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Airachnid (Prime)

2012-05-08T04:47:54Z

125.237.143.132: /* Prime cartoon */

{{faction|decepticon}}
{{disambig2|the Decepticon spider-copter|the Predacon spider-base|Arachnid}}
:''Airachnid is a Decepticon from the [[Transformers: Prime (franchise)| Prime]] portion of the [[Aligned continuity family]].''

[[Image:Airachnid-HowToDraw.jpg|right|thumb|300px|There once was a spider who knew how to fly / I don't know why the spider could fly / Perhaps you'll die]]

Long ago, '''Airachnid''' was with the [[Decepticon]]s, where her cruel, cold-sparked, murderous demeanor served her well. But after the [[Great Exodus]] of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], she decided to go solo. Nevertheless, she still feels a sort of kinship with her former allies, so if a [[MECH|group of humans]] attempted to disassemble a [[Breakdown (Prime)|Decepticon]], she would take offense to it.

These days, Airachnid spends her time engaging in her new hobby: collecting [[Airachnid's specimens|endangered species]]. Well, parts of endangered species. Mostly the heads.

And if a species ''isn't'' endangered? Oh, they will be. She'll make ''sure'' of that. And she'll make sure it's a slow, painful process.

==Fiction==
===''Prime'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Gina Torres]] (English)|[[Erica Edwards]] (Latin American-Spanish), [[Heide Domanowski]] (German)}}

[[Image:Airachnid.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Shelob gave dieting a go after seeing how much weight her director lost.]]

During the war for Cybertron, Airachnid managed to capture [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and her partner [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]]. Quickly realizing that Arcee would resist the physical torture she used, Airachnid decided to employ a simpler threat: Tell her the attack coordinates of an impeding attack, or Tailgate dies. Arcee insisted she didn't know the coordinates, but Airachnid didn't believe her and killed Tailgate. Moments later, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] burst into the holding room, killing the two [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s and rescuing Arcee. Airachnid, however, escaped.

Following the [[Great Exodus]], Airachnid concluded that the war was over, meaning she needed a new way to spend her time. Abandoning the Decepticons, she decided to hunt sentient species, then wipe them out after getting a trophy. Eventually, Airachnid crash-landed [[Airachnid's ship|her ship]] on [[Earth]]. She initially laid her optics on a lone camper, but was ambushed by Arcee. While Arcee gained the upper hand, she was distracted by her human partner, [[Jack Darby]], and Airachnid webbed her to a rock. Having learned of Cliffjumper's recent demise, Airachnid decided that making Jack her next trophy would be a delicious way to hurt Arcee before finally snuffing out her [[spark]]. She chased Jack back to her ship, but discovered too late that the human had snuck out the underside. She spotted Jack ''just'' in time to see him hurl a flaming stick into a pool of [[energon]] that was leaking from her ship. Airachnid barely managed to escape the explosion, but she was wounded and ''really'' pissed. She managed to web the fleeing Jack to a tree, but before Airachnid could deliver the killing blow, Arcee came to the rescue and absolutely wiped the forest floor with the Decepticon. Deciding she had endured enough for one night, Airachnid drilled into the ground and fled. {{storylink|Predatory}}

[[Image:Crisscross-helicopter.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Finally a use for those helicopter cockpit halves on her shoulders!]]
Learning of [[MECH]]'s treatment of [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]], Airachnid engineered a distress call which lured [[Silas]] to the forest. She made a deal with the MECH agent to give him Arcee – at least, what would be ''left'' of her – if he could deliver Jack to her. Silas used the [[Internet]] to track down information on Jack and have [[June Darby]] kidnapped so Airachnid cocooned her and dangled her from a building in the disused [[Jasper]] factory MECH was occupying. When Jack arrived, Airacnid gave him six minutes to rescue his mother. She followed Jack around the factory and, when he eventually found June and claimed victory, she pointed out the task was to ''rescue'' mom, not just find her. Before Airachnid could start with the dismemberment, Arcee arrived to attack her and the two enemies fought at length around the building's structure. During the fight, Airachnid was thrown into a container and coated with concrete, but managed to get free and web Arcee to the ground. She was about to finish off Arcee when she was attacked by [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]]'s helicopters, and was forced to [[scanning|scan]] one so she could escape. {{storylink|Crisscross}}

[[Image:MetalAttraction-Airachnidcaptured.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Breakdown, you have a bug on your... um... windshield?"]]
Airachnid followed a magnetic signal and found [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] with a [[polarity gauntlet]]. Seeking to obtain the weapon, she buried him underground, but he escaped and she was forced to fight him. Then Arcee turned up with a [[Bulkhead (Prime)|new partner for her to snuff]] and she had to fight them as well. When Breakdown activated the gauntlet, she fled in alarm. She later ambushed the 'Con on his way back to the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'', taking the gauntlet from him and reacting with disdain to his suggestion they could take it back to [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] together. The Autobots caught up with them, and Airachnid used the gauntlet to draw Arcee to her for a little one-on-one fighting. When the battle started to turn sour, however, she grabbed the gauntlet and attempted to flee in her helicopter form. Unfortunately, Bulkhead grabbed her and threw her into Breakdown. Fused magnetically to the 'Con, she was carried back to the ''Nemesis'', where she had no choice but to rejoin the Decepticons. {{storylink|Metal Attraction}}

[[Image:Partners-Immobilizer.jpg|thumb|250px|"Even shinier than the [[Polarity gauntlet]]!"]]
Immediately ingratiating herself with Megatron, Airachnid told the Decepticon leader that [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] had been keeping information to himself, such as the location of the crashed Decepticon ship, the ''[[Harbinger]]''. Megatron ordered Starscream to take Airachnid to the ship's crash site and secure the experimental weapon it contained. Once there, Airachnid discovered that the half of the ship containing the [[Immobilizer]] had broken off before impact. She webbed up Starscream and forced him to tell her the location of the aft section, but was attacked by the Autobots while leaving. After a brief fight with Arcee, Airachnid was chased off by [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]], and instead went to find the ''Harbinger''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> aft. She quickly located it and retrieved the Immobilizer, then lay in wait as Optimus's team approached the ship. She was able to freeze Bulkhead and Optimus, but some deft trickery by Bumblebee allowed him to sneak up on her and destroy the Immobilizer. She retreated back to the ''Nemesis'' where she tried to blame the loss of the Immobilizer on Starscream as well as explain why she left him behind. Unluckily for her, an enraged Megatron roared that by allowing the Decepticon second-in-command to be taken prisoner, she'd just put all Decepticon intelligence at the fingertips of the Autobots. {{storylink|Partners}}

Despite this, she was promoted to Second in Command during Starscream's absence. {{storylink|One Shall Fall}} Breakdown seemed to have developed a crush on Airachnid. {{storylink|Stronger, Faster}}

[[Image:Tfprime Airachnid thoughts of betrayal.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Who needs Starscream?]]
When the Decepticons located the last part they needed for their space bridge in a human installation, Airachnid suggested she could burrow up under it, but Megatron announced that the time for stealth was past, so she didn't. Once they secured the power source they needed, Airachnid and Knock Out observed Megatron acting strangely and wondered if their leader was losing it. {{storylink|One Shall Fall}} While the [[Decepticon Miner|miners]] gathered up [[Dark Energon]], Airachnid hung out on the bridge and watched as [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] played back [[Unicron]]'s pulse. She reported to Megatron that the hold was full, and they should think about retreating. He responded by leaving her in charge while he went to go and talk to Unicron. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}} Airachnid returned the ''Nemesis'' to orbit to wait. When no further word came from Megatron, she told Soundwave that Megatron might not be coming back. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 2}}

[[Image:OneShallRise3-SoundwaveAirachnid.jpg|right|thumb|250px|''Round One. FIGHT!!!'']]
When she called the ''Nemesis''<nowiki>'</nowiki> crew to the bridge, she had deduced that Megatron, either deceased or deep within Unicron, had abandoned them, and with Earth falling into chaos, decided that they should relocate to [[Regulon Four]]. As none of the other Decepticons spoke out against her, Airachnid ordered Soundwave to set the ''Nemesis'' on course, however the silent Decepticon refused to comply. She attempted to assert her leadership by attacking him, only to discover that she was no match for Soundwave and his Minicon [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]]. The pair double-teamed her, and she was forced to yield when held underfoot. She subsequently decided to be elsewhere when Megatron did return. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

Airachnid was soon back as Megatron's subordinate, though she expressed her concern about the amnesiac Optimus Prime being allowed full run of the ship. When Arcee sneaked on board The Nemesis to find Optimus, Airachnid readily volunteered to go and deal with her, even offering to offline The Autobot. However, Megatron felt that the situation needed to be dealt with more subtly, so he sent Soundwave instead. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}}

[[Image:Crossfire Airachnid captures Arcee.jpg|thumb|left|250px|]]
Though Airachnid offered to employ her tracking skills in finding more artifacts, Megatron instead had [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] and Breakdown try to offline her. She webbed the former to a tree and dismantled the latter. Not long after, she encountered an [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] which she was able to control. After an encounter with Starscream, she lured Megatron to an abandoned energon mine and set the Insecticon on him, watching the fight until she was attacked by Arcee. The Autobot pursued her as she burrowed away, but Airachnid managed to ambush her foe. She was prevented from terminating the helpless Arcee by Starscream, and instead had to flee, but this fortuitously led her to stumble on a whole Insecticon hive. {{Storylink|Crossfire}}

Detecting a beacon transmitting from the ''Nemesis'', Airachnid returned to the Insecticon hive and awakened the army to go eliminate Megatron. Their activity drew the attention of the Autobots, and though Airachnid sent Insecticons after them, Arcee relentlessly pursued her into the Insecticon hive. As they fought, Arcee had the spider at gun point, though Airachnid dared Arcee to kill her painfully, Arcee refused. The two fought some more before Arcee managed to maneuver Airachnid onto one of the pods, which closed and put her into stasis while she lost another of her eight legs. Her stasis lock also broke her control over the Insecticons who joined Megatron. The stasis-locked Airachnid was taken back to [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|the Autobot base]]. {{storylink|Armada (episode)|Armada}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Prime===
[[Image:Primetoy-AirachnidRID.jpg|right|thumb|300px|]]
*'''Airachnid''' (Deluxe, 2012)
:Airachnid transforms from a stealth helicopter into robot mode and back again!
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}
*'''Airachnid''' (Cyberverse Legion, 2013)
{{comingsoontoy}}

==Notes==
* Her head design is reminiscent of both the Disney villain [[wikipedia:Maleficent|Maleficent]] and the similarly spider-like ''Doctor Who'' monster [[wikipedia:List_of_Doctor_Who_monsters_and_aliens#Racnoss|The Empress of the Racnoss]].
* Airachnid went her entire introductory episode without transforming into a true [[alternate mode]], only from biped-mode to spider-legs mode and back. This is due to her not scanning an alternate mode until "[[Crisscross]]".
* The said alternate mode doesn't really make sense: Airachnid scanned Agent Fowler's Bell 212 Huey helicopter, but she somehow ended up with a stealth helicopter alt-mode.
* The existence of the name "Airachnid" was first revealed when Hasbro filed an intent-to-use [http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=77892423 trademark application] for the term with the US Trademark and Patent Office. However, the application was eventually denied for registration.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/beast-wars-2/case-closed---goodbye-airachnid-170451/ "Case Closed – Goodbye Airachnid"]</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Prime Decepticons]]
[[Category:Female Transformers]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]

Crossfire (Prime)

2012-05-08T04:16:35Z

125.237.143.132:

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 33
|prev=Loose Cannons
|next=Nemesis Prime (episode)
|image=Crossfire Megatron and Insecticon close together.jpg
|caption=You'll get caught up in the...
|title="Crossfire"
|airdate=[[March 31]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Shaunt Nigoghossian]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Airachnid pulls the fast one on the Decepticons, while Megatron struggles with an Insceticon. Meanwhile Starscream continues to be an informant for the Autobots'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Crossfire MECH finds Breakdown.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Finally I can get ahead in this organization."]]
[[Airachnid]] muses to [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] about [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]]'s inevitable decryption of the [[Project Iacon|Iacon files,]] and requests for her tracking abilities to be enlisted in the search for the resulting coordinates. Megatron dismisses her, and Soundwave replays the audio of her suggestion to leave Megatron [[One Shall Rise, Part 2|earlier]]. He contacts [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]], who replies with an oath of loyalty. The leader orders him to perform a task he normally performs [[Rock Bottom|himself]], but now leaves to his first officer. The Seeker is confused, as Airachnid holds that position, but his mission becomes clear—he is to dispose of the treacherous spider.

[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]], Dreadwing, and Airachnid follow the trail of an unconfirmed [[energon]] deposit. Airachnid is amused at the heavy backup, and takes the opportunity to grill Breakdown on his lack of skill, and lack of eye. Dreadwing attempts to calm him, but another insult puts him into a frenzy. He jumps at the spider, but is webbed in the face. Dreadwing joins the fray, but is pinned to a tree by Airachnid's webbing, but not before he lets off a blast which collapses a tree on Airachnid, damaging one of her legs and forcing her to retreat. Breakdown gives chase, and finds her collapsed in a ravine, but as he raises his hammer to finish her, he is snagged by a webbing booby trap the renegade fembot has laid for him. Immobilized, Breakdown can do nothing to stop Airachnid from slicing him to pieces. She leaves his remains behind, which are presently discovered by a contingent of [[MECH]] soldiers.

[[Image:Crossfire Starscream and Airachnid plot.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"This is going to be awesome! With this Insecticon we can off Megatron and take over the whole thing!" "Insecticon, eat him."]]
In a cave, [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] pities his lot in life as he jumps for a meager scrap of energon. He is interrupted by a nearby rumbling that surprises him—it is an [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]], unearthing a large chunk of energon. He orders the brute to hand it over, but it attacks him, forcing him to hide. He witnesses the Insecticon bowing to another surprise—Airachnid. He makes himself known, and she makes her rogue status known, giving Starscream the idea to propose an alliance to overthrow Megatron with the help of her oversized herald. She proposes an alternative—she overthrows Megatron, and Starscream dies. She orders the Insecticon to kill him.

At the base, [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] receives another [[Orion Pax, Part 2|high frequency signal with an embedded message,]] again from Starscream, who promises valuable intel in exchange for medical aid. His intel proves none-too-relevant until he mentions the Insecticon, and provides Airachnid's location. Back at base, [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] berates Ratchet and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] for letting him go again, but [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus]] is confident in sparing helpless lifeforms, regardless of personal vendettas.

[[Image:Crossfire Optimus aims at Megatron.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"One shall stand, one sha-oh, wait, too late."]]
Airachnid contacts Megatron and proposes a challenge, which he accepts, forbidding Dreadwing to follow him. Making his way to the mine, the Decepticon leader is immediately assaulted by the Insecticon, who ignores Megatron's orders to stand down and begins to beat him down. Though he does not initially fare well, it does not take long for the former gladiator to put himself on equal footing with the beast. The Autobots bridge in, and Arcee goes for Airachnid, chasing her off into the adjoining tunnels while the other Autobots watch as Megatron triumphs over the Insecticon, tearing off its limbs and head. The Autobots surround Megatron as he falls, exhausted. Prime mulls over the idea of ending his life when suddenly, Dreadwing and a large detachment of [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] descend into the cavern. Prime agrees to trade the Autobots' lives for Megatron's, but once the trade is made, Megatron orders the Vehicons to attack, and departs with Dreadwing, noting his appreciation for Dreadwing's disregard of orders.

[[Image:Crossfire Airachnid strings up Arcee.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
Arcee, meanwhile, follows Airachnid, but finds herself suddenly stuck in a trap. As her rival prepares to finish her, a missile streaks through the air and pushes Airachnid off Arcee. She escapes as Starscream—intent on payback—continues to fire. Now alone with Arcee, the Seeker recalls her decision to spare him earlier, and cuts her down to settle his debt.

Underground, even as she swears her vengeance, Airachnid comes upon the source of her warrior—an entire nest of Insecticons.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (10)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (11)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (12)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (13)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (14)
|c2=
*[[Airachnid]] (1)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (2)
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] (4)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (5)
*[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] (9)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (15)
|c3=
*[[MECH|MECH soldiers]] (6)
*[[MECH Commando]] (7)
|c4=
*[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==
"I know we've never seen ''eyes-to-eye'', but that doesn't mean we can't ''patch'' things up."
:—'''Airachnid''' baits Breakdown with extra-strength puns.

"You dare turn your back on a superior life-form? I am Commander Starscream!"
:—'''Starscream''' using his former position to get others to do what he wants...[[Orion Pax, Part 1|''again.'']]

"Nonetheless, I do not condone the termination of any defenseless life form."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', who ironically will almost terminate a defenseless and injured Megatron.

"You and your beast would do well to remember—''I honed my skills in the pits of [[Kaon]]!''"
:—'''Megatron''' reminds all that he is not so easily beaten.

"How right you were, Airachnid. Payback. Is. ''Sweet!''"
:—'''Starscream''' making Airachnid eat her own words.

"Never trust a 'Con. Kick Buckethead's bucket!"
:—'''Bulkhead''''s opinion on Dreadwing's offer to trade Megatron's life for the Autobots'.

"You disobeyed my orders in following me here. You will make a fine first lieutenant."
:—'''Megatron''' might have finally made a good choice for second-in-command.

==Notes==
=== Animation and technical errors ===
*When Bulkhead jumps out of the GroundBridge with Ratchet following behind, the wrecking ball on his left arm somehow transforms silently back to his hand.
*When the Insecticon throws Megatron into the air and slashes at him with its horn, it injures his shoulder and Energon is splattered from the wound. When Megatron recovers, the injury appears on his neck instead.
*When Megatron switches to his vehicle mode, the webbing on his cannon disappears. If this was intentional, why not just do it to fight off the Autobots?

===Continuity errors===
*Soundwave's trace of Airachnid's signal appears to locate her around about Bolivia, while the Autobot trace of the same signal places it on the north coast of [[South America]], in Guyana or Suriname.
*Starscream's missiles reappear on his arms after he fires them.

===Continuity notes===
*Arcee reminds the team yet again of how Airachnid took [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]] away from her, as well as how Starscream was responsible for [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper's]] demise.
*Starscream hasn't forgotten how Arcee let him live after their last encounter from "[[Partners]]".
*Soundwave plays dialogue from "[[One Shall Rise, Part 2]]" to remind Megatron what Airachnid thinks of him.
*MECH comes across the dismembered remains of Breakdown, and cites it as a "[[Operation: Breakdown|familiar face]]".
*Starscream contacts Ratchet the same way he did back in "[[Orion Pax, Part 2]]", and meets him and Bulkhead in what appears to be the same place. Both he and Bulkhead even reference the events of that episode. Arcee seems to have learned about it as well.
*The events of the two-part episode "[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 1|Operation Bumblebee]]" are brought up while Starscream begs for treatment.
*The "task" Megatron normally performs himself—the disposal of treacherous soldiers—previously occurred in "[[Rock Bottom]]", where Starscream was the recipient.
*Megatron refers to his skills and training as a Kaon gladiator.

===Trivia===
*Starscream's arm-mounted missiles still work even with his T-Cog missing, since there's no transformation involved in firing them.
*The Decepticons really didn't do a good job in stripping that mine, considering all the Insecticon had to do was push away a couple of rocks to find a huge clump of energon in the wall.
*Starcream letting Arcee go (altough still tied so she won't be able to pursuit him) shows that he might have some sense of honor, a rather rare feature for someone bearing Starscream's name. He also sparked [[Transformer romance|multiple Arcee/Starscream presumptions among fans]].

[[Category:Prime episodes]]