MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Rattrap (BW)

2010-03-03T23:52:36Z

173.210.199.167: /* Beast Wars cartoon */

{{faction|maximal}}
{{disambig2|the Maximal energon miner/warrior|the Autobot informant|Rattletrap}}
:''Rattrap is a [[Maximal]] from the [[Beast Era]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Rattrap-S1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|I'm not a rat. If I'm any rodent, it's the loyal capybara, king of the rats...no, wait.]]
It's not so much that '''Rattrap''' is a coward... he just doesn't want to die. He's seen enough battles to know the score, so he's not afraid to tell his commanding officer to shove it if he's not fond of the odds. He prefers to sneak around unseen, in gutters or trenches or trash barges or what have you—whatever keeps him out of harm's way. He shouldn't be so worried. When he does encounter conflict, he deals with it masterfully with the arsenal of guns and bombs he keeps on himself at all times. He feels naked without them.

It's hard to like Rattrap, especially if you're his commanding officer. He's sarcastic, irreverent, and rude. Plus he smells (''why'' he smells is a mystery). He's also not the most trusting or forgiving sort, so he's not the best choice to take on a diplomatic run. He'd sooner shoot a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] or [[Decepticon]] than talk to them. Despite his tough-as-nails attitude, he has a [[Transformer romance|strong affection]] for his fellow Maximal [[Botanica]].

{{quote|We're all gonna die.|—Rattrap, Every episode, ever.}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Rattle''' (ラットル ''Rattoru'')
:''French-Canadian name:'' '''Rattrape''', '''Rattrap''' (Transmetal)
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Dà Hūi Shǔ''' (大灰鼠, "Big Grey Rat"... yep, really [[:Image:RattrapLOVEScheetor.jpg|big]].)
:''Italian name:'' '''Rattilus''' (original toy), '''Metal Rattilus''' (Transmetal)
:''Polish name:'' '''Szczurotron''' (loosely translates as "Rattron")
:''Spanish name:'' '''Ratatrampa'''

==Fiction==
===Toy Bio===
Rattrap is a highly respected, top-notch soldier who is used mostly for reconnaissance, continually prowling the city streets for any Predacon activities. In order to keep up his strength, he's always eating "grunge and grime and any wretched refuse he may encounter along the way." Eeeeewwww....{{storylink|Rattrap#Toys|Rattrap bio}}
{{note|The on-package [[Bio|bios]] of the first wave of Beast Wars toys, predate the development of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon and its backstory. They seem to present the characters as a direct continuation of the previous Autobot/Decepticon conflict, with Optimus Primal actually being a new form of Optimus Prime and Megatron being his Generation 1 counterpart, and their battles taking place on present day, [[human]]-inhabited Earth, rather than in the distant past. Once the cartoon launched, the toyline adjusted itself to match that continuity instead, relegating this one to an aborted [[micro-continuity]].}}
===Cartoon continuity===
He was the best miner in the Vespa system. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}}

====Dawn of Future's Past====
[[Image:Timelines-rattrap.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Pre-Earth Rattrap wears a helmet to cover his brain!]]

While preparing for an exploration mission on board the [[Axalon (BW)|''Axalon'']], the Maximal who would later be called Rattrap and [[Cheetor (BW)|his young companion]] were stuck aboard a space station for weeks, running various errands before their mission could officially begin. After acquiring additional [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]] for their trip, they returned to the ''Axalon'' where their captain, [[Optimus Primal]], notified his crew they had to travel first to the [[Alpha Quadrant]] to rid themselves of [[Rampage (BW)|some mysterious cargo]].

In the middle of Rattrap's objections, the ''Axalon'' was contacted by the [[High Council]]. The [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], a historic Maximal artifact, had been stolen by a rogue group of [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] led by a Predacon criminal who had dubbed himself [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]. As the ''Axalon'' was the closest ship with the capabilities to take down the [[Darksyde|Predacons' stolen ship]], Rattrap and his team were ordered to pursue.

However, before long, their ship was attacked by a mysterious ship (piloted by secret Predacon operatives [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], though unknown to them). After taking some damage, Rattrap was elated to see the ''[[Chromia 10]]'', a second ship, arrive and help deter their unknown attackers. However, the ''Chromia 10'' and its pilots were severely damaged in the scuffle before Rattrap was able to destroy the unknown Predacon ship with the ''Axalon'''s forward guns.

The battle over momentarily, Rattrap's ship was hailed by Megatron's, and the Predacon criminal introduced himself quickly to them before his ship opened fire on the Maximals. The ''Darksyde'' disappeared through a [[transwarp]] portal, and Rattrap and the Maximals followed. {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}

====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Scott McNeil]] (English), [[Kappei Yamaguchi]] (Japanese), [[Orlando Viggiani]] (Portuguese), [[Claudio Moneta]] (Italian), [[Robert Missler]] (German)

[[Image:BWPart1 coverfire.jpg|right|230px|thumb|That's what friends are for!]]
After following the Predacons through a transwarp portal and appearing above a mysterious planet, both ships were damaged in the ensuing space battle, and before both ships crashed into the planet's surface below, the [[stasis pod]]s carrying the rest of Rattrap's crew were ejected into orbit.

The planet was rich with [[Energon (fuel)|energon]]—so much so that prolonged exposure would short out their bodies. The Maximals and Predacons were forced to take organic forms from the local creatures; Rattrap took the form of a (very oversized) rat, and was dismayed to find that they were going to have to use the disguises to avoid the energon radiation. Forced into battle, he refused [[Optimus Primal]]'s order to rescue [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] on the grounds he'd get shot up. When Optimus went to do the job himself, [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] had to hold up Rattrap to get the rat to provide covering fire. Afterwards, Rattrap was unrepentant, pointing out that they'd all come out of it alive.

[[Image:BeastWars2 Dinobot Rattrap glaring.jpg|left|220px|thumb|How's the weather up there?]]
On the way back to base, the Maximals ran into the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] who challenged Primal to a fight over leadership. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} Rattrap objected to Primal's decision to subsequently let Dinobot join their group, accusing Dinobot of trying to kill Rhinox when the Predacon accidentally caused a rock fall. Primal had some harsh words with him. During a battle atop a mountain laced with energon, Rattrap found himself having a beast mode fight against [[Tarantulas]]. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

After Cheetor got himself blasted by Scorponok and got Rhinox's new comlink trashed, Rattrap didn't hesitate to mock the cat for his mistakes. When Cheetor ran off to fix it, though, Rattrap found himself going after him to stop him from doing anything stupid - which failed miserably, as Cheetor was captured by Tarantulas long before Rattrap reached him. The rat and the spider engaged in a heated duel in Tarantulas' underground lair, with Rattrap gaining the upper hand by using a heat box to fool the spider's thermal scanner. After rescuing Cheetor, Rattrap gave an alibi to Optimus about their whereabouts, but then chewed out the cat for almost getting them both scrapped. He left to munch some garbage, but earned a new friend when Cheetor thanked him for saving his life. {{storylink|The Web}}

During an energon storm, Rattrap tried fruitlessly to raise Optimus, only for their leader to arrive and scrub the mission Cheetor was due to go out on. At least this time it was Dinobot who goaded Cheetor into going out, but all of the Maximals were later thanking the cat for saving their lives later on. {{storylink|Equal Measures}} When Optimus went semi-missing in action, swallowed by a [[Vok Probe|alien probe]], Rattrap objected strenuously to Dinobot nominating himself as new leader. A vote was left stalemated until Optimus managed to get a signal to the base and named Rattrap group commander in his absense. After a moment of initial indecision, Rattrap commanded capably in Primal's absence (even earning Dinobot's grudging respect). When Primal returned, he offered his compliments as well. Rattrap's response: "Eh, command's a pain in the tail, especially with this pack of hyenas. You can keep it!" {{storylink|Chain of Command}}

Over time, Rattrap grew to respect his commander grudgingly, with the earliest glimmers showing through when Primal and Rattrap infiltrated a flying mountain that was loaded with supercharged Energon. Primal bravely distracted a super-powered Terrorsaur while Rattrap planted explosives to destroy the mountain (and had a brief tussle with Tarantulas). Optimus then got them both off of the exploding mountain with a fearless beast-mode leap off the edge, which ended with them dangling in the treetops far below. Rattrap commented that Primal "did pretty good up there—but don't tell anyone I said so." {{storylink|Power Surge}} Rattrap was a member of the party sent out to attempt to capture a stasis pod after Optimus Primal was taken out as soon as he left the base. The group was cut off from the pod when [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and Terrorsaur took out a snow bridge, and Rattrap radio'd base to break the bad news. Fortunately Dinobot and Primal were able to set up a transmitter, and by the time Rattrap and the others got to the pod, the [[protoform]] inside had already been reformatted into [[Tigatron]], who was able to help them fight the Predacons off. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}}

[[Image:TerrorsaurcagedRT.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Despite all of Terrorsaur's rage, Rattrap is still just a rat in a cage.]]
Suspicious of why the Predacons had managed to ambush three straight Maximal operations, Optimus sent Rattrap on an undercover mission into the ''[[Darksyde]]'', under the guise of not trusting Rattrap and him defecting to the Predacons. Captured by Terrorsaur as part of the mission, Rattrap pleaded his loyalty to him and was taken to the base, where he knocked out [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] with a transformation-disabling device, allowing Terrorsaur to seize power. After he was locked in the lower chambers and Megatron made his escape, Rattrap broke out and continued his mission, discovering that the Predacons had acquired a Maximal decoder chip which allowed them to hack the Maximals' communications. He was almost caught by Tarantulas but disabled him and signaled Optimus, who attacked the Predacon base with the other Maximals. In the firefight, Rattrap was forced to fire on Optimus, blasting him from the sky and seemingly confirming his traitorous ways. Dinobot almost destroyed him, but two timely breaks allowed Rattrap and the Maximals to escape. Back on the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', Optimus congratulated Rattrap on a job well done, adding that he didn't need to make his "defection" that believable (as he rubbed where Rattrap had shot him). Rattrap's response was "Eh, what can I say? I was trying to miss." {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}}

[[Image:Coc getshorty.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Frenzy is red!" "Maximal lies!"]]
Rattrap distrusted Dinobot and insulted him at every turn. Dinobot wantonly returned in kind, constantly bickering with the "vermin". Dinobot and Rattrap's arguments ranged from being a minor irritation at times to causing serious chaos in the Maximal ranks at others. Rattrap's taunts caused a berserk Dinobot to damage the control module of the newly activated Sentinel defense system, which promptly drove the Maximals out of their own base. Under the circumstances, Rattrap's rarely seen sense of nobility and fair play came to the fore; recognizing the predicament as his own fault, he immediately volunteered to stay inside the base and deactivate Sentinel. His considerable skills at infiltration and demolition allowed him to reach the central computer core and order Sentinel to stand down, though very nearly at the cost of his own life. {{storylink|A Better Mousetrap}}

When Primal was hit by one of [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]]'s [[Cyberbee]]s, injecting a virus and turning Primal into a berserker, Rattrap unexpectedly became the voice of reason, telling Cheetor and Dinobot to settle down. He objected to Dinobot's idea to set their enraged leader on the Predacons, but it became academic when Primal escaped and headed for the ''Darksyde'' anyway. Rattrap and the other Maximals provided cover fire for Cheetor, as the young Maximal mounted a rescue. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}} During an attempt by the Maximals to build a communications tower to contact a [[temporal probe]], which the [[Maximal High Council]] had sent to search for the ''Axalon'', Rattrap managed to save Dinobot's life by blasting [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] over a cliff. Unfortunately he was promptly hit by the same [[transformation lock lens]] which had disabled Dinobot's robot mode. Ultimately the tower was destroyed by Megatron. {{storylink|The Probe}}

[[Image:Victory Megatron crushes Rattrap.jpg|right|270px]]thumb|"He's gonna eat ME!!!!]]
Rattrap planted a spy cam in the ''Darksyde'', and the Maximals were surprised to watch the Predacons apparently manage to blow themselves up. He proceeded to try to push as many of Dinobot's buttons as possible, but without getting a rise. The Maximals managed to salvage enough to get their own ship working. As Rattrap was telling Tigatron about a "sweet little hole-in-the-wall", it was revealed that the Predacons weren't slagged after all. Megatron managed to get on board and blasted everyone but Rattrap, attempting to crush the Maximal with his bare hands (or at least his beast-mode jaws). Fortunately Rhinox came around in time to come to Rattrap's rescue, though the ship still crashed. Afterwards, Rattrap and Dinobot resumed their usual bickering. {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}}

After Rhinox was captured by the Predacons, Rattrap managed to tap into his friend's comlink, and the Maximals listened in horror as Rhinox was converted into a Predacon by Megatron's [[Transmuter]]. Though Rattrap was determined that they should go in there immediately, Primal held them back, allowing the evil-ized Rhinox to wreak havoc in the Predacon base. {{storylink|Dark Designs (episode)|Dark Designs}} Tricked by a [[Clone One|clone of Dinobot]], Primal sent Rattrap with the clone to investigate a possible Predacon base. Instead, while Rattrap was crossing a log over a lava flow, the clone kicked the log out from under him. Rattrap survived, landing on a rock and using a grenade to get himself out of the chasm. He swiftly warned Primal and Cheetor, but by the time they reached base, Dinobot had already... dealt with the clone. {{storylink|Double Dinobot}}

[[Image:The Trigger Rattrap optimus.jpg|left|230px|thumb|You call it "hi-jacking". I call it "forced donation".]]
Rattrap and the other Maximals later welcomed [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] to the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]]. {{storylink|The Spark}} During a contact with Tigatron, Rattrap was alarmed to hear his comrade was under Predacon attack. After news came in by Cyberbee that Tigatron had discovered an alien-built [[Brigadoon|flying island]], the Maximals were alarmed to hear that Blackarachnia and Scorponok were trying to take control of it. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 1}} Rattrap and Primal headed for the island, tangling with Terrorsaur and Waspinator on the way, Rattrap commandeering Terrorsaur as his new ride. After they reached the island, Blackarachnia took control of it. Rattrap's leg became trapped, and he told Tigatron to go on, dealing with the problem himself by using the island's own defense system. This also provided a crucial distraction, allowing Tigatron to destroy the island's power source. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 2}}

Megatron's latest gambit involved the Predacons stealing the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki> [[rectifier coil]], forcing the Maximals to remain in their beast modes at all time. The Maximals soon succumbed to their base animal insincts, wandering out into the jungle, but were aided by Tigatron, who helped them to delete the block between their instincts and Maximal programming. Rhinox and Rattrap improvised a ratball special during the ensuing battle. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}}

Rattrap was part of the group of Maximals who were searching for energon when Scorponok triggered an explosion, blinding them all. Lead by Rhinox, they attempted to make their way back to the ''Axalon'', but were attacked by a snake. Though Rattrap failed to rescue Cheetor, he did manage to save his companion in a way, by proving a more attractive meal. Luckily for him, Rhinox got rid of the snake. They continued on, managing to nearly reach the Maximal base when they came under attack by Terrorsaur and Waspinator. Rhinox was able to guide the other Maximals in fighting the Predacons off while blinded. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}} After a violent storm damaged the Maximal base, making it vulnerable, the Predacons mounted an attack with the help of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], who had possessed Waspinator's body. The Predacons triumphed, expelling the Maximals into the wilderness, however the Predacon occupation didn't last long, as internal conflict in their ranks allowed the Maximals to retake their base. {{storylink|Possession}}

[[Image:Low Road Rattrap Dinobot fight.jpg|thumb|right|230px|YOU THERE! STFU!]]
Another costly incident resulted when Rattrap and Dinobot were ordered to clear rampant wild bean vines growing outside the Maximal base. A prank by Rattrap quickly turned into a brawl between the two. Their struggle continued even when the Predacons launched a sneak attack, requiring Rhinox to exit the base to provide covering fire for them. Tarantulas used the distraction to inject Rhinox with an [[energon discharge virus]], which eventually wore down his systems to the point of near-deactivation. Primal ordered Rattrap and Dinobot to find Tarantulas's lair and retrieve an antidote, commenting: "They'll either learn to work together or they'll destroy each other...right now, I don't care which." Despite continuing their argument the whole time, Rattrap and Dinobot managed to find [[Tarantulas's lair]], and retrieve the counter-virus. {{storylink|The Low Road}}

After Megatron called for a truce, Rattrap was sent with Airazor to infiltrate the ''Darksyde'' to find out what was going on. They were immediately detected and asked to leave, but they'd provided the necessary distraction for Tigatron to get into the Predacon base. Rattrap later took part in a (non-violent) operation to aid Tigatron's escape, and Tigatron reported that Megatron had discovered that the aliens were coming. {{storylink|Before the Storm}} Rattrap and Airazor were first to reach the alien landing site, but Rattrap was blasted, while Airazor became trapped in the "nutty alien bungalow" which sprouted up. After dealing with Waspinator in a not at all non-violent manner, Rattrap attempted to cut into the structure using a laser, but was unsuccessful. fortunately Scorponok's sting allowed him to enter the construct with Optimus, and he was able to pull Airazor out, only to find the truce was over and he was at Predacon gunpoint.

[[Image:OtherVoices1 Rattrap beast mode.jpg|thumb|left|RataTOING!!!]]
Rattrap and Airazor were subsequently able to overpower the Predacons and make a retreat when Optimus's escape from the bungalow provided a distraction. High above, one of the moons opened up, revealing what Rattrap would later dub the "[[Planet Buster]]". {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 1}} Returning to base, the Maximals discovered it had been compromised, and Rattrap and Airazor found Blackarachnia in the hold with a spacecraft Tarantulas had constructed from a stasis pod. Optimus would later pilot the stasis pod, using it to destroy the Planet Buster and save the Maximals, though at the cost of his own life. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

The destruction of the Planet Buster caused a [[quantum surge]], mutating Cheetor and Rattrap into new [[Transmetal]] forms. Rattrap gained a new wheeled mode which afforded him more speed. Almost immediately, Megatron, who had also received an upgrade, attacked, and the two Maximals found their new forms being tested in battle. Rattrap was able to use his wiles to trip Megatron, but ended up being crashed into by Cheetor. {{storylink|Aftermath}} After finding a stasis pod containing a [[blank]], Rhinox put himself into some sort of trance-like state. With everyone else out in the field, Rattrap was left alone in the base, and Cheetor naturally soon radio'd to warn him that the Predacons were on their way. Naturally any use of the base defenses would interfere with what Rhinox was doing, so, joined by Dinobot, Rattrap set out to defend the base with Cheetor. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}}

[[Image:Coming of the Fuzors 2 Dinobot Rattrap.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
Outnumbered two to one, the trio fought on, capturing [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]], one of the two [[Fuzor]]s who had revived and been co-opted into the Predacon forces by Megatron. Though Dinobot favored termination, Rattrap and Cheetor had Silverbolt put in a [[CR chamber]]. The Maximals continued to defend the base, and were on the verge of defeat, until Optimal Primal appeared, reborn in a Transmetal body, and fought the Predacons off. Resuming command, Optimus asked Rattrap to remove his junk from the commander's quarters. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

With Silverbolt now a Maximal, he and Rattrap were out patrolling when they were sent to investigate a Predacon signal and tangled with Blackarachnia, Tarantulas and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]]. To Rattrap's chagrin, his comrade refused to strike Blackarachnia because of her gender. When the cave the Predacons were protecting exploded, Rattrap congratulated Silverbolt on his shot, but Silverbolt denied doing anything. {{storylink|Tangled Web}}

Rattrap's relationship with Dinobot was sorely tested when when Dinobot temporarily returned to the Predacon side. For one long moment, as Dinobot was faced with a test of Predacon loyalty at Megatron's behest, Rattrap truly believed that Dinobot was about to slag him. But Dinobot proved unable to kill his erstwhile teammate; he instead turned on Megatron. Optimus left the final decision over whether Dinobot could stay a Maximal to Rattrap, who reluctantly agreed. {{storylink|Maximal, No More}}

[[Image:OtherVisits2 Rattrap with gun.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
Rattrap and Dinobot were assigned to knock out a Predacon jamming tower. They eventually managed it, but by then Tigatron and Airazor had been shot into space by an alien device. After rendezvousing back at base, the Maximals headed out to the site, where the alien device sprouted into a huge [[Metal Hunter|construct]] and blasted everyone with an energy wave. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 1)}} The Transmetals and Fuzors recovered quickly, and Primal and Rattrap worked to drop the [[refractive web]] which Tarantulas had placed over the machine. Unfortunately they were too late to prevent Megatron taking control of ship, and Primal was taken prisoner. Rattrap was able to take Tarantulas captive, returning the Predacon to the ''Axalon'', where they formulated a plan of attack. While the other Maximals provided a distraction, Tarantulas and Rattrap got on board the ship, and Rattrap was able to rescue Optimus. The craft itself was destroyed when Tarantulas sabotaged the transwarp drive, but luckily Primal and Rattrap got clear in time. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 2)}}

[[Image:CodeofHero Rattrap salutes.jpg|thumb|right|260px]]
Rattrap still give Dinobot grief about his recent betrayal—not the usual flippant insults, either, but genuine barbs that cut Dinobot to the quick. Rattrap's words helped motivate Dinobot into what would ultimately be his heroic final sacrifice to save the future of the human race. Rattrap arrived at the battlefield along with the other Maximals to find Dinobot damaged beyond recovery. His reaction was perhaps the strongest of any of the team. The two shared final words of both insult and reconciliation, Rattrap gingerly holding Dinobot's hand as he died. As Dinobot's spark left his body, Rattrap was the first to stand and, with utter sincerity, salute the fallen hero. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

While searching for a jamming tower, Rattrap, Cheetor and Silverbolt discovered a crashed stasis pod containing a [[Transmutate (character)|strangely mutated Transformer]]. As they fought the Predacons over, it, it let out a sonic cry which shorted out the Maximals. {{storylink|Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate}}

[[Image:Rattrap-slimpickins5.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Rattrap fights to prevent Predacon infiltration, subversion, and pollution of the Maximals' precious bodily fluids.]]
When Rhinox's calculations suggested that the [[transwarp wavefront]] from the Planet Buster explosion would soon be detected by [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the Maximals celebrated their impending rescue. Instead they got Predacon secret agent [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], who Rattrap trusted only slightly less than he initially did Dinobot. Despite his misgivings, Rattrap took part in the assault on the ''Darksyde'', and was present for Megatron's apprehension. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} Rattrap raised the alarm when Cheetor was knocked out by Silverbolt, who wanted to go capture Blackarachnia himself. A while later, Rattrap's distrust of Ravage proved well founded — Ravage was turned against them by Megatron, and Rattrap had to radio a warning to Primal. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}}

As Ravage's Transwarp cruiser attacked the ''Axalon'', Rattrap used his wheeled beast mode to launch himself out of the base and onto Ravage's ship. Tearing his way through its hull, he tossed a pair of magnetic bombs right into the hands of the startled Tarantulas, who could do nothing but scream as they blew him to bits and destroyed the cruiser's engines. Rattrap bailed out as the Transwarp cruiser crashed its destructive way to earth, having pretty much single-handedly saved the Maximals and their base from destruction.

The next day, as the Maximals tried to infiltrate the Autobot vessel the Ark, Rattrap fired the shot that brought down the Ark's shields and—almost—gave the Maximals a chance to stop Megatron's last-ditch scheme to alter history. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

Though Blackarachnia turned against Megatron and assisted the Maximals in starting to repair the damage Megatron had done to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], Rattrap was not particularly sympathetic, threatening to shoot her, even on pain of injury by Silverbolt. When Optimus hesitated in shooting Megatron, Rattrap volunteered to do it himself, and Primal batted him aside. Later still, Rattrap spared no sarcasm in mocking Silverbolt, after the other Maximal gave a long melodramatic speech over Blackarachnia, offering the services of his invisible violin. The Maximals were forced to move in to the cavern housing the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] after [[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]] destroyed the ''Axalon''. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}

[[Image:Rattrap-subaquatic2.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Beast Noirs]]
Rattrap wasn't impressed with new arrival [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]], declaring him rude and joking the Predacons would make fish sticks out of him. {{storylink|Deep Metal}} Rattrap was picked for a mission to enter the submerged remains of the ''Axalon'' and retrieve Sentinel, mostly because he was the only one small enough to fit in the [[subaquatic stealth vessel]] which Blackarachnia had built. Attacked by Rampage, he was glad to see Depth Charge coming to the rescue, though Depth Charge was more interested in fighting Rampage than helping with the mission. Extracting the Sentinel module, Rattrap returned to the surface where Silverbolt was waiting, however the pair quickly ran into a group of Predacons whole stole Sentinel. Though Rattrap and Silverbolt got it back, they collided with Depth Charge, resulting in Sentinel falling into [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]'s hands. Rattrap later had some uncomplimentary things to say about Depth Charge, but was forced to admit the other Maximal ''had'' saved his life. {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}}

Rattrap's suspicions of Blackarachnia continued when he spotted her lurking around restricted areas. When later telling Rhinox about it, Rattrap made it clear he still didn't trust the ex-Predacon. He and Rhinox found themselves defending the base alone against a Predacon incursion, when the others were all out battling a group of [[Cyber raptor]]s. Just as it seemed the Predacons would triuph, Depth Charge arrived to lend a hand, and saved Rattrap's bacon. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} Rattrap monitored Cheetor, after the latter had turned up, having been missing presumed killed. He was startled by noises coming from Cheetor's quarters, and was even more shocked when a strange feral beast burst through the door, apparently spiriting away Cheetor. A while later, Cheetor once again returned, but it was clear all wasn't right, and Rattrap was surprised to discover that the young bot had been mutated by the strange properties of the [[transmetal driver]]. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}}

Blackarachnia didn't appreciate Rattrap's insinuations about her loyalty when the Maximals were investigating the possibility of removing her Predacon shell program. His suspicions were seemingly confirmed a while later, when Silverbolt's scan detected Blackarachnia heading for Predacon territory. Although Rattrap's first instinct was to tell Optimus, Silverbolt managed to talk him out of it by bringing up Rattrap's friendship with Dinobot. {{storylink|Proving Grounds}}

[[Image:Go with the Flow Rattrap Una.jpg|thumb|250px|left]]
Rattrap was amused by Cheetor's attempts to educate [[Chak]] and [[Una]], two young [[Protohuman]]s. When Una was kidnapped by the Preds in order to complete Megatron's [[disruptor cannon]], Rattrap was teamed up with Depth Charge to go rescue the kid. During the flight, they were shot down by Megatron's cannon, disabling Depth Charge and leaving Rattrap to go on alone. Though outnumbered by the Predacons, Rattrap was aided by Una herself, and the pair made their escape, using Depth Charge as a raft. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}} When Blackarachnia's shell program began to degrade, and she downloaded the Ark's access codes into Optimus, Rattrap commented "You couldn't pay me to let that spider inside my processor," which prompted Cheetor and Silverbolt to tell him to keep his opinions to himself. He still defended the base to try and prevent the operation to save Blackarachnia from failing, even if it did fail in the end (she got better). {{storylink|Crossing the Rubicon}} Megatron's next plan saw Quickstrike taking control of Optimus Primal, disabling the other Maximals and locking them in a cage. Blackarachnia released them all in time to fight off a newly-upgraded Megatron. {{storylink|Master Blaster}}

When the Predacon base was destroyed by the arrival of [[Tigerhawk]], Rattrap was the first, and only Maximal prepared to celebrate, but was puzzled when anyone failed to return his high-five. {{storylink|Other Victories}} He was skeptical that Tigerhawk's arrival had anything to do with the [[Covenant of Primus]], and was later dismayed to learn that Megatron had pulled an ace out out of his sleeve, in the form of the ancient [[Decepticon]] warship, the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', and they were going to have to defend the Ark against the oncoming attack. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

With the ''Nemesis'' airborne, the Maximals were forced to try to implement [[Operation Eternity]]. Rattrap found himself having to pack up his collection of Predacon parts, which has particularly full of Waspinator bits, as Rhinox explained that they might need to move the Ark. The Maximals struggled to get the ship working, and Blackarachnia found that Rattrap's sword-tail made a perfect power conduit... once she snipped off the tip. OW. Of course, it quickly melted when they tried and failed to fire up the engines.

As the victorious Maximals left Earth in a refitted Autobot shuttle, Rattrap was more than surprised to learn that [[Dinobot II|old chopper face's clone]] was responsible for saving them, but very happy—they were going home, and they wouldn't have to see Megatron until after they got there, as he was strapped to the roof of their shuttle. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

Rattrap should have known that nothing was ever that easy for them.
{{-}}

====Beast Wars: Transformers Video Game====
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the first season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
{{Note|Rattrap is a playable character in the Maximal mode of this game for normal gameplay.}}
{{charstubfiction}}
{{Note|Due to the nature of this game, a player may select various individual characters to perform the feats required in every level, and complete the game's narrative. Thus, any playable Maximal can fill the role of protagonist in Maximal Mode, and any playable Predacon can fill the role of protagonist in Predacon Mode. As such, each character's page only list said character's actions when they fill the role of antagonist during gameplay. To view the various feats Rattrap can accomplish throughout gameplay in Maximal Mode, it is told on the pages of the [[Megatron (BW)|several]] [[Scorponok (BW)|Predacons]] [[Tarantulas|included]] [[Blackarachnia (BW)|as]] [[Inferno (BW)|opponents]] in this game, as well as the game's main antagonists, the [[Skriix]], wherein Rattrap fills the role of the nameless Maximal. To view the plot as a whole view the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)]] page.}}
{{-}}

====Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals Video Game====
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the second season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
''Voice Actor:'' [[Scott McNeil]] (English), ??? (Japanese)

Rattrap displays an otherwise unseen ability to quickly burrow underground in his beast mode, and subsequently errupt from the earth in order to surprise his opponent.

The Beast Wars were ultimately won thanks to a spy mission successfully completed by Rattrap. The resulting sneak attack meant the end of Megatron, who perished in the battle's explosive finale. The remaining Predacon troops were subsequently taken prisoner. The Beast warriors then boarded the ancient Autobot shuttle, and returned to Cybertron. Back on his home planet, Rattrap can finally enjoy peace and tranquility, as he relaxes at restaurants, taverns and bars, proclaiming: "Ahh... Ya know, we're all gonna di... dine!" {{storylink|Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals}}
{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the N64 version of the game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Rattrap's fate in those outcomes.}}
{{-}}
====Dreamwave Summer Special====
[[Image:AintNoRat Rattrap target.jpg|thumb|250px|right]]
As Rattrap piloted the Autobot shuttle back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], he observed his companions sleeping in back, and drifted off himself, beginning to dream...
:''Out testing an experimental vehicle built by [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], Rattrap ran into [[Dinobot II|Dinobot]], who yanked him out of the small craft. Rattrap's appeals to the Predacon's honor appeared to have an effect, and Dinobot halted his blow for a few moments, before appearing to resume his attack. They were interrupted when a [[Bonecrusher (BW)|bison]] knocked them both from a cliff, and Rattrap was saved from falling to his death by a [[Optimus Minor|monkey]]. Bonecrusher, Optimus Minor and [[Wolfang (Maximal)|Wolfang]] introduced themselves to a startled Rattrap, but Optimus Minor asked him not to tell Primal, as the three Maximals did not wish to fight in the Beast Wars.''
Rattrap was woken up by Primal, but wouldn't elaborate on what he had been dreaming. {{storylink|Ain't No Rat}}
{{--}}

====''Transformers Legends'' anthology====
{{Note|This takes place after "[[Master Blaster]]"}}
Not long after Megatron combined his spark with that of the original Megatron, he had Quickstrike plant a device in the Maximal base. The device magnified the Maximals' aggression. For Rattrap, this simply meant that his complaining became even more incessant until Cheetor started chasing him around. Eventually Optimus Primal was able to help them overcome the device's effects, and they fought off Megatron instead. {{storylink|A Meeting of Minds}}

{{Note|This takes place during "[[Spark of Darkness]]"}}
While [[Botanica]] and Rattrap were bickering in the [[technorganic orchard]], Megatron's spark animated a [[Motorcycle Drone|Cycle drone]] and attacked them. After a brief scuffle, the thing exploded, sending the pair diving for cover. Rattrap later worked out that Megatron's spark had become depolarised and attempted to repolarise it. Unfortunately his attempts clued Megatron in to what had happened, and before Rattrap ultimately succeeded, Megatron used the knowledge to destroy Rhinox. {{storylink|Singularity Ablyss}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Machines'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor'': [[Scott McNeil]] (English), [[Kappei Yamaguchi]] (Japanese), [[Alexandre Moreno]] (Portuguese)

[[Image:MasteroftheHouse Rattrap.jpg|thumb|270px|left]]
After the Beast Wars ended, the Maximals finally made it back to Cybertron, only to be shot down, hunted and attacked by legions of [[Vehicon (BM)|mindless tank drone Transformers]]. The drones unleashed a virus on the Maximals, devolving them back into their organic beast forms and erasing any prior memory of the event. Rattrap was hiding in a [[Monorail transport|monorail car]] when [[Optimus Primal|Primal]] stumbled upon him. Primal's newfound intuition soon reunited the pair with [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. Primal then led them to the ancient [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] computer, which reformatted them into new, techno-organic bodies, curing the virus.

In his new form, Rattrap became a large green rat with a "toolkit" on his back, containing such things as flashlights and computer ports. When they first faced a platoon of [[Motorcycle Drone|Cycle drone]]s, the Maximals discovered that they were unable to transform. Rattrap asked if maybe they could return the upgrade, but Optimus soon stumbled on the fact that they needed to focus their inner selves in order to transform. {{storylink|The Reformatting}}

Optimus set about teaching the other Maximals how to transform, but Rattrap had an immense amount of trouble, unable to get anything to happen. Their base discovered, the Maximals split up to find a new one, Rattrap accompanying Optimus on his search. When they later tried to gain entry to the [[Council Citadel]], Rattrap found his inability to transform caused him to be pretty much useless in battle. He was only saved from some Tank drones by Optimus interrupting [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s concentration. {{storylink|Master of the House}}

The other Maximals kept the Vehicons busy while Rattrap broke into the [[Cybertron Archives]], only to find the ancient library had been wiped clean. After a disorderly retreat, Rattrap followed Blackarachnia to the spaceport, where they encountered three new [[Vehicon general]]s. They managed to evade the trio and accessed the spaceport records of their arrival, discovering that there had been six of them on the shuttle. Blackarachnia headed for the shuttle's location, and Rattrap overheard a communication from Megatron indicating that he was going to access her mind when she accessed the shuttle computer. Rattrap dashed to the shuttle and cut the connection in time, and the pair were subsequently rescued from the three generals by Optimus and Cheetor. {{storylink|Fires of the Past}}

[[Image:Mercenary Pursuits Rattrap 2heads.jpg|right|230px|thumb]]
The discovery of information about [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] reawakened memories of them in the Maximals, who set out to find the missing pair. During the search, Rattrap found a transformation enhancer in a laboratory and, frustrated at his inability to transform, used it. Unfortunately it caused unpredictable effects, resulting in the four Maximals being captured by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]]. Taken to Megatron, the Maximals were in danger of having their sparks extracted, however Rattrap's spontaneous random transformations broke him free of the energon bonds, and he was able to free everyone. With the help of Tankor, who Optimus temporarily convinced to help them, the Maximals escaped. {{storylink|Mercenary Pursuits}}

Rattrap's failure to master transforming continued to frustrate him, causing him to snap at Primal and bluntly suggest the Maximal leader save his concern for Rhinox and Silverbolt. The Maximals subsequently encountered another Maximal, [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]], who had survived Megatron's purge. After a brief battle with [[Sonic Attack Jet|Aero drones]], during which Rattrap was forced to hide, Nightscream took the Maximals to the tree he had been living off. Rattrap, Blackarachnia and Optimus ate fruit from the tree, causing their beast instincts to overcome them, until Cheetor blasted the tree. {{storylink|Forbidden Fruit}}

[[Image:Rattrap bm robotmode.jpg|left|280px|thumb|They see me rollin', they hatin'.]]
With Optimus Primal weakened after reformatting Nightscream, Cheetor was left in charge, and he, Rattrap and Blackarachnia went on a mission to a Vehicon factory in search of information. While under orders to access the computer, Rattrap saw Nightscream in what looked like deadly peril... and finally found that his concern for others allowed him to transform. Though he realised straight away that his new robot mode lacked weapons, he attempted to save Nightscream anyway, only to discover he'd bungled an ambush his friends were planning. While trying to stop the factory operating, he managed to send a massive surge through the computer system, destroying the factory.

Back at base, he was chewed out by Cheetor, and compounded the problem by transforming to robot mode within the base, potentially allowing the Vehicons to track their position. Though he suddenly realised that the power surge he'd caused had made Megatron weak, the other Maximals refused to follow his suggestion that pressing to the attack might be a good idea, and he would later overhear them discussing what to do about him. Upset, he left the base and went to Megatron, offering to protect the Vehicon leader overnight in return for "noisemakers", and was provided with a massive armored suit. This almost brought him to blows with the other Maximals, until Primal arrived and talked him down, telling the other Maximals that Rattrap was stronger than they knew. {{storylink|The Weak Component}}

The Maximals found a factory full of empty Transformer bodies, which Rattrap examined and discovered that the sparks had been ripped out. After another skirmish with the Vehicons, Blackarachnia revealed she'd discovered that the three generals held the sparks of their missing friends. {{storylink|Revelations Part I: Discovery}} While Nightscream and Blackarachnia kept the other Vehicon generals busy, Rattrap and Cheetor went on a special mission. Rattrap hacked into Tankor's processor, unlocking memories about what had happened when they reached Cybertron. It didn't take long before he realised that Tankor was actually Rhinox. {{storylink|Revelations Part II: Descent}} Though Cheetor was skeptical, they revived Tankor, only to find themselves being chased across the city by the enraged Vehicon. Eventually, Primal was able to reawaken Rhinox's personality, only for the Maximals to discover their friend had turned against him. Though Rattrap was about to reprogram Tankor, he was prevented by Optimus, and could only watch as their friend left. {{storylink|Revelations Part III: Apocalypse}}

[[Image:Survivor Rattrap takes cover.jpg|thumb|220px|right]]
While Rattrap was trying to extract memories from Nightscream, the young Maximal's snide comments about the fact they had lost the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] angered him. The Maximals attempted to find the chamber containing the fruit tree again, leading to a fight with the Vehicons during which everyone was knocked out, and Nightscream abducted. The Maximals managed to find him, leading them to battle more Vehicons, and the discovery of a [[fossil cave]] which they would use for their base. {{storylink|Survivor}} With Optimus and Cheetor now constantly coming to blows over leadership decisions, Rattrap would often find himself in the middle of their arguments. The latest such argument was cut short when the Maximals discovered a quantity of [[organic goo]], which was followed by the appearance of Tankor, who used the [[Key to Vector Sigma]] to turn Nightscream into [[technomatter]] before himself overloading. As they'd discovered that the organic goo would cure the technomatter sickness, Rattrap accompanied Primal and Cheetor in trying to obtain a [[Vehicon Mole|mole drone]] in order to drill for more goo. Having commandeered one and cured the technomatter, Rattrap found himself in the middle of another argument, and this time left them to it, forcing them to talk about their disagreement. {{storylink|The Key}}

[[Image:Catalyst Rattrap vine uhoh.jpg|thumb|left|250px]]
Searching the computers for more locations to find the organic goo, Rattrap stumbled on a catalyst planted there by Tankor. He used to to superaccelerate the plant growth, only to find himself literally carried away by the vines, and having to be rescued by the other Maximals. They would later use the fast-growing vines to rescue Blackarachnia, against Optimus's wishes, an act that almost spelled doom for the orchard. {{storylink|The Catalyst}} Nonetheless, Rattrap used the catalyst to create plant-bombs that ensnared Vehicons in instant-growth vines. When Optimus discovered the location of the [[plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]], which would end all technological life on Cybertron, the other Maximals persuaded him not to use it. Instead, they had Rattrap attempt to hack into the computers to found a way to disable the Keys. Unfortunately Tankor had other plans, and disabled Rattrap by zapping him into technomatter. {{storylink|End of the Line}}

Restored to technorganic health when the conflicting energies of the Keys and the Plasma Energy Chamber cancelled each other out, the Maximals visited the Council Citadel, where they discovered the remains of Optimus, Megatron and Tankor. Rattrap checked out the city's central core and reported it was flat-lining. Though he was greatly discouraged, Cheetor announced they had to find the lost sparks. After an altercation with the two remaining Vehicon generals, the Maximals went to the Oracle chamber, where they found Primal floating with in the Oracle. Though he asked for them to forgive him, Rattrap told him there was nothing to forgive. With some encouragement from the Maximals and an encounter with the Matrix, Optimus chose life, returning to them.

[[Image:PrometheusUnbound Rattrap harness.jpg|right|250px|thumb]]
Returning to the surface, the Maximals were startled when a giant [[Grand Mal|likeness of Megatron]] floated into view. {{storylink|Fallout}} While Optimus tried to contact Megatron's spark, the other Maximals went to look for the Vehicon generals, and found [[Noble]], a completely organic [[Transformer]] who had seemingly no control over his transformations into a huge beast dubbed Savage. {{storylink|Savage Noble}} Noble made Rattrap extremely uneasy and he had little sympathy for Nightscream's friendship with the beast. The Maximals broke into the Council Citadel, eventually reaching the throne room, where Rattrap tapped into Megatron's [[control harness]] and attempted to access the encrypted data. He was pulled from the harness by Noble, who it turned out was Megatron himself, trapped in his own organic half. Megatron used [[spark extractor]]s to remove his spark, and soon took up residence in the giant floating head, reactivating the Vehicon drones. After the Maximals retreated to a safe place, Rattrap expressed his sorrow to Nightscream that Noble had turned out to be a con job. {{storylink|Prometheus Unbound}}

Rattrap developed a new device, combining a spark extractor with a [[DNA scanner]], which he hoped to use to reformat the Vehicon generals back into their friends. While searching for Nightscream, he spotted the young Maximal being dragged away by Savage, who was by then sparkless and operating completely on instinct. Believing the worst, Rattrap attempted to quietly rescue Nightscream, but accidentally alerted Savage. The pair fled, and managed to lose Savage by diverting his attention to [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]]. They found that Blackarachnia had used Rattrap's device to turn [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] back into [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and Rattrap was overjoyed to have at least one of their friends back. {{storylink|In Darkest Knight}} A [[Hate Plague]] virus created by Megatron infected the Maximal ranks, causing the Maximals to fight among themselves. With Optimus's help, they realised what was happening and managed to work together to overcome the virus. {{storylink|A Wolf in the Fold}}

A spaceship crash led the Maximals to discover [[Botanica]], a Maximal formatted as a plant-based life form, who was able to lend a hand with the failing technorganic crops. {{storylink|Home Soil}} Though the Maximals were finding they had an easier time dealing with just Thrust, Megatron soon introduced two new Vehicon generals — [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] and [[Strika (BM)|Strika]] — who almost got the better of the Maximals until a vision prompted Botanica to lend a hand. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. I: The Strike}}

[[Image:Sparkwar2 Rattrap generators.jpg|thumb|left|250px]]
Searching for a way to evade the Vehicons, Rattrap developed [[scrambled field generator]]s, which hid their life signs. Rattrap and Botanica were paired up to search for the lost sparks, but spent most of their search bickering, only to encounter Strika. Fleeing, they hid in a handy building which turned out to contain a holographic entertainment unit, much to Rattrap's delight. While he was immersed in the illusion, Strika attacked. Botanica yanked him out of the holographic world, and he subsequently used the device to keep Strika occupied. Though he was inordinately pleased with himself, Botanica dragged him from the building, saying the hologram wouldn't hold Strika for long. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search}}

As the Maximals intended to infiltrate the floating head in search of the missing sparks, Rattrap provided upgraded versions of his scrambled field generators. They were used to great effect, as Rattrap, Primal, Blackarachnia and Botanica snuck aboard the flying head, only to discover that Megatron had begun to devour the missing sparks as part of his ascension. After Megatron made the mistake of killing Noble, Nightscream used his sonic attack to blast and apparently dissipate Megatron's spark. With the floating head plummeting, Rattrap managed to activate the manual controls so that Optimus could take control of it. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege}}

After the Maximals had celebrated their foe's demise, Optimus assigned Botanica and Rattrap to tend to the [[technorganic orchard]], much to Rattrap's dismay. He continued to complain, even as he worked on the orchard, and got into an intense argument with Botanica, which abruptly ended when they accidentally [[Kiss|locked lips]]. Startled and embarrassed, they both decided to delete their memories of the incident. As it turned out, Megatron wasn't gone after all, and his spark possessed a Cycle drone, which wreaked havoc in the orchard until Botanica destroyed it. Rattrap swiftly found a way to track the spark, and managed to repolarize it, allowing it to finally possess a body for good — that of a [[Diagnostic Drone]]. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}

[[Image:BMEndgame1 Rattrap Botanica dying.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
Soon the Maximals found themselves sieged aboard the giant head. The ship's shields cut Botanica from Cybertron's organic core, slowly starving her. Desperate to save her, Rattrap loaded her into a lifepod and used a device to eject her through the shields. Unfortunately this also allowed Megatron to learn the shield harmonics, enabling the Vehicons to bypass the shields as well. Rattrap defended his actions, but the ship was doomed. He erected a stasis field around the spark containment unit as the ship plunged to the ground. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. I: The Downward Spiral}} With the ship completely depowered, Botanica showed up with a power cable, and Rattrap was extremely happy to see her, though he clumsily hid it. As they prepared to defend the ship, Botanica thanked Rattrap for saving her life. Optimus was able to get the Oracle to provide them with spark powerups.

[[Image:Rattrap bm treehugger.jpg|left|250px|thumb|A little man and a big plant.]]
During the battle against the Vehicon drones, Botanica sensed Mole drones attacking the orchard, and took Rattrap and Nightscream down to fight them off. The Mole drones moved in on Botanica, but Rattrap used his spark power to whisk her out of danger. Megatron was able to use his access to the Oracle to cut off the Maximals' spark power, and, overcome by the Mole drones, Rattrap and Botanica had their sparks ripped out by Cycle drones. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. II: When Legends Fall}}

Though no longer able to physically help, the Maximals were able to offer brief words of encouragement to Primal during his final battle with Megatron. When Primal's sacrifice triggered the reformatting of Cybertron, their sparks were freed and quickly returned to their bodies. As they witnessed the newly greened Cybertron and the restored population, Rattrap leapt joyfully into Botanica's arms. So he's a tree hugger. Deal with it. His and Botanica's romantic moment was interrupted by [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (now regular wasp size and with his [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] head) complaining about how he never gets what he wants, Rattrap just swatted him away. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}}

{{--}}

====''Universe''====
{{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}

{{charstubfiction}}

[[Image:Rattrap legs.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Legs! Precious, beautiful legs!]]

Rattrap was among the Maximals gathered at Memorial Spaceport to greet the wayward [[Autobot]]s [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], [[Roulette]] and [[Shadow Striker (Universe)|Shadow Striker]] back to Cybertron approximately one year after the reformatting of Cybertron. He welcomed Trailbreaker back in his own unique fashion (involving intoxicants, naturally). Seconds later, Rattrap bore witness as the five travelers were abducted by Unicron. {{storylink|Abduction}}

[[Image:Escape-extraRattrap.jpg|right|thumb|150px|THERE. ARE. TWO. RATTRAPS.]]

A technorganic Rattrap from another universe was among those who were abducted by Unicron. He was freed along with the others and presumably returned to his home universe.

When Optimus Primal was restored to life and returned to Cybertron with the abductees, Rattrap was there to witness their arrival. {{storylink|Escape (issue)|Escape}} Despite Primal's miraculous return, some of the Maximals voiced concerns that he might not be the same 'bot they once knew, but Rattrap vowed that this time, he was with Primal all the way.

Not long after, needing to blow off steam, Rattrap headed down to the [[Undercity]]. While firing off a blaster at nothing in particular, he was attacked on Cybertron by Blackarachnia, who had been abducted and corrupted by the Chaos Bringer. Rattrap noted that he'd never trusted Blackarachnia, and she replied that he was right not to do so. She was seconds away from delivering a killing strike, but Rattrap was saved by the recently resurrected [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]]. After the spider was driven off, Depth Charge started to leave. Rattrap pleaded with him that there was obviously something big afoot, but Depth Charge would not be swayed, taking his leave as the injured Rattrap passed out. {{storylink|Homecoming (issue)|Homecoming}}

{{-}}

===''Beast Wars Metals'' comic===
[[Image:11rattrap.GIF|right|142px|thumb|This is why Japan shouldn't touch the fiction. No seriously guys, we [[Dickbot the blender guy|got this]].]]

Following the [[Quantum surge]], [[Optimus Primal]] was dead and the [[Maximal]]s were left scattered all over [[Earth|Energoa]]. Now a [[Transmetal]], Rattrap proceeded to freak out all over the Maximal base as [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] attacked in force with his army of [[Cobra Soldier]]s and [[Scorpion Soldier]]s. With [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]]'s defenses gradually depleting, Rattrap remarked that they were all going to die.

Suddenly, [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] appeared above the base, only to be attacked by Sentinel. [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] moved to shut Sentinel down and let her in, but Rattrap stopped him, saying that if he shut it down, they'd die for sure. Rhinox angrily reminded him that Maximals don't turn their backs on one another and shut Sentinel down. Feeling a bit guilty, Rattrap proceeded to use himself to cushion Airazor's crash-landing.

With the defenses down, [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] was able to sneak in and attack. Ripping off Rattrap's arm, Blackarachnia was only spurred to leave after seeing what she thought was Rhinox committing suicide. As the base collapsed, Rattrap, Airazor and Rhinox were kept safe by a small force field, protecting a machine Rhinox hoped would return Optimus Primal to his old body. As Rhinox brought Primal's spark out of [[Transwarp space]], Rattrap blasted it from a laser cannon toward a dish positioned by Airazor, allowing Primal to return to his new Transmetal body. {{storylink|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[Image:Rattrapbeastwarsbasic.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Less cute than advertised.]]
*'''Rattrap''' (Basic, 1996/1997)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''C-5'''
**''Accessories'': 2-part pistol

: Part of the first wave of ''Beast Wars'' product, Rattrap transforms from a large rat to robot mode with a spring-action, [[Autotransformation|one-step transformation]]. His beast mode "shell" halves each hide a part of his handgun.

: In Japan, the initial releases of Rattrap were identical to the [[Hasbro]] version. At the very end of the Japanese ''Beast Wars'' line (early 1997), several toys were given altered decos to make them more show-like. For Rattrap, this mainly meant his robot-mode head got a humongous glob of shiny copper paint (that didn't really match his copper plastic in tone). This copper was also used on his hands. His eyes were changed to red and dark gray paint added to his beast mode nose.

: This mold was also used to make [[Packrat]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Maximal/Rattrap/rattrap.htm More information on Rattrap at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|BasicJ2pack}}
*'''Rattle Vs Terrorsaurer''' (Vs pack, 1997)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''VS-5'''
**''Accessories'': 2-part pistol

: In Japan, Rattrap was available both separately and in a two-pack with the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]. This set contained the pre-[[redeco]]ed versions, identical to their individual releases.

{{-}}{{anchor|Transmetal1}}
[[Image:BWRattrapTM.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Find one without a chrome shedding problem, win a prize!]]
*'''Rattrap''' (Deluxe Transmetal, 1998/1999)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''C-43'''
**''Accessories'': Tail-whip

: Part of the second wave of Deluxe [[Transmetal]]s, Rattrap transforms from semi-organic robot to a robotic rat. He has a third "beast-vehicle" form, folding his hind feet up into the extending rear wheels, flipping up his front legs, and pulling out a pair of [[Exhaust port|exhaust pipes]]. (Eyuw, the smell!) His beast-mode tail becomes a whip for robot mode. Despite the show's portrayal, his hubcaps are not removable, nor does he have a handgun. Transmetal Rattrap is one of several toys notable for being subject to severe chrome-flaking over time.

: There is a minor variant to this toy: about midway through the production run, a small "catch" was added to the neck's swivel joint to lock his robot head in place in robot mode. This [[retool]]ed version was then used for all subsequent releases of the toy.

: For the Japanese ''Beast Wars Metals'' release of Transmetal Rattrap, the chrome was given a much more maroon tone and the tan changed into gray. Also, the "RATTRAP" [[tampograph]] on his beast-mode back was changed to "CYBERTRON" with the [[Maximal]] [[Insignia|faction symbol]]. The orange used was also darker and more subdued.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Maximal/Rattrap/rattrap.htm More informatio non Transmetal Rattrap at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|MetalsVs}}
[[Image:BW-toy RattrapVsTerrorMetals.jpg|right|thumb|300px|]]
*'''Flash Showdown: Metals Rattle VS Metals Terrorsaurer'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''VS-43'''
**''Accessories'': Tail-whip

: In Japan, Transmetal Rattrap was available both as an individual and in a "VS" pack with Terrorsaur. Both toys are identical to their individual releases.

{{-}}{{anchor|WalMart}}
[[Image:Walmartrattrappackrat.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Yoink!]]
* '''Rattrap''' (Deluxe Transmetal, 1999)
**''Accessories'': Tail-whip

: The first store-[[exclusive]] Transformer in the ''Beast Wars'' line, Transmetal Rattrap was given a deep blue color scheme. He was only available as a [[Walmart]] exclusive, even having the Walmart logo emblazoned on the bubble as part of the design.

: This toy was later [[Repurposing|repurposed]] as a Transmetal form for [[Packrat]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1999/Maximal/WalmartRattrap/walrat.htm More information on Walmart Rattrap at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Puzzle}}
[[Image:BW-toy RattrapPuzzle.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Rattrap Cheesepants]]
* '''Metals Rattle Special Version''' (Pack-in Deluxe, 1999)
**''Accessories'': Tail-whip

: The Deluxe Transmetal Rattrap toy was given a white and orange deco and packed in with a 500-piece ''Beast Wars Metals'' jigsaw puzzle from Central Hobby.

:Oddly, this toy uses the Hasbro "RATTRAP" tampograph on the rat-mode back rather than the Takara "CYBERTRON" and symbol mark.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1999/Cybertron/PuzzleRattrap/rattrap.htm More information on puzzle Rattrap at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|FK}}
[[Image:Rattrap transmetal2000.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Not actually a black repaint.]]
* '''Rattrap''' (Deluxe Transmetal, 2000)
**''Accessories'': Tail-whip

: As part of the second "[[Fox Kids]]" Transmetals series, this version of Rattrap was one of the last releases in the original retail ''Beast Wars'' line. The toy got a more primary red color scheme, with bright gray robot bits and deep blue chrome.

: This toy was released in Japan as part of a [[JafCon]] convention exclusive set (without changes) along with the "Fox Kids" Transmetals versions of [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] and [[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Maximal/FKTMRattrap/rattrap.htm More information on Fox Kids Rattrap at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Beast Machines===
[[Image:BMtoy-RattrapMcD.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Is that whiteface?]]
* '''Rattrap''' (Happy Meal, 2000)

: Part of the ''Beast Machines'' McDonald's Happy Meal promotion, Rattrap transforms into a technorganic rat modeled more after the cartoon model than the toy. As such, his robot mode does not have normal legs, only extendable wheels. His toy also features light piping that in theory illuminates the Maximal [[spark]] on his stomach. Being made of softer plastic and having no removable parts, he is very suitable for the younger set.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Maximal/McRattrap/rattrap.htm More information on McDonald's Rattrap at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

[[Image:BMtoy-RattrapRedRooster.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Ever want to know what the children would look like?]]
* '''Rattrap''' (Little Red Rooster meal, 2000)

: The McDonald's Happy Meal Rattrap was also released in Australia through the Red Rooster restaurant rai—uh, chain. Like the other three pieces used, it came in four color schemes: the original colors (with opaques replacing the transparents), a reversed red-with-green, a deep blue with very light blue, and a light blue with deep blue.

:These versions of the mould were retooled from the original, removing almost all arm articulation (and a step in the transformation), plugging up the light piping, and reducing the number of parts and plastic colours used by the toy. Oddly, even though Little Red Rooster Meal Rattrap no longer has light piping he has a red paint ap (on all 4 versions) on his back to simulate the red circle of transluscent plastic on the original's back.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Maximal/McRattrap/rattrap.htm More information on Red Rooster's Rattraps at TFU.info (scroll down)]''
{{-}}

[[Image:Rattrapbeastmachinesmega.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Nobody's truly disabled so long as they have <strike>courage</strike> a third mode!]]
* '''Rattrap''' (Mega, 2001/2005)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''BR-03'''
**''Accessories'': Tail-whip

: Rattrap was the last release in the ''[[Beast Machines (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' toyline before the change to the "Battle for the Spark" packaging, not appearing on shelves until long after the rest of his Season 1 compatriots. Reportedly, Rattrap was delayed for redesign purposes.

:Rattrap transforms into a large [[technorganic]] rat. In beast mode, turning his tail moves his head and ears. In robot mode, he has a flip-down visor and moving jaw. His robot legs can also fold up so he can use his wheels, which also have flip-out blades. His beast tail becomes a hand-held whip. He possesses an orange spark crystal, concealed within his body, making it visible only in mid-transformation.

: This toy was later released as part of the [[Takara]]-exclusive [[Beast Machines (toyline)|''Beast Wars Returns'' line]], made available only at Japanese Toys "R" Us stores. So far, it appears that there are no notable differences between the Hasbro and Takara versions aside from packaging.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Maximal/Rattrap/rattrap.htm More information on Beast Machines Rattrap at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Beast Wars 10th Anniversary===
[[Image:BW10th-Rattrap.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Not phallic at all.]]
* '''Rattrap''' (10th Anniversary, 2006)
**''Accessories'': Tail-whip

: Part of the second wave of ''Beast Wars'' 10th Anniversary product, the original [[#TM1|Transmetal Rattrap toy]] was given a slight deco modification, mainly a brighter, more neutral gray plus a Maximal sigil on his chest. He came with the right arm to the "build-a-bot" [[Transmutate (character)|Trans-Mutate]], plus a DVD of the episode "[[A Better Mousetrap]]".
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/Rattrap/rattrap.htm More information on 10th Anniversary Rattrap at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Timelines===
[[Image:Timelinestoy-RattrapDoFP.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Mmmm, cheese wheel.]]
* '''Dawn of Future's Past''' (Multi-pack, 2006)
**''Accessories'': Blaster, "Golden Disc Key"

: "Axalon Rattrap" is a redeco of ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]], transforming into a Cybertronic motorcycle. Plugging a [[Cyber Planet Key]]—or in this set's case, a [[Golden Disc Key]]—into the rear portion of his bike mode flips out a pair of non-firing guns. This assembly detaches to form a hand-held blaster in robot mode. This is thus far the only version of the ''Cybertron'' Ransack mold to have the "correct" rear wheel assembly position.

: Rattrap came in a boxed 5-pack with "Axalon" versions of [[Optimus Primal/toys|Optimus Primal]], [[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor]], [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] and "[[Darksyde]]" [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]. This set was also made available as a bagged set in more limited numbers.

: This mold was also the basis for non-toy characters [[Quickslinger]] and [[Rattletrap]], and the "[[Theft of the Golden Disk]]" video incarnation of [[Tarantulas]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/BCRattrap/rattrap.htm More information on Timelines Rattrap at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
*'''Rattle''' (candy toy kit, 1997)

: Part of a set of four [[Kabaya]] [[candy toy]]s, this version of Rattrap, based on [[#Basic1|the original toy]], is an unpainted and unassembled plastic kit that transforms (and partially re-assembles) from rat to robot mode, though much smaller (and cheaper) than the original toy. It is cast entirely in grayish-tan and pale yellow plastics, as are the other three toys in the set: [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], [[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor]], and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]].

* '''Beast Wars magnet set''' (1997)

: The original cast of ten from the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon was rendered in adorable [[super-deformed]] style for a set of magnets. Awwwww.
* '''Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game''' (1997)
:Rattrap was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars [[Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game|card game]].
===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robotheroesmegatronrattrap.jpg|right|300px|thumb|More creepy than cute.]]
* '''Rattrap vs. Megatron''' (2008)

: Part of the "Beast Wars Series", Rattrap comes packaged with [[Megatron (BW)/toys|Megatron]]. Like most of the ''Robot Heroes'' line, his design is a mix between the toy and cartoon depictions, notably having a grayish rather than copper-colored head. He has the standard shoulders-and-neck articulation.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Maximal/Rattrap/rattrap.htm More information on Robot Heroes Rattrap at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Notes==
[[Image:Concept-Rattrap.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Handi-capable!]]

* In an extremely strange precursor of things to come in ''Beast Machines'', Mainframe's original concept for Rattrap during ''Beast Wars'' was to capitalize on the exposed "brain" of the toy and make Rattrap a deeply flawed character. Originally, Rattrap's scanning and transformation technology was to fail, leaving him basically half-formed, with an exposed brain, wiring, "veins", an asymetrical body, arms of uneven lengths, and malformed organic sections in robot mode. On top of all that, he was hooked up to a "colostomy bag-like heating cable" to stress his need for life support. Rattrap's overall story arc would have been, of course, about him accepting and overcoming his near-fatal flaws. This approach was entirely nixed by the limits of CGI in rendering convincing organic innards at the time...and the fact that his model would have been massively far off from the actual toy probably also factored into it. However, the idea of a defective Transformer ''was'' later revisited in season 2 with the introduction of [[Transmutate (character)|Transmutate]].

* On Transmetal Wal-Mart Rattrap/Packrat: According to [[3H Productions|3H]], they were on the phone discussing exclusives with their at-the-time Hasbro contact, when he (the Hasbro guy) realized that the not-yet-released blue Wal-Mart Rattrap could have been named Packrat. However, it was a few days too late to make the change without a massive production delay. Had he simply been looking at the right wall of his office a few days earlier, which had the Packrat/[[Fractyl]] box-set on it...{{fact}}

* At one point in the series, Rattrap says, "What in the name of my great-aunt [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] is going on!?" This is an in-joke referring to [[Susan Blu]], who was not only voice director on ''Beast Wars'', but the voice of Arcee in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon series]] and Transmutate in the ''Beast Wars'' episode [[Transmutate (episode)|of the same name]]. He was originally going to say the line again when he saw Transmetal 2 [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (and she was to reply, "Not your great-aunt Arcee!") in the early script of "[[Crossing the Rubicon]]", but the lines were cancelled.<ref>Page 96, "Beast Wars Glossary" in ''[[Beast Wars Universe]]''</ref>

* In the jovial Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'', one of Rattrap's most notable "shticks" was that he would constantly break the fourth wall by "smelling" what the audience was eating. For instance, he would randomly announce "Smells like the Suzuki's are having curry". The Japanese found this very amusing. The rest of the world; ''not so much''.

* To piggyback on the popularity of the ''[[Pokeformers|Pokémon]]'' phenomenon of the late '90s, or perhaps just to parody it, Rattrap's beast mode in the ''[[Beast Wars Metals (manga)|Beast Wars Metals]]'' manga was redesigned to resemble ''Pikachu'' heavily. While many characters received "humorous" redesigns for the manga, Rattrap's remains the most reviled.

* Rattrap makes a blink-and-you'll-miss-him cameo appearance in "Nor Iron Bars a Cage", an episode of Mainframe's ''Shadow Raiders''. He's standing next to Emperor Sternum in a long shot, but sneakily turns into a different animation model entirely for the close-up. The scamp!

* By splicing together footage for their promo, [[Toonami]] allowed Rattrap the distinct pleasure of shooting Jonny Quest and sending him plummeting to a gruesome demise.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/1996/Maximal/Rattrap/rattrap.htm Rattrap at TFU.info]

[[Category:Beast Machines characters]]
[[Category:Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[Category:Convention exclusives]]
[[Category:Fast food exclusives]]
[[Category:Maximal leaders]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Spies]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Universe characters]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]
[[Category:Wal-Mart exclusives]]

Master Blaster

2010-01-02T00:12:53Z

173.210.199.167: /* Synopsis */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=49
|image=BW MasterBlaster title.jpg
|caption=Tarantulas suddenly realizes how all those bugs eaten by geckos feel.
|title= "Master Blaster"
|production company= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate= [[March 1]], 1999
|written by= [[Eric Torin]]
|directed by= [[Steve Sacks]]
|animation studio= [[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''The Predacons gain control over the body of Optimus Primal, and capture the Ark.'''

:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Maître du Feu''' ("Fire's Master")
:''Japanese title:'' もえてドラゴン (''Moete Dragon'', "Blaze, Dragon")
:''Latin-American title:'' '''La Furia del Dragón'''
:''Italian title:'' '''Uniti per sempre''' ("United forever")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:BW MasterBlaster PrimalflattenWaspy.jpg|left|150px|thumb|A bug in the hand is worth...uh, washing up afterward.]]
Silverbolt dutifully patrols the Maximals' fortified entrance to [[Mount St. Hilary]]. Megatron, trying another attack on the Maximals' base, sends sub-commander Waspinator with a large explosive (from…somewhere) to destroy the patrolling Fuzor. Waspinator delivers the missile and destroys Silverbolt's gunning turret, and when Primal, Cheetor, and Rattrap rush outside to defend their home, Waspinator commands a full attack. But without support from additional troops, Waspinator is quickly crushed by Primal.

Hiding out of Primal's sight, Tarantulas blows a dart that burrows itself into Primal's foot, crawls through the Maximal leader's interior machinery, and accesses Primal's own spark. Primal disregards the infection, tells Cheetor to "take a rest" with a suspiciously Western drawl, and punches out the young Maximal.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Primalsparkhijack.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Once these things dig in, only a special shampoo can get them out.]]
Blackarachnia returns to the Maximal base, surprised by the open doors. She finds the entire interior dark. Primal sneaks up on the arachnid, and when she reveals that Depth Charge isn't with her, he grabs her as if she were a toy. With the widow restrained, Megatron and his crones step out of the darkness. Quickstrike is revealed to be controlling Optimus by piloting a large, mechanical suit of similar form to Primal's body. The other Maximals are being kept deactivated in a hanging cage.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megs spark.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Ye haw, ride 'em, cowboy!]]
Meanwhile, Quickstrike uses Primal's body to give Megatron access to the Ark's interior. Megatron walks through the halls of the ship to find what he's looking for: his namesake [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. The Predacon leader opens his own chest, and a tentacle reaches out of it to access the [[spark]] of his predecessor. After a bit of struggle, Megatron takes both sparks into his body. While Megatron convulses from the pain of containing two sparks, Quickstrike, who is secretly working for Tarantulas, dumps his leader into one of the lava pits outside.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megshand.jpg|right|150px|thumb|[[Wikia:c:terminator:Terminator 2: Judgment Day|I'll be back.]]]]
Blackarachnia is left in the care of [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]], who delights in causing her pain, but she overpowers the massive Transmetal crab by using her telekinesis to knock him down with a steel girder. She sneaks through the base, then leads Inferno away from the Maximals he's supposed to be protecting and locks him outside so she can free her team.

Quickstrike gives Tarantulas access to [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]]. Tarantulas then sends Quickstrike away to destroy the Maximals while he rigs the Ark to explode, which will kill all Autobots and Decepticons within it. As Tarantulas leaves the Ark, Megatron emerges from the lava, now reconfigured into a dragon form by his plunge into the molten rock and the additional spark within him. Megatron burns the spider who betrayed him and tosses Tarantulas into a distant lava pool as punishment for failing.

Quickstrike, still piloting his armor, finds Blackarachnia and double-teams her using Optimus's body, which is still under his control. But with a well-placed blast, she causes the two giants to fall over each other. The fall frees Optimus, who remembers what he did under Quickstrike's control, and he and Blackarachnia head back into the Ark to prevent the devastation.

[[Image:BW MasterBlaster Megsflame.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Tyrannosaurus, red dragon thunderzord power!]]
Megatron finds Optimus, and the two enhanced transformers battle. While Blackarachnia tries to save the Ark, Megatron shows off his new abilities against his most hated enemy. Blackarachnia saves the Ark with just a single second to spare. Optimus is then saved from Megatron by the combined firepower of the other Maximals, who force Megatron to retreat. But with the spark of the original Megatron still in his possession, Megatron has gained a new advantage in the Beast Wars.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (1)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (8)
*[[Rattrap]] (9)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (10)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (13)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (2)
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] (3)
*[[Tarantulas]] (4)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (5)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Dinobot II]] (7)
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] (12)

|h4=[[Decepticons]]|c4=
*[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (14)
}}

==Quotes==
"Ah, sometimes deception is the better part of valor."
:—'''Megatron''', observing Waspinator's unwitting decoy attack on the Maximal base

"You'll live to regret this, crab legs." 
"I regret everything, my sweet. Struggle as much as you like, I enjoy it."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' as she struggles against '''Rampage'''

"Time to open me up a can of kick-keister!"
:—'''Quickstrike''', after being told to finish the other Maximals

"By the Pit, you live!" 
"I am not so easily destroyed. And thanks to your treachery, my power is greater than ever! Let me 'thank' you."
:—'''Tarantulas''' and '''Megatron'''

"I can suffer your treachery, lieutenant, but not your incompetence!" 
[''throws Tarantulas into the lava''] 
"Treachery requires ''no'' mistakes."
:—'''Megatron''' reborn deals with '''Tarantulas'''

"Enter the dragon!"
:—'''Megatron''' introduces the new him to Optimus Primal and Blackarachnia

"Megatron does not yield... he ''conquers''!"
:—'''Megatron''''s response to Optimus Primal's demand for his surrender

"Eight clicks to core implosion.... five.. four... three... two... one... core implosion aborted... all systems normal... have a nice day."
:—<strike>Spaceball</strike>'''Teletraan I'''

"Did you think you could stand against the fury of ''both'' Megatrons?"
:—'''Megatron''' gloating to Optimus Primal

"Talk about a makeover." 
"It's no joke, Rattrap. What Megatron's done has just made it more important than ever for us to win this war… and win it soon."
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Optimus Primal'''

==Notes==
* Although the toy is a [[Transmetal 2]] and has detailing consistent with the other Transmetal 2 figures, within the context of the story, Megatron's upgrade is not related to the [[Transmetal driver]] and is never called a Transmetal 2 in the series. The stylistic difference from "Optimal Optimus" can be attributed to the lava, which Megatron likely wouldn't have survived had he not been in the process of being upgraded, as falling into lava killed [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]].
* When Primal finally gains control of himself and tells Blackarachnia that Megatron gained control of Teletraan I, he ''actually says Teletraan'' instead of Teletron. Although every other time it's said in this episode, it's pronounced Teletron.

===Continuity errors===
* It is unclear why Tarantulas and Quickstrike expected (''Beast Wars'') Megatron to expire in the lava, given Tarantulas suffers the same fate, but immediately climbs out of the lava moments later. Although it's possible that throwing Megatron into lava was just Quickstrike's idea.
* Megatron is not shown putting Generation 1 Megatron's spark back in its body. Even at the end of the series, the spark was never shown again, nor was it even mentioned that it had been replaced. There is only Primal's statement that "all is as it should be" (made in "[[Nemesis Part 2]]") to go on. However, the spark's replacement ''was'' written into the "Nemesis" script and even animated—it was simply cut for time from the final episode. A clip of this animation can be seen on BWTF.com's [http://bwtf.com/bw/tvshow/episodes/seasonthree/nem2/ page for this episode] and was included as an extra in Kid Rhino's DVD release of ''Beast Wars'' season 3.
* The computer that Blackarachnia uses seems to have been designed for human-size figures, rather then the larger Autobot occupants. Of course the controls could have been built when the Ark was constructed for the roughly human-sized transformers, such as the ones with cassette alternate modes.

===Technical/animation glitches===
*When Megatron says he has "Almost collected the whole set" his head has the wrong colors. Instead of his usual Transmetal head, the colors match that of his Dragon form. Strangely, earlier shots in this scene have the correct color scheme.

===Transformers references===
* Well, there ''is'' [[Megatron (G1)|the original Megatron]], but he's only in [[stasis lock]].
* Blackarachnia (after saying "I can play your game too") saves the day by uploading "datatrax Viron" into Teletraan-1, which is the same datatrax Tarantulas used against the [[Metal Hunter]].
* Megatron's tampering with Generation 1 Megatron's spark will have bizarre results several million years later when the original Megatron battles [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in "[[Decepticon Leader Megatron Black Ver.]]"

===Real-world references===
* Megatron counts "Six little Maximals, I've almost collected the whole set!" several Transformer fans collect the [[Beast Wars (toyline)|toys]]—and many fans make a point to collect specifically the toys of characters appearing on the show.

* While revealing himself in his new form, Megatron cries out "Enter the dragon!", which is also the title of a [[Wikipedia:Enter the Dragon|Bruce Lee movie]].

* The title of the episode, "Master Blaster", is also the title of an old computer game, and a song by Stevie Wonder. However, it's clear from context that it primarily refers to the dwarf/giant duo from the film "[[Wikipedia:Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome|Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome]]".

===Trivia===
* The power-suit frame used by Quickstrike in this episode is later used by the [[Vok]] to create [[Primal Prime]] in "Primeval Dawn Part 1".

* This episode establishes that there are other equally powerful sparks; Prime's not being the only one.

* In an early version of episode's plot, Megatron decided to steal and absorb the original Megatron's spark only after failing at another attempt to kill [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]].<ref>''[[Beast Wars Universe]]'' [ISBN 978-4766938005]</ref>

* A techno-''blowgun?'' Well, whatever works, works, we suppose.

==Reference==
<references/>

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Cheetor (BW)

2009-12-31T19:50:46Z

173.210.199.167: /* Beast Wars cartoon */

{{disambig3|Cheetor}}
{{featured}}
{{factions|maximal|maximalbm|autobot}}
:''Cheetor is a [[Maximal]] (and later an [[Autobot]]) from the [[Beast Era]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Cheetorbw.jpg|right|250px|thumb|There he is, your little guy.]]
'''Cheetor''' is full of youthful overconfidence. He's also the fastest Maximal on four legs which, combined with his impulsive nature, often gets him into more trouble than he can handle. It's needless to say that Cheetor's overbearing enthusiasm gets on the nerves of some of his teammates, [[Rattrap]] in particular. He's in those awkward formative years. Thankfully, [[Optimus Primal]] keeps a steady eye on the young Maximal. In return, Cheetor has grown to idolize Primal, whom he calls "Big Bot." Optimus Primal knows the inexperienced Cheetor needs a good role model, so he doesn't mind too much. And, hey, at [[spark]] he's a good kid. Just... keep him away from [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], okay? Impressionable minds, and all. And [[Matrix]] help us when Cheetor gets past his "cooties" stage and notices [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]].

Cheetor also appears to have vague precognitive skills, sensing important events before they actually happen — usually in the form of ominous dreams. With such power and potential, who knows — maybe the lad is destined for [[Oracle (BM)|great things]] [[Matrix Templar|someday]].

{{quote|I'm not lookin' forward to the day they chronicle ''my'' early bonehead adventures onto a [[Data-Con|datacon]] for all the world to see.|Cheetor, about [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]], in "[[Wreckers: Finale Part II]]."}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Cheetus''' or '''Cheetas''' (チータス ''Chītasu'')<ref>The "Cheetus" [[Romanization]] was used on a Japanese ''Beast Wars'' [http://www18.tok2.com/home/jackhama/transformers/bwtcard_1/img/003.jpg trading card], and later reappeared in the opening sequence for the Japanese version of the PSX ''[[Beast Wars: Transmetals]]'' fighting game. Conversely, the ''[[Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle Complete Manual]]'', the official strategy guide for ''[[Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle]]'' video game, used "Cheetas". </ref>
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Bàu-tz''' (豹子, "Cheetah" or "Panther" or "Leopard"), '''Hūa Bàu''' (花豹, "Leopard", used in ''Beast Machines'' sometimes)
:''French name (cartoon):'' '''Vélocitor''' (a "coolification" of the word "vélocité," which means "speed")
:''Indonesian name:'' '''Sidor''' (probably a pronunciation mistake)
:''Italian name:'' '''Ghepard''' (original toy), '''Metal Ghepard''' (Transmetal)
:''Polish name:'' '''Gepardon'''
:''Spanish name:'' '''Chitor'''
:''Latinamerican name:'' '''Chitah''' ("Cheetah")

==Fiction==
===First wave toy bios===
[[Image:CheetorBW-2packcomic.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Whose tusks gleam in the night? Not his!]]

{{quote|Eyes of a '''stalker''' hunting its prey... The super-swift '''cheetah''' springs! But '''food''' is not on '''this''' hunter's mind...|[[Optimus Primal vs Megatron!]]}}

Cheetor is a quiet and confidant warrior, who constantly stalks jungles in his search for Predacons. He is efficient, striking hard and fast with incredible reflexes in either mode. He is known to openly dare Predacons to challenge him and his laser-powered quasar cannon.{{storylink|Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast Wars|Cheetor Bio}}

In a swamp outside the [[Fusion Building]] genetics lab, a fleet of ferocious animals has gathered. Suddenly, the cheetah and his wild comrades are under attack by a massive alligator! Surprise! This is a battle between [[Optimus Primal]] and his [[Maximal|Maximals]] and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]! Cheetor quickly transforms to attack [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], and the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] have begun! {{storylink|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!}}

{{note|Collect them all!}}

{{note|This comic and the on-package [[Bio|bios]] of the first wave of Beast Wars toys predate the development of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon and its backstory. They seem to present the characters as a direct continuation of the previous Autobot/Decepticon conflict, with Optimus Primal actually being a new form of Optimus Prime and Megatron being his Generation 1 counterpart, and their battles taking place on present day, [[human]]-inhabited Earth, rather than in the distant past. Once the cartoon launched, the toyline adjusted itself to match that continuity instead, relegating this one to an aborted [[micro-continuity]].}}

===Cartoon continuity===
====Dawn of Future's Past====
[[Image:CheetorBW-DawnofFuturesPast.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Fur is murder!]]
A former cadet of the [[Maximal Command Security Force]], a Maximal who would later call himself Cheetor left the organization young after being recruited by Optimus Primal based on his leadership potential. "Cheetor" enthusiastically joined the crew of the ''Axalon'', hoping to see the furthest reaches of space. His vehicle mode could reach 550 mph, making him the fastest Maximal aboard the ''Axalon'' even before landing on prehistoric Earth. Cheetor served as the ship's communications officer.

Cheetor and the rest of the Axalon crew were waylaid on a Maximal space station for weeks, waiting for their exploration mission to begin. Finally, after leaving the space station, Optimus Primal explained the reason for their delay: they were ordered by the [[Maximal High Council]] to deposit a [[Protoform X|precious cargo]] on a barren moon. But before this could be achieved, the ''Axalon'' was contacted by the Maximal High Council again. The [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], a treasured Maximal artifact, was stolen by the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], and he and a band of Predacon criminals left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in a stolen ship. Since the ''Axalon'' was the closest ship, they were ordered to intercept.

But there were other ships en route. A ship piloted by the Predacons [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] appeared and attacked them. Their mysterious attacker was countered by another strange ship, the ''[[Chromia 10]]''. Ultimately, the ''Axalon'' was able to destroy the Predacon ship but not before serious damage was dealt the ''Chromia 10''. The sparks of the two Maximals on board were beamed aboard the ''Axalon'' to save their lives.

Just as the battle seemed to be over, Cheetor received an incoming transmission from Megatron's stolen ship. Megatron introduced himself and disappeared through a [[transwarp]] portal. Cheetor and the rest of the ''Axalon'' crew followed blindly. {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Ian James Corlett]] (English), [[Wataru Takagi]] (Japanese), [[Tata Guarnieri]] (Portuguese)

[[Image:Cheetorbeast1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|What? Is it my breath?]]
After the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' crash-landed on a mysterious planet, the most youthful crew member of the disabled ship chose a cheetah as his new beast form. After admiring his new appearance, he renamed himself Cheetor. While the other Maximals were unpacking, Cheetor decided to show off, racing after some cheetahs. He soon encountered Waspinator, and opened fire, but found himself outclassed(!). The rest of the Maximals and Predacons turned up, and Cheetor cut off [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s speech with a "treacherous underhanded sneak attack". A full battle ensued, during which Cheetor's foot became caught in some rocks, and he had to be rescued by Optimus. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}}

When Dinobot challenged Optimus to a duel, Cheetor was keen to take out the Predacon himself, and had to be restrained from joining the fight. After the battle was interrupted by the other Predacons, a huge [[Energon (fuel)|energon crystal]] was revealed in a nearby mountain, and the Maximals rushed there to try to prevent the Predacons claiming it for themselves. With the massive amount of energy there, they were forced to fight in their beast modes, though it did give Cheetor the opportunity to try to settle the score with Waspinator. Ultimately, the energon was all destroyed. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

[[Image:Cheetor-precog.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Cheetor dreams of Rattrap's rescue attempt before it happens.]]
Cheetor enthusiastically volunteered to check out a new experimental comlink. Despite being under orders not to get into any combat situations, he unsuccessfully attempted to attack [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and was left heavily damaged. After a strange precognitive dream, he awoke back on the ''Axalon'', whether the other Maximals expressed their disappointment in his actions. Given a hard time by Rattrap, Cheetor rushed out to make another attempt to capture the cannon that Scorponok was recovering, and was captured by [[Tarantulas]]. Luckily for him, he was soon rescued by Rattrap, who also lied to Optimus to cover the young bot's hide. {{storylink|The Web}}

[[Image:EqualMeasures Cheetor with gutgun.jpg|right|300px|thumb]]
Though Cheetor was looking forward to another mission to install energon monitoring devices, Optimus delayed the mission due to the heavy storm raging. Dinobot managed to goad Cheetor into going out anyway, and, while placing one of the devices, a lightning bolt hit it, resulting in a bizarre two-way teleportation effect between the Maximal and Predacon bases. Cheetor himself found himself in the ''[[Darksyde]]'', where he was able to hack the Predacon data files and discover that the two crashed ships lay on a common energon vein, meaning that an explosion at one base would destroy both. He managed to get the information back to Optimus, but Dinobot had already sent through a bomb — Cheetor was able to detach it from the console it was fixed to in time. He returned to the ''Axalon'', where he promised Optimus that he would pay more attention to orders... until the next time. {{storylink|Equal Measures}}

After a decisive Maximal victory at the [[Standing Stones]], an [[Vok Probe|alien probe]] swallowed Optimus Primal. The argument over who would lead turned into a secret ballot, during which, from Rhinox's reaction, Cheetor voted for Dinobot, suggesting he trusted the Predacon's leadership skills over those of Rattrap. As it turned out, the exercise was rendered pointless by the revelation that Optimus wasn't dead after all. {{storylink|Chain of Command}}

[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] discovered a [[flying mountain]] with a cache of super-powerful energon at the top, but he was spotted by Cheetor, who immediately dashed back to the ''Axalon'' to inform the other Maximals. {{storylink|Power Surge}} When one of the [[stasis pod]]s crashed to the ground and Optimus was damaged by a Predacon sneak attack, Cheetor, Rhinox and Rattrap set out to try to get to the pod, but were delayed by Waspinator and Terrorsaur. They were beaten to the pod by the Predacons, but a last-minute gambit by Dinobot and Optimus meant that the [[protoform]] inside had already been reformatted into [[Tigatron]]. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}} Like the other Maximals, Cheetor couldn't believe that Rattrap had defected to the Predacons. Of course, it turned out to be simply a ploy to determine how the Predacons had been spying on the Maximals. {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}}

[[Image:Cheetor&badoptimus.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
Cheetor, Rattrap, Dinobot and Rhinox were forced to evacuate the ''Axalon'' when a fight caused Rhinox's new [[Sentinel (BW)|defense system]] to go out of control. {{storylink|A Better Mousetrap}} Infected by a Predacon virus which caused uncontrollable rage, Optimus managed to persuade Cheetor to release him from his confinement, only for the Maximal leader to head off on a one-bot mission against the Predacons. After Primal had slagged most of the Predacons, Cheetor managed to get hold of the antivirus and administer it to Optimus. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}}

During a flyby by a [[temporal probe]] sent from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the Maximals tried to set up a signal array to contact it. The Predacons had other idea though, and Tarantulas's [[transformation lock lens]] locked both Cheetor and Tigatron in their beast modes. The pair were captured and put in cages in the ''Darksyde'', but soon escaped and used the Predacon repair pools to fix themselves. They unfortunately rejoined the fight too late — the Predacons had prevented the signal from being sent. {{storylink|The Probe}}

After the apparent destruction of the Predacons, Cheetor and Rattrap mocked Dinobot's sorrow at the passing of his ex-comrades. It was, of course, a ruse, and the Predacons revealed themselves once the Maximals had repaired their ship. {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}} When Rhinox was twisted into a Predacon by Megatron's [[Transmuter]], Cheetor was keen to rescue their friend, Optimus ordered everyone to hold back, while the evil Rhinox wrecked havoc in the Predacon base. {{storylink|Dark Designs (episode)|Dark Designs}} On another occasion when Rattrap went missing, Cheetor and Optimus looked for the ratbot, only to discover that the Dinobot who had sent them on the hunt was a [[Clone One|clone]] controlled by Megatron. By the time they got back to base, the clone had already been defeated by the real Dinobot. {{storylink|Double Dinobot}}

[[Image:The Spark Cheetor Waspinator.jpg|right|thumb|200px]] run away, run away
Rhinox and Cheetor got to another crashed stasis pod before anyone else, however the ambient energon was endangering the protoform inside. Cheetor shut himself down to allow Rhinox to extract a needed component from him, and dreamed that Rhinox was telling him about [[spark]]s. After reawakening, Cheetor was forced to try to defend the pod against Blackarachnia, Waspinator and Terrorsaur, while only having limited use of his robot mode. Though he managed to defeat the first two, Terrorsaur prevailed... only to be defeated by newly-online [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]]. {{storylink|The Spark}}

During Tigatron's disappearance, Cheetor spotted Blackarachnia and Scorponok leaving the Predacon base on a mission. As it turned out, they were heading towards a [[Brigadoon|flying island]] which Tigatron had crashed on. Tigatron sent a [[Cyberbee]] containing footage of the island, which the Maximals were able to recover, despite Cheetor firing on it. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 1}} Cheetor and Rhinox were forced to evacuate the ''Axalon'' after Blackarachnia took control of the island, intending to destroy the Maximal base with it. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 2}}

[[Image:Dark Voyage Cheetor snake.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Featuring a scene from several fanfics.]]
Another Predacon gambit saw them stealing the [[rectifier coil]] from the Maximal base, effectively trapping the Maximals in their beast modes. Overcome by bestial instincts, the Maximals wandered off into the jungle, and it was only through Tigatron's intervention that they were able to delete the blocks separating their robot and beast psyches. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} An energon explosion caused a group of Maximals, of which Cheetor was a part, to be blinded far from base. As they attempted to journey home, Cheetor was attacked and severely damaged by a huge snake. He spent most of the rest of the journey on Rhinox's back, until they came under attack by Terrorsaur and Waspinator. Rhinox was able to guide everyone in fending off the attack without the use of their sight, and they were soon found by Optimus. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}}

After a violent storm damaged the Maximal base, making it vulnerable, Cheetor shot down a cyberbee which was spying on them. Unfortunately the Predacons had gained enough information and the help of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], who had possessed Waspinator's body, enabling them to easily take over the ''Axalon''. The Predacon occupation didn't last long, as internal conflict in their ranks allowed the Maximals to retake their base. {{storylink|Possession}} After Rattrap and Dinobot's bickering caused Rhinox to beome infected by a Predacon [[energon discharge virus]], Optimus insisted the pair go out alone to find the cure. Cheetor was part of the party which went to back them up when they located Tarantulas's lair. {{storylink|The Low Road}}

[[Image:LawoftheJungle unhappy Tigatron and Cheetor.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
After [[Snowstalker]] was killed by incidental fire during a battle, Cheetor tried unsuccessfully to comfort Tigatron, but the other Maximal announced he would no longer be a part of the Beast Wars. {{storylink|Law of the Jungle}} After Megatron called a truce and the Maximals needed to find out what he was up to, Cheetor suggested that Rattrap infiltrate the Predacon base unarmed, so as to not violate the truce. Rattrap was less than impressed with the suggestion. In the end, Tigatron did the infiltrating, and the other Maximals covered his escape. Rhinox and Cheetor "intercepted" Terrorsaur with a sheet of metal. {{storylink|Before the Storm}}

Tigatron and Cheetor observed the [[Planet Buster|moon splitting open]], but were called back to base by Optimus. They got back as the alien weapon began super-heating the planet's surface, and helped the damaged Dinobot and Rhinox into CR chambers. Optimus intended to use a stasis pod Tarantulas had been working on to attack the Planet Buster, despite Cheetor, Tigatron and Airazor all volunteering to go in his stead. As the pod lifted off, Cheetor managed to tune the sensors in to follow its path until it destroyed the Planet Buster. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

[[Image:Aftermath Rattrap Cheetor.jpg|left|200px|thumb|INVISIBEL KEYBORD]]
When the [[quantum surge]] from the explosion engulfed the planet, Cheetor's exostructure was mutated into a shiny new [[Transmetal]] body. Along with a tougher metal hide and built-in weaponry, his beast mode gained the ability to fly via two powerful thrusters in his torso. Unfortunately, his first attempt at flying led him on a one-way trip into a bulkhead. His new flight mode allowed him to be particularly effective against Waspinator in a subsequent battle, however he was then blasted off a cliff by Megatron, and crashed into Rattrap while trying to fly to safety. Rhinox fortunately interceded before the pair could be slagged. {{storylink|Aftermath}}

[[Image:TM2Cheetorfly.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Ultra gear!]]
While Rhinox set up some equipment to send his core consciousness on a jaunt, Cheetor left the ''Axalon'' to look for Dinobot. Instead he found the Predacons and was attacked by a new addition to their forces, [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]. He radio'd base to warn Rattrap. Rattrap and Dinobot soon joined him and prepared for a showdown with the Predacons. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}} Though outnumbered, the trio persisted in defending the ''Axalon'', eventually capturing Silverbolt and taking him back to the ship for repairs. As the Predacons pressed on with their attack, the Maximals found themselves out of ammo, but were saved at the eleventh hour by the resurrection of Optimus Primal in a new Transmetal body. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

[[Image:OtherVisits2 Cheetor closeup.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Captain Blueface]]
Despite his new form, Cheetor was still assigned to monitor the sensor grid, reporting on strange signals. {{storylink|Tangled Web}} When Rhinox worked out that there was an alien site in [[Grid Zeiram]], the area Tigatron and Airazor were patrolling, Cheetor was sent to warn them. He was moments too late to prevent them from being shot into space by the alien plants there, much to his anguish. Though Cheetor wanted to rescue Tigatron and Airazor, the priority was on stopping Megatron, and the Maximals returned to Grid Zeiram, where a [[Metal Hunter|spaceship]] grew from the plant life and released an energy surge which blasted everyone present. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 1)}} As the Transmetals and [[Fuzor]]s recovered quickly from the blast, Cheetor and Silverbolt took Dinobot and Rhinox back to base for repairs. After Megatron took control of the alien craft, the Maximals launched an attack on it, distracting Megatron long enough for Rattrap to undertake some sabotage. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 2)}}

Out flying on patrol, Cheetor spotted a crashed stasis pod marked with an X, which Optimus explained contained [[Rampage (BW)|Protoform X]], a Maximal experiment. Of course, the Predacons arrived to try to take control of the pod, and weapons fire caused energon beneath the pod to explode. Damaged, Optimus and Cheetor returned to base, but were repaired in time to help Silverbolt and Blackarachnia defeat Protoform X. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} On another patrol, Cheetor encountered the Predacon forces, again, and communicated their position to Dinobot. After Dinobot died defending a valley of [[Protohuman|early humans]] from the Predacons, Cheetor and the others mourned his loss. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

[[Image:Transmutate Cheetor in flight.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Check out my undercarriage!]]
While out hunting for yet another Predacon jamming tower, Rattrap and Cheetor stumbled on a stasis pod containing a strangely mutated [[Transformer]], which became known as [[Transmutate (character)|Transmutate]]. Unfortunately the first thing it did was break up their fight with the Predacons using its sonic attack. As Rattrap later joked about the creature's appearance, Cheetor pointed out Transmutate was standing right behind him. {{storylink|Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate}}

[[Image:Agenda1 Cheetor with tail club.jpg|thumb|left|300px| Kitten with a whip.]]
The Maximals were overjoyed when Rhinox revealed that the transwarp wavefront from the Planet Buster explosion would soon be detected by Cybertron and a rescue mission sent. Cheetor was looking forward to going to [[Six Lasers Over Cybertron]], much to Rattrap's embarrassment. Instead of the expected rescue mission, they got [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], a Predacon operative sent to apprehend Megatron. Joining forces, they mounted an attack on the ''Darksyde''. Cheetor was blasted by the defense systems. Twice. Unsurprisingly he wasn't present when Megatron was finally captured. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} With the Maximals in control, Optimus order Cheetor to go out and look for Blackarachnia, whom Silverbolt had allowed to escape. Cheetor assured Silverbolt, who had developed feelings for the Predacon, that he would bring her in in one piece, only for Silverbolt to punch him out, leaving to find Blackarachnia himself. Cheetor wasn't happy.

[[Image:Agenda3 Cheetor handblasters.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
He and Optimus instead went to fetch some energon crystals stashed by Tarantulas, only to run into [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and were forced to retreat when the crazed Predacon blew up the energon. The pair headed back for the ''Axalon'', only to be informed by Rattrap over the commlink that Ravage had switched sides — a fact made obvious by the [[transwarp cruiser]] bearing down on them with Megatron riding atop. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} Pinned down on the battlefield, Optimus and Cheetor were blasted flat by Megatron, but fortunately survived without too much damage. After Rattrap took out the transwarp cruiser, the Maximals set out in pursuit of the retreating Megatron.

As it turned out, the Predacon leader had found the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] buried in [[Mount St. Hilary]]. The Maximals worked frantically to dig out the cave in he'd created to block their passage, and then to evade the Ark's defenses, but were too late to prevent Megatron from shooting a stasis-locked [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in the head. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

The [[time storm]] abated once the Maximals stabilized Optimus Prime's condition. Cheetor and the newly "optimised" Optimus Primal attempted to stop the Predacons from attacking the ''Axalon'', with Cheetor taking out both Waspinator and Inferno, but the pair were helpless to stop the ship plunging off the cliff and being lost. The Maximals subsequently took up residence in the cavern housing the Ark. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}} Some time later, Cheetor was out on patrol when he saw a [[Starhopper|spaceship]] entering Earth's atmosphere. He was in the middle of a radio report when Rampage shot him down, and he was rescued by new arrival [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]], who left him on a small rock. Without his flight capability, Cheetor had to wait to be rescued by Optimus. The pair picked up Depth Charge, who'd lost his fight with Rampage, and took him back to base for repairs. Cheetor's attempt to thank the new Maximal resulted in Depth Charge insulting him and swatting him aside. {{storylink|Deep Metal}}

[[Image:CuttingEdge Optimus sings to Cheetor.jpg|thumb|left|250px|There he is, my little guyyyyy! There he is; my little guy. Isn’t he cute?]]
When Rattrap was assigned to recover Sentinel from the underwater remains of the ''Axalon'', Cheetor was highly amused at the [[Subaquatic stealth vessel|wee ship]] that would be used, imagine it would make a swell kitty toy. {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}} While looking after [[Chak]] and [[Una]], after the pair had become separated from their tribe, Cheetor displayed the first hints of a crush on Blackarachnia, much to Silverbolt's displeasure. He volunteered to accompany her on a mission to return the children to their people. And gave Chak rides. As soon as they were attacked by a [[Cyber raptor]], he was blasted off a cliff and his jets damaged. Then during another battle with Tarantulas and a pack of Cyber raptors, he was blasted from behind by Waspinator. Primal and Silverbolt soon joined the battle, but Optimus was quickly incapacitated by a new [[cyber venom]]. They were all saved by [[Leader Neanderthal|protohuman leader]], who attacked the raptors with his club. Afterwards, Blackarachnia rebuffed his thanks, walking off with Silverbolt. Cheetor muttered that he was "not a kid... and maybe I'm not so nice either." {{storylink|Cutting Edge}}

[[Image:FeralScream1 Cheetor gets zapped.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
Optimus and Cheetor were unsuccessful in preventing the Predacons stealing another stasis pod — in fact Cheetor's missile accidentally took out Optimus, much to his dismay and embarrassment. After scolding Cheetor, Optimus told him to get some backup and assist Depth Charge, however Cheetor opted to go on alone. As he assisted Depth Charge in battling the Predacons, Cheetor was able to steal the [[Transmetal driver]] which Megatron was using in an experiment to create a [[Transmetal 2]] [[Dinobot II|clone of Dinobot]]. No sooner had he thrown the artifact to Depth Charge, than Cheetor was knocked into the cloning machine's electrical arc and apparently destroyed. Depth Charge returned to Maximal HQ with a piece of Cheetor's exo-shell as proof.

Cheetor, however, was alive, though badly damaged. After Depth Charge was captured by the Predacons, who were after the Transmetal driver, the group was attacked by a strange feline creature. A short time later, Cheetor himself collapsed on the Maximals' doorstep. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 1}} Refusing use of the CR chamber, Cheetor had troubled dreams as he slept in his own quarters. On waking up, he was enveloped by a strange green glow from his spark. Rattrap, investigating the noise, was knocked down by the strange feline creature bursting out of Cheetor's quarters. Cheetor awoke in a cave, back in his Transmetal form and totally repaired, but with confused memories of what had happened. He returned to base, claiming to have taken care of the "cyber creature", but naturally Optimus insisted on seeing the remains in an attempt to get the young bot to tell him the truth.

[[Image:Cheetort2.JPG|left|300px|thumb|Rawr.]]
Finally, during a fight with Dinobot and Waspinator, Cheetor mutated permanently into his new Transmetal 2 form. He made short work of the two Predacons, however as Optimus observed, his beast mode was "still feral", and he had to be coaxed into returning to robot mode. As Optimus picked him up joyfully, Cheetor asked to be put down, as Optimus was embarrassing him. "Oh, joy," Rattrap remarked on this. "Cyber-puberty." He did seem happier when Blackarachnia admired his new form. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}}

Cheetor returned the favor by drooling over scans of Blackarachnia's internal structure. She later pulled her gun on him and told him to back off, being sick of his stupid crush. Optimus broke up the conflict, sending Cheetor out on patrol. {{storylink|Proving Grounds}} He spent some time with Chak and Una, attempting to teach the pair about defending themselves against Predacons and basic engineering principles, such as levers. The class was interrupted when the Predacons abducted Una, however the girl was able to put Cheetor's teachings to the test, with favorable results. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}}

[[Image:CrossingtheRubicon Cheetor beast mode.jpg|right|200px|thumb]]
After Blackarachnia made an aborted attempt to upgrade herself with the Transmetal driver, Cheetor was concerned for her safety. He assisted in defending the base against a Predacon attack while Rhinox worked on removing the Predcaon shell program from Blackarachnia. As the Predacons retreated, their jubilation was cut short by the news that Blackarachnia didn't make it. As the Maximals eulogized her, Cheetor said she was "something special". Fortunately, she wasn't that dead. {{storylink|Crossing the Rubicon}} Megatron's new plan saw [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] taking control of Optimus Primal. The first thing he did was punch out Cheetor and lock the young Maximal in a cage. All of the Maximals were released in time to fight off a newly-upgraded Megatron. {{storylink|Master Blaster}}

Cheetor was sent to stop [[Tigerhawk]] from destroying Megatron, an act which would also destroy the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s spark, but he was quickly incapacitated by Tarantulas, who had plans of his own. Cheetor dreamed of Tigatron, Airazor and the [[Vok]], before waking and breaking free of his bonds. The fused spark from his dream guided him to [[Tarantulas's lair]], where he was able to pull Tigerhawk clear before the lair exploded. {{storylink|Other Victories}} Depth Charge soon spotted the fugitive Predacons, and Cheetor was part of the group that went after them, though he just ended up escorting Blackarachnia and a badly-damaged Silverbolt back to base. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

With Megatron on the way in the [[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]], the Maximals hurried to try to get the Ark ready to be moved, but were unable to get the ship moving. Fortunately a last minute schematic download pointed them to a shuttle stored in the Ark, and, after Rhinox used it to assault the Nemesis, the Maximals watched the warship crash in the distance. The Beast Wars over, the Maximals headed back for Cybertron in the shuttle. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
{{--}}

====3H ''Tales from the Beast Wars'' comics====
[[Image:CheetorBW-GroundZero.jpg|left|thumb|200px|In which Cheetor has a rugged, dimpled chin.]]
On a particularly beautiful day, Airazor and Rhinox were basking in the glow of a quiet Predacon-less day. In contrast, Cheetor was bored. Fortunately for Cheetor, he got his wish, and the sound of explosions alerted the three to a battle over the horizon. Unfortunately for Cheetor, he was quickly blasted into inaction by [[Packrat]], who had become unstable after an encounter with [[Furmanite]]. Later, he was okay, and he accompanied his fellow Maximals home. {{storylink|Ground Zero}}

Much later, after having acquired his [[Transmetal 2]] form, Cheetor and the other Maximals faced the time-traveling warlord, [[Shokaract]]. Unfortunately, they were no match for the [[Unicron]]-powered juggernaut and Cheetor was crushed in Shokaract's claws. This battle, as well as Shokaract's existence itself, would soon be retroactively erased from Cheetor's timeline with the efforts of the legendary [[Covenant]]. {{storylink|Terminus}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game====
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the first season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
[[Image:Cheetor-beastmodescan.jpg‎|right|thumb|200px|My eyes are up here!]]
Upon arriving on prehistoric Earth, the dangers of Energon radiation forced the Maximals and Predacons to take on beast alternate forms. "Cheetor" promptly grabbed a cheetah by its underbelly, hoisted it up to his optics, and scanned the creature's molecular structure. The indignant cheetah could do nothing but silently ask the robot "Do you mind?" {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers video game advertising comic}}

[[Image:Beastwarspsx-Cheetorstats.jpg|left|thumb|200px|I lost weight! Can you tell?]]

All of the Beast Wars combatants had managed to construct personal bases, customized to their personal tastes, due the the extended duration of the war. Cheetor's own base featured sphinx-like statues bearing his likeness and colour scheme.

Cheetor warred against both the Predacons and the evil extra-dimensional aliens dubbed the [[Skriix]].
{{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)}}
{{-}}

====''Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals'' video game====
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the second season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
[[Image:Beastwarstransmetalsgame-cheetorstats.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Hey ladies, check out my stats!]]
''Voice Actor:'' [[Ian James Corlett]] (English), ??? (Japanese)

During a decisive battle, Cheetor witnessed Optimus being badly injured. Cheetor’s reaction was to charge into battle with unmatched fury, turning the tide of the war in favor of the Maximals. Thanks to this victory, the Maximals eventually overpowered the Predacons, and established peace on the planet. Following the battle, Optimus and Cheetor had this heartwarming exchange;

[[Image:N64Cheetors.jpg|thumb|200px|SECRET COLORS CHEETOR and also Cheetor's Tigatron cosplay.]]

Optimus: "You showed a lot of potential out there. Someday you might make one prime leader."
Cheetor replied: "Sorry Bigbot, but that's your department... But who knows? Maybe in another universe!"
{{storylink|Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals}}

He liked to pelvic thrust, arms around the back of his neck, after each victory. ''Hello,'' pussycat.

{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the N64 version of the game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Cheetor's fate in those outcomes.}}

{{note|A series of unusual decisions was made regarding Cheetor and Tigatron in the Nintendo 64 game's localization. In the Japanese version of the game, Cheetor had a red-tinged set of "Player 2" colors and an unlockable "Player 3" color scheme obviously based on Tigatron. The North American version of the game added Tigatron as a playable character... but instead of reassigning the pre-existing "Player 3" colors to him, a new color scheme that ''[[:Image:N64Tigatron.jpg|looked less like Tigatron]]'' was created for him. Furthermore, Cheetor's Japanese "Player 2" colors were eliminated entirely and his original Tigatron-themed colors were '''kept'''... resulting not only in two primarily white Transmetal Cheetor models in one game, but a Tigatron who looked less like himself than Cheetor did.}}

{{-}}

====IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics====
Cheetor appeared outside the ''Ark'' alongside Optimus Primal and Rhinox. Showing concern for Optimus, as the big monkey seemed to sense a presence that Cheetor pointed out to be seemingly non-existent. Somewhat freaked-out by Optimus's odd behavior, both Cheetor and Rhinox convinced Optimus that he was simply "chasing ghosts." {{storylink|The Gathering issue 3|The Gathering #3}}
{{-}}
====''Transformers Legends'' anthology====
Near the end of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]], shortly after Megatron [[Master Blaster|combined his spark with that of the original Megatron's]], the newly-reconfigured Predacon leader hatched a new plan. Quickstrike was ordered to sneak into the Maximal base and place a transmitter which would increase the aggression of Cheetor and the other Maximals. Quickstrike was successful, and soon Cheetor was fighting that annoying little jerk, Rattrap. Fortunately, Optimus Primal was able to detect something was wrong, despite the transmitter's effects on himself, and the Maximals deactivated the transmitter and defeated Quickstrike. Cheetor and the others raced into the Ark, where they found Megatron, confused after a mental battle with his namesake, attempting to control the lifeless body of Starscream. Megatron fled. {{storylink|A Meeting of Minds}}

Later on Cybertron, just before the [[Battle for the Spark]] was over, [[Spark of Darkness|Megatron's spark polarity had been inverted, and his tortured life force traveled all over Cybertropolis]]. As Megatron's spark approached Cheetor and Nightscream, he was consumed with hatred for the both of them: for Nightscream because his actions recently had put him in this very predicament, and for Cheetor "because... well, because he's Cheetor." {{storylink|Singularity Ablyss}}

{{-}}

====''Beast Machines'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor'': [[Ian James Corlett|Ian Corlett]] (English), [[Wataru Takagi]] (Japanese), [[Hercules Fernando]] (Portuguese)
[[Image:Reformatting Cheetor beast mode.jpg|thumb|left|250px]]
During the journey back to Cybertron, Megatron broke free from the Autobot shuttle and somehow reached the planet before the Maximals. By the time the Maximals got there, Megatron had taken control of the planet with an army of [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] drones. They were hit with a [[transformation virus]] which reverted them to their original beast forms. {{storylink|Revelations Part II: Descent}} Unable to transform, Cheetor search for a CR chamber with which to repair himself, and ended up saving Primal and Rattrap from a [[Tank Drone]]. The trio were unable to remember what had happened to them since arriving on Cybertron. They located Blackarachnia and descended into the planet to find the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]]. Primal communed with the Oracle, which reformatted the four Maximals into new [[Technorganic]] bodies. Faced with more Vehicons in the form of [[Motorcycle Drone]]s, the Maximals found themselves unable to transform out of beast mode, and were forced to deal with the drones as is. When Optimus finally worked out how to transform, Cheetor admired his new robot mode. {{storylink|The Reformatting}}

[[Image:MasteroftheHouse Cheetor deflects shots.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
With Optimus's guidance, Cheetor and Blackarachnia were able to remaster the art of transformation, regaining their robot modes. However on the first attack by a [[Vehicon Mole|Mole Drone]], they spontaneously reverted back to beast modes through lack of focus. Despite the pair believing that they should find more survivors, Primal insisted that they concentrate on their training, and the group split up to find a new base. Blackarachnia persuaded Cheetor to accompany her to the surface to find more information, only to find the city deserted and the [[Cybertron InfoCore]] erased. Attacked by [[Sonic Attack Jet|Aero Drone]]s, the pair were helped by Primal, and the Maximals proceeded to the [[Council Citadel]], where Optimus went in and encountered Megatron. As the Maximals battled against the Vehicon drones, Cheetor discovered that, though he no longer possessed a flight mode, he could glide by holding his swords together. {{storylink|Master of the House}}

[[Image:MercenaryPursuits Cheetor poses with swords.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
An attempt to access the [[Cybertron Archives]] didn't go much better, ending with Cheetor carrying Blackarachnia on his shoulders. Later on, he and Optimus had to save Rattrap and Blackarachnia ''again'' after the pair accessed the computer on the Autobot shuttle and alerted the Vehicons to their position. {{storylink|Fires of the Past}} After being captured by Megatron, the Maximals were able to turn [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]], one of the [[Vehicon general]]s to their side for a brief period. {{storylink|Mercenary Pursuits}}

Cheetor and Blackarachnia sparred with encouragement from Optimus, though Cheetor he preferred to rely on instinct not "blind faith". Realizing they were being watched, the Maximals chased down the spy with Cheetor finally catching [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]], a young Maximal who survived Megatron's planetwide purging. Though Nightscream led the Maximals to a fruit tree which he had been living off, Cheetor refused Optimus's suggestion that the other Maximals do the same, stating bluntly that they processed energon, not fruit. As it turned out, the fruit caused the Maximals' beast sides to take over, endangering their lives when [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] attacked with a squad of Aero drones, until Cheetor felled the tree. Optimus was left weakened after reformatting Nightscream, and put Cheetor in command. {{storylink|Forbidden Fruit}}

[[Image:WeakComponent Cheetor yells at Rattrap.jpg|thumb|right|200px|And now you know what it looks like if you're having sex with Cheetor.]]
On a recon mission in a tank drone factory, Cheetor's orders went unheeded by Rattrap, who ended up wrecking the whole plan. Understandably angry at his comrade, Cheetor would subsequently brush off Rattrap's suggestions that they should attack Megatron while the Vehicon leader was weak. He did stick up for Rattrap when Blackarachnia and Nightscream suggested getting rid of the rat, however his suggestion that they cover for Rattrap until Optimus recovered did not go down well when it was overheard by Rattrap himself. In fact, it drove Rattrap to Megatron's side. After the situation was resolved, Optimus reminded the others not to underestimate their fellow Maximal. {{storylink|The Weak Component}}

Cheetor was glad for Optimus to be back in command, bluntly rebuking Nightscreams suggestion that Primal was still too weak to lead. Nonetheless, when Cheetor had to save Optimus's life during a battle in a factory, and Optimus became lost in his own regrets what what Megatron had done, Cheetor was forced to take command to force a Maximal withdrawal. {{storylink|Revelations Part I: Discovery}} With the revelation that the Vehicon generals housed the sparks of their friends, Cheetor's plan was for Nightscream and Blackarachnia to distract [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] and Jetstorm while he and Rattrap attempted to convert Tankor back into a Maximal. Cheetor was able to distract the Tank Drones while Rattrap hacked into Tankor, discovering that the Vehicon was their old friend Rhinox. {{storylink|Revelations Part II: Descent}}

[[Image:Revelations2 Cheetor looks wary.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]
Though Cheetor primarily disbelieved Rattrap, the pair decided to try to reawaken their friend, but ended up fleeing from the enraged Vehicon. Optimus, via directly contacting Rhinox's spark, was able to restore his personality, but Rhinox announced he was siding with Megatron's plan for a technological Cybertron. Optimus confided to the other Maximals that he believed the Oracle's plan was to restore the organic element to Cybertron, something that Cheetor wasn't convinced the planet ever had. {{storylink|Revelations Part III: Apocalypse}} While trying to find Nightscream's tree again, the Maximals were ambushed by Vehicons, who abducted Nightscream. The Maximals were able to rescue him, leading them to discover a cavern full of the remains of organic life. {{storylink|Survivor}}

The Maximals set about trying to find water, though Cheetor thought they should instead be attacking Megatron. They soon struck gold, or at least an [[organic goo]] which sprouted plants. Their victory was interrupted by an attack by Tankor, who used the [[Key to Vector Sigma]] to turn Nightscream into [[technomatter]]. Despite Cheetor's attempts to save it, the drill was damaged by the drones extracting Tankor. Cheetor and Optimus disagreed over their next course of action, but Cheetor finally came up with a plan to use a Mole Drone to drill to the organic core, to get more goo to cure Nightscream. During the battle to get control of a factory, Rattrap again found himself in the middle of a leadership tug-of-war between Optimus and Cheetor. The Maximals succeeded in getting control of a Mole Drone, only for Megatron to take control of it back as soon as they reached the orchid, and Cheetor reluctantly followed Optimus's lead and fortunately the plan succeeded. Cheetor, however, told Optimus he demanded more respect, and wasn't a kid any more. {{storylink|The Key}}

[[Image:TheCatalyst irritated Cheetor.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
The Maximals held a memorial service for Rhinox, before concentrating on trying to make their orchid succeed. A catalyst Rattrap found caused the plants to grow ''too'' well, forcing the other Maximals to rescue him from the rapidly growing vines. Cheetor was keep to use the fast-growing vines as a weapon against Megatron, but Optimus claimed the Oracle had other plans. When it turned out that Blackarachnia had gone trying to turn Thrust back into Silverbolt, Cheetor took the opportunity to prove that his plan would work, by rescuing her with a giant vine. Unfortunately it backfired, as the Vehicons zapped it into technomatter, and only swift work by Optimus saved the rest of the orchid. Optimus was not pleased. {{storylink|The Catalyst}}

In search of information on who had tampered with the Oracle, Cheetor and Rattrap hacked into the central computer, but were forced to retreat before learning anything. They returned to the other Maximals, and Optimus led them to the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]] which, if opened, would destroy technological life on the planet, leaving only the organic. Shocked, Cheetor talked him out of opening the chamber and came up with an alternate plan to get Rattrap to find a way to disable the duplicate Keys. The operation was curtailed when Rattrap was zapped into technomatter by Tankor, leading Optimus to confront Megatron in person. Cheetor and the other Maximals continued fighting, but were overcome by Vehicons and turned into technomatter. {{storylink|End of the Line}}

[[Image:Fallout Cheetor's hopeful face.jpg|thumb|left|250px]]
Restored to health by Optimus Primal's sacrifice, the Maximals were shocked to find their leader dead. Cheetor reacted violently to Nightscream's assertion that Cheetor wanted Optimus gone, but took a leadership position anyway. When the surviving Vehicon generals attacked, Cheetor called timeout, and unsuccessfully attempted to get them to join the Maximals. He believed they should continue with Optimus's mission, and led the other Maximals down to the Oracle chamber, where they discovered Primal was floating within the Oracle. Cheetor gave an impassioned speech to Big Bot, which helped him realise what his real mission for Cybertron was, and to choose life over joining the Matrix.

Together again, Cheetor suggested the next step should be to find the missing sparks, but when they approached the Council Citadel, a [[Grand Mal|giant floating head]] hoved into view. {{storylink|Fallout}} While Optimus tried to contact Megatron's spark, Cheetor led the other Maximals in attempting to find Jetstorm and Thrust, and they encountered [[Noble]], a completely organic [[Transformer]], whose transformation into Savage was uncontrollable. {{storylink|Savage Noble}} Cheetor favored leniency in dealing with Noble, but the creature was soon revealed to be Megatron, who transferred himself into the Grand Mal and reactivated the Vehicon drones, forcing the Maximals to flee underground once again. {{storylink|Prometheus Unbound}}

[[Image:WolfintheFold raging Cheetor.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
While trying to save Nightscream from a pack of drones, Optimus and Cheetor were drawn aboard the Grand Mal via a tractor beam and interrogated for information. They were soon rescued by Silverbolt, who Blackarachnia had resurrected from Jetstorm. {{storylink|In Darkest Knight}} A [[Hate Plague]] virus created by Megatron infected the Maximal ranks, giving Cheetor a rather more forceful leadership style and causing the Maximals to fight among themselves. Though Cheetor seemed to fight it for a short period, he soon succumbed again, even taking his frustrations out on Optimus physically. Finally they realised what was happening and managed to work together. {{storylink|A Wolf in the Fold}}

With the technorganic crops failing, Cheetor tried to console Optimus. The news of a crashing ship led the Maximals to encounter [[Botanica]], a Maximal formatted as a plant-based life form, who was able to lend a hand with the crops. {{storylink|Home Soil}} They would later encounter two new Vehicon generals created by Megatron — [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] and [[Strika (BM)|Strika]]. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. I: The Strike}} The Maximals split up in their search for the missing sparks. Silverbolt revealed he still regarded Cheetor as a child, calling him "kid", much to Cheetor's annoyance, though Cheetor's inability to come up with a plan to shake the drones pursuing them doubtless didn't help. Once Cheetor saved their lives by getting rid of the drones, Silverbolt developed a smidgen more respect for him. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search}}

[[Image:Sparkwar3 Cheetor actionlines.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
The reappearance of Noble caused problems for the Maximals, leading Cheetor to suggest that Nightscream get rid of the creature before it got them all killed. Noble, however, did help them as Cheetor, Silverbolt and Nightscream distracted the drones so that Optimus could sneak into the Grand Mal. The action cost Noble his life, and all of the Maximals mourned him. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege}} With the Grand Mal down, the Maximals celebrated. However Megatron's spark lived on, albeit in a disembodied state, and Cheetor tangled with it when it possessed the corpse of an Aero drone. Eventually Rattrap trapped it in a [[Diagnostic Drone]]. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}

[[Image:Endgame2 sparkpower Cheetor.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Vegeta! What does the scouter say about his power level?]]
The Maximals became sieged within the Grand Mal, trapped with the sparks they had searched for. Cheetor worked unsuccessfully to bring the weapons systems online. Rattrap's act of saving Botanica accidentally left them wdie open to attack, and Optimus had to stop Cheetor telling off the rodent. Fortunately the three of them survived the Grand Mal crashing. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. I: The Downward Spiral}} Down, but not out, the Maximals began preparing their defenses for the impending Vehicon assault. The shields did not hold long, and the Maximals found themselves fighting against hordes of drones. Outnumbered, the Maximals used spark power bestowed on them by the Oracle to decimate the drones, until Megatron took the Oracle from them. [[Image:Maximals endofBMac.JPG|left|thumb|250px|]] Cheetor found himself facing the three Vehicon Generals on his own, but was able to use the anti-gravity generators to fire Obsidian and Strika into orbit. Cheetor struggled with Thrust, finally using a [[spark extractor]] to rip out the Vehicon's spark. He was unprepared to face his next foe — Megatron, newly-installed into a duplicate of Primal's old "optimal" body — and had his own spark torn out by a cycle drone. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. II: When Legends Fall}}

After a city-spanning battle, Optimus sacrificed himself to destroy Megatron and reformat Cybertron into a technorganic paradise. Cheetor and the other Maximals were restored to their bodies and, as the sparks were reborn into new bodies, Cheetor had a final vision from the Oracle and told the other Maximals that Optimus would always be with them. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Machines'' toy bio====
At some point, Cheetor acquired a highly advanced stealth armor and dubbed himself Night Slash Cheetor. This new armor granted Cheetor all sort of new abilities, including being undetectable to every known Vehicon radar and tracking systems and creating a negative psychological effects on Vehicon generals, rendering their drones useless in combat. Considering the armor was never mentioned elsewhere, it would seem to have been a short-lived upgrade. {{storylink|Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast Machines|Night Slash Cheetor bio}}
{{-}}
====''Universe''====
[[Image:Sentinelcryotekwreckersfinale.jpg|right|thumb|250px|So they ''have'' been seen in the same room together!]]
Shortly after the planet underwent the [[Great Reformatting]], the [[Quintesson|Quintessons]] seized the opportunity to attack, believing that the revolutionary change would have rendered the planets' inhabitants confused and docile. Suffice to say, the Transformers were greatly underestimated. Cheetor was revealed as a [[Matrix Templar]], as he and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] (another templar) battled [[Cryotek (RID)|Cryotek]] deep underground. It also seemed that Cheetor was one of Rodimus's biggest fans, so much so that Cheetor based his first changeform on Rodimus's design.

Unfortunately, though Cheetor and Rodimus were able to use their powers to help defeat Cryotek, Rodimus perished in the incident. {{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}

A year later, Cheetor and the rest of Cybertron eagerly awaited at [[Memorial Spaceport]] for the return of five Autobots from the great war: [[Trailbreaker]], [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], [[Roulette]], and [[Shadow Striker (Universe)|Shadow Striker]]. The event was covered by the famous journalist [[Rook (Universe)|Rook]], and when Cheetor had trouble communicating in front of a camera, Rattrap happily took over for him. Quickly thereafter, the five Autobots' ship arrived, and its occupants were shocked at the changes Cybertron had gone through. Cheetor demonstrated to the older warriors that the planet's inhabitants had also gone through a metamorphosis by transforming into his technorganic cheetah mode.

Unfortunately, the events pleasantries were interrupted when the five Autobots and Blackarachnia and Silverbolt were abducted by [[Unicron]].{{storylink|Abduction}} So began the [[Universe (2003)|Universe conflict]], in which the [[Minions of Unicron]] battled the [[Children of Primus]], the latter led by a rejuvenated Optimus Primal. After Optimus Primal brought back the seven abducted Autobots and Maximals, plus a handful of other Transformers stranded in their universe, Cheetor accompanied them to the [[Oasis Research and Development Facility]]. As [[Ratchet (Universe)|Ratchet]] and [[Striker]] began research on Sideswipe to see if they could cure the [[Unicron virus|Unicron contamination]] they'd all suffered while in the [[Pit]], Cheetor expressed his doubts about Optimus Primal's return. Cheetor reasoned that being dead may have changed Primal, and Silverbolt added that it could all be a Unicron trick. Rattrap, surprisingly, was the one who reminded the two that this was Optimus-friggin'-Primal they were talking about. {{storylink|Homecoming (issue)|Homecoming}}

[[Image:Optimusprimaluniverseend.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Had to get a new body without the flying ability, huh?]]

The war continued, and Optimus Primal led Cheetor and several other Children of Primus against the forces of Unicron on countless occasions across several universes, but eventually, these interactions took a toll on Cheetor and the others. Contaminated by constant exposure to Unicron, Cheetor was afflicted with a nanotech "[[Unicron virus]]," which worsened with time. To keep from descending into madness or deactivation, Cheetor was rebuilt and repurified by Primal's [[Matrix of Purification]]. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 9|''Beast Wars 10th Anniversary'' Optimus Primal profile}}

This conflict with Unicron went one for an unspecified amount of time, until one raiding party on the Chaos Bringer, which included Primal, Cheetor, and several others, when Unicron suddenly began to [[Unicron Singularity|dissolve]] beneath them. The Universe conflict finally resolved, Cheetor, [[Longhorn (Universe)|Longhorn]], and [[Rhinox]] were carried away by Optimus Primal through a portal to (presumably) their home. {{storylink|Revelations Part 2}}
{{-}}

===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle'' video game===
[[Image:DuelFight-Cheetor.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Adolescence is so unstable.]]
Cheetor became involved in a series of one-on-one battles when the discovery of a super-powerful [[Energon crystal]] on [[Earth]] leads several Maximals and Predacons to attempt obtaining the crystal's powers for their own gain.

Cheetor could also partake in various other tasks, such as a mission to break a boulder to reveal an energon crystal hidden within before sundown, using a block in a mission to defend himself against various incoming projectiles, and missions to run across a pit-riddled field, sometimes involving hideously large bacteria he had to fend off.

Cheetor eventually defeated [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], the last bot standing between the crystal and himself. Once the crystal was in his possession, Cheetor absorbed its power, becoming the most powerful of the Maximal. This allowed him to soar through the ranks and become [[Supreme Commander]]. This position was more then he could handle, however, and he abandoned his post after only three days. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle}}
{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Cheetor's fate in those outcomes.}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars Metals'' comic===
[[Image:CheetasManga1.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Off to go train with Piccolo or something, I'm sure.]]
Following the [[Quantum surge]], Cheetor was upgraded into a [[Transmetal]] but left stranded on [[Earth|Energoa]] far, far away from the other [[Maximal|Maximals]] and believed dead by [[Rattrap]]. Following [[Optimus Primal]]'s return to life, Cheetor could be seen staring poetically at the [[Moon (moon)|moon]] from his distant location. {{storylink|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!}}

{{-}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' pack-in comic===
[[Image:HenkeiCheetorLionKing.jpg|right|180px|thumb|The Cirrrcle of Liiiife...]]
After [[Starscream (G1)|Screamscream]] and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] stole [[Energon cube|energon cubes]] from [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], Cheetor appeared on the scene, defeated both of them and got the cubes back, getting the adoration of Hound and random fauna. Cheetor then went to live in a safari park. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 8}}
{{-}}
===3D Battle-Card Game===
Cheetor, in his Transmetal 2 body, was one of Optimus's many allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s own army, in what might possibly have been an inter-universe battle. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
{{main|Cheetor (BW)/toys}}

==Trivia==
* Cheetor fired the first shots of the Beast Wars. First he shot at [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], unprovoked, and again at [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] while [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] was attempting to negotiate. What a little rascal.

* Cheetor has the first line in the show Beast Wars; he also has the last line in the show Beast Machines, closing the arc of the two shows in a coherent development of Cheetor as a young rookie to Cheetor as commander.

* Cheetor and [[Tigatron]] are the only characters in ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' who are definitely [[Scale|in the correct scale]] to the life form they have adopted as a beast mode, since Cheetor in specific was seen near a real cheetah in the pilot episode. As a result, Cheetor and Tigatron have the odd distinction of being the yardstick by which other ''Beast Wars'' characters' scale inconsistencies can be measured.

* [[Mainframe Entertainment]]'s original plan for [[Transmetal]] Cheetor was to have his face mature over the course of the season, from a big-eared, wide-eyed, rounded face into one close to the toy. Also, he would have had a "Hero's Heart" which glowed after completing brave or heroic feats, somewhat akin to the classic anime character Astro Boy. Due to time and financial restrictions, none of these concepts panned out. Thankfully. His toy, however, DOES have a molded heart on the abdomen.

[[Image:CheetorGameBoyColor1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|I wonder what Beast Machines Cheetor thinks of this artwork?]]
* ''[[Comic Bom Bom]]'' advertisements for the Game Boy Color's ''[[Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle]]'' feature Cheetor with a slightly different (and much happier) head than the version which appeared in the game's instruction manual. Both are sickeningly cute, though.

* Cheetor has the somewhat dubious honour of being the only Maximal [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] ''never'' refers to by name on the show.

* In "[[Bee in the City]]", ''Beast Wars'' Megatron accidentally calls [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] "Cheetor", the first instance of a running gag where the plucky young yellow kid-appeal bot is called by another kid-appeal bot's name.
** This is also ironic in being the first and only time his name is spoken by Megatron.

*In the Japanese dub of the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon and in the ''[[Beast Wars Metals (manga)|Beast Wars Metals]]'' manga, Cheetor had the quirk of ending nearly every sentence in a long, stressed "Jā-n", which is supposed to sound like a cute kitty growl.

{{-}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Maximal/Cheetor/cheetor.htm Cheetor at TFU.info]

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Beast Machines characters]]
[[Category:Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category:Contest prizes]]
[[Category:Convention exclusives]]
[[Category:Fast food exclusives]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! characters]]
[[Category:Maximal leaders]]
[[Category:Maximals]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Titanium Series]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Toys with sound]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Transmetals 2]]
[[Category:Universe characters]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]