Darksyde (BW)

2008-01-20T22:07:22Z

24.13.197.239: /* ''Beast Wars'' */

:''The ''Darksyde'' is a spaceship in the [[Beast Wars]] portion of the [[Generation 1]] continuity family.''

[[Image:Darkside1.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Welcome to the Darksyde. Your hostess will be serving you a choice of beverages and honey-roasted nuts.]]

The '''''Darksyde''''' (sometimes '''''Darkside''''') is the name of the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] vessel that [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s troops "borrowed" to get to [[Earth]] after he stole the [[Golden Disk]]. [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] named her, though [[Waspinator]] wanted to call her the "Buzzerbot". After it crashed on prehistoric Earth, the Predacon [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] preferred to call the ship "the Colony", though just about everyone else referred to it as the '''Predacon Base'''.

:''Japanese name:'' '''''Terra Crusher''''' (or something to that effect; see Trivia)

==Fiction==
===Animated continuity===
====''Beast Wars''====

[[Image:Darksyde_chase.jpg|thumb|left|Note the space dart board behind it]]

Exiting [[Transwarp]], the ''Darksyde'' was immediately fired upon by the pursuing Maximal science vessel [[Axalon (BW)|''Axalon'']]. Despite the urging of his [[Dinobot (BW)|first officer]] to destroy the ''Axalon'' when the Maximal's shields failed, Megatron arrogantly decided to merely toy with his opponents by slowing down the ship enough for the ''Axalon'' to catch up, then unleashing a broadside from the ''Darksyde''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s side guns, severely damaging the Maximal ship.

However, Megatron would not have long to gloat, as several well-aimed plasma cannon shots from the ''Axalon'' strafed the hull of the ''Darksyde'', crippling the ship. Soon afterwards, both ships crash-landed on the planet's surface. {{Storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}}

The crashed ''Darksyde'' became the Predacon base, their center of operations on Earth. The ship apparently crashed in a volcanically-active area, as the impact created lava-filled concentric cracks around it, and an upwelling of lava in the main control center. While it's arguably dangerous to have a control room where you can't walk across the floor without ''melting,'' it does look seriously badass.

The base contained a main control and monitoring center with a holographic projector; given the absence of a proper floor, hover platforms were commonly used by the Predacons to get around much of the base. The base also included CR tanks capable of restoring severely damaged Predacons (or Maximals) to full functionality; a private suite used by Megatron, including a CR tank/hot tub; a lab area used by Tarantulas; holding cages suspended over the lava pits (keyed to Megatron's voice command); and a secure storage area which held the Predacons' remaining Transwarp cells. The grounds surrounding the base were laced with automatic weapons, programmed to scan for and target Maximal energy signatures.

[[Image:Darksyde_sideguns.jpg|thumb|right|''How electrifying!'']]

In addition to day-to-day Predacon operations, the base was the scene of several battles. The first involved a messy and destructive hunt for Cheetor, who accidentally teleported into the control room. {{storylink|Equal Measures}}. Another resulted from Megatron's attempt to reprogram Rhinox into a Predacon; the rogue Maximal very nearly brought Megatron down from power by taking out first his troops, then his kneecaps. Rhinox's comrades stormed the base to recover him, however. {{storylink|Dark Designs}} The Maximals forced their way into the base a third time when Optimus Primal was infected with a rage-inducing virus; the berserk Maximal leader stormed through the Predacon base, taking out troops one after the next, until his comrades arrived to heal and retrieve him. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}}

The Maximals also managed to infiltrate the base more covertly on numerous occasions. When the Predacons managed to hack into Maximal communications, Rattrap went undercover as a turncoat. He escaped from one of the suspended prison cages and searched through the Predacon base till he found a Maximal codebreaker chip installed in one of its communication panels. {{storylink|A Better Mousetrap}} Rattrap entered on another occasion to install a spy camera and cable; when the Predacons discovered it, they faked their own destruction, drawing the Maximals into the abandoned base to salvage space drive parts. Optimus Primal noted that even abandoned, a Predacon ship was still a dangerous place. {{storylink|Victory}} Using Rattrap and Airazor as a distraction, Tigatron slipped into the base to search for information about the latest alien site to have revealed itself (though this turned out to have been exactly what Megatron wanted all along.) {{storylink|Before the Storm}}

At least once, the base's lava pits proved to be a distinct liability. When the planet was hit by a quantum surge in the wake of the Planet Buster's destruction, Terrorsaur and Scorponok lost control of their hover platforms, collided, and tumbled off. The two sank into the lava and were never seen again. {{storylink|Aftermath}}

Tarantulas proved able to cut power to the base at will; he did so once with a magna pulse {{storylink|Spider's Game}}, and again through unknown means when Ravage and the Maximals arrived to take Megatron prisoner. The base took considerable damage while under assault from Ravage's Transwarp cruiser. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}}

After the destruction of the Maximal base, Megatron's troops stole the Sentinel shield module from the Maximals, and installed it in the Predacon base, providing it with a defensive energy shield. {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}}

The battered vessel was finally destroyed by the [[Vok]] emissary [[Tigerhawk (BW)|Tigerhawk]].

:''('''Note''': In the Japanese dub, the Darksyde's computer AI was named [[Navi|Navico]].)''

{{-}}

==Crew==
[[Image:Darksyde_wreck.jpg|thumb|left|"Terra Crasher"]]

The original crew of the ''Darkside'' included:
* Megatron - Captain/Commander
* [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] - Second-in-command.
* [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] - Engineer, later second-in-command after Dinobot turned on Megatron.
* [[Tarantulas]] - Weapons/Special Ops. Secretly a spy for the [[Tripredacus Council]].
* [[Terrorsaur]] - Fighter
* [[Waspinator]] - Pilot

{{-}}

==Trivia==

* The name of the Predacon ship comes from fandom interpretation of [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]]'s line from the ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Equal Measures]]," which welcomes [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] "to the dark side." The name was used in the ''[[ Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals]]'' video game, making the name official, and again years later in the booklet inside [[Kid Rhino]]'s ''Beast Wars'' season 1 DVD set. In the [[BotCon 2006]] exclusive toy box set and accompanying story, "Darksyde" was spelled with a "y" to avoid possible trademark problems. Despite the glee with which the name is joyfully batted around in the fandom, the show itself never specifically called it anything other than "the Predacon base" or "Predacon ship".

* In the Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'', the Predacon ship was given an official name long before "Darksyde" was canonized in the West. Unfortunately, the Japanese name of the ship is rendered so nebulous by alternately acceptable transliterations that it's impossible to tell what they were actually ''going for'' in English. The katakana for the ship's name - テラクラッシャー ''te-ra-ku-ra-sshā'' - can reasonably be read as "Terra Crasher", "Terror Crasher", "Terror Crusher" or "Terra Crusher". Given the sense of humor forcefully injected into the Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'', it's possible they wanted "Terra Crasher" because the ship literally smacks into the Earth, but that admittedly doesn't make a lot of sense in-context. So who knows.

==Toys==
===Beast Wars Tenth Anniversary===
* '''Megatron''' (2006)

: A small toy of the Darksyde was included with the ''Beast Wars'' Tenth Anniversary version of Megatron. The packaging calls it the '''<s>Preadacon</s> Predacon ship''', possibly due to trademark issues. (A typo on the packaging was corrected by a sticker.)

{{stub}}
[[Category: Beast Wars]]
[[Category: Fandom]]
[[Category: Starships]]
[[Category:Bases]]
[[Category: Timelines]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Anatomic euphemism

2008-01-19T04:13:19Z

24.13.197.239: /* Exhaust port */

{{stub|Exact quotes needed for diodes, exhaust port, tailpipe, turbocharger.}}

Because most Transformers fiction is aimed at kids, and most Transformers don't have organic squishy bits, the fiction has introduced a lot of '''anatomic euphemisms''' for assorted bits of human anatomy, especially the one you sit on. Most are real mechanical or electronic terms, and also presumably real parts of [[:Category: Transformer anatomy| Transformer anatomy]].

==Actuator==
"Blow it out your actuator, [[Blitzwing (Animated)|three-face]]."
:{{m-}}'''[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]],''' "[[Transform and Roll Out!]]"
==Bearings==
"[[Dinobot (BW)|This guy's]] got bearings of chrome steel."
:{{m-}}'''Rhinox,''' "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]"

==Boron compressor==
"We were brilliant in battle, Megatron. The [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] overwhelmed us with sheer brute force!"<br>
"Brilliant, my boron compressor!"
:{{m-}}'''[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]''' and '''[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]],''' "[[War of the Dinobots]]"

==Diodes==
*[[Decepticons]], according to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], can be a pain in this component.
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] has also lectured Prime about the Dinobots having to pull his diodes out of the fire.

"I'll rip you to pieces with my ''bare claws,'' tear out your circuits with my ''teeth,'' and spit your diodes ''back'' at you!"
:{{m-}}'''[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]''' to Unicron, "[[On the Edge of Extinction!]]"
:''(. . . Sometimes figurative language comes back to, uh, bite you in the boron compressor.)''

"Me Grimlock here again, Optimus Prime, to pull your diodes out of laser fire."
:-- '''Grimlock''' lecturing a wounded Optimus Prime, [[Atlantis, Arise!]].

==Exhaust port==
Often cited in figurative language, usually as part of an angry retort that an unfavorable suggestion be expelled from it.

"Tell Megatron to blow it out his exhaust port. We're having a demolition derby."
:-- '''[[Drag Strip]]''' mouthing off, [[Starscream's Brigade]].

==Gearbox==
"What's with you two? ''[Gestures toward pants area.]'' Is my gearbox hangin' out or somethin'?"
:{{m-}}'''Rattrap,''' "[[Aftermath]]"

==Manifolds==
"I've got a plan, if all of you have the cast-iron manifolds for it."
:{{m-}}'''[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]],''' "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 1]]"

"I don't like the idea of Megatron getting the antimatter formula. He can't be trusted!"<br>
"Sure can't, manifold-mouth!"
:{{m-}}'''Starscream''' and '''[[Bluestreak]],''' ""[[Roll For It]]"

==Reactor linkage==
"I repeat, Decepticons {{m-}} surrender, or face the consequences!"<br>
"Yeah, and we repeat {{m-}} ''go stuff it up your reactor linkage!''"
:{{m-}}'''Optimus Prime''' and '''[[Tailwind]],''' "[[The Resurrection Gambit!]]"

==Skidplate==
"Yeah? And you can [[kiss]] my skidplate, [[Optimus Primal|fearless leader]]."
:{{m-}}'''Rattrap,'''<ref>We sure do get a lot of these from Rattrap, don't we?</ref> "[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]"

==Tailpipe==
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)| Cliffjumper]] wants to go out and bend some tailpipes<ref>Cliffjumper's ''Classics'' toy motto says so.</ref>.
*When [[Rattrap]] suggests that [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]] lighten up, he mentions removing a broomstick from his tailpipe.

==Turbocharger==
*A turbocharger is a good place to boot a Decepticon, according to Cliffjumper, in "[[More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category: Curses]]
[[Category: Transformer anatomy]]
[[Category: Transformer culture]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

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Darksyde (BW)

Anatomic euphemism