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Alpha Quintesson

2009-10-15T14:11:35Z

173.80.151.110: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon|unicron}}
: ''Alpha Quintesson is an alien from the [[Energon (franchise)|Energon]] portion of the [[Unicron Trilogy]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Alphaquintesson.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Alpha Q so hard you won't be able to walk for a week.]]
A mysterious manipulator, '''Alpha Quintesson''', also known simply as '''Alpha Q''' (tee-hee-hee!) has his tentacles spread wide, influencing the actions of both [[Autobot]] and [[Decepticon]] alike. He also has the command of armies of [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]] drones! His actual motives are unclear, but his goal is obvious; he plans to gather enough [[Energon (Energon)|energon]] to restore the shattered remains of the planet-devouring [[Unicron]]!

:''Hungarian name'': '''Alfa Q'''

==Fiction==
{{cleanup|January 2009|Needs Storylinks!}}

===''Energon'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Trevor Devall]] (English); [[Yūichi Nagashima]], [[Yukie Maeda]] (Japanese), [[Johan Hedenberg]]/[[Anders Öjebo]]/[[Niclas Fransson]] (Swedish)

[[Image:AlphaQ1.jpg|left|250px|thumb|You hit me! Picard never hit me.]]
Among the many worlds that fell to the unending hunger of the world-eater, [[Unicron]], was one little sphere known as [[Planet Q]]. This world would not go quietly, however, as its armies fought back valiantly, but it soon it became apparent that they would not be able to stop Unicron. The planet's grand chamberlain resigned himself to his world's fate, choosing a suicide ploy. The chamberlain instructed the planet's ruler to detonate Planet Q's core, but when the ruler could not, the chamberlain committed the act himself, destroying the planet as Unicron consumed it. The explosion failed to destroy Unicron, but it did heavily damage him, forcing him into a state of dormancy. And within Unicron's slumbering husk, the [[spark]] of Planet Q's ruler continued to exist.

Driven mad by the solitary existence over the ensuing years, the mind of Planet Q's ruler fractured, splintering into five separate personalities. From Unicron's body, it sculpted for itself a new, armored form out of the "bones" of his devoured subjects, with four rotating face masks, through which each one of his personalities found voice, with his fifth personality—his original, true face—hidden away inside him, speaking only when the armour was closed, concealing his face from view. But within the shattered mind of the insane being that now called itself "Alpha Q," a kernel of genius existed—Alpha Q had discovered that, through the power of [[Energon (Energon)|energon]], all that Unicron had consumed could be reconstituted. And so, using what little energon he had, he recreated the armies of Planet Q as the [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcons]], and sent them to Earth to gather energon for his plan.

After the first few strikes by the Terrorcons, Alpha Q recreated the grand chamberlain in the form of [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]], in order to turn the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] working with the [[Autobot|Autobots]] to his side. However, when [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] engineered his own resurrection, Alpha Q was forced to flee Unicron's body in his head, and subsequently made a failed attempt to destroy Megatron by using the last of his Energon to recreate [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]]. When Megatron flushed Scorponok out as Alpha Q's mole, [[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]] and his crew—whom Alpha Q had previously encountered and convinced of his plan—rescued him, leading to an alliance between Alpha Q and the Autobots, brokered by the human boy, [[Kicker Jones]]. Alpha Q initially refused to work with Kicker, but [[Misha]], through slightly kinder and more diplomatic words, was able to sway him. During Megatron's attack on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] with Unicron's body, Alpha Q drove Unicron's head—now charged with the positive Energon of Earth—into the body, where it reacted with the negative Energon contained within, tearing open a fissure in space. In the new region of space that the fissure led to, Alpha Q was able to recreate all the worlds, as he had set out to do, cultivating and sustaining them from his place within Unicron's head, which had now become a glowing energon sun. However, when Megatron succeeded in reactivating Unicron's body, he had it reclaim the chaos-bringer's head, extinguishing the sun and killing Alpha Q in the process.

Kicker recovered Alpha Q's body from within Unicron, and laid it to rest on [[Grass Planet]]. However, Alpha Q's spirit continued to observe and comment on events until the end of the conflict.

====Lost in translation====
A point worth noting is that the strong affection Alpha Q feels for Scorponok is not displayed as clearly in ''Energon'' as it is in ''Super Link''. During the episode "[[Return! Our Scorponok|Scorponok's Scars]]" (which was never translated or shown in America), he repeatedly referred to Scorponok as "my Scorponok" and showed him images of their home planet in an effort to reverse Megatron's brainwashing. As well, during the [[Distribution|Special Dream Match]], Alpha Q responded to Scorponok's statement of "I don't know you" with "say I love you", showing what seems to be some sort of surrogate parent/child emotional connection.

Pre-production materials<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20041207164548/www.tfpulp.com/archive/energonprod/energonprod.html TFPulp's translation of Super-Link production notes, courtesy of the Wayback Machine.]</ref> for ''Super Link'' offer further details on Alpha Q's history that did not make it into the final version of the series. His original, true form was originally conceived as being the human-form princess of Planet Q, a young girl whose face would be the fifth and final face of Alpha Q, that would eventually be revealed when Kicker would "shatter her shell." The materials note, however, that if Hasbro vetoed the idea, the princess would be replaced with either a young prince, or simply a ball of light. Whether this veto occurred is unknown, but what is certain is that none of this was officially established in the finished show, and Alpha Q's fifth face remains hidden inside his closed armor (assuming it exists at all).

There are, however, some vague reference to this material in the series. In ''Super Link'', when Alpha Q speaks with his true voice, it is the voice of a young child. In contrast, in these scenes in ''Energon'', a multi-layered voice is used, professing to be the voice of all lives lost in Planet Q's destruction. The vision of Planet Q's destruction viewed by Kicker, which shows Alpha Q and Scorponok existing as the same robotic entities they are in the present day, would appear to contradict this notion, but the scene is specifically described with a modifier by Kicker as being how "Alpha Q remembers that day," leaving wiggle-room, since Alpha Q is absolutely out of his tree.

===''Energon'' comic===
[[Image:AlphaQ-EnComic.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Giger? I hardly know 'er!]]
Alpha Quintesson began the war over Energon by providing the Terrorcon group—led by Scorponok—with enhanced powers and "Hyper Modes", sending them to the undefended Earth to drain it of the newly-discovered pure Energon ore. At the same time, he sent his four Horsemen (three Autobots and a Decepticon that had been captured and brainwashed before Unicron was defeated ten years previous) to Cybertron to wreak havoc, preventing the Autobots from getting to Earth.

Unfortunately for Alpha, the Horsemen were repelled by the [[Omnicon|Omnicons]] and the newly-enhanced Autobots, which gave them the time needed to reach Earth and sink the Terrorcons' plans. For a time, Alpha Quintesson's involvement in the war was minimal, but when he returned, it was in a big way; unleashing thousands of Terrorcon drones to decimate [[Los Angeles]], [[Tokyo]], [[Toronto]] and [[Moscow]].

But the Decepticons weren't the only ones Alpha Quintesson was working with toward his goal of restoring the shell of Unicron. Perhaps more dangerous than the Terrorcons was Alpha Quintesson's hidden ally, [[Avalon]], a member of the High Council, Cybertron's ruling body!

{{note|The ''Energon'' comic ended before its storyline was completed due to the bankruptcy of [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]], and as such, the extent of Alpha Quintesson and Avalon's planning is, and may likely remain, unknown. What little we know hinted that perhaps Alpha Quintesson was not entirely happy in his forced servitude to Unicron. Solicitations for unreleased issues reveal he had his own plan separate from Unicron's, "a world-shattering agenda...that bridges worlds and dimensions,<ref>[http://seibertron.com/comics/view.php?comic_id=751 Solicitation content at seibertron.com]</ref> and his goals required capturing Kicker.}}
{{-}}
==Toys==
===Energon===
*'''Alpha Quintesson''' (Mega, 2005)
**''Accessories:'' Missile launcher, missile, base, three tentacles
[[Image:Alpha Quintesson toy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|I do hope you'll bring these gadgets back in one piece, 007.]]

:One of the last toys in the ''Energon'' line, Alpha Quintesson is fairly unique in that he is one of the only toys in the history of the main ''Transformers'' line that does not transform in any manner or even come with any kind of transforming accessory (like the [[Action Master|Action Masters]]).

:Alpha Quintesson requires quite a bit of assembly out of the box, coming in six separate pieces: his main body, a solid "bed of tentacles" that serves as a wheeled base that the body plugs into, a firing missile launcher which plugs into his back (via a standard 5mm peg that alos allows other characters to wield it) and points up over his head, and three rubber, wire-poseable tentacles which attach to the base. The tentacles end in a large yellow clamp, a red chainsaw, and a purple energy arc, and spin around via a gear-wheel system when the base is rolled back and forth. The figure features nine circular ports (three on each arm and three on the base), to which either [[Energon chip|energon chips]] or any weapons featuring 5mm pegs can be attached.

:The main body is notably very [[Show-accuracy|accurate]] to the CGI model from the animated series, save for its coloration and the addition of the missile launcher. As a toy that was entirely dull green from top to bottom would not have been a very interesting sight, the figure features several shades of green with yellow highlights, plus a red paint wash on its "underbelly" and arms. The main body contains its own gimmick, involving Alpha Q's spinning faces as seen in the cartoon. Opening the armor's jaws reveals Alpha Q's head, recessed within the body (though unable to move forward into a more prominent position as seen in the show), and pressing the trigger on the back of the body, disguised as one of the spinal fins, causes the head to spin from face to face. The toy only features the character's first three faces (Angry, Whiny and Crazy); the purple, calm face is not featured.

:As an allegiance was needed to brand the figure with for marketing purposes, Alpha Quintesson's toy is sold as a Decepticon, despite that faction not really being where his loyalities lie. There were also many reports of the toy coming misassembled, missing the hard point where the figure connected to the base, making it nigh impossible for the toy to stand up on its own.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Decepticon/AlphaQuintesson/alphaquintesson.htm More information on Alpha Quintesson at TFU.info]''
==Notes==
* Although the Dreamwave comic books and Hasbro toy packaging refer to the character by his full name of Alpha Quintesson, the ''Energon'' cartoon series preferred instead to call him by his Japanese moniker, Alpha Q, almost all of the time.
* Heh, heh, ''Alpha Q''.
* He and [[Vector Prime]] apparently knew each other. <ref>[http://www.insecticons.com/vector-qa-00.html Ask Vector Prime]</ref>
* Alpha Q seems to resemble a [[Quintesson]] Judge.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==

[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Energon characters]]
[[Category:Quintessons]]
[[Category:Terrorcons]]

Beast Wars (Part 2)

2009-10-03T16:50:48Z

173.80.151.110: /* Continuity errors */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=2
|title="Beast Wars" (Part 2)
|image=BeastWars2 bridge.jpg
|caption=I am the servant of the [[Allspark|secret fire]], wielder of the flame of Anor! The dark fire will not avail you, flame of [[Pit|Udun]]! Go back to [[Unicron|the shadow]]!
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[April 21]], 1996
|written by=[[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Steve Ball]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''After a battle between Optimus Primal and Dinobot, a huge cache of Energon is discovered.'''

:''French title:'' '''Animutants - 2e partie'''
:''Japanese title:'' 倒せデストロン (''Taose Destron'', "Beat the Destrons")
:''Polish title:'' '''Wojna bestii'''
:''Portuguese title:'' '''Beast Wars parte 2'''
:''Spanish title:'' '''La guerra de las bestias [Parte 2]'''

==Synopsis==
[[Optimus Primal]] tries to talk sense to [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], saying he's welcome to join the group, but not as leader. Dinobot is unimpressed; the two duel. In the process, Primal falls, but is rescued by Dinobot, who states that Primal slipped and that winning the fight would not have been honorable. As they continue to fight, Megatron and his crew arrive, taking the chance to attack both combatants. Primal and Dinobot nearly fall in avoiding the Predacons' missiles, but are rescued by [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]].

The gunfire from the conflict flies far in the distance, striking a mountain and unveiling a massive [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] cache, enough to provide all the power either team would need to return home. Both teams scramble to reach it first.

En route, Primal consults Dinobot for advice on Megatron's probable next moves, an action which Rattrap finds outrageous. Shortly thereafter, the two Predacon fliers attack the group; Dinobot's reckless counterattack endangers Rhinox, and Rattrap takes the excuse to attack Dinobot. Primal orders them both to stand down.

[[Image:BeastWars2 clash.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"The energon is shorting out our depth perception!"]]

Arriving at the energon cache, the Maximals realize that the massive energon exposure would put their robot modes in stasis lock in mere minutes if they attempted to transform. The Predacons arrive and reach the same conclusion, and so both sides tear into one another in beast mode. Megatron, seeing the fight is lost, transforms and opens fire on Primal. Dinobot diverts the missile, saving Primal but causing a massive chain reaction in the mountainside. Both teams quickly flee.

As the Maximals watch the resultant explosions, Dinobot explains that his actions are payment of a debt—he owed Primal his life; now they are even. Primal says that's good enough for the moment, and proclaims that the Beast Wars have begun.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)
* [[Rattrap]] (4)
* [[Optimus Primal]] (2)
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (3)
|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
* [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (6)
* [[Tarantulas]] (9)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (8)
* [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (10)
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (7)
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (1)
}}

==Quotes==
"I still live! Finish it." 
"That's not how we Maximals do things." 
"Then that will have to ''change!''"
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Optimus Primal'''

"What are you doing? You'd won." 
"You slipped. To defeat you in such a manner would be lacking in honor. I would not have earned the right to lead. I prefer to beat my opponents the old fashioned way—BRUTALLY!" 
''[The two resume fighting]'' 
"For a Predacon, Dinobot, you have qualities I could like." 
"And you, ahh, have proved to be a worthy adversary. I will have you recycled with full honors." 
"Well, that's. Just. Prime!"
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Optimus Primal'''

"The energon fields! I am shorting out." 
"Hang on! You can't transform in this position!" 
"Release me! Let me fall and save yourself." 
"Now, where's the honor in that?" 
''[Optimus's hold on the rock bridge weakens]'' 
"You have no choice." 
"Then we both go!"
:—'''Dinobot''' and '''Optimus Primal'''

"You're welcome." 
"You're the leader. It's your, ah, job."
:—A life-saving '''Optimus Primal''' and an ungrateful '''Rattrap'''

"Ease off, Rattrap! It was an accident." 
"Says you!" 
"That's right—says me! You wanna question my orders one. More. Time?" 
"I…ahhhh…ya, I don't trust Predacons."
:—'''Optimus Primal''' asserts command over '''Rattrap'''.

"Across the galaxy, it has come to this, Optimus Primal—face to face, tooth to claw. Yesss. Have you anything to say?" 
"I'd say that's prime. Let's do it."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Primal''', just before the big fight begins

"It is over, Megatron!" 
"It is ''never'' over. Noooo! For if I must die, I shall take you with me!"
:—'''Optimus Primal''' and '''Megatron'''

==Notes==
* During the audio commentary for this episode on [[Madman Entertainment]]'s ''Beast Wars'' Season 3 DVD, [[Garry Chalk]]'s cell phone suddenly rings, forcing him to step outside, while [[Scott McNeil]] and [[Alec Willows]] crack jokes about it being Garry's mom on the line.

===Animation or technical glitches===
* Waspinator's bee-stripes on his thighs are mapped along the wrong axis.

* Often, when the "energon mountain" appears in the distance, a large piece of energon in the foreground clips and flickers, making it appear as though the energon is appearing and disappearing at random.

===Continuity errors===
* During the scene with Dinobot, in the background, the ''Axalon'' is missing from its crash site.

* After the energon mountain explodes and the Maximals are seen ducking for cover, every shot showing Optimus Primal and Dinobot in the foreground features none of the other Maximals in the background, even though they were seen standing behind the pair moments earlier, and both Rattrap and Rhinox are seen when Rattrap thinks they have won. Oddly enough, Cheetor is no longer in the scene at all.

* The very same scene features a lot of rubble from the destroyed mountain in close-ups of Rattrap and Rhinox, but relatively little rubble when Optimus Primal and Dinobot are in the foreground.

*Megatron transforms without his command code.

===Plot errors===
* Scorponok directs Megatron's attention to the missiles approaching the mountain. The missiles then hit the mountain, revealing it to be full of energon. There's no reason to believe Scorponok knew the energon was there, so why did he ''care'' about the imminent impact of the missiles?

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]