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A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court (episode)

2009-07-13T19:59:02Z

142.162.53.101:

{{episode
|image=G1toon starscream king of the castle.jpg
|caption="It's only a model." "Shhh."
|series=G1toon
|ep=40
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=30
|title="A Deceptacon Raider in King Arthur's Court" "A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court"
|airdate=[[October 24]], 1985
|written by=[[Douglas Booth]]
|production code=#700-39
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Transformers go to the sixth century but avoid Camelot, as it is a silly place.'''

:''Japanese title:'' タイムトラベラー (''Time Traveller'', "Time Travellers")
:''German ''Generation 2'' title:'' "'''Sprung in die Vergangenheit'''" ("Jump into the Past")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Ramjetinpast.gif|left|175px|thumb|You yellow bastard! Come back here, and get what's coming to you! I'll bite yer legs off!]]

[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] are battling it out with [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]. When the [[Decepticon]]s retreat out of exhaustion, Rumble detects energy in a nearby cave. After they wander inside they are transported them to 543 A.D., where they are greeted by [[Sir Wigend du Blackthorne]] and his knights, who believe the [[Transformer]]s are knights of an enemy realm. Their arrival is also observed by an owl, who flies off to inform his master, the wizard [[Beorht]], of this strange new development.

[[Image:Raiderrumblejoust.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Look. In order to maintain airspeed velocity, a Ramjet has to spin its turbines 43 times every second, right?]]

Nearby, [[Nimue]], princess of that enemy kingdom, is spying on their conversation and runs to warn her father, [[Sir Aetheling the Red]], but she bumps into Spike (literally). The Decepticons agree to help Blackthorne's knights win their conflict with Aetheling, but Starscream obviously wants to rule and have a land of his own. Spike enters the jousting tournament between the two kingdoms (which has been rigged by the Decepticons, of course), but quickly fails.

Ramjet and Rumble enter the tournament together (Rumble riding Ramjet in vehicle mode), but are defeated by Warpath and Sir Aetheling. An enraged Starscream is sick of chivalry, kidnaps Nimue and threatens her life unless Sir Aetheling agrees to give up his realm. The Autobots give chase but cannot keep up due to lack of energy and collapse out of exhaustion.

[[Image:Raiderstarscreamcooks.jpg|left|175px|thumb|What manner of man are you, that can summon up fire without flint or tinder?]]

Starscream holds Nimue prisoner in Blackthorne's castle, which he has commandeered, and forces its residents construct and power a primitive electrical generator to keep the Decepticons energized. Starscream then sends Rumble to get [[potassium nitrate]] (in other word, LOTS of bird crap) to make gunpowder.

[[Image:Raiderrollinthehay.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Yes! Yes! You must give us ALL a good spanking!]]

Spike attempts to save Nimue from Blackthorne's keep, only to find she and Sir Blackthorne are now a happy couple. Despite feeling rejected, Spike still agrees to help fight the war against the Decepticons.

Meanwhile, the Autobots and Sir Aetheling's knights charge towards the castle to battle it out with the Decepticons. The Autobots help the knights cross the moat and scale the walls, but they can't put up much of a fight due to their dangerously low energy levels. Starscream's gunpowder projectiles make short work of the invading forces.

[[Image:Raiderdragonvsautobots.jpg|left|175px|thumb|When suddenly... the ANIMATOR suffered a fatal heart attack! And the cartoon peril was no more.]]

Beorht the wizard appears and summons lightning that fills Warpath and Hoist back up to full strength. They take back the battle with Starscream and are victorious. Beorht concludes the robots are time travelers and leads them all back to the cave in which they arrived, only to find it guarded by a [[dragon]]. Starscream refuses to go any closer, but Beorht pulls out a pouch of "[[Dragon's Bane]]", noting that a little bit of it works every time. He throws the concoction at the dragon, and it explodes, frightening away the beast.

Spike and the Transformers go back into the cave and return to the present using the [[Dragon Mound]]. When they arrive back in their own time, they are greeted by multiple cannon blasts by [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. Starscream tackles his leader in a burst of enthusiasm at being back safely. Megatron, on the other hand, isn't nearly as happy to see Starscream, who has just ruined his shot...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (5)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (6)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (2)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (3)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (4)
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (14)

|c3=
*[[Nimue]] (7)
*[[Sir Wigend du Blackthorne]] (8)
*[[Sir Wulf]] (9)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (10)
*[[Sir Aetheling the Red]] (11)
*[[Beorht]] (12)

|c4=
* A [[dragon]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oohh! I just changed heads last week!"
:—A ground-bound '''Ramjet''' strangely comes off second best after attempting to ram '''Warpath'''.

"Out of the way, Rumble! It could be dangerous. As your leader, I must take the risk. Anyway, I'm lower on energy than you!"
:—'''Starscream''' acting true to form

"Huh! Inferior construction, even for an Autobot. One good whack, it breaks right in two!"
:—'''Ramjet''' examining the "wreckage" of Sir Wulf and his horse.

"What's more important is that we have 1,451 years to go before we have to worry about the Autobots and that bungler Megatron!"
:—Even trapped in the past, '''Starscream''' looks on the bright side, unaware his math is failing.

"Whatcha waiting for, Red Knight? Don't you wanna rumble with Rumble?"
:—"Sir" '''Rumble''' prepares to joust.

[[Image:Raiderrumblepoo.jpg|right|150px|thumb|"Who's that there?" "I dunno. Must be a king." "Why?"]]

"My nose! You've ruined my nose!"
:—A ground-bound '''Ramjet''' strangely comes off second best after attempting to ram '''Warpath'''. Again.

"Starscream, lower the drawbridge! Uh, I got your stupid potassium nitrate!"
:—'''Rumble''', carrying a pot of bird droppings while also covered in same.

"What's the matter? Aren't you glad to see us?"
"RRRRAGGGH!!"
:—'''Starscream''' asks a rather loaded question of '''Megatron'''.

==Notes==
[[Image:Deceptacon.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Nu!" "No no no no, it's not that, it's 'ni'." "Nu!" "No no, 'ni'. You're not doing it properly."]]

===Animation or technical errors===
*Princess Nimue has cleavage that appears and disappears from shot to shot and sometimes frame to frame. And no, you are not a pervert if you watched the episode six times to chronicle this error.

===Continuity errors===
*When Ramjet rams into Warpath in the jousting duel, his canopy is smashed and nose cone crushed in, yet less than a minute later, he's back to normal when the remaining Decepticons attempt to flee with Starscream.

*The historical accuracy of some aspects of this episode is somewhat lacking. (No! Really?) Whilst the recipe for gunpowder expressed in this episode is roughly correct, gunpowder would not make its way to medieval Europe for another eight hundred years or so, and then only from the Far East. Then again, [[Wikipedia:Clarke's three laws|any sufficiently advanced technology...]]

*Even making allowances for the story being set in the enlightened and (presumably) advanced kingdom of Camelot, plate armour of the kind worn by the various knights in this episode was not introduced into medieval Europe until around the year 1400—almost a thousand years from the stated ''anno domini'' 543. Even so, one should be fair to the writers and cartoonists, given that major motion pictures like ''Excalibur'' also made this sort of error (or used it for dramatic effect because audiences would easily recognise a stereotypical "knight" as opposed to a historically accurate version). Additionally, in one respect, the defect can be excused: Hoist's creation of a suit of armour for Spike with 900 years' worth of technological innovations can be regarded as a pretty smart tactical move.

*Also, everyone seems to be speaking [[Wikipedia:Modern English|Modern English]] instead of [[Wikipedia:Old English|Old English]]. Way to go!

[[Image:Spike gets kissed.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Look, let me go back in there and face the peril." "No, it's too perilous." "...Oh, let me have just a little bit of peril?"]]

===Real-world references===
* Surprisingly, there is a slight bit of Arthurian legend present in the episode. Nimue is an Arthurian character who fell in love with Merlin. Unsurprisingly, that Nimue is nothing like this episode's Nimue.
* The title of this episode is an homage to the novel ''[[wikipedia:A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court|A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court]]'' written by [[Mark Twain]] and published in 1889.
* Despite the title, King Arthur doesn't make an appearance in this tale.

===Trivia===
* The original broadcast version of this episode featured the mis-spelled title, "A Decept'''a'''con Raider..." The error was corrected for the ''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|Generation 2]]'' version of the episode. Likewise, when [[Kid Rhino]] recreated the title cards for their DVD release of the series, it was also amended. This flub seemed minor then, [[Scorpinok|but]] [[A Tale of Two Heros|years]] [[Imprisoned Inferno|later...]]
* Starscream's math is out by about a decade - 543 + 1451 = 1994, rather than the correct 1984.
* Spike actually gets a kiss from a girl. What will [[Carly Witwicky (G1)|Carly]] think?
* When the Decepticons arrive in the past they are attacked by mounted knights. Upon seeing Rumble one of them exclaims, "A spy from the red knight! Charge!" It seems even fleeing through history cannot save Rumble from [[FIRRIB|the fandom]].
* This episode is one of three prior to the 1986 movie in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] does not appear.

[[Image:DecepticonRaider-NotHank.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fear not, Ranger! Or is that "Fear not-Ranger"?]]

* Among the audience members watching the joust is a dark-skinned man whose outfit greatly resembles the one worn by Hank the Ranger in the [[wikipedia:Dungeons and Dragons (TV series)|''Dungeons and Dragons'' animated series]]—not entirely surprising, as that program was produced by [[Marvel Productions]], who partnered with [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]] on ''Transformers'', and both shows were animated by [[Toei]]. Next to "Hank" are a man with a shield and a woman in a cloak, but they do not otherwise strongly resemble Eric the Cavalier or Sheila the Thief, characters who were associated with magical versions of those items in the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' cartoon.
*Warpath's chest cannon's length changes frequently during the episode.

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

Trans-Europe Express

2009-07-13T19:58:00Z

142.162.53.101:

{{episode
|image=TransEuropeExpress riding Wildrider.jpg
|caption=Wir fahr'n fahr'n fahr'n auf der Stunticon
|series=G1toon
|ep=60
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=47
|title="Trans-Europe Express"
|written by=[[David Wise]]
|production code=700-59
|airdate=[[December 23]], 1985
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''In a plot to obtain a Cybertronian weather-controlling device, the Decepticons stage a fake race across Europe.'''

:''Japanese title:'' ヨーロッパ横断特急 (''Yōroppa Ōdan Tokkyū'', "Trans-Europe Express")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Trans-Europe Express race begins.JPG|left|200px|thumb|This has got to be the widest track ever.]]

[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] is looking for the [[Pearl of Bahoudin]], and goes on a rampage through [[Istanbul]] to find the one person who knows where it is. After interrogating the sage [[Abdul Ben Faisal]], whom Megatron finds in Istanbul, and kidnapping archeologist [[Professor Terranova]], Megatron finally zeros in on the location in the Galata Valley and has the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] digging to retrieve it.

Meanwhile, the [[Europa 2000]] is underway, and among the drivers in the race are the [[Autobot]]s: [[Bluestreak]], [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]], and [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]]. They are hoping to win the million dollar grand prize to give to charity. Also in the competition is [[Auggie Cahnay (G1)|Auggie Cahnay]], America's top driver, whose car is a custom design from [[Symultech Industries]]. The engine is made of a new energy-resistant alloy, and the Autobots have been instructed to keep an eye on Auggie, as his car may be a target for the [[Decepticon]]s. This is easier said than done, as Auggie's personality and driving style are both a bit uncouth, and it's not long before he's rubbing everyone the wrong way. At one point, Bumblebee literally has to yank him out of his car to criticize his behavior.

[[Image:Trans-Europe Express Bumblebee road rage.JPG|right|200px|thumb|They say he is roughed up by giant robots three times before breakfast.]]

Aware of their proximity to the finish line, Megatron sends the [[Stunticon]]s to take out the Autobots and steal Auggie's car. [[Motormaster]] and his group successfully put everyone but Bluestreak, Bumblebee, and Tracks out of commission and make off with the vehicle. While trying to evade the Stunticons, Bluestreak stumbles across Professor Terranova, who snuck away from the Decepticon camp and now explains to him what Megatron is up to. The Pearl of Bahoudin is a powerful jewel that can cause "worldwide disaster". The three remaining Autobots regroup along with Auggie, who insists on going with them to get his car back. They speed through the finish line, winning the race, and keep going to the Decepticon camp.

[[Image:TransEuropeExpress Bumblebee snatching pearl.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Bumblebee! Hump that arm!"]]

Tracks, Bumblebee, and Bluestreak locate the Decepticons as Megatron finds the Pearl of Bahoudin. Megatron reveals to the Autobots that the content of the Pearl is, in fact, the power core of a weather satellite from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] that crashed on Earth millions of years ago. Unearthed and exposed to the atmosphere in the 14th century, its power caused terrible storms that threatened to destroy the land until a Persian seer encased it in a golden, bejeweled shell. Using the parts from Auggie's car, Megatron plans to build a device that will utilize the jewel's power to control the elements and rain destruction down on anyone who stands in his way.

[[Image:BumblebeePearl.JPG|right|200px|thumb|By the power of Greyskull!]]

The Autobots are attacked, though Bumblebee snatches the Pearl from Megatron. Seeing that they are outnumbered and outgunned, Bumblebee opens the Pearl, releasing its power and causing a massive twister that scatters everyone. The Pearl core itself is sucked up and lost in the storm. Megatron orders a retreat, saying that they can watch from the safety of their home base while the Earth is destroyed from the core's power. They leave behind [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], who proves to be more than a match for the three smaller Autobots. Auggie jumps in his car and takes off, seemingly to run away, but really to drive his car off a nearby cliff and into Menasor's head, delivering a crippling blow and knocking out the giant. Bumblebee has himself sucked up into the twister so that he can catch up with the Pearl. He finally scores a successful shot and destroys the jewel.

After things calm down, the Autobots conclude that Megatron must have set up the race from the beginning to snag Auggie's car, meaning that there's no prize money for anyone. Auggie remarks that he should take the gold casing of the jewel as payment for his destroyed car, but instead gives it to the Autobots to sell for charity.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (8)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (9)
* [[Bluestreak]] (10)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (11)
* [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (12)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (15)
* [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (16)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (1)
* [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (2)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (6)
* [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] (18)
* [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (19)
* [[Motormaster]] (20)
* [[Drag Strip]] (21)
* [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] (22)
* [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] (23)
* [[Wildrider]] (24)
* [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] (26)

|c3=
* Turk No.1 (3)
* Turk No.2 (4)
* [[Abdul Ben Faisal]] (5)
* Announcer (7)
* [[Auggie Cahnay (G1)|Auggie Cahnay]] (13)
* Race official (14)
* [[Professor Terranova]] (17)
* Race commentator (25)
}}
==Quotes==
''[Megatron and Soundwave smash their way into the sage's home]'' 
'''Abdul Ben Faisal''': So, you've come at last. 
'''Megatron''': You have five seconds to tell me the location of— 
'''Abdul Ben Faisal''': The Pearl of Bahoudin? I know. 
'''Megatron''': If you know so much, then you know it would be unwise to refuse me. 
'''Abdul Ben Faisal''': You have caused enough damage in Istanbul for one day. The legends say the Pearl is buried in the [[Galata Valley]], near the [[Alibey River]]. 
'''Megatron''': You have been wise to oblige me. 
'''Abdul Ben Faisal''': Perhaps. But...once you have dug up the Pearl, you may not find it so easy to put back...
:—Warning [[Masquerade|duly noted, Abdul. And IGNORED.]]

"There's only one charity I care about: ME! I want that million bucks!"
:—'''Auggie Cahnay''', born to win

''[Bumblebee yanks Auggie right out of his fancy car and holds him aloft.]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Listen, you! Didn't anybody ever tell you about fair play? 
'''Auggie Cahnay''': "I'm gonna win that million bucks! 
'''Bluestreak''': Keep driving like that, and you won't live long enough to win it. Not that that would be any great tragedy, but some decent people might get hurt! 
''[Bumblebee drops Auggie onto the ground.]'' 
'''Auggie Cahnay''': I got a race to win! 
''[Auggie jumps into his car and drives off.]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': What a creep.
:—Bumblebee and Bluestreak totally road-rage the asshole Auggie Cahnay.

"So help me, if one more of those metal maniacs gets in my way..." ''[Motormaster blocks Auggie's way, and Dead End pulls the human out of his car.]'' "That does it, and I'm not takin' it anymore!" 
"That's right, 'cause ''we're'' taking your car."
:—'''Auggie Cahnay''' is car-jacked by '''Dead End'''.

==Notes==
* This episode has the final appearances of Bluestreak, Smokescreen and Sunstreaker with spoken dialogue. From here on, all of their appearances are as silent cameos.

===Animation or technical glitches===
* Near the beginning of the episode, when Tracks reacts to Auggie Cahnay's objection, he is coloured vaguely like Menasor.
* As Bumblebee catches up to Wheeljack and the camera angle changes to an overhead shot, the crookedly drawn background of the road continually edges close to Wheeljack, then pulls back as the animation loops, creating the impression that the image is jerking back and forth.
* After running Bumblebee off the road, Auggie can be seen driving through a pack of cars that has the sheer cliff face on the right side of the screen, despite having just driven on a road that had the cliff edge on the left side. Additionally, Wildrider is visible in the pack of human-driven cars.
* The reversed cel and background problems continue as Auggie pulls away from the rest of the drivers, but are fixed as Bumblebee and Bluestreak catch up to Auggie.

[[Image:Europa 2000.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Not to Scale.]]

* The map of Europe is, erm, very inaccurate.
* Reversed cel problems continue during Wheeljack and Motormaster's chase scene. When Wheeljack initially appears on the location, the Black Sea is on the left side of the screen as he drives up the road, but as the chase progresses, the sea is now on the right side of the screen, as if they had turned around during the chase or were driving on the opposite coastline.
* After Drag Strip pushes Auggie's car into Motormaster's trailer, as the trailer door closes, Drag Strip's Decepticon sigil turns into a purple blob.
* When Scavenger picks up the Pearl's energy readings, Megatron's Decepticon sigil is coloured red.
* When Bluestreak picks up Auggie from the side of the road, Professor Terranova is not present inside the Autobot. Yet when the Autobots arrive at the site of the Pearl's excavation, Terranova can be seen exiting Bluestreak along with Auggie.
* As Bluestreak jumps to avoid Breakdown, his chest is almost entirely black. Breakdown's Decepticon sigil is coloured red.
* When Breakdown hits the cliff after missing Bluestreak, despite an explosion being animated, no sound is heard.
* Megatron's mouth doesn't move when Bumblebee grabs the Pearl right out of his hand. Of course, he doesn't try to stop Bumblebee from grabbing the Pearl, either.
* As Megatron and the other Decepticons chase after Bumblebee, Megatron's feet are coloured grey like the front of his legs.
* When Menasor initially combines and faces the Autobots, Prowl's animation model is used for Bluestreak. This continues to occur randomly throughout the battle against Menasor.
* After Menasor smashes the ground to stop Bumblebee from escaping with the Pearl, a large crack forms in the earth, yet it vanishes when Bumblebee reacts to the Pearl rolling away.
* When the Autobots react to Auggie's apparent escape, Bluestreak is animated while Tracks's voice is heard.
* When Auggie jumps from his car, he is not wearing his helmet, but it reappears after Menasor is defeated.

===Continuity errors===
* Auggie Cahnay is reputed to be the best driver in the US, and the implication is he's also one of the best drivers in the race, yet twice in the episode, he is seen having to barge his way through the pack from behind.
* Smokescreen and Tracks are able to recognise the Stunticons instantly for who they are, yet earlier, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker could not tell until Dead End transformed and fired on them.
* Despite Megatron claiming the Pearl of Bahoudin is the core of a Cybertronian weather-controlling machine, the flashback footage during his exposition shows a Decepticon starship similar to his own flagship, the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".
* Somehow, Megatron knows much of the human history and legend surrounding the Pearl, yet still needs to speak to Abdul Ben Faisal to know where it is hidden.
* When Bumblebee falls over from Menasor's earthquake-like attack while carrying the Pearl, he can be seen tossing Professor Terranova, who lands ahead of the large crack in the earth. However, Terranova is not seen again for the rest of the episode.
* The tornado that the Pearl and Bumblebee are sucked into is blowing over the Galata Valley while it is active, but when Bumblebee destroys the Pearl, it is suddenly over a huge forest, where he is eventually found in a tree.

===Real-world references===
* According to writer [[David Wise]],<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20040806162116/iesb.net/collecting/collecting63004.htm</ref> the title of this episode was directly taken from a [[wikipedia:Kraftwerk|Kraftwerk]] album of the same name.

===Trivia===
[[Image:Trans-Europe Express Bumblebee road rage.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Lesson of the day: Never call Bumblebee short.]]
* Bumblebee totally loses his cool and assaults Auggie Cahnay when the latter cuts him off during an early part of the race. Road rage!
* Auggie Cahnay's car has automatic transmission, which is unusual in a race car.
* Symultech Industries, the company that custom-built Auggie's car, would later be mentioned in [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]]'s ''[[Binaltech]]'' story. According to Dead End's system description, Symultech was responsible for building the body that was originally intended for Sunstreaker, but ended up getting hijacked by the Decepticons to create ''Binaltech'' Dead End.
* Auggie Cahnay is mentioned in the American dub of the ''[[Robots in Disguise]]'' episode "[[Skid Z's Choice]]". There, he is stated as having been deceased, and [[Skid-Z (RID)|Skid-Z]] is seemingly possessed by his spirit. Likewise, that episode features a race called the [[Europa 400]], supposedly named after the [[Europa 2000]] from this episode.
* This episode is one of three prior to the 1986 movie in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] does not appear.

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court (episode)

2009-07-13T19:34:45Z

142.162.53.101:

{{episode
|image=G1toon starscream king of the castle.jpg
|caption="It's only a model." "Shhh."
|series=G1toon
|ep=40
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=30
|title="A Deceptacon Raider in King Arthur's Court" "A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court"
|airdate=[[October 24]], 1985
|written by=[[Douglas Booth]]
|production code=#700-39
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''The Transformers go to the sixth century but avoid Camelot, as it is a silly place.'''

:''Japanese title:'' タイムトラベラー (''Time Traveller'', "Time Travellers")
:''German ''Generation 2'' title:'' "'''Sprung in die Vergangenheit'''" ("Jump into the Past")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Ramjetinpast.gif|left|175px|thumb|You yellow bastard! Come back here, and get what's coming to you! I'll bite yer legs off!]]

[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] are battling it out with [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]. When the [[Decepticon]]s retreat out of exhaustion, Rumble detects energy in a nearby cave. After they wander inside they are transported them to 543 A.D., where they are greeted by [[Sir Wigend du Blackthorne]] and his knights, who believe the [[Transformer]]s are knights of an enemy realm. Their arrival is also observed by an owl, who flies off to inform his master, the wizard [[Beorht]], of this strange new development.

[[Image:Raiderrumblejoust.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Look. In order to maintain airspeed velocity, a Ramjet has to spin its turbines 43 times every second, right?]]

Nearby, [[Nimue]], princess of that enemy kingdom, is spying on their conversation and runs to warn her father, [[Sir Aetheling the Red]], but she bumps into Spike (literally). The Decepticons agree to help Blackthorne's knights win their conflict with Aetheling, but Starscream obviously wants to rule and have a land of his own. Spike enters the jousting tournament between the two kingdoms (which has been rigged by the Decepticons, of course), but quickly fails.

Ramjet and Rumble enter the tournament together (Rumble riding Ramjet in vehicle mode), but are defeated by Warpath and Sir Aetheling. An enraged Starscream is sick of chivalry, kidnaps Nimue and threatens her life unless Sir Aetheling agrees to give up his realm. The Autobots give chase but cannot keep up due to lack of energy and collapse out of exhaustion.

[[Image:Raiderstarscreamcooks.jpg|left|175px|thumb|What manner of man are you, that can summon up fire without flint or tinder?]]

Starscream holds Nimue prisoner in Blackthorne's castle, which he has commandeered, and forces its residents construct and power a primitive electrical generator to keep the Decepticons energized. Starscream then sends Rumble to get [[potassium nitrate]] (in other word, LOTS of bird crap) to make gunpowder.

[[Image:Raiderrollinthehay.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Yes! Yes! You must give us ALL a good spanking!]]

Spike attempts to save Nimue from Blackthorne's keep, only to find she and Sir Blackthorne are now a happy couple. Despite feeling rejected, Spike still agrees to help fight the war against the Decepticons.

Meanwhile, the Autobots and Sir Aetheling's knights charge towards the castle to battle it out with the Decepticons. The Autobots help the knights cross the moat and scale the walls, but they can't put up much of a fight due to their dangerously low energy levels. Starscream's gunpowder projectiles make short work of the invading forces.

[[Image:Raiderdragonvsautobots.jpg|left|175px|thumb|When suddenly... the ANIMATOR suffered a fatal heart attack! And the cartoon peril was no more.]]

Beorht the wizard appears and summons lightning that fills Warpath and Hoist back up to full strength. They take back the battle with Starscream and are victorious. Beorht concludes the robots are time travelers and leads them all back to the cave in which they arrived, only to find it guarded by a [[dragon]]. Starscream refuses to go any closer, but Beorht pulls out a pouch of "[[Dragon's Bane]]", noting that a little bit of it works every time. He throws the concoction at the dragon, and it explodes, frightening away the beast.

Spike and the Transformers go back into the cave and return to the present using the [[Dragon Mound]]. When they arrive back in their own time, they are greeted by multiple cannon blasts by [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. Starscream tackles his leader in a burst of enthusiasm at being back safely. Megatron, on the other hand, isn't nearly as happy to see Starscream, who has just ruined his shot...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (5)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (6)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] (2)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (3)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (4)
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (14)

|c3=
*[[Nimue]] (7)
*[[Sir Wigend du Blackthorne]] (8)
*[[Sir Wulf]] (9)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] (10)
*[[Sir Aetheling the Red]] (11)
*[[Beorht]] (12)

|c4=
* A [[dragon]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oohh! I just changed heads last week!"
:—A ground-bound '''Ramjet''' strangely comes off second best after attempting to ram '''Warpath'''.

"Out of the way, Rumble! It could be dangerous. As your leader, I must take the risk. Anyway, I'm lower on energy than you!"
:—'''Starscream''' acting true to form

"Huh! Inferior construction, even for an Autobot. One good whack, it breaks right in two!"
:—'''Ramjet''' examining the "wreckage" of Sir Wulf and his horse.

"What's more important is that we have 1,451 years to go before we have to worry about the Autobots and that bungler Megatron!"
:—Even trapped in the past, '''Starscream''' looks on the bright side, unaware his math is failing.

"Whatcha waiting for, Red Knight? Don't you wanna rumble with Rumble?"
:—"Sir" '''Rumble''' prepares to joust.

[[Image:Raiderrumblepoo.jpg|right|150px|thumb|"Who's that there?" "I dunno. Must be a king." "Why?"]]

"My nose! You've ruined my nose!"
:—A ground-bound '''Ramjet''' strangely comes off second best after attempting to ram '''Warpath'''. Again.

"Starscream, lower the drawbridge! Uh, I got your stupid potassium nitrate!"
:—'''Rumble''', carrying a pot of bird droppings while also covered in same.

"What's the matter? Aren't you glad to see us?"
"RRRRAGGGH!!"
:—'''Starscream''' asks a rather loaded question of '''Megatron'''.

==Notes==
[[Image:Deceptacon.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Nu!" "No no no no, it's not that, it's 'ni'." "Nu!" "No no, 'ni'. You're not doing it properly."]]

===Animation or technical errors===
*Princess Nimue has cleavage that appears and disappears from shot to shot and sometimes frame to frame. And no, you are not a pervert if you watched the episode six times to chronicle this error.

===Continuity errors===
*When Ramjet rams into Warpath in the jousting duel, his canopy is smashed and nose cone crushed in, yet less than a minute later, he's back to normal when the remaining Decepticons attempt to flee with Starscream.

*The historical accuracy of some aspects of this episode is somewhat lacking. (No! Really?) Whilst the recipe for gunpowder expressed in this episode is roughly correct, gunpowder would not make its way to medieval Europe for another eight hundred years or so, and then only from the Far East. Then again, [[Wikipedia:Clarke's three laws|any sufficiently advanced technology...]]

*Even making allowances for the story being set in the enlightened and (presumably) advanced kingdom of Camelot, plate armour of the kind worn by the various knights in this episode was not introduced into medieval Europe until around the year 1400—almost a thousand years from the stated ''anno domini'' 543. Even so, one should be fair to the writers and cartoonists, given that major motion pictures like ''Excalibur'' also made this sort of error (or used it for dramatic effect because audiences would easily recognise a stereotypical "knight" as opposed to a historically accurate version). Additionally, in one respect, the defect can be excused: Hoist's creation of a suit of armour for Spike with 900 years' worth of technological innovations can be regarded as a pretty smart tactical move.

*Also, everyone seems to be speaking [[Wikipedia:Modern English|Modern English]] instead of [[Wikipedia:Old English|Old English]]. Way to go!

[[Image:Spike gets kissed.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Look, let me go back in there and face the peril." "No, it's too perilous." "...Oh, let me have just a little bit of peril?"]]

===Real-world references===
* Surprisingly, there is a slight bit of Arthurian legend present in the episode. Nimue is an Arthurian character who fell in love with Merlin. Unsurprisingly, that Nimue is nothing like this episode's Nimue.
* The title of this episode is an homage to the novel ''[[wikipedia:A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court|A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court]]'' written by [[Mark Twain]] and published in 1889.
* Despite the title, King Arthur doesn't make an appearance in this tale.

===Trivia===
* The original broadcast version of this episode featured the mis-spelled title, "A Decept'''a'''con Raider..." The error was corrected for the ''[[Generation 2 (cartoon)|Generation 2]]'' version of the episode. Likewise, when [[Kid Rhino]] recreated the title cards for their DVD release of the series, it was also amended. This flub seemed minor then, [[Scorpinok|but]] [[A Tale of Two Heros|years]] [[Imprisoned Inferno|later...]]
* Starscream's math is out by about a decade - 543 + 1451 = 1994, rather than the correct 1984.
* Spike actually gets a kiss from a girl. What will [[Carly Witwicky (G1)|Carly]] think?
* When the Decepticons arrive in the past they are attacked by mounted knights. Upon seeing Rumble one of them exclaims, "A spy from the red knight! Charge!" It seems even fleeing through history cannot save Rumble from [[FIRRIB|the fandom]].
* This episode is one of three in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] does not appear.

[[Image:DecepticonRaider-NotHank.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fear not, Ranger! Or is that "Fear not-Ranger"?]]

* Among the audience members watching the joust is a dark-skinned man whose outfit greatly resembles the one worn by Hank the Ranger in the [[wikipedia:Dungeons and Dragons (TV series)|''Dungeons and Dragons'' animated series]]—not entirely surprising, as that program was produced by [[Marvel Productions]], who partnered with [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]] on ''Transformers'', and both shows were animated by [[Toei]]. Next to "Hank" are a man with a shield and a woman in a cloak, but they do not otherwise strongly resemble Eric the Cavalier or Sheila the Thief, characters who were associated with magical versions of those items in the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' cartoon.
*Warpath's chest cannon's length changes frequently during the episode.

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court}}
[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]

Auto-Bop

2009-07-13T19:33:49Z

142.162.53.101: /* Trivia */

{{episode
|image=Auto-bop 4.jpg
|caption=Go ahead and mock '80s clothing, but in twenty years, they'll be mocking what we wear.
|series=G1toon
|ep=52
|series2=SRLFtoon
|ep2=52
|title="Auto-Bop"
|written by=[[David Wise]]
|production code=700-51
|airdate=[[November 13]], 1985
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''Tracks and Blaster uncover a hypnosis plot. A ''funky'' hypnosis plot.'''

:''Japanese title:'' ブロードキャストVSサウンドウェーブ (''Broadcast VS Soundwave'')
:''German title:'' "'''Gefährliche Hypnosekraft'''" ("Dangerous Hypnosespower")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:DancitronGang.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Just the usual Manhattan commuter crowd.]]

[[Raoul]] and his friends [[Poplock]] and [[Rocksteady]] are trying to make some spare cash, breakdancing on the sidewalks of [[New York City]]. Unfortunately, the management of the [[Dancitron]] nightclub doesn't like competition, and sends a mob after them. The trio grab their tape deck and flee, riding a wheeled dumpster until it's brought to a sudden halt. They're soon surrounded by armed thugs, but luckily [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] are in the city, and come to the trio's aid. While fighting the thugs off, Tracks is surprised to notice one of them is a man in a business suit.

Raoul introduces the rest of the [[Bop Crew]] to the two [[Autobot]]s, who say they're monitoring Decepticon activity, and now suspect there's something strange going on at the Dancitron. The pair enter the club and admire the immense sound system. Soon Blaster is dancing with an apparently blissed-out patron, while Tracks notes a number of oddly-dressed dancers—a garbage man, a middle-aged woman in a bathrobe and curlers, and a man dressed to the nines. In an upstairs booth, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] observe the two Autobots.

[[Image:AutoBop Blaster surfing on Tracks.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Mind the paint job.]]

Meanwhile, the Bop Crew are taking an elevated subway train when it unexpectedly begins gathering speed. The driver, entering a hypnotised state, pulls the accelerator lever to full and smashes the control panel with an iron bar. Raoul pulls the emergency cord until it breaks, but the brakes are ineffective at stopping the train. Fortunately Tracks and Blaster happen to be walking nearby, and are able to halt the train. They find the sabotaged control panel, however the driver has already fled.

Tracks sends Blaster, Poplock and Rocksteady to check with [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] while he and Raoul go to check out the Dancitron again. On the way, the pair spot an active building site—somewhat of an odd sight at 1am, and even odder when they notice the workers are more inappropriately-dressed people, including some of those previously seen at the Dancitron. They're quickly spotted by the workers, and Tracks drags the gate shut to prevent the humans from attacking them, though that doesn't stop a workman on the building itself from firing red-hot rivets at them.

[[Image:Trackscruc2.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Oooh, kinky!]]

Poplock and Rocksteady are offered free tickets into the Dancitron and eagerly accept, believing they'll be able to investigate on their own. The duo enter the club and are soon hypnotised by the music. Arriving at the club, Tracks leaves Raoul outside and encounters the boy's two friends inside. They lead him to two Decepticons, who use the club's hypnotized patrons to ensnare him and bind him to the club's sound system. Starscream reports to [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] that the building construction is on schedule.

Having consulted Teletraan I, Blaster arrives at the Dancitron to find Raoul waiting outside. The pair enter to find Tracks, with Blaster tracking an ultrasound signal. Raoul encounters his two friends and, remembering Blaster's warning about the hypnotic sound, plugs his ears with a paper napkin. They chase him, and he soon finds Tracks, but is overwhelmed by the hypnotized dancers. As he soon discovers, the hypnosis can be broken by simply getting the victim [[Water|wet]], so he triggers the club's sprinkler systems, freeing the patrons from their trance. The Bop Crew swiftly frees Tracks and they pursue Starscream.

[[Image:Auto-Bop Blaster Soundwave.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Soundwave and Blaster in a two-bot reenactment of You Got Served.]]

Blaster squares off with Soundwave at the club in a sonic "battle of the boom boxes"; the two are nearly evenly matched, until Blaster uses the club's sound system to amplify his abilities and drive Soundwave off. Tracks engineers a rain cloud which de-hypnotises the humans working at the building site. This also flushes out Starscream, who chases Tracks. The Autobot flies through the partially completed building, and the larger Decepticon damages his wing trying to follow, forcing him to retreat. Blaster arrives and uses the Dancitron speakers to bring down the building.

Tracks offers grateful thanks to Raoul and his buddies for saving his life, saying that if there's anything he can do for them... and it turns out there is. The trio lost their radio in all the chaos, and until they earn enough street cash to get a new one, poor Blaster will make an ideal replacement.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] (5)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (6)
*[[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] (9)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (7)
*[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (8)
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (10)

|c3=
* [[Raoul]] (1)
* [[Poplock]] (2)
* [[Rocksteady]] (3)
* [[Furg]] (4)
}}

==Quotes==
"That's what I call a riveting experience!" 
"I don't know why I hang out with you, man."
:—'''Tracks''' makes a terrible pun after being shot at by a guy with a rivet gun, and '''Raoul''' calls him out on it.

"Foo on this jive! My main machine's in trouble!"
:—'''Raoul'''

"I've been waiting a long time for this, you poor excuse for a sound system." 
"All talk...no shock."
:—'''Blaster''' and '''Soundwave''', right as their sonic duel begins.

"Yo, the dude's gone crazy!" 
"Yeah... like a fox!"
:—'''Poplock''' and '''Tracks'''.

"Heeheeheehaahaahaahaahaahaahaaaaa...."
:—'''Soundwave''', as he momentarily gets the upper hand in the sonic duel between himself and Blaster. This is one of the few times in the series that Soundwave is heard actually laughing, and coming from him in that quiet, metallic monotone of his, and in this context, it is actually kinda scary.

"I'd say your nightclub just went out of style."
:—'''Blaster''' to '''Soundwave''', after he won the sonic duel.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
* In this episode, Raoul's skin color is colored slightly lighter than his last appearance in "[[Make Tracks]]".
* The windows on the back of the train appear behind Tracks instead of in front.
* Towards the end, when Tracks gets chased by Starscream, at one moment inside a building Ramjet is shown instead of Starscream.
* When Starscream contacts Megatron, Megatron's insignia is red instead of purple.
* When Blaster first enters the club, there is a brief second where one of the women dancers appears to be topless.
* When Blaster is about to fight Soundwave, the left side of his face is white.
* Presumably the train which the Bop Crew were riding on was heading away from the Dancitron, and at high speed. Yet Tracks and Blaster just happen to be walking in exactly the right place to see it speeding along when they were in the club the last time we saw them.
* Why didn't Poplock and Rocksteady go with Blaster as Tracks told them to, and how did they get to the Dancitron ahead of Raoul and Tracks, who were driving? The scuffle at the building site didn't hold Tracks up ''that'' long.

===Real-world references===
* When confronted by the gang of thugs employed by Dancitron, Raoul suggests they "pull a [[Michael Jackson]]" and [[wikipedia:Beat It|beat it]].

* While fleeing from the thugs, Raoul wishes their blaster (boom box) was "THE [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]". Rocksteady retorts that Raoul "knows the Autobots like I know [[Prince]]".

*When first meeting Blaster and Tracks, Rocksteady responds to Blaster's implication of trouble-making with "Hey! We were just breakin' in front of the Dancitron (''shifts from two open palms and a shrug to one thumb extended pointing behind him'') and these '''Road Warrior''' rejects tried to bounce us out."

===Trivia===
*When Tracks and Blaster enter Dancitron, the song playing is an instrumental version of the song performed by [[Cold Slither]] from the ''G.I. Joe'' episode of the same name.

* This episode is one of three pre-movie episodes to not feature [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].

* This episode is also noteworthy for pitting the two tape decks, Soundwave and Blaster, against each other, in an intense sonic duel. It turns out that Soundwave is actually somewhat the more powerful of the two, and Blaster had to augment his output with some nearby additional speakers to best his opponent... the cheater...

* It is never established within the episode itself just what the Decepticons are trying to '''accomplish''' with their hypnotize-people-to-construct-a-building plot. However, according to the official [[Sunbow]] synopsis included in [[Metrodome]]'s DVD release: "... the boys and the Autobots pursue Starscream to the skyscraper—a new Decepticon headquarters being constructed by the hypnotized patrons from Dancitron." Oh. Well then.

* At one point, the show does a flashback to a warning that Blaster gave Raoul ''less than a minute earlier''. Just to make sure nobody forgot.

*This episode features the second of only two instances in the series in which Soundwave ''laughs''. The first was in "[[Quest for Survival]]".

* When leaving the building site to head to the Dancitron, Tracks inserts Raoul into his chest ''before'' transforming to vehicle mode. Weird.

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

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]