MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Transformers Universe (Jagex)

2012-10-12T20:45:29Z

174.109.80.10:

{{disambig3|Universe}}
[[Image:TransformersUniverseMMOlogo.jpg|thumb|250px]]
'''''Transformers Universe''''' is an [[Wikipedia:Massively multiplayer online game|MMO]] set to begin in 2013. It is being developed by [[Jagex]] and it is set in the ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Prime]]'' universe. Gamers can choose to be an [[Autobot]] or a [[Decepticon]], choose their class, and customize their appearance, while gameplay is very team-based. The game will feature ''Prime'' characters as well as introduce new ones like [[Prowl (Prime)|Prowl]] and [[Barricade (Prime)|Barricade]].

== Synopsis ==
{{comingsoon}}

== Featured Characters ==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]
* [[Prowl (Prime)|Prowl]]
* Autobot Brawler

|c2=
* [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]
* [[Barricade (Prime)|Barricade]]
|nonumbering=true}}

== Notes ==
*[[BotCon 2012]] attendees were able to reserve their in-game name at the convention.

==See also==
*[[Transformers Online]], the game's counterpart for Asian markets.
*[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)| War for Cybertron]], a store-bought game with online multiplayer gameplay.

==External links==
*[http://transformersuniverse.com/ Official website]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyc0fuDuPcc&feature=player_embedded Video interview]

{{Gamestub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Universe}}
[[Category:Aligned video games]]
[[Category:Online games]]
[[Category:Prime media]]

Wheeljack (Prime)

2012-09-22T18:10:32Z

174.109.80.10:

{{disambig3|Wheeljack}}
{{factions|autobot|wreckers|hofsilver}}
:''Wheeljack is an [[Autobot]] and [[Wrecker]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:PrimeWheeljack.jpg|right|thumb|325px|"I'm here to build gizmos and be a badass loner, and I'm all out of knowing how to build gizmos!"]]

'''Wheeljack''' is one of the roughest Autobots around. As a former member of the [[Wrecker]]s, he's seen plenty of action, and he's got the snarky one-liners to prove it. If there's anything he likes more than slicing up [[Decepticon]]s with his swords or inventing new gadgets to slice Decepticons in different ways, it's hanging with his old buddy, [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (who calls him '''Jackie''').

Wheeljack doubts [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s leadership capabilities, believing he's more of a stuffy old figurehead than a warrior. Wheeljack also chafes under too much supervision. That's why he usually takes off shortly after he's arrived. He'd rather be on his own.

{{bigquote|If you're trying to ruin my day, you're gonna have to try harder.|Wheeljack|"[[Con Job]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Aligned novels===
Wheeljack was a member of the Wreckers black ops. After the [[Great Exodus]], the Autobots remaining on Cybertron encountered the inventor and engineer wandering outside [[Crystal City]]. They took him in, with [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]] theorizing that he had escaped from [[Shockwave (Prime)|Shockwave]]'s facilities there. Wheeljack proceeded to equip the resistance with new gadgets and weaponry, but his true loyalty remained to science, rather than the Autobots.

Eventually, Wheeljack, along with [[Ultra Magnus (Prime)|Ultra Magnus]] and [[Springer (WFC)|Springer]] approached Alpha Trion to propose re-creating [[space bridge]] technology on a personal scale, and using the energies from the space bridge explosion to trace the locations of the vanished ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' and ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]''. The project proceeded, and the inventor was able to find a way of opening a brief passageway through space-time, utilising the remaining energies of the [[Well of All Sparks]] and the damaged consciousness of [[Vector Sigma]]. Wheeljack suggested they send a message of some sort through the gateway to [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]], but Alpha Trion advocated sending an actual bot. Eventually, the Autobot called [[Chaindrive]] was sent, equipped with a device to track the [[Matrix of Leadership]], a piece of the [[Blades of Time]], and a warning for Optimus regarding the [[Requiem Blaster (Prime)|Requiem Blaster]]. {{Storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[James Horan]] (English), [[Yūki Tai]] (Japanese)|[[Lorenzo Scattorin]] (Italian), [[Dennis Schmidt-Foß]] (German), [[Ricardo Sawaya]] (Brazilian Portuguese)}}
[[Image:ConJob-Wheeljackgun.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"Steve! I built a machine that builds guns that shoot Vehicons. Come see!"]]

Wheeljack was a member of the [[Wrecker]]s alongside [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]], {{storylink|Con Job}} [[Impactor (Prime)|Impactor]], [[Roadbuster (Prime)|Roadbuster]], [[Rotorstorm (Prime)|Rotorstorm]], [[Seaspray (Prime)|Seaspray]] and [[Pyro (Prime)|Pyro]]. {{storylink|Loose Cannons}} He took part in an unnamed battle where he and Bulkhead became surrounded by Decepticons and low on Energon. However, Wheeljack threw a grenade into a smelter, causing it to explode and take out the attackers.{{storylink|Con Job}} Him and Bulkhead also had an altercation on [[Sandokan]].{{storylink|Loose Cannons}}. However, early on in the war, Bulkhead left the Wreckers to join [[Team Prime]] while Wheeljack continued to serve in the Wreckers. Wheeljack took part in the Battle of [[Darkmount]] Pass, where he took out a group of Decepticons to get the Wreckers across a smelting pit. When [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] went dark, he began traveling the stars alone in the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)|Jackhammer]]''. {{storylink|Con Job}}

Eventually he reached [[Earth]]'s [[Solar System]] and was hailed by the Autobots stationed there, including Bulkhead. As he was coming in to land at the coordinates provided by [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]], his ship was attacked and shot down by [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]. Wheeljack emerged from the ''Jackhammer'' and proceeded to trash the Decepticons, but was eventually overwhelmed and taken back to the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'' where he was imprisoned. He was amused to find that [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] was in command of the Decepticons, and almost goaded Starscream into killing him.

[[Image:ConJob-Wheeljackswords.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Wheeljack: determined to make [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] redundant.]]

An opportunity allowed him to kill his guard and break free from his bonds. He scaled to the top of the ship, where Starscream was waiting for [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]], who'd taken on Wheeljack's appearance, to open the Autobot [[GroundBridge]]. Wheeljack smashed a bunch of Vehicons and assaulted Starscream before escaping through the GroundBridge to the [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|Autobot base]]. There he confronted Makeshift and the pair dueled with swords until Wheeljack was victorious. Bulkhead tossed Makeshift back through the GroundBridge along with a "present" for the 'cons.

Though the Autobots welcomed Wheeljack, he revealed that he intended to return to space. He invited Bulkhead along, but Bulkhead was too attached to his friends on Earth to leave. Bulkhead was sure Wheeljack would return someday... {{storylink|Con Job}}

When [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] was trying to stir Bulkhead's memory after he absorbed the data from the [[Cybertronian data cylinder]] she mentioned Wheeljack, and showed Bulkhead the picture she took of them together before he left. Sadly, this did not jog Bulkhead's memory. {{storylink|T.M.I.}}

[[Image:LooseCannons Wheeljack fires back.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Who shoots first?]]
During his travels, Wheeljack made contact with fellow Wrecker [[Seaspray (Prime)|Seaspray]] only for [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] to destroy Seaspray's ship. Wheeljack chased Dreadwing to Earth where they battled near a gas station, which was destroyed in the conflict as [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s team arrived. Filling the other Autobots in, Wheeljack found himself chafing over the need for secrecy. When Dreadwing called him to arrange a meeting, Wheeljack took Bulkhead to try and trap the Decepticon. The encounter instead left Wheeljack buried.

[[Image:LooseCannons Wheeljack undergoes repairs.jpg|thumb|right|250px|After Arkham City, Wheeljack Ryder gets fixed by a Doctor.]]
Once Optimus dug him out, he accompanied the Autobot leader to the port where Bulkhead had been taken by Dreadwing and attempted to remove the bomb the Decepticon had placed on his comrade. Eventually he was forced to concede only Dreadwing could remove the bomb, and he and Optimus played a gambit that forced Dreadwing's hand. Convinced to stay on Earth by the other Autobots, Wheeljack adopted a new alternate mode and drove off to explore the planet. {{storylink|Loose Cannons}} He also used the time to become quite familar with the location of key Decepticon Energon mines. {{storylink|Hurt}}

As the Autobots split up to retrieve the four new Iacon relics, Optimus told Ratchet that he'd need Wheeljack's help for the mission ahead. Remembering his past experiences with the Wrecker, Ratchet was naturally reluctant to go through with the idea, but Optimus reminded the medic that he would need a capable warrior like Wheeljack to watch his back. {{storylink|Triangulation}}

[[Image:Prime-TriageRatchet&Wheeljack.jpg|thumb|left|250px|After this, you wanna go build a [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]?]]
Ratchet rendezvoused with Wheeljack by the ''Jackhammer'', and they headed out in the ship to find the relic. Wheeljack quickly got on Ratchet's nerve by calling him "doc" and "sunshine" but soon encountered [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]]. The Wrecker engaged Soundwave in a dog fight using some fancy aerial flight moves, but against the advice of Ratchet, Wheeljack let Soundwave go and attacked [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]]. After a lengthy dog fight, Wheeljack shot the [[Mini-Con]] down, but the ''Jackhammer'' was also disabled. On the ground Wheeljack found Laserbeak and suggested planting a grenade inside of the Mini-Con to kill Soundwave, but Ratchet had a better idea: A virus which would download the entire Iacon data base into their systems.

While Ratchet set about implanting the virus into Laserbeak, Wheeljack went after Soundwave, soon locating and attacking the Decepticon. Though he almost got the upper hand, Soundwave hit him with the [[Resonance Blaster]], and Wheeljack barely had time to warn Ratchet before falling unconscious. Despite the damage, Wheeljack refused to return to base for treatment and instead set about fixing his ship. But before Ratchet left, Wheeljack finally acknowledged the doctor by name. {{storylink|Triage}}

[[Image:Hurt-WheeljackHardshell.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Wheeljack learns the ''Hard'' way that giving Hardshell some 5-Hour Energon wasn't a very good idea.]]
Wheeljack was called in to the base when Bulkhead turned up critically injured. While he had full confidence in Ratchet's abilities, he decided to go find the responsible parties. Joined by Miko, he attacked an energon mine to draw out [[Hardshell]]. This succeeded, and Wheeljack left Miko in the ship while he faced the Insecticons. Unfortunately Hardshell was too much for him to handle, but as he was about to be killed, Miko interceded in the fight, blasting Hardshell with the ''Jackhammer''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> missiles. After losing the rest of the Insecticon swarm by throwing a box of grenades at them, the pair returned to base, though Wheeljack didn't want to see his friend lying comatose and left. {{storylink|Hurt}} Ratchet held a grudge over Wheeljack's revenge stunt, and when Arcee suggested calling the Wrecker in to cover for Bulkhead, Ratchet objected. {{storylink|New Recruit}}
{{--}}

==Games==
===Transformers: Fall of Cybertron===
[[Image:WheeljackFOC-artcloseup.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Never bump foreheads with this guy.]]
{{Note|Wheeljack does not appear in the campaign of ''Fall of Cybertron''. However, he does make an appearance in one of the Escalation maps and he is in multiplayer if the Havoc DLC pack is downloaded.}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Prime===
{{anchor|Deluxe}}
[[Image:PrimeRIDtoy-WheeljackDeluxe.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Let's see how many different Deluxe Wheeljacks we can find on pegs in 2012.]]
*'''Wheeljack''' (Deluxe, 2012)
**''Series/number:'' '''1 / 003'''
**''Japanese release date'': '''[[October 27|10-27]]-2012'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''AM-23'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 swords (Hasbro only), Arms Micron "Ooje" (TakaraTomy only)

: Part of the first wave of "Robots in Disguise" Deluxe Class, Wheeljack transforms into a modified [http://www.new-stratos.com/en/#/downloads 2011 Lancia New Stratos Concept]. He comes with two swords which can stow underneath the vehicle or attach under the front bumper to create an attack mode. In robot mode, Wheeljack can either hold the swords, stow them on his shoulders, or they can be inserted into slots near his wings. Surprisingly, there are no Autobot insignias on Wheeljack whatsoever.

: In wave six of the ''Prime'' toyline, Wheeljack was put into new packaging, which came with a DVD featuring the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)| Prime]]'' episode "[[Loose Cannons]]".

: The TakaraTomy version of Wheeljack, part of the seventh wave of the Japanese ''Prime'' toyline, has some significant differences from the Hasbro release. He has extra [[5mm post]]-hole mounts epoxied to his hood/legs as part of the [[Arms Micron]] gimmick. Many of his [[paint operation]]s have been dropped in favor of customer-applied foil [[sticker]]s off of a separate sheet. Instead of his twin swords, he instead comes with his Arms Micron partner [[Ooge]], who converts into... a rather bulky weapon that vaguely sort-of resembles his normal sword. If you squint.

: This mold was [[retool]]ed into [[Dead End (Prime)|Dead End]] and [[Wildrider (Prime)#Toys|Wildrider]].

{{-}}{{anchor|Cyberverse}}
[[Image:TF-Cyberverse-Vehicle-Wheeljack-Spaceship.jpg|right|thumb|300px|]]
*'''''Star Hammer'' with Wheeljack''' (Cyberverse Vehicle, 2012)
**''Series/number'': '''2 / 001'''
**''Japanese release date'': '''[[May 28|5-28]]-2012'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''EZ-10'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 swords

: Part of the first wave of large ''[[Cyberverse]]'' vehicles, this smaller, simplified version of Wheeljack comes with two translucent blue swords, which he can hold using 3mm ports in his hands. These swords are also capable of storing on his vehicle mode's roof, although the downward-curving orientation shown in the stock photo at right is not actually possible due to a [[design change|change]] to how the pegs are arranged.

: This version of Wheeljack was only available with the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)#Toys|Star Hammer]]'', in which he can be seated in the opening cockpit. In the ''Star Hammer's'' battle platform mode, Wheeljack can man one of three battle stations using flip-down handlebars (which also allow other Cyberverse figures to man them).

: In Japan, the set was released under the name "'''Spaceship Star Hammer'''", but there are no notable physical differences from the Hasbro release.

::*''[http://higekumatoytoy.blog60.fc2.com/blog-entry-1543.html Wheeljack & Star Hammer at Alfes's Toy Blog]''
{{-}}

{{anchor|CyberverseMarlboor}}
*'''Hyperspeed Wheeljack''' (Cyberverse Legion, 2012)
**''Series/number:'' '''2 / 010'''
**''Accessories:'' "Gravimetric blaster"

: Part of the third wave of ''Cyberverse'' Legion-class toys, this version of Wheeljack is a single-carded release of the figure [[redeco]]ed as an [[homage]] to the "[[Marlboor_Wheeljack|Marlboor]]" ''[[Diaclone]]'' [[pre-Transformer]]s [[retool]] of the ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Wheeljack (G1)/toys#Generation 1|Wheeljack]] sculpt. He comes with a recolored version of the twin-barreled blaster previously available with Cyberverse ''Prime'' [[Bumblebee (Prime)#Cyberverse|Bumblebee]] and [[Arcee (Prime)#Cyberverse|Arcee]].

{{-}}{{anchor|DarkEnergon}}
*'''Wheeljack''' (Dark Energon Deluxe, 2012)
**''Accessories'': 2 swords

: A [[BigBadToyStore]] [[exclusive]], this [[Dark Energon|Dark-Energon]]-infused [[redeco]] of ''Prime'' Wheeljack is cast in translucent-blue and black plastics with copper and red accents, in a blatant [[homage]] to [[Slicer]].

{{comingsoontoy}}

==Notes==
*At [[BotCon 2011]], it was stated Wheeljack is meant to be a mechanic as with other incarnations, but it has yet to be mentioned in-series.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=79724 Botcon 2011 Transformers Prime Panel!] on the AllSpark</ref>
* Wheeljack's "one grenade, one shot" strategy is hinted at by the fact that he does carry a single grenade on his hip.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Prime Autobots]]
[[Category:Wreckers]]
[[Category:Fall of Cybertron Autobots]]

Decepticon Air

2012-09-20T21:23:16Z

174.109.80.10:

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFAni Decepticon Air Decepticons Freed.jpg
|caption=So which one of them is [[John Malkovich]]?
|ep=39
|ep2=36
|prev2=Human Error, Part II
|next2=This Is Why I Hate Machines
|title="Decepticon Air"
|airdate=[[May 2]], 2009
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Shigeharu Takahashi]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''The Decepticons aboard the Elite Guard ship decide to take down the Autobots that turned them in.'''

==Synopsis==
On [[Earth]], [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] have completed a [[space bridge]] terminal in record time, for which [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] congratulates them. However, the [[transwarp]] field sequencers still have to be recalibrated, and Sumdac and Bulkhead argue over whose fault that is. [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] insists she could have helped get it right, but both builders politely rebuff her as insufficiently knowledgeable. As they continue arguing about getting the resequencing done, she takes matters into her own hands—almost literally. Using her new abilities, she fixes the terminal's calibrations and gets it to activate, to the surprise of the others.

[[Image:TFAni Decepticon Air Sentinel Typing.jpg|thumb||180px|left|"[Your checking your email now!?
Meanwhile, out in space, [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] fruitlessly attempts to interrogate his [[Decepticon]] prisoners for info on the military cells that have been attacking space bridge outposts. He returns to the bridge after [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] tells him there's an incoming message from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]], [[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] indicate that the [[Autobot High Council]] has decided to make public the news of the assault on [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]]. Sentinel tries to pull rank on them, since he's now technically the ''pro tempore'' [[Magnus (rank)|Magnus]], and advises them to keep it quiet, but Alpha Trion makes it clear that they don't quite recognize his authority. Frustrated, Sentinel tries to pull rank on Jazz instead, commanding him to take the ship at full thrust through an energy cloud, despite any risks, as that heading will be the shortest route to Cybertron. Jazz complies despite objections, and of course, his worries prove justified: The energy strikes and flows through the ship, re-energizing [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] and bringing him out of time-stasis. Swindle soon frees and re-arms the other Decepticons, even if they don't have payment up front for it, as they work for [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], his best customer. With the alarms muted by Swindle's [[Sonic Jammer 3000]], the Decepticons strike at the ship's bridge just after the ship emerges from the energy cloud. Swindle quickly takes out [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] with a demo of the SJ3K's other function, a [[stasis suspension ray]]. Sentinel and Jazz put up a fight, but to little avail, and finally, Sentinel sends a brief, encrypted call for help to his old buddy, Optimus Prime (as he's too embarrassed to call Cybertron). Shortly afterward, [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] strikes him down, but Swindle convinces the massive Decepticon to spare their prisoners' lives: Not only could selling off their [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]] parts earn a fortune, but they could be a bargaining chip in finding Megatron.

On Earth, Optimus receives Sentinel's message, which decrypts to "[[Broken Lance]]", a coded call for help that Sentinel used with him back in their [[Autobot Academy|academy]] days. Bulkhead notes the space bridge terminal detects an unusual transwarp field aboard the Elite Guard's ship. With Sari's help, the terminal locks onto the field, providing stable coordinates for an arrival point. [[Image:TFAni Decepticon Air Swindle Optimus Hand.jpg|thumb||180px|right|HUNGER GETS WHAT HUNGER WANTS.]] The space bridge is activated, and Optimus steps through... only to emerge from Swindle's chest, having arrived via the private storage dimension he uses for holding all his stock.

Rather than attack against overwhelming odds and attempt to free Sentinel and the others, Optimus takes off down the ship's corridors to better his situation. Most of the Decepticons give pursuit, with Lugnut ordering Swindle to watch the prisoners in the meantime. Taking an elevator to the ship's energon storage chamber, Optimus perforates a group of energon cubes with his axe, destabilizing them just enough. He then puts them in the elevator car and slices its cables, so it explodes near the bottom just as the Decepticons pry open the doors. Slightly charred from the backblast, Optimus enters one of the service ducts and works his way back to the brig area, grumbling as he does.

Meanwhile, Swindle's greed is still holding sway, and the arms dealer leaves his prisoners unguarded so he can raid the ship's stores. Prime arrives almost immediately afterward and frees his fellow Autobots, earning no gratitude from the power-tripping Sentinel. The Decepticons then return, so Optimus tells Jazz to rewire the decontamination unit on the bridge into a freezing chamber to trap them, his Autobot emblem blinking all the while. Optimus severs a steam duct, giving Jazz cover to escape, but then Lugnut punches a hole in the hull, sending everyone else in the brig out into space.

The Jet Twins prove far more capable in space combat than anticipated, giving the Decepticons a fair amount of trouble. Noting their predicament through a porthole in the storage depot, Swindle metaphorically shrugs and goes back to looting. Meanwhile, despite Sentinel's continued objections and struggling, Optimus uses him as a living spiked slingshot against Lugnut. Sentinel insists he be obeyed as leader, but this only prompts [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] to freeze him and hold him hostage. Sentinel demands they don't surrender, but Optimus convinces the Jet Twins to follow his lead instead, and they capitulate.

[[Image:TFAni Decepticon Air Optimus Jazz HighFive.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Slip me some metal, O.P.!]]
On the bridge, Blitzwing, [[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]], and [[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]] put Sentinel, Optimus and the Jet Twins in the decontamination unit with Jazz. Blitzwing sneers that Optimus shouldn't have blabbed his plan where all could hear it, as now the Autobots will suffer freezing instead. However, when he activates the chamber, the freezing tubes reverse direction, icing all the Decepticons on the bridge and leaving the Autobots safe. Optimus explains to a surprised Sentinel that back in the brig, he'd used his blinking emblem to send a different message to Jazz in Cybertronian [[cybertronian optical code|optical code]]. They all pause as they hear a roar of engines, courtesy of a loot-filled Swindle taking off in one of the ship's shuttles. As the Decepticons are imprisoned again, Sentinel offers Optimus the Elite Guard spot that will be opening when Sentinel becomes Magnus, but Prime demurs, as he's still got plenty to do on Earth.

At [[Sumdac Tower]], Bulkhead frets as Swindle's transwarp signal moves too far away to warp Optimus back. Sari offers to help fix it, but her father points out it won't be necessary, as the Elite Guard ship has come to them. Optimus steps off the ship, and he and Sentinel trade salutes before it departs.

On Cybertron, Sentinel has a victory parade, displaying his prisoners to a cheering crowd and vowing to hunt down and offline [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] and any other Decepticon if they accept him as the new Magnus. Perceptor and Alpha Trion exchange dubious glances, but say nothing.

[[Image:TFAni Decepticon Air Lugnut Megatron.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Ugh...I'll get the squeegee...]]
Out in space, [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] warps into place near a drifting Lugnut, who abruptly finds himself plastered on the front window—right in front of [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]].
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (8)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (9)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (12)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (13)
*[[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]] (14)
*[[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] (15)
*[[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] (16)
*[[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]] (17)
*[[Dug Base]] (18)
*[[Tap-Out (Animated)|Tap-Out]] (19)
*[[Carrera (Animated)|Carrera]] (20)
*[[Searchlight (Animated)|Searchlight]] (21)
*[[Flareup (Animated)|Flareup]] (22)
*[[Furão]] (23)
*[[Freeway (Animated)|Freeway]] (24)
*[[Beachcomber (Animated)|Beachcomber]] (25)
*[[Red Alert (Animated)|Red Alert]] (26)
*[[Huffer (Animated)|Huffer]] (27)
*[[Powerglide (Animated)|Powerglide]] (28)
*[[Seaspray (Animated)|Seaspray]] (29)
*[[Rattletrap]] (30)
*[[Hot Shot (Animated)|Hot Shot]] (31)
*[[Rosanna (Animated)|Rosanna]] (32)
*[[Autotrooper (Animated)|Autotrooper]] (33)
*[[Mainframe (Animated)|Mainframe]] (34)
*[[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]] (35)
*[[Cosmos (Animated)|Cosmos]] (36)
*[[Tracks (Animated)|Tracks]] (37)
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] (38)
|c2=
*[[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] (5)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (6)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (7)
*[[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]] (10)
*[[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]] (11)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (39)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (40)
|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (3)
|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (4)
|}}

==Quotes==
'''Sentinel Prime''': All due respect, Alpha Trion, the Council should concern itself with more important matters, like beefing up security for the Decepticon prisoners that...ahem...''I'' captured. 
'''Cliffjumper''': I thought that was [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]].
:—Actually, they're [[Lockdown (Animated)|both wrong]].

"Those bureaucratobots couldn't find their own [[Anatomic euphemism#Diode|diode]]s with a bitmap and a homing beacon."
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' talks behind the council's back.

"You Autobots will pay! Pay with your sparks!" 
"I also take all major credit downloads."
:—'''Lugnut''' and '''Swindle''' are on two different pages.

"The Sonic Jammer 3000! Don't leave Cybertron without it! But wait—there's more! It also has a stasis suspension ray, handy for those tight spots. Picked this baby up on [[Quintessa]]. Nice folks, the [[Quintesson]]s; give you a good deal and all the oil you can drink."
:—'''Swindle''', ready as ever with a sales pitch.

"Guard the prisoners, or... loot the ship? It's a no-processor...er."

"Maybe I should help them.... or maybe I should just help myself!"

"Nothing beats a shopping spree... especially when it's all ''free!''"
:—The Tao of '''Swindle'''.

"Maybe that energon was a little ''too'' unstable!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' realizes he may not have thought his plan through very well.

==Notes==

===Animation or technical errors===
* When Sentinel calls for Jetfire and Jetstorm, the prisoners do not have their facemasks.
* Character heights vary wildly throughout the episode, mostly with the non-Swindle Decepticons being various levels of undersized. The kneeling Decepticons still tower over Swindle as he first talks to them (which seems correct, as Swindle is small), but do not appear to gain any height on him once they're upright. The final scene in particular, Blitzwing and the two clones are downright tiny, looking to be about as big as the average Autobot.
* When Swindle is handing out weapons to the Decepticons, he gives Ramjet his guns, but when he goes to hand Sunstorm's weapons to him, he's still holding Ramjet's guns.
* While convincing Lugnut to let the elite guard live, Swindle's bolo tie suddenly disappears.
* When Swindle crosses over to Blitzwing, talking Lugnut into letting Sentinel, Jazz, and the Jet-twins live, the Triple-Changer's wings ''and'' cannons are gone.
* When Sunstorm and Ramjet trap the Autobots in the chamber, Sunstorm's chin seems like it's been cut down, and looks similar to the G1 Seekers' chin size.
* In the crowd scenes towards the end of this episode, characters change positions relative to each other every time the camera angle switches. Beachcomber, in particular, appears in literally four different places at once.
* When Lugnut crashes against Omega Supreme at the end of the episode, his Deception insignia is missing.
* How exactly did Jetfire/Jetstorm create a whirlwind in space?

===Continuity errors===
* Up until the part where [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] orders [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] to guard the prisoners, all of the captive Autobots were confined within the prison cells. Later, when Swindle contemplates whether to stay to guard the prisoners or loot the ship, all of the captured Autobots are now ''outside'' of their cells. Jetfire and Jetstorm have also been removed from the spherical forcefield and placed in stasis cuffs, despite still being inside the forcefield while in the cell. Unless this was an oversight by the animators, why would Swindle let them out in the first place?
* Optimus transforms into his full firetruck vehicle mode to escape the Decepticons when he first arrives, yet is able to detach his trailer several seconds before he actually transforms into robot mode. The trailer slides down an adjacent hall as he reaches the elevator.
* A possible error occurs during Sentinel's interrogation of the prisoners. When Lugnut declares "Megatron is everywhere!", Sentinel offhandedly comments "You don't know how true that is." While it is conceivable that the Earth-bound Autobots informed Sentinel of Megatron's fate, in the next episode he expresses shock at the fact that [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] is still online, which would suggest that he was either never told or they, for some reason, left that part out.
* What were the chances of Lugnut just randomly bumping into Omega Supreme like that? Space is ''huge''.

===Transformers references===
[[Image:TFAni Decepticon Air BoxScream ConeScream.jpg|thumb|180px|right|"Your conehead makes my ears look silly in comparison!" "No it doesn't!"]]
* Swindle claims to have had business dealings on [[Quintessa]], suggests they could make enough from Elite Guard parts to "retire to a beach island on [[Nebulos]]", and swears by "the fifth moon of [[Pz-Zazz]]".
* His reference to a "personal storage dimension" from which accessories can be pulled at a moments' notice hearkens back to the concept of [[subspace]].
* To help tell the Starscream clones apart, Swindle gives the Ramjet a [[conehead]] accessory and Sunstorm a boxy helmet resembling those of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]]. The new cone-head is topped with a drill.
* Sentinel's adoring public consists of a seriously crazy amount of cameos, a great many of which have not been seen before this episode. While many of them could be identified right away, it would take a further few episodes, and some more crowd scenes in "[[This Is Why I Hate Machines]]" and "[[Endgame, Part II]]", before some of the more obscure characters could all be named and shamed. The crowd includes [[Tap-Out (Animated)|Tap-Out]], [[Carrera (Animated)|Carrera]], [[Searchlight (Animated)|Searchlight]], [[Flareup (Animated)|Flareup]], [[Furão]], [[Freeway (Animated)|Freeway]], [[Beachcomber (Animated)|Beachcomber]], [[Red Alert (Animated)|Red Alert]], [[Huffer (Animated)|Huffer]], [[Powerglide (Animated)|Powerglide]], [[Seaspray (Animated)|Seaspray]], [[Rattletrap]], [[Hot Shot (Animated)|Hot Shot]], [[Rosanna (Animated)|Rosanna]], [[Autotrooper (Animated)|Autotrooper]] (based on [[Autorooper]]), [[Mainframe (Animated)|Mainframe]], [[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]], [[Cosmos (Animated)|Cosmos]] and [[Tracks (Animated)|Tracks]]. The widescreen-to-fullscreen crop also manages to cut off an unnamed orange female robot (her forearm can be seen for a split-second poking into shot over Rosanna's head) who would reappear in "Endgame, Part II", an unknown, tall blue-and-white robot (behind the second Beachcomber, above Hot Shot) and an equally-mysterious skinny red-and-orange robot (behind Hot Shot). Recolored [[generic]] robots in the crowd include a Tracks-colored Mainframe, a red-white-and-blue Warpath, and a [[Brawn (Animated)|Brawn]]-colored Cosmos, sans nacelles.
* Sentinel and the Autobot Council are carried upon [[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]]. Behind them, the Decepticon prisoners are carried by a [[Dug Base|Grandus lookalike]] with yellow detailing; Derrick Wyatt stated that this was supposed to represent [[Grandus (ROC)|''Return of Convoy'' Grandus]]'s ''[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]]'' [[redeco]], Dag Base.
* The "Lance" in "[[Broken Lance]]" refers to Sentinel's weapon of choice.

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Prise en Otage'''" ("Taking Hostage")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Decepticons Aéreos'''" ("Decepticon Air")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Uchūsen wo Tsuisekiseyo'''" (宇宙船を追跡せよ, "Chase the Spaceship")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 4|4 December]] [[2010]]
::*Blitzwing's turn at new [[stock footage]] and the viewing warning, starting with from tank to jet to robot mode. Hothead, Random, and Icy each take a turn in robot mode while delivering the line, respectively. Blitzwing also does the intro.

===Real-world references===
* The title is a play on ''[[wikipedia:Con Air|Con Air]]'', a Nicolas Cage movie where prisoners being transported by plane get free and do bad things.
* Sentinel's phrase "[[Broken Lance]]" is similar to the [[United States of America|U.S.]] military term "[[wikipedia:United States military nuclear incident terminology#Broken Arrow|Broken Arrow]]", which is used to describe a cock-up involving nuclear weapons. In this context, it is more likely to be a reference to the 1996 action film [[wikipedia:Broken Arrow (1996 film)|of the same name]], in which John Travolta hijacks a stealth bomber (in order to sell the nuclear missiles on board).
* Speaking of action movies, Optimus taking on all the Decepticons by himself using hit & run tactics and then crawling through an air shaft while sarcastically complaining about how much fun he's having, is very similar to a famous sequence from ''[[wikipedia:Die Hard|Die Hard]]''. The exploding elevator trick also appears in the film.
* When Optimus drops out of the air shaft suspended by a wire harness, it's similar to a famous sequence from the Tom Cruise version of ''[[wikipedia:Mission Impossible (film)|Mission Impossible]]''.
* Optimus claiming to have a small chamber that can trap his foes, only for them to doublecross him and force him inside it, only for him to ''triplecross'' them when the chamber is the only place safe from the real trap, is similar to a famous sequence from ''[[wikipedia:Superman II|Superman II]]''.
* Sari's fingers extending and separating when she types are a reference to ''[[wikipedia:Ghost in the Shell|Ghost in the Shell]]''.
* When Sentinel uses his remote to unlock and re-lock Lugnut's mouth clamps, it makes the same noise as a car alarm remote.
* When Swindle first hears Megatron's name, his facial expression changes with the sound of a cash register.
* Swindle's personal storage dimension features old Hanna-Barbera stock sound effects, typically used to denote magic spells.
* Swindle's "Don't leave Cybertron without it!" is a variation of the American Express credit card slogan "Don't leave home without it." He immediately follows that up with "But wait, there's more!", one of TV huckster [[wikipedia:Ron Popeil|Ron Popeil]]'s most famous catchphrases.
* When Swindle uses the stasis suspension ray, the sound effect is identical to that of the Zat Guns used in ''Stargate SG-1''.

===Trivia===
* Sentinel Prime went through the space disturbance to gain some time, but in the end, agreed to go all the way back to Earth to drop off Optimus Prime. So the whole thing ended up being a rather pointless act. Lesson learned, Sentinel?
* Sentinel seems to have decided to keep his Earth alt-mode [[Autoboot Camp|this time]].
* At the end of "[[SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy]]", Captain Fanzone claimed that Swindle would be stripped down for parts. But other than his weapons (which would have been confiscated by the Elite Guard if the Detroit Police hadn't already taken them), nothing obvious seems to be missing from his person. Maybe Fanzone was just trying to freak him out?
* When he's giving the helmets to Sunstorm and Ramjet, Swindle mentions in a very casual manner that he "never could get the hang of cloning." Thinking back, no one was really shocked to see the army of clones that Starscream created. So maybe, cloning is something fairly common among Decepticons, or at least was at some point.
** Later, [[Dirge (Animated)|he does get]] [[Thrust (Animated)|the hang of cloning]].
* Ramjet and Sunstorm are pretty quiet throughout this episode, probably because their strange speech patterns make it nigh-impossible for them to have a normal conversation.
* This episode marks the last appearance of Blitzwing, Sunstorm, Ramjet, and Swindle.

==Home video releases==
*This episode has yet to be released on home video.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Out of the Past

2012-09-15T22:04:21Z

174.109.80.10:

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 43
|prev=Hurt
|next=New Recruit
|image=OutofthePast-Shockwave.jpg
|caption=Arcee's partners are all dead.
|title="Out of the Past"
|airdate=[[August 31]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Mike Johnson]]
|directed by=[[Todd Waterman]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Arcee recalls the time she and Cliffjumper discovered Shockwave and Starscream were building a space bridge.'''

==Synopsis==
:''The ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'' flies through space. On the bridge, [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] is dragged before [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] who's interested in decrypting an Autobot signal he's intercepted. While Arcee defies his "offer" by telling him where to go, Starscream reveals he has another prisoner—[[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]].''

In the present day, [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] is struggling with his recovery, with [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] providing some "encouragement" in the form of ordering him around. [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] is similarly struggling to decode the recovered Iacon database. [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] says Bulkhead needs a break, despite Miko being annoyed at the slow progress her friend is making. She storms out of the base, but Arcee follows and finds her crying atop the plateau in which the base is located. The Autobot tries to talk to her friend about Bulkhead, and the conversation leads to Miko asking about Cliffjumper.

[[Image:OutofthePast-CliffArcee.jpg|left|thumb|300px|"Did it have anything to do with those sirens around noon?" "I said I ''don't'' want to talk about it!"]]
:''Cliffjumper is dumped in the cell, having undergone torture but has resisted talking. He and Arcee discuss how they came to be back on Cybertron. Elsewhere Starscream complains about the failure of his interrogation, and [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] suggests taking them down on the planet's surface. Starscream and some [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] are soon leading the two prisoners through [[Kaon]] to a laboratory. Cliffjumper is concerned at the sight of the many tools lying ready to be used, even moreso when Starscream introduces them to [[Shockwave (Prime)|Shockwave]] himself. The two Autobots are strapped to tables, and Shockwave uses a [[cortical psychic patch]] to hook in to Arcee's mind. The process is successful and Starscream uses it to decode the transmission—which turns out to be Optimus Prime's message to bring the other Autobots to [[Earth]].''

:''Though the Decepticons have assumed Arcee is dead, she is very much alive and surreptitiously begins freeing herself. As Shockwave prepares to finish off Cliffjumper, Cliff suggests Starscream should be the one to do it. Shockwave leaves them to it, but as Starscream moves in, he's attacked by Arcee. She straps him to the free table and releases Cliffjumper. Starscream quickly folds under questioning and confesses Shockwave remained on the planet because he's building a [[space bridge]]. Knocking the 'Con out, Arcee goes to shut down the space bridge, and Cliffjumper insists on going along, despite her skepticism about his capacity for stealth. As they walk, Cliff suggests they should join Optimus's team, but Arcee isn't as keen, and rejects the idea that Cliff is her partner. Cliffjumper believes she shouldn't close herself off just because of [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]]'s death.''

Miko recognizes the truth of this advice, but asks Arcee what happened next.

[[Image:Cliffjumper and Shockwave.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"Thumbs up if you think Shockwave is weird" "What did you say?" "He's right behind me..isn't he?"]]
:''Arcee and Cliffjumper find the space bridge, with two Vehicons operating it. While Cliff provides a distraction, Arcee starts sabotaging the bridge to overload it. Unfortunately Shockwave arrives and attempts to fix the bridge. Cliffjumper dispatches the Vehicons before sparring with Shockwave, ultimately being defeated by the hulking Decepticon. Arcee lends a hand, bringing the roof down on the Decepticon, but the pair become pinned down by Starscream and some Vehicons. Starscream demands they reverse the damage to the space bridge, but they instead head through it. Halfway through the space bridge tunnel, Shockwave catches up with the two Autobots and they exchange fire until Arcee shoots him in the eye. The space bridge deposits Cliffjumper and Arcee on Earth seconds before exploding, and after declaring themselves partners, they go to find Optimus.''

Arcee finishes her story as the sun goes down, saying she misses Cliffjumper. Miko rests her hand on Arcee's in a gesture of comfort as they watch the sunset.

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 

{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Arcee (Prime) | Arcee]] (2)
*''[[Cliffjumper (Prime) | Cliffjumper]] (5)''
*[[Bulkhead (Prime) | Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime) | Optimus Prime]] (8)
*[[Ratchet (Prime) | Ratchet]] (9)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime) | Bumblebee]] (10)
* ''[[Tailgate (Prime) | Tailgate]] (13)''
|c2=
*''[[Vehicon (Prime) | Vehicons]] (1)''
*''[[Starscream (Prime) | Starscream]] (3)''
*''[[Soundwave (Prime) | Soundwave]] (4)''
*''[[Shockwave (Prime) | Shockwave]] (11)''
*''[[Airachnid (Prime) | Airachnid]] (12)''
|c3=
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (7)
}}

==Quotes==
"So this is Kaon, huh? Love what you Decepticons have done with the place. The ruins are especially picturesque."
:—'''Cliffjumper'''

"Your reasoning is hardly... ''logical''."
:—'''Shockwave'''

"While it often pains me, I ''try'' to be a team player."
:—'''Starscream'''

"They should really stop shooting at us if they want our help."
:—'''Cliffjumper'''

"Funny. At first I didn't think I'd ever get used to Cliff's constant chatter. Now, there's nothing louder to me than the silence."
:—'''Arcee'''

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*Within the space bridge, Cliffjumper is by Arcee's side while shooting at Shockwave, but disappears when it's just Arcee facing the Decepticon. He reappears as Arcee shoots Shockwave's eye.
*When Starsream and Shockwave are listening to Optimus Prime's transmission, Shockwave is seen on the left of Starscream but when the transmission ends he's on Starscream's right. It is possible that he moved when the camera was turned to the Autobots.
*The bottom part of Arcee's head crest is red but when she and Cliffjumper are interogating Starscream it becomes silver and the later on becomes red again.This also happens when they are in the space bridge vortex.

===Continuity errors===
* Soundwave has his earth mode instead of his Cybertronian mode seen in a flashback back in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 3]]".

===Continuity notes===
* This episode retells the prequel story told in [[Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)|the IDW graphic novel]] (also written by Mike Johnson). The story's still about Arcee and Cliffjumper learning about Optimus Prime on Earth, uncovering a Decepticon plot to reestablish forgotten [[space bridge]] technology, Cliffjumper pretending to forfeit to the Decepticons as a cover for Arcee's hijinks, and them running for the space bridge portal to Earth while being blasted at by Decepticons. However, each of these stories occur in an incompatible way, and the episode gives responsibility for the space bridge project to Shockwave instead of Starscream. A notable change to the timeline see the episodes contradict the graphic novel's statement that Starscream had been on Earth with Megatron during the initial clash between the Autobots and Decepticons there (three years prior to the start of the cartoon), and only returned to Cybertron to set up the space bridge; on-screen, it is clear he has ''not'' been to the planet before, given that he requires Prime's signal to locate it (which in the comic only served to provide Cliffjumper and Arcee with knowledge of Prime's location).
* Cliffjumper is voiced by [[Billy Brown]], whose imitation of [[Dwayne Johnson]] generally sounds quite convincing.
* Bulkhead has regained consciousness since the events of "[[Hurt]]", but he can barely walk.
* Optimus tries to decode the rest of the Iacon database gained in "[[Triage]]".

===Transformers references===
*Cliffjumper mentions getting lost in the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]], which did sort of happen in ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron| Fall of Cybertron]]'', and he was, kind of, separated from his unit (if you count [[Sideswipe (WFC)|two]] [[Jazz (WFC)|bots]] as a unit). However, Cliff ''did'' have Jazz to talk to.
*Shockwave stayed behind on Cybertron, much like how his G1-counterpart remained on the planet.
*Arcee's declaration that space bridge technology was lost for a long time was true in the ''Transformers: Exodus'' novel.
*Throughout several continuities, Shockwave has kept to logic as his sense for reason.
*This isn't the first time that [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] has attempted to extract [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|codes]] from [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]]. The same happened [[This Is Why I Hate Machines|towards]] [[Endgame, Part I|the end]] of ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers: Animated]]''.
*Cliffjumper pretends to be an Autobot traitor. In [[Cliffjumper (G1)|another life]], Cliffjumper [[Traitor|accused]] [[Mirage (G1)|other Autobots]] of being traitors. In [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|yet another life]], Cliffjumper [[Autoboot Camp|sent]] an [[Wasp|innocent Autobot]] to prison for being framed as a traitor, ironically by [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]].
*Arcee tells Starscream to get [[frag|fragged]].

===Real-world references===
===Trivia===
*Shockwave is apparently the inventor of the illegal cortical psychic patch. Not surprising, considering he's also responsible for some "certain" changes made to some "certain" [[Dinobot (FOC)|Autobots]].
*As in "[[Predatory]]", the primary characters use the same models, meaning they all have Earth-mode kibble well before ever visiting Earth.
*Starscream gloats about how he captured the uncaptureable Arcee. Apparently he never heard of [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]]'s [[Predatory|encounter]] with [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]]. This is consistent with comments he makes in the episode "[[Partners]]", in which he asks "Who's Tailgate?", accidentally revealing to Arcee that it was he who killed Cliffjumper.
**In general, Starscream's interrogation of Arcee at the beginning of the episode is very similar to Airachnid's attempts to extract information from her, although Arcee takes the former's threats better than the latter's.
*Arcee's flashback of Tailgate's death happens during the flashback of her adventure with Cliffjumper. A flashback within a flashback. Flashbackception.
*When Starscream is deciding on how to eliminate Cliffjumper, he settles on "the old-fashioned way": [[Darkness Rising, Part 1| eviscerating him with his claws]]. He is interrupted by Arcee, but the foreshadowing is almost thick enough to cut with said claws.
*Shockwave doesn't think very highly of Starscream, and by the same token Starscream doesn't like him and considers him an arrogant glory hog despite this episode not providing any hints of it. Then again, this is Starscream we're talking about.
[[Category:Prime episodes]]

The Return of the Headmaster

2012-08-07T21:55:04Z

174.109.80.10: /* Animation or technical errors */

{{episode|
|series= Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image= Sentinelprimeanimatedhumiliated.jpg
|caption= Schadenfreude.
|ep=18
|ep2=17
|prev2=The Elite Guard
|next2=Mission Accomplished
|title="The Return of the Headmaster"
|airdate=[[April 19]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by= [[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Optimus Prime is forced to team up with his rival Sentinel Prime after Sentinel has a humiliating encounter with the Headmaster.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Returnofheadmaster sarisroom.jpg|left|200px|thumb|im in ur room, shackin in ur cribs]]
In Sari's room at [[Sumdac Tower]], Sari bitterly packs her things while grumbling about [[Porter C. Powell]] taking over her home and throwing her to the curb. She doesn't notice Powell enter as she badmouths him, but rather than get upset, the man smugly proves many of her points right and adds insult to injury by introducing her bedroom's new tenant, the freshly re-hired [[Headmaster (Animated)| Henry Masterson]]. As the Headmaster makes himself at home, Sari protests, pointing out the man's lack of sanity, but Powell merely rushes her out the door. Then, just as Sari's day can't get any worse, Powell claims [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] and [[Tutor Bot]] as company property. Harsh.

[[Image:Returnofheadmaster sentinelspeaks.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I am destined to be a superhero. To right wrongs and to pound two-fisted justice into the hearts of evildoers everywhere.]]

Meanwhile, the Primes [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] and [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]] stand at a press conference along with the mayor and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]]. Sentinel is his usual charming self, boasting the significance of the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard's]] presence, condescending to the [[Human|icky organics]], showing complete ignorance of the planet's customs, and insulting his comrade's lowly position at every opportunity. Optimus tries his best to ignore all this and put the humans' minds at ease about the current situation, but finds it difficult to get a word in edgewise as Sentinel cuts him off, determined to do all the talking, refusing to let Optimus speak for him.

Powell and Masterson watch the press conference with intent. Powell says he expects great things from Masterson, intending to tap the lucrative military hardware market that Sumdac so foolishly ignored. Masterson is itching to get to work, but wants new robots on which to test his Headmaster units. The old Autobot crew won't cut it, however; he wants the new models, and he eagerly eyes Sentinel Prime's image on the screen.

Masterson calls up Fanzone with a false Decepticon sighting in Old Detroit. Fanzone relays the information to the Primes, and the heroes transform and roll out. Sentinel still hasn't gotten the hang of the city's traffic customs, however, and spends more time driving over other cars than on the road.

[[Image:AnimatedBumbleeBulkheadProfessor.jpg|left|150px|thumb|We tackle any topic, immense or microscopic!]]

Meanwhile, Sari is moving in with the Autobots at the [[Autobot Earth Base|old factory]]. Bulkhead and Bumblebee are eager to cheer up the sullen girl with loud TV, music, and a misguided tutoring session in which they end up throwing around theories about her mysterious origins. Predictably, everything they try only seems to make her more miserable.

Sentinel soon arrives at the scene of the supposed Decepticon sighting, prying a stop sign from his shoulder, and is quickly joined by Optimus and the police. Optimus starts making suggestions, but Sentinel shuts him up, opting to split up and search on his own, as he doesn't need help from a scrub.

The search drags on into the night, and Sentinel is jumping at shadows, turning the advanced weaponry of the Cybertron Elite Guard on such dire threats as [[Skippy|stray cats]]. This distracts him, and Masterson gets the jump on him with the Headmaster unit. Shortly afterwards, Sentinel contacts Optimus, telling him it was a false alarm and to send the police away. He then demands Optimus come to his position alone and promise not to laugh. Soon after, Optimus finds Sentinel's decapitated head and breaks out in laughter. Bitter and humiliated, Sentinel pleads with Optimus to help him get his body back without [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] finding out. Optimus guesses that the reason Sentinel is trusting him with the task is that he's just not important enough for his opinion to matter, but Sentinel is careful not to say something so insulting in his position. How about that.

[[Image:Returnofheadmaster optimuslaughs.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Haw-haw!]]

Optimus learns of Masterson's re-hiring thanks to a conveniently timed message from Bumblebee, reporting what he's heard from Sari. The next day, Optimus pays a visit to Sumdac Tower, hiding Sentinel's head under a tree trunk while he chats with Powell. The new manager makes it clear that the Autobots aren't free to waltz into his building as they please any more, but assures their leader that Masterson isn't there. However as soon as Optimus leaves, he phones the Headmaster with information on the new development, warning his employee not to jeopardize the company's image. Lucky for the Primes, Optimus thought ahead enough to intercept the phone call with his ear transceiver as soon as he was out of sight. He traces the call to a cargo ship at the docks.

It's night again when the 1.5 Primes arrive at the docks and start searching for Sentinel's body. They don't get far before a nearby crate bursts open, revealing a sinister Sparkplug and Tutor Bot outfitted with miniature Headmaster Units. Sentinel isn't too worried by the puny automatons until they reveal some powerful laser-shooting upgrades. They send Optimus scrambling for cover while Sentinel's head bounces around impotently on the ground. When the ship Masterson is supposedly on starts casting off, they can't play around any longer, and Optimus rushes through the laser fire, ramps off the deck, transforms in mid-air and rides a powerful burst from his rocket axe to hook into the side of the ship's hull. Awesome. His grappling hooks probably would have worked equally well, but dude, flying rocket axe!

[[Image:Returnofheadmaster headmastersvictim.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Oh, beware the other head of science, Arthur. It bites.]]

On the ship, Optimus and Sentinel try to find Sentinel's body...until it finds them. The Headmaster pushes Optimus down with Sentinel's shield. Sentinel is surprised that it's so powerful, to which Masterson gloats he upgraded his equipment. Pulling out Sentinel's beam lance and expanding the shield into a spikier version, the Headmaster clashes with Optimus while Sentinel bounces around impotently on the ground some more.

Masterson manages to knock Optimus's axe off the ship, leaving him unarmed. After being pinned to the ground with shield spikes inches from his face, Optimus returns the favor by ripping off Sentinel's arm, shield and all. Sentinel is mortified by the dismemberment, but Optimus feels it was justified. He then uses Sentinel's arm as a makeshift axe and fights back the body, eventually severing the Headmaster unit. The head quickly converts to robot mode and starts to run off, but this time Optimus stops him by kicking Sentinel's head into the fleeing villain like a soccer ball. Again, Sentinel is appalled. Optimus has less of an excuse this time.

[[Image:Headm anim.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Salut!]]

Back on land, Fanzone has Masterson in cuffs, and it looks like a happy ending until Powell shows up, pointing out that the ship was Sumdac Systems property, the assaulted robots don't have rights protected by the law, and the whole incident occurred over international waters between the [[United States of America|United States]] and [[Canada]]. Masterson is free to go, much to the chagrin of everybody else.

Meanwhile, at the factory, Bumblebee and Bulkhead are about to try another zany scheme to cheer up Sari, but Prowl stops them and tells them just to listen to her instead. When they try this last resort, Sari opens up about all her worries regarding her [[Isaac Sumdac|missing father]], her lost home and company, and her questioned existence. Bumblebee and Bulkhead aren't sure what to do, but they assure her they are there for her.

Finally, aboard the Elite Guard's ship the next day, Sentinel and Optimus report to Ultra Magnus, who has heard something about Sentinel "losing his head". Sentinel trembles uncomfortably in silence, but Optimus reports that they worked together to solve the crisis, effectively covering for his comrade, who really doesn't deserve it. Ultra Magnus congratulates both of them and takes his leave to contact [[Cybertron Command]] on an issue of great importance. As the Primes walk down the hallway, Sentinel struggles out a "thank you" to his compatriot. Optimus notes that it must have hurt to say that, and Sentinel acknowledges the fact and reaches out his hand.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (12)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (13)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (16)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (17)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (1)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (4)
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (5)
*[[Carmine Fanzone]] (8)
*[[Augustus Edsel]] (9)
*[[Adrias]] (10)

|c4=
* [[Tutor Bot]] (2)
* [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] (3)
* [[News Bot]] (11)
* [[Trash Bot]] (14)
* [[Skippy]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"Whoa, hey! Check it! Major cribbage! And it's mine. It's all mine!"
:—'''Masterson''', who is surprisingly okay with the fact that his new "facilities" are frilly, lacy, and painted pink.

'''Sentinel''': Organics of Earth! Mr. Mayor! Captain Fanzone! I, ''Sentinel'' Prime, speak to you at the behest of our great commander Ultra Magnus, who could not be here because he has more important matters to attend to than to worry about this small, underdeveloped planet! Which is not to say that we of Cybertron ''mind'' helping you eh, ''[Fanzone looks at Optimus, who simply shrugs]'' simple organics, especially in light of the fact that, so far, our scanners have yet to detect any cyber-contaiments on your ... ''[clears throat]'' your, eh ''[to Optimus]'' what is it called again? 
'''Optimus''': Skin. 
'''Adrias''': ''[To the mayor]'' Sorry, Mr. Mayor. I thought this was supposed to be a friendly photo-op!
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' clearly representing Cybertron's best interests. ''Scary!''

'''Sentinel''': Don't ever presume you can speak for me, Optimus! The last thing we need is some over-glorified repairbot shooting his audio-processor off about things he doesn't understand! ''[Turns to crowd and smiles and wave. Then goes back to Optimus]'' A scrub like you should just smile and wave and stay out of the way! ''[To the crowd]'' Now, let's get this over with! ''[To Optimus]'' Eh, what am I supposed to do, now? 
'''Optimus''': Well, eh, according to human custom [smiles] you shake hands with the Mayor! 
''[Sentinel takes one look at the Mayor's hand]'' 
'''Sentinel''':''[looking disgusted at this idea]'' TOUCH AN ORGANIC?! 
'''Optimus''':Unless you want to pass such a great, diplomatic responsibility to a ''lowly'' repairbot. 
''[Sentinel clenches his teeth, then shakes hands with the mayor via his finger. The, wrenching his finger away, he cleans it with some spray!]'' 
'''Optimus''':''[To himself]'' Same old Sentinel!
:— Yet another example of '''Sentinel Prime''''s diplomatic tact!

"This is why I hate machines...especially arrogant, full-of-themselves machines!"
:—'''Captain Fanzone''', also saying what we're all thinking.

'''Optimus''': Sentinel, we should scramble our comlink frequencies in case the Decepticons are listening in! 
'''Sentinel''': What you ''should'' do is stick within the scope of your programming. If I need a trash can emptied or a floor mopped, I'll call on my buddy Optimus Prime. Or should I say...''Maintenance'' Prime? Hahahaha! 
''[Sentinel turns and walks away; Optimus does the same]'' 
'''Optimus''': 'Maintenance Prime'...then I'll just call you 'Pompous Gas-Bag Prime'. Yeah...that's what I should have said.
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Sentinel Prime''' match wits. Somehow, Optimus loses.

'''Sentinel''': Uhhh, Optimus. Tell the organic Fanzone that he can send his police force home. It's a false alarm. 
'''Optimus''': How do you know? 
'''Sentinel''': I just know, okay?! Now I need you to come to my position. ''ALONE''. And promise me one more thing... 
'''Optimus''': What? 
'''Sentinel''': That you won't laugh! 
''[Optimus looks around the rubble for Sentinel]'' 
'''Optimus''': Sentinel? Where are you? 
'''Sentinel''': ''[quietly]'' Look down... 
''[Optimus looks down to see Sentinel's head severed from his body]'' 
'''Optimus''': ''[lets out a hearty laugh]'' 
'''Sentinel''': You promised you wouldn't laugh!
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gets a kick out of '''Sentinel Prime''''s misfortune

'''Bumblebee''': Just because you don't have a tutor bot anymore doesn't mean you have to stop learning. 
'''Bulkhead''': Right. We can teach you. 
'''Bumblebee''': So, class, today's lesson is regarding...um...well, stuff, and how it works. Any questions? 
'''Sari''': Yeah. Why is there no record of my existence? 
'''Bumblebee''': Okay...a little bit outside the lesson plan. Professor Bulkhead, your thoughts? 
'''Bulkhead''': Maybe she came here from another planet in some kinda egg and crashed on Sumdac's doorstep. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or a portal could have opened and she fell through from another dimension. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or maybe she's really a robot. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or maybe Sumdac found her in a cabbage patch. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or that stork thing.
:—Professors '''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead''' have obviously been visiting the fan forums...

"Yes! I am so 1337!" 
"Yeah? Well, I have no idea what that means!"
:—'''Headmaster''' boasts as '''Optimus Prime''' scores a blow against over-sized egos everywhere.

==Notes==
* This episode was first broadcast in Canada on [[April 19]], one week before its United States premiere.

===Animation or technical errors===
*When Optimus picks up Sentinel's head in Sumdac Tower, his [[Autobrand]] '''winks'''. It is ''quite'' disturbing.

===Continuity errors===
* When Optimus stops Masterson's escape, he asserts the villain is going "back to prison". However, the Headmaster does not serve time until [[TransWarped]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''Brazil'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Retorno de Headmaster'''" ("The Return of the Headmaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le retour du cérébro-pilote'''" ("The Return of the Cerebro-Pilot")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmasters Rückkehr'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 16|16 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmaster, Futatabi!'''" (ヘッドマスター、ふたたび!, "Headmaster, Once Again!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 24|24 July]] [[2010]]
[[Image:ReturnHeadmaster Otoboto insignia.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
::* An entirely new stock footage of Bumblebee transforming delivers the usual warning of watching in a bright room. This episode also debuts a slightly new [[title sequence#Animated|title sequence]], using the second half of "[[Transformers Evo.|TRANSFORMERS EVO.]]" and replacing the footage of the Starscream clones and Cybertronian-mode Megatron with Earth-mode Megatron, [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], Soundblaster, [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]], and two [[Blackout (Animated)|Blackout]] lookalikes. However, it doesn't have the additional sound effects used in the previous four episodes.
::* '''Cut:''' Optimus laughing upon discovering Sentinel's detached head and Sentinel's dismay at Optimus breaking his promise not to laugh.
::* The [[Otoboto family]] reveals [[Sega]]'s arcade games ''[[Transformers Animated: The Chase]]'' and ''[[Transformers Animated: The Shooting]]''. It's preceded by the famous faction-swipe with a Decepticon-[[insignia|symbol]] modified to incorporate [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Hiroyuki]]'s face in the bottom half. [[Megumi Otoboto|Megumi]] then shows off the [[Transformers Cards|cards]] that can be used to play the two games and reveals what A-021 looks like: a gold-foil Voyager Optimus with his axe. [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Father]] and [[Tatsuya Otoboto|son]] proceed to hog the machines, to [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]]'s disappointment.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Powrót Headmastera'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
* Bumblebee mentions Sari could have come from a cabbage patch, a reference to the popular explanation of where babies come from - or to the [[wikipedia:Cabbage_Patch_Kids|Cabbage Patch Kids]] said explanation inspired.
* Powell makes a passing reference to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, also known as "the Mounties".
* Bulkhead's "came here from another planet in some kind of egg" comment could be a reference to 1970s sitcom [[wikipedia:Mork_and_Mindy|''Mork and Mindy'']], or also a reference to the [[Superman|Superman origin]] story.
* The appearance of [[Detroit]]'s real-life Wayne County Building and the Renaissance Center in this episode gives a firm location for [[Sumdac Tower]]—it's on one of two blocks of Randolph Street, currently occupied by a parking garage and a surface parking lot.

===Trivia===
*Powell claims Optimus and Sentinel's clash with Masterson took place in "international waters". While the nation in which the incident occurred may be in question, there are no ''international'' waters in Lake St. Clair or Lake Erie, just American and Canadian waters. (But then, this is the future.) The "Mounties" remark is still relevant.
*Apparently, calling the police to report fabricated events (about Decepticons) doesn't constitute a crime in [[Detroit]]. Either that, or Fanzone didn't put two and two together as to Masterson being the caller of the faux incident.
*When Sentinel asks for Optimus to cover for him, Optimus mentions how Sentinel "covered for him" all those years ago, presumably after the [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] [[Along Came a Spider|incident]]. Maybe this is the reason that Optimus washed out of the [[Autobot Academy]]? Answer: [[Endgame, Part I|Yes. It is.]]
*Either the events of this episode span at least two days and two nights, or the sun goes down roughly [[Transformers (film)|every couple of hours]].
*Given they presumably had very little time to prepare, the Autobots have whipped up a surprisingly comfortable room for Sari in their factory, doubly surprising given the lack of proper materials on hand. Who wouldn't want to sleep in a bed made from a giant radial tire!?
*On the other hand, their idea of proper human cuisine needs some work, since the meal they provide for Sari consists of a bunch of acorns, a fish skeleton (with flies buzzing around it), a live rabbit, and some miniature barrels of [[oil]].
*This is the only episode of Season Two where the Decepticons don't appear.
*How did Powell clear the Headmaster for his attempt to destroy Michigan in his previous appearance?
*Bulkhead's guesses about Sari's origin were quite accurate: [[TransWarped|She is part robot and she did come to earth in an egg-like thing that just happened to land near Sumdac]]. Foreshadowing there, Bulky?

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 5 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Return of the Headmaster}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

The Return of the Headmaster

2012-08-07T21:53:46Z

174.109.80.10: /* Animation or technical errors */

{{episode|
|series= Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image= Sentinelprimeanimatedhumiliated.jpg
|caption= Schadenfreude.
|ep=18
|ep2=17
|prev2=The Elite Guard
|next2=Mission Accomplished
|title="The Return of the Headmaster"
|airdate=[[April 19]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by= [[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Optimus Prime is forced to team up with his rival Sentinel Prime after Sentinel has a humiliating encounter with the Headmaster.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Returnofheadmaster sarisroom.jpg|left|200px|thumb|im in ur room, shackin in ur cribs]]
In Sari's room at [[Sumdac Tower]], Sari bitterly packs her things while grumbling about [[Porter C. Powell]] taking over her home and throwing her to the curb. She doesn't notice Powell enter as she badmouths him, but rather than get upset, the man smugly proves many of her points right and adds insult to injury by introducing her bedroom's new tenant, the freshly re-hired [[Headmaster (Animated)| Henry Masterson]]. As the Headmaster makes himself at home, Sari protests, pointing out the man's lack of sanity, but Powell merely rushes her out the door. Then, just as Sari's day can't get any worse, Powell claims [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] and [[Tutor Bot]] as company property. Harsh.

[[Image:Returnofheadmaster sentinelspeaks.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I am destined to be a superhero. To right wrongs and to pound two-fisted justice into the hearts of evildoers everywhere.]]

Meanwhile, the Primes [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] and [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]] stand at a press conference along with the mayor and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]]. Sentinel is his usual charming self, boasting the significance of the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard's]] presence, condescending to the [[Human|icky organics]], showing complete ignorance of the planet's customs, and insulting his comrade's lowly position at every opportunity. Optimus tries his best to ignore all this and put the humans' minds at ease about the current situation, but finds it difficult to get a word in edgewise as Sentinel cuts him off, determined to do all the talking, refusing to let Optimus speak for him.

Powell and Masterson watch the press conference with intent. Powell says he expects great things from Masterson, intending to tap the lucrative military hardware market that Sumdac so foolishly ignored. Masterson is itching to get to work, but wants new robots on which to test his Headmaster units. The old Autobot crew won't cut it, however; he wants the new models, and he eagerly eyes Sentinel Prime's image on the screen.

Masterson calls up Fanzone with a false Decepticon sighting in Old Detroit. Fanzone relays the information to the Primes, and the heroes transform and roll out. Sentinel still hasn't gotten the hang of the city's traffic customs, however, and spends more time driving over other cars than on the road.

[[Image:AnimatedBumbleeBulkheadProfessor.jpg|left|150px|thumb|We tackle any topic, immense or microscopic!]]

Meanwhile, Sari is moving in with the Autobots at the [[Autobot Earth Base|old factory]]. Bulkhead and Bumblebee are eager to cheer up the sullen girl with loud TV, music, and a misguided tutoring session in which they end up throwing around theories about her mysterious origins. Predictably, everything they try only seems to make her more miserable.

Sentinel soon arrives at the scene of the supposed Decepticon sighting, prying a stop sign from his shoulder, and is quickly joined by Optimus and the police. Optimus starts making suggestions, but Sentinel shuts him up, opting to split up and search on his own, as he doesn't need help from a scrub.

The search drags on into the night, and Sentinel is jumping at shadows, turning the advanced weaponry of the Cybertron Elite Guard on such dire threats as [[Skippy|stray cats]]. This distracts him, and Masterson gets the jump on him with the Headmaster unit. Shortly afterwards, Sentinel contacts Optimus, telling him it was a false alarm and to send the police away. He then demands Optimus come to his position alone and promise not to laugh. Soon after, Optimus finds Sentinel's decapitated head and breaks out in laughter. Bitter and humiliated, Sentinel pleads with Optimus to help him get his body back without [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] finding out. Optimus guesses that the reason Sentinel is trusting him with the task is that he's just not important enough for his opinion to matter, but Sentinel is careful not to say something so insulting in his position. How about that.

[[Image:Returnofheadmaster optimuslaughs.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Haw-haw!]]

Optimus learns of Masterson's re-hiring thanks to a conveniently timed message from Bumblebee, reporting what he's heard from Sari. The next day, Optimus pays a visit to Sumdac Tower, hiding Sentinel's head under a tree trunk while he chats with Powell. The new manager makes it clear that the Autobots aren't free to waltz into his building as they please any more, but assures their leader that Masterson isn't there. However as soon as Optimus leaves, he phones the Headmaster with information on the new development, warning his employee not to jeopardize the company's image. Lucky for the Primes, Optimus thought ahead enough to intercept the phone call with his ear transceiver as soon as he was out of sight. He traces the call to a cargo ship at the docks.

It's night again when the 1.5 Primes arrive at the docks and start searching for Sentinel's body. They don't get far before a nearby crate bursts open, revealing a sinister Sparkplug and Tutor Bot outfitted with miniature Headmaster Units. Sentinel isn't too worried by the puny automatons until they reveal some powerful laser-shooting upgrades. They send Optimus scrambling for cover while Sentinel's head bounces around impotently on the ground. When the ship Masterson is supposedly on starts casting off, they can't play around any longer, and Optimus rushes through the laser fire, ramps off the deck, transforms in mid-air and rides a powerful burst from his rocket axe to hook into the side of the ship's hull. Awesome. His grappling hooks probably would have worked equally well, but dude, flying rocket axe!

[[Image:Returnofheadmaster headmastersvictim.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Oh, beware the other head of science, Arthur. It bites.]]

On the ship, Optimus and Sentinel try to find Sentinel's body...until it finds them. The Headmaster pushes Optimus down with Sentinel's shield. Sentinel is surprised that it's so powerful, to which Masterson gloats he upgraded his equipment. Pulling out Sentinel's beam lance and expanding the shield into a spikier version, the Headmaster clashes with Optimus while Sentinel bounces around impotently on the ground some more.

Masterson manages to knock Optimus's axe off the ship, leaving him unarmed. After being pinned to the ground with shield spikes inches from his face, Optimus returns the favor by ripping off Sentinel's arm, shield and all. Sentinel is mortified by the dismemberment, but Optimus feels it was justified. He then uses Sentinel's arm as a makeshift axe and fights back the body, eventually severing the Headmaster unit. The head quickly converts to robot mode and starts to run off, but this time Optimus stops him by kicking Sentinel's head into the fleeing villain like a soccer ball. Again, Sentinel is appalled. Optimus has less of an excuse this time.

[[Image:Headm anim.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Salut!]]

Back on land, Fanzone has Masterson in cuffs, and it looks like a happy ending until Powell shows up, pointing out that the ship was Sumdac Systems property, the assaulted robots don't have rights protected by the law, and the whole incident occurred over international waters between the [[United States of America|United States]] and [[Canada]]. Masterson is free to go, much to the chagrin of everybody else.

Meanwhile, at the factory, Bumblebee and Bulkhead are about to try another zany scheme to cheer up Sari, but Prowl stops them and tells them just to listen to her instead. When they try this last resort, Sari opens up about all her worries regarding her [[Isaac Sumdac|missing father]], her lost home and company, and her questioned existence. Bumblebee and Bulkhead aren't sure what to do, but they assure her they are there for her.

Finally, aboard the Elite Guard's ship the next day, Sentinel and Optimus report to Ultra Magnus, who has heard something about Sentinel "losing his head". Sentinel trembles uncomfortably in silence, but Optimus reports that they worked together to solve the crisis, effectively covering for his comrade, who really doesn't deserve it. Ultra Magnus congratulates both of them and takes his leave to contact [[Cybertron Command]] on an issue of great importance. As the Primes walk down the hallway, Sentinel struggles out a "thank you" to his compatriot. Optimus notes that it must have hurt to say that, and Sentinel acknowledges the fact and reaches out his hand.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (12)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (13)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (16)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (17)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (1)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (4)
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (5)
*[[Carmine Fanzone]] (8)
*[[Augustus Edsel]] (9)
*[[Adrias]] (10)

|c4=
* [[Tutor Bot]] (2)
* [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] (3)
* [[News Bot]] (11)
* [[Trash Bot]] (14)
* [[Skippy]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"Whoa, hey! Check it! Major cribbage! And it's mine. It's all mine!"
:—'''Masterson''', who is surprisingly okay with the fact that his new "facilities" are frilly, lacy, and painted pink.

'''Sentinel''': Organics of Earth! Mr. Mayor! Captain Fanzone! I, ''Sentinel'' Prime, speak to you at the behest of our great commander Ultra Magnus, who could not be here because he has more important matters to attend to than to worry about this small, underdeveloped planet! Which is not to say that we of Cybertron ''mind'' helping you eh, ''[Fanzone looks at Optimus, who simply shrugs]'' simple organics, especially in light of the fact that, so far, our scanners have yet to detect any cyber-contaiments on your ... ''[clears throat]'' your, eh ''[to Optimus]'' what is it called again? 
'''Optimus''': Skin. 
'''Adrias''': ''[To the mayor]'' Sorry, Mr. Mayor. I thought this was supposed to be a friendly photo-op!
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' clearly representing Cybertron's best interests. ''Scary!''

'''Sentinel''': Don't ever presume you can speak for me, Optimus! The last thing we need is some over-glorified repairbot shooting his audio-processor off about things he doesn't understand! ''[Turns to crowd and smiles and wave. Then goes back to Optimus]'' A scrub like you should just smile and wave and stay out of the way! ''[To the crowd]'' Now, let's get this over with! ''[To Optimus]'' Eh, what am I supposed to do, now? 
'''Optimus''': Well, eh, according to human custom [smiles] you shake hands with the Mayor! 
''[Sentinel takes one look at the Mayor's hand]'' 
'''Sentinel''':''[looking disgusted at this idea]'' TOUCH AN ORGANIC?! 
'''Optimus''':Unless you want to pass such a great, diplomatic responsibility to a ''lowly'' repairbot. 
''[Sentinel clenches his teeth, then shakes hands with the mayor via his finger. The, wrenching his finger away, he cleans it with some spray!]'' 
'''Optimus''':''[To himself]'' Same old Sentinel!
:— Yet another example of '''Sentinel Prime''''s diplomatic tact!

"This is why I hate machines...especially arrogant, full-of-themselves machines!"
:—'''Captain Fanzone''', also saying what we're all thinking.

'''Optimus''': Sentinel, we should scramble our comlink frequencies in case the Decepticons are listening in! 
'''Sentinel''': What you ''should'' do is stick within the scope of your programming. If I need a trash can emptied or a floor mopped, I'll call on my buddy Optimus Prime. Or should I say...''Maintenance'' Prime? Hahahaha! 
''[Sentinel turns and walks away; Optimus does the same]'' 
'''Optimus''': 'Maintenance Prime'...then I'll just call you 'Pompous Gas-Bag Prime'. Yeah...that's what I should have said.
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Sentinel Prime''' match wits. Somehow, Optimus loses.

'''Sentinel''': Uhhh, Optimus. Tell the organic Fanzone that he can send his police force home. It's a false alarm. 
'''Optimus''': How do you know? 
'''Sentinel''': I just know, okay?! Now I need you to come to my position. ''ALONE''. And promise me one more thing... 
'''Optimus''': What? 
'''Sentinel''': That you won't laugh! 
''[Optimus looks around the rubble for Sentinel]'' 
'''Optimus''': Sentinel? Where are you? 
'''Sentinel''': ''[quietly]'' Look down... 
''[Optimus looks down to see Sentinel's head severed from his body]'' 
'''Optimus''': ''[lets out a hearty laugh]'' 
'''Sentinel''': You promised you wouldn't laugh!
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gets a kick out of '''Sentinel Prime''''s misfortune

'''Bumblebee''': Just because you don't have a tutor bot anymore doesn't mean you have to stop learning. 
'''Bulkhead''': Right. We can teach you. 
'''Bumblebee''': So, class, today's lesson is regarding...um...well, stuff, and how it works. Any questions? 
'''Sari''': Yeah. Why is there no record of my existence? 
'''Bumblebee''': Okay...a little bit outside the lesson plan. Professor Bulkhead, your thoughts? 
'''Bulkhead''': Maybe she came here from another planet in some kinda egg and crashed on Sumdac's doorstep. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or a portal could have opened and she fell through from another dimension. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or maybe she's really a robot. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or maybe Sumdac found her in a cabbage patch. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or that stork thing.
:—Professors '''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead''' have obviously been visiting the fan forums...

"Yes! I am so 1337!" 
"Yeah? Well, I have no idea what that means!"
:—'''Headmaster''' boasts as '''Optimus Prime''' scores a blow against over-sized egos everywhere.

==Notes==
* This episode was first broadcast in Canada on [[April 19]], one week before its United States premiere.

===Animation or technical errors===
*When Optimus picks up Sentinel's head in Sumdac Tower, his [[Autobrand]] '''blinks'''. It is ''quite'' disturbing.

===Continuity errors===
* When Optimus stops Masterson's escape, he asserts the villain is going "back to prison". However, the Headmaster does not serve time until [[TransWarped]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''Brazil'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Retorno de Headmaster'''" ("The Return of the Headmaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le retour du cérébro-pilote'''" ("The Return of the Cerebro-Pilot")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmasters Rückkehr'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 16|16 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmaster, Futatabi!'''" (ヘッドマスター、ふたたび!, "Headmaster, Once Again!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 24|24 July]] [[2010]]
[[Image:ReturnHeadmaster Otoboto insignia.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
::* An entirely new stock footage of Bumblebee transforming delivers the usual warning of watching in a bright room. This episode also debuts a slightly new [[title sequence#Animated|title sequence]], using the second half of "[[Transformers Evo.|TRANSFORMERS EVO.]]" and replacing the footage of the Starscream clones and Cybertronian-mode Megatron with Earth-mode Megatron, [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], Soundblaster, [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]], and two [[Blackout (Animated)|Blackout]] lookalikes. However, it doesn't have the additional sound effects used in the previous four episodes.
::* '''Cut:''' Optimus laughing upon discovering Sentinel's detached head and Sentinel's dismay at Optimus breaking his promise not to laugh.
::* The [[Otoboto family]] reveals [[Sega]]'s arcade games ''[[Transformers Animated: The Chase]]'' and ''[[Transformers Animated: The Shooting]]''. It's preceded by the famous faction-swipe with a Decepticon-[[insignia|symbol]] modified to incorporate [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Hiroyuki]]'s face in the bottom half. [[Megumi Otoboto|Megumi]] then shows off the [[Transformers Cards|cards]] that can be used to play the two games and reveals what A-021 looks like: a gold-foil Voyager Optimus with his axe. [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Father]] and [[Tatsuya Otoboto|son]] proceed to hog the machines, to [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]]'s disappointment.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Powrót Headmastera'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
* Bumblebee mentions Sari could have come from a cabbage patch, a reference to the popular explanation of where babies come from - or to the [[wikipedia:Cabbage_Patch_Kids|Cabbage Patch Kids]] said explanation inspired.
* Powell makes a passing reference to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, also known as "the Mounties".
* Bulkhead's "came here from another planet in some kind of egg" comment could be a reference to 1970s sitcom [[wikipedia:Mork_and_Mindy|''Mork and Mindy'']], or also a reference to the [[Superman|Superman origin]] story.
* The appearance of [[Detroit]]'s real-life Wayne County Building and the Renaissance Center in this episode gives a firm location for [[Sumdac Tower]]—it's on one of two blocks of Randolph Street, currently occupied by a parking garage and a surface parking lot.

===Trivia===
*Powell claims Optimus and Sentinel's clash with Masterson took place in "international waters". While the nation in which the incident occurred may be in question, there are no ''international'' waters in Lake St. Clair or Lake Erie, just American and Canadian waters. (But then, this is the future.) The "Mounties" remark is still relevant.
*Apparently, calling the police to report fabricated events (about Decepticons) doesn't constitute a crime in [[Detroit]]. Either that, or Fanzone didn't put two and two together as to Masterson being the caller of the faux incident.
*When Sentinel asks for Optimus to cover for him, Optimus mentions how Sentinel "covered for him" all those years ago, presumably after the [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] [[Along Came a Spider|incident]]. Maybe this is the reason that Optimus washed out of the [[Autobot Academy]]? Answer: [[Endgame, Part I|Yes. It is.]]
*Either the events of this episode span at least two days and two nights, or the sun goes down roughly [[Transformers (film)|every couple of hours]].
*Given they presumably had very little time to prepare, the Autobots have whipped up a surprisingly comfortable room for Sari in their factory, doubly surprising given the lack of proper materials on hand. Who wouldn't want to sleep in a bed made from a giant radial tire!?
*On the other hand, their idea of proper human cuisine needs some work, since the meal they provide for Sari consists of a bunch of acorns, a fish skeleton (with flies buzzing around it), a live rabbit, and some miniature barrels of [[oil]].
*This is the only episode of Season Two where the Decepticons don't appear.
*How did Powell clear the Headmaster for his attempt to destroy Michigan in his previous appearance?
*Bulkhead's guesses about Sari's origin were quite accurate: [[TransWarped|She is part robot and she did come to earth in an egg-like thing that just happened to land near Sumdac]]. Foreshadowing there, Bulky?

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 5 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Return of the Headmaster}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]