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Predacons Rising (Animated)

2009-07-08T04:32:35Z

199.126.248.201: /* Animation Errors */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=PredaconsRising-WaspinatorBlackarachnia.jpg
|caption=Battle of the arthropods.
|ep=36
|title="Predacons Rising"
|airdate=[[April 11]], 2009
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]] [[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

'''Blackarachnia has plans... for [[Wasp]]!'''

==Synopsis==
The Autobots engage in a high-speed chase after Wasp through the city of Detroit. Though Optimus Prime says he believes even Wasp doesn't know where he's going, the fugitive former Autobot makes clear one thing: they're not going to take him while he's still online. Bumblebee nearly catches Wasp, but the interference of Sentinel Prime allows him to get away again. Optimus insists that Sentinel's responsibility lies on Cybertron and that he ought to deliver the remaining prisoners to the stockade. Sentinel counters that he's sure that Wasp knew about the attack on Ultra Magnus, and he intends to bring him in.

[[Image:TFAni Predacons Rising Wasp Cornered.jpg|thumb|180px|left|"Word on street izzz you're a jerk!"]]
With the help of the twins, the crew finally corners Wasp. Bumblebee tries to talk him down, but finds that his excuses fail to placate the fugitive. Optimus tells Wasp that the espionage charges against him have been dropped, but Sentinel again interferes and the two Primes get into an argument about jurisdiction. In the confusion, Wasp escapes again.

Taking pursuit, the Autobots are stymied when Wasp is plucked from the ground by the arrival of Swoop. They are only able to pursue the flying Dinobot to the pier before being forced to break off. Sentinel is infuriated, and has the twins grapple him to continue the chase. Optimus, realizing that Swoop is likely taking Wasp to Dinobot Island, begs Sentinel to hold off, as he hasn't yet explained what his former comrade would find there. Sentinel disregards this, and tells the twins to continue onward.

Wasp is brought to Meltdown's old lab, which has seen a considerable refit. In charge now is Blackarachnia, who looks him over. Satisfied that he has pure Cybertronian circuitry, she decides that he is ideal for her purposes and offers him a chance to have enough power to get his revenge on the Autobots. Showing him a transwarp generator, she explains that it has only been used for transport before, but she has found a new application.

[[Image:TFAni Predacons Rising Wasp Change.jpg|thumb|180px|right|"Why Wasp always get seated in smoking section?"]]
After reaching the island (with mild discomfort), Sentinel orders the twins to distract the Dinobots. They take this as a chance to attack, with Jetfire engaging in a dogfight with Swoop, and Jetstorm using his wind cannon to knock poor Snarl offline and lead Grimlock away from the entrance to the lab. Making his way inside, Sentinel is surprised by Blackarachnia and finds himself disgusted at the prospect of a Cybertronian with an organic mode. His disgust turns to horror when she reveals that she was Elita-1. Sentinel tries to explain that it was Optimus's fault for leaving her behind and that he'd always assumed she was dead. Instead, he finds her current condition a fate worse than death. As they talk, the transwarp pods begin to overload, and out of the explosion comes Wasp—now a technorganic wasp who has renamed himself Waspinator!

[[Image:TFAni Predacons Rising Blackarachina Unmasked Sentinel.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Now we know what lies behind her masquerade!]]
Reaching the island, Bumblebee has given up on trying to talk things out with Wasp, while Optimus says that he could start by apologizing first. In the lab, Sentinel is horrified by what Blackarachnia has done to Wasp and says that she has to be stopped. Blackarachnia is not that surprised that he's willing to kill his old friend, but Sentinel screams that she is not Elita-1, driving his lance forward and knocking her helmet off...revealing the horrifying technorganic face she now has underneath. Not wanting to see "Spider-bot" hurt, Waspinator attacks, but flies out of the room and crashes into Bumblebee. Taken aback by Wasp's new appearance, Bumblebee says that he's sorry for everything he did and didn't do during boot camp. Thinking about it, Wasp admits that he can forgive Bumblebee. Unfortunately, ''Waspinator'' is more interested in revenge. As he tries to attack, however, Waspinator begins to discharge transwarp energy.

[[Image:TFAni Predacons Rising Blackarachina sans Helmet.jpg|thumb|right|180px|You! You're not Sylvia! You're one of the Kung Fu Creatures on the Rampage....2!]]
In the lab, Optimus confronts Blackarachnia and says that he's the one responsible for her condition, not Sentinel. Blackarachnia doesn't care; she has every right to slag them both because of what happened to her. She also explains that she changed Wasp in the hopes that if she could change him back, she could change herself back into Elita-1. She isn't that concerned if he goes offline in the process. Unfortunately, Waspinator hears that comment and begins trying to attack Blackarachnia. With Waspinator's body starting to go critical, Blackarachnia flees outside, as do the Autobots, where the twins have dispatched the Dinobots. However, to contain Waspinator, Blackarachnia wraps him in a cocoon, and the Autobots barely manage to avoid being caught in the blast, which appears to destroy most of Dinobot Island. Optimus believes that Blackarachnia sacrificed herself to save them, but Sentinel believes that she sacrificed Waspinator to allow herself to escape.

At the Elite Guard ship, Optimus Prime's crew is seeing the Elite Guard off, though Sentinel is late. The twins poke fun at Sentinel's fear of organics, but Optimus tells them to give Sentinel a break: For all his flaws, Sentinel is still a good bot, in Optimus's opinion. Sentinel then arrives to have a private conversation with Optimus. Optimus apologizes for not letting Sentinel to go back and try to save Elita, and for not telling him sooner about Blackarachnia. Sentinel says that he's sorry they ever went to that planet, but it's too late for apologies, and the two Primes finally appear to bury the hatchet. Optimus points out that Cybertron's need for a leader is top priority, and that Sentinel is that leader, for better or worse.

[[Image:TFAni Predacons Rising Waspinator Hazz Planzzz.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Some pieces are made to detach if excessive force is applied.]]
Elsewhere, in a strange-looking jungle, Waspinator is still online, but must reassemble himself, muttering that he has "planzzz". A short distance away, Blackarachnia finds herself confronted with some local animals...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (4)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (5)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (6)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (7)
*[[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] (8)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (10)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (11)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (12)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (13)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (14)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (15)
|c2=
*[[Wasp|Wasp/Waspinator]] (1)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (9)

}}

==Quotes==
'''Bumblebee''': Hate to say it, but Sentinel's got a point. I'd feel a lot safer with Wasp behind bars. 
'''Optimus''': That's not your call to make, Bumblebee. 
'''Sentinel''': And it's not ''your'' call to make either, Optimus. I'm in command. 
'''Optimus''': On ''Cybertron''. This planet is ''my'' jurisdiction. 
'''Sentinel''': This is a Cybertronian fugitive, and I'll enforce my authority as the...the uh...''primer'' Prime! 
'''Optimus''': Did you just make that up?! 
'''Sentinel''': No! 
'''Optimus''': There's no such thing as a Primer Prime! 
'''Sentinel''': It's a real term. Look it up. 
'''Optimus''': I'm not gonna look it up! 
'''Sentinel''': 'Fraid I'm right?
:—Optimus and Sentinel engage in what can be politely described as a pissing contest.

'''Sentinel''': Right, okay. Here's the plan. Give me a few nanokliks to get into position and, then, give me a diversion to draw them away from the entrance. 
'''Jetfire''': De version? Vat kind of version? 
'''Jetstorm''': Means for us to blow something up! 
'''Jetfire''': Oh, good! I am liking de version!
:—The Twins enjoy blowing stuff up.

"I just never knew, never imagined that something this... unspeakable could have happened to you. How can you even live like that? It's horrible! It's disgusting!" 
"Okay, okay, I get it! It's bad, but it's not ''that'' bad, all right?!" 
"No. It's worse. You should have gone offline."
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' has more issues with '''Blackarachnia'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s condition than she does.

'''Blackarachnia''': So that's it?! You just slag your old friend Elita-1? 
'''Sentinel Prime''': ''Don't say that name!'' You don't deserve to say that name! 
''(Sentinel swipes, knocking Blackarachnia's helmet off, revealing her true face)'' 
'''Sentinel Prime''': You're not Elita-1, you mutant freak. Elita-1 went offline a long time ago.
:—Sentinel may actually be right for once, albeit coming from the wrong direction.

"Let him go, Blackarachnia." 
"Why should I, Optimus?" 
"Because I'm the one who left you behind. Sentinel's not the one to blame for what you look like." 
"What I look like is only half the story. What I am is a lot more complicated."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Blackarachnia''', as the latter attacks Sentinel

"Hey, speaking of friends, I wanted to say I'm sorry—you know, for everything I did and didn't do." 
"Wasp forgive Bumble-bot." 
"Oh. Really?" 
"BUT WAZZPINATOR NEVER FORGIVE!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Waspinator'''

"C'mon, ease up, you two. [Sentinel]'s been through a lot." 
"Never thought I'd hear ''you'' sticking up for S.P." 
"He's a good bot... even if he doesn't know how to let go of a grudge."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' surprises '''Jazz''' and the audience.

"Wazzpinator cannot go offline. Wazzpinator have planzz."
:—'''Waspinator''', foreshadowing.

==Notes==
===Transformers references===
*As the plot of this episode centers on Blackarachnia and Waspinator, the ''Animated'' staff recruited Larry DiTillio and Bob Forward, the head writers of the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' animated series, to script it. Consequently, the episode has quite a few references to ''Beast Wars'', including:

:*The title itself is, of course, a reference to the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] from ''Beast Wars'', but it's a reference that doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to anyone who doesn't already know what a Predacon is, since no one in the episode is actually ''called'' a Predacon at any stage.

:*Although it's hardly a ''Transformers''-specific term, Sentinel instructs Jetfire and Jetstorm to fire their jets at "Maximum Burn", which was a pretty common command phrase used by the Beast Warriors for firing their own jets. If it were anybody but DiTillio and Forward on scripting duties, we'd probably write it off, but...

:*Just like [[Waspinator (BW)|his predecessor]], this Waspinator can survive being blown to scraps.

[[Image:PredaconsRising-craziestofcameos.jpg|right|thumb|250px|What, no eagle/wolf Fuzor?]]

:*The immortal phrase "Waspinator has plans!" was first uttered by the original ''Beast Wars'' incarnation of the character in "[[Other Voices, Part 2]]", and has since become one of the lovable little guy's most famous and popular lines amongst the fandom, leading to a reprisal in "[[Nemesis Part 1]]". In context, he was bemoaning his apparent looming demise and merely indicating that he had stuff he wanted to do with his life, but like a lot of the aspects of the original Waspinator that are adapted into ''Animated'' Waspy, here, it just comes off as pretty ''sinister''.

:*At the end of the episode, Blackarachnia comes face to face with [[Optimus Primal|a gorilla]], [[Rhinox (BW)|a rhino]], [[Cheetor (BW)|a green-eyed cheetah]], [[Rattrap|and a very large rat]]. Interestingly, the script even calls the setting where this scene takes place a "primitive Earthlike planet." Hmmm. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] [http://twitter.com/DerrickJWyatt/status/1500152931 encourages us] not to read too much into the scene, however.

* "It's too late for apologies" is one of the most infamous lines of dialogue from the hilariously inept [[RTM 1 dub]] of the Japanese ''[[The Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]]'' cartoon, where it was spoken by a Goth-angsty [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]].

===Animation Errors===
* When Waspinator confronts Blackarachnia (immediately after she confesses to using him), his mandible does not move as he speaks. A screenshot of this error can be seen at the top of this page.
* In one scene, the Jet Twins' Elite Guard symbols on their hips are missing.
* Just after Waspinator runs into Bumblebee in pursuit of Blackarachnia, Bumblebee's chest plate briefly shrinks while tumbling then reverts back to normal size after.

===Real-world references===
*When Blackarachnia presses some buttons on her computer, they sound the theme from ''[[wikipedia:Close Encounters of the Third Kind|Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]''.
*The transwarp experimentation chambers look and function exactly like the telepods from David Cronenberg's [[wikipedia:The Fly (1986)|''The Fly'']].

===Trivia===
* Bumblebee can drive up the sides of buildings! [[Spy Changer|He's not the only one]].

* When Optimus contacts Sentinel Prime to warn him about Dinobot Island, Sentinel shuts him off by tilting the 'antenna' on the left side of his head. [[Sentinel_Prime_%28Animated%29#Animated|His Deluxe toy actually does allow you to do this]], but backwards.

* When Optimus and Sentinel discuss Sentinel taking over from Ultra Magnus, observe Optimus as he says "...and for better or worse..." He appears to squint uncomfortably, almost as if it pained him to say what he's going to say. [[This Is Why I Hate Machines|Huh.]]

*Prowl continues to wear his new samurai armor even when he's not really needing it. [[To sell toys|Gotta sell that brand-spankin' new figure, you know?]]

==External links==
* [http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c392209eba550120a0018dca0018 "Predacons Rising" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 5/25/09)

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Predacons Rising (Animated)

2009-07-08T04:27:19Z

199.126.248.201: /* Animation Errors */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=PredaconsRising-WaspinatorBlackarachnia.jpg
|caption=Battle of the arthropods.
|ep=36
|title="Predacons Rising"
|airdate=[[April 11]], 2009
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]] [[Bob Forward]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

'''Blackarachnia has plans... for [[Wasp]]!'''

==Synopsis==
The Autobots engage in a high-speed chase after Wasp through the city of Detroit. Though Optimus Prime says he believes even Wasp doesn't know where he's going, the fugitive former Autobot makes clear one thing: they're not going to take him while he's still online. Bumblebee nearly catches Wasp, but the interference of Sentinel Prime allows him to get away again. Optimus insists that Sentinel's responsibility lies on Cybertron and that he ought to deliver the remaining prisoners to the stockade. Sentinel counters that he's sure that Wasp knew about the attack on Ultra Magnus, and he intends to bring him in.

[[Image:TFAni Predacons Rising Wasp Cornered.jpg|thumb|180px|left|"Word on street izzz you're a jerk!"]]
With the help of the twins, the crew finally corners Wasp. Bumblebee tries to talk him down, but finds that his excuses fail to placate the fugitive. Optimus tells Wasp that the espionage charges against him have been dropped, but Sentinel again interferes and the two Primes get into an argument about jurisdiction. In the confusion, Wasp escapes again.

Taking pursuit, the Autobots are stymied when Wasp is plucked from the ground by the arrival of Swoop. They are only able to pursue the flying Dinobot to the pier before being forced to break off. Sentinel is infuriated, and has the twins grapple him to continue the chase. Optimus, realizing that Swoop is likely taking Wasp to Dinobot Island, begs Sentinel to hold off, as he hasn't yet explained what his former comrade would find there. Sentinel disregards this, and tells the twins to continue onward.

Wasp is brought to Meltdown's old lab, which has seen a considerable refit. In charge now is Blackarachnia, who looks him over. Satisfied that he has pure Cybertronian circuitry, she decides that he is ideal for her purposes and offers him a chance to have enough power to get his revenge on the Autobots. Showing him a transwarp generator, she explains that it has only been used for transport before, but she has found a new application.

[[Image:TFAni Predacons Rising Wasp Change.jpg|thumb|180px|right|"Why Wasp always get seated in smoking section?"]]
After reaching the island (with mild discomfort), Sentinel orders the twins to distract the Dinobots. They take this as a chance to attack, with Jetfire engaging in a dogfight with Swoop, and Jetstorm using his wind cannon to knock poor Snarl offline and lead Grimlock away from the entrance to the lab. Making his way inside, Sentinel is surprised by Blackarachnia and finds himself disgusted at the prospect of a Cybertronian with an organic mode. His disgust turns to horror when she reveals that she was Elita-1. Sentinel tries to explain that it was Optimus's fault for leaving her behind and that he'd always assumed she was dead. Instead, he finds her current condition a fate worse than death. As they talk, the transwarp pods begin to overload, and out of the explosion comes Wasp—now a technorganic wasp who has renamed himself Waspinator!

[[Image:TFAni Predacons Rising Blackarachina Unmasked Sentinel.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Now we know what lies behind her masquerade!]]
Reaching the island, Bumblebee has given up on trying to talk things out with Wasp, while Optimus says that he could start by apologizing first. In the lab, Sentinel is horrified by what Blackarachnia has done to Wasp and says that she has to be stopped. Blackarachnia is not that surprised that he's willing to kill his old friend, but Sentinel screams that she is not Elita-1, driving his lance forward and knocking her helmet off...revealing the horrifying technorganic face she now has underneath. Not wanting to see "Spider-bot" hurt, Waspinator attacks, but flies out of the room and crashes into Bumblebee. Taken aback by Wasp's new appearance, Bumblebee says that he's sorry for everything he did and didn't do during boot camp. Thinking about it, Wasp admits that he can forgive Bumblebee. Unfortunately, ''Waspinator'' is more interested in revenge. As he tries to attack, however, Waspinator begins to discharge transwarp energy.

[[Image:TFAni Predacons Rising Blackarachina sans Helmet.jpg|thumb|right|180px|You! You're not Sylvia! You're one of the Kung Fu Creatures on the Rampage....2!]]
In the lab, Optimus confronts Blackarachnia and says that he's the one responsible for her condition, not Sentinel. Blackarachnia doesn't care; she has every right to slag them both because of what happened to her. She also explains that she changed Wasp in the hopes that if she could change him back, she could change herself back into Elita-1. She isn't that concerned if he goes offline in the process. Unfortunately, Waspinator hears that comment and begins trying to attack Blackarachnia. With Waspinator's body starting to go critical, Blackarachnia flees outside, as do the Autobots, where the twins have dispatched the Dinobots. However, to contain Waspinator, Blackarachnia wraps him in a cocoon, and the Autobots barely manage to avoid being caught in the blast, which appears to destroy most of Dinobot Island. Optimus believes that Blackarachnia sacrificed herself to save them, but Sentinel believes that she sacrificed Waspinator to allow herself to escape.

At the Elite Guard ship, Optimus Prime's crew is seeing the Elite Guard off, though Sentinel is late. The twins poke fun at Sentinel's fear of organics, but Optimus tells them to give Sentinel a break: For all his flaws, Sentinel is still a good bot, in Optimus's opinion. Sentinel then arrives to have a private conversation with Optimus. Optimus apologizes for not letting Sentinel to go back and try to save Elita, and for not telling him sooner about Blackarachnia. Sentinel says that he's sorry they ever went to that planet, but it's too late for apologies, and the two Primes finally appear to bury the hatchet. Optimus points out that Cybertron's need for a leader is top priority, and that Sentinel is that leader, for better or worse.

[[Image:TFAni Predacons Rising Waspinator Hazz Planzzz.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Some pieces are made to detach if excessive force is applied.]]
Elsewhere, in a strange-looking jungle, Waspinator is still online, but must reassemble himself, muttering that he has "planzzz". A short distance away, Blackarachnia finds herself confronted with some local animals...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (4)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (5)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (6)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (7)
*[[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] (8)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (10)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (11)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (12)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (13)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (14)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (15)
|c2=
*[[Wasp|Wasp/Waspinator]] (1)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (9)

}}

==Quotes==
'''Bumblebee''': Hate to say it, but Sentinel's got a point. I'd feel a lot safer with Wasp behind bars. 
'''Optimus''': That's not your call to make, Bumblebee. 
'''Sentinel''': And it's not ''your'' call to make either, Optimus. I'm in command. 
'''Optimus''': On ''Cybertron''. This planet is ''my'' jurisdiction. 
'''Sentinel''': This is a Cybertronian fugitive, and I'll enforce my authority as the...the uh...''primer'' Prime! 
'''Optimus''': Did you just make that up?! 
'''Sentinel''': No! 
'''Optimus''': There's no such thing as a Primer Prime! 
'''Sentinel''': It's a real term. Look it up. 
'''Optimus''': I'm not gonna look it up! 
'''Sentinel''': 'Fraid I'm right?
:—Optimus and Sentinel engage in what can be politely described as a pissing contest.

'''Sentinel''': Right, okay. Here's the plan. Give me a few nanokliks to get into position and, then, give me a diversion to draw them away from the entrance. 
'''Jetfire''': De version? Vat kind of version? 
'''Jetstorm''': Means for us to blow something up! 
'''Jetfire''': Oh, good! I am liking de version!
:—The Twins enjoy blowing stuff up.

"I just never knew, never imagined that something this... unspeakable could have happened to you. How can you even live like that? It's horrible! It's disgusting!" 
"Okay, okay, I get it! It's bad, but it's not ''that'' bad, all right?!" 
"No. It's worse. You should have gone offline."
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' has more issues with '''Blackarachnia'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s condition than she does.

'''Blackarachnia''': So that's it?! You just slag your old friend Elita-1? 
'''Sentinel Prime''': ''Don't say that name!'' You don't deserve to say that name! 
''(Sentinel swipes, knocking Blackarachnia's helmet off, revealing her true face)'' 
'''Sentinel Prime''': You're not Elita-1, you mutant freak. Elita-1 went offline a long time ago.
:—Sentinel may actually be right for once, albeit coming from the wrong direction.

"Let him go, Blackarachnia." 
"Why should I, Optimus?" 
"Because I'm the one who left you behind. Sentinel's not the one to blame for what you look like." 
"What I look like is only half the story. What I am is a lot more complicated."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Blackarachnia''', as the latter attacks Sentinel

"Hey, speaking of friends, I wanted to say I'm sorry—you know, for everything I did and didn't do." 
"Wasp forgive Bumble-bot." 
"Oh. Really?" 
"BUT WAZZPINATOR NEVER FORGIVE!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Waspinator'''

"C'mon, ease up, you two. [Sentinel]'s been through a lot." 
"Never thought I'd hear ''you'' sticking up for S.P." 
"He's a good bot... even if he doesn't know how to let go of a grudge."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' surprises '''Jazz''' and the audience.

"Wazzpinator cannot go offline. Wazzpinator have planzz."
:—'''Waspinator''', foreshadowing.

==Notes==
===Transformers references===
*As the plot of this episode centers on Blackarachnia and Waspinator, the ''Animated'' staff recruited Larry DiTillio and Bob Forward, the head writers of the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' animated series, to script it. Consequently, the episode has quite a few references to ''Beast Wars'', including:

:*The title itself is, of course, a reference to the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] from ''Beast Wars'', but it's a reference that doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to anyone who doesn't already know what a Predacon is, since no one in the episode is actually ''called'' a Predacon at any stage.

:*Although it's hardly a ''Transformers''-specific term, Sentinel instructs Jetfire and Jetstorm to fire their jets at "Maximum Burn", which was a pretty common command phrase used by the Beast Warriors for firing their own jets. If it were anybody but DiTillio and Forward on scripting duties, we'd probably write it off, but...

:*Just like [[Waspinator (BW)|his predecessor]], this Waspinator can survive being blown to scraps.

[[Image:PredaconsRising-craziestofcameos.jpg|right|thumb|250px|What, no eagle/wolf Fuzor?]]

:*The immortal phrase "Waspinator has plans!" was first uttered by the original ''Beast Wars'' incarnation of the character in "[[Other Voices, Part 2]]", and has since become one of the lovable little guy's most famous and popular lines amongst the fandom, leading to a reprisal in "[[Nemesis Part 1]]". In context, he was bemoaning his apparent looming demise and merely indicating that he had stuff he wanted to do with his life, but like a lot of the aspects of the original Waspinator that are adapted into ''Animated'' Waspy, here, it just comes off as pretty ''sinister''.

:*At the end of the episode, Blackarachnia comes face to face with [[Optimus Primal|a gorilla]], [[Rhinox (BW)|a rhino]], [[Cheetor (BW)|a green-eyed cheetah]], [[Rattrap|and a very large rat]]. Interestingly, the script even calls the setting where this scene takes place a "primitive Earthlike planet." Hmmm. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] [http://twitter.com/DerrickJWyatt/status/1500152931 encourages us] not to read too much into the scene, however.

* "It's too late for apologies" is one of the most infamous lines of dialogue from the hilariously inept [[RTM 1 dub]] of the Japanese ''[[The Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]]'' cartoon, where it was spoken by a Goth-angsty [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]].

===Animation Errors===
* When Waspinator confronts Blackarachnia (immediately after she confesses to using him), his mandible does not move as he speaks. A screenshot of this error can be seen at the top of this page.
* In one scene, the Jet Twins' Elite Guard symbols on their hips are missing.
* Just after Waspinator bumps into Bumblebee in pursuit of Blackarachnia, Bumblebee's chest plate briefly shrinks while tumbling then reverts back to normal size after.

===Real-world references===
*When Blackarachnia presses some buttons on her computer, they sound the theme from ''[[wikipedia:Close Encounters of the Third Kind|Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]''.
*The transwarp experimentation chambers look and function exactly like the telepods from David Cronenberg's [[wikipedia:The Fly (1986)|''The Fly'']].

===Trivia===
* Bumblebee can drive up the sides of buildings! [[Spy Changer|He's not the only one]].

* When Optimus contacts Sentinel Prime to warn him about Dinobot Island, Sentinel shuts him off by tilting the 'antenna' on the left side of his head. [[Sentinel_Prime_%28Animated%29#Animated|His Deluxe toy actually does allow you to do this]], but backwards.

* When Optimus and Sentinel discuss Sentinel taking over from Ultra Magnus, observe Optimus as he says "...and for better or worse..." He appears to squint uncomfortably, almost as if it pained him to say what he's going to say. [[This Is Why I Hate Machines|Huh.]]

*Prowl continues to wear his new samurai armor even when he's not really needing it. [[To sell toys|Gotta sell that brand-spankin' new figure, you know?]]

==External links==
* [http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c392209eba550120a0018dca0018 "Predacons Rising" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 5/25/09)

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Transform and Roll Out

2009-07-06T22:43:00Z

199.126.248.201: /* Quotes */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=TFA_TFandRollout_AutobotHeroes.jpg
|caption=''Epic''
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|ep=1, 2 and 3
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|title="Transform and Roll Out"
|airdate=[[December 26]], 2007
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by= [[Matt Youngberg]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]] [[Minoru Yamaoka]] [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]}}
'''When a small crew of maintenance Autobots comes into possession of the powerful AllSpark, a battle with their long-forgotten enemies sends them crashing toward a strange, distant planet known as... ''Earth.'''''

:''German Title:'' "'''Transformieren und Abfahrt'''"
:''Polish Title:'' "'''Transformacja i jazda'''"

==Synopsis==
===Part 1===
In deep, deep space, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] watches some old history videos, prompting [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] to complain about him watching that "junk" when the other members of the crew need assistance. Prime wonders if they were designed for more than repairing [[Space bridge|space bridges]]. The two 'Bots transform into their vehicle modes and head out into the asteroid field.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout TheAllsparkdiscovered.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Well... at least there's no mass-shifting.]]
Outside, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], dangling from a high rock by his wrecking ball (and becoming quite queasy in the process), is freed by [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], who also ends up taking a tumble. Bumblebee complains about the sheer amount of rocks blocking the space bridge node, and one is shattered unexpectedly by [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]'s throwing star. Prime gives his troops a speech about teamwork (which Prowl moans at theatrically), but at that point the space bridge lights up, sending rocks and Autobots flying. Fancy footwork by Optimus saves each of his teammates from the debris, and a well-aimed grappling line shuts down the bridge. With his subordinates stunned at their leader's skills, Prime is forced to admit he trained at [[Autobot Academy|Cybertron's military academy]]. Bumblebee's query as to what the hell he's doing on a nowhere maintenance assignment is left unanswered as they notice something glowing in the rubble.

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

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Decepticonship.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Yes, this is a scout ship. Way to go, Magnanimous.]]
On board [[Autobot ship (Animated)|their ship]], Ratchet finally reveals what they've found: the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], the source of all Transformer life that was lost centuries ago. Optimus, worried about the oncoming Decepticon signal, contacts the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] for help. After taking a bit of snark from [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], Optimus reveals what they found, which shuts Sentinel up fast. Sentinel then puts the crew through to [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], who tells Optimus Prime to stay put while they send reinforcements... and not to worry about that Decepticon thing. Optimus, considering this to be a really stupid move, orders the crew to start booking it out of there.

[[Image:Ani crew.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Scotty, engage!]]
This proves wise, as the signal is indeed a Decepticon ship—a [[Nemesis (Animated)|command ship]], in fact. The identification markings are ones that Optimus and Ratchet recognize, meaning its commander can only be one person: [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], leader of the Decepticons. On board the Decepticon ship, [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] doubts the AllSpark is aboard the Autobot ship and declares Megatron a fool. [[Lugnut]] denounces Starscream as a traitor, while [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] calls Lugnut an idiot for his blind loyalty and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] just acts... well, crazy. The Decepticons continue to bicker at each other until Megatron enters, shutting up all of them. The Decepticons chase the Autobot ship, and Starscream volunteers to board them. Megatron quickly shoots that idea down. Just before he leaves, Starscream wishes his commander "luck" with a pat on the back... affixing a bomb to Megatron in the process.

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

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

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Arkatmosphere.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Oddly familiar.]]
On a small farm, a young boy hears a thud and runs to where something has landed in a not-too-distant field. He is shocked to find a robotic head staring lifelessly up at him.

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

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

===Part 2===
[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Firefighters monster.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Yeah, watering it will surely stop the beast.]]
The monster continues to grow, absorbing just about everything it touches to increase its size and power. In the process, it destroys a lot of the factory. [[Captain Fanzone]], the S.W.A.T team, the fire department, ambulances, and robot drones arrive, but the creature absorbs several of the responding vehicles, too. Fanzone uses a bazooka-type weapon and destroys the beast, despite Sumdac's objection. This protest proves well-founded, as the remnants of the creature start flowing back together again, save for one piece that drops into the nearby lake and works its way down to the Autobots' ship, its nanites seeking the absorbable technology there. It infiltrates via a small breach in the outer hull, but thankfully, the ship's intruder alert systems are functional and awaken the Autobots before any damage is done. Examining the situation, they decide to have Teletran 1 give them Earth forms so they can blend in and help out. A probe is launched into the chaos and scans various vehicles, including an [[Ratchet (Animated)|ambulance]], a [[Prowl (Animated)|police motorbike]], an [[Bulkhead (Animated)|armored personnel carrier]], a [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|fire truck]], and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Captain Fanzone's car]]. Everyone deploys except Ratchet, who remains behind to analyze the sample of alien material.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Autobots.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Avengers, ASSEMBLE!]]
During the fight, Bulkhead and Bumblebee spot Sari trying to wrest her security key from Sparkplug's mouth. Mistaking which is owner and which is pet, they approach her, but Bulkhead's greeting only scares her away. She quickly gets nabbed by the monster, but Bumblebee saves her, earning her trust and friendship. Prowl attempts to take on the bug-slug by himself, against Prime's orders, and gets absorbed. Prime orders Ratchet to join them in battle to save Prowl, but the old veteran insists that finding a "cure" code to neutralize the nanites' programming makes more sense than coming out and getting trashed. A somewhat chastened Prime agrees, and Ratchet soon delivers the goods. However, the new program must be uploaded by direct contact—meaning from inside the monster. This means the smallest, fastest one of them has to do it. Bumblebee reluctantly takes on the task. The beast has been using some of Prowl's absorbed intelligence and comm link tech, though, so it knows what they're planning and is now smart enough to fight back. Despite this, Bumblebee succeeds in delivering the code, and the bug dissolves into a dusty shower of deactivated nanites. Prowl is soon uncovered, but he's suffered grave wounds and must be taken back to the Autobots' ship for repairs. Sari pesters Bumblebee to be taken along, and her new friend reluctantly agrees, since there's no time to make her go away quietly.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Sari followedmehome.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Bumblebee, having a pet is a big responsibility.]]
Once on board, Sari's refusal to stay still and quiet causes 'Bee some embarrassment. He quickly and discreetly ejects her into a ventilation port and joins the others. However, the port opens onto a shaft that takes Sari right to the chamber where the AllSpark is being kept. Curious, she touches it, and it reacts to her, sending its energies into her security card key and reconfiguring it into [[Key|a key of another sort entirely]]. Prime finds her almost immediately thereafter, but with no time left to spare away from Prowl, he has to bring her back with him to the repair table. Ratchet's prognosis is bleak, but the Key abruptly reacts, glowing and tugging her toward Prowl. Bumblebee, seeming to grasp what's happening, helps her onto the table, and as she approaches, her key reshapes itself to fit into a slot on Prowl's chest. She inserts it, and with a burst of energy, the Autobot ninja is whole again. The Autobots then take Sari home and, after a brief misunderstanding, are made heroes and are even invited to a ceremony.

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

===Part 3===
[[Image:Sariprime.jpg|right|150px|thumb|INSERT WHAT WHERE?!]]
The Autobots are later seen trying to fit in. Bulkhead gets firsthand experience in traffic jams, some birds mistake Prowl for the statue of the [[wikipedia:Hazen_S._Pingree|bald guy]] next to him, Bumblebee learns how organics fuel up, and Ratchet can't get a stasis nap without getting a dozen or so parking tickets. Optimus Prime remarks that the Autobots are programmed to respect life, which they always understood to stem from the AllSpark, but as organics are life, they must respect and protect them too. Optimus also expresses curiosity about how little organics are made. Sari's whispered explanation leaves him rather... shocked. The Autobots make a new home base out of a building Sari's dad got out of a merger, an abandoned auto factory that Bumblebee describes as a real fixer-upper—a REAL fixer-upper. All of a sudden, they get alerted to a fire. The Autobots proceed to douse the blaze and save its victims, no problem, unaware they are being watched by Starscream.

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

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

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Prime SS Allsparkactivates.jpg|left|150px|thumb|In the old days, The Touch would have started playing now.]]
With the Autobots down, Starscream takes the AllSpark from Optimus and blows a couple of blocks of Detroit right off the map. Not ready to give up, Optimus climbs all the way up a building to get it back from Starscream, which Starscream doesn't see coming because he was too busy gloating. After a quick back-and-forth exchange of possessing it, both grab it at the same time. As they struggle, the AllSpark opens and emits a strange energy wave that blasts Starscream away.

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

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

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|
c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (6)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (7)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (8)
*[[Lugnut]] (9)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (10)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (11)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (13)
*[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel]] (14)
*[[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike]] (15)
*[[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly]] (16)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (17)
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (18)

|c4=
*[[Teletran-1]] ()
*[[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] ()
*[[Tutor Bot]] ()
*[[Burger Bot]] ()}}

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

"Wow, Megatron, you're even uglier at this angle!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' is about to realize there are some things you should never, EVER, say to a Decepticon.

"Hi, I'm Bumblebee!" 
"I'm Sari." 
''(thinking she said I'm sorry)'' "Oh, don't be, I like my name."
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Sari''' are off to an awkward start.

"Y'know, all things considered, fixin' space bridges wasn't such a bad gig."
:—'''Bumblebee''', just before embarking on the plan to dissolve the bug monster

"Uh...am I going to be able to ''breathe'' down there?" 
"Oh, sure! ...What's 'breathe'?"
:—'''Sari''' is in good hands with '''Bumblebee'''

"And to think, Ultra Magnus told me not to be a hero. Is this what it was like in your day?" 
"The Decepticons didn't leave us very much to cheer about."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Ratchet''' at the ceremony

"Enjoy it while you can, 'heroes.' You're about to take a fall."
:—'''Starscream''', watching a news report on the Autobots

"Give up the AllSpark or give up the Earth. How am I supposed to decide?" 
"Heroes are the ones who make the hard choices."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Ratchet''' after Starscream makes his ultimatum

"Let go, Autobot!" 
"Never! The AllSpark is life!" 
"Then, let it end yours!"
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Optimus Prime''', fighting over the AllSpark

"So, this... is what it feels like... to be a hero."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', just before dying

"Fixing bridges? Isn't this where we started out?"
:—'''Bumblebee''', as the Autobots clean-up the city

==Home releases==
[[Image:Animatedshort01.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Meet the Press lives on through our young ones.]]
"Transform and Roll Out" was released to DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment on June 17, 2008. The DVD includes all three episodes of the pilot movie and two all-new animated shorts. [[Career Day|The first short]] features Optimus Prime attempting to give a speech at [[Black River Elementary School]]'s career day, but being repeatedly interrupted by nagging questions from [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|some little kid]] and overwhelming cheers for him to transform. [[Evel Knievel Jump|The second]] features Bumblebee messing up one of Prowl's cool stunts. Together, the two shorts run just under three minutes.

Target sold an [[exclusive]] version of the DVD with a special bonus disc that included the episode "[[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]."

All three episodes were also condensed and re-told in the [[IDW]] paperback "cine-manga" style book ''[[Transformers Animated Volume 1]]''.
{{-}}

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
* Megatron's vehicle mode was depicted flying upside-down, or backwards, or possibly both. To be fair, in space, there is no up and down (and to be even fairer, it's really hard to tell from the toys exactly what ''is'' the front of Megatron's Cybertronic spaceship mode), but that does not excuse the fact that any propulsion system used would be in the ''back'' of the mode.

*When the Autobot get into the stasis pods, Prime, Bulkhead, and Ratchet are on the left side, with Bumblebee, Prowl, and an empty pod on the right, in that order. Yet when they get out later in the episode, Prime, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead are on the left, and the empty one, Prowl, and Ratchet on the right.

* As pre-Earth Prime enters the chamber which will re-format his body into his Earth mode, he walks past Ratchet, who is drawn mostly in his pre-Earth mode, except for the fact that his Cybertronian gut is replaced with his ambulance gut. In the next scene, Ratchet is properly drawn, pre-Earth gut and all.

* When Sari says to the Autobots it is okay to put down their hands, Bulkhead's face is black.

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

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

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

* Megatron's pre-earth vehicle mode seems to have two fusion cannons on it or under it. But in robot mode he's only got one on him.

* When we first meet Starscream, he states that he has been searching for the AllSpark for fifty ''solar'' cycles. In later episodes, a solar cycle is equivalent to a day and a ''stellar'' cycle is used for years. This is the only time a solar cycle has been used to reference years, so either Starscream entered some sort of temporal anomaly or someone messed up. For more <s>confusion</s> information, See [[Cycle|this page]].

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

*If no one has seen a Decepticon starship up close and lived to tell about it, how did the Autobots win the Great War?

===Transformers references===
* The title of the episode itself is a [[Roll out|reference to past Transformers lore]].

* Footage from the [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]] episodes "[[War Dawn]]" and "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]" is used as history tapes detailing the events of the first [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]], millions of years prior. [[Canon|This]] has been confirmed as purely an in-joke, and should not be taken as linking ''Animated'' to G1, continuity wise.

* The [[Autobot ship (Animated)|Autobot ship]] here bears a distinct resemblance to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], albeit with a colour scheme more reminiscent of [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. (As we learn [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|much later]], there is [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|a very good reason for that]].)

* Sari's robotic dog [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] is likely named after either [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] from G1, the ''Armada'' Mini-Con [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]], or both.

[[Image:Spikecarlydanielanimated.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Twenty years later, and they're still overdressed.]]
* Characters resembling [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], [[Carly Witwicky (G1)|Carly]], and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] are seen at a hot dog stand, purchasing some sort of futuristic bunless wieners-on-a-stick. The characters went on to become recurring figures in the background cast of the show.

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

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

* At one point, Bulkhead refers to Optimus as "Boss-bot", echoing an epithet used for ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] by the [[Fuzor]] [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]].

===Trivia===
* In this episode, [[Tutor Bot]] tries to teach Sari about the [[wikipedia:Smoot-Hawley_Tariff_Act|Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act]], a major economic blunder of the 1930s.
* Bumblebee's voice is slightly different in this episode from how it sounds later, as is Lugnut's voice, which seems very metallic.
* When Prowl gets birdpooped on, he is standing next to a statue of [[wikipedia:Hazen_S._Pingree|Hazen S. Pingree]], four-term mayor of Detroit and one-time governor of Michigan. In real life, the statue is located in Detroit's Grand Circus Park.
* A refurbished Michigan Central Station makes an appearance as the site for the dedication of Detroit's rapid transit system. The real-life station (abandoned since the '80s) was featured in the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]].
* When mocking the Autobots, Starscream actually calls Megatron "the great Megatron" without any sarcasm. Apparently, he'll only give a sincere compliment to his leader when he's insulting something else. Either that or he's just trying to make ''himself'' sound more impressive by building up the reputation of the one he's defeated.
* When Optimus comes back to life, he asks, "Is this the [[Well of All Sparks]]?" and Sari answers, "No, it's Detroit." This is an allusion to the movie ''Field of Dreams'', in which Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) asks Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), "Is this Heaven?" and Ray answers, "No, it's Iowa."
* According to responses at a panel at BotCon 2008, the unfortunate acronym for Fully Automated Rapid Transit System was totally unintentional...which makes it that much funnier.
* Ratchet is able to use his front windshield as a video screen.
* Several elements present in this opener were changed/dropped in the main series, including expressive vehicle modes, the replacement of solar cycles with stellar cycles in terminology and the recolouring of Ratchet's magnetism from yellow to pink. However, the expressions on vehicle mode were briefly used again by [[Wasp]] in the episode [[Predacons Rising]].
* During [[Sari Sumdac|Sari's]] "conversation" with the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], it shows her the faces of Ultra Magnus, Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Starscream, then the Cybertronian [[Alternate mode|vehicle modes]] for Optimus and Ratchet, the AllSpark's case and the [[Autobot ship (Animated)|Autobots' ship]]. Then Sari unknowingly shows the AllSpark a man in a suit, a woman, a boy, the planet [[Earth]], pyramids, purple flowers, a horse, an aircraft with a giant cloud coming from the back, a cell and a DNA strand. The woman has dark skin and red hair like Sari.
* This movie was (lovingly) lampooned at the [[MSTF]] panel for [[BotCon 2008]], along with "[[War Dawn]]", the episode from which most of the "history vid" footage was taken.
* It's Detroit. There are guns everywhere. Why are the humans using ''water'' to take down the monster?

== Footnote ==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]

Transform and Roll Out

2009-07-06T22:41:53Z

199.126.248.201: /* Quotes */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=TFA_TFandRollout_AutobotHeroes.jpg
|caption=''Epic''
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|ep=1, 2 and 3
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|title="Transform and Roll Out"
|airdate=[[December 26]], 2007
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by= [[Matt Youngberg]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]] [[Minoru Yamaoka]] [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]}}
'''When a small crew of maintenance Autobots comes into possession of the powerful AllSpark, a battle with their long-forgotten enemies sends them crashing toward a strange, distant planet known as... ''Earth.'''''

:''German Title:'' "'''Transformieren und Abfahrt'''"
:''Polish Title:'' "'''Transformacja i jazda'''"

==Synopsis==
===Part 1===
In deep, deep space, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] watches some old history videos, prompting [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] to complain about him watching that "junk" when the other members of the crew need assistance. Prime wonders if they were designed for more than repairing [[Space bridge|space bridges]]. The two 'Bots transform into their vehicle modes and head out into the asteroid field.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout TheAllsparkdiscovered.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Well... at least there's no mass-shifting.]]
Outside, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], dangling from a high rock by his wrecking ball (and becoming quite queasy in the process), is freed by [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], who also ends up taking a tumble. Bumblebee complains about the sheer amount of rocks blocking the space bridge node, and one is shattered unexpectedly by [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]'s throwing star. Prime gives his troops a speech about teamwork (which Prowl moans at theatrically), but at that point the space bridge lights up, sending rocks and Autobots flying. Fancy footwork by Optimus saves each of his teammates from the debris, and a well-aimed grappling line shuts down the bridge. With his subordinates stunned at their leader's skills, Prime is forced to admit he trained at [[Autobot Academy|Cybertron's military academy]]. Bumblebee's query as to what the hell he's doing on a nowhere maintenance assignment is left unanswered as they notice something glowing in the rubble.

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

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Decepticonship.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Yes, this is a scout ship. Way to go, Magnanimous.]]
On board [[Autobot ship (Animated)|their ship]], Ratchet finally reveals what they've found: the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], the source of all Transformer life that was lost centuries ago. Optimus, worried about the oncoming Decepticon signal, contacts the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] for help. After taking a bit of snark from [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], Optimus reveals what they found, which shuts Sentinel up fast. Sentinel then puts the crew through to [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], who tells Optimus Prime to stay put while they send reinforcements... and not to worry about that Decepticon thing. Optimus, considering this to be a really stupid move, orders the crew to start booking it out of there.

[[Image:Ani crew.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Scotty, engage!]]
This proves wise, as the signal is indeed a Decepticon ship—a [[Nemesis (Animated)|command ship]], in fact. The identification markings are ones that Optimus and Ratchet recognize, meaning its commander can only be one person: [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], leader of the Decepticons. On board the Decepticon ship, [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] doubts the AllSpark is aboard the Autobot ship and declares Megatron a fool. [[Lugnut]] denounces Starscream as a traitor, while [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] calls Lugnut an idiot for his blind loyalty and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] just acts... well, crazy. The Decepticons continue to bicker at each other until Megatron enters, shutting up all of them. The Decepticons chase the Autobot ship, and Starscream volunteers to board them. Megatron quickly shoots that idea down. Just before he leaves, Starscream wishes his commander "luck" with a pat on the back... affixing a bomb to Megatron in the process.

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

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

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Arkatmosphere.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Oddly familiar.]]
On a small farm, a young boy hears a thud and runs to where something has landed in a not-too-distant field. He is shocked to find a robotic head staring lifelessly up at him.

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

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

===Part 2===
[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Firefighters monster.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Yeah, watering it will surely stop the beast.]]
The monster continues to grow, absorbing just about everything it touches to increase its size and power. In the process, it destroys a lot of the factory. [[Captain Fanzone]], the S.W.A.T team, the fire department, ambulances, and robot drones arrive, but the creature absorbs several of the responding vehicles, too. Fanzone uses a bazooka-type weapon and destroys the beast, despite Sumdac's objection. This protest proves well-founded, as the remnants of the creature start flowing back together again, save for one piece that drops into the nearby lake and works its way down to the Autobots' ship, its nanites seeking the absorbable technology there. It infiltrates via a small breach in the outer hull, but thankfully, the ship's intruder alert systems are functional and awaken the Autobots before any damage is done. Examining the situation, they decide to have Teletran 1 give them Earth forms so they can blend in and help out. A probe is launched into the chaos and scans various vehicles, including an [[Ratchet (Animated)|ambulance]], a [[Prowl (Animated)|police motorbike]], an [[Bulkhead (Animated)|armored personnel carrier]], a [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|fire truck]], and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Captain Fanzone's car]]. Everyone deploys except Ratchet, who remains behind to analyze the sample of alien material.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Autobots.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Avengers, ASSEMBLE!]]
During the fight, Bulkhead and Bumblebee spot Sari trying to wrest her security key from Sparkplug's mouth. Mistaking which is owner and which is pet, they approach her, but Bulkhead's greeting only scares her away. She quickly gets nabbed by the monster, but Bumblebee saves her, earning her trust and friendship. Prowl attempts to take on the bug-slug by himself, against Prime's orders, and gets absorbed. Prime orders Ratchet to join them in battle to save Prowl, but the old veteran insists that finding a "cure" code to neutralize the nanites' programming makes more sense than coming out and getting trashed. A somewhat chastened Prime agrees, and Ratchet soon delivers the goods. However, the new program must be uploaded by direct contact—meaning from inside the monster. This means the smallest, fastest one of them has to do it. Bumblebee reluctantly takes on the task. The beast has been using some of Prowl's absorbed intelligence and comm link tech, though, so it knows what they're planning and is now smart enough to fight back. Despite this, Bumblebee succeeds in delivering the code, and the bug dissolves into a dusty shower of deactivated nanites. Prowl is soon uncovered, but he's suffered grave wounds and must be taken back to the Autobots' ship for repairs. Sari pesters Bumblebee to be taken along, and her new friend reluctantly agrees, since there's no time to make her go away quietly.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Sari followedmehome.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Bumblebee, having a pet is a big responsibility.]]
Once on board, Sari's refusal to stay still and quiet causes 'Bee some embarrassment. He quickly and discreetly ejects her into a ventilation port and joins the others. However, the port opens onto a shaft that takes Sari right to the chamber where the AllSpark is being kept. Curious, she touches it, and it reacts to her, sending its energies into her security card key and reconfiguring it into [[Key|a key of another sort entirely]]. Prime finds her almost immediately thereafter, but with no time left to spare away from Prowl, he has to bring her back with him to the repair table. Ratchet's prognosis is bleak, but the Key abruptly reacts, glowing and tugging her toward Prowl. Bumblebee, seeming to grasp what's happening, helps her onto the table, and as she approaches, her key reshapes itself to fit into a slot on Prowl's chest. She inserts it, and with a burst of energy, the Autobot ninja is whole again. The Autobots then take Sari home and, after a brief misunderstanding, are made heroes and are even invited to a ceremony.

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

===Part 3===
[[Image:Sariprime.jpg|right|150px|thumb|INSERT WHAT WHERE?!]]
The Autobots are later seen trying to fit in. Bulkhead gets firsthand experience in traffic jams, some birds mistake Prowl for the statue of the [[wikipedia:Hazen_S._Pingree|bald guy]] next to him, Bumblebee learns how organics fuel up, and Ratchet can't get a stasis nap without getting a dozen or so parking tickets. Optimus Prime remarks that the Autobots are programmed to respect life, which they always understood to stem from the AllSpark, but as organics are life, they must respect and protect them too. Optimus also expresses curiosity about how little organics are made. Sari's whispered explanation leaves him rather... shocked. The Autobots make a new home base out of a building Sari's dad got out of a merger, an abandoned auto factory that Bumblebee describes as a real fixer-upper—a REAL fixer-upper. All of a sudden, they get alerted to a fire. The Autobots proceed to douse the blaze and save its victims, no problem, unaware they are being watched by Starscream.

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

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

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Prime SS Allsparkactivates.jpg|left|150px|thumb|In the old days, The Touch would have started playing now.]]
With the Autobots down, Starscream takes the AllSpark from Optimus and blows a couple of blocks of Detroit right off the map. Not ready to give up, Optimus climbs all the way up a building to get it back from Starscream, which Starscream doesn't see coming because he was too busy gloating. After a quick back-and-forth exchange of possessing it, both grab it at the same time. As they struggle, the AllSpark opens and emits a strange energy wave that blasts Starscream away.

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

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

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|
c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (6)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (7)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (8)
*[[Lugnut]] (9)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (10)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (11)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (13)
*[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel]] (14)
*[[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike]] (15)
*[[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly]] (16)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (17)
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (18)

|c4=
*[[Teletran-1]] ()
*[[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] ()
*[[Tutor Bot]] ()
*[[Burger Bot]] ()}}

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

"Wow, Megatron, you're even uglier at this angle!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' is about to realize there are some things you should never, EVER, say to a Decepticon.

"Hi, I'm Bumblebee!" 
"I'm Sari." 
''Thinking she said I'm sorry''"Oh, don't be, I like my name."
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Sari''' are off to an awkward start.

"Y'know, all things considered, fixin' space bridges wasn't such a bad gig."
:—'''Bumblebee''', just before embarking on the plan to dissolve the bug monster

"Uh...am I going to be able to ''breathe'' down there?" 
"Oh, sure! ...What's 'breathe'?"
:—'''Sari''' is in good hands with '''Bumblebee'''

"And to think, Ultra Magnus told me not to be a hero. Is this what it was like in your day?" 
"The Decepticons didn't leave us very much to cheer about."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Ratchet''' at the ceremony

"Enjoy it while you can, 'heroes.' You're about to take a fall."
:—'''Starscream''', watching a news report on the Autobots

"Give up the AllSpark or give up the Earth. How am I supposed to decide?" 
"Heroes are the ones who make the hard choices."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Ratchet''' after Starscream makes his ultimatum

"Let go, Autobot!" 
"Never! The AllSpark is life!" 
"Then, let it end yours!"
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Optimus Prime''', fighting over the AllSpark

"So, this... is what it feels like... to be a hero."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', just before dying

"Fixing bridges? Isn't this where we started out?"
:—'''Bumblebee''', as the Autobots clean-up the city

==Home releases==
[[Image:Animatedshort01.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Meet the Press lives on through our young ones.]]
"Transform and Roll Out" was released to DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment on June 17, 2008. The DVD includes all three episodes of the pilot movie and two all-new animated shorts. [[Career Day|The first short]] features Optimus Prime attempting to give a speech at [[Black River Elementary School]]'s career day, but being repeatedly interrupted by nagging questions from [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|some little kid]] and overwhelming cheers for him to transform. [[Evel Knievel Jump|The second]] features Bumblebee messing up one of Prowl's cool stunts. Together, the two shorts run just under three minutes.

Target sold an [[exclusive]] version of the DVD with a special bonus disc that included the episode "[[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]."

All three episodes were also condensed and re-told in the [[IDW]] paperback "cine-manga" style book ''[[Transformers Animated Volume 1]]''.
{{-}}

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
* Megatron's vehicle mode was depicted flying upside-down, or backwards, or possibly both. To be fair, in space, there is no up and down (and to be even fairer, it's really hard to tell from the toys exactly what ''is'' the front of Megatron's Cybertronic spaceship mode), but that does not excuse the fact that any propulsion system used would be in the ''back'' of the mode.

*When the Autobot get into the stasis pods, Prime, Bulkhead, and Ratchet are on the left side, with Bumblebee, Prowl, and an empty pod on the right, in that order. Yet when they get out later in the episode, Prime, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead are on the left, and the empty one, Prowl, and Ratchet on the right.

* As pre-Earth Prime enters the chamber which will re-format his body into his Earth mode, he walks past Ratchet, who is drawn mostly in his pre-Earth mode, except for the fact that his Cybertronian gut is replaced with his ambulance gut. In the next scene, Ratchet is properly drawn, pre-Earth gut and all.

* When Sari says to the Autobots it is okay to put down their hands, Bulkhead's face is black.

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

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

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

* Megatron's pre-earth vehicle mode seems to have two fusion cannons on it or under it. But in robot mode he's only got one on him.

* When we first meet Starscream, he states that he has been searching for the AllSpark for fifty ''solar'' cycles. In later episodes, a solar cycle is equivalent to a day and a ''stellar'' cycle is used for years. This is the only time a solar cycle has been used to reference years, so either Starscream entered some sort of temporal anomaly or someone messed up. For more <s>confusion</s> information, See [[Cycle|this page]].

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

*If no one has seen a Decepticon starship up close and lived to tell about it, how did the Autobots win the Great War?

===Transformers references===
* The title of the episode itself is a [[Roll out|reference to past Transformers lore]].

* Footage from the [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]] episodes "[[War Dawn]]" and "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]" is used as history tapes detailing the events of the first [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]], millions of years prior. [[Canon|This]] has been confirmed as purely an in-joke, and should not be taken as linking ''Animated'' to G1, continuity wise.

* The [[Autobot ship (Animated)|Autobot ship]] here bears a distinct resemblance to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], albeit with a colour scheme more reminiscent of [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. (As we learn [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|much later]], there is [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|a very good reason for that]].)

* Sari's robotic dog [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] is likely named after either [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] from G1, the ''Armada'' Mini-Con [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]], or both.

[[Image:Spikecarlydanielanimated.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Twenty years later, and they're still overdressed.]]
* Characters resembling [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], [[Carly Witwicky (G1)|Carly]], and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] are seen at a hot dog stand, purchasing some sort of futuristic bunless wieners-on-a-stick. The characters went on to become recurring figures in the background cast of the show.

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

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

* At one point, Bulkhead refers to Optimus as "Boss-bot", echoing an epithet used for ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] by the [[Fuzor]] [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]].

===Trivia===
* In this episode, [[Tutor Bot]] tries to teach Sari about the [[wikipedia:Smoot-Hawley_Tariff_Act|Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act]], a major economic blunder of the 1930s.
* Bumblebee's voice is slightly different in this episode from how it sounds later, as is Lugnut's voice, which seems very metallic.
* When Prowl gets birdpooped on, he is standing next to a statue of [[wikipedia:Hazen_S._Pingree|Hazen S. Pingree]], four-term mayor of Detroit and one-time governor of Michigan. In real life, the statue is located in Detroit's Grand Circus Park.
* A refurbished Michigan Central Station makes an appearance as the site for the dedication of Detroit's rapid transit system. The real-life station (abandoned since the '80s) was featured in the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]].
* When mocking the Autobots, Starscream actually calls Megatron "the great Megatron" without any sarcasm. Apparently, he'll only give a sincere compliment to his leader when he's insulting something else. Either that or he's just trying to make ''himself'' sound more impressive by building up the reputation of the one he's defeated.
* When Optimus comes back to life, he asks, "Is this the [[Well of All Sparks]]?" and Sari answers, "No, it's Detroit." This is an allusion to the movie ''Field of Dreams'', in which Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) asks Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), "Is this Heaven?" and Ray answers, "No, it's Iowa."
* According to responses at a panel at BotCon 2008, the unfortunate acronym for Fully Automated Rapid Transit System was totally unintentional...which makes it that much funnier.
* Ratchet is able to use his front windshield as a video screen.
* Several elements present in this opener were changed/dropped in the main series, including expressive vehicle modes, the replacement of solar cycles with stellar cycles in terminology and the recolouring of Ratchet's magnetism from yellow to pink. However, the expressions on vehicle mode were briefly used again by [[Wasp]] in the episode [[Predacons Rising]].
* During [[Sari Sumdac|Sari's]] "conversation" with the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], it shows her the faces of Ultra Magnus, Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Starscream, then the Cybertronian [[Alternate mode|vehicle modes]] for Optimus and Ratchet, the AllSpark's case and the [[Autobot ship (Animated)|Autobots' ship]]. Then Sari unknowingly shows the AllSpark a man in a suit, a woman, a boy, the planet [[Earth]], pyramids, purple flowers, a horse, an aircraft with a giant cloud coming from the back, a cell and a DNA strand. The woman has dark skin and red hair like Sari.
* This movie was (lovingly) lampooned at the [[MSTF]] panel for [[BotCon 2008]], along with "[[War Dawn]]", the episode from which most of the "history vid" footage was taken.
* It's Detroit. There are guns everywhere. Why are the humans using ''water'' to take down the monster?

== Footnote ==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]