116: /* Featured characters */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=21
|image=Sparkwar2 Optimus hologram primal.jpg
|caption="Wait, if you're Optimus Prime, why do you have a mouth?" "All the better to eat you with, my dear Primal"
|title="Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search"
|airdate=[[March 29]], 2000
|written by=[[Michael Reaves]]
|directed by=[[Gino Nichele]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Maximals continue their search for the missing sparks.'''

:''French title:'' '''La Guerre des Étincelles (Partie 2)''' ("The War of the Sparks (Part 2)")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Guerre des Étincelles p2: La Recherche''' ("War of the Sparks Pt.2: The Search")
:''Japanese title:'' 虚像の導き (''Kyozou no Michibiki'', "The Illusion's Guidance")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Guerra de Chispas Parte 2: La Búsqueda'''

==Synopsis==
[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s fascist planet is being patrolled by legions of the new drones as the [[Maximal]]s, in beast mode, make their way along the lower levels of the surface. They observe that Megatron is fortifying his position. [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] has a jolting vision of the drifting [[Spark]]s, apparently the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] contacting him about the Sparks, which have been moved.

Within the [[Grand Mal|big floating head]], Megatron speaks to his three generals, directing them to locations where the Maximals will be, and instructing them to capture Optimus alive.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap generators.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"I nicked this out of Tony Stark's chest."]]
[[Rattrap]] introduces the team to his [[scrambled field generator]] devices, small disks intended to befuddle the Vehicons' sensors. Rattrap's not ''quite'' sure they'll work, but the team figures it's better than nothing. The group tries them out, changing to robot modes... then dives for cover as [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] passes by overhead. But the general doesn't notice them, instead moving to carry out his orders along with [[Strika (BM)|Strika]].

Optimus tells the group that his flashes were of familiar places, and splits them up into three teams to go investigate. Rattrap and [[Botanica]] aren't too happy at being paired up, but the group deploys as ordered.

At the Maximal shell yard just outside processing plant #57, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] move in. Silverbolt is not interested in taking orders from Cheetor, despite Blackarachnia's assurance that a ''lot'' has changed since they were parted. Obsidian, watching from concealment, prepares his strike force.

As Optimus and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] walk below the surface, Nightscream finds a familiar claw slash in the wall. Nightscream wants to find [[Noble]], but Primal gently persuades him to take one job at a time. They run into a cave-in around the corner; Op's eyes flash with white light, and, glancing at a floor hatch, he says they're heading down...

Rattrap and Botanica arrive outside the Citadel, still squabbling. Rattrap detects a massive positronic residual charge, but inside they find piles and piles of Spark canisters... empty. They've arrived here too late. They depart, only to be ambushed by Strika. Botanica is chagrined that Rattrap's scramblers didn't work very long; they fall back.

Obsidian observes from high above as the Maximals explore the shell complex. Silverbolt and Cheetor argue over the latter's leadership capabilities, till Obsidian attacks. Surrounded, Silverbolt decides a berserker head-on attack is the only option.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Maximals over iacon.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Optimus and Nightscream, meanwhile, have found a stunning ruin below the surface, a great city that was replaced after the great war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, during the Great Upgrade: Iacon. The two apparently trigger a ghostly spector, a holographic tribute to the original Optimus Prime.

Rattrap and Botanica get out of robot mode to escape detection, and duck into a convenient building; Strika drives by without finding them. Rattrap taps his scrambler disk uncertainly, only to get snapped at by Botanica. But Rattrap's attention is suddenly distracted by the contents of the building they're in: holographic pleasure chips. He loads several of said chips into his backpack, then spots some sort of player for the chips just then. He plugs into it, becoming enthralled with a vision of a peaceful metallic world. Just then Strika enters and attacks.

At the shell plant, Silverbolt finally gets blasted back to the ground, and rebuked by Cheetor for his recklessness.

Optimus and Nightscream are about to move on, when the virtual Prime reaches down and scoops Optimus up, bringing him up to face level. From Nightscream's point of view, the hologram disappears, though Optimus continues to float in mid-air. Thrust arrives just then and attacks, but Optimus is seemingly in a trance.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap holoenviron.jpg|left|thumb|200px]]
Rattrap is still lost in his fantasy world, till Botanica pulls the machine's plug. A blast scatters the Maximals as well as Rattrap's precious chips, which he scrambles to scoop up. He tells Botanica to keep Strika occupied.

As leader, Cheetor decides on a strategic advance to the rear.

Nightscream is dodging cycle drone shots, while Optimus talks with Optimus on some other plane. The Prime hologram tells him that the Oracle lies within him, and he has but to summon it. Primal does so, and is surrounded by a white, Oracle-style hoola-hoop. The hologram of Optimus Prime chuckles... then laughs... a laugh which quickly deepens into that of Megatron, whose face suddenly replaces the figure of Prime.

Strika is posed to deliver a killing blow to Botanica, when Rattrap notices that one of her feet is on the activation pad of the holo-player he was using earlier. He leaps, landing on her shoulders and plugging one of the chips into her head, ensnaring her with the same vision that he was having before. He's pretty pleased with himself; Botanica drags him off.

In the shell yard, Cheetor has a bit of inspiration. The Maximals use a discarded power core to defeat their tormentors, blowing it up in their faces.

Megatron gloats to Optimus; he used the Spark vision to have the Maximals sent off on fools' errands, so Optimus would access the Oracle for his benefit. Megatron has studied and mastered most of the Oracle's secrets, but there's still some pieces missing... till now. And a fast, forceful download commences.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Megatron primal.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Megatron gloats again; all the pieces are in place, and now he can complete his ultimate plan for the Sparks. The hologram fades away, and Optimus finds himself in the middle of Nightscream's cycle drone battle.

Nightscream, meanwhile, has been brought down by weight of numbers, when a bolt out of the blue hits his attackers. It's Savage, lumbering onto the scene and prompting the cycle drones into a frantic retreat. Savage morphs to Noble and jogs after them, out of sight. A second later the drones go flying through the air. Optimus recovers, and immediately orders Nightscream to follow him to a rendezvous with the others.

The Maximals are shocked that Megatron has the full power of the Oracle, but Primal tells him that he gave Megatron access to the Oracle on purpose. While Megatron was downloading it, Primal accessed information from ''him'' as well, and learned the location of the Sparks. They have but a short window of opportunity to act, to free the Sparks from the location where they're being held: within the big floating head.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal|Maximals]]|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
*[[Botanica]] (5)
*[[Rattrap]] (7)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (8)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (9)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (10)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Copter Drone|Copter Drones]] (1)
*[[Heavy Artillery Drone|Heavy Artillery Drones]] (2)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (11)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (12)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (13)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (14)

|h3=[[Autobot]]s|c3=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (16)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]

|c4=
*[[Noble]] (15)

|h5=[[Decepticon]]s|c5=
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]

}}

==Quotes==
"No offense, kitten, but I don't take orders from children." 
"Silverbolt, a lot's happened since you've been gone." 
"Not that much."
:—'''Silverbolt''' isn't impressed with Cheetor, despite '''Blackarachnia''' sticking up for him.

"This calls for a strategic advance to the rear." 
"Meaning?" 
"RUN AWAY!"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Botanica''' encounter Strika.

"Ugh, everyone else gets a partner, I get a flea-ridden travel agent."
:—'''Botanica'''

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
*The head of the Optimus Prime hologram sure looks like Primal's original Beast Wars head, doesn't it (curved antenna, etc)? Also, when it reaches down to pick up Primal, the Optimus Prime head has a mouth. It's gone by the next shot.

===Continuity Errors===
*Error

===Transformers References===
*For the first time in the entire [[Beast Machines (cartoon)|series]], Megatron finishes a sentence with "...yesss." The fandom did rejoice.
*While traveling through the sublevels of Cybertron, Optimus Primal and Nightscream stumble upon the ruins of [[Iacon]].
*After that, they encounter a hologram of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. It needed more [[Peter Cullen]].
*The hologram claimed to be Optimus Prime's "essence, stored here these many years after [[The Final Battle (disambiguation)|The Final Battle]]". Sure, it was a ruse by Megatron, but there had to be enough truth in it to attempt to fool Optimus Primal. It seems likely there was some sort of Final Battle, or a legend of a Final Battle in Beast Era lore where it would be believable that Prime's essence would get stored away afterwards. What was it?
*The Maximals stumble on the remains of more Transformers, reusing [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s character models again.

===Real-World References===
* As the [[Grand Mal|Big Floating Head]] hovers into view, Rattrap mutters "Talk about yer bad moon risin'," in tribute to the classic Credence Clearwater Revival song.

===Other Notes===
* Isn't it odd that Silverbolt ''still'' calls Cheetor "kid" though he's still technically younger? Granted, absolutely everybody in the Beast Era save Nightscream treats Cheetor as a kid (and rightfully so), so perhaps Maximal aging is... complicated?

==External Links==
*Link

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search

2010-03-08T08:59:37Z

125.237.141.116: /* Featured characters */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=21
|image=Sparkwar2 Optimus hologram primal.jpg
|caption="Wait, if you're Optimus Prime, why do you have a mouth?" "All the better to eat you with, my dear Primal"
|title="Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search"
|airdate=[[March 29]], 2000
|written by=[[Michael Reaves]]
|directed by=[[Gino Nichele]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Maximals continue their search for the missing sparks.'''

:''French title:'' '''La Guerre des Étincelles (Partie 2)''' ("The War of the Sparks (Part 2)")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Guerre des Étincelles p2: La Recherche''' ("War of the Sparks Pt.2: The Search")
:''Japanese title:'' 虚像の導き (''Kyozou no Michibiki'', "The Illusion's Guidance")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Guerra de Chispas Parte 2: La Búsqueda'''

==Synopsis==
[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s fascist planet is being patrolled by legions of the new drones as the [[Maximal]]s, in beast mode, make their way along the lower levels of the surface. They observe that Megatron is fortifying his position. [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] has a jolting vision of the drifting [[Spark]]s, apparently the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] contacting him about the Sparks, which have been moved.

Within the [[Grand Mal|big floating head]], Megatron speaks to his three generals, directing them to locations where the Maximals will be, and instructing them to capture Optimus alive.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap generators.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"I nicked this out of Tony Stark's chest."]]
[[Rattrap]] introduces the team to his [[scrambled field generator]] devices, small disks intended to befuddle the Vehicons' sensors. Rattrap's not ''quite'' sure they'll work, but the team figures it's better than nothing. The group tries them out, changing to robot modes... then dives for cover as [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] passes by overhead. But the general doesn't notice them, instead moving to carry out his orders along with [[Strika (BM)|Strika]].

Optimus tells the group that his flashes were of familiar places, and splits them up into three teams to go investigate. Rattrap and [[Botanica]] aren't too happy at being paired up, but the group deploys as ordered.

At the Maximal shell yard just outside processing plant #57, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] move in. Silverbolt is not interested in taking orders from Cheetor, despite Blackarachnia's assurance that a ''lot'' has changed since they were parted. Obsidian, watching from concealment, prepares his strike force.

As Optimus and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] walk below the surface, Nightscream finds a familiar claw slash in the wall. Nightscream wants to find [[Noble]], but Primal gently persuades him to take one job at a time. They run into a cave-in around the corner; Op's eyes flash with white light, and, glancing at a floor hatch, he says they're heading down...

Rattrap and Botanica arrive outside the Citadel, still squabbling. Rattrap detects a massive positronic residual charge, but inside they find piles and piles of Spark canisters... empty. They've arrived here too late. They depart, only to be ambushed by Strika. Botanica is chagrined that Rattrap's scramblers didn't work very long; they fall back.

Obsidian observes from high above as the Maximals explore the shell complex. Silverbolt and Cheetor argue over the latter's leadership capabilities, till Obsidian attacks. Surrounded, Silverbolt decides a berserker head-on attack is the only option.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Maximals over iacon.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Optimus and Nightscream, meanwhile, have found a stunning ruin below the surface, a great city that was replaced after the great war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, during the Great Upgrade: Iacon. The two apparently trigger a ghostly spector, a holographic tribute to the original Optimus Prime.

Rattrap and Botanica get out of robot mode to escape detection, and duck into a convenient building; Strika drives by without finding them. Rattrap taps his scrambler disk uncertainly, only to get snapped at by Botanica. But Rattrap's attention is suddenly distracted by the contents of the building they're in: holographic pleasure chips. He loads several of said chips into his backpack, then spots some sort of player for the chips just then. He plugs into it, becoming enthralled with a vision of a peaceful metallic world. Just then Strika enters and attacks.

At the shell plant, Silverbolt finally gets blasted back to the ground, and rebuked by Cheetor for his recklessness.

Optimus and Nightscream are about to move on, when the virtual Prime reaches down and scoops Optimus up, bringing him up to face level. From Nightscream's point of view, the hologram disappears, though Optimus continues to float in mid-air. Thrust arrives just then and attacks, but Optimus is seemingly in a trance.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap holoenviron.jpg|left|thumb|200px]]
Rattrap is still lost in his fantasy world, till Botanica pulls the machine's plug. A blast scatters the Maximals as well as Rattrap's precious chips, which he scrambles to scoop up. He tells Botanica to keep Strika occupied.

As leader, Cheetor decides on a strategic advance to the rear.

Nightscream is dodging cycle drone shots, while Optimus talks with Optimus on some other plane. The Prime hologram tells him that the Oracle lies within him, and he has but to summon it. Primal does so, and is surrounded by a white, Oracle-style hoola-hoop. The hologram of Optimus Prime chuckles... then laughs... a laugh which quickly deepens into that of Megatron, whose face suddenly replaces the figure of Prime.

Strika is posed to deliver a killing blow to Botanica, when Rattrap notices that one of her feet is on the activation pad of the holo-player he was using earlier. He leaps, landing on her shoulders and plugging one of the chips into her head, ensnaring her with the same vision that he was having before. He's pretty pleased with himself; Botanica drags him off.

In the shell yard, Cheetor has a bit of inspiration. The Maximals use a discarded power core to defeat their tormentors, blowing it up in their faces.

Megatron gloats to Optimus; he used the Spark vision to have the Maximals sent off on fools' errands, so Optimus would access the Oracle for his benefit. Megatron has studied and mastered most of the Oracle's secrets, but there's still some pieces missing... till now. And a fast, forceful download commences.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Megatron primal.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Megatron gloats again; all the pieces are in place, and now he can complete his ultimate plan for the Sparks. The hologram fades away, and Optimus finds himself in the middle of Nightscream's cycle drone battle.

Nightscream, meanwhile, has been brought down by weight of numbers, when a bolt out of the blue hits his attackers. It's Savage, lumbering onto the scene and prompting the cycle drones into a frantic retreat. Savage morphs to Noble and jogs after them, out of sight. A second later the drones go flying through the air. Optimus recovers, and immediately orders Nightscream to follow him to a rendezvous with the others.

The Maximals are shocked that Megatron has the full power of the Oracle, but Primal tells him that he gave Megatron access to the Oracle on purpose. While Megatron was downloading it, Primal accessed information from ''him'' as well, and learned the location of the Sparks. They have but a short window of opportunity to act, to free the Sparks from the location where they're being held: within the big floating head.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal|Maximals]]|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
*[[Botanica]] (5)
*[[Rattrap]] (7)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (8)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (9)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (10)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Copter Drone|Copter Drones]] (1)
*[[Heavy Artillery Drone|Heavy Artillery Drones]] (2)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (11)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (12)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (13)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (14)

|h3=[[Autobot]]s|c3=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (16)

|c4=
*[[Noble]] (15)

}}

==Quotes==
"No offense, kitten, but I don't take orders from children." 
"Silverbolt, a lot's happened since you've been gone." 
"Not that much."
:—'''Silverbolt''' isn't impressed with Cheetor, despite '''Blackarachnia''' sticking up for him.

"This calls for a strategic advance to the rear." 
"Meaning?" 
"RUN AWAY!"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Botanica''' encounter Strika.

"Ugh, everyone else gets a partner, I get a flea-ridden travel agent."
:—'''Botanica'''

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
*The head of the Optimus Prime hologram sure looks like Primal's original Beast Wars head, doesn't it (curved antenna, etc)? Also, when it reaches down to pick up Primal, the Optimus Prime head has a mouth. It's gone by the next shot.

===Continuity Errors===
*Error

===Transformers References===
*For the first time in the entire [[Beast Machines (cartoon)|series]], Megatron finishes a sentence with "...yesss." The fandom did rejoice.
*While traveling through the sublevels of Cybertron, Optimus Primal and Nightscream stumble upon the ruins of [[Iacon]].
*After that, they encounter a hologram of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. It needed more [[Peter Cullen]].
*The hologram claimed to be Optimus Prime's "essence, stored here these many years after [[The Final Battle (disambiguation)|The Final Battle]]". Sure, it was a ruse by Megatron, but there had to be enough truth in it to attempt to fool Optimus Primal. It seems likely there was some sort of Final Battle, or a legend of a Final Battle in Beast Era lore where it would be believable that Prime's essence would get stored away afterwards. What was it?
*The Maximals stumble on the remains of more Transformers, reusing [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s character models again.

===Real-World References===
* As the [[Grand Mal|Big Floating Head]] hovers into view, Rattrap mutters "Talk about yer bad moon risin'," in tribute to the classic Credence Clearwater Revival song.

===Other Notes===
* Isn't it odd that Silverbolt ''still'' calls Cheetor "kid" though he's still technically younger? Granted, absolutely everybody in the Beast Era save Nightscream treats Cheetor as a kid (and rightfully so), so perhaps Maximal aging is... complicated?

==External Links==
*Link

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search

2010-03-08T08:59:12Z

125.237.141.116: /* Featured characters */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=21
|image=Sparkwar2 Optimus hologram primal.jpg
|caption="Wait, if you're Optimus Prime, why do you have a mouth?" "All the better to eat you with, my dear Primal"
|title="Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search"
|airdate=[[March 29]], 2000
|written by=[[Michael Reaves]]
|directed by=[[Gino Nichele]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Maximals continue their search for the missing sparks.'''

:''French title:'' '''La Guerre des Étincelles (Partie 2)''' ("The War of the Sparks (Part 2)")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Guerre des Étincelles p2: La Recherche''' ("War of the Sparks Pt.2: The Search")
:''Japanese title:'' 虚像の導き (''Kyozou no Michibiki'', "The Illusion's Guidance")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Guerra de Chispas Parte 2: La Búsqueda'''

==Synopsis==
[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s fascist planet is being patrolled by legions of the new drones as the [[Maximal]]s, in beast mode, make their way along the lower levels of the surface. They observe that Megatron is fortifying his position. [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] has a jolting vision of the drifting [[Spark]]s, apparently the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] contacting him about the Sparks, which have been moved.

Within the [[Grand Mal|big floating head]], Megatron speaks to his three generals, directing them to locations where the Maximals will be, and instructing them to capture Optimus alive.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap generators.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"I nicked this out of Tony Stark's chest."]]
[[Rattrap]] introduces the team to his [[scrambled field generator]] devices, small disks intended to befuddle the Vehicons' sensors. Rattrap's not ''quite'' sure they'll work, but the team figures it's better than nothing. The group tries them out, changing to robot modes... then dives for cover as [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] passes by overhead. But the general doesn't notice them, instead moving to carry out his orders along with [[Strika (BM)|Strika]].

Optimus tells the group that his flashes were of familiar places, and splits them up into three teams to go investigate. Rattrap and [[Botanica]] aren't too happy at being paired up, but the group deploys as ordered.

At the Maximal shell yard just outside processing plant #57, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] move in. Silverbolt is not interested in taking orders from Cheetor, despite Blackarachnia's assurance that a ''lot'' has changed since they were parted. Obsidian, watching from concealment, prepares his strike force.

As Optimus and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] walk below the surface, Nightscream finds a familiar claw slash in the wall. Nightscream wants to find [[Noble]], but Primal gently persuades him to take one job at a time. They run into a cave-in around the corner; Op's eyes flash with white light, and, glancing at a floor hatch, he says they're heading down...

Rattrap and Botanica arrive outside the Citadel, still squabbling. Rattrap detects a massive positronic residual charge, but inside they find piles and piles of Spark canisters... empty. They've arrived here too late. They depart, only to be ambushed by Strika. Botanica is chagrined that Rattrap's scramblers didn't work very long; they fall back.

Obsidian observes from high above as the Maximals explore the shell complex. Silverbolt and Cheetor argue over the latter's leadership capabilities, till Obsidian attacks. Surrounded, Silverbolt decides a berserker head-on attack is the only option.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Maximals over iacon.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Optimus and Nightscream, meanwhile, have found a stunning ruin below the surface, a great city that was replaced after the great war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, during the Great Upgrade: Iacon. The two apparently trigger a ghostly spector, a holographic tribute to the original Optimus Prime.

Rattrap and Botanica get out of robot mode to escape detection, and duck into a convenient building; Strika drives by without finding them. Rattrap taps his scrambler disk uncertainly, only to get snapped at by Botanica. But Rattrap's attention is suddenly distracted by the contents of the building they're in: holographic pleasure chips. He loads several of said chips into his backpack, then spots some sort of player for the chips just then. He plugs into it, becoming enthralled with a vision of a peaceful metallic world. Just then Strika enters and attacks.

At the shell plant, Silverbolt finally gets blasted back to the ground, and rebuked by Cheetor for his recklessness.

Optimus and Nightscream are about to move on, when the virtual Prime reaches down and scoops Optimus up, bringing him up to face level. From Nightscream's point of view, the hologram disappears, though Optimus continues to float in mid-air. Thrust arrives just then and attacks, but Optimus is seemingly in a trance.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap holoenviron.jpg|left|thumb|200px]]
Rattrap is still lost in his fantasy world, till Botanica pulls the machine's plug. A blast scatters the Maximals as well as Rattrap's precious chips, which he scrambles to scoop up. He tells Botanica to keep Strika occupied.

As leader, Cheetor decides on a strategic advance to the rear.

Nightscream is dodging cycle drone shots, while Optimus talks with Optimus on some other plane. The Prime hologram tells him that the Oracle lies within him, and he has but to summon it. Primal does so, and is surrounded by a white, Oracle-style hoola-hoop. The hologram of Optimus Prime chuckles... then laughs... a laugh which quickly deepens into that of Megatron, whose face suddenly replaces the figure of Prime.

Strika is posed to deliver a killing blow to Botanica, when Rattrap notices that one of her feet is on the activation pad of the holo-player he was using earlier. He leaps, landing on her shoulders and plugging one of the chips into her head, ensnaring her with the same vision that he was having before. He's pretty pleased with himself; Botanica drags him off.

In the shell yard, Cheetor has a bit of inspiration. The Maximals use a discarded power core to defeat their tormentors, blowing it up in their faces.

Megatron gloats to Optimus; he used the Spark vision to have the Maximals sent off on fools' errands, so Optimus would access the Oracle for his benefit. Megatron has studied and mastered most of the Oracle's secrets, but there's still some pieces missing... till now. And a fast, forceful download commences.

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Megatron primal.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
Megatron gloats again; all the pieces are in place, and now he can complete his ultimate plan for the Sparks. The hologram fades away, and Optimus finds himself in the middle of Nightscream's cycle drone battle.

Nightscream, meanwhile, has been brought down by weight of numbers, when a bolt out of the blue hits his attackers. It's Savage, lumbering onto the scene and prompting the cycle drones into a frantic retreat. Savage morphs to Noble and jogs after them, out of sight. A second later the drones go flying through the air. Optimus recovers, and immediately orders Nightscream to follow him to a rendezvous with the others.

The Maximals are shocked that Megatron has the full power of the Oracle, but Primal tells him that he gave Megatron access to the Oracle on purpose. While Megatron was downloading it, Primal accessed information from ''him'' as well, and learned the location of the Sparks. They have but a short window of opportunity to act, to free the Sparks from the location where they're being held: within the big floating head.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal|Maximals]]|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] (3)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (4)
*[[Botanica]] (5)
*[[Rattrap]] (7)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (8)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (9)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (10)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Copter Drone|Copter Drones]] (1)
*[[Heavy Artillery Drone|Heavy Artillery Drones]] (2)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (11)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (12)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (13)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (14)

|h3=[[Autobot]]s|c2=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (16)

|c4=
*[[Noble]] (15)

}}

==Quotes==
"No offense, kitten, but I don't take orders from children." 
"Silverbolt, a lot's happened since you've been gone." 
"Not that much."
:—'''Silverbolt''' isn't impressed with Cheetor, despite '''Blackarachnia''' sticking up for him.

"This calls for a strategic advance to the rear." 
"Meaning?" 
"RUN AWAY!"
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Botanica''' encounter Strika.

"Ugh, everyone else gets a partner, I get a flea-ridden travel agent."
:—'''Botanica'''

==Notes==
===Technical or animation errors===
*The head of the Optimus Prime hologram sure looks like Primal's original Beast Wars head, doesn't it (curved antenna, etc)? Also, when it reaches down to pick up Primal, the Optimus Prime head has a mouth. It's gone by the next shot.

===Continuity Errors===
*Error

===Transformers References===
*For the first time in the entire [[Beast Machines (cartoon)|series]], Megatron finishes a sentence with "...yesss." The fandom did rejoice.
*While traveling through the sublevels of Cybertron, Optimus Primal and Nightscream stumble upon the ruins of [[Iacon]].
*After that, they encounter a hologram of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. It needed more [[Peter Cullen]].
*The hologram claimed to be Optimus Prime's "essence, stored here these many years after [[The Final Battle (disambiguation)|The Final Battle]]". Sure, it was a ruse by Megatron, but there had to be enough truth in it to attempt to fool Optimus Primal. It seems likely there was some sort of Final Battle, or a legend of a Final Battle in Beast Era lore where it would be believable that Prime's essence would get stored away afterwards. What was it?
*The Maximals stumble on the remains of more Transformers, reusing [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]'s character models again.

===Real-World References===
* As the [[Grand Mal|Big Floating Head]] hovers into view, Rattrap mutters "Talk about yer bad moon risin'," in tribute to the classic Credence Clearwater Revival song.

===Other Notes===
* Isn't it odd that Silverbolt ''still'' calls Cheetor "kid" though he's still technically younger? Granted, absolutely everybody in the Beast Era save Nightscream treats Cheetor as a kid (and rightfully so), so perhaps Maximal aging is... complicated?

==External Links==
*Link

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

The Catalyst

2010-03-08T08:55:43Z

125.237.141.116: /* Featured characters */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=12
|image=Catalyst Rattrap vine uhoh.jpg
|caption=Rattrap's crossover into ''[[Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]]'' ended on a rather sour note.
|title="The Catalyst"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=December 11, 1999
|written by=[[Bob Skir|Robert N. Skir]] [[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Steve Sacks]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Rattrap uses a catalyst program to accelerate the growth of the plants at the Maximal stronghold, and Blackarachnia learns the truth about Thrust.'''

:''French title:'' '''Guerre Techno-Organique, Partie II''' ("Techno-Organic War, Part II")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Le Cataclysme''' ("The Cataclysm")
:''Japanese title:'' 生命の水 (''Seimei no Mizu'', "The Water of Life")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Guerra Tecno-Orgánica, Parte Dos: El Catalizador'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:KeyEnergyStrike.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Now with 500x the iron of normal vegetables!]]
The [[Maximal|Maximals]] have set up a system to keep their orchard supplied with the [[organic goo]] provided by [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], and are holding a memorial service for [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], unaware that they're being spied on by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]]. Tankor is also spying on [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], who asks [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] and [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] what happened to the third of his [[Vehicon general|Vehicon generals]] prior to his apparent death. The [[Diagnostic Drone]] informs Megatron about the discovery of the [[Key to Vector Sigma]], and the (decoy) Tankor's subsequent overloading while using it. The Drone suggests attaching copies of the Key to the drones and using them to purge Cybertron of all organic matter. When Megatron asks what it'll do to his beast mode, the Drone says it will be eliminated, and inadvertently begins to repeat Tankor's ramblings about how it will also drive Megatron mad, before covering his blunder. Although suspicious, Megatron orders the key be attached to Aero and cycle drones and tested on a Maximal, much to Tankor's annoyance.

[[Rattrap]] uses the ancient computers to run a planet-wide search for more [[organic goo|organic goop]], but is interrupted by [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], who needs the goo herself to try to turn Thrust back into [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]. Rattrap reluctantly lets her take the sample.

Meanwhile, the Diagnostic Drone is taking Jetstorm and Thrust on a wild goose chase on Tankor's orders. Tankor intends to give Megatron a change of heart.

[[Image:RattrapVined.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I've heard of weed killers, but killer weeds?]] Rattrap has had some measure of success, turning up a catalyst program. He returns to the orchard, where the catalyst dramatically increases the plant-growth, and he's carried into the air by vines. [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]], [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] turn up to rescue him from the clutches of the plantlife.

Blackarachnia locates the searching [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]] and attacks, seizing Thrust and carrying him off. The Aero drones zap her web line with the keys they're carrying, and she's forced to detach, falling to the ground.

Optimus tells Rattrap to try his experiments on a small scale next time, but the other Maximals think he's wrong and that the fast-growing vines would be a great weapon against Megatron. Optimus goes to commune with the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] while the others clear up.

Up in the city, Blackarachnia knocks out Jetstorm and the Diagnostic Drone before leading Thrust to a more secluded location where she traps him in a web. Dosed with goo, Thrust reverts to his old personality—[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]]. Waspinator explains that he got bored on prehistoric Earth and flew back to Cybertron<ref>Some depictions of this story may differ from Waspinator's account, namely video footage</ref>. Blackarachnia is more than a little disappointed that he's not Silverbolt, but they're interrupted by Jetstorm, who knocks the container of goo from Blackarachnia's hand and is dosed with it. Jetstorm's old personality comes out, and this time it's Silverbolt.

Rattrap admits to Cheetor and Nightscream what the spider's up to. Nightscream volunteers to get Optimus, but Cheetor has other plans. Optimus, meanwhile, is having problems accessing the Oracle.

[[Image:BlackarachniaWaspinatorSilverbolt.jpg|left|200px|thumb|This is the best laser show EVER!!]] Silverbolt and Waspinator fight over Blackarachnia, but they're interrupted by the arrival of aero and motorcycle drones, which neither Vehicon realises they can control. The power of the Keys eliminates the goo, reverting Thrust and Jetstorm to their normal selves, and they order the drones to close in. Fortunately the other three Maximals burst in riding a giant vine, and pick up Blackarachnia, whisking her away to safety.

Diagnostic Drone reports failure to Megatron, but he's been monitoring the situation anyway. The drones zap the huge vine with their keys, changing it to [[technomatter]]. The Maximals leap off before they're infected, but Rattrap announces they have to sever the vines to stop the infection spreading to the orchid and Cybertron's organic core. They race alongside the vine, chasing the infection until it reaches the orchid. Optimus spots the problem and frantically begins breaking vines. He succeeds, and rounds on Cheetor for disobeying orders, before informing him that he believes the Oracle has been tampered with.

Tankor, through the Diagnostic Drone, convinces Megatron to load the Key into all of the tank drones, and muses to himself that it's all thanks to the catalyst program he let Rattrap find.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (1)
*[[Optimus Primal]]/[[Optimal Optimus]] (2)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (3)
*[[Rattrap]] (4)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (5)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (16)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s
|c2=
*[[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]]/[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (6)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (7)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (9)
*[[Diagnostic Drone]] (10)
*[[Sonic Attack Jet|Sonic Attack Jets]] (11)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (12)

|h3=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c3=
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (14)

|c4=
*[[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] (13)
*[[Protohuman]]s (15)

}}

==Quotes==
"And so we pause, to reflect on our departed friend Rhinox, rather than the enemy Tankor he became. For all possibilities exist within our sparks, and each of us is vulnerable to the path of darkness."
:—'''Primal''''s eulogy to Rhinox.

"Your glorious army will shine less brightly without his guiding...can I have his tank drones?"
:—'''Jetstorm''', that greedy son of a...

'''Diagnostic Drone:''' "My scanners indicate a Maximal signature right in this vicinity." 
'''Jetstorm:''' "If it's so close, why can't we-" 
'''Computer:''' "Maximal signature detected." 
'''Diagnostic Drone:''' "What?"
:—The hunt takes an unexpected turn.

"Nooooooo. Doggie-bot not here."
:—'''Waspinator's''' first words when reactivated in Thrust's body.

"You mean I risked everything to save this... this.. this... scrap heap?! Eww!" 
"That mean spider-bot not go steady with Waspinator?"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Waspinator''', the wrong Scott McNeil character.

"Blackarachnia. Oh, dark poison of my heart!"
:—'''Silverbolt's''' first words when reactivated in Jetstorm's body.

==Notes==
===Technical/animation glitches===
*Glitch

===Continuity errors===
* Silverbolt and Waspinator seem unaware that they are in Vehicon bodies with drones at their command. This is odd, considering that Rhinox was fully aware (or so he claims) within the body of Tankor, and even more so when Silverbolt feels guilt when he finally returns to the Maximal fold (although these can both be chalked up to the Maximals tampering with their respective programming). Even a few seconds ''before'' Waspinator acts oblivious to his command over the drones, he confesses "Chickbots dig brooding, loner bit!", ''acknowledging'' his role as Thrust. ''Huh?''

===Transformers references===
* [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]]'s Beast Wars personalities emerge in this episode, albeit for a few minutes.

===Real-world references===
* None identified as of yet.

===Trivia===
* It seems unusual that Megatron would threaten the [[Diagnostic Drone]] with a [[spark extractor]], seeing as how it doesn't ''have'' a [[spark]] to begin with.
* Palm tree is the most ecological way to time-travel.
* So ''Waspinator'' was able to break through Vehicon programming when facing Blackarachnia but Silverbolt either never was or just didn't, and he ''never did later'' even when his true love was directly appealing to him. This raises worrying questions about either Waspinator or Silverbolt, especially the latter as [[In Darkest Knight|he'll later admit]] how much he loved being a murderous villain...

==Footnotes==
<references />

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catalyst}}
[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

The Catalyst

2010-03-08T08:55:15Z

125.237.141.116: /* Featured characters */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=12
|image=Catalyst Rattrap vine uhoh.jpg
|caption=Rattrap's crossover into ''[[Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]]'' ended on a rather sour note.
|title="The Catalyst"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=December 11, 1999
|written by=[[Bob Skir|Robert N. Skir]] [[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Steve Sacks]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Rattrap uses a catalyst program to accelerate the growth of the plants at the Maximal stronghold, and Blackarachnia learns the truth about Thrust.'''

:''French title:'' '''Guerre Techno-Organique, Partie II''' ("Techno-Organic War, Part II")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Le Cataclysme''' ("The Cataclysm")
:''Japanese title:'' 生命の水 (''Seimei no Mizu'', "The Water of Life")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Guerra Tecno-Orgánica, Parte Dos: El Catalizador'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:KeyEnergyStrike.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Now with 500x the iron of normal vegetables!]]
The [[Maximal|Maximals]] have set up a system to keep their orchard supplied with the [[organic goo]] provided by [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], and are holding a memorial service for [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], unaware that they're being spied on by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]]. Tankor is also spying on [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], who asks [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] and [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] what happened to the third of his [[Vehicon general|Vehicon generals]] prior to his apparent death. The [[Diagnostic Drone]] informs Megatron about the discovery of the [[Key to Vector Sigma]], and the (decoy) Tankor's subsequent overloading while using it. The Drone suggests attaching copies of the Key to the drones and using them to purge Cybertron of all organic matter. When Megatron asks what it'll do to his beast mode, the Drone says it will be eliminated, and inadvertently begins to repeat Tankor's ramblings about how it will also drive Megatron mad, before covering his blunder. Although suspicious, Megatron orders the key be attached to Aero and cycle drones and tested on a Maximal, much to Tankor's annoyance.

[[Rattrap]] uses the ancient computers to run a planet-wide search for more [[organic goo|organic goop]], but is interrupted by [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], who needs the goo herself to try to turn Thrust back into [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]. Rattrap reluctantly lets her take the sample.

Meanwhile, the Diagnostic Drone is taking Jetstorm and Thrust on a wild goose chase on Tankor's orders. Tankor intends to give Megatron a change of heart.

[[Image:RattrapVined.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I've heard of weed killers, but killer weeds?]] Rattrap has had some measure of success, turning up a catalyst program. He returns to the orchard, where the catalyst dramatically increases the plant-growth, and he's carried into the air by vines. [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]], [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] and [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] turn up to rescue him from the clutches of the plantlife.

Blackarachnia locates the searching [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]] and attacks, seizing Thrust and carrying him off. The Aero drones zap her web line with the keys they're carrying, and she's forced to detach, falling to the ground.

Optimus tells Rattrap to try his experiments on a small scale next time, but the other Maximals think he's wrong and that the fast-growing vines would be a great weapon against Megatron. Optimus goes to commune with the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] while the others clear up.

Up in the city, Blackarachnia knocks out Jetstorm and the Diagnostic Drone before leading Thrust to a more secluded location where she traps him in a web. Dosed with goo, Thrust reverts to his old personality—[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]]. Waspinator explains that he got bored on prehistoric Earth and flew back to Cybertron<ref>Some depictions of this story may differ from Waspinator's account, namely video footage</ref>. Blackarachnia is more than a little disappointed that he's not Silverbolt, but they're interrupted by Jetstorm, who knocks the container of goo from Blackarachnia's hand and is dosed with it. Jetstorm's old personality comes out, and this time it's Silverbolt.

Rattrap admits to Cheetor and Nightscream what the spider's up to. Nightscream volunteers to get Optimus, but Cheetor has other plans. Optimus, meanwhile, is having problems accessing the Oracle.

[[Image:BlackarachniaWaspinatorSilverbolt.jpg|left|200px|thumb|This is the best laser show EVER!!]] Silverbolt and Waspinator fight over Blackarachnia, but they're interrupted by the arrival of aero and motorcycle drones, which neither Vehicon realises they can control. The power of the Keys eliminates the goo, reverting Thrust and Jetstorm to their normal selves, and they order the drones to close in. Fortunately the other three Maximals burst in riding a giant vine, and pick up Blackarachnia, whisking her away to safety.

Diagnostic Drone reports failure to Megatron, but he's been monitoring the situation anyway. The drones zap the huge vine with their keys, changing it to [[technomatter]]. The Maximals leap off before they're infected, but Rattrap announces they have to sever the vines to stop the infection spreading to the orchid and Cybertron's organic core. They race alongside the vine, chasing the infection until it reaches the orchid. Optimus spots the problem and frantically begins breaking vines. He succeeds, and rounds on Cheetor for disobeying orders, before informing him that he believes the Oracle has been tampered with.

Tankor, through the Diagnostic Drone, convinces Megatron to load the Key into all of the tank drones, and muses to himself that it's all thanks to the catalyst program he let Rattrap find.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (1)
*[[Optimus Primal/Optimal Optimus]] (2)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (3)
*[[Rattrap]] (4)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (5)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (16)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s
|c2=
*[[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]]/[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (6)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (7)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (8)
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (9)
*[[Diagnostic Drone]] (10)
*[[Sonic Attack Jet|Sonic Attack Jets]] (11)
*[[Motorcycle Drone|Motorcycle Drones]] (12)

|h3=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s
|c3=
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (14)

|c4=
*[[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] (13)
*[[Protohuman]]s (15)

}}

==Quotes==
"And so we pause, to reflect on our departed friend Rhinox, rather than the enemy Tankor he became. For all possibilities exist within our sparks, and each of us is vulnerable to the path of darkness."
:—'''Primal''''s eulogy to Rhinox.

"Your glorious army will shine less brightly without his guiding...can I have his tank drones?"
:—'''Jetstorm''', that greedy son of a...

'''Diagnostic Drone:''' "My scanners indicate a Maximal signature right in this vicinity." 
'''Jetstorm:''' "If it's so close, why can't we-" 
'''Computer:''' "Maximal signature detected." 
'''Diagnostic Drone:''' "What?"
:—The hunt takes an unexpected turn.

"Nooooooo. Doggie-bot not here."
:—'''Waspinator's''' first words when reactivated in Thrust's body.

"You mean I risked everything to save this... this.. this... scrap heap?! Eww!" 
"That mean spider-bot not go steady with Waspinator?"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Waspinator''', the wrong Scott McNeil character.

"Blackarachnia. Oh, dark poison of my heart!"
:—'''Silverbolt's''' first words when reactivated in Jetstorm's body.

==Notes==
===Technical/animation glitches===
*Glitch

===Continuity errors===
* Silverbolt and Waspinator seem unaware that they are in Vehicon bodies with drones at their command. This is odd, considering that Rhinox was fully aware (or so he claims) within the body of Tankor, and even more so when Silverbolt feels guilt when he finally returns to the Maximal fold (although these can both be chalked up to the Maximals tampering with their respective programming). Even a few seconds ''before'' Waspinator acts oblivious to his command over the drones, he confesses "Chickbots dig brooding, loner bit!", ''acknowledging'' his role as Thrust. ''Huh?''

===Transformers references===
* [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]]'s Beast Wars personalities emerge in this episode, albeit for a few minutes.

===Real-world references===
* None identified as of yet.

===Trivia===
* It seems unusual that Megatron would threaten the [[Diagnostic Drone]] with a [[spark extractor]], seeing as how it doesn't ''have'' a [[spark]] to begin with.
* Palm tree is the most ecological way to time-travel.
* So ''Waspinator'' was able to break through Vehicon programming when facing Blackarachnia but Silverbolt either never was or just didn't, and he ''never did later'' even when his true love was directly appealing to him. This raises worrying questions about either Waspinator or Silverbolt, especially the latter as [[In Darkest Knight|he'll later admit]] how much he loved being a murderous villain...

==Footnotes==
<references />

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catalyst}}
[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Anthropoid

2010-03-08T08:53:17Z

125.237.141.116: /* Beast Machines cartoon */

:''The protohumans were semi-sentient animals in the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]''

[[Image:Protohumans1 CodeofHero.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"In the beginning..."]]
Millions of years ago in a valley in eastern [[Africa]], there lived tribes of '''protohuman''' primates. At the time of initial contact with [[Transformer|Transformers]], there was little obvious external difference between the protohumans and other animals sharing their environment. But since the protohumans were destined to evolve into the modern [[human]] race, which would in turn play a key role in the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], these simple creatures were targeted for destruction by the time-travelling [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]].

==Fiction==
===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
Voice Actor:[[Gary Chalk]]

When first seen, the protohumans were clearly in a pre-civilization state, living as hunter-gatherers, unable to use tools, wear clothes, or defend themselves from predators, and communicating only by animalistic grunting and body language. After [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] had conclusively proven that he could use the information on the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] to shape the unfolding of future events, he decided to exterminate the protohumans and thus prevent their descendants from helping the [[Autobot]]s win the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. The Predacons began a heavy assault on the protohuman valley, and succeeded in injuring some of them, but their plan was foiled by [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], who not only saved the creatures but also inspired them to use tools in self-defense and food-gathering. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

[[Image:Protohuman weapon CodeofHero.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Collecting all of Dinobot's accessories can be a grueling task.]]
The surviving protohumans scattered across a wide area. Since Transformer scanners have a hard time tracking organic lifeforms, this meant it would be impossible for a similar attack to be attempted again. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}}

Instead, Megatron designed his hunting team of [[Cyber raptor]]s, vicious clones of Dinobot using experimental [[Transmetal 2]] technology, and unleashed them to roam freely killing any protohumans they encountered. By that point protohuman culture had advanced significantly: rudimentary tool use was widespread, individuals garbed themselves in animal skins, and both walking and communication had become more sophisticated. They had not, however, advanced to the point where they could defend themselves from laser-shooting cyborg dinosaurs, so the [[Maximal]]s had to save them again. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}}

As the protohumans observed and interacted with Transformers more and more frequently, their own ability to use technology grew more sophisticated. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] can probably take some credit for this, as he was holding regular lessons teaching the young Protohumans [[Chak]] and [[Una]] how to use simple machines such as levers, pulleys, and hinges. He also taught them the basics of combat, including how to defend themselves from Transformers, though he preferred that they be constructive and non-violent. Megatron sought to take advantage of the protohumans' ingenuity by kidnapping one and forcing her to complete the construction of an unstable [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] cannon, but the young primate actually outsmarted him. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}}

[[Image:Una Stabilisercrystal GowiththeFlow.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The long, humiliating history of Megatrons being defeated by humans begins here.]]
Eventually, protohumans developed the knowledge to create complex dwelling structures in cliff caves and freestanding houses, as well as mastery of fire, division of labor, gender roles, and mass-production of musical instruments and sturdy weapons such as spears. With that technology and training on their side, a tribe of protohuman warriors was able to repulse the (admittedly scatterbrained) team of [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]]. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

Megatron's continuing obsession with the protohumans eventually hastened his own defeat. Believing that "no score is too small to settle," he ordered [[Dinobot II]] to unleash the full firepower of the [[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]] upon a protohuman—a command so unfair and dishonorable that it sowed the seeds of Dinobot II's eventual revolt against his master. After the Predacons were finally defeated, [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] lived among the "fleshybots" for a time and was worshipped as a ruler or deity. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

===''Beast Machines'' cartoon===
Voice Actor:[[Jim Byrnes]]

After Waspinator angered them by flicking rocks at their heads, the protohumans revolted against him, chasing him out of their camp and catapulting him off a palm tree. {{storylink|The Catalyst}}

==Notes==
* The [[Vok]] were aware of the existence and importance of the protohumans, since one of the relief images on the [[Golden Disk (Vok)|Alien Disk]] is a humanoid figure standing next to a tree. Precisely what their goals were for humanity is unknown. ''Beast Wars'' story editor [[Bob Forward]] later said that among the many unrealized ideas behind the Vok was the notion that they had put Earth's mysterious energon supplies there as a clean energy source to be used by eventual human descendants.

* It is not possible to correlate the ''Beast Wars'' protohumans with any real prehistoric hominid. The era in which ''Beast Wars'' is set has varied wildly throughout different media, but for any of the purported time periods the level of physical and cultural advancements among the protohumans does not match what the [[wikipedia:Human_evolution|fossil record]] actually shows. Megatron refers to them as "early anthropoids", Cheetor calls them "advanced anthropoids", and the script calls them "[[wikipedia:Neanderthal|Neanderthals]]". At least no one called them "[[Leader-1 (Armada)|Leader-1]]".

[[Category:Beast Wars]]
[[Category:Humans]]

Anthropoid

2010-03-08T08:52:15Z

125.237.141.116: /* Beast Wars cartoon */

:''The protohumans were semi-sentient animals in the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]''

[[Image:Protohumans1 CodeofHero.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"In the beginning..."]]
Millions of years ago in a valley in eastern [[Africa]], there lived tribes of '''protohuman''' primates. At the time of initial contact with [[Transformer|Transformers]], there was little obvious external difference between the protohumans and other animals sharing their environment. But since the protohumans were destined to evolve into the modern [[human]] race, which would in turn play a key role in the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], these simple creatures were targeted for destruction by the time-travelling [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]].

==Fiction==
===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
Voice Actor:[[Gary Chalk]]

When first seen, the protohumans were clearly in a pre-civilization state, living as hunter-gatherers, unable to use tools, wear clothes, or defend themselves from predators, and communicating only by animalistic grunting and body language. After [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] had conclusively proven that he could use the information on the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] to shape the unfolding of future events, he decided to exterminate the protohumans and thus prevent their descendants from helping the [[Autobot]]s win the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. The Predacons began a heavy assault on the protohuman valley, and succeeded in injuring some of them, but their plan was foiled by [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], who not only saved the creatures but also inspired them to use tools in self-defense and food-gathering. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

[[Image:Protohuman weapon CodeofHero.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Collecting all of Dinobot's accessories can be a grueling task.]]
The surviving protohumans scattered across a wide area. Since Transformer scanners have a hard time tracking organic lifeforms, this meant it would be impossible for a similar attack to be attempted again. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}}

Instead, Megatron designed his hunting team of [[Cyber raptor]]s, vicious clones of Dinobot using experimental [[Transmetal 2]] technology, and unleashed them to roam freely killing any protohumans they encountered. By that point protohuman culture had advanced significantly: rudimentary tool use was widespread, individuals garbed themselves in animal skins, and both walking and communication had become more sophisticated. They had not, however, advanced to the point where they could defend themselves from laser-shooting cyborg dinosaurs, so the [[Maximal]]s had to save them again. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}}

As the protohumans observed and interacted with Transformers more and more frequently, their own ability to use technology grew more sophisticated. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] can probably take some credit for this, as he was holding regular lessons teaching the young Protohumans [[Chak]] and [[Una]] how to use simple machines such as levers, pulleys, and hinges. He also taught them the basics of combat, including how to defend themselves from Transformers, though he preferred that they be constructive and non-violent. Megatron sought to take advantage of the protohumans' ingenuity by kidnapping one and forcing her to complete the construction of an unstable [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] cannon, but the young primate actually outsmarted him. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}}

[[Image:Una Stabilisercrystal GowiththeFlow.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The long, humiliating history of Megatrons being defeated by humans begins here.]]
Eventually, protohumans developed the knowledge to create complex dwelling structures in cliff caves and freestanding houses, as well as mastery of fire, division of labor, gender roles, and mass-production of musical instruments and sturdy weapons such as spears. With that technology and training on their side, a tribe of protohuman warriors was able to repulse the (admittedly scatterbrained) team of [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]]. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

Megatron's continuing obsession with the protohumans eventually hastened his own defeat. Believing that "no score is too small to settle," he ordered [[Dinobot II]] to unleash the full firepower of the [[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]] upon a protohuman—a command so unfair and dishonorable that it sowed the seeds of Dinobot II's eventual revolt against his master. After the Predacons were finally defeated, [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] lived among the "fleshybots" for a time and was worshipped as a ruler or deity. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

===''Beast Machines'' cartoon===
After Waspinator angered them by flicking rocks at their heads, the protohumans revolted against him, chasing him out of their camp and catapulting him off a palm tree. {{storylink|The Catalyst}}

==Notes==
* The [[Vok]] were aware of the existence and importance of the protohumans, since one of the relief images on the [[Golden Disk (Vok)|Alien Disk]] is a humanoid figure standing next to a tree. Precisely what their goals were for humanity is unknown. ''Beast Wars'' story editor [[Bob Forward]] later said that among the many unrealized ideas behind the Vok was the notion that they had put Earth's mysterious energon supplies there as a clean energy source to be used by eventual human descendants.

* It is not possible to correlate the ''Beast Wars'' protohumans with any real prehistoric hominid. The era in which ''Beast Wars'' is set has varied wildly throughout different media, but for any of the purported time periods the level of physical and cultural advancements among the protohumans does not match what the [[wikipedia:Human_evolution|fossil record]] actually shows. Megatron refers to them as "early anthropoids", Cheetor calls them "advanced anthropoids", and the script calls them "[[wikipedia:Neanderthal|Neanderthals]]". At least no one called them "[[Leader-1 (Armada)|Leader-1]]".

[[Category:Beast Wars]]
[[Category:Humans]]

Anthropoid

2010-03-08T08:51:53Z

125.237.141.116: /* Beast Wars cartoon */

:''The protohumans were semi-sentient animals in the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]''

[[Image:Protohumans1 CodeofHero.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"In the beginning..."]]
Millions of years ago in a valley in eastern [[Africa]], there lived tribes of '''protohuman''' primates. At the time of initial contact with [[Transformer|Transformers]], there was little obvious external difference between the protohumans and other animals sharing their environment. But since the protohumans were destined to evolve into the modern [[human]] race, which would in turn play a key role in the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], these simple creatures were targeted for destruction by the time-travelling [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]].

==Fiction==
===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
Voice Actor:[[Gary Chalk]]
When first seen, the protohumans were clearly in a pre-civilization state, living as hunter-gatherers, unable to use tools, wear clothes, or defend themselves from predators, and communicating only by animalistic grunting and body language. After [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] had conclusively proven that he could use the information on the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] to shape the unfolding of future events, he decided to exterminate the protohumans and thus prevent their descendants from helping the [[Autobot]]s win the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. The Predacons began a heavy assault on the protohuman valley, and succeeded in injuring some of them, but their plan was foiled by [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], who not only saved the creatures but also inspired them to use tools in self-defense and food-gathering. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

[[Image:Protohuman weapon CodeofHero.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Collecting all of Dinobot's accessories can be a grueling task.]]
The surviving protohumans scattered across a wide area. Since Transformer scanners have a hard time tracking organic lifeforms, this meant it would be impossible for a similar attack to be attempted again. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}}

Instead, Megatron designed his hunting team of [[Cyber raptor]]s, vicious clones of Dinobot using experimental [[Transmetal 2]] technology, and unleashed them to roam freely killing any protohumans they encountered. By that point protohuman culture had advanced significantly: rudimentary tool use was widespread, individuals garbed themselves in animal skins, and both walking and communication had become more sophisticated. They had not, however, advanced to the point where they could defend themselves from laser-shooting cyborg dinosaurs, so the [[Maximal]]s had to save them again. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}}

As the protohumans observed and interacted with Transformers more and more frequently, their own ability to use technology grew more sophisticated. [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] can probably take some credit for this, as he was holding regular lessons teaching the young Protohumans [[Chak]] and [[Una]] how to use simple machines such as levers, pulleys, and hinges. He also taught them the basics of combat, including how to defend themselves from Transformers, though he preferred that they be constructive and non-violent. Megatron sought to take advantage of the protohumans' ingenuity by kidnapping one and forcing her to complete the construction of an unstable [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] cannon, but the young primate actually outsmarted him. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}}

[[Image:Una Stabilisercrystal GowiththeFlow.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The long, humiliating history of Megatrons being defeated by humans begins here.]]
Eventually, protohumans developed the knowledge to create complex dwelling structures in cliff caves and freestanding houses, as well as mastery of fire, division of labor, gender roles, and mass-production of musical instruments and sturdy weapons such as spears. With that technology and training on their side, a tribe of protohuman warriors was able to repulse the (admittedly scatterbrained) team of [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]]. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

Megatron's continuing obsession with the protohumans eventually hastened his own defeat. Believing that "no score is too small to settle," he ordered [[Dinobot II]] to unleash the full firepower of the [[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]] upon a protohuman—a command so unfair and dishonorable that it sowed the seeds of Dinobot II's eventual revolt against his master. After the Predacons were finally defeated, [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] lived among the "fleshybots" for a time and was worshipped as a ruler or deity. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

===''Beast Machines'' cartoon===
After Waspinator angered them by flicking rocks at their heads, the protohumans revolted against him, chasing him out of their camp and catapulting him off a palm tree. {{storylink|The Catalyst}}

==Notes==
* The [[Vok]] were aware of the existence and importance of the protohumans, since one of the relief images on the [[Golden Disk (Vok)|Alien Disk]] is a humanoid figure standing next to a tree. Precisely what their goals were for humanity is unknown. ''Beast Wars'' story editor [[Bob Forward]] later said that among the many unrealized ideas behind the Vok was the notion that they had put Earth's mysterious energon supplies there as a clean energy source to be used by eventual human descendants.

* It is not possible to correlate the ''Beast Wars'' protohumans with any real prehistoric hominid. The era in which ''Beast Wars'' is set has varied wildly throughout different media, but for any of the purported time periods the level of physical and cultural advancements among the protohumans does not match what the [[wikipedia:Human_evolution|fossil record]] actually shows. Megatron refers to them as "early anthropoids", Cheetor calls them "advanced anthropoids", and the script calls them "[[wikipedia:Neanderthal|Neanderthals]]". At least no one called them "[[Leader-1 (Armada)|Leader-1]]".

[[Category:Beast Wars]]
[[Category:Humans]]

Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)

2010-03-08T08:47:34Z

125.237.141.116: /* Characters */

{{Nav-bw}}

Though [[Trukk not munky|reviled]] by many Transfans when it first hit the airwaves in 1996, the wholly-[[CGI]] '''''Beast Wars''''' is now considered by many to be among the finest examples of Transformers storytelling.

:''Canadian name:'' '''Beasties'''
:''Japanese name (season 1):'' '''Super Lifeform Transformers Beast Wars''' (超生命体トランスフォーマー　ビーストウォーズ, Chō Seimeitai Transformers Beast Wars)
:''Japanese name (season 2-3):'' '''Super Lifeform Transformers Beast Wars Metals''' (超生命体トランスフォーマー　ビーストウォーズ　メタルス, Chō Seimeitai Transformers Beast Wars Metals)
:''French name:'' '''Animutants'''
:''French name (Canada):'' '''Robots-Bêtes'''
:''Italian name:'' '''Biocombat'''
:''Latin-American name:'' '''Guerra de Bestias'''
:''Polish name:'' '''Kosmiczne Wojny''' ("Cosmic Wars")

==Overview==
The series opens at an unspecified time and place, where two warring factions of robots have crashed on a strange planet populated by animals like those on [[Earth]]. The planet abounds in mystery, with vast deposits of raw [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]] and evidence of [[Vok|alien]] activity. The Energon forces the newly arrived Transformers to take on protective beast forms to shield themselves from the ambient Energon radiation. And so begin the Beast Wars...

[[Image:Beastwarsmaxgroup.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Rattrap and Airazor conspire to ruin school picture day.]]
Though at first the show seemed to be in an entirely separate continuity, by the end of the first season's 26 episodes, viewers had been treated to a number of classical Transformers references, such as [[Unicron]] and even the reappearance of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], last seen as a ghost in the third season of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the original cartoon]]. These ties to the original story increased as the second season progressed and the planet was revealed as prehistoric Earth, the characters having been thrown back in time. The third season was entirely structured around the [[Maximal]]s defending their dormant [[Autobot]] ancestors aboard the ancient crashed [[Ark (G1)|Ark]].

The show won over many viewers through fun, intriguing stories and generally high production values. Strong characterization, top-notch scripting and voice acting, and complex, overarching plot threads are among the reasons cited for the show's enduring popularity. Some of the show's mysteries and machinations remain topics for fan debate over a decade after it aired.

The show's CGI, though somewhat primitive by today's standards, was revolutionary by television standards of the time (and puts [[Energon (cartoon)|some later shows]] to [[Cybertron (cartoon)|shame]]). Mainframe's animators took pains to ensure their characters gestured and emoted in great detail, and the "camera" work often took creative advantage of the format's flexibility.

The show was immediately followed by a sequel series, ''[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''.
{{-}}

==Episodes==
{{main|List of Beast Wars episodes}}

''Beast Wars'' has had 52 episodes over 3 seasons.

===Season 1: 1996–1997===
{{columnlist|4|
# [[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]
# [[Beast Wars (Part 2)]]
# [[The Web]]
# [[Equal Measures]]
# [[Chain of Command]]
# [[Power Surge]]
# [[Fallen Comrades]]
# [[Double Jeopardy]]
# [[A Better Mousetrap]]
# [[Gorilla Warfare]]
# [[The Probe]]
# [[Victory (episode)|Victory]]
# [[Dark Designs (episode)|Dark Designs]]
# [[Double Dinobot]]
# [[The Spark]]
# [[The Trigger, Part 1]]
# [[The Trigger, Part 2]]
# [[Spider's Game]]
# [[Call of the Wild]]
# [[Dark Voyage]]
# [[Possession]]
# [[The Low Road]]
# [[Law of the Jungle]]
# [[Before the Storm]]
# [[Other Voices, Part 1]]
# [[Other Voices, Part 2]]}}

===Season 2: 1997–1998===
{{columnlist|4|
# [[Aftermath]]
# [[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)]]
# [[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)]]
# [[Tangled Web]]
# [[Maximal, No More]]
# [[Other Visits (Part 1)]]
# [[Other Visits (Part 2)]]
# [[Bad Spark]]
# [[Code of Hero]]
# [[Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate]]
# [[The Agenda (Part 1)]]
# [[The Agenda (Part 2)]]
# [[The Agenda (Part III)]]}}

===Season 3: 1998–1999===
{{columnlist|4|
# [[Optimal Situation]]
# [[Deep Metal]]
# [[Changing of the Guard]]
# [[Cutting Edge]]
# [[Feral Scream Part 1]]
# [[Feral Scream Part 2]]
# [[Proving Grounds]]
# [[Go with the Flow]]
# [[Crossing the Rubicon]]
# [[Master Blaster]]
# [[Other Victories]]
# [[Nemesis Part 1]]
# [[Nemesis Part 2]]}}

==Characters==
Because developing new CGI character models was, at the time, an expensive and time-consuming process, the number of on-screen characters in ''Beast Wars'' was relatively small compared to most other ''Transformers'' shows. It is thus practical to list all the Transformers who appeared in the cartoon. They are listed in order of appearance. (The [[stasis lock]]ed [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] are not on this list.) Note that many characters besides these are also full-fledged ''Beast Wars'' characters, having appeared in other media.
[[Image:BW Maximals.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Time for Rattrap to lead.]]
[[Image:BW Predacons.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Waspinator is loved by fans.]]

{{-}}

{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] ([[Garry Chalk]])
*[[Rattrap]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] ([[Richard Newman]])
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] ([[Ian James Corlett]])
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]* ([[Scott McNeil]])
*[[Tigatron]] ([[Blu Mankuma]])
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] ([[Pauline Newstone]])
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
*[[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] ([[David Sobolov]])
*[[Tigerhawk]] ([[Blu Mankuma]])
|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] ([[David Kaye]])
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] ([[Don Brown]])
*[[Tarantulas]] ([[Alec Willows]])
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] ([[Doug Parker]])
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]† ([[Venus Terzo]])
*[[Clone One]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] ([[Jim Byrnes]])
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] ([[Colin Murdoch]])
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] ([[Campbell Lane]])
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] ([[Lee Tockar]])
*[[Dinobot II]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
'''[[Tripredacus Council]]'''
*[[Ram Horn]] ([[Lee Tockar]])
*[[Sea Clamp]] ([[Ian James Corlett]])
*[[Cicadacon]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
|c4=
*[[Snowstalker]]
*[[Transmutate (character)|Transmutate]] ([[Susan Blu]])
*Assorted [[Vok]] ([[Blu Mankuma]] and [[Richard Newman]])
*[[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] ([[David Sobolov]])
'''[[Decepticon]]s'''
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] ([[Doug Parker]])
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] ([[Garry Chalk]])
'''[[Protohuman]]s'''
*[[Leader Neanderthal]] ([[Garry Chalk]])
*[[Chak]]
*[[Una]] ([[Susan Blu]])
|nonumbering=true
}}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Allied with the Maximals, nominally a Predacon.

† Became a Maximal towards the end of the series.

==International releases==
===Japan===
In Japan the show was split into 2 separate 26 episode series, ''Beast Wars'' which aired in 1997 (consisting of Canadian season 1) and ''Beast Wars Metals'' which aired in 1999 (consisting of Canadian seasons 2 and 3). The ''Beast Wars Metals'' series featured two additional clip shows:

*Episode 14: "[[Where Is the Banana?]]"
*Episode 26: "[[Remix: I Lost the Banana!]]"

Japan crafted two separate theatrical releases, the first being "[[Beast Wars Special Super Lifeform Transformers]]" (premiering the episode "[[Bad Spark]]" as well as two other segments) and a triple feature of short animated films based on [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] toylines (premiering the episode "[[Cutting Edge]]"). Since these episodes were released theatrically, they are not included in the show's proper 26 episode list, with their places being taken by the pair of aforementioned clip shows.

Additionally, for whatever reason, the Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Wars Metals'' notoriously chose to turn the series into a goofy comedy show with lots of fourth-wall humor and a relentless string of over-the-top and in-your-face jokes, even at the most ''inappropriate'' of moments. This was the work of [[Iwanami Yoshikazu]], director of the Japanese ''Beast Wars'' series.

Some examples include:

* The beginning of every episode would start with one of the characters asking a ridiculous question and receiving equally ridiculous answers (Optimus Primal asking "Where is my banana", for instance) before segueing into the [[War War! Stop It|opening rap theme]] by [[Banana Ice]]. (On that music note, "[[For the Dream|FOR THE DREAM]]" is the closing song, while "[[Hello! Toughness]]" was the ending song for the special "[[Clash! Beast Warriors]]".)
* An attempt was made to ensure that nary a moment went by in which at least ''one'' character wasn't talking. Dramatic silences and subtle jokes involving body language or facial expressions were killed with meaningless, prattling dialogue and corny jokes. Characters could even be heard talking when their lips were visibly ''not moving at all''. Even in close ups. Perhaps worst of all, a "gag" that ran through the course of the entire series featured each character "making noises" every single time they fired their weapon. For instance, Rattrap would make a sound along the likes of "pikyuu!" every time he fired. Every. Single. Time.
* Rattrap would constantly break the fourth wall by "smelling" what the audience was eating and make gluttonous comments.
* Many characters received completely new personalities that were polar opposites to their Western interpretation (Depth Charge enjoyed singing folk songs while Megatron became a flamboyant madman that shrieked like a little girl at the sight of danger). A character had their gender altered (poor, poor Airazor).
* Clip shows would feature the characters interacting in silly situations such as game shows and contests (in one instance, Megatron acted as judge in a celebrity impersonation contest).

While many long-time ''Transformers'' fans in Japan reviled this dub (including [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]]) it remained a hit with its target audience: young children. At any rate, this version of ''Beast Wars'' was popular enough to spawn two equally goofy-natured spin-offs, ''[[Beast Wars II (cartoon)|Beast Wars II]]'' and ''[[Beast Wars Neo (cartoon)|Beast Wars Neo]]'', and two Japanese-exclusive theatrical releases.

[[Pioneer]]'s Japanese DVD sets of the series come with optional English language dialogue with Japanese subtitles, allowing fans in Japan to view the more serious version of the show if desired.

===United Kingdom===

[[Image:UK Beast Wars Vol3 VHS.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Not featuring [[Razorclaw (BW)|Razorclaw]]]]
When originally aired on GMTV in the United Kingdom, ''Beast Wars'' was only screened on school holidays, usually in double bills on Bank Holidays, and one episode per morning on half-term weeks, meaning that only a few episodes were shown a year, with wide gulfs in between (most prominently, ''three months'' passed between the airings of "Other Visits" parts [[Other Visits (Part 1)|1]] and [[Other Visits (Part 2)|2]]). In a sign of things to come, "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]" was shown some 25 minutes earlier than billed due to re-scheduled news reports, meaning many fans missed the entire opening episode. Things went from bad to worse when "[[Equal Measures]]" was skipped, and only continued when, after "[[Victory (episode)|Victory]]", the series skipped directly to "[[Other Voices, Part 1]]". The entirety of the second season followed the conclusion of the first, but the channel never aired the third season; although it was subsequently released on VHS, the cliffhanger-resolving "[[Optimal Situation]]" was only available as a free gift with purchase at [[Toys"R"Us]].

[[Image:UK Beast Wars Beginning Vol1 VHS.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Over two hours long!]]
Additionally, these GMTV airings were modified in various ways. The first and most foremost alteration was the removal of the word "Transformers" from the series' title, which was only reinstated with "[[Other Voices, Part 1]]". With regard to the actual content, the earliest episodes generally had nothing more extreme than the removal of uses of the word "[[Slag (slang)|slag]]" (as it is effectively a synonym for "slut" in English slang), but with the beginning of the second season, edits were steadily made to episodes for no readily apparent reasons. Additionally, any scenes featuring flashing images were routinely put through a filter that slowed such scenes down to comical levels. This culminated in a butchered version of "[[The Agenda (Part 1)|The Agenda]]", which snipped out many short scenes throughout all three episodes for no reason, from inconsequential moments like Tarantulas cackling and driving out of his lab in Part 1, to key scenes such as Silverbolt and Optimus Primal's "office talk" in Part 2, and in what was the last straw for many fans, the complete second half of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s speech (''the part explaining [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s entire motivation''), also from Part 2.

[[Image:UK Beast Wars Vol2 DVD.jpg|left|150px|thumb|]]
During the time they had the rights to the series, GMTV also showed the entirety of seasons one and two on the then cable-only channel ITV 2.

Almost the entire run of the show ended up on VHS from 2000 to 2001, oddly missing "[[Aftermath]]" and "Optimal Situation". This time, cuts were gone! Characters could rightfully swear! '''Season 3 was finally released!''' Season 3 got the first release, in Volumes 1 through 4, with box art of characters being used on the covers. Then, Season 2 got collected as well, as... Volumes 5 through 8. (''That'' must've confused some kiddies.) Finally, Season 1 was collected as ''Beast Wars: The Beginning''. These later releases used CGI art. DVD collections have so far been absent, beyond two super-cheap DVD releases by [[Universal]]. The first collected "The Agenda" through to "Cutting Edge", followed by one just collecting "Feral Scream" and "Proving Grounds". They're now out of print.

Channel 5, a terrestrial channel, showed the entire series in its complete form in 2003. Thankfully. This got rerun too, leading to the ''Beast Wars'' comics getting [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|used as reprints in Titan's Movie-based comic]].

{{-}}

===France===
In France and (French) Belgium, the show was called "Animutants" and had a good quality dubbing, rather close to the original voices. But while the first two seasons of the show were aired, the third one never was; the show always ended with "[[The Agenda (Part III)]]", leaving the viewers in the area with the worst case of cliffhanger ever.

===Vietnam===
In Vietnam, the show was called "Chiến tranh quái vật vũ trụ" (Galaxy Monster Wars). The show was released on VHS tapes with a very good Vietnamese dub, then it was copied to VCD. Unfortunately, as happened in France, only the first two seasons were aired. It ended with "[[The Agenda (Part III)]]", and left the fans with a cliffhanger.

===Germany===
The German dub used the original title, ''Beast Wars'''. The show was initially very successful on the TV Station RTL2 and was released on VHS. However, only the first season was shown and dubbed. Furthermore, the TV broadcast had many fight scenes censored to comply with Germany's strict laws against TV violence; however, the VHS Release was uncut. After many reruns the show was cancelled and the second and third Season were never shown in Germany.

==Trivia==
* The first season of ''Beast Wars'' cost $18 million, according to [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_thread/thread/b334d45514e26ab4/bc8e54e9165e0823?hl=en&lnk=st&q=bob+forward+interview+inferno+megatron&rnum=1#bc8e54e9165e0823 a 1997 interview with Bob Forward].
* [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-CLUB_%28%E6%A8%A1%E5%9E%8B%E9%9B%91%E8%AA%8C%29 B-Club magazine] erroneously claims that ''Beast Wars'' is the first fully CGI television show in the world, a title actually held by ''[[:wikipedia:Insektors|Insektors]]''. Mainframe's own CGI show ''[[wikipedia:ReBoot|ReBoot]]'' also predates ''Beast Wars''.
* The Production Designer for the show, [[Clyde Klotz]], won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation in 1997. How cool is that?

==See also==
*[[Dark Glass]] was an unproduced script intended for season 3.

[[Category:Beast Wars| Beast Wars (cartoon)]]
[[Category:Mainframe]]
[[Category:Television series]]

Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)

2010-03-08T08:45:51Z

125.237.141.116: /* Characters */

{{Nav-bw}}

Though [[Trukk not munky|reviled]] by many Transfans when it first hit the airwaves in 1996, the wholly-[[CGI]] '''''Beast Wars''''' is now considered by many to be among the finest examples of Transformers storytelling.

:''Canadian name:'' '''Beasties'''
:''Japanese name (season 1):'' '''Super Lifeform Transformers Beast Wars''' (超生命体トランスフォーマー　ビーストウォーズ, Chō Seimeitai Transformers Beast Wars)
:''Japanese name (season 2-3):'' '''Super Lifeform Transformers Beast Wars Metals''' (超生命体トランスフォーマー　ビーストウォーズ　メタルス, Chō Seimeitai Transformers Beast Wars Metals)
:''French name:'' '''Animutants'''
:''French name (Canada):'' '''Robots-Bêtes'''
:''Italian name:'' '''Biocombat'''
:''Latin-American name:'' '''Guerra de Bestias'''
:''Polish name:'' '''Kosmiczne Wojny''' ("Cosmic Wars")

==Overview==
The series opens at an unspecified time and place, where two warring factions of robots have crashed on a strange planet populated by animals like those on [[Earth]]. The planet abounds in mystery, with vast deposits of raw [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]] and evidence of [[Vok|alien]] activity. The Energon forces the newly arrived Transformers to take on protective beast forms to shield themselves from the ambient Energon radiation. And so begin the Beast Wars...

[[Image:Beastwarsmaxgroup.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Rattrap and Airazor conspire to ruin school picture day.]]
Though at first the show seemed to be in an entirely separate continuity, by the end of the first season's 26 episodes, viewers had been treated to a number of classical Transformers references, such as [[Unicron]] and even the reappearance of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], last seen as a ghost in the third season of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the original cartoon]]. These ties to the original story increased as the second season progressed and the planet was revealed as prehistoric Earth, the characters having been thrown back in time. The third season was entirely structured around the [[Maximal]]s defending their dormant [[Autobot]] ancestors aboard the ancient crashed [[Ark (G1)|Ark]].

The show won over many viewers through fun, intriguing stories and generally high production values. Strong characterization, top-notch scripting and voice acting, and complex, overarching plot threads are among the reasons cited for the show's enduring popularity. Some of the show's mysteries and machinations remain topics for fan debate over a decade after it aired.

The show's CGI, though somewhat primitive by today's standards, was revolutionary by television standards of the time (and puts [[Energon (cartoon)|some later shows]] to [[Cybertron (cartoon)|shame]]). Mainframe's animators took pains to ensure their characters gestured and emoted in great detail, and the "camera" work often took creative advantage of the format's flexibility.

The show was immediately followed by a sequel series, ''[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''.
{{-}}

==Episodes==
{{main|List of Beast Wars episodes}}

''Beast Wars'' has had 52 episodes over 3 seasons.

===Season 1: 1996–1997===
{{columnlist|4|
# [[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]
# [[Beast Wars (Part 2)]]
# [[The Web]]
# [[Equal Measures]]
# [[Chain of Command]]
# [[Power Surge]]
# [[Fallen Comrades]]
# [[Double Jeopardy]]
# [[A Better Mousetrap]]
# [[Gorilla Warfare]]
# [[The Probe]]
# [[Victory (episode)|Victory]]
# [[Dark Designs (episode)|Dark Designs]]
# [[Double Dinobot]]
# [[The Spark]]
# [[The Trigger, Part 1]]
# [[The Trigger, Part 2]]
# [[Spider's Game]]
# [[Call of the Wild]]
# [[Dark Voyage]]
# [[Possession]]
# [[The Low Road]]
# [[Law of the Jungle]]
# [[Before the Storm]]
# [[Other Voices, Part 1]]
# [[Other Voices, Part 2]]}}

===Season 2: 1997–1998===
{{columnlist|4|
# [[Aftermath]]
# [[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)]]
# [[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)]]
# [[Tangled Web]]
# [[Maximal, No More]]
# [[Other Visits (Part 1)]]
# [[Other Visits (Part 2)]]
# [[Bad Spark]]
# [[Code of Hero]]
# [[Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate]]
# [[The Agenda (Part 1)]]
# [[The Agenda (Part 2)]]
# [[The Agenda (Part III)]]}}

===Season 3: 1998–1999===
{{columnlist|4|
# [[Optimal Situation]]
# [[Deep Metal]]
# [[Changing of the Guard]]
# [[Cutting Edge]]
# [[Feral Scream Part 1]]
# [[Feral Scream Part 2]]
# [[Proving Grounds]]
# [[Go with the Flow]]
# [[Crossing the Rubicon]]
# [[Master Blaster]]
# [[Other Victories]]
# [[Nemesis Part 1]]
# [[Nemesis Part 2]]}}

==Characters==
Because developing new CGI character models was, at the time, an expensive and time-consuming process, the number of on-screen characters in ''Beast Wars'' was relatively small compared to most other ''Transformers'' shows. It is thus practical to list all the Transformers who appeared in the cartoon. They are listed in order of appearance. (The [[stasis lock]]ed [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] are not on this list.) Note that many characters besides these are also full-fledged ''Beast Wars'' characters, having appeared in other media.
[[Image:BW Maximals.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Time for Rattrap to lead.]]
[[Image:BW Predacons.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Waspinator is loved by fans.]]

{{-}}

{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] ([[Garry Chalk]])
*[[Rattrap]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] ([[Richard Newman]])
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] ([[Ian James Corlett]])
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]* ([[Scott McNeil]])
*[[Tigatron]] ([[Blu Mankuma]])
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] ([[Pauline Newstone]])
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
*[[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] ([[David Sobolov]])
*[[Tigerhawk]] ([[Blu Mankuma]])
|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] ([[David Kaye]])
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] ([[Don Brown]])
*[[Tarantulas]] ([[Alec Willows]])
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] ([[Doug Parker]])
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]† ([[Venus Terzo]])
*[[Clone One]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] ([[Jim Byrnes]])
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] ([[Colin Murdoch]])
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] ([[Campbell Lane]])
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] ([[Lee Tockar]])
*[[Dinobot II]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
'''[[Tripredacus Council]]'''
*[[Ram Horn]] ([[Lee Tockar]])
*[[Sea Clamp]] ([[Ian James Corlett]])
*[[Cicadacon]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
|c4=
*[[Snowstalker]]
*[[Transmutate (character)|Transmutate]] ([[Susan Blu]])
*Assorted [[Vok]] ([[Blu Mankuma]] and [[Richard Newman]])
*[[Teletraan 1 (G1)|Teletraan 1]] ([[David Sobolov]]
'''[[Decepticon]]s'''
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] ([[Doug Parker]])
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] ([[Garry Chalk]])
'''[[Protohuman]]s'''
*[[Leader Neanderthal]] ([[Garry Chalk]])
*[[Chak]]
*[[Una]] ([[Susan Blu]])
|nonumbering=true
}}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Allied with the Maximals, nominally a Predacon.

† Became a Maximal towards the end of the series.

==International releases==
===Japan===
In Japan the show was split into 2 separate 26 episode series, ''Beast Wars'' which aired in 1997 (consisting of Canadian season 1) and ''Beast Wars Metals'' which aired in 1999 (consisting of Canadian seasons 2 and 3). The ''Beast Wars Metals'' series featured two additional clip shows:

*Episode 14: "[[Where Is the Banana?]]"
*Episode 26: "[[Remix: I Lost the Banana!]]"

Japan crafted two separate theatrical releases, the first being "[[Beast Wars Special Super Lifeform Transformers]]" (premiering the episode "[[Bad Spark]]" as well as two other segments) and a triple feature of short animated films based on [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] toylines (premiering the episode "[[Cutting Edge]]"). Since these episodes were released theatrically, they are not included in the show's proper 26 episode list, with their places being taken by the pair of aforementioned clip shows.

Additionally, for whatever reason, the Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Wars Metals'' notoriously chose to turn the series into a goofy comedy show with lots of fourth-wall humor and a relentless string of over-the-top and in-your-face jokes, even at the most ''inappropriate'' of moments. This was the work of [[Iwanami Yoshikazu]], director of the Japanese ''Beast Wars'' series.

Some examples include:

* The beginning of every episode would start with one of the characters asking a ridiculous question and receiving equally ridiculous answers (Optimus Primal asking "Where is my banana", for instance) before segueing into the [[War War! Stop It|opening rap theme]] by [[Banana Ice]]. (On that music note, "[[For the Dream|FOR THE DREAM]]" is the closing song, while "[[Hello! Toughness]]" was the ending song for the special "[[Clash! Beast Warriors]]".)
* An attempt was made to ensure that nary a moment went by in which at least ''one'' character wasn't talking. Dramatic silences and subtle jokes involving body language or facial expressions were killed with meaningless, prattling dialogue and corny jokes. Characters could even be heard talking when their lips were visibly ''not moving at all''. Even in close ups. Perhaps worst of all, a "gag" that ran through the course of the entire series featured each character "making noises" every single time they fired their weapon. For instance, Rattrap would make a sound along the likes of "pikyuu!" every time he fired. Every. Single. Time.
* Rattrap would constantly break the fourth wall by "smelling" what the audience was eating and make gluttonous comments.
* Many characters received completely new personalities that were polar opposites to their Western interpretation (Depth Charge enjoyed singing folk songs while Megatron became a flamboyant madman that shrieked like a little girl at the sight of danger). A character had their gender altered (poor, poor Airazor).
* Clip shows would feature the characters interacting in silly situations such as game shows and contests (in one instance, Megatron acted as judge in a celebrity impersonation contest).

While many long-time ''Transformers'' fans in Japan reviled this dub (including [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]]) it remained a hit with its target audience: young children. At any rate, this version of ''Beast Wars'' was popular enough to spawn two equally goofy-natured spin-offs, ''[[Beast Wars II (cartoon)|Beast Wars II]]'' and ''[[Beast Wars Neo (cartoon)|Beast Wars Neo]]'', and two Japanese-exclusive theatrical releases.

[[Pioneer]]'s Japanese DVD sets of the series come with optional English language dialogue with Japanese subtitles, allowing fans in Japan to view the more serious version of the show if desired.

===United Kingdom===

[[Image:UK Beast Wars Vol3 VHS.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Not featuring [[Razorclaw (BW)|Razorclaw]]]]
When originally aired on GMTV in the United Kingdom, ''Beast Wars'' was only screened on school holidays, usually in double bills on Bank Holidays, and one episode per morning on half-term weeks, meaning that only a few episodes were shown a year, with wide gulfs in between (most prominently, ''three months'' passed between the airings of "Other Visits" parts [[Other Visits (Part 1)|1]] and [[Other Visits (Part 2)|2]]). In a sign of things to come, "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]" was shown some 25 minutes earlier than billed due to re-scheduled news reports, meaning many fans missed the entire opening episode. Things went from bad to worse when "[[Equal Measures]]" was skipped, and only continued when, after "[[Victory (episode)|Victory]]", the series skipped directly to "[[Other Voices, Part 1]]". The entirety of the second season followed the conclusion of the first, but the channel never aired the third season; although it was subsequently released on VHS, the cliffhanger-resolving "[[Optimal Situation]]" was only available as a free gift with purchase at [[Toys"R"Us]].

[[Image:UK Beast Wars Beginning Vol1 VHS.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Over two hours long!]]
Additionally, these GMTV airings were modified in various ways. The first and most foremost alteration was the removal of the word "Transformers" from the series' title, which was only reinstated with "[[Other Voices, Part 1]]". With regard to the actual content, the earliest episodes generally had nothing more extreme than the removal of uses of the word "[[Slag (slang)|slag]]" (as it is effectively a synonym for "slut" in English slang), but with the beginning of the second season, edits were steadily made to episodes for no readily apparent reasons. Additionally, any scenes featuring flashing images were routinely put through a filter that slowed such scenes down to comical levels. This culminated in a butchered version of "[[The Agenda (Part 1)|The Agenda]]", which snipped out many short scenes throughout all three episodes for no reason, from inconsequential moments like Tarantulas cackling and driving out of his lab in Part 1, to key scenes such as Silverbolt and Optimus Primal's "office talk" in Part 2, and in what was the last straw for many fans, the complete second half of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s speech (''the part explaining [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s entire motivation''), also from Part 2.

[[Image:UK Beast Wars Vol2 DVD.jpg|left|150px|thumb|]]
During the time they had the rights to the series, GMTV also showed the entirety of seasons one and two on the then cable-only channel ITV 2.

Almost the entire run of the show ended up on VHS from 2000 to 2001, oddly missing "[[Aftermath]]" and "Optimal Situation". This time, cuts were gone! Characters could rightfully swear! '''Season 3 was finally released!''' Season 3 got the first release, in Volumes 1 through 4, with box art of characters being used on the covers. Then, Season 2 got collected as well, as... Volumes 5 through 8. (''That'' must've confused some kiddies.) Finally, Season 1 was collected as ''Beast Wars: The Beginning''. These later releases used CGI art. DVD collections have so far been absent, beyond two super-cheap DVD releases by [[Universal]]. The first collected "The Agenda" through to "Cutting Edge", followed by one just collecting "Feral Scream" and "Proving Grounds". They're now out of print.

Channel 5, a terrestrial channel, showed the entire series in its complete form in 2003. Thankfully. This got rerun too, leading to the ''Beast Wars'' comics getting [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|used as reprints in Titan's Movie-based comic]].

{{-}}

===France===
In France and (French) Belgium, the show was called "Animutants" and had a good quality dubbing, rather close to the original voices. But while the first two seasons of the show were aired, the third one never was; the show always ended with "[[The Agenda (Part III)]]", leaving the viewers in the area with the worst case of cliffhanger ever.

===Vietnam===
In Vietnam, the show was called "Chiến tranh quái vật vũ trụ" (Galaxy Monster Wars). The show was released on VHS tapes with a very good Vietnamese dub, then it was copied to VCD. Unfortunately, as happened in France, only the first two seasons were aired. It ended with "[[The Agenda (Part III)]]", and left the fans with a cliffhanger.

===Germany===
The German dub used the original title, ''Beast Wars'''. The show was initially very successful on the TV Station RTL2 and was released on VHS. However, only the first season was shown and dubbed. Furthermore, the TV broadcast had many fight scenes censored to comply with Germany's strict laws against TV violence; however, the VHS Release was uncut. After many reruns the show was cancelled and the second and third Season were never shown in Germany.

==Trivia==
* The first season of ''Beast Wars'' cost $18 million, according to [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_thread/thread/b334d45514e26ab4/bc8e54e9165e0823?hl=en&lnk=st&q=bob+forward+interview+inferno+megatron&rnum=1#bc8e54e9165e0823 a 1997 interview with Bob Forward].
* [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-CLUB_%28%E6%A8%A1%E5%9E%8B%E9%9B%91%E8%AA%8C%29 B-Club magazine] erroneously claims that ''Beast Wars'' is the first fully CGI television show in the world, a title actually held by ''[[:wikipedia:Insektors|Insektors]]''. Mainframe's own CGI show ''[[wikipedia:ReBoot|ReBoot]]'' also predates ''Beast Wars''.
* The Production Designer for the show, [[Clyde Klotz]], won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation in 1997. How cool is that?

==See also==
*[[Dark Glass]] was an unproduced script intended for season 3.

[[Category:Beast Wars| Beast Wars (cartoon)]]
[[Category:Mainframe]]
[[Category:Television series]]

Destron (disambiguation)

2010-03-08T08:11:06Z

125.237.141.116:

'''Destron''' has more than one meaning in ''Transformers''.

*The Japanese name for the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] and the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]].
*[[Destron (G1)|Destron]], the faction in Dreamwave Generation 1 continuity.
*[[Destron (BW)|Destron]], the faction in IDW ''Beast Wars'' continuity.
*[[Destron Pizza]]

"Destron" should not be confused with

*[[Destro]] an affiliate of [[Cobra]] from [[Generation 1]]

*[[Destroids]] [[zombie]] [[human]]s from [[Super-God Masterforce]]

{{disambig}}