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Ratchet (Animated)

2008-04-17T13:52:27Z

168.9.35.14: /* Transformers Animated cartoon */ After receiving a report on increased Decepticon activity from Teletran 1, Optimus ordered Ratchet to forcibly remove the [[Sari Su

{{disambig3|Ratchet}}
:''Ratchet is an [[Autobot]] in the [[Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:AniRatchetPromoModel.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Rassa-frassa [[Bumblebee (Animated)|KIDS with their loud music]] and their [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|rocket-powered axes]]...]]

'''Ratchet''' is the oldest Autobot on [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]'s team. He's also [[second-in-command]]. Though sporting a bit of paunch, he's a true veteran. Having served as a [[medibot]] millions of years ago in the Great War, he's the only one of the group to have seen real combat before. Old wounds, both physical and mental, have made him bitter, mostly in regards to heroism. A leader figure for his comrades, he's got a bit of a military drill sergeant aura to him. He also likes bashing [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] on the head when 'Bee's being a smart-ass.

His special power is based on magnetism; he can move metal-based objects and create shields. He enjoys grumbling about almost everything, being sarcastic, and having war flashbacks, just like any old man.

He's not [[Kup]]. Honestly.

{{quote|Young bots—can't live with 'em, can't melt 'em down for spare parts.|Ratchet, grumbling and moaning|"[[Transform and Roll Out!]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Transformers Animated cartoon===
{{ongoing}}
:''Voice actor'': [[Corey Burton]] (US), [[Horst Lampe]] (German)

[[Image:Ratchetanimatedthrill.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Before the gut.]]
Ratchet suffered constant flashbacks of a mission during the war in which he was sent by [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] to recover Autobot intelligence officer [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]], who was carrying important security codes in her memory. Shortly after finding her, the pair were captured by the [[Decepticon]]-affiliated bounty hunter [[Lockdown]]. The hunter made a habit of collecting the powers of defeated enemies as trophies and did so with Ratchet's medical [[EMP]] device. Before he could attach it, Arcee was able to pass the device to Ratchet and begged him to use it on herself to wipe the codes and preserve their safety. In the ensuing skirmish with Lockdown, the device accidentally produced a wider blast, erasing Arcee's entire memory.

In the present, Lockdown captured Optimus Prime and intended to hand him over to the vengeful remaining Decepticons for the bounty offered against him. The Autobots attempted a rescue, with Ratchet initially absent due to haunting flashbacks over his last encounter with the bounty hunter. He was forced to intervene after Lockdown eliminated [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]. Ratchet was able to free his commanding officer and retrieve his EMP device, using it to send Lockdown's ship crashing back to Earth. After reinstalling Prime's stolen gadgets, the veteran finally opened up to the younger soldier. {{storylink|The Thrill of the Hunt}}

[[Image:Megatron Rising 1 Ratchet Blitzwing Key.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Hey! I'm still using that!]]After receiving a report on increased Decepticon activity from [[Teletran 1]], [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] ordered Ratchet to forcibly remove the [[Sari Sumdac's key|Allspark key]] from [[Sari Sumdac|Sari's]] possession, as it was no longer safe in the hands of a [[human|dumb stubby]]. Ratchet was hesitant to take the object from the girl, but followed his superior's orders with a gruff, professional "Yessir." After Sari fled the base in tears, Optimus then told Ratchet to get the key to the [[Ark (Animated)|Ark]] under [[Lake Erie]] in order to protect the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] from the Decepticons. Unfortunately, the medibot was intercepted by Decepticons [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Lugnut]], who demanded that he hand over the key. He stoically refused, challenging them to take it from his "cold, offline servo." Calm Blitzwing complied by blasting Ratchet and the surrounding scenery with an ice beam. He switched to Crazy Blitzwing, made a smart remark, and wrenched the key (and the arm holding it) from Ratchet.

Despite this handicap, the mechanic was able to break free from his icy prison, report the key's theft to Optimus, single-handedly bring the Ark online (pun intended), and still participate later in the [[Megatron Rising - Part 2|final battle]] against [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] and his forces. If nothing else, Ratchet sure is determined. That or senile. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}
{{charstubfiction}}

{{-}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Deluxe, 2008)
[[Image:Ratchetanimatedeluxe.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Gut doesn't fold down as well as it used to...]]
This toy is fairly accurate to the show model, right down to the chopped-off head-crest horn and the dents in the chin. It also features a veritable arsenal of fixit tools for Ratchet to hold, so you can experience the glee of having the old coot savagely beat someone with a servo-wrench. Most notably, the "war wound" on his arm is actually a socket into which one may peg the EMP generator included with the deluxe Lockdown toy.
{{comingsoontoy}}

*'''Autobot Ratchet''' (Activators, 2008)
[[Image:Ratchetanimatedactivators.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Hey, he fixed his crest!]]
{{comingsoontoy}}

{{-}}

==Trivia==
* He's not Kup.

* The "war wound" on his left arm (seen in his main picture, above) was briefly gone after "The Thrill of the Hunt", apparently representing the replacement of his arm-mounted EMP generator. However, it has since returned in several instances. The "real world" reason is probably the animators sticking to the original animation model. Within story context, he could be leaving off the EMP generator so he continues to remember (on behalf of [[Arcee (Animated)|those who can't]]) how he originally lost it.

* The Autobot medical officer was originally conceived as a female robot named Red Alert.[http://tformers.com/transformers-interview-transformers-animated/8992/news.html] The reason for the rather drastic change is unrevealed.

*As shown in "The Thrill of the Hunt", if you piss him off he ''will [[Judy Witwicky|beat the crap outta you]]'' like some [[Rhinox (BW)|other old bots can]].

* He's not Kup!!!

[[Category: Autobots]]
[[Category: Animated characters]]
[[Category: Medics]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Megatron Rising - Part 1

2008-04-02T14:07:33Z

168.9.35.14: /* Summary */ Oh SLAG

{{episodenav|animated|15|season=1|prev=Nature Calls|next=Megatron Rising - Part II}}

[[Image:MegRisingRebuilt.jpg|right|thumb|300px|I make this look good.]]

'''Prime begins to doubt his leadership abilities as the Decepticons mobilize for a big invasion of Earth.'''

==Summary==

[[Image:MegRisingBodyLab.jpg|left|thumb|This is what happens when you don't have proper rust proofing.]]

[[Detroit]] is in the midst of a blizzard, and as Isaac Sumdac starts to repair Megatron's body he comments that they were fortunate to have found it beforehand, while at the same time praising it for being well-constructed enough to withstand 50 years of exposure to the elements. Megatron silently gloats that Cybertronian technology is more powerful than any force on Earth. The bad weather causes a blackout and forces [[Sumdac Tower]] onto its backup generator; when Sumdac decides this will force a delay in the repairs, Megatron alternates between bluster and sweet-talk to try to get his way, but it's no use. Megatron attempts to call Lugnut again for assistance.

Lugnut and Blitzwing have just finished rebuilding themselves (after some squabbling over the last piece) in a distant forest. Starscream mocks them for in-fighting and reminds them that he is their new chosen and sworn sovereign; his two subjects retort that they serve him only under threat, not by choice. At that moment, Megatron successfully contacts Lugnut, whose newly reverential and respectful attitude both pleases and confuses (''but mostly pleases'') Starscream. When Starscream finds out Lugnut "thinks" he's hearing Megatron, the new leader is infuriated, and in his anger almost exposes that fact that it was himself, and not the Autobots, who defeated Megatron in the first place. Megatron orders Lugnut to retrieve the [[Sari Sumdac's key|Key]] and bring it to him; Starscream then notices that, regardless of the source, Lugnut is indeed being contacted by someone. He orders Lugnut and Blitzwing to obey the strange orders for now, while he himself will track the transmissions to their source and see who is trying to undermine his authority.

As the Decepticons move out, the Autobots' HQ computer notices their increased activity. The Autobots are worried about a possible full-scale Decepticon invasion. As if Optimus Prime wasn't stressed enough, Bulkhead and Prowl then take the opportunity to finally tell him bout the continued survival of the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]]. Prime is furious that his orders were disobeyed, but decides that given the circumstances they should try to use all resources available--but insists that he will lead the new mission to contact the Dinobots.

Optimus Prime is especially worried about the Key, both because Sari can't protect it, and because she once again is using it as a toy (this time for model-plane dogfighting). When he orders her to turn it over, Sari angrily reminds him that she was chosen for this role by the [[All Spark (Animated)|AllSpark]] itself. Prime then orders Ratchet to magnetically take the key from her, and, reluctantly, Ratchet obeys. Sari feels heartbroken and betrayed, and flees the base. An upset Bumblebee defends Sari's role as part of the team, to which Optimus responds that since Bumblebee has been such a poor team performer who makes so many mistakes, he isn't a good character witness. Bumblebee retorts that the Autobots' desperate, seemingly hopeless situation means Optimus isn't a good leader--then he leaves in pursuit of Sari. Prime orders Ratchet to take the Key to the [[Ark (Animated)|Autobot spaceship]] beneath Lake Erie, and they all depart.

Sari walks down the street, dejected and pouting about how untrustworthy the Autobots turned out to be. But she's being watched--by Blackarachnia, who abducts the girl and mockingly praises her for seeing the light. Still hoping to cure herself of her techno-organic body, Blackarachnia attempts to bargain with Sari to hand over the key. They exchange "snappy banter" for a while, which leaves Blackarachnia bored. When Sari again mentions how the Autobots no longer trust her, Blackarachnia tells her more about her own sad past and how only the power of the AllSpark can give her back a normal life. Sari seems moved....

En route to the Autobot ship, Ratchet is ambushed by Blitzwing and Lugnut, in a battle about as one-sided as Bambi vs Godzilla. He seems to challenge Blitzwing to a battle to the finish--but the three-faced robot simply freezes Ratchet solid and cracks off his crystallized arm, taking the Key with it.

On Dinobot Island, the Autobots are confronted by the Dinobots who--again--are hostile to trespassers. Prime seemingly worsens the situation, as a stranger with a heavy-handed attitude. When their familiar protector Prowl reveals himself and tries to speak, the Dinobots calm down slightly (though Prime is further frustrated to learn the [[Meltdown (Animated)|extent of his troops' misadventures]] on Dinobot Island). But in the end, the Dinobots refuse to help against the Decepticons, saying they don't want to help any robots--they ''fight'' robots. Optimus points out that the Dinobots are robots themselves.... prompting them to begin fighting each other. When Ratchet calls and informs Prime of the key's theft, the Autobots to return to the mainland. Bulkhead asks what their next course of action is, and Prime admits he doesn't know, thinking that Bumblebee was right about Prime being unfit for command.

[[Image:Megatron rising 1 Starscream freakout.jpg|thumb|150px|Bumblebee violated rule number 37 of the good guy code: never interrupt the villain during the monologue.]]
Starscream traces the source of Lugnut's messages back to Sumdac Tower. Blasting his way in, he is shocked to find Megatron alive--but regains his composure at the sight of his former leader dismantled and helpless. The two have an elaborately deceptive conversation about loyalty: Megatron knows Starscream betrayed him, but Starscream doesn't know he knows and wants to [[Wikipedia:The Incredibles|"monologue"]] a bit before delivering the final blow. Meanwhile, Bumblebee's search for Sari leads him to the tower; when he spots Starscream through the wrecked wall, he squeezes himself into an elevator and prepares for a one-on-one battle (after using the classic "cellphone interference" ploy to avoid talking to Optimus). Right when Starscream is finally about to finish Megatron off, Bumblebee charges in, stingers blasting wildly--striking Starscream at full force and causing no damage at all. Starscream effortlessly thrashes Bumblebee, more angry at having his monologue interrupted than anything else. During this diversion, Megatron activates some of the lab machinery, propelling both Starscream and Bumblebee out of the lab and onto the tower roof.

[[Image:MegRisingHeadKey.jpg|left|thumb|Cyber Key power!]]

Dr. Sumdac rushes in, hearing the disturbance. At first Megatron keeps up his usual act, warning that the Decepticons will be back soon and that he needs his new body immediately. The doctor agrees, trying to repair it as quickly as possible, while Megatron observes the rooftop action on a viewscreen and tries to electrocute Starscream through a spotlight. Lugnut and Blitzwing arrive, praising their leader, and finally it's time for the charade to end. Seeing Megatron, Blitzwing finally understands that Lugnut wasn't crazy. Lugnut forces Sumdac to genuflect to Megatron, who in turn gloats at the sight and how easily he was able to lie to his captor. Blitzwing inserts the Key into Megatron's head; its power is now his to command. Megatron quickly (''and beautifully'') repairs himself, using metal from the lab as patch-up material when necessary; in the process he steals Sumdac away to an as-yet-undisclosed location.

[[Image:MegRisingGonnaKillYou.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Oh SLAG, what are we going to do now?]]
Up on the roof, Starscream is about to finish off Bumblebee, and down on the street the Autobots are just arriving to try to help, but all are reduced to staring in horror and disbelief as Megatron blasts up into the sky, an armored colossus.

{{-}}

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Marsha Griffin]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Ciro Nieli]], & [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
*'''Original airdate:''' March 29, 2008

===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (7)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (8)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (9)
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (10)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (11)
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (13)
* [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (14)
* [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (15)
| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (2)
* [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (4)
* [[Lugnut]] (5)
* [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (6)
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (12)
| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
* [[Isaac Sumdac]] (1)
* [[Sari Sumdac]] (3)

|}

==Quotes==

'''Lugnut''': "And the universe will rejoice! All hail your grand and glorious return!" 
'''Starscream''': "Okaaay, what's ''his'' malfunction?" 
'''Calm Blitzwing''': "Technical glitch. It happens." 
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': "A lot, actually! Ahahahaha!" 
'''Lugnut''': "It is ''not'' a glitch! It is Megatron, and he commands us to deliver him the key!" 
'''Starscream''': "Megatron?! Did you just say Megatron? Did he just say ''MEGATRON''?! ''THERE IS NO MEGATRON!'' MEGATRON IS OFFLINE! TERMINATED! I DID IT MYSEL{{m-}}''saw'' it myself."
:{{m-}}'''Starscream''', master of deception.

"Lugnut! Blitzwing! Do as our mystery caller commands! Track the energy signal and find that key! Meanwhile, I will locate the source of the transmission." 
"And locate our grand and glorious leader!" 
"Uh, fine, yes, whatever."
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Lugnut'''. Screamer's the master of deception, we say!

"The fate of the Earth and Cybertron hang in the balance and all I've got in my command are a bunch of undisciplined, insubordinate MALFUNCTIONS!"
:{{m-}}'''Optimus Prime''' has quite the bad temper when he's dissatisfied with his troops. ''[[Megatron (BW)|Yesssss.]]''

"What's your damage, Prime? Sari is a part of this team!" 
"Considering your own history of mistakes, you aren't exactly the greatest character witness, Bumblebee."
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Optimus Prime''' exchange harsh words. Ouch.

'''Angry Blitzwing''': "The key, Autobot!" 
'''Ratchet''': "You'll have to pry it from my cold, offline servo." 
'''Blitzwing''': ''(changes to calm face and freezes Ratchet before changing to crazy face)'' "Well, it's not exactly offline, but it's certainly cold. Ahahahaha!" 
:{{m-}}'''Blitzwing''', cheats by stealing the key from ''Ratchet'' instead of fighting for it.

'''Grimlock''': "Cycle and car robots good! Truck robot bad!" 
'''Prowl''': "Truck robot good. Our ''friend''." 
'''Grimlock''': "Hmmmm...friend?"
:{{m-}}'''Prowl''', the Dinobot whisperer.

"Evil forces are about to invade this planet and destroy everything in their path. If we want to survive, we must join forces and fight them together." 
"Dinobots not need robots to fight! Dinobots destroy robots!" 
"In case you haven't noticed, Dinobots ''are'' robots."
:{{m-}}'''Optimus Prime''' gives '''Grimlock''' a dose of reality.

"Look what the capacitor dragged in." 
"Megatron?! Alive? And looking...magnificent, as always." 
"Starscream. How good it is to be reunited with such a ''devoted'' and ''faithful'' subject in my time of need." 
"I would have come sooner, o grand and illustrious leader, but naturally we all assumed you perished at the hands of the Autobot scum. What...great...joy to discover you did not." 
"Yes. Delight is written all over your face."
:{{m-}}'''Megatron''' and '''Starscream''' exchange warm and heartfelt pleasantries.

"YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!"
:{{m-}}'''Starscream''' seriously freaks out when Bumblebee shoots him.

'''Lugnut''': "We have come for our glorious leader, Megatron!" 
'''Megatron''': "I am here, Lugnut." 
'''Lugnut''': "Oh, Master, I am not worthy! I am not worthy{{m-}}...what happened to your body?" 
'''Megatron''': "...long story." 
'''Calm Blitzwing''': "So, you didn't have voices in your head..." 
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': "...you had a ''head'' in your head!"
:{{m-}}Decepticon reunion.

"''Decepticons?'' But, you told me you were an Autobot." 
"And I hated every moment of that humiliating charade."
:{{m-}}'''Isaac Sumdac''' finally learns the truth, and from '''Megatron''' himself.

==Other notes==

===Continuity errors===
* When Bulkhead brings up the Dinobots, Optimus says that they were destroyed, "weren't they?" However, the last time the Dinobots were mentioned was in "[[Survival of the Fittest]]", when Optimus thought the Dinobots were ''missing,'' and also suspected they were involved in the kidnapping of Sari. He has no known reason to think they were ''destroyed.''

* Despite her initial sarcasm, Sari has apparently forgotten (or is willing to forget) how Blackarachnia's use of the All Spark key nearly killed Sari herself and all organic life for miles around. She also doesn't seem to mind being kidnapped onto a rooftop again. Lesson: Never betray a kid's trust; it makes them act '''really''' stupid.

* Not so much an error as just an oddity: When Starscream stands over a dangling Bumblebee on the Sumdac Tower rooftop, Megatron sends a power surge through a roof fixture and zaps Starscream. When the scene cuts back to the roof a few minutes later, Bumblebee's back on the roof, which he likely managed while Starscream was stunned, and Screamer's confronting him again. However, with no time given for them to talk or react about the transition, the previous roof scene may as well not have happened.

===Animation Errors===
* The [[scale|size of Megatron's head]] fluctuates greatly between scenes, often appearing gigantic even compared to large characters.
* When Sari is telling Blackarachnia about the Autobots taking away her key, her right leg is drawn awkwardly... almost as if it's growing out of her skirt.
* For a brief moment, right when Ratchet contacts Prime to inform him of his loss of the key, the ol' Bot's arm can be seen with the "missing EMP Generator hole" again, but it quickly disappears, then re-appears when he fights Blitzwing and Lugnut.
* Starscream's Decepticon insignia is occasionally upside-down.

===Transformers references===
* Prime finally refers to [[Dinobot Island]] by that name.

===Real-world references===
* Ratchet's remark to Blitzwing about prying the key from his cold, offline servo is a reference to an NRA slogan.
* The scene of Megatron's head reattaching to his body via a series of small pistons that join and then draw together is similar to the "repair" sequences in 1999's ''The Iron Giant''.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* The Decepticon symbol on Megatron's body that was so clear [[Nature Calls|last episode]] is nowhere to be seen now. Of course, neither is the chestplate it resided on.
* The R/C Plane Sari was flying resembles a MiG-15 Fighter.
* This is the first episode in which we see an extended transformation sequence for Starscream.
* When Megatron's energized body sends out cables to its detached hand, in which Prof. Sumdac is sitting, the hand grips around Sumdac, then is yanked under the flooring and over to the body, where it opens back up—with Sumdac no longer within it. (Nothing up Megatron's sleeve!)
* At one point during Starscream's transformation, he strongly resembles the Gerwalk mode of the [http://www.new-un-spacy.com/macrossplus/yf-19.htm YF-19 Alpha One] from the anime ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macross_Plus Macross Plus],'' one of the apparent influences for his alternate mode.
* It appears that Grimlock has gotten over his hatred of [[Car Robots]], but [[Grimlock (G1)|he still hates Optimus Prime]].

[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Home Is Where the Spark Is

2008-04-02T13:53:12Z

168.9.35.14: /* Continuity errors */ * During the assembly line's rampage, Ratchet is injured after the explosion of some airborne gas tanks. He remains in a damaged state until the very end of the episode, when,

{{episodenav|animated|4|season=1|prev=Transform and Roll Out!|next=Total Meltdown}}

'''The Autobots settle into their new home base, an abandoned automobile manufacturing plant, but the ancient assembly line machinery seems to have developed a mind of its own—or someone else's...'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:duelingbanjos.jpg|thumb|150px|Hey, does anyone else hear Dueling Banjos?]]
As an armored car leaves a bank in the dead of night, the [[Angry Archer]] robs it and makes his escape from the cops on a fire engine, thinking the police won’t stop a firetruck heading to a fire. It’s the Archer’s mistake, however, because he's hitched a ride on the back of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]. Prime, playing hero, subdues the thief easily and smiles for evening news cameras.

Elsewhere, [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] observes a cat stalking a bird and finds it amazing, only to have his nature watch cut short by awestruck humans and camera-bots. He heads back huffily to the new Autobot headquarters, an abandoned car factory. The other [[Autobot]]s are in the middle of installing the world’s largest flat-panel TV in their new home and sharing their views on their newfound stardom. Prowl returns upset with the constant interruptions and goes to his Japanese-decorated room. In his room, Prowl lectures Optimus on his fascination with the Earth's animals, only to have that cut short with [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s antics. Annoyed again, Prowl leaps off into a tree.

[[Image:megsawakened.jpg|left|thumb|150px|I think, therefore I--where the [[Pit|heck]] is my body?!]]
Meanwhile, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] tries to enter her father's private lab. She uses her All Spark key to open the door, but [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] leaves with her before she can enter more than a step or two, reminding her no one but him is allowed in there. Residual energy from the key floats over and reactivates the head of [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. As his higher functions take control, the horrified Megatron discovers that he is without a body and is hardwired into some sort of primitive computer. As he searchs for answers, he brings up video footage of the last battle between the Autobots and [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], including the latter’s confession of sabotaging his leader. Megatron is understandably ticked, and not just at Starscream's betrayal, but on the sheer helplessness of his situation. Not only do the [[Decepticon]]s believe that he is dead, meaning there is no hope of rescue, but the [[All Spark (Animated)|All Spark]] is finally within his reach, and he lacks the hands to take it! While lamenting his lack of a body, he discovers his new power to control machines around him. Picking up a discarded, miniature robot, Megatron decides that it's time to get...proactive.

After trashing her [[Tutor Bot]] using the All Spark key, Sari tells Prof. Sumdac she is leaving to the Autobot base for a slumber party. Overhearing this, Megatron sends one of Isaac's [[pocketbot]]s to hide in her backpack so he can search the base for the All Spark.

[[Image:twister.jpg|thumb|150px|Image courtesy of the Hasbro Holiday 2106 catalog.]]
At the Autobot base, Prowl watches a nature show about caterpillars evolving into butterflies, which he finds fascinating. Bumblebee, of course, isn't interested and changes the channel on him. Annoyed yet again, Prowl pounces on Bumblebee like a cat to prove what he has learned from animals before leaping to a high point to meditate. Later, Bumblebee and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] play high-tech Twister™ with much difficulty; Bumblebee then challenges Prowl to try. Prowl jumps in and easily touches all the spots Sari announces. Having won the game, he leaves to his room. Disgusted that the Autobots could ever get their hands on the All Spark, Megatron uses the pocketbot to begin searching.

Sari then tells ghost stories to the rest of the Autobots and, with a little help from her All Spark key, succeeds in scaring Bumblebee. Meanwhile, since the pocketbot's search for the All Spark has proven fruitless, Megatron decides to kill the Autobots and extract info on its location from their lifeless shells. He takes control of the assembly line robots and uses pincers, riveters, a big electromagnet and a die press to pummel the Autobots. Prowl shows up and realizes that the machines are detecting the Autobots by use of motion sensors. He instructs everyone to be still, then strike in order to get to the control panel. However, while the motion sensors can't see him, Megatron can, so he gets caught by the machines as well. With [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] injured, the only bot left free to move is Bumblebee, who manages to listen Prowl long enough to outrace the machines and destroy the control panel.

In a parting gesture, Megatron cuts open a fuel tank perilously close to a fire, but the Autobots team up and launch it into the sky, where it explodes harmlessly. As they wonder who tried to kill them, they discover the pocketbot under Megatron's control, but Bulkhead accidentally smashes it after catching it before they can study it.

Back at the lab, Megatron has a fit over his loss and decides to reveal more Cybertronian technology to Sumdac in order to get a new body.

At the end, Prowl again coaches Bumblebee in the art of stillness while both play a game of high-tech Twister™.

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Michael Ryan]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Matt Youngberg]], [[Shunji Oga]]
*'''Original airdate:''' January 5, 2008

===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]](2)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]](4)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]](6)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]](5)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]](3)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]](9)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]](10)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Angry Archer]](1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]](7)
*[[Sari Sumdac]](8)
|}

==Quotes==

"HAHAHA!!! Victory is ''mine''! Yon police would ''ne'er'' stop a firetruck from speeding to an emergency!" 
"Only one problem with that theory: ''You're'' the emergency."
:—The '''Angry Archer'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s escape is cut short by '''Optimus Prime'''

"No way, being a star rocks! If the titanium alloy plating fits, ''wear it''. And...I make it look ''good''."
:—'''Bumblebee''', being himself.

"Auut-oh-bot-MegaMegaMega-Meg-Meeeegaaa-Mega-[[Megatron (Movie)|I am Megatron]]!"
:—'''Megatron''' awakening after his fifty-year slumber

"STAAAAAARSCREEEEEEEEAM!" 
:—'''Megatron''' on learning of Starscream's treachery. So [[Generation 1|G1]] it hurts.

"Whoa. Looks like somebody forgot to defrag his hard drive."
:—'''Bulkhead''', using a dubious computer analogy to describe Prowl's bad mood

"You Autobot fools are the keepers of the [[All Spark (Animated)|All Spark]]? This must be some cosmic joke..."
:—'''Megatron''', disgusted at the Autobots' merry-making.

"What's the matter? We're not ''still'' enough for you? Ynnh—fine! Have a great time in there watching the ''grass grow''!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' to Prowl as the latter heads off to his private quarters (presumably to have a great time watching the grass grow).

"Everyone...stand still." 
"Forget stillness! We need action!" 
:—'''Prowl''' and '''Bumblebee''' debate strategy.

"That can't be good."
:—'''Bulkhead''', stating the obvious, seconds away from being crushed

"Stillness...then strike."
:—'''Prowl''', as he sneaks past the Megatron-possessed machinery

==Other notes==

===Continuity errors===
* When the Angry Archer turns around to notice he's being followed by police cars, the bags of money he'd just tied to his waist are nowhere to be seen. They're back in other shots, though.

* Sari says "Right foot on green." during the Twister™ game. The only problem is there are no green spaces in the next shot, just purple, orange and yellow. (After that shot, they seem to appear as normal.) At the end of the episode, the problem is reversed--there are no yellow spaces, but there are green ones.

* During the assembly line's rampage, Ratchet is injured after the explosion of some airborne gas tanks. He remains in a damaged state until the very end of the episode, when, in the close-up group shot of the Autobots, he can be seen completely undamaged before the camera focuses on Bulkhead attempting to grab the pocketbot as it runs out the door.

===Transformers references===
* In a different kind of Transformers reference, the Angry Archer is designed to resemble [[Hasbro]]'s [[Aaron Archer]].

* Similarly, the bank shown in the opening sequence is the Izzo National Bank, named for Hasbro executive and series co-producer Joshua Izzo.

* When Megatron comes online, his first coherent words are "I am Megatron!", the same thing [[Megatron (Movie)|his movie counterpart]] said.

===Real-world references===
* Bumblebee's line "I make it look ''good''!" is paraphrased from Will Smith in ''Men in Black''.

* Bumblebee pounds on Prowl's head and says "Anybot home?" much like Biff Tannen does to George McFly in ''Back to the Future''.

* A high-tech, Transformer-[[scale]]d version of [[Wikipedia:Twister (game)|Twister™]] is repeatedly played in this episode.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*In this episode, Tutor Bot fails to teach Sari about the Quadratic Formula.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Transform and Roll Out

2008-04-02T13:40:15Z

168.9.35.14: /* Quotes */ "So this is what it feels like . . . to be . . . a hero . . ."

{{episodenav|animated|1, 2, and 3|season=1|prev=|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is}}

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_AutobotHeroes.jpg|thumb|right|350px|''Epic'']]

'''Optimus Prime and his small crew of maintenance Autobots come into possession of the All Spark. This powerful Cybertronian artifact attracts the attention of the Autobots' long-forgotten enemies, the Decepticons, and sends them all crashing toward a strange, distant planet known as... ''Earth.'''''

'''German Title:''' Trasformieren und Abfahrt

==Detailed synopsis==
===Part 1===

In deep, deep space, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] watches some old history videos, prompting [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] to complain about him watching that "junk" when the other members of the crew need assistance. Prime wonders if they were designed for more than repairing [[space bridge]]s. The two 'Bots transform into their vehicle modes and head out into the asteroid field.

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_TheAllsparkdiscovered.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Well... at least there's no [[mass-shifting]]]]

Outside, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], dangling from a high rock by his wrecking ball (and becoming quite queasy in the process), is freed by [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], who also ends up taking a tumble. Bumblebee complains about the sheer amount of rocks blocking the space bridge node, and one is shattered unexpectedly by [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]'s throwing star. Prime gives his troops a speech about teamwork (which Prowl moans at theatrically), but at that point the space bridge lights up, sending rocks and Autobots flying. Fancy footwork by Optimus saves each of his teammates from the debris, and a well-aimed grappling line shuts down the bridge. With his subordinates stunned at their leader's skills, Prime is forced to admit he trained at [[Autobot Academy|Cybertron's military academy]]. Bumblebee's query as to what the hell he's doing on a nowhere maintenance assignment is left unanswered as they notice something glowing in the rubble.

Prime clears away the debris to reveal a large, chest-like object. Ratchet is horrified and immediately demands they throw it back into the space bridge, but an alert from [[Teletran 1]] announces the arrival of a signature consistent with the long-lost [[Decepticon]]s. Ratchet then insists they take the object and just get out of there post-haste.

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_Decepticonship.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Yes, this ''is'' a scout ship. Way to go, [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Magnanimous.]]]]

On board the ''[[Ark (Animated)|Ark]]'', Ratchet finally reveals what they've found: the [[All Spark (Animated)|All Spark]], the source of all Transformer life that was lost centuries ago. Optimus, worried about the oncoming Decepticon signal, contacts the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] for help. After taking a bit of snark from [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], Optimus reveals what they found, which shuts Sentinel up fast. Sentinel then puts the crew through to [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], who tells Optimus Prime to stay put while they send reinforcements... and not to worry about that Decepticon thing. Optimus, considering this to be a really stupid move, orders the crew to start booking it out of there.

[[Image:Ani_crew.JPG|left|thumb|200px|Scotty, engage!]]

This proves wise, as the signal is indeed a Decepticon ship—a [[Nemesis (Animated)|command ship]], in fact. The identification markings are ones that Optimus and Ratchet recognize, meaning its commander can only be one person: [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], leader of the Decepticons. On board the Decepticon ship, [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] doubts the All Spark is aboard the ''Ark'' and declares Megatron a fool. [[Lugnut]] denounces Starscream as a traitor, while [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] calls Lugnut an idiot for his blind loyalty and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] just acts... well, crazy. The Decepticons continue to bicker at each other until Megatron enters, shutting up all of them. The Decepticons chase the Autobot ship, and Starscream volunteers to board them. Megatron quickly shoots that idea down. Just before he leaves, Starscream wishes his commander "luck" with a pat on the back... affixing a bomb to Megatron in the process.

Megatron makes his way to the ''Ark'' and begins to melt his way through its hull. Optimus uses external manipulator arms to grapple with Megatron, until the bomb detonates, sending the ship careening uncontrollably into a space bridge node, which explodes after they go through the gate. Starscream begins to make a speech declaring himself the new Decepticon leader, but the other three have abandoned ship, noting that the fireball from the space bridge explosion is only getting larger. Too late, Starscream realizes the trouble he's in...

An unknown distance away, the Autobot ship reappears above a [[Earth|small blue and green planet]]. Prime checks on his troops, but Megatron has gotten aboard, having survived the explosion, but at the cost of his right arm. Prime uses his grappling line to shut off the gravity, making it more difficult for Megatron to fight. All five Autobots face off against the Decepticon, but he's too strong (though Prowl does manage to cut off Megatron's damaged arm). Prime and Megatron both end up in the storage bay where the All Spark is... and as the ship enters the atmosphere, Prime is able to blow the hatch and kick the screaming Megatron out of the ship.

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_Arkatmosphere.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Beast Wars, Part 1|Oddly familiar.]]]]

On a small farm, a young boy hears a thud and runs to where something has landed in a not-too-distant field. He is shocked to find a robotic head staring lifelessly up at him.

Meanwhile, Prime orders his team into emergency stasis pods to prepare for a crash-landing. He manages to steer the ship away from the city below and gets to a stasis pod just before the ship plunges into [[Lake Erie]].

Fifty years later, Detroit is a city of robots. [[Isaac Sumdac]] is talking to a public school class taking a tour of his facilities, which gets interrupted by Isaac's daughter, [[Sari Sumdac]], and her robot dog, [[Sparkplug (Animated)|Sparkplug]]. As Sari is carted off to her lessons by a [[Tutorbot|robot tutor]], Isaac shows the school kids a nanotech lab, just in time to witness a roach infused with microbots grow out of control and start consuming everything in sight. Isaac tries to keep things calm, but the monster bursts out of the lab...

===Part 2===
[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_Firefighters_monster.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Yeah, watering it will surely stop the beast.]]

The monster continues to grow, absorbing just about everything it touches to increase its size and power. In the process, it destroys a lot of the factory. [[Captain Fanzone]], the S.W.A.T team, the fire department, ambulances, and robot drones arrive, but the creature absorbs several of the responding vehicles, too. Fanzone uses a bazooka-type weapon and destroys the beast, despite Sumdac's objection. This protest proves well-founded, as the remnants of the creature start flowing back together again, save for one piece that drops into the nearby lake and works its way down to the ''Ark'', its nanites seeking the absorbable technology there. It infiltrates via a small breach in the outer hull, but thankfully, the ship's intruder alert systems are functional and awaken the Autobots before any damage is done. Examining the situation, they decide to have Teletran 1 give them Earth forms so they can blend in and help out. Everyone deploys except Ratchet, who remains behind to analyze the sample of invading material.

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_Autobots.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Avengers]], ASSEMBLE!]]

During the fight, Bulkhead and Bumblebee spot Sari trying to wrest her security key from Sparkplug's mouth. Mistaking which is owner and which is pet, they approach her, but Bulkhead's greeting only scares her away. She quickly gets nabbed by the monster, but Bumblebee saves her, earning her trust and friendship. Prowl attempts to take on the bug-slug by himself, against Prime's orders, and gets absorbed. Prime orders Ratchet to join them in battle to save Prowl, but the old veteran insists that finding a "cure" code to neutralize the nanites' programming makes more sense than coming out and getting trashed. A somewhat chastened Prime agrees, and Ratchet soon delivers the goods. However, the new program must be uploaded by direct contact{{m-}}meaning from inside the monster. This means the smallest, fastest one of them has to do it. Bumblebee reluctantly takes on the task. The beast has been using some of Prowl's absorbed intelligence and comm link tech, though, so it knows what they're planning and is now smart enough to fight back. Despite this, Bumblebee succeeds in delivering the code, and the bug dissolves into a dusty shower of deactivated nanites. Prowl is soon uncovered, but he's suffered grave wounds and must be taken back to the ''Ark'' for repairs. Sari pesters Bumblebee to be taken along, and her new friend reluctantly agrees, since there's no time to make her go away quietly.

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_Sari_followedmehome.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Bumblebee, having a pet is a big responsibility.]]

Once on board, Sari's refusal to stay still and quiet causes 'Bee some embarrassment. He quickly and discreetly ejects her into a ventilation port and joins the others. However, the port opens onto a shaft that takes Sari right to the chamber where the All Spark is being kept. Curious, she touches it, and it reacts to her, sending its energies into her security card key and reconfiguring it into a key of another sort entirely. Prime finds her almost immediately thereafter, but with no time left to spare away from Prowl, he has to bring her back with him to the repair table. Ratchet's prognosis is bleak, but Sari's All Spark-charged key abruptly reacts, glowing and tugging her toward Prowl. Bumblebee, seeming to grasp what's happening, helps her onto the table, and as she approaches, her key reshapes itself to fit into a slot on Prowl's chest. She inserts it, and with a burst of energy, the Autobot ninja is whole again. The Autobots then take Sari home and, after a brief misunderstanding, are made heroes and are even invited to a ceremony.

In outer space, Starscream sits aboard the damaged but functional Decepticon ship, babbling that he will find the All Spark, even though he's been attempting it on his own for the last fifty solar cycles. The ship's computers then detect the traces of All Spark-like energy in action, and Starscream learns where the Autobots are...

===Part 3===
[[Image:Sariprime.jpg|right|thumb|150px|INSERT WHAT WHERE?!]]

The Autobots are later seen trying to fit in. Bulkhead gets firsthand experience in traffic jams, some birds mistake Prowl for the statue of the [[wikipedia:Hazen S. Pingree|bald guy]] next to him, Bumblebee learns how organics fuel up, and Ratchet can't get a stasis nap without getting a dozen or so parking tickets. Optimus Prime remarks that the Autobots are programmed to respect life, which they always understood to stem from the All Spark, but as organics are life, they must respect and protect them too. Optimus also expresses curiosity about how little organics are made. Sari's whispered explanation leaves him rather... shocked. The Autobots make a new home base out of a building Sari's dad got out of a merger, an abandoned auto factory that Bumblebee describes as a real fixer-upper{{m-}}a REAL fixer-upper. All of a sudden, they get alerted to a fire. The Autobots proceed to douse the blaze and save its victims, no problem, unaware they are being watched by Starscream.

The next day, during the inauguration ceremony for the Sumdac Fully Automated Rapid Transit System (F.A.R.T.S., for short), Starscream enters Earth's atmosphere and takes on a group of fighter jets. He destroys all but one, which he scans. As the civilians and Autobots watch the aerial display of the Crimson Angels, Isaac Sumdac notices there is an extra jet present that he didn't hire. That one jet then leaves the formation and streaks toward the ceremony platform, where it transforms into Starscream, who fires his null-ray cannons at the Autobots.

After a short fight, which the Autobots lose, Starscream knocks out Bumblebee and takes him, Isaac, the mayor, and Capt. Fanzone hostage in the F.A.R.T.S. train, flying it to the top of a very tall tower. He demands that the Autobots deliver the All Spark if they want him to release the train car. The Autobots don't trust him, but don't want to risk human lives, so Sari offers a plan, but they ignore her. She continues to tell a sob story until the Autobots listen. The Autobots proceed with her plan, and Prowl and Sari fly up to the transit pod to rescue the hostages while the other Autobots keep Starscream busy. Once Starscream realizes what's happening, he takes a brief beating but recovers quickly. Starscream then throws the train{{m-}}thus keeping his end of the deal{{m-}}with Sari, Prowl, and Bumblebee on top of/in it. Between Bumblebee's agility and Prowl's thrusters, Sari is rescued and the train lands without much damage. The Autobots then challenge Starscream to a friendly game of Keep Away, during which Starscream almost gets the All Spark, but Bulkhead gets it instead, because he said he got it. A furious Starscream unleashes a devastating, prolonged (as in nearly 12 seconds) null-ray blast on the Autobots, briefly knocking them all senseless.

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_Prime_SS_Allsparkactivates.jpg|thumb|left|150px|In the old days, [[Stan Bush|The Touch]] would have started playing now.]]

With the Autobots down, Starscream takes the All Spark from Optimus and blows a couple of blocks of Detroit right off the map. Not ready to give up, Optimus climbs all the way up a building to get it back from Starscream, which Starscream doesn't see coming because he was too busy gloating. After a quick back-and-forth exchange of possessing it, both grab it at the same time. As they struggle, the All Spark opens and emits a strange energy wave that blasts Starscream away.

The explosion has left Prime dangling precariously, and he takes a tremendous plummet to the pavement. He notes weakly that he now knows what it feels like to be a hero, then dies, but Sari uses her All Spark key to revive him.<ref>[[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|This is something of an Optimus Prime record]]: Dead after only three episodes, revived a mere 75 seconds later. Way to go.</ref> The Autobots later go about fixing up Detroit, earning the enduring gratitude of the citizenry. Professor Sumdac is also grateful, for the Autobots saved him and Sari, but he fears what will happen if the Autobots—not to mention the rest of the world{{m-}}were to discover the source of his robotic empire.

Unseen by Sumdac, one of the [[Sensors#Optics|optics]] of his source of technology glows in a darkened room. Megatron still functions...

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Marty Isenberg]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Matt Youngberg]], [[Yutaka Kagawa]], [[Minoru Yamaoka]], [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
*'''Original airdate:''' December 26, 2007

===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobots]]
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticons]]
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human|Humans]]
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (6)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (7)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (8)
*[[Lugnut]] (9)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (10)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (11)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (13)
*[[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] (14)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (15)
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (16)
|}

==Quotes==
"Do you ever get the feeling that you were programmed for more than just repairing space bridges?" 
"I got a diagnostic program that will delete that feeling like a bad line of code."
:—'''Optimus Prime's''' dreams are crushed into a fine powder by '''Ratchet'''.

'''Starscream''': Megatron is a fool who's been chasing a ghost for centuries...I seriously doubt we'll find this "All Spark" on board such an ''insignificant'' vessel. 
'''Lugnut''': ''Traitor!'' Megatron is wise! Megatron is bold! Megatron will return the Decepticons to Cybertron and... 
'''Blackarachnia''': ... and wipe our homeland clean of the stench of Autobot tyranny, blah-dee blah blah blah! Did you memorize that speech, Lugnut? Or is it just hardwired into that thick, one-track processor of yours? 
''[An ice beam freezes Blackarachnia's forearm]'' 
'''Calm Blitzwing''': As usual, Blackarachnia, your demeanor is as unpleasant as that accursed organic mode of yours. 
'''Blackarachnia''': Blow it out your [[Anatomic euphemism#Actuator|actuator]], three-face. 
''[changes to angry face]'' 
'''Angry Blitzwing''': De name is Blitzving, insect! Remember it! 'Cause it's de last t'ing you're gonna hear before I— 
''[changes to crazy face]'' 
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': —express my feelings in song! De itzy bitzy spider... 
:—Decepticon camaraderie at its finest.

"What do you want now, Starscream?" 
''[Starscream attaches an explosive onto Megatron's back.]'' 
"Only to wish you luck, my liege." 
"I do not believe... in ''luck''". 
''[Megatron transforms and leaves.]'' 
"Neither... do I..." 
:—'''Megatron''' is arrogant, '''Starscream''' is treacherous. [[Megatron (G1)|Some]] [[Starscream (G1)|things]] [[Megatron (Armada)|never]] [[Starscream (Armada)|change]].

"'''Yes!''' ...right then. Solemn face, solemn face."
:—'''Starscream''' watches Megatron explode, then composes himself before going to tell the Decepticons he's their new leader.

'''Bulkhead''': Hi there, little creature. My name's Bulkhead. Did you lose your owner-bot? 
'''Sari''':... AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! 
'''Bumblebee''': AAAAHHH! That thing must be armed with some sort of high-frequency sonic weapon! 
''[Sari runs off screaming]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': I think it's scared. Don't worry, little creature! I'm not gonna hurt you! 
''[Sari is grabbed by the robot-slug]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': But that thing might!
:—'''Bulkhead''' and '''Bumblebee''' forget about the Prime Directive.

"Hi, I'm Bumblebee!" 
"I'm Sari." 
"Oh, don't be, I like my name."
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Sari''' introduce themselves.

"Uh...am I going to be able to ''breathe'' down there?" 
"Oh, sure! What's 'breathe'?"
:—'''Sari''' takes a trip underwater with '''Bumblebee'''.

'''Optimus Prime''' ''[to Sari]'': How did you get aboard this ship? 
'''Bumblebee''': It followed me home... Can I keep it? 
'''Sari''': Hey, I'm not an "it", I'm a "she"! 
'''Optimus''' ''[to Bumblebee]'': So, I suppose you have an explanation? 
'''Bumblebee''': Actually, I'm narrowing it down to my top five. 
:—'''Optimus''' discovers '''Bumblebee'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s new friend.

"It's okay, they're friendly! Well, except for [[Ratchet (Animated)|the red and white one]], he's kinda grumpy! But other than that..."
:—'''Sari''' plays ambassador.

'''Optimus Prime''': But how is it you're able to make these new, smaller organics? 
'''Sari''': (Whispers) 
'''Optimus''': o_0 
:—'''Optimus''' learns that there are some things that you can't unhear.

"Ratchet, think fast!" 
"Oh crud." 
:{{m-}}'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Ratchet''', as the game of keep-away starts.

"So this is what it feels like . . . to be . . . a hero . . ."
:—'''Optimus''', just before he shatters the world record for [[Optimus Prime (G1)|shortest]] [[Optimus Primal|period]] [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|of]] [[Optimus Prime (Worlds Collide)|clinical]] [[The Many Deaths of Optimus Prime|death]].

{{-}}

==Other notes==
===Animation and/or technical glitches===
* Megatron's vehicle mode was depicted flying upside-down, or backwards, or possibly both. To be fair, in Space, there is no such thing as up or down, thanks to the whole 'no gravity' thing.

* As Starscream tackles Optimus Prime through a building as the Autobot tries to escape with the All Spark, Optimus' axe is missing from Starscream's left wing. It reappears moments later for Optimus to retrieve it.

===Plot Holes===
* How does Blitzwing know "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" if he's never been to Earth?

===Continuity errors===
* The train Starscream blasts from the tower falls toward the ground very, very slowly.

*In at least one scene, Starscream's Earth-form wing is shown with a spike, in the same manner as his Cybertronian body.

*Sumdac is using Megatron's hand as a chair. However, he seems to be using the right hand, which was blown up by Starscream. (It ''could'' have fallen off the ''Ark'', as it was still clinging to the hull when last seen, but that seems unlikely.)

===Transformers references===
*The title of the episode itself is a [[Roll out|reference to Transformers lore past]].
*Footage from the [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]] episodes "[[War Dawn]]" and "[[More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]" is used as history tapes detailing the events of the first Great War, millions of years prior. [[Canon|This]] has been confirmed as pure fanwank, and should not be taken as linking animated to G1, continuity wise.

*Sari's robotic dog [[Sparkplug (Animated)|Sparkplug]] is likely named after either [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] from G1, the Armada Mini-Con [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]], or both.
[[Image:Spikecarlydanielanimated.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Twenty years later, and they're still overdressed.]]
*Characters resembling [[Spike Witwicky|Spike]], [[Carly]], and [[Daniel Witwicky]] are seen at a hot dog stand, purchasing some sort of futuristic bunless wieners-on-a-stick.

*The ''Animated'' Autobots are [[Infiltration|not the first]] to use a starship parked at the bottom of one of the Great Lakes as their headquarters.

*When Optimus Prime dies, his body fades to grays, just as [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Generation 1 Optimus Prime]] did in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. His spark chamber opens in much the same manner as well.

*The baby carriage carriing the [[Soviet_Union|baby with the russian hat]] bears some resemblance to [[Wheelie]].

*Teletran 1 (spelled with only one "a" in this universe) dispatches a small satellite very similar to the [[Sky Spy]] satellite used on occasion by the Autobots in the ''Generation 1'' cartoon. The glowing energy "boxes" with which it scans vehicles for the Autobots to transform into are lifted wholesale out of "[[More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".

*[[Sari Sumdac's key]] bears a strong resemblance to the [[Key to Vector Sigma]].

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* Blitzwing calls Blackarachnia an "insect". Since he surely knows spiders aren't insects, it's likely just an affectionate nickname. Not.
* In this episode, [[Tutor Bot]] tries to teach Sari about the [[Wikipedia:Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act|Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act]] (a major economic blunder of the 1930s).
* When Prowl gets birdpooped on, he is standing next to a statue of [[wikipedia:Hazen S. Pingree|Hazen S. Pingree]], four-term mayor of Detroit and one-time governor of Michigan. In real life, the statue is located in Detroit's Grand Circus Park.
* A refurbished Michigan Central Station makes an appearance as the site for the dedication of Detroit's rapid transit system. The real-life station (abandoned since the '80s) was featured in the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]].
* When mocking the Autobots, Starscream actually calls Megatron "the great Megatron" without any sarcasm. Apparently, he'll only give a sincere compliment to his leader when he's insulting something else.
* When Optimus comes back to life, he asks, "Is this the Well of All Sparks?" and Sari answers, "No, it's Detroit." This is an allusion to the movie ''Field of Dreams'' when Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) asks Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) "Is this heaven?" and Ray answers "No, it's Iowa."
*While Megatron's original body gets destroyed, it reappears in later episodes when he communicates electronically with people.

== Footnote ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Total Meltdown

2008-04-02T13:29:47Z

168.9.35.14: /* Quotes */ And no, not that overgrown gorilla.

{{disambig3|Meltdown}}

{{episodenav|animated|5|season=1|prev=Home Is Where the Spark Is|next=Blast from the Past}}

[[Image:Meltdownaproch.jpg|thumb|350px|Mr. Freeze and Clayface's offspring.]]
'''A bio-engineering genius experiments with some of Bumblebee's hydraulic fluid and accidentally transforms himself into Meltdown, whose corrosive touch can melt anything—including Autobots!'''

==Synopsis==

[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]], [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]], [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] are observing human society by way of [[television]]. After seeing cars being refueled and demolition derbies, they find a wrestling show hosted by businessman [[Prometheus Black]] as part of his biochemical makeover program (or as Prime puts it, human upgrades). As a demonstration of the upgrades' success, one of his test subjects will be fighting a robot in the ring. To the Autobots shock, the robot is [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]! To their greater shock, Bumblebee's puny opponent, [[Colossus Rhodes|Cyrus "Colossus" Rhodes]], activates special pistons on his back that stimulate special steroids in his system, causing him to swell into a muscular bruiser bigger than Bumblebee.

As 'Bee takes a beating, Black converses with [[Captain Fanzone]] in the luxury box. Black believes that this display should prove that he, not Isaac Sumdac, deserves the Detroit Police Department's security materials contract, offering bio-enhanced officers over robotic drones. Then Bumblebee starts using his speed and stingers to get the better of his overgrown opponent. Enraged, Rhodes stimulates the steroids further, growing even huger, then scoops up Bumblebee and chucks him out through the arena wall. He then leaps outside after the small 'bot and starts tossing and smashing everything around to crush 'Bee. The other Autobots arrive and, thanks to Prowl's quick thinking, manage to stop Rhodes. However, during the battle, Bumblebee has become more and more sensitive to size-related comments, taking them personally. Bulkhead's ribbing doesn't help. Across the parking lot, a disgusted Fanzone denies Black the police contract; as much as he hates machines, he'll take them over a berserk, bio-enhanced gorilla. As Black fumes, he discovers a piece of Bumblebee, covered in the Autobot's internal fluids, at his feet, and takes it back to his lab for research.

At the lab, Black combines Bumblebee's fluid sample with his own special steroids, creating an incredibly powerful acid. However, his financier, [[Porter C. Powell]], informs him that, owing to the bad publicity from the wrestling match, his investors have cut all their funding and not even prisons will give him test subjects any more, leaving him no way to continue his research. Furious, he knocks over the containers of his experimental fluid, swearing he'll take matters into his own hands if he must. The acid starts melting through a good portion of his lab, with the fumes setting off alarms. Black stumbles through the fumes, half-blinded, and begins mutating, his flesh developing a greenish, flowing patina. He then emerges from his lab, swearing vengeance, his hand melting a portion of the door jamb where he gripped it.

Later, [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] unveils the newest model of the Sumdac Systems Police Drone to a rather bored audience of local dignitaries, promising, among other things, that its new recognition software will prevent a recurrence of "that unfortunate incident with the captain's wife." The drone malfunctions badly and explodes, and an angry Fanzone demands the apologetic Sumdac contact them AFTER the bugs are fixed. [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] then discovers a portion of the drone covered in a greenish residue and takes it to Ratchet, who confirms that it indicates sabotage. The corrosive even melts Autobot alloys, so he requests a few hours to run tests on it. Bumblebee is impatient, drawing more "short" jokes from Bulkhead and even Prowl. Sari insists that the banter can wait, as her dad has to be warned first. Most of the Autobots leave for the Sumdac Tower.

However, Black, now fully mutated and calling himself '''Meltdown''', has already arrived. He melts his way past the robot secretary, with the resulting smoke setting off an alarm, and starts on his way up. As Sumdac wonders what the noise is about, Sari contacts him from within Bumblebee and tells him about the sabotage. Isaac wonders who would sabotage him, then gets his answer as Meltdown dissolves the door.

Outside, Sari warns Bumblebee a bit too late to keep him from running into a force field, the result of the tower's auto-defense mode. Ratchet's magnetics open a hole in the field, but Colossus Rhodes shows up to keep the Autobots occupied. His old weak spot's been reinforced now, so Prowl's previous strategy won't work. Prime orders Prowl and Bumblebee to go into the tower with Sari and save her father, but Rhodes knocks Bulkhead into the force field hole, plugging it before Prowl can get through. Bumblebee and Sari are on their own.

In the tower, Bumblebee finds the elevator cables melted, so he wheels his way up the shaft while Sari tries to deactivate the force field from the front desk. In Sumdac's office, Meltdown gives vent to all his frustrations, swearing he won't be bested by a fraud like Sumdac, even though he himself is a freak now. Downstairs, Sari finds the force field controls, but her first attempt to deactivate it only makes it stronger. Back upstairs, Bumblebee arrives just in time to knock Meltdown aside, scoop up Isaac and burn rubber. Meltdown's pursuit forces Bumblebee to drive down the stairs, badly shaking up Sumdac, but they reach the ground floor safely. Meanwhile, Sari finally finds the right data port for her All Spark key and shuts down the force field, freeing Bulkhead.

Bumblebee and her father arrive in the lobby just ahead of Meltdown, who has taken a shortcut by...er, melting his way down. Bulkhead arrives and grabs him up, but finds a handful of acid is VERY painful. Still, he refuses to let go.

Outside, Rhodes smacks Prime into a nearby church bell, then seizes up when it rings. Realizing what's going on, Prowl calls for Prime to hit it again. As Prime plays Quasimodo, Ratchet brings the bell down on top of Rhodes, thoroughly disrupting the bruiser's techno-organic circuits and bringing him back to normal (and probably deafening him).

Back in the tower lobby, Meltdown works a hand free and prepares to blast Bulkhead in the face, but Bumblebee takes the shot. As both Autobots collapse, Meltdown approaches Professor Sumdac yet again, but Prime runs up and clocks Meltdown with the church bell. It doesn't prove effective, but Prime quickly suggests stopping him with the one thing that stopped the Autobots: the tower's force field. Sari reactivates it, Ratchet plugs himself into the console to project the field, and Meltdown finds himself contained, unable to melt what he can't touch.

Afterward, Ratchet and Prime praise Bumblebee's courage and Bulkhead apologizes for going a little overboard with his teasing. Bumblebee's learned that even at his size, he's still pretty awesome, but now he won't let the others live it down for a while.

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Rich Fogel]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Matt Youngberg]], [[Naoto Hashimoto]]
*'''Original airdate:''' January 19, 2008 

===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (3)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (7)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Prometheus Black|Prometheus Black/Meltdown]] (5)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (6)
*[[Colossus Rhodes|Cyrus "Colossus" Rhodes]] (8)
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (9)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (10)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (11)

|}

==Quotes==
"That's a human?" 
"Must be a new model." 
:—'''Bulkhead''' and '''Prowl''' comment on Cyrus Rhodes.

"Just stay out of his reach." 
"Which one? The guy in the middle or the two on either side?" 
"Just swing at all of them." 
:—'''Sari''' plays coach to '''Bumblebee'''. She's no [[wikipedia:Mickey Goldmill|Mickey Goldmill]].

"Stand and fight! What are ya, yellow?!" 
"Well, duh." 
:—'''Colossus Rhodes'''' insult is lost on '''Bumblebee'''

"Call off your overgrown gorilla!" 
"Well, it's not like he has an off switch..." 
:—'''Captain Fanzone'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s demand forces '''Prometheus Black''' to reveal bio-chemical makeovers' one flaw... And no, not [[Optimus Primal|that overgrown gorilla]].

'''Ratchet:''' "I'd like to run some more tests. It should only take a few hours." 
'''Bumblebee:''' "That long?" 
'''Bulkhead:''' "His attention span is short, too." 
'''Bumblebee:''' "I heard that!" 
'''Prowl:''' "Apparently, so is his fuse." 
'''Bulkhead:''' "Ooh, the ninja robot gets in a good one!" 
:—Auto-banter

"What the spark was that?"
:—'''Bumblebee''' provides an interesting new euphemism in reaction to the Sumdac Tower's force field.

'''Sumdac:''' "Prometheus, why are you doing this?" 
'''Meltdown:''' "Because you're a fraud!" 
''Sumdac gasps.'' 
'''Meltdown:''' "I am smarter, better-looking, and more educated than you, and yet, everything you touch turns to gold! While everything ''I'' touch..." 
''Statue melts, and Meltdown throws it out through a window.'' 
'''Meltdown:''' "Just...look at me. I'm a freak! But I refuse to be beaten by some simpering nerd who just got lucky!"
:—'''Meltdown''' gets closer to the truth than he realizes, but even so...

"Sorry about yankin' your crankcase."
:—More awkward euphemisms, this time from '''Bulkhead'''

==Other notes==
===Continuity errors===

* Why did Sari have to wait until she and the Autobots were en route to Sumdac Tower to contact her father? Could she not have reached him from the Autobots' base?

*During the battle outside Sumdac Tower, plenty of car alarms are going off from wrecked vehicles, but these don't seem to affect Rhodes the way the car alarm did outside the wrestling arena.

===Transformers references===
* Black angrily asserts that Sumdac is only successful because he "got lucky.". In "Transform and Roll Out!", Sumdac publicly joked that he had "stumbled upon" [[Megatron (Animated)|the secret of his success]].

===Real-world references===
* Sumdac's sabotaged police drone bears a more-than-passing resemblance to the [[wikipedia:ED-209|ED-209]], a police robot from the film [[wikipedia:RoboCop|''RoboCop'']]. Likewise, Sumdac's mention of its faulty identification software is likely a reference to a scene in the film in which the ED-209 runs amok at a demonstration. Coincidentally, ''RoboCop'' also takes place in a futuristic [[Detroit]].

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*Bulkhead can make a chair out of his own back [[kibble]]. Let's hope the Leader class toy can do that.

* Prowl gets called a ninja, finally.

* Although "Total Meltdown" is the fifth episode in production order, it was aired as the eighth episode in the United States.

* In [[Canada]], it aired on YTV on January 19, 2008 at 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time.

* "Total Meltdown" finally aired on Cartoon Network in the United States on February 10, 2008.

* In the United States, as of 2008, the possession of [[Wikipedia:anabolic steroids|anabolic steroids]] without a prescription is punishable by up to seven years in prison. Since Black volunteers the info about Rhodes' use of steroids to Fanzone, the laws must be different in near-future Detroit, or else Black's particular types of steroids are exempt. (Or Rhodes' doctor wrote him a prescription with the decimal point in the wrong place.)

* This is the first episode (counting "Transform and Roll Out!" as one episode) not to feature Megatron. Or any Decepticon for that matter.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Gorilla Warfare

2008-04-02T13:24:04Z

168.9.35.14: /* Quotes */

'''A virus, courtesy of Scorponok, turns Optimus into an overly aggressive fighting machine.'''

{{episodenav |BW |season=1 |10 |prev=A Better Mousetrap |next=The Probe}}

==Summary==
While out on a specimen gathering mission, Optimus Primal and Dinobot are ambushed by Scorponok, who manages to implant a Cyber Bee onto Optimus' chest before being driven away. Back at base, it's learned that the Bee contains a viral mine designed by Scorponok to infect Optimus' core systems and humble his personality, making him too cowardly to adequately lead. Because the mine has infected all of Primal's core systems, removing the Bee is impossible without killing the Maximal commander, and doing so would trigger a self-destruct in the Bee that would destroy everything within a given radius, regardless.

However, when the mine is fully activated, it ends up having the opposite effect on Primal, turning him into a crazed berserker. Obviously, Scorponok's 'notorious incompetence' has caused the Predacons' plan to backfire. Still, in his current state, Primal is now a danger to himself and his teammates, and is still at risk of perishing under the system drain of the mine, forcing the Maximals to confine him while they debate over what to do next, knowing that Scorponok would have the antivirus for the mine but unsure of how to acquire it. With what little bit of clarity he has left, Optimus convinces Cheetor that they could use the mine against the Preds, taking advantage of their lack of knowledge of the mine's malfunction to launch a surprise assault to force the Preds into relinquishing the antivirus, but when brought to the rest of the crew, his plan is shot down as being far too risky and dangerous to attempt, prompting Optimus to strike out on his own.

Their options running short, Dinobot ironically suggests they 'think like the old Optimus' and suggests negotiating with the Predacons for the cure, but their attempt only serves to give the Predacons advanced warning of Optimus' new state and his oncoming assault. Now with the Preds on full alert and with no other course of action to take, the Maximals begrudgingly follow Optimus to the [[Darksyde|Predacon base]] to give him covering fire in his one-ape assault. Meanwhile, Optimus manages to thrash through all of Megatron's crew before confronting Megatron, who teasingly dangles the cure in front of his nose while giving an ultimatum: submit to him and live, or stay defiant and die from the mine. Optimus, inspired by a plant specimen from the mission at the beginning of the episode, chooses a third option, and rips the Bee from his chest, activating its self-destruct while tossing it onto Megatron, who is forced to drop the anti-virus and flee to Scorponok for help. Fortunately for Primal, the cavalry manages to arrive just in time for Cheetor to grab the cure and administrate it to the Maximal leader before his spark gives out, and the Cyber Bee blows. With the crisis averted, the Maximals return to the Axalon to nurse their commander back to health.

==Quotes==
* "WHO WANTS SOME?!"
Optimus just after he breaks out of the Maximal CR Chamber as a scary-aft berserker.

* "...Optimus is heading your way on the red eye express, and he's ready for mainframe combat."
Cheetor making an in-joke to Megatron of Scorponok's screw up.

==Stats==
'''Writers:''' [[Greg Johnson]] 
'''Original Air Date:''' October 14, 1996

'''Major Characters (in order of appearance):''' [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus]], [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] 
'''Minor Characters (in order of appearance):''' [[Cheetor]]

==Notes==
===Technical/Animation Glitches===
*Glitch

===Continuity Errors===
Despite Rhinox's claims that removing the bee would not only activate a self destruct but seriously damage Optimus' systems early in the episode, by the conclusion Megatron and Scorponok are the only ones to suffer any negative effects as a result.

===Transformers References===
*This episode has the first reference to a [[Spark]] in any Transformer animated continuity.

===Real-World References===
*In the scene where Primal busts into the Pred base, he pulls a Jason Vorhees and sticks Tarantulas to the wall with a pole.

==External Links==
*Link

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category: MSTF]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Transform and Roll Out

2008-04-01T13:30:57Z

168.9.35.14: /* Quotes */

{{episodenav|animated|1, 2, and 3|season=1|prev=|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is}}

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_AutobotHeroes.jpg|thumb|right|350px|''Epic'']]

'''Optimus Prime and his small crew of maintenance Autobots come into possession of the All Spark. This powerful Cybertronian artifact attracts the attention of the Autobots' long-forgotten enemies, the Decepticons, and sends them all crashing toward a strange, distant planet known as... ''Earth.'''''

'''German Title:''' Trasformieren und Abfahrt

==Detailed synopsis==
===Part 1===

In deep, deep space, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] watches some old history videos, prompting [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] to complain about him watching that "junk" when the other members of the crew need assistance. Prime wonders if they were designed for more than repairing [[space bridge]]s. The two 'Bots transform into their vehicle modes and head out into the asteroid field.

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_TheAllsparkdiscovered.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Well... at least there's no [[mass-shifting]]]]

Outside, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], dangling from a high rock by his wrecking ball (and becoming quite queasy in the process), is freed by [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], who also ends up taking a tumble. Bumblebee complains about the sheer amount of rocks blocking the space bridge node, and one is shattered unexpectedly by [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]'s throwing star. Prime gives his troops a speech about teamwork (which Prowl moans at theatrically), but at that point the space bridge lights up, sending rocks and Autobots flying. Fancy footwork by Optimus saves each of his teammates from the debris, and a well-aimed grappling line shuts down the bridge. With his subordinates stunned at their leader's skills, Prime is forced to admit he trained at [[Autobot Academy|Cybertron's military academy]]. Bumblebee's query as to what the hell he's doing on a nowhere maintenance assignment is left unanswered as they notice something glowing in the rubble.

Prime clears away the debris to reveal a large, chest-like object. Ratchet is horrified and immediately demands they throw it back into the space bridge, but an alert from [[Teletran 1]] announces the arrival of a signature consistent with the long-lost [[Decepticon]]s. Ratchet then insists they take the object and just get out of there post-haste.

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_Decepticonship.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Yes, this ''is'' a scout ship. Way to go, [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Magnanimous.]]]]

On board the ''[[Ark (Animated)|Ark]]'', Ratchet finally reveals what they've found: the [[All Spark (Animated)|All Spark]], the source of all Transformer life that was lost centuries ago. Optimus, worried about the oncoming Decepticon signal, contacts the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] for help. After taking a bit of snark from [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], Optimus reveals what they found, which shuts Sentinel up fast. Sentinel then puts the crew through to [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], who tells Optimus Prime to stay put while they send reinforcements... and not to worry about that Decepticon thing. Optimus, considering this to be a really stupid move, orders the crew to start booking it out of there.

[[Image:Ani_crew.JPG|left|thumb|200px|Scotty, engage!]]

This proves wise, as the signal is indeed a Decepticon ship—a [[Nemesis (Animated)|command ship]], in fact. The identification markings are ones that Optimus and Ratchet recognize, meaning its commander can only be one person: [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], leader of the Decepticons. On board the Decepticon ship, [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] doubts the All Spark is aboard the ''Ark'' and declares Megatron a fool. [[Lugnut]] denounces Starscream as a traitor, while [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] calls Lugnut an idiot for his blind loyalty and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] just acts... well, crazy. The Decepticons continue to bicker at each other until Megatron enters, shutting up all of them. The Decepticons chase the Autobot ship, and Starscream volunteers to board them. Megatron quickly shoots that idea down. Just before he leaves, Starscream wishes his commander "luck" with a pat on the back... affixing a bomb to Megatron in the process.

Megatron makes his way to the ''Ark'' and begins to melt his way through its hull. Optimus uses external manipulator arms to grapple with Megatron, until the bomb detonates, sending the ship careening uncontrollably into a space bridge node, which explodes after they go through the gate. Starscream begins to make a speech declaring himself the new Decepticon leader, but the other three have abandoned ship, noting that the fireball from the space bridge explosion is only getting larger. Too late, Starscream realizes the trouble he's in...

An unknown distance away, the Autobot ship reappears above a [[Earth|small blue and green planet]]. Prime checks on his troops, but Megatron has gotten aboard, having survived the explosion, but at the cost of his right arm. Prime uses his grappling line to shut off the gravity, making it more difficult for Megatron to fight. All five Autobots face off against the Decepticon, but he's too strong. Prime and Megatron both end up in the storage bay where the All Spark is... and as the ship enters the atmosphere, Prime is able to blow the hatch and kick the screaming Megatron out of the ship.

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_Arkatmosphere.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Beast Wars, Part 1|Oddly familiar.]]]]

On a small farm, a young boy hears a thud and runs to where something has landed in a not-too-distant field. He is shocked to find a robotic head staring lifelessly up at him.

Meanwhile, Prime orders his team into emergency stasis pods to prepare for a crash-landing. He manages to steer the ship away from the city below and gets to a stasis pod just before the ship plunges into [[Lake Erie]].

Fifty years later, Detroit is a city of robots. [[Isaac Sumdac]] is talking to a public school class taking a tour of his facilities, which gets interrupted by Isaac's daughter, [[Sari Sumdac]], and her robot dog, [[Sparkplug (Animated)|Sparkplug]]. As Sari is carted off to her lessons by a [[Tutorbot|robot tutor]], Isaac shows the school kids a nanotech lab, just in time to witness a roach infused with microbots grow out of control and start consuming everything in sight. Isaac tries to keep things calm, but the monster bursts out of the lab...

===Part 2===
[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_Firefighters_monster.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Yeah, watering it will surely stop the beast.]]

The monster continues to grow, absorbing just about everything it touches to increase its size and power. In the process, it destroys a lot of the factory. [[Captain Fanzone]], the S.W.A.T team, the fire department, ambulances, and robot drones arrive, but the creature absorbs several of the responding vehicles, too. Fanzone uses a bazooka-type weapon and destroys the beast, despite Sumdac's objection. This protest proves well-founded, as the remnants of the creature start flowing back together again, save for one piece that drops into the nearby lake and works its way down to the ''Ark'', its nanites seeking the absorbable technology there. It infiltrates via a small breach in the outer hull, but thankfully, the ship's intruder alert systems are functional and awaken the Autobots before any damage is done. Examining the situation, they decide to have Teletran 1 give them Earth forms so they can blend in and help out. Everyone deploys except Ratchet, who remains behind to analyze the sample of invading material.

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_Autobots.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Avengers]], ASSEMBLE!]]

During the fight, Bulkhead and Bumblebee spot Sari trying to wrest her security key from Sparkplug's mouth. Mistaking which is owner and which is pet, they approach her, but Bulkhead's greeting only scares her away. She quickly gets nabbed by the monster, but Bumblebee saves her, earning her trust and friendship. Prowl attempts to take on the bug-slug by himself, against Prime's orders, and gets absorbed. Prime orders Ratchet to join them in battle to save Prowl, but the old veteran insists that finding a "cure" code to neutralize the nanites' programming makes more sense than coming out and getting trashed. A somewhat chastened Prime agrees, and Ratchet soon delivers the goods. However, the new program must be uploaded by direct contact{{m-}}meaning from inside the monster. This means the smallest, fastest one of them has to do it. Bumblebee reluctantly takes on the task. The beast has been using some of Prowl's absorbed intelligence and comm link tech, though, so it knows what they're planning and is now smart enough to fight back. Despite this, Bumblebee succeeds in delivering the code, and the bug dissolves into a dusty shower of deactivated nanites. Prowl is soon uncovered, but he's suffered grave wounds and must be taken back to the ''Ark'' for repairs. Sari pesters Bumblebee to be taken along, and her new friend reluctantly agrees, since there's no time to make her go away quietly.

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_Sari_followedmehome.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Bumblebee, having a pet is a big responsibility.]]

Once on board, Sari's refusal to stay still and quiet causes 'Bee some embarrassment. He quickly and discreetly ejects her into a ventilation port and joins the others. However, the port opens onto a shaft that takes Sari right to the chamber where the All Spark is being kept. Curious, she touches it, and it reacts to her, sending its energies into her security card key and reconfiguring it into a key of another sort entirely. Prime finds her almost immediately thereafter, but with no time left to spare away from Prowl, he has to bring her back with him to the repair table. Ratchet's prognosis is bleak, but Sari's All Spark-charged key abruptly reacts, glowing and tugging her toward Prowl. Bumblebee, seeming to grasp what's happening, helps her onto the table, and as she approaches, her key reshapes itself to fit into a slot on Prowl's chest. She inserts it, and with a burst of energy, the Autobot ninja is whole again. The Autobots then take Sari home and, after a brief misunderstanding, are made heroes and are even invited to a ceremony.

In outer space, Starscream sits aboard the damaged but functional Decepticon ship, babbling that he will find the All Spark, even though he's been attempting it on his own for the last fifty solar cycles. The ship's computers then detect the traces of All Spark-like energy in action, and Starscream learns where the Autobots are...

===Part 3===
[[Image:Sariprime.jpg|right|thumb|150px|INSERT WHAT WHERE?!]]

The Autobots are later seen trying to fit in. Bulkhead gets firsthand experience in traffic jams, some birds mistake Prowl for the statue of the [[wikipedia:Hazen S. Pingree|bald guy]] next to him, Bumblebee learns how organics fuel up, and Ratchet can't get a stasis nap without getting a dozen or so parking tickets. Optimus Prime remarks that the Autobots are programmed to respect life, which they always understood to stem from the All Spark, but as organics are life, they must respect and protect them too. Optimus also expresses curiosity about how little organics are made. Sari's whispered explanation leaves him rather... shocked. The Autobots make a new home base out of a building Sari's dad got out of a merger, an abandoned auto factory that Bumblebee describes as a real fixer-upper{{m-}}a REAL fixer-upper. All of a sudden, they get alerted to a fire. The Autobots proceed to douse the blaze and save its victims, no problem, unaware they are being watched by Starscream.

The next day, during the inauguration ceremony for the Sumdac Fully Automated Rapid Transit System (F.A.R.T.S., for short), Starscream enters Earth's atmosphere and takes on a group of fighter jets. He destroys all but one, which he scans. As the civilians and Autobots watch the aerial display of the Crimson Angels, Isaac Sumdac notices there is an extra jet present that he didn't hire. That one jet then leaves the formation and streaks toward the ceremony platform, where it transforms into Starscream, who fires his null-ray cannons at the Autobots.

After a short fight, which the Autobots lose, Starscream knocks out Bumblebee and takes him, Isaac, the mayor, and Capt. Fanzone hostage in the F.A.R.T.S. train, flying it to the top of a very tall tower. He demands that the Autobots deliver the All Spark if they want him to release the train car. The Autobots don't trust him, but don't want to risk human lives, so Sari offers a plan, but they ignore her. She continues to tell a sob story until the Autobots listen. The Autobots proceed with her plan, and Prowl and Sari fly up to the transit pod to rescue the hostages while the other Autobots keep Starscream busy. Once Starscream realizes what's happening, he takes a brief beating but recovers quickly. Starscream then throws the train{{m-}}thus keeping his end of the deal{{m-}}with Sari, Prowl, and Bumblebee on top of/in it. Between Bumblebee's agility and Prowl's thrusters, Sari is rescued and the train lands without much damage. The Autobots then challenge Starscream to a friendly game of Keep Away, during which Starscream almost gets the All Spark, but Bulkhead gets it instead, because he said he got it. A furious Starscream unleashes a devastating, prolonged (as in nearly 12 seconds) null-ray blast on the Autobots, briefly knocking them all senseless.

[[Image:TFA_TFandRollout_Prime_SS_Allsparkactivates.jpg|thumb|left|150px|In the old days, [[Stan Bush|The Touch]] would have started playing now.]]

With the Autobots down, Starscream takes the All Spark from Optimus and blows a couple of blocks of Detroit right off the map. Not ready to give up, Optimus climbs all the way up a building to get it back from Starscream. After a quick back-and-forth exchange of possessing it, both grab it at the same time. As they struggle, the All Spark opens and emits a strange energy wave that blasts Starscream away.

The explosion has left Prime dangling precariously, and he takes a tremendous plummet to the pavement. He notes weakly that he now knows what it feels like to be a hero, then dies, but Sari uses her All Spark key to revive him.<ref>[[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|This is something of an Optimus Prime record]]: Dead after only three episodes, revived a mere 75 seconds later. Way to go.</ref> The Autobots later go about fixing up Detroit, earning the enduring gratitude of the citizenry. Professor Sumdac is also grateful, for the Autobots saved him and Sari, but he fears what will happen if the Autobots—not to mention the rest of the world{{m-}}were to discover the source of his robotic empire.

Unseen by Sumdac, one of the [[Sensors#Optics|optics]] of his source of technology glows in a darkened room. Megatron still functions...

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Marty Isenberg]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Matt Youngberg]], [[Yutaka Kagawa]], [[Minoru Yamaoka]], [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
*'''Original airdate:''' December 26, 2007

===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobots]]
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticons]]
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human|Humans]]
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (6)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (7)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (8)
*[[Lugnut]] (9)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (10)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (11)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (13)
*[[Daniel (Animated)|Daniel]] (14)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (15)
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (16)
|}

==Quotes==
"Do you ever get the feeling that you were programmed for more than just repairing space bridges?" 
"I got a diagnostic program that will delete that feeling like a bad line of code."
:—'''Optimus Prime's''' dreams are crushed into a fine powder by '''Ratchet'''.

'''Starscream''': Megatron is a fool who's been chasing a ghost for centuries...I seriously doubt we'll find this "All Spark" on board such an ''insignificant'' vessel. 
'''Lugnut''': ''Traitor!'' Megatron is wise! Megatron is bold! Megatron will return the Decepticons to Cybertron and... 
'''Blackarachnia''': ... and wipe our homeland clean of the stench of Autobot tyranny, blah-dee blah blah blah! Did you memorize that speech, Lugnut? Or is it just hardwired into that thick, one-track processor of yours? 
''[An ice beam freezes Blackarachnia's forearm]'' 
'''Calm Blitzwing''': As usual, Blackarachnia, your demeanor is as unpleasant as that accursed organic mode of yours. 
'''Blackarachnia''': Blow it out your [[Anatomic euphemism#Actuator|actuator]], three-face. 
''[changes to angry face]'' 
'''Angry Blitzwing''': De name is Blitzving, insect! Remember it! 'Cause it's de last t'ing you're gonna hear before I— 
''[changes to crazy face]'' 
'''Crazy Blitzwing''': —express my feelings in song! De itzy bitzy spider... 
:—Decepticon camaraderie at its finest.

"What do you want now, Starscream?" 
''[Starscream attaches an explosive onto Megatron's back.]'' 
"Only to wish you luck, my liege." 
"I do not believe... in ''luck''". 
''[Megatron transforms and leaves.]'' 
"Neither... do I..." 
:—'''Megatron''' is arrogant, '''Starscream''' is treacherous. [[Megatron (G1)|Some]] [[Starscream (G1)|things]] [[Megatron (Armada)|never]] [[Starscream (Armada)|change]].

"'''Yes!''' ...right then. Solemn face, solemn face."
:—'''Starscream''' watches Megatron explode, then composes himself before going to tell the Decepticons he's their new leader.

'''Bulkhead''': Hi there, little creature. My name's Bulkhead. Did you lose your owner-bot? 
'''Sari''':... AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! 
'''Bumblebee''': AAAAHHH! That thing must be armed with some sort of high-frequency sonic weapon! 
''[Sari runs off screaming]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': I think it's scared. Don't worry, little creature! I'm not gonna hurt you! 
''[Sari is grabbed by the robot-slug]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': But that thing might!
:—'''Bulkhead''' and '''Bumblebee''' forget about the Prime Directive.

"Hi, I'm Bumblebee!" 
"I'm Sari." 
"Oh, don't be, I like my name."
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Sari''' introduce themselves.

"Uh...am I going to be able to ''breathe'' down there?" 
"Oh, sure! What's 'breathe'?"
:—'''Sari''' takes a trip underwater with '''Bumblebee'''.

'''Optimus Prime''' ''[to Sari]'': How did you get aboard this ship? 
'''Bumblebee''': It followed me home... Can I keep it? 
'''Sari''': Hey, I'm not an "it", I'm a "she"! 
'''Optimus''' ''[to Bumblebee]'': So, I suppose you have an explanation? 
'''Bumblebee''': Actually, I'm narrowing it down to my top five. 
:—'''Optimus''' discovers '''Bumblebee'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s new friend.

"It's okay, they're friendly! Well, except for [[Ratchet (Animated)|the red and white one]], he's kinda grumpy! But other than that..."
:—'''Sari''' plays ambassador.

'''Optimus Prime''': But how is it you're able to make these new, smaller organics? 
'''Sari''': (Whispers) 
'''Optimus''': o_0 
:—'''Optimus''' learns that there are some things that you can't unhear.

"Ratchet, think fast!" 
"Oh crud." 
:{{m-}}'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Ratchet''', as the game of keep-away starts.

"So this is what it feels like . . . to be . . . a hero . . ."
:--'''Prime''', about to break the all-time-space record for [[Optimus Prime (G1)|shortest]] [[Optimus Primal|period]] [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|of]] [[Optimus Prime (Worlds Collide)|clinical]] [[The Many Deaths of Optimus Prime|death]].
{{-}}

==Other notes==
===Animation and/or technical glitches===
* Megatron's vehicle mode was depicted flying upside-down, or backwards, or possibly both. To be fair, in Space, there is no such thing as up or down, thanks to the whole 'no gravity' thing.

* As Starscream tackles Optimus Prime through a building as the Autobot tries to escape with the All Spark, Optimus' axe is missing from Starscream's left wing. It reappears moments later for Optimus to retrieve it.

===Continuity errors===
* The train Starscream blasts from the tower falls toward the ground very, very slowly.

*In at least one scene, Starscream's Earth-form wing is shown with a spike, in the same manner as his Cybertronian body.

*Sumdac is using Megatron's hand as a chair. However, he seems to be using the right hand, which was blown up by Starscream. (It ''could'' have fallen off the ''Ark'', as it was still clinging to the hull when last seen, but that seems unlikely.)

===Transformers references===
*The title of the episode itself is a [[Roll out|reference to Transformers lore past]].
*Footage from the [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]] episodes "[[War Dawn]]" and "[[More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]" is used as history tapes detailing the events of the first Great War, millions of years prior. [[Canon|This]] has been confirmed as pure fanwank, and should not be taken as linking animated to G1, continuity wise.

*Sari's robotic dog [[Sparkplug (Animated)|Sparkplug]] is likely named after either [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] from G1, the Armada Mini-Con [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]], or both.
[[Image:Spikecarlydanielanimated.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Twenty years later, and they're still overdressed.]]
*Characters resembling [[Spike Witwicky|Spike]], [[Carly]], and [[Daniel Witwicky]] are seen at a hot dog stand, purchasing some sort of futuristic bunless wieners-on-a-stick.

*The ''Animated'' Autobots are [[Infiltration|not the first]] to use a starship parked at the bottom of one of the Great Lakes as their headquarters.

*When Optimus Prime dies, his body fades to grays, just as [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Generation 1 Optimus Prime]] did in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. His spark chamber opens in much the same manner as well.

*The baby carriage carriing the [[Soviet_Union|baby with the russian hat]] bears some resemblance to [[Wheelie]].

*Teletran 1 (spelled with only one "a" in this universe) dispatches a small satellite very similar to the [[Sky Spy]] satellite used on occasion by the Autobots in the ''Generation 1'' cartoon. The glowing energy "boxes" with which it scans vehicles for the Autobots to transform into are lifted wholesale out of "[[More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".

*[[Sari Sumdac's key]] bears a strong resemblance to the [[Key to Vector Sigma]].

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* Blitzwing calls Blackarachnia an "insect". Since he surely knows spiders aren't insects, it's likely just an affectionate nickname. Not.
* In this episode, [[Tutor Bot]] tries to teach Sari about the [[Wikipedia:Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act|Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act]] (a major economic blunder of the 1930s).
* When Prowl gets birdpooped on, he is standing next to a statue of [[wikipedia:Hazen S. Pingree|Hazen S. Pingree]], four-term mayor of Detroit and one-time governor of Michigan. In real life, the statue is located in Detroit's Grand Circus Park.
* A refurbished Michigan Central Station makes an appearance as the site for the dedication of Detroit's rapid transit system. The real-life station (abandoned since the '80s) was featured in the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]].
* When mocking the Autobots, Starscream actually calls Megatron "the great Megatron" without any sarcasm. Apparently, he'll only give a sincere compliment to his leader when he's insulting something else.
* When Optimus comes back to life, he asks, "Is this the Well of All Sparks?" and Sari answers, "No, it's Detroit." This is an allusion to the movie ''Field of Dreams'' when Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) asks Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) "Is this heaven?" and Ray answers "No, it's Iowa."
*While Megatron's original body gets destroyed, it reappears in later episodes when he communicates electronically with people.

== Footnote ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Home Is Where the Spark Is

2008-04-01T13:15:35Z

168.9.35.14: /* Quotes */

{{episodenav|animated|4|season=1|prev=Transform and Roll Out!|next=Total Meltdown}}

'''The Autobots settle into their new home base, an abandoned automobile manufacturing plant, but the ancient assembly line machinery seems to have developed a mind of its own—or someone else's...'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:duelingbanjos.jpg|thumb|150px|Hey, does anyone else hear Dueling Banjos?]]
As an armored car leaves a bank in the dead of night, the [[Angry Archer]] robs it and makes his escape from the cops on a fire engine, thinking the police won’t stop a firetruck heading to a fire. It’s the Archer’s mistake, however, because he's hitched a ride on the back of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]. Prime, playing hero, subdues the thief easily and smiles for evening news cameras.

Elsewhere, [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] observes a cat stalking a bird and finds it amazing, only to have his nature watch cut short by awestruck humans and camera-bots. He heads back huffily to the new Autobot headquarters, an abandoned car factory. The other [[Autobot]]s are in the middle of installing the world’s largest flat-panel TV in their new home and sharing their views on their newfound stardom. Prowl returns upset with the constant interruptions and goes to his Japanese-decorated room. In his room, Prowl lectures Optimus on his fascination with the Earth's animals, only to have that cut short with [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s antics. Annoyed again, Prowl leaps off into a tree.

[[Image:megsawakened.jpg|left|thumb|150px|I think, therefore I--where the [[Pit|heck]] is my body?!]]
Meanwhile, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] tries to enter her father's private lab. She uses her All Spark key to open the door, but [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] leaves with her before she can enter more than a step or two, reminding her no one but him is allowed in there. Residual energy from the key floats over and reactivates the head of [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. As his higher functions take control, the horrified Megatron discovers that he is without a body and is hardwired into some sort of primitive computer. As he searchs for answers, he brings up video footage of the last battle between the Autobots and [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], including the latter’s confession of sabotaging his leader. Megatron is understandably ticked, and not just at Starscream's betrayal, but on the sheer helplessness of his situation. Not only do the [[Decepticon]]s believe that he is dead, meaning there is no hope of rescue, but the [[All Spark (Animated)|All Spark]] is finally within his reach, and he lacks the hands to take it! While lamenting his lack of a body, he discovers his new power to control machines around him. Picking up a discarded, miniature robot, Megatron decides that it's time to get...proactive.

After trashing her [[Tutor Bot]] using the All Spark key, Sari tells Prof. Sumdac she is leaving to the Autobot base for a slumber party. Overhearing this, Megatron sends one of Isaac's [[pocketbot]]s to hide in her backpack so he can search the base for the All Spark.

[[Image:twister.jpg|thumb|150px|Image courtesy of the Hasbro Holiday 2106 catalog.]]
At the Autobot base, Prowl watches a nature show about caterpillars evolving into butterflies, which he finds fascinating. Bumblebee, of course, isn't interested and changes the channel on him. Annoyed yet again, Prowl pounces on Bumblebee like a cat to prove what he has learned from animals before leaping to a high point to meditate. Later, Bumblebee and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] play high-tech Twister™ with much difficulty; Bumblebee then challenges Prowl to try. Prowl jumps in and easily touches all the spots Sari announces. Having won the game, he leaves to his room. Disgusted that the Autobots could ever get their hands on the All Spark, Megatron uses the pocketbot to begin searching.

Sari then tells ghost stories to the rest of the Autobots and, with a little help from her All Spark key, succeeds in scaring Bumblebee. Meanwhile, since the pocketbot's search for the All Spark has proven fruitless, Megatron decides to kill the Autobots and extract info on its location from their lifeless shells. He takes control of the assembly line robots and uses pincers, riveters, a big electromagnet and a die press to pummel the Autobots. Prowl shows up and realizes that the machines are detecting the Autobots by use of motion sensors. He instructs everyone to be still, then strike in order to get to the control panel. However, while the motion sensors can't see him, Megatron can, so he gets caught by the machines as well. With [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] injured, the only bot left free to move is Bumblebee, who manages to listen Prowl long enough to outrace the machines and destroy the control panel.

In a parting gesture, Megatron cuts open a fuel tank perilously close to a fire, but the Autobots team up and launch it into the sky, where it explodes harmlessly. As they wonder who tried to kill them, they discover the pocketbot under Megatron's control, but Bulkhead accidentally smashes it after catching it before they can study it.

Back at the lab, Megatron has a fit over his loss and decides to reveal more Cybertronian technology to Sumdac in order to get a new body.

At the end, Prowl again coaches Bumblebee in the art of stillness while both play a game of high-tech Twister™.

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Michael Ryan]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Matt Youngberg]], [[Shunji Oga]]
*'''Original airdate:''' January 5, 2008

===Featured characters===
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]](2)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]](4)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]](6)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]](5)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]](3)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]](9)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]](10)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Angry Archer]](1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]](7)
*[[Sari Sumdac]](8)
|}

==Quotes==

"HAHAHA!!! Victory is ''mine''! Yon police would ''ne'er'' stop a firetruck from speeding to an emergency!" 
"Only one problem with that theory: ''You're'' the emergency."
:—The '''Angry Archer'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s escape is cut short by '''Optimus Prime'''

"No way, being a star rocks! If the titanium alloy plating fits, ''wear it''. And...I make it look ''good''."
:—'''Bumblebee''', being himself.

"Auut-oh-bot-MegaMegaMega-Meg-Meeeegaaa-Mega-[[Megatron (Movie)|I am Megatron]]!"
:—'''Megatron''' awakening after his fifty-year slumber

"STAAAAAARSCREEEEEEEEAM!" 
:—'''Megatron''' on learning of Starscream's treachery. So [[Generation 1|G1]] it hurts.

"Whoa. Looks like somebody forgot to defrag his hard drive."
:—'''Bulkhead''', using a dubious computer analogy to describe Prowl's bad mood

"You Autobot fools are the keepers of the [[All Spark (Animated)|All Spark]]? This must be some cosmic joke..."
:—'''Megatron''', disgusted at the Autobots' merry-making.

"What's the matter? We're not ''still'' enough for you? Ynnh—fine! Have a great time in there watching the ''grass grow''!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' to Prowl as the latter heads off to his private quarters (presumably to have a great time watching the grass grow).

"Everyone...stand still." 
"Forget stillness! We need action!" 
:—'''Prowl''' and '''Bumblebee''' debate strategy.

"That can't be good."
:—'''Bulkhead''', stating the obvious, seconds away from being crushed

"Stillness...then strike."
:—'''Prowl''', as he sneaks past the Megatron-possessed machinery

==Other notes==

===Continuity errors===
* When the Angry Archer turns around to notice he's being followed by police cars, the bags of money he'd just tied to his waist are nowhere to be seen. They're back in other shots, though.

* Sari says "Right foot on green." during the Twister™ game. The only problem is there are no green spaces in the next shot, just purple, orange and yellow. (After that shot, they seem to appear as normal.) At the end of the episode, the problem is reversed--there are no yellow spaces, but there are green ones.

===Transformers references===
* In a different kind of Transformers reference, the Angry Archer is designed to resemble [[Hasbro]]'s [[Aaron Archer]].

* Similarly, the bank shown in the opening sequence is the Izzo National Bank, named for Hasbro executive and series co-producer Joshua Izzo.

* When Megatron comes online, his first coherent words are "I am Megatron!", the same thing [[Megatron (Movie)|his movie counterpart]] said.

===Real-world references===
* Bumblebee's line "I make it look ''good''!" is paraphrased from Will Smith in ''Men in Black''.

* Bumblebee pounds on Prowl's head and says "Anybot home?" much like Biff Tannen does to George McFly in ''Back to the Future''.

* A high-tech, Transformer-[[scale]]d version of [[Wikipedia:Twister (game)|Twister™]] is repeatedly played in this episode.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*In this episode, Tutor Bot fails to teach Sari about the Quadratic Formula.

{{epstub}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>