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Tarantulas (BW)

2010-04-12T23:57:58Z

208.104.102.194: /* Beast Wars cartoon */

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:''Tarantulas is a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] from the [[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]]. He is sometimes known as '''Tarantulus'''.''

[[Image:Tarantulasbw.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[BotCon 2000|"And fries! Lots of FRIES!"]]]]

'''Tarantulas''' is the scheming mad scientist of the Predacon crew. He's the type of mad scientist who experiments on living beings, cackling in his [[Trademark|trademarked]] laugh all the while, and then if things go wrong, happily eats what's left as his midday snack. The eating is what he was really looking forward to, anyway. It's this focused perversity that turns off even his fellow Predacons. Tarantulas's emotional detachment from their war also rubs his peers the wrong way. Fighting Maximals and following orders is just a required chore; his real passion is the unmentionable projects stashed in [[Tarantulas's lair|his "secret" lair]].

Nominally, Tarantulas was one of the Predacons to join [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] during his theft of the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] and the search for [[Earth]]. In addition to being an utterly psychotic, sadistic sociopath, Tarantulas has a record for treachery rivaled by few other Transformers. Tarantulas is actually an agent of the [[Tripredacus Council]], which is trying to coax the Beast Wars toward an unspecified goal, where neither Autobot or Decepticon won the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. Who knows what other [[Unicron|dark secrets]] lie in his past.

If anything upsets Tarantulas, other than losing a potential meal, it's those pompous aliens who call themselves the [[Vok]]. He harbors a hatred for them strong enough to make him work to eliminate them by any means.

{{bigquote|You're ''insane.''|[[Tigerhawk]]}}
{{bigquote|So they ''saa''-aay! Wbrrwbrrbbppth!|Tarantulas|"[[Other Victories]]"}}

:''Japanese name:'' '''Tarans''' (タランス ''Taransu'')
:''Chinese name (Taiwan):'' '''Jr-jū''' (蜘蛛, "Spider"), '''Húng Jr-jū''' (紅蜘蛛, "Red Spider")
:''Italian name:'' '''Metal Tarantulas''' (Transmetal)
:''Polish name:'' '''Tarantulator'''

==Fiction==
===First wave toy bios===
[[Image:PrimalVSMegs-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Why Megatron, I do believe you're trying to seduce m-- oh, hey, [[Razorbeast]].]]
Tarantulas is a sneaky, mysterious ninja feared across the galaxy. A master of the martial arts, he's suspected in the disappearances of many [[Human|Earthlings]], and rumors swirl of giant cocoons where he stores his prey.{{storylink|Tarantulas#Toys|Tarantulas bio}}

Later, Tarantulas was guarding the Predacons' jungle-based genetics lab along with Megatron and Waspinator. When the Maximals discovered them, he engaged [[Razorbeast]] in combat briefly before Megatron called retreat and destroyed the lab. {{storylink|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!}}

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

===Cartoon continuity===
====Theft of the Golden Disk====
[[Image:TheftOfGoldenDisk-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|300px|What y'wanna do? Wanna be hackers? Code crackers? Slackers? Wastin' time with all the chatroom yakkers? WHAT?]]
Tarantulas decoded the information on the Golden Disk, freshly stolen by Megatron. He thought this was quite hilarious, but then, he thinks that about everything. {{storylink|Theft of the Golden Disk}}

====Dawn of Future's Past====
[[Image:Tarantulasdawn.jpg|right|180px|thumb|See? A Planet X key in the corner of the pic. He's working for Unicron! Get him!]]
As [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] and his rogue band of Predacons escaped [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in their stolen ship, the ''[[Darksyde]]'', Tarantulas was in charge of scanning the disk for a desired set of coordinates. While Megatron was not watching, he was in secret communication with a member of the [[Tripredacus Council]]. (The reflections in his helmet show the silhouette of [[Cicadacon|General Cicadacon]].)

Using the decoded coordinates, the ''Darksyde'' opened a [[transwarp]] portal, which it and the [[Axalon (BW)|''Axalon'']] passed through. {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}
{{-}}
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Alec Willows]] (English), [[Yūichi Nagashima]] (Japanese), [[Fabio Vilalonga]] (Portuguese), [[Riccardo Peroni]] (Italian)

[[Image:TheWeb Tarantulas beast mode.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Not arachnophobic, eh? I can fix that.]]
Tarantulas was one of the original crew on the ''Darksyde'' when it crashed on prehistoric Earth. As Megatron's technical leader, he manned the scanners to appropriate beast forms based on the most powerful local creatures, choosing the form of an oversized spider for himself. He cheerfully took part in the first battle of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]], only to succumb to energon buildup while the Maximals were escaping. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} The Predacons uncovered a stash of energon crystals atop a mountain, but were forced to fight in their beast modes. Tarantulas and [[Rattrap]] fought in this manner until Megatron triggered a chain reaction which caused the energon to explode. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

[[Image:ChainofCommand Tarantulas firing.jpg|right|thumb|240px]]
It wasn't long before Tarantulas had set up his own [[Tarantulas's lair|underground lair]] to keep his experiments away from Megatron's prying eyes. After helping [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] recover a mega-cannon, Tarantulas managed to capture [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], trapping the young Maximal in a web in his lair with the intent of feeding later. Rattrap mounted a rescue, during which the cavern caved in on Tarantulas {{storylink|The Web}} Tarantulas was blasted by Rattrap during the battle at the [[Standing Stones]], and later accompanied Megatron and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] to attack the ''Axalon'' after it appeared that [[Optimus Primal]] had perished. After the Maximals got the ship's shields back up, he suggested to Megatron that they return to the Standing Stones. Unfortunately once there, the Maximals managed to retrieve Primal from the [[Vok Probe|alien probe]] at the site, and Tarantulas was one of the first victims of the restored Maximal commander. {{storylink|Chain of Command}}

Terrorsaur, his power boosted, defeated Megatron in combat before leaving Tarantulas in charge of the other Predacons. Tarantulas promptly tailed Terrorsaur to find out what his new power source was, and discovered it was a [[flying mountain]] topped with a cache of super energon. Before he could do anything with the knowledge, he encountered Rattrap, who'd come to destroy the mountain. Their fight ended with Tarantulas falling from the side of the mountain. {{storylink|Power Surge}} He subsequently took part in an attack on the Maximal base after a [[stasis pod]] crashed. While Megatron kept [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] distracted, Tarantulas and Scorponok ambushed the Maximal from behind. Unfortunately for them, Dinobot had time to activate the base defenses, and Tarantulas was blasted into the distance by the auto-guns. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}}

When the Predacons finally captured a stasis pod, Tarantulas made sure that the [[protoform]] was given a spider beast mode, creating [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]. Megatron suspected he had ulterior motives. Tarantulas seemed happy to follow Terrorsaur when the Predacon again mounted a takeover attempt with the aid of Rattrap, but spent most of his time skulking around the ''Darksyde'' in search of rats to eat. He spotted Rattrap sneaking around, but the Maximal blasted him before he could do anything. He subsequently limped back to the others to find that Megatron had reasserted his leadership. {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}} After one of Scorponok's viruses turned Primal into a berserker, the Maximal leader broke into the Predacon base and, completely ignoring Tarantulas's attempts to stop him, pinned the spider to a wall using Tarantulas's own weapon. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}}

[[Image:Tflocklens&tarantulas.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
One of Tarantulas's many inventions, the [[transformation lock lens]] was instrumental in preventing the Maximals from contacting a [[temporal probe]] which was doing a flyby of the planet. He was able to use it to ensnare [[Tigatron]] and Cheetor, then wreaked havoc with the Maximals' attempts to build a communications array, before he was finally defeated by Primal. The damage was already done, and the probe flew by uncontacted. {{storylink|The Probe}} After the Predacons discovered a Maximal spy camera in their base, they faked a mutiny and hid in a crevice. Tarantulas spent his nights being hugged like a stuffed toy by [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], and his days eating stray rats. While the Maximals repaired the ''Axalon'', the Predacons were discovered by Dinobot, and gave chase. Though they attacked the Maximal ship in an attempt to capture it, the affair ended with the ''Axalon'' crashing back to the ground. {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}} After a Maximal victory, largely due to the efforts of Rhinox, Tarantulas captured the rhino in a web on Megatron's orders, so that he could be converted into a Predacon by the [[Transmuter (BW)|Transmuter]]. {{storylink|Dark Designs (episode)|Dark Designs}}

[[Image:Spider'sGame Taratulas hauling stasis pod.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Tarantulas are ye unto me, and secretly revengeful ones!]]
Tarantulas detected another stasis pod landing in [[Grid Scavos]], but Megatron refused to let him go and assist in the recovery, much to his disgust. {{storylink|The Spark}} The next time a stasis pod crashed, Tarantulas was more prepared. From his lair, he used a [[magna pulse]] to disable both the ''Darksyde'' and ''Axalon'' to allow him to investigate without interference. Unfortunately for him, Blackarachnia had found his lair, and insisted on coming along to help. At the pod, Tarantulas reprogrammed the new arrival into a Predacon, but was disappointed that a beast mode had already been chosen, and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] would not be another spider. In the confusion that followed, he made off with the real prize — the stasis pod itself. Unfortunately for him, Tigatron destroyed the pod before he could get very far, and he was forced to retreat when Megatron arrived. Later, in his lair, he inadvertently told Blackarachnia that the planet was doomed, and she realised he was intending to build an escape ship, however he threw her out before she could work out any more of his plans. {{storylink|Spider's Game}}

Tarantulas took part in a diversionary attack while Waspinator and Terrorsaur stole the Maximals' [[rectifier coil]]. After the Maximals went feral, the Predacons mounted a hunting expedition, though Tarantulas was stuck supporting the back end of Megatron's chair. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} On another occasion, Tarantulas detected what appeared to be walking energon. Megatron realised that an earlier battle had left four of the Maximals contaminated and blinded, and ordered Tarantulas to send Terrorsaur to investigate. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}} After Waspinator was possessed by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], Tarantulas took part in the attack on the ''Axalon'', and pointed out once they'd conquered it that their own base was now undefended. Megatron's answer was to leave Starscream in charge of the ''Axalon'', a decision which would come back to bite him later. {{storylink|Possession}}

[[Image:Dinobottarantulasrattrapthelowroad.jpg|thumb|left|240px|"See? I told you I was taller than Tarantulas."]]
During an attack on the Maximal base, Tarantulas was able to infect Rhinox with an [[energon discharge virus]], though he himself was injured by Dinobot during the retreat. He was tracked by Dinobot and Rattrap, but eventually turned the tables by getting the drop on them, only to be flattened by a huge boulder. After recovering, he took advantage of their incessant arguing by trying to get the drop on them again, only to be knocked unconscious by a double punch. Finally, Dinobot attempted to use Tarantulas's body as a hostage, only for Megatron to blast it aside. Perhaps his only consolation was that he avoided the indignity of the fate that befell the rest of the Predacons. {{storylink|The Low Road}}

With the return of the [[Vok|aliens]] a certainty, Tarantulas stole a [[transwarp cell]] from the ''Darksyde'', slagging Waspinator in the process. Megatron detected the theft and used Blackarachnia as a distraction while he remotely inserted his own programming into the cell. The two spiders later took part in an attempt to prevent Tigatron from escaping the Predacon base, and were squished by a boulder Dinobot had set up. They were relatively uninjured and able to haul their damaged comrades back to the ship. {{storylink|Before the Storm}} The two spiders teamed up again, infiltrating the Maximal base and disabling Rhinox and Dinobot while the other Maximals were busy with the latest alien construct to appear. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 1}} In the cargo hold, Tarantulas used the transwarp cell and a stasis pod to construct a ship, but was interrupted by Inferno, who torched the spider. Fortunately, Blackarachnia entered Tarantulas's mind to obtain the information to complete the escape ship, and he was able to set up
a permanent neural link between the two Predacons. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

[[Image:ComingFuzors1 Tarantulas lives.jpg|thumb|right|280px|A new look, and he didn't even have to [[Spider-Man|sell out]] to [[Iron Man|Tony Stark]] for it!]]
When the [[quantum surge]] knocked out all of the Transformers on Earth, Tarantulas's body was upgraded to a [[Transmetal]] form, and he forced Blackarachnia to drag it from the Maximal base, even getting her to ignore Megatron's command to stay and fight the Maximals. {{storylink|Aftermath}} With Blackarachnia's hard work and some serious-looking electrical arc generators, Tarantulas was restored to life. Megatron soon called him to the battlefield, so he left Blackarachnia to root around in their leader's computer files. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}} Using his new cycle mode, Tarantulas quickly reached the Maximals' position. During the fight, he kept in contact with her, until a shot by Dinobot put him temporarily out of commission. After he came around, Blackarachnia reported that she'd failed to get the data he needed. The Predacons were soon routed by the resurrection of Optimus Primal, and forced to return to base. There, Megatron and Tarantulas questioned Blackarachnia, only to be told the vital data had been lost. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

With his old lair destroyed by the Planet Buster, Tarantulas was fortuitous in that Megatron assigned him with Blackarachnia and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] to check out a cave filled with energon. He quickly surmised that it would make an excellent new lair, and attempted to get his two comrades interested in going it alone. Blackarachnia was more interested in getting rid of the neural link the two of them shared, and cracked an energon crystal, sending feedback through the link, to force him to sever it. By a fortunate coincidence, the three Predacons were soon attacked by [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and Rattrap, and during the battle Tarantulas was able to convincingly fake the destruction of the cave, allowing him to utilise it as his own lair. {{storylink|Tangled Web}} When Dinobot defected to the Predacon side, Tarantulas offered to verify his programming, but Megatron decided it wouldn't be a very good idea to let Tarantulas into Dinobot's processor. {{storylink|Maximal, No More}}

[[Image:OtherVisits1 Tarantulas beast mode.jpg|left|220px|thumb]]
Back in his lair, Tarantulas's instruments detected the aliens again, and he rushed off to the site. He arrived shortly after Tigatron and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] had been abducted, and zapped Cheetor, but was forced to retreat when more Maximals arrived. He visited Megatron, claiming to no longer be under the tyrant's command, but willing to help. The Predacons returned to the alien site to set up equipment, during which Blackarachnia revealed that she had learned through the broken neural link that Tarantulas hated the aliens. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 1)}} Megatron, Quickstrike, and Tarantulas recovered quickly from the energy wave put out by the new [[Metal Hunter|alien construct]], and after Tarantulas's [[refractive web]] was activated, the trio ventured inside. Once Megatron had control of the construct, he terminated his alliance with Tarantulas, dropping the Predacon from a great height. Infuriated, Tarantulas helped the Maximals attack the construct, infiltrating it along with Rattrap, and sabotaging the transwarp cells which Megatron installed, causing the ship to explode. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 2)}}

Though a bug planted on Megatron's chair, Tarantulas learned that Blackarachnia had been sent to recover a new protoform, and took the opportunity to threaten her to try and extract the information he suspected she'd gained from Megatron's computers. Unfortunately for him, Silverbolt stepped in and defended Blackarachnia, shortly before an energon explosion separated everyone. Though Tarantulas found the stasis pod, [[Rampage (BW)|its contents]] found him, and his body parts were spread liberally over a wide area. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} Dinobot later tracked down Tarantulas in an attempt to find out what Megatron's latest scheme was. Though Tarantulas didn't know, Dinobot forced him to act as transport, and they soon found Megatron preparing to torch a valley fill of [[Protohuman]]s. Tarantulas took advantage of Dinobot's distraction to shoot the Maximal, only for Dinobot to drop a boulder on him. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

[[Image:Agenda3 Tarantulas button push.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Tarantulas presses the History Eraser Button.]]
Alerted by the [[transwarp wavefront]], the [[Tripredacus Council]] sent covert agent [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] to capture Megatron. The former Decepticon led the Maximals to apprehend Megatron, and Tarantulas assisted by taking down the ''Darksyde''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> defense system. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} Megatron was later informed by Ravage that the spider was in reality Lieutenant Tarantulas, of the [[Predacon Secret Police]] and an agent of the [[Tripredacus Council]]. Tarantulas was able to instruct the Maximals in the location of a stash of energon crystals that Megatron had hidden. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} When Ravage was persuaded to change sides by the Predacon leader, Tarantulas appeared to come too, manning the [[transwarp cruiser]]'s weapons systems for an attack on the ''Axalon''. Alas, Rattrap chewed his way into the ship and tossed a couple of bombs at Tarantulas, which stuck to his hands before exploding. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

Tarantulas survived, though, and was quickly put back together by his [[arachnoid]]s. He was repaired in time to witness the destruction of the ''Axalon''. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}} He was soon seen back at the Predacon base, taking part in field missions for Megatron. He battled the Maximals alongside Megatron's [[cyber raptor]]s, taking the opportunity to try out his new Transmetal [[cyber venom]] to great success, though he was stomped on by a cyber raptor once the Maximals worked out how to destroy their controls. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}} He assisted in the construction of Megatron's [[disruptor cannon]], suggesting that they abduct an early human to complete the device when the other Predacons were unable to get too close to it due to the unstable power source. While the cannon was completed by [[Una]], she managed to use her knowledge of levers to tip a piece of heavy equipment on him. Though he survived that, Una had taken the cannon's stablizer crystal, and it exploded in the Predacons' faces when they tried to use it. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}}

[[Image:CrossingRubicon Tarantulas fires on Silverbolt.jpg|thumb|left|260px]]
When the Maximals attempted to remove Blackarachnia's shell program, he revealed to Megatron that he had included "certain safeguards" that guaranteed she would not survive, and joined the other Predacons in an attack on the Maximals that was meant to disrupt the attempted shell removal. He fired the missile which knocked the Maximals' power off-line at a crucial instant, seemingly bringing an end to his "treacherous creation". Enraged by the death of his beloved, [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] attempted to kill the scientist, but was thwarted by [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]], who was later defeated by a revived—and [[Transmetal|Transmetalized]]—Blackarachnia. {{storylink|Crossing the Rubicon}}

Tarantulas participated in the Predacons' next attempt to retake the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], utilising his latest invention to allow Quickstrike to take control of Optimus Primal. He manipulated [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] into throwing Megatron into the nearby lava while he himself set the Ark's engines to overload. At this point, he claimed to be descended from neither the Autobots nor the Decepticons, which was why he was willing to destroy the core members of both factions then present (in stasis lock) in the Ark. Megatron survived his lava-dunking, gaining a new body in the process. However, he had lost his patience. While he'd tolerated Tarantulas's treachery, he could not tolerate incompetence. Tarantulas survived his punishment and fled back to his lair. {{storylink|Master Blaster}}

[[Image:Tarantulas death.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Oh, yeah, he [[Primeval Dawn Part 1|meant to do this]]. Right. Sure, he did.]]
When the [[Vok]] emissary [[Tigerhawk]] arrived on Earth shortly afterwards, Tarantulas managed to disable and capture him. Tarantulas intended to force the all-powerful being into his servitude by drawing the Vok influences out of his body and reprogramming him. The scheme backfired, however, as his energy beam device expelled two actual Vok out of Tigerhawk. The formless spectres attempted to take over Tarantulas' body. Panicking, he opened fire on them—a futile gesture that merely served to spin the energy device around 'til its rays were blasting him and his lab equipment. Overloaded by the beams, Tarantulas exploded, leaving nothing behind but his boots. The remainder of his equipment detonated seconds later, blowing the lair to rubble. Cheetor managed to rescue the inert Tigerhawk, and Tarantulas was presumed dead. {{storylink|Other Victories}}

While searching the ruins of Tarantulas's lair, Megatron offhandedly referred to him as "[[Unicron]]'s spawn". They discovered that at some point, Tarantulas had uncovered the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the flagship of the [[Decepticon]] fleet, lying at the bottom of the ocean and restored it to working status, as well as installing a transwarp cell. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Wars Diorama Story''====
[[Image:BWDiorama Motorarm Tarantulas.jpg|thumb|]]
Sometime after Starscream's arrival to prehistoric Earth, Tarantulas was confronted in battle by a time-displaced [[Motorarm (BWII)|Motorarm]], who fended off the Predacon with his Beetle Claw attack. Tarantulas was not present when the Autobots from [[Movie (franchise)|another universe]] and Maximals combined all of their energies to attack a team of Predacons and Decepticons. {{storylink|Beast Wars Diorama Story|Motorarm Chapter}}
{{-}}

====3H comics====
Tarantulas is the inventor of the [[mind-drill]]. [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] "borrowed" it from him to get information out of [[Antagony]]. {{storylink|Herald, Covenant, Schism, Paradox|Herald}}

[[Image:PrimevalDawn2-TarantulasMatrix.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Further proving the maxim: "If you want to steal the Matrix, you basically can."]]
Following the Beast Wars, Tarantulas's body returned to life, reanimated by the Vok powers he'd previously absorbed. The undead Tarantulas, along with a rebuilt Ravage (as [[Ravage (G1)|Tripredacus Agent]]), nurtured new troops to life through enigmatic means, growing [[Razorclaw (BW)|Razorclaw]] and [[Iguanus (BW)|Iguanus]] in tubes. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 1}}

The remaining Vok anticipated Tarantulas's plan to destroy the rest of them, take their power, and fashion the timestream to his desires, and so they assembled an army of their own consisting of [[Primal Prime]], [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], and [[Tigatron]]. Tarantulas met this opposition in battle, overwhelmed them, and triumphantly ripped the [[Matrix of Leadership]] from Primal Prime's chest. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 2}}

Wounded critically, the Maximals withdrew to the Ark, while Tarantulas and his Predacons returned to his lair, where he directed them in the construction of a transwarp portal. Upon completion, Tarantulas planned to bring his stolen prize to his master, Unicron. Since his troops were getting restless, he promised them they could assault the Ark once they finished construction. Tarantulas was true to his word, and as Ravage led the Predacons against the Maximals, Unicron's spawn tried to stabilize the portal and prepared the Matrix for transport. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 3}}

{{note|[[3H Productions]] dissolved before this storyline could be completed. Based on the subsequent ''Wreckers'' and ''[[Universe (2003 comic)|Universe]]'' storylines, it can be assumed that the Matrix of Leadership was restored to Optimus Prime's body at the end of this altercation, the Maximals were triumphant and used Tarantulas's portal to return home to Cybertron, and that Tarantulas somehow fled to Unicron.}}

[[Image:Escape-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Basically I just never die.]]

A year after the [[Great Reformatting]], the influence of [[Unicron]] swayed [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] to the side of darkness. As she was escorted by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] and [[Reptilion]] into the heart of the Chaos Bringer, she was surprised to see Tarantulas (still in his undead body) greet her as she joined the ranks of the [[Minion of Unicron|Minions of Unicron]]. She hissed with disgust, while Tarantulas noted that it was just like old times. {{storylink|Escape (issue)|Escape}}

Tarantulas had learned that [[Alpha Trion]] had been assembling the [[Children of Primus]] to counter Unicron's Minions, and so he sent Blackarachnia on a mission to Cybertron to sever the link between the Transformers and [[Primus]] by invading [[Vector Sigma]]'s chamber and destroying Alpha Trion. He gave Blackarachnia a swarm of [[Piranacon]]s and directions to the chamber through a structural weakpoint near the [[Rust Sea]]. {{storylink|Homecoming (issue)|Homecoming}}
{{-}}

====A Meeting of Minds====
{{note|This story takes place immediately after "[[Master Blaster]]."}}

The [[Megatron (G1)|original Megatron]], now inside the mind of [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], berated the Predacon leader's failures—in particular, being led astray time and again by such treacherous subordinates as Tarantulas. {{storylink|A Meeting of Minds}}

===''Beast Wars Metals'' comic===
Following the [[Quantum surge]], Tarantulas was upgraded into a [[Transmetal]]. Scheming with [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] within their floating island base, the ''[[Hindenburg]]'', Tarantulas developed a plan to revive the deceased [[Optimus Primal]] as a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] slave. Recovering Primal's mindless, raging body, Tarantulas staged a strange voodoo ceremony (complete with boiling cauldron). As Megatron pricked his finger and prepared to use his mutated blood to turn Primal's rampaging body into his slave, the spark of Optimus Primal returned to it just in the nick of time. As Primal turned into a Transmetal, Tarantulas began to celebrate, convinced that his plan had worked out better than he had thought, unaware of what was really going on. An angry Optimus Primal then proceeded to knock Tarantulas's block off. {{storylink|Raise the Curtain for Beast Wars Metals!!}}

===Fire in the Dark===
When [[human]] archaeologists uncovered a cave filled with primitive language, [[Mini-Con]] [[Laserbeak (Armada)|Laserbeak]] translated it for them. The markings told of a time when the Maximals and Predacons crashlanded on prehistoric Earth, though the stranded Transformers were seen by the protohumans as gods. The "spider-god" and the "[[Waspinator (BW)|wasp-god]]," under instruction from their leader, enslaved the humans for the purposes of excavating "glowing rose crystals." Eventually, the Maximals came and freed the humans. {{storylink|Fire in the Dark}}

==Games==
===''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game===
:''Voice actor'': ?
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the first season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
[[Image:BWgameUK-Tarantulas.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Some great dialog there, Tarry.]]
Upon arriving on prehistoric Earth, the dangers of Energon radiation forced the Maximals and Predacons to take on beast alternate forms. Tarantulas picked up a tarantula in his palm and scanned it. Soon, Tarantulas spotted [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] moving in on the Predacons' crash site. Swearing revenge, Tarantulas transformed and attacked, and threatened to skin the Maximal alive. {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers video game advertising comic}}
{{Note|Tarantulas is a playable character in the Predacon mode of this game for normal gameplay.}}
[[Image:BeastWarsPSX-Tarantulasstats.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Sadly, there's no Eat Cheetor level.]]

All of the Beast Wars combatants had managed to construct personal bases, customized to their personal tastes, due to the extended duration of the war. Tarantulas overtook Rhinox's base and reprogrammed its defenses, prompting the Maximals to retake it.Tarantulas warred against both the Maximals and the evil extra-dimensional aliens dubbed the [[Skriix]].
{{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)}}
{{Note|Due to the nature of this game, a player may select various individual characters to perform the feats required in every level, and complete the game's narrative. Thus, any playable Maximal can fill the role of protagonist in Maximal Mode, and any playable Predacon can fill the role of protagonist in Predacon Mode. As such, each character's page only lists said character's actions when they fill the role of antagonist during gameplay. To view the various feats Tarantulas can accomplish throughout gameplay in Predacon Mode, it is told on the pages of the [[Optimus Primal|several]] [[Cheetor (BW)|Maximals]] [[Rattrap|included]] [[Dinobot (BW)|as]] [[Rhinox|opponents]] in this game, as well as the game's main antagonists, the [[Skriix]], wherein Tarantulas fills the role of the nameless Predacon. To view the plot as a whole view the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)]] page.}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals''===
[[Image:N64Tarantulas.jpg|thumb|200px|Arboreal Camouflage Tarantulas? Blue Crusader Tarantulas?]]
{{note|This game takes place in an alternate version of the second season of the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]] cartoon.}}
:''Voice Actor:'' [[Alec Willows]] (English), ??? (Japanese)

Tarantulas found a way to escape prehistoric Earth and return to Cybertron. The Beast Wars progressed in his absence for a time...

Then he came back, newly promoted and with an armada of Transwarp battleships under his command, out to end the Beast Wars and enforce the Tripredacus Council's will... {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (N64)|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals}}
{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the Nintendo 64 game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Tarantulas's fate in those outcomes.}}
{{-}}

===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars''===
[[Image:DuelFight_Tarantulas.gif|thumb|left|200px|]]
Megatron was capable of summoning Tarantulas forth to the battlefield during his attempts to acquire the super-powerful [[energon crystal]]. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars}}
{{--}}

{{-}}
==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[Image:BWtoy-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Hey, guess who's going to be [[redeco]]ed into a hot girl?]]
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe, 1996/1997)
** ''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-4'''
**''Accessories'': Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

: Part of the first wave of [[Beast Wars (toyline)|''Beast Wars'' product]], Tarantulas transforms into an organic generic spider (''not'' a tarantula). His abdomen contains a spring-loaded missile launcher, which fires the anchor-missile kept in his spider-butt. This missile is attached by a string so he can hang from things like a real spider. The launcher can be removed and used as a robot-mode weapon, using any of his front four spider-legs as missiles. Like all early Deluxe-and-up ''Beast Wars'' toys, he has two different robot-mode "heads"; a robotic face and a "mutant" face. He is almost always depicted using the mutant face.

: There is a variation of this toy in the [[Hasbro]] line: Later releases (the smooth bubble) lack the yellow paint on his elbows.

: The [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] release of Tarantulas was originally identical to the Hasbro release. Later, a slightly color-altered version was released, using a brighter shade of green and a slightly darker gray. The color-altered version also replaced the blue eyes on the "robot" head and the black eyes of the "mutant" head with gold.

: This mold was used to make the first [[Blackarachnia (BW)#Toys|Blackarachnia toy]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Predacon/Tarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|VsDinobot}}
[[Image:VS4-DinobotTarantuas.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The classic battle of dino vs spider. We've all heard the tale.]]
*'''Brutal Showdown: Dinobot VS Tarans''' (VS pack, 1997)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-4'''
**''Accessories:'' Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

: In Japan, "Tarans" was available both as an individual and in a two-pack with "[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]". Both toys in this set were identical to their individual releases.

: Currently, it is unknown if the latter "more show-like" redeco of Tarantulas was ever released in a VS set.

{{-}}{{anchor|Transmetal}}
[[Image:BWtoy-TarantulasTransmetal.jpg|right|thumb|300px|I'm-a spawn of-a Unicron! I-a slice-a ya pizza!]]
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe Transmetal, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''D-44'''
**''Accessories'': Sawblade weapon

: Part of the first assortment of Deluxe [[Transmetal]]s, Tarantulas transforms into a robotic spider. He also has a third "transport" mode, flipping down a wheel from his abdomen and a saw-blade from under his beast-head, making a spidey-cycle. The saw detaches for robot mode to become a hand-held weapon.

: The Japanese version is slightly different, replacing the "TARANTULAS" [[tampograph]] with "DESTRON" and the Predacon sigil, plus his robot-mode eyes are painted as a single visor to match the show look better.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Predacon/Tarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Transmetal Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|FKTransmetal}}
[[Image:Tarantulas-FKTM.jpg|right|300px|thumb|It's like Eight Legged Freaks, but classier, and with a pizza slicer.]]
*'''Tarantulas''' (Deluxe "Fox Kids" Transmetal, 1999)
**''Accessories'': Sawblade weapon

: A [[redeco]] of the Transmetal Tarantulas toy in grays, silver and black. He and a Transmetal [[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor]] redeco were part of the little-seen second wave of [[Toys"R"Us]] [[exclusive]] "[[Fox Kids]]" toys, so called for the advertisements for the Fox channel on the packaging (as the [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]] had moved there from syndication). Internal Hasbro documents have listed this toy as "'''Steel Force Tarantulas'''", a name that did not make it to final packaging.

: These colors were used to depict Tarantulas in the ''[[Primeval Dawn]]'' and [[Universe (2003 comic)|''Universe'' comics]]. With the toy's limited availability, secondary-market pricing for this item due to its fictional use has gone up.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1999/Predacon/FKTMTarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Fox Kids Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===MicroVerse===
[[Image:Tarantulas-Microverse.jpg|right|100px|thumb|I'm not [[Fantastic Four|The Thing]], I swear!]]
*'''Orcanoch''' ([[MicroVerse]], 1997)

: A small, non-transforming micro-figure of Tarantulas came with the [[MicroVerse]] [[Orcanoch]] playset. It was presumably painted based on the original design, as its upper body is copper rather than purple. Its only articulation is at the waist, letting it sit in any of the MicroVerse mini-vehicles or playset stations.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1997/Maximal/Orcanoch/orcanoch.htm More information on MicroVerse Tarantulas (via Orchanoch) at TFU.info]

{{-}}
===Beast Wars 10th Anniversary===
[[Image:BWXtoy-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|He's not here to help assemble [[Transmutate]]. That leg's his dinner.]]
*'''Predacon Tarantulus''' (Deluxe, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Launcher, 4 spider-leg missiles

:This toy is a slight [[redeco]] of the original Tarantulas toy, more closely resembling Tarantulas's appearance in the cartoon (save the big Predacon faction sigil tampograph). Part of the second wave of [[Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|''Beast Wars'' 10th Anniversary product]], he came with a DVD of the episode "[[Spider's Game]]," plus the left leg to [[Trans-Mutate]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Predacon/PredaconTarantulas/predacontarantulas.htm More information on 10th Anniversary Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{--}}

==Merchandise==
* '''Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game''' (1997)
:Tarantulas was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars [[Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game|card game]].

===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:Robotheroestarantulasprimal.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Don't take your eyes off your mech fluid, Primal.]]
*'''Optimus Primal vs Predacon Tarantulas''' (2008)

: Part of the second wave of ''[[Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' ''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'', this PVC figurine of Tarantulas' original body has articulation in the shoulders and neck. He was available only in a "Beast Wars Series" two-pack with [[Optimus Primal/toys|Optimus Primal]] (amusingly enough, the [[Maximal]] he also came with in the ''[[MicroVerse]]'' [[Orcanoch]] playset).

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Predacon/RHTarantulas/tarantulas.htm More information on Robot Heroes Tarantulas at TFU.info]''

{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:BWcommercial-Tarantulas.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Not terribly appealing.]]
* Tarantulas is referred to as simply "Tarantula" in the [[commercial]] advertising his toy. This commercial and also early promotional pictures showed the original Tarantulas toy as being transparent orange, but the final toy was a clear deep purple instead. Presumably, this was for a little visual variety in the early line, which already had a largely tan toy ([[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]) and a largely yellow toy ([[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor]]) in the Deluxe range, plus a Mega-sized Predacon arachnid then planned to be orange ([[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]]), and [[Tigatron]], who was at one point slated to be a traditional orange tiger.

[[Image:TarantulasArm.jpg|right|150px|thumb|He tastes everything he holds.]]

* In the original control art for Tarantulas, the claws are shown in the same configuration as used in the show. In other words, the claws were somehow swapped during the assembly process and have remained as such on every version of the mold thereafter.

* The original Tarantulas toy has ''nine'' eyes in beast mode, as does the show model. This makes characters' references to him as "eight-eyes" rather... interesting.

* Tarantulas's toy bios paint him as a really dumb ninja-like stealth assassin. Both of his [[Tech Spec]]s give him an intelligence of 4, even the numbers that accompany his ''Transmetals'' bio which mentions the cartoon's [[quantum surge]].

* In the first season, Tarantulas is characterized more as a cannibalistic, psychotic gourmand who happens to be the Predacons' Science Officer than as the mad scientist and master plotter he becomes from "[[Spider's Game]]" onwards. This is to the extent that his official season one profile makes several mentions of his eating habits, describes his sole interest as being "food", and summarizes his relationship with the other Predacons as simple disdain, as he considers them to all be potential meals.

* In the Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'', Tarantulas retained his trademark cackle, but it was a little ''different''. His voice was very high-pitched and he shrieked almost constantly. His trademark laugh more closely resembled a wicked witch of sorts.

[[Image:OptimalSituation Tarantulas insignia.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Tarantulas is one of Reprolabels's best customers.]]
* From "[[Optimal Situation]]" onwards, the Arachnoids sport a Tarantulas-themed insignia.

* Tarantulas's origins are a bit complicated. He declares in "[[Other Victories]]" that he and the [[Tripredacus Council]] have origins other than Autobot and Decepticon, such that they would not be affected by the destruction of the Ark. Megatron's line about "Unicron's spawn" was apparently not intended by [[Bob Forward]] to be taken literally; it was to have been a generic insult rather than a statement of fact.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/f06828ec523295c1?dmode=source&output=gplain Larry DiTillio's take on Tarantulas origins! at alt.toys.transformers]</ref> (Forward's own inkling, albeit never realized, was that they might be descended from [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s Cybertronian Empire.) A Unicronian origin also creates potential canonical issues, as Tarantulas says that "under our rule, Cybertron will conquer the universe" ("[[Other Victories]]"), whereas Unicron's goal would have been to eat Cybertron. But, much like [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]'s line about "[[Darksyde|the dark side]]", this line developed a life of its own. Eventually this connection was reasserted in [[3H Productions]]' ''[[Primeval Dawn]]'' storyline, initially written by... Bob Forward.

* Tarantulas's body in "[[Theft of the Golden Disk]]" is based on [[Ransack (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Ransack]].

* Tarantulas is probably the only [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Minion of Unicron]] who avoided being labeled a [[Decepticon]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category:Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]
[[Category:Double agents]]
[[Category:Ninjas]]
[[Category:Predacons]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:Security officers]]
[[Category:Timelines characters]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Unicron-related characters]]
[[Category:Universe characters]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

Code of Hero

2010-01-30T04:33:14Z

208.104.102.194: /* Real-world references */

{{episode|
|series=BWtoon
|ep=35
|series2=Metals
|ep2=8
|prev2=Other Visits (Part 2)
|image=CodeofHero titlepic.jpg
|caption=The rest is silence...
|title="Code of Hero"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[March 9]], 1998
|packaged with=[[Dinobot (BW)#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Dinobot]]
|written by=[[Ian Weir]]
|directed by=[[Bob Forward]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Dinobot makes the ultimate sacrifice to save those who are still to come.'''

:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Code du Héros''' ("Code of Hero")
:''Japanese title:'' あばよッ! (''Abayo!'', "Farewell!")
:''Spanish title:'' '''El Código del Héroe'''
:''Latin-American title:'' '''El Código de un Héroe'''
:''Italian title:'' '''Un grande eroe''' ("A grand hero")

==Synopsis==
In a wild valley, a group of [[Protohuman|primitive hominids]] forage for food. A gargantuan snake attacks two of their number, and the protohumans are helpless to stop it...

[[Image:Dinobot meditate.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"I have no other choice, I have dishonored my comrades."]]
At the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', a haunted Dinobot meditates on his sword... and holds its blade ominously over his chest. But after a long moment of tension and hesitation, he casts it aside with a growl of frustration.

Rhinox has been calculating the path of the [[Transwarp wavefront|Transwarp Wave]] from the [[Planet Buster]]'s destruction—it's traveling through time at an accelerated rate, and will reach [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in the "present", thus alerting Cybertron to their location. Optimus fears Megatron has made similar calculations, and the group realizes they need to increase their defenses.

Dinobot, still somber, runs into Rattrap, who nearly goads him into a fight over his turning the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Disk]] over to Megatron. Rattrap stalks off, concluding that he'd thought Dinobot was at least forthright. Dinobot is left to reflect that his past actions cannot be undone... but they "may yet be mitigated". He arms himself and heads off into the wastes.

On aerial recon, Cheetor observes Megatron and Rampage out for a stroll. They drive him off with some damage, but Cheetor calls in the sighting to Dinobot, who promises to follow up.

At [[Tarantulas's lair|his lair]], Tarantulas has captured a tasty antelope for his dinner. But as he creeps up to the struggling beast, Dinobot bursts out of the ground, holding him at gunpoint and demanding to know what information is on the Golden Disk. Tarantulas doesn't know—there are no more copies remaining, and Megatron is keeping the Disk on his person at all times. Still holding him at gunpoint, Dinobot uses Tarantulas as his unwilling ride.

[[Image:Megatron GoldenDisk.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The hills are alive, with The Sounds of Earth!]]
The protohumans scatter and panic as Megatron flies overhead and lands. Rampage sneers that the Maximals will soon arrive from Cybertron, and that he anticipates Megatron's imminent demise. Megatron admits that's very likely... but only if history remains as it is.

Megatron explains that the Golden Disk contains images recorded in the future, including one of a nearby mountain. Megatron has Rampage destroy the mountaintop. After a moment, the image on the disk changes to suit the altered reality, to Megatron's delight. Dinobot observes all this with dawning dread: Megatron has the power to change the future.

The valley they are standing above, Megatron explains, spawned the human race. Their interference helped the Autobots win the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], thereby allowing the Maximals to rule over the Predacons today. But Megatron has a different history in mind. Summoning the rest of his troops, he orders them to annihilate the valley and its inhabitants. With the protohumans destroyed, the human race will never have existed!

[[Image:BWDinobot decision.jpg|left|170px|thumb|A picturesque image is required before a dramatic death.]]
While Dinobot's back is turned, Tarantulas blasts him; Dinobot reciprocates by squashing him under a rock. Dinobot contacts Optimus, who orders him to maintain position, but Dinobot knows there is no time to wait. With his questions answered, Dinobot is ready to face his destiny.

Dinobot moves in to attack the entire Predacon force single-handed. He blasts, punches and stomps his way past Megatron's minions, but loses his weapons, suffers considerable damage, and drains most of his energy supply. His computer warns him that he must enter [[stasis lock]] to survive... a command which Dinobot overrides.

Megatron confronts the damaged warrior, gloating over his near-total victory; when Dinobot starts to attack, Megatron reveals a human captive. The hostage is enough to make Dinobot halt; Megatron rebukes him for weakness. But Dinobot is a warrior still. Forging a makeshift hammer from a rock and stick, he knocks the Disk out of Megatron's hand. With the last of his energy, he summons one final optic blast, shattering the Disk.

Furiously lamenting his failure, Megatron flees as the [[Maximal]]s arrive. Cheetor douses the flames of the burning valley. The Maximals gather around the fallen Dinobot, but it is too late to help him. Optimus assures him that he has saved untold lives yet to come. Dinobot exchanges a final round of barbs with Rattrap; he asks them all to tell his story truthfully, both the good and the bad, and allow him to be judged accordingly. With that, the proud warrior dies. Rattrap leads the others in a salute as Dinobot's [[spark]] leaves his body, with Primal wishing it on to the Matrix, there to join Cybertron's finest.

[[Image:Dinbot funeral.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Old soldiers don't die, they just fade away...]]
The next morning, the Maximals hold a funeral for Dinobot. The fliers soar through the air in a [[wikipedia:missing man formation|salute]], as Rattrap and Rhinox dissolve Dinobot's remains.

At the valley, a curious protohuman finds Dinobot's hammer. He soon figures out how to use it to help gather food... and to fend off predators, such as the giant snake. The protohuman's yell of triumph echoes through the valley.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (2)
* [[Optimus Primal]] (3)
* [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (4)
* [[Rattrap]] (5)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (6)
* [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (14)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
* [[Tarantulas]] (7)
* [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (8)
* [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] (9)
* [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (10)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (11)
* [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (12)
* [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] (13)

|h3=[[Protohuman]]s|c3=
* [[Leader Neanderthal]] (1)

}}

==Quotes==
"Remember that transwarp cell explosion?" 
[''Primal just glares''] 
"Okay, stupid question..."
:—'''Rhinox''' has a once-in-a-lifetime lapse in intelligence.

"Well, if it ain't the irascible raptor." 
"The base remains infested with vermin I see." 
"Yeah? Funny, y'know not much changes around here… except maybe the occasional allegiance. Find any Golden Disks lately, hmm? Pass them on to any Predacons?" 
"I don't need to explain my actions to you, mouse!" 
"Yeah, that's right, ya don't cause they pretty much speak for themselves." 
"Go ahead, rodent. Push one more inch." 
[''pushes Dinobot back''] "You know, I used to figure I had you pegged. 'Oh, yeah, he's a slag-spoutin' saurian, but at least you know where he stands.' Guess we live and learn."
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Dinobot'''

"The rodent's words give off the stench of truth. Destiny is one great test in store for us all. Has mine already come and have I failed it? A deed once done cannot be undone, but perhaps, it may yet be mitigated."
:—'''Dinobot''' embarking on his destiny

"Shouldn't take your eyes off a spider. They tend to be venomous." ''[chuckles]'' 
"But they still squash."
:—'''Tarantulas''' and '''Dinobot'''

"Destroy this valley and everything in it! The human race will never have existed!"
:—'''Megatron''', announcing the impending genocide of the proto-humans

"The question that once haunted my being has been answered. The future is not fixed, and my choices are my own. And yet, how ironic... for I now find that I have no choice at all! I am a warrior... let the battle be joined."
:—'''Dinobot''', realizing his destiny

"Oh man. No matter how soon we get there, it's gonna be way too late." 
"Do you always have to see the bright side?" 
"Dino-butt against six Preds. There won't be enough of him to make a toaster."
:—'''Rattrap''' and a sarcastic '''Rhinox'''

"One lonely turncoat, battling on against impossible odds." ''[Wipes fake tear]'' "I'm almost touched! ...Fortunately, such moments pass quickly. Quickstrike, scrap him!"
:—'''Megatron''', observing Dinobot's solo fight to save the valley

"What's a warrior without weapons, eh?" 
"A warrior ''still!''"
:—'''Quickstrike''' totally underestimates '''Dinobot'''

"Hmm, my ears are burning! Yesss! Why, Dinobot, what a delightful surprise! Let's see, where are we now? I have the Golden Disk, I have the power to change the future, and the only obstacle in my path to ''unimaginable'' glory... is yourself. Exhausted. Damaged beyond recovery. ''Defeated''." 
"Not just yet!" 
"Ah-ah-ah!" ''[Megatron reveals a bound proto-human]'' "One more step, and it's raining bits of early anthropoid, yesss." ''[Dinobot hesitates]'' "Oh dear, how positively ''Maximal'' of you. You were weakened before you started, Dinobot. Weakened by ''compassion''."
:—'''Megatron''' confronts the severely damaged '''Dinobot'''.

'''Megatron:''' "Oh-ho-ho-ho, really, Dinobot, a ''stick''—against a ''Transmetal''? I think ''not''." 
'''Computer:''' "Final Warning: Power failing. Jeopardy extreme. Repeat: Extreme." 
'''Megatron:''' "Please. Face it, Dinobot. You're old technology. ''Obsolete''. What could ''you'' possibly do?" 
'''Dinobot:''' "Improvise."
:—Dinobot's down but not out yet.

"Well fought, my friend. You saved the valley. You saved the lives of those who live here... and of those who are still to come."
:—'''Optimus Primal'''

"Like I said, you're just a blasted, slag-spouting saurian, but... it's nice to know where you stand." 
"Upwind of you, for preference, vermin."
:—'''Rattrap''' and '''Dinobot''' sharing one last round of banter.

"Tell my tale to those who ask. Tell it truly, the ill deeds along with the good, and let me be judged accordingly. The rest... is silence."
:—'''Dinobot''''s last words

"He lived a warrior... and died a hero. Let his spark join the Matrix, the greatest of Cybertron."
:—'''Optimus Primal''''s eulogy for Dinobot

==Notes==
===Technical/animation glitches===
* The interior of the ''Axalon'', and thus the doors to Dinobot's quarters, were made at a different scale to his character model, so he could not actually fit through the doorway. Bob Forward explained that it had to be faked by a cut.
* When Rattrap is working at the wall panel, his right forearm is backwards and remains thus until he is grandly gesturing.
* When Megatron is flying over the proto-human valley, his legs are missing and his body has very little detail.
* As Quickstrike approaches Dinobot, his left shin is backwards.
* At Dinobot's funeral, Rattrap is in his pre-Transmetal body. On the [[Madman]] DVD commentary for this episode, Bob Forward could not believe how the production team (who had viewed this scene at least a hundred times trying to get everything right) did not notice the fact they used the wrong Rattrap, and yet every fan did.

===Other Errors===
* The strategy of the Maximal cavalry seems a bit odd. Granted, arriving in ones and twos would make them more vunerable to attack but surely there would be some advantage in sending at least Cheetor on ahead? Or are we suppossed to assume that every single Maximal, from jet-powered cheetah to bog-standard rhino, has the same top speed? (It's especially odd for Rhinox, considering that vehicle-mode Rattrap has given someone a lift [[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)|before]], and Primal will give Rhinox a lift [[The Agenda (Part III)|later]]).
* When Dinobot laments about Megatron's power being limitless, Megatron and Rampage can be seen on the cliff right behind him. This and the previous shot also indicate that Dinobot is ''right out in the open'', possibly exposing himself in full view of both Predacons. So...exactly ''why'' didn't Megatron or Rampage notice Dinobot, now?
* Megatron left the field of battle in Maximal hands with all of his troops incapacitated. Yet next episode, the Predacons are back under his command. The Maximals must have simply left and allowed Megatron to collect their injured chassis at his leisure instead of taking them prisoner.
* Towards the end of the episode, listen closely when the caveman hits an oncoming snake with Dinobot's hammer. A mechanical thud can be heard when the snake hits the ground, making it sound as if the snake is made of metal.

===Transformers references===
*Megatron orders the destruction of the prehumans to prevent the development of mankind. Humans assisted the Autobots to win the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. Most of these were probably [[Witwicky|Witwickys]].

===Real-world references===
* As the Predacons jump into the valley to destroy the hominids, Rampage crushes a butterfly. This evokes the famous Ray Bradbury short story "[[wikipedia:A Sound of Thunder|A Sound of Thunder]]", in which a time traveler in the past steps on a butterfly, thus dramatically altering the future of humanity. It is also reminiscent of the [[wikipedia:Butterfly Effect|Butterfly Effect]], a principle of chaos theory which holds that a small change (a flap of a butterfly's wings, killing a few dozen hominids) can eventually lead to vast changes (changes in storm systems a world away, the dominion of Predacons over Maximals). Of course, the writers may have merely intended Rampage's act to symbolize how killing the hominids would be no more difficult for the Predacons than crushing a butterfly . . .
* When Dinobot is leaving the base, he comments that "what is done cannot easily be undone", a slight modification of the Shakespearean quote "what is done cannot be undone".
* Dinobot's final words, "The rest is silence", are taken directly from Shakespeare's ''Hamlet''.
* In a bit of foreshadowing, while Dinobot is contemplating suicide, three ravens fly past his window in the [[wikipedia:Missing man formation|missing man formation]], which the Maximal fliers use in their salute to him at his funeral.
* Right after Dinobot crash-lands on [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (for the umpteenth time, Waspinator gets no respect) Rampage points his cannon at Dinobot with the aim view similar to the gun barrel views from numerous James Bond movies. Of course, most Bond villains do not give the opponent time to stuff a trashed Waspinator into the barrel (for the umpteenth and 1 time, Waspinator gets no respect) but still...

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* ''Beast Wars'' co-story editor [[Bob Forward]] drew storyboards for this episode. Not only is it the only ''Beast Wars'' episode to be directed by the series' writers, but it's also the only episode to be done up in storyboards, traditionally, rather than being directed on-the-fly. Bob Forward worked in person with the [[Mainframe Entertainment|Mainframe]] animators for this episode.
* The original storyboards were auctioned for charity at a [[BotCon]].
* According to Bob Forward, Megatron's transformation sequence had to be reconstructed to be able to show his transformation from underneath for one shot. Previously, the animation only "worked" when seen from eye-level or above.
* For someone with an endurance level of '4', [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] makes a great shield. [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]'s guns have no serious effect on him.
* This episode marks the very last appearance of [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] in beast mode.
* During the recording of this episode, [[Scott McNeil]] was attempting to deliver Dinobot's last words, but was continually interrupted by the recording crew's laughter. He is reputed to have said while still in character, "Do you mind?!! I'm trying to die here!!!"
* According to McNeil, Dinobot knew he was going to die five episodes before he did, as right up until the last second, he believed Dinobot to only be "cartoon dead" as opposed to "''dead'' dead."
* When originally broadcast in the [[United Kingdom]], this episode was absolutely cut to shreds, with Dinobot's contemplated suicide completely excised, and his hallway altercation with Rattrap cut down to only a fraction of its actual length. In the latter case, this seem to serve no other purpose than the elimination of the word "[[Slag (slang)|slag]]", and Dinobot's dying exchange with Rattrap was likewise altered to purge the word.
* It's no surprise that a DVD containing this episode was packaged with Dinobot for ''[[Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]''. This is the only post-Season 1 episode included with any ''10th Anniversary'' figures.
* Bob Forward considers this to be his favourite Beast Wars episode, as well as the ''The Agenda'' three-parter. <ref>http://www.infinitefrontiers.0catch.com/AutoAssembly/BobForward.htm Interview with Bob Forward</ref> The episode is one of the most acclaimed in Transformers history.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]
[[Category:MSTF]]

Other Visits (Part 1)

2010-01-04T02:36:35Z

208.104.102.194: /* Synopsis */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=32
|image=Other_Visits_1_Airazor_Tigatron.jpg
|caption="I'll never let go, Tigatron. I promise."
|title="Other Visits" (Part 1)
|production=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[February 8]], 1998
|written by=[[Larry DiTillio]]
|directed by=[[John Pozer]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''A new alien site and device are discovered, and Megatron intends to have both for himself.'''

:''French title:'' '''Les Visiteurs - 1re partie''' ("The Visitors - Part 1")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Les Visiteurs 1'''
:''Japanese title:'' え? お花が? (''E? O-hana ga?'', "Huh? The Flower?")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Otras Visitas (Parte 1)'''
:''Latin-American title:'' '''Los Visitantes Primera Parte'''
:''Italian title:'' '''Minaccia aliena - Parte 1''' ("Alien threat - Part One")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Other Visits 1 Rhinox Dinobot.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Optimus is coming! Quick, look busy!]]
[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] scans all the known alien sites, with [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] playing "back seat computer operator". Both notice a pattern, and Rhinox is concerned, as the next location looks like it is on course with [[Tigatron]] and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor's]] scout patrol. They try to alert the pair but are unable to due to [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron's]] jamming tower. Dinobot announces he and [[Rattrap]] will go to destroy the tower. Rhinox informs the other [[Maximals]] of the danger Tigatron and Airazor are in, so the flyers set off to warn them.

[[Tarantulas]] is repairing his web in his lair, moaning to himself that no one will help him, as "they're all too busy helping Megatron, even that vile..." when he is interrupted by his computer alerting him to the presence of the aliens. He quickly transforms into his motorbike mode and races off.

[[Image:Other Visits 1 Blackarachnia monitor.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Megatron's coming! Quick, look busy!]]
In the ''[[Darksyde]]'', [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] is nearly dozing off on scout duty, as "being loyal to Megatron sure is boring!". This doesn't please the purple guy much, as he happens to be eavesdropping. Suddenly, she notices Tarantulas on the scanners, zipping along at breakneck speed in [[Grid Vaxon]]. At the mention of the spider, Megatron reveals himself, accompanied by [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]], and begins giving Blackarachnia orders, with Inferno enforcing his master's wishes. Blackarachnia suggests they follow Tarantulas to see what he's up to, but Megs seems reluctant. Inferno then reports an attack on the jamming tower and asks if he should back up [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]]. Instead, Megatron reveals to the spider and Inferno that now is a prime time to get the [[Golden Disk (Vok)|Golden Disk]] back, with only Rhinox guarding the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]''.

[[Image:Other Visits 1 Tigatron plant.jpg|left|200px|thumb|A touching moment here, but a different touching in Japan.]]
Tigatron and Airazor are patrolling when, to their delight and surprise, they see a hint of plant life in the form of a drifting seed. They continue to [[Grid Zeiram]], where they discover a clearing full of plant life, an area of natural beauty that wasn't destroyed by the alien attack. Airazor is intrigued by the unique forms of vegetation, so she transforms to get a scan. BIG MISTAKE. Tigatron also transforms. BIG MISTAKE. They both seem to be overcome by it all, and share a brief, cheesy romantic moment. But as the pair cuddle up, tendrils begin to snake up behind them, and suddenly, the two Maximals are entangled. Amidst their screams, they link hands, telling each other that their sparks will always find each other. As they are abducted, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] flies up and tries to rescue them, but to no avail. He screams in protest as he realises he has lost them. As he bemoans the Maximals' inability to warn the abducted pair in time, Tarantulas pops up and blasts Cheetor, knocking him out cold. As Tarantulas begins to check out the site, he realises [[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] is coming, so he retreats.

Optimus and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] land in the clearing, and Optimus gets Cheetor back online. He hurriedly asks what happened to Tigatron and Airazor, and Cheetor indicates the plant at fault for their disappearance. At this moment, Rattrap buzzes in, informing the Maximals that he and Dinobot have destroyed the jamming tower. (Actually, Dinobot is still landing a few final blows, which topple the tower on top of Quickstrike and Waspinator.) Upon hearing about the fate of Tigatron and Airazor, all the Maximals head back to base, all deeply moved.

[[Image:Rock 'em an' sock 'em%2C Rhinox.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The incredible, unanticipated Hasbro-Mattel crossover!]]
Optimus com-links Rhinox, who is also shocked by the news, but, being the cool cucumber that he is, goes straight back to scanning the alien abduction and notices two distorted figures in the beam: Tigatron and Airazor. Before he can investigate further, the base alerts go off, and he notices Megatron outside. Rhinox has no time for fun and games, so he literally brings out "the big guns." However, Megatron is merely acting as a diversion while Blackarachnia and Inferno sneak into the base and shut off the defense systems. Big Green realizes he's in trouble and desperately tries to get through to Optimus, but Inferno enters the room, swings Rhinox's chair up to the table, and puts him at gunpoint just as Optimus finally responds. Inferno offers a "Goodbye!" on Rhinox's behalf and simultaneously blasts Rhinox. Blackarachnia rushes for the disk, but Inferno is more hesitant: "The Royalty said we weren't to touch it until..." He is interrupted by Rhinox grabbing him and yanking him back to express his displeasure. Rhinox and Inferno start to rock 'n' sock each other with chin-punches, and Rhinox soon wins by popping Inferno's block off (or at least up). Blackarachnia grabs the disk, but Rhinox menaces her with "The Chaingun Of Doom." He barely has time to threaten her before Megatron appears behind him and lays verbal claim to the disk. Despite his fear, Rhinox quickly readies to smack Megs in the face, but the Pred is too quick; he grabs Rhinox's hand in his claw, rips it off and sends him sprawling. Megatron grabs the disk, pushes Inferno's head back down, then takes his leave.

The Maximals make it back to the base, and Optimus re-attaches Rhinox's arm. The Maximals then have a council. Cheetor is still upset about Tigatron and Airazor, insisting they need to rescue those two. However, Dinobot says they need to stop Megatron before the aliens strike, to which Optimus agrees. They set off for the site where Tigatron and Airazor were abducted.

Megatron is back in the ''Darksyde'', talking about the Golden Disk, but is interrupted by Tarantulas. The spider brags that he is no longer part of the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] command, but also reminds his ex-leader that he is Megatron's only chance of surviving the alien attack. Megatron allows Tarantulas to undertake his plan.

[[Image:Other Visits 1 Megatron hunter.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"From here it looks like a giant boob."]]
The Predacons head to the abduction site, where they go about ramming posts into the ground. Megatron questions Tarantulas's motives, but Tarantulas isn't telling. However, due to the fact they shared minds, Blackarachnia knows it is because he hates the aliens. Megatron doesn't mind, since hatred is an emotion he can trust. When the plan is complete, Megatron and Tarantulas have a brief laughing contest which is interrupted by Primal and the Maximals, who transform and prepare to attack. The Predacons also terrorize, ready for battle, when the aliens' beam comes down, causing a halt in the proceedings. All the Transformers stare on in amazement as a [[Metal Hunter|spaceship]] materializes in front of their very optics.

The top of the ship opens, releasing an energon surge, which blasts into everybody.

[[Other Visits (Part 2)|To be continued...]]
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal|Maximals]]|c1=
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (1)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (2)
*[[Tigatron]] (7)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (8)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (9)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (10)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (11)
*[[Rattrap]] (14)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Tarantulas]] (3)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (4)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (5)
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (6)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (12)
*[[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"Sometimes Optimus trusts too much..."
:—'''Rhinox''' to himself over Dinobot's recent activities

"Wherever we go, my Spark will find yours!" 
"A-a-and mine, yours."
:—'''Tigatron''' and '''Airazor''', just before getting sent into space

"We could have warned them. If only that stinking Megatron hadn't..." 
"Well you didn't!" [''blasts Cheetor''] 
:—'''Cheetor''' and '''Tarantulas'''

"Say the word, and he will ''burn'', My Queen." 
"Not yet...and for the last time, '''''stop calling me that!'''''" 
"As you command, my...''Ack...''"
:—'''Inferno''' and '''Megatron''' decide to "choke" this title for now.

'''Megatron''': (after all of Sentinel's guns are pointed at him) "I...uh..come in peace?" 
'''Rhinox''':"You're about to leave in pieces."
:—Negotiations between '''Megatron''' and '''Rhinox''' break down.

"Ready to rock and roll, insect?" 
"I don't rock and roll. I buuuuurn."
:—'''Blackarachnia''' and '''Inferno''' after knocking out the Maximal defences.

''(laughs)'' "Looks like we will have our little chat after all, Rhinox."
:—'''Megatron''', after the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s defenses are deactivated

"You don't wanna try it. The disk!"
:—'''Rhinox''' demands the Golden Disk from Blackarachnia, unaware that Megatron is creeping up behind him.

"It's like I always say: We're all gonna die."''(All glare at Rattrap.)'' 
"I know, I know. 'Shut up, Rattrap.'"
:—'''Rattrap''' contemplates the situation.

"Leave here, Primal! I will deal with this!" 
"Like you did ''last time''? Dream on!"
:—'''Megatron''' fails to get '''Optimus Primal''''s confidence for dealing with the aliens.

==Notes==
* In this episode and many others after the events of "[[Maximal, No More]]", at least one Maximal would express their ill feelings towards Dinobot for what he did. This would continue until "[[Code of Hero]]", where he would redeem himself, albeit at the cost of his own life.

===Animation or technical errors===
*Near the beginning of the episode when Optimus is flying on his gorilla hoverboard, his blaster (which is his thruster in that mode) is pointed down, but there is still a visible jet of flame where it should be.
*During the Maximal group discussion about the alien device, Cheetor's cat head clips into his arm.

===Real-World References===
*The fight between [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] references Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots, a popular fighting game.
*Waspinator says he's pinned like an "[[wikipedia:Iron_Butterfly|iron butterfly]]", referencing the 1960s psychedelic rock band that gave the world "[[wikipedia:In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida|In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida]]".

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]

Double Dinobot

2009-12-30T23:21:41Z

208.104.102.194: /* Quotes */

{{episode
|series=BWtoon
|ep=14
|image=Dinobot mirror.jpg
|caption="Hmm. He looks good, but is he tasty...?"
|title="Double Dinobot"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate= [[November 5]], 1996
|written by=[[Rowby Goren]]
|directed by=[[John Pozer]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity= [[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''Megatron creates a non-transforming clone of Dinobot in an effort to disable Sentinel'''.

:''French title:'' '''Le Clone''' ("The Clone")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''Double DinoBot'''
:''Japanese title:'' ダイノボットが二人に? (''Dinobot ga Futari ni?'', "Two Dinobots?")
:''Latin-American title:'' '''El Doble de Dinobot'''
:''Italian title:'' '''Il vero e il falso''' ("The real and the fake")

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Double Dinobot Megatron clone.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Isn't he cute?]]
In a scene reminiscent of a certain [[wikipedia:Frankenstein (1931 film)|early horror film]], Megatron creates a velociraptor clone based on the DNA of the [[Maximal]] Dinobot, Clone One, which also possesses a copy of Dinobot's mind.

Terrorsaur attacks the real Dinobot while on patrol, leading the Maximal into a cave where a swift move allows Terrorsaur to escape and bury Dinobot in a cave-in. Meanwhile, Clone One is sent to infiltrate the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal Base]] in his place. Clone One tells Optimus Primal that there's a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] camp in [[Grid Omega]] and insists Primal himself should go. Primal instead sends the Clone and Rattrap to fix the camp's exact location.

[[Image:Double Dinobot Rattrap clone.jpg|right|200px|thumb|What's funnier? Seeing someone falling off a log, or causing someone to fall of a log and then laughing at them for falling off.]]
Rattrap transforms to attack the alleged base and ''almost'' discovers the Clone's inability to transform, but stands down when the Clone reminds him this is a ''recon'' mission. Rattrap is puzzled by this uncharacteristic show of restraint, but stands down. While crossing an open lava flow, Clone One kicks the bridge out from under Rattrap, apparently sending him to his death.

In the meantime, the real Dinobot digs himself out of the rubble in the cave.

[[Image:Double Dinobot Clone shock.jpg|left|200px|thumb|This is what really wiped out the dinosaurs.]]
Clone One returns to the ''Axalon'' (now crewed only by Optimus Primal) and fakes an injury, telling Primal that they discovered the Predacon camp under cover of a "stealth device" and Rattrap is trapped. Despite having just received a report from Rhinox that Grid Omega shows no signs of Predacon activity, Optimus Primal activates [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]] and leaves to rescue Rattrap. Clone One struggles to deactivate the shield without Dinobot's authorization codes and is repeatedly shocked by Sentinel, who recognises him as Dinobot, but doesn't detect a Maximal spark.

Primal and Cheetor rendezvous in Grid Omega, where they pick up Rattrap's trail. Rattrap, who landed on a chunk of rock, rides it along the lava flow, but is forced to leap for his life when the flow becomes a lava waterfall. He lands up on a ledge and then [[wikipedia:Rocket jumping|grenade jumps]] back to stable ground, where he encounters Cheetor and Primal and informs them of "Dinobot"'s treachery.

Meanwhile, the real Dinobot returns to the Axalon and deactivates the perimeter shield. Clone One believes he has finally succeeded and summons Megatron. The two Dinobots come face to face and are momentarily baffled as their identical reflexes cause them to mirror one another's reactions. Clone One realizes the situation first and attacks, but Dinobot transforms and challenges his clone to a fight. Discovering that his double cannot transform, Dinobot return to Beast Mode and the two fight on equal terms. The Clone is losing ground, but a lucky blow appears to knock Dinobot unconscious. Clone One eagerly goes to meet Megatron, not realizing that Dinobot was [[wikipedia:Playing possum|playing]] [[Enter the Nightbird|robo-possum]].

[[Image:Double Dinobot Dinobot teeth.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"...Mmmm, he was quite tasty."]]
Dinobot poses as his clone and greets Megatron outside the base and flatters his ego while discovering his plan to ambush the Maximals as they return from Grid Omega then use their own defense grid to finish them off. Dinobot activates the perimeter shield just as Megatron is walking through it, shocking him badly. Megatron initially believes the clone has betrayed him just as Dinobot did, but is cheered to learn that's not the case. With the arrival of the other Maximals, Megatron retreats.

The Maximals survey the damaged command center in dismay and inquire what happened to the clone. Dinobot informs them that it is gone for good…and was 'quite tasty'.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] (6)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (7)
*[[Rattrap]] (8)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (9)
*[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (10)

|h2=[[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (1)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (2)
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] (3)
*[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] (4)
*[[Clone One]] (5)
}}

==Quotes==
"At last, an end to the boredom!"
:—'''Dinobot''', delighted to be attacked

"Peaceful as an R-chamber. Looks like old chopper face is seein' things."
:—'''Rattrap'''

"I just knew I smelled a rat... and it wasn't even me!"
:—'''Rattrap''' jumps to the wrong conclusion.

"What in the Inferno are you?" 
"What you might have been, had you not betrayed Megatron."
:—'''Dinobot''' meets '''Clone One'''

"Ooh, your brilliance is an inspiration to me!" 
"Oh, you are an enchanting creature! I may just clone the rest of my troops."
:—'''Dinobot''' posing as his clone, to '''Megatron'''

"Well. I guess my revenge must be postponed until next we meet!"
:—Has '''Megatron''' got a copy of the TV Guide?

'''Rattrap:''' "If there was a clone, then where is he, huh?" 
'''Dinobot:''' "I'm afraid he's gone for good. A shame, really; he was such a handsome creature. And… quite tasty." 
''[Dinobot flicks a piece of flesh from his teeth at Primal and belches loudly. Cheetor gives him a thumbs up.]'' 
'''Optimus Primal:''' "…You're disgusting." 
''[Dinobot smiles]''
:—The Maximals discover the clone's ''deliciously'' gruesome fate.

==Notes==
* Clone One's skin will later be seen on the wall of Dinobot's room. {{storylink|Maximal, No More}} {{storylink|Code of Hero}}
* Megatron was extremely pleased to learn the clone had not betrayed him. Had Dinobot led him to think his clones were unreliable, it probably would have saved the Maximals a lot of trouble…. ''Ah, hindsight.''
* Megatron would clone Dinobot twice more; the [[Cyber raptor|Cyber raptors]] in [[Cutting Edge]] and [[Dinobot II]] in [[Feral Scream Part 1]]. The [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] would use DNA from Dinobot's spark to create the [[Dinobot (BM)|Dinobots]] in ''[[Beast Machines (franchise)|Beast Machines]]''.
* The Chamber Dinobot's clone was created in appears to be an extensively refitted Predacon [[CR chamber|R-Chamber]].
* Megatron is seemingly incapable of cloning Dinobot on sunny days with lots of butterflies. SOMEONE has been reading too much [[wikipedia:Mary Shelley|Mary Shelley]], folks.
* When Dinobot first encounters his clone, and the two mimic each other's movements, it is perhaps a reference to the famous mirror scene from the Marx Brothers movie [[wikipedia:Duck_Soup_(1933_film)|Duck Soup.]]

===Trivia===
*While the Dinobot clone is trying to deactivate Sentinel, a holographic Maximal logo appears with [[Cybertronix]] writing under it saying "who is this putz scally user". Then the shot changes to behind the projection as some more text appears next to a diagram that says "hey ian go f**k yourself", making one wonder what either [[Ian Corlett]] or [[Ian Pearson]] did to piss off an animator. Then the words 'Merv Griffin' display.

==External links==
* [http://bwtf.com/bw/tvshow/episodes/seasonone/doubledinobot/doubledinobotscript.pdf Double Dinobot Script] on BWTF.com (PDF)

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]